Lost Rambler

Arc II, Chapter 26: The Carousel Spins On

“If you make it to the day of the Centennial?” I repeated as Sidney walked away.

Her words hung in the air. The Stranger had said the same thing the day before. Back then it had just sounded like an odd way of saying “See you tomorrow” but when Sidney said it, it made no sense at all.

It was the day of the Centennial. I was sure of it. The NPCs and signage had been clear that the Centennial was the 5th of August. The day before had been the 4th of August.

How were we...

Arc II, Chapter 25: Play it cool

Carousel as a town was strangely accommodating. Every set came with lodgings of some kind. Some were better than others, but it was quite funny to watch as Sidney’s father grabbed four cots from the basement. Her stepmom gathered nice linens for us to sleep with. They gave us big comfortable pillows and set us up around the house with our own little accommodations.

Maybe the Martin’s home actually was stocked like a hotel back in their world, but I suspected that was a Carousel thin...

Arc II, Chapter 24: The Four Stages of Carousel

Warning: you are about to get a pretty decent lore drop as a direct result of having chosen Constance as a companion. Voting has consequences.

Priority number one: get away from the haunted hotel room. We knew that technically our odds of something bad happening were low, but this was the place where Cassie’s body had laid cold for over an hour. This was not a place we could sleep comfortably if we could avoid it. There were broken windows and some shredded wallpaper.

“You c...

