Play@YSDC

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2017 12:12 pm**

12 April, 1975

The roar of the Cessna 206 floatplane’s engine is deafening. State Trooper Stanley Kramer is an experienced pilot, but travelling on such a small craft is always a shaky experience at best. Arctic Construction representative Jeff Michaels and safety inspector Harry Miller try to study the scant documentation provided by the company, but concentration is often broken by gushes of wind. Conversation is impossible (the plane is not equipped with an intercom), so you spend most of the journey staring out the window.

Seen through scratched plexiglass, from one thousand feet up, the world is an endless spruce forest in three directions, with the massive wall of the Brooks range abruptly stopping its progress to the north, like a sea wall against the brownish-green. Forest as far as the eye can see. It’s dark, featureless, somehow implacable.

Around 9:20 am State Trooper Kramer finally starts descent, and after some careful maneuvering lands the Cessna on the waters of the Koyukon river. He slowly navigates the craft close to the bank of the river. The patch is marked on the Arctic Construction survey maps as the preferred landing site and entry point. It was cleared of undergrowth last month, when the survey began, but since then the vegetation started to reclaim the area. There is a pair of reinforced concrete pillars protruding from the ground - the only signs of civilization. You tie the aircraft to the pillars with strong cables.

The plan was that a member of the survey team would meet you at the landing site and take you to Camp 204, a four mile hike. But you are only greeted by a swarm of mosquitoes and biting flies. A barely visible path leads to the east, into the deep forest.

Mt. Sukakpak looms over everything, a dark grey slanted mass rising above the pines.

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2017 4:14 pm**

Jeff is angry and embarrassed by the company's ineptitude. "Dammit," he mutters, trying to wave away the mosquitoes with the manila folder. "Those guys better have a good explanation for not being here." He regards the dark spread of forest warily then turns to State Trooper Kramer, avoiding the safety inspector Miller's eye. "Can we radio the site from here?"

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2017 4:36 pm**

The aircraft's on-board radio equipment can be used to reach the camp. You know the bandwidth. The question is whether their radio is switched on and receiving at the moment...

A Luck roll is required to attempt this.

Posted: **Tue Jun 06, 2017 5:15 am**

Trooper Stanley Kramer never gets tired of looking at the beauty of his native Alaska from the air. It isn't too bad from down on the ground, either. "We can sure as hell try," he says, keying the radio and trying to reach the camp.

Posted: **Tue Jun 06, 2017 7:45 am**

The radio crackles, and for a second a high-pitched whistle emerges, but then it's back to hissing static. The camp is not receiving.

Posted: **Tue Jun 06, 2017 8:15 pm**

Jeff suppresses a groan. "Well I don't feel like hanging around out here to be eaten alive by mosquitoes. We'd have to make the hike to camp anyway, right? Should be no problem finding our way with a State Trooper to guide us. I'll mention all this in my report for the company," he adds.

Posted: **Tue Jun 06, 2017 9:11 pm**

Equipped with a detailed survey map, a compass, and many years of field experience, State Trooper Kramer leads your small group into the wilderness. The first mile or so is tolerable, but then the trail gets steeper. Harry Miller can keep up with the swift Trooper, thanks to his natural stamina, but Jeff Michaels is slowing you all down. The insects seem to multiple in the shadows of the trees. Swarms of Biblical proportions, buzzing around you, latching on to all uncovered patch of skin...

Around the third mile, when he stops to catch his breath, Jeff notices a couple of red-and-white striped rods scattered in the mud. He recognizes them as the ones that are used to mark out the pipeline's route. After consulting the map, you understand that this is approximately the beginning of the pipeline section, the re-flagging of which is the goal of the current survey. But the all the markers have been torn out of the ground.
Further up the trail, the scenery changes slightly: the spruce trees of course are still present, but there are more rocks protruding from the ground. A thin fog descends, and a drizzle starts - at least it forces the mosquitoes to retreat. With some effort you cover the last mile and arrive at a small clearing. At the other end of it, about 50' from you, there are a couple of tents pitched in a semicircle. You can see two figures hunched by a campfire.

Posted: **Wed Jun 07, 2017 12:10 am**

Optional Spot Hidden:
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Harry pulls a mosquito off his ear and breaths a sigh of relief. "Looks like our guys. Let's go say hello."

Posted: **Wed Jun 07, 2017 5:03 am**

Stanley can't tell anything from examining the site where the rods were torn out, so he nods and proceeds to the camp.

Posted: **Wed Jun 07, 2017 9:38 am**

Puffing from the unaccustomed exercise of the hike, Jeff waves one of the marking rods he picked up from the ground at the figures by the campfire. "What's going on here? Why didn't you come to meet us at the landing point like we arranged?"

Posted: **Wed Jun 07, 2017 10:47 am**

You spend an extra 15 minutes investigating the area. Harry Miller comes to the conclusion that the flags and rods were torn out by heavy winds, or maybe by animals. Foul play seems highly unlikely, as the route is too remote and difficult for malicious persons to be responsible. You are, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere. Kramer lets out a curse: a sudden gush of wind sends the survey map flying high, and it gets stuck on a pine tree. The State Trooper manages to retrieve only a torn half - unfortunately, not the half where you and the camp are located...

After this short intermission, you follow the trail further up and arrive to the campsite.

Jeff Michaels calls out to the men. They turn towards you, and hesitate for a few moments, seemingly unwilling to leave the campfire. Then one of them stands up - a tall, broad-shouldered, hulking figure, and starts slowly pacing towards you. You meet halfway across the clearing. You recognize him as Assistant Surveyor Mike Ravello, only he now has a curly beard.

"We didn't want to leave the camp unattended. Thought you could make the hike yourselves," he says. "I'm Mike Ravello. Welcome to Camp 204..." he adds, pointing to the tents behind him with a wide gesture.

Posted: **Wed Jun 07, 2017 4:14 pm**

"Jeff Michaels, from the company. This is State Trooper Kramer and Mr. Miller from federal safety. Is the Chief Surveyor here? We're going to need a full briefing on the status of the project. And, uh, about the fatality, too, of course."

Posted: **Wed Jun 07, 2017 4:51 pm**

"Ray is guarding Bill's body," Ravello says, pointing to the south-east, to the forest. Looks like he has to accompany every piece of information with a hand gesture. "I mean Chief Surveyor Ray Kennedy. And Bill Scott, poor fellow."

"We were told to leave the body where we found it. But we have to guard it. There are bears in these forests."

Posted: **Thu Jun 08, 2017 3:43 am**

Stanley nods knowingly. The shotgun he carries and the other one in the plane are the only real defense they have against bears. His pistol wouldn't do much good against them. "I need to collect the body," he says. "I'll go see the Chief Surveyor too."

Posted: **Thu Jun 08, 2017 3:43 pm**

"I'll come with you," says Harry. "I'd like to get a look at the scene."

Turning to Ravello he says, "do we know what was the cause of death?"

"I hope they don't think I've been watching too many crime dramas," he thinks to himself.

Posted: **Thu Jun 08, 2017 10:00 pm**

"Blunt trauma. From falling, maybe," Ravello says. His expression was without any emotion before, but now it turns somber.

"You can drop your bags at the tents, then I can take you to the place. It's not far, a quarter mile from the camp."

Posted: **Fri Jun 09, 2017 2:38 am**

"Thanks," says Stanley. He deposits his luggage at the tents and then returns to Ravello so he can guide them to the scene.

Posted: **Fri Jun 09, 2017 6:28 am**

Posted: **Fri Jun 09, 2017 11:59 am**

Jeff drops his bag at the tents, nervously eyeing the surrounding forest for any lurking bears. He retrieves the camera and the shotgun he took from the plane - he's never fired a gun in anger before but the solid weight in his hand is slightly reassuring.

