Investigation #5: Joker, Roy, & Mac: The Haunting of 601 North E Street

[Rex]

Mac

Mac follows along, staying with Roy and Lionel.

[Bluehorse]

Joker
[4d6]=16 ghost [1d6]=2 Joker hurries, scrounging for usable cables to power his device. Maybe there's an extension cord? Or a set of jumper cables that can be attached to the battery?
He is focused on what he's doing, and barely notices the others leaving the house.

And Joker will remember that it is not a matter of powering the device, but the other components that make the device not being made to work that way. Internally, it is going to slowly start burning up and shorting out.

[Urson]

Joker
Joker stops dead, realizing his error. He thinks furiously, trying to decide if there are components he can cannibalize from the gear stored in Ecto-1 to shore up his failing gadget.

Spending 3 BP
[8d6]=22 ghost [1d6]=3 brains +3 BP

[Taaz]

Jason wracks his brain for ideas, thinking over everything he had ever read about warding, binding, exorcisms, anything that might have a chance to provide them some protection. He remembers Aegis incantations from ancient wizards and canticles of divine protection, looking at the book in his hand, There's gotta be something I can do to help..

Ill be honest, Im not real sure where to go to next, so Jason will be hoping for some inspiration, or at least a hail Mary
Occult: [6d6]=28 Ghost:[1d6]=2 BP: [5d6]=17

[Bluehorse]

The Haunting of 601 North E Street
You've got that eerie feeling.
September 10, 2018, 1:30 pm
Unnaturally Cold Inside - Windy outside - Rolling thunder

Joker's Field Device Timer:  5/6

Joker is still in the car when he starts to panic over his device realizing he was too concerned about powering it when he should have been working out how to either beat the clock by disposing of the danger he was containing or finding a way to prolong the life of the device itself. Now he sees it is almost too late. He has gotten the Ecto closer to the house, and he has some equipment available to him, which includes the spare Proton Pack, PKE Extention, a Slime Blower, and a Sniffer, not to mention the equipment he is carrying and the Ecto itself.

Joker knows he needs to pull parts from or wire directly into some of the equipment to buy some time.

Okay. So here is what we are going to do. You can roll 1d10 for each piece of equipment you want to sacrifice in some way to shore up your device. So what this means if for every component you add to this, is a piece of equipment you are (Hopefully temporarily) taking out of this session to buy time. So if you want to sacrifice 1 piece of equipment, that is [1d10], 2 is [_2d10], and so on. For every piece of equipment you sacrifice, I will let you roll your Brains for a success that has to be 40 or more because this is doable, but going to be some really fast work with some really crazy mad scientist stuff happening. So if you sacrifice one piece of equipment, that is 1 shot at getting this right, 2 pieces is 2 and you get the picture. You may use all the BPs you want to to try to force the result. Ghost dice will be used and will be tracked for later when we try to "repair" equipment later.

No single piece of equipment may be used more than twice for parts.

1. Ecto-1 - Mechanical
2. Ecto-1 - Accessories
3. Proton Pack
4. PKE Extention for Phones
5. lime Blower
6. Sniffer
7. Phone
8. PKE Extention
9. Trap
10. Ecto Goggles

Roy rushes outside to the door to see a large group of witches push past him as they enter the house with purpose and seem to pay him little to no heed as they immediately fan out through it, splitting off in all directions especially upstairs.

Mac & Lionel are caught just before they leave the living room by the sudden entry of the witches both before them and Roy from the front where they themselves entered the house earlier as well as behind, where they and Jason also see them barging in through the side door of the house as the door itself, locked until now, seems to unlock and is thrown open as if by some unseen force as they too barge in and begin fanning out. They hear a similar entry from the back door as the house is suddenly full of 21 witches.

Lionel "Freight Train" Williams

Unsure if there will even be a house to burn down much longer, Lionel, too, makes his way outdoors. Seeing some of the witches struggling to regain their feet, he heads over to help. Ah, they're on our side, right?

