Not Quite Lovecraft

[Mystic Pentagram]

I have a better plan, something more subtle.

[X] Make a quick painting of your eyes on a piece of paper, making them as realistic as possible. This should allow you to magicaly see trough the painted eyes. Then push the piece of paper under the door of the luggage car.

 

[_brightwing]

[X] After the guard leaves waste no time, and channel Nemo. Time for subtleties is past.
-[X] If there's time after the luggage car, you plan to spend the rest of the time creating a memory block for the devouring flower. To seal your memory away so you can claim them later after the ordeal is past. Use the locket where you already have put pieces of your self in before.
-[X] If there's no time, mentally brace yourself for the event.


[X] Make a quick painting of your eyes on a piece of paper, making them as realistic as possible. This should allow you to magicaly see trough the painted eyes. Then push the piece of paper under the door of the luggage car.
-[X] If there's time after the luggage car, you plan to spend the rest of the time creating a memory block for the devouring flower. To seal your memory away so you can claim them later after the ordeal is past. Use the locket where you already have put pieces of your self in before.
-[X] If there's no time, mentally brace yourself for the event.

I really like it. Indeed, Oliver isn't talented in tech or mechanically inclined to pull of a lock pick under an hour. His strengths are socials and occult. I'm adding the end of the loop preparations too if you don't mind? Still voting for the Nemo plan as well cause channeling them has been pretty quick so far with their mental link. Saves us some final end of turn prep time.

 

[Mystic Pentagram]

I really like it. Indeed, Oliver isn't talented in tech or mechanically inclined to pull of a lock pick under an hour. His strengths are socials and occult. I'm adding the end of the loop preparations too if you don't mind? Still voting for the Nmo plan as well cause channeling them has been pretty quick so far with their mental link. Saves us some final end of turn prep time.

Click to shrink...

I was following the same reasoning, Oliver strengths are social, occult and art. Lockpicking is not exactly part of his skillset.

I don't mind the modification to the plan. I will actualy vote for that.

[X] Make a quick painting of your eyes on a piece of paper, making them as realistic as possible. This should allow you to magicaly see trough the painted eyes. Then push the piece of paper under the door of the luggage car.
-[X] If there's time after the luggage car, you plan to spend the rest of the time creating a memory block for the devouring flower. To seal your memory away so you can claim them later after the ordeal is past. Use the locket where you already have put pieces of your self in before.
-[X] If there's no time, mentally brace yourself for the event.

 

[Altom]

[X] Make a quick painting of your eyes on a piece of paper, making them as realistic as possible. This should allow you to magicaly see trough the painted eyes. Then push the piece of paper under the door of the luggage car.
-[X] If there's time after the luggage car, you plan to spend the rest of the time creating a memory block for the devouring flower. To seal your memory away so you can claim them later after the ordeal is past. Use the locket where you already have put pieces of your self in before.
-[X] If there's no time, mentally brace yourself for the event.

 

[Solarstream]

[X] Make a quick painting of your eyes on a piece of paper, making them as realistic as possible. This should allow you to magicaly see trough the painted eyes. Then push the piece of paper under the door of the luggage car.
-[X] If there's time after the luggage car, you plan to spend the rest of the time creating a memory block for the devouring flower. To seal your memory away so you can claim them later after the ordeal is past. Use the locket where you already have put pieces of your self in before.
-[X] If there's no time, mentally brace yourself for the event.

 

[Blacksheep]

Scheduled vote count started by Blacksheep on Jan 4, 2024 at 8:46 PM, finished with 10 posts and 6 votes.

• ---

  4 people have voted

  [X] Make a quick painting of your eyes on a piece of paper, making them as realistic as possible. This should allow you to magicaly see trough the painted eyes. Then push the piece of paper under the door of the luggage car.
  -[X] If there's time after the luggage car, you plan to spend the rest of the time creating a memory block for the devouring flower. To seal your memory away so you can claim them later after the ordeal is past. Use the locket where you already have put pieces of your self in before.
  -[X] If there's no time, mentally brace yourself for the event.

