Play@YSDC

Lake Manor - Dunwich, England
3:10 PM - Thursday, September 5, 1985

Elliot Webb and Dr. Valerie Kirby barged into the kitchens. The cook moved to block their path at once. "Here now, who do you think you are?" she demanded of Elliot. Then she frowned at Dr. Kirby. "And where do you think you're going?!"

"Oh, dear," said the kitchen maid, shuffling her feet nervously and glancing at Valerie Soames.

OOC,[b]Elliot[/b], please roll Spot Hidden.

OOC:   spot hidden: [dice]0[/dice]

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"was hoping to prevent this" and pull out my gun. "now both of you be quiet and into the cooler. Sorry no time for games." And motion with the pistol for them to head to the cooler.

ooc,that would pass the spot hidden.

The maid screamed when Elliot pulled out his gun.

Elliot could tell that the cook had the "Dunwich look," though the maid looked normal. The cook also smelled somewhat of fish.

The cook glared at Elliot, but she remained calm. "You won't get far, you know," she said. "And when they catch you, they'll make you pay. Come along, Emma."

"Y-y-yes, Mrs. Plodgett," said the maid, who went with her into the pantry where the door to the cooler was.

OOC,[b]Elliot[/b], please roll Sanity. Sanity loss is 0/1d4.

ooc,I thought if you saw "monsters' so quick together you didn't have to make multiple checks.

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OOC:   sanity 60: [dice]0[/dice]

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Elliot helps heard them into the cooler.
"Sorry Val, but we need to go." We head to the door that will lead to the exit. Elliot will crack the door and check the hall.

Once the door to the pantry is closed I say. "Alright, I'm glad we got ..." I nod toward Dr Kirby. I lower my voice and lean into Elliott "Please don't use names unless necessary Elliott. it's poor form in the field. I know that the gardener is outside, but am not sure about anyone else."

Emma and Mrs. Plodgett went into the cooler as instructed, and Elliot closed them in.

Dr. Kirby smiled. "He might have been referring to me, of course," she said to the other Valerie. "They all know who I am. I'm glad to see you."

Elliot took a look out the door through which they had entered, which led directly outside, not into a hall. Glancing to the left, he saw the man with the straw hat who had gone behind the mansion upon their arrival rounding the corner - and he saw Elliot too!

OOC,If you've lost the maximum Sanity for seeing a certain type of "monster" as a result of having seen them before, you don't lose any more from them for a "reasonable period of time." If you see a group of them at once, I'll just have you roll Sanity one time. If you've seen a particular one before, you don't have to roll again. However, if you see a few different ones in succession, you'll still have to roll for each one.

ooc,ok, my bad, still learning all the rules, yea I remember that now thanks. Do I need to roll for the gardner? and my bad on the door, I thought we came into a hall first and went into the first door on the right. Too much time, drink, and other games.

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Elliot shuts the door, "Don't think names matter at this point, we need to just get the hell out of here, the Gardner is outside."

"The only other way out I know of is the main entrance," said Dr. Kirby, "but it's up a flight of steps. I remember it because that's the way they brought me in. But there'll probably be more than just the gardener that way."

OOC,That's okay. No, you don't need to roll for the gardener. You've already seen him before.

Elliot still has his pistol out, "I think this is the way to go then. You ladies ready to move. It's out the door, across the yard and then over the wall to the car. We won't be stopping for tea."
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Elliot waits for affirmation from both Vals, and then he will open the door and out they go.

Both Valeries followed Elliot out the door, where he nearly bumped right into the gardener, who had been approaching the entrance at a run.

Elliot points his gun at the gardener. "Get down on the ground, now" Elliot says in a hush tone.

His already bulging eyes even wider with fear, the gardener got down on the ground and lay on his back.

"No, face down and don't lift it or I'll blow it off." Elliot motions for the ladies to start heading for the wall.
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Elliot will back from the gardener a bit slower letting Val lead Val to the wall. When I think they have a good lead, Elliot will turn and run to catch up.

The gardener rolled over onto his stomach and kept his head down. Dr. Kirby helped Valerie Soames hobble along in the direction of the wall, but the old lady could not move very fast. Once the women were about halfway to the wall, Elliot turned and ran to join them.

OOC,[b]Elliot[/b], please roll Spot Hidden. [b]Valerie[/b], please roll Luck.

The two Valeries crossed the grounds and reached the wall without incident. Valerie Soames was too focused on escaping to notice anything, but Dr. Kirby was highly alert. "Hurry, they're coming!" she called to Elliot, who was still ten yards away. She pointed at the mansion's entrance, where a backwards glance revealed that the gardener and two other men were emerging from the front doors and running down the stairs. The gardener carried a shotgun, and the others were armed with pistols. They were some forty yards from Elliot, and fifty from the wall.

