Chapter 2: Haxan

[bhu]

You encounter nothing, but you feel as though you are watched.  Are you going to collect your books?

[RobbyPants]

That was her plan. She'd like to read them while taking a few days off to rest.

How much time has passed since the commotion when Elizabeth left?

[bhu]

That was her plan. She'd like to read them while taking a few days off to rest.

How much time has passed since the commotion when Elizabeth left?

It is late enough you will have to collect your books in the morning.  Is there anything you wish to do before sleep?  The streets seem unusually quiet.

[RobbyPants]

She wants to quietly enter under cover of darkness and hide in hawk form throughout the night in case anyone comes looking for her. She'll attempt to sleep the next day.

[bhu]

You go unnoticed as the streets are largely empty, and aren't challenged when you return home.  It seems as though all parties have retreated to their respective corners and are hiding together for defense from an unknown enemy (which is pretty much the truth).  What are you doing when you awaken?

[RobbyPants]

During the day, Elizabeth will retrieve her books and pay for them. If she can locate James, she'll contact him to see what's happened. Other than that, she wants to spend about a week resting to regain Humanity and read the books.

[bhu]

What do you want to ask James (he is available).

[RobbyPants]

"What all happened yesterday? I was at the auction when things got odd, and I'm wondering what happened outside or after."

[bhu]

"We were wondering what had happened to you.  We'd thought maybe something had gotten to you.  Some sort of powerful energy was released near the city, so everyone has been on high alert."

[RobbyPants]

"I hid when things went sideways at the auction. I'm going to lay low for a bit, as well. Perhaps there's something useful in these new books I purchased."

Elizabeth goes to her place and looks through the two books the bought.

[bhu]

"I hid when things went sideways at the auction. I'm going to lay low for a bit, as well. Perhaps there's something useful in these new books I purchased."

Elizabeth goes to her place and looks through the two books the bought.

"Let us know if they have anything interesting.  And be careful, lots of old books have the means by which the art can be practiced that are detrimental to the practicioner.  We meet with the Haxan again in 5 days time.  We'll want you to be there."

[RobbyPants]

"I'll be there. Where should we meet?"

If nothing else is pressing, Elizabeth will rest five days and see what she can find in the books. She's not going to try any spells at this point, but wants to see what there is.

[bhu]

"The usual place."

The folio is in romanian, and will need translation unless you speak the language.
 
The latin tome of unknown origin is the chronicle of a past extradimensional incident like the one you are enduring that helped end the Roman empire.  It appears to be a treasure trove of info on monsters, and definitely has spells.  This thing clearly flew under the radar.  A lot of the spells seem very dangerous though, so some advice might be needed.  But the people you could most likely ask for advice might try to take it. It is title Finis Temporum, or "The End of Times"

[RobbyPants]

For this time, Elizabeth will keep that second book a secret, and she intends to spend any free time reading from it to learn about monsters and any history from which she can learn. She's curious about the spells, but will not attempt to replicate anything at this point. Eventually, she'd like to see what the potentials are to see if she wants to learn any of them.

She'll look into the Romanian one later, but she doesn't just want some random person in town reading this book.

If she's able, she'd like to rest five days, reading, to regain some Humanity.

[bhu]

On the third day someone knocks on your door.  It's an older woman, dressed fairly well.  Clearly Haxan.  Peeking outside she's smiling and seems inoffensive.  Or at least trying to appear that way.

[RobbyPants]

Elizabeth, wearing nothing but a robe, opens the door just far enough to be polite:

"...May I help you?"

Her breath smells strongly of coffee, regardless of the time of day.

[bhu]

"Greetings Elizabeth, I represent ... well, I'm sure you know.  We need to talk.  We aren't as incurious as the men who run the local government."

[RobbyPants]

"Come in. Would you like some coffee?"

Without her gun, Elizabeth is feeling a bit naked. She only opens the door wide enough to let her in and shuts it quickly afterward to make it difficult for anything invisible to sneak through. She watches for any small animals as well. She doesn't want to be outnumbered in her own home.

People skills have never been her strong suit and she often wears her opinions on her sleeve, so she's hoping she doesn't give too much away. Her recent stresses (in the form of Cha damage at this point) are making her feel vulnerable and unprepared.

[bhu]

"I'd love some.  We can chat when you're done.  Fear not, I'm not here to cause trouble  But we do need to talk."

[RobbyPants]

She opens the door for her to come in, makes sure her robe is decent, and gets her some coffee. She leads her to a suitable seating area and takes a seat. She positions herself closer to her room, where her gun is, in case she suddenly needs it.

She closes the book she was reading and takes a sip of her coffee. "What would you like to talk about?"