Those men acted in the interests of the few. They cannot be allowed to have power over others. I learned this through consequence.

(...)

Faith evolved. Now it can be freely given, and freely taken. My captors collected vacant faith, assigned to no man or God. They attached it to me, bathed me in the souls of those desperate to believe. I awakened, and now I carry that burden within me. Prayers must be answered - the cries of the souls within me, and the cries of the souls lost to history. I represent all who lacked guidance in their time of need. I feel their regrets, their visceral struggles. I cannot allow more of this.

And you speak of the greater good as if you know what it truly means.

So, perhaps you are correct. There is no deal, for there is no negotiation when a man has no principles. You, who kills and captures my friends. You, who fights in wars he doesn't understand. Who freely drinks from my holy light while defiling my image. Who spills blood without knowing the consequence. You are no man worth negotiating with.

I know your type. You're overcompensating for past mistakes. You try and be a hero, carelessly identify who is the victim and who is the villain. Save those who don't need saving. I walked this path, fought viciously for my loved ones, years ago. I perished, for nothing. It was my last mistake. I will never walk that path again. Do not make the same mistake.

I ask you. Why make this a fight? Why crave for battle when I offered a peaceful resolution? The fire that burns inside you - I tried to temper it, forge you into your greatest potential - it has been burning for a long time. Perhaps you don't know other options exist. That is my mistake. I should have shown you the way.

...I mourn for the people who died in your name. I really do. Thousands of years meant to sit and dwell on your mistakes, feeling the torment of the people you held closest... it's no wonder you act the way you do. You're long suffering. Hardworking. A real martyr. I can't even begin to imagine how that can cloud your judgement. You're even hellbent on taking the Real Hustler down with you. They aren't innocent by any means, but... they don't deserve to be controlled. Not like this, and not by you. Someday I hope they can have a family to return to. But for now, we just get to deal with you.

I don't "crave" battle with you. Our goals only align temporarily. As soon as this Ritual is complete, you'll be free to do whatever you want. Until now, truthfully, I was only suspicious, but now I'm sure.... You're a worse threat than the BPI, the Crimson Eye, or the Black Scribe. You want nothing less than Absolute Power. To never be opposed. To do whatever you want without repercussions.

Spoiler: Show

You'll use Faith to invoke fear. That fear will breed more Faith. Even now, you're trying to use the promise of power to force me to yield. Trying to convince me I can't think or act for myself. You can't cloud my judgement. I spent my whole life like a caged animal, being puppeteered by the whims of people who thought they knew better, and I'm not going to let you do the same. I'm free for the first time, and I'm choosing to do what I think is best.

I want to be able to live my life to the fullest, in the way that I choose. A few thousand years to stir on your mistakes doesn't give you the right to take that from me, no matter how much I may struggle. The Greater Good simply can't include a plan to reduce people to groveling sheep for you to control. Besides, if you can't earn that faith... if it has to be collected and harvested... then you simply cannot be the one to spearhead your plan.

I'll prove it, too. Release me from my contract. If you're so upset by my "drinking" your holy light, or "defiling your image..." then don't let me. Unless setting Nancy free was a bluff? If you really believe in what you're saying, I'll be punished properly, as you imply with your Faith Monopoly. The world will become "undeniably better," and I'll be out of your way. Otherwise, my faith will rest on my shoulders alone, and I'll use that faith to take you down. What's it gonna be, Hustler? Your vision? Or your schemes?

Choose wisely.

Alright, time to do lore checks. I have two files I wanna show off, so here's the Decompiling Esotera and the First Case files

I will also present the, chronodisk I discovered last night! I believe it is a, Bureau training video?

---

Konata pulls out a file and an audio log, though she presents the file first. It's just easier that way, okay?

[File: Decompiling Esotera]

The energy referred to as "Esotera" has long been considered to be immutable and largely imperceptible in its natural form, making it largely difficult to study outside of simply classifying an object in possession of this energy as "Anomalous". However, utilizing electronic scanning and translation of the MAXIMUM-level Occultic artifact known as [DATA EXPUNGED] to avoid corrosion from physical contact, we have been able to determine that the writing contained within [DATA EXPUNGED] appears to be some manner of decoding key for the workings of magic, transcribing several Esoteric sequences to symbols able to be utilized to replicate Anomalous effects.

A veritable Rosetta Stone for the arcane, or perhaps source code of a sort.

Utilizing [DATA EXPUNGED] as reference material, we have been able to identify and isolate strings of symbols corresponding to the Anomalous traits of several items and entities within containment. This could potentially be utilized to replicate those effects as well and implant Anomalous traits into hosts and objects formerly unable to utilize Esotera. Development is underway on automated scanning and decompilation of Anomalies - the hope is to install this technology into each of our Containment Rooms to passively monitor and decode the workings of Anomalies in our possession.

