3128/Nemesis Sub-Terra: part 2

Nemesis Sub-Terra: part 2
Date of Scene:	05 October 2015
Location:	Lighter Forests
Synopsis:	Investigation into the mysterious creature Nemesis- and its history- begins to uncover a disturbing background which may lead into yet more disturbing potents for the future.
Cast of Characters:	Staren, 165, 411

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Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
    (OOC NOTE/REMINDER: This scene takes place relatively 'forward' a few days, on the 5th of October)

     We're back in England-1992 today.

    Stafford is actually a rather small place, relatively speaking. With a population of only 70,000, it's only really a town. It's hardly the kind of place to be on the doorstep of a theme park that happens to be enclosing an eldritch creature from beyond space, or even an operation to hold it down by some sort of mysterious military.

    But it is, and that's why we're here.

    http://tinyurl.com/qh7lmmm

    ...Stafford Library, which only moved across town to its current location less than a month ago (</useless trivia>), is also a relatively small thing. It's not austere, it's not dusty, and it's currently putting up Halloween decorations a little ahead of time.

    But if anywhere is a good place to start doing research on Nemesis and the Phalanx, it's probably here, right?

    Ren, who's currently sat by the reception, certainly hopes so, anyway.

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     After receiving word from Ren of a library near the park, Twilight Sparkle made her way here quickly. The little purple unicorn has a set of saddlebags full of research items such as writing utensils, notepads, and even a small camera for taking pictures of pictures or other items that might be important.

     When she arrives at the library, she spots Ren quickly enough. She raises a hoof to wave to him before trotting over. "Hello Ren! It is good to see you again." she says cheerfully. Perhaps too cheerfully considering what they are here to research. But, she can't help it! She loves libraries. She loves research. And she loves friends. A little thing like a captured eldritch monster being used as a theme park attraction isn't going to dampen her spirit.

Staren has posed:
    While a quick search of multiversal wikipedia claims the internet has been around since the 80's and 90's, Staren asked his dad (Who actually grew up in the end of the 20th century before Dimensional Shenanigans) about it and was told yeah, technicaly, but it was still super new then -- He can't count on everything from that time being archived. While Staren's no stranger to looking things up in books -- often the best source of information on his own world, and about magic -- he doesn't really know about microfilm. So today will be educational!

    Well, it's certainly easy to spot the purple pastel pony in a library. Staren smiles and waves to Twilight and Ren, then hurries over, giving Twilight a quick hug before speaking. "So, I'm thinking, we probably want to start by digging up newspapers from the time this all happened, see how it was reported at the time, and who was involved -- that might give us some ideas of where else to look."

    Also, Staren's a robot. This probably won't matter, since he looks organic on the outside. But between the threat of the Slaughterhouse Nine twice in the last couple of weeks and the upcoming fight with Kalameet, it seems like a good idea to just stay like this for a bit, rather than risk repeatedly changing back and forth. At least he got a break in Mizuki's world. After Kalameet he'll be able to go back to normal... hopefully.

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
    Small children are absolutely going to ask Twilight for rides before she gets here. Just because this world is familiar with the fantastic, doesn't mean that it's become mundane for the majority.

    "And also to you," Ren replies, and the camera pans quickly over to Staren walking in so we never quite get to find out how that hypothetical handshake looks. When it moves back, Ren's looking at one of those handy library guide leaflets, because he never can remember how the Dewey Decimal System works.

    "That's probably a good place to start," he says to Staren. "I remember some mention of Phalanx only entering the public eye recently. Might be worth figuring out when that happened, and if it can add anything to whatever picture we build up."

    The story begins in roughly 1994, during construction of the ride itself. Previously, Alton Towers was a relatively unexciting park, but there were numerous mentions of them working on a 'secret weapon'. Unfortunately, there were also mentions of more unsavoury things among the hype- records of six labourers hospitalized in on-site accidents, a surveyor who apparently was committed while working on the project. Retrospectively, the stories in headlines around this time make a lot more sense.

    It's not a good note to start on.

    A little later, and Ren's looking intently at a picture from a newsclipping.

    https://gyazo.com/899c6bb8df08f273784ec1b475c1e393

    "What do you two make of this thing?"

Staren has posed:
    "I wonder how hard it would be to find out what, exactly, the accidents that injured those laborers was. And whether the guy who was comitted was comitted for, I dunno, ranting about a giant monster?" Staren comments as he looks over the old articles. Then he walks over to see what Ren's looking at. "A... pin? With a handle shaped like..." he squints at the picture for a long time. "...the head of a vulpix with the snout and lower jaw missing? Or maybe a cat-eared helmet... this photo is terrible quality. What's it have to do with the case, though, where's the article this was with?"

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight Sparkle is somewhat accustomed to small children asking for rides and the like. She even allows one cute little girl to ride her a short distance. She is still a little embarrassed by all the attention, but not nearly as badly as she used to be. She hugs Staren and nuzzles at him before they get to work.

