Shadowstalker wrote:That deals with some of the more mundane threats, but some of the stuff that comes after us can use some more intresting methods.

I'll never look at renting a hotel room the same... Thanks, guys.

You're welcome.

Glad to be of help.

Hours even less make can all teh difference in the world.

The things in the wall were up to it again last night so I did not get very peaceful sleep. I asked about it yesterday, but got the same reply as most questions which is a brush-off. I think I am going to make an actual complaint this morning.

The other weird thing that I found in my room this morning was a note that someone slipped under my door. It was on a plain sheet of notebook paper and the message only said, "You need to leave tonight, meet me at the edge of town at midnight. But do nothing to suggest that you are going to."

Louise again had difficulty with Nikki. She is starting to show signs of not sleeping. But Nikki seems to at least be willing to leave the room today. We are going to get some breakfast and then head to the small park in the town. Louise is hoping Nikki will wear herself out and sleep this afternoon.

Breakfast was quiet as usual here. However, this free time has given me the excuse to think about some of the recent events here at the Society. I figured to pass the time a little I would share some of them. Take them or leave them for what they are.

As I said in other posts, I did not think that it was possible for Darken could find redemption. Yet, Darken has now become Solstice and seems to have found her way to daylight. I am not sure what my thoughts are on this development, other than I am cautious. My experience in the world of dreams has led me to believe that things are not always what they seem, but there is a part of me that wants to hope redemption is possible.

Ben Holister disappeared and was thought dead yet again only to be discovered alive through necromancy. Necromancy has been thought of as the blackest of arts, yet long ago the Greeks defined Necromancy as anything from spiritual protection to wisdom according to wikipedia. So I am left pondering which form of the art was applied? I do not think you can play with darkness without tainting your own soul, and I think it is a question that both parties involved may have to answer.

Likewise, I have thought of Ghost and the parasite that inhabits his mind now. What happens when the parasite decides that it wants more than to just be along for the ride? Even more importantly, how will we be able to tell if and when that happens?

And finally, my thoughts turn back to this town. Something wants us to stay here and possible not leave, yet someone is trying to help us out. Was the person following me in the woods there to stalk me or to make sure something bad didn't happen? Are the townspeople really just distrusting of strangers or are they hiding other feelings behind that look?

Anyways to give everyone my location, I am somewhere in southeastern Ohio. I had just left Route 35 for Route 50 and am somewhere between Chillicothe and Athens. Past that I am not exactly sure. The signs became very sparse after that, and there is a good chance that I possibly left Route 50 without knowing it. The name of the town is Maiden's Tears.

It has been said before, but is worth repeating, be careful. I am not there and it is giving me bad vibes.

Unfortunately, that is about as close as I can get you right now. I was in the back of the truck for the last part of our journey and I couldn't see much in the darkness.

That is an interesting question Ron, for now all I know is that the Maiden was apparently the daughter of a shaman in the Iroquois Nation, but I haven't found out why the town is named after her. It is just another of the many mysteries that are here.

More curious was what I found in the woods today. About a 2 mile walk from this town it the decaying remains of a town just like it. I caught a glimpse of it as I was coming over a hill this morning. I am going to look this evening more closely at it, as I think I need to lose my shadow first. I am sure now that is just a man. I heard him fall this morning while I was walking.

Nikki seems to be doing much better today. She has made friends with a local stray and the two of them have been playing in the local park. Louise said they were both tired and going to take an afternoon nap.

Anyways, it seems like I have plenty to keep me busy for the next few days.

Ron Caliburn wrote:A place named after the tears of a a daughter of a shaman . . . anybody else feel this might lead to something?

Yeah, straight to hell.

Sorry I didn't get this posted earlier, there were some storms that came through and the phone and power went out. I managed to lose my shadow yesterday for a while and headed straight to towards where I saw the other town.

The place was an identical copy of the town I am staying in. The place was showing the signs of neglect, but otherwise it was a freaky duplicate. As I made my way through the place I felt the presence of something evil. The one big difference I found as I walked through it was that instead of a park there was an old brick church in the middle of the town.

I entered the church with my gun out because as I approached the feeling of wrongness got stronger. I don't know how to explain what I found, simply put it was a church but unlike the kind of my childhood. There were some images hanging up that looked similar to ones I remember, but they were extremely perverted. The cross inside was hanging upside down. As I approached the pulpit and alter I found a book sitting there.

It seemed to be half journal and half spellbook. I spent part of last night scanning the pages and once the power came back on I started uploading them to one of my servers. I think I need one of the members with knowledge of the arcane to look at the scans and let me know what I am dealing with.

I will post a little later what the journal pages say as I have only just started looking into them. What little I have read is disturbing to say the least.

Send me a Link, and I will see what I can do.

It is as if the entire town just rebuilt a duplicate of itself two miles away from the original spot. Both are buried back in the woods and hills and I have since found what I think was the old road into the town. I am sure if I followed it back I would be where it links with the current one.

Anyways, I have spent most of my morning with the constable. It seems he wants to know exactly what I have been up to, and he doesn't like that I told him it was none of his business. Thankfully it has not reached the point of him detaining me. Somehow I think that would be a bad thing.

I've started reading the journal I found. It seems to be a family history of the place. The short of it was that the town was founded in the late 1700's. There was a religious movement that was facing difficulty in the colonies and set out west to avoid them. When they found this valley, the thought they found the rest their sought. That was about when the Iroquois showed up.

Their english was not good and the new settlers did not understand what they were being told. The tribesmen spoke of bad spirits and a battle fought on this site. They also spoke of the madien's tears, which made even less sense to them. However, given the difficulties they faced before arriving and the blessing that they saw before them. They decided to keep the name Madien's Tears for their town.

This apparently upset the Iroquois and they attacked the new settlers many times. But bows and arrows were no match for firearms, and eventually they were chased off. The next entry was dated 20 years later and was interrupted by the constable before I had a chance to read it.

I have been told basicly the same as what Michael just said, But I also have a lead on the totems. I am going to see if it pans out.

I will see what additional information I can dig up. There is something odd though, I haven't seen Louise and Nikki since breakfast this morning. I might see if I can locate them real quick.

Louise and Nikki are missing. There is no trace of them in the town, even the truck is gone. I went back to the old town to nose around and was attacked by a pair of creatures. They looked like they were once human, but decay and something inhuman had overcome them. The TK bullets took them down though without too much difficulty (I didn't want the sounds of gunfire).

The stakes are getting higher here. I still cannot locate the totem. I am sleeping with the door and window blocked and am following Bert's advice. Hopefully you will hear from me in the morning.

If you can give us some decent directions or coordinates we can descend on the town in force.

I am on the run. I have been fortunate enough to get a weak signal on my PDA this morning up on this hill. It is roughly three miles outside of the town, but those interested in helping can follow the signal and the information I left behind.

The night was filled with attempts to get into the room by something. When I would check the window or peep-hole in the door there would be nothing despite the pounding three seconds prior. It all stopped as the sun began to rise. I grabbed my gun, knife and emergency kit and headed out of town before it was fully awake. Staying that room was not going to be an option anymore.

I think they took Louise and Nikki to the old town, but I don't know if they are alive or not. The area is being watched by those creatures and robed men. If you get to the area and I am not here, check the library for "The Heart of Darkness". I've put everything I thought would be of value in there.