Dropbox

[finchmods]

DROPBOX

Leave any questions for the mods about the game in the comments below! We'll get back to you as quickly as we can. Comments are screened and any relevant informaiton that comes out of dropbox discussions will be added to FAQ or otherwise made available to other players. Feel free to ask us or notify us about:

• World details!
• Setting details!
• NPC details or interactions!
• Clarifications on OOC or IC rules!
• Game mechanics!
• Changes to accepted characters!
• Plot ideas!
• Anything else!

If you anticipate an exchange that will require more back and forth or if you just prefer it, you can also email us at: finchwoodacademy@gmail.com!

Comments

[finchmods]

1) Correct! There's nothing for Marina to notice when scanning the broken mirror.

2) When scanning the area around her desk, Marina can detect nothing unusual about the water or any of her (now soaked) possessions. The glasses, however, have the residual energy of the Shadow World all over them and when looking at them through Iah-hel's eyes she can see them for what they truly are: a key. Just like the journal Kodi found and the baseball Rose was brought by Dakota. What makes them take on this shape in the real world, however, is unclear and trying to untangle the magic is more likely to leave her with a headache than a clear answer.

3) The water is brackish and resembles the water that came out of the mirror previously.

4) Marina can taste the water...and it's just as bad as Neal previously indicated. :( Yuck!

5) Any books or notebooks left on the desk are open as if flipped through, though it's impossible to tell if the contents were examined carefully, in haste, or not at all. It's worth noting that if Marina's journal was on her desk, it is the one book that was not opened.

6) Unfortunately, yes! Marina may have some success in drying out a few things (player choice!) but it's largely a lost cause. Her journal is fortunately safe from the mayhem.

Hope this helps!

[unironickylorenfan]

Hallooo. Meggie and I were going to do this earlier but apparently last week was sickness hell week for everyone. ANYWAY. Zinnia and Liam were selected by Flint to interview Gladstone and Voss. My understanding is Gladstone will cancel but they can still ask Miss Voss questions. So, here are the Q's they ask, in order (it's very important that they open with "Does being gay make u persona" not really but these kids are bad):

1. Do you think being LGBTQ+ makes you more likely to be a Persona user?
2. What was your most memorable experience surrounding your involvement in the events from 20 years ago?
3. Did you work with anyone else? Persona users or ordinary townspeople?
4. At the time, did you have any concerns that the worst of what you witnessed two decades ago might reoccur or escalate later?
5. As they grew stronger, what were some of the things your Personas learned how to do? Do you think we can expect similar developments?

K luv u byeeee

[finchmods]

No worries! :( ♥ We hope you're both feeling better and that the game plague will pass soon.

Anyway, that is correct: Mr. Gladstone had initially agreed to come be interviewed but canceled last minute, so Liam and Zinnia will just be talking to Ms. Voss. She apologizes on his behalf and says that something came up, so he'll be in Portland for the next few days. But she's still happy to talk to them!

1. This question makes Ms. Voss laugh and she beams, clearly both amused and delighted. She says that she doesn't know but anything is possible? She recommends asking Lenore about it but is clearly joking.

2. This seems to stump Ms. Voss. It was all quite memorable. Clearly attempting to keep the interview light, she ends up recounting the time that a rift had appeared in their school gymnasium in the early morning and how they'd had to barricade themselves inside in case the threat wasn't resolved by the time the volleyball team showed up for practice. The rift didn't close until just before classes started and they'd all been given a lot of detention. So much detention. Though Luther's father had been able to brush the so-called act of vandalism under the rug.

3. Ms. Voss explains that they only worked with other Persona-users, students from their school that manifested the same abilities they had. She admits that they'd considered trying to reach out to others for help but the possibility of not being believed or losing control of the situation was always too much of a concern. They voted on it several times, but the vote always ended up being 'no' or being a draw.

4. Frowning, Ms. Voss shakes her head and folds her hands in her lap. She says that when everything seemed to be over...they thought it was over for good. This clearly bothers her more than she wants to let on.

