Oddestsey III

[joey_picus]

**MSN UPDATE**

Patricia has been given a psychic snail, which is used to contact other psychic snails (including presumably one held at the Docks police station) and is basically this world's equivalent of the mobile phone, and promptly gives it to Taranis to look after.

The plan, as it stands atm, is for our motley threesome to make a journey down from the police station to the high street of the Docks in order to get our equipment upgraded and possibly grab anything new we can afford - Patricia is interested in upgrading her staff if possible - and from there journey to the Red Hyperlion, partially to get some info from the various unsavoury types that hang around there, but mainly because Phil wants a drink. We should be safe as long as we stick to main routes and within easy sight; being attacked by the Tramp Santa and his merry men in broad daylight is apparently the exception rather than the rule.

[joey_picus]

**MSN UPDATE II**

Maurice goes (possibly with Blotter, he could be retconned to not be there if Kody so wished :P) to the forensics lab, which turns out to be staffed by weremanatees. They deduce that:

Alex says:
*urtusk takes both samples and scrutinises them out the back
Alex says:
*the soil sample comes back first
Alex says:
*its effectively been burnt
Alex says:
*by a zenospatial energy blast
Alex says:
*judging from your description
Alex says:
*and rumours about the tech the mechanist uses
Alex says:
*it would seem to match an explosion of the mechanists power source
Martijn Maurice says:
*did this solely cause the different color mr Urtusk?
Alex says:
*yes - effectively
Alex says:
*all that discolouration
Alex says:
*is actually all the matter that was previously within that area
Alex says:
*compressed into pigment
Alex says:
*and then burnt, causing discolouration of the surface it was on
Alex says:
*there isnt that much else to say
Martijn Maurice says:
*thank you mr Urtusk!
Alex says:
*Urtusk then goes back out to the labs again for half an hour
Martijn Maurice says:
*Maurice chats with Blotter for a bit
Alex says:
*and then returns
Martijn Maurice says:
*unless its later retconned that Blotter was never there
Alex says:
*with a slightly puzzled look on his face :P
Alex says:
*the metallic parts are again concurant with what youd expect from the mechanists suit
Alex says:
*high end vibranium alloys
Alex says:
*titanium infused ceramics
Joey says:
*phlebotinum mesh?
Alex says:
*ridiculite based paint...ie: it matches
Martijn Maurice says:
*why so puzzled, mr Urtusk?!?!?!
Martijn Maurice says:
*?!?!?!?!
Alex says:
*well the ash is the weird thing
Martijn Maurice says:
*is it of Ash Ketchum?
Alex says:
*no :P
Alex says:
*he doesnt yet know what it is
Alex says:
*but what it isnt
Alex says:
*is human
Alex says:
*or near human
Martijn Maurice says:
*is it organic?
Alex says:
*urtusk is sad to admit, that hes not even sure of that
Alex says:
*hell have to test it some more
Alex says:
*the results should be ready by tomorrow night
Martijn Maurice says:
*it can be ANYTHING but human at this point?
Alex says:
*well, its not anything thats vaguely human
Alex says:
*which considering everyone had assumed the mechanist was at least humanish
Martijn Maurice says:
*but it can be a turtle or a cactus or a stapler as far as you know right now, mr Urtusk?
Alex says:
*its not anything found within the 'animal' section of any worlds family tree which contains humans
Alex says:
*it might be a living being
Alex says:
*but a pretty damn weird one if it is
Alex says:
*it has things about it which suggest both organic and inorganic

A result *should* be obtained by the end of tomorrow that will explain the ash more definitively; in the meantime, Urtusk suggests Maurice and Blotter explore more leads. Calling back to the first one, he suggests that going to a brothel would be a bad idea as it's in no way guaranteed they'll find a human or Marowak one; it could turn out to be a brothel for sea anemones, talking frying pans, video cassettes, or any other of things not usually considered that sexy :P

[majinb]

right, big update...

Blotter asked Frankfurt, in the forensics lab, about associates of The Mechanist, this convo was between Alex and Kody and I will let Kody post it :P

Afterwards, Blotter and Maurice headed back to the crime scene, or rather, The Mechanist's company near the crime scene, where one of the mentioned associates, his PA, miss Frost, works. The company is a big, big building with only expensive things such as... well, whatever is expensive. We are welcomed by a giant millipede with the head of a dog, who sends us to miss Frost on a very very high floor. We take the lift and it turns out miss Frost, who is a huge frost giant, had been expecting the police to send someone.

Miss Frost tells us that she thinks the aforementioned criminal V is behind all of this. Apart from everything we already know about V, Frost says that The Mechanist claimed that V had technlogy beyond what The Mechanist had. And she also believes V is the only one who could perform the kill, AND the robbery at the same time...

THE ROBBERY?!

Miss Frost reveals there has been a robbery, that was discovered shortly after the murder was discovered. The well protected lab was broken into and the only known prototype of the mass manipulation matrix was stolen, a thing that manipulates mass on a big yet precise scale! She didnt want to share this with the police before, but she trusts us.

