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[Egan_BW]

I'm actually a bit surprised that you decided to black out the actual horfing. Perhaps Metal Gear has desensitized me to such things.

[OceanSoul]

We have a book, fortune cookies/packages, bottled something, some sort of computer attachment(?), red scrolls/bars, some metal plate that might be screwed into something, in which case use an appropriate tool from our guitar tools to unscrew it if we have one, a cube that may be a robot buddy, yellow graph paper(?), and a switch on the right wall for power. Why is to off, anyway? Ask robot. Also, ask robot if it has a preferred name. First, though, examine each object mentioned, ant thoroughly scan each cubic inch with light.

Also, Solifuge, nice touch with the sweeping light shape.

[crazyabe]

We have a book, fortune cookies/packages, bottled something, some sort of computer attachment(?), red scrolls/bars, some metal plate that might be screwed into something, in which case use an appropriate tool from our guitar tools to unscrew it if we have one, a cube that may be a robot buddy, yellow graph paper(?), and a switch on the right wall for power. Why is to off, anyway? Ask robot. Also, ask robot if it has a preferred name. First, though, examine each object mentioned, ant thoroughly scan each cubic inch with light.

Also, Solifuge, nice touch with the sweeping light shape.

You mean Toolkit Right? I Don't think our Guitar is the correct tool to open very many objects...

[Sir Knight]

There is no way this will work, but it occurred to me:

The thing dead center looks like a small old-fashioned computer terminal.  You know, monochrome.  Would make no sense to be paired with the larger screen on the right, but inspect screen for any screen burn-in.  There could be an old prompt or error message etched into it from before power was lost, which would give info.

When that fails, pull the bar lever on the right under the lightning bolt logo.  If that's not the power control, then nothing is.

[Kadzar]

When that fails, pull the bar lever on the right under the lightning bolt logo.  If that's not the power control, then nothing is.

Pulse Eon

[NUKE9.13]

>Read ye book

[monk12]

>Loot All

[Tiruin]

There is no way this will work, but it occurred to me:
[...]

The thing dead center looks like a small old-fashioned computer terminal.  You know, monochrome.  Would make no sense to be paired with the larger screen on the right, but inspect screen for any screen burn-in.  There could be an old prompt or error message etched into it from before power was lost, which would give info.[...]

I'm detecting older person wisdom--largely because I'm adopted, Aaaaaaaaand my folks are elders who are pretty awesome to be with. This whole post had me nostalgic about the age gap I live in, and how I lived with the transition of technology for about 50 years despite my age
Love posts like these.

That said, I do like how the robot's eye widened when it saw us sit down and *BLARGH*. That's a nice touch there.

>Loot All

+1
Prioritize things we can USE or READ in our inventory slots.

[StrawBarrel]

Inspect the underside of the counter.
Perhaps there could be yucky used chewing gum hanging from there.

Edit:
Actually, go check the floor tiles/blocks for footprints or other signs of someone entering this small room.
That's probably an easier way to figure out if anyone's been here recently if the items and fixtures down here don't provide any clues.

[Tiruin]

Inspect the underside of the counter.
Perhaps there could be yucky used chewing gum hanging from there.

Edit:
Actually, go check the floor tiles/blocks for footprints or other signs of someone entering this small room.
That's probably an easier way to figure out if anyone's been here recently if the items and fixtures down here don't provide any clues.

I wonder if we can force ask Solifuge to draw pixel dust :3
As in, check for Footprints or any markings that may be present if the floor or walls is dusty; meaning a long time being left unattended.

[Solifuge]

> ...ask robot if it has a preferred name.

Suddenly, you realize that you never asked the Robot what their name was.
And, now that you think about it, you never introduced yourself either? Whoops!



You look around for them, hoping to talk, but you don't see them anywhere.
It seems like they didn't follow you down into this room, for some reason?

Weird, but oh well. You suppose you'll just have to ask them later.

> Check the floor tiles/blocks for footprints or other signs of someone entering this small room. You start investigating the room, and it's contents. Spoiler: 1 Logic + 1 Composure ★★ <VS> Difficulty ★ (click to show/hide) 10 Again! +2 Bonus Success! ★★★★ A shelf and a metal desk run along one end of the room. They're covered in clutter and dust. In fact, everything in this room is covered in a thick, gritty layer of dust. There are no noticeable footsteps, or signs of recent disturbances, except for yours. If you had to guess, no one has been in this room for quite some time. > Lotta stuff here. Let's start with looking at the thing to the right, then work our way left.

Starting from the right, you see a stack of Loose Paper, covered in writing.
The pages are old and yellowed, but the words look legible at a glance.

Left of that, there's a box-shaped Metal Monitor, and a same-sized loose Metal Plate.
It reminds you of your Robot friend, minus the spider legs. And semblance of life.
Maybe it's broken? Looks like it might be partially disassembled.