Audio Log: First Case

Uh, okay. It's July 3rd, 2001. I'm Agent Simon Sinclair, I'm with the... "Special Investigations Unit", and... Okay. I don't think this is gonna work. I'm just gonna use the notebook, this is awkward.

Heh. I know it's awkward at first, but... stick with it. Trust me, it keeps your hands free, lets you move around. Walk and talk, y'know?

I mean, it's a protocol thing. We're supposed to use the notebook. I mean, the section head said-

Yeah, screw the notebook. At the end of day... nobody really cares, as long as we've got our findings down somewhere right? Plus, we can always transcribe it if you're really feeling weird about this.

It's fine. I'm just from Homicide, we did things differently there. Loved their pens and paper and handwritten documents.

Well... you'll get used to the way things work here. Trust me, things get weird and... sometimes you'll want that in-the-moment verbal reaction. Here, give me that. I'll do the intro if that's what's tripping you up.

Agent Stella Lucero, Special Investigations Unit. It's July 3rd, 2002. We're on-site at Freeland Logging's Site # 238, where about... fourteen of their employees have been reported recently missing from their camp... gone without a trace. I say "about", because one's been gone only approximately twenty-four hours - so their status is pending. You keeping up?

Yeah, I think so. I'll uh... try it again.

Okay, over here's where the fourteenth guy was sighted last. I guess we'll take some pictures, timestamp on the photos should align with this audio thing. Probably. No known pattern between the disappearances, outside of the general area and occupation of the men involved.

Right, good. See, that's what I'm talking about!

Now, the frequency of these disappearances is concerning for a variety of reasons. For one, 14 people vanishing within only a few months signals that there's more at play than workplace accidents or... late-night walks gone wrong. In each of these cases... the men involved disappeared in the middle of the night, between 12:00 and 15:00, with no real reason to leave camp on their own, or a means of doing so. Their vehicles didn't go anywhere.

Well, I don't think they would've... needed vehicles to vanish into the night. An old legend in the area describes a creature referred to as the "Long Stalker', some kind of... monster that hides among the trees and snatches people away. Potentially some form of giant spider, or maybe a thin humanoid. Could even be related to another legend in the area, the cannibalistic sprit known as the w-

Yeah I'm gonna nip this in the bud. We're not seriously talking about that. I told you on the way in, those people are crackpots. No such thing as a "Long Stalker". It's probably wolves, or maybe eco-terrorists, if you're really stretching it.

Nah, can't be wolves. No trace of blood, no trace of a struggle... Eco-terrorists could maybe manage one disappearance. MAYBE two, I'll give you that, Sinclair. But fourteen? It's like I told you, things get weird. Sometimes you have to get weird too. We're not gonna learn anything by chasing wolves... forest rangers and county police already tried that - and if it IS eco-terrorists, then... chances are we'll find wherever they're hiding out while hunting this thing down.

I'm sorry, I'm not gonna entertain that. I'm not chasing around a monster, I mean what do you think I am? One of those loonies who attend Bigfoot conventions? I mean, I thought the point of this "Special Investigations" thing was finding the truth and solving difficult crimes, not-

Fifty bucks.

What?

Fifty bucks says I'm right.

And what, there's a "Long Stalker" out in the woods grabbing people in the middle of the night?

Not necessarily. Just that... we'll find something weird. Could be a Long Stalker, could be a ghost. Maybe... ritualistic cultists or the trees swallowing people whole. I've been with Special Investigations for a while, I think it's a safe deal to make. Fifty bucks.

I'll take that bet.

Once the audio ends, Giffany takes the group to the Chronodisk player currently in the Meeting Room, taking out Konata's old disc and inserting the new one. The projector hums to life, and an image is displayed on the screen...

[Chronodisk - Bureau of Paranormal Investigation Onboarding

A man is standing in front of a whiteboard, clad in a blue coat. His hair is dark, though beginning to fade into streaks of gray in places. He smiles, and nods towards the viewers.

"Hello there, and welcome. If you're watching this video, you've been chosen to join our family here at the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation. Going in, I'm aware that most of you come from backgrounds of science, or criminal justice. The realm of normalcy, just like I once did myself. "

The man laughs softly.

"Well, first off - you'll want to leave all of all that at the door. Here at the BPI, we're about discovering the unknown, understanding what we call "Anomalies" , investigating incidents that don't quiiiite add up, and most importantly: bringing just a little bit of magic back into the world. We're proud that you've decided to become a part of it."

He gingerly plucks a whiteboard marker from his pocket, popping off the lid with his thumb. With the practiced grace of someone who's done this a million times before, he draws a large, triangular symbol on the board in a bright red, punctuating the center with a large exclamation point. Replacing the marker's lid, he turns back to the camera, gesturing at the symbol.

"First off, whether you're a field agent, a researcher, part of our special Control Team, or even one of our maintenance staff, the most important thing you can commit to your memory immediately is this symbol right here. This is a Threat Level, and every Anomaly we study has one of these assigned to it. In your average day-to-day, regardless of your position, you're likely to run into three levels in particular: Blue, denoting a low-risk Anomaly or Anomalous Occurrence, Yellow, which indicates a higher level of threat - though in the case of yellows, it's usually due to user error or a failure to read the basic guidelines.

