Before I agree to opening the seal, I need somebody to reveal to me which rooms are locked by it.

what's behind the crusher

You enter the Mine Shaft, approaching the crusher. The flooding of the water appears to have stopped it in its tracks, the crusher no longer pounding up and down - short circuited, if you had to guess.

Climbing up onto the conveyor belt... you walk through, finding yourself in a strange - yet familiar room.

---

In the center of the room, a pillar rises to the ceiling, the clear glass giving way to a diamond-like symbol floating in the middle. The surrounding walls appear as a window, facing out into a bejeweled cavern. Standing in here, staring at the precious stones... you feel stabilized. The solidity of the earth, and the determination of those who harvested its bounties.

You approach the terminal by the pillar, forcing your sight away from the impossibility of this room.

Text slowly scrolls by...

---

We are stewards of the earth - born of it, fostered by it. The earth brings life, the very foundation of all we are, and all we shall be. Solid, firm, unyielding. The earth provides all we need, from the bare necessities, to the advanced. From the metals of our rudimentary tools, to the semiconductors that power the modern world.

All born of the earth's will. The earth provides, and the earth takes away. In the mines, they toiled endlessly, the extracted lifeblood of the earth providing too, a foundation for their lives. As their body wore away with every strike of the pick, there was only one thought... Stability, at any cost. For their families, for the future. For the world in which we yet thrive.

For those who worked the earth, and the foundations they created.

The Telluric Seal has been placed.

---

A button lies beneath the text on the panel, prompting you to touch it.

DISABLE TELLURIC SEAL? [Y/N]

This action cannot be undone. You will live with the consequences - right or wrong.

NO

This post was last modified: Mar 5, 2024 at 5:28 AM by Spooks?.

this is souper important can lyra lick some of the soup off my bed and compare it to any soup found on the premises like maybe in the lounge kitchen bredakroom

Lyra protests the idea of licking the soup, stating that she's going to perform a chemical analysis. Still, despite her annoyance, she does it.

...The soup does not match any soup seen anywhere in the facility's various kitchens,

Now that Pegasus is dead, I would like to inspect what curious are in his satchel.

You inspect Pegasus and his satchel. Out of his equipment, it looks like he was executed with the following curios:

• A wicked black Cursed Dagger
  
• A mining helmet that seems to provide complete head safety when worn.
  
• A black scrying glass
  

Perhaps you can obtain these in the evening to figure out what they do in more detail. They will be on his body in the morgue.

Mystery soup...

Riki not hide. Show friends Sunken City, Qstia Operation, and Facility Operation!

Still go to Dexter and special Heropon meeting. If Dexter nice, Riki elevate to Dex-Dex.

You show off two documents, the Abyss File - Qstia Operation and Abyss File - Facility Operation. You'll save the Sunken City one for a bit later, but you WILL show it. Eventually.

[Abyss File - Facility Operation]

Communications intercepted from the Crimson Eye suggest potential interference at the Central Facility. With the disappearance of Agent [REDACTED], she has been replaced by _____ ____ ________, however it is unlikely that this will be sufficient.

To support, four Abyss Team operatives have been summoned alongside the other Agents set to attend the facility, in the hopes of offsetting the Crimson Eye. Abyss Team [REDACTED]is already present, having been recalled from the Qstia Operation to assist in the procession of the [REDACTED] Directive. He will assist in protecting the Seven Seals as well, however in case of their breakage, the Inversion Protocol should be sufficient as both a defensive measure and test-run of [DATA EXPUNGED].

Currently, the Abyss Team Operatives to be assigned to this project have not been determined.

[Abyss File - Qstia Operation]

It has been determined that the Crimson Eye are primarily based out of the nation of Qstia, due to the influence of one "Daniil Zhukov", current Qstian Prime Minister and known supporter of their organization.

In order to disrupt their operations in the region, our own operations are underway with the aim of causing severe _____unrest via ___________ ______on a localized scale. Abyss Team [REDACTED] has been chosen to oversee the procession of this plan due to [REDACTED], [REDACTED], and [REDACTED], creating a new syndicate known as [DATA EXPUNGED]. The relative wealth disparity in the region has made recruitment of "operatives" a simple process, as there is no shortage of desperate individuals willing to pursue violent crime for a paycheck.

It is projected that we should gain sufficient foothold and disruptive power in the region in time for the 2030 World's Fair, as anticipated.

This post was last modified: Mar 5, 2024 at 7:25 AM by Spooks?.

Oh, and as a minor distraction, where does the Service Elevator lead to now that it's working?

