Together in Irem

[Gaffer]

When the man sees Delores level her gun, he skids to a stop. Behind him, Dex's figure seems to ripple, as if the pavement is radiating heat, though the air is still.

With an audible whumpf!! the air is driven from the man's lungs and his body bends backwards as if hit from behind by a considerable mass traveling at speed. blood spurts from the juncture of his neck and shoulder and he is borne past Delores and into an alleyway. As he passes Delores, his feet drag along at such speed that the toes of his shoes scuff, then shred on the cobbles. As he passes, Delores can hear muffled footfalls, reminiscent of a galloping pony, and a heavily panting breath.

Dex reaches her side as shrieks and growls begin to sound from the alley.

[Stability check, please, TN 2.]

[Dexter Ford]

Dex arrives beside Delores. He wonders what the hell is going on and where he is.

1d6=2

[Delores Brown]

Delores screams as the man is dragged past her by whatever invisible spectre, turns and desperately grabs ahold of Dex, her fingers digging like iron talons into his arms.

Delores stability check. (1d6=3)

[Gaffer]

OOC,Delores loses 1 Stability,dropping her to 0.

As Delores clings to Dex and he realizes that she is wearing the mask from the cult priestess, there is a skirl of pipes and a rattle of drums, commencing a discordant march reminiscent of the wild music heard in the deep cellars of the cult stronghold. Massive gates slam open down the street, disclosing an ugly and gaudy temple from which a host of strange creatures march out. Some are large and bloated, others gaunt and wizened, dark-skinned satyrs and leaping moon-beasts are scattered through the crowd and shambling zombies, but there are also other unknown horrors like the grotesque figures in a painting by Bosch or Beughel. Some of the procession play instruments, some wave banners; others wear masks (you hope they are masks) and elaborate costumes; still others push carts laden with mewling and disturbing cargoes (that you cannot bring yourselves to scrutinize too closely). Mercifully, the leaders are cloaked in a fog that clings to them, obscuring their forms and faces.

The parade takes several minutes to issue from the gates of the temple, which swing shut behind them. The crowd comes marching, shambling, capering toward Dex and Delores, filling the street completely, striding toward the bridge ahead. The mangled corpse of the Red Hook longshoreman at their feet abruptly springs to its feet, tottering on stiff-legged steps to join the company, his flayed face stretched in a mad grin.

There are several deep doorways and recesses that might shelter Dex and Delores from the sweep of the procession, as well as the alleyway into which the invisible monster carried the cultist. The crunching, rending and moaning sounds that were issuing from there are mercifully masked by the cacophony coming down the street. But the cats trail Delores, setting up a howl almost in harmony with the music of the procession, as though in revenge for her having disturbed their feast.

OOC,Seeing all this provokes a [b]Stability[/b] test (Difficulty 4, 4 points). You can either seek shelter to wait for the procession to pass by ([b]Stealth[/b] test (Difficulty 6), try to reach the bridge ahead of it ([b]Athletics[/b] roll, Difficulty 4), seek an alternate route [b](Outdoorsman[/b] or [b]Streetwise[/b] roll, Difficulty 4), or even risk joining the marchers ([b]Stability[/b] roll, Difficulty 4, 4 points).

[Delores Brown]

"What shall we do, Dex?" cries Delores, hanging onto his arm. "What shall we do?"

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3379098/]Delores sees the parade! (+2 spend) (1d6+2=8)[/url]

[Dexter Ford]

"What shall we do, Dex?" cries Delores, hanging onto his arm. "What shall we do?"

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3379098/]Delores sees the parade! (+2 spend) (1d6+2=8)[/url]

Dex grabs Delores' hand and drags her to an empty doorway, hiding in the shadows hopefully just enough that the members of the parade will see them as nothing more than dim figures in the shadows. He looks at Delores and shakes his head. "First, we find away to get out of here, and second we find that woman who is behind all of this, and bring her to just...no, we put an end to her, once and for all. We have lost too many good friends and I don't plan on losing any more."

He then just hugs Delores for a moment, pulling her close against the approaching cacophony of sound.

OOC,Are the cats following us or are they remaining on the bridge/street? My intention is to pull up our jackets and follow the parade to its destination, since we seem to have no other place to go.

[Gaffer]

Delores,You are out of Stability points and so cannot make the spend, but the unmodified die roll was sufficient. Dex rolled 6 using 1d6 for Stealth. Delores rolled 7 using 1d6+2 for Stealth.

The cats stalk after Delores and set up a howl in harmony with the music of the procession. Dex notices that the cats have a spine or fin running down their backs. Although their noise draws some attention from those in the procession, none peer closely enough into the shadows to spot Dex and Delores.

As the end of the procession passes, they see Merivana, naked, head hanging down, in the grasp of several goat-legged, dark, bearded men. Glistening organs protrude a bit from the wound in her belly and gore spatters the dusty street as she stumbles along.

The procession marches over the bridge, singing joyful invocations to Gorgo, Mormo, Nyarlathotep and other dark powers. The cats frisk after, stopping occasionally to squabble over bits of Merivana's guts.