5. According to Ms. Voss, their Personas hadn't become stronger as quickly as those of the Finchwood Academy students because their situations were so different. They hadn't been able to train as frequently and they hadn't fought as many Shadows. Still, she does offer the insight that most Personas eventually become completely immune to their own element/are able to absorb it and that they will eventually begin to tap into the other element associated with their minor arcana. Personas that use Water will eventually learn to use Ice, for example. Apart from that, the skills that Personas learn tend to be unique and tailored to their users. Some will learn to heal, some will learn to new attacks or tactical maneuvers, some will learn to boost the abilities of their users, though they've already seen all of this.

[finchmods]

Yikes! Sorry we missed this one for a few days.

Anyway, to answer your questions, the card is just the typical Rider-Waite Death card, so it looks like this. As for Lenore, when she examines the card she can find no sense of Shadows or the Shadow World on it. Instead, it seems to have come from the Velvet Room. This, like most things, doesn't appear to phase Lenore.

[finchmods]

As with the Death card that Slade found, Lenore tells Russ that these appear to come from the Velvet Room. As before, she's not concerned in the least.

[finchmods]

In scanning the cards, Lucy simply confirms what Lenore has told Russ - they come from the Velvet Room. There's no hit of Shadows on any of them.

[finchmods]

Unfortunately, without seeing the entity herself, Lenore can only speculate about the origin and the natue of the boy that came out of the mirror. She can only confirm that the scrying crystal is a key for one of the doors in the cathedral and that the boy had to have brought it from the Shadow World directly. However, she does add that neither she nor any Support sensed the boy, which indicates to her that if he was some sort of Shadow he was a weak one. She asks him if she can take the mirror that the boy came through so she can attempt to examine it further.

At the coffee shop, Neal and Venus find few people willing to talk to them and no leads on the boy.

At the occult shop, Moira seems happy to see Venus! She has clearly taken a liking to the young lady. The discussion of the boy seems to give her pause but after a long moment she says that she doesn't have a customer matching that description. While she doesn't press Neal and Venus for a reason, she does ask where they've seen this boy?

Marzio and Thalia will be able to find a yearbook (there is one at the Haling Cove Public Library that they can read there but not take back to school or they can get one from a current student) but Neal will not be able to find the boy in the yearbook.

Thanks!

[finchmods]

The map that Squad 3 found in the castle has changed since Nora last looked at it. While the map remains a reflection of the real Haling Cove (rather than the Shadow World) and it still portrays only sparse details, there are now seven symbols on it: five in black and two in a faintly glowing white.

It would take some work, but if Nora overlays this map with a real map of Haling Cove with streets and other distinctive markers, she'll be able to pin down the marked locations:

The Boardwalk

The Ice Cream Parlour

Haling High School

The Occult Shop

City Hall

Haling Cove Public Library

The Lighthouse

The markers don't form any clear pattern or symbol but the two glowing symbols match up with the Boardwalk and Haling High School.

[finchmods]

First, thank you for having Liam give Roger Nora's number! That was an oversight Katie's part. Whoops! With regard to your other questions, Liam is able to catch up with Wayne. The boy's a little tipsy and a little shaken up and seems to appreciate the company.

1) Wayne agrees that this is too weird, though he seems to be thinking about the comatose kids more than the plants. When it becomes clear that Liam is talking about the plants, he shrugs and shakes his head. Nature does weird stuff all the time, right? Like those 'sailing stones' in Death Valley. He gives Liam a clumsy (he is still tipsy, after all) explanation for the phenomenon that he saw on the Discovery Channel! Still, he's never seen anything like it.

2) Wayne admits that he doesn't know either Angie or Steven very well but that the two hooking up is somewhat unlikely because Angie has a boyfriend and Steven's real religious and comes to these things mostly just to be a designated driver for his friends.

3) Wayne shakes his head; like he said, Steven's straight-laced as they come. He can't imagine the other boy would take anything. At least not willingly. This seems to make the boy uncomfortable and he rubs at his face with his hand; it's not hard to imagine he's thinking about the bus incident and the potential that he and his teammates had been drugged.

