Roots

It's the summer of 2017 in small town Virginia. The tranquility the residents take for granted is shaken by disturbing news: Karen Parker is missing. To some she may be a friend or neighbor. To others, a daughter. But regardless of the relation, the investigators set out to bring her home. But ancient evils lurk everywhere, and as the investigators are about to discover, some are very close to home...

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Re: Roots

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"'Much?'" says Catherine. "That doesn't really reassure me. The sooner we find her, the better. Let's go as soon as you get what you need. I'll bring my car."
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Re: Roots

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"I think I'll purchase a few small drums of herbicides, one of those 'spray-action' types, and some lighters. I have some money on me." Tobias said, "Let's get some hiking gear as well. We need to go in prepared, Regardless of Half-human plant monsters or not. There's plenty of underlying dangers in raiding a forest. If I remember correctly, there's a farm near the forest of Geverlon, and the forest's on the far edge of the town. The chances of meeting the townsfolk there are slim...unless they're already patrolling the area. Let's plan this out a bit before acting, shall we? I've organised raids and search parties before, and we can start tomorrow anyways. We must not let our sense of urgency blind us to reason."

"Listen, if we were to go now, we would only have about 7 hours of daylight and precious little preparation, if we were to start tomorrow at the crack of dawn,
we would have more than 10 hours of daylight on our side. Something tells me that hurried preparations shall be the bane of us, so let us make an adequate plan, notify family members and relevant authorities in case we go missing first."
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Re: Roots

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OOC:   I'm going to say whatever you guys want (within reason) can be obtained in short order.  
"The area should be clear" Peter offers. "Generally we only go into the forest the night of the full moon."

He sketches a quick map of Geverlon and the surrounding area:
picture,For some reason full pic would not show up here, here's the link: [url]https://postimg.org/image/fw7614dp3/[/url]
"Karen would almost certainly be by the Tree, its our holy ground. We can drive north past Geverlon and cut through through woods. It's maybe a 45 minute walk. Maybe a little more. I think it's probably safer to wait for tomorrow anyway, we'll want all the daylight we can afford for this. I know it's tough to leave her for another day, but it's better than risking nightfall and capture. ."

However, Peter does not seem to want to fight over it. Whatever the investigators decide he seems likely to go with. He does point out however that if they're not leaving immediately he's going to get back to work." I have a life outside Geverlon now. I'd like to keep it."
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Re: Roots

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"No worries. Give us your contact information, we'll make our move at 7am in the morning." Tobias, reassuring Peter. Alienating an ally would not be a wise move.

"Catherine, if possible, please contact the school and tell them that you'll be taking a break tomorrow and your family members that if you failed to contact them by nightfall, to alert the authorities." Tobias turned to address the two privately, "Same goes for you, Daniel, alert the police forces to prepare for a raid, again, if possible. Tell them everything that we know, leave the professor out of it, and I'll tell Rachel and Paul that we're off to find Karen."

He sighed, and a pained look came over his face as he addressed Daniel, "Tell you wife Alicia, that you're okay, let's hope this turns out okay."
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Re: Roots

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"All right," says Catherine with great reluctance. "We'll wait until tomorrow to find Karen. Let's meet before 7, though. We should set out at dawn."
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Re: Roots

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"Agreed. Let's leave at dawn. I'll figure out how to set an alarm clock and gather the supplies." Tobias said, nodding.
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Re: Roots

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Daniel realizes he's been acting rashly ever since they first went to Geverlon and so agrees to wait until the morning. He waits until Peter has gone back to work to say, "Alright. Dawn it is. I'm going to gather some of the weapons I have access to in addition to the hiking supplies. I hope we don't need any, but better safe than sorry. Tobais I realize you have experience with firearms, would you like me to get obtain one for you? And what about you Catherine?"

He'll wait to hear his companions responses before heading off. He'll try to reassure His brother, sister-in-law, and wife that Karen will soon be home safe, but is going to be vague to the point that they may be worried anyway. Daniel will also go to his friends at the station, but he will tell them almost everything about the group's investigation into Geverlon and its cult. He'll say that he's setting out at dawn tomorrow for one last search, and that if he doesn't contact any of them with twenty four hours of that, to prepare for a raid against the town.
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Re: Roots

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"A gun wouldn't be useful in situations like this. Besides, my hand will be full carrying herbicide and ropes." Tobias said grimly. He knew that guns would likely be useless against those creatures. Best to carry practical tools rather than anything that might just take up needless space. "Good luck with preparations. I'll go make some phone calls now."
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Re: Roots

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OOC:   Can Daniel please make a persuade roll? There's no real penalty for failing unless you crit fail, but the relative success of the roll will determine how willing the police are to believe him and might be important in the future.  
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Re: Roots

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"Thank you," Catherine says to Daniel. "I've never fired a gun before, but I would feel better if I had one. I'd be useless in a fight otherwise. I do have my mace, but it only works up close, and I'd rather keep my distance from those wild men."
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Re: Roots

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Daniel is pretty convincing when he speaks with his brothers in blue. He also agrees to get a gun for Catherine.
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Persuade: 60%
[dice]0[/dice]
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So the team plan for their last night in safety, before they venture into the belly of the beast once again. Depending on what they believe Karen is either being held by a monstrous cult or literal monsters, and both options pose great danger. But they are determine to bring Karen home,e specially with the deadline coming up.

