conversations.from: system
conversations.value: The county of Tarland is one steeped in traditions, myths and folklore about as deep as the moors and swamps that surround it.
  
  A place far from the reaches of city life and one you would have never thought to visit until you received a telegraph from an old college friend. He has requested your aid in solving a particularly tricky crime.
  
  ~ ~ ~ 
  
  The story is set near the turn of the century (~1900) in what "feels like" the southern United States. I say feels like because I want the world to open any subtle differences or changes to be respected and embraced if it helps tell a more engaging story.
  
  This is not a completely open-ended narrative experience. Meaning there  some planned turns, twists, and events on this adventure that I hope will make for a compelling mystery.
  
  Lastly -- and importantly -- as with most "Occult Pulp Horror" this story does not run **high** occult. It is more an undercurrent within the waves of human drama.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You’re an expert on antiquities and artifacts, known world-wide for your skills.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Appraisal
  
  Suggested Weakness: Delicate
conversations.prefix: Antiquarian:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You teach archaeology at a prestigious New England college and are widely published.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Lore
  
  Suggested Weakness: Slow
conversations.prefix: Archaeology Professor:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You stand at the forefront of “alternative physics”—where science meets mysticism.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Sciences
  
  Suggested Weakness: Limited
conversations.prefix: Physics Professor:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your knowledge of the human body and its care is much celebrated.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Medicine
  
  Suggested Weakness: Oath
conversations.prefix: Medical Doctor:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The human mind is your purview—you understand how it works and when it doesn’t.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: The Mind
  
  Suggested Weakness: Judgmental
conversations.prefix: Psychologist:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You blend archaeological knowledge with wilderness survival and digging techniques.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Survival
  
  Suggested Weakness: Reckless
conversations.prefix: Field Archaeologist:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You ache to make a mark on the world, to amount to something special.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Resources
  
  Suggested Weakness: Naive
conversations.prefix: Dilettante:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You’re at the beginning of an exciting career... you hope.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Vital Youth
  
  Suggested Weakness: Impatient
conversations.prefix: Graduate Student:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Your military training makes you valuable the world over. It’s a dangerous place, this planet.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Hardy
  
  Suggested Weakness: Heartless
conversations.prefix: Soldier of Fortune:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You’ve studied and written widely on matters of mysticism and folklore. Your fans are many.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Mysticism
  
