1. An encounter 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....

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Re: 1. An encounter on a lonely road

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Extreme Spot Hidden Roll,25 / 5 = 5% Hmm not likely but here goes; [dice]0[/dice]
Maynard turns to see what they are talking about but cannot see anything other than the pouring rain driven by hard winds.
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Re: 1. An encounter on a lonely road

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Spoiler:
Extreme Spot Hidden = 10[dice]0[/dice]
Judith looks over at the further commotion but cannot make anything out. Somewhat discomfited by the whole escapade she moves across to the elderly couple in the corner. "Excuse me, I thought I saw an odd light outside before," she begins hesitantly. "I'm sure it was just an effect of the storm, not angels. You do get some rather extreme weather in America."
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Re: 1. An encounter on a lonely road

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"Hang on a minute - did you say Angels there Miss Judith?" Maynards ears prick up at the mention of celestial beings, another tool of the unscrupulous to befuddle the more credulous. A smile crosses my face as I slowly approach the old-timers.

"Hi there My name is Maynard Hedstrom, May we talk for a moment about what you cl ... what you saw? I just might be able to cast some light on this situation." The last, perhaps too over-used, sentence does not carry my usual conviction as I recall the feeling of dread I experienced when I was at the the truck.
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Re: 1. An encounter on a lonely road

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Sean can't see anything outside.
OOC,Hard Spot Hidden roll (65 / 2 = 32% skill) to see what's out the back door window: [dice]0[/dice] Extreme Spot Hidden roll (65 / 5 = 13% skill) to see what the old lady sees: [dice]1[/dice]
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Re: 1. An encounter on a lonely road

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Dorothy gives Emilia a puzzled look, her eyebrows narrowed in surprise at her sudden change from a state of confusion to an apparently normal state of behavior. Then, her face still showing her bafflement, she turns to Sam Keelham noting his apparent confusion.
“I…Uhh…No nothing strange happens around these parts. Unless of course you include Burns running his truck off the road and running in here yellin’ about…What was it? Oh yeah, dead lights” He finishes the sentence with a low laugh that shows his opinion on Burns’ story. “As for Emilia here she must have had a hit on the head by a branch or somethin’” he nods towards the livid bruise that mars her face, “But what the tarnation was she doing runnin’ around the woods in this weather, and where is her gradpappy? Is he out there too lost in the woods?” He shakes his head, you are certain that he would spit if there had been something to spit into, “No the doc knows these woods like the back of his hand, and is savvy enough to know that the woods are no place to wander in the dark in a storm like thisun. Maybe he’s had an accident, somthin’ to do with the lightning perhaps. That would explain Emilia’s ‘light’” He takes a deep breath signaling the end of his speculation, then the old woman is on about ‘Angels’ and attention moves to her.

Following the old ladies exclamation, interest again swings to what she might have seen from the window. Alister, probably the closest to where she sits, attempts to peer through the window in the direction of the dark truck. But all he can see is the darkness of the stormy night occasionally shown in detail by the lightning that seems to almost continuously flicker above the trees. In the flashes he can easily make out the empty truck cab and the road, or what was the road which now looks more like a fast flowing creek, but cannot see any sign of Burns or an ‘Angel’ as she calls it.

Judith having aided the ailing psychic investigator to his feet, quickly crosses the floor of the diner to the table where the elderly couple sit. Too late to see what the old lady is on about, her attempt to explain the ‘Angel’ as a trick of the light produced by the storm is met by a stern, disapproving look.
“Miss I believe I’ve lived long enough to be able to tell a lightning flash from an Angel” Judith feels as if she’s just been told off by her grandmother.

Before another word can pass between Judith and the elderly woman, Maynard, clothes marked by his recent exposure to the floor, strolls casually to the group, His smile, that false bonhomie that smacks of snake oil salesmen and confidence tricksters but is meant as a charming introduction spanning his face. At his words the old lady looks at him as if trying to decide whether he is serious or not.
“I know what I saw young man and it wasn’t no trick of the light or mind neither. It was a blessed Angel of the Lord all bright and shining. The truck driver that ran out of here must have seen her too, for he rushed off with her in hot pursuit” . She looks over to where Kieffer stands dumfounded by the entrance, “That young fellow must have seen her too surely”.

