[D2 LM] Return to Castle Volcanoland

[Boogiepop]

Unfortunately, it seems that the outdoors might have made a conventional mystery difficult for the informator detective sidekick. His evaluation of the fence wouldn't gleam a way in nor any insight of the place.

Yakura would be able to get over the fence and help others over the otherside. On the other side, there was a circular path where cars would pull in, as well as the hotel entrance itself.

[Susumu Sumiko]

Having helped the best she could to get others up with Yakura, Sumiko walked ahead a little and walked around.

"They really planned this out huh? Driveways and everything. I wonder why they gave up?"

[Bayushi Kazushi]

Kazushi shrugs.

"There are lots of reasons projects may be abandoned," he says. "Perhaps the money ran out, or the investors got cold feet."

[Boogiepop]

It indeed seemed like they went very far into the project. The circular path would indeed allow cars and taxis to pull in, presumably taken to parking by the hotel's many would-be valets. A grand sign was found in the middle of this circular road reading: 'H TOL NA KHAM", all colour had faded, and the surrounding shrubbery had overgrown to cover much of it.

There were several room and suite balconies that face the entrance too, presumably the less prestigious rooms that didn't offer a view of Namigashira Bay below. It was likely that such rooms would still fetch a price at least equal to staying at the Natsuzora at the very least. Many of the visible openings seemingly no longer had glass windows, exposing themselves to the elements and any critters that were able to get in.

There was a long, extended canopy over the entrance that would shelter the visitors from any rain and enter the hotel with ease. That wasn't the case anymore, however, seeing as the glass had all been lost or smashed by now, and all there was left was a framework of steel and concrete. A wide set of fanned stairs would lead to the entrance, a few steps away. There were several boards that were put on top of the windows as a measure to keep people out, but it seemed that some boards had been taken down to reveal the frame of a revolving door.

[Bayushi Kazushi]

"Well, I think it's safe to say we're far from the first ones to come out here," Kazushi notes.

Kurumi checks the door to make sure everything's clear in the lobby.

[Yoritomo Yakura]

"Huh...not bad." Yakura thought about it.

"Some work still needed, but at a glance, it's not in a bad shape. The road though....ugh. Not tourist friendly." She sighed and shook her head, then followed the bodyguard. She wanted to check if there were any terminals plugged in, or to see how bare the furnishings were.

[Bayushi Kazushi]

"That road has probably kept new investors from sweeping in to redeem the property," muses the Scorpion. "That would take a lot of expensive work to get into a satisfactory state."

[Susumu Sumiko]

"A lot of effort to stop anyone else trying to restart a very potentially profitable project" Sumiko commented as she got closer to the building "surely if you want people to not use this you knock it down you don't leave it standing and try to board it up."

[Kitsune Kiyoshi]

"It does make me wonder why it's never been finished." Kiyoshi said. "Surely, there's been some serious interest in finishing it."

[Bayushi Kazushi]

Kazushi shakes his head. You could always spot the ones who weren't used to thinking of money and projects on this scale.

"Too expensive," he says, dismissing the idea. "Building from scratch is one thing, but demolition or repair are on a completely different scale..."

[Boogiepop]

With the board up at the entrance torn out, the party was more than able to get access into the hotel from the front. The first thing that was noticed once inside, was an eerie quiet in the interior of the building. Its vast and empty interior was large enough to broadcast an echo in their steps. They could only hear their steps and echoed at the moment without anyone else here making themselves known.

There was a lot of debris at the front at first, which is to be expected, a large amount of old wood fragments and vegetation that had found itself blown in from the openings at the front entrance. However, further in, they would find the place well-preserved for what it was. There was white plaster that spanned the length of the lobby with a rather retro-looking green marble staircase that led to the second floor. There was even an old communicator booth sitting around. There was the lingering stench of mould and moisture that lingered in the air, however. As well as smoke that seemed to have clung to the walls stubbornly.

[Kitsune Kiyoshi]

"Smoke?" He looked around. "Do you think someone's been using this place?"

[Bayushi Kazushi]

"Possibly," Kazushi says, signalling for Kurumi to keep watch as he rests his hand the deflector fan tucked into a pocket. "I wonder if they're still here...?"

[Boogiepop]

They wouldn't get their answer immediately, but on the walls, despite showing some signs of moisture staining and creeping mould in the corners, vaguely maintained a stark white consistency if one was willing to overlook some obvious flaws up close.

Well, other than a largely burned into the surface stencilled writing that said, "THE FOREVER NIGHT IS NIGH."

[Bayushi Kazushi]

"Well, that's not ominous at all."

[Kitsune Kiyoshi]

"Completely normal." He nodded.

[Bayushi Kazushi]

"Maybe it has something to do with why the site was abandoned?" Kazushi ponders. "What was the official reason given, anyway?"

[Boogiepop]

They wouldn't get their answer immediately, but on the walls, despite showing some signs of moisture staining and creeping mould in the corners, vaguely maintained a stark white consistency if one was willing to overlook some obvious flaws up close.

Well, other than a largely burned into the surface stencilled writing that said, "THE FOREVER NIGHT IS NIGH."

Oh, right! This was also inspectable! It didn't radiate any sort of radiation or taint.

(Any one person may make an Investigation/Perception roll at TN20.)

[Susumu Sumiko]

Entering the hotel, the girl took long looks around. Eerie rooms, defaced walls, unexplained signs of burning? All in an abandoned building?

"Feels like home" the Spider girl murmured quietly to herself as she went to inspect.

D2 LM Return to Castle Volcanoland Investigation/Perception+prodigy TN20 | 6k3 ⇒ 22 (TN: 20)

[Boogiepop]

Sumiko's inspection would reveal that, despite everything around the lobby looking abandoned and discarded, this particular bit of graffiti was done relatively recently. It must have been done with a woodburning tool or the like. Whatever the method, this would likely give any safety inspector a great amount of anxiety, as it could have caused a fire in the building if anything had gone wrong. They had put up signs and blockades for this reason!