The redhead that you all saw out front from before enters the room and Jason feels a distinct shift in the air. Like the poles were just flipped on their head and opposing forces are fighting each other. Here mismatched eyes lock on Jason and then the book in his hand. She points Get it. and just like that there are ten women grabbing at Jason from all directions and the book is being wrestled from his hand.

If you want to hold onto the book then it will be an impossible muscles 40+ to do so.

From by the fireplace another woman speaks up, slightly older than middle age. Here... this is where it was. Mary's Hex Bag is here too.

Redhead looks at Jason. Well, that is good news.

Inventory:   

Ecto: 1 Proton Packs, 1 PKE Extention for Phones, 1 Slime Blower, 1 Sniffer
======================================================================
Jason: Phone, Proton Pack, Trap, Old Spellbook
Lionel: Ecto Keys, Phone, Proton Pack, Trap.
Roy: Phone, Proton Pack, Trap, Ecto Goggles - M
Joker: Phone, PKE Extention, [Proton Pack, PKE - A, 1 Trap cobbled together for a Field Generating Device], 1 Traps, Ecto Goggles - M
Mac: Phone, Proton Pack, Trap, Ecto Goggle - A.

Brownie Point Spending:

Actions?
Brownie Point Pool:
Dr. Jason O'Roarke: 205/214 @@
Lionel 'Freight Train' Williams: 173/188 @
Roy O'Dowd: 152/157 @@
Dzjokar "Joker" Jelal 249/260 @
David "Mac" McAuslan 141/191

@ = One free re-roll without ghost die.  Merry Christmas 2019 & 2020!
[/quote]

[GreyWolfVT]

Roy stops and scratches his head slightly confused to see the witches circle broken and them all ignoring him and entering the house....he eventually heads towards where Ecto 1 was/is parked.

[Taaz]

This is to hold on to the book:
Muscles [2d6]=7 Ghost:[1d6]=3 BP:[5d6]=19

Jason hold onto the book but the mob is too much for him, and he can feel the book slip away.

Here... this is where it was. Mary's Hex Bag is here too.

Redhead looks at Jason. Well, that is good news.

Hey, who are all yall to come in shoving and grabbing, I thought we were on the same side here!

[Rex]

Mac

"Easy there, no one needs to get hurt here."

[Urson]

Joker
Joker moves at amazing speed- but precisely, as if he's practiced this a thousand times. He grabs a phone and a trap, and starts pulling them apart, knowing he has mere moments.
[2d10]=7
[12d6]=36 brains [1d6]=5ghost minus 7 BP
re-roll w/out ghost die
[12d6]=40 brains minus 7 BP

[Bluehorse]

Joker
Joker moves at amazing speed- but precisely, as if he's practiced this a thousand times. He grabs a phone and a trap, and starts pulling them apart, knowing he has mere moments.
[2d10]=7
[12d6]=36 brains [1d6]=5ghost minus 7 BP
re-roll w/out ghost die
[12d6]=40 brains minus 7 BP

ZZ0173-8x10-1000Shadow.jpg (303.9 KiB) Viewed 415 times

So just to clarify, I wanted two individual rolls, but this will work fine. I will be posting more about how this changes things later once Lionel has a chance to react, and more later one "post episode" for what needs to be done to repair equipment etc.

[Scott308]

Lionel "Freight Train" Williams

Seeing the witches pouring into the house and begin wrestling for control of whatever Jason is holding, Lionel instinctively raises his proton wand. Aiming at the witches briefly, he realizes that he still is unsure if they are friends or foes. Lowering the weapon, he grins sheepishly.

[Bluehorse]

The Haunting of 601 North E Street
Ladies, ladies, please...
September 10, 2018, 1:33 pm
Unnaturally Cold Inside - Windy outside - Rolling thunder

Joker's Field Device Timer:  5.5/18

Joker Tears apart one of the traps in record time, theorizing and mentally calculating on the fly and remembering where to find components that he will need. He is able to once more cobble something together (With great mental strain, thus the -14 bps) and with a here goes nothing type prayer, plugs in his add-on to the overall device. There is a sizzle and an electrical flash, but he realizes that he has done it. The field stabilizer seems stable now and should last for much longer.

