Anything amiss in the Auxiliary Bathrooms? Check the Cafeteria too, while we're at it.

This post was last modified: Jan 22, 2024 at 10:37 PM by Columbo.

Did we check the pockets of Rookie Journalist's lab coat? Check under her bed, in the mattress, in the pillow...
Give the same treatment to the rooms of the dead. And Phenera, too. Leave no stone unturned.

Just being thorough. My report won't look good if I ain't.

It doesn't all fit in Rookie Journalist's mug, does it?

No, you don't think it would. The mug is of average size.

Does the mug smell of anything or seem used in any way?

Are any containers missing from the lounge, kitchen, cafeteria or break room? (Or Locker Room/Leisure Centre too I suppose)

The mug has a chemical smell to it.

You can't tell if any containers are missing from those rooms, as you haven't checked them for container quantity on a previous night and therefore have nothing to judge by. Nothing is obviously disturbed.

What's that glass that Alan Wake saw last night? By the shuttle? Does the glass smell of anything?

There is no glass at any shuttle station, nor on the tracks.

Broken glass... Riki forgot again. Where glass? Glass have chemical scent?

Cafeteria chloroform poison bottle, also maybe container for bleach or vinegar? Check both.

You head to the Cafeteria and sniff the chloroform bottle. You promptly pass out unconscious.

This post was last modified: Jan 22, 2024 at 10:54 PM by Columbo.

The mug has a chemical smell to it.

Like, weird factory mug smell, or like bleach smell?

Anything amiss in the Auxiliary Bathrooms? Check the Cafeteria too, while we're at it.

There is nothing amiss in the Auxiliary Bathrooms, though again, a stall door is open. The Cafeteria has a cake sitting on the table, with a phrase mocking Raregold iced onto it.

Did we check the pockets of Rookie Journalist's lab coat? Check under her bed, in the mattress, in the pillow...
Give the same treatment to the rooms of the dead. And Phenera, too. Leave no stone unturned.

Just being thorough. My report won't look good if I ain't.

You check Rookie Journalist's lab coat... In the pocket is a box cutter.

You check the rooms of the dead and Phenera, but find nothing hidden.

Oh yeah present the paper I found in the Library last night

[Traveler’s Journal - English Translation (pg. 3)]

This sweltering heat… I had not thought such a thing was possible back in my home. I am ill adapted to this climate indeed. Yet, as I sit by their life-giving river and write these pages, I see my journey has not brought me here for no reason - beneath these sands, there is much to learn. The culture of this place spans dynasties, the distant _________ a testament to fallen kings, and fallen empires with them.

The people speak of gods of equal parts animal and man, representing different aspects of our world. It is different, yet in some regards, not unlike the surviving lore of my land. They speak of a great ________ beneath the earth, beaten back by the light of the heavens upon each dawn. They speak of a traitor God, midnight-black in form and resembling no animal - not unlike the ruinous Black _______ that betrayed our ancient people.

Of course, the lost dynasties… the consuming sands… They obfuscate the truth. Each account, a different tale. Some details mismatched, some lost to time itself. Yet despite the blistering condition of their home - the polar opposite to my own - they prosper nonetheless. Perhaps their worship has merit yet.

there's no chance the residual smell alone from the mug would be something we could ask lyra to compare to the previously checked substances, is there?

Show Heropon file about energy. From Restricted Archives, yes? Riki feel like sidekick to Hom Homs, not reverse. All over place...

Anomalous Energy Report - Categorizing the Unknown

Through researching Anomalies across our various facilities, we have been able to isolate the source of their mysterious traits. Though some would refer to it as “Magic”, or simply “Supernatural power”, we have decided instead to label this energy as Esotera, a term devised by Director [REDACTED]

Esotera comes in various forms, occurring most commonly around instances of the ritualistic practice known as [REDACTED], though it occurs in nature as well, albeit with far less frequency with no clear origin in the latter case. An Anomaly is believed to occur when large amounts of Esotera are concentrated in a single place, object, or living being - though all creatures contain amounts of Esotera, commonly referred to as the “Soul”.

Currently, we have isolated seven forms of pure Esotera, each with unique traits, origins, and interactions - not unlike elements on the periodic table.