Elliot puts all he has into the last ten yards, while urging the ladies to get over the wall, "climb over."
When he gets to the wall he will throw a wild shot at the pursuers, to hopefully make them slow down:
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OOC:   wild shot, normal = 40 so target = 8%: [dice]0[/dice]

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He will then help Val Soames up to the top, and hand her the pistol to hold off the on coming pursuers.
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Then help Dr. Kirby up, then get himself up and over the wall.
(that is the intention anyway.)
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OOC:   while the 11 is a miss, it might be close enough to hit the ground in front of them and make them slow down.

Valerie Soames firing at gardener 87/20% (1d100=87) Fail

I look down at the weapon handed to me by Elliott and say "Well I was not very good at this sort of thing in training, but perhaps I can slow them down a little - maybe put them off." The gun goes off in my hands and the recoil nearly knocks me over the wall and the shot flies off wildly. "Oh dear!" I exclaim "They seem to have more of a kick than I remember."

As Elliot ran the rest of the way to the wall, Dr. Kirby tried to scale it, but she couldn't make any headway.

OOC,[b]Elliot[/b], you're getting a little ahead of yourself. It takes you one round to reach the wall, during which time [b]Valerie Soames[/b] gets a chance to climb it. [b]Valerie[/b], please go ahead and roll Climb now if you wish. On the following round, [b]Elliot[/b] may either fire, try to climb the wall, or try to help someone else climb, but only one of those. He may fire twice. The range will be forty yards, which means the roll will be at 1/4 skill. The 11 will just barely miss for the first shot, but you'll also get a second shot next round if you fire. If you do, please let me know which of the men you're shooting at, and feel free to roll damage if you hit.

It had been decades, but Valerie Soames's SOE training came back to her, and she managed to climb up and reach the top of the wall just as Elliot arrived at the bottom. The three men were running towards them, but they were still about forty yards off.

OOC,[b]Elliot[/b], you may now act. If you fire, your roll of 11 counts for your first shot, and you may also fire a second one. If you choose instead to try to climb the wall, you may roll Climb. Or you may try to help [b]Dr. Kirby[/b] over the wall. [b]Valerie Soames[/b], you may act freely this round. You can lower yourself to the ground on the other side if you wish without rolling anything, or you may try to help [b]Dr. Kirby[/b] climb up. Either of you may of course try something else if you have other ideas.

ooc,sorry, wasn't sure.

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"Your turn Dr. Kirby." Elliot helps Dr. Kirby over the wall.

Valerie Kirby, with a terrified expression on her face, kept trying to scramble up the wall, but panic made it difficult.

The three men kept running closer. They were now thirty yards away.

OOC,[b]Valerie Soames[/b], if you also help [b]Valerie Kirby[/b] climb the wall, please make a Resistance Table roll pitting your and [b]Elliot[/b]'s combined STR scores of 13 against her SIZ of 10. This gives you a 65% chance. If you succeed, she will reach the top of the wall. If you fail, she makes no progress. [b]Elliot[/b], if she does something else, you will need to make the Resistance Table roll, but you will not add [b]Valerie[/b]'s STR to your own, giving you just a 50% chance. Regardless of the outcome, you may then act first in the following round. The men are now at the range where your Handgun skill is only halved if you fire at them, in which case that 11 would hit one of them.

Valerie S. reaching down to help the other Valerie climb the wall. 62/65% (1d100=62) Success - unless Elliott's fumble affects the score of course

I lay the gun down on the top of the wall and reach down and call out for Valerie Kirby to grab my hand. "Here Dr. Kirby, grab my hand and I'll try and help you up." I attempt to pull her up but my strength is not what it used to be I'm afraid.

Elliot pulled a muscle as he tried to hoist Valerie Kirby up the wall, and she fell on top of him before she could grasp Mrs. Soames's hand. They landed in a heap on the ground, and it took them several precious seconds to regain their feet. In that time, the three men continued running closer, and they were now just twenty yards away.

OOC,Only one roll was supposed to be made, and either of you could have made the roll, so I'm afraid I'll have to count the first one. That fumble will also cost [b]Elliot[/b] his action for this round. [b]Elliot[/b] never did pass the gun to [b]Valerie[/b], as the things he had planned to do at that point never happened. [b]Valerie[/b], it is now your turn to act, and then [b]Elliot[/b] may act.