  Suggested Weakness: Bookish
conversations.prefix: Occult Author:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You’re sharp, perceptive, and quick—capable of appraising situations as well as objects.
conversations.prefix: Appraisal:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your intellect is formidable and your knowledge spans many cultures and histories.
conversations.prefix: Lore:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You have a calculating mind that prizes reason and calm precision above all.
conversations.prefix: Sciences:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You’re adept at medicine, from saving lives to identifying the telling marks of death.
conversations.prefix: Medicine:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The human mind is a remarkable device and you understand how it works.
conversations.prefix: The Mind:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You’ve survived the wilderness, bandits, and wolves in your search for ancient treasures.
conversations.prefix: Survival:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You’re well equipped with quality tools, society contacts, and funds.
conversations.prefix: Resources:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You’re energetic, athletic, and hale—ready for adventure!
conversations.prefix: Vital Youth:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You’re a rugged, leathery sort. You’re hard to kill and ready to work through pain.
conversations.prefix: Hardy:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You know the ways of folklore and magic, some of it so much hogwash... some of it not.
conversations.prefix: Mysticism:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You’re delicate of touch, of demeanor, and of constitution.
conversations.prefix: Delicate:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your mind may be sharp but your body is slow to keep up.
conversations.prefix: Slow:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Outside your areas of expertise, you’re easily lost.
conversations.prefix: Limited:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You’ve sworn an oath to save lives, avoid violence, and heal the sick.
conversations.prefix: Oath:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Your judgmental attitude causes you troubles. If only others would try harder to measure up.
conversations.prefix: Judgmental:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You sometimes take chances that put you or others at risk.
conversations.prefix: Reckless:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A bit gullible and trusting of the wrong sorts, perhaps, but you mean well.
conversations.prefix: Naive:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You don’t wait around well. You want to act first and think about it later maybe.
conversations.prefix: Impatient:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The years have left you wary and callous, unwilling to risk your heart again.
conversations.prefix: Heartless:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You’re no athlete. Maybe you’re doughy or awkward or frail but you’re sure no athlete.
conversations.prefix: Bookish:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Learning is power, whether you share it or not.
conversations.prefix: Learn an Eldritch Secret:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You’ve stalked or been stalked by the most dangerous game. Time for a new challenge.
conversations.prefix: Hunt Something New:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Stop waffling and wondering and find out what you believe to be true about the world.
conversations.prefix: Find Worthy Material for a Dissertation:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: It’s not about inheritance, it’s about respect.
conversations.prefix: Show Your Father You’re Worthy:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Push someone—perhaps yourself!—beyond the limits of reason and then study what happens.
conversations.prefix: Push A Mind Beyond Its Limits:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: It’s not enough anymore to believe you’re right. Show them you’re right.
conversations.prefix: Show Them Your Work is Sound:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: If you can retrieve a never-before-seen treasure, your career will be revitalized.
conversations.prefix: Bring Back A Groundbreaking Artifact:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Maybe this work isn’t worth your life? Just get home alive.
conversations.prefix: Get Home Alive:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Human morals are a human construction. Knowledge of the infinite is more valuable.
conversations.prefix: Nothing Is Forbidden:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Love may be an earthly concern, but it’s real and it matters.
conversations.prefix: Matters of Love:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Read words that have gone unread for generations.
conversations.prefix: Deciphering:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Endure and survive the threats of the wild.
conversations.prefix: Survive the Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Prevent harm from coming to a colleague you admire or cherish.
conversations.prefix: Protect Someone:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Rescue someone in peril, perhaps bringing them back from the brink of death.
conversations.prefix: Save A Life in Danger:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Set foot in a new or ancient place before someone else can despoil it.
conversations.prefix: Be The First:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Protect the dig site from harm.
conversations.prefix: Protect the Dig Site:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Get word out about what’s happening at the dig site.
conversations.prefix: Warn the World:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The best protections against the harsh realities of the world are friendship and allies.
conversations.prefix: Make A Friend:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Get a photo that no one would believe if it weren’t true.
conversations.prefix: Photographic Evidence:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Show someone that you’re not to be trifled with.
conversations.prefix: Right Might:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A simple matchbook adorned with a blue star and no words.