Next, there's a large, dusty shelving unit, covered in various junk, bits, and bobs.
Working your way from the top down, you see Crumpled Paper and a Large Book.
Under that, some kind of unknown Circuit Board, with a stray wire attached.
Next to that are a few fist-sized Metallic Canisters, each with a nubby bit on top.
Something about the shape makes you think of larger-than-usual batteries.
Lastly, the bottom shelf is full of several shiny, reddish Metal Bars of some sort.

> Loot All

You'd like to take all this stuff with you, but your bag can only fit a few more items.
You might have been able to take more, if you still had your second Duffle Bag. Too bad it got eaten.
Still... it makes you wonder. Did you bring an empty bag, knowing you'd want to loot this place?

You're near the limit of how much weight you can comfortably carry, in any case.
You'll have to pick a limited number of these things, if any, to bring with you.

> Prioritize things we can USE or READ

Before you decide what you want to take, you need to find out what's in here.

You decide to focus on sources of information. You look at the pile of Loose Papers first.
The pages are ripped along one edge, like they were torn out of something, and left here.
They look like pages from a Day Planner, with printed-out date headers and a space for writing.

The words are handwritten in two distinct styles; one tight-packed and blocky, the other formal and flowing.
No weird symbols, garbled words, or any of that either. Everything looks normal.

You start reading the topmost page.

Spoiler: Loose Papers, Page 1: (click to show/hide) VERNA 20TH, 1631 • EVENING SUPERVISOR: Anatess Good to hear that things are back to normal with your crew. It was a pretty quiet night for us too, with one exception. The instruments registered another small quake, shortly after shift change. It's starting to get some of the rookies worried. That new Adept we've got on loan hasn't been helping, either. They (whom, for the sake of discretion, shall remain nameless) spent most of the evening meeting fretting about the stability of the cave system. The lack of any risk factors in last week's Geosurvey didn't convince them, either. They're suggesting we forget the deadline, and stop digging until we can investigate. Can you imagine? We can't afford to just eat these fines if we miss our Crystalsand quota. Be glad the boss hired them to Dowse instead of consult, right? And it's not as though we aren't paying attention either! I've been running operations like this for long enough to know that these quakes aren't from local instability. We're just feeling aftershocks, from something that could be half a world away. Frankly, cave-ins are so unlikely that they're not worth worrying about, but this fearmongering could easily make someone panicked and sloppy. And that's where the real disasters start. Ru, I don't know what to do with this Adept. Is fretting over and meddling in everything just a Human thing? - Ana P.S. That might sound racist, but I SWEAR it's not. VERNA 21ST, 1631 • MORNING SUPERVISOR: Ruta Oh, "for the sake of discretion," eh Ana? Even without the part about being on loan from North Site, we've kinda only got one Human Adept here. Remind me to never let you keep my secrets! Sorry to hear about that mess regarding the quakes. You'll be glad to hear there's no new seismic activity to report this morning. On the other hand, we had a few medical incidents, though thankfully nothing major. A group of workers near the Main Borehole reported sudden nausea and hallucinations. They're all fine, but they spent half the shift in the infirmary, which set us back on labor today. No clear cause, but the Nurse blames a gas pocket. Must've missed one in the last the Geosurvey. In other bad news, the Drill Heads in the Main Borehole were damaged by one of the affected operators. I know you normally do inventory at night, but I went ahead and ordered the replacement parts. They'll be arriving as soon as possible. Sorry to upset your nightly ritual, but you've got enough on your plate as-is. I hope things run smoothly for you tonight. Take care! - R.

So, looks like the writers were managers here. This was from some kind of Logbook?
Weird that this, and the rest of these pages, were just torn out and left here like this.
Wonder if that's where those Crumpled-Up Pages came from, too. More of the same?

You'd like to read more, but you decide to set the paper back down on the pile for now.
This might be something you want to take with you.

> Read ye book > See if we can read the book. Legible words or more dream-writing?

You reach up above the Metal Shelves, and pull down a hefty Red Book.
It's discolored, and musty-smelling. It seems a bit older than the Loose Papers.
You quickly flip through the pages, trying to get a sense for what it's about.

It doesn't seem to have a title, or any words. Just a series of sketches, in dark ink.
There's one that looks like a gear, but with shovel-heads in place of the gear teeth.
Another that's jumble of pipes, bolts, and wires. It reminds you a bit of a car engine.
There's a silhouette of a jagged tower rising above a forest. Tiny bird-shapes swarm around it.
A doodle of faded signs and a traffic light, at an intersection overgrown with vines and trees.
A set of sketches of an aircraft hanger or warehouse, with details of the walls and ceiling struts.
You're guessing this is a sketchbook of some sort. If there's a theme, though, it isn't obvious.

You eventually find a page with a dog-eared corner; a radio, in various stages of disassembly.
Each component has been carefully drawn, with a web of lines connecting them to one another.
It looks an awful lot like the one you found upstairs, come to think of it.

