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redstringtheories2021-09-05 08:32 am
TDM #3
(cw: potential for severe disorientation/vertigo, claustrophobia, arachnophobia, body horror)
It happens in the blink of an eye. You may have been asleep. You may not have. You may have stepped through a door or turned a corner. You may have seen a flicker of something at the corner of your vision and turned to look. Or maybe you didn't.
It doesn't matter. What matters is that you find yourself somewhere entirely new and entirely unfamiliar. The arrival point is not always the same. (If you're lucky, it might be a canteen or an open office. If you're not, well... you aren't claustrophobic, are you? Or arachnophobic. These ducts do seem to be a bit cobwebby.) There is no one waiting for you but you don’t seem to be alone, either. Even in a janitor’s closet or the bathroom, you’ll find at least one person who seems to be just as out of place as you are.
If characters have arrived in a location devoid of NPCs, they may want to work together to figure out what is going on... or to avoid their 'kidnappers.' If you’ve arrived in the middle of the entry foyer or the gym, there may well be a few people who startle a bit at your arrival and try to approach (or discreetly leave the room... where are they going?). Will you cooperate or fight? Do you even understand what they're saying? You might need to find a translator, if you’re not immediately willing to follow a stranger.
After characters follow their new hosts (or are forcibly taken in) there will be a limited tour and the chance to settle in at the ADI-provided housing. (Do you enjoy living with strangers? Well. It's a new situation to navigate, anyway.)
(cw: animal death, both human and animal butchery, implied cannibalism, potential for flesh/small limb removal)
Weird things happen in Dogtown, everyone knows it. The Apocalypse Disruption Initiative (ADI) is not above taking advantage of that to test out the waters for its newest arrivals. They're not looking to send anyone to their death, though. That's far too much paperwork, you'd been assured with a wink from the employee who'd directed you to the park trailhead. You've been left with another person. Maybe they're a new arrival, as well, or a more seasoned 'veteran.' Either way, you're together for the next while and you've been asked to find and record any paranormal activity in the park. You have your phones and any other equipment you might have brought with you. Those who succeed in documenting anything peculiar will receive a $100 reward to be used as they see fit.
This month characters who venture into Dogtown will eventually stumble across what seems to be an abandoned camp. Its usage is fairly obvious: the remains of a hunting camp. And remains really is the operative word, considering that whoever used the camp wasn’t particularly fastidious about cleaning up after themselves. There are bits of various animal carcasses strewn around and by the looks of things the prey of these hunters was quite varied. Not all of them are prey animals either.
Stepping into the camp seems to have an effect: anyone who passes over the threshold to investigate will find themselves powerfully driven to mark themselves - or their partner - with lines that seem to indicate where a butcher might cut. There are black, red, and white paint pens littered around the camp that are perfect for this exercise. As they proceed, they will get the sense that once the lines are completely drawn, something will be coming along to make use of them.
Staying too long after those marks are completed - either through curiosity or through some other force - will result in a sudden unconsciousness. And when you wake up? (If you wake up…) Well. It seems the butcher has returned and taken just a bit more flesh. At least the wound is properly dressed, though. Thank goodness for small mercies.
(cw: altered perceptions and unreality/hallucination, body horror, dissociation, wounds, cancer, stalking)
Something is wrong with the mirrors.
Everywhere around Gloucester - at ADI headquarters, in ADI housing, at Bonnie's Flophouse, even in the bathrooms of mundane businesses (and, presumably, the homes of the innocent and uninvolved), looking in the mirror has become...risky. It's not predictable; it doesn't happen every time and may or may not happen to any given person the same way twice, but look into the reflection and you may see something that should not be there.
Perhaps your own reflection has changed, a face (human or monstrous) you don't recognize looking back at you, eerily in sync as though it has every right to be your true reflection… or un-synced from your movements, smiling knowingly at your distress.
Or maybe you still see your own face, but something about your body is warped, wrong: a growth or a seeping wound you can't find on your own physical form but that exists glaring and insistent in your reflection and feels, somehow, as though it's there in phantom form.
