14c. Bookworm (Ivy)

[Philulhu]

Monday, September 1st, 1930 5.30pm
79 Power Street, College Hill, Providence, R.I.

Ivy returned to the dining room as Alex headed off to find the neighbour they had spoken to earlier. There stood the bookshelves which she had examined earlier, the ones with the missing books. Everything else in the room was shrouded with dust sheets.

I’m assuming this is the room you meant as there isn’t a library, per se.

Did Ivy take the gun from Alex?

[jp1885]

Ivy takes the gun, albeit reluctantly.

“Please don’t tarry Alex,” she instructs.

Before returning to the dining room, she piles some tin cans, crockery or something similarly noisy around the cellar door. If someone comes out while she’s poking around, maybe this will alert her.

Heading into the dusty room, she inspects the books next to the gaps. Are they of a particular subject matter?

Then she begins lifting the dustsheets, looking for a bureau or desk.

[Philulhu]

Keeper’s Rolls

Roll #1 1d100

Roll #2 1d100

Ivy was able to find books on all sorts of subjects, all mixed up on the shelves. There were books on local history, Greek mythology and anthropology, as well as books about travel to other countries. It seemed that the collection had been put together with no real focus, almost as if owner had just acquired books as they came across them.

Behind the door, Ivy found a dust sheet-covered chair and a small bureau, with a fold-out desk where she could sit and study the books she had found.

[jp1885]

Feeling somewhat at home behind the desk, Ivy briskly rattles through the drawers, searching for anything of interest: diaries, letters, catalogues and the like.

[jp1885]

Following that, she opens each book in turn and looks for common themes.

[Philulhu]

Ivy found little of note in the drawers, just blank writing paper and some pens with a sludgey bottle of ink. She was just leafing through the books when she suddenly realised she was no longer alone! She had no time to react as she was dragged backwards from the chair, landing on the floor with a thump!

Whatever has grabbed Ivy is trying to pin her down. You can make an opposed strength roll to try to break free.

[jp1885]

Oh dear…

[100] = 100
STR 40 1d100: [ 100 ] = 100

Limbs flailing helplessly, Ivy yells in alarm.

[Philulhu]

Ivy fell backwards, landing on the floor with a heavy thump that drove the air from her lungs, leaving her gasping for breath!

Two pallid, ape-like creatures stared down at her, large-eyed with sloping foreheads like some ancient human ancestors. With long muscular arms they hauled her off the floor and set off at a run through the house towards the cellar…

Oh dear…

SAN check for seeing the creatures, please.

[jp1885]

[41] = 41
SAN 71 1d100: [ 41 ] = 41

Perhaps her previous trauma has left her somewhat inured to horror, or maybe having these creatures pounce on her triggers some kind of logical self-preservation, but Ivy desperately tries to keep calm.

Surmising that Alex would be out of earshot, and anyway, screaming would only antagonise the monsters, she instead lets her legs drop and tries to dig her heels into the carpet.

This won’t stop the creatures from taking her away, but with luck it’ll leave a trail in the dust for her companion to follow.

[Philulhu]

Ivy felt herself being dragged towards the rear of the house and into the kitchen, before descending rapidly into the cellar, her legs jarring painfully as her abductors dragged her down the steps. She recognised the tired yellow light from the cellar, then briefly a wall, but then was plunged into darkness as they dragged her through…

[jp1885]

Fighting the urge to struggle, Ivy forces herself to go limp (if only to mitigate against the jarring). Hoping that being compliant might encourage her captors to relax slightly, she risks a conversation.

“I don’t suppose any of you can talk?” she asks, voice wavering.

[Philulhu]

Except for feral grunts, there was no reply as the creatures continued to drag Ivy through the tunnels.

[jp1885]

Her attempts at co-operation frustrated, Ivy sighs.

She takes a deep breath and…

“LET GO OF ME YOU NEANDERTHALS!”

She struggles, kicks, bites and scratches as best she can.

[Philulhu]

That sounds like a fighting brawl roll…

[jp1885]

[40] = 40
Brawl 25 1d100: [ 40 ] = 40

Alas, Ivy’s fighting skills are considerably less sharp than her tongue.

[Philulhu]

Ivy’s attempts to free herself were rewarded with a thump to the back of the head and more guttural grunts as she was dragged further underground.

[jp1885]

Having failed to fight her way out, Ivy hopes that the action might have at least freed her arms enough to reach the pistol Alex gave her (assuming it’s still on her person).

[Philulhu]

Luck roll please.

[jp1885]

[53] = 53
Luck 60 1d100: [ 53 ] = 53

Perhaps… just maybe,..

[Philulhu]

Ivy felt a weight in her pocket as she was manhandled through the darkness.

It will be a successful DEX check to try to draw the gun without dropping it.