1: 'On a Lonely Road'

[Priest]

Dead Light (CoC 7th ed)

1: 'On a Lonely Road'

‘Despite racing against the rain on your way northwards, the storm finally caught up with you in earnest and with it the night has fallen, abyssal black and riven by lightning. Conditions on the rain-swept road force your speed down to a virtual crawl so that your head-lamps can pierce the gloom and keep you on the path. The only thing certain now is that the weather behind you is worse than that which surrounds you, driving you onwards. What should have been an eventless journey has become something dangerous and unpredictable’

You are half involved in conversation, although the conditions tend to keep you alert. Now the rain is driving so hard against your windshield that the wipers are hard pressed to clear it. Inside the somewhat cramped Ford, the whine of the wipers and the heater do little to aid conversation. Lightning flares, its frequency increasing as the distance between each flash and the rumble of thunder decreases.
The vehicle groans with effort as it labours up a steep forest edged road. Without warning, with a suddenness that makes you jump, an enormous flash of forked lightning erupts in the road before you….

OOC:   You are in Thomas Furman’s Model ‘A’ Ford, so we begin with Thomas Furman making a Regular Drive Auto Roll.

[vertigoke]

Thomas Furman


Wow gentlemen looks like we are in for some nasty weather, hold on tight things could get bumpy

Seeing the fork of lightning Thomas jumps in his seat holding the wheel as steady as possible.

drive roll: 1d100 2

[Priest]

With a snarled curse Thomas pulls the car to one side as he slams the brakes hard. Luckily the slow pace of the vehicle combined with his alertness in the rough conditions stops the Ford from going into a spin.
For the sudden flash of brightness had revealed a pale figure rearing as if from nowhere in the road ahead. In the headlights of the swerving motor vehicle you have a momentary glimpse of what appears to be a female, her eyes wide and her mouth open in a scream…

[jbibblesworth]

When the car finally lurches to a stop, Luther twists in his seat to peer into the swath of blackness behind the car.

"Mr. Furman..." he says, already opening the car door. "...I believe I saw a young lady in the road!"

Rather ineffectively shielding his brow from the downpour with his forearm, he scuttles back towards the road where he thinks he caught sight of the presumably stranded woman.

"Miss!" he calls, free hand cupped to his lips. "Miss! Are you alright?"

[CrowTheAlmighty]

Upon seeing the situation, Tobias exited the vehicle as well and looked towards the woman, "Miss, do you need a ride into town?"

[Barty Carter]

"Americans" Barty mumbled under his breath.
Barrington Carter-Smythe,was the perfect gentleman,which meant that ,should the young lady indeed need a ride into town,she must be offered the front passenger seat,leaving himself and the remaining two gentlemen,to share the rear bench,which was none to spacious an accomodation (remembering the rather substantial amount of luggage) for a journey of unpredictable duration.
He would say nothing yet,but felt that whatever problem the lady may have encountered should probably be resolved before continuing the allready uncomfortable journey

[Priest]

Outside the relative shelter of the car, the full fury of the storm hits you. Pine trees that border a road that looks more akin to a river at the moment, creak alarmingly as they sway and dance whipped by the wind. Flashes of lightning, although not as close as that which had almost seen the car into the trees, continue to illuminate the scene with alarming intensity. For miles there had been no sign of habitation, some of you know that up ahead is the small town of Orchard Run, although town is a bit of a grand name for somewhere that is nothing more than a gas station and a diner. But wherever this female had come from was anyone’s guess, but it had to be fairly close because her clothes were hardy meant for the conditions.

For a few moments after Thomas has brought the car to a halt, she continues her scream. When combined with the noises of the storm it makes your blood run cold. Whatever she had been running from had been enough to drive her into the road in the path of the car. If not for the atrocious weather conditions the chances are that she would now be dead.

Shock and surprise sends you rushing to her aid, despite the rain and wind. She is tall and thin, not a gaunt thin but a willowy thin that you would expect of a teenage girl, but you estimate that she is around twenty, although her current condition makes it hard to judge. Her clothing, hardly appropriate for the conditions, is soaking wet, disheveled and ripped in places, no doubt a testament to her running through the thick woods.

You would imagine that under the right circumstances she would be quite attractive with dark hair and innocent wide grey eyes, but these are not the circumstances. Those eyes are now even wider and filled with horror and by the struggling light of the Fords headlights a livid bruise can be seen on the left of her forehead.

She shivers with the cold and babbles mindlessly in a barely coherent manner…

[Barty Carter]

Realising the state of the young woman,Barty imediatly removes his overcoat and wraps it around the girl,leading her to the car and putting her in the front seat

"My dear child,whatever has happened to you?"

He fumbles for his flask and places it to her lips

"Take a sip of this child,it will help you"

He turns to the others

"I don't suppose any of you are Doctors?"

[vertigoke]

Thomas Turns the keys of the Ford ,pulls them out of the ignition and pockets them.
He opens the door and steps out into the pooring rain. "Oh boy, it looks like this definitely ain't my night".
He quickly pulls the collar of his trenchcoat up to cover his neck but that hardly helps to stop the rain from soaking him. "Rain, Lightning, hitchhikers, screaming girls what is happening"
As he rushes towards the girl he asks her, or rather the shock makes him yell, "Miss what are you doing here running around in the middle of the road? I could have hit you. What the hell happened to you? Are you ok?"