  • _brightwing
  • Mystic Pentagram
  • Altom
  • Solarstream

  2 people have voted

  [X] After the guard leaves waste no time, and channel Nemo. Time for subtleties is past.
  -[X] If there's time after the luggage car, you plan to spend the rest of the time creating a memory block for the devouring flower. To seal your memory away so you can claim them later after the ordeal is past. Use the locket where you already have put pieces of your self in before.
  -[X] If there's no time, mentally brace yourself for the event.

  • Ternasta
  • _brightwing

  2 people have voted

  [X]Go back to pick the luggage car open

  • JayTar
  • Ternasta

 

[Blacksheep]

You left the guard and headed to your own cabin. You'd let him keep searching for the missing keys on his own. You had a thought to follow up on. You didn't want to make too much of a disturbance, but you needed to escape this time loop. And hopefully prevent Robert from dying. You grabbed your paint supplies and got to work making as realistic a copy of your own eyes as possible. For only having an hour to spend painting, it was quite good if you said so yourself. And you could feel it working, you knew you could blink open those eyes on the paper and look through them.

You crossed over to the luggage car and slid the paper under the door. You took a moment to make sure it was where you wanted it, and blinked.

Your new eyes opened. You looked through the luggage car, unbothered by the dim lighting. You could see better than your regular eyes, in fact. You can see the chains and ropes securing the luggage against the rumbling of the train as it travels, and the large side door that would slide open to let it be unloaded. This isn't a space meant to be in while the train is moving. It's not set for comfort, and would be difficult to move through with all the luggage in there. You can however see that there is another door at the end of the luggage car, possibly to the outside, or to a caboose.

You close your painted eyes and step away from the wall checking the time. Half an hour to midnight. You had to prepare for reality to tear open. You didn't have time for anything complicated, but you could sit in your cabin, redo the protections from last time, and not look.

You felt reality begin to twist around you. It's tempting to look out the window and measure how close it is, but you know better than that. You hold yourself steadfast as everything tears, turning to paper far more fragile than it should be, and twisting-

You jolted. You could feel your head aching once more. Robert sat across from you in the dining car. The clock struck seven just as the waitress working the diner car accidentally knocked over a glass and hurriedly picked it up. Robert frowns uneasily as he glances about the dining car.

Sanity Roll
DC: 14
Roll: 6
Loss: 2(-1)

[ ]Write-in

 

[JayTar]

Hmm, so Robert noticed something, and the waitress knocked over the glass this time. Suspicious.
At least we didn't lose as much sanity this time.
Could we just have peaked out a window to see if there was a car behind the luggage car? Was there?

Interesting that we could just whip up a minor painted magic effect like that however. I was expecting the plan to fail I guess we have grown enough that cantrips don't require elaborate rituals or sacrifices anymore. Kinda neat.

Anyway I would say to talk to Robert briefly to start. But try to get things to leave early and catch the thief in the act.

 

[_brightwing]

The Eye painting is such a boon, instead of tearing down the locked doors we can use them to see the points of interest. I have a feeling this will be a part of our regular repertoire. But worried if someone sees it and pokes at the eye though.. but that's an interesting scene in its own right!

It's not a new spell, I believe we took an action earlier for Oliver to practice looking through eyes of portraits.

We should be covert this turn I think. Maybe even let the guy die so we can see the threat? Very uncharacteristic of Oliver to do though even with the loop.

 

[Blacksheep]

Yes, Oliver learned earlier how to look through his paintings. He does not have conscious awareness, but he can watch his family through the portraits he did for them! If something happens he will know to check on them.

The self portrait also helped him do this more easily

 

[Mystic Pentagram]

The Eye painting is such a boon, instead of tearing down the locked doors we can use them to see the points of interest. I have a feeling this will be a part of our regular repertoire. But worried if someone sees it and pokes at the eye though.. but that's an interesting scene in its own right!

It's not a new spell, I believe we took an action earlier for Oliver to practice looking through eyes of portraits.

We should be covert this turn I think. Maybe even let the guy die so we can see the threat? Very uncharacteristic of Oliver to do though even with the loop.

Click to shrink...

I agree that the Eye Painting should become part of our regular equipment. It could be really useful.

Letting Robert die its really put of character for Oliver, and it would not be good for his Sanity. Especialy if we manage to stop the loop and he stays dead.

