TheDarkTemplar

Bloodrose Irregulars - The New Squad (Dark Fantasy Adventure)

Hopefully I haven't come at a bad time but I'm interested in joining if you'll have me.

The Occult Investigations Agency

The Monolith
One by one the detectives spoke and although Isaac was listening, his actions would have you believe otherwise as he furiously inspected the crime scene. With each of the bodies he subtly placed a hand on each of them, peering into the void before returning to the walking world, each time with a fresh look of melancholy on his face. By the time Douglas had finished naming the roles of the bodies, something clicked in Isaac's mind.

"If a cult had purchased a large amount of this fabric, after manufacturing the cloaks they'd distribute them, perhaps from a central location. I doubt they'd pick up the fabric themselves and risk being spotted on security cams, they probably ordered them to a location. I have a feeling that if we find the fabric order it'll lead us where this whole thing is being orchestrated.

Douglas, that tome was first discovered in Syria by an archaological team from the University of New Carcosa wasn't it? Why don't you and Darc head over there and look around, dont let them know you're investigating them unless you see our guy. If you see him, dont hesitate to bring him in for questioning but be careful, he probably wont be alone. Nova, call it in to HQ, any fabric stores that have sold a bulk amount of yellow fabric within the last two months, from that list if any have made repeat orders. Once they get back to us we'll follow that lead but till then let's finish up here"

The Basement
With the cabinet gone, the once hidden passageway had been revealed. A strong metallic smell rushed out of the entrance and filled the air of the basement. The candlelight spells revealed the passageway to have been recently dug out and not an original design of th building. Tall enough for the average human to walk through with a slight hunch to their step, more blood runes lined the walls of the tunnel. Looking all th way down from the entrance one could almost make out the shape of a human laying at the far end. It was a woman, naked and floating unconscious in a pool of blood. She was deathly pale with ashen hair that spread out across the pool. Her lower body sunk slightly beneath the crimson as she floated lifelessly about the chamber.

The Beacon
The blast from Kharon's AT gun burned away the serrated tip of the behemoths tail, causing it to recoil away as the creature continued to rush Katherine. As she evaded, firing shots into its sides, the entry holes seemed to close almost instantly. At the same time, the blood of its victims that had flooded the floor began to disappear wherever the creature stepped. The monster's tail had regrown its bladed tip and at this point had wrapped itself around a crumbled pillar. In one swift motion, the tail of the beast whipped away the pillar, sending it hurtling towards Kharon with enough force that to miss him would cause debris to go flying in all directions. At the same time, the abomination had continued to advance on Katherine, th momentum of its tail whip causing it to spin violently towards her, like a tornado of claws and teeth as it tried to slash at her. "Pathetic slaves, you shall not delay your master's arrival", its voice was calm yet stern, like that that of a commander. As it danced across the basement towards Katherine, the demon snatched a large piece of rebar and hurled it at her like a javelin. Not once stopping to catch its breath, a tireless onslaught of hate and malice.

The Occult Investigations Agency

@Sanity43217 For plot and lore reasons your character wont work. There isn't any traveling between worlds or realities. Such a thing can only be done by certain individuals and with a great deal of preparation and effort.

His father's benevolent behavior seems to contradict the nature of demons but I'll allow it as "it's part of his more nefarious plan"

Sylax's skills need to be explained better, as "magic"and "shields" are too vague to allow. His interactions with Hell and his father cant be allowed as it breaks the lore.

To be honest, a lot of it needs to be changed for Sylax to work. A suggestion I have, would be to instead have him be the product of an incubus and a human both living on earth. As he's half human he would have mortality and so placing his birth 400 years ago would be a bit much.

If you're still interested in joining just ask if you have any questions about your cs.

The Occult Investigations Agency

The Monolith
While there wasn't anything special about the positioning of the bodies in the audience, the characters upon the stage had been carefully tailored for whatever reason. Aside from The Yellow King, there were a number of other characters alongside him. To his immediate right was a knight, clad in an armor most likely to be used for the play. Over the pieces of armor were large portions of human skin, most likely from the audience as none on stage were missing any of theirs. To the king's left was a female body wearing a cloak and clutching a dagger. She was coated in dried blood and stood slightly behind the king, lurking in his shadow. To the left of the knight was the body of Lenny dressed as a priest, in his hand was bound a severed head. Finally to the right of the bloody woman was another body, this time dressed as though he were a wizard of some sort. He wore a large wizard hat and tattered robe, in his right hand he held a key.