Half way back in the main diner Sean, glances back at the shadowed rear window from which he had seen the waitress emerge a few moments earlier. For a second he has that strange feeling of being watched, but in the darkness he can see nothing. As the tones of the elderly woman exclaiming something about ‘Angels’ he spins and looks towards the window where it seems everyone attention is focused. Again he sees nothing.

The moustached man talking to the reporter, Dorothy, gestures at the first aid box, “Took Mary a while to find that” Something in his tone suggest wonder.
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Re: 1. An encounter on a lonely road

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Sean nods to Dorothy and gives her a knowing look. He couldn't see anyone out the back door, but he's sure someone had been there, and that that had been Mary's real reason for going back there. "Let's see if we can help Miss Webb now that we've got it," he says, going with Mary over to her. "That looks like a nasty bruise."
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Re: 1. An encounter on a lonely road

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Maynard gestures in a calming fashion.

"No,no my good lady, I certainly meant no disrespect or to put in question any of your faculties. You see I am somewhat skilled as a scientist and this is an area that is of special interest to me. I only wish to ask a few questions about what you saw. Let me admit something to you, I too saw something when I was outside, something I am at a loss to explain fully to myself. What I do know is that it left me feeling quite out of sorts, not quite at one with myself if you follow me. The one thing I can say is that I felt that I was being watched, does that sound at all familiar to you?"
Psychology Roll,70% [dice]0[/dice] oh dear
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Re: 1. An encounter on a lonely road

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Outside the storm seems to be abating slightly, yet not enough to chance the road to Ipswich. During the next few minutes things within the diner seem to settle a little. The elderly woman, whose name you discover is Winnifred Brewer and who along with her husband Teddy is like you a long way from home, ceases to see ‘Angels’ although her continual gasps of delight seem to show that she still sees something outside. Whether she takes note of Maynard's words or not is unknown for she remains silent

Armed with the large and well stocked first aid tin, Sean and Dorothy quickly finish patching up Emilia’s hurts, including the nasty looking bruise to her forehead which looks more like she was struck by something rather than simply running into some object. During this time they are stunned to find her suddenly lucid and extremely talkative, although her recollection of the events prior to a few minutes earlier remain clouded and unclear. What happened to her grandfather is dark, lost somewhere within her mind, yet she conveys a certainty that he is in danger. Of a light she recalls nothing and listens interestedly to any description of her pleas when first found. Even to the untrained it is obvious that something traumatic occurred to her and her mind had simply blocked all memory of that something.

Sam Keelham fusses about like an old maid, worry for the safety of Dr. Webb, Emilia’s grandfather, evident in his voice and face, “It aint like the doc to let Emilia here, out in this weather. Someone ought to look in up at the cottage and check…I’d go myself but I aint supposed to leave the station unattended”
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"Where's this cottage, Mister Keelham?" Dorothy smells a story. "If it's not too far, maybe some of these brave men might be willing to take a walk in the rain." She glances down ruefully at her soggy clothing. "This outfit is already ruined, so it wouldn't hurt to head out once more, but I'm not going out by myself! Say, are there any umbrellas around this place? Some more flashlights, or maybe a good lantern?"
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Re: 1. An encounter on a lonely road

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"No need for us to walk," says Sean. "We can go in my cab once we get directions. I've got one flashlight, but more light would help."
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Re: 1. An encounter on a lonely road

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Kieffer is concerned by what he saw. Not just the man's disappearance, but the look of horror on his face. He wants to get away from the diner.

"I'll come to the cottage too" he tells the others.
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Alister Sergeant

Alister is, frankly, creeped out by this place. He suspects the cottage won't be any better, though. "I'm going with you too."

He waits and hopes for a massive supply of top quality flashlights, water proof jackets and Wellington boots...

