IC: London: A Reunion?

[Raiko]

Caroline gets the Bentley door open and Andrei staggers out of the car.

The ghostly entity adjusts, morphing, extracting tendrils from the car back into it’s central cloudy ‘mass.’

At the same time four more tendrils emerge from the sparkling cloud, quickly snaking their way down towards Caroline and Andrei.

Nathaniel was about to run over to the car, but is halted as Gwen lunges at him, sinking her fingernails painfully into his neck as she grabs him. “You Bastard! BASTARD!!! What have you done to him!”

Gwen’s eyes are wild with fury and fear, and she doesn’t seem actually focused on him at all.

OOC:

Spoiler:

Please could somebody make four rolls for the ‘Thing in the Fog’ two attacks against Andrei and two against Caroline.

Post the results here.

Each tentacle has a 50% chance to hit, Andrei can dodge successful attacks by making ‘opposed’ dodge rolls (not a straight dodge roll). If he’s more successful than the entity then he avoids the tentacle.

Caroline hasn’t seen the entity yet, so she can’t dodge.

Nathaniel can make a dodge, STR resistance, or any one unarmed combat roll to escape or counterattack Gwen. If he fails then he’ll take damage as she claws at his throat.

[imme]

tentacle attacks (trying to roll above 50) (1d100=87, 1d100=3, 1d100=59, 1d100=49)

[imme]

The opening of the car door brings Elizabeth out of her scared paralysis. She inhales deeply and rushes over to help Andrei and Caroline get away, carefully keeping an eye on the tentacles.

[Decrepit]

Spoiler:

So, I got the 3 and the 49, right?

Caroline staggers as if struck--indeed, realizes that somehow she has been struck, although by what, she has no clue.

[jtull_84]

OOC: Damn, almost missed my first homicidal urges! Well, I got something here... 25% for bite ok? Can Nethaniel hit a lady?
Bite 25 (1d100=33)
IC: Gwen bears her teeth and lets out an ungodly screech. She lunges toward Nethaniels ear and attempts to bite it off. She misses.

[coffee demon]

Andrei bursts from the rear seat of the car and tries to run away as fast as he can without looking back, batting the air behind his head like he's being swarmed by bees...

[DSIGFUSS]

ooc – Of coarse Nathaniel would never strike a woman. He’s a proper English gentleman. He has other options however… It’s like Chris Rock says. “You can’t hit a woman… but you can sure shake the shit out of them.”

Nathaniel tries desperately to peel Gwen off his neck.

Oh Bollocks!!! What’s gotten into you yah wee dotty bird? Can’t yah see the bloody astral squid?

OOC - Nathaniel STR resistance roll:
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1542566/

[Laraqua]

Maksim fires his gun in the air and lunges toward the misty thing, trying to draw it after him. "Come on, ya clown! Come after a real man!"

[Raiko]

As she helps Andrei out of the car Caroline notices the scent of burning hair for the first time, at the same time something wraps itself around her neck in the darkness, tightening as it does so. She involuntarily opens her mouth and feels the choking mist surge inside her. Another tendril attempts to wrap itself around her leg, but fails to get a grip as she staggers backwards clutching her throat. Horrifyingly she cannot feel what is gripping her, her hands grasp helplessly at her own neck, but she still feels the pressure increasing.

Andrei keeps his mouth closed, but it’s no good - one of the entity’s foggy tentacles wraps around his face like a blanket, flooding up his nostrils and flooding into his chest, attempting to snuff all of the air from his lungs.

The entity ignores Maksim’s shooting and shouting entirely, seemingly intent only on murdering or carrying away its two victims. Fresh tentacles form perversely from the cloudy central portion of the octopus like creature, swirling down over the Bentley towards Andrei and Caroline as it attempts to gain a tighter grip on it’s victims.

*** The next bit might need editing later
<<Fixed now! - Raiko>>

Behind Maksim, Nathaniel just manages to wrench himself free from Gwen’s tight grip, she’s much stronger than she looks! As he pushes the madwoman away they both stumble on the slick surface of the damp cobbled side street.

*************************


OOC:

Spoiler:

I’m sorry DSIGFUSS, I’ve forgotten exactly what you rolled - I fairly sure it was 40-something, which unfortunately isn’t low enough as Gwen is quite a bit stronger.

If the roll was lower, then please could someone post the result, and I’ll edit my post if necessary.

Otherwise Nethaniel suffers 1 point of damage from Gwen’s nails, and will begin to suffocate.

*************************

Jtull, I didn’t need a roll for Gwen, as the resistance roll compares both characters attributes.

*************************

Caroline automatically looses 1d8 SAN, as she suffers a ‘Thing in the Fog’ attack for the first time. She can make one more spot roll to see if she finally sees it (SAN check required if she does for a further 1/1d10 SAN loss).

*************************

Provided Caroline remains sane, she and Andrei can both make STR resistance checks against the entity (STR5 for a single tentacle), hopefully you’ll both break free.

[Decrepit]

OOC: Lovely.

First San loss for the attack: 5
Final Spot Hidden check: 45, a failure

In case you want:
Idea roll: 11, a success, of course.

[DSIGFUSS]

ooc - Nathaniel wanted a low roll right? I rolled a. 27 if you are unable to see the link.

[Raiko]

OOC:

Spoiler:

DSIGFUSS - Sorry my mistake. I’ve edited my previous post.

DSIGFUSS and Jtull - Nathaniel and Gwen must each succeed on a DEXx5 roll or stumble and fall prone for one round.

Gwen is crazy for 5 more rounds.

