(IC) HtV STL by Night

[Bennosuke]

Act 1 Scene i

"'Tis now the very witching time of night,
When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes
Out contagion to this world."

-William Shakespeare, Hamlet

“I feel the darkness near me; I feel the light shining. And more keenly I feel the contrast between the two.”
― Anne Rice, The Witching Hour

Frank and Jennifer sat in silence as their car trundled through the dark emptiness of the Missouri interstate freeway. Flat wasteland gave way to flat destitute farmland, gave way to flat gatherings of near abandoned nothing towns. Despite being probably the closest friend the other had in St. Louis, work and life and maybe some very unfair accusations about unfaithfulness had managed to keep Frank and Jennifer isolated from each other for the last few months. In fact, it was in an attempt to rectify this that Frank had even come up with the idea of the camping trip. But of course squaring things away with his daughters had kept Frank running late, and now the sun was already set, and it just felt so hard to find something to talk about.

The plan had been to go straight to Lychtwood Park and set up camp, get some hunting or maybe some fishing in, and settle in by the fire as the sun started to set in preparation for a weekend of catching up. But now it was too dark to go straight to the state park, and instead Frank and Jennifer were now pulling into the town of Salem, the closest bit of civilization. As far as they could tell, Salem was not much more than a glorified trailer park; a stain of inbred white trash... if google could be believed.

Pulling off the freeway, the first building the truck's lights illuminated was garishly lit box of tin and wood; strung with Christmas ornaments and guarded by a small army of lawn flamingos and gnomes. A neon sign reading "Jesus' Tavern" flashed across the rusted chrome of a few pickup trucks and motorcycles that were parked on the lawn outside the bar.

Otherwise it seemed the road that they were on went on for a good mile or three before coming up on a few other buildings and a row of cinderblock parked trailers. Most of the lights were off down the road, though maybe stopping at the bar would be its own form of trouble. Regardless, Jennifer and Frank would need a place to stay for the night, and a meal wouldn't hurt.

[Daishain]

Frank looks at the bar with some suspicion, "Maybe we should have headed out in the morning, or stopped sooner. Jen, google maps have anything listed more appealing than that rust bucket?"

[Thundercracker]

Frank looks at the bar with some suspicion, "Maybe we should have headed out in the morning, or stopped sooner. Jen, google maps have anything listed more appealing than that rust bucket?"

Jennifer Gibbs

"Um... no. Actually, I don't know," Jen replied, fiddling with her phone and holding it near the roof of the car, then near the window, "the signal out here sucks."

"This place is a dump, we might be better off driving a few more miles and crashing in the car or pitching the tent in a random cornfield," she said.

[Daishain]

"Yeah, lets keep rolling for a bit, see what comes up."

[Bennosuke]

Try as she might, Jen can't seem to get more than a bar of service, and nothing enough to load up the opening map from google maps.

Frank pushes the truck onward, driving past the unappealing looking pub. Surprisingly, it seems like more than a mile or two before the car trundles into what appears to the downtown of Salem. The aptly named Main Street (as it turns out to be the road that Frank drove down) appears to be the only road with working streetlights. There are about three blocks of storefronts, all with dirty windows and no lights on inside. More than a few of the store fronts are completely boarded up, or have been empty for so long that there is no evidence of what sort of a business the building used to house. Though it is not too late, the sidewalks are completely empty, and the entire strip feels like a ghost town.

The only sign of life is what appears to be church at he end of the street, towering over all the other buildings. Erected with what looks like ancient bricks, the weathered building is built in a post-gothic fashion with an acutely steepled roof and a single monolithic clock tower reaching up high into the night's sky. From even a block away, organ music can be heard playing an unfamiliar hymn. As the car approaches Frank and Jen can see a battered sign that reads, "The Illuminated Church of Saint George". A few beat up pick up trucks are parked out side, more than one of them sporting Confederate Flags.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

“That a banjo I hear?” Jen asked, “this place gets more welcoming by the second..”

