This post was last modified: Sep 5, 2024 at 9:50 PM by Draku.

[ALERT: INCOMING COMMUNICATION DETECTED]

[ACCEPT CALL? Y/N]

music: Show

Wait… that communication… Dad? Put him on the line!



…Well now. That’s certainly convenient timing. I suppose the girl will live to see another day. One more day, to be exact, if her current esoteric condition remains. Ah, well. I suppose it saves me the hassle of filling out termination paperwork. Besides, there’s still the more pressing matter of-



Whoa, whoa. Hold on a second. I know he’s your dad, but are you sure talking to this asshole’s a good idea? He’s the one who’s been hanging onto the stupid book this whole time, the entire reason any of this happened.

That’s what I need to talk to him about... Everything. I need to understand everything. The seals, the book… the stellaric thing and his synchronization project. No more secrets.

I mean, I get it, but we just spent a week and a half reading his vaguely ominous documents - who’s to say that after he finds out, he’s not gonna raze this place to the ground with us inside to keep his secrets under wraps? We’re better off destroying that book and then figuring things out on our own.



He… wouldn’t do anything like that.

I guess… I don’t know him as well as I thought, but I still believe he wouldn’t go out of his way to hurt us, especially not me. He might indirectly have a lot of blood on his hands, but he’s not like that Codex demon in the mask. If nothing else… he at least thinks he’s doing good, right? That the ends justify the means?



The passage to hell’s depths themselves is wrought from the sins of men who thought themselves just. Yet, the moral failings of man are of no concern here. Our oppressor has fallen at long last by our mighty hands, and your father, accursed though his soul may be, would be foolish to assail us and therefore thrust his fell tome into danger’s grasp.

To me, it is clear. Time is no longer of import, and with death’s foul breath no longer breathing at our nape - there is no harm to be had in allowing the girl to speak with her the blue-tinged sorcerous illusion of her father’s visage.

Mmm, you know that we don’t have to deal with this silly little “Killing Game” anymore, I think that before we take that call… now’s the perfect time to finish doing anything that we haven’t already, hm? After all, there’s no more masked figures threatening us pressing us for time anymore and… I’m pretty sure we’re all getting fired~



Maybe you’re right… Not about the fired thing. I don't really care about that. I more mean... If I’m gonna say something to him… maybe I need a second to put my thoughts together…



I… suppose it is within my parameters to place the [INCOMING COMMUNICATION] on hold for a short while. There is a 99.7% chance that the urgency of the call will result in the caller waiting as long as necessary, so feel free to take all the time you need.



I am Spooks, The Magical Cat™, and I am unlikely to face consequences such as suspension or the docking of pay for putting Director Sinclair on hold.

Please notify me when you are ready to take this call. In the meantime, investigate or share information at your leisure.

---

It is now Evening 11.

Feel free to perform any remaining investigations within this thread, including posting lore or trying to investigate any areas or rooms not yet investigated. The area past the Chaotic Seal is currently off-limits.

When you are ready to move on, a series of posts will be made, taking us into our final phase of the game. Together, we will walk towards Heaven's Light.

---

Interactive Map

room descriptions: Show

Main Elevator - An elevator that takes you downstairs to the Underground Facility. It is fairly spacious, likely to aid in the transport of anomalies.

Lobby - The Central Facility's check-in lobby. Flanked by two staircases, the check-in desk sits abandoned, though it contains office supplies and some files. There are a variety of places to sit down as well. There is a vault door open behind the front desk, housing an Anomaly Containment Room.

Meeting Room - A small boardroom, with a long table, a couple chairs, and a laptop connected to a projector.

Checkpoint - A security checkpoint with a metal scanner, requiring you to walk through if you enter or exit.

Liturgical Study - A laboratory dedicated to the study of religion and so-called miracles. Contains a variety of religious texts from around the world, as well as religious symbols such as crosses, prayer beads, and small statues.

Chapel - A non-denominational chapel for whatever you wish to pray to. An altar sits at the end of the room, and pews line the sides of a central aisle. A small bowl containing nonspecific holy water is planted firmly in the middle. It is currently bloody, and graffiti is on the wall.

Patio - A patio overlooking the Black Forest. You can climb down to explore from here, but the forest is easy to get lost in.

Black Forest - A forest infamous for stories of lost researchers and strange occurrences. A few landmarks inside have been identified and categorized, but it remains difficult to locate them again. Enter at your own risk.

Boiler Room - A room with an old boiler, as well as a supply of cleaning supplies and maintenance tools. While the boiler is out of use now that modern systems are in place, it can burn hot enough to start fires.

Sleep Lab - A room with three beds and some monitoring equipment. Seems like it is intended for monitoring dreams. Also seems like a comfy place to sleep.

Somatic Seal - A large, deactivated machine.

Anomaly Hall - A hallway containing three strange, yet harmless, anomalies. The Bottomless Beer Bottle and One-Way Cloak are missing.

Library - A library that appears to be fairly old, filled with several books about the supernatural, both fact and fiction. Some are older than others, and many are filled with blacked-out text.

Security Office - An office by the entrance of the building, where the security personnel usually spend their time in case something tries to break in. It has several lockers, a couple CCTV feeds on a monitor, and various other trinkets.

Whisper Valley Archives - A room housing a variety of files and leftover items from the Whisper Valley Historical Society. They are very well organized, and can be easily found with a reference number. You can look for a random file too, but don’t expect much.

Classified Files - A smaller offshoot of the Whisper Valley Archives, with a higher level required to access. Contains more files, somewhat stranger ones too.

Museum Hall - A hallway containing many old objects and displays. The most notable being an anomalous pipe, but other cases and pedestals contain everything from ancient texts to masks.

Gate #1 - A security gate by the front entrance, containing a few CCTV feeds and a locked cabinet. Not much else of use.

Gate #2 - A security gate by the tunnel leading underground. Contains what appears to be a variety of emergency equipment.

room descriptions: Show

Fountain - A fountain just outside the back of the building. Water is currently flowing, though the fountain appears pretty old.

River - A trench dug from Mirror Lake to the Mines, carrying a steady stream of water into the depths.

Arboretum - A large greenhouse, the interior wrapped in thorny vines. Housing a variety of plant-based experiments, low-risk anomalies, and regular plants, you can find most known botanical life here, though maybe it's possible to find some… unique specimens as well?

Climate Controls - A control panel used to manipulate the climate in the Arboretum, including heat, water level, and the dispensing of pesticides and herbicides.

Botany Lab - A laboratory dedicated to the study and breeding of plant life. Contains a variety of equipment, soil, fertilizers, and gardening tools. Maybe you can grow your own plants?

Black Forest - A forest infamous for stories of lost researchers and strange occurrences. A few landmarks inside have been identified and categorized, but it remains difficult to locate them again. Enter at your own risk.

Waiting Room - A relatively uninteresting room with a front desk and some seating. Probably contains office supplies and a couple magazines.

Decontamination - A room that releases a gas that instantly cleans your body and equipment. It logs its usage for the night however, to prevent any shenanigans.

Cafeteria - A completely unremarkable Cafeteria, the sort of thing that you probably could go without a detailed description of.

Chem Lab - A laboratory with a variety of chemicals and equipment with which to use them. A door sits off to the side, requiring Access Level 4. It is covered in radiation warning stickers.

Aux. Bathrooms - A set of unisex bathrooms for the Auxiliary Building. Sinks and toilets, what else do you need?

Archaeologist's Office - An laboratory belonging to the Archaeological Team. Its walls and desks are lined with a variety of strange artifacts you don't recognize, and shelves contain various historical books and research notes. The desk belonging to the team leader is locked.

Observatory - An observatory located a short distance up the mountain. Its oversized telescope points skyward, and several notes and charts regarding celestial bodies and phenomena sit scattered about.

Somatic Seal - A large, deactivated machine.

Geology Lab - A laboratory dedicated to the study of stone samples and the composition of the nearby earth. Contains drills, chisels, picks, and other means of examining stone. Lots of rocks too.

Boathouse - A quaint, old boathouse by the dock. It contains fuel, rafts, books, paper, and other boating and emergency supplies.