Isaac went ahead and examined each and every one of the bodies, his mind trying to hold onto reality. As he went from each of the characters, his mind kept reminding him of where he was and what was real. "They wouldn't put this much effort into arranging the bodies if it didnt mean something. They must correlate to something. Key figures to some sort of cult belief system. Douglas, do you recognize any of this?", despite his words, the detective had a theory growing in his head. He glanced at the rest of the team, hoping they wouldn't notice what he was about to do. Laying a hand on the yellow king, Isaac became deathly still for but a moment before trembling slightly. It was only for a moment but when he came out of his trance his eyes were alight with concern and focus. "The bodies most likely are themes to various rituals. This is something like a list, a list of rituals the cult wants to perform if they haven't already. I'd wager that whatever is going on at The Beacon is a part of these rituals"

---

The Beacon Hotel
The second wave of OTOs made their way up the staircase, their formation moving fast to close the distance between themselves and the lobby staircase. Eventually the sound of their footsteps gave way to muffled orders being given with the occasional gunshot ringing out. Katherine's grenade detonated against the creature's flesh, its breathing ceased as it sat there motionless. Almost instantly the pitter-patter of barefoot against a wet floor made it's way towards Katherine. "NONONONONONO WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! IT WANTS QUIET OR WE DIE! QUIET OR DIE QUIET OR DIE QUIET OR DIE!", the man who at one point had been cowering in the corner now had his hands firmly clasping Katherine's neck. His eyes were bloodshot and frantic as he stared into hers. He did not hold onto her long, only long enough to scream out what he had to say. Not a moment later did he dash past the two OTOs, hoping to make an escape out the back door from which they came. The mad hostages managed to get halfway up the stairs before something flew past Kharon and Katherine. Whatever it was had snagged the man's leg and jerked him off of the staircase, pulling him back into the darkness where the creature laid.

Bloodcurdling screams filled the basement but only for a moment as the sound of flesh being torn and bones shattered replaced it. In what lasted only a few seconds, the man had met a fate worse than death. The beast that once laid before them now stood towering over the OTOs. The abomination was so tall, it was hunched over as it's back pressed against the ceiling. An amalgamation of the corrupted flesh of its victims and it's own beastly form, the body of it had human flesh fused to it as if it were some sort of living armor. Its head was shaped like an alligator but instead of a leathery hide there was fur to resemble some hideous fusion of wolf and alligator. Despite most of its body being humanoid, the legs were like that of a goat but in place of hooves were talons like a raptor.

"Lord Kaiwan, these interlopers shall be silenced. Your word is absolute, and the only to be heard", its voice was low and mimicked by the heads of its victims, fused into its armor. Their pained voices repeated their killer's words out of synch and repeatedly. The flesh armor covered the monster's arms, thighs, shins, upper torso, and tail. Its eyes glowed a vibrant yellow as it peered down at Katherine and Kharon with emotionless indifference. Without warning, the creature's tail, tipped with a serrated organic blade, came hurtling towards Kharon. Whipping back and forth as the creature itself stampeded towards Katherine with an open maw of broken teeth and bones.

The Occult Investigations Agency

Just wanted to let you know that applications are being accepted again. Right now we're mainly looking for Violent Crimes or OTO Characters.

@ImAMushie If this is still the character you'd like to use then you're accepted. I'll send a DM to the discord if you're still interested and are planning are using this character.

@webboysurf Your character is with R&D and if that's still what you want then I'll accept it as you've had a reservation made.

The Occult Investigations Agency

With the door opened, the stairway into the abyss had been revealed. As the team peered down the staircase, light from the outside seemed to be swallowed up by the impenetrable blackness of the basement. Not even the shade rats of Devora's making escaped upon scurrying into the dark. As they rushed down the stairs the shadowy conjurations squeaked and squealed as they descended only for their sounds to be silence almost instantly after a series of clanking and clattering noises from within. Daza had been moving about the ground floor, inspecting the scene when she noticed the void the team stood before. Without a word she cast a simple candlelight spell on all of them, conjuring up a small but powerful ball of light over each of their shoulders. She did not need to speak, the intention would be understood.

