Fantasy Steamhaven: Land of the Lost

[Cartoonicat]

Trevor looked at her in dismay, now, too. "You're going to kill a demon?" He asked, lowering chocolate-covered fingers.

"That's impossible," Everett said. "Aren't they similar to gods, or something? Can you even kill a god?"

"I've never heard of a demon dying before," Trevor said. Then again, he was a child and might not have been privy to such information.

According to Mistress Gul, Kelaelin could be killed, though only on his plane of existence. She hadn't detailed how difficult that fight would be, should Lianna make it that far, but Kelaelin and his followers were so far immune to the effects of amber, the number one witch repellant, that they used it in their spells.

Lianna had until the next time she summoned Ymara to prepare for her journey through the demon plane. As it was midday, she had several hours before nightfall to stock up on supplies—and possible allies, should she find anyone willing to go with her. Ymara, after all, did not say she couldn't bring friends.

- Continue conversation
- Leave to prepare

- Stock up on supplies​

- Recruit allies​

- Research demons​

- Leave and do something else
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Everything living can be killed." Lianna replied, determined. How exactly she did not know, but had an idea where to start.

If aunt Muriel was back at the Hub, she would have a lot of questions for her.

Lianna patted Trevor on the head fondly, smiling, "You stay out of trouble, alright." She said, before looking up at Everett, " I'm not sure if we'll see each other again..." She faltered, looked away, then looked at him again, "Ah damn it." She shook her head, then made up her mind, made a couple of determined steps toward him and without an explanation placed her hands on his face and pulled him down into a brief kiss. If she somehow managed to die out there, she did not want to regret not doing this one silly little thing.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Trevor looked up at her through messy, unkempt hair, and giggled. Remnants of chocolate and cookie crumbs stuck to the edges of his mouth, but either the boy didn't notice or was intentionally saving them for later. Kids.

As Lianna moved away, bidding both farewell, Everett wished her luck. His brows shot towards his forehead when, immediately after, she turned and met their lips. They pulled apart a moment later, his hand hovering just centimeters from her side—likely an instinctive response. "Lianna..." Everett ignored Trevor grimacing at their display. It seemed he wanted to say more—say anything, really—but instead, he lowered his hand and looked away.

- Leave
(Optional): Take back your cloak

 

[ArcticFox]

"I know, Everett." Lianna smiled. "I'm doing my best you know, I always have. Some habits are just difficult to change."

She moved away from him and winked at Trevor, "You can keep the coat if you like it." She said before turning to leave and head to the Hub.

 

[Cartoonicat]

The boy smiled and Everett watched, quietly, as she slipped out the front door.

---

Several walking corpse encounters later—they seemed rather active still from that morning, though activity completely ceased the closer she got to the Hub—she arrived at her destination. The Hunters from the Summit had returned and, standing over one of the large center tables was Aunt Muriel. Reading spectacles on, she marked down notes in some sort of ledger before comparing them to a pile of strewn paperwork in several different handwritings.

She looked quite focused on whatever she was doing.

- Approach Aunt Muriel
- Leave her be
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Seeing her aunt focused, Lianna hesitated for a moment, but decided that her matter was urgent. She approached aunt Muriel with a curious look.

"Writing a report on yesterday's events?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

Aunt Muriel hummed a sigh. "As always," she said, sifting through the papers. While she didn't look up from her work, she did keep the conversation going. "How about you? Have you written a report yet?" Lianna's aunt was notorious for her strict adherence to Hunter guidelines, which meant when she wasn't working, she was either writing detailed reports or hounding those in her parties to do the same. Clem's tendency to misplace things often infuriated his mother.

With all the chaos, Lianna had not written a report. Considering the upcoming journey, she might not have the chance to at all.

- Lie
- Tell the truth
- Ask Aunt Muriel to overlook it
- Change the topic
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Not yet, auntie, I was busy this morning." Lianna admitted, "In fact, there is something I have to tell you and ask your advice on, but not publicly." She looked around, and approached a step further, "And please promise that you won't be mad at me."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Aunt Muriel didn't look up from her papers until Lianna feared her getting mad, to which she met her niece's eyes and set aside her spectacles. "Depends on what it is," she said, though her eyes swept up and down, searching for any sign of injury. Lianna's collar did a good job of hiding the marks in public, however; Aunt Muriel saw nothing.