Maybe it's a pair of eyes watching from over your shoulder, hiding in the shadows, peering at you from every mirror you pass. Is it watching you from your reflection in that window, too? Is it growing nearer?
Possibly there's nothing wrong with your reflection at all, but the reflection of the room behind you stretches and twists, a view into an impossible, broken world that leaves you dizzy and wandering, lost down an imagined maze of hallways or following a phantom figure until someone else can snap you out of it.
Something is wrong with the mirrors. Best not to look again, lest you find out what else they have to show you.
(cw: hallucination, hypersomnia, vehicular accidents, potential for injury)
The summer is fading, and businesses around Gloucester have taken note. Fall decorations go up, and even some very early Halloween decor is on sale. The air is crisper in the mornings and evenings, the ocean breeze just a bit stiffer. There also seems to be a new melody floating around the town, one that leaves people feeling fatigued, heavy. Did you hear a snatch of it near the docks? Something that's vaguely familiar to you, nostalgic, almost. Maybe it's more a memory?
That song or memory seems to grow stronger when approaching the graveyards scattered throughout Gloucester. So, too, does the fatigue. Wouldn't it be nice to just sit down and rest? To close your eyes and let every worry that troubles your mind be soothed into the quiet oblivion of sleep?
Those most affected might find themselves passing out, and they always seem to do it when they are putting themselves in the most danger. You might drop while crossing a busy street or while riding a bike or some other wheeled mode of transportation. Those who investigate will find that traffic accidents seem to have seen an uptick recently, associated with the onset of these haunting tunes. They seem to be focused on the graveyards, but there's nothing immediately apparent there that might be causing problems.
Drink lots of coffee, and be careful trying to do anything. Stepping outside could be the last thing you do.
- ARRIVAL (Sep 1 - 21): Two people will always arrive in the same general location together. Arrivals occur throughout the early month, not all on the same day or in the same place. Arrivals are not naturally fluent in English/other languages immediately upon arrival. Characters may attempt to evade capture, but they will eventually be snagged before they can leave the building. PC's already in-game are more than welcome to interact with and try to guide new PC's to get them oriented. Please refer to the Arrival page for details regarding the arrival and onboarding process.
- THE BUTCHER'S CAMP (Sep 1- 24): Characters will only encounter the camp once. Everyone will feel the compulsion to draw carving lines along their own skin or that of the person they're with. If they stick around for long enough, they will pass out and may not wake up again. Those who do wake up will find that a piece of their flesh is missing and the wound has been bandaged. Whatever is taken will be non-fatal, but it will likely be inconvenient (e.g., some part of their calf or forearm, perhaps a finger or toe). Once ADI is made aware of injuries happening, they will stop sending people to Dogtown for training and only send people with the understanding that this is a potentially dangerous mission. Please bear in mind that if a character dies in the TDM prompt, they are dead. A different version who doesn't have TDM memories may be apped in their place. Similarly, injuries will not magically disappear. If your character loses a chunk of themselves, it is gone unless they can find someone who might be able to magically heal them. No one at ADI will offer this service, just mundane medical assistance. Magical healing is reserved for fatal injuries given the price of it!
- MIRROR, MIRROR (Sep 1- 24): Characters may encounter a mirror effects multiple times, and may experience the same effect each time or different ones. As noted in the prompt, there is no apparent rhyme or reason to when any particular mirror exhibits any particular effect. Within the first week of the effects becoming known, ADI will cover all the mirrors within their headquarters and send out an advisory for characters to do the same in their homes. Characters who experiment and/or interview locals will, after a lot of legwork, be able to ascertain that the effects seem to be most concentrated on the west side of town, nearest the empty fields where the Fenix Down Extravaganza had set up their circus tents last month, with additional concentrations around ADI-affiliated buildings and Bonnie's Flophouse. Mirror effects will gradually grow less frequent over the course of the month and cease to occur after the 24th.