[Vladd]

Lance looked at Thomas and shook his head. Easy there Thomas, can't you see the poor girl is in shock. Get her into the car out of this storm.

[Priest]

Barty has no difficulty in leading the young woman to the car. To the various questions being flung at her she shows no response, she maintains the wide eyed stare and seems not to acknowledge you in any way. She merely shivers despite the wrapping of Barty’s overcoat, causing him to enquire,

Previously Barty said:   "I don't suppose any of you are Doctors?"

The only change in her manner is the muttering of two words, “Grandfather” and “The light”.

There is something unsettling in the way she whispers “The light” something which makes you look over to the woods from where you imagine she had emerged onto the road.

OOC:   Please make Hard Spot Hidden Rolls (equal to or less than half of your skill roll)

[vertigoke]

Thomas Furman watches Barty escort the girl into the car and says "Well sort of..., I have a medical training but I'm better at examining the dead than the living.."

"light, what light is she talking about?"

Thomas peers into the darkness.: 1d100 99

[Barty Carter]

"I see.Well she is most certainly alive for the time being"

Barty notices his new companion looking away into the darkness and also glances toward the place from which the girl emerged

D100..........61

[Vladd]

Looking out into the stormy night Lance shivered. Did she say her Grandfather was out there?
Spot hidden roll (1d100=43)

[jbibblesworth]

Although she's already draped in Barty's overcoat, Luther slips off his own tweed jacket and lays it over the young woman's lap as an additional blanket. He watches her intently as she whispers, eyes hollow and vacant.

He tilts his head towards Lance slightly.

"She is indeed saying something about her grandfather Mr. Monroe." he states, "However, we've little hope of locating anyone else in this maelstrom. Better to alert the proper authorities and then assist in their search if anyone is so inclined."

"Mr. Furman," he says gravely, an impalpable hint of dread stirring somewhere behind his ribcage. "the young lady might do best with proper medical attention. I suggest we get back on the road as quickly as possible and find her a doctor. There's a small hamlet not too far from here. Orchard Run I believe it is."

Spoiler:

HARD SPOT HIDDEN = 1d100 → [50] = (50) FAIL

[CrowTheAlmighty]

OOC:   (Not to be rude, but can you guys not go too far ahead of me? Makes me feel left out)

After hearing these words from the woman, Tobias turned his head toward the forest, where the others were looking, "Light? Grandfather?"

SPOT HIDDEN - 94

[Priest]

The rain falls almost vertical, heavy enough to resist the effect of the wind, which howls and moans amongst the trees bordering the road. The darkness of the night is almost total, split only by the intense bolts of lightning that dance their crazy patterns further out in the woods. The storm is moving fast and threatens to engulf you with its full intensity at any moment. Already the road surface resembles the bed of a fast flowing river, and now mud and debris is building up around the wheels of the stationary car. Wait to long and you could be stuck on this road in the middle of nowhere, in possibly the worst storm in memory, with a girl in need of medical attention.

Spooked by the weather, the recent circumstances and the mumbling of the terrified female about ‘a light’ you find your eyes drawn to the edge of woods, but whatever light she is muttering about is not to be seen. However each of you feels an ominous atmosphere from within that dense barrier of blackness, as if someone or something was watching…

From the car seat she continues to mutter, “Grandfather” and “The light”, but shows no response to any questions. However the application of Barty’s and Luther’s coats seem to have helped, she is no longer shivering. As you attempt to make certain that she is sufficiently covered, you note that she has a small medallion attached to a silver chain around her neck…

[Barty Carter]

Barty felt that, clearly no progress could be made by cotinuing to try to get the girl to answer questions directly about the immediate situation and with the storm growing worse with each passing moment,Barty would try a new tack.
"What a lovely charm that is you are wearing my dear,may I take a look? "
Gently taking the medallion betwean his fingers,Barty squinted in the darkness and attempted to see if there was anything about the piece that might give some clue about the wearer.
"It's a beautifull piece my child.Can you tell us anything about it?"
Barty felt faintly rediculous,but hoped that by giving the girl something to take her mind off whatever horror she had witnessed he could bring her back to her senses

[vertigoke]

Thomas Furman looks at the rain and mud surounding the wheels of his Model A. This doens't look good.I hope we don't have to push.

He follows Barty and Luther into the car, pulls out his car keys and takes place in the driver's seat.As he slips his keys in the ignition he turns on the engine.

I think it's time for us to leave, we will get stuck soon. I think we should be headed towards Orchard Run before the road gets even worse. I don't want to spend the rest of the night here.

Thomas overhears Barty asking questions about the medallion.
"Barty, does that medallion have any markings on it?"

[Barty Carter]

"It is certainly an unnusual piece.It's difficult to tell in this light,but I am trying to remember if I have ever come accross anything like it before"
Without pulling the medallion about too much and struggling to see in the dark and wet conditions,Barty does his best to bring his skills as an antiquarian to bear