Chapter 8: The Vanishing

[Rooter]

Listen,55%[dice]0[/dice]

"Yes, and the village children as well," Percy says.

[Philulhu]

Captain FitzWilliam held out a hand in a ‘hushing’ motion to encourage silence amongst the mob, and redoubled his efforts to climb the hill, using his staff to propel him forward.

[HoneyDog]

Alexander & Isolde,The sounds are faint, but gradually they come to the ears of Alexander and Isolde, whose words have no sooner left her mouth when she hears the noise - a howling and shrieking, as if in gleeful anticipation, but from throats which don’t quite sound like those of people. It is shocking, and several of the men stop, their eyes wide with horror. [ooc]Roll SAN! Failure costs 1 point.[/ooc]

Several of the party come to a stop, looking shocked.

“Can ye hear that?” stammers one man. He crosses himself. They look visibly scared.

One of the gypsy men turns to Isolde, a deep frown on his face. He looks at her intently.

Isolde,Roll Luck.

[Mr. Handy]

"Aye, I heard it," says Alexander, viewing things more rationally. "I don't think it was pixies. Pixies don't howl like that, I imagine. Sounds more like a wolf, but not exactly. There haven't been any wolves in the wild here for a very long time, though. Still, we'd best hurry."

OOC,Sanity roll (80% stat) for hearing the howling and shrieking: [dice]0[/dice]

[aine]

sanity & luck,(50 50) [dice]0[/dice][dice]1[/dice]

Isolde visibly pales and puts a hand to her mouth,
"Oh no!" She is obviously very frightened but gives Alexander an angry look,
"How can you be so...so foolish? Listen to your ears; those aren't wolves or bears- those are goblins! Are they cackling because they have the children? Or because we are walking straight into a trap!"

She catches the eye of the gypsy who is staring intently at her.

[HoneyDog]

The man gives Isolde a strange look, but turns away.

Now the tor is more visible, a solitary dark crag that looms up from the snowy landscape. Unusually for the moor, there appears to be trees growing around the base and up one side of the tor.

Now the awful screaming sound is audible to the whole party, and more of the men stop and gasp in horror. Some seem to hesitate, unsure of whether to press on.

OOC,Everyone, roll Listen again.

[Mr. Handy]

Alexander can't hear anything over the howling and shrieking.

OOC,Listen roll (55% skill) near the tor: [dice]0[/dice]

[Philulhu]

Captain FitzWilliam strained to make out anything in the shrieking noises.

Listen (25%),[dice]0[/dice]

[Rooter]

Listen,55%[dice]0[/dice]

"What's that?" Percy says.

[aine]

Isolde walks after the gypsy and puts a hand on his arm,
"Tell me, what is it? What do you know?"

Persuade,45[dice]0[/dice]

Listen 25,[dice]1[/dice]

[HoneyDog]

Percy,Percy can now also hear something else – it sounded like a child, screaming in fear.

“Nothing” says the gypsy to Isolde. “I thought I heard you say something is all.”

He seems to be focused on the route ahead.

Isolde,Think about what has happened since your Luck roll succeeded.

[Mr. Handy]

"We must keep moving, quickly!" urges Alexander.

[Rooter]

"I heard what sounded like a child screaming in fear," Percy says.

[Philulhu]

Captain FitzWilliam pulled his revolver from his pocket and broke into a run, his breath steaming in the cold air.

[aine]

"Wait- everyone-stop! I still think it's a trap: you must use caution!" Isolde cries. She turns to Fitzwilliam,

"Please Captain, you're a soldier, you must know what to do; surely it is better to creep up to the tor through those trees whilst some of the men cause a diversion? I really think that if you race up there you will surely be massacred by the goblins."

[HoneyDog]

The gypsy and several other men turn on Isolde.

“You did say goblins!” exclaims the gypsy. “What are you talking about?”

[Mr. Handy]

"Goblins or no, we've got to save the children fast," says Alexander.

[HoneyDog]

Several of the men have surrounded the companions.

"What are you talking about"? says one. "Do you know who's up there?"

[Mr. Handy]

"I've no idea myself," says Alexander. "Have you? If not, the only way we're going to find out is to go there and see."

[HoneyDog]

"What's all this about goblins?" insists another.