Anthony DeCarlo - Private Eye - At your service

[Kallisto73]

You return to your parents' and have a pleasant evening with a very good meal. Your mother has cooked your favourite dishes and after an extended meal, you go to bed.
The next morning, still no word from Morgan has arrived, so you return to Arkham on the 11 am bus.

You decide to return home first and check your mail and your office. Except for the electricity bill and the Arkham Advertiser, there is no news.

In the late afternoon, you make your way to address. This part of Arkham is seedy, you had known this before, but actually seeing it makes it worse. You finally arrive at the house: It's a tenement building with 5 names on the door, one of them reads "E. Blane".

[Pickman37]

DeCarlo is not sure how to handle this...

He might have been using an alias and I would hate to barge in and get the wrong guy..or even a plant...

He decides to see if he can enter the tenement and maybe listen outside of the door of Blane's flat for occupants. If hearing any, maybe he could stake out the joint, waiting for Blane to leave.

DeCarlo notes the number of Blane's room and tries the door to see if it is unlocked, not sure if this tenement has a central hall...

[Kallisto73]

As you try the door, the front door opens with a screech "Alright, the care-taker seems to not be taking care of this place", you think to yourself.
You enter a small hallway, which is dimly lit, and see a staircase leading up. You cautiously move up and as you climb the stairs, an elderly, bent woman comes down towards you. She is carrying what looks like a trash can.

[Pickman37]

DeCarlo nods at the old woman and tries to pass her, silently, en route to Blane's alleged flat...

[Kallisto73]

You walk past the woman, who eyes you suspiciously, but continues on her way down. You reach the door, and a hand-written sign reads E. Blane.
You look around, but you see nothing unusualy. Suddenly, you hear a wailing sound coming from within the flat.

[Pickman37]

DeCarlo draws his .22 and takes the safety off. As he does this, he realizes that maybe he should have quizzed up the old lady on the stairs as to whether she recognized Blane.

Damn! Need to think on my toes... He berates himself.

DeCarlo steps to one side of the door and pounds on it with his free hand...

"HEY! WHAT'S GOING ON IN THERE!" He shouts...

[Kallisto73]

As you pound on the door, you realize that the door was not really closed but the latch was slightly loose.
The door swings slowly open…
You can see a corridor. You see hooks on the wall with several coats and hats. Some shoes are strewn on the floor, a threadbare runner covers the floorboards.
At the far end of the corridor, you see a second door, half open, and reddish flickering light, as if from candles, dancing around. The wailing continues.

[Pickman37]

DeCarlo cautiously moves down the hall and tries to sneak a glimpse through the second door, gun still drawn and at the ready...

[Kallisto73]

As you are getting closer, you can make out that the "wailing" is more of a chanting, although you cannot understand it, you can identify syllables, forming words in an unknown language. You carefully open the second door and peer inside:
You can see many candles, on the floor, on the rickety night stand, on the window sill. There is also one bed, unmade, and you can see that the whole room, its walls, the floor, have been smeared (or is that decorated?) with drawings in what looks like red ink, but the smell tells you that it must be blood.

You see a man you immediately identify as Blane (the drawing was very accurate, although the man before you looks much thinner, unholesomely so, than the man in the drawing) crouching naked in a pentagram drawn on the ground. His teeth are bared, his hands are raised towards the ceiling, he is chanting and swaying in time with his song.

On the floor, you can see a book next to him and several bones, which, by their length, you judge to be human thigh-bones. You can also see two skeletal human hands, earth still sticking to them, Blane must have dug them up. Blane himself is full of blood that must have dripped on him when he painted the signs on the walls, his hands are stained red. There is also mud and dirt on his fingers. He seems to have lost weight rapidly, the skin on his face hanging loosely on the bones of his skull. His eyes are bloodshot.

[Pickman37]

Kallisto73,Before responding to this horrific sight, do I need a SAN roll for [b]DeCarlo[/b]? Thought I should ask before proceeding.

