Ch.16d The House of God (Lawrence & William)

[Bullfrog]

Lawrence, trying his best to not visibly acknowledge William, excuses himself to follow the man out the door. His fists tighten until the knuckles pop- he's sure he'll have to take a swing soon.

[Philulhu]

As Lawrence reached the church door, the man was trudging down the path, head down and shoulders hunched.

[Mr. Handy]

Once people are looking away and nobody is looking, William slips out of the vestry and makes his way toward the back. He checks the pew where the man had been sitting to see if he had carved anything or left anything behind before following Lawrence.

[Philulhu]

Once the last parishioner had said goodnight to Father Ortega, William slipped out of the vestry into the now silent church and made his way over to the pew at the back. A quick search revealed that nothing had changed and that the snake carving was as they had seen earlier in the day.

[Mr. Handy]

"I'm suspicious of the man who sat here," William tells the priest, "and we're going to follow him." He quickly describes the man. "Do you know who he is?"

[Bullfrog]

Lawrence continues following the man until he is noticed.

[Philulhu]

The man trudged onwards into the night, heading back in the direction of the village, showing no sign of being aware that Lawrence was on his tail.

Father Ortega glanced in the direction of the door, but the man was now out of sight. ”If it’s the same man,” he said, uncertainly, “I think he’s one of the oilmen. He keeps himself to himself and he isn’t rowdy like the others so we don’t make a fuss about him being here.”

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you, Father, I'd better get after him," says William, hurrying outside after Lawrence and making sure to hold onto his hat.

[Bullfrog]

"Good service, wasn't it?" Lawrence remarks as William catches up with him, then lowers his voice to a a whisper as he glances towards the strange man: "Follow him on another path so we aren't both spotted."

[Mr. Handy]

"Yeah, it was good," says William. "Actually, my idea is to do what we did before. I'll follow you, but I'll be out of his visual range. Father Ortega doesn't know the man's name, but he thinks he's one of the oilmen. He said he keeps himself to himself and isn't rowdy, so they don't make a fuss. That sounds like someone who doesn't want to draw attention to himself. A spy, perhaps."

[Philulhu]

Listen 1d100

The man continued onwards, oblivious to Lawrence and William behind him. Five minutes later, they were making their way past the village store and along the coastal path towards the oilfields. The man still didn’t appear to realise he was being tailed.

[Mr. Handy]

William continues to follow discreetly.

[Bullfrog]

Lawrence keeps off of the beaten path as he follows the man, trying to remain hidden in the foliage.

[Philulhu]

The further they passed from the village, the darker it became. Not pitch black, but dark enough so that it was difficult to see where they were going.

The man ahead seemed familiar with his route so progressed steadily. For Lawrence and William, however, keeping to the path and moving quietly was becoming increasingly challenging…

Can I have stealth rolls, please?

[Mr. Handy]

William is following from far enough back that he can't possibly be seen, just keeping Lawrence in sight, but he can't keep his footsteps that quiet.

Sneak roll (10% base skill) following the man:
d%

[Bullfrog]

Sneak (10%): 1d100

Lawrence, being quite a large man, is not the best suited for creeping through the underbrush.

[Philulhu]

They could see the man’s shoulder’s suddenly hunch as he realised that he wasn’t alone. He stopped and turned around, peering into the darkness.

”Who-who’s there?” he called out, his nervousness clear in his voice. ”Is that you, Earl? It ain’t funny anymore!”

[Mr. Handy]

William remains motionless, not making a sound.

I had hoped that with his critical Listen failure, there'd be no chance he could hear us.

[Philulhu]

You’ve moved into a different environment, with different challenges.

[Bullfrog]

How good is the visibility outside, at the moment? I've got a plan.