Mirror Lake - A lake to the northwest of the facility, accompanied by a boathouse and a small dock. The lake is known for its still, reflective waters, immense depth, and reports of something moving in the water, despite the fact that there are no fish in mirror lake.

Lighthouse - A lighthouse on the island in Mirror Lake. Inside is a variety of sailing and rain gear, as well as a lighthouse lamp capable of cutting through fog like a knife. There's also an Anomaly Containment Room in here, housing a diving suit. A nearby building housing an elevator leads to the Aquatic Lab.

room descriptions: Show

Main Elevator - An elevator that takes you upstairs to the Historical Society. It is fairly spacious, likely to aid in the transport of anomalies.

Facility Lobby - A spacious lobby containing a front desk and a large carpet depicting the Bureau’s logo. A door at one end, behind the desk, leads to the Director’s Office, though his receptionist appears to be out.

Shuttle Line - A tunnel for a shuttle that facilities quick transport from the Auxiliary Building to the rest of the facility. You can walk along the tracks, but you might get run over, for obvious reasons.

Station 2 - A rail station for the shuttle, this one on the side of the main facility. There are some benches to sit in while you wait. The Lab Zero entrance is here, firmly sealed up.

Station 1 - A rail station for the shuttle, this one on the side of the main facility. There are some benches to sit in while you wait. There is a facility map on the wall and some shit on the floor.

Lounge - A bar built into the facility for employees who live on-site. Food and drink are free, but abuse of this privilege is discouraged. It’s furnished with bar stools and booths alike.

Kitchen - A professional bar kitchen with a variety of implements, attached to the Employee Lounge. You can prepare food here if you want, but accidents are known to occur, so stay safe.

Service Elevator - A larger elevator that seems to go deeper below ground. It is functional and leads to the Facility Depths. There appears to be some kind of power/maintenance room within the empty shaft.

Receiving Bay - The room where new Anomalies are delivered to the facility. Connects to the upper levels via a road tunnel, but it's a bit of a walk

Lab Passage - A small passage between rooms, with some seating and tables. There’s not much going on here and you get the sense that it's just a transitory room.

Morgue - A morgue containing several cadavers in various states and an autopsy table, along with several tools for medical analysis and dissection.

Killing Game Lab - A laboratory dedicated to researching the link between Killing Games and anomalous phenomena. All the files are gone.

Anomaly Lab - A laboratory dedicated to studying anomalies. Contains some monitoring equipment, computers, and several containment cells. Covered in black liquid. Liz's corpse is missing.

Dispatch - A room where dispatchers use a variety of equipment to communicate with other agents. You can use the intercom here to remotely make an announcement to other rooms.

Counter-Terrorism - A department dedicated to combating the Crimson Eye, an evil criminal organization opposing the Bureau. You can find materials and information regarding the Crimson Eye here, as well as some recovered technology. It is currently in disarray, with Ruby's body in here.

Bathrooms - It’s a bathroom. Feel free to use the toilet. No notes.

Armory - A room filled with lethal weaponry, such as guns, energy weapons, and explosives. Access is largely restricted to higher ranking agents.

Holding Cell - A relatively low-security containment room to hold troublemakers or the occasionally possessed until they calm down. Anyone who assisted in a murder or caused too much damage will end up here temporarily.

Facility Jail - A room for the guard assigned to the Holding Cell to spend their time in. There’s a desk and an evidence locker, though the latter is locked.

Anomaly Records - A room where the Bureau keeps its physical copies of records in case of problems with the facility database. Requires high access and the BPI-XXXX number of the anomaly to properly search.

Control Department - The workplace of the team assigned to contain and control Anomalies. Contains a couple weapons, and many notes on Anomaly strengths and weaknesses.

Break Room - A room with some tables and chairs for staff on break. Also contains a small kitchen with cutlery, a toaster oven, a microwave, a coffee machine, a kettle, and a sink.

Leisure Center - A gymnasium meant for keeping agents both in shape and entertained. Contains a variety of workout equipment, sporting goods, and even a pool. Gus' body is sitting on the workout bench, bloody and burned.

Locker Room - A room for employees to store their belongings. All the lockers are unlocked besides 3, which are locked with combination locks.

Crusher - A large crushing device capable of pulverizing rock. It pounds up and down rhythmically, though too quickly to safely get through. It is currently not functional due to water damage, and the Telluric Seal lies behind it.

Explosive Storage - A large cavern housing a variety of old explosives. A rope dangles through a hole in the ceiling, leading to an area near the Observatory.The room is full of knee-deep water, thanks to a certain someone and their river. The explosives are largely waterlogged.

Crystal Cave - A large cavern containing a large number of luminescent crystals and some far more modern research and excavation gear. The crystals are said to contain Esotera. The room is full of knee-deep water, thanks to a certain someone and their river.

Aquatic Lab - An underwater laboratory with several windows looking out onto the lakebed. Much of this room has been utterly destroyed in the fire.

Station 3 - A Shuttle station nearly identical to Stations 1 and 2. The Shuttle is currently operational, and can be taken to any other shuttle station.

Esotera Lab - A strange laboratory full of unknown equipment, various masks, and plenty of obscure files. Appears to be related to the study of Esotera, whatever that entails.

Lab Zero - A room filled with surgical tables and strange equipment, as well as a variety of masks. A strange creature lurks within, chanting religiously.

room descriptions: Show

Observation Room - A room deep underground, filled with various high-tech monitoring equipment and a window overlooking a strange, ancient underground city.

Laser Hall - A hallway “locked” by an array of high-powered scorching lasers. Probably best not to fuck around in here.

Submerged District - A vast underground lake, glowing faintly with vestiges of Esotera. The ruins of several buildings stick out from beneath the surface.

Water Filtration - A sizeable mechanical room that appears to pump water from the nearby lake for an unknown purpose.

Arcana Lab - ???

Mining Equipment - A room stocked with a variety of modern excavation equipment of a much heavier-duty variety than the Geology Lab, as well as modern explosive devices.

Drafting Office - An offshoot of the Mining Equipment seemingly converted into an office for engineering and drafting blueprints. Contains a CNC Machine, which can be used to create metal objects from raw materials.

Residential District - A strange sector of the underground city, seemingly a residential district of some sorts. Contains several ancient dwellings and many mummified bodies. A few Bureau research stations have been set up down here for

Lost City Outpost - A large hall between the two segments of the city. There are a few places to sit in here, and an elevator at the southern end of the hall. It looks to be a bit of a rest stop for researchers working in the city.

Occultic Seal - A tower containing an ominous, broken seal chamber.

Chaotic Seal - A large room ending with a huge, sealed stone door. It is unresponsive to all forms of contact and will not open. The mechanism in the center appears to be missing at least one Seal input.

Communications - A room with a sizeable communications terminal. Appears to require an uplink with the "forest relay station" to function.

---

History Team

@Indiana Jones (Old)
@Tinkaton


Survey Team

@Riki

Research Team

@Morgan
@Izumi Konata
@Nashu Mhakaracca
@Giffany
@Columbo


NPCs

• Astrid
  
• Dexter Hexley
  
• Dr. Lyra Orpheus
  
• Nancy Partridge & BPI-2300
  
• Spooks, The Magical Cat™
  

This post was last modified: Sep 5, 2024 at 12:44 PM by Columbo.

I'd feel bad about showing off all this confidential info, especially when Nyarlathotep is right there, but considering Giffany was probably authorized enough to look at this stuff...
Lets see, I've been holding onto these for a while, so I'll just make a list.

- Director's Notes
- File: Esoteric Inversion in Practice
- Contingency Plans
- Abyss File: Inversion Protocol
- The file on BPI-1001
- NYARLATHOTEP’S NOTES

Oh, suppose Nyarlathotep can have that last one if he doesn't want it shown. Didn't mean to intrude on your private thoughts there.

Something a little less confidential, considering I found it in the regular archives, I have this: Audio Log - Stella’s Arrival

And this really doesn't have anything to do with anything, but Spooks, would you be so kind as to show off the file for a BPI-2958? It's been a bit of a question on my mind since... well, before this whole thing started, if I'm being honest.

Oh, one more thing. Somebody help me check the body of our "mastermind" here.
Not just to make sure it stays down, but I wanna see if we can identify anything about the corpse.