There are other similar sketches in the surrounding pages, of devices that aren't familiar to you.
You'd like to keep looking through it, but you could easily spend hours flipping through this.
For now, you close it, and set it back down near the papers.

> ...pull the bar lever on the right under the lightning bolt logo.  If that's not the power control, then nothing is.

You turn your attention to a metal box attached to the wall, near the staircase landing.
Inside a recess, you see an exposed reddish bar. It looks corroded, or maybe burnt.

The lightning icon at the top hints that it's related to power. Might be the Power Switch?
Without thinking too much about it, you quickly reach forward to grab the bar.

A moment too late, you're reminded of the last time you blindly reached into an alcove.
Panic grabs your heart, the moment before your hand makes contact. Another shock like that could...

Spoiler: Results: (click to show/hide) ...could not possibly happen to you, right? Of course! Haha! Thank goodness. You let out a small, and very relieved, sigh.

The bar is cool to the touch, and very much not electrically charged this time.
You give the bar a few quick pulls, but it doesn't seem to want to budge.
It's solidly stuck in place. Maybe if you pulled a little harder...

Spoiler: 1 Might + 2 Stamina ★★★ <VS> Difficulty ★ (click to show/hide) Success! ★★★

With one last firm pull, and a springy metallic sound, the entire Corroded Bar breaks free into your hand.

...wait, breaks free?







Welp. You sure hope that's what was supposed to happen!

Spoiler: GM NOTES: (click to show/hide)

Hey all. I'm trying to maintain at least one update per week, but this next few weeks might be inconsistent. We've had a death in the family. The news came when I was finishing this update. It's been a long time coming, but it hit me harder than I was expecting. In better news, we're expecting my first Niece to be born in the next week or two. It could make updates tricky, since I'm on call for emergency house-sitting and pet-sitting for the expecting parents, starting on whatever day that kicks off.

I'll be doing my best to keep up on this, throughout. Thanks for your readership.

Spoiler: CHARACTER STATUS: HANA (click to show/hide) SATED: ≫ HANA HAS EATEN RECENTLY. ≫ SHE WILL BECOME HUNGRY AFTER A DAY WITHOUT FOOD. AWAKE: ≫ HANA HAS SLEPT RECENTLY. ≫ SHE WILL BECOME TIRED AFTER A DAY WITHOUT SLEEP. ENERVATED: ≫ SOME OF HANA'S WILLPOWER IS BURNED. ≫ IT WILL NOT RECOVER BY NATURAL HEALING. ITEM SUMMARY: (Capacity: 24kg / 30kg) Boots (1 kg): Rugged leather. Travel-Worn. Clothes (N/A): Warm-Weather. Beet Pun. Corroded Bar (2 kg): Dense, metallic, and burnt. Duffel (1 kg): Brown Canvas. Zip-Top. 12 Slots. Flashlight (1 kg): Bright, sturdy, and reliable. DUFFEL CONTENTS:  ≫ Cat Plush (N/A): Handcrafted. Cute and useless.  ≫ Rope (8 kg): Natural Fiber, 20 meters.  ≫ Toolkit (10 kg): Assorted Crafting and Repair.  ≫ Ukulele (1 kg): "Memento Mori". Sturdy and Travel-Worn.

[DolosusDoleus]

I'm really sorry for you man. The loss of a family member is never easy. Best of luck for you and your family.

>Inspect the items on the shelf. Inspect giant apricots on top of said shelf.

[OceanSoul]

Wait...the other thing we stuck our hand in before...THAT didn't have a handle. What if it was a switch to open the grates? We'd probably need an adhesive of some sort to replace it. maybe our robot friend can make some glue with the mana thing or whatever?

[Egan_BW]

Grab a reddish bar from the shelf and cram it into the socket! Just like a battery!
If that fails, maybe put a Metallic Canister in there?

And note the page in the sketchbook with the radio in it. Might be able to use that to repair the radio and make it work in a non-demonic fashion.

Puzzle solving!

[Sir Knight]

Sorry to hear about the death in the family.  Time goes by and sometimes you know these things are coming, but the real thing can still hit you.

>Inspect the items on the shelf. Inspect giant apricots on top of said shelf.

"Apricots" are crumpled paper.  They might be illuminating if read, but likely are not edible.

And the shiny, reddish Metal Bars of some sort are probably fuses, not batteries.  It's possible that there was supposed to be a catch to hold this thing in place.  The "breaking free" could be bypassing a catch, or it could just be breaking where the bar had rusted in place.

So inspect for a catch on the metal box.  Whether there is one or not, insert a shiny, reddish Metal Bar of some sort.

Edited P.S.: I'm concerned about the nausea and hallucinations noted in the Logbook.  Not perfectly overlapping circumstances, but alarmingly familiar.