Next, Frost said that her relation with The Mechanist wasnt great, he was an arrogant bastard, and she never saw him without his armour. She DID she his hands and his jawline at some point, and they looked human enough. O, AND, it turns out that most of the monsters he fought, where his own lab experiments gone wrong, but dont tell that to anybody!

[majinb]

at the end of the interview, Maurice Francois went to the toilet, not only for a pee pee, but also to ask his all knowing playing card his 1 oui or non question he is allowed each day

maurice asks:was the death of the mechanist caused on purpose by one or more organisms other than The Mechanist himself?

[alex_holt]

Earlier note:
Mechanist had two known close associations:
Miss Frost - his PA who you have now met.
Hyperion - A former superhero himself, and Mechanists personal trainer.

There is also his former sidekick, but only Miss Frost or Hyperion might know where he is these days.

Back to the Present!

The card tumbles through the air, in he kind of slow motion reserved for dramatic events on which important things hinge.

It doesn't land exactly, but stops an inch above the floor on 'oui'. After asking Miss Frost if there was anyone about who knew about enchantments, she points Maurice to Sandra, a desert Efrit and head of the Eldritch Manipulations Department. She suggests, that the syntax of the question was possibly at fault, and in her oppinion (which she admits might be wrong) it's because you said both on purpose AND beings.

[shadowflare]

I've seen what I've missed on MSN, thanks to Kody. (Stupid work, making me miss these things.)

Taranis wants the lightning rod. I'm not really sure how many credits that leaves him with, probably not very many, but eh.
Also restating that I want to go to the Red Hyperlion, even though I'm in no spot to disagree with general consensus anyway.

Also, not related, but Digimon were never caught in anything, they were sort of controlled by digivices. XD

If there is anything I've forgot to put in or agree with, tell me, I'll try to come online early tomorrow. (today? I'm never sure with the time diffrence. )

[alex_holt]

I can€™t remember how much I said those things would be, so for the record, lets say it was 35, leaving you with I believe 17 credits.

My excuse is the pokeball was a modified one lol
__________________________________________________ __________________

And now on the Oddestsey€¦.

After the group meet back up at Mad Joan€™s Shop and make their purchases, they fill each other in on their discoveries. Reaching the decision, they all board Maurice€™s bike and head off to the Red Hyperlion.

The Hyperlion it seems, is in one of the seediest parts of town, on a section of the docks which are no longer in use. Whether this is because of the Hyperlion, or the Hyperlion moved here because of this remains a mystery.

The group enter the bar at this hour late in the night to find it sparsely packed with clientele. There are nine patrons scattered around the room, mostly at the bar, plus a waitress and the bar keeper. The Barkeeper himself is a large Camel-like biped while the barmaid is a blonde dwarf girl in full armour. The patrons are a decidedly mixed lot, although most look to be drowning their sorrows rather than enjoying a good night.

After finding a small stage at one end of the room, Phil sets up to play and begins strumming his Sitar. A few of the patrons turn to look, although still looking miserable, they do at least seem to appreciate this impromptu music. With his enhanced senses, Phil can feel the chi of all those around him, and how it is coloured. He gets the strongest vibe from a huge titanic figure in one corner that appears to be attempting to play the pinball machine but not quite understanding the concept.

Meanwhile the others try to engage in small talk with other patrons. Patricia, Taranis and Blotter starts talking to a small stereotypically geeky looking fellow at the bar, on the basis that he looks intelligent yet comparatively non dangerous. He says rather dolefully that he doesn€™t really know anything about the murder or theft, and it€™s only as he briefly turns to face the two that they feel their minds enraptured in his eyes, drawn into their inky blackness, falling into deep wells of fire that threaten to burn them to nothing and the universe won€™t even care€¦ the guy turns back to the counter and the three find themselves back in the bar, and inch away from the guy, not wanting to experience that again.

Maurice on the other hand has sidled up to a slender, grey skinned lady wearing a figure-hugging silver space suit and a glass orb around her head filled with blue fluid. He weaves his French charm, and the two are soon enjoying giggles. He drops a tiny lump of cheese in her drink (which connects to her helmet through a pipe) when she€™s not looking and she precedes to tell him her life story. She apparently came here as part of an alien horde, got seduced by some kind of action hero who destroyed the fleet, they ended up married until he had an affair with his secretary. Nothing in her story connects her in any way with the Mechanist€™s murder, even when asked directly about it. She doesn€™t know anything but Maurice continues to flirt anyway.