[Kallisto73]

Spoiler:

Funny you should say that: the publishers never said anything. But you are right, this is kind of horrific. Make a 0/1 San check, then let me know what you are going to do, you can give several options like "I will try x. If that does not work, I will try y." I will then make the rolls for you.

[Pickman37]

DeCarlo reels a bit upon encountering the scene and he has to hold back the bile rising in his throat when confronted with the sights and sounds of this...

What is this god awful spectacle....?

OOC,I failed miserably there ;) My first response would be to shoot the lunatic 'cuz he's obviously up to no good but I've read too many HPL stories so I have insider knowledge and that would be out of character lol!

DeCarlo takes a step back but composes himself. He spies a book on the floor, through watery eyes, next to Blane and assumes that it must be The Scripture of Shul that he is looking for. He takes a step forward...

IC,My first option would be to try to sneak up on [b]Blane[/b] and smack him on the head, hopefully rendering him unconscious thus acquiring the book. However, this would depend on his position in relation to me in the room and whether he even notices me in the throes of his ritual. Failing that and him noticing me, I would have to threaten him with the gun, demanding the book back...

[Kallisto73]

You realize that Blane seems not have noticed you yet. You slowly and quietly step into the room.

Spoiler:

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3678432/ failed sneak roll

. Unfortunately, you overlooked a shoe on the floor and step on it and lose your balance for a second. In order not to fall headlong onto the floor, you hold on to the door, which creaks in its hinges.

Blane freezes and turns towards you.

[Pickman37]

Kallisto73,I am not sure how large this room is. Do I have the element of surprise here and the speed to strike [b]Blane[/b] before he reacts? If not, I'll have to threaten him verbally while waving my gun. Just curious.

[Kallisto73]

Spoiler:

He's about 2 metres away from you.

[Pickman37]

DeCarlo is unsure if he has surprised Blane but believes he can cover the distance between the two rather quickly. He lunges at the haggardly-looking man in the hopes of knocking him down before he reacts...

[Kallisto73]

You jump at him

Spoiler:

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3686774/, failed

, but Blane has already gotten up and is facing you. You crash into him, and realize much to your surprise, that it feels like crashing into a very solid though elastic wall, like strong acacia bushes. Blane grapples you and bites you.
You try to headbut him

Spoiler:

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3686777/

, but can't really reach him as he is holding you in a bear-hug.
Blane lifts you up and smashes you to the ground. Luckily, he throws you towards the bed, where a blanket is lying on the floor, and you land softly, but get a little bruised

Spoiler:

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3686778/ 1 point of damage. Now it is your turn. You can give me several options.

[Pickman37]

DeCarlo begins to rise from the floor while fumbling for his gun. His adrenaline is flowing but he is dumbstruck.

Geez, he's not as sick as he looks...

As he searches for his gun, he eyes the book laying on the floor...

Options,If I did not lose my gun in the melee, I will draw it and consider threatening Blane to hand over the book or face dire consequences. However, if I do not have my gun or it appears I can grab the book and escape out the door then I will attempt that. Something tells me Blane will be difficult to persuade :o

[Kallisto73]

You get a good grip on your gun and point it a Blane, who eyes you fiercly, an inhuman snarl coming from his throat. He lunges at you.

[Pickman37]

DeCarlo's eyes widen and he attempts to dive out of the way of Blane, hopefully avoiding the lunatic's attack and getting to the door to flee...

OOC,[b]DeCarlo[/b] has no intention of shooting [b]Blane[/b] at this point (yet), he was just hoping to intimidate him but that doesn't seem to be happening. [b]Anthony[/b] was a former convict but that was for petty theft, not murder and he has never pointed a weapon at a person let alone fired a gun at one. One could argue that [b]Blane[/b] is appearing less than human but [b]Anthony[/b] just assumes he's mad. [b]Anthony[/b] has no intention of committing murder. He is going to attempt to escape. If he is able to grab the book on the way out without slowing down, he will but presently his concern would be his own safety and the book is not that high on his list of priorities now.