Arc II, Chapter 24: The Late Check Out

This ran long. It is not your full chapter. It's just the rewards section and some other tidbits. I will release the rest tomorrow. I haven't edited this yet.
~~~

I examined the License until it was time for me to get my tickets. This laminated slip of paper allowed us to contact ghosts related to the Throughline. That would explain some things. Why had this story, which did not appear to be related to the plot of the Throughline, come first in the Throughline.

“You think m...

Arc II, Chapter 23: The Off-Screen Death

Strander Blake, as the script apparently called him, stood directly behind the spirit of a drowned woman. I couldn’t see him, but I could almost feel the rage coming off of him.

It wasn’t just rage though. There was fear there too.

Dozens of ghostly arms appeared from behind the drowned woman. They belonged to different spirits that Strander had collected. They were all sewn to him. My brain could barely comprehend what I was seeing. It was almost an optical illusion as if the...

Next Chapter Tomorrow and Another this weekend.

Next chapter drops tomorrow. 

Also

If you have any thoughts on a trope you think the players should be awarded, just leave your ideas in the comments and I might make it happen. Remember tropes are based on Archetype, Aspect, and Actions taken in the latest storyline. I already know some things that will happen, but I would love to hear your ideas!

Announcement

Things are pretty hectic on my end right now with the holiday season. My relatives insist on spending time with me and I have not been feeling well. I will continue to post three chapters a week and I will keep Patreon at least five chapters ahead of RR, but I cannot commit to a schedule for which days those chapters will arrive. I apologize for the inconvenience. This should all straighten out by mid January.

Thank you so much for your support.

Arc II, Chapter 22: The Weakness

"The Stanger said this isn't how this storyline is supposed to go," I said to Sidney as we walked into the living room. "You seemed surprised with the change."

“I’ve only played it once when I was brought in through a ticket,” she said as she grabbed one of the remaining chicken tenders from the plate on the counter. “This is the kiddie ride. You watch the ghosts get closer and closer until eventually, you can see the red wallpaper for the first time. No one has to die. No one c...

Arc II, Chapter 21: Strander Blake

The ghosts on the far side of the river were difficult to make out. Like the armless ghost that I had seen while playing the Ten Second Game, they almost looked like they were placed in the scene so that they would be hard to see at first glance. It was like the world’s creepiest game of I Spy.

I spy a legless Civil War-era soldier crawling behind a bush. I spy a woman staring at us from behind a dead tree. I spy a man holding his own head in the shadows.

The only way I could re...

Arc II, Chapter 20: Ready Player Ten

“You killed them?” Antoine screamed. He feigned an attempt to stand but was unable.

Bobby, having gotten Isaac straightened out, started working on Antoine’s leg. He gathered a broken branch from nearby and started constructing a splint. I couldn’t tell if he was doing it properly because I didn’t know how it was done. Still, he did his best to look like he was confident as he wrapped his belt around Antoine’s leg.

“I didn’t kill them!” The Stranger said. “They...

Arc II, Chapter 19: The Ghost Collector

My Oblivious Bystander strategy was running thin. Even with the darkness that could conceal the enemy from my gaze and all of my efforts to provide cover, we were in danger. Our strongest hope was that Carousel had other plans for us.

I had watched my other uses of Oblivious Bystander on the red wallpaper before using Director’s Monitor. Usually, Carousel used ten or so seconds of the footage it shot. Just enough to show me at risk an...

Arc II, Chapter 18: Let's Split Up, Gang

It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out a solution to our problem. We had to leave the hotel suite and venture out into the land of ghosts, but I also had to be available for a call from Constance, who was researching the lore of the creature described by our deceased friend.

The solution was the cell phone in my pocket.

This storyline, unlike those I had previously run, was set in an age where cell phones were ubiquitous. Modern movies had to come up with reasons to ...

Arc II, Chapter 17: Ghost Story

If I wasn’t standing four feet away from him, I would have been really jazzed to see the ghost of J.T. Guzman. This was my favorite type of ghost to see in horror movies. He didn’t look faded or transparent. In fact, he looked solid, though I wasn’t going to test if he was.

He had died of a broken neck and his spirit forever reflected that. Every time a ghost like that popped up in cinema I would smile and hope to guess the cause of death of each ghost. My favorite movie with spir...

Arc II, Chapter 16: Connection Terminated

We didn't have that long Off-Screen, but it still felt like an eternity. I would have loved to take the opportunity to ask the Stranger questions but surviving the story was more pressing.

I saw Cassie and Isaac sitting deathly still on the couch. I needed to say something to help them. I wished that Anna was there. She might not know the perfect thing to say, but she would at least get  in the ballpark. I would do my best.

"You ready?" I asked. I tried to mask my own fear. 2023-12-04 05:17:41 +0000 UTC View Post

Arc II, Chapter 15: I have no arm but I must wave...

“I’m sorry I didn’t do more to scare you away,” the Stranger said, his shame evident by the light of the moon. “I feared you would end up here. I was going to ramp up the crazy to prevent you from staying here. I was. Honest. Then I realized that if I rattled you too much you would tell the hotel staff and everything would be ruined. I barely managed to get the previous guests to leave. I thought the suite would be empty tonight.”

“Why did you need the room?” Dina asked....

Arc II, Chapter 14: Exploring in the Dark

I passed around the rules for The Ten Second Game so that everyone could read them. As they did, they looked around and realized how this place was perfect for the ritual. There were many windows and no signs of humanity on this side of the hill.

“That is so creepy,” Kimberly said. “I don’t like this,” she pleaded to Antoine.

“It’s just a dumb internet thing,” Antoine said.

“Yeah,” I said. “But I’m creeped out too.”

If we played up being upset...