And so they ventured forth, four souls down into what felt like the coldest level of hell. The smell as they went down grew from a faint stink of decay to the overwhelming stench of death, blood, bile, and rot. The stairs were of crumbling concrete; old and deteriorating, with signs of them becoming unusable at any moment as each step took with it a small chunk of the steps. The handrail was rusted worse than the door and broken in segments, with it being the only barrier between the team and what felt like a massive chasm beneath the earth. Despite, the light of the spell, despite the door to the surface being open. The investigators could only see each other, the dilapidated wall to their left, and the stairs beneath them. Beyond that, the room could have been as big as a shopping container or a stadium, they couldn't tell the difference.

Finally, they arrived at the bottom. The thick blackness suddenly gave way to a more gentler and forgiving dark as the room slowly allowed light to fill it. The building groaned from within its walls, as if it were alive and grumbling in anticipation of it latest meal. As the light enveloped the room, illumination gave way to clear perception. It was an old boiler room. The room itself being the size of the standard home car garage able to fit two SUVs. The boiler sat beneath the stairs, ancient and unattended as it slowly was eaten away by the elements. A corpse of an older time. The basement was cluttered, assorted broken furniture, goods, odd trinkets, stacked and scattered across the floor. This must have been a squatter's home for a time as trash, dirty clothing, and even dirtier needles laid about the floor. At the foot of the stairs laid a bloodied dagger, its blade warped and twisted with a bright coat of crimson covering much of it with a small puddle beneath where it lay.

The shadows that the candlelights cast, flickered about as the team dispersed. Twisted forms were made as the dark fought against the light, creating almost humanlike forms in the shadows that would appear and disappear in and instant. Throughout it all, there was silence. The deafening silence that seemed to stifle the air, making it thick and every breath sound like a desperate gasp for life. The kind of silence that left a slight ringing that you could hear but doubt if the sound was actually there. Footsteps sounded like stomping, the broken glass cracked harshly, the dust being blown off like a sandstorm.

Beneath all the filth, the trash, and the dirt, more engravings and blood symbols. These were different. The engravings were black unlike the ones outside which were simply scratches into the wall. These etchings were deep, dark, and almost like their surface was of obsidian. At the center of the room, amidst a clearing of the garbage, was a figurine. It was that of a cloaked, monolithic figure, its robe made from a piece of yellow cloth. From beneath it, lines of blood flowed, almost like tendrils as they reached out across the room weaving its way beneath the clutter. Lodged within a pile of stacked antiques was a wax statue, clothed in a curious robe. It was yellow, like the cultists at The Beacon Hotel, but tattered and old. It stood firm against the refuse, most likely a forgotten possession of a squatter at some point. At the far side of the room, a metal cabinet stood against the wall. It was old but not in such a state of deterioration as the door and environment around it. Scratch marks could be seen at its bottom, the lines forming a curve away from the wall. Accompanying it was a thin layer of dust, less than the amount around it and forming a path from the stairs to the idol to the cabinet.

---

At The Monolith...
Douglas pulled his car off to the side of the intersection, noticing Issac's car had gotten here first. He flashed his badge to the police officer as he got out of his car, opening the trunk for his forensic kit, and slowly walking off towards the scene. He bypassed whatever crowds had gathered outside the Theater, ducking under the police tape, and making his way inside just in time to see Issac crouching over the body of one of the victims. Douglas called out to the man.

"Detective Hood! Prepping my crime scene for me, eh?"