As Elliot reaches the wall and reaches down, a pain shoots up his leg. Ignoring the pain, he tries to lift Dr. Kirby up, but it was too much and the hamstring gives out. With a scream Elliot grabs his leg and falls to the ground.
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He slowly climbs to his feet seeing the men closing in on him. Was there anyway to get over the wall at this point? Getting Dr.Kirby out was all that is on his mind.

I reach down and shout out "Dr. Kirby - grab my hand quickly! Don't Panic dear, but I do wish you would hurry nontheless." as I try to anchor myself on top of the wall.

Valerie desperately tried to get up the wall, but she still wasn't making enough progress. The men kept running closer, and they cleared half the distance. They were now just ten yards off.

"Stop!" commanded the gardener. "Drop your weapon!"

OOC,[b]Elliot[/b] or [b]Valerie[/b], whichever of you posts first, please make another Resistance Table roll of your combined STR score of 13 against her SIZ of 10, which gives you a 65% chance.

Valerie Soames' roll Vs resistance 60/65% - success o/ (1d100=60)

Reaching down to the flailing doctor, my words seem to calm her a little and she manages to grasp my hand and I try to pull her up. The strain in my joints is excruciating and I cry out in pain as my arthritic elbow seems to give me the majority of the pain, but with good fortune she manages to ascend the wall to the top.

Valerie Kirby strained and grasped Valerie Soames by the hand. It took all of their efforts and Elliot's to boost her up, but the doctor managed to swing her leg over the top of the wall at last. Elliot was left alone at the base of the wall.

OOC,[b]Elliot[/b], it is your turn to act now. If you wish to fire, you will get one shot off before the three men get to shoot. This is normal range, so you'd use your unmodified skill. If you want to try to climb the wall, please make a Climb roll. If you do anything besides surrender or shoot, please make a Dodge roll as well in case the first shot at you is accurate.

Elliot does a quick head count and does not like the odds in a gun fight. 3 vs 1 isn't what he calls a winning formula. So he attempts to climb the wall. "Get her out of here. I'll catch up." Knowing full well if he doesn't make it over the wall now, he may never make it.
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OOC:   climb wall: target = 65% here goes nothing. [dice]0[/dice]

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ooc,hopefully not jumping too far ahead here.

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Having made it to the top, Elliot looks back in time to see the men take a shot.
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OOC:   dodge attempt: target = 43%: [dice]1[/dice]

As Elliot began to scale the wall, the men opened fire! Fortunately, they all missed badly, and he was able to vault over the rim of the wall and let himself down the other side before any of them could fire a second shot. Valerie Kirby lowered herself down by her arms on the outer side of the wall and dropped to the ground next to him, exhaling with relief. The old Ford Model T was still parked where they had left it, at the edge of the road.

OOC,Gardener's Shotgun roll (30% base skill) shooting at [b]Elliot[/b]. [dice]0[/dice] Second man's Handgun roll (20% base skill) shooting at [b]Elliot[/b] with a .38 revolver. [dice]1[/dice] Third man's Handgun roll (20% base skill) shooting at [b]Elliot[/b] with a .45 automatic. [dice]2[/dice]

Having seen Valerie Kirby start to lower herself down and realising that Elliott's words rung true about getting the target away being the principal aim, I reluctantly swing my legs over and try to lower myself down the far side. "Quickly now - the old Ford should get us away without too much trouble."

OOC:   If there are any other cars around I suggest that Elliott disables them somehow - but quickly if not we'll all pile into my trust old Teresa (my name for the car) and fire her up and away we jolly well go. Any rolls needed Mr H?

Vaulting to the ground, Elliot looks around for any other cars as Ms. Soames suggests, and help Dr. Kirby into the car.
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ooc,it was a deserted road, so I don't think there are any. If so, I'll quickly shoot out 1 tire on them.

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"Time to leave ladies," and with that Elliot fires up the Ford and off we go.
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ooc,considering the number of bad rolls I had in that place, either I did everything exactly right, got horribly lucky or you were just nice. Either way, I thought Elliot was a goner.

Valerie Kirby got into the back seat, while Elliot got behind the wheel and Valerie Soames also got into the car. Elliot started the Ford, and it ran smoothly, though it couldn't go very fast. There were no other vehicles visible nearby, though there had been a car further back up the road the way they had come, near the ruins and Virgil Soames's cottage. They followed the road southwest. A short distance ahead the road merged with another one going north and southwest.

Dr. Kirby leaned back and sighed with relief. "Thank you so much," she said. "I was afraid I'd never get out of there. We have to get back to UNIT so I can report to the Brigadier. Once he hears what I have to say, he'll need to organise the troops and move in on Dunwich."