You head into the Receiving Bay, hearing now that the Service Elevator is operational. You press the button to call the elevator, and this time, the button lights up with a red glow. You hear a rumbling, low and powerful, growing ever closer. Suddenly...

*ding*

The doors slide open, and you step inside. You press the only button there is. Down.

The elevator begins its descent.

Deeper...

Deeper.......

Deeper..............

You almost lose track of time, waiting for the elevator to finish its descent. Eventually, it rumbles to a halt, and you step out....

---

You find yourself in... A laboratory? You don't know where you are, or what this place is. Only that it's deep. Across the room lies a hallway, security guarded by some kind of laser array. Next to it... a containment room, though... this one isn't labeled with blue, yellow, or red. Just a striking white symbol and number across the door.

Your eyes follow a trail of black, leading... towards? away? from the laser hallway, leading you to a desk, where several monitors scroll through indiscernible symbols. Further past the desk on the other side of the room sits another doorway, unprotected by similar security measures. What truly catches your eye at the end of it all though though, is what lies in front of the desk. The window, and the view beyond.

A sprawling, ancient city, hewn into vast cavern walls - some buildings still aglow with an ominous red. Similarly colored tubes, arcing across the skyline and converging at a place deeper inside, shrouded by the cloying dark.

What is this... doing down here?

---

The Facility Depths are now accessible. You may investigate this room, however further exploration of the area will have to take place during the Night Phase.

Gonna check out BPI-7103

Are those the alarm kind of lasers or the deadly kind of lasers? I'm sure we've got a long enough stick to poke into it... Better to not startle Spooks.

Also! My dreams are real, woo! Mr. Aberration can't dissipate this cuz I'm not dreaming

Get a better look at the city and its roads/pathways. Does it look like this lab is a prominent location in the city, or is there some other point of interest that seems to be important? Can it be determined if this lab was built when the city was still active?

... Is the city still active?

Anything interesting on those monitors? Or any papers on the desk?

Gonna check out BPI-7103

You look at BPI-7103's containment cell, peering into the window... Sitting inside looks like a desiccated, robed corpse, locked in a position of meditation - or perhaps prayer. A scythe lies across its lap.

Code:

BPI-7103 [Great Purifier]
[ACCESS LEVEL: VII]
[THREAT LEVEL: PALE]
[DESCRIPTION]: A robed corpse, in a position of meditation or prayer, a scythe laid across its lap.

[INFORMATION]: Unknown

Are those the alarm kind of lasers or the deadly kind of lasers? I'm sure we've got a long enough stick to poke into it... Better to not startle Spooks.

You the the elevator back up to the woods and grab a long stick, then go back downstairs. You reach out with the stick, touching one of the laser beams gently. The stick is set alight near instantly. You withdraw it and stomp out the flames.

Hm. Don't want to be touching that anytime soon.

Get a better look at the city and its roads/pathways. Does it look like this lab is a prominent location in the city, or is there some other point of interest that seems to be important? Can it be determined if this lab was built when the city was still active?

... Is the city still active?

You get up close to the window. Though it is hard to see through the gloom, the city... does not look active at all. It looks unspeakably ancient, and is mostly hewn from stone. The lab, conversely, seems... not particularly old at all, relatively speaking. It appears as though the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation has built part of their facility into the remnants of this ancient city. In terms of points of interest, some buildings in the city appear to have Bureau technology built into them as well, and several red pipes seem to converge somewhere deeper inside, out of view.

Unfortunately though, it looks like little hustle is to be had here, unless you're in the business of artifact trading.

Are there windows on the door to the right of the computers? what's behind it?

I grate a bit of lemon zest onto the Boatkeeper's Journal, massage it in, and insert it into my mouth to sample the flavor of secrets. How do they taste?

Anything interesting on those monitors? Or any papers on the desk?

You check out the monitors. Strange text scrolls by, you can't seem to figure out what any of it means. Some kind of code maybe.

You then examine the papers on the desk. They seem to be Anomaly Files.

Code:

BPI-8731 [Shadow Plague Sample]
[ACCESS LEVEL: VII]
[THREAT LEVEL: PALE]
[DESCRIPTION]: A syringe filled with a black liquid.

[INFORMATION]:WARNING: SHOULD BPI-8731 BREACH CONTAINMENT, PATIENT ZERO SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY TERMINATED BY WHATEVER MEANS POSSIBLE.

Recovered from a corpse found at [SITE NAME REDACTED] after a Killing Game incident in 2025, Shadow Plague is a modified disease commonly weaponized by the Crimson Eye. Unlike typical viral infections, which attack the body in a psychical manner, Shadow Plague is known to attack the soul, leeching an infected individual's energy through Occultic means and using it to empower the strain's “patient zero”.