     And the research paints a bit of a bad picture. Several injuries and one lost mind. But, that in itself is not a reflection on the creature. It could be bad work practices. But, that picture of that thing...that looks ominous to her. "It is hard to tell what it is supposed to be. It could be a vulpix I suppose, but this world was not joined to the multiverse at that time, was it? And...it looks like a needle to me. Perhaps like an acupuncture needle or..." She rubs her chin with a hoof, trying to think of what else it could be.

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
"No, it's something to do with Nemesis, definitely," Ren replies. "It's a ... well, yes, it's a sort of needle, sure. The design on the head... I can't really make it out, I wanted your opinions. Skulls're a bit bad. According to the article this is from, it was from some of those ... it's an ancient cult tool, basically. Generally 'needle shaped cult tool' brings up bad imagery."

    He screws up his face. "I'm just sort of trying to speculate on what you could tell about Nemesis from the... paraphernalia. I mean, either we might be looking from the wrong angle, or Nemesis might not be as innocent as it first seemed..."

    "I mean, mysterious looking tools, lots of people going crazy... not the sort of things that the museum might put up front."

    Given a little more investigation, it can be discovered that the item in the photo was repurposed at some point as the key to a book, written in the 14th century, not stored in the library, but in a nearby museum. Will our investigators head over there and see where this lead takes them, or continue to look in this library?

Staren has posed:
    Staren's eyes widen in inquisitive surprise. "A cult tool? Really? ...I don't see a skull. I mean... you think those are brow ridges? And it clearly has /hair/. A stylized skull with hair? What were the alleged beliefs and practices of this cult? And how does it tie into Nemesis?"

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight Sparkle nods in agreement. "Cults do tend to use such stylized tools. But, the creature was captured, right? If any injuries or something happened it likely wasn't the creature. A creature that large wouldn't use tools this size. It might have a following, whether it asked for one or not. Or, it might have had a following at some point."

     "As for the motiff, I...don't see a skull. There are no hollows that I can see, and skulls do not have ears and hair most of the time." The pony pauses a moment. "Unless...it was modeled after something not of this world." When they find out the item is used as a key now, Twilight's ears perk. "Well, it seems we are going back to the park."

Staren has posed:
    Staren points at the picture. "I think Ren is saying those 'ears' are actually eyes. If it's a human skull, it's very stylized. Doesn't explain the hair, though."

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
"Well, if it's not a skull, what could it be?" Ren replies, hand on his chin. "That- that's not rhetorical, I really can't figure out what it is. All the article I got this picture from says it was found along with other semi-historical stuff, found from the 1300s, around about 1995 when this was being worked on. Pin connects to book..."

    He listens to Twilight, and thinks. Grabs a piece of paper to write his thoughts down on.

    "Evidence of cult activity in past," speaking out loud as he writes.

    Puts down pen. "Haven't found anything about these cults in the papers yet- I don't think that sort of thing is fit to print. Maybe..."

    Writes again. "Book may detail cult activity? Possible reported injuries in 1995 done by cult..."

It seems as if the next course of action is going to be to figure out exactly what the relationship Nemesis has with these cults. It can be surmised that whatever happened in 1995 it's not the absolute first encounter with Nemesis people have had.

    In lieu of going straight to look at the book, second-hand information on unconventional cult activity in Stafford does turn up some results- but some of them are just dead ends that explain that this museum-held book is a 13th century treatise on cults. Others are connected to things at the theme park museum, talking about a legacy of many people at many times in the past who were affected by Nemesis' 'emotional aura' and affected by it in various loosely defined ways.

    "So, to find out more about these cults, we're heading back to the museum. We can either try and look at this Book- which might mean we need to convince the Phalanx staff- or we can just try and figure something out from what they're willing to show the public."

Staren has posed:
    Staren ahs. "I see. So there was once a cult in the area..." Staren gasps. "The monster was here the whole time, it didn't arrive around then? Hmmm... I don't know if I like going so far as steal a book from a museum. I mean... I'm not sure if there's enough of an immediate danger for the Union's good samaritan laws to cover us. Ditto for using false credentials to trick them into showing us the book. ...Do you think they'd show it to us if we said we were just curious about cults in the Multiverse or something?"

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight Sparkle nods. "But, before we go..." She heads off to the histories section and checks out a book about cults so she can check them as they travel. What cults used to be around, what tools they used, that sort of thing.

     "I think we should just head to the museum and see what is available to the public. Then, if that book is not included, we could just ask the Phalanx if we can see it, or see a copy of it. Sometimes, all you have to do is ask." Twilight smiles after that, then heads toward the door.

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
    Many cults before the 14th century, either in this area or otherwise, run the gamut. Belief in the supernatural is a lot more complicated when there's definite evidence in this world of many other supernatural races, making this a complicated and difficult subject. Often their practices and equipment are as varied as the charlatan in charge.

    It feels a little wasteful to head to the park just to visit the museum. Ren may attempt to convince the two of them to go on some rides again afterwards.

