Remove ads

Not Quite Lovecraft

Voting is open
Reader mode
I'm suddenly wondering if his experience with the occult only includes our paintings as the sole known interaction. Perhaps I've just forgotten though, and we made a light themed painting previously. Alternatively, he may have had unknown brushes with this light, and one or more of our painting pushed him over the edge and into "let's break into a guy's home and threaten him."

[X] Ask everything:
-[X]Ask him to tell you exactly how he encountered your paintings and what happened
-[X]Ask about the need to seek light
-[X]Ask about why he brought a knife to gather information
 
[X] Ask him to show you the painting
-[X] Tell him about the good Reverend along the way, how together with him you put to rest to a generations spanning haunting.
-[X] He could help him, taking him under his wing.
-[X] His natural sensitivity to the occult could be a gift, not a curse that he can use to do so much good. Be a real hero, fighting against the dark.
-[X] You believe the painting pushed him to look deep into himself for answers, and seeking light was the answer his true self returned.
 
[X] Ask everything:
-[X]Ask him to tell you exactly how he encountered your paintings and what happened
-[X]Ask about the need to seek light
-[X]Ask about why he brought a knife to gather information
 
[X] Ask everything:
-[X]Ask him to tell you exactly how he encountered your paintings and what happened
-[X]Ask about the need to seek light
-[X]Ask about why he brought a knife to gather information
 
Remove ads
Vote closed
  • Voting
    • Scheduled vote count started by Blacksheep on Nov 7, 2023 at 10:38 PM, finished with 7 posts and 7 votes.
    • [X] Ask everything:
      -[X]Ask him to tell you exactly how he encountered your paintings and what happened
      -[X]Ask about the need to seek light
      -[X]Ask about why he brought a knife to gather information
      [X] Ask him to show you the painting
      -[X] Tell him about the good Reverend along the way, how together with him you put to rest to a generations spanning haunting.
      -[X] He could help him, taking him under his wing.
      -[X] His natural sensitivity to the occult could be a gift, not a curse that he can use to do so much good. Be a real hero, fighting against the dark.
      -[X] You believe the painting pushed him to look deep into himself for answers, and seeking light was the answer his true self returned.
    Click to expand...
     
  • Voting
    • Remove ads
    Truths in Art
  • Threadmarks
    • You took a slow breath. Alright, you could handle this. You just needed to gather information. The man sitting across from you still looked rather jumpy, but at least he wasn't stabbing. Maybe you should have bandaged him up, but you really didn't want to get in range. At least he hadn't been poisoned.

    "I need more detail about how you came across my paintings, and your dreams about the light," you explained as patiently as you could.

    "It was a date," he said. "A gal had agreed to accompany me to look at the exhibit. It's not my usual, but she's really into art. She was excited that your art was there, talked about how you had been exalted for your paintings being so dramatic and stirring. The earlier exhibits were about what I expected: portraits, landscapes, strong patterns in bold colors. Then we started to head into the surrealism section of art. It's an interesting idea, taking things old and familiar and combining them in odd ways that blend together at the same time. A woman who's a whale, or turning into butterflies. A statue that's falling into a desert. That's where your stuff was."

    "The section was labeled as "Seeking Light". I stepped in, and, it was paintings of odd, dark spaces. Staircases to nowhere, a cliff on a storm side. And in each one, there was light, just out of reach. A source was sometimes there, sometimes not. But I could feel the need in the paintings, that the light was safety. I was standing in light, and my date was so happy, warm against my side, but all I could think looking at those paintings was how far away it seemed."

    Those were your paintings from after meeting Nemo. You had been inspired by the cold of the island and the lighthouse standing against everything as a beacon of hope.

    "Things were normal again after we left that section, and I mostly forgot about it. Until I started having dreams. I would be somewhere dark, and there would be a light. I would chase after it, only to wake up without ever reaching it. It happened again and again. It varied where I started, but always it was dark and always I couldn't reach the light before waking up. It just kept repeating."

    "I hadn't had those dreams before seeing those strange paintings, so I knew it was from them. I started researching, and I learned you had done other pieces. Ones just as strange, ones that people described as feeling just as poignant. I knew I had to get to the source, and stop it from spreading further." He looked grim. "I would do anything to do that."

    You felt cold at his words.

    [ ]Send him away: he came to murder you
    [ ]Send him to see the Reverend: perhaps he can help
    [ ]Try to figure out why he reacted to your paintings in a way others don't
    [ ]Write-in
     
  • Threadmarks
    • So... does he have a witch hunter ancestor or something?

