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Post by Janus on Sept 30, 2019 12:29:48 GMT -5
Mildred pulls up in front of the scrap yard and get out. The night air is fresh and cool, but not yet cold. A little cloud cover hides the night sky, allowing a full moon to illuminate the grounds, adding to the minimal light provided by the security lights from the yard. Piles of cars provide the impression of great hulking giants flooding the area with deep pools of darkness. Even outside the yard the aire of the place is ominous.
A high wire mesh fence surrounds the yard and from inside you can hear the scuffing sound of guard dogs. They have not yet started barking but you both know it is only a matter of time. The gate to the yard is padlocked so the easiest route will probably be to take the long trek around the perimeter to the trees at the back. The surrounding grounds are wild and unkempt so it will be slow going but if you could imagine a perfect area, outside the florida everglades, for Swamp Thing, it would look something like this.
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Post by Gris on Oct 1, 2019 3:50:17 GMT -5
"Trouble seems to pile up on us, and we haven't still solved our first case..." Mildred groaned as an answer to the strange feeling that permeated the place. The padlock wasn't an issue, not were the dogs really, but given that she didn't need the extra trouble nor the blood, a walk around was the most convenient. Mildred had gone through periods of hunger, so she wasn't a stranger to feed from the most disgusting of preys, but she didn't want to needlessly hurt those dogs nor feed from anything in that unnerving place. "Time to go around, it makes no sense getting in there now, we can check on the place once the rest of our troubles start to get solved, if ever" she added, as ready as she was ever going to be to get into the wilderness and meet the Swamp Thing.
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Post by lilithsboy on Oct 1, 2019 18:30:29 GMT -5
Welcome to the Gotham Police Department, undermanned, underbudgeted, and overwhelmed. I believe he can help us with our first case and then we can investigate this one. My interest in meeting this particular gentleman has only redoubled. Christopher says in a deadpan voice. His hands moving smoothly as he collects energy and sends it in the direction of the dogs.
Witchcraft 3 to calm the dogs and keep them from barking.
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Post by Janus on Oct 5, 2019 20:07:25 GMT -5
The perimeter of the fence is not an easy walk, and by the time you reach the tree line moisture from the long grass has soaked your trousers.
If you enter the copse of trees, the light from the sky and security lights will all but vanish leaving you in a pitch darkness that to Christopher at least will be a hindrance.
Mildred's keen vampiric senses would make this environment no more difficult than a dimly lit room but she is aware that it would be a dead give away to her vampiric nature, assuming Swamp Thing doesn't have other ways to determine that anyway.
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Post by Gris on Oct 7, 2019 5:39:32 GMT -5
Mildred was a beast that belonged in the city, she had always been even before she was a predator, so her mood was as foul as the air that emanated from the scrapyard they avoided. She couldn't win, both choices soured her attitude, and what they got coming wasn't exactly an easy pill to swallow either. If she minded the darkness maybe her paranoid nature may have warned her about the sudden darkness, maybe beyond what the dense vegetation justified, but as things were she had more urgent things to worry about.
Like a strange, barely understandable, phenom of supernatural nature that was yet bonded to the natural world. And without sympathy for her kind, be it vampire, police or Gothamite.
"Here we are, this should be the place" Mildred mumbled in her worried yet excited state. This was as far as eternally bored as it could get, she only hoped that it didn't cut her long life short, even if many could argue that she had it coming. "Doing well partner?" she wondered.
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Post by lilithsboy on Oct 8, 2019 16:32:23 GMT -5
Christopher looks around as they get closer to the dark outcropping of trees, upon finding a decently sized rock he scoops it up. He is filled to bursting at what has been happening recently; however, he feels this might not be the appropriate place and he feels Mildred does not care for his oversharing. As well as can be expected, I admire the Swamp Thing but you know what they say about meeting one's idols.
Muttering something under his breath the stone begins to levitate and glow brightly, allowing Christopher to see as they progress.