Decrepit - You can either choose your own madness or roll a d10 on the table. In either case it’s ‘short term’ and lasts for 1d10+4 rounds. Providing she isn’t routed to the spot by the result she can make the STR roll to escape.

Coffee - Andrei is heading for the light.

Laraqua - If Caroline gets away then Maks may get his wish...
Make a DEX + 1d6 roll for Maks, his DEX is good enough to possibly react to an escape before the entity does.

**************************************

I’ll decide on the Entity’s next action once we know what’s happened to Caroline.

[DSIGFUSS]

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/search/193341/

Nathaniel keep his balance and continues fending off Gwen, his brain madly trying to come up with a solution to this problem.

[imme]

Elizabeth tries to grab Caroline to pull her out of the grasp of the tentacles ... but keeps an eye on the Thing, not wanting to get caught herself.

[jtull_84]

IC: Gwen staggers back. She remains standing. She lets out a screech and swings her handbag at Nethaniel's face.

[Decrepit]

OOC: Sorry; actually *didn't* get sidetracked today, which is why I haven't been posting.

I'spose I better roll this, as there are some obviously poor options in the table.
First roll for effect: 6
Second roll for duration: 8

A weird contortion comes over Caroline's face. In place of the normal rationality lay a sort of madness that seems little different from that of the raging lunatic killer or the self-destroyer.

OOC: I guess, Raiko, you can decide whether it's "homicidal" or "suicidal" mania. My dice rolling is certainly suicidal.

[Raiko]

OOC: (IC Post to follow in a couple of hours)

Decrepit: You did know that you didn’t have to choose an insanity from the table didn’t you? I’ve allowed other players to suggest their own madness, using the table in the book as a fall back.

Anyway, if you’re happy to use the result from the table, then I’d kind of decided on ‘suicidal’ this time if you rolled a 6 (from the bad guys point of view Invisible Castle is being really obliging at the moment). So suicidal it is, after all an unseen extra-dimensional force is strangling her, why fight it?

I’ll post later, to give you time to choose not to use the table if you like. Otherwise the entity will concentrate all of it’s attacks on it’s ‘willing victim’ while Andrei flees.

Coffee: I see Andrei has adapted to the English lifestyle already. First sign of trouble, he runs straight for the nearest pub!

Laraqua: I could do with that 1d6 + DEX init roll if you’re online. If Maksim acts before the entity he has a better chance to pull Caroline free.

Imme: Elizabeth will definitely get there after the Entity’s next action. Hopefully between her and Maksim they can free Caroline even it seizes her with all it’s tentacles.

Jtull and DSIG: I’ll resolve Gwen & Nathaniel’s situation at the same time (homicidal maniac with a handbag? )

[coffee demon]

Andrei is in a total panic. He imagines the Thing is right behind him, tentacles stretching... he can almost feel them on the back of his neck...

He doesn't turn around until his hand is on the handle of the pub door. Down the street, the scene at the Bentley is total chaos. The women are screaming and clawing madly, the men are barely in control, and the glimmering beast...

It's too much to take. Andrei lurches into the pub, praying that the whole world hasn't just turned upside down, that he hasn't gone completely mad. Praying that everything is normal inside the pub...

[Decrepit]

OOC: I did know, but I sorta felt like it'd be better in this case not to pick the obviously helpful ones. But, anyway, I think that "suicidal" actually isn't an unreasonable reaction here for her.

Caroline suddenly looks deflated, as if the air has gone out of her proverbial tires. This is insane, she thinks. How can we fight invisible powers? That are trying to get us? Andrei was right! I was wrong! It's all so foolish, so pointless. She hasn't the will to fight on anymore.

[Raiko]

IC:

The entity continues to ignore Maksim’s curses, so he joins Elizabeth attempting to drag their friend clear of the ghostly creature’s deadly grasp. Startlingly the doctor puts up a fight, resisting their attempt to save her!

As the two investigators tug at Caroline, all of the entity’s misty tentacles descend on her, wrapping around her limbs and torso, tightening around her neck, filling her lungs.

Nathaniel avoids Gwen’s flailing handbag for now and looks desperately for a way to combat this horrific beast.


*************************

OOC:

DSIGFUSS: I’ve replied to your PM.

Here’s the dice rolls:
The Thing's initiative modifier(1d6=1); Maksim's initiative modifier(1d6=5); Tied Initiative, Luck(70%) Roll for Maksim(1d100=29)[/quote]

Initiative was a tie, so I allowed a Luck Roll for Maks to act before ‘The Thing’ gets a better grip on Caroline. He succeeded so he gets one chance to do something.

I didn’t realise that Elizabeth moved over to the car before Maksim did. This means that she’s in position to help as well, providing she beats The Thing for initiative. As I don’t have invisible castle access from work, I’ve used my dice roller macro 1d6 = [06] + DEX = 20

This is looking like Caroline’s lucky day after all. Both Caroline & Maksim act before the entity does, so it still only has one tentacle gripping Caroline. To free her they must make a combined STR roll (9 + 9 = 18) verses the tentacle’s STR (5) plus Caroline’s STR (as she’d prefer to die at the moment). (5 + 10 = 15)

So you have a 65% chance to free Caroline. I’ll accept rolls from either Laraqua, Imme, or Decrepit for this. (Though for Decrepit it’s a 35% chance to resist being saved instead!)

The other tentacles will almost certainly be successful against the willing Caroline this round, so it’s looking bad if this roll fails.

Caroline didn’t have chance for a ‘deep breath’ before being attacked, so she needs to make a CONx6 roll (72%) this round if her friends don’t release her.