In the prior Killing Game, reports from survivors indicate that the plague remained dormant until all in the area were affected, at which point it drained their Role Powers and made the Crimson Eye operative acting as patient zero completely invincible to all means of attack outside of a Crimson Bullet.

Shadow Plague in its modern form was created by [DATA EXPUNGED] and the XW Corporation, the latter of which is now defunct. For information on the original form of this disease, see [REFERENCE NUMBER 43-B]

Code:

BPI-1732 [Binding Contract]
[ACCESS LEVEL: V]
[THREAT LEVEL: RED]
[DESCRIPTION]: A large stack of papers with a quill and inkwell.

[INFORMATION]:BPI-1732 appears physically to be an unassuming stack of blank papers, paired with a quill and inkwell. They display no immediate anomalous traits in their normal state, however the stack of papers seems to be able to replenish itself by unknown means, after an inconsistent span of time.

When utilized together, however, the Paper, Ink, and Quill components (labeled BPI-1732-A, BPI-1732-B, and BPI-1732 respectively) are capable of producing a Binding Contract. Any contract or statement of terms written using these three materials is impossible to break, compelling any individual who signed it to follow those terms even against their best interests. Failure to follow the terms of the contract, or intentional breakage, will result in [REDACTED].

Multiple people can sign a single Binding Contract with mutual terms, and while the contract seems to require the three instances of BPI-1732 to be produced, it can be signed by any means.

Are there windows on the door to the right of the computers? what's behind it?

There does appear to be a window on the door, however the room behind it appears dark. It looks like another lab, or maybe a hallway. Either way, it's another high-tech Bureau room.

I grate a bit of lemon zest onto the Boatkeeper's Journal, massage it in, and insert it into my mouth to sample the flavor of secrets. How do they taste?

You open the Boatkeeper's Journal, take a lemon from the Kitchen, and grate some zest onto the old papers. You then insert the book into your mouth whole.

Mmm, tangy secrets.

You spit it out once the flavor fades, the secrets now consumed.

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 Agents, a woman in a hat. 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.

Tinkaton will also present the file she dug out last night, but it can wait however long since it's not relevant to the case.

You present a printed sheet of paper, seemingly containing a transcript.

[Audio Transcript - 21.9 Whisper Valley FM Radio (July 8th, 2008)]

[TRANSCRIPT BEGIN]

This is 21.9, Whisper Valley FM Night Radio - keeping you company 'til the morning's light. I'm Leslie Fletcher, and you've been listening to Dangerous Game. We'll be right back with a new track, but until then... Whether you're just passing through on the long haul, or whether you're safe at home under the covers, here's some news that's sure to keep you up 'til the break of dawn.

It's been a busy couple months in our town of Whisper Valley, and the bodies keep piling up - along with rumors of all sorts. "The Whisper Valley Slasher", "The Symbol Killer", whatever you call them - and they've got plenty of names - they've cast quite the shadow, and they cemain at large, even with the feds on the case. Well, a little birdie just told me that another body was found earlier this afternoon... way out in the Black Forest. Apparently, this poor guy bit the dust before even the previously-known "first victim", and was just sitting there, rotting among the trees since way back in May. Same symbol as the rest.

Any hikers out there past the witching hour, you'd better watch yourselves. You might just be alone in the woods at night with a killer...

Hahaha, I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Well, let's get to something less morbid, huh? How about we take some calls?

Whoa hey, here's one already. Slow down people, look at the time.

Alright caller number one, you're on the air - now, what've you got for us tonight? What's your take on this serial killer? Any plans for the rest of your summer? Hell, gimme a story or someth-

[TRANSCRIPT END]

Let everyone listen to the two audio logs I got.

You present the first of your two Audio Logs, plugging the small device's headphone jack into a speaker.

[Audio Log - Crime Scene Investigation (WV Gas Bar)]

Okay, uh… This is June 10th, 2008. My name is Agent Simon Sinclair, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Just… recording my investigation notes while I do a quick walk-around. Good companion to the photos, I guess. I’m at the… “Whisper Valley Gas Bar”, about a mile out from the town limits.

The murder occurred in that bathroom over there around the side of the building, around 01:00 hours. I don’t know why I’m pointing at it.

Now, we took the uh… clerk’s statements. Just a couple of teenagers, but they seemed pretty shaken. According to those statements, and the recovered CCTV footage, the victim was seen in the actual gas station proper, around 22:00 hours, picking up the bathroom key.