Arc II, Chapter 13: Reply the Departed, Updated

Player Stats:

Player Tropes:

(I would like to remind readers that this is a reference. I will describe tropes before they come up. You don’t have to read this unless you want to)

Riley Lawrence is the Film Buff.

"Trope Master" grants him the ability to perceive enemy tropes, but at the cost of sacrificing half of his Plot Armor. 2023-11-27 19:21:22 +0000 UTC View Post

Arc II, Chapter 12: Stranger Still

She was the Researcher Paragon, a Scholar who focused on studying and learning. She had been a researcher of some kind in real life once too, apparently, and paid the price.

We continued with out litany of questions, most of which she did not know the answer to or did not have a useful answer to.

“Who is the Insider,” Kimberly eventually asked. We all assumed that the Paragons were aware of the Insider.

As usual, when Constance answered, she took a moment. At first, I th...

Arc II, Chapter 11: The Librarian

Things rapidly started shutting down. It wasn’t as quick as what usually happened between scenes, but as the NPCs cleared out, it was evident that new players were not supposed to stick around.

“Just another day in Carousel,” Rhonda Moore said to us as she saw us standing there. “It’s always something, but that’s why I love the job. The hotel we booked for you is a bit of a walk from here. You should probably ask someone with a flashlight to show you the way. Or you can wait...

Choose a Paragon

Someone needs to lead the players to their hotel. It's nighttime and tourists could easily lose their way. The path to their lodgings is winding and dark, but not as dark as what they will find when they get there.

Clues: An Urban Legend. A Impossible Fight. Know where to run. Know where to hide.

Choose well.

PS: The Stranger is the same character we met a few chapters ago who talked to them briefly at the Diner in case you were curious.

Arc II, Chapter 10: Encapsulated

The time capsule that was buried thirty years too early caused quite a stir. Most who learned of its existence found it amusing. Of course they did. My friends and I knew that it was an omen of what was to come, but everyone else in that part of the square that night were laughing and scratching their heads about it.

The Mayor, however, was some unique combination of angry, embarrassed, confused, and paranoid. He alternated between those emotions with every sentence.

“I demand t...

Arc II, Chapter 9: Carousel Loves Families!

“I am asking you literally. Where did you enter Carousel from?” the man said.

I was hesitant to answer.

Antoine wasn’t.

“Olde Hill Road,” he said. “By the run-down bed and breakfast.”

The man ran his hand over the top of his hair. “That’s a new one. Okay. I have to tell you something. You’re not going to want to believe me. Heck, you probably won’t believe me at all, not until it starts happening.”

“Until what starts happening?” Kimber...

Arc II, Chapter 8: Nondescript

“Why did they not put the booths all in one place?” Dina asked as we made our way up yet another row of carnival rides.

We had seen booths for every company, social club, public utility, and college organization. There was nothing out of the ordinary at any of them. We wandered without progress for so long, I started to doubt that we should be there at all.

This place was a good microcosm for Carousel itself, though. It was the first time players would see important n...

Arc II, Chapter 7: A History in Flames

The only thing we knew for sure we needed to do was to check out the informational display about the founding of Carousel that was supposed to be somewhere in the town square. We had been given a new space on the red wallpaper for Leads and, while I still wasn’t certain of what we were up against, I was glad to have direction.

Even with all the excitement and joy surrounding us, knowing that something was coming created a palpable sense of dread. I could only imagine that people who s...

Arc II, Chapter 6: The Night Before

The tape had stopped playing by the time we got to the end of Olde Hill Road. The inside of the carriage was quiet as we all waited to find out where this ride would take us. Antoine held Kimberly but neither dared to say a word.

The windows of the Carriage were warped in the way that old glass often was, but I could still see clearly enough when we passed the plot of land called the “Patcher Rehabilitation Ranch”.

At first, I was confused. I didn’t remember there being such...

Just checking in

This part of the story risks being overly complicated so I'm working to simplify it. I think that when you see what's going on you'll understand why I'm taking a little extra time to find the best way to communicate things lol. I'm sorry for the wait. Just know that I'm working hard to get all the chapters out.

Arc II, Chapter 5: The Founder's Tale

“How much time do we have?” Kimberly asked.

“Let me think,” Antoine said, “When we were intercepted by Arthur and the others after we arrived, it took us maybe an hour to get into The Final Straw II. I assume we didn’t cut it too close or else they wouldn’t have risked having us wait for Samantha to show up. So we probably have at least some time.”

“That’s the best guess I have,” I said. “The section on the Tutorial in the Atlas doesn’t say how l...

Arc II, Chapter 4: Seeing is Believing

Convincing people they were trapped in Carousel was hard.

My first thought was to show them my hoodie pockets that had been upgraded with my Luggage Tag. So many items went in, a tape player, my sunglasses, three ice-cold Dr. Peppers. Yet, there was no visible bump to show that anything was in my pocket.

I even took off the hoodie so that they could feel its pockets were empty. Then, I put it back on and pulled out the items again.

Unfortunately, that plan was short-sighted....

Arc II, Chapter 3: Late Arrivals

This is the last post that incorporates old text. Thank you for your patience.

~~~~

The Atlas was written like a riddle.

That’s what I concluded. That’s not to say that it rhymed or played tricks, but it was clear that the writers who had contributed to it knew there were penalties for making things too simple or obvious. The book was larger than any I had ever read, with hundreds upon hundreds of full pages in its bindings with pictures and hand-drawn charts, but it m...

Announcement

The next three chapters will come out around Thursday and Friday. Nothing Saturday (I have to go to a wedding so no time to edit). As previously stated, I will not start up RR until we are full up here which should be soon.