- HAUNTING TUNES (Ongoing Effect): The tunes will be oddly familiar to the character, even if they are not from modern Earth. There are currently no ill effects from the song apart from inducing fatigue in characters. They can fight it off with coffee/caffeine, or other things they'd typically use to wake themselves up, but that tiredness always returns. An examination of the graveyard will not turn up a specific source. It just seems to be something there.
Essek Thelyss | Critical Role | OTA
Teleporting to Eiselcross was never a smooth thing. Being off his mark was almost expected, but he'd been headed to Uthodurn. Where he'd been expecting to see the subterranean streets of the city, he was met with books and strangely lit boxes, and a few surprised and confused expressions turned his way that Essek was willing to bet he was mirroring back. This was not a place or people he knew.
His head felt light, the disorientation and sudden attention beyond dizzying, but he breathed through it as his thoughts took off. Local interference from...wherever he was or something left in the Grove? Surely not the latter. It was possible someone tried to throw off his teleportation from somewhere far away, but that would require a lot of power and dedication. The kind of dedication that would have seen him arriving wherever they'd meant to pull him, more than likely.
Surely there would be less surprise directed his way if he was expected. In the split seconds his thoughts ran through his options, he decided his next steps carefully and deliberately. He would not allow the vulnerability of showing exactly how flat-footed he'd been caught.
Chin lifted, gaze ahead, he stepped purposefully towards the small collection of books on a nearby shelf. He looked them over only a moment before seeming to find what he was looking for and pluck it from its place. Hidden in the illusion of reading whatever was on the page before him, Essek bought himself a few moments to catch sight of anyone nearby in his peripheral vision and watch whatever reactions there may be as whatever normalcy there was here seemed to settle back in. At least he didn't seem to be in any sort of restricted area.
He looked back to the books and their titles for anything that might give him some clue to where in Exandria he was.
If he was even still in Exandria...but that particular possibility was going to need to wait a moment.
Butcher's Camp
They'd mentioned the possibility of research and that had held far more appeal to him than fieldwork...yet here he was all the same. He understood the need for a trial and what better way than a seemingly innocent look into a suspect area? That didn't mean Essek had to like it.
His consternation, however, was very carefully clear of his expression and tone as he and his current companion stepped onto the grounds in question. Hopefully, this was all just rumor or something minor enough to be documented and leave, because he honestly wasn't certain what he was supposed to do with an actual threat without his magic at hand; he couldn't even float and that didn't help his annoyance.
"Let's hope we can make this quick." Was the somewhat terse offering he made as he fell into step with his companion and nudged the sunglasses he'd been provided back up his nose. At least he hadn't been left squinting in the midday sun, then he really would be completely useless.
Mirror, Mirror
The first time he passed by a mirror, it was some small motion that caught his eye. He stopped for a beat, eyes trailing over the dark brown skin and light blue eyes of the generated human disguise staring back at him. It was easy to write off then, just a trick of his eye still unfamiliar with the reflection he wore outside the ADI building.
The next time was harder. That same movement caught his eye once more and when he turned his eyes to meet the reflection, the imperious glare of Shadowhand Thelyss stared down his nose at him with human features and scathing contempt. It was jarring, but not near as much as the red eye open and staring from the reflection's throat.
A startled gasp tore from him and his fingers went to trace the place on his own throat. No, it was an illusion, a trick either of his own mind or forced upon it. He turned quickly and avoided any other reflective surfaces he came across.
The third time was worse. He hadn't meant to look, he knew what he'd see as soon as he did, but compulsion was tricky and his eyes found their way up to his reflection all the same. Those cool, hateful eyes now in his own Indigo-blue, and that bright red eye against deep purple skin was there to greet him, only now there were more. A column of eyes lined his throat, one split along his cheek and another across his forehead, and the hand he brought up to touch his face held the same cursed mark, all staring back at him. Too many. Too many and he'd-
'Stop!' It's panicked and in his mind and nearly in his throat as he turns to seek out anyone nearby he could ask over and gesture to the reflection.