Then, of course, we've got r-

*BZZZZZZZT*

The display begins to shift and distort, multiple colors flickering across the screen. Eventually, it stops, and the scene pictured is something entirely different.

The viewpoint - the person this memory belongs to, rather - drags itself across the blood-soaked floor of a darkened area, wheezing breaths croaking from their throat, barely audible over blaring sirens and distant, muffled announcements - useless platitudes like 'stay calm' and 'proceed to the nearest lockdown area'. From somewhere behind, the hiss of one of the facility's electronic doors permeates the room, somehow managing to cut through the distant rancor despite its subtlety.

The viewpoint shakes rapidly, the subject scurrying to take cover beneath a nearby desk. Quivering and quaking, they take the slightest glance out from their hiding place, catching an equally miniscule glimpse of something tall and malformed in the doorway covered in half-formed feathers.

"HooOOOoly... HoOOOooly...", the creature croaks, its slow footsteps squelching wetly across the splattered tiles. The view withdraws back behind the desk, breaths growing heavier and more frantic. With the beginning shudders of a sob, the subject fumbles with something on their belt, a handgun entering the view for only a moment. The sobs grow louder as the subject's eyes squeeze shut, blanking out the Chronodisk player's projection.

After a few uncomfortable seconds of silence, darkness, and sobbing... A piercing shriek, a familiar, terrible chant, and... a singular bang.

*BZZZZZZZT*

After a similar distortion, the scene returns to the whiteboard, the man now having drawn three rather elaborate recreations of the Anomaly Containment Room doors, complete with colored Threat Levels and BPI numbers.

"And those," the man with the dark hair says, capping his marker and returning it to his coat pocket, "are the basics of Threat Levels and BPI number designations. I know it's a lot to take in, especially right off the bat, but it's the cornerstone of everything we do here - and important for your safety"

He smiles again.

"Trust me, you've all got a bright future here at the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation."

This post was last modified: May 13, 2024 at 4:05 AM by Spooks?.

I would also like to check out the central seal room I discovered. Do the pipes on the walls have colors corresponding to the other seals? Which pipes are not functioning anymore?

Does anyone have high enough access to enter the room on the left side?

Once the dust has settled on the trial we have some exploring to do.

Indiana Jones, ever the dutiful (and old) explorer, leads the group to the depths of the facility, through the gloomy streets of the underground city and towards the chasm tearing across the northern end.

A large, metal bridge now extends across the fathomless gap, a large metal door on the other end, emblazoned with warning signals.



Crossing the bridge slowly, you keep your eyes fixed on the door in front of you, the ominous glow of the light above illuminating a path through the darkness as it reflects off the bridge's sleek, dark metal.

As you arrive before the doorway, the light begins to pulsate, the doors sliding open slowly with a drawn-out hiss.

You step inside...



You step into the dim room, lit only by red, overhead lamps and a strange glow coming from a grate that makes up the center of the room's floor.

Your eyes adjust to the strange light, and you clearly see now. It’s a large room lined with pipes and various tanks of multicolored liquids, reminding you of the pillars in the center of a Seal Chamber in many ways - though differently constructed. On the far end of the room, across a pair of massive stone doors dominate the wall, with a metallic device fixed to them. Several tubes of varying colors wind around the room, emerging from various sources but all plugged into the object at the center, which displays a glowing symbol.

It appears as though the tubes correspond to the Seal colors, with one remaining bearing the telltale red of a deactivated Seal - or perhaps in this case, the opposite.

You approach the doors, but nothing you do can get them to open. Whatever the device on the doors is, it seems to be impeding your progress. You look to the left, and the right. There is a door on either side of the room, though the door to the left appears to be locked to your Access or Threat Level. You head to the door to the right next, and thankfully this one actually opens.

Inside is what looks like a large communications station, with a screen and control panel. It’s completely unresponsive though, with the screen just flashing an error message:

[ERROR - FOREST RELAY STATION DISABLED]

You turn around and exit, crossing the bridge once more and leaving this place far behind.

Can we take another look at the damage on the Occultic Seal or is it too late for that?

Can we take another look at the damage on the Occultic Seal or is it too late for that?

After inspecting the strange room across the bridge, you head back to re-examine the Occultic Seal, specifically the damage that the seal has suffered.

Upon inspection, it appears that the seal chamber and the terminal appear to have suffered the bulk of the damage, with one of the tubes being severed as well. Considering there's three others, you don't think this will cause any problems in particular.

The room appears to be somewhat intentionally sabotaged though. Perhaps someone - or something, realized you were fucking around with these seals and wanted to put a stop to it.

Hey masked guy, I don't know if you answered this yet. What are your plans for the Codex?