4) The conversation seems to leave Wayne a bit more shaken up than he'd already been, but he nods and tells Liam the same: to keep in touch too and to take care of himself. He concludes with an apologetic: "Some party, huh?" before disappearing to find Roger.

As for Liam and Selby, they're able to collect the plants without issue! They're both knowledgeable and they have the necessary supplies. Flora will examine them and find nothing particularly strange about them. This is part of what prompts her to take the Gardening Club back there on 01/09. She appreciates their efforts and compliments their work.

[finchmods]

Jordan James is a friendly, upbeat guy and getting him alone for a serious conversation proves to be difficult, though he seems more than willing to welcome all Squad 10 members into any conversations he might be having with friends or any games he might be playing throughout the night. As it turns out, though, one game he doesn't play is 7MIH; he turns red and laughs good-naturedly when people attempt to talk him into it. Ulrich does manage to get that conversation about Mortal Kombat and initials, though, learning the Jordan's favorite character to play is Scorpion and that his middle name is...Jeffrey? Triple J? Looks like he's not the Mortal Kombat King after all.

Near the end of the night, a drunk Jordan does end up sitting alone with Slade. The boy apologizes again for taking so long to add Slade on Facebook, admitting that he's had a lot on his mind lately and that his dad took away his laptop and his phone for a couple of weeks. If Slade asks why, Jordan looks frustrated and sort of sad and says it doesn't matter. He goes on to say that he's glad things are finally starting to seem normal again.

Before Slade has to give an answer, though, the uproar about the missing students begins and the conversation is cut short.

[finchmods]

Nora is sweet and we're glad you liked this~ ♥

Roger, seeming a bit sheepish himself, tells Nora that it was a nice surprise that she responded too. In the midst of their chatter, she learns:

That the Haling High students have parties out here semi-frequently during the spring and fall because most people aren't equipped to throw house parties and it's rare that all the campgrounds are occupied unless it's the middle of the summer.

That Roger doesn't mind working at the grocery store and he needs the money to buy new equipment for his camera. He says that the worst part is cute girls (he clearly means Nora) seeing him in that stupid apron.

That Roger's family (him, his dad, and his older brother) moved to Haling Cove when his parents got divorced six or seven years ago. His mom lives in Bangor.

That Roger isn't in the school play. He...is not a good singer. He asks if Nora's in hers?

Roger's favorite Disney movie is The Sword in the Stone followed closely by Aladdin and Mulan. He hasn't seen Moana.

The more serious (and more peculiar) question about what he'd do if the witch from the shooter they'd played together was real and Haling Cove were really in danger gives him pause before he tells her he'd find her so they could team up again and take her down. He seems to find her panicked apologies funny and sort of endearing.

[finchmods]

Unfortunately, searching for "Angie Sayer" and "Steven Rice" only yields links to their social media accounts, the Haling High Chronicle's website, and other mundane content. A broader search of the local news outlets does yield a story about two teens that were hospitalized after a party, possibly drug-related, but the articles do not include their names and only say that the pair are in stable condition.

[finchmods]

Unfortunately, the staff isn't willing to budge. Lenore is as impassive as ever, but Mr. Gladstone and Ms. Voss do offer more insight, explaining that they are firm on keeping half of the squads back in case something unexpected happens in the Shadow World or another rift opens and Shadows are able to enter the real world. They want the forces here just as strong as the forces inside and there's too much unpredictability to do otherwise.

Mr. Gladstone in particular seems to sympathize with the trio, telling them that he understands wanting to do everything that's possible to fight the Shadows and that he admires their dedication, but that they have to be mindful of the potential consequences of their decisions. He hopes they can understand.

[finchmods]

When Neal and Venus go to see Mr. Gladstone on Friday afternoon, they find him with Ms. Voss and the pair invite them to come sit in the spacious office and discuss...well. Whatever it is they came to discuss! The mention of of Joss Coburn has an obvious impact on them, though. Ms. Voss averts her eyes, looking wounded and strangely young. Mr. Gladstone pulls in a breath and slowly lets it out and asks them where they heard that name? He listens as they explain about the boy that came through the mirror, the key that he gave them, and the conversation with Mrs. Ruskin. By this time, there's a wet sheen in Ms. Voss' eyes and he lifts his hand as if to touch her shoulder, hesitates, and lowers it.