"Do you see them? I know how this may sound, but I need to know: do you see them?" Even if he sounded crazy, he needed to know. Let him be crazy rather than on the threshold of being under the thrall of the Nine Eyes.
[Wildcard option also available if you have an idea! Essek's human form mostly looks like him with dark brown skin, light blue eyes, and blonde hair that looks like it's been bleached.]
Mirror Mirror
Then is dawns on her what this man's voice sounds like. Then his cheekbones and posture - even distressed - click into place and Jester nearly drops her entire box of cupcakes.
"Essek?!" she exclaims with surprise and delight, forgetting momentarily that her own appearance is charmed to look just as human as the dark elf appears and that he might not recognize her. "Oh my god Essek you're here!!"
Forget what it is she's supposed to be seeing, reuniting with one of the Nein is far more important right now.
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"Jester!?" His smile spreads wider and more true than anything else he's felt or expressed since arriving here. There's a moment where his fingers twitch and he's nowhere near to reaching out to her himself...but he thinks about it. "I did not know you were here too. I'm relieved to see you-" his smile twitches, humor lacing into his words as his eyes flicker to the differences in her appearence. "-mostly see you, that is."
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She breaks into a broad grin. "'Headquarters', listen to me! I sound so official, like Beau. But Essek! When did you get here? What happened? You have to tell me everything!"
Breaking the hug, she grabs his wrist and bullies him into sitting across from her at one of the tables along the sidewalk, placing her box of sweets between them and popping it open again to offer him one as she munches the other, staring at him intently.
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Essek settles into the chair across from her and carefully picks out a cupcake from her assortment to settle in front of him; more for her benefit than any actual interest in the sweet.
“I arrived not long ago, directly from…” he hesitates a moment, conflict flickering in his eyes as he considers a very real possibility: she may not be from when he is. If they could be yanked from their plane, why not their timelines too? Improbable, not impossible.
“-from the Blooming Grove. I’d only just said goodbye to you all.” He finishes after only a moment of pause. It was vague enough that if she reacted with confusion, he’d know to be careful moving forward. “What about you, Jester?”
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She smacks her hands down on the table, jumping out of her seat. "Or it's like the happy fun ball!"
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arrival!
She only pokes her head in the doorway for a moment and sees him just... casually reading there. Great. Inconspicuous. Beau has never had magic to try and talk between people's minds, which means she's instead going to take a piece of paper, crumple it into a ball, and toss it at his head. If he does in fact look to the doorway, she'll make a 'come here' motion, only looking away to see if anyone else is coming down the hall.
Beat me to it!
He gave a very small nod and put the all-but-forgotten book away before making his way over to her with all the calm he didn't actually feel. Though, once he actually got to her, he met her with a small, relieved, smile.
"Beauregard. For the record, paper thrown at my head is not exceedingly high on my list of ways to say hello." But in the next moment, his smile fell to something more serious. "Do you know where we are?"
and then i disappeared into space for 6 days i am So Sorry,
"So for the record, one, that was the only quiet way I could think of on short notice, you're welcome. Two, I'm just gonna give you the fast version I've figured out so far, this is another world, magic isn't a thing, and I have no idea how we got here." She counts off on her fingers as she goes, seemingly more annoyed by any of these facts than scared by them. "Oh, and Caduceus is here. Didn't expect you to be next but, sure, whatever."
Butcher Camp
"Quick would be good," he agrees in his quiet, rusty voice. "But I wouldn't count on it. These investigations can get very strange, so we should be ready for anything."
The smell hits him first, the sweetish decay of offal left out in the sun. Old blood, rotten meat. Unpleasant, to say the least, but it indicates that there will be at least something of interest when they finally break into the clearing ahead. Not something they want to find, but something at least to validate this little expedition.
He's starting to really hate Dogtown.
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Prepared for the smell was another thing entirely. He's had more than one occasion to come across unpleasant smells, but that didn't mean he was used to it by any means. He did his best to cover his gag behind the clasp of his hand, but cleared his throat and pressed on.