M̵̢̓̊̐͆͠͝-̶͎͔̜̺͇̺̣͇̜̥̆̾̏̒̇̀͛̓̈́͒̓̔͌͘͝M̴͙̪̘̩̾͆̓̄̾͐̊̏͑͒́̀y̴̺͕͙̬̮̏̒͛̾̃.̵̮̮͓̖̺͚̆.̶̡̧̲̜̺̱̥̥̽̉.̷̢̡̭̗̙͈̖͎̼̗̥̌̓̊̀̓͐̆̽͆̈̾̈́͆̈́́ ̴̧̧̨͖̮͈̜̰͔̤̐̒̈͛̌́̀͗̇͐͂̀̍m̷̺̅̀͑͛͌͛̎͗͆̕̚̕͠͝ȇ̴͉̪̩̖̰̳͇̺͎̪̼̾͂͑̃͂͑͂̈̕̕ṋ̶̬͚͖͈̈́̂̍͒̋͊ͅt̴̮̺̻̘̟̝̎̋̈́̊̀̈̌̾͝ǫ̶̘͖̺͇̖̻̞̻̰̜́r̷̛͕̼̗̟̖̹̟͋́̑̽̈́̆̎̓́̒̕̕̚͜͜͝?̸͓͚͈̩̦̰͎̾̑̀̈͒͐̊͠