Looking at the teenagers, Mr. Gladstone says that he can tell them about Joss but that he'd rather tell everyone. And that he needs some time. He asks them to tell the others to meet them in the bottom floor of the dormitory before curfew. (We'll be doing an IC/OOC for this announcement just to keep everyone on the same page! So....incoming!)

When Venus goes to invite Mrs. Ruskin to the play, she seems touched. Of course she'll come! Nothing else to say here. But you just made a nice old woman's day. :)

[finchmods]

Hi Manx! We're operating under the assumption that these questions are directed at Irene since they're being asked during training, but let us know if that's not the case or if Marina would like to follow up with another staff member.

1) Irene shrugs, telling Marina that Lenore is the only Velvet Room denizen that had been around during the old days and that she and Iason don't know the details of that disastrous trip into the Shadow World. The past doesn't matter much to her and she advises Marina not to dwell on it too much. If she wants to know, though, she should probably ask Lenore, Gladstone, or Voss.

2) Same answer as above, unfortunately! Irene doesn't know anything about Haley Bennington.

3) This Irene does know! She says that manifesting new abilities has less to do with stress and more to do with personal growth since a Persona is a reflection of the inner self. When Persona-users learn new skills in battle, she says, it's often tied to strengthening resolve to protect someone or overcome an obstacle. Unfortunately, this is difficult to reproduce. She says that diligence in training, meditation, or even personal revelation can lead to the same results, though. So just stick with it!

4) Irene says that there are no other elements she's ever seen Persona-users control but that there are some unique skills that they can learn to temporarily increase their magical or physical power and access their elements without summoning their Personas. She thinks they'll be ready for these lessons soon...but not quite yet. However, she'll discuss this and revisiting the light and darkness elements with Lenore. Maybe they'll have another lesson soon!

[finchmods]

Hi Meggie! Regarding the Anchor skill and Eli's practice:

1) The squad members can be a considerable distance apart and still be safely recovered by Eli so long as they're in the same area. If there's a wall between them or some other substantial object separating them, Eli will find it much more difficult to recover them all. It's a bit of a gamble.

2) Yes, the skill can be used multiple times in one run. As long as they're all present when the sigil is reset, he can pull them back again and again and again. It would get pretty tiring after a while, though.

3) Once the anchor is set, it cannot be changed. An anchor could be dismissed and another could be set, but Eli would need to ensure that all squad members are present when the new sigil is set so it functions properly.

4) Unfortunately, no. The anchor must be set at the squad's current location.

Hope this helps!

[finchmods]

Sorry for the delay! With regard to your questions:

1) Lenore shrugs, admitting that she doesn't know how many people have been tapped to fight Shadows but that there have been many over the years. She says that the Shadow World is as vast as the human world and older than recorded history. It's unusual for rifts to appear so consistently and so frequently in one area as they are here, though. The situation in Haling Cove is unusual.

She adds that Velvet Room denizens becoming as involved as they are here is unusual too and that, in the past, she has mostly only been concerned with helping wildcards fulfill their potential. She only became as involved as she did because of Haling Cove's precarious situation and Mr. Gladstone's immense potential.

2) People that aren't Persona-users ending up in the Shadow World is far from unheard of, according to Lenore. She says that a small number of disappearances each year are likely related to a rift opening and some unfortunate human ending up on the other side. She tells them that it's akin to other natural phenomenons and likely can't be helped. They should focus on protecting the people here.

3 + 4) According to Lenore, Persona-users and their Personas becoming trapped in the Shadow World after death seems to be unique to this part of the Shadow World. She's never heard of anything like that before. She advises that, if any of them are killed, they should stay to see what happens to the Persona. If it becomes a Shadow immediately, fighting it and destroying it may prevent anything more from happening.

All of this is delivered with Lenore's typical matter-of-fact coldness.

