Spring, well north of the arctic circle. 1975. A small surveying camp sits just south of the Middle Fork of the Koyukuk and Bettles river confluence, among dense forests of spindly spruce trees. Above it, the ramplike prow of Sukakpak mountain dominates. It is a striking, curious and isolated peak south of the Brooks range. A survey team is re-flagging the original pipeline route that was flagged in ’71. There is great urgency, as construction of the North Slope Haul Road has already begun and will reach Atigun pass in less than a month. The route must be clearly marked.
"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?"
"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?"
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.
"I feel as if my soul would be torn out of my body," she gasped. "I am being drawn into a whirlpool. What is happening? What does it mean?" - The Secrets of Dr. Taverner
"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."
"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."
"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.
"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.
The face of Bill Scott,Under the cuts and layers of dirt, the last expression of Bill Scott is discernible... Though he died alone in the woods, through what must have been lingering agony, his face is frozen in a mask of horror somehow tinged with ecstasy.
The State Trooper has never seen anything like this on any dead body.
Roll [color=#FF0000][b]Sanity (0/1d3)[/b][/color]
"I feel as if my soul would be torn out of my body," she gasped. "I am being drawn into a whirlpool. What is happening? What does it mean?" - The Secrets of Dr. Taverner
"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.
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."
OOC,Sanity roll (current level 50) for seeing the dead man's face:
[dice]1[/dice]
Sanity loss (if necessary):
[dice]0[/dice]
"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.
"I feel as if my soul would be torn out of my body," she gasped. "I am being drawn into a whirlpool. What is happening? What does it mean?" - The Secrets of Dr. Taverner
"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?"
"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?
Wruter,Roll [b][color=#FF0000]Intimidate[/color][/b] to back up this thing!
Harry sees lots of broken branches. Now that he is looking, he also notices that there are fallen trees as well.
"I feel as if my soul would be torn out of my body," she gasped. "I am being drawn into a whirlpool. What is happening? What does it mean?" - The Secrets of Dr. Taverner
"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."
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."
"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!!
Mr. Handy,Roll [b][color=#FF0000]Idea[/color][/b]!
The drizzle starts again, and a milky fog descends on the forest.
"I feel as if my soul would be torn out of my body," she gasped. "I am being drawn into a whirlpool. What is happening? What does it mean?" - The Secrets of Dr. Taverner
"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."
"Are you done with the inspection? Can we move the body back to camp?" asks Ravello.
"I feel as if my soul would be torn out of my body," she gasped. "I am being drawn into a whirlpool. What is happening? What does it mean?" - The Secrets of Dr. Taverner