Posted: **Sat Jun 10, 2017 9:15 am**

The investigators and Ravello approach the camp. The man sitting at the fire finally acknowledges their presence, and looks at them. He is a young man, his thin, bony features framed by the hood of his anorak. "This is Arthur Antal," Ravello introduces the man. Antal sluggishly stands up and shakes hands with the investigators. He murmurs something that can be understood as a greeting. His hands are cold.

"I'm taking them over to see Bill."

Antal nods, and sits down again by the fire. "I'll stay here," he speaks, finally.

Ravello lifts up a stainless steel camping mug from by the fire, takes a sip. "Then heat up some water for coffee for when we get back, I'm sure the boys will want some." He then turns to you: "Let's go, gentlemen."

He turns around and strides off towards the forest.
There is no beaten path here, just the dense forest. Progress is slowed by the muddy, loose soil. After about ten minutes you see a blue tarp laid out on the ground, covering a conspicuous mass - Bill Scott's body... Chief Surveyor Ray Kennedy is sitting nearby on a trunk, reading a book. He notices you, slides the book into his anorak's pocket, stands up, and waits for your approach.

Posted: **Sat Jun 10, 2017 12:10 pm**

"Mr. Kennedy, good to see you." Jeff makes the introductions. He avoids looking at the body. "Well, I'm sure this is a difficult time for everyone involved but the show must go on. How's the pipeline schedule looking after this unfortunate accident? Not too much disruption, I hope?"

Posted: **Sun Jun 11, 2017 3:44 am**

"Nice to meet you," says Stanley shaking hands. "We'll want to take some pictures and look over the scene before we move the body, What exactly happened?"

Posted: **Sun Jun 11, 2017 9:28 am**

"Wish we could meet under better cicumstances", says Harry, eyeing the tarp dubiously..

Posted: **Mon Jun 12, 2017 8:10 pm**

Ray Kennedy's appearance is in strong contrast with Ravello. The Chief Surveyor has dark circles around his bloodshot eyes: he probably hasn't slept properly since Scott's death.

"The schedule?.. There are... changes, of course, changes to the schedule," Kennedy says, clearly surprised that he is confronted with work-related questions right off the bat.

Ravello chimes in: "We have some documentation back at the camp. But the work has been delayed since the beginning, and now, with the loss of a crew member..."

He points to the bulge under the tarp.

"I will remove it now."

"It happened two days ago," Kennedy slowly starts recounting the events. "There was a storm... a big st-storm, and he wandered off, maybe."

"We found him here in the morning. He was already dead," Ravello adds and folds up the tarp and reveals the late Bill Scott. Kennedy averts his eyes. Ravello doesn't look directly at the corpse either.

The man's body lies there in an unnatural pose, bent in half. His limbs are twisted in weird ways, probably due to broken bones and dislocated joints. He is mottled with peat bog dirt, his clothes discolored by tannin. One of his boots is missing.

Posted: **Mon Jun 12, 2017 8:50 pm**

"Holy smokes," Jeff says with a grimace. "Well, looks pretty cut and dried to me. Guy wandered off and met a bear in the woods. No liability for the company. A big storm, you say? Has there been any damage to the pipeline? We saw the markers all torn out as we were coming in."

Posted: **Tue Jun 13, 2017 5:25 am**

"Can't imagine what else might have done it," says Stanley, examining the body without touching or moving it, paying particular attention to whether or not animals have been chewing on it. "Of course, it's up to the medical examiner back in Anchorage to determine how he died."

Posted: **Tue Jun 13, 2017 10:00 am**

"That's odd. I can't see any bite or maul marks. I'm no expert but don't bears have claws & teeth?" Harry enjoys sticking it to the man when he gets the chance, but avoids Jeff's gaze.

He starts to wander around the scene examining the ground & vegetation for details, in a conspicuous attempt to look like he know's what he's doing.

Posted: **Tue Jun 13, 2017 4:13 pm**

"This... this is clearly not a bear attack!" Kennedy says. He is perplexed by Jeff's focus on company interests. "Yes, constant storms, all the time, we could barely get any work done!" The pace of his speech quickens. Is he nervous? Defensive? Plainly annoyed by the company investigator?

Harry Miller notices a couple of things: the ground here is unstable, a swampy, soft dirt. Harry notices this not due to his expert outdoors skills, but because he himself sinks ankle-deep a few steps away. Even the body is partially pressed into the soil.

Upon closer inspection it is revealed that Scott's skin is heavily bruised, and covered in small scratches, possibly caused by spruce needles. There are other signs of contact with vegetation: aspen leaves are plastered to him. There are no claw or bite marks, just the numerous broken bones, and, judging by the bent, possibly a broken spinal column...

As Stanley Kramer examines the body, he gets a weird sensation. There is a distinct smell... but not of decay. Rather a cloying odor, like burnt sugar.

And as he leans closer, he ends up looking straight into the face of the late Bill Scott.

Posted: **Tue Jun 13, 2017 7:04 pm**

"Okay, okay, keep your shirt on, buddy," Jeff says placatingly. "I'm just saying we can't let this delay the project any longer than necessary. We'll figure out a new work schedule later and maybe I can get the company to send out a replacement for Mr. Scott. Okay, so it wasn't a bear. Maybe he, uh, fell badly. Where was he and what was he doing the last time you saw him? Did you notice anything odd about his behavior? Any excessive drug or alcohol use?" he adds hopefully.

Posted: **Wed Jun 14, 2017 2:56 am**

Stanley has seen dead bodies before in his line of work, so he takes it in stride. This one is unusual and disturbing, but he keeps his cool. "No bear did this," he says. "I've never heard of a bear that would refuse a meal, and there aren't any claw marks from a mauling. That look on his face: he's terrified, but he also seems to be experiencing...joy."

Posted: **Wed Jun 14, 2017 3:17 pm**

"We were all at camp, trying to nail down all the tents properly because of the incoming storm," Ravello says. "No drugs, where would you even get them here? Some drinking, yes," he admits. "It gets cold and creepy here in the forests. I don't remember anything special about that evening."

"M-maybe he did fall... Maybe he was picked up by a whirlwind, thrown around," Kennedy says, and nervously glances at Ravello.

State Trooper Stanley Kramer, unshaken by the corpse's terrible visage, thinks that the traumas suffered by Scott could theoretically be the result of falling - albeit from a significant height.

Posted: **Wed Jun 14, 2017 4:07 pm**

"Joy?" Jeff repeats at Kramer's assertion. "Maybe he was on drugs, then. Like you say, the medical examiner will be the one to tell us. But maybe we'd better speak to that other guy, what's his name, Antal, in case he knows anything. Workers are more likely to tell each other personal stuff than the boss."

Jeff looks closely at Kennedy wondering why the Chief Surveyor seems so nervous. "There something else going on here you want to tell us about?"

Posted: **Wed Jun 14, 2017 6:25 pm**

Harry extricates himself from the swampy ground and looks up at the trees. Do they look like they've been hit by a severe storm? A whirlwind?!?

He waits for Kennedy to answer Jeff's question.

Posted: **Wed Jun 14, 2017 8:57 pm**

"Antal and Scott? Well, I doubt that the two of them shared many secrets, but you do what you need for your investigation," Ravello says. "Complete opposites. Bill was hard-working, and knew his way 'round the forest. Antal's slow and lazy."

"If anything's holding back this survey," Kennedy adds, "it's the weather and Antal! And this is an unsuitable place for the pipeline, that's all."

Might Kennedy be ignoring Jeff's question on purpose or just that's his answer?
Harry sees lots of broken branches. Now that he is looking, he also notices that there are fallen trees as well.

