Quote Originally Posted by Shruikan View Post
Lycellus idly tapped the toothpick warhammer against their chin, while humming thoughtfully. Searching Greenlawn Manor had worked out well enough, so logically, the Estate next door should be a good place to look next. Plus it was abondoned, so if a wall were to cave in accidentally, it shouldn't be a problem. Unless the rumors of a squatter were true... So they'd just have to be extra careful when examining not to squash anyone.

Search (48) The Cobal Estate (ABANDONED)
Tonight, you decide to fly east and head for the Cobal Estate, wondering what’s been going on there since Cobal was found dead there recently, killed by wandering ghouls that to this day continue to lurk around the Northern Reach. However, you have a feeling that like many others, he wasn’t expecting them and was likely ambushed.

By the time you reach the Cobal Estate, you see the sunlight disappear and night fall upon the area. You touch down and take a look around, making sure there aren’t any ghouls nearby. It seems as though despite your large size, they either haven’t noticed you or could have actually been intimidated enough to withdraw back into the shadows.

You start by searching the exterior first. From the looks of things, the large light-gray building doesn’t seem too bad and seems to be in relatively good condition. What you can safely assume is that Cobal refused to leave his estate after OMEN happened. It seems likely he didn’t want to take up residence in a hotel or definitely not in a hut in a shopping mall parking lot. However, his decision to remain here seemed to be what killed him.

And it doesn’t seem like it happened all too long ago. From what you can see, it seems like the estate has only been abandoned for about six months or so. Some renovation work was needed, but nothing too critical, and it seems like it was only because no one wanted to perform work on the house with the ghouls running about.

From the exterior, you don’t see anything truly out of the ordinary. Even the backyard has a nice view of the ocean shore and the trees block the unsightly mess of the OMEN crater. It almost makes you think… would you want to give up all this to live in a shabby tent in a mall parking lot for three years? You could see where it would be hard to say yes.

As you discover, your large size makes it impossible to enter the building itself. You instead look through the windows, and it seems like the interior rooms are very nicely furnished and look cozy, though with the sunlight gone, much of the rooms are flushed with shadows and darkness. From what you can see, the tables, lamps, chairs, and other furniture pieces look expensive and it seems Cobal enjoyed art and sculptures as well.

You search most of the rooms through the windows, but it doesn’t seem like anything is drastically out of order. All of Cobal’s belongings and furnishings are still there as if they’re just waiting for him to come home, but still, now they only sit there in silent dust and sleep in the shadows.

When you get toward the northern side of the house, you feel a bizarre sensation coming from the basement. You decide to see what’s going on, but from your angle, you can’t quite make out what’s the source of the grim presence. Wanting to find out more, you decide to open the window as much as you can, and you stick your head in to see what the source of this is…

#Black Expurgation Presence (10 Purity Damage)# Trap 20% Evasion Test: 71 out of 100: Failed!

And you immediately wish you h̐̓̍ͬ̄̉a̭̱̞͉̟̩̽͐ḓ͇̫̜̊ͩ͒̏̉̽n͈͖̦͎̐͆ͨ͆̋̍’͔́ͭ̽̉t̆͛ͦ̾ͮ ̙̝̘̬̫ͅ…͈̦̥͓̺̦ͨ̀̒

Before your very eyes lies a terrifying portal to just pure n͉̝̦̘̘̯ot̠̪h͍̟̩i̺ng̰̝̼n͓̥͙̗̳͍e̠͖͖̭̞̜ș̤͙̺̦͈̯s̬̘ ̼̦̺. While you’ve seen the color black plenty of times, this is b̹̣̮̹l̯a̠͓̻c̺̬̟̬k̯͙̬̭͉͔̦ne̖͇̬͓ss͈̺͖̬̮ͅ far beyond anything you’d seen, like a gaping void of consuming anti-matter.