"You know me Finn, eager as always to get started. I was hoping to give my partner a go at this one but it seems you beat her to it", Isaac looked for any sign of his pupil but to no avail. "Anyways shall we be begin? I noticed something under our victim's fingernails, seems to be a bit of skin, possibly from our perp. His throat was slit but not deep enough to kill him quickly so either the perp wanted him to suffer or this was part of some sort of ritual, maybe both", a sinking feeling in Isaac's chest grew in intensity as he thought about his next words. "Call it a hunch but I think whatever happened to our vic is linked to whats going on at The Beacon right now. What's more I think that connection is waiting for us inside the theatre. But, I think I've said enough, I'll let you get to work on this one here, I'll be by the entrance should you need me"

The body that lay before Douglas, at first glance, showed little else in terms of damage to the body side from the slit throat. However, upon further inspection, his shirt sleeves hid a strange discoloration. His pockets were bulging slightly, barely enough to be noticed. Too add to the mystery was the slight glinting of something metallic by his neck. 

Douglas examined the metallic item: a necklace. The symbol on the pendant matched no known religion. A series of lines leading to a slender, robed monolithic figure. He'd have to check for DNA back at the lab to determine it belonged to the victim or not. He placed it in an evidence bag from his kit.

Next, Douglas examined the discoloration of the wrists: bruising. The victim was bound with a rope, it's imprint still left on the skin. He was bound pretty tightly. Noticing his broken thumbs, Douglas surmised that he possibly escaped his bonds. He took a picture with his crime-scene camera for further investigation.

Finally, Douglas examined the victim's pockets: a single item, a holo-locket, was found. Douglas activated it, and a woman appeared in the projection. She backed away towards a couch, where two children were playfully fighting. She gathered thier attention and the three began to speak to the recorder:

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, Dear Daddy, Happy Birthday to you!"

The three clapped and cheered, and the mother went back to the recorder and picked it up.

"Happy Birthday, Ben. We love you so, so much. Don't forget that."

The children behind her got in a few extra shouts of "I love you dad" and "Happy Birthday dad" before the projection ended. The thumbnail was the three of them sitting on the couch, the image reflecting off of Douglas's glasses as he looked at it. He turned it off, and put the holo-locket into evidence. No clues there.

After a few more bits of forensic magic, like determining the time of death and grabbing the skin cells from underneath the fingernails, Douglas packed up his kit and met with Issac by the entrance.

"Detective. Seems I've gotten all I could for now. I only know one thing so far: this man was likely an unwilling sacrifice for a new cult."

"I figured as much, this has Ronoth written all over it. I swear this city is slowly losing itself", Isaac's gaze turned back to the body which lay upon the cold wet intersection. As officers attempted to cover the body they were ambushed by a horde of photographers looking to catch a shot of what would soon be all over the evening news. 

Not a moment later did Isaac notice Darc approach from amidst the crowd. The demon stopped to take a look at the body before continuing on to the two at the entrance. ”Detective Hood. I got five dollars saying that the blood bath inside isn’t just going to be a scene of general carnage, but yet another blood ritual. Betting another five it’s demons", the casual tone in his voice irritated the detective slightly but he didn't show it. Despite all Isaac had seen, cult related cases always got under his skin and it seemed as though they were becoming more and more frequent. "Oh its demons alright, either demons or something along those lines. Our vic on the street was bound, escaped what was going on inside but died shortly after exiting. I was telling Douglas, its Ronoth all over again", as he spoke, Isaac's attention shifted to behind Darc as he watched a young woman approach past the body and towards them. It was Nova, the newbie assigned to him. In truth, he wasn't looking forward to a teaching position, especially not for this case. But he had a job to do and it would be done under his watch. 

“Good afternoon, detectives,” she began, and glanced at the second man next to her mentor. Was she supposed to know who he was? The thought was pushed away as she continued, “I received the debrief before arrival. May I ask what has been ascertained about this victim?”

"Afternoon Nova, what do you make of our vic back there?", Isaac heard her question but was more interested in hearing what she gathered from that quick glance on her way to them.A slight chill ran down her spine as she glanced back at the body, her eyes analyzing what she could from that angle. "If I had to guess, cause of death was the laceration to his throat. It does look deep throughout, If he came from the theatre and died here then perhaps one of his carotid arteries were cut?", she knew it was a test, and while there was a slight annoyance to the impromptu pop quiz, Nova was glad to show off her skills before her superiors. 