Posted: **Thu Jun 15, 2017 4:37 am**

"I suppose it could have been a fall," says Stanley, "but he'd have to have dropped from a considerable height. Just how fierce was the storm? Let's get some pictures of the body and the area."

Posted: **Thu Jun 15, 2017 9:18 am**

Spoiler:

Jeff doesn't like Kennedy's evasiveness but doesn't feel much like trying to browbeat the other man. Maybe he's just feeling the pressure. Jeff busies himself with the camera at Kramer's suggestion but perhaps due to his own nerves at being out here in this godforsaken wilderness the results aren't so great. He passes the camera on to the others to try. "So Antal isn't pulling his weight, huh? I'll 'have a word with him later."

Posted: **Thu Jun 15, 2017 9:41 am**

"The storms are hitting us hard. That night's was particularly wicked," Ravello says, flailing his arms around to emphasize the power. "Sent one of the tents flying, lucky we had the rest tied down."

Jeff takes some photos of the body and the surroundings. Enough to attach to the report, but probably insufficient for detailed police-type work. At least he is not wasting company resources by using up too much photo stock!!
The drizzle starts again, and a milky fog descends on the forest.

Posted: **Fri Jun 16, 2017 4:32 am**

Stanley is puzzled.

Posted: **Fri Jun 16, 2017 12:27 pm**

"Well, it's looking most likely some kind of freak accident in the storm," Jeff says, looking around nervously as the fog descends. "I don't know about you guys but I could use that coffee right about now."

Posted: **Fri Jun 16, 2017 12:41 pm**

"Are you done with the inspection? Can we move the body back to camp?" asks Ravello.

Posted: **Fri Jun 16, 2017 3:01 pm**

"I think I have enough for my report", says Harry, wishing he'd brought a clipboard with him. "It would be best to get the back to the camp asap. Don't want to get lost do we?".

Posted: **Sat Jun 17, 2017 5:24 am**

"Yeah, I think we're done here," says Stanley. "I can carry him."

Posted: **Sat Jun 17, 2017 8:47 am**

Ravello and State Trooper Kramer wrap up Bill Scott's earthly remains in the tarp. The process is time-consuming and nerve-wrecking. Rigor mortis had already set in a long time ago. Scott's powerful muscles are now cramped up, solidified, almost like the trees they used to fell while the man was alive. His body is fixated in the unnatural, broken position, and when you try to "straighten" him out, for ease of transportation, there is an audible crackling - his fragmented bones shifting around inside...
The fog and the drizzle change the forest. You are not a group of investigators and surveyors. You are a funeral procession. Instead of an ornate coffin, you carry a dirty blue tarp. There is no funeral band. Moreover, you notice that almost all sounds are gone: no mosquitoes buzzing, no birds. There is only the wind in the trees, whistling, lamenting - or mocking? - the death of Bill Scott.

Finally, you reach camp. You see Arthur Antal standing by the fire. He has a huge, full backpack lying by him.

Posted: **Sat Jun 17, 2017 9:13 am**

Spoiler:

"This place gives me the creeps," Jeff mutters, still feeling a little sickened by the gruesome corpse. "Ah, Mr. Antal! How about that coffee?"

Posted: **Sat Jun 17, 2017 9:40 am**

Spoiler:

"Going somewhere Arthur?"

Posted: **Sun Jun 18, 2017 4:33 am**

"If Scott did fall, it had to be from very high up," says Stanley. "I remember when I was taking men up for parachute training, there was one guy...The parachutes had two chutes, a main one and a reserve one, in case something goes wrong with the main one. He waited until he was only a few hundred yards to deploy his chute, and when it didn't open right away, he must have panicked and pulled the cord for his reserve chute. Both chutes deployed, and the strings tangled together...After he hit the ground, he looked kind of like that."

Posted: **Mon Jun 19, 2017 11:36 am**

"I want to go back with you," Arthur Antal says. "There must be an extra place in the plane. I don't want to stay here any more."

Jeff sniffs the air and there is the distinct smell of hot coffee, but then he notices that it emanates from a dark puddle on the ground next to an upset enamel coffee pot.

Posted: **Mon Jun 19, 2017 1:17 pm**

"Hey, hey, come on now," Jeff says firmly, irritated by the waste of good company-supplied coffee. "There's still a lot of work that needs doing here. You can't just take off suddenly. May I remind you that you signed a contract with Arctic Construction?"

Posted: **Tue Jun 20, 2017 4:52 pm**

"I don't care. I don't care about the money. I don't care about Arctic. I want to go back. I've had enough of this goddamned wilderness."

"Take it easy now, boy," says Ravello and steps closer. Antal grabs his bag. His hands are trembling.

"There's no need to escalate this. We're all worked up about Bill's death."

Posted: **Wed Jun 21, 2017 5:12 am**

"Stay calm," says Stanley to Antal, making a soothing gesture in an effort to deescalate the situation before it gets out of hand. "It's up to your boss whether or not you can go, but if he approves it, there is room on my plane. Might get a little tight, of course, and you may have to sit next to Mr. Scott."

Posted: **Wed Jun 21, 2017 9:50 am**

Harry wonders if there any regulations against flying with corpse passengers but decides not to press the matter.

"Let's all just take a breather guys" he says, picking up the coffeepot. "I'll brew us some more coffee and maybe we can talk about what's been happening here." Harry is keen to know why the work has been delayed from the beginning. The men are obviously shook up about something. Can't just be the weather, can it?

Posted: **Thu Jun 22, 2017 9:32 am**

Antal hesitates for some time. His body language mirrors his inner turmoil, a psychological conflict. Then, eventually, he sits down next to the fire. Ravello and Kennedy too take their places: it is clear that these men have developed a traditional seating plan during the months of working together. There is an aching, gaping emptiness where Scott used to sit.

Harry finds a small water barrel and a tin of coffee by the fire and starts brewing a new pot.

The drizzle continues. The survey team doesn't seem to care much - they just pull up the hoods of their parkas and sit in silence by the fire.

Posted: **Thu Jun 22, 2017 11:00 am**

Privately, Jeff doesn't blame Antal for wanting to get out of here. He turns to the Chief Surveyor. "I'll go back to the company with a request to get you guys some more help to get the pipeline finished on time," he promises. "Nothing I can do about the weather, though. Especially not a storm big enough to send a man flying through the air. I take it there's no one else out here? Besides the bears, I mean, ha ha."

Posted: **Fri Jun 23, 2017 3:43 am**

"We're lucky the weather cleared up," says Stanley. "It wouldn't have been safe to fly under those conditions."

Posted: **Sat Jun 24, 2017 12:17 am**

"So guys, what's the story? I've got to say you look like you've been havin' a tough time of it."

Harry examines the men closely, wondering if they have any spare sleeping bags. "Tell me about the working conditions.."

Posted: **Thu Jun 29, 2017 12:50 pm**

The coffee is ready, and the hot steaming brew provides at least the illusion of comfort.

"The weather never really 'clears up' around here," says Ravello, looking up at the sky. Low lead-grey clouds chase each other.

"So conditions are tough. Sometimes we have to re-do whole sections. We even thought that there might be some hippy activists lurking around, destroying our markings, but we haven't seen any signs of people."

"Or maybe there is," mutters Antal between his teeth.

"Well, that's coming from a man who cannot tell the difference between the silhouette of a bear and Ray squatting in the bushes," cuts in Ravello almost instantly, raising his voice.

The two men stiffen, and eye each other for a few seconds over the campfire.

Posted: **Thu Jun 29, 2017 1:44 pm**

"Hey, listen, buddy," Jeff says to Antal in his most trustworthy voice. "I don't blame you for getting jittery out here. Heck, I'd probably mistake Mr. Kennedy for a bear in poor light, too. No offence," he adds to Mr. Kennedy.

Posted: **Fri Jun 30, 2017 5:23 am**

"Can't imagine who else would be out here," says Stanley. "If it weren't for the pipeline, none of us would be. Has anyone been protesting the pipeline?"

Posted: **Sat Jul 01, 2017 10:29 pm**

OOC: I'll be in rural France til Monday 10th July with very limited internet access. May be able to make the odd post on my phone but please feel free to NPC my character in the meantime

Posted: **Mon Jul 03, 2017 1:33 pm**

"There were protests in other areas, affected by the Native Claims Settlement Act, a few years ago," Ravello says. "I don't know any details. Things were settled in court, the company had to modify the route or something similar in the end."

"But this area here is no man's land, not of special interest to anyone, as far as I know."

Posted: **Tue Jul 04, 2017 4:15 am**

"Yeah, I wouldn't think anyone would live out here," says Stanley.

Posted: **Tue Jul 04, 2017 10:40 am**

"Mr. Antal, what do you think?" Harry asks directly, noting the tense exchange between him and Ravello.

Posted: **Wed Jul 05, 2017 10:08 pm**

Antal looks up.

"How should I know? I'm just a lowly worker here. Look at the talking monkey," he finishes on a sarcastic note, and spits in the fire.

Harry Miller is puzzled. Is Antal just working out some worker-supervisor conflict in this passive-aggressive manner? Employee moral is clearly low around these parts... But maybe there's more to it?

Jeff Michaels tries to analyze it from company and "human resources" perspective. But Mount Sukakpak is not a cubicle-filled office, and Jeff's skills hardly apply.

Posted: **Tue Jul 11, 2017 5:42 am**

"What else do you need to do here before we fly back?" Stanley asks Jeff and Harry. As much as he likes getting back to nature, he has an uneasy feeling and wouldn't mind getting out of here.

Posted: **Tue Jul 11, 2017 9:56 am**

Jeff downs the last of his coffee. "I think we're about done. The main thing is to figure out a new schedule for the pipeline since it's clear things aren't progressing satisfactorily. Arrange replacement workers for Mr. Scott and maybe Mr. Antal as well."

Posted: **Wed Jul 12, 2017 7:06 pm**

Upon hearing Jeff's last sentence, Antal's face lights up. "That means I go back with you now, right? I'm packed already and I can help carry Bill's body down to the plane!"

"I hope the company will be quick with their decisions," Ravello says, dismissing Antal with the wave of his hand. "The two of us cannot get much work done in the meantime."

You finish your coffees and improvise a stretcher from spare tent poles and tarp to carry the body. Antal is energized by the thought of leaving Sukakpak behind: "Finally, finally, I'm getting out of this place," you can hear him mumbling.

The hike to the airplane isn't easy, though. The constant drizzle of the last few hours has turned the path into pasty mud. Bill Scott's body feels heavier than ever before, and you have to switch carriers often. Despite his initial enthusiasm, Antal is clearly not pulling his weight. The weather is gradually getting worse and worse, too: you can hear the winds whistling and howling, but, strangely, the trees are motionless, almost frozen in time.
After a good 30 minutes, halfway down the road, you hear a cry from the forest - an animal, maybe? The sound repeats one more time (coming from somewhere near, to your right), then silence sets in again.

Posted: **Thu Jul 13, 2017 12:59 am**

Harry feels sorry for Antal but thinks he's a pain in the butt for not pulling his weight. "What are you so scared of anyway?" he asks him. His own greatest fear is carrying out a risk assessment, but he doesn't mention this.

Posted: **Thu Jul 13, 2017 1:47 am**

"Whatever that was," says Stanley, "it didn't sound like a man." He hefts his shotgun, just in case.

Posted: **Thu Jul 13, 2017 9:43 am**

"And what's with the trees not moving?" Jeff wonders nervously. "I can hear the wind blowing but nothing is moving. Weird." He peers intently off into the forest where the sound came from.

Posted: **Thu Jul 13, 2017 9:03 pm**

Mister Ginge wrote:Harry feels sorry for Antal but thinks he's a pain in the butt for not pulling his weight. "What are you so scared of anyway?" he asks him. His own greatest fear is carrying out a risk assessment, but he doesn't mention this.

"I tried to tell you before... There is something in these woods," Antal says, and his face darkens. "The bosses" (he means Kennedy and Ravello) "just wave me off and say I'm stressed and that I'm just not used to working in the wilderness, but they know it too. Shadows and voices..."

His hand slips and he almost drops the stretcher.

"Maybe they are right, you know, these are creepy woods here, a miserable place, maybe I'm imagining things."

His rambling is interrupted by the sound from the woods. You stop and listen.

The cry is heard again. Jeff thinks that he can identify it: it positively sounds to him like the crying of his baby daughter back at home...

Posted: **Fri Jul 14, 2017 3:19 am**

"It's not so unreasonable," says Stanley. "I love the great outdoors, but I can sense there's something wrong with this place. I wouldn't mind leaving myself."

Posted: **Fri Jul 14, 2017 10:44 am**

"You guys hear that?" Jeff asks with a shiver. "Sounds like a kid crying." Again he peers nervously off into the trees, trying to spot the source of the eerie sound.

Posted: **Fri Jul 14, 2017 11:24 pm**

This is beginning to get above Harry's pay grade. He also searches the trees for the source of the cry, also wishing he had a gun.

Posted: **Sat Jul 15, 2017 3:55 am**

"How could a kid be out here?" asks Stanley, scanning the treeline. "It's gotta be an animal of some kind."

Posted: **Sun Jul 16, 2017 9:50 am**

The cry is emitted once more, and you can understand the direction it's coming from (the same as before). There is a fallen tree lying there, about 30 feet from you. State Trooper Kramer is almost positive it's an animal in pain and distress.

"Let's not linger any more," Antal says, shakily. "These voices, they are no good."

Posted: **Sun Jul 16, 2017 7:28 pm**

"It is an animal," says Stanley. "It's hurt bad, from the sound of it. At the very least, I should put it out of its misery if there's nothing else that can be done to help it."

Posted: **Sun Jul 16, 2017 8:01 pm**

Mr. Handy wrote:"It is an animal," says Stanley. "It's hurt bad, from the sound of it. At the very least, I should put it out of its misery if there's nothing else that can be done to help it."

Posted: **Sun Jul 16, 2017 9:08 pm**

Posted: **Mon Jul 17, 2017 9:35 am**

"I'll cover you," Jeff replies, hefting the other shotgun and trying to look like he knows what to do with it.

Posted: **Mon Jul 17, 2017 12:17 pm**

Stanley Kramer notices that if Jeff was to fire the shotgun, the way he's handling it, he would risk spraining his wrist... But this isn't Vietnam, so the State Trooper just hopes it won't come to actual firefights, and cautiously starts walking towards the source of the sound.

Posted: **Tue Jul 18, 2017 5:06 am**

Stanley goes over to the tree and uses his immense strength to try to get it off of the fox to free it, snapping off a sturdy branch to use as a lever.

Posted: **Tue Jul 18, 2017 1:21 pm**

The investigators on the path watch Stanley Kramer stop by a fallen tree and lift it up. There is another short, sharp cry.

Posted: **Wed Jul 19, 2017 3:43 am**

Stanley had had a feeling it would come to this. He slings his shotgun over his shoulder and draws his pistol. "Very well," he says, leveling the barrel at the fox's head. In an act of mercy, he squeezes the trigger.

Posted: **Wed Jul 19, 2017 6:35 pm**

"Jesus Christ!" exclaims Harry, his mind reeling with shock and what the hell he's going to put in his safety report.

Posted: **Wed Jul 19, 2017 6:48 pm**

"Pull yourself together, man," Jeff snaps, though he is quietly glad not to be close enough to make out any detail.

Posted: **Wed Jul 19, 2017 7:26 pm**

Due to the terrain, the investigators cannot make out what's lying on the ground before the State Trooper. They only see him producing his handgun, and firing it downwards - and then there is a stream of blood, and a final dying cry. Antal screams almost in parallel with the shot. He starts trembling, and mumbling "No, no, no..."

Posted: **Thu Jul 20, 2017 3:31 am**

"It's all right, guys!" he calls, replacing his spent bullet and holstering the pistol again. "I was just putting down a badly injured fox!" Only now does it occur to him that the fox shouldn't have been able to talk, and that it certainly can't be what's speaking now.

Posted: **Thu Jul 20, 2017 3:31 pm**

"Well, some warning would have been nice.., says Harry, trying to subtly direct Stanley's attention towards Antal. "Some of us are little on edge here..."

Posted: **Fri Jul 21, 2017 12:14 am**

"I'm sorry," says Stanley, heading back to rejoin the others. "I did say I might have to put it out of its misery."

Posted: **Fri Jul 21, 2017 11:23 am**

"Come on, let's get outta here before the bears come to put US out of our misery," Jeff says, looking around. "Antal, stop sniveling and help carry the dang body."

Posted: **Sat Jul 22, 2017 5:36 am**

Stanley nods and picks up his end of the stretcher. "Yeah, let's go," he says. "This place is starting to get to me too."

Posted: **Sun Jul 23, 2017 10:33 am**

"Do you think you'll be able to fly the plane out of here?" Harry asks Stanley. "The weather isn't looking too good.."

Posted: **Sun Jul 23, 2017 6:18 pm**

"Yeah, I can do it," says Stanley, "but we'd better go now, before it gets worse."

Posted: **Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:19 pm**

The team proceeds, as quickly as possible. The wind picks up, too, although this time it feels more natural, then before. The pines and aspens wave back and forth, beating a chaotic rhythm to the droning, moaning wind.

Eventually you exit the woods, into the clearing on the Koyukon riverside. There, you are greeted by a horrendous sight...

The plane is wrecked. It lies canted on its side, half of the cabin submerged in the water of the river. The right wing broke off.

"No-no-no-no-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Antal's mumbles gradually transform into a piercing scream. "NOOOO! NO!"

He drops his end of the stretcher, and the corpse of Bill Scott rolls off into the dirt. Antal falls forward, and starts shaking, convulsing. His screams continue, but they are no longer distinct words. Just garbled, inhuman sounds.

Posted: **Wed Jul 26, 2017 7:00 pm**

Jeff groans in disbelief. "How could this happen? It's like a hurricane hit just this spot or something. What a mess."

He realizes they'll have to go back to the camp and radio for pick up - which means spending the night in this hellish wilderness.

Posted: **Thu Jul 27, 2017 3:54 am**

Stanley whistles under his breath. "Well, that stinks," he says, righting the corpse on the stretcher and setting it down. "Let's see what we can salvage from the plane and check if the radio's still working. We'll need to call for another ride. If we can't use the plane's radio, we'll have to use the one back in camp."

Posted: **Fri Jul 28, 2017 1:03 pm**

State Trooper Stanley Kramer tries to keep the situation (which isn't looking very good) under control and walks over the the wreck. He carefully climbs into the cockpit, and checks out the radio.

Roll Luck!

In the meantime, Antal abruptly stops screaming and gets up from the ground. Maybe he got better, overcame the stress? Then he turns around, and... kicks the corpse of Bill Scott! "It's all your fault! Who's the best fuckin' worker now? It's all your fault, you idiot! I'm stuck here now because of you, we are all going to die like you, you damned fool!"

Posted: **Fri Jul 28, 2017 4:00 pm**

"Woah, woah," Jeff says, putting himself between Antal and the corpse. "Listen, buddy, I'm getting tired of your skulking around so why don't you just tell me what the hell is going on here? What do you mean we're all going to die?"

Posted: **Sat Jul 29, 2017 5:46 am**

The radio seems to be beyond repair.

Posted: **Sat Jul 29, 2017 7:24 pm**

To Stanley's surprise, the badly damaged radio powers up. He fiddles with the knobs and tries to reach his home station at Anchorage. A warm, familiar buzz emanates from the headphones, then faint voices come in.
While the State Trooper tests the radio gear, Jeff tries to make some sense of Antal's behavior. The surveyor lurches into a fast-paced rant, his eyes gleaming maniacally. He's visibly trembling.

"You, you, you coming here, you bozo, thinking you understand everything sitting behind your big desk back at your office while we workers are out here in the Big Empty facing the elements and whatever lurks between the trees, so you company men can make more and more and more money; well I say why don' t you go and ask the bigheads at Arctic, what killed Bill here, I bet you Kennedy knows, you put him in charge, but he is hiding it from me, from Bill, this is all a big conspiracy I know-----"

Posted: **Sun Jul 30, 2017 12:53 am**

Stanley can feel his mind weakening.

Posted: **Sun Jul 30, 2017 10:04 am**

"You're outta line, mister," Jeff replies, now convinced that Antal is a paranoid idiot. He glances back over at the wrecked airplane. "What's taking Kramer so long? Hey, Harry, why don't you go check on him while I keep an eye on this loony."

Posted: **Sun Jul 30, 2017 1:21 pm**

"Goddamn loony himself, telling me what to do.." Harry mutters to himself, while walking over to Kramer.

"Hey Stanley, any luck?"

Posted: **Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:54 am**

Looks like Antal held back talking out loud about these real or imagined wrongdoings against him for quite some time, and now the words flow out of him. "Or your corporate masters didn't tell you everything either, huh? Huh? Huh? You are just a cog in the machine, a small insignificant replaceable piece!"

Antal is now hyperventilating, flaying his arms around, then he steps forward, and pushes Jeff. Not strong, but still quite aggressively.

"We are stuck here, you and me, but at least I'm awakened, I see you for what you are, and I have no illusions any more, I will keep on fighting of course because what else can I do, but I know we are doomed!"

Harry walks over to the wreckage. Antal's mad monologue is still on... Stanley is inside the cockpit, huddled over the radio. Some lights are blinking, and the machine seems to be working. The State Trooper holds the headphones against his ear, and seems to be listening closely to a transmission. A few steps away from the airplane Harry notices a weird, unusual, out-of-place smell. His first thought is that it's fuel leakage or maybe smoke from the wreck. But then why is it so sweet, like burnt sugar?

Roll Listen!

Posted: **Mon Jul 31, 2017 2:57 pm**

Spoiler:

"Stanley? You ok?"

Posted: **Mon Jul 31, 2017 3:16 pm**

Harry notices that headphones only produce harsh, loud white noise. The State Trooper doesn't react to Harry's voice.

Posted: **Tue Aug 01, 2017 5:43 am**

Stanley realizes that he must be losing his mind, but he's not about to admit it.

Posted: **Tue Aug 01, 2017 10:18 am**

Harry notices that Stanley is trembling.

Posted: **Tue Aug 01, 2017 7:43 pm**

"Stanley, give me the headphones. Come on now, big guy. Easy does it.."

Harry looks rounds for Jeff. "Get your ass over here quick! There's something wrong with Stanley!"

Posted: **Tue Aug 01, 2017 8:19 pm**

Jeff is glad for an excuse to get away from Antal. The guy is clearly a maniac. He turns away and heads for the airplane.

Posted: **Wed Aug 02, 2017 4:56 am**

Stanley does not respond, still struggling for control of his own mind.

Posted: **Wed Aug 02, 2017 9:10 am**

"Hey, I'm not finished with you yet! Don't run away, corporate slave!" Antal shouts as Jeff quickly walks over to the airplane wreck.

Jeff and Harry see the State Trooper huddled over the radio in the cockpit. Stanley is trembling and still holding on to the headphones. His face is turned away from you.

Posted: **Wed Aug 02, 2017 10:28 am**

Ignoring Antal, Jeff regards Kramer's condition in dismay. "Hey, trooper, don't you go flaking out on us, too." He reaches over and flicks the radio off then grabs him by the shoulder and pulls him around to see his face. "Snap out of it."

Posted: **Thu Aug 03, 2017 3:05 pm**

The radio powers off and the noise stops. Jeff grabs the shaking Trooper. Stanley's eyes are rolled back, and his mouth is foaming... His facial muscles contract - is that a reaction to Jeff's voice?

Posted: **Fri Aug 04, 2017 3:47 am**

Stanley continues his internal struggle.

Posted: **Fri Aug 04, 2017 5:50 pm**

"Ok Stanley. I'll just take these from you." Harry carefully tries to remove the headphones. He also tries to take the shotgun & sidearm.

Posted: **Fri Aug 04, 2017 6:55 pm**

"Jeez, looks like he's having some kind of seizure," Jeff says. "We should carry him out and lie him on his side on the ground so he doesn't swallow his tongue. And keep talking to him."

The company sent him on a first aid course only a decade ago so he knows what he's talking about.

"Maybe loosen his clothing, too," he adds, babbling now. "Harry, you might have to give him the kiss of life if he stops breathing."

Posted: **Sun Aug 06, 2017 1:13 pm**

"What?!? You expect me to start french-kissing Kramer now? Are you out of your mind?" Harry blusters. "No offense Stanley" he says, realising he's being insensitive, given the circumstances.

"Antal! We need your help here."

Posted: **Mon Aug 07, 2017 10:02 am**

CON 60 roll for Stanley
[dice]0[/dice]

The investigators haul out Stanley's heavy body out of the cockpit and lie him on his side. In this position, the convulsions start slowing down, and, it looks like that Jeff was right.

Antal comes closer, but stops a few steps away. "Stop ordering me around! I don't care about this pig," he continues his anti-establishment slurring. Then he notices the foam around Stanley's mouth. "What the fuck, man? Is he possessed?" He starts backing off. "No, no,
no, no, no..."

Posted: **Tue Aug 08, 2017 5:19 am**

Stanley finally comes to his senses. "Th...thank you..." he manages.

Posted: **Tue Aug 08, 2017 8:38 am**

Stanley Kramer finally comes to senses. He is heavily shaken by the ordeal. There is an almost aching absence, like a hole inside his head, where the Voice was before. Is it gone? He only hears a high-pitched tone ringing in his ears, like after an explosion... Reminds him of Vietnam.

Posted: **Tue Aug 08, 2017 10:23 am**

"Damn," Jeff breathes. "Well, I guess we'd better haul our asses back to the camp and radio from there. But we can leave Bill's body stowed here inside the airplane so we don't have to carry it back, can't we?"

Posted: **Tue Aug 08, 2017 3:11 pm**

Harry Miller

"I think we need to wait til Stanley is up to it," Harry says. "How you feeling big guy? What the hell happened there?"

Harry looks at Bill. 'Yep, he ain't going nowhere', he thinks to himself.

Posted: **Wed Aug 09, 2017 4:11 am**

Stanley manages to stand. "I don't think it's a good idea to leave him in the ruined plane," he says. "Animals would get at him. I can help carry him back. I'm starting to do better. There was this...weird sound on the radio. A voice. It was messing with my head. Thanks for getting me out of there."

Posted: **Wed Aug 09, 2017 6:15 pm**

"Bullshit," cries out Antal. "I don't trust you, Trooper man! You came to senses way too quickly. The Voices got to you!"

"He is not himself anymore, you should trust him either," he says, turning to Jeff and Harry.

Posted: **Wed Aug 09, 2017 7:38 pm**

"He sounds a lot less crazy than you, buddy," Jeff replies. "Which voices?"

Posted: **Thu Aug 10, 2017 5:03 am**

"The voices tried," says Stanley, "but I'm tougher than you think. So you heard them too, huh?"

Posted: **Thu Aug 10, 2017 9:21 pm**

For a second it looks like Antal is about to launch into another one of his rants. But when he speaks up, he is quiet. "I did, yes. We all did... I think."

Maybe it's just one voice, but everywhere."

Posted: **Fri Aug 11, 2017 4:28 am**

Stanley sighs. "Then I'm not going crazy," he says. "Or if I am, I'm not the only one who is. When I found the gravely injured fox, it begged me to kill it. I did so instinctively, only later realizing that foxes can't talk. That's when the voice started on me. It approved of what I had done, said I was one with nature, and told me to cull the herd. I heard it again on the radio, trying to worm its way into my mind. It wanted me to be a hunter, and it again said to cull the herd."

Posted: **Fri Aug 11, 2017 11:24 am**

Harry Miller

Harry looks nervously at Stanley.

OOC: Did Harry manage to take any guns from Kramer while he was having his funny turn?

Posted: **Fri Aug 11, 2017 11:48 am**

OOC: Yes. He had to put them down, though (to free his hands), when you were pulling out Stanley's body out of the cockpit. Harry can have the handgun somewhere in his pocket, if you wish. The shotgun is propped up against the wreckage, a few steps away.

Posted: **Fri Aug 11, 2017 12:10 pm**

Jeff is beginning to wonder if he's the only sane person here. To distract himself he walks a little way around the wrecked airplane, scanning the ground for any indications of what may have caused the disaster.

Posted: **Fri Aug 11, 2017 1:02 pm**

Posted: **Fri Aug 11, 2017 1:15 pm**

Spoiler:

Jeff isn't the best woodsman by a long shot but he notices something...

Posted: **Fri Aug 11, 2017 5:53 pm**

It looks like a strange force, perhaps a whirlwind, picked up the airplane and smashed it. The concrete pillar was torn out of the ground, and lays several feet away from its original position. The ground is covered in debris - wreckage, branches, stones, chunks of soil. There are also shallow trenches, cut into the ground by the wings and other protruding parts of the airplane.

Posted: **Fri Aug 11, 2017 6:59 pm**

Spoiler:

"Whoa, would you look at that," Jeff exclaims, pointing out the perfect spiral pattern of the destruction to the others.

Posted: **Sat Aug 12, 2017 5:39 am**

"This is no accident," says Stanley. "This was done to trap us here. There's still the radio back at the camp, but someone other than me should be the one to use it."

Posted: **Tue Aug 15, 2017 10:28 am**

Harry Miller

"Ok then, I say we head back to the camp. Get ourselves settled for the night. And hope the radio's still working.."

Harry covertly checks the handgun in his pocket. "You ok carrying the shotgun Stanley? Or should I take it?"

Posted: **Wed Aug 16, 2017 4:53 am**

"No, I'm good," says Stanley, holding out his hand for the shotgun. He does not appear to have noticed the absence of his pistol yet.

Posted: **Wed Aug 16, 2017 8:05 pm**

"Are you out of your mind?!" Antal shouts. "Giving a friggin' shotgun to this madman? Haven't you heard how he is supposed to be the Hunter or some shit and cull the herd? We are the herd, man, you and me, and he's going to kill us the first chance he gets!"

He steps forward and tries to take the shotgun (which is now propped up against the airplane wreck).

Posted: **Thu Aug 17, 2017 3:02 am**

"I'd never do that," says Stanley, "If it makes you feel better, you can carry it."

Posted: **Thu Aug 17, 2017 9:19 am**

Jeff isn't sure who he can trust anymore; he just wants to get out of here now. He still has the other shotgun from the airplane and elects to keep hold of it for now.

Posted: **Sun Aug 20, 2017 12:42 pm**

"Sh-sure, I'll take it then," says Antal, surprised that Stanley doesn't put up a fight. He picks up the weapon and automatically checks whether it's loaded - a sign that he is an experienced gun handler. Still, even with the rifle, he looks shaky and distressed.

The hike back to the camp is tougher than ever. Bill Scott's body is a heavy burden, even when taking turns carrying him. The familiar path seems alien and frightening. It's getting late, and the forest becomes darker with each step. Soon you will have to resort to flashlights. And that awful dead silence descends once again.

The physical and psychological stress is taking its toll on the investigators:

Everybody roll CON!
(In case of failure, you get a -10% penalty to all stat and skill rolls until properly rested)

Posted: **Sun Aug 20, 2017 7:11 pm**

Spoiler:

"Why the hell did I ever agree to come out here?" Jeff mutters under his breath, looking nervously out into the woods and keeping the shotgun near at hand.

Posted: **Sun Aug 20, 2017 7:17 pm**

Stanley feels astoundingly robust, as if his burdens have been lightened.

Posted: **Mon Aug 21, 2017 10:07 am**

Harry Miller

Spoiler:

Harry suffers in silence, but he desperately needs his sleeping bag. Did he bring his sleeping bag? He can't even think straight.

Posted: **Mon Aug 21, 2017 8:14 pm**

Stanley and Jeff dictate set a steady tempo for the hike. The young Surveyor, Antal, keeps up with them. However, Harry keeps lagging behind, and the rest have to wait up for him quite often. Antal, frustrated, even snarls at him - "Come on, mate! We cannot spend the whole night in this freakin' forest!!"

It's already pitch dark when you reach camp. From the edge of the clearing you notice that the fire is out. One of the tents is "glowing" - a flickering light is on on the inside.

Posted: **Tue Aug 22, 2017 4:39 am**

"Where's the radio?" asks Stanley. "The sooner we call for pickup, the sooner we get out of here."

Posted: **Tue Aug 22, 2017 4:12 pm**

"It's in the equipment tent in the middle," Antal eagerly points to a big tent in the darkness. "It can reach to Coldfoot, or even Fairbanks if the weather permits."

"Where are the others, though? Usually at this time we are shooting the breeze by the fire."

Posted: **Tue Aug 22, 2017 6:58 pm**

"Looks like they're up to something in that tent," Jeff replies, indicating the flickering light. "Is that a candle? Or one of those new-fangled portable televisions, maybe? Or are they smoking something..." He tiptoes over to the tent and peers inside, hoping to catch the surveyors in the middle of whatever it is they're doing.

Posted: **Wed Aug 23, 2017 1:58 am**

"Anyone else care to try the radio?" asks Stanley. "I think I've had my fill of them."

Posted: **Thu Aug 24, 2017 7:06 am**

Posted: **Thu Aug 24, 2017 12:14 pm**

Harry watches Jeff tiptoe over to the tent.

"Yep, I'll try the radio. You'd better get ready to pull the headphones off though Stanley."

Harry looks about for the radio..

Posted: **Thu Aug 24, 2017 7:04 pm**

OOC: Where are you putting the body?

The team splits up.

Stanley, Harry and Antal walk over to the equipment storage, a large military surplus type tent. A dozen bent metallic marking rods are piled up before the entrance. Antal leads you inside.
Jeff tiptoes over to one of the smaller tents, where the Surveyors sleep at night (judging by the number of tents, each member of the team has his own place). He lifts the tent flap just enough to peer inside.

Posted: **Thu Aug 24, 2017 7:43 pm**

Spoiler:

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2017 3:57 am**

Stanley sets the body down inside the storage tent. "We can keep it here for now," he says. "That will help keep the animals away, though we may need to post a watch to make sure."

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2017 11:01 am**

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2017 11:20 am**

Jeff yells in alarm. "Trooper! Get over here quick! One of the surveyors is hurt bad." He pulls open the tent fully to reveal the inside.

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2017 12:28 pm**

Jeff calls out to his fellow investigators, then flips open the tent...

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2017 1:04 pm**

Spoiler:

"Christ!" Jeff staggers away from the tent, trying to keep from throwing up.

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2017 3:28 pm**

Harry Miller

Spoiler:

Despite his fatigue, Harry feels like things are looking up..

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2017 3:45 pm**

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2017 5:21 pm**

"Mayday mayday. This Federal Safety Inspector Harry Miller. I'm at camp 204 Sukapak with survey team SKP/1975 of Arctic Construction. I repeat, camp 204 Sukapak with survey team SKP/1975 of Arctic Construction. We need urgent assistance. Repeat, urgent assistance. We have a man down and we are in present danger from sources unknown. Do you read me? Over."

Harry waits tensely for a reply.

Posted: **Sat Aug 26, 2017 3:33 am**

"Tell them the plane's wrecked and we all need a lift out!" yells Stanley as he runs outside and goes to help the injured surveyor.

Posted: **Sat Aug 26, 2017 7:16 am**

Given the dire circumstances, and the near-fatal experience of using the radio down by the river, Harry feels that it's almost a miracle, an act of providence that the equipment works...
Stanley Kramer quickly makes his way over to Jeff. Jeff looks as though he's just seen a ghost, but he is keeping it together.

Posted: **Sat Aug 26, 2017 9:57 pm**

"And the plane's wrecked and we all need a lift out!" blurts Harry, filling with a warm sense of confidence.

Spoiler:

Posted: **Sat Aug 26, 2017 10:36 pm**

"Roger, camp 204!" *crackle* "...not promising, low pressure system moving in. Approximate time of extraction..."

There's a pause, filled with a wash of static, then the operator comes back on.

"Approximate time of extraction, tomorrow morning, 09:00. Contact us tomorrow at 06:00. Camp 204, do you copy"

Posted: **Sun Aug 27, 2017 1:50 am**

Stanley hurries into the tent, hoping he's not too late.

Posted: **Sun Aug 27, 2017 9:52 am**

"Copy that. 6am. Try get here sooner. It's beginning to cook up a shitstorm here. Over."
Harry's sense of providence is starting to fade. Jeez, a whole night with these fruitcakes? Good thing I've got some backup. His hand automatically checks that the gun is still there.

Posted: **Mon Aug 28, 2017 9:48 am**

State Trooper Stanley Kramer quickly, but still carefully (protocol kicks in) opens the tent, where he is greeted by a gruesome scene...

The body of Chief Surveyor Ray Kennedy is splayed out in the middle of the tent in a pool of blood. His head and face is a bloody mess. His sweater is torn, and underneath, in the abdominal region, there is a huge, gaping hole in the flesh. Stanley has seen some messed up crime scenes during his work, and even worse injuries in 'Nam, but here he just cannot put a motive to it.

OOC: How is Stanley investigating the scene?

Posted: **Mon Aug 28, 2017 10:25 am**

"Where's the other guy, Ravello?" Jeff wonders, trying to keep it together. He strides around the camp looking for any sign of the surveyor.

Posted: **Mon Aug 28, 2017 10:37 am**

There is no sign of Ravello around the camp.

Posted: **Tue Aug 29, 2017 5:20 am**

"Jeez..." mutters Stanley, taking care to touch nothing. "This is an active crime scene, nobody goes in here. Go tell Harry and get him to relay it over the radio." He's no forensic expert, but he does his best to search for evidence. He checks for footprints and looks to see if he can determine what weapon was used to kill Ray Kennedy, or if there is anything discarded at the scene that could be a clue.

Posted: **Tue Aug 29, 2017 9:52 am**

Jeff hurries over to the equipment tent to break the news to Harry.

Posted: **Tue Aug 29, 2017 5:21 pm**

Jeff returns to the tent, which is currently being examined by Stanley.

Posted: **Tue Aug 29, 2017 8:18 pm**

"He's still alive!" cries Stanley, rushing into the tent. Trying to disturb the scene as little as possible, he kneels beside Kennedy and does his best to save his life - and his best is not inconsiderable.

Posted: **Tue Aug 29, 2017 9:09 pm**

Stanley Kramer manages to bandage Kennedy up, especially now that Jeff is around and can be sent to the equipment tent for medical supplies. The Chief Surveyor's wounds are ugly and unreasonably cruel. The abdomen cut is especially tricky - the best Stanley can do is "plug" it with some cotton wool and gauze. While working on this, Stanley gets the uncomfortable feeling that what was done to Kennedy was not simply assault, but crude surgery...

Kennedy mumbles something incomprehensible. He seems to be fading in and out of consciousness.

Posted: **Tue Aug 29, 2017 10:20 pm**

Stanley listens carefully to what Kennedy is saying, able to make out everything. "Who did this to you?" he asks.

Posted: **Wed Aug 30, 2017 9:36 am**

Jeff rummages desperately through the equipment tent for anything he can find that might help.

Posted: **Wed Aug 30, 2017 1:04 pm**

Jeff retrieves a first aid kit with sterile bandages from the equipment tent. It also has disinfectants and painkillers.

In the tent, Stanley listens carefully to Kennedy. The Surveyor is reciting the Lord's Prayer, which soon spirals into him repeating the last phrase over and over, in a loop. Then it soon morphs into something else.

"...lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil... deliver us from evil... deliver us from evil... cut me up... Ravello... the High Priest... sacrifice... deliver us from evil..."

Posted: **Wed Aug 30, 2017 7:38 pm**

Harry Miller

"We have another man down! Repeat, another man down! Suspect foul play. Please send rescue urgently. Over!"

Harry waits for another reply, ready to rip the headphones off if necessary..

Posted: **Fri Sep 01, 2017 3:19 am**

Stanley keeps Kennedy stable, cleaning and dressing his wounds. "Sounds like Ravello must have done it," he says. "The guy doesn't seem to be around here any more, but maybe we can track him down."

Posted: **Fri Sep 01, 2017 9:52 am**

"It's getting dark," Jeff says skeptically as he returns with the first aid kit. "I'm more inclined to let the nutcase fend for himself out there. But I'm not a lawman."

He does what he can to help Kennedy but seems to do more harm than good.

Spoiler:

Posted: **Sat Sep 02, 2017 3:10 am**

"If we just leave him out there, he could come back and murder us in the night," says Stanley. "I'm not the world''s best tracker, but the guy's got to have left a trail with all the blood he must have gotten on him." He looks around to see which way any trail leads.

Posted: **Sat Sep 02, 2017 9:21 am**

"Good point," Jeff replies, swallowing nervously and clutching the shotgun tightly. He looks around to see what Antal has been doing while all this was going on. "Can we trust him to look after Kennedy?"

Posted: **Sun Sep 03, 2017 4:34 am**

"Whoever stays should be someone with some first aid training, at least," says Stanley. "I think he's stable now, but he's in pretty bad shape. If Antal gives me back my shotgun, then I think we can trust him."

Posted: **Tue Sep 05, 2017 2:51 pm**

Antal is in the equipment tent with Harry.

"I bet Ravello is out there right now lurking in the woods, stalking us, he wants to kill us off one by one," he mumbles, grasping the shotgun.

OOC: I assume Stanley and Jeff are chatting somewhere near Kennedy's tent, so Antal cannot hear them right now?

Stanley checks the immediate surroundings of the tent. Here in the camp the ground is "flattened" by the Surveyors walking around all the time, and even by lamplight some bloody boot prints are visible - headed towards Mt. Sukakpak.

Posted: **Wed Sep 06, 2017 4:25 am**

All that occurs to Stanley is that even someone with his limited tracking skills would have no problem following this trail.

Posted: **Wed Sep 06, 2017 8:56 am**

Harry Miller

"Antal, go see what the others are doing will ya?"

Harry waits a little longer for a reply on the radio..

Posted: **Wed Sep 06, 2017 4:40 pm**

The radio crackles, then a neutral voice comes through.

"Copy, camp 204... We will aim for an earlier extraction... Time pending due to bad weather reports in your area... Provide hourly check ins if possible... Over."

Antal goes over to the entrance of the equipment tent, but he is clearly afraid of stepping out. Instead, he just shouts, his voice pitching up: "Hey! Erh, Trooper! And... Corporate guy! What's going on over there?"

Posted: **Wed Sep 06, 2017 8:06 pm**

"What's going on is you getting your skinny ass over here and giving the trooper his gun back," Jeff returns.

Posted: **Thu Sep 07, 2017 5:10 am**

Stanley nods, waiting for Antal to come over. He doesn't think it's a good idea to tell him what happened while he still holds the shotgun.

Posted: **Fri Sep 08, 2017 3:57 pm**

Harry Miller

"Understood. Over and out." Harry carefully removes the headphones.

"Phew, that went well as could be expected. Help is on it's way. Come on Antal, let's go join the others. Best we stick together."

Posted: **Sat Sep 09, 2017 10:52 am**

Wruter wrote:"What's going on is you getting your skinny ass over here and giving the trooper his gun back," Jeff returns.

Roll Intimidate to back this up! Who knows how the anti-authoritarian Antal reacts to Jeff bossing him around...

Posted: **Sat Sep 09, 2017 2:55 pm**

Spoiler:

Posted: **Sun Sep 10, 2017 11:16 am**

Harry and Antal join the rest of the team a few steps away from Kennedy's tent.

"Stop bossing me around," Antal says to Jeff.

"This baby is staying with me," he adds, lifting the shotgun.

Posted: **Sun Sep 10, 2017 8:07 pm**

"That baby doesn't belong to you," says Stanley. "That's my baby. I let you hold it earlier, but now I need it back."

Posted: **Sun Sep 10, 2017 9:01 pm**

"No friggin' way! I'm not that crazy! You were possessed down by the river, I saw it, and who knows, maybe you still are!"

He turns to Jeff and Harry.

"I won't give this man a weapon, and neither should you!!"

At this point Stanley realizes, that his holster is empty - his handgun is missing.

Posted: **Sun Sep 10, 2017 10:03 pm**

"I was never possessed," says Stanley, frowning. "I fought for control over myself, and I won. If anyone's possessed, it's Ravello. He just tried to kill Ray Kennedy, and he would have if I hadn't just saved the man. You know I didn't do that, because I was with you the whole time. Ravello took off into the wilderness, and we need to go track him down. To do that, I'm going to need my weapons back. Right now, you haven't committed any crime. If you continue to refuse to return my shotgun, that's stealing police property, and maybe worse. If you return to civilization, you'll be arrested. And I seriously doubt you want to stay out here as a fugitive. Look, if you won't give the shotgun to me, at least give it to one of these two."

Posted: **Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:32 am**

"Look, I'm a hopeless shot so here's what we'll do. I'll give the spare shotgun to the trooper." Jeff hands the weapon to Kramer. "And Antal can keep hold of that one to guard Kennedy while we go look for Ravello. Sound fair?"

Play@YSDC

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