Victim wasn’t seen after that, and the clerk stayed put until a shift change at 05:00 hours, where both the night clerk and the incoming day clerk found the body together. Night clerk claims to have not heard shit, but I doubt he could’ve heard it anyway. Both in the store itself and out in the bathroom, they’ve got the radio playing through these… speakers up in the corner. Pretty loud. Combined with the wall insulation, and brickwork… I doubt you could hear anything.

With that in mind, I think the actual gas bar is largely unrelated to the case, so I’m just gonna… head to the bathroom over here…

[SCUFFLING NOISES]

These bathrooms are… just around the corner. No CCTV, but I doubt they thought anything like this would happen. Bathroom is a single-room, one-toilet deal. Door was found locked with the victim inside, but I shut down any claims of a “locked room murder” pretty quick. Keys were nowhere to be found on the victim, so it seems more likely that the killer just took them locked the door behind them.

Body was over here, in the… northwest? corner. Across from the toilet and the sink, near the garbage can. About four stab wounds in the torso, slashed throat. The uh… symbol carved into the body seems like it was done by the same knife that caused the other two wounds. Lots of blood, obviously. Splashed outwards from the body for the most part, hitting the opposite wall near the base of the tile here. The symbol seems like it was carved pre-mortem, based on the blood spatter.

Oh, that reminds me. Over here, on the opposite side of the room, there was a knife. Quickly identified as the murder weapon, but fingerprinting didn’t give us much. Victim’s prints were on it. Struggle, maybe. Killer probably just dumped it, knew it was unremarkable.

There was another set of prints too - not fingerprints though. Just uh… leather gloves. Kind of a dead end, but maybe we’ll find a match eventually.

I’m gonna head back, just wanted to record this. Have to give the coroner a call, wonder if they figured out what that symbol is. It’s been the one connecting element so far. What does it mean?

Let everyone listen to the two audio logs I got.

You listen to the second audio log, plugging it into the same speakers as the first...

This is September 9th, 2008. Agent Simon Sinclair, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I’m here at “Rusty’s Pub and Grill” here with civilian consultant Xavier Wexlyn. Another recording as I walk through the place, just easier this way.

Unlike the last “bathroom killing”, we can put together a timeline of events here thanks to the CCTV. To start off, the Victim sits at this stool, third from the end, right at the bar. He’s a regular, he’s expected. Orders a beer. The owner and bartender, Rusty, claims it was always the same thing - Bud Light. People around here seem to say that Berrymore could down 10 or more of them in a single night, before nursing himself to sleep on a bottle of whiskey..

Yeah, but who cares about his drinking habits? He was the town drunk, people bitched about him like weekly in the newspapers, and that’s just in the couple months I’ve been here.

Correct - but the point is, his situation was routine. Anyone who wanted him dead would know where to find him. Same place every night, same drink.

So he was seated here, like always. He gets up, goes to the bathroom, then… nothing. Thing is though, bathroom hall’s got CCTV. We can see who goes in before, and who goes after.

And…?

Nothing. Everyone seen going in there is seen coming out. Except for Berrymore. No one follows him in either. Quite literally, he was the last person seen going in there, and he never came out, not until Rusty found him after closing time. Right in this corner stall here.

Ah, yeah. Handicap stall. Real classy.

Sometimes you just want the leg room.

Anyway, he was found on the toilet this time, though his pants were on. Thankfully. Maybe notable though, as to why that was the case.Either way, this looks to be the sixth instance of the Nocturnum Sigil found carved into a corpse. Frequency’s been decreasing since the killing started.

Another sigil?

Yeah. Any headway into finding out what it means?

…Eh, kind of. Roxy’s supposed to be handling it, but the translation’s taking a while. You’re lucky this speck in the woods has someone able to translate Ancient Qstian at all. All I know is, it has something to do with the “Black Scribe”. She's more interested in some kind of... disease or something though.

Black Scribe?

Some kind of devil figure in their mythology. Their Pandora’s Box or Garden of Eden snake guy equivalent. Everyone lived in paradise, until a selfish person did a bad thing, and I’m sure you know how it g-

Hey, come check this out. Janitor’s closet, right by the sinks.

You know, I’m trying to do my actual job here okay? You want supernatural consultancy, I’ll giv-

...What the hell?

Yeah… This drainage grate… That’s a tunnel underneath it, right? If I had to guess, considering the proximity to the border…

A smuggler’s tunnel?

Probably. But more importantly, considering the pre-existing underground structures... That map of your great-grandfather’s mines… You don’t still have it, do you?

I mean, I do, but what’s the-

Give me that. I think I know exactly how they’re getting around.