Vivian, played by Arivia Professor Longfellow, played by Darian Ox Bellows, played by El Skid Heather Granville, played by adventfalls Brandon Jaspers, played by Rawkking Goodguy ????
Vivian, played by Arivia Professor Longfellow, played by Darian Ox Bellows, played by El Skid Heather Granville, played by adventfalls Brandon Jaspers, played by Rawkking Goodguy ????, played by TunnelRunner
The wind had died down for a moment, and Vivian could swear she heard voices. She brushes the heavy snow from her face and pulls the sled up the hill, toward the ethereal voice.
"OK back there?"
There is no response. She looks back to the sled, and sees two small bodies huddled together and wrapped in a heavy blanket. Sleeping, she thinks. God, I hope they're just sleeping.
Fighting the howling wind and still-heavier snow, she approaches the top of the hill. It was supposed to have been a fun day out, coming up here. An adventure. Well, it's certainly that. Vivian had turned off her phone, left a note on the door for the half-dozen customers she expected to brave the weather, and brought her cross-country skis and a new audiobook up to the hills. She had been completely absorbed until the storm rolled in suddenly, and finding a pair of children spending a snow day exploring (and becoming hopelessly lost) had complicated things. She had bundled them in her blanket on their sled almost an hour ago, and the blizzard had only gotten worse.
She crests the hill, and is relieved to see the outline of a large Victorian house in the valley below. As she approaches, glad to have gravity on her side again, the source of the voice appears on the porch.
"It's totally locked, Professor!" A young woman stands under the roof of the porch, shielding her eyes in the wind with one hand and twirling her hair with the other.
"Ah yes, I have the key here somewhere! Mr. Bellows, do be careful with that case. Very sensitive equipment, you know." A reedy man in a heavy coat rounds the corner of the house, carrying a small briefcase.
"Yes, Professor." A large, vaguely man-shaped brick wall follows him onto the porch, lugging a huge metal case.
"Hello! Can you help us? We're lost!" Vivian hauls the sled toward the inviting shelter. "Do you have a phone I can use? I think these kids are in trouble." She unwraps the bundle on the sled, and notices the blue tinge on the girl's lips.
"I'm afraid there's no telephone up here, Miss..."
"Lopez. Vivian Lopez."
"Professor Josiah Longfellow. Miss Lopez, this is an abandoned building and I'm afraid there hasn't been a working phone here in years." The Professor seems at last to register the situation, gasps, and pulls a heavy key from his pocket. "Oh my yes, the children! Let's at least get them inside." He unlocks the door, and the stale dry air of the house draws the six inside.
"So you're telling me this was a research facility?"
Longfellow nods. "Yes, back around the turn of the century. The University bought the place from a railroad tycoon for all of a dollar, and a few academics set up shop."
"What did they study?" Brandon asks, his throat still hoarse from the cold. He and Zoe sit in front of the portable space heater, color slowly returning to their faces.
"Good question," grunts Ox.
"Indeed," Longfellow agrees, "the records are all either missing or classified. I understand the government had a hand in some of it. To tell you the truth, that's the reason we're up here. The records, I mean. I'm trying to piece it all together, and what I've seen is rather interesting. I've brought some scanning equipment, and my two volunteers here-"
Ox half-laughs.
"These two extra-credit-seeking students, who I might add wouldn't need it if... Where is Heather, anyway?
"She went outside a second ago. Said this place was giving her the creeps."
Vivian gasps. "It's dangerous out there! I'll go get her."
Just then, a scream pierces the air.
Heather bursts into the entryway, slams the door shut behind her, and bursts into tears. "There's something out there! Something horrible!"
A rumble fills the air. The ground shakes.
Ox glares at Heather. "Something worse than an avalanche?"
The first move goes to the character with the next birthday, and it just happens to be Vivian. And yeah, I'm using the listed order as your positions around the table.
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El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
edited December 2009
Gogo Arivia!
