Ḣ̷͉̺̅ė̷̱̉l̷͇̖̈͝l̸̹̐o̴̙͚̎̚,̸͎̃̄ ̸̠͎͆m̷̧̬̊̕y̷̦͎̒̕ ̶̠̒̈́m̸̨̧̾͌ë̷̢̝́͛n̴͕̉t̸͔̎́ͅõ̸̭̀ŕ̵̘͎!̶̺͂͝ Could you, tell us more about the Mound of Bodies as you saw it in the, Holding Cell?

Dexy...Sorry to bother you while you're having a moment, but do you think there's anything paranormal about the way Pea died? A silly question maybe, but we should be thorough.

Are there any signs of something or someone having been dragged through the Residential District?

Is there anything else notable about the house with the bloody table?

Check the mines for a pickaxe and compared both ends to the wound of the back of Pea's head.

Is Astrid in big big meatball, or at end of saucey trail?

You cut open the giant meatball... it seems to consist entirely of beef, seasoning, and cheese. Honestly it... smells pretty good.

Oh no... I'm gonna check... the archives maybe?

Also the arboretum

The Arboretum has already been investigated, but there's nothing out of place in the Whisper Valley Archives.

Can we check the Pantry, Kitchen, and Cafeteria for any missing bottles of Vodka?

You check the Kitchen and Cafeteria for any missing bottles of vodka specifically. It doesn't appear as though any bottles have been taken tonight, though you can't really speak for prior nights.

This is mostly just to confirm what should be obvious, but I'm just gonna peer into the Holding Cell real quick for any shards of glass.

The masked figure in the cell watches you curiously as you investigate the gore splattered around the area. It appears to contain several shards of glass, appearing to have come from a bottle of some sort, based on their size. They smell heavily of vodka.

Ḣ̷͉̺̅ė̷̱̉l̷͇̖̈͝l̸̹̐o̴̙͚̎̚,̸͎̃̄ ̸̠͎͆m̷̧̬̊̕y̷̦͎̒̕ ̶̠̒̈́m̸̨̧̾͌ë̷̢̝́͛n̴͕̉t̸͔̎́ͅõ̸̭̀ŕ̵̘͎!̶̺͂͝ Could you, tell us more about the Mound of Bodies as you saw it in the, Holding Cell?

Aha, why anything for you, my child of the dark. I appreciate your concern for my well-being earlier as well, however I assure you that I find myself in quite high spirits indeed. This is a temporary setback, of course and now that I am alone in this cell, I find the silence quite pleasant. The calm before the eternal, raging storm that shall commence momentarily.



Now, the being I found myself beset with upon my arrival in this cell was a curious creature indeed. Enchanted by the Occult, but without understanding of the art by the wielder. To create such a horror though... Aha, why the gifted surgeon responsible is surely after my own heart.

Still, to be confined with such an unpleasant companion - overlarge, loud, and entirely too bothersome... Ahahaha, in the end, I simply decided that it would make for better wallpaper than a living organism!



It seems I was correct - and I have the same feeling about the one who imprisoned me here, should we meet upon my freedom.

This post was last modified: Aug 25, 2024 at 4:12 AM by Spooks?.

Dexy...Sorry to bother you while you're having a moment, but do you think there's anything paranormal about the way Pea died? A silly question maybe, but we should be thorough.

Are there any signs of something or someone having been dragged through the Residential District?

Is there anything else notable about the house with the bloody table?

Check the mines for a pickaxe and compared both ends to the wound of the back of Pea's head.

No, it's... fine. Thinking about the case helps take my mind off it, fucked up as that sounds. From what I can tell, it seems to be a basic case of blunt force trauma, but... Well, depends if you count that monster that chewed him up as a "paranormal cause". I dunno if the head injuries got him, or if the creature finished him off. I guess it doesn't matter much either way.



Poor bastard...

---

You leave him to his mourning and exit to the Residential District, looking for drag marks... It does look like something was dragged from around the middle of the street into the house with the bloody table, which is coincidentally the closest house on the bottom of the map to the Outpost. There are also drag marks leading from the Outpost themselves all the way to the Chasm. Once they reach the metal bridge though, you can't tell what happened to them and they disappear.

It doesn't appear as though anything else is notable about the bloody house, so you instead check the Mines for a pickaxe, picking one up and matching it to Pea's wounds - both ends of it. Neither appears very close.

Let's look, closer at the drag marks leading, to the house! Would they match the size of the b̸̺̬̹́o̸̡̜̝͋͘d̶͕͈̀̾̾y̵̥̳̅̄̀̐? The table? Something larger, or smaller?

M̴̛̙͕̞̳͈͔̗͒̏̈́̌̓͘͝ȩ̷̮͙̙͎͓̓́̍͠n̸̡̜̜͉͇̘̒̎̀́́̔̽͝t̷̟͐̀͆̀ó̸̞͝ͅͅr̸̫̐̄̈́̓̐, when you destroyed the, Mound of Bodies, did it drop any vodka? Do you suppose it might've been, fed any?

.̴͉͇͔͖̣̬̈̐͒̄̏͂̔̆̕̚̕͜͠͠.̶̫̪̔̋͝.̶͓̳̖̰̣̽̉͐͗̀̂̐͝͝.̸̨̖͙̫͍̬̤̙͈͇̈́̆͒́̊̒̾̅̋̀͘͝.̴̬̹͔͐̋͗̚.̶̨͓̭̯̘̮̘̻̩̝͇͕̥̈̒̂́̒͛̚̕͠͠͝ͅ.̵̨͔̰̞̣͉̤̟͔̝̱̫͛͂̿̔̒.̸͉̈͂́͌̆͂̔̌.̸̨̧̪͎͖͍̹̩̞̝̦̜̻̊͑͂̏̕͘.̵̥̩͖̳̖͚̳̉̓̉͛̍̑͐͝.̸̢̛̤̺̜̺̤͔̥̳̞̜̦̱̠̭̦͕͒͂͒̎͋̈̒̾̀.̸̼̞̔̈͆͋͊̐̐.̸̩̟̝͉͔̈̈́̉̓̓́́͗́̊͗̎̿͋́͠ͅ.̵̢̮̰̪̯̰̮͖͉̪̦̤̟̫̙̳̱̥̟͑̇̒.̴̡̢̙̗̦̫̘̝͓̻͂̿̊̍̎̈́́̊̌͗͐̽̇͑͘͠ͅ.̶̨̛̺̝͈͇͈͖̝̣̰͍̻̄̅̍̿͗̀̄̓͐͐͂͊̓̍̉̐̎̕.̸̧̢̢̨̼̥̳̪̪͖̜̻̯̖̲̞̙̀ͅͅ.̷͈̲̈́̎̉͜
Astrid? Can you hear me?

Can we get anything dragged out of that bottomless Chasm?

What's this about a rope in the Lighthouse? Can we find out where it goes?

Can we climb up it?

Here is a, quick thought! Can we check the, underside of the table? You never know what you can find!

Can we get anything dragged out of that bottomless Chasm?

Taking Spooks over to the Chasm, he takes one look over and shakes his head. Doesn't seem like anything's been dumped down here.

What's this about a rope in the Lighthouse? Can we find out where it goes?

Can we climb up it?

Heading out to the island, you see a rope dangling down the entire side of the Lighthouse. It appears to be tied off at the very top, with the window around the bulb now opened. You climb up and... yeah, you're at the top of the Lighthouse. Nice work, chief.

Here is a, quick thought! Can we check the, underside of the table? You never know what you can find!

You look underneath the bloody stone tablet. There's nothing there except dust. Unfortunate. The centuries-old dead guy in here really should have hired a cleaner.

Let's look, closer at the drag marks leading, to the house! Would they match the size of the b̸̺̬̹́o̸̡̜̝͋͘d̶͕͈̀̾̾y̵̥̳̅̄̀̐? The table? Something larger, or smaller?

M̴̛̙͕̞̳͈͔̗͒̏̈́̌̓͘͝ȩ̷̮͙̙͎͓̓́̍͠n̸̡̜̜͉͇̘̒̎̀́́̔̽͝t̷̟͐̀͆̀ó̸̞͝ͅͅr̸̫̐̄̈́̓̐, when you destroyed the, Mound of Bodies, did it drop any vodka? Do you suppose it might've been, fed any?

.̴͉͇͔͖̣̬̈̐͒̄̏͂̔̆̕̚̕͜͠͠.̶̫̪̔̋͝.̶͓̳̖̰̣̽̉͐͗̀̂̐͝͝.̸̨̖͙̫͍̬̤̙͈͇̈́̆͒́̊̒̾̅̋̀͘͝.̴̬̹͔͐̋͗̚.̶̨͓̭̯̘̮̘̻̩̝͇͕̥̈̒̂́̒͛̚̕͠͠͝ͅ.̵̨͔̰̞̣͉̤̟͔̝̱̫͛͂̿̔̒.̸͉̈͂́͌̆͂̔̌.̸̨̧̪͎͖͍̹̩̞̝̦̜̻̊͑͂̏̕͘.̵̥̩͖̳̖͚̳̉̓̉͛̍̑͐͝.̸̢̛̤̺̜̺̤͔̥̳̞̜̦̱̠̭̦͕͒͂͒̎͋̈̒̾̀.̸̼̞̔̈͆͋͊̐̐.̸̩̟̝͉͔̈̈́̉̓̓́́͗́̊͗̎̿͋́͠ͅ.̵̢̮̰̪̯̰̮͖͉̪̦̤̟̫̙̳̱̥̟͑̇̒.̴̡̢̙̗̦̫̘̝͓̻͂̿̊̍̎̈́́̊̌͗͐̽̇͑͘͠ͅ.̶̨̛̺̝͈͇͈͖̝̣̰͍̻̄̅̍̿͗̀̄̓͐͐͂͊̓̍̉̐̎̕.̸̧̢̢̨̼̥̳̪̪͖̜̻̯̖̲̞̙̀ͅͅ.̷͈̲̈́̎̉͜
Astrid? Can you hear me?

You inspect the drag marks leading to the house... They don't resemble the table at all. Instead, whatever being dragged appears to be an irregular shape.

Returning to the Facility Jail, you speak to the masked figure once more...

Ahaha... How curious, that this investigation is so dependent on my input. Truly, this is a ritual like no other!

But I shall remain courteous. I have no stake in which of you lives or dies, and thus I have no reason to lie. "Vodka"... Yes, there were indeed traces of cheap grain alcohol lingering in the air after I had painted my canvas a glorious red. A small quantity, mind you - I do doubt the beast had consumed any significant quantity.



Ah, so much power and influence... and yet your Bureau cannot even provide you with the "good stuff", so to speak. To think, I'm the one you demonize! Ahahahaha!



Sorry to interrupt your delightful conversation, but Alhazred for the love of god can you cease all communications with this unauthorized esoteric manifestation immediately?



...I'm aware that you're a traitor, a rat, and quite frankly worthless by every metric at this point, but you've ruined our department's reputation enough already. Any more, and they'll cut our funding.

Nyar-Nyar... still like Riki?

Psst, Spooks, could you go ask Miss Astrid to make an appearance so everyone can see she's okay?
Suppose she should also know about Pea, too, though I don't think she had a strong opinion on the guy.

Nyar-Nyar... still like Riki?

Comparatively... You've moved up in the rankings, considering your competition is either dead or insufferable. If nothing else, you seem to be the only one that actually does their job. Congratulations. I would tell you not to get a big head over your newfound "appreciation", but you are already both rather large and approximately 99% head.



...God, I miss Sothoth...

So the door is open, right?
I move the book upstairs to the museum.

Also, Nyarlathotep you're a bit hard to hear. Can you maybe speak a little brighter?

So this was your true scheme, evildoer! Reveal our secret pact, get everyone's attention focused on little ol' me and the specters, have us thin the numbers of the seal's guardians...all the while plotting to aid your true apprentice when the time was right. I must admit, it's a clever bit of smoke and mirrors...a ruse worthy of a villain I intend to bring to justice.

But that can wait just a small while longer. We've another criminal to catch first...



I geared up for my plan to assault the seal, then headed straight to the facility gaol. Luckily for me, I saw Nancy and 23 entering the Armory, so I was able to slip past them. The gaol was in a strange state; most of the floor was missing, with only a few small stepping stones floating in the void. I hopped across them and shoved aside a sheet ghost who was fiddling with the cell door, plunging them into the void. Sorry!

Using my Warden's Key, I opened the door and freed Lyra. I supposed she wouldn't be overjoyed to see me, but if nothing else, it was an opportunity for her to settle any scores with Astrid and her fan club...and I can sympathize with her as a fellow "information-seeking GF", I think you call it?

We headed out to the Facility Lobby and immediately ran into the co-president of said fan club: Mr. Columbo! Lyra kept him busy while I slipped away, but he must've freed himself somehow, because he chased me down not long after. Bulky armor must've slowed me down...Anyroad, he got the best of me and stripped me of my armor and weapons, then left me cuffed on the floor. I've helped apprehend many a criminal, but I've never been arrested myself before. It was a novel experience! Thanks, inspector!



He didn't knock me out though, so once he was gone, I got myself up and wiggled my cuffed hands to my front and took off. I went up the Aquatic Lab elevator and to the Lighthouse, passing a cyclops KO'd in the snow. Sadly, the void rifle was already gone, and when I tried to leave the Lighthouse, I ended up lost in Mr. Dodo's Library. I don't think even the Noumenon has that many tomes! It would be impressive if it weren't terribly annoying.