In game mechanics, you bumped this up with two successes from 6 rounds to 18, and it is more stable so it will help hold things within the parameter for that long. But it is still not going to be a long-term solution.

Also, it is not too heavy and cumbersome for you to carry alone, so it will need to start in the car, or you get help to bring it into the house. There is no advantage to the latter option. There is a spare proton pack you can use from the Ecto-1 since the other is more or less dedicated to the device now from your first modification.

Jason holds onto the book but the mob is too much for him, and he can feel the book slip away.

Hey, who are all yall to come in shoving and grabbing, I thought we were on the same side here!

Jason cannot hold onto the book within the mob of women and he feels it torn out of his grasp.

Roy is in a slightly more unique position to see what else is happening. Witches have seemed to infiltrate the entirety of the house, including an initial portion that has gone upstairs as well as into the basement. A group of seven have gone into the dining area and are currently holding hands in a circle and begin chanting loudly. He will remember that this is the room that they picked up strong readings and those with ecto goggles on saw a lot of activity. As they begin to chant, there is another shift in the feel of the house that everyone and their instruments pick up on. There is a clear tug of war between energies with whatever they are doing.

Roy can also hear the group down in the basement starting up something as it echos up from the stairs. There is another tangible shift in the atmosphere of the house.

Mac & Lionel are somewhat caught in what to do next, Lionel raising his neutrino wand for a moment and then lowering remembering just what that would do to squishy mortal flesh. Ow. And Mac seemingly caught between being his usual man of action and his chivalric sensibilities towards the women. As the woman seems to swarm over the house, you can all hear a few sets of feet on the floor above and quite a bit of activity as they move about. Roy can hear at least one in the back of the house that is now in the hallway where Lionel tossed his cookies.

The seven in the Living room move together over the book and the hidden panel of the fireplace holding the hex bag. IS that it?

It has to be....

Turn to back cover...

It is! There is her mark!

Mary Duncan's Book of Shadows!

Why is it not bound? It was holding the circle...

There's the string... or what is left of it...

Accusing eyes turn all at once towards the ghostbusters. A dark-haired woman in her mid-30s snatches the book up and holds it accusingly forward. Do you even realize what you have done?! This was the only spell left holding everything in place here and you broke it!

The witches all sway and look around. There is a third and unaccounted for shift in the air but it seems much more akin to what the witches themselves are doing. Jason feels this like he has the others as well. All PKE Instruments register it on their readings. This is when Joker's newly fortified device kicks in and restabilizes the field.

A couple of the witches from the group grab her and pull her back saying a few things but calming her for now. It is the Redhead from earlier that takes the book back and looks at Jason and then the others. Roy you can see and hear this too, even though it is a bit of a stretch. Joker, assuming you come back into the house, this will be when you would arrive so you can be in on it too, or you can take another approach if you like.

We don't have time. But she is right. You broke something here, and now we have to...

There is screaming from upstairs and something unearthly and loud. You can hear much activity and then a series of heavy thuds before silence, other than the chanting from the Dining area and the basement by the witches themselves.

Witch with Blue/Green Hair take the Hex Bag!

Another: What?!

Greeny If the spell is already broken, then it is not able to hold anyway. Better it is with us then given a chance to be found by the poltriguists

There are a few glances around by the assembled witches and the brunette from earlier grabs the Hex Bag from its long-time hiding place. There is another feeling in the air of the last string being broken in something old and barely holding on.

Brunette That solves that. Let's go! And the seven all hurry together with or without the Ghostbusters towards the stairs heading up.

7 women filing through a door past 3 grown men in a hurry or not gives you more than enough time to interact.

