Play@YSDC

Saturday, October 26th, 1929 7.00pm.
Squatters Lake Hotel, West Road, Newburyport, Mass.

The night had fallen and the hotel was in darkness, except for the oil lamps bedside the room doors that cast a wavering light that barely cleared the steps. Noise from the other rooms had subsided and the only sound was the ominous croaking of frogs from the lake.

The four young men had gathered in room 5 with its two single beds which would facilitate their plans for the evening. Howard and Lawrence had agreed to take the first watch, while William and Thomas tried to get some rest.

A couple of hours passed uneventfully but then, as the clock approached 9.00pm, there was a soft knock on the door.

Howard casts a glance at Lawrence and goes to the door.

“Who is it?” he asks.

Lawrence replies in a whisper:
"Don't answer. Don't make a single sound. Let whoever's out there think we're sleeping."

Amid the whispered bickering, a voice from outside said quietly, ”It’s me, Jacob.”

Howard looks back at Lawrence. "Do you know who Jacob is?" he hisses. "And wake the others".

Lawrence rouses the others, and whispers back:
"I don't know any Jacob."

Thomas quickly gets out of the bed, looks around the room, and asks "What's going on?".

"There's someone called Jacob at the door" whispers Howard, moving from the door to the others. "We'd better not let him know there is more than one of us here. Do you know who he could be?"

William is awakened by the commotion. "Could it be the fellow we met who's looking for his friend?" he whispers. "Did we ever get his name?"

Howard creeps back to the door.

"Who are you?" he croaks. "What do you want?"

”I’m Jacob. We met earlier,” came the hissed reply. ”Can you let me in?”

Howard pauses with his hand on the door handle, and looks back at the others.

”I want to talk to him” he whispers. ”Can I let him in?”

Thomas nods, but remains tense. "Open it carefully." he adds.

"Yes, let him in," whispers William. "I believe he's on our side."

Howard opens the door.

Jacob - the young man they had met earlier - slipped into the room. His hair was plastered to to his head and he was in an agitated state.

“I just had another run-in with that old fool, William. A bit of a tussle actually, so I reckon I’ll be out of here in the morning.

“He dropped his keys when we fought but didn’t notice them when he went back to his room. I’ve got them and I’m going to check out that workshop of his before I go and see what’s inside if you wanna help?”

”Erm... Sure” says Howard warily. ”But what did you fight about?”

OOC,Can we roll Psychology on Jacob to get a sense of how truthful he is? And was there a keyhole in the trapdoor?

”Checking his workshop seems like a good idea.” says Thomas. ”Whatever’s going on here,” he continues, ”we’ll surely find out in there.”

"If there's a way into the tunnels, it would be there," says William. "Let's go."

OOC,Psychology roll (55% skill) about [b]Jacob[/b]: [dice]0[/dice]

Jacob lead the way to the workshop and carefully unlocked the heavy padlock. The door swung open quietly exposing the dark interior of the workshop beyond.

Jacob looked at the others uncertainly. ”Who wants to go first?” he asked.

”It’s your idea, Jacob” says Howard, eyeing him warily.

"Let's not waste time arguing about it!" Thomas says as he steps through the doorway. "The longer we stand around for, the more likely we're going to get caught."

"Let's do this. We don't exactly have a surplus of time." says Lawrence.

William follows Thomas into the workshop.

OOC,Use the ‘Spoiler-Button’ above for your spoilers, Ryan.

The workshop was approximately 20 feet wide and 15 feet deep. With little ambient light and the windows shuttered, it was very gloomy, with the contents reduced to vague shadows. Thomas just about managed to avoid kicking a pile of cardboard boxes by the door as he moved further into the darkness and by the time he reached half-way into the room, he could barely see his hand in front of his face.

William takes out his cigarette lighter and flicks a flame into life, shielding it with his hand so that it isn't visible from outside, then looks around.

The flickering flame cast eerie shadows across the room but at least the contents could be better seen.

To the left of the doorway were the cardboard boxes that Thomas had narrowly missed kicking when he first entered. Further down the wall were a shuttered window and a door that must have lead to a neighbouring room. In the far left corner, a rough wooden table top leant against the wall.

To the right of the doorway, a white sheet was nailed to the ceiling, obscuring the area directly behind the door. Beyond that, two wooden crates on trestle tables were pushed up against the back wall.

As an artist, Howard is unable to resist the act of uncovering something which obscures the literal truth of the world. He moves over to the white sheet and drawing it aside, looks behind it.

William puts his ear to the door and listens.

OOC,Listen roll (60% skill) in the workshop: [dice]0[/dice]

Thomas takes a closer look at the cardboard boxes.