Not a useless rumor, more than likely. That was, ultimately, good. It meant this wasn't for nothing, even if what they found would be less than ideal.
"Will they be expecting samples or simply a report?"
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Because a lot of the scene looks fresh. Bits and pieces scattered around with their relevant tools. He goes very still, eyes casting about for signs of life, beyond just this grim tableau.
He looks at Essek again, to see how the other man(?) is handling it. He raises his camera for a moment, aware that he should start snapping pictures, but then lowers it again. Still not quite processing the details here, he needs another minute.
"The more details we can gather about the whole thing, the better. But be careful, I can't tell if any of this has magical purpose or not. I don't see any circles or charms, but that doesn't mean it's safe."
Yes, he's going to be matter-of-fact about the magic angle.
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"If there are any, they're likely to be hidden, trapped, or even partially erased. Luckily, I would like to think I have a rather keen eye for that." He looked around at the hunks of flesh and efficient tools of this butcher's trade before sparing Jaeger a glance. "Whatever it is you intend to do with that device, I would recommend doing it quickly and carefully. I will take a look around to see if any sign of the arcane remains."
He hesitates only a moment, brow raising and expression turning dour for his disdain of their surroundings. "Other than the obvious, please be careful what you touch until we know for certain there are no traps here." He turns and begins searching a little deeper into the carnage, eyes tracing indifferently over the obvious signs of unpleasantness and looking more for the subtle things. Circles of chalk or anything else, symbols, runes, or even instruments left behind in a hasty exit, anything that might indicate more than a base physical interest in the flesh.
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They both have some similar background in common, because Jaeger is also watching very carefully for signs of things that aren't right. Beyond the array of body parts and viscera and tools. He's likewise lamenting his lack of magical ability, but fortunately he has a few other things at his disposal. Experience is useful, here, and he's eternally grateful to have fallen into an occupation that he can understand how to do.
"It's a camera. It captures images, and I don't have to touch anything to use it." He holds up the camera so that Essek can see the glass lens and small dials on the device, all in rather unassuming silver.
In demonstration, he picks a segment of the scene and snaps a few shots of it, without taking a single step. Turns in place, finds another spot, takes another few shots. He'll look at the images later: for now, he's letting the first impulse take him, snapping whatever looks even briefly interesting.
Butcher's Camp
It makes him nervy.
And gives him reflux.
A problem that's less of an issue in the great big outdoors. The bigger problem, really, is that he has no point of reference or experience with what some are calling Modern Technology. The closest he really can imagine is the Clockwork City, but there's a distinct lack of noise from these contraptions of a modern persuasion. A distinct lack of... anything, really. No moving parts, nothing but dull mirror that you can't really even see into. What's the point of it if you can't see your own reflection properly, unless the mirror is tilted in such a way... and then the stupid thing brightens with this technology magic and that reflection evaporates like a banished spirit.
"I doubt it."
A dull, already exasperated response that speaks more of his annoyance at feeling this much of a novice rather than the opportunity to explore and investigate. He's exactly the kind of person to play down his own inner curiosity for fear of giving too much away. But maybe he can make an exception. He's staring at the strange things obscuring the elf's (he's just assuming, here, because elf is the closest he's familiar with from his world) eyes.
"What are they?"
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"I believe they were called 'sunglasses' though, one other called them 'shades.' Both effective names, considering their intended use. I'm afraid the visual accommodations they made for my appearance to not alarm locals does nothing to adapt my particular...physical needs. These help." He considers offering more, but decides against it. It wasn't needed nor necessary unless something specific came up. For now, he was still more concerned with their other potential limitation.
"In the interest of clarity: I am usually more of a magical inclination than I currently find myself, so I hope you have a better luck in combat, should the need arise." Preferably not, but he supposed they'd know soon enough as the building in question drew closer.
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Still, there's an undeniable curiosity at the items this world seems to have considered helpful to its inhabitants. A visual barrier to the sun. Now that he thinks about it, he can pick out plenty of moments that the unhelpful angle of the sun has made more difficult.
Perhaps not so mundane after all.
