Phillips Harbour
October 28, 1868. Night.
While Bernice and Caliban take Rev. Hale to see the unicorn, and hope to find a chance to see Miss Pau, Mr. Shaft is left to distract the witchhunters, and perhaps learn something useful about exorcisms.
Before she left with Bernice and Caliban, Marseilles made a rather disturbing suggestion to them. "Alorn asked me what had happened to me," she says. "When I explained about, um, eating the fox and the house and stuff, he wanted to know if you could ... do that for him. He thinks that he could become corporeal again if so, enough to escape from the Hill. Maybe not for very long. But long enough to influence the Game's outcome. I told him I'd ask you to think about it."
Herbert is a bit taken aback by the ghost's request at first, but says, "Doing so before the banefire is problematical. During it, however, the Amplifier should be able to channel the purified spirit energy to Alorn without the... side effects.. you've had to deal with, Marseilles."
Marseilles's ears perked. "Oh! That would work, wouldn't it? And you'd want more people to channel it into anyway, because there'll be so much to handle. I'll tell him you said so!" Her tail swishes before she flounces off.
"Well, we do need our own powerful spirits for this to have a chance," Shaft mutters to himself, and hopes Alorn can keep St. John under control at least.
After Marseilles has left, Harbert goes to pay a visit to the witchhunters. They're back at the Red Flag, the two preachers and their assistants eating dinner in relative privacy in the common room. The inn is quiet tonight, the town still subdued and anxious from all the strangeness afoot.
Doffing his hat, Shaft approaches the men's table and clears his throat. "I hate to intrude, gentlemen," he says quietly. "But I was hoping you could put some concerns of mine to rest if you had a moment?"
"Certainly, sir," Rev. Locke says. One of the assistants stands to bring Mr. Shaft a chair as Locke continues, "Make yourself comfortable. How may we help you?"
Herbert takes the seat, and places his hat in his lap. "Well, with all of the events at the old manor.. I've had to accept the notion that spirits could be at work in town, and may be less than benevolent. Given your profession and the dangers you face in dealing with such beings, I was hoping you could tell me of some way of.. protecting oneself against being influenced by a ghost or... demon."
"Prayer," Woodrome replies promptly, while Locke thumps his Bible for emphasis and the others nod in agreement. "Prayer and faith are the most important -- nay, the only protection we mortals have against the malign forces of the Devil. Do you believe, Mr. Shaft? Have you given your life and your soul into the hands of God?" He stares at Shaft with a piercing gaze.
"Well, I've..." Shaft begins, suddenly feeling nervous. "I've tried to lead my life by Christ's example, of course. I can't say that I've ever really put my fate solely in the hands of God though. I think that we are obligated to take care of ourselves and our fellow men as best we can on our own. God didn't create us to be helpless."
"No, no, of course not," Locke agrees. Woodrome continues, "But you cannot expect your own efforts to protect you from the supernatural. Only God's power can save you, or anyone, from damnation." He warms to this subject, going on at length about the power of the divine and the importance of prayer and trusting in God's benevolence.
"Are there any particular passages you could recommend from the Good Book?" Shaft inquires next. "What is it that you do before.. going into battle, shall we say?"
This question gets Mr. Shaft a tour of Woodrome's Bible, full of ribbon bookmarks and highlighted passages. Most of his favorites are in Psalms; Locke recommends some from the New Testament. They talk more about their trade in general: equipment like holy water, crosses, oil for anoiting, and incense. All of these things are secondary to faith in the Lord and prayer to Him. "They are Earthly tokens of devotion. They signify our obediance to God's will. But it is the will of God itself which makes the difference, not the tokens we offer."
"So in order to fend off a malevolent power, one must essentially surrender first to a greater, more benign one," Herbert gathers from the discussion. He knows how to bless water, at least - although likely not in the same tradition the priests are used to, and almost certainly would not approve of given its roots in gnosticism. There are also enough parallels with Masonic rituals that Herbert thinks he can put together something they might work.
The other men look vaguely disturbed by Hale's choice of words. "To God," Locke says. "There is only one, and no higher power to which one might appeal. But He will never disappoint His faithful."
"Of course, that is what I meant," Herbert says, correcting himself. As a Catholic, he's used to considering the Saints to be intermediary powers, after all, and forgot that these men wouldn't even be considering them.
They look somewhat reassured by this. "You must not make Science your God, my friend," Locke says, not unkindly. "It can be very tempting to place your faith in the works of your own hands, or in the things you can see. But true salvation can only be granted by the ineffable."