Lawrence enters the room and looks at the various things inside.

William listened carefully at the door but could not hear anything. From its position, he surmised that the door is that which leads into the end-most bedroom that the group are staying in.

Thomas opened the cardboard box, to reveal a pile of neatly folded clothes, a mix of both men’s and women’s. On top of the pile were two wedding rings and an expensive-looking watch.

Howard drew back the white sheet to find a wooden table, with a blackened and scratched surface. At the furthest end from where he stood, were a pair of thick, green rubber gloves hung from a hook as well as half a dozen glass jars.

Four of the jars were half-full with a cloudy, yellow fluid, while the remaining two contained dozens of what looked like mould-spotted needles. Despite himself, Howard felt a shiver down his spine...

OOC,Sorry for the delay in updating. I seem to have had less time available over the holidays than when I’m at work! :?

OOC,I have the same problem!

“What is this?” mutters Howard. Despite the revulsion he is feeling, he picks up one of the jars of liquid to get a closer look.

Wiliam looks around for a trapdoor, as they've found in the hotel rooms.

William searched the floor but there was no sign of a trapdoor.

Howard lifted up one of the jars and studied the yellow liquid contained within. It swirled within the jar but he realised with a shiver that it may have been moving even before he had picked it up...

Lawrence & Thomas,Any specific actions from you two?

"I don't know what that stuff is," whispers William, "but I wouldn't touch it."

"No" agrees Howard.

He gently places the jar back on the shelf and goes to look in the boxes where Thomas is. Looking at the possessions, he says to William, "I think we have the proof to give to the police".

"Yes, if those are the belongings of James and the other missing people, that would do it," says William, looking in the boxes. "Of course, the police will want to know how we found them."

Lawrence takes a look at the two jars with the needles inside, trying to see of they are anything from nature.

Natural history 50%,[dice]0[/dice]

Lawrence looked closely at the needles in the jar. They were about eight inches long, thick at the base and tapered to a sharp point. They had a metallic sheen to them - at least where they weren’t covered in green mould - and Lawrence couldn’t tell if they were natural or not...

As the others studied the clothes, Jacob pushed past them and pulled a sports coat from one of the boxes. ”That’s Abe’s!” he cried, ”I’d recognise it anywhere!” He held the coat to his face and began to sob.

From the back of the room, there was an ominous wooden creak...

William stops speaking and looks quickly for a place to hide, but he's left standing out in the open.

OOC,Hide roll (10% base skill) to find a hiding spot: [dice]0[/dice]

Lawrence sets down the jar of needles. He didn't like the way things were turning out so far.
Hearing the creak, he ducks down to hide.

OOC:   hide is base roll 10% I think,[dice]0[/dice]

"Who's there?" says Howard, boldly.

Thomas suddenly becomes aware of the situation and stands up straight, looking around for anything that could potentially be used as a weapon.

This is not William's night.

OOC,Luck roll (65% stat) in the storage room: [dice]0[/dice]

Thomas looked around for a weapon but any tools must have been under lock and key. The only thing that looked even remotely useful was a yard brush, propped up in the corner of the workshop...

At the sound of Howard’s voice, the creak came again, followed by a floor-shaking CRASH!! as the lids to the crates at the back of the room fell to the ground. Thomas and Lawrence simultaneously attempted to find somewhere to hide but just got in each other’s way, tripped over the boxes of clothes and fell down heavily. Thomas’ lighter dropped from his hand and skittered across the floor, sending crazy shadows dancing across the walls.

In the gloom at the back of the room, two figures lifted themselves up from the crates and dropped stiffly to the floor, before they started to move in the direction of the investigators... ...

OOC - Thomas & Lawrence,Having fallen, you are both prone this round. You can spend the round getting up or taking an action in the prone position, but not both.

Lawrence scrambles back onto his feet.

This is too creepy for Howard.

“Let’s head towards the door everyone” he says beginning to walk slowly backwards towards the exit.

"There are more of us than there are of them," says William, scooping up the lighter and using it to get a look at the approaching figures.

Thomas gets himself up, and looks for his lighter. "What the hell are those things!?" he shouts.

The two figures lurched closer and, as the light from William’s lighter illuminated them, they were revealed as a naked man and woman. That may have seemed comical at another time but their dull eyes and the deep red holes that gaped in the centre of their chests spoke of something very wrong.

Jacob screamed and bolted for the door, as the male swung at William. The female, close behind, shambled towards Thomas as if drawn by his shout...

Actions,Naked male - 50% chance to hit [dice]0[/dice] William - you have the option to try to dodge the blow. Everyone else - actions please!