OOC,You did do a lot of things right, and on top of that you were very lucky at the end there to make up for the bad luck you had earlier, plus you had the right talents for the job. I'd thought [b]Elliot[/b] had a good chance of being captured or killed, but it made sense that he would be willing to sacrifice himself to make sure [b]Dr. Kirby[/b] got out. [b]Valerie[/b], you may either sit in the shotgun seat up front or in the back with [b]Dr. Kirby[/b]. Both of you, please roll Navigate and Spot Hidden.

OOC:   [dice=total]0[/dice] Navigate roll /10% [dice=total]1[/dice] Spot Hidden roll /70%

I slide into the front of the car alongside Elliott and turn around to speak to Dr Kirby. "We'll soon be away from this horrid place my dear." In my panicked state, as well as nursing my aching elbow I find concentrating on the map too awkward but I have enough of my faculties about me that I do notice something. "Elliott der boy, I am sorry but I cannot seem to remember which way is which here."

"I'm not sure, you know I get lost driving anywhere." Elliot sighed for a bit trying to read a streetsign that went by too fast. "I've never been here before, I'm just trying to put some distance between us and those freaks back there. I know Dunwich is North. So lets head that way and see if we can find our way back."

"You want to go back that way?!" Dr. Kirby asked, incredulous. "But Dunwich is their beachhead! We should get as far away from there as possible!"

Valerie Soames,[b]Valerie Soames[/b] glanced out the window and glimpsed a fancy car in the distance behind them. It was far off now, but it was gaining ground.

OOC,There is no map, and there are no street signs to pass, though there will be when you reach the intersection.

"We can't just leave the other people behind. There is a whole team here. We split up, us two to get you and the others to save a blue box of some sort." Just hearing himself say that out loud made Elliot question what was done.
Can Elliottell which way we are generally going using the Sun?

"Elliott ... not wishing to alarm you dear boy, but when I spoke to Dr Kirby I saw a fancy car behind us - and it's gaining pretty fast."

"Oh, I hadn't realised you had a whole team," Dr. Kirby said to Elliot. "I had thought it was just the two of you. Well, that's different. We can't just leave them behind."

OOC,Yes, [b]Elliot[/b] can tell compass directions from the position of the sun. There are still a few hours of daylight left.

"We have company, crap." Elliot says as he presses down a bit further on the gas pedal. I doubt if we can outrun them in this, we need to find a populated place.
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handy,so which direction are we driving, and are there any turns coming up?

Elliot glances in his mirror, then gauges what the car can do. "Hold on ladies," and he makes the turn to the North.

handy,he will try to make it as fast as he thinks he can in this car. Nothing fancy or dangerous, but not slowing way down either. Let me know if I need to make any driving checks.

Elliot rounded the hairpin curve at the Model T's maximum speed, which wasn't much, then headed north on the new road, which a sign said was Westleton Road. The one they had been on, Monastery Hill, was still visible to the right. As they drove, the other car came into view on that road. It was a silver Rolls-Royce with tinted windows, and it raced through the intersection and continued to the southwest.

"Phew!" said Dr. Kirby. "Looks like you faked 'em out."

"Yes dear, but I wonder how long for? Once the road straightens out they will realise that we are no longer in front of them. It will not take a lot of brains to figure out that we took the other turn. Do you think that there is anywhere that we can hide for a while? Sometimes stealth is the best way - though we are strangers here and they know the area. Any hiding places will likely be known by the locals." Valerie muses out loud.

Elliot gives a nod and looks for any place that might be a good place to lay low for a bit. "It may or may not have been anyone chasing us. We don't know. But I think its best to assume they were." Elliot checks the rearview mirror. "Val keep a look out for any decent barns to hide this old clunker in." Elliot rubs the steering wheel, then in a low voice, "come on baby get us where we need to go."

ooc: Do we see any buildings or other turnoffs? Can we still see Monastery Hill road? I'm assuming it is NE of our current position. Are we driving parrallel to it now?

"That car had to be Lake's," said Dr. Kirby. "He's the only one in Dunwich rich enough to afford a Rolls. I don't know of any barns around here. This place isn't good for farming, mostly woods and marshes. Fishing is its main industry - that and tourism. Dr. Strong is a decent chap, but I'd hate to put him in danger. We could try to hide out at Virgil Soames's cottage. The locals tend to give him a wide berth. I think they're scared of him for some reason. It's back up Monastery Hill, the way we'd come, but we may be able to circle around. Neither of them have a garage, though."