• Liturgic
  
• Somatic
  
• _________
  
• _________
  
• Chaotic
  
• ________
  
• Occultic
  

For more information, please reference [Anomalous Energy Report 65-B - Esotera Aspects and Interactions] and [Anomalous Energy Report 66-B - Historical Decline of Esotera Levels]

can I show off my really cool powerpoint? sorry, I mean the other powerpoint found on the laptop.

I would like to share Wall of Thorns BPI file and the report on the Whisper Valley Murder Investigation

Hello, everyone! Last night, I found a "Boatkeeper Journal". This is most interesting. I hope we can find Boatkeeper and return their journal to them! Would anybody like to see my "Boatkeeper Journal"?

You present a journal, a bit dusty but not ancient or anything.

Boatkeeper’s Journal

In my years since working here, I can’t say I’ve seen as much activity out on the lake as I have recently. I don’t typically keep journals, but with how much I’ve been lending out the key, I figure I should write this down in case it gets lost.

The Director’s been going out there a lot, mostly - along with one of his _______, a _____ in a ___. Can’t remember her name, she’s never given it. Doesn’t talk much at all, actually.. There’s a small building out there - been there myself, of course, but whatever’s going on in there, it’s been locked up tight. “Under Construction” signs everywhere - until recently.

Checked it out myself after it opened up too - seems to be some kind of elevator, heading deep beneath the lake. Didn’t have a keycard, of course… but I’d wager both of them did. I don’t much like going out there anymore though

Mirror Lake used to be calm, peaceful. Lately though… this strange white glow… I catch glimpses of it in the night. Something big down there, something that wasn’t there before. Don’t like it. Not one bit.

While we have the time, I would like to further investigate the label on my bottle of "beer"

Present the two files I got from Whisper Valley Archives.

You present the second of the two files in your possession...

Autopsy Report - Whisper Valley Murder Investigation

Autopsy Report
September 8th, 2008
Overseeing Agent: S. Sinclair

Description of Scene: Body was discovered in the wheelchair accessible stall in the Men’s washroom at “Rusty’s Pub & Grill”. The door remained locked with the body inside, indicating that the killer left via the gap under the bottom. A common serrated was located in the stall itself next to the victim’s body, matching the wounds on the victim’s body and imprints left by the blade on their bones underneath wounded areas..Origin of the weapon is unknown. DNA evidence difficult to recover due to the nature of the scene and abundance of DNA from multiple patrons.

Examination Results: Victim has been identified as _______________, 41. Toxicology reports indicate a high level of _________ consumption, though not fatal levels. Victim’s body is bruised, with the bruises having been caused pre-mortem. Patterns of bruising are consistent with blunt force trauma from the toilet, pipes, and walls inside the bathroom stall.

Cause of death appears to be blood loss and internal trauma, due to various stab wounds across the body and an unidentified symbol carved into the victim’s chest [SEE RESTRICTED FILE _____]. All injuries appear to have been sustained while the victim was still alive.

can I show off my really cool powerpoint? sorry, I mean the other powerpoint found on the laptop.

You shuffle everyone into the Meeting Room, despite the climactic revelations just made., and sit them down as you start up a slideshow on the laptop. It is labeled "worldfair2030.ppt".

Not much about it seems pertinent to your current situation, but you glean a couple things after Ciel clicks through it. It looks to be WIP, and Ciel claims that were she to make it, it would be far visually superior. You learn that the nation of Qstia has won a bid for the 2030 World’s Fair, and due to suspected links between their government and the Crimson Eye, the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation plans to have a strong presence there using proxy organizations to avoid detection, such as the “World Historical Foundation” and a company called “Sinclair Solutions”.

Apparently there are also Bureau efforts to destabilize their government as well by using a group of elite undercover agents to cause discord via new organized crime rings in the region, but that just sounds like something every government agency does.

I would like to share Wall of Thorns BPI file and the report on the Whisper Valley Murder Investigation

You present an Anomaly File for BPI-4119.

Code:

BPI-4119 [Wall of Thorns]
[ACCESS LEVEL: NULL]
[THREAT LEVEL: YELLOW]
[DESCRIPTION]:  Several large, thick vines that violently thrash about.