"Well, of course," Herbert agrees. "One doesn't need faith for the merely physical, after all. It is reserved for God." Thinking ahead, he asks, "Do you foresee any further disturbances now that the source of ill spirit has been removed? The manor was the source, wasn't it?" He asks this in a lowered voice, nearly a whisper, so as not to alarm anyone who might be eavesdropping.
"I anticipate fallout, to be frank, Mr. Shaft," Woodrome says. "The manor was a cancer in this town, and its removal was undoubtedly for the best. But its removal will also send a shock through the system. Losing a stronghold like that often causes lesser evils to emerge from the woodwork in an effort to fill the vaccuum left."
"Lesser evils?" Shaft asks, looking confused. Then he leans in a bit, and asks in a confidential tone, "Could they be related to the Tattooed Man? I'm sure the Sheriff has given you the details of the corpse found at the base of the old lighthouse earlier this month?"
"Ah, yes, you were the one to find the body, were you not? Sheriff Ponds has been unable to determine his identity, and suggested he was a sailor killed in the storm at the beginning of the month. Did you have your own theory, Mr. Shaft?" Locke asks.
"Well, the Sheriff likely has the right of it, but.." the Englishman says, and then lowers his voice again, ".. he had what looked like lash-marks on his back, and was covered neck to toe in strange tattoos, the likes of which I'd never seen before on a white man."
The others are listening intently. "The sheriff said many sailors have extensive tattoos, even in these parts." Locke doesn't sound convinced. "Do you think the man was a demon-worshipper?"
"It just seems an odd coincidence that things began to happen at around the same time this mysterious body appears," Shaft says. "Naked, at that. I can't imagine that seagulls stole a sailor's clothing."
"True, true. And there's the matter of the corpse missing from the graveyard, not to mention the various other attacks, all of which suggest that the demon in the mansion had human aid. We suspsect Madame Mysteria had a hand in it, but I'm not sure who her fellows are. As I said ... it is my hope that destroying the manor will flush the conspiracy into the open. Do you have any insights on the subject, sir?"
"Well.. not really," Herbert admits. "I made some sketches of the tattoo markings, but didn't take a photograph. Nor do I know if the body was interred near the disturbed grave or not. It seems best, to my mind, to leave such deeper investigations to men such as yourselves."
"Sensible of you," Woodrome says, but Locke looks a little disappointed, and somewhat dubious that Mr. Shaft is being completely honest.
"You mentioned Madame Mysteria," Shaft notes. "It was her home that burned in that.. unusual.. fire, correct? And her boarder who was killed."
Woodrome and Locke look blank. One of their assistants flips through his notes. "No, her home is elsewhere in town. The woman who died, Mrs. Everchild, had stayed with Madame Mysteria briefly in late September, however," he says.
"Oh, perhaps that is what confused me then," Shaft says. "I recalled her staying with the fortuneteller, and hadn't realized she'd moved."
"Yes, sir." The assistant adds some more lines at the end of his book. He looks thoughtful.
"I see that you are more on top of things than I am," Shaft says, smiling. "If you'd like to see the sketch of the tattoo pattern, I can probably find it and send it over if you think it will help any."
"We'd appreciate it, sir," the assistant says. The reverends nod but don't look especially enthusiastic.
"Well, I'll go see if I can find it then," the Englishman promises. "And thank you for easing my mind, Gentlemen."
Herbert is an organized man, and it's only a moment for him to locate the sketch in question. But getting it to the witchhunters, especially at this hour of the night, isn't a top priority. He puts it to one side with a note to have it delivered in the morning, and sets about tinkering with his equipment.
His first activity is to remove the 'guts' of the Darklight Camera until there is room to mount the Spirit Lamp inside of it. The goal to this is to have a way to expose the Lamp in a controlled manner, using the camera lens itself to focus or spread it the light. This involves removing the film plate mounting and fixing the power connections for the Lamp to the outside of the camera body.
It takes Mr. Shaft a while and considerable jury-rigging -- the spirit lamp is too big in its normal configuration to fit inside the camera -- but eventually he gets it fully inside and the camera lens aperture working properly.
Herbert tests that the heavy tripod for the camera still works with the extra weight. The Darklight Camera was heavy to begin with, and even with the internal components removed the Lamp still makes it a bit heavier." Well, I don't think I'll be mounting the Amplifier directly to the same support," he mutters, and goes to fetch a second tripod for the Amplifier mount. He oils the parts that need it, and attaches a boxy frame to the pivot that the Amplifier can sit in.