Lawrence takes a swing at the nude dude with his fists.

Fist 50%,[dice]0[/dice] if a hit: [dice]1[/dice]+[dice]2[/dice]

William tries to dodge aside, but he trips.

OOC,Personal attacks can parry each other. Can I also try a Fist/Punch roll to parry it? Dodge roll (20% base skill) to avoid the blow: [dice]0[/dice]

Howard steels himself and runs at the woman. Drawing back his fist, he takes a swing at her face and connects.

Fist,Fist 50: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/695542]Fist[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]34[/b] Damage 1d3: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/695543]Fist damage[/url]: [u]1d3[/u] [b]2[/b]

Thomas closes the gap slightly, and then reaches out with a punch.

Fist/Punch (60%),[dice]0[/dice] On hit: [dice]1[/dice] damage.

The naked man struck William, who had failed in his attempt to dodge out of the way. The force of the blow stung William’s shoulder and he was forced to take a step back.

The naked woman’s head snapped to one side as Howard’s fist connected with her cheek, but otherwise she seemed unperturbed. From her side she lifted a meat hook and its sharp point glinted in the flickering light...

OOC,Naked man damage - [dice]0[/dice] + [dice]1[/dice] In combat, you have the option to strike back or dodge, but not both. In combat, actions will be resolved in DEX order but please post your actions in any order so we don’t get held up. Party DEX order is: [b]Thomas[/b] (12) [b]Lawrence[/b] (10) [b]William[/b] (10) [b]Howard[/b] (5)

Howard takes another swing at the woman's head.

Fist,Fist 50: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/695775]Fist[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]21[/b] [url=http://orokos.com/roll/695776]Fist damage[/url]: [u]1d3[/u] [b]1[/b]

Thomas keeps up his attack.

Fist/Punch (60%),[dice]0[/dice] On hit: [dice]1[/dice]

Fisticuffs are not William's specialty. His attempt to block the man's punch fails, and he is still reeling when he tries in vain to hit him back.

OOC,Fist/Punch roll (50% base skill) to parry the blow: [dice]0[/dice] Fist/Punch roll (50% base skill) to attack the man in the second round: [dice]1[/dice] Fist/Punch roll (50% base skill) to parry the man's second round attack, if it hits: [dice]2[/dice]

Upon seeing the meat hook, Lawrence turns to fight the woman.

Fists 50%,[dice]0[/dice] damage: [dice]1[/dice]+[dice]2[/dice]

He does a mighty fine job of not hitting her.

Ooc,the dice roller is cursed.

Lawrence swung in with a haymaker but missed completely and had to catch himself so that he didn’t fall over the table. Howard’s punch landed but it was only a glancing blow. In return, the woman swiped the meat hook across his stomach, ripping his shirt and opening a shallow wound across his stomach.

Thomas struck out again, but missed. William reeled under the force of the punch he had taken and his attempt to hit the naked man failed. The naked man struck him again, but he couldn’t connect fully so the full force of any blow was lost.

OOC,Oops, sorry Bulldog! I was looking a cached page and missed your update. Naked man [dice]0[/dice] - hit. Damage [dice]2[/dice] Naked woman [dice]1[/dice] - hit. Damage [dice]3[/dice] + [dice]4[/dice] Current Hit Points: Howard (10/13), Lawrence (13/13), Thomas (10/10), William (7/12).

Howard cries out in pain and fury. His adrenaline spiking, he goes to attack again and swings another bony fist at the women's head.

Fist,Fist 50: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/696712]Fist[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]32[/b] [url=http://orokos.com/roll/696714]Fist damage[/url]: [u]1d3[/u] [b]2[/b]

"Third time's the charm." thinks Thomas.

Fist/Punch (60%),[dice]0[/dice] On hit: [dice]1[/dice]

Lawrence takes another mighty swing at meat hook lady.

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

Damage (in the case of a hit),[dice]1[/dice]+[dice]2[/dice]

William finally lands a blow on his attacker, spurred on by pain and desperation, trying to knock him out cold.

OOC,Fist/Punch roll (50% base skill) to attack the man in the third round: [dice]0[/dice] Damage to man from punch: [dice]2[/dice] Fist/Punch roll (50% base skill) to parry the man's third round attack, if it hits: [dice]1[/dice] Can I use the 6th edition rule for knockout attempts? You can roll on the Resistance Table, pitting the damage caused against the target's remaining HP before being hit. Success knocks him out and does 1/3 of the rolled damage. Failure simply does full damage.

Thomas and William both managed to strike the naked man although it appeared their hits did little damage. William’s attempt to knock out his assailant had not worked and he suffered another hit in return, which caused the room to start to spin...