    The museum back at Alton Towers is exactly the way it was when they came here last- a little kitschy, a little promo-hyperbole. That guy's still there telling the story to people.

    "As long as we don't say 'well we want to find out more about this so we can figure out if it's safe to spring Nemesis from your lock-up', we should be fine..." Ren says.

    The curator, Mr. Olwen, is a little more responsive to any questions the three of them may want to ask compared to Lt. Emil, the two of them serving as the public and military heads of staff respectively. Emil is a lean man in green with just one vertical strip of black hair along his entire head, whereas Olwen has a pointed chin, greying hair and thin spectacles.

    It may take a little explanation as to why they wanted to look at the Book, and this might be the point where some official credentials may need to be shown, but...

    "The book is essentially a warning," Olwen explains, the four of them having taken the book to a staff room off to the side. "Whoever wrote it in the 13th century repurposed that needle tool as a key to it because they thought that it represented a particularly fearsome creature. Cult worship of Nemesis goes back as far as 1000 BC. Some cults were more benign, relatively speaking- mad artists and disturbed adventurists- but one particularly enduring group that remained strong through the ages were the Nemesites, who used hypnosis to draw in living sacrifices..."

Staren has posed:
    If Twilight doesn't have a better idea for an innocent explanation, Staren suggests explaining that yes, they /are/ researchers from the Union who are just curious about Multiversal phenomena. And a theme park with a real monster in it is certainly a curiousity, so they want to know more about how it came about! That's even entirely true!

    "So Nemesis has been here over two millenia... How did these cults get started? Did just... /Seeing/ Nemesis, and the strange feelings it generates, seem to be enough to convince them it should be worshipped? Or did they claim to be prophets that it had given visions to, or something?"

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight relays information from the book she is reading even as they walk. "It seems magic is not uncommon on this world. And cults are perhaps even less uncommon." she says.

     She listens to Olwen's explanation about cults of Nemesis, then looks at Staren before considering a moment. "From what I know about them, cults are usually started by people that feel society has done them wrong. Their followers are usually similarly outcast, and are seeking somewhere to belong. The worship of a creature such as Nemesis could easily happen with how he can give visions and place thoughts in the minds of others."

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
(...why do I get the feeling that some of them got started from seeing the same things we did?)Oo. Ren wonders to himself, but he can't exactly say that when Olwen's in the room. He doesn't exactly trust anyone from the Phalanx enough yet.

    "Yes. Some claimed to recieve visions of otherworldly vistas, and considered it a god, others may have just been addicted to these... euphoric feelings. There are many reasons that people in the past could be drawn into worship of Nemesis given what we know from these accounts," Olwen speculates. "If it's the former, then as far as we know 'visions' don't happen any more. If it's the latter, well, sufficed to say these days there are measures in place to make sure that addictive sort of thing doesn't happen these days."

    "Measures like paying fifty pounds a ticket," Ren wonders out loud.

    "Er... quite."

    Ren turns to Staren and Twilight. "If any cults survive until now, do you think they might still be looking for an oppurtunity? Could Nemesis be trying to communicate with them, organize some sort of release attempt?"

Staren has posed:
    What Ren doesn't ask out loud is what Staren tried to ask discreetly. It seems to have worked!

    And then Ren mentions the possibility of a cult operating /now/. Darn, Staren didn't even think of that! "So... why /did/ you decide to build an amusement park around it, anyway? Isn't that... a bit of an odd thing to do with an ancient cult monster?"

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight listens to all of this, then nods at Staren's and Ren's questions. "Most creatures with any amount of self-awareness try to escape captivity. A creature like this could easily have been biding its time until its followers can reach it. Or..." She pauses, then speaks more softly to her friends. "...it could be trying to recruit us. And until we know its intentions once it is freed, it is dangerous to proceed with any attempt to free it."

     Twilight then looks toward Olwen again. "Do you know of any cults that still worship Nemesis?" she asks.

Staren has posed:
    Staren inwardly facepalms at Twilight's admitting that Nemesis might have contacted them. "You think it could try to recruit us, or other multiversals? Hmmm..." He strokes his chin thoughtfully, then looks back at Olwen. "See, it's just in case of things like that that we're investigating it. If this park were to suddenly be attacked by a cult with help from empowered people from around the Multiverse... when the Union sends people to help, they'll at least know what they're dealing with instead of coming in blind."

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
    "Not up until now," Olwen replies, worriedly. "I wasn't aware that such things still existed. I... don't really have much involvement with the Phalanx's military aspects, I'm more of a... historian and I oversee the commercial parts. Nemesis... it was brought to the surface and put in place twenty years ago because the technology was made available to harness its effects safely, but..."

    "But why make that technology in the first place?" Ren replies. "This can't all just be commercial. I would /hate/ to think that, anyway."

    "...and why was all of this started off with a project called 'secret weapon', anyway?"

    Olwen and Ren look at one another uneasily...

    "I think something big is coming, and there's a lot going on you don't know about," Ren says. "...and I don't know if this is the right time or place to talk about all of it..."