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AriviaI Like A ChallengeEarth-1Registered Userregular
edited December 2009
"Well, I don't know about you, Professor, but I just want to get out of here. Maybe there's an old radio or a snowpile we can climb out onto upstairs: but we're not going to find anything behind some snow shutters."
Yeah, sorry, this thread's suffered from my wonky internet connection (I imagine it has something to do with the crazy goddamn blizzard we got last night). I'm posting from my phone right now, and actual game updates will have to wait until I start housesitting tonight (woo fiber line!).
Oh god, so sorry about the delay. Between internet issues and getting slammed at work (hooray for holiday retail double shifts) I've been basically incommunicado the last few days. I have today off and my internet's sorted out, so I can get everything caught up and running smoothly.
Sorry again, and I'll have everything updated once I've eaten breakfast.
Longfellow opens the door and is greeted with a blast of freezing air. He enters what used to be a small garden courtyard; today it looks like the inside of an icebox. Snow lies piled in great drifts against the walls, and crossing to the opposite door is slow going.
The professor pauses. He listens closely, and again he hears the crunch of a footstep in the snow. Turning, he sees a line of prints following his own.
Footsteps
Crunch. Another print sinks into the snow as he watches, then another. Transfixed, Longfellow watches the prints continue until one last impression falls at his feet. He braces himself.
Longfellow feels a chill far deeper than the icy wind as... something steps through his body. Dizziness overcomes him and he collapses into the snow. When he comes to, he sees the phantom's footprints lead across the courtyard to the far door.
-1 Sanity.
(as a side note, this card is a huge fuck-you to anyone not lucky enough to draw it in the Chapel. Oddly situational.)
Blizzard: Anyone caught outside (in the Balcony, Gardens, Graveyard, Patio, or Tower) at the end of their turn must make a Might roll of 3+ or take 1 die of physical damage. In addition, the deep snow drifts add 1 point of movement cost to those rooms.
Posts
Professor Longfellow, played by Darian
Ox Bellows, played by El Skid
Heather Granville, played by adventfalls
Brandon Jaspers, played by Rawkking Goodguy
????
TunnelRunner, you have a difficult choice to make
Zoe Ingstrom
"Hello? Is someone there?"
The wind had died down for a moment, and Vivian could swear she heard voices. She brushes the heavy snow from her face and pulls the sled up the hill, toward the ethereal voice.
"OK back there?"
There is no response. She looks back to the sled, and sees two small bodies huddled together and wrapped in a heavy blanket. Sleeping, she thinks. God, I hope they're just sleeping.
Fighting the howling wind and still-heavier snow, she approaches the top of the hill. It was supposed to have been a fun day out, coming up here. An adventure. Well, it's certainly that. Vivian had turned off her phone, left a note on the door for the half-dozen customers she expected to brave the weather, and brought her cross-country skis and a new audiobook up to the hills. She had been completely absorbed until the storm rolled in suddenly, and finding a pair of children spending a snow day exploring (and becoming hopelessly lost) had complicated things. She had bundled them in her blanket on their sled almost an hour ago, and the blizzard had only gotten worse.
She crests the hill, and is relieved to see the outline of a large Victorian house in the valley below. As she approaches, glad to have gravity on her side again, the source of the voice appears on the porch.
"It's totally locked, Professor!" A young woman stands under the roof of the porch, shielding her eyes in the wind with one hand and twirling her hair with the other.
"Ah yes, I have the key here somewhere! Mr. Bellows, do be careful with that case. Very sensitive equipment, you know." A reedy man in a heavy coat rounds the corner of the house, carrying a small briefcase.
"Yes, Professor." A large, vaguely man-shaped brick wall follows him onto the porch, lugging a huge metal case.
"Hello! Can you help us? We're lost!" Vivian hauls the sled toward the inviting shelter. "Do you have a phone I can use? I think these kids are in trouble." She unwraps the bundle on the sled, and notices the blue tinge on the girl's lips.