conversations.prefix: A Matchbook From The Blue Star:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A collection of newspaper clippings, sketches, and geographical survey maps.
conversations.prefix: Jameson’s Portfolio on the Peru Dig:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: At least $1,000 dollars American in bright green bills.
conversations.prefix: A Stack of Cold, Hard Cash:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: by Brother Francisco Castillo. Contains occult secrets about pre-Columbian South America.
conversations.prefix: The Heavens Below:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A six-shot snub-nosed pistol.
conversations.prefix: Revolver:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A long, double-barreled shotgun with a wood stock.
conversations.prefix: Shotgun:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Ammo for a gun.
conversations.prefix: Ammunition:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: One stick of dynamite with a long fuse.
conversations.prefix: Dynamite:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Shovels, brushes, and picks suitable for quick or fine-detail work.
conversations.prefix: Digging Equipment:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A high-quality camera with tripod.
conversations.prefix: A Fine Camera:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: All dark hardwoods and plush chairs with a penthouse view.
conversations.prefix: Dr. Jameson’s Office:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The sort of place with marble pillars and a hedge maze.
conversations.prefix: The Aveline Estate:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The plane rattles and dips in tough turbulence. It’s more for cargo than passengers.
conversations.prefix: Aboard Butcher’s Plane:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The city’s best-hidden jazz secret is this hole-in-the-wall club, open just twice a week.
conversations.prefix: The Blue Star Nightclub:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The table is buried under layers of maps and sketches and newspaper clippings.
conversations.prefix: Suburban Dining Room:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A quaint, humid little village on the road leading to the dig site.
conversations.prefix: A Remote Peruvian Village:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: No way a truck could make it across that. Only foot traffic could cross this rickety thing.
conversations.prefix: Swaying Rope Bridge:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The dig site resembles, at first, just an assortment of low, stone walls and carved pits.
conversations.prefix: The Abandoned Dig Site:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: This sort of jungle can swallow up a traveler with ease and never release its secrets.
conversations.prefix: Deep Jungle:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A circle of sunlight through the well shaft above reveals a vast, finely carved chamber...
conversations.prefix: Far Beneath the Dig:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Avoid embarrassing yourself in flight.
conversations.prefix: Turbulence:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Make a first impression on the locals that won’t get you in trouble later.
conversations.prefix: First Impressions:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Get across the rope bridge with all your equipment intact.
conversations.prefix: Cross the Rope Bridge:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The dig site fills with water and mud. Protect the artifacts!
conversations.prefix: Rains From A Clear Night Sky:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The track through the jungle is perilous and difficult to follow. Don’t lose your way.
conversations.prefix: Find Your Way:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: These strange passages beneath the earth make little sense. Will you ever see the sky again?
conversations.prefix: Lost Beneath:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Who can decipher these ancient markings?
conversations.prefix: Ancient Writings:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Someone from afar is taking shots at you!
conversations.prefix: Gunfire!:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: It is both there and not there, part tentacle and part grasping mouth. Understand it? Or flee?
conversations.prefix: The Impossible Creature:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Are you dreaming or is this real?
conversations.prefix: The Vision:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Dr. Jameson isn’t brave enough to lead expeditions so he funds others’ trips into the unknown.
conversations.prefix: Dr. Jeremiah Jameson:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The widow of Michael Aveline, who was killed on an expedition of Jameson’s. She wants revenge.
conversations.prefix: Diane Aveline:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: One of the world’s great pilots and photographers.
conversations.prefix: Caroline Butcher:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A soldier of fortune hired to protect Dr. Jameson’s investments.
conversations.prefix: Walter Corrigan:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A locally renowned jazz musician and expert on folklore of the Americas.
conversations.prefix: Leonard Crenshaw:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A young driver, fixer, and guide in Peru. He’s been to the dig site Jameson’s curious about.
conversations.prefix: Jorge Quispe:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Tall and shadowy in a fedora and trench coat. Who is this gravel-voiced stranger?
conversations.prefix: Mysterious Interloper:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: This drug-addled cultist is ready to give his life—or yours—to please his monstrous god.
conversations.prefix: Mad Cultist:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Tentacles and feathery antennae probe out from a shadowy mass at the heart of this beast!
conversations.prefix: Tentacular Beast:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Wider-winged than a condor, with a bone-chilling cry and gleaming teeth.
conversations.prefix: Hellish Flying Monstrosity:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: ... is a four letter word when said around Tarland County. Saying seems like it could make friends or bitter enemies. Hell, it is such a powerful word you swear it could turn the undead
  