"Do you by chance have a thermos we can fill up with coffee? And maybe some canned goods? In case we get stuck out there."
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Re: 1. An encounter on a lonely road

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Judith, having already resigned herself to missing her flight back to England since, even if she could make it to Ipswich, surely no planes would be taking off in such weather, timidly offers to accompany the others to the cottage. Looking around at the dark diner, and the people raving about angels, she has little wish to spend the night here.
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Sam pushes his cap to the back of his head, “Greenaple Acre cottage is about mile from here back up the road to Arkham. You would have passed the turnoff on your way down, probably didn’t see it what with the storm and all. Quickest route from here is to head south west from here through the woods and pick up the road up to the cottage. Better than backtracking up the hill ifn the main road is still there” he gestures at the pad an pencil that Dorothy still holds, “I’ll draw you a map if it helps? As for flashlights there’s one in the office. Umbrellas we aint got but I’ve a serviceable raincoat ifn that’s any good, be a mite big but it’ll keep you dry”

He turns to Sean a smile of amusement spreading over his face, “Mister if you think you’ll be drivin’ up to the docs, then you don’t know these roads too well” He looks Sean up and down as if taking in the ubiquitous cabbies uniform of leather jacket and peaked cap, “Storm’ll have probably washed out the main rod by now, let alone the track up to the cottage. Plus ifn the wind managed to bring down a tree across the track you could find yourself stuck up there good and proper. Still you’re the professional so I aint going to tell you your job”

“Like I said to the little lady, there is a flashlight out in the office but as for raincoats and such…” his snort finishes the sentence adequately. At Alister’s question he simply snorts again, “Sure there’s thermos’ and cake ifn you care to pack ‘em”

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Re: 1. An encounter on a lonely road

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Kieffer

"God, this a bad idea. Through strange woods on a stormy night with something bizarre going on."


He sighs. "Shall we get going?"
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Re: 1. An encounter on a lonely road

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As Keiffer with a resigned shrug turns back to the shattered door. Mary Laker, the waitress, turns and pulls a long raincoat from a hook near the kitchen door. As she puts it on, an enigmatic smile crosses her face, “Hell Sam, I guess I’d best go with them and make sure they don’t get lost. Anyways Emilia will feel safer with a familiar face around”

Keelham shrugs, “Sure Mary you do that. Aint gonna be any more customers tonight…” he gazes towards the far table where the elderly couple still sit peering out into the darkness, “Unless the Angel drops in for a coffee”

Winnifred Brewer gives him a ‘don’t blaspheme’ stare that shows age has not dimmed her hearing, but refuses the challenge.

“Oh” exclaims Keelham as Kieffer begins to move towards the diner’s door, “You’ll find the flashlight in the office on a shelf above the pump switch. It can be contrary every now and again, but a good shake usually works fine”…
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Re: 1. An encounter on a lonely road

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"Hiking with the Scouts was never like this," Dorothy says, mostly to herself. "Still, a story is a story." She accepts the raincoat with her brightest smile. "I'll carry the thermos of coffee if somebody else will grab the other flashlight. Oh, by the way, anybody here good at finding the way through wilderness? We're not going very far, but it would be great to follow somebody with experience with making their way through the woods. If it's too tough, we'll go the long way along the road, I guess."
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Re: 1. An encounter on a lonely road

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Sensing that he is not going to get any more information from the old couple, Maynard shakes his head ruefully;

"Fair enough my good people, I will be heading up to the cottage with the rest of the group, would you like to accompany us or not?"
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As Maynard turns from the elderly couple to leave, he is surprised by her sudden grasp of his hand, “Take care young man, remember not all that glitters is gold and not all light that shines brightly is of the Lord”. With the finish of her words of warning, Winnifred turns and recommences her vigilant watch through the window. At the same time Teddy begins a dour, tuneless attempt at ‘Shall we gather at the river’.
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Re: 1. An encounter on a lonely road

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Sean heads outside with the others shining his flashlight and examines the road to the south to see how bad it is and whether he can drive them at least to the turnoff. "We may have to hoof it if the main road is washed out," he says. "I have a good sense of direction, but I'm better in a city than the wilderness. We should at least keep the road in sight if we can."
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