Chapter 3: Night One

[HoneyDog]

Monday 8th August, 1881

12 am

Forby House

Inside the locked and shuttered house the heat is oppressive, and the investigators turn fitfully in their sleep, their dreams filled with their own personal horrors or fantasies.

Spoiler:

Vic and Harry both come awake suddenly, sweating in the heat. Yes, there it is again - it sounds like something scraped the kitchen window below their rooms. Something is moving around outside the house!

[Philulhu]

Vic sat up suddenly, momentarily distracted by her unfamiliar location. She blinked rapidly and sat quietly, listening out for the noise that had disturbed her.

The noise came again and Vic carefully climbed out of bed and padded across to the window, where she carefully looked down to see if she could see the cause.

[HoneyDog]

Spoiler:

Vic can’t see anything in the darkness. Perhaps whatever it is is too close to the house.

[Mephistophilis]

Harry wakes suddenly. He slides out of bed, his shirt, wet with sweat, sticks uncomfortably to his back. He cocks his head and hears a strange scraping noise that seems to be coming from downstairs. He pulls on his coat and shoes and quietly unlatches the door. He starts to walk slowly down to the stairs moving as silently as he can but managing to blunder into a side table on his way. 'Damnation' he curses.

Spoiler:

Mephistophilis rolled 1d100:
85

[HoneyDog]

Spoiler:

Sorry, the post may be confusing, but the noise is outside the house. I will make it clearer. You can adjust your actions accordingly.

[Mephistophilis]

Spoiler:

Harry is heading downstairs to have a look out the window, he was just trying to be quiet

[Mephistophilis]

Gingerly Harry knocks on Vic's door, 'Miss Miller, are you awake? he hisses. 'I am going downstairs to investigate, I suggest you stay here'.

Harry then heads down to the kitchen, his hand gripping the cosh in his coat pocket.

[HoneyDog]

Spoiler:

I got you!

Spoiler:

Just a reminder – the rooms are shared, so owing to the noise of the side table blundering and door knocking I think all the characters can wake up now. Don't miss out on the excitement!

[Philulhu]

Gingerly Harry knocks on Vic's door, 'Miss Miller, are you awake? he hisses. 'I am going downstairs to investigate, I suggest you stay here'.

Harry then heads down to the kitchen, his hand gripping the cosh in his coat pocket.

”Not likely!” whispered Vic as she pulled open the door. She had heard Harry’s door and him blundering into the table and she was already crossing the room before he knocked. Lifting her dressing gown from the hook on the back of the door, she stepped lightly after Harry.

“Did you hear a noise too?” she asked quietly, as they made their way downstairs.

[aine]

Isolde has set her alarum clock for 1 o'clock. She tosses and turns, sleeping fitfully.

[Mephistophilis]

'Yes, like a scraping, it seems to be coming from outside whispers Harry. 'While it might be Master George's ghost it seems rather more likely to be an intruder so please stay behind me'.

[Philulhu]

Vic rolled her eyes as she followed Harry towards the kitchen. ”I’m not completely helpless,” she whispered, tartly. “We don’t all scream when we see a mouse or faint at the sight of blood!”

[Mephistophilis]

'I am hoping there isn't going to be any blood!' spits Harry.

[Mr. Handy]

Alexander emerges from his bedroom with a yawn, his argyle socks sticking out from under his robes and a lit candle on a dish in one hand. He follows Vic and Harry down. "Did you hear that bump too?" he asks quietly.

[Philulhu]

”We heard something. We’re not sure what caused it,” whispered Vic in reply.

[aine]

Isolde is woken by the frantic whispering on the landing. She quickly pulls a damask dressing gown on, grabs her paranormal activity kit and tiptoes out of the room. She sees the others at the top of the stairs.
"What's happening?" She asks, looking in her bag and pulling out some crystals that glint in the moonlight.

[Mephistophilis]

Harry rolls his eyes at the rabble assembling behind him. He pulls his coat around his nightshirt and starts down the stairs. 'No point in trying to be stealthy now' he says. 'We've heard someone outside, let's be quick and take a look before they get away'.

[HoneyDog]

As the companions move to the back door, they can hear movement in the servants’ quarters – someone must have woken up there.

The door is bolted only, and so is easy to unlock.

Spoiler:

All can roll Natural History.

[Mephistophilis]

Spoiler:

Mephistophilis rolled 1d100:
63

[Philulhu]

Spoiler:

10% -

Philulhu rolled 1d100:
35