[INFORMATION]: BPI-4119 is a large plant consisting of several large, thorny vines. The vines violently thrash upon approach from larger creatures, indicating some form of limited awareness, and are very resilient to both damage and fire.

Despite its capability for activity, BPI-4119 is not aggressive, and its violent actions are solely defensive in nature. It does not resemble any singular known plant as BPI-4119 was created in the Botany Lab, for the explicit purpose of guarding [DATA EXPUNGED]. It is made from the DNA of several different plants and [REDACTED], using the knowledge of multiple Bureau departments.

While not an anomaly in a traditional sense,  it is important to monitor due to the nature of its purpose.

"All that effort… Couldn't we have just used a particularly sturdy door?"

You then fish through your lab coat, and present another file...

Let me sample the Anomalous Energy Report. Does it taste like mystery?

Let me sample the Anomalous Energy Report. Does it taste like mystery?

You take the Anomalous Energy Report, giving it a big lick.

It tastes like... well, like paper maybe. Marker too. The result is a bit soggy, but it appears to have worked.

Anomalous Energy Report - Categorizing the Unknown

Through researching Anomalies across our various facilities, we have been able to isolate the source of their mysterious traits. Though some would refer to it as “Magic”, or simply “Supernatural power”, we have decided instead to label this energy as Esotera, a term devised by Director [REDACTED]

Esotera comes in various forms, occurring most commonly around instances of the ritualistic practice known as [REDACTED], though it occurs in nature as well, albeit with far less frequency with no clear origin in the latter case. An Anomaly is believed to occur when large amounts of Esotera are concentrated in a single place, object, or living being - though all creatures contain amounts of Esotera, commonly referred to as the “Soul”.

Currently, we have isolated seven forms of pure Esotera, each with unique traits, origins, and interactions - not unlike elements on the periodic table.

• Liturgic
  
• Somatic
  
• Thalassic
  
• Stellaric
  
• Chaotic
  
• Telluric
  
• Occultic
  

For more information, please reference [Anomalous Energy Report 65-B - Esotera Aspects and Interactions] and [Anomalous Energy Report 66-B - Historical Decline of Esotera Levels]

We know that Spooks 1.0's goal is the Codex Knock Turn 'Em, which is hidden somewhere in Whisper Valley. It seems that a large amount of esotera - magical energy composing what is commonly understood as the soul - must be released via killing in order to acquire it. From the traveller's journal and Astrid's testimony, we can deduce that humans used to be capable of interacting with magic more directly, but the knowledge of such power has been lost to time. Thus, necessitating such a grim ritual to harness it.

Additionally, "anomalies" are comprised of a higher than normal amount of esotera concentrated in a person, place, or object - is their involvement in this game more than just a spiteful prank by Gus, intended to sow discord in the facility? How much does the Crimson Eye know about all of this?

Many mysteries yet remain. Who is Spooks 1.0's master, and what became of them? Why did the town of Whisper Valley disappear? Who is the Abyss Team? What in the seven hells is the Heaven's Light? Who let the dog out?

I'm pretty sure Heaven's Light is just the sun, cat.

I'd like to present the Archaeological Report I found.

You present an Archaeological Report, dated from 18 years ago.

[Archaeological Report - Mine Project]

Archaeological Report
Bureau of Paranormal Investigation
08/22/2010
Site Name: Whisper Valley Mines

The upper shafts do not appear to contain much of immediate notice, though they appear to still be rich in precious stones and metals. Large quantities of abandoned mining equipment are present. According to maps and signage, the leftmost shaft was converted into a storage area for a variety of abandoned __________, still potentially hazardous. Caution needed. The rightmost shaft opens into a large cavern, constructed of luminescent crystals. Further research needed, Team 3-B assigned for survey of the area.

Both shafts converge at a mine _________. Weight testing has been conducted, and the ________ has been deemed still operational despite the estimated age of approx. 110 years, most of which spent in disuse.

[DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED]
[DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED] [DATA EXPUNGED]

Architecture does not resemble anything known to historically exist in the region.