BREWER'S JOURNAL

[vesania]

[Today, in a dusty corner of the library, a book has appeared. Has it always been there? It looks like it has, but it's just as likely it appeared just moments ago. It's old and leather bound, and a certain symbol has been carefully carved into the front of it. Those who went to Lastlook may recognise it as the symbol painted onto the face of the cave they went into.

Inside the book, it seems a lot of pages have been torn out. The handwriting is identical to the notes found in that cave. In fact, the notes seem to have come from this very book. And the pages here, at least, aren't stained, the text thankfully readable:]



INCIDENTS CONCERNING THE CONTAGION NICKNAMED 'THE VICES VIRUS' IN CAIR DRACONIS
CASE NOTES OF DOCTOR GENE BREWER

21st of November. Year unknown.

Today our clinic quickly became full of residents exhibiting flu-like symptoms. Though this is rarely seen in the castle, it was assumed to be a simple winter bug at first. It wasn't until later in the day that their symptoms became more erratic (see symptoms list). I was asked to analyse some of the patients and found them increasingly hostile and delusional. They became fixated on less than desirable personality traits, which other residents soon pointed out to be those of the seven vices: Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Sloth, Wrath and Gluttony. It soon became apparent the virus caused a physiological imbalance, which in turn caused the patient to manifest heightened personality abnormalities based upon their own individual vices. The resident's Id took over. A laughable theory anywhere else but here. We have quarantined the infected residents in a hope that we can limit the spread of the virus while we attempt to find a cure.

22nd of November. Year unknown.

The infected residents have escaped quarantine. The virus appears to have given them super-human abilities. They were too powerful to contain. They have also begun infecting other residents, by a touch on the forehead. Some remain strangely immune. Draconis seems unusually unwilling to help in this matter. Any attempt at communication with the castle has proven futile.
Evacuation plans are in order. The medical team are attempting to isolate the virus in an attempt to control it. Any communication attempts with infected residents are failing. The personality abnormalities have overridden their usual psyches. I will continue to try to break though.

23rd of November. Year unknown.

There is no doubt that this infection was the work of the castle, though why it would make us suffer so is a mystery to us all. Though Draconis seems to be trying to make up for its trasngression. Today, a journal appeared, accompanied by the markings I have inscribed on the front of my case notes. They were transcribed by a Doctor Liz Baylor. Her notes were largely lost, but what we could find echoed the events we have been experiencing as of late, following the pattern even to the month and day. What became of her, or the people infected with this virus remains a mystery. No one has been in the castle long enough to remember her, or an incident like this happening before. Through the illegible scribbles, one piece of poetry remained:

"To save our hearth and home
For the virtues you must comb
To undo the tie that binds
Of the vices of our minds"

Others have taken this as encouragement to search the castle for something that can cure the residents of this illness. My personal opinion lies in the virus itself, which has finally been isolated. With so few on our medical team remaining, however, hope is in short supply. Perhaps their wild goose chase will achieve something.


[[OOC: A mass post with the first clue to find the magical items needed to cure the plague will go up in about an hour. React away in this post!
THE FINAL ENTRY
DAY THREE OOC POST | PLOT HUB]]

Comments

THE FINAL ENTRY

[vesania]

[The entry for the 24th appears to be completely missing, but the entry after it is only partly destroyed. If someone kept a certain page from Lastlook, they might be able to join it together to work out what the final entry (the 25th) reads]

[hellshaped]

[Hellboy spends a couple seconds flipping through his own journal for a transcription of the pages they'd found -- thanks Dairine! -- and then just

stares at it for a bit. He sucks at research and he sucks at puzzles.]

Does someone want to give me a hand with this?

[vesania]

[Someone, it seems does want to give a hand. Is it the journal? Or is it even Paradisa itself? Whatever it is, the words from Bewer's journal are fading out, reappearing in Hellboy's instead.

The tone is different now, even if the entry is still written. It's clear the thought process is less solid, more frightened and tired. It seems the good doctor was at the end of his rope]

25th of November. Year unknown.

The virus has completely taken hold. We tried to save them, we truly did. They are too strong, too numerous, some of the immune residents were killed in struggles to use the ‘Virtues’ against them, and now the virus has spread. It has infected the entire castle. We searched the whole building, trying to make sense of that ridiculous last clue, but we could not find the final item.

We now have to face the very real fact that the infected residents are lost to us forever. We can now fully understand what happened to those under Doctor Baylor's care...hell, perhaps even Baylor herself. So now we must face the unimaginable. We have to abandon our home, for this is no longer a safe place. Draconis has stopped talking to us completely. Perhaps it will all return to normal within a week, perhaps it won't. We cannot take that chance.

