Previously on the Oddestsey!
In a strange time bubble that has yet to pop, Patricia talks to Obsidian, the former Machine-boy - sidekick to the Mechanist and Maurice asks his card an unknown question with an unknown answer!
Crows and Ravens congregate the city, and while Maurice Francois talks to the forensics expert he receives a call from Fernando - a writhing column of crows is forming above the island and he can€™t get in contact with Panginoon and needs you to find out what is going on over there€¦

And now on the Oddestsey!

Blotter and Phil have been assigned to Rift Phaser guarding duty, there is not much going on though, and all they can hear in the sentient abacus security guard in the next room snoring while a €œbest of Elton John (clone 72)€ cassette plays. Clone 72 is distinctly an acquired taste.

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Meanwhile, Taranis, Patricia and Maurice cross the bridge to the island running as black birds pelt through the air about them, almost like walking through a blizzard of angry black feathers and beaks. They find no sign of life on the other side - neither Monty nor Atoom are in evidence but equally there is no sign of a struggle. The three run forward up the slopes to the main castle dodging birds as they go.

Blackness whirls through the air about them, as they press up the last stretch of drive towards the grand hall where the column seems to be centring around. The air is filled by a cacophony of croaking and cawing and it becomes hand to see€¦ Taranis created an electrified bubble around them to both light their way and prevent the crows getting too close, although the birds simply fly around it. They enter the front door and pass through a lobby. Still no sign of Atoom or Monty or anyone.

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At the rift phaser the lights suddenly flick out and Phil and Blotter find themselves in darkness. Phil waves his new sonic screwdriver at the lights but nothing happens, something is seriously wrong. The two exit the storage room and get into the room of the Rift Phaser itself. Phil lights up the screwdriver as a makeshift torch and scans it around the room, someone is in here with them, but he can€™t see them€¦ Blotter raises his club€¦

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The three burst through into the grand hall, a hugely decadent building€¦. A huge painted dome is overhead, and the architecture is very impressive gothic. They notice that this appears to be the eye of the storm for the crows, and the birds aren€™t directly outside the stained glass windows. They head further into the room cautiously, but don€™t see anything. Then the crows start to get louder€¦ shrieking and squawking and then above that, an odd humming sort of like thunder in miniature€¦ and it seems to be getting closer.

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In the darkened room the two stand back to back, which if anyone could see anything would be an odd sight indeed, they eye the room warily but with no particularly great light source that is a hard thing to do. Suddenly the pair of them are hit by some kind of energy pulse from a particularly dark corner of the room and see nothing but blackness, they hear shouting and fighting for a brief moment and then drift into unconsciousness€¦
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The three leap backwards sharply as something crashes through the ceiling above them, not like a thunderbolt at all but more like a sycamore seed spinning wildly out of control at an odd tilt, but a lot faster. It collides into the floor with an impact that seems to shake the world. When they stop feeling dizzy they look up to see what seems to be a plain wooden staff with metal rings around it, lodged firmly into the ground as if the ground were butter. Maurice approaches it and prods it with the end of his baguette€¦ it does nothing so he touches it, though it seems immovable as a huge tree. Patricia slowly approaches it to inspect it, but unlike Maurice her presence has an effect: suddenly it changes€¦ it hums and then instead of wood it is a piece of utter blackness€¦. A hole in the universe shaped like a staff lodged into the floor of this mansion. The crows and rooks outside suddenly shriek as if in anticipation but rise up away from ground level€¦ The staff starts to hum further and the three back away slowly.

It isn€™t a good noise. Suddenly it starts launching random crackles of energy across the room€¦ Patricia quickly raises her energy shield and Taranis fortifies his electricity shield. The bolts wreak havok on the room, destroying anything it touches. A bolt touches Taranis shield and knocks him back several feet and the shield starts to flicker. Taranis moves in behind Patricia€™s shield to double up, but a particularly large bolt breaks both shields with a huge noise like shattered glass echoing throughout the cavernous room. They turn to run but even as they do a figure appears infront of them - he wears a single large gauntlet and holds it up and the world goes white.
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The five wake up, oddly in the same place. A small medical facility of some sort. Athorna is lounging on a settee opposite.
€œI€™m glad you are all awake and seemingly ok - it was a pain to get you out of there. I have bad news. Panginoon is moving ahead with his plan and from what it looks like he will be able to finish any time now. He managed to take the rift phaser and tried to kill off you three (he gestures to Taranis, Patricia and Maurice) to keep you from interfering. I rescued you, but it took a great deal of power. I also believe that he is now very close to owning all three items - he now has the phaser and the MMM. He just needs to construct his own quantum turbine and he can control the world. What€™s worse is he€™s summoned Doomforall€™s staff and with that machine would have the means to use it.

We have to stop him!€