    Should he try doing the psychiatrist thing and and do a dream analysis
    Like ask him

    "What is the light to him and why cant he reach it or atleast why are you desperately trying to reach it?."
    "What is the dark to you and what do you mean Varied where I started did the places have significants to you?"
    "are my other painting gave the same effect to you?"
    "What do you do for a living?"
    If you think about it if it's just a specific painting that give a very high reaction then it might be triggering something in him. But what is it.
     
    Last edited:
    [X] Dream quest
    -[X] Tell him you believe the painting pushed him to look deep into himself for answers. Seeking light was the answer his true self returned. To seek out the truth of the world.
    -[X] You believe you know just who can help him on this path. Tell him about the good Reverend, how together with him you put to rest to a generations spanning haunting.
    -[X] He could help him, taking him under his wing. Offer to introduce them and fund his expedition.
    -[X] His natural sensitivity to the occult could be a gift, not a curse that he can use to do so much good. Be a real hero, fighting against the real threats to the world. The Darkness that lurks beyond mundane sight and preys on the innocent. Does he think himself brave enough to look and light the way?

    [x]Basics
     
    Last edited:
    Blacksheep said:
    "I hadn't had those dreams before seeing those strange paintings, so I knew it was from them. I started researching, and I learned you had done other pieces. Ones just as strange, ones that people described as feeling just as poignant. I knew I had to get to the source, and stop it from spreading further." He looked grim. "I would do anything to do that."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Well, I would be cautious about offering overly-supernatural solutions to him.

    Obviously we should point out that his reaction is unusual. But figuring out more on the why might be useful.

    If our theory is that his unusual reaction is due to his sensitivity to the occult, then we should test the theory. Ask him about what feelings he gets from Nemo, or perhaps some other supernatural object that is less obviously supernatural. Maybe write out a blessing. Basically see if he can "sense" things like Oliver can.
    Beyond providing information on how how to help him, it is interesting to learn more about the fundamentals of the occult. What exactly is sensitivity to the occult.

    Some other thoughts, if there is some sort of lingering supernatural influence on him, perhaps we can detect it?
    If not then our usual sanity-recovery strategies would work. Rest and relaxation.
    More generally, maybe we should see if we can figure out some sort of magic to "center the self"? Using magic to recover sanity seems counter intuitive, but I was reminded of the slow breathing ritual we used to seal away the hunger. Some sort of meditative breathing magic that lessens the influence of mental conditions would be useful to us too.


    [X]Try to figure out why he reacted to your paintings in a way others don't
    -[X] See if you can detect any lingering supernatural influence on him
    -[X] Test if he can sense the occult in a similar way you can
     
    Mystic Pentagram said:
    [X] Send him to see the Reverend: perhaps he can help

    Yeah, i think we invested enough time with this guy. Let's just send him away and make him somebody else problem.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    To send him away we still need to clear his doubts and inspire him to take this undertaking, leaving behind his life here. Wouldn't talking about the Reverend and the adventures, redirecting his drive for action towards heroics in a more constructive quality make for a better narrative?

    Edit: The Reverend was a community leader, and clear headed. And quite open-minded about our approach to things and working with the help Oliver brought. I don't think he would lead the guy astray like that.
     
    Last edited:
    [x]Basics
    -[x]Why do you believe a desire to seek the light is bad and should be extinguished?
    -[x]Explain that your paintings are based on real experiences, and that even if he had succeeded in killing you, the potential of other people going through those same experiences would remain.
    -[x]Briefly tell the stories of about the Kharisiri and the king in yellow, describing a success and failure respectively. Point out that while you could be wrong in your assessment of striving for good, he know far less about what he's fighting and calling evil than you do.

    This guy isn't ready to accept tutoring or being sent away. He's still of the mindset that he knows as much or more about good and evil than us. If we can't get him to at least consider us a peer, than I'm not really in favor of sending a willing-to-murder potential-student to the reverend.
     
    [X] Dream quest
    -[X] Tell him you believe the painting pushed him to look deep into himself for answers. Seeking light was the answer his true self returned. To seek out the truth of the world.
    -[X] You believe you know just who can help him on this path. Tell him about the good Reverend, how together with him you put to rest to a generations spanning haunting.
    -[X] He could help him, taking him under his wing. Offer to introduce them and fund his expedition.
    -[X] His natural sensitivity to the occult could be a gift, not a curse that he can use to do so much good. Be a real hero, fighting against the real threats to the world. The Darkness that lurks beyond mundane sight and preys on the innocent. Does he think himself brave enough to look and light the way?
     
    [x]Basics
    -[x]Why do you believe a desire to seek the light is bad and should be extinguished?
    -[x]Explain that your paintings are based on real experiences, and that even if he had succeeded in killing you, the potential of other people going through those same experiences would remain.
    -[x]Briefly tell the stories of about the Kharisiri and the king in yellow, describing a success and failure respectively. Point out that while you could be wrong in your assessment of striving for good, he know far less about what he's fighting and calling evil than you do.
     
