Project MONUMENT 004: 22-25 January 2010, Paris
INTERNAL MESSAGING - LEVEL 2 CLEARANCE REQUIRED
To: O5-3/780
From: Agent Block, 2/557-780
CONFIRM RECEIPT OF DESCRIBED ITEMS STOP
PLEASE ADVISE NEXT STEPS STOP
INTERNAL MESSAGING - LEVEL 2 CLEARANCE REQUIRED
To: Agent Block, 2/557-780
From: O5-3/780
Block, please send the attached report at your earliest convenience.
[Attached Report: FIELD REPORT #███-██████]
INTERNAL MESSAGING - LEVEL 4 CLEARANCE REQUIRED - EYES ONLY
To: O5-3/780
From: SCP-780
The subjects continued to discuss their plan to shut down the place of power in the belfry to keep the Watcher from accessing it. Initially, they wanted to try to block only the Watcher while still keeping it accessible for Father Bruno, but they quickly realized that this was not possible. Instead, they decided they would try to change the iconography of the space in such a way that it might cause the Watcher to question her black and white, Old Testament morality. Specifically, they planned to decorate the area in a way that would put the focus on the grace and forgiveness aspects of Christianity. This would clearly involve a lot of research and preparation, so the subjects divided the work and went their separate ways for the night.
The next day, most of the subjects spent all or part of the day researching what they would have to do to shut down the belfry. While doing his research, Robert received a phone call from his friend Damiane, the fortune teller who he had asked about Father Bruno's book. She said she would like to talk to him in person and invited him to dinner that night. The two of them met up, but Damiane did not seem to think that the book was anything more than a hoax. It seems that she really wanted to get together with Robert in order to flirt with him, which made him very uncomfortable because he didn't seem to have the same kind of interest in her. He ended the dinner politely, but as quickly as he could.
During the day, Aðalsteinn, Bo, and Roland explored the catacombs around the safehouse. In the course of their explorations they came across an area that had a particularly creepy, off-putting vibe to it, that made them want to turn around and leave. However, they decided to press on. After some time they heard noises in a passageway which sounded like music followed by various people talking. Bo sneaked closer (since she was the stealthiest) and established that the sound was coming from behind a wall, and that it sounded like a TV playing episodes of Friends in French. She could also see a small crack of light emerging from an apparent hidden door, and hear someone shifting around behind it. Aðalsteinn, Bo, and Roland decided to return to the safehouse for now, but continue to investigate their neighbor more later.
Roland responded to this plan by taking the others to a nearby gift shop and purchasing a large basket of fruit and chocolate. On the gift card, he wrote, "We're new to the neighborhood. Hello, neighbor." When Aðalsteinn questioned whether it was a good idea to deliver this basket, Roland responded, "They gain nothing by exposing us. And if we ever run afoul of them we'll say, 'did you like the chocolates?' and then maybe they will not kill us." Aðalsteinn and Bo did not object to this, because they said there was no way they could stop Roland from doing it in the future anyway. The three of them agreed to meet the next morning for the 7 a.m. Mass at Église Saint-Laurent, and deliver the gift basket later.
The next day, Aðalsteinn and Bo met at the 7 a.m. Mass, but Roland was not there. Instead, he went to the catacombs alone and delivered the gift basket. Robert began to get responses from his contacts to the questions he had asked; his friend Auriville (a diplomatic translator) could not comprehend the photos of the book pages, his brother-in-law in the United States had never heard of Eliot Abril (which suggested that his work was confined to France), and his friend Adorlee (a charity organizer) said that Eliot was not well-known as a philanthropist and had a reputation for not being very friendly. Aðalsteinn and Bo also consulted the catacombs map and found out that the secret door was located beneath the 14th arrondissement, so thjey walked around the neighborhood in question and noted that the creepy feeling persisted there. They also observed a domestic dispute in progress with a woman throwing a man's belongings out of a fifth-floor window while accusing him of infidelity. The rest of the subjects spent the morning and afternoon researching, after which Josette and Robert ran into Bo at the safehouse. She told them about the secret door the others had found in the catacombs, and Josette and Robert responded that they would like to see it for themselves.
Bo took Josette and Robert to the secret door. Both of them were affected by the creepy atmosphere more strongly than the others had been. When Bo approached the door, she could hear the TV playing again and noticed that the basket was gone. Bo got closer to listen in, but this time, the door opened when she put her ear up to it. Josette and Robert ran away screaming, but Bo stood her ground. She came face-to-face with the person inside and saw that he was, surprisingly, an exceptionally attractive man. He told her, "You should not be here," but Bo refused to leave and instead engaged him in conversation. Josette and Robert turned around and came back, realizing they would get lost otherwise, and listened in from the shadows while Bo and the man talked.