I say this time we should be more subtle in our search. We still follow Robert to the gem. But this time we leave him to handle the guards, while we make our own investigations.

Maybe we start looking for elderly passengers or examine the parts of the train that we haven't yet seen (the engine room and upper passenger car). We can also simply ask a guard if there is another car beyond the luggage car.

 

[_brightwing]

It's also worth noting that as a part of our special preparations for Manitoba we prepared and informed Emily that we'd cross her over for some sightseeing outside the red realm.

Issue here is how it might interact with the loop. Or if she might take damage after the loop ends. But I think we can have a conversation with her using the painting we brought along, without crossing over to the red realm.

Or we can prioritise time and have NPC interactions, see the unnavigated map.

 

[Mystic Pentagram]

It's also worth noting that as a part of our special preparations for Manitoba we prepared and informed Emily that we'd cross her over for some sightseeing outside the red realm.

Issue here is how it might interact with the loop. Or if she might take damage after the loop ends. But I think we can have a conversation with her using the painting we brought along, without crossing over to the red realm.

Or we can prioritise time and have NPC interactions, see the unnavigated map.

Click to shrink...

I think we should explore the rest of the train first. And contact Emily if we still have time, when we have more information to give her.

 

[JayTar]

Lets check on Nemo again. If he is in the exact same place he was last time the loop is global. If not it is local.

Anyway remember the gem was stolen early last time. So if we want to get to the thief we need to move quickly

[X] Plan think fast
-[X] Quickly check Nemo. Is he in the exact same place as last time?
-[X] Check in with Roberts. He seems disturbed.
-[X] Try to catch the thief in the act with Roberts. If a mundane excuse is required, pretend to have overheard something.

A very short plan. Once we know what Roberts is thinking we can shape our approach. If he got any memories from the past loop, then we can be a lot more forthright.
... Of course it's possible the gem's location stays fixed between loops so it will be missing again. But if so that is important information too.

 

[Tascion]

[x] Rely on Trust
-[x]Go directly to Robert's room, check on the jewel
-[x]When Robert follows and asks what we're doing, don't make a scene, just firmly insist he trust us and that it's imperative that he open the door to his room.
-[x]If nobody is inside Robert's room, be cautious of traps when entering.
-[x]Once inside with the door shut, explain what is going on to Robert.

I personally expect the jewel is already gone, but I'd like to confirm that the time loop precludes preventing the theft.

 

[Mystic Pentagram]

[x] Rely on Trust

 

[_brightwing]

[X] Tascion

 

[Ternasta]

[X] Plan think fast
-[X] Quickly check Nemo. Is he in the exact same place as last time?
-[X] Check in with Roberts. He seems disturbed.
-[X] Try to catch the thief in the act with Roberts. If a mundane excuse is required, pretend to have overheard something.

 

[Solarstream]

[X] Tascion

 

[Blacksheep]

Scheduled vote count started by Blacksheep on Jan 7, 2024 at 9:28 PM, finished with 12 posts and 6 votes.

• ---

  3 people have voted

  [x] Rely on Trust
  -[x]Go directly to Robert's room, check on the jewel
  -[x]When Robert follows and asks what we're doing, don't make a scene, just firmly insist he trust us and that it's imperative that he open the door to his room.
  -[x]If nobody is inside Robert's room, be cautious of traps when entering.
  -[x]Once inside with the door shut, explain what is going on to Robert.

  • Tascion
  • _brightwing
  • Solarstream

  2 people have voted

  [X] Plan think fast
  -[X] Quickly check Nemo. Is he in the exact same place as last time?
  -[X] Check in with Roberts. He seems disturbed.
  -[X] Try to catch the thief in the act with Roberts. If a mundane excuse is required, pretend to have overheard something.

  • JayTar
  • Ternasta

  1 people have voted

  [x] Rely on Trust

  • Mystic Pentagram

 

[Blacksheep]

You immediately got up from your seat and started heading towards Robert's car. He immediately followed in confusion. "Oliver?"

"Please wait," you told him.

The waitress watched you as you left before turning to continue with taking orders.