Master of Magic 3 TK/Making an object light up. (While this takes a little bit of liberty with MoM it does say minor magical tricks and that is one of the most common ones used for practice in many books)
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Post by Janus on Oct 16, 2019 5:18:17 GMT -5
Making light is a simple trick and as the stone rises into the air it spreads a light that illuminates the immediate area around Christopher and Mildred. It has the side effect however of deepening the shadows inside the group of trees and it is from these shadows that a sound comes.
You would call it a sound rather than a voice as no voice could be what this sound is. It is a mixture of leaves russling, branches creaking in the wind and the wind moaning as it resonates with the tree trunks. This is the voice of the trees and it clearly asks.
"Who are you?"
You suddenly find thorny branches blocking your way into the trees. They didn't seem to have been there a minute ago but then Christopher's light wasn't there so maybe you missed them.
(Mildred would have seen the branches were there before but not in that position, they definitely moved in response to Christopher's display of magic.)
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Post by Gris on Oct 17, 2019 5:24:29 GMT -5
"Never been a fan of certain bits of popular wisdom" Mildred answered to Christopher. "For example I can like living fast, but not dying young, at least not in the traditional sense" she smiled. "About leaving a beautiful corp-" her nervous humor was interrupted by the rustle of vegetation as soon as Christopher's magic turned the woods into a baroque painting. Mildred raised her hands, palms out, more of a reflex than trusting the trees to either see or understand her pacific gesture. "We are here for a talk. I made the call and he's the one with a deeper understanding of the issue" Mildred explained, "he's waiting for us, I'm responsible for this" she added as an afterthought, surprising even herself about the burden she was taking.
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Post by lilithsboy on Oct 17, 2019 18:19:02 GMT -5
Assessing the situation and facing where the voice/not voice came from.
My name is Christopher Bradly, I am a local detective as well as a witch, and I have come to ask for your help. Gotham has changed for the better since your last visit, they no longer simply look the other way when faced with things that humans do not consider the norm, they embrace them and attempt to help the. My partner and I are not quote-unquote normal, neither is anyone in our unit. We are tasked with aiding the police with that which they are woefully underprepared and undertrained. We have come across a nature spirit who has been corrupted by the ignorance of the people in the city and our unit is attempting to help. Having close ties to nature yourself and understanding that Gotham could indeed change for the better having seen it yourself we have come to ask your assistance and any knowledge you might have on the matter. Christopher knows Mildred does not like it when he gives a long speech and makes a mental note to apologize to her later, but The Swamp Thing is simply too powerful to not explain things clearly and concicely.
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Post by Janus on Oct 21, 2019 9:08:06 GMT -5
There is a sound from inside the group of trees, like something bursting free of the ground. Suddenly there are red eyes in the darkness a huge lumbering mass coming toward you both.
Swamp Thing is huge, at least 8 feet in height and broad with it. The muddy green of his skin (you use the word loosely) covers what appear to be powerful muscles. His gaze however, as it fixes upon you appears to be tired. The incident with his wife was not long ago. He should still be angry, but all you see is a tired calmness.
"Gotham is changing... you say."
He raises an arm and the ground shakes then a few feet away water starts trickling out of the ground. Apparently Swamp Thing has diverted the course of an underground stream. The water however isn't pleasant. Even in the limited light that Christopher's light stone affords you can see it appears to be tainted with chemicals, probably petroleum and the like having seeped into the ground from the salvage yard.
"This is a clean place... in Gotham, a place where... plants grow and creatures live... and still it is rotten... at its heart... If a spirit exists... in Gotham... how could it be anything... but corrupt?"
He shakes his head.
"Tell me of... this spirit."