I have "named" a few NPCs here indirectly. Once I am able to do so from home rather than work, I will get the appropriate pictures up to give you mind something to attach to for them.

Map:

B+F1+F2-18.jpg (154.53 KiB) Viewed 396 times

Inventory:   

Ecto: 1 PKE Extention for Phones, 1 Slime Blower, 1 Sniffer, [Proton Pack, PKE - A, 2 Traps cobbled together for a Field Generating Device]
======================================================================
Jason: Phone, Proton Pack, Trap
Lionel: Ecto Keys, Phone, Proton Pack, Trap.
Roy: Phone, Proton Pack, Trap, Ecto Goggles - M
Joker: Phone, PKE Extention, Ecto Goggles - M
Mac: Phone, Proton Pack, Trap, Ecto Goggle - A.

Witches: Mary Duncan's Book of Shadows, Hex Bag

Brownie Point Spending:
Joker : -14 to rolls. + Xmas Re-Roll.

Actions?
Brownie Point Pool:
Dr. Jason O'Roarke: 205/214 @@
Lionel 'Freight Train' Williams: 173/188 @
Roy O'Dowd: 152/157 @@
Dzjokar "Joker" Jelal 235/260
David "Mac" McAuslan 141/191

@ = One free re-roll without ghost die.  Merry Christmas 2019 & 2020!

[Rex]

Mac

Mac will follow along, thinking they know what they are doing and he can keep the baddies at a distance or at least try if need be.

"I saw her, spoke to her, the women who set the blessing here, 110 years ago. She has tasked me with clearing the house of negative energies, but we don't know how!"

He will describe what she looked like and she was carrying a lantern.

[Bluehorse]

Brunette Witch

40a35090467d07cf7b34bc4c69ee3240.jpg (51.81 KiB) Viewed 399 times

Green

[Bluehorse]

Just uploaded a corrected map.

Also forgot to say Joker is not officially anywhere until you tell me where you want to come in if at all yet. You are kind of between your last post and this one, so if you let me know, then I will update the map again soon as possible.

[Scott308]

Lionel "Freight Train" Williams

Hearing screams and noises from upstairs, the big Ghostbuster charges up the stairs (well, as best he can with the slower women crowding the stairway ahead of him). He is alert for any ghosts or injured witches.

[GreyWolfVT]

Roy texts the others rather than yelling out over all the chaos "Anyone sure if this is a good idea for us to be inside or should we get out of the house?"

[Urson]

Joker
Joker's field broadcast device was 'breadboarded' to the floor in the living room, as that was his best guess at the center of the house and property (near the secret compartment). Various components had been duct-taped or thumbtacked to the floor to keep them in place, connected by bits of wire (and in one case, a paperclip wrapped in duct tape).
He now sits back onto his heels, relaxing for a split second as he sees the field strength readout jump back into the safe zone. He smiles up at the nearest of the witches, trying to be charming. Unfortunately, his exertions have left him pouring sweat, so he looks like a half-drowned rat
Joker is near the fireplace in the living room.

He shouts, hoping to be heard by his team: We have more time- but not a lot. I will not be able to extend it again- so we need to decide what we are doing quickly!

[Taaz]

Jason stumbles away from the crowd, Who are you?!

[Bluehorse]

The Haunting of 601 North E Street
Ladies, ladies, please...
September 10, 2018, 1:35 pm
Unnaturally Cold Inside - Windy outside - Rolling thunder

Joker's Field Device Timer:  6/18

Joker
He now sits back onto his heels, relaxing for a split second as he sees the field strength readout jump back into the safe zone. He smiles up at the nearest of the witches, trying to be charming. Unfortunately, his exertions have left him pouring sweat, so he looks like a half-drowned rat
He shouts, hoping to be heard by his team: We have more time- but not a lot. I will not be able to extend it again- so we need to decide what we are doing quickly!

Joker gets some odd looks, but Redhead turns and looks at him with those mismatched eyes. You bought us time? How much?
We might need it. We have to keep this contained.