[Dexter Ford]

GM question before I post/respond

OOC,Dex has been a copper/G-Man for quite a while. Does he think it possible that he can shoot Merivana from where he is standing, or will he need to follow the parade to wherever it is headed? And, does she seem to be a willing participant or not? I'll spend what I need to determine whether rescuing her or simply putting her down is a better option.

[Gaffer]

OOC,She seems barely conscious. Shooting at her would mean firing into the crowd of marchers with all the attendant risks and chance of error. But it's all up to Dex whether he tries to arrest her or leave her to her fate, no dice roll to help make that decision.

[Dexter Ford]

Dex realizes that Delores is not quite up for a fight, and he simply helps to hold her upright for the time being. He watches as the source of his misery and why they are trapped in this strange realm be lead down the bridge. The strange cats seems to follow and Dex tries not to pay attention to whatever they are eating. Once the parade is nearly out of sight, Dex will look at Delores. "We have to follow them, see where they are headed. If it comes to it, stop whatever that woman is involved in."

He looks around and then mutters to himself. "However, I wish we knew how to get out of here first."

[Delores Brown]

"How did you get here?" Delores asked Dex. "I just said what she said and... ... next thing I know, I'm here."

[Gaffer]

Dex and Delores approach a narrow bridge across an expanse of black water, the procession is steadily drawing away and over the bridge. Soon it is out of sight, lost amid the narrow thoroughfares on the other side. On that far side they see the many bone white buildings shining as though made of alabaster and lit from within, resembling famous examples of earthly architecture -- Tower of Pisa, Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, and others, all flickering in and out of sight every few seconds. The one that's a replica of the Chrysler Building draws them like a familiar route to a lost refuge.

The bridge is lit by wrought-iron lanterns of curious design, decorated with silver; green flames burn in their sconces. The waters below are flat and dark, sometimes roiled by thrashing shapes beneath the surface, a sail-like fin or flipper sometimes breaking the surface. Long black ships, bearing lights fore and aft, pass to and fro frequently.

As the two venture onto the bridge, they hear the pipes and drums of another assembly of horrors coming from behind them. This second procession hoves into sight around a bend in the boulevard, led by a gigantic naked and corpulent monster of grotesquely womanly form, moving at considerable speed so that her smaller followers must run to keep pace. She soon squeezes her squamous bulk between the first set of lanterns onto the bridge. Rolls of greenish, luminescent flesh droop over either edge of the bridge as she passes each pair of lanterns.

[A Fleeing test (Difficulty 4) is needed to stay ahead of the second procession. If you fail, you may be devoured by the monster or crushed under her bulk unless you leap from the bridge.]

[Delores Brown]

Delores screams and turns to run, Dex's hand gripped tightly in hers. "Run, Dex!" she implores him, pulling him along.

OOC,Made it. [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3400074/]Delores attempts to run away without falling over her own two feet. (1d6=4)[/url]

[Dexter Ford]

Dex watches in amazement as the large monstrous group comes towards them. The Chrysler Building or whatever passes for it stands as a beacon of potentially something sane. When Delores says run, he runs with her, heading towards that potential idol of sanity in the distance.

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3400457/]1d6+2=7[/url]

[Gaffer]

As you reach the far end of the bridge ahead of the procession You see one of the strange cats at the mouth of a narrow alley. It’s snuffling at a scrap of tweed fabric stuck to the cobbles with dried blood.

[Roll Evidence Collection, TN 4.]

If Succeed with roll,It looks like the scrap of cloth found in the kitchen of Alphonse Hirt’s apartment.

[Dexter Ford]

Dex notices the scrap of cloth.

Roll,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3401172/]1d6+2=8[/url]

[Delores Brown]

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3405544/]Delores spots the scrap of cloth... (1d6=6)[/url]

Delores catches sight of the scrap of cloth and the sight of it in Alphonse's apartment flashes into her brain like a flash gun going off. She pulls at Dex's sleeve and points at the cloth. "That was in the apartment!" she cries.

[Gaffer]

The cat flees, complaining, up the street. Beyond the tacky puddle with its scrap of cloth, a trail of not-quite-dry spatters lead into a narrow alley. It soon branches into a labyrinth of other narrow alleyways, but the trail doesn't end. Around a corner and the latest passage opens into an expansive cemetery of stone sarcophagi and mausoleums, enclosed by high walls, stark in the harsh light that bathes this place. (It would remind you of New Orleans.)

The spatters continue along a flagstone path and down into a small, light-less mausoleum. A fetid stink rises from the inky darkness within.

As Dex and Delores peer down the steps, they hear two sounds. From below comes a groaning, sobbing sound, as of a person in great distress. Behind them, they hear a shuffling movement approaching along the path.

[Delores Brown]

OOC,Is there sufficent space to hide behind one of the nearby sarcophagi and mausoleums?

[Gaffer]

OOC,Yes, There is a row of mausoleums, as well as a number of sarcophagi nearby.