Using a different mount for the Amplifier is a good choice, although the lead lines between the two look ... fragile.
Herbert rubs his chin in thought. He needs to keep one of the two exposed leads free, which leaves just one to connect to the modified Lamp and Stunner, and the leads themselves only reach six feet. He disconnects the lead from the Lamp, finally, deciding it will just have to run from one of the charged batteries in the Engine. Which means, of course, that he'll need to remove one. He goes about disconnecting the necroplasm feeds from the Engine's secondary battery - the one that doesn't contain any human organs in it.
While Herbert is hooking up the Engine's secondary battery to the reworked spirit-lamp-in-a-camera, Caliban and Miss Townes return. They look worn around the edges: it's late at night, and it's been a very long month.
"Ah!" Herbert greets the pair. "How did it go?" he asks, hoping it went better that their appearance would suggest.
Bad news, boss, Caliban reports. Instead of the Unicorn convincin' Rev. Hale to help Open, Rev. Hale just about convinced Kari it's safer to Close. But if we can get ten like that... He points at the larger battery. We've got a fightin' chance.
Bernice rubs the bridge of her nose. "But Kari probably can't even hold that much, if we even had some way of finding that much. I'm still of them ind... oh, Mr. Shaft! I meant to ask you some more about how the machines work, now that we're thinking about them more."
"Ten batteries?" Shaft asks. "The Amplifier will have to suffice. Alorn wishes to stand with us, and perhaps Kari will change her mind if we can increase her strength."
You heard about that already? asks Caliban. Alorn said to Miss Marseilles that if he could get supercharged like her, he could leave the Hill without havin' to have a vessel. The chimpanzee looks distinctly worried about this, possibly because his first encounter with Alorn was not noted for its amiability.
But no, I mean, we need ten batteries worth to start it up, 'cause if we can't trick a Master into gettin' in the Amplifier, the chimpanzee elaborates. We're going to have to use force, and that's how much Kari said she'd need to be even with the way she was back when. I don't think we can talk anyone into bettin' the farm on them being stupid.
"It is still uncertain just how much energy a spirit can absorb that isn't also bound up with another spirit," Shaft says. "We can't test it until the banefire, after all. But that itself should provide enough energy to start the Amplifier. The battery is for the Lamp. Did she have an opinion on if it would provide a tactical distraction or not?"
She didn't have any ideas, boss. This is all newfangled technology to her, remember? points out Caliban.
"See, I don't know if it's betting on them 'being stupid', it depends on how this Amplifier can absorb," Bernice pipes up. She turns to the englishman. "Mr. Shaft, I was wondering just how the spirits are collected and absorbed. Caliban said it was a matter of getting them to touch the... Trap. Then, I assume this pipes the spirit to the Amplifier. Caliban said they don't come out of that intact. The Spirit Lamp is what lures them, correct? So my question is, what's the limitation on placing the lamp and trap where the portal is going to open, and luring them to the trap to immediately funnel them out as raw energy to be dispersed, or into one of our friendly spirits." She stops, and takes a deep breath.
"Well, the traps work on the principle of differential pressure, like a vacuum," Shaft explains. "The Amplifier creates a much stronger negative-spirit state inside, which draws in more powerful spirits. The logic is a bit odd, since it won't pull in lesser spirits, but the effect is what matters. They may resist, but once the Amplifier has a piece of them, I don't think they can escape. The Stunner is to help with the resistance issue. The Lamp, in this case, is not to lure them but to blind them to our presence as much as possible. Spirits from the other side should not find the Lamp a lure."
Bernice snaps her fingers. "Blast," she fumes. "I should have learned more sooner." She pauses thoughtfully. "What else might work as a lure... spirits from the other side need a host body to exist here. Could we disguise something as a host body around the trap? How does the Amplifier create this 'negative-spirit state', anyhow?"
"Err," the man adds after a moment of thought. "Frankly, I never thought of using the Lamp near the banefire before. I might have unusual side effects.. but we can control where it shines at least. As for how the Amplifier does what it does.. well, it's complicated and uses esoteric mathematics. Are you suggesting we set out host bodies as lures?"
The doctor nods hesitantly. "Well, it's a thought... I don't know if they'd fall for it more than once, but if we can suck up an important spirit, perhaps it would be enough. That's another thing... how much can the Amplifier process all at once? Right now, the battery is a limitation, isn't it? But if one were to just render it into raw energy to... 'kill' the other spirit, or channel it to a friendly spirit, is there technically any limit to how much can go through at once?"