Packing up her work, Aunt Muriel dropped the book and folders into her workbag before slinging it over her shoulder. Without a word, she ushered Lianna to one of the quiet study rooms, locking the door behind them to avoid any interruptions.

Before Lianna could speak, Aunt Muriel asked: "Please tell me you're not involved with another supernatural," she said. "I heard through the grapevine you'd been caught with a vampire at City Hall some time ago. Clem said it was a misunderstanding, but looking at you now, you look like you did when you were up to no good as a teenager."

- Lie to Aunt Muriel
- Tell the truth
- Change the topic
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna frowned at her aunt's assumptions. Why would she think that Lianna would like to go through something like that again? She gritted her teeth and bit back a bitter remark. Instead, when they were out of earshot, she said.

"I made a deal with a demon last night and now I have a contract to fulfill. What do you know of Kelaelin and his coven?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

Aunt Muriel nearly choked. "You made a deal with a de-" she cut her words short, borderline shouting, before continuing in a quieter, albeit furious tone. "You made a deal with a demon? Kelaelin, of all demons? By God, Lianna, what going on with you!?"

- Argue
- Apologize
- Cry
- Storm out
- Say nothing
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"I didn't make a deal with Kelaelin." Lianna tried to explain, "I made a deal with Gul in the coven last night and my end of the deal is killing Kelaelin. I'm going to do it, aunt Muriel, one way or another. I just hoped that you would be able to help me prepare."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Aunt Muriel covered her face with a hand and shook her head. She stayed silent for some time. Then she sighed. "I will always help you," upon lowering her hand, her eyes were glassy, "but demons can't die, Lianna, they just re-manifest in their realm. Why would you make such a deal? What was so important that you let the Brambleroots manipulate you?"

- Tell her everything
- Hug Aunt Muriel
- Defend the Brambleroot witches
- Say nothing
- Argue
- Leave
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"I'm sure there is a way to kill a demon. To stop it from remanifesting?" Lianna asked, ignoring her question. She did not want to go into further details. What happened happened, a deal was made and she now had to move forward.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Lianna's aunt just shook her head in disapproval or pity—or both. With a deep breath, she set her workbag on the small round table. "Sit," she instructed. "If there is a way of killing a demon, I don't know it," her tone had gone terse. "She might have an idea, though," Aunt Muriel slid a business card towards Lianna, the name reading Missy Maya on the front.

She then proceeded to rip out pages from select spots in an old journal. Then she stopped, getting flustered, and slammed the journal shut before passing it over, along with the notes. "Just take the whole thing. It has all the information on witches I've collected over the past decade and a half. I don't know how much it'll help, but hopefully, you'll find something worth the time I've invested."

- Ask Aunt Muriel a question
- Reassure Aunt Muriel
- Recruit Aunt Muriel
- Do something else
- Thank her and leave
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Thank you." She said after taking the journal. It was clear that her aunt was upset and afraid and she would be lying if she said that it did not feel her with dread. But there was no time to think about that right now. The sooner she dealt with this demon, the better.

"I will be fine, auntie." Lianna smiled, turning to leave. Her next stop was Dan. She had to get a science book from him for the first demon realm and see if he had any useful gadgets for her.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Aunt Muriel didn't say anything as she left, simply remained leaning over the table as though it were the only thing holding her up at that moment.

In the basement, Lianna found Dan yet again smeared up to his elbows in blood, this time mixed with soot and some sort of sappy-colored liquid. He muttered to himself as he mixed several ingredients into a bowl with his gloved hand, before lifting it into the lamplight. "A bit thin, still... would not keep shape with the trajectory... hmm, but what to thicken it with?" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, only to realize a half-second too late that he'd smeared the concoction all across his facial hair.

He hummed in thought, attempting to wipe it off to no avail. "Quite sticky... perhaps more suitable than anticipated."