The Ford trundled northwards and eventually approached an intersection, at which stood a church and a graveryard. Before the intersection were a few buildings off the road to the right. St. James's Street headed off to the east, where buildings flanked the street on the right and boggy marsh bordered it on the left. To the northwest, Westleton Road continued.

OOC,There are no other buildings on this stretch of road, nor were there any turnoffs until now. For the first stretch you could see Monastery Hill, but then it was cut off from view by the wall surrounding [b]Lake[/b] property. You're going north, but Monastery Hill went northeast and quickly diverged.

"Well if I'm not completely turned around St. James should take us back to Monastery Hill. Then we can head back to the hotel and hopefully meet up with the others. Or we could go after them and hope to catch up. What do you think Val?" As Elliot turns onto St.James.
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Handy,sorry it took so long to post, I was waiting for Valeries player to post.

"Not the inn," said Dr. Kirby. "That's where they came after me. They might not try anything in the daytime in front of people, but the staff have to be in on it, and they'll report if they see us. I say we go find the others."

"We could try the writer's place ... Mr Virgil Soames, Priory Cottage I seem to remember. There is danger all around us and I think he may provide as good a refuge place as anyone else. As to whether or not he is on our side or theirs is debatable though."

Elliot and Valerie Soames both recalled that they had seen that mysterious car parked near Virgil's cottage.

"On second thoughts ... I believe we saw that car earlier ... outside Mr Soames' house. There is the path back up to the mansion a bit further down, hiding in plain sight sometimes works. Or do you think we should make a run for it Elliott?"

"I think I prefer strength in numbers, but its been a few hours since we saw the others, no telling where they are or if we could catch up to them." Elliot looks around at the upcoming streets to see if he can figure out how to get back to Mr. Soames' cottage. "Lets try your idea."

The Ford trundled eastwards down St. James's Street. There were no intersections until close to the beach, some distance ahead. About halfway there, they passed a red public phone booth, and Valerie Kirby pointed out a cottage. "That's the Rose Cottage, where Dr. Strong lives. At the end of this street, you can get back onto Monastery Hill by turning right. Virgil Soames lives in the Priory Cottage opposite the ruins, which isn't far. Lake Manor is some distance beyond there, but we'd have to go by that car you saw to reach it."

OOC,It hasn't been a few hours since you split up. It's probably been less than one.

Mr. Handy wrote:The Ford trundled eastwards down St. James's Street. There were no intersections until close to the beach, some distance ahead. About halfway there, they passed a red public phone booth, and Valerie Kirby pointed out a cottage. "That's the Rose Cottage, where Dr. Strong lives. At the end of this street, you can get back onto Monastery Hill by turning right. Virgil Soames lives in the Priory Cottage opposite the ruins, which isn't far. Lake Manor is some distance beyond there, but we'd have to go by that car you saw to reach it."

OOC,It hasn't been a few hours since you split up. It's probably been less than one.

OOC:   Is the car you refer to the blue sedan with the man watching things over the map (I think I got that right?).

Elliot twists his face so it doesn't look very natural. "I don't like the sound of going back that way." Trying to think. He checks his watch, "ok, that actually didn't take that long. We might be able to catch up to the others." He looks over at Val, "they headed to the shack by the beach, right? Lets start there."

Elliot turns towards the beach and not trying to put the car into the sand, its no SUV like the others have, see if he can follow where the others went to the shack.

"Sounds good to me," said Dr. Kirby.

Elliot drove the rest of the way down St. James's Street, passing the Dunwich Museum and reaching the Ship Inn at the intersection. Here Beach Road ran northeast and Monastery Hill went southwest. To the east, the beach stretched out in front of them a short distance before it reached the sea, but the car would encounter difficulty if he tried to drive onto it, and the road did not go in that direction. The shack where they had left the others was down the beach quite some distance to the south. The closest he could get without going off-road was the car park beside the Ship Inn. After that, they would have to walk.

"Elliot parks the car, looks like we hike it from here ladies. Lets see what we can see at the shack." Elliot gets out and checks his pistol.

Elliot's pistol was in good condition, and he had only fired a single shot to break the chain. One round was in the chamber, and the magazine held another eleven. He also had two full spare magazines.

Both Valeries got out of the car as well. "Make sure nobody sees that," Dr. Kirby whispered to Elliot. "There are people about. Let's head to the beach."

The three of them made their way down the beach, and soon they saw Horsham's shack ahead. Raymond MacIntyre stood beside the Land Rover, which was parked in front of it.

OOC,Everyone is moving to the thread linked below.

On the Beach