It appears that Lastlook is the only safe place within reasonable travelling distance. We have kept the isolated virus in a container, to be transported to the caves of the Totem Coast where we can store it and where those who would wish to use it will not be able to find it. We'll destroy the bridge to stop them from following us.

We've had to abandon those residents whom we once called friends. There is nothing we can do to save them. I only hope that history does not repeat itself again. That this virus doesn't attack another settlement in this blasted hell of a world. If it does, then God have mercy on them.

[hellshaped]

[Hellboy reads the new words in his journal with growing dread. Killed in struggles to use the Virtues, the entire castle in danger, the abandonment of everyone.

The refusal of the castle to 'speak' or intervene.

This happened at Libet. It happened at this Draconis place. Both were abandoned after the castle just stopped working. And the people who once lived there were nowhere to be found after that.

So, this isn't a good thing.]

Crap.

[wizard_redfive]

I can! [She's good with research and puzzles.

Dairine hurries over to read the clue when she notices Hellboy's expression. Uh oh...]

...That bad?

[save_the_souls]

[Approaching him]

What is it?

[holyrabies]

[Mavis has been freaking out since it's been made clear that something is very wrong. She's managed to evade being infected. She was hiding - and planning - in a corner of the library when she found the book. The symbol meant nothing to her, but she was curious about it. Reading it hasn't helped her too much, although she's gathered two things:

This might have happened before, and wiped out the castle population, and...]

We can stop it with the seven virtues? But, like... How?

[save_the_souls]

[Allen's also been frantic at work since this virus has come up. He was heading to the medical corner of the library when he hears her]

Did you find something?

[holyrabies]

I think I have, but not all of it sounds so good... Or makes sense.

[save_the_souls]

[he approaches]

What does it say?

[holyrabies]

[She hands over the journal.]

Mostly what I'm getting is that this happened before, and it didn't end well. Apparently everyone is turning into one of the Seven Sins, I think? Or, the sick people are... They're turning into whichever sin they already have inside of them. To fix it, we need to do something about the Seven Virtues, but... I'm not sure what.

[huffythedragon]

I've never seen this book before, and I know every book in the library.

[But something is way more concerning for him right now] What's that part about Greed?

[hellshaped]

[Oh ... you sure are a dragon, aren't you. Dragons and DAT GOLD...]

I'm sure you'll be fine.

[huffythedragon]

[And everything else in-between. Gotta build a hoard! Spike continues to read, looking increasingly worried]

But...but this says we can catch this thing, right?

[hellshaped]

[Babby dragon no, you're just going to make yourself sick with worry >:[

Hellboy looms over his shoulder, reading too.]

"Some remain strangely immune."

[huffythedragon]

[He has a lot to worry about, this ended very badly for him last time]

I can't take that chance. I mean- [Deep breaths. STAY COOL. DON'T PANIC] I really can't take that chance.

[save_the_souls]

[oh hey it's a dragon thing. He'll glance over at Spike]

Greed is one of the seven deadly sins. So it sounds like that's one of the...strains?

[huffythedragon]

Oh. Oh but that's bad.

[He whimpers, starting to run around in frightened little circles]

This is really, really bad.

[save_the_souls]

Ah-

[WHAT THE HELL]

It's...it's okay! We'll find a cure! I'm sure of it!

[huffythedragon]

No, dude, you don't get it. I can't catch this thing. If I do, it'll be bad.

So bad

[wizard_redfive]

The castle does bring new ones in fairly often. [Dairine says, leaning over to take a look.] Hey! I know that symbol.

[Oh, right. He was asking a question.] Greed is the sin of wanting too much.

[huffythedragon]

You do? Where do you know it from? I don't recognise those symbols at all.

[He makes a worried noise] I know that. [Oh good lord he knows that more than most residents] But... but that means any of us could get this, right?

[wizard_redfive]

It was carved outside the Lastlook cave. Here... [Dairine pulls out a notebook and flips to the page where she had copied the design.] Looks just the same.

Not all of us. There are at least three residents immune to the virus.

[huffythedragon]

[He'll squint at them] Does anypony know what they mean?

...I really can't take that chance. If I'm not-

I just gotta get really, really far away.

[hellshaped]

[Hellboy is frowning at these notes. RESEARCH... not his strong suit.]

I wonder what happened to that girl we picked up in the area. She might have an idea of how to deal with this.