  ... not that you would be doing such a thing.
conversations.prefix: "COAL":
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: ... is a four letter word when said around Tarland County. Saying seems like it could make friends or bitter enemies. Hell, it is such a powerful word you swear it could turn the undead
  
  ... not that you would be doing such a thing.
conversations.prefix: "COAL" (copy):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: “He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.” ~ *Ralph Waldo Emerson*
conversations.prefix: Feel Fear:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: ... is a four letter word when said around Tarland County. Saying seems like it could make friends or bitter enemies. Hell, it is such a powerful word you swear it could turn the undead
  
  ... not that you would be doing such a thing.
conversations.prefix: "COAL":
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A box of matches. Exactly two.
conversations.prefix: Box of Matches:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: “Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it.” ~ *Tagore*
conversations.prefix: Feel Fear:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: “Facing your fears robs them of their power” ~ Mark Burnett
conversations.prefix: Feel Fear:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: “Fear is only as deep as the mind allows.” ~ *Japanese Proverb*
conversations.prefix: Feel Fear:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: It was lost in the shuffle and it comes as no harm to the original owner. It is perhaps even destiny for you to own it.
conversations.prefix: Silver Hand Mirror:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A long, slim candle.
conversations.prefix: Tapered Candle:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Back in school you were inseparable. It was a sad day when you two separated but it was time for all of you to see the world.
conversations.prefix: Brendan Malone:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The deceased man, husband, and father. He was found dead beaten to death on the bedroom floor across from his dead wife (Rory Lynch).
conversations.prefix: Sean Callaghan:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The deceased woman, wife, and mother. She was found dead, hanging from her bedroom rafters across from her dead husband (Sean Callaghan).
conversations.prefix: Rory Lynch:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: “Facing your fears robs them of their power” ~ *Mark Burnett*
conversations.prefix: Feel Fear:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: John is a solitary man that often haunts local cock fights. He's seen as gruff and curmudgeonly to all those he deals with even on a good day.
conversations.prefix: John Canavan:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Long time servant of the Callaghan estate he manages the house and manages many of the part-time servants who manage the grounds.
conversations.prefix: Eamon Shanahan:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Ann's husband who has followed her to Tarland for the funeral of Rory and Sean.
conversations.prefix: Michael Gallagher:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Rory's sister, whose never forgiven her sister Rory for moving away and leaving her with their narcissistic mother.
conversations.prefix: Ann Lynch:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Orphanage matron. Tired and ragged, the story of her life is told in warm embrace of her hands.
conversations.prefix: Joan O'Connell:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The new chair of the Lady's League (Rory's recent absence) Shrewd and bitter woman that has long been in the shadow of too many things in her life.
conversations.prefix: Carmel O'Sullivan:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Part time laborer and gambler. Bears many scars of previous sins and transgressions. Discovered the bodies of the Callaghan estate.
conversations.prefix: Finbar McCarthy:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Cold, hard and reasoning. She's seen so much blood and death over the years of her practice.
conversations.prefix: Majella Flanagan:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The grizzle scene of Rory Lynch and Sean Callaghan. Sean beaten to death. Rory hanging from the rafters.
conversations.prefix: Crime Scene:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Death by strangulation from the rope. Her clothing covered in another's blood.
conversations.prefix: Rory Lynch's Body:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The thick mud holds a loose record of all those coming and going.
conversations.prefix: Tracks in the Mud:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Beaten and bloodied. His skull cracked and his face nearly unrecognized.
conversations.prefix: Sean Callaghan's Body:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: What's a life worth if you don't take a moment to relish the little things.
conversations.prefix: Joie de vivre:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The dilapidated two platform station stands in disrepair and appears askew if it is sinking into the mud surrounding it.
conversations.prefix: Railway Station:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The road forks slightly and in the crutch of the two roads sits a once beautiful church. The stout structure reaching into, and is almost lost, in the low fog.
conversations.prefix: The Church:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The moors encroach on the Callaghan home and extend in all directions. The ground is the brown of withered plants, moss and mud.
conversations.prefix: Callaghan Moors:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The moor slowly sinks deeper and the waters collect into pools and running streams. Overgrowth trees entangled in vines and covered in moss rise out of the mud.
conversations.prefix: The Bog:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A mansion built solidly on a rock hill. The hill crest itself eroded down to the large, exposed stones stand looming over the residence.
conversations.prefix: McDermott Estate:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: An old coal station brims with smells and warmth. Inside, around and on all the old machinery rest moss-covered buckets of berries and small wooden kegs.
conversations.prefix: The Distillery:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Small shanties, shacks, and hovels leaning on one another. The boards of the buildings swollen and carpeted in green mosses and small flowers.
conversations.prefix: The Slums:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Another of converted buildings, this originally an old hay barn, is now home to the cities orphans. Aside the building stands a crooked outhouse with a deeply warn trail between.
conversations.prefix: The Orphanage:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A small, squat stone building with warn, flapping wooden sign signfiying bloodletting and surgery are done here. Wooden floorboards and furniture show the wear, water, and blood spilled in service to the craft.
conversations.prefix: Flanagan's Medicine:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Shuttered and locked up tight.  A fresh sign sitting on the door mentioning of its needing to be sold.
conversations.prefix: Abandoned Hotel:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Widow McDonnell's two bedroom home has been the way station before the hotel opened and closed. The breakfast is about as bad as the gossip.
conversations.prefix: Bed and Breakfast:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Not far from off the road surrounded in a small grove of trees. The trees bear branches bending inward towards the home.
conversations.prefix: Canavan Estate:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The missive from your friend informs you to find a young man who will be waiting for you at the station. He will escort you to the Callaghan Estate.
conversations.prefix: Find Eamon Shanahan:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: An older passenger train that feels as though it should have been retired several years ago.
conversations.prefix: Passenger Train:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The train is out of control and moving far faster than the train, the tracks, and the conductor want it.
conversations.prefix: Runaway Train:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The train operator is sprawled out and laying against the metal floor of the train itself. His eyes rolling back in his head, his mouth gaping and bubbling with drool.
conversations.prefix: Vern Laurence:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A small collection of  wooden tokens. On one side are the letters "Tar", on the other is a picture of  rooster. These chips resemble those you've seen in gambling halls.
conversations.prefix: Betting Chips:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Teague served with Sean in the military when they were both young men. Teague has followed Sean for most of his life. All the way to Tarland.
conversations.prefix: Teague McDermott:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Eileen was close to Rory, but not a great friend. She came for the parties but rarely found time in the days to come over for tea or coffee. Though Rory never asked.
conversations.prefix: Eileen McDermott:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The home sits atop a small ridge, above and away from the main of town. It lays along the edge of an expansive bogs and moors aways to the north.
conversations.prefix: Callaghan Estate:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: As mentioned in the letter Sean and Rory were found dead in their bedroom.
conversations.prefix: Visit the Bedroom:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: As mentioned by Teague the house keeps the bodies of the dearly departed around until the day of the wake.
conversations.prefix: Visit the Parlor:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A small, squat candle.
conversations.prefix: Squat Candle:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You’ve studied and written widely on matters of mysticism and folklore, always with the aim of debunking the fantastic claims of their believers. Your fans, and detractors, are many.
conversations.prefix: Critic of the Occult:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: All supernatural phenomena MUST have a rational explanation, and magic and myth are merely products of superstition and the fragile human ego.
  
  ...aren't they?
conversations.prefix: Rational to a Fault:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Sometimes the spirit catches you and you fall down.  It's just one of the unfortunate side effects of heavy mediumship, in your case.  But you are well-informed on the subject of how to treat someone in the same plight.
conversations.prefix: Seizure Experience:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You are calm and composed, capable of acting with careful measure under even the most dire of circumstances. Furthermore, the control you exercise over yourself allows you to choose which social cues you will share with others.
conversations.prefix: Well-Composed: