Play@YSDC

OOC:   Continued from 'An Encounter on a Lonely Road''

Once the wood was an apple orchard, and many old and gnarled apple trees still dot your path. However years of neglect has allowed the woods to become overgrown, the once pleasant orchards becoming a tangled jungle of Elm and Ivy. You imagine that in daylight it would be a picturesque sight, but at night in this weather it is nothing short of a gothic nightmare. The force of the wind makes thin branches into lashing whips or scratching, grasping fingers bent on denying you progress. The rain, lessened by the trees, makes rivulets that swirl around your feet and hide all manner of pitfall and ankle traps amongst the clinging undergrowth. Several times you stumble and but for the others around you might have fallen into the cold, wet morass beneath your feet.

Slowly, yet steadily you make progress along what might be best described as little more than a game trail, before it suddenly without warning joins a wider track, which shows sign of care and use, This must be the road up to the cottage which Keelham had spoken of, wider and, largely, plant free, the going becomes easier.

OOC:   At this point would every character please make two D100 rolls, either Luck or Dex or combination. Also could you all make a Regular Spot Hidden with a disadvantage (Roll 1d100 x2 and take the highest roll – houserule)

Kieffer is becoming more and more miserable by the minute. At least on a ship you could duck into the wheelhouse when the seas got too rough. But this night seems like something from a nightmare. He would give anything to be back home with Florence.

He sighs with relief as the path becomes firmer.

Dice rolls,Luck 60: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/491902]Luck[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]59[/b] Spot Hidden 40: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/491916]Spot Hidden[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]94[/b] Probably won't get much higher than that!

Alister Sergeant

Alister tries to imagine what life could be like here in this cottage. He can imagine himself dwelling alone, in seclusion, but what about a young girl?

Luck and Dexterity are both 60%
[dice]0[/dice]

Spot Hidden 45%
[dice]1[/dice]; [dice]2[/dice]

Judith stays close to Emilia as she picks her way along the track.

Dorothy stays as close as she can to Kieffer as he has one of the flashlights.

Dorothy,[url=http://orokos.com/roll/492004]Dex roll 80%[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]85[/b] [url=http://orokos.com/roll/492006]Dex roll 80%[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]47[/b] [url=http://orokos.com/roll/492007]Spot Hidden 25%[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]16[/b] [url=http://orokos.com/roll/492008]Spot Hidden 25%[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]66[/b]

OOC:   Sorry, I got confused! Count the first one for the Luck roll, here comes the Dex:

Alister Sergeant

Dexterity 60%
[dice]0[/dice]

Sean cannot see anything in the darkness. While is footing is usually very sure, it is still tricky for him to move around.

OOC,DEX rolls (80% stat): [dice]0[/dice] [dice]1[/dice] Spot Hidden roll (65% skill), with disadvantage: [dice]2[/dice] [dice]3[/dice]

It had been a tricky journey so far, the path would have been bad enough in the dark but made ten times worse thanks to the effects of the storm.
Keiffer had slipped and fallen once. Branches tearing clothes and scratching exposed flesh. The second time he had slipped the flashlight had flickered as if about to fail, but then brightened again.
Dorothy too had slipped, possibly due to Keiffer’s fall, and her borrowed raincoat is now soaked and splattered with mud.
Alister had managed the trail so far without disaster, able to help others, such as Judith who had fallen twice the second time twisting her ankle painfully, to their feet.
Sean, with the other flashlight had slipped to his knees once and now sported a long wicked looking scratch across his cheek. Courtesy of a wind whipped branch.
Emilia had slipped several times each time being assisted by Mary, who seemed to be untroubled by the nature of the path. However each time that Emilia had slipped to the ground it had seemed that the waitress took longer and longer to help her regain her feet. As a result it has taken you at least fifteen minutes to get to this point.

Now, however, with a wider, well worn track ahead things look easier. The wind still howls through the trees that flank either side of the road; the rain still drives hard, sometimes on a particularly violent gust arriving almost horizontally, stinging against exposed flesh; thunder still rumbles around you and lightning still flickers and flashes amongst the tree tops, with the occasional fork making you jump.

Courtesy of the seemingly constant lightning, the darkness of night is often turned almost daylight bright, making the deep woods on either side look even more nightmarish. Shadows leap and contort with every flash, was that a figure over there? Is that some nightmare shape moving through those tree?
With eyes on stalks, you continue on the road up to Greenapple Acre Cottage. Although you see nothing apart from shadows each of you has a strong feeling that something out there, amongst those dripping trees is watching you. Something that sets your nerves tingling, something evil…

OOC:   Please do not forget that you can ‘Push’ a roll. For example if one of you wishes to pause and stare into the dark, that character may try again to make the roll if you are prepared to accept the consequences of another failure. Also do not forget you can ‘Spend’ Luck on a point for point basis to alter a failed roll to a success.

After what seems an age a shape looms in the distance…

Maynard's rolls

Dex 50%,[dice]0[/dice]

Spot Hidden 25%,[dice]1[/dice]
[dice]2[/dice]

Maynard stumbles free of the tangled trees looking as bloodied and bedraggled as the rest of you. At sight of the house looming from the shadows Emilia shakes free of Mary and starts at a run towards it. “Grandfather!!” she screams the full force of her cry whipped away in a gust of wind.

For a moment the speed of her sudden rush catches everyone by surprise. “Emilia, no…wait you don’t know what you’re rushing into”, shouts Mary ineffectually after the running figure.

An intense flash of lightning reveals two things, one a front door that swings wildly with each gust of wind; and two, something metallic that dully reflects the light on what would have been, prior to the storm, a front lawn….

Alister Sergeant

"Let's go, folks," Alister shouts to the others, and runs after Emilia. Hopefully, the terrain is more easily traversable then in the groves!

While moving, he tries to make out in the dark, what that metallic object might be.

Sean hurries forward, trying to catch up to Emilia before she runs headlong into danger.

Kieffer

“Wait Emilia!” shouts Kieffer. “Wait for us!” He too runs after her.

Limping on her sore ankle and unable to keep up with the others, Judith stands peering curiously down at the metallic thing on the lawn.

Pausing only slightly, Maynard chases after the others as they head towards the cottage. The object on the front lawn attracts his attention, but he only slows down a little as he looks at it, trying to make out any indication of what it is.

[Spoiler-Button]Spot hidden if it's needed
Spot Hidden 25%
[dice]0[/dice][/Spoiler-Button]

Dorothy begins to start after the running Emilia but halts to assist the limping Judith.

Sean and Keiffer are quick to chase the woman catching her before she can enter the cottage. A short flight of steps lead up to the open front door beyond which the cottage is a pool of darkness. No lights break the darkness to show occupation, no sound other than the thud of the wind swung door. In your flashlight beam you see a narrow hallway that turns to your left. Two doors lie ahead of you to the right, the first is partially open and swings a little with the wind, the other is firmly closed.

Emilia, stopped in her tracks, gestures towards the first door, “Grandfather needs help. Beware the light”. As she speaks the door opens slightly its hinges creaking loudly…

Alister halts his attention drawn to the metallic object on the lawn and moments later Maynard, Dorothy and Judith arrive. It is a long iron crowbar Lying abandoned near skid marks left in the mud of the lawn. It looks as if someone had slipped while running, probably dropping the crowbar in the moment. The trail appears to have been coming from the house and leads off into the woods.

While the attention of Maynard, Dorothy and Judith is held by the crowbar and the marks, Alister finds his eyes drawn to something else…

Alister,At the point where the trail of running footsteps enter the woods, you notice that one of the trees exhibits odd white scarring. Closer examination reveals that this scarring is ash, it seems that this single tree has been in contact with a heat source of unimaginable power. One hot enough to reduce living wood to carbon. There is no other sign of any other damage to any neighboring trees. Of course it could be damage from a lighning strike, but it would be a very focussed strike indeed.

"I'll try to help him." says Sean."Stay behind us, Miss Webb." He ventures inside the cottage, shining his flashlight in front of him as he cautiously approaches the first door.

Kieffer follows behind Sean, making sure that Emilia is behind him.