The dark presence g̺̮͈̝͍͓ͯ̌ͥŭ̓͐̚s͎̖̺͉̜ͧͥ̓̾̿̀̅ͅͅḥ̹̮̱̩͙̳̂ͦ̓e̦̦̥͉̿ͫͧ̚ s̘ forth from it, and you immediately try to pull your head back. However, for a few seconds, your head gets stuck, leaving you h͖̟͊͆͒̐ͣ̅̆o̜̼̫̎͐̅̆̾w̘̻̎͆̏ͬͨl̠̱͖̅̍͌̚iͧ̃̄ͪ̍ñ͕̋ͩ̌ g̐͛ ̪ͫa͕͇ͣn͉̗̥̫̘̈́ͮ̀̓̈́̃̔d͕̃̈́ͯ̈́ͣͮͅ ̙̦̦̜͕̰̏s͖͓̒c̤̄͒̃̊ͬ̏r̩̘̞̜̤̳̬ͮ̎͗e̾͐̉ͩ̆ȁ̠̖͚̖̬̬̻͊ͥ͋m͑ ̗̼̪̺̤̈́̀͂i͎͖ṇ̻̯̬͖̞̽̓̍ḡ̮̜̗̭̭͚̯͑ͫ̓ͣ̊ as the devouring blackness washes over you, c͍̯͉̫͉ͅͅon̺͈̼͍s̼̫̝̺͔u͎m̮̗in̮͚g̫͓̫ ̲̲͍y̭̩͚͖o͔̺̳̲u̥̝͚̭͇ ͍̬͇̮f͍̪a͙̼̙̫cͅe̩̣̗ ̼̰͈̣ͅfi͓͕̰r͎̙̙͖̹̖͕s̭̫t̤.

Lycellus has taken 10 damage to Purity.

Never before… never ever h̹̭͇̩̖ạ͔͇̭̱̮v̟͙̱̳e̖̯͍͖̖̯̜ ̟yo̰̱̙̦u͉̥̲ ̦f̟̘͙̦͍̗el̟̗̺̳t͚̙̺̻̗ ͎s̰o̱͙͉̼͕͚ h͔̳͉̬͕o̰̰̖̗̠̼ͅl̠̫̩͉̲͎l͍͈̹̰͚͉ͅo̼̻̤̪̻̤w͙…̬̯̹̯͔̼

…so n̝̼on͙̪̭̯̺̜ͅ-͈̻͚̹̤͍̺ex͙̯͓̘͍̫̤i̺̰͉s̞ͅt͈̠̫͇e̬̯̱̱n̝t͍̘̩͖…̹̗͙̗͔ ̰͔

…so v̤̣̣a̦̤̫ni̘̭ṣh̼̘e̠d͖̮̜…̦

You violently thrash to break out of the ensnarement, ripping apart the window frame in the process to pull your head back. But all you see are the three marks in your ravaged visions, blacker beyond any blackness you’ve seen before…

Obl̺̹i͕̮̱͖̻͇͇v̜i̝̘̮o͎̩̟̬͇͖̞n̝͇̙…̮̖͔͓͉͙̫ ͓̬V͍̘̟͍̻oi͙̫͓͖d̼̹̠…͖̘̣̘̹̻ ̘͇̗̫͙͙E̱̺r͖̜͓͕a̭s̼u̩̫̫re̻̭̗͍͙…̭͖

For a dark moment, you’ve never felt so lost before, wondering if you’re living, or anything at all. And you even question if any of this is real or just a dream. Part of you wonders if you’re just a part of someone else’s fleeting dream, destined to vanish as soon as they wake up as if you were nothing in the first place… nothing all along…

Just who and what… really are you…?

#{Chamber of the Divided Zero: Mark of Oblivion AND Mark of the Void AND Mark of Erasure} Black Expurgation Presence (10 Purity Damage)# has been noted in the Team Records.

It takes you some hard effort to snap back to your senses, but once you do, you decide to flee from that dark place… for the sake of your very existence…

Though you might have trouble sleeping tonight with the strange, terrifying realizations swimming in your mind, you’re just happy to have escaped from that sudden, horrifying sight. But you imagine it’s going to be the subject of your nightmares for a while…

Lycellus the Eternatus (L: Dragon/Poison)
Health: 24/24 | Sanity: 20/20 | Purity: 6/16
Battle Stance: Tactical
Perk: Security | Abilities:
EQUIPMENT:
Attack Weapon: [|AW| Veteran’s Warhammer] (Adds 4 damage to successful attack rolls)
Defense Armor: <Empty>
Jewelry: <Empty>
Utopian Aspect: <Empty>
MERCENARIES:
#1: <Empty>
#2: <Empty>
PACK:
  • $195 Sochas$