Darl, Gerard

[Ryloc]

"No problem I'll see if I can find the notebook as well as anything else that might shed some information on what and who happened here." Gerard decides to start in an area away from where Darl is doing his thing as not to possibly interrupt the circle.

[jawildey]

The three priests spread themselves out in the hallway behind Darl as he begins to concentrate. Gerard watches briefly as Darl's eyes close and he begins to concentrate. Just as Darl starts to wonder if the priests know what they're doing, he finally feels the energy flowing from them {+93 PPE}. With a feeling of euphoria from the burst of energy, Darl begins casting his spell...

As before, the world around Darl fades and the office around him reappears as it was almost an hour earlier. As the room gains clarity, Darl can see the creature from before kneeling over Father Malaki's body. At first look Darl thinks that Father Malaki is already dead, but then he sees a shudder go through the body as he struggles to take a breath. The creature's hood is back this time, allowing Darl to get a good look at one side of it's face. The creature has dark, almost black, leathery skin. Multiple scars can be seen criss crossing the muscled cheek. Large, sharp teeth protrude from the mouth. Glassy black eyes peer insectlike down at Father Malaki.

As Darl looks on, the demon slices across one of the Father's legs with the same knife as Darl saw being used outside. A long bloody gash is left behind as Father Malaki gasps in pain; he no longer has the energy to scream. The figure appears to pause to ask Father Malaki a question and Father Malaki mumbles a short response. Darl conentrates in an attempt to read his lips but can only make out a phrase in the middle - "...told you...".

In a swift motion, the demon stabs the knife deep into Father Malaki's leg causing another gasp of pain as the demon twists the knife even deeper. Father Malaki's chest heaves deeply a couple times as he tries to catch his breath. The word "please" is easy to read this time as Father Malaki begs... for release? for mercy?

As a final act of violence, the demon slowly runs the claws of it's scarred hand down the center of Father Malaki's chest leaving deep gouges as the poor old man writhes in pain but is unable to escape. Not bothering to ask any questions this time, apparently satisfied that it has gained all of the information it's going to get, the demon places one hand across Father Malaki's face and slices the knife swiftly across his throat. Reaching within an inner pocket to retrieve a jar, the demon collects the blood from the seeping wound.

Darl can feel his time in the spell slipping away from him...

{OOC: Feel free to ask for clarification or more specific details about the sequence above. If you don't have any questions, let me know if you want to extend this viewing, shift to a different time or some other action.}

As Darl stands silently in concentration by the door, Gerard quietly searches the room. The blood around the body seems excessive as it pooled around the body. Large boot prints can be seen in the blood and on the floor and papers. One piece of paper catches his attention. A partially crumpled scrap that sits near the body's outstretched hand. Retrieving the piece of paper and carefully smoothing it out reveals a neatly hand written list:

Missing Items:
- Orb of Iodin
- Travels of Jane Farstrider
- Teslas staff
- Multipel Notebooks, unknown content
- Two bloodstones

{OOC: See attachment on the PbP board for a picture of the note.}

Gerard continues to examine the room and after a few minutes he finds a notebook matching the description of what Darl was looking for hidden behind the overturned desk. A shattered cabinet's contents--stones and other possibly magical items--litter the floor below it.

{OOC: Anything else in particular you wish to examine or look for?}

[jthorson]

As the spell fades away, Darl searches his brain for a name labeling the particular type of demon seen during the retro-viewing. (OOC: Lore: Wormwood, Lore: Demon & Monster)

Given the bootprints in the blood, Darl attempts to recall whether the Demon was wearing boots, or bare clawed feet; which might indicate the bootprints were added later to add to the 'frame' job.

"It was a demon," he announces. "And unlike outside, it's hood was down, so I got a clear view. Heavily scarred, and I suspect high-ranking in the ranks of the horde ... this was certainly no random act of violence."

Turning back to the priests, he adds, "I can not thank you enough for your help ... I'd like to cast more, but do not wish to abuse your hospitality. Now that I know the others weren't responsible, I can lean on them to provide the energy for additional casts ... could I ask you to seek them out and ask if they'd be willing to lend their assistance?"

[jawildey]

OOC: You still have 60 PPE drawn from the priests you can use. You have to use it soon, though, or it goes away. My interpretation of the rule is that you can't hold donated PPE indefinitely. From the Ultimate Edition: "The donated PPE may be used all at once, or parceled out to a number of different spells."

[jthorson]

OOC: Plan on it ... But seeing if we can give these priests something else to do ... Somewhere else.

Will cast sense magic while awaiting their response.

[Ryloc]

"I think I found the notebook you were asking about. I didn't seem to find anything else that we have not already come across. I'll give the room a once over again just in case I missed something. Anything else I might be able to help you with?"

[jawildey]

As the spell fades away, Darl searches his brain for a name labeling the particular type of demon seen during the retro-viewing.

From the brief look, Darl has identified the demon as a "Shade". It's a particularly nasty demon from places unknown. Darl hasn't seen any of them on Wormwood before, but ran into one in his previous travels abroad. They are particularly adept as assassins due to their natural ability to be able to hide in the shadows. {OOC: Darl pretty much knows everything that's in the Wormwood book about Shades with the exception of their connection to Wormwood in particular. Failed the Lore:Wormwood roll, but got a 1 on the Lore:Demons roll.}

Given the bootprints in the blood, Darl attempts to recall whether the Demon was wearing boots, or bare clawed feet; which might indicate the bootprints were added later to add to the 'frame' job.

The demon was wearing what appears to have been armored boots that were quite capable of making the prints around the room.

"It was a demon," he announces. "And unlike outside, it's hood was down, so I got a clear view. Heavily scarred, and I suspect high-ranking in the ranks of the horde ... this was certainly no random act of violence."

As Darl turns to speak with the priests he sees Brother Tobius standing behind the priests with his arms folded and a look of seriousness on his face as he observes in silence.

Turning back to the priests, he adds, "I can not thank you enough for your help ... I'd like to cast more, but do not wish to abuse your hospitality. Now that I know the others weren't responsible, I can lean on them to provide the energy for additional casts ... could I ask you to seek them out and ask if they'd be willing to lend their assistance?"

The priests look to Brother Tobius for guidance and with a small gesture of his hand and a brief word he dismisses them to their other duties. He gestures to an out of sight figure and then sends the person to pass on Darl's request to the other members of the party.

Darl concentrates momentarily to activate his sense magic spell {-4 PPE}. As the spell comes alive he can feel that there are magic items in the room but he doesn't detect anybody nearby that is actively casting a spell. {OOC: Would you like to spend time right now to determine what is emanating magic?}

"I think I found the notebook you were asking about. I didn't seem to find anything else that we have not already come across. I'll give the room a once over again just in case I missed something. Anything else I might be able to help you with?"

Gerard finds boxes full of notebooks, statues, stones and other miscellaneous items. {OOC: Anything in particular you want to look at? There is also the crime scene itself that could be examined in more detail. Let me know what you want to look at. The more detailed your questions, the more detailed response I can give.}

[jthorson]

Seeing Brother Tobius, Darl elaborates somewhat. "I'm afraid we're dealing with a Shade. Nasty critters."

Reaching into his cloak, Darl fishes out the token that he took off of the demon he had killed the day before. "Here," he states, tossing it over to Gerard ... "Father Malaki suggested that book would be useful in decoding the symbols on this token, which in turn may tell us more about the demon group I was tracking ... the group that originally led me here at the end of the raid, and which was responsible for opening the escape rifts."

Darl then faces forward again, and pauses for a few seconds; casting his senses about to try and identify the sources of any of the magic he senses within the room. Not wanting to appear obvious in his search, especially with Brother Tobius in the room, he only attempts a quick and random feeler before casting another remote viewing spell; now jumping to a much earlier period of time, closer to the limit of his range, in an attempt to identify what Father Malaki was doing when the interrogation began.

[Ryloc]

"Let me take a look at that list of things missing you found please. As I'm taking another look at things might as well start with that before some of the other things." Gerard looks through the list to see if anything might jump out at him or if he has any information/knowledge to add. "Hmm we know about the orb, the Travels of Jane Farstrider along with notebooks, Teslas Staff and a couple bloodstones. Brother Tobius can you give us any other information about any of these things or hazard a guess as to if any of them could be used together for anything?"

At the mention of the Shade Gerard will offer any knowledge he might have and take a look at the crime scene. "Darl once you are finished with the crime scene let me know and I'll take a close look to see if I might pick up anything you might of missed or not been able to um is see the correct word?"

Gerard will also take a look through the notebook he found being very careful as not to do anything that might taint this piece of what could be evidence.

Gerard catches the token from Darl. "Interesting hopefully between this and the notebook we can find out a few more facts to answer some of our many questions."

[jawildey]

OOC: Gerard is the one that found the note.