The man was not especially talkative and quite difficult to read, but he told Bo that his name was Emmanuel, and answered a few of her questions. She learned the following from him:
The subjects then returned to the safehouse, gathered everyone together, and explained what had happened. Opinions differed as to what to do about Emmanuel. Some of the subjects seemed to think that dealing with him was not very important (particularly Josette, who did not put much stock in his claim of being not human), while others (Aðalsteinn and Bo in particular) put greater weight on his situation because of his proximity to the safehouse. Bo wanted to continue talking to him and to get involved in his journey toward becoming human, and the others agreed that this would be permissible as long as she was careful. Aðalsteinn also said he would do some research to see if creatures like Emmanuel were at all represented in myth and legend.
The next day, Josette learned from Camille, Paris's deputy mayor of markets, that Michael Martucci was not connected to any business in Paris, but that Eliot Abril was a majority shareholder in three different companies: World's Fair Consulting, Bank Eiffel, and Saville Finance. He was also well-known as an investor in other businesses, though he did not seem to have much to do with the day-to-day operations of any company. Bo returned to the 14th arrondissement and pinpointed the apartment building under which Emmanuel lived. Aðalsteinn did some research, and was reminded of both the Frankenstein story, and the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea, by Emmanuel's situation. Finally, Robert and Roland checked the post office box where Robert had left various documentation a few days prior, and found an envelope inside it. The envelope contained a field report detailing an unknown individual's investigations into the whereabouts of Michael Martucci's body, and a mint chocolate candy bar.
Josette also received a somewhat frantic phone call from Father Bruno, asking whether he had shown the photos of the mysterious book to very many people, and asking to meet in person. Bo, Josette, and Robert went to meet him after work and, after reassuring him that not many people knew about the book, learned that he had spent the weekend in the custody of the "people like him" that Robert had mentioned. They explained a lot of things to him (which he said he couldn't share with the subjects) but also informed him that there are rules he needs to follow. Apparently, this group of people is very invested in keeping magic a secret from the larger world. It's okay that the subjects know that it exists, but they shouldn't spread things like the book around. Josette and Robert agreed that they could keep their mouths shut, though Josette in particular thought this meant that Father Bruno is now less trustworthy than he once was.
All of the subjects then met at the safehouse and shared their information with each other. The field report had opened up several new avenues of investigation, with several of the subjects taking an interest in contacting Dr. Laetitia Chauvet and/or Karel Jardine. The subjects' attention was split between the information in the field report, Emmanuel, and the Watcher in the Belfry, and it was not immediately clear which task they would pursue next.
INTERNAL MESSAGING - LEVEL 2 CLEARANCE REQUIRED
To: SCP-780; Agent Block, 2/557-780
From: O5-3/780
A candy bar? I did not authorize this. Who is responsible for this travesty?
INTERNAL MESSAGING - LEVEL 4 CLEARANCE REQUIRED - EYES ONLY
To: O5-3/780
From: SCP-780
^_^;;;;;;;;;;;;;
As you can see from this plot summary, this session was really all over the map. I'm very happy that my players are so proactive, but I do sometimes wish that they'd be a little more focused, or at least more in agreement about which plot threads they wind up pursuing! But, the PCs are almost done with the required amount of research to actually do the Corruption Tactic, and when that happens, we'll at least be able to move toward some sort of short-term resolution to the Watcher in the Belfry plot, which will be good.
I don't know whether I'm surprised or not that some of my players took such an interest in Emmanuel. The character has been in my head for a while now, and when the players announced their intentions to investigate the catacombs, I dropped him in there just for the sake of their efforts yielding something. I enjoy playing him and I think he'll be an interesting recurring NPC if the players choose to take it in that direction, which many of them clearly do. He also inspired a lot of silly quotes and discussions, above and beyond the idea of bringing him a fruit basket which cracked me up, such as how to use Emmanuel to make money in real estate (rent all the apartments in the building he lives underneath, which were going for cheap because of his effect on the area, then get him to leave and sublet them to make a profit!) and a really funny quote inspired by learning that Emmanuel had a job - "Welcome to McDonald's. The loneliest McDonald's."
What is this?
To: O5-3/780
From: Agent Block, 2/557-780
CONFIRM RECEIPT OF DESCRIBED ITEMS STOP
PLEASE ADVISE NEXT STEPS STOP
INTERNAL MESSAGING - LEVEL 2 CLEARANCE REQUIRED
To: Agent Block, 2/557-780
From: O5-3/780
Block, please send the attached report at your earliest convenience.