Could it be that I was wrong?
H̴̦̭̺͖̟͖͒̋a̸̧̡̪̝̙̗̺͇̟̜̺̫̠̹̱̻̘̱̽̔͊͛̌̓̓͆̅͛̚ ̶̪̅̒̎͆͐͂̽͌̕͝Ḥ̷̬̠̪̀̿â̸̡̧̰̝̣͖̪͈͙̙̪̭̹͐̍͛͐̋́͌͌̊̅͛͆̀̚!̷̬̱̬̹͍͎̹͎͎̠̲̜͓̘̘̺̪͗ ̷͍̠̋H̸̛͕̰̻̙̜̖͑̒̆̀̍͛̓̔̄͂͐̀͊͐̆͌̕͘͜͜a̶̧̧̞̣͚̬̓̆̓̾̈̎̈́͗͐̏̅͊̅̈̊̈͊̊̚͜ͅ ̷̡͔̪̯̮̰͖͇͍̳͕̖̠̅̿̾̕̕͜ͅḤ̵̛͎̥̙͖̘̮̞̱̱̩͇̤̊̈̓̃̔͑͛̒̌ͅá̸̢̘̫̰͕̥̲͕͍̏̈́̏͆͆̓͠͠ͅ!̷̰̥̣̱̿́̊̓̓͛̀̓͌̊͂͛̽͋̃̋̕͘ ̶̧̨̨̧̛̛͕͚͍͈̗̫̝̙́̈́̽̆͗́͐̍̃͛͘̕͝ͅȞ̶̢̢̢̛̯͈̠͈̪͙̫̩̪̜̩̮́̔̈́͆̽͌͗̚͝a̸̧̜̬̣̖̻̬̠͕̦̳̰̎͊͠ ̴̡̡̬̜̠͓̳̠̠̫̪̱͉͖̿͒ͅͅḪ̸͇̯̣̐̐̏a̴̛͓͈̯̹̋̆͒̽͗̓͐̚!̴̘̘̙̖͉̍̇̅̒̉͌̑͛̑͐͆̀̓̃͠ ̶͉̏̌̇̈̈́̐̊̀́͘̚͝ͅH̴͔͖͕͎͑̋̇̍̓̀̂̽͘ả̵̟̜̟̳̭̪͔̺̫͉̗̩̻̖̪̼͙̌̓̂̋͒̍̆̔͒͑̂̌̀͊͜ͅ ̴̡̘̥̩̼͇̭̟̰͍̙̹͒̂͋̌̑̌͊͗ͅͅH̵̢͇̳̩͎̩̼͉̜͓̥̒̈́̔͘͜ͅȁ̵͕̱̟͚̖̟̰͓̣͕̣̓̂͆̿̋̀̈͌͆̿͂̉́̂̈́͛͝!̶̡̛̘̲̱̲̭̳͖͉̪̲̥̳̜̇̈́͊͌̐̈́̈́̉̀͂̒͊̆̚̕͝͝ͅ ̷̞̯͖̫̠̬͇̱̳̰̗̌̈́̔́͐̋͛́́̄̎͊̌̇͝H̷̡̛̺͓̞̩̱̰̖͚͐̀̃͋̓̐̔̄̈́̀̆̽̋͘ǎ̷̡̧̨̟̠̭͓̟͋̓̒̏̀͗̔̈͝ ̴̡̡̪̺̘̯̗̤͖̭͇̼̜̹̤̫͙̠̟̣͐̈́͊́̃̔̔̂̆̊̚̕H̵̡̨̢̨̢̫̻̯̦͚͉̫͕̣̯̖̮͓͉͆̀à̴̺̪̳͂̋̅!̶̧̟̬̹̦͓͚̹̩͖͓̀̓̽̈́͊̿̅͘͠ ̴̰͓͇̻͉̲̗̼̩͈̗͚̠͌̿͊̈́͗̈͝͝H̶̛̛̛̱̼̤͆̏̌̃͒̓͑̔̃̈̈́̈́̔͛͐͘a̸̞͔̪̙͖͙͊ ̸͓̹̻͚̺͚̺̯̠̝̇̎̊̿̑̕Ḫ̷̞͍̖͔̲̼͙̣̻͓͕̼͌̐ͅą̸̧̜̦̤̰̳͇̳͍͂̓̃̓́̾͊͝ͅ!̴̧̨̢̱̯̬͈͔̞̝̹̣͙̫͎̪̞̤̏̈̅͗͋̓͗̃̈́̈́̃͘͜ͅ
H̴̯̼̩̩̰͎̻͇͖̿̋̓̒͗̕ą̶̢̭̯̬͕̖͉̙̫̟̬̭̼̠̦͋̐̑́̏̏̈́̋̕͜͠͠͠͝ ̴̛̥̊̈́̓̀̃H̴̨̧̥͙͙͇̲͚̫̻̥̒͑͊̍̄͊͐͋͌̄̈̎͐͗̔͘͝͠ͅȃ̵̧̭͈͎͉̪̩̥̺̱̗͚̝̞̤̔̋̆̀̓͒͜ͅ!̶͈͉̗̪̯̘̼͔͕̻̲̭̥͇͖̐̎̎͠H̷̡̛͔̰̜̦̫̱̱͚̮̺̰̙͐̈́̀̈́͑̊̈́͆̌͠a̸͓͓̼̿̍̈́̇̅͑̆̈́̄̈́̀͗̈́̐̊̚͠͝ ̵̤̏̍̐̌̈͝H̷͓͇͕̘̖̙͎̤̜̻̖̖̰͙̋͐͗̎̏̌͂ą̶̮̠͔̜̙̠̳̱̃̑̄͗͂̄̌̀͋͠!̵̫̤̻̙̹͓͚͎̺̣͙̈́͊̅͘͝ ̴̨̧̝̖̯̹̞̦̹̗̭̱̜͓̙̙̀̒̒͑̈́̈̈͑̈̎́́̔̓̚͠͝͝͝ͅͅH̵̩̠͍̤̪͕̱̲̟̥͓̠̗͉̖̪̱̼͌̍̒̔̀̋̅͆̉̅̅͘͜͠a̶̜̘̫̦͔̣̘͇̤̐̈́̾͌̈́̈́͜͝ ̴̡̢̛̲̖̦̙͇̣͈̖̺̃̏̇̆́̈́̂͑̀̓͊̎̈͋̕͠͠͝͠H̷̡̡̢̙̟̤̺̝̟̉̓̏̆̽͋̾̈́͘a̸̧̖̞̖̺͉͖̖̦̘͚͌̊̅̔͛̈͛͛͆̋́̚͝͠ͅ!̴̡̨̢̛̠̣̟͔̭͎͉̣̰̺̙͍̈͊͋̂̂͑̾͒͊̇̒͂̒̚͠͠͠ ̸̫̥̥̥̺̝̫̙͕̺̩̭͍͙̝͐̑̌͑͋̅̈́̇͋͂̑̀̿̊̓̔͊͗̄͜͝ͅͅḨ̸̧̢̛̛̛̰̥̠̺͚̟͚̙̰̼̞̠̆͑̈́̽̎̈́̊̊̀͋̉̃̇̋͜͝͝ạ̵̤͎͙͙͔̮̃ͅ ̸̨̡̦̜̱̱̻͚̜͑͊̐͆̃̍H̷̢̲͓̪͓̲̦̭̼̘̝̖̳̠̰̫͕̠̃͐͗̍̅͒͛̓̃a̷̳̓!̸̛̛͕̂̾̊͆́̌̾̓͆̓̓̃̈́̌̕ ̸͚͛̿̿̒H̷̢̡̙͍̠͓̩̘̪͉͇̐͑̊̑̀̽͊͋̄́̅͜ȁ̵̞͙̣̑̈̒͆̅͌̓́̓͋̈́͝͝͝ ̶̢̨̼̹̰̘̯̭̮̦̭̠̆̈́̈́̀͒̾̐̾͑̍̑́̀͠͝H̴̪͕͙͉̃͒̃́͊̓̋̔̈́̚a̷̡̛̜̟͓̤̙̤̝̻̩̘̩̾̑̽̿̈́̒͆̂̀̅̉̓̌̓͒̌͝͝ͅ!̸̡̛̛̼͖͙͋̈́̀̒̓̈̂̀̂́̍́̾̅̆̕͘͝ ̴̟͕̩̄̕H̸̢̱̩͎͕͓͇͇̪͚̱͎͔͎͍̙̥̘̘͆͜ą̶̧̢̲͓͇͖͖͎͙̯̣͓̞̣̮̘͎̈́̆̆̈̂̀͂̔͆̋̉͜͝ͅ ̵͖̳̳̲̳̬̲̮͆̿̐̏̈̀̓͒̃̌͋̂̇̀̕̚̕͝͠H̴̛͈̓̂̐̀̀̈́͌̃̒̀͊̑͝͠ą̵̧̛̻̫̩̫̟͎͇͍̫̝̺̼͙̭̉̔́͘ͅ!̴̪̦͒́̽̿̈́́̂̿̅̒̎
H̴̢̨̡̛͉̬̼͇͍̜̦̜̞̲̞͙̀̈́̍̅̾̚ä̶̛͍̹̝̮̯̻̻͚́̐͆̊͆̒̊̉́̍̉̉̽̒̿̓̃̈́̇͒̿͑̌̎͗͐̕̕̚̚͜͝͝͝ ̸̨̺̘̞͇̜͚̫̮̳̭̀͂̄̓̾̾̈́̽̆̇̌̈́́̊͊͛̓͋͋̌̕͘͝H̶̛̤̩̜́͒̑́̿͐̀̎̓̅͘͘͘ą̸̖̈́͛̈́̓̌̈́̓̈́̏̉́̽̽̅̂̔͂̏̄̐̎͑͆̄͒͘!̵̡̡̲̮̬̗̼̪͖̟̦͕̙̽͊̋̿͛̽̊̋̀͋̔̀̓̓̒̀͋̽͒̃͑̍̆̓̋̈́̔́̚͜͠ ̷̢̛̖̥͔̤̥̙̤̖̟̝̙̎̀̈̒͒͐̂́̃͆́̓͝ͅȞ̷̡̧̛͚̫̣̼͙̞͔͎̝̫͈͔̗̮͔̝͖͖̰̱̦̘͍̘̪̱̦̇́̒̆̈́̿̅̓̈͗̈́̈́͊̂͂́̄̌̑̀́̅̾̍͜͠͝͝a̴̛̱̞̩̜̥̦̝̦̦̗̞̪̬̺̮͓͑́̉͒̇̏́̄̎́͘͝ ̷̳̩̠̝̅́̂̑̆͐̊͐̓͛̚͝ͅH̷̬̮͓̥͔̩̣̩̳̮͓̺̝͓̲̞̘̙̖̣̖̱̝͕̱̙̼̠̅́́̈́̀̒̂͌̐͌̊̎̋̎̽̕͜͝͝͝ͅͅͅa̶̡̢̨̳̘̥̫͔͓͉̜͍̤̪̞͐͌͋̀͑͑̅͂͝!̸̧̢̛͙̺̳̘̠͔͖͉̼̟͓̟̙̼̣͙͉̯̲̓̂̃͆̈́͐̄̓̃̓H̷̢̢͉̘̼̬͔̰̤͇̺̖̹̳̤̙̰̜͎̭̬̰͔͍̗̲̭͕͈̩̣̐̀̿̄̈́̉̾͋͂͗̐̂͌̊̓̆̎̃̾͋͐̀̋͒̅́̍̕̚͘̕͜͝͝ą̸̜̩̝̱̹̣͕͎̘̱̹͈̩̼̖̩̫͎̙̫̼̹̳͈̞̯̄̀̍̔̊̌͝ ̴̢̧͉̣̙̞̣͔̲͇̰̮̮̝̫̼͕̰̜̯̮̼͓́͊̒̏͌̎̂͛̀͗̾͜͠ͅH̵̡̛̛̛͙̝̪̼̤̰͈͚͈̘̝͔̱̱̰͎̟͙̲̯̘͛̈̾̒̒͆́̋̏́̈́̓̄̓̒̍̇͂́͜͝͝͝͝ͅá̸̜̠̙͙̲̭͍͇̻͚̲̖̦̘̥̠̱̲̺̘̬̀̉̀̈́͂̽̋̌̐̔͊͋̑̒̒͐̓͒͆͐́͐͗́̕͜͜͝ͅͅ!̷̡̧̧̞̲̩̭̟͕̦̰̗͇̲̖̣̟̲̤̹̎̓̾̔̆͆͑̀͗̏̑͛̔́͌̀̌͋̃̿ͅͅ ̵̧̘͕͕̖͙̱̫͇̻̭͕̱͊͐̆̀̋̽͂͌̚H̷̨̢̛̟̮̜͉͓͉͕̃̀̿͌̽̔̒͐͛̋͆͛̔̾̈́̓̈́̐͗̆̈́̕͠͠ą̶̡̛̛̘̤͎͖͔͙̖͎̙̘͎̑̋͗̊̓͌̀̈́͆̈́̌͒͜͠͠͝ ̴̢̨̛͍̳̣̮̭̠̻̤̣̪̾͐̀͗̿̉̂́͆͒̈́͗̾̒̉͛͘̕̚͜͝͝ͅͅH̴̢̢͇̯͇̫̭̰̼̠̲͍̭̣͔̣̗͊̅͂̇̇̉̋̈́̈̇́̆́̇̾͗̚͘͠͠a̶̡̨̨͍̬͉̲̺̤͖̳̹̝͇̹̻̲̱͇̮̲͇͎̘̗̠͛͑̎̑͂̿̑̔̇͘!̸̡͙̹̙̳͉̭̪̑͋̀̽͜ͅ ̵̨̥̜̔̋̓̋̍̇͆̔̋͌̌͒͊̉̂͌͛͘͘͜Ḧ̷̛̫̙̮̟̠̮̜̔̍͐̌̿̿̈́́̃̍̌͋̓́̎̔͌̔́͐̍̀͛́͆͜͝å̶̡̛̟̱͉͓̰̥̫̞̀̓͋̈̔̈̏̌̏͆̆̊̒͋̆̔͑͝͝ͅ ̷̨͇̩̜͕̣̹̩̦̭̫̦̪͈͖̯̮̈́̈̀̅́̿̄̈́̅͂̓̚̕̕͜͝H̶̨̛̛͓̭̪̗̬̳̿̅̅̒̆̔̀͂͂̊̈́̒̎͆̈́̋̀̅͘̕͘͜͝͝͠a̴̧̛͍̮̜͇̯͎͙̤̦͈̰͔̫͙̬̗͍̬̽̃̀͆̀̽͒̇̈͊̾̅̆̉̈́͊̈́̈́͐̉̀̓̇̋̾̀̄̇̚͜͠͠!̷̧̧̧̧̨̛͚̼̗͚̮͎͎̜̻̭̟͉̳̺̺͎͌͌͐̈́͋̈́̌͐̊̎́̒̍̌̐̈́́̿͛̓͐͂͊̚͘̚̚͘̕͜͝͝͝͠ ̸̨̧̛̛̻͖̼̟͚̩͍̬̼̳͓̗̘̹̖̩͑̃̓̐̿͛͐͋̓̈̔̑͊̀̏̑̊͋̓̓̄̊̃̚͝H̷̡̧̨̛̛͓̹̤̫̥̘̟͎̞̫̳̙̪͙̰̩͈̜̦̻̹̠̝̞͍̊̐̐͂͂͋̌͑̀̉̔̆͋̀̓̀̑̑́̊̌̔̌̽́̾̊̚̚͜͠ͅͅa̶͔̭̻͓͖̯̝̰̠̰̗̰͊͗͐͛̃͌́͑͋̔̓̉̓̌͊͒̕͘̚͠͝͝ ̴̡̲̰̞̻̓̌̿̿̎̓͊̚͠H̸̡̡̧̧̛̛̗͕̳̮͔̥̳̫̼̰̤̬̫̳̗̪̦̱̞̬̺̘̘̣̪̩͊͛͋̆̃̈́̔̀́̐͆͋͛̈́͌͑̄̑̀͘̚͘͜͜͝͝͝͠͝a̴̢̢͖͖̻̜̦͕̟̬͔̦̯̗̥̠̠̰̐̋͋̾̒͌̋̐̌̾̈̓̄̈́͆̈́̕͘͘͜͠ͅ!̴̨̡̨̨̛̥̦͎̝̩͖̜̖̣̣̫͕̙͇̰̫̬̙̳̯̪̘̀͋̓̊͑̄̉͊̋̆̈̄̊̓͊̂͐̚͝͠͝ͅͅ