[Daishain]

Frank doesn't say anything, just keeps on rolling. Inwardly he's mentally preparing an apology to Jennifer for this mess.

[Bennosuke]

Frank drives a past the church down Main Street. This was definitely Hoosier Country, and as Jen had said, it wasn't feeling too welcoming. The road carried on for another block or so before splitting. To the right the street continued on Main Street, but seemed to head into some desolate looking fields and farmland. Perhaps it would be best just to pull up behind one of the fields of corn, hoping they were out of view, and make "camp" for the night. Splitting off to the left, the sign named "Homestead Road" which lead towards a small flood of lights. The illumination was coming from rows of trailers and RVs. Some of the grounded vehicles had Christmas lights strung up over them. It was too far away to see if anyone was out and about in the trailer park, but at least there were signs of life... Of course, it was still possible to turn around and head back to the Church or the tavern.

While Hoosier has different meanings, in and around St. Louis (as I've come to learn since moving here over the summer) Hoosier basically means white trash. It comes from St. Louis being a relatively major Midwest city, filled with "educated", moderately well off people, but being surrounded by large parts of poorer economically depressed low income townships throughout MO and Il.

[Daishain]

Karl pulls over for a moment, "Looks like there's some life over thataway, we could see if there's a spot more appealing than what we've seen so far to stop. Or we could head right, tuck into a corner and nap in the truck before continuing. Honestly I'm kind of leaning towards the latter, and maybe pulling out a rifle or two to have with us in here. What do you think?"

[Thundercracker]

Jen

“Yeah, let’s head at least a few miles out though,” Jen said.

[Daishain]

Frank nods and keeps driving.

[Bennosuke]

Frank led the truck down Main Street, forsaking the lights of the trailer park. The first field they pass may have once been a field for pasture animals, but it's tall iron gating had long ago rotted and crumpled in sections. There were no signs of life and the grass had mostly died away, exposing rocky clods of soil.

But a little past this, are a few larger and more fertile strips of land. Most of the fields here seem to be growing either wheat or corn, filled with tall stalks that were at least as tall as a person. Small dirt roads split off Main Street, either to enter the fields or to divide them between supposed properties. The homes associated with these properties, when Jen and Frank could catch a glimpse form between the fields, were relatively palatial compared to the trailers of Homestead Road; likely big enough for a whole two bedrooms. These houses were mostly of the Carpenter's Gothic style, all white washed wood with buttressed and battened sidings, and narrow steepled roofs.

It wouldn't bee too hard (OOC: no roll needed) to find as tributary road to roll down, where Frank and Jen would be able to park the truck out of sight.

[Daishain]

Frank looks for a good spot to pull off, somewhere relatively sheltered, and on a spot where it seems unlikely for the pair to be disturbed. Once found, he'll pull in and pull out the portable grill, setting it up on the tail of the truck, "How's the beef stew sound for tonight? Canned mind you."

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

“Nothing but the best for us,” Jen replied as she pulled out the utensils and inspected them to make sure they were relatively clean.

[Daishain]

Frank grins, "Just wait till tomorrow night, with any luck we can snag a channel catfish or two. Its especially good when freshly caught."

[Bennosuke]

It's a little after dinner is finished, and the camp fire is starting to die away when the gleam of a trio of flashlights begin to bob their way into view. By the way they move, it's a trio on foot. From "good knows how far away in the dark", a male voice with a heavy Missouri twang calls out, "Hey, who are you? What are you doing on my property?" In the dark and with the glare of the flashlights, it's impossible to see the three people approaching.

[Daishain]

Frank stands and starts edging towards the truck where the guns are, "Sorry for the trouble sir, we were just passing through and needed a place to stop before moving on. Didn't mean to be bothering anyone."

[Bennosuke]

The bobbing of the flashlights stops, the three beams pointed at Jen and Frank. "Passing through," the voice asks with disbelief, "through Salem? Where in the good lord's name were you headed?" Despite the fact that you can't make anything out in the brightness of the flashlights, but you get the distinct sense that there might be at least one rifle already aimed in your general direction.