Lawrence and Howard had more success. Lawrence connected with a heavy punch that broke the woman’s nose with a audible ‘crack!’ before Howard followed up with a hit to her chest. The force of the blows rocked her back on her heals, but she swung the meat hook as she did so and sliced open the underside of Lawrence’s right forearm.

OOC,Naked man [dice]0[/dice] [dice]1[/dice] Naked woman [dice]2[/dice] [dice]3[/dice] [dice]4[/dice] Current Hit Points: Howard (10/13), Lawrence (11/13), Thomas (10/10), William (5/12).

This time, Howard cannot manage to land a solid blow.

Fist,Fist 50: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/697019]Fist[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]89[/b]

William manages to land another solid punch on the man in the hopes of finally knocking him out, then brings up his fists in time to block any potential counterattack.

OOC,Fist/Punch roll (50% base skill) to attack the man in the fourth round: [dice]0[/dice] Damage to man from punch: [dice]2[/dice] Fist/Punch roll (50% base skill) to parry the man's fourth round attack, if it hits: [dice]1[/dice]

Lawrence is merely infuriated by the meat hook-inflicted wound. He winds up another punch and takes a swing at the woman.

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

Damage,[dice]1[/dice]+[dice]2[/dice]

Thomas is spurred on by his previous hit and and puts his weight behind another one.

Fist/Punch (60%),[dice]0[/dice] On hit: [dice]1[/dice]

The young men pushed on with their attacks. Howard missed but Lawrence landed a solid blow on the naked woman that rocked her backwards. In retaliation, she flailed again with the meathook but the force of the blow caused her to miss.

Thomas and William both found their target, battering the naked man with their fists. William again attempted a knockout strike but although he caught the man with a heavy punch, there was no sign that he would fall just yet. The naked man struck out at William once more but his blow went wide.

As they readied themselves for another round, from the doorway there was a sudden ‘Click! Click!’ They spun around to see the innkeeper covering them with a cocked and loaded double-barrelled shotgun. Beside him was his brother, no longer in his wheelchair, but instead stood upright, cradling a piece of two by four with a malevolent look on his face.

Behind them stood another man, trying to subdue a young woman who he held tightly to him. She appeared to bite the hand held over her mouth but the man slapped her to the ground where she lay whimpering. He stepped forward to pick her up again and they saw his shirt ripped and torn, which exposed a familiar red wound to his chest. He looked up and they saw his face clearly for the first time - it was James Fraser!

OOC,Naked Man To hit [dice]3[/dice] Damage [dice]0[/dice] Naked Woman To hit [dice]4[/dice] Damage [dice]1[/dice] Plus meat hook [dice]2[/dice] Can I have a SAN roll from everyone to reflect seeing James in such a condition.

Howard gasps in shock at the sight of James in this dreadful condition.

SAN,SAN 55: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/698545]SAN[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]75[/b]

Sanity 65,[dice]0[/dice]

Ooc: Hey GM,did you ever decide If I could that revolver or not? This just seems like the right time to use it.

Thomas' mind reels in shock. He tries to think of any plausible explanation for the scene before him but finds none.

Sanity (80%),[dice]0[/dice]

William manages to stay collected.

OOC,Sanity roll (current level 65) for seeing [b]James[/b]: [dice]0[/dice] I put a bunch of points into Handgun, but I never actually specified my equipment on my character sheet. Could I have one too?

Howard gasped in shock at the sight of his friend and was temporarily rooted to the spot. The naked woman stepped up behind him and grabbed the back of his coat with one hand, while sliding the meathook around his throat with the other. He felt the sharp tip against his Adam’s apple, and knew that one sharp tug would open up his throat.

William covered them with the shotgun. ”Nobody move!” he snapped. His brother stirred beside him, the heavy wooden stave ready for use. William thought for a moment, then said, ”Step forward. You’re coming with us. And no funny business or I’ll shoot you where you stand!”

He stepped back and indicated with the shotgun that they should walk around the hotel and off around the lake to the right.

OOC - Guns,I’m going to allow Lawrence to carry a gun because he specifically stated that he was doing so at the beginning. Although others have put points in handgun, no one else said they were taking one with them, so I’m going to rule that you didn’t take a gun with you.

Feeling the tip of the hook against his throat, Howard can barely bring himself to be able to swallow. He lets himself be guided forward, not daring to resist.

Lawrence steps forward. He would rather not face these hopeless odds.

William does as he's told, keeping his hands in plain sight.

Thomas is unable to do anything other than follow their captors.

The adventure concludes in Chapter 5 - By the Lake in Moonlight.