Welcome the Dark (2017)

(Duck’s notes: I’m listing the different plots using different colours. The main Dark Investigation will be in black, the Aka deal/Complexico will be in red, whatever Shaka and Complexico are doing will be in orange, the Reign of Robert will be in yellow and the Shadow Story game will be green.)

• FNC01 - 10/1/17: Zach/T.C. 11411, aka Barista, leaves an entry talking about finding Pedro, and expresses his interest in working with the Other Cafe. He also mentions that ‘New Guy’ (Ramona B., the Loveland Frog) wants to come along, and talks about how he knows even less about the new 8 than the old one (J.L., Third Cafe’s 8)
• FNC02 - 10/2/17: New Guy never shows up to meet Barista, saying that he has urgent business. New Guy also says Pedro is very friendly, but not to touch him. Barista also suspects that there are three Pedros to deal with.
• CC-FNC01 10/2/17: There’s a chat log between New Guy and Barista, mainly talking about how he got lost. Barista sends coordinates to help him.
• OD1701 - 10/3/17: The rest of the Other Cafe shows up, having apparently tracked Mrs. Pleasant to Long Beach before the trail ran cold everywhere. Umbra seems to be helping him. ‘Big Guy’ (Julius Mendoza) has also returned, after possibly fighting ‘Aplut’ (anagram of tulpa), probably a new servant/ally of Umbra. (note: this is recorded in the Third Cafe’s Twice Third Temple’s later MTMN and PBCAD receipts.)
• OD1702 - 10/4/17: H.R. (Joy Livingstone) signs in, doing some tarot reading. She’s been monitoring the residual psychic energy of Aplut, who is indeed a tulpa created by a Prince of Hell.
• CD-OD1703 - 10/5/17: Big Guy checks out the Broadway CaD, aka the Third Cafe. Although he’s worked there in the past (he was their Manager 26), he decided to make sure it wasn’t controlled by the Dark. It wasn’t, though it does seem to be run by the ‘Investors’ - who apparently aren’t Nick Langley (who was supposed to get the Mantle of 8 that Jackie/T.C.’s 8 currently has) and Jennifer Hepburn, who are currently in Astoria 23. Nicole Langley’s also part of the O.C., apparently. (she’s Payroll, or 8.)
• C-FNC03 - 10/6/17: New Guy resends his first chat message from 10/2/17. There’s also hidden text saying that he’s lost in Daedalus’s Labyrinth in the Necropolis, and that the labyrinth is full of ‘Shades and other yucky shadow creatures from the pits’.
• FNC04 - 10/7/17: Barista questions whether New Guy is human or not. He’s also been ‘staking out the M.H.S near Hobo’ (not sure whether this is just a USA thing or actual CaD lingo). The Pedros, judging from the tracks, seems to be either mating, looking for something or being lost. Barista’s looking out for Pedro, but might have to go find New Guy. Also the O.C. seems to be chill using the number 8 for whatever reason.
• C-TRG01 - 10/8/17: The Manager (Jericho Myerscough) plays a game with Aka (the Redman), a demon. Basically he asks you a question and lights a piece of paper on fire. You have until the fire burns the paper to answer the question. Get it wrong, you eventaully die or worse. Get it right, you can ask him a question. If he doesn’t know that, he becomes your servant until he finds out. Possibly-Umbra (it is) has possibly used this to get Aka on his side. The Manager wins (though revealed a lot), but something interrupts the game. They scheduled a rematch.
• FNC05 - 10/9/17: Barista mentions that the Manager has been pretty much impossible to get in contact with, and mentions strange lights almost like flares. They appear every dusk. New Guy hasn’t shown up yet either, so he decides to get close to one of the lights. Also he managed to record Pedro’s voice. It’s some chirping noise, and also he’s apparently from the Morningstar.
• CD-FNC06 - 10/10/17: The lights have stopped, and Pedro’s probably gone back to the Morningstar. Barista’s mainly confused as to how the O.C. works. Also, Big Guy shows up and brings Barista back. The lights were apparently flares from the Pedros to guide other Nightcrawlers to find a way back. H.R. mentions finding some sort of ‘clean’ crack between the regular world and the Otherside, which is abnormal; they’re usually not so clean naturally. It was caused by someone/thing. She prepares to go investigate. Also New Guy lets them know that he wasn’t lost, but unexpectedly sightseeing. He and Barista then prepare to go to the Cannon Beach to find the Dark. (it’s run by the Dark Triad - mentioned in Open Doors - and many other ‘cryptids and demons’. Their goal is to obtain the Enochian, or the First, Bible.)
• OD1704 - 10/11/17: Manager briefs everyone on the Aka deal and how they’ll have to play a game against Aka. Also, the Dark has 7-8 members.
• CX-TRG02 - 10/12/17: Complexico begins his game show. Basically, the CaD and the Dark have to answer trivia questions in order to gain the Staff of Solomon, which can bend reality in any way. He also suggests the motives of the teams - the CaD wants to seal Umbra, remove the Blight and safeguard the Mantle of 8; while the Dark wants to take the first (Enochian?) bible and kill god/Bird. Complexico gives his first puzzle.
• BAM01 - 10/13/17: 8/Nikki/Payroll talks about two members of the Dark - one called Cannon (bandage man of cannon beach) and a new one called Gemini (a twin Xoanon). Reading the transcript reveals ‘Unsee and Unheadrs’ - probably Unseen and Unheard are the identities of Gemini. They attacked a car with 2 people in it, but 5 were sighted inside. Apparently, they’ve been sending warnings. Also, Gemini is very weird. Payroll advises them to treat it like a Esterskaldian demon for now.
• C-BAM02 - 10/14/17: Barista and New Guy reach Cannon Beach. Basically, to explain the car: it’s literally just two people who got jumped by Cannon (bringing the total people in the car to 3) and Gemini (up to 5). Also, Cannon can apparently only attack people in cars and can’t go underwater. Barista and New Guy decide to lure Cannon out.
• BAM03 - 10/15/17: The two find nothing. Like, literally nothing. There’s not even any cars. There are, however, a lot of flies, possibly suggesting the Twice Third Temple has some sort of influence here.
• BAM03A - 10/15/17: The two find nothing. Like, literally nothing. There’s not even any cars. However, Barista notices there’s something he’s forgetting. (sub-page text: ‘<!--leave—>’)
• BAM03B - 10/15/17: The two find nothing. Like, literally nothing. There’s not even any cars. However, Barista notices there’s something he’s forgetting. (sub-page text: ‘<!--the—>’)