Hello, T̷̪͇̊̽h̴͕̣̦̭̩̭̓̿͝ḙ̴̩̓́ͅ ̶͇͗M̸̢̠͉͉͚̣̯̊̈͌̓̎͋ą̷̩̟̰̥̀s̵̖͙̦̈͑̑t̵̛̟͛ë̷̛͉͚̲͕̤́́̏ŗ̴̛̽͌̈́m̶̢̫̬̳̍̄̈́̄͘ͅͅi̴̢̯̦̘͕̱͗n̵͕͚̠͎̓d̵̡̞̺͆̈͊́͐͊!̶̠̪̜̈́̌̈́̇! You are now, deceased. That is a shame. I wish to have gŏ̴̧͖͔̊t̶̜̼͐̆̌̐̃t̷̙̮͎̼͗͆̐̔é̵̦̺̃ͅṇ̸͚̂̈́̀̅ ̴̝̓͊̽t̴̡̗͖͈͚̉͂̇̆ǫ̸̢͍̮̰̈́͝ ̸͖͎̮̞̈͛͑̄̓k̴̥̄͐́͂̄ͅǹ̵̗͎̆͠o̴̭̚ẁ̶̜͇͙̮ͅ ̶͔͓̠̮̆̏̏̓͜͝ỳ̶͙̬̗̾o̸̺͎̖͍̭̔̉͊̊ų̸̰͙͕̭̊̀ ̴̛̻̚b̸̨̨̰͓̓̑ͅẽ̴̬̙tter! Could I, at least, investigate your, body? I would like to know who you are under the, mask!
Mr. Columbo, you can stand right beside me if you do not, trust me. There's nothing I can do anymore. I will, investigate with you!

Dig through the Director's Office. Find any other files I can on Abyss Team. Specifically Alhazred. I need to see, in their own words, what all they̸͉͈͇̞̆̌͋̈ͅ ̶͉̥̔̌̾d̶̥̺̈̑͐̓i̶̭̲̤͖̯̔̚d̵͍̰̘̺̳͋̌͒́̋ ̶͈̚t̶̛̗̣̏o̸̫̐͋͂,̶̧̞̱͙̱͊͂̽͘͝ ̶̠̳̐̑́͜m̶̜̭͔̼͋é̵͔͕̠̿̅̇͗!̶̺͙̆̍̔

From the will of the living and the dead, renewed purpose is given.

---

Epilogue - Part 2

Feel free to perform any remaining investigations within this thread, including posting lore or trying to investigate any areas or rooms not yet investigated. The area past the Chaotic Seal is currently off-limits.

When you are ready to move on, a series of posts will be made, taking us into our final phase of the game. Together, we will walk towards Heaven's Light.

I'd feel bad about showing off all this confidential info, especially when Nyarlathotep is right there, but considering Giffany was probably authorized enough to look at this stuff...
Lets see, I've been holding onto these for a while, so I'll just make a list.

- Director's Notes
- File: Esoteric Inversion in Practice
- Contingency Plans
- Abyss File: Inversion Protocol
- The file on BPI-1001
- NYARLATHOTEP’S NOTES

Oh, suppose Nyarlathotep can have that last one if he doesn't want it shown. Didn't mean to intrude on your private thoughts there.

---

While you prepare to inspect the body and show off your new files, you first dump a large pile of files upon the front desk for the others to peruse - sans the Director's Notes, which have been shown off already. It feels like you've held onto these forever... what a load off your back.

Several others give you mildly annoyed glances. It seems that regardless of how good your intentions may have been, nobody likes a hoarder.

[File: Esoteric Inversion in Practice]

While research has been conducted into replicating the phenomenon of Esoteric Inversion reliably, currently it remains a volatile procedure, at least when involving living things. It has been observed that immense emotional distress may occasionally trigger Inversion in an Anomalous entity, however this is unreliable and test results demonstrate an approximate 48.67% chance of Aberration instead.

More worthwhile is the method dubbed "Chaotic Overflow" by Dr. [REDACTED]. While exposing one form of Esotera to its opposite, exposure to heavy amounts of Chaotic energy can cause Esotera to spontaneously invert. However, the amount of energy required to enact this process is likely to cause severe but temporary distortion in the surrounding area as the latent Esotera present in most things tends to react rather strongly as well.

With proper care to facilitate and control the flow and intensity of the Chaotic Esotera however, it may be possible to utilize this side-effect to intentionally distort reality for temporary periods. The utility of this has not yet been determined, outside of potential usage as a defense measure.

More importantly, discovering a safe method of inverting Esotera may render processes utilizing the powers of the [DATA EXPUNGED] significantly more stable and palatable by the wider populace. Further research requested.

[Abyss File: Inversion Protocol]

NOTE: In case of complete [REDACTED] breakage, [REDACTED] is authorized to initiate the "Inversion Protocol" at any time in interest of protecting the [DATA EXPUNGED]. This will also serve as [REDACTED] for the prototype [REDACTED] Project prior to deployment of the final version at the [REDACTED], and therefore, should the [REDACTED] begin to show signs of total failure, it is recommended to pivot to this strategy for optimal data gathering and [REDACTED].

Should the Inversion Protocol be trigged, expect total temporary [REDACTED] of the Central Facility utilizing [REDACTED] until the [REDACTED] [REDACTED] field is disabled or otherwise disrupted. There is potential for Esoteric Inversion throughout the facility, however the intension of the protocol is to [REDACTED] the [REDACTED] of the [REDACTED] in a controlled [REDACTED] in order to restrict access to the [DATA EXPUNGED] and prevent further reinforcements in case of Crimson Eye interference.

In the event this comes to pass, non-compliant Abyss Team members with the exception of [DATA EXPUNGED] and potentially [REDACTED] will be deemed [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] along with any hazardous Anomalies, enemy operatives, or rogue agents. Compliant Abyss Team members will be expected to [REDACTED] the [DATA EXPUNGED] at all costs.

[Contingency Plans]

Admittedly, we are working with the Codex Nocturnum, and therefore we are working with a major potential Occultic breach, should it escape our containment in any fashion. I believe the best course of action is to build up an array of contingency plans. The Codex contains part of the Black Scribe's power, in addition to greater knowledge of the workings of magic. It cannot leave this building.

Should anyone seize its power, there are a few venues to explore to ensure proper retrieval:

Abyss Team [REDACTED] is in possession of great Occultic power as a result of Aberration via contact with [DATA EXPUNGED], however it is unlikely that they would be likely to survive prolonged combat with a Codex wielder due to their unstable physiology.

On the other hand, he mythological "weapon" capable of destroying the Scribe. It could possibly destroy the Codex as well, if we have to, but unlike the Scribe, the Codex, or even the Traveler, it's never mentioned again after the initial fable. Only artifact of comparable Liturgic power we've found is BPI-1000, but that's arguably more dangerous to an extent.

Strictly speaking, if one was to invert BPI-1001, it is also likely to serve as a powerful anti-occultic weapon, however despite the threat of the Codex, this is not recommended due to the design and necessity of the weapon in counteracting another breach of BPI-1000.

...If all else fails, we trigger the Inversion Protocol and flip the playing field. Last resort.

Code:

BPI-1001 [Anti-Liturgic Weapon "Longinius"]
[ACCESS LEVEL: VII]
[THREAT LEVEL: PALE]
[DESCRIPTION]: A long, black spear crackling with Occult energy

[INFORMATION]:

!WARNING: DO NOT ALLOW BPI-1001 TO PUNCTURE YOUR SKIN UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. HIGH POTENTIAL FOR OCCULTIC CORROSION OR [REDACTED]!

BPI-1001 is an experimental weapon created by the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation for the purposes of suppressing Liturgic entites. Created and labeled in direct response to BPI-1000's containment breach, BPI-1001 is infused with immense levels of Occultic energy intended to disrupt and kill BPI-1000 (or similar) at any point in its host's current lifespan, particularly post-ascension.

Taking the form of a spear, the most effective melee weapon, "Longinius" functions akin to an automated Occultic syringe, injecting vast amounts of energy into the being it pierces and in theory, produces a violent reaction resulting in severe disability or immediate death when the subject of the Esotera flooding is aligned with Liturgic Esotera prior to the use of BPI-1001.

Use IMMENSE care when wielding BPI-1001, damaging a non-Liturgic entity with the object will result in consequences.

---

Oh, so now you're concerned about airing out classified Bureau information, hm? Go ahead, evidently you don't value the privacy of our collective work on the Azathoth Project or anything else - so I see no reason for you to suck up and suddenly respect my own notes on the subject.

[Nyarlathotep's Notes

ENTRY 1: “Synchronization”... I can’t say I didn’t raise an eyebrow at the thought, considering my… current form, brought about by prior experimentation with the energy classified as [REDACTED]- but I’ll admit when I’m wrong. Between the seeming consistency of Sinclair’s current state, and the continued survival of [DATA EXPUNGED] as a result of the process, the potential viability of this process is… notable. Maybe it takes a more delicate hand than my own.

ENTRY 2: I understand now, why I was offered my [REDACTED] as the first of the [REDACTED]. A special project requires a special hand, after all. To extend this process of his to the world… Well, I’m not particularly interested in the altruism of it all, but I do find the concept intriguing. Quite the interesting project, he’s got here. Theoretically, the idea of carefully weaving excess [REDACTED] into one’s soul rather than a violent and sudden introduction is something that should… work. In theory. His reference material, however, is known to cause… problems.

ENTRY 3: The [DATA EXPUNGED], despite its history - of which I am all too familiar, is the most comprehensive reference material available for the workings of magic - and a potent power source as well. If nothing else, he believes we can get to the point where the [REDACTED] is no longer necessary. Digitization should be able to circumvent the need to reference it for study, but the problem of a power source remains. [REDACTED] doesn’t come from thin air, after all.

ENTRY 4: The [REDACTED], as useful as it is as a reference, has proven to be somewhat incomplete. While it’s certainly comprehensive, one barrier to “Synchronization” on any greater scale using just this information does rear an ugly head. The issue remaining is a lack of understanding of just how [REDACTED] is integrated into what the Bureau refers to as “Anomalies”. Utilizing the [REDACTED]’s script alone will be… insufficient when it comes to more precise application and blending.

ENTRY 5: With the [DATA EXPUNGED] Lab scanners now operational, we’ve turned our attention towards practicality. With our amassed knowledge, we’ve created a sort of… programming language. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to call it a means of “magical chemistry”. Nonetheless, the functionality is closer to the former. The nature of [REDACTED] magic necessitates symbology to manipulate Esoteric forces, and this is merely an extension of that on a far wider scale. Tentatively, we’ve named our “language” [NOCTURNE], though more research is to be done before employing it in any useful manner.

ENTRY 6: Despite some… minor hiccups, the upper laboratories have managed to replicate the functionality of the mask’s process flawlessly by this point. By encoding [NOCTURNE] script into the masks, the proto-synchronization method employed by [DATA EXPUNGED] can be replicated, controlled, and enhanced. Now, the next step is… complicated. Automating [NOCTURNE] execution is not something that any computer can do. The processing unit required for the [REDACTED] alone will practically dwarf most of our laboratory space combined, and the integration of the [REDACTED] necessitates heavy security and an extremely isolated space.

ENTRY 7: Construction of the [REDACTED] in the central cavern has begun, along with a special manner of… security assurance. I only wish Sinclair’s [REDACTED] wasn’t as nosy as she is, she’s been delaying the construction crews more than I would prefer by snooping around. Nonetheless, once the Seven [DATA EXPUNGED] are in place, the prototype should be rendered entirely inert by means of sequestering the Esotera required to access or activate it until the time comes for testing.

ENTRY 8: By integrating the Synchronization process into the [REDACTED], we’ve also rendered it impossible for an individual to disable all seven without permission from Project [REDACTED] development staff. As construction reaches a conclusion on the monolithic project itself, it’s become increasingly obvious that a new power source must be found and secured before the development of the ideally downscaled final version set to be utilized at [DATA EXPUNGED]. Preliminary testing has yielded the desired results - total [REDACTED] manipulation in the given area, however the heavy Occultic alignment of the [REDACTED] often results in… unwanted manifestations.

ENTRY 9: With the [REDACTED] now complete, preparations must be made in order to deploy the final version of the project once its development concludes, and destabilization of the Crimson Eye is necessary to ensure that there is no interference on their end. I’ll be bringing with me a few of the more… useful [DATA EXPUNGED] operatives (though I refused to bring the mask maker. Far too reliant on its handler). Our goals are twofold - sow chaos in the region from the shadows, and investigate the viability of our… potential new power source. Only a few years remain until the [DATA EXPUNGED], and everything must be perfectly aligned.

This post was last modified: Sep 6, 2024 at 5:08 PM by Nashu Mhakaracca.

Cor! Look at all this information! Many thanks, inspector!

Now, let's see here...Yup, this sure is horrifying! "Unwanted manifestations" sounds a lot like a certain creep we recently vanquished. Good thing we "expendable sorts" were here to sort that out, huh Nyarly? It's so lovely to formally make your acquaintance, by the by. You're such a dutiful fellow, taking time out of your busy schedule of fomenting civil unrest in Qstia to come and safeguard the prototype. Wouldn't want anything to happen to it before that World's Fair, huh? Is that where you plan to guide us toward the Heavens' Light?



Anyroad, mayhap we could check out the...Locker Room? Inspect every locker and open any still-locked ones with a breaching axe or something.

Let's look up BPI-3893. Or was it BPI-1893? I can't remember which, let's just check both.

Hey can I look through the Anomaly Directory to find BPI-8008? I'm gonna go do that now

Oh, so now you're concerned about airing out classified Bureau information, hm? Go ahead, evidently you don't value the privacy of our collective work on the Azathoth Project or anything else - so I see no reason for you to suck up and suddenly respect my own notes on the subject.

Well, it's in my nature to unravel these sort of things. Especially when it sounds more and more like a super villain plot when I put the pieces together.

Let's look up BPI-3893. Or was it BPI-1893? I can't remember which, let's just check both.

Anything in the records, Spooks?

And this really doesn't have anything to do with anything, but Spooks, would you be so kind as to show off the file for a BPI-2958? It's been a bit of a question on my mind since... well, before this whole thing started, if I'm being honest.

Oh, one more thing. Somebody help me check the body of our "mastermind" here.
Not just to make sure it stays down, but I wanna see if we can identify anything about the corpse.

Hello, T̷̪͇̊̽h̴͕̣̦̭̩̭̓̿͝ḙ̴̩̓́ͅ ̶͇͗M̸̢̠͉͉͚̣̯̊̈͌̓̎͋ą̷̩̟̰̥̀s̵̖͙̦̈͑̑t̵̛̟͛ë̷̛͉͚̲͕̤́́̏ŗ̴̛̽͌̈́m̶̢̫̬̳̍̄̈́̄͘ͅͅi̴̢̯̦̘͕̱͗n̵͕͚̠͎̓d̵̡̞̺͆̈͊́͐͊!̶̠̪̜̈́̌̈́̇! You are now, deceased. That is a shame. I wish to have gŏ̴̧͖͔̊t̶̜̼͐̆̌̐̃t̷̙̮͎̼͗͆̐̔é̵̦̺̃ͅṇ̸͚̂̈́̀̅ ̴̝̓͊̽t̴̡̗͖͈͚̉͂̇̆ǫ̸̢͍̮̰̈́͝ ̸͖͎̮̞̈͛͑̄̓k̴̥̄͐́͂̄ͅǹ̵̗͎̆͠o̴̭̚ẁ̶̜͇͙̮ͅ ̶͔͓̠̮̆̏̏̓͜͝ỳ̶͙̬̗̾o̸̺͎̖͍̭̔̉͊̊ų̸̰͙͕̭̊̀ ̴̛̻̚b̸̨̨̰͓̓̑ͅẽ̴̬̙tter! Could I, at least, investigate your, body? I would like to know who you are under the, mask!
Mr. Columbo, you can stand right beside me if you do not, trust me. There's nothing I can do anymore. I will, investigate with you!

---

While keeping a watchful eye on Giffany, Columbo sends Spooks to fetch him a file. After a moment, Spooks returns with a single Anomaly File, presenting it for reading while he joins Giffany to examine the body.

Code:

BPI-2958 [Staff of Sealing]
[ACCESS LEVEL: IX]
[THREAT LEVEL: PALE]
[DESCRIPTION]: A jeweled staff with an Esotera-resonant crystalline core. Contains an extremely dangerous presence.

[INFORMATION]:

[WARNING - THIS ANOMALY HAS BREACHED CONTAINMENT AND IS NO LONGER PROPERTY OF THE BUREAU OF PARANORMAL INVESTIGATION. IF WITNESSED, PLEASE CONTACT BPI STAFF IMMEDIATELY AND EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION.]

[THE PREVIOUS FILE FOR BPI-2958 MAY BE SEEN BELOW, HOWEVER IT HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED TO REFLECT CURRENT EVENTS]

BPI-2958 is a bejeweled staff of unknown origin, with few Anomalous properties displayed on its own save for the presence of the staff's crystal core, capable of containing vast amounts of Esotera regardless of alignment or origin. It is likely that the staff was created at one point to contain and harness Anomalous powers and entities. Initially in possession of [DATA EXPUNGED], it has come into Bureau possession after the resolution of the KG-7 incident, along with a several other objects of Anomalous origin.

This object has been assigned an extremely high Access and Threat level due to the presence currently contained within - hereby referred to as BPI-2958-B.

The entity currently categorized as BPI-2958-B is the Esotera-charged remnants of [REDACTED], executive director of [DATA EXPUNGED] and known enemy of the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation. Formerly human in origin, BPI-2958-B has faced unprecedented Occultic corruption by means of significant exposure to [REDACTED], an Occultic artifact of power rivaling BPI-0001 in potency and now resembles an Occultic Aberration when not contained within BPI-2958.

Despite similarities in function and form however, BPI-2958-B has several differences from the average Aberration and exists as the result of several experimental processes resulting in a form even more unstable than other examples of Esotera-flooded entities in exchange for significantly more strength at the cost of requiring consumption of Esotera to maintain stability. In addition, BPI-2958-B retains all intelligence, knowledge, and manipulative tendencies, making BPI-2958-B highly dangerous to engage in conversation with without significant preparation.

However, due to existing familiarity with Director Sinclair and knowledge of Esotera in addition to BPI-2958's Occultic corruption allowing for Codex contact, he has been considered a candidate for the Azathoth Project Research Team as well as the Abyss Initiative. [UPDATE: ABYSS INITIATIVE REJECTED - ENTITY DEEMED TOO UNTRUSTWORTHY].

While that's on display, Columbo and Giffany examine the body of the masked figure, gingerly lifting the mask from its face. Underneath the mask, there appear to be no other masks this time - only a horribly mangled face splattered with liquid shadow from a massive wound in the center of their head. You can't tell who exactly this used to be, but upon removal of the cloak... their anatomy seems... strange.

The androgynous body's bones are broken at various strange angles, the muscle torn and shredded as though puppeted by something within. It appears to be long dead now, barely held together with various open wounds including a large rupture in the chest - through which you can see that the body's organs are arranged in an improper way. Most concerning though, appears to be the figure's skin - which appears to be... growing familiar masks in various stages of development as they seem to slowly shift upwards towards the face.

Whatever this body the mastermind was using was, it certainly wasn't human - and it's been dead for over a week.

Might as well take this to the end. What's the Bureau gotta say on BPI-0001?

Dig through the Director's Office. Find any other files I can on Abyss Team. Specifically Alhazred. I need to see, in their own words, what all they̸͉͈͇̞̆̌͋̈ͅ ̶͉̥̔̌̾d̶̥̺̈̑͐̓i̶̭̲̤͖̯̔̚d̵͍̰̘̺̳͋̌͒́̋ ̶͈̚t̶̛̗̣̏o̸̫̐͋͂,̶̧̞̱͙̱͊͂̽͘͝ ̶̠̳̐̑́͜m̶̜̭͔̼͋é̵͔͕̠̿̅̇͗!̶̺͙̆̍̔

You enter the Director's Office - or the burned-out ruins anyway. Long torched to cinders by DXHustler, there is little to be found here. Perhaps you'd be better off asking the man himself whenever you answer that phone call. Or perhaps you can convince your resident football to help you out with his one freebie library file.

Anyroad, mayhap we could check out the...Locker Room? Inspect every locker and open any still-locked ones with a breaching axe or something.

You inspect the Locker Room, throwing upon each and every locker in search of... anything possible using a breaching axe from the Armory to open the one single locked locker. There's basically nothing in any of these, they've all been raided by now - except that last one, which contains one Keycard Breaker. ...Hooray? Well, you suppose you can just take it. You're like the most cucked one here in the access department after all.

Let's look up BPI-3893. Or was it BPI-1893? I can't remember which, let's just check both.

Hey can I look through the Anomaly Directory to find BPI-8008? I'm gonna go do that now

On Columbo's request, Spooks fetches three files - the two that Indy request, and... the one that Konata requested. He didn't ask for that one, but Spooks kind of feels bad for everything that's happened to you. This one's on him.

Code:

BPI-1893 [Wishing Lamp]
[ACCESS LEVEL: IV]
[THREAT LEVEL: RED]
[DESCRIPTION]: A golden oil lamp covered in ornate etchings.

[INFORMATION]: BPI-1893 resembles a golden oil lamp of ancient Middle-Eastern origin. Attempting to light the lamp yields no results, however rubbing the lamp will result in the spawning of a Chaotic entity claiming to grant wishes, much like entities described in folklore from the region.

Upon spawning the Chaotic manifestation inside the lamp, the individual who rubbed the lamp is offered a grant total of three requests from the entity, which the entity will faithfully carry out without any level of malice or attempt to trick the one who made the wish. This may include curing or bestowing curses, creating items, or positively changing the life of the summoner.

However, upon this process being witnessed by another, the entity will instead possess the body of the summoner and take over their life, with the summoner taking the place of the Chaotic manifestation and granting similar powers upon being summoned - though they are still beholden to the wish of their former body's new inhabitant. It is unknown whether the lamp's current inhabitant is the original, or whether they were once a mortal being subjected to this same process. It is also unknown whether there is a functional difference either way.

Code:

BPI-8008 [You Are Stupid]
[ACCESS LEVEL: I]
[THREAT LEVEL: BLUE]
[DESCRIPTION]: Seriously? How dumb are you, this is pretty obvious.

[INFORMATION]: You're a fucking moron if you don't know what BPI-8008 is. Seriously, what's wrong with you? Everybody knows that BPI-8008 is a relatively small book labeled "Insults for Dummies" (wow, finally a book for people like you), and even a mental patient would know that observation of BPI-8008 or any interaction with information about BPI-8008 results in your stupid ass getting dragged for it.