"Not bad. As I said with Douglas, the victim was a member of the cast performing her. They were killed sometime today during morning rehearsals. Our vic was bound by his hands, had his throat slit, broke his thumbs to escape, and died shortly after exiting. There was a necklace placed on him, most likely the cult's and part of the ritual", Isaac thought about lighting a cigarillo and joining the group in a moment but decided against it, the tension was getting to him. "Alright, shall we enter?"

Once inside, the real nightmare began. The bodies numbered around fifty. Each one having had their lips removed to create constant smiling macabre statues. Some of the bodies had been placed within the rows of seats, positioned as some sort of twisted still life of attendants at a play. The others were fixed upon the stage with rebar in poses to mimic a snapshot of some sort of demented play. Each corpse was outfitted in clothing reminiscent of medieval fantasy. At center stage stood a victim in a yellow cloak with a golden crown upon his head. His hands were bound with rope and throat slit. From the center stage and out towards the ends the other bodies posed as if it were a photograph of a royal procession, with the king in yellow at its center. What was strange was that every body, every last body was drained, not just of blood but any liquid that would be in the human body. They appeared almost mummified, dehydrated and stiff as if they'd been sitting in this theater for decades. In the middle of all of this horror, this evil, a slight humming could be heard coming from the king in yellow.

---

The Beacon Hotel
The rear basement entrance was an unassuming metal door. From outside one wouldn't suspect anything out of the ordinary was occurring behind it. Once Minos and Katherine entered the reality of their situation was revealed. Whatever layout of the basement they were shown was not the case once they were inside. Beyond the door was a set of stairs going about two floors down into a deep blackness. No sound escaped but the smell rushed towards them like no other. The amalgamation of spoilt meat, blood, and animal excrement filled their noses and those of the second wave team outside. Once at stairs' end, it was as if the basement had been demolished in order for renovations to commence. Walls were broken down and support pillars damaged. Floors were dug up and pipes were exposed. In truth, the basement looked as if it had been ransacked by some sort of monster rather than subject to a demo. It was chaotic and obviously hazardous for anyone down here.

What was once a multi-room maze of wine cellars, freezer rooms, break areas, and other utilities had been reduced to a single large chamber. There were symbols, blood symbols written over the walls but many were scratched out by what looked like massive claw marks. Aside from the symbols were puddles of blood and excrement which grew in number the further they went into the basement. Something was down there with them. That was for sure. The signs of it were everywhere from the filth to the blood to the bones scattered about the floor. All the clues pointed towards something making the basement of The Beacon its home...something big.

At the center of the room sat a strange idol, a monolithic figure covered in a yellow cloak. At its feet, black tendrils of some unidentifiable liquid flowed outwards towards every corner of the basement. Passing through the piles if blood, gore, fecal matter, and trash. Yet its placement and condition did not indicate it was abandoned there. Whoever or whatever placed the idol there was meticulous in its placement and care, leaving it practically untouched by it's current environment. At one corner of the basement was a large pile of what seemed to be torn flesh, animal fur, and destroyed articles of clothing.

Over in another area was what looked to be a man, curled up into the fetal position, rocking back and forth in silence facing a wall. He shook violently but did not make a sound. At the far side of the basement, light peaked through the darkness of the basement to reveal another set of stairs.

The Occult Investigations Agency

Isaac, Nova, Darc, and Douglas

Outside The Monolith Theatre/April 20, 2028/2:35pm

---

It had been about two hours since Isaac picked up the case. Not one to hang around the precinct for social matters while there was work to be done, he headed to the scene once his necessary appearance at the retirement party had been met. Upon arrival his mind had already begun to work at attempting to recreate what events led to this moment. His eyes scanned the street corner where the theatre stood, a line of police tape barring entrance to the slowly growing crowd. News vans were already beginning to arrive and begin probing for information. At the epicenter of it all laid the body, one of many apparently waiting within the theatre, a scene that was all too familiar. For a moment he sat in his car, having parked it a short distance from the scene so as to not attract attention, and opened a box of cigarillos. Almost immediately, a heavy smell of berries began to fill the air of the car as he lifted one from amongst the rest. Despite its scent pervading the interior of the car, Isaac took a sharp whiff of its length before lighting the end and taking a long drag. As he exhaled his eyes continued to scan the scene before him and noticed an officer approaching his car. "Not bad. Pointless, but not bad", his words escaping out into the city as he rolled down the window for the officer.

