Floating Skull In The Niche

Image

Floating%20skull%20100.jpg

Encounter Conditions

Etheric
After successfully exploring the Soothing Stacks

Initial Text

You find your wall to a niche in the wall, covered by some substance you don't immediately recognize. The greater mystery, however, waits beyond the barrier: a skull floats, staring at you with empty sockets.

It could just be wires or magnets, but… even if it didn't have the Eclipse symbol carved in its forehead, there's something chilling about the skull… a flicker of something vast and ancient.

Summary of Choices

  1. Talk to it
    1. Midgard - Information
    2. Special Projects - Unlocks 'Wotan'
    3. Wotan (after asking about Special Projects) - Information
    4. Dr. Amundsen (if you have Dr. A contact) - Information
    5. Sif (if you have Dr. A contact) - Information
    6. Lo (if you have Lo contact) - Information
    7. David (if you have David contact) - Information
    8. Baldur (if you have David contact) - Unlocks Mim in the Niche
    9. Noone - Information
    10. Nevermind - Walk away
  2. Stare back - 3 XP in Will
  3. Pry it out - 3 XP in Strength
  4. Leave it be - Walk away

Choice Text and Results

Talk to it

You ramble at the skull for a while. It hangs as you do, unmoving.

The conversation, although one-sided, keeps looping back around to who sent you. Something about the thought seems a little off, jumping in even when you're talking about something completely different.

So, who sent you?

Midgard

The skull hovers motionless as a cold voice whispers in your ear. "Midgard? No. Their interest has come and gone."

The skull settles back to the bottom of its niche.

Special Projects

The skull inclines slightly towards you, as though looking you over.

A moment later, a cold voice whispers in your ear, "funny, you don't look like one of their tame experiments."

"But the hounds find you all the same, don't they?" It pauses as though waiting for an answer, then resumes whispering as you start to speak.

"It's just as well. I've already said my part to Wotan's castoffs."

Wotan

The skull hovers, unmoving, as a cold chuckle whispers in your ear. "No, I think not. Wotan has only one herald and you are not her."

Dr. Amundsen

The skull hovers motionless as a cold whisper swirls around you. "Amundsen? No, that's not one of ours."

With that, the skull sinks to the bottom of the niche, settling in its designated position.

Sif

The skull continues to hover as a chill whisper slips into your ears. "Sif? I'm sure she can find what she needs, but I do not have it."

The skull slowly settles to the bottom of the niche while the voice continues. "Wotan trusted her with data and records, but never dreams."

Lo

The skull tilts slightly, listing to one side, as a chill breeze carries a whisper to you. "Lo? Ah, Loki, the prodigal son. Perhaps Wotan had better naming sense than he knew."

"No, Midgard has already done his work. He is," the skull settles into the bottom of its niche, "no longer needed."

David

The skull continues to hover motionless as a cold whisper brushes against your ear. "David? Wotan named many giantslayers, but I don't think that one ever came up."

After a pause, it continues. "No, he was always careful to keep to his themes. Always patterns with that one, even in his dreams."

Baldur

The skull tilts to one side, as though one string holding it were cut, and a cold whisper brushes against you. "Baldur? The young master has finally found me?"

The whisper lapses into a hissing chuckle, which grows louder and more open until it seems to be echoing from every surface in the vault.

You withdraw for… the skull? The disembodied voice? For whatever is talking to you to regain its composure.

Noone

The skull hovers motionless. After a short time, you catch a distant whisper on a chill breeze. "Then you'd best move along and forget I was ever hear. I'm best forgotten."

With that, the skull tilts and slowly sinks to the bottom of the niche.

Nevermind

You back away from the skull's niche. Its empty sockets follow you as you retreat back into the vault proper.

See Walk Away

Stare back

You stare into the skull's eyes. It seems the longer you stare, the more you forget about life, until you drag your eyes away.

You've earned 3 XP in Will

Pry it out

You claw at the glass, if it's really even glass, but find no purchase. Its connection with the surrounding wall is perfectly seamless, as though part of it just became transparent… or the entire wall grew organically.

You've earned 3 XP in Strength

Leave it be

You back away from the skull's niche. Its empty sockets follow you as you retreat back into the vault proper.

See Walk Away

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