I finally found my way out, only to emerge back where I came from. I had to find another way to leave the Lighthouse, so I tossed a rope down from the top window. It was a bit hard to climb down with my hands tied, but I'm pretty nimble. I crossed the lake to the woods and searched for Mr. Pegasus' big sword, which I used to shatter my chains. Freedom! Revolution! After changing my job to Dark Knight, I was as ready for a fight as I was going to be with most of my inventory looted.



I made my way to the Relay Station and once again followed the tunnel, which was considerably harder without a light. Nevertheless I made it through and popped out on the other side of the chasm bridge, ready to ambush anyone defending it, but the coast was clear so I just...entered the seal chamber. Other people have more or less described what happened in there already...I clobbered Riki (sorry), scared off Konata (apologies), sliced Morgan (I'll make it up to you later), and reached out for the seal...before the room went black, and someone bonked me on the noggin.



I must admit...it's a relief that my plans went comically awry once more. Could've gone without getting beaten up again, but I won't complain about being alive. My contract is now null and void, and I'd be happy to join you all in taking down the mastermind, if you'll have me. I am only one gentleman's assistant...and it seems our villain's gotten himself another, anyway.

This is mostly for personal reasons, but is there anything special about "Pegasus' sword"? It's apparently in the seal chamber.

Riki big sniff sniff vodka trail for smashy glass and hard table!

Psst, Spooks, could you go ask Miss Astrid to make an appearance so everyone can see she's okay?
Suppose she should also know about Pea, too, though I don't think she had a strong opinion on the guy.

Right away, [AGENT DESIGNATION - COLUMBO]! I will retrieve her from her current location within the facility and bring her to our current location. One moment please...

Spooks wheels away, returning a while later with Astrid in tow.

---

Oh.

Um... Sorry. If I made any of you worry, I mean. I'm here, don't worry. I'm alive. You're not gonna find a second body... and I'm not part of the meatball. I... don't even know where that idea came from. That's pretty gruesome, even for you guys.



The truth is, I just thought I'd be better off if I... stayed where I was. At least for now. I don't know how much I can really explain but... I'm okay. I didn't mean to make anyone freak out... but I guess I should've expected that reaction by now, huh? Well... Spooks filled me in on the current situation on the way up, at least, so I'm not completely in the dark.

...Pea. Yeah I... didn't really know him. But I did know Agent Grayson. The real one, not whoever the Mr. Odeon killed. A friend of hers... I guess I didn't know her well enough to say they're a friend of mine, but I know I trust them more than this Abyss Team creep.



You know, you really should be nice. I'm a friend of your father's, after all.



Yeah, well... I'm not sure how much I trust him anymore either, so shut up.



Anyway, I wish I could be more help, honest - but I spent like... most of the night trapped up in the Observatory thanks to Lyra's crony and her dumb meatball blocking my door. I don't even know what the deal with that is. One of those "Chaotic Manifestations" maybe. Maybe not.

I mean, eventually Mr. Columbo came to help me, of course, but... Well, based on what Spooks told me, I'm pretty sure Pea was long dead before I managed to actually go anywhere.



But... can't really talk about anything past that point. Heh... it's nothing personal, but y'know. If there's one thing I've picked up, it's that a detective should never play their hand too early.

Can I go to the spot where Phenera was executed, and check what remains for the scrying glass? Failing that, try the Morgue. If I do find it, I'd like to take a peek inside.

This is mostly for personal reasons, but is there anything special about "Pegasus' sword"? It's apparently in the seal chamber.

You walk into the seal chamber, picking up the zweihander lying square in the center of its floor. Picking it up, you feel... powerful. Something about the sword makes it feel light despite its weight, and you feel as though you could topple mountains with this thing - or at least do a cool ass spin. If nothing else, the sword's definitely magic.

Riki big sniff sniff vodka trail for smashy glass and hard table!

You put on the swine mask, taking a big fat sniff of the bloody table covered with vodka and broken glass. Inside the room, the scent of the vodka seems to mostly be localized to a splash radius around the table. Following the trail of the scent outside, you see that the scent is present in a large amount of the Residential District, trailing back and forth. Some of the other mummified corpses also smell like the vodka, and Pea especially does.

The other item here, the can of beer, does not smell like vodka at all though. That's about all you're getting out of the mask. Seems like the scent's been dragged around this specific area mostly. Probably going to be hard to source this considering it was bottled until now, and the glass doesn't have a particular scent beyond the vodka drenching it.