Low Estate/Turns/Turn 12

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• Aernoud van Nevel (josh_g): forest wanderer — FATE ▣▢▢▢▢ • Stress ▢▢ • Consequences unused (2), unused (4), unused (6)
• Antheunis Opgieten (lpsmith): slippery urchin — FATE ▢▢▢▢▢ • Stress ▢▢ • Consequences unused (2), unused (4), unused (6)
• Boudin Verdonk (maga): bravo and expeditor — FATE ▢▢▢▢▢ • Stress ▢▢▢▢ • Consequences unused (2), unused (4), unused (6)
• Mattius Rothmann (Fang): brutish warmage — FATE ▢▢▢▢▢ • Stress ▢▢▢▢ • Consequences unused (2), unused (4), unused (6)
• Willem de Vos (Jota): student magician — FATE ▣▢▢▢▢ • Stress ▢▢ • Consequences unused (2), unused (4), unused (6)
• Lazer Dennis (Rob): manic-depressive man out of time — FATE ▣▢▢▢▢ • Stress ▢▢▢ • Consequences unused (2), unused (4), unused (6)

University Catacombs

Antheunis pulls out a bit of metal and fiddles with the gate lock while the others keep watch. Minutes tick by but then finally the lock pops open -- unfortunately, Antheunis discovers to his distress that the metal bit is firmly wedged in the lock. Still, at least the thing is open, and you can proceed inwards.

The gate is set into the wall of an otherwise-undecorated mausoleum; inside, the hallway runs a short distance, past an alcove in which are candles, matches, and ceremonial robes and staves, and then turns into a long slow descent, going below the level of the mausoleum and into the earth itself. The catacombs are surely as old as the university, which in turn is as old as the city; some people say the tunnels were always there and the university scholars merely uncovered them and added a few carvings, while others claim the scholars called forth demons to carve them from the stone, in exchange for a portion of the souls of all who were buried there. In any case, the catacombs hold generations of scholars (tradition holds none can be buried elsewhere, though within the university debates have occasionally been furious about where to bury a particular academic).

The tunnels wind their way along, until you make a final turn and stand before an archway carved with twin ravens. Beyond lies the series of rooms that make up the university catacombs, the place where the scholars bury their dead.

[I should add I'm not totally sure what you guys were intending to do here; if you were planning on investigating it as a place of power, Willem has that wand and Aernoud was studying up on ley lines from Lady Bellaire's documents. Alternately, if you were just going to physically search around, I'd like to know vaguely what approach you're taking / what you're looking at -- emphasizing doing a quick scan, or reading all the headstones, or examining the stonework, or trying to map it out, or what have you.]

Antheunis was worried that the warehouse construction would be connected to the Death nexus somehow. I don't know what skill I would roll to determine if our current location (and/or the location of the Death Nexus, assuming we find it) was close to/under the warehouse, but it does seem like, having been a 'savvy street rat', that he'd have a pretty good feeling for the city's layout, and would have a good sense of direction even when he couldn't see landmarks--he might not know how *deep* they are, but he'd be able to tell you what he was underneath. I can spend a fate point for this, as a Technique, perhaps?

When he eventually finds a way to tactfully extricate himself from a fascinating discourse on avian harmonics, Willem tries to catch up with the others in the catacombs. Noticing that he still has the wand in his pocket, he takes it out and waves it around a bit as he navigates his way in the dimness.

Inside Lazer Dennis (Turn 12)

Lazer backs away instinctively from the twin raven sculptures, as if they had successfully warned him off. Momentarily mixed-up, Lazer says, "We're here at the way wrong time." Lazer glances repeatedly at what he calls his "Octal Chronograph," or some other pile of mashed radishes he claims tells the time. "Positive or negative time, I'm not quite sure."

Willem glances sideways + up-and-down at him. Antheunis adopts a patient expression. Impatiently, Lazer declares: "Still need to buy that doublet before the costumiers closes," like it's some order he's giving everybody.

Antheunis finally says, "I know exactly why we were at the warehouse, but why are we here in the catacombs?"

Willem quickly answers, "We're at the catacombs because Lazer wanted to go to the catacombs."

Lazer says, looking somewhat nonplussed, "I followed you guys here. And I talked about the catacombs because you guys wanted to know what I was thinking before I was ready to say it. So there, it came out funny, and now we're all in the dark about to be attacked by ghost-werewolves or animated bones or something. What I want to do is drink a flagon of wine, stand in a dark corner, and feel better about not asking the girl in the sprite costume anything at all, because I just overheard the plans of the man who has somehow disrupted all our lives right when it was starting to be fun!"

Antheunis chuckles, politely. Lazer fakes a laugh. Willem stares at the wall for a few moments and says, "I had thought he'd had some specific reason for it. But perhaps I was jumping to conclusions?"

Lazer looks at his chronometer one more time while pretending not to and says, "In the quickest event, we all need hats and moustaches. Preferably identical."

   "But..." they protested.
   
   "I'll explain on the way," he cliched.

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