"I'm afraid there's no telephone up here, Miss..."
"Lopez. Vivian Lopez."
"Professor Josiah Longfellow. Miss Lopez, this is an abandoned building and I'm afraid there hasn't been a working phone here in years." The Professor seems at last to register the situation, gasps, and pulls a heavy key from his pocket. "Oh my yes, the children! Let's at least get them inside." He unlocks the door, and the stale dry air of the house draws the six inside.
"So you're telling me this was a research facility?"
Longfellow nods. "Yes, back around the turn of the century. The University bought the place from a railroad tycoon for all of a dollar, and a few academics set up shop."
"What did they study?" Brandon asks, his throat still hoarse from the cold. He and Zoe sit in front of the portable space heater, color slowly returning to their faces.
"Good question," grunts Ox.
"Indeed," Longfellow agrees, "the records are all either missing or classified. I understand the government had a hand in some of it. To tell you the truth, that's the reason we're up here. The records, I mean. I'm trying to piece it all together, and what I've seen is rather interesting. I've brought some scanning equipment, and my two volunteers here-"
Ox half-laughs.
"These two extra-credit-seeking students, who I might add wouldn't need it if... Where is Heather, anyway?
"She went outside a second ago. Said this place was giving her the creeps."
Vivian gasps. "It's dangerous out there! I'll go get her."
Just then, a scream pierces the air.
Heather bursts into the entryway, slams the door shut behind her, and bursts into tears. "There's something out there! Something horrible!"
A rumble fills the air. The ground shakes.
Ox glares at Heather. "Something worse than an avalanche?"
"Is everyone alright? Is anyone hurt?"
The six take inventory of arms and legs, and are relieved to find themselves intact.
"Strong house," muses Ox.
"It's reinforced," says Longfellow. "That's one of the interesting features."
"But why?"
"The answer to that is exactly what we're looking for."
"That and, you know, a way out."
You find yourselves in the entrance hall, with four doors and a stairway branching in different directions.
Arivia, it's your move.
Also, I appreciate the lengthy text narrations
Vivian climbs the stairs to the Upper Landing.
She flails her arms, desperate to retain her balance.
Make a Speed roll.
Speed For Falling!: 4d3-4 3
Did you hear something from upstairs? Vivian? Are you alright?
Nope, just fine.
Vivian drops into a dark hallway, choked with a thick layer of dust.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v144/bitstream/Betrayal%20Tiles/Dusty_hallway.png
Take 1 die of physical damage from the fall.
Looking at the map now.
I heard something from this direction.
(parentheses!)
Sorry again, and I'll have everything updated once I've eaten breakfast.
The professor pauses. He listens closely, and again he hears the crunch of a footstep in the snow. Turning, he sees a line of prints following his own.
Footsteps
Crunch. Another print sinks into the snow as he watches, then another. Transfixed, Longfellow watches the prints continue until one last impression falls at his feet. He braces himself.
Roll 1 die.
Arivia, I need you to roll a die for physical damage from the fall.
Everything should be up to date now. Let me know if I've missed anything.
Footsteps: 2
-1 Sanity.
(as a side note, this card is a huge fuck-you to anyone not lucky enough to draw it in the Chapel. Oddly situational.)
Blizzard: Anyone caught outside (in the Balcony, Gardens, Graveyard, Patio, or Tower) at the end of their turn must make a Might roll of 3+ or take 1 die of physical damage. In addition, the deep snow drifts add 1 point of movement cost to those rooms.
Failure: 3d3-3 = 2
But luckily no damage
Let's take a look 'round and see what I kin find ta punch...
Inside the sooty room, Ox finds only the burned-matchstick remains of the wooden furniture... and a blackened human skull.
Skull
A skull, cracked and missing teeth.
If you take mental damage, you can take all of it as physical instead.
Make a haunt roll now.
Huh. A skull. Well, I guess that's kinda cool. said Ox, turning the thing over in his ham-like hands.