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Post by Gris on Oct 22, 2019 5:09:34 GMT -5
Mildred froze on the spot, knees not trembling due to sheer willpower. She was a dead thing that feasted on the living, or at least that was her nature, but nothing compared to the titan in front of her. It was something that couldn't exist, shouldn't exist, and yet there he was. An agent of nature it seemed, worried by contamination, pollution, and yet there was nothing more unnatural than such a being in front of them. Mildred could understand a monster, as long as it moved by human behavior. Christopher was capable of bending reality with magic like humans always did to survive, a ghost was only a bitter human that couldn't let go, a vampire was the embodiment of human's predatory and egotistical nature... hell, even fae felt human in their motivations and behavior.
But that? Mildred almost would have liked if he sounded angry, vengeful. That she could understand. But the Swamp Thing felt distant, emotionless. Disappointed if anything. Such inhumanity...
No, there was someone who loved him, she had briefly talked with her through the phone. If there was something there to be loved, it meant that it could still understand their plead.
Given that Christopher was the one knowledgeable about the issue, and more than prone to talk with the object of his interest, Mildred just stood there protectively. She could act with levity at times, well, most of times, but she still knew when opening her mouth would do no good.
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Post by lilithsboy on Oct 24, 2019 21:45:13 GMT -5
Christopher waste no time in answering wanting full disclosure with the closest thing he could think of to an expert. A gentleman we met earlier referring to himself as a Miagani called it an Old One, a spirit of the earth air and sea. He said that the pollution to the land was directly correlated to this spirit's corruption. Furthermore, he told us that Old Ones are notoriously elusive and that trying to get in touch with one is neigh impossible, yet they may be the only creature on earth who could purify another Old One.
We could try to exorcise the spirit but even if that were effective it would harm or outright destroy it. Since this spirit seems to be innocent and only harmed due to human negligence I balk and the thought of harming it before exhausting all possible avenues to heal it.
Let me be frank, I sincerely doubt any of our team is up to the task of finding an Old One, furthermore even if we knew the location of an Old One none of us are pure enough to convince it to help. You, however, are directly connected to the land and show a great deal of interest in preserving and healing it.
Gotham is changing a few years ago there is no way officials would have agreed to invite you here, they would not knowingly hire either one of us, and they would not have cared enough about this spirit to act in its best interest. New ecological programs are being suggested and imposed, we are now looking at utilizing those with gifts to help clean up crime... Is the change long overdue and slow-moving? Indisputably but it is moving and in the right direction. Will you please help us?
Christopher is quickly becoming accustomed to being the least powerful creature in the room, Mildred could kill him with little more than a snap of her fingers, The captain is some sort of immortal, Cerberus and Jade seem to have more direct firepower, and his own grandmother is capable of doing something that even gods fear... He realizes he is best at greasing the wheels and moving things along since that seems to be the hand he is dealt he decides to see where that road takes him. As such he keeps his eyes level with Swamp Thing appreciating his shows of power but genuinely not intimidated in the least.
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Post by Janus on Nov 1, 2019 8:08:08 GMT -5
There is a moments pause as the Swamp Thing seems to reflect on what you have said.
"There are as many... Ways to view... A truth as there are leaves... In a forest... The old ones... Are the Fey... And vary in their... Purity. Where is... This spirit?"
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Post by lilithsboy on Nov 3, 2019 0:03:54 GMT -5
It has taken to the precinct which we work, it affects the criminals we bring in and increases mental illness already present within them. We could take you to it if you would like?
Christopher offers already trying to wrap his head around the logistics of doing just that..
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Post by Gris on Nov 5, 2019 6:08:16 GMT -5
Could we, Mildred wondered silently. Well, the Swamp Thing was the Swamp Thing, and Christopher was a fucking magic man, so anything was possible perhaps, including getting that being not only into Gotham but into their peculiar police department. Would Mildred be in his position she would probably be wary of all this thing being some kind of ambush, but who knew what went through the mind of such a man, such a being.
"Whatever I can do to help..." Mildred spoke for the first time since it appeared in front of them, sounding surprisingly meek.
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