But magic... no, that's not mundane at all.
"I have some skill when it comes to destruction magic." Which doesn't particularly answer the question. Maybe he's still playing a game of Mysterious Stranger. Perhaps it's lucky that he's holding out on how skilled he is with blades, his real forte. Concerning, perhaps, considering where they're heading.
"What happened to your magic?"
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"It's been tampered with." Cryptic and not at all the full story, but good enough. His spellbook in particular had been...altered. There was something else in there, another power, one that Essek had no intention of messing with just yet. There was enough else to take his attention from his most important possession's corruption. He could compartmentalize. For now.
That's what he told himself, anyway.
The shift of the wind and the stench that accompanied it provided more than enough distraction from the lies he told himself, the smell yanking an inelegant gagging cough from the wizard. Meat left in the sun and rot promised something unpleasant up ahead and Essek brought the back of his hand to his nose. "I think...we may have found what we were sent after."
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Mirror Mirror
"See what?" he asks, confused, looking over Essek's face with a wary expression.
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"The reflection too, if you please." It's a little calmer, though with a breathless edge of that calm coming after a rush of panic. "I-" He hesitates, uncertain if he should explain or even how he would start.
"The reflection is wrong, altered, now and again, I simply wish to know if it's visible to others or only the person experiencing it." Was it all in his head or an affect of some kind? There were too many variables.
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"I don't see anything wrong with you," William says, clearly attempting to be reassuring -- while also very curious about what might be happen. "You look okay to me. What did you see?"
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"Thank you. I saw a few too many eyes, but if it is only an illusion, then it is far less immediately worrying than I feared. Perhaps only a trick of the light."
It wasn't. Not even close, but it was only in his head and paranoia was not a flattering color on anyone, no matter how justified. "I apologize for any undue alarm."
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Arrival
He had been wandering through the library, his heart hammering hard in his chest, looking for any kind of clue as to where he was. And he hadn't come up with anything yet. His brain couldn't work out where he was, he didn't know what time of day it was, and he felt as though he were about to have some kind of breakdown.
The man he had seen felt familiar. Somewhere something in his head was soothed by them, though they didn't look exactly like the man he knew. It was enough for him to approach though, running his fingers through his hair, rubbing his hands together nervously.
"Hello?" Essek?
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The sigh of relief that escaped him was largely involuntary but forgivable, considering how high strung he still felt. Any of the Nein would have been a more than welcome sight, but Caleb Widowgast was one even more welcome and something uncomfortable that had been shifting in him the past few minutes settled again.
"Hello." His response was even, accented, and touched with a small smile he hoped might comfort the hesitation he could sense behind the word. Caleb seemed uncertain and something in his eyes spoken of...searching, like there was something he was trying to confirm in Essek's face, though what, he couldn't begin to guess.
The book all but forgotten, Essek closed it and returned it to it's spot and looked about them for a corner or at least a spot less in the middle of everything to retreat to. He gestured to a small table against a wall and lead them over to it with no less purpose than he'd feigned since realizing he was lost. Though perhaps a little less lost now.
Once they were away from so many potential eyes, Essek let a bit more of his relief show through. "I am glad to see you here, even if I do not yet know where here is. I attempted to teleport from the grove, do you know what happened?" Caleb hadn't been close enough to be drawn in as well, but he hadn't been far, if something had gone wrong, perhaps the same anomaly had swept both of them up.
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And the other man certainly seemed a lot calmer about this whole thing than Caleb felt as he once again toyed with his hair and then picked at the bandages around his forearms.
Sitting down helped. He slumped into a chair and then remembered himself, sitting up properly with slightly more decorum, his heart sinking as Essek explained he didn't know anything more than Caleb.
"From the grove?" that piqued his interest, though. He blinked a few times. "You- you left the grove almost a week ago. Did you return? I have been in Rexxentrum. I stepped into my tower-" This made things a lot more complicated. "Have you spoken to anyone else here?" Caleb added, dropping his voice to barely a whisper and leaning in closer. "How long since you arrived?"