Daniel is persuasive in talking to his family. They believe him when he says that they are close to retrieving Karen, but also are mostly satisfied when he informs them that it is a police matter he cannot go further into detail with. They are willing to help in any way they can, but Daniel knows the assistance they can offer is limited.

Has has more success speaking to his fellow officers. Chief Taylor listens intently to his report and seems quite shaken by them.

"Jesus Daniel. Are you sure? This is a lot to take in. A cult, operating less than an hour from here?" He shakes his head. "Still, I know you're a damn good cop, and you follow the evidence where it leads. Just be careful, alright? If something happens out there, call for backup immediately. And if you don't report back to me tomorrow, I'll send in the goddamn national guard if I have to. You'll forgive me for hoping this is all going to turn out to be sensationalist bullshit.'

Daniel leaves the chief's office confident that if anything happens to them tomorrow, help will be on the way. But will it be too late? And even if it arrives, if all of Geverlon believed in this odd death cult... would it be enough?

***
OOC:   Daniel suggested 2 cars. Peter has his own, so I'm fine if you want to go with that.  
The team pick Peter up at 7 the next morning sharp. He had texted them in his address last night, and judging by his expression he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. He's carrying a hunting shotgun and look determined, if terrified.

Everyone sets out. The drive is either agonizingly long or far too quick, depending on exactly how much dread each investigator feels. They go past the landmarks they saw before on their way to Geverlon, the abandoned shack, the gas station, the various bus terminals. Eventually they also go past the turnoff to the town, and continue north. The woods seem to get thicker and more ominous, but eventually Peter pulls into them. They're only able to drive along for a few moments before they are forced to abandon their vehicles, the path having become too narrow and tough for them.

"We've got a bit of a walk ahead of us," whispers Peter. "It's tough terrain, but above all else stay together. If you get lost in here you likely won't find your way out before nightfall, and then The Wild Ones will find you." He begins to lead them deeper into the woods.

The woods are actually not that terrifying in the early morning. They still have a majestic beauty to them, and the usual animals can be heard happily chirping away. Ina different circumstance it might be lovely to hike these woods, or have a nice picnic. But one thing that does stand out to the team is a very strong scent from some type of animal they've never smelled before. It's vaguely unsettling, mostly because wherever they go in the woods they come across it, and it seems to grow stronger the further in they go. Something was marking its territory, and they had no idea what.

After a time, the woods open slightly and Peter leads them into a clearing. The most immediate sight is a Tree that rises above them. It's very large, dwarfing the largest trees they've seen in the woods to these points, and stands at the center of its own glade, surrounded in turn by smaller trees. The surface of the bark is covered with many symbols and runes, though the exact meanings are likely lost to time. Tobias instantly recognizes this tree as the one Karen was being sacrificed underneath, down to the specific location of the various runes etched into its bark.
OOC:   And he can take a 1/1d3 SAN loss for this realization. Also, he can make two Cthulhu Mythos rolls.  


The glade itself is completely silent,and it would seem the animals did not venter here.

Hardened pale yellow sap sticks to the trunk of the tree.

"The Wild Ones yet sleep," Peter says with relief, pointing out a statue that surrounds the large tree. Without him pointing it out it may have been difficult to see; the statue was the same color and size of the various other trees. But it soon becomes apparent there are several of them. It would take a few minutes to get an exact count of how many of them lurked among the trees. Further examination of the statues find them to be oddly enough in the shape of Satyrs. It's truly fine craftsmenship; they look lifelike, and it is terrifying. Many of the creatures have a hungry glint in their eyes or a leer on their faces, almost like they are looking right at the investigators.

Some of them appear to have blood on their horns or hands; others appear to have other substances. They're just statues though, and make no move suggesting they're alive. But none of the investigators can shake a sudden feeling of extreme discomfort.
OOC:   Everyone who looks at the statues needs to make a 0/1 san roll.  
Typical Statue,[img]https://s14.postimg.org/5ffyutyn5/Anf_XTO.png[/img]
For now at least, they appear to be alone.
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Re: Roots

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Catherine shivers, keeping her distance from the statues out of irrational fear even though they don't move. "Where are they keeping her?" she asks.
OOC,What kind of gun do I have? Sanity roll (current level 64) for seeing the statues: [dice]0[/dice]
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Re: Roots

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Cthulhu Mythos 23%,[dice]0[/dice] [dice]1[/dice]
SAN 74,[dice]5[/dice] [dice]3[/dice] REMAINING SAN 72 SAN CHECK FOR STONE STATUE [dice]4[/dice] REAMINING SAN 71
"I'm not sure, but I'm almost certain that the ceremony will be conducted here. Take photos. It may be important." Tobias experimentally sprayed the stone statue with herbicide and then attempted to set it on fire. After all, herbicides are violative chemical agents that is highly flammable. He had done the same with the tree. Hopefully, one of the two catches fire.
luck 80,[dice]2[/dice]
Last edited by HelplessBystander on Mon Dec 25, 2017 11:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Roots

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OOC:   Catherine can have any gun she wants, within reason. I assume Daniel could wing it for her. I doubt she'd have like an assault rifle but pistol, shotgun, whatever you feel the character would take Mr.Handy I am fine with.

I see Tobias passed one of his Cthulhu Mythos rolls. Do you want information about the Tree or the Statues?

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it. I'll try to update later today but can't promise it.  
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Re: Roots

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Daniel will take photos on his phone as Tobias asks, and besides they may be important pieces of depending on how everything shakes out.
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Re: Roots

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OOC:   Merry Christmas to you as well, Silver Priest! I would like some knowledge about the Tree. I would like to know if my character's attempt at damaging either worked. :)  
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Re: Roots

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As Tobias examines the tree, he recalls several things from his long knowledge studying the unnatural.

The tree's shape vaguely resembled a creature he had heard of or perhaps even seen before, a Dark Young of Shub- Niggurath. These creatures were horrific, pitch black and clearly inhuman, made up of inky tentacles and goat like legs. They often resembled a tree until one got very close, and they were commonly employed to oversee religious ceremonies of their god. Said ceremonies tended to end with these creatures consuming the still living offerings to their deity, generally human.

As for Shub-Niggurath, she (if such a creature could be said to have a gender) Was a pagan deity. Her cult had traces all throughout the world, often as a perverted fertility goddess. In exchange for good crops and harvests, her worshipers would sacrifice to her. The truly blessed of her followers would be altered or changed somehow by being 'consumed” by her, and return transformed. These beings tend to be described as looking like the satyr like creatures that are depicted here in the woods.

The Tree itself seems to have been the transformed form of A Dark Young. Tobias can see that the runes inscribed on the tree are Elder Signs, a form of protection the old man is well familiar with. It seems likely the Dark Young was now contained as an immobile tree, likely thanks to the Shaman and the ritual he had performed. And so long as those Signs remained, it would be near impossible for it to ever return to its old state.

Tobias decides to spray the herbicide all over one of the statues. After he does, it's a simple matter to set it ablaze. The investigators noses are soon overwhelmed with both the smell of wood burning and something that smells very much like fur alight as well.

The statue itself makes no move to suggest it is alive, and just silently burns. Within a few minutes it will be ash.

Peter however looks horrified. “Don't do that!” he warns. “You'll attract their attention!”

Daniel begins to take pictures, and to his satisfaction they come out well.It will take him a few minutes to record everything here, however.
OOC:   If Tobias wants to try and set the tree on fire, it will cost him another turn. Based on everything he's seen it should go up just as easily.

Catherine can make a Spot Hidden roll since she's keeping alert.  
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Re: Roots

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Tobias decided against setting the tree on fire. It would be a very stupid thing to do at this moment, and, in doing so might aggravate the goddess, who had a reputation to be...protective of her Dark Youngs. He witnessed the satyr statue burn, and he made a grim smile as he turned towards Peter, "Whose attention will I attract? The residents of Geverlon? The immobile Wild Ones? Something else? You'll have to be more specific, young man, we have little time for the pronoun game."

He assessed the situation for a brief moment, and said, "Look, if the Wild Ones are as magically dangerous as you say, then what I'm doin' is simply eliminating some competition. We still haven't found Karen yet, let's leave this place behind. We need to find her before sundown, let's not get ourselves distracted by pointless distractions."

The focus here is hardly to burn everything down to cinders, as much as Tobias would've preferred it if things were that simple, he knew that the matter's going to be complicated. The place is large, too uncomfortably large, and he knew that they're racing against the clock to find Karen, and they need to do it fast. Dealing with the worshippers will something better left to another day, for another time.
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Re: Roots

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Keeping an eye on their surroundings, Catherine notices something.
OOC,Merry Christmas! I'd like a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun. Spot Hidden roll (60% skill) near the tree: [dice]0[/dice]
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