"I'm sorry sir but this intersection is closed off. You'll have yo go around", the officer didn't waste a moment in directing Isaac away but a quick flash of his badge made it clear as to his purpose there. "Sorry Detective, didn't recognize you", the officer stepped back from the car door as Isaac made his way out, a look of slight embarrassment on his face. "No its fine, I wouldn't expect you to, I transferred here only recently. So, what have you found so far?", without hesitation Isaac made his way past the cordoned off intersection and towards the first body with the officer close behind.

"The victim is uhhh, Benjamin Coleman, apparently he was an actor who's group was rehearsing at the theatre today for an upcoming play. He and about every other cast member were killed inside. From the looks of it Evan was the only one who made it out the building but died from his injuries", the officer finished reading over his notepad when he noticed Isaac staring intently at the body, almost deathly still. "Uh detective? would you like to see the others?"

"No"

"I'm sorry what?"

"No, not yet at least. I'm waiting for my partner, she should be here soon enough. We're expecting an R&D agent as well so have your men lead them inside when they arrive. In the meantime I'll take some time examining this one", Isaac never once turned from the body as he spoke. His eyes were rapidly shifting up and down the body of the victim as he remained crouch over it as still as a gargoyle. The officer beside him simply exhaled sharply in confusion and slight irritation as he stepped away and back into the theatre.

As for Isaac, his mind had already put together a number of theories as to what had unfolded earlier today. "Throat was slit, not deep enough so as to allow him to cling to life. You probably got away before they got Someone wanted your final moments to be painful didn't they, Benjamin. But why? Most likely the answer is probably waiting inside isn't it?", his darting eyes shooting a split second glance at the theatre before returning to the body, never ceasing in their furious inspection of the departed. For a moment he almost missed it, a small clump of skin beneath a fingernail with some blood to go with it. "I'm sure the folks at R&D will be happy to have that", he muttered to himself before continuing on. "I might have a few minutes before the others get here", his deathly stillness ceased as his eyes cut a line across the surrounding area, hunting for any that might be watching. Satisfied he lay a hand on the body and as if she sun was snuffed out, darkness consumed him. For anyone watching it was but a few seconds that Isaac seemed to tremble violently while crouched over the victim. For him it was anything but a few seconds, in fact for him it felt as though an eternity would pass before he'd return to the land of the living. "I see, so its happening again", his words barely escaping his throat as he regained his grip on reality.

---

---

Wendigo, Devora, Caldwell, Serene, and Aria

Condemned Apartment Complex/April 20, 2028/2:35pm

---

It looked as if progress had abandoned this place. While self driving cars, hologram projections, and towering skyscrapers dominated the East End and Downtown areas, the West End clung to the aesthetic of the prior decade with a severe degree of dilapidation. The cracked and buckling sidewalk gave way as nature had begun to envelope the area around the building. Despite the overgrowth taking over, to any who would approach it felt as if death radiated from this place. Police had already established a perimeter around the building and an OTO team had already been sent in once officers discovered what lay within. Throughout the entire apartment complex, in every hallway, every apartment, every room, strange and sinister symbols had been either carved into the walls or drawn with blood. The was not an inch of this place untouched by these occult sigils and yet despite all the blood not a single body was found. At this point investigators had already drawn conclusions that whatever body or bodies had been used were probably moved and were looking elsewhere for them. As for the building, R&D had been called in to document and analyze the symbols to provide investigators with any potential leads. The case, amongst others, was high profile due to the bizarre circumstance or it all. As such, the press had entered a frenzy of trying to get exclusive info on the ongoing investigations. So much so that Precinct Chief Daza Sendros was at the scene to make a statement before police.