[finchmods]

When Emma and Russ call the school, they end up talking to Ms. Voss. While the woman is clearly hesitant to delay the care of the unconscious girl, she tells them to wait and informs them that she has sent Iason to see if he can determine anything about the girl's condition or otherwise help her.

Not long after, a car pulls up and Mr. Moreno (who had been driving) and Iason get out. The Velvet Room denizen seems a bit uncomfortable here (maybe because they're so close to town?), but quickly kneels to examine the girl. He holds his hand over her face, almost but not quite touching her forehead, and frowns to himself. He says she feels hollow and that some part of her has likely been pulled into the Shadow World. Or possibly even consumed by a Shadow. Mr. Moreno, standing a short distance away and looking between the girl and the nearby road, tensely lights a cigarette.

Iason concludes that he can't do anything for the girl and tells Mr. Moreno to call an ambulance, which he does. The group then waits around for the ambulance to arrive (though Iason heads back to sit in the car while they do) and Mr. Moreno offers to give the kids a ride back to school or into town if they want?

[finchmods]

When Neal and Venus show up at the occult shop asking about tarot cards and scrying crystals, Mrs. Ruskin does indeed ask them if they're gifts or for them! She uses her intuition to help them locate items that she thinks align with the people they're buying for (she doesn't ask them any questions, she just Knows). Venus is directed to a rose quartz scrying crystal, while Neal is pointed to simple tarot deck that's only the size of a deck of playing cards. She obviously will let them pick whatever they want, but that's what she suggests!

She's happy to oblige in reading Neal's tea leaves, and after preparing him a cup and letting him drink, she gets to work. She takes a while to say anything, turning the cup a few times as she deciphers the contents. When she looks up, she actually seems a little... relieved? Good fortune is on the horizon, she says. She knows things have been hard for him recently, and a lot has been on his mind, but he just needs to keep pressing forward. She gives Neal and Venus both candy before they leave, and tells them to take care of themselves.

As for Venus and her text to Miranda, she does get a response: 'Who's this?'

Re: two very extra children

[finchmods]

Sorry for the delayed response. We hope this answers your questions!

Lenore's information about what happened in the Shadow World is limited, given that she wasn't there, but she tells them what she can. Back then, the Persona-users were on the defensive because of their limited numbers and resources, finding rifts and destroying the Shadows that escaped rather than venturing inside. Unfortunately, this allowed more Shadows to make it into the real world, resulting in disappearances, mental shutdowns, and deaths in town. Once they finally made the decision to enter, there was no cathedral, but there was a strong presence they were drawn to and they almost immediately made their way toward it. A fight ensued, and Mr. Gladstone was the only one to emerge, likely kept alive by his Wildcard strength. Mr. Gladstone had insisted that the Shadow was destroyed, but everything that's happened recently calls that into question.

Ms. Voss does her best to stay strong while answering questions, but she's clearly not her usual chipper self. She confirms what Lenore said - there was a strong Shadow presence that they immediately went for, following it to the rocky shoreline. The group found this powerful Shadow and confronted it, fighting hard. It seemed like they were going to defeat it but then it started lashing out with vicious power that it hadn't seemed capable of before and targeting their weaknesses. She recalls her friends dropping like stones as the Shadow overcame them. It even managed to target her, attacking with a psychic backlash that rendered her unconscious until it was all over. Mr. Gladstone is the only one that has the full story, but he's told it to her. It killed their friends and it nearly killed him. The man had sworn that he'd seen its black form rend itself apart and fade into nothing before he left, though. She thinks the threat they're facing now must be something new. Something tied to the cathedral. After she answers some of their questions, she excuses herself, saying she has to prepare for classes this week.

[finchmods]

After Walter Geary breaks his contract, he no longer remembers any of the supernatural aspects of attending Finchwood Academy. He doesn't remember anything about Personas, Shadows, or the Shadow World. He doesn't remember the squads, the squad training, or the exploration of the Shadow World. He also has no memory of the Velvet Room or its denizens.