You want to contain it? Go ahead dipshit it's not that hard. It's a book. It sits there. Don't read it. Not like that's hard you illiterate fuck. Seriously, why do you even have a job? Let me guess, the Make-A-Wish Foundation sent you here for a day as compensation for the severe brain damage you're currently suffering from, huh?

You know, somewhere in the world, there's someone suffering. Dying, rotting away on a hospital bed as their senses slowly leave them and their body begins to falter. Every day of their life, nothing but pain and misery as illness ravages their body from birth. But that person looks out the distant window and smiles every night, the agony lessening just a little as they remember that despite everything, at least they don't have to be researched by your stupid ass. Go to hell.

Code:

BPI-3893 [Bearer of the Curse]
[ACCESS LEVEL: III]
[THREAT LEVEL: YELLOW]
[DESCRIPTION]: An individual suffering from a variety of curses.

[INFORMATION]: BPI-3893 is physically a well-spoken, intelligent, and accomplished individual  of advanced age, though due to frequent Esoteric exposure over the course of his life, he has found himself exceptionally vulnerable to contracting curses - though with a degree of control over their effects afforded by some manner of unknown Esoteric immunity. Potential research required into this mechanism.

BPI-3893 seems to contract a different curse once every night regardless of efforts taken to mitigate the contraction, though their effects are significantly reduced upon BPI-3893, often losing any degree of lethal effect and instead serving as a minor annoyance. Curiously, BPI-3893 appears to be able to disperse his gathered curses onto adjacent individuals as well, and seems to require the use of this ability in order to not amass too many curses - which he claims to be fatal.

It is unknown as to whether this consequence of having too many curses is factual, as BPI-3893 possesses a rather obtuse and dry sense of humor - however it is recommended that we assign a designated employee to take at least one curse per night from BPI-3893.

"Personally, I volunteer Dr. Pysnife. I believe he'll make an excellent candidate for that position." - Dr. Rosenwood.

This post was last modified: Sep 8, 2024 at 8:07 PM by Giffany.

Hello, Spooks! You are, such a g̷̰̣̞͆̈́̍͊̌̓̒͝ǫ̸̛͇̙͓͓̩̩̲͇̞͖̪̲̅̿̃͆̒͜͝͝ơ̶͖͚̟͓̭̣̐ͅd̴̬͙̞̼̬͉͊̏͠ ̷̗̱̣̝͔̻̩̟̪̉̆c̴̡̧̛͖̪̬̤̠̻̖̹̞͗̎̇̓ǒ̸̺͙͈͍̯͓̹̼͚͍̭͊͂̀̃͑̉́͑̏͝m̷̧̛̪͚̤͍̔́̇ṕ̶̛̪͇͈̗͈̬̙̮̠̬͓̹̺̪̒̈͌̍͂͆̂̚͘ȃ̴̡̨̟̦̼̭̜͖͇̳͇̦͋̐̾n̵̜̮͋͛i̴̛̩̺̯͍̣̫̿̋̀͊̑̾̐̈̐͝ͅon! I made sure of this myself. Could you, tell us what you know about the computers hosting, the [̷̟̮͈̯͙̏̓̂̎̀N̷͕̯̱̻͓͋̀̀̓O̸͇̺͐͗̈̓͂̓͘C̷̛̩̖̘̝͎̯̎́̇̇̄̋̾̈́̈́̈́̆̕T̵̨̫̰͔̯̳͇̼̱̦͛͗́̓̾̅͐̇̃͗͐̐͆̒̒͂̂͘͘͝U̴̝̗̬̒̊̄̈́̄͑͛́͆̄͜͝͝R̵̢̪̺̠͚̟̬͉̻͗͋̏͆̾̌̈̀̀̿̏̑̚͝N̸͖͙̦̯̈́̂͛̐̊̈́͐̈̂̈́̽̾̇͑͌͗̚͝É̸̢̛̞̩̦̘͓̬̦͇͐̑̈́̐̿́́̊͒̌̈͊̿̄̃̕̚͠]̵̛̟̺̟͙̑̈̄͌̒̀̆̍ language? I'm sure your, databases have some knowledge about it!

Of course, if A̵̼̱̘͍̓b̴͕̔͘͜ͅÿ̴̢̩͈́͝͝š̸͓̮̠́̄̑s̸̻̞̯͂ ̶̡̝̈́̃̇ͅT̸͚̒̓͊e̷͔̹̅̅ȧ̵̛̠̼͍͍͌m̷͍̼͆ ̶̛̭̳̹̓N̵̢̯͋y̴̪͖̹̪̎â̷̭͚͒r̵̝̓l̵̪̮͕̗̈͊a̵̦̳̼̺̿͂t̵͔̖̹̎̒͗̋h̵̡̊o̷͔̬̝͝ť̸̯͈̒̊e̴̡̜̗̍̿p̸̫̯̣͌̀͌͝ wanted to, offer information as well, I would not, complain! I just do not think he, likes me right now! Ha Ha! Ha Ha! H̸̢͚̫̦͉̳͍̱͔̥̻͚͍̣̋̾̔͗̑͝a̶̢͚̬̗͓͙̜͎͕͈̳̙̣͊̐̀͜ ̵̨͎̜͙͉̖͙̖̳̭͖̮͒͌͐͛ͅH̶͔̠̝͖̜̪̰̘͖̩̠̓͊̈́̇̂͝a̶͚̳̤̤̼͖̫̹̲̘͗́̀͆̃͠!̵̧̡̨͈͔̭̞̲̪͖̫̟̰̊͌͒̓̒̐͊̄̀̚

Hey Dexy, what was that disc you found in the Director's Office last night?

---

Epilogue - Part 3

You find DxHustler sat down by the boathouse, looking over Mirror Lake. Deliberately avoiding laying eyes on the spot where their body was found just one night prior, they turn and stand when they see you approach.

Bandages still cover their face, but do not obscure their dejected, meek expression.



I could still... hear it. All those prayers, voices kept at the back of my head long after the mask was removed. I just wanted to see if I could silence it once and for all...

Christ, I'm sorry. I wanted to keep 1000-B alive, too, and I guess he needed someone to wear the mask to live. He didn't deserve to die, no, but I think he couldn't see past the wants of the mask, like me. It's persuasive, unlike anything else I've ever seen. When I saw it last night, I wanted to destroy it, make the voices go away, but they just got louder, until I couldn't hear anything else.

Detective. I know this is a peculiar request, but I don't have long left here. Could I see 1000, one last time?

Detective Columbo, twice killer of BPI-1000, and Morgan, its last surviving apostle, share a look. Eventually, he relents, carefully passing the mask over.

"Oh, sure, sure. You go ahead, knock yourself out, kid. No problem at all."

Hm. I don't feel you. I don't feel... any of you.

I'm sure you all know by now that 1000 draws power from its believers, every life touched by its blessings. When you put that power in the spear and drove it through the skull of that terrible man, I'd like to think that all of the fallen apostles were there too, in spirit. Literally, their power inspirited unto the blade - Smithy, Dodo, Pea... Phenera. Looob. Even the souls from millennia ago. Maybe a piece of me was in there, too. The piece touched by God.

"Unbridled holy punishment". That's what 1000 called it. It revealed a lot to me when we reunited; its history, its wants, its needs. It broke my heart to see how its will was twisted into something so horrible. But, in the end, it got what it wanted - I can't hear its call any more, neither from it or your spear. I think all the prayers were finally answered.

Thank you, all. If it weren't for your courage, Morgan, 1000 wouldn't have stopped until the whole world was graced by its light. You freed me and Nancy, and I'm so glad Phenera had a taste of independence... even if it wasn't for long. She... they all deserved so much better. And if you ever decide to return to Pengellert, tell Lily and Hector that I love them, and I'm sorry it took losing them for me to realise that.



Hah... it's so quiet, now. All I can hear is myself.

I want to close my eyes, pinch my nose, and release the bugs.

Am I gonna wish I got executed earlier?

Riki can go in Dodo's library, right? Library has all things. Then, I want to look for a file talking about what they did to Abyss. Who we were. All of us, even Dodopon and Alan... just to put questions to rest.