As soon as you were in Robert's room you went to the box you knew he'd stored the gem in and opened it. Still empty. The gem's theft had carried through the loop.

"Wha-where's the gem?" Robert rushed forward worry in his face. "How is it gone? How did you know to look for it?"

You turned and shut the door before turning around to face your friend. "Because I've done this twice before. This is my third time. Time's repeating itself. Robert, the first time, you were murdered."

Robert paled. "I-is that why things feel wrong? I thought things were fine, but suddenly, it felt like a doom looming over me." He looked at you desperately. "I don't want to die."

"You won't," you promised fiercely. You would not lose your friend. You would not be too late! You would get both of you out to the other side, safe and alive. "We just need to find whoever took the gem. They're the ones creating the time loop."

Robert took a deep breath. "Alright. Where do we look?"

[ ]Check the engine car
[ ]Check the upper passenger car
[ ]Try to access the luggage car
[ ]Write-in

 

[Tascion]

Well, that resolves several questions of importance. I'm not sure what to do now though. I'm leaning towards the luggage car, if only because I'd like to have more information about the passengers and crew before going after them. Ideally of course, we solve this within the current loop, but if not, let's optimize what we're pursuing for how it gets us info.

A potentially big question remains: is Robert still a target, or was he only ever killed to get the gem? What if his death is somehow linked to the gem? I would guess not, but it's something that leans me towards keeping Robert with us at all times.

 

[JayTar]

The waitress watched you as you left before turning to continue with taking orders.

Click to shrink...

Well! She just keeps looking more and more suspicious.
Seeing as we have the clue of the cabin she probably isn't the instigator, but she is still involved in some way. Perhaps a collaborator, or perhaps just another supernaturally aware bystander.

Would it be worth it to raise the alarm again? It should at least help constrain the thief's movements. Or did/will we, it just wan't mentioned.

I would suggest marking the luggage door like I suggested earlier. It shouldn't take us long, and will let us know if anyone passes though it.

 

[Mystic Pentagram]

Robert took that surprisingly well all things considered. I was expecting him to freak out more.

Well! She just keeps looking more and more suspicious.
Seeing as we have the clue of the cabin she probably isn't the instigator, but she is still involved in some way. Perhaps a collaborator, or perhaps just another supernaturally aware bystander.

Click to shrink...

You are right the waitress is becoming more and more suspicious. Maybe we should keep an eye on her.

Or maybe Blacksheep is having fun at our expenses and playing up our paranoia.

Would it be worth it to raise the alarm again? It should at least help constrain the thief's movements. Or did/will we, it just wan't mentioned.

Click to shrink...

i suppose it could help. It might constrain our movements too.

I would suggest marking the luggage door like I suggested earlier. It shouldn't take us long, and will let us know if anyone passes though it.

Click to shrink...

We could also check out the other parts of the train. Maybe we send Robert to check out the luggage door while we check another part of the train? Or the opposite?

In any case we should give Robert more informations on the situation. Like the fact that the cultist hairs are grey.

Maybe we could leave an eye-painting in every part of the train we check out? So we can observe everything at the same time?

 

[JayTar]

i suppose it could help. It might constrain our movements too.

Click to shrink...

Maybe, but it might enable them too. If we say we are searching for the thief we can probably excuse getting into more places.
My only concern is that explaining things to the guard might take time.
On the other hand the guard will likely just waste time re-checking the same places as last time.

We could also check out the other parts of the train. Maybe we send Robert to check out the luggage door while we check another part of the train? Or the opposite?

In any case we should give Robert more informations on the situation. Like the fact that the cultist hairs are grey.

Maybe we could leave an eye-painting in every part of the train we check out? So we can observe everything at the same time?

Click to shrink...

Marking the door should be quick. Just walk up to it and put a dot of paint on it. Then we can check back later to see if it has been disturbed.

Telling Robert is a good point.

Making an eye painting would still take an hour however.

You grabbed your paint supplies and got to work making as realistic a copy of your own eyes as possible. For only having an hour to spend painting, it was quite good if you said so yourself. And you could feel it working, you knew you could blink open those eyes on the paper and look through them.

Click to shrink...

Which is quick for magic, but too slow for right now.