Or put another way... Could we just stick the Amplifier right up against the Portal and suck them all up? asks Caliban.
"Well.. I don't know," Shaft admits, patting the side of the Amplifier. "It's never been tested, and was only meant to amplify a single artifact with the banefire as the power source. So long as we have enough spirits to and the stunner to drain off the power we should be fine. And.. in order to charge up Alorn, I think we'll need to have one of the leads grounded in the the Hill itself."
"We could stick it inside the portal, certainly.." Shaft notes to Caliban.
Bernice ponders this. "Well... in either case, would it be possible to just discharge the energy in a raw form if there's nothing to siphon it to?"
The doctor zags off on another tack without even waiting for an answer. "There's also the question of how big the portal gets. Kari says it gets larger over time."
"Well.. we can't really just discharge spirit energy," Shaft explains. "It's similar to how the Masters still need a host in this world. It might work on the other side of the portal, where everything is spirit energy, maybe, but not in our world. That energy needs to be embodied within a spirit or flesh.. and I'm a bit leery on the flesh part."
"The best we can do is channel the overflow into the Hill, which we know can contain spirits," the man concludes.
Wait a minute, boss, do we want a hill full of hashed-up spirit energy? asks the chimpanzee.
"But..." Bernice looks confused. "What about Marseilles? She's not in a host body. You're telling me it can't be discharged in a raw form? Can it be converted into a different form? Like light or heat?"
"Well, the only other likely grounding point would be the banefire itself.. which nearly is unbound spirit energy," Herbert suggests.
"It can be converted, and you may be confusing spirit energy with spirit itself," Herbert notes. "Frankly, there isn't much difference, except where the Amplifier is concerned. As a spirit, Marseilles has a binding force; an identity. Discharging raw energy is like calling down lightning on our heads. It may react with the banefire or the portal or with us."
Go back a minute, boss, the chimpanzee says. Boss, you were thinking about supercharging Alorn so he could get out of the Hill? Big stag type, goes around helping a psycho wolf that wants to exterminate mankind, rings a bell?
Herbert nods to Caliban, and notes, "We need allies. And.. well, we can always turn the Amplifier on him or St. John also, once they are powerful enough. There is something else I need to try out with Marseilles as well yet, after talking to the witch-hunters."
Boss, you're planning to let St. John out here? The chimpanzee staggers about in obvious disbelief, clutching his head.
"Just Alorn," Shaft notes. "We need to use the Hill as an energy sink, so.. we'll ave to deal with them either way. The banefire alone may give them the energy they need."
Townes holds her hands up. "Hold on, Mr. Caliban. Alorn isn't an enemy. I don't think he and St. John were in full agreement. We'll definately need him. St. John can keep rotting."
Okay. Maybe he's the more reasonable half of the two, the chimpanzee sighs. Just because I interrupted that ritual he and St. John were doing, and he said he was going to kill me for being an meddlin' li'l monkey, maybe he'll have forgotten about it or let bygone be bygones. He pauses. Can I hold onto the stunner for the Banefire?
"I'll need you to man the stunner, yes," Herbert says. "I'll have to handle the Amplifier. Someone else can man the Lamp.. oh, did you ever contact Trouble about getting back the Staff, Bernice?"
First thing I'm going to zap... The chimpanzee mutters as he walks around neatening things up. The boss can cook if he has to, but keeping a tidy lab?...
Bernice sighs and rubs the bridge of her nose. "No, I've been too busy running around in circles. We'd like to see if he's accomplished anything first. Before I forget, about confusing spirit energy and spirits... doesn't your Amplifier turn spirits into spirit energy? Which could then be shot out somewhere? Or turned into heat, or whatnot?"
"It does, however.. converting it would take considerable effort and equipment that is not readily at hand. I can't just toss a wire into a lake and let it boil off," Shaft says. "I do hope to channel some of it into a defense, however, assuming it will work. I'll need Marseilles for that."
Townes lets her arms drop, shoulders slumped in a defeated look. "I need to find something else to do. I wish Girard were here."
Boss, we need to talk people into breaking their Artifacts, Caliban says abruptly.
"What?" Shaft asks Caliban. "I don't know if they can be broken!"
The doctor also gives Caliban a strange look, but lets him speak.
The chimpanzee explains, Kari said that she could maybe absorb one House worth of energy without going insane. And that it would take ten Houses to match who she was a long time ago, which is probably how strong a Master is. Now, the Artifacts're vessels for spirits, right? If each Spirit can absorb one House of energy, an' we can get about ten of them, which is maybe how many Artifacts we have...