[Attached Report: FIELD REPORT #███-██████]
INTERNAL MESSAGING - LEVEL 4 CLEARANCE REQUIRED - EYES ONLY
To: O5-3/780
From: SCP-780
The subjects continued to discuss their plan to shut down the place of power in the belfry to keep the Watcher from accessing it. Initially, they wanted to try to block only the Watcher while still keeping it accessible for Father Bruno, but they quickly realized that this was not possible. Instead, they decided they would try to change the iconography of the space in such a way that it might cause the Watcher to question her black and white, Old Testament morality. Specifically, they planned to decorate the area in a way that would put the focus on the grace and forgiveness aspects of Christianity. This would clearly involve a lot of research and preparation, so the subjects divided the work and went their separate ways for the night.
The next day, most of the subjects spent all or part of the day researching what they would have to do to shut down the belfry. While doing his research, Robert received a phone call from his friend Damiane, the fortune teller who he had asked about Father Bruno's book. She said she would like to talk to him in person and invited him to dinner that night. The two of them met up, but Damiane did not seem to think that the book was anything more than a hoax. It seems that she really wanted to get together with Robert in order to flirt with him, which made him very uncomfortable because he didn't seem to have the same kind of interest in her. He ended the dinner politely, but as quickly as he could.
During the day, Aðalsteinn, Bo, and Roland explored the catacombs around the safehouse. In the course of their explorations they came across an area that had a particularly creepy, off-putting vibe to it, that made them want to turn around and leave. However, they decided to press on. After some time they heard noises in a passageway which sounded like music followed by various people talking. Bo sneaked closer (since she was the stealthiest) and established that the sound was coming from behind a wall, and that it sounded like a TV playing episodes of Friends in French. She could also see a small crack of light emerging from an apparent hidden door, and hear someone shifting around behind it. Aðalsteinn, Bo, and Roland decided to return to the safehouse for now, but continue to investigate their neighbor more later.
Roland responded to this plan by taking the others to a nearby gift shop and purchasing a large basket of fruit and chocolate. On the gift card, he wrote, "We're new to the neighborhood. Hello, neighbor." When Aðalsteinn questioned whether it was a good idea to deliver this basket, Roland responded, "They gain nothing by exposing us. And if we ever run afoul of them we'll say, 'did you like the chocolates?' and then maybe they will not kill us." Aðalsteinn and Bo did not object to this, because they said there was no way they could stop Roland from doing it in the future anyway. The three of them agreed to meet the next morning for the 7 a.m. Mass at Église Saint-Laurent, and deliver the gift basket later.
The next day, Aðalsteinn and Bo met at the 7 a.m. Mass, but Roland was not there. Instead, he went to the catacombs alone and delivered the gift basket. Robert began to get responses from his contacts to the questions he had asked; his friend Auriville (a diplomatic translator) could not comprehend the photos of the book pages, his brother-in-law in the United States had never heard of Eliot Abril (which suggested that his work was confined to France), and his friend Adorlee (a charity organizer) said that Eliot was not well-known as a philanthropist and had a reputation for not being very friendly. Aðalsteinn and Bo also consulted the catacombs map and found out that the secret door was located beneath the 14th arrondissement, so thjey walked around the neighborhood in question and noted that the creepy feeling persisted there. They also observed a domestic dispute in progress with a woman throwing a man's belongings out of a fifth-floor window while accusing him of infidelity. The rest of the subjects spent the morning and afternoon researching, after which Josette and Robert ran into Bo at the safehouse. She told them about the secret door the others had found in the catacombs, and Josette and Robert responded that they would like to see it for themselves.
Bo took Josette and Robert to the secret door. Both of them were affected by the creepy atmosphere more strongly than the others had been. When Bo approached the door, she could hear the TV playing again and noticed that the basket was gone. Bo got closer to listen in, but this time, the door opened when she put her ear up to it. Josette and Robert ran away screaming, but Bo stood her ground. She came face-to-face with the person inside and saw that he was, surprisingly, an exceptionally attractive man. He told her, "You should not be here," but Bo refused to leave and instead engaged him in conversation. Josette and Robert turned around and came back, realizing they would get lost otherwise, and listened in from the shadows while Bo and the man talked.
The man was not especially talkative and quite difficult to read, but he told Bo that his name was Emmanuel, and answered a few of her questions. She learned the following from him:
- Emmanuel admitted that he was not human. He said that he was artificially created, but that he did not know who had created him or why. He also stated that it was his goal to become human.