While he does remember the mundane parts of being at Finchwood Academy, it's a careful patchwork and every part of it seems to have been toned down to keep the boy from questioning the missing parts of his memory. He remembers classes and clubs as being unexceptional, he remembers Haling Cove as being a quiet and boring tourist town, and the close friendships he'd formed with other freshmen are remembered only as vague acquaintanceships. He has no interest in keeping in touch with any of them. He doesn't know why Marty would want to stay there and claims that the academic prestige isn't worth it. Apart from his altered memory, though, there seems to be nothing different about Walter.

While Walter does remember the fight, he doesn't remember Marty telling him to leave. Instead, he just remembers his older brother picking on him (as usual).





:'( Bye Walter.

Re: Gregory de Leon, Boy Detective

[finchmods]

Gregory the Lion is never low priority.

That said, regarding the boy detective's cases:

1. Gregory is able to track down a family-sized bag of sour cream and onion potato chips in the storage area on the Swords' floor. How curious! They're hidden on a high shelf but luckily Tobermory comes to his aid, appearing and climbing up to knock the bag down so Gregory doesn't have to. Is this Hamsi's bag of chips? Did someone steal them and hide them? Or is it a coincidence? The mystery isn't quite solved.

2. When Gregory asks Mr. Bhattacharya if he owns a bird, the man looks equal parts perplexed and embarrassed, but denies having one. When the boy lays on the compliments and continues asking the same questions repeatedly, though, he eventually admits that he had one as a child but had to give it away after his family's financial situation took a bad turn. He finds them beautiful but he moves and travels a lot, so he's never felt like getting one was the responsible thing to do.

While initially reluctant to discuss the matter, once he gets going he seems more comfortable. He tells Gregory that if he had a Persona, he's certain it would have some avian qualities and he even leaves the boy with some interesting bird facts.

Case Closed!

3. Searching high and low throughout the common areas of the dormitories, Gregory is unable to find Mason's missing sketchbook. Searching the art classroom and questioning the art students yields similar results. How unfortunate! One day, though, he overhears two freshmen discussing how ~dreamy~ artists are and one of them says that her boyfriend (boyfriend?? these kids are growing up too fast!) showed her some of his drawings and said she was his muse. The pictures she describes remind Gregory of the sort of things Mason draws. And her boyfriend isn't even in Art.

Upon confronting the boy, Gregory discovers that he found the sketchbook and kept it to impress his girlfriend. He seems huffy about the whole thing but reluctantly gives it back.

Case Closed!

[finchmods]

When Slade tries to sneak a peek at what Thomas Noble is working on (since the man doesn't look up or engage him in conversation), it's not anything that's very interesting or useful. He has a notebook filled with his own notes (messy, but clearly detailed), a page or two of what look like police reports on the comatose Haling High students, and what looks like a much older notebook also filled with notes. His son's name is circled in this older notebook.

Slade can't get away with looking very long at anything, so the most he can probably glean is that Mr. Noble still has connections in the police department, he doesn't have any clear ideas or leads for the current strange occurrences, and he appears to be trying to make connections between what is happening now and what happened when he was still on the force.

[finchmods]

The ID has mixed success around Haling Cove, with many (but not all) of the restaurant owners and bar owners seeming more than a little skeptical and refusing to sell to her. They've seen her around town with the other Finchwood kids, after all. It definitely seems to be 'convincing' enough for Scott at the liquor store, though. CC should have a pretty easy time stocking up!

[finchmods]

Perhaps predictably, Khalil seems excited about the glasses for their snowman, thanks Liam, and busies himself with positioning the cracked spectacles. Joni looks on wordlessly, then turns away from them both and begins to braid her long, white hair idly.

At the question, Khalil seems to lose some of his upbeat spirit and he admits that they don't come out often because they spend a lot of their time between the parties...resting? He seems uncertain about the word, but it's still the one he sticks with. After a pause, he adds that the other denizens make them uneasy and that he worries they won't let them stay. So they avoid them. It's not difficult in the Velvet Room. Joni turns back then, seeming as if she might add something...but she just straightens the glasses on the snowman instead.