"Chief, can you tell us if what happened within the apartment complex today is in any way tied to the mass murder at The Monolith Theatre today as well?", Daza didn't hesitate when the microphone was aimed at her, waiting for answers. "As of right now we cannot confirm that theory but my precinct has already put its best detectives to work on that case as well as this one. As of right now we are sending in an analyst team into the complex to determine the motive behind what happened here and once that's done we'll have more information available to the public but as of right now I wouldn't jump to conclusions that these two incidents are related in any way"

"But Chief, what about the ongoing development at the Beacon Hotel, wouldn't that be proof enough that these incidents are related? After all, a mass murder, blood rituals, and now a hostage situation? That seems like a lot of orchestrated violent crime to happen in the same timeframe and not be connected. Many people are wondering detective if this is the return of the Ronoth Cult or-", another microphone was shoved into the tiefling detective's face only to be cut off once her patience had run out.

"The situation at the Beacon Hotel is still ongoing and we have no concrete evidence to connect the perpetrators there to whoever is responsible for these other two incidents. The situation at The Monolith Theatre is currently under investigation and as of right now what's occurred here can easily be chalked up to a prank by someone trying to add onto the fears of this city and I will not grant them that. The people of this city have enough to worry about today, my precinct will not rest until we find who is responsible and until we do I will not add to the fearmongering of the press. This interview is over, no further questions", Daza strode off and away from the police line as reporters clamored over, hoping to get a final statement but to no avail.

Despite her statements to the press, everyone at the station knew what was going on was connected, but Daza wasn't about to come forward with that theory on nothing but a hunch. The call had come in earlier, before the rest, but on that day but the department wasn't in any rush to pursue it for at the time, the scale of it had not fully been known. It was clear at this point that something had occurred in that complex that was related to the other killings. The OTOs had sweeped the place clean and the detectives originally assigned couldn't seem to find anything of note there. Daza was growing impatient, after reassigning the original detectives to another case the only real choice was Caldwell and Aria. It was while she was looking through her R&D agent lists that she'd noticed Serene's file. The last they met, Daza's impression of the woman was that she was another science project her precinct had to babysit but after looking over her history her mind was made. From what she'd heard, the symbols didn't resemble anything of recent times, perhaps the two thousand year old dragon could be useful? Something like Serene couldn't be trust to Caldwell and Aria, so Devora and her pet would be brought in as security against whatever they might find as well as to keep Serene in check...if that was even possible.

"Where the hell is R&D?", the Precinct Chief grumbled to herself before the ring of her phone took her attention. "Sendros", she answered curtly while looking down the road for the R&D van.

"Chief, its Vhurdaer, the situation's changed at the Beacon", Vhurdaer T'sarren, OTO Captain of Daza's Precinct and current operation commander of the hostage situation underway at The Beacon Hotel. There was a noticable amount of concern in his voice though one could easily mistake it for stern focus had they not known the captain.

"What do you mean 'the situation's changed'?"

"A moment ago they were shouting something about Kaiwan or some shit and now they're demanding we send some of our people in or else they'll start killing the hostages"

"Anyakt S'zadi!", she cursed at the ground before taking a moment to compose herself "Did they give us a timeframe at least?"

"They said we have an hour to send someone in. They didn't specify how many or why just that they want someone in there with them. If you ask me they're probably trying to get more hostages for whatever fucked up shit they have planned"

"How long before Minos and his team gets there?"

"Last I checked they were about a few minutes away. Why? You sending us in, boss?", there was a silence over the phone as Daza contemplated the best course of action.

"We cant risk sending someone in and only adding to their list of victims. Do we know where most of them are?"

"Snipers tell me that most of them are on the ground floor in the lobby guarding the hostages. There are a few on some of the floors, likely searching for more hostages. Other than that they don't seem to be watching the other entrances. You've got a plan?"

"Something like that. Get a team on a helicopter and have them enter via the roof. Have Minos and his team enter via the rear entrance to the basement. Have both teams move towards the lobby, Minos and his team can secure any escape routes should these bastards try to run once the larger group arrive at the lobby"

"Understood, I'll get us ready to make the play", without another word Daza ended the call and without skipping a beat she turned to a nearby officer. "Have R&D speak to me when they arrive, I want this shit sorted by the end of the damn day!"

As if the words conjured them forth, Daza could see the OIA R&D van rounding the corner towards the site. She stood at the curb with a look of irritation in her glowing yellow eyes, waiting for R&D to exit so she can really tear into someone for whatever caused them to be late. As the team unpacked Daza approached the van before clearing her throat, "You're late. Why?"