- Emmanuel was not aware of the creepy atmosphere that surrounded him. When Bo pointed it out, he said that it was his fault, and that it happened when he stayed in one place for too long.
- Emmanuel was not entirely certain of how to become human, but that he knew it would be a long process. He implied that he gets hints about this in his dreams, and that he may have dreamed about Bo's arrival.
- When Bo offered to help Emmanuel become human, he said that he would accept her help if she truly wanted to give it. However, he warned that it was dangerous for humans to be around him because he might harm them without meaning to. He did not want to hurt Bo, but he was concerned that he would if she involved herself in his mission.
The subjects then returned to the safehouse, gathered everyone together, and explained what had happened. Opinions differed as to what to do about Emmanuel. Some of the subjects seemed to think that dealing with him was not very important (particularly Josette, who did not put much stock in his claim of being not human), while others (Aðalsteinn and Bo in particular) put greater weight on his situation because of his proximity to the safehouse. Bo wanted to continue talking to him and to get involved in his journey toward becoming human, and the others agreed that this would be permissible as long as she was careful. Aðalsteinn also said he would do some research to see if creatures like Emmanuel were at all represented in myth and legend.
The next day, Josette learned from Camille, Paris's deputy mayor of markets, that Michael Martucci was not connected to any business in Paris, but that Eliot Abril was a majority shareholder in three different companies: World's Fair Consulting, Bank Eiffel, and Saville Finance. He was also well-known as an investor in other businesses, though he did not seem to have much to do with the day-to-day operations of any company. Bo returned to the 14th arrondissement and pinpointed the apartment building under which Emmanuel lived. Aðalsteinn did some research, and was reminded of both the Frankenstein story, and the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea, by Emmanuel's situation. Finally, Robert and Roland checked the post office box where Robert had left various documentation a few days prior, and found an envelope inside it. The envelope contained a field report detailing an unknown individual's investigations into the whereabouts of Michael Martucci's body, and a mint chocolate candy bar.
Josette also received a somewhat frantic phone call from Father Bruno, asking whether he had shown the photos of the mysterious book to very many people, and asking to meet in person. Bo, Josette, and Robert went to meet him after work and, after reassuring him that not many people knew about the book, learned that he had spent the weekend in the custody of the "people like him" that Robert had mentioned. They explained a lot of things to him (which he said he couldn't share with the subjects) but also informed him that there are rules he needs to follow. Apparently, this group of people is very invested in keeping magic a secret from the larger world. It's okay that the subjects know that it exists, but they shouldn't spread things like the book around. Josette and Robert agreed that they could keep their mouths shut, though Josette in particular thought this meant that Father Bruno is now less trustworthy than he once was.
All of the subjects then met at the safehouse and shared their information with each other. The field report had opened up several new avenues of investigation, with several of the subjects taking an interest in contacting Dr. Laetitia Chauvet and/or Karel Jardine. The subjects' attention was split between the information in the field report, Emmanuel, and the Watcher in the Belfry, and it was not immediately clear which task they would pursue next.
INTERNAL MESSAGING - LEVEL 2 CLEARANCE REQUIRED
To: SCP-780; Agent Block, 2/557-780
From: O5-3/780
A candy bar? I did not authorize this. Who is responsible for this travesty?
INTERNAL MESSAGING - LEVEL 4 CLEARANCE REQUIRED - EYES ONLY
To: O5-3/780
From: SCP-780
^_^;;;;;;;;;;;;;
As you can see from this plot summary, this session was really all over the map. I'm very happy that my players are so proactive, but I do sometimes wish that they'd be a little more focused, or at least more in agreement about which plot threads they wind up pursuing! But, the PCs are almost done with the required amount of research to actually do the Corruption Tactic, and when that happens, we'll at least be able to move toward some sort of short-term resolution to the Watcher in the Belfry plot, which will be good.
I don't know whether I'm surprised or not that some of my players took such an interest in Emmanuel. The character has been in my head for a while now, and when the players announced their intentions to investigate the catacombs, I dropped him in there just for the sake of their efforts yielding something. I enjoy playing him and I think he'll be an interesting recurring NPC if the players choose to take it in that direction, which many of them clearly do. He also inspired a lot of silly quotes and discussions, above and beyond the idea of bringing him a fruit basket which cracked me up, such as how to use Emmanuel to make money in real estate (rent all the apartments in the building he lives underneath, which were going for cheap because of his effect on the area, then get him to leave and sublet them to make a profit!) and a really funny quote inspired by learning that Emmanuel had a job - "Welcome to McDonald's. The loneliest McDonald's."
What is this?