Meanwhile, Phil approaches the figure at pinball machine who turns out to be a gorilla clad in armour. Phil introduces himself. It transpires that he€™s the evil clone of Ape Thomas Jefferson from an ape universe. He€™s not all too bright, and half of what he says seems to make no sense.
€œI was with three pointy hats in BBBIGGGG banana but they say Evil Ape Jefferson no eat bbbiiggg banana. There was a salad too, I found it on floor and nommed it! Cloaky man came though, and said he had job for Evil Ape Jefferson and there€™d be muddy thing and booming and moneys and bananas! But cloaky man smell fun€¦€¦..€

Without warning, Evil Ape Jefferson pitches over onto the floor. Running to see what has happened, he is surprised to see a flute has gone straight through Ape Jefferson€™s skull and lodged there, coming out the other side.

He turns round to see a man in a tuxedo with several quivers, full of flutes. The strange man announces in an over dramatic voice.
€œNow you too die, for I am THE FLAUTIST!€™
With no further warning, he hurls three piccolos at Blotter, Taranis and Patricia. Taranis blasts one out of the air with a zap of lightning but the other two are only blocked by Blotter whooshing his cloak around them as Patricia powers up her shield.

Maurice is still wooing the alien lady and hasn€™t paid attention to what is going on yet. The patrons and staff either dive behind cover or don€™t pay any attention, possibly dependant on how tough they are.

Phil is first on the offensive, and a blast of sound knocks the Flautist out through the front wall dropping the two flutes he was currently holding, although he land on his feet. He manages to launch five more flutes as he€™s in the air though, and they thus heavily and embed themselves in the floor. The group chase after him, taking the fight outside. It€™s only after a stray Flute knocks out the alien lady that Maurice notices the fight and joins in.
€œMaurice ne laisse personne frappe une belle dame inconsciente avec une fl»te!€
He manages to knock a volley of flutes out the air with some croissants, but a stray one hits him in the thigh. Fortunatly due to his fantasticly powerful legs this only bruises him slightly causing him to swear in French and hop on one leg.
The Flautist then raises the flute to his lips and begins to play. For someone calling themselves the Flautist - it€™s kind of surprising that he can€™t seem to get most of his notes out. It€™s really quite painful to hear, and everyone clutches their ears.
Blotter disarms that flute with a throne bone, but it is Taranis and Phil who finally get the needed attack in - the damp street and the metal flutes make the assassin the perfect target for two simultaneous electrical blasts.

He is utterly unconscious, and the option of taking his stuff is quite tempting. Whether they should drop him off at the prison or hospital is entirely up to them.

The stuff they find on him is:

About 40 flutes.
About 15 piccollos
Quivers for said flutes and piccollos
A magical flute which plays itself
A well tailored suit, suitable to be worn in an orchestra.
A brass watch
75 credits

Most interestingly of all though is a small poster, which seems to be a contract on the five of your lives. With pictures and a 20 000 reward each. Dead.

At this point, the non-Mechanist snail begins to vibrate. Answering it, it seems to be Fernando, who has sorted accommodation for you, with directions. You can stay there whenever, and leave when you want. It is after all, pretty late.

[majinb]

first of all, for a quick recap, Blotter and Maurice went from miss Frost to Sandra to the giftshop of The Mechanist's company, there we both paid 50 cents for a nice Mechanist cover on our multi purpose recording sphere, and 10 credits each for a Mechanist themed psysnail with a Mechanist answering machine, and in the shop I bought a cheese that will force whoever eats it to tell the truth for a certain time, and blotter bought a bone-fu manual

Alright, we have The Flutist unconscious and we need to do SOMETHING with him before we call it a night. 1; he's got items with him we have to take, simple as that. We can always say he never had anything with him, or that another criminal came buy and stole them, its a criminal bar here after all. Lets divide his 75 credits over the 5 of us, and as for his other items, Phil, would you like to have another look at that magical flute that plays itself? Personally Id like to inspect that brass watch.

2; who send The Flutist? I see 2 paths we could walk here... we could let the police question him, or we could do it ourselves. Im tempted to let the police handle this, they may have interesting questioning techniques and they know the crime scene, so we could make use of the fact we have Fernando on the phone... I mean snail right now, tell him what happened and ask him if the police can take this over from us, and then also tell Fernando of this small poster warrant thing as it is important material here...
OR we can decide to do this ourselves, take him to our sleeping adress, tie him down, and see where it goes from there

any suggestions?

[joey_picus]

Patricia: Personally I'd like to have a word with the landlord of the place before going to bed; partially to apologise for the fight and also because he'd be able to tell us if he'd overheard any interesting conversations or unusual activity patterns in the days up to and after the Mechanist incident.

I'd also like a closer look at that warrant if at all possible? They usually say who's issued it or where to go for the reward, it'd be a pretty useless warrant if it doesn't give us that information. That artist's impression of me is quite good actually, although I hate to say it with it being a death warrant and all, heh.

I'm not really interested in any of the items but I'll take the rest if it's felt we should take them? I've got space in my bag.

*lends Maurice her towel to ease the pain on his leg*

[majinb]

yeah we should first check the warrant ourselves

what rubs me... should we tell the police about all of this or not? if we decide to do so, I'd like to ask Fernando what questioning techniques this world has in store