FINAL INVESTIGATION

[strangerpeople]

FINAL INVESTIGATION


[Fifteen X-Passes. Six weeks. Freedom at last.



But it's not the end. Of course it's not. There are questions to answer, and souls to save. And now that the group is outside, they can see where they are.

They are inside a massive cavern, illuminated in an eerie green light, standing on a stone path. On one side is the ship-or rather, a massive, ship-shaped tangle of bloody branches, the trunk-like roots snaking out and into the river its buoyed on, as well as into the ceiling of stalactites. Said river is wine dark, but it's clearly not water. No-it is blood.

And on the other side of their little pathway? A root-encrusted palace. It sits over a labyrinthine city, bathed in emerald, and all is eerily silent save for some sounds coming from within the castle. It's clear the infestation somehow started here. And it is here that answers are likely to be found.

The doors are right in front of the group-and they are already open, covered in branches. From the outside, it seems little more than a ruin. Once everyone goes in, though?




It's even worse. The tree has taken over. Whatever lives here is no longer in charge. There's no easy way to disentangle the Qilphoth from this place. But there is life here, somehow. You can see figures entangled within the roots as you explore. And-they are still, somehow, alive. More than alive. They are beings that bleed ichor instead of blood-beings of incredible divinity and power. They are gods. And they are hostage to the tree, forever and ever, trapped in induced ennui, unless something is done.


So welcome, Strangers, to the House of Hades.]







[Once you enter, the investigation shall begin.


Good luck.]



((OoC: And here are team assignments!))

Comments

[strangerpeople]

[As he walks, he will see something buried under the massive roots that have grown here-possibly the thickest and strongest roots that Kira has likely seen.]

[onychomance]

What... Is that?

[He doesn't want to get too close in case the roots are grabby. But Kira will crane his neck to see]

EVIDENCE

[strangerpeople]

[It's...difficult to see, but it looks like a woman Only her glassy green eyes, a hand, some blonde hair, and the bottom of her dress and toes are visible now. If you lean in even closer, you can hear murmuring.



It's gibberish, though. The words of someone talking in their sleep.]

[onychomance]

Oh...?

[Kira paces around at a distance to see all of these parts of the woman sticking out. His buzzsaws rise up, floating thoughtfully, but not striking yet. As if he is deciding which target he wants to aim for. He decides to address her, to see if she will stir more.]

Are you having a good dream, ma'am...?

[yesorwoof]

Ritsu-chan has found some weapons that it might be helpful to load into the car.

[That is totally why Makima came in here and not because Makima's senses were tingling. But.]





Oh?










[May Makima get an ambrosia scent read on this lady?]

[strangerpeople]

[Yup. Sure can!]

[yesorwoof]

Another one of those sleeping gods and goddesses...

[Hrm. She's blasé about the phenomenon by this point.]

[onychomance]

[Well. Her arrival makes Kira's decision easier, anyway.]

Would you like me to free her first?

[He hears that his saws may be useful for lumberjacking. They draw closer to the root.]

[strangerpeople]

[Well, he can try, but as he does, both he and Makima might notice one more thing about the roots.



Other than they look hella strong and thicc, of course.]

[onychomance]

Hm...?

EVIDENCE

[strangerpeople]

[There are pot shards that surround a cluster of dark, deep roots right near the woman's hand.



Hm.]

[onychomance]

Well now what could that pot have been for? There's no way it could have held this enormous plant....

[is there?? Kira finally steps a little closer to get a look at the woman's hand I mean the pot.]

[yesorwoof]

I don't know if the queen of the sheep would take very well to any of the deities being freed from their slumber.

[Scenting substances in the pot will not necessarily be something Makima is better than average at doing, but fortunately Kira is below average at tolerating substances, so Makima can still feel like she is contributing something.]

[strangerpeople]

[There's the ambrosial smell-but unlike the woman in the roots, there is decidedly a scent more akin to the stink on the Gigantic than anything the woman is emanating.]

[yesorwoof]

[There is dirt on the hand, so this makes her wonder if the pot was for containing something like dirt or the substance of the ship. Such as the ship being fused with the horrific tree. Makima leans down (in a quirky posture not touching her knees to the ground) to try to compare the dead plants to the tree.]

[strangerpeople]

[It looks like the pot was just containing dirt. And the plants look nothing like the tree.]

[yesorwoof]

[Plants and tree are also not at all similar in smell either? Perhaps because the tree is instead alive?]

[strangerpeople]

[Well, that and these other plants don't get nourished by blood.

Not enough edge, obviously.]

[strangerpeople]

[There's some dirt in it.]

[onychomance]

...It can't be for anything other than planting. Hrm.

[Well, that is disturbing. Kira will do another circle around to find anything else that looks out of place.]

[strangerpeople]

[Well, whatever else is out of place, it might have to do with the gold light coming from the corner near the entrance, right?]

[onychomance]

[... Gold light again, huh. Any similarity to the one from his closet?

WELL, he will check it out. It's better than disturbing the tree.]

EVIDENCE

[strangerpeople]

[There's very little similarity to the light the revival orb emitted. Indeed, the item emitting the light is still there, surrounded by a rainbow aura.





It should also be noted that this column and the ground around it are completely untouched by the roots of the tree.]

[onychomance]

[How Kira keeps finding the most majestic items around is beyond me.

Can the item be taken from the column?]

[strangerpeople]

[Looks like it, but it's very heavy.]