The driver of the van, an officer who was unlucky enough to be assigned the role, piped up before the others. "Sorry Chief, I was just finishing up something at the precinct when I got the call", his eyes didn't dare meet the Chief's as he attempted to explain himself.

"So the city starts reenacting Jonestown and you what? Took the scenic route here? Forget it, just help R&D set up, I'll show them in", Daza didn't stop to greet any of the R&D team but instead headed towards the building. "The last two detectives I assigned to this case didn't see how big this shit would get. Professors, I need you to scour this place and find out what the hell caused this shitstorm, see if the dragon knows anything. I'm told these symbols are old as shit. Dev, If anything shows up here I expect you and your pet to handle it but call it in so we have a heads up. If you have any questions now is the time to ask. None? Great. Let's go people"

Without another word, Daza left the team to their devices. From the entrance one could see an innumerable amount of occult symbols etched all over the walls, ceiling, and floor. Some of these symbols, the ones carved into the walls, seemed to match if not follow a pattern while the ones in blood seemed to each be unique. At the other end of the main lobby, on the right wall was a rusted door, the entrance to the basement. The door, while heavily rusted, was painted over with what could only be described at the climax of all the other blood symbols about the complex.

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Kharon, Henry, and Katherine

The Beacon Hotel, East End of New Carcosa/April 20, 2028/2:30pm

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"Kaiwan's will shall be made manifest! For far too long has our lord been denied the city which is by right his to rule!", a man cloaked in a bright yellow robe shouted from the entrance to The Beacon Hotel with great zeal. With one arm wrapped around the neck of a young boy another holding a twisted looking dagger he preached to the surrounding OTOs and onlookers as if the whole scene was a religious congregation. The line of officers held their rifles at the ready in the event the cultist actually did what everyone was fearing. The tension was palpable outside the hotel as memory of the Ronoth Crisis was still fresh in the minds of the city's inhabitants. "You all shall be witness to the ascent of our lord to his rightful throne! Any who dare intervene shall be met with the wrath of our lord for we are his will made manifest!", as the cultist continued with his ravings, Vhurdaer approached from amongst the other OTOs. The sight of the dark elf captain made the cultist retreat slightly into the hotel as he held the knife to the boy's throat. "Another step and the child dies, filth!", his words like poison with hatred in every syllable he uttered. Vhurdaer halted his advance halfway up the steps to the hotel with hands in the air to show his intent.

"My name is Captain Vhurdaer T'sarren, and that speech was nice and all but how 'bout you tell me what it is you really want, yeah? There's gotta be something you want right? Why else make a big show of all this when you could've killed the hostages already", Vhurdaer eyed the cultist to see if another attempt to approach could be made but found that even a twitch of his leg caused the cultist retreat even further back.

"I've no aim to negotiate with you, filth! Step back or the boy dies now!"

"You said that already but you and I both know that you are waiting for something. My guess is you're waiting to hear back from your other friends?"

"You know nothing, elf! You are but a denier of our lord!"

"On the contrary, I know your buddies are trying the same thing at The Monolith and at an apartment complex on the west end", it was all a bluff though, Vhurdaer had no idea if the cases were related at all but he had a gut feeling and if he could keep this guy talking till the teams were ready to move in then he'd take some chances while the odds were in his favor.

The cultist pointed the knife towards Vhurdaer before stepping towards him, "You will send us negotiators, three of them, with one being nonhuman. You will do it within the hour or these people will die, now get back down those stairs!" Vhurdaer had a satisfied look on his face as he back off from the entrance and towards the police line. Once the cultist had also retreated back into the hotel he immediately pulled out his phone to make a call.

"Chief, its Vhurdaer, the situation's changed at the Beacon"

The Occult Investigations Agency

@ImAMushieof course, i'll let you know as soon as we're open again

The Occult Investigations Agency

@webboysurfSorry mate but all the R&D positions are filled and we've gotta get the show on the road. If enough people express interest while we're full I'll reopen and reserve a spot for you if you're still interested.

The Occult Investigations Agency

Hey everyone, I made a discord so that we can communicate easier discord.gg/Fg5JBB