    Vote closed
  • Voting
    • Scheduled vote count started by Blacksheep on Nov 9, 2023 at 8:39 PM, finished with 12 posts and 8 votes.
    • [X] Dream quest
      [X] Dream quest
      -[X] Tell him you believe the painting pushed him to look deep into himself for answers. Seeking light was the answer his true self returned. To seek out the truth of the world.
      -[X] You believe you know just who can help him on this path. Tell him about the good Reverend, how together with him you put to rest to a generations spanning haunting.
      -[X] He could help him, taking him under his wing. Offer to introduce them and fund his expedition.
      -[X] His natural sensitivity to the occult could be a gift, not a curse that he can use to do so much good. Be a real hero, fighting against the real threats to the world. The Darkness that lurks beyond mundane sight and preys on the innocent. Does he think himself brave enough to look and light the way?
      [x]Basics
      -[x]Why do you believe a desire to seek the light is bad and should be extinguished?
      -[x]Explain that your paintings are based on real experiences, and that even if he had succeeded in killing you, the potential of other people going through those same experiences would remain.
      -[x]Briefly tell the stories of about the Kharisiri and the king in yellow, describing a success and failure respectively. Point out that while you could be wrong in your assessment of striving for good, he know far less about what he's fighting and calling evil than you do.
      [x]Basics
      [X]Try to figure out why he reacted to your paintings in a way others don't
      -[X] See if you can detect any lingering supernatural influence on him
      -[X] Test if he can sense the occult in a similar way you can
    Click to expand...
     
  • Voting
    • Letter of Introduction
  • Threadmarks
    • You took a deep breath. "Your reaction to my art was not normal. While there is something extra that helps deepen my art, it shouldn't have affected you that way. It's your own sensitivity that drew you into those dreams. A calling for you to seek out more of the occult, perhaps?" The man paled, clearly disliking your words. It was the best explanation you had to offer him unfortunately. "I do know someone who could help you, Reverend James Fraser from England. He has experience in these things, and uses it to help bring peace and light to others. I think you could as well if you wished."

    He frowned in thought as you wrote out the reverend's mailing address. "I will write him a letter telling him about you, so if you choose to reach out he'll know who you are. I hope this will help." You passed the address forward. He accepted it and left still looking slightly uncertain.

    "That was a generous thing for you to do," Emily said softly. She stepped into your study and took a seat. You took a deep breath and slumped down. "Not many would be so kind to someone who threatened them."

    "He didn't know what he had encountered," you said. "It didn't seem right to leave him floundering."

    She smiled and inclined her head. "Come with me for a walk in the Red House tonight," she invited.

    You smiled, happy to join her browsing through the strange garden and the beach that touched against a God.

    [ ]Work on paintings
    [ ]Take some time to read and catch up with friends
    [ ]Look for occult happenings
    [ ]Write-in
     
  • Threadmarks
    • I love Emily as a character so much. Meeting her was one the best things that happened in the quest.

    Good to see Clive's arc resolved nicely. I wonder if he will surprise us.
    Do you guys want to check up on the blind photographer to see if he has recovered?
    We could also catch up with Jackson and tell him the tale of the Professor.
     
    Last edited:
    Emily is great.

    [X]Take some time to read and catch up with friends

    Our sanity still isn't full so yeah, time for some time off. Hopefully we will have time to work on painting after.
    We need more magical protections. At this point I'm tempted to suggest going full Dorian Gray. Make a portrait that takes harm for us. As long as we make sure there isn't any chance of backlash. Maybe paint over the portrait every couple so many years?
    Amusingly the book should be published at this point, so Oliver could even take direct inspiration.
     
    In the interest of reducing the number of unused capabilities in Oliver's Character Sheet..

    [X] Spell modification
    -[X] Experiment with the Man to Animal spell and your new Sealing art
    -[X] Draw it out from your memory into canvas
    -[X] Paint out the transformation, studying the flow of magic in between the layers of the paint. Focusing on how it can be unravelled.
    -[X] Seek to learn about partial transformations, making it a cardinal rule in the new magic that the tranformed would always return to their base state.
    -[X] Study if you can safely use this to further empower the body paint that connects you to Nemo to allow for further range of transformations.

    With the caveat that we run the risk to ruin the spell portrait if we don't roll well. Which wouldn't be a loss, because I don't really see us ever using this spell in it's original form. Maybe this will count for sealing practice then at least.
     
    Last edited:
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Voting is open
    Remove ads
    Back
    Top