Bernice seems dubious about this, even as she's translating it.
As Artifacts, they can do one thing, Open or Close. Or maybe something different, like the Chalice Pau has, which can heal an' stuff. But if we supercharge their spirits, so they can survive outside a vessel, what could they do? asks Caliban. Or, otherwise, the way you explained it to me, people use their Artifacts an' concentrate on what they want to happen. If they focus them on Kari, could she use their powers?
"You mean, fill each spirit to their holding point and then release them all to merge together?" Shaft asks. "We can charge Artifacts directly, after all."
Maybe not merge together, but fight together, Caliban opines. It's their personalities that make them spirit, their souls. Like Marseilles is more than a girl or a fox or a bit of the House.
"Well, if Kari wants to follow that course, we can aid her certainly," Shaft says. "That way, if we can only process one Master at a time with the amplifier, they could possibly hold off the others."
Bernice purses her lips. "We'd have to convince nine different personalities to go through with this, ones that Kari has said have gone mad after living in inanimate objects for millenia..."
Yup, says the chimpanzee cheerfully. But otherwise... Mouse versus cat, who wins?
"The well armed mouse," Herbert says.
The doctor sighs again. "I don't think we can really afford to look at this like a gladitorial fight."
Bernice shakes her head. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be defeatist. It's just... mm."
"We don't know what we'll have to fight with until we actually start," Shaft says, nodding to Bernice. "That is why we need to keep the Closing option.. open."
The woman grimaces. "More questions, then... can spirit energy hurt a spirit somehow? How does your Stunner work?"
We've got to line up every last thing we can get workin' on our side, the chimpanzee points out. Sure, maybe they'll be stupid an' line up one after another to get in the Amplifier. That'd be great! But me old boss always said, have a sap up the sleeve an' an eye on the back door.
Bernice's normally warm green eyes take on a momentarily frosty look, but quickly clear with a shake of her head. "That's fine, I suppose. To have every option available. You're right."
"I intend to test the Seal of Solomon with Marseilles," Shaft explains. "If I can energize it from the battery, and successfully block her influence, then we may have a better chance."
The what now? The chimpanzee peers curiously at what his boss's working on. You got a new toy?
"It's an ancient means of binding demons and other spirits, as well as protecting against them," Shaft explains. "I actually use it with some of the necroplasmic reactions.. but with a few modifications it may work as protection and a second line of defense if we can place it over the entire Hill. I just need to experiment a bit.."
Ah, came up in your talk with the witch hunters, something to stop possessions? asks Caliban.
"Yes, I had overlooked the more traditional means of dealing with spirits," Shaft says. "I was too focused on the mechanical methods we've been working with. But I do know some Gnostic rituals that could help, and given a boost from our power sources they may be effective."
The chimpanzee looks thoughtful. Y'know, boss... Kari said you don't have a spirit in you, the way a lot of us Players and critters do. Did you ever figure out that part?
"I'm certain it's due to my using my own blood to create necroplasm earlier," Shaft notes, quietly. "I ended up consuming it all again, but.."
Well, what happens if they come through and see you? Won't they see you as a ready-made vessel? Holding some very interesting stuff? asks Caliban, worried.
Bernice flinches visibly, and without thinking about it, reaches out to touch the englishman's arm.
"Well.. they might," Shaft says, and smiles to Bernice. "Actually, that's why I need to be the one behind the Amplifier. If they see me as bait, it will be easier to draw them in."
The chimpanzee grimaces. Thanks, boss. So if I feel like you've gotten taken over, I'm going to be duty-bound to zap you until it can be sorted out? I was gonna suggest you host some friendly spirit...
"Host a friendly spirit?" Shaft asks uncertainly. "Err, what would that do to me though? And it wouldn't be any protection: you and Miss Townes were both influenced by Marseilles before."
Hmm, that's right. I don't know... Honestly, boss, the chimpanzee opines, showing his motherly side - one develops such instincts after being a butler for ages. I wouldn't want you to get partnered up with just any spirit. It'd have to be someone you liked and felt comfortable with. But uh... yeah I guess it wouldn't help things any.
"Right now, I think I should just focus on possible defenses," Herbert says after clearing his throat. "Hopefully, Mr. Gerard will arrive in time to help us in that regard as well."
"I just wish we could come up with something less like directly matching our strength against theirs," frets Bernice. "Some loophole, or way of pathing them or diverting them away. But... I guess I'll go and see what else I can find out."