- Approach Dan
- Watch Dan
- Lecture Dan about hygiene
- Gag
- Leave
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Ugh, well I'm glad to see that some things never change." Lianna said as she approached her mentor, a hand over her nose and mouth. "I'm not even going to mention your personal hygiene yet, because I feel that you are a lost cause at this point." She shook her head, chuckling. She was still fond of her mentor, no matter what he did in his spare time. "What are you making now?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

Dan looked up, goggles magnifying the size of his eyes in comparison to his face. With a smile, he lifted them with his elbow. "Working on witch repellant," he said. "Liquified amber, wolf's blood, and a couple of other ingredients. I'm hoping to make something more potent than amber itself, though... its consistency is a bit lacking." He lifted a gloved hand from the bowl, showing Lianna the syrupy mess he'd created. "It sticks quite well, however."

- Try wiping it away
- Ask for some gadgets
- Ask for a book
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Looking at the mixture, but not daring to touch it, Lianna asked, "Does amber affect demons too?" Perhaps not Kelaelin, but the demon child or Gul might be weakened by it.

 

[Cartoonicat]

"That is an excellent question," Dan said. "I'm not too knowledgeable of demons, though I know someone who is. M... ah... hm. I've forgotten her name," he pooched his lips, brows knitting together. "We met briefly at the Gala. Her card is around here somewhere."

Despite having helped Dan clean a bit ago, it'd become cluttered and dirty again. Finding a small business card in such a wreck would be quite a job.

- Search for the card
- Ask for some gadgets
- Ask for a science book
- Do something else
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Missy Maya?" Lianna offered. "I have her card already and I pay her a visit as soon as I'm done here. That said, do you have any of your boring smart books for me to borrow? Something particularly complicated would be great."

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Missy Maya!" Dan snapped his fingers, only for them to get stuck together with goop. "That's her. She's a brilliant mind. I wish we'd had more time to discuss our findings at the Gala..." He seemed genuinely downtrodden at the lack of opportunity to muse with other creators. "Anyway, I do! There should be a box of books over there... somewhere."

Several boxes had reaccumulated since Lianna last cleaned, but at least he kept them somewhat in categories now.

- Ask for gadgets
- Search for some books
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna looked over the mess and sighed. It's gonna take a while to find a book in that mess. But she got down to business right away.

"While I sort through your mess, would you tell me if you have any useful new gadgets for me? Against witches especially."

 

[Cartoonicat]

As Lianna sorted through old paperbacks and worn hardcovers, Dan set aside the bowl and gloves. "This might be the first time you've asked for anything witch related. I have several prototypes. Just let me find them..." and he set to work looking for said gadgets.

A couple of secured books later, Dan cleared off a table for his inventions. "Aside from the tried and true amber jewelry most Hunters wear, I've a modified Geiger Counter that should detect several different kinds of sulfur, which is a component of demon's blood. Taking into consideration a witch's mark contains at least 50% of the acidic substance, this instrument should be able to track witches." He paused, realization dawning on him. "Witches and demons. Fascinating."

A witch tracker, assuming it worked. Most, if not all, of Dan's inventions were prototypes prone to failure at some point.

"Next, I have a fake witch's mark," he beamed. "Particularly proud of this one, considering the number of requests I've had for means of infiltration..." Dan picked up a flesh-colored patch of what looked to be silicone. Lianna recognized Ymara's symbol. "It's never been tested, so it may not work at all, but the symbol is an actual witch's mark carved from the hand of a living witch and stitched into silicone, so as to easily apply to one's skin. My theory is that, so long as the witch is alive, her mark is still functional enough to fool those in the community. Though, I doubt it will grant magical prowess, considering the mark itself is not written with your blood."

As he picked up the last invention, some sort of round seeing glass, it completely fell apart in his hands. Dan blinked down at the broken invention. "Well, that was supposed to be a window into the demonic plane, but as you can see..." He sighed, collecting the pieces. "Must need more glue..."

- Ask a question
- Take the Witch Tracker
- Take the Faux Witch Mark
- Take both inventions
- Ask for the amber goop
- Other