Roy texts the others rather than yelling out over all the chaos "Anyone sure if this is a good idea for us to be inside or should we get out of the house?"

Roy is skeptical but seems to be hanging back, letting him also be privy to the conversations that happen in rapid succession as a mass of random humanity move before him to the stairs.

Roy, Give me a Moderate Cool roll and see what you can find out.

Jason Who are you?!

Jason One of the witches spares him a look. We're D.O.O.R. and she continues after the others.

Mac
"I saw her, spoke to her, the women who set the blessing here, 110 years ago. She has tasked me with clearing the house of negative energies, but we don't know how!"

He will describe what she looked like and she was carrying a lantern.

Greeny stops and pulls Mac aside, so the others can continue up the stairs. You saw who? What happened? when he describes what he experienced, the wide-eyed witch nods along and turns to the others. You hear that? He saw Mary Duncan! She's is still here!
Her spirit at least. We have to find the phylactery and end all this.

Lionel, ever a man of action, charges into the fray with the witches. He is caught in the middle of slower women as they head upstairs and he is the first to see what is waiting on the second floor since Roy has left.

Brunette is directly behind Lionel as they charge up the stairs and the girls spread out. He sees a large Landing Hall where doors leading to rooms on either side as well as ahead. There are a couple of doors ajar giving glimpses of the other rooms beyond. Lionel quickly sees three other witches that are on the floor, unconscious or close to it.

Just then there is something that falls out of the ceiling in a flash! Lionel sees it but cannot get his neutrino wand up in time, nor risk hitting one of the witches in front of him, almost as quickly he feels a hand push down on his shoulder, forcing him to duck as Brunette raises her other and there is an even brighter flash of red that leaves stars in front of his eyes for a moment and the impression of a mandala. The vaporous attacker, somehow more substantial here than they seemed downstairs, is repelled and cries out before dissolving. She stares after it with a determined look, making sure it didn't remanifest, and took her hand off Lionel before squeezing around him.

One of the fallen witches is groaning as if in pain and Brunette and another go to her while the others fan out to tend to the other two. Weren't ready... she almost whispers as she pulls herself to her feet with help from the other two. She points at the room on the right (East) where the door hangs open.

Lionel will get a ping on his phone from the PKE, and upon looking will see there is a strong reading coming from there.

With help from their sisters, the other two witches slowly get to their feet and give similar accounts.

It's poltergeists... but they're powerful ones. It felt like they hit us right in our mind...

As if on queue once again, everyone can hear something come from that room akin to chuckling and a scream before the door slams.

Map:

B+F1+F2-19.jpg (165.25 KiB) Viewed 373 times

Inventory:   

Ecto: 1 PKE Extention for Phones, 1 Slime Blower, 1 Sniffer
======================================================================
Jason: Phone, Proton Pack, Trap
Lionel: Ecto Keys, Phone, Proton Pack, Trap.
Roy: Phone, Proton Pack, Trap, Ecto Goggles - M
Joker: Phone, PKE Extention, Ecto Goggles - M
Mac: Phone, Proton Pack, Trap, Ecto Goggle - A.
Witches: Mary Duncan's Book of Shadows, Hex Bag

Joker's Field Generator: Sandwichboarded to the Livingroom Floor. [Proton Pack, PKE - A, 2 Traps cobbled together for a Field Generating Device]

I was under the impression you had taken it to the Ecto. But looking back it seems neither of us specified since you put it together. That is on me. Either way, it is anchored there for now unless more than 1 person moves it since it is so cumbersome.

Brownie Point Spending:
None this round.

Actions?
Brownie Point Pool:
Dr. Jason O'Roarke: 205/214 @@
Lionel 'Freight Train' Williams: 173/188 @
Roy O'Dowd: 152/157 @@
Dzjokar "Joker" Jelal 235/260
David "Mac" McAuslan 141/191

@ = One free re-roll without ghost die.  Merry Christmas 2019 & 2020!