Session 53: Jazz Hands
General Summary
After a morning filled with uncomfortable silence, we make our way down the path to the left. Before we can get far, a small creature with a bird skull for a head climbs out of a painting. While it hisses and is clearly upset, it doesn't attack us, and eventually scurries off into the dark. We find ourselves in what we assume to be Father's bedroom, but there isn't anything noteworthy inside. Amelia sees a shadow dart by her while looking in the mirror and TT inspects it, learning that it's a portal. Inside is a reflection of the bedroom, but with an added dance hall. When the rest of us join TT, we're treated to the sight of a monstrous creature with a lovely grin and too many goddamn hands. A mortal woman is stuck dancing with a corpse due to this thing's mind control and it isn't long before all of us are nearly pulled into his party.
Despite his efforts, we free ourselves and slay what we learn is the Puppeteer, and the woman who was caught by his "charms" can finally rest. Her name's Adrian and she's from a world entirely different from our own, so much so that she's startled to learn what we are and what we're capable of. Still, she teams up with us and shows us a tarnished key she found before the Puppeteer got a hold of her. The key is trying to lead her somewhere back towards the gallery, so we get Adrian equipped and ready to defend herself. We also raise her dancing partner from the dead and he's a former knight named Louie. He's very excited to fight for honor and glory...by beating things to death with an empty hunting rifle. Unfortunately for him, it doesn't work out and as we're attacked by spirits from the sky in the observatory, Louie fucking dies (again).
After the spirits are dealt with, we find a tome full of incomprehensible rituals for Azathoth. Written in blood are several names in the back of the book, more than likely symbolizing their pact with the Great Old One. We use one of the paintings we stole to get to the gallery and head back to the cellar, where there's allegedly a being that "wears a human face" according to the notes we found. There is indeed said creature in the cellar, but I'm the only one who can see him because of my special eyes. His mouth and eyes are sewn shut and his body is covered with locks embedded in his skin. The most interesting ones being the one in his chest and the other on his head. None of the keys we've found can unlock them and questioning the Human Lockbox is pointless. All he does is complain about the pain, so I mercy kill him and proceed to carve the important locks from his body.
Given that there's still magic tied to them, I throw them into my bag in case we finally find some goddamn answers in this house. Upon leaving the gallery, I see a fancy elevator that becomes visible to everyone else as I open it up. There's six levels, so we go down to level one, which leads us into a music room. A large set of doors sits before us, so of course, we charge in because "caution" is a concept for cowards. It's another parlor room, but the style and decor is unfamiliar to us. A strange humanoid is waiting in here. She looks like a deep sea fish and is dressed in robes with stone tablets floating around her head. She asks for the key. We show her a few keys, none of them being the correct ones. She gets upset, tells us to leave, and we do so. We wander back in because I'm determined to get answers, so she says there's a toll to pay. Tell her what I love most and we can finally leave. I tell her that I love gold the most and she doubts me. When I fail to tell her the truth, she's angered once more and tells us to stay away.
Amelia is what I love most, but I'm still in fierce denial of it, and she's blissfully unaware of it. Before heading back up, we step into a small room with a radio and a silhouette of a young woman on the other side of a sliding door. Me and TT approach the woman, who disappears as a mangled corpse with claws attacks Amelia. As quickly as it appeared, it vanishes, and a child's voice breaks through the radio's static. They tell us to avoid the Smiling Man unless we want to remain here forever and if we're looking safety, find them in the Doll Room. With no idea on where to start looking, we start skipping through the floors, but come up empty-handed.
We head to level six, which strangely takes us below the other levels. It's a large, empty chamber aside from the giant statue of a warrior standing guard. We can't see what exactly it guards and as we debate on ascending the staircase next to it, it comes to life to warn us against such an action. Amelia tempts fate and flies up, seeing that there's only darkness that she can't see through. This pisses off the statue who gives us a bit of an ouchie, so we retreat to the elevator to figure out what our next step is.
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Report Date
21 Nov 2021
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