[Thundercracker]

Jen

“Lytchwood Park,” Jen replied.

[Daishain]

Frank keeps from making any sudden movements, "Yep, was planning on a bit of hunting and fishing out there, we would be camped out there already if things had gone to plan."

[Bennosuke]

There is a moment of near silence, where you think you can hear the men with the flashlights talk amongst themselves. One of the three flashlights even lowers, and without the bright glare, you can see massive almost rotund figure illuminated by the light.

The three men approach, lowering their flashlights so as not to blind Jen and Frank. The group appear to be related, with the patriarch in the middle; a short and stooped man with a bald head, his skeletal frame draped in a dirty looking night robe. To his left is a man-child who could either be in his mid-teens or early thirties. He's short like his father, but all muscle, and long blond curls fall from his head, merging with a healthy beard and mustache. Clutching a shotgun aimed at the ground, he eyes Frank and Jen with curiosity, as if they were a strange breed of animal at the zoo. The rotund figure is likely the older brother. Like a walrus he is equal parts blubber and muscle, his frame bursting through an aggressively low cut and unfortunately tight Metallica wife beater. His massive arms are covered in tattoos, his head shaved, and both ears disfigured by massive lobe gauges, causing the flesh to almost hang down to his shoulders. The older brother is also holding a gun; his a hunting rifle. He's got the weapon trained on Frank, and unlike his brother, he eyes the two strangers with near comical suspicion.

The patriarch steps forward, one hand clutching his flashlight, the other a walking stick. "Lychtwood Park?" he asks with equal parts surprise and disdain, "what, do you have cotton for brains? Why would you want to go to The Park? You know the state is talking about closing the damned thing down entirely, right?"

In all of Frank's research, nothing had come up about this!

(Ooc: please give me a perception check at -2)

[Daishain]

Frank pauses, eyes not straying far from the one aiming the rifle at him, "What's wrong with Lytchfield? I haven't heard anything off about the place since the last time I went there. That was a while ago, but still"

[Bennosuke]

Jen catches sight of a specific tattoo on the older brother's right deltoid; a diving bird (maybe a dove) surrounded by a circle of fire. Though she never realized it at the time, Jen had seen that symbol already; it had been a bumper sticker on a number of the trucks parked outside of the church in town. The older man actually has a small version of the same symbol in a bronze lapel pin, maybe the size of a thumb nail, stuck to his robe.

The younger brother begins to speak, but the patriarch stifles him with a glare. "It's dangerous," he replies quickly, "not well maintained. Too many out of towners have gotten lost in the park, or trapped down a ravine. A couple people go missing in the park every year and are never found." He finishes by adding proudly, "Most of the locals are smart enough to stay clear of Lychwood Park." The old man's words are dripping with disdain, and it feels like he might be hiding something.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

“Wow, that does sound dangerous,” Jen said.

She gave Frank a glare then turned back to the trio.

“Thanks for the advice, I think maybe we’ll go with plan B,” she said.

[Daishain]

Frank grimaces, what in the hell?

"I see, thank you for the warning, guess we had better change course."

"Listen, I'd rather not bother anyone else like we unfortunately did with you, there a spot near here where we can stop off to rest?"

[Bennosuke]

The old man interrupts Frank's question with a noisy and throat-filled snort, only to follow it by spitting out a thick amoeba of snot. "Well there's a small motel in town, pretty much always vacant," he says flatly, "shoulda just gone there in the first place. Can give you directions, if that's what you'd like. Probably a smarter idea than just squatting on someone else's land."

This last bit causes the younger son to snigger.

[Daishain]

Frank was less than sure about the idea of staying in a motel for a town this size, but he'd had his quota of rifles pointed at his face tonight. This incident made it obvious that a property looking abandoned wasn't a reliable indicator that they'd be left alone through the night.

"Yeah, we were looking for something like that, but didn't see it on our way through the town. If you want to point us that way we'll get out of your hair."

[Bennosuke]

The heavy set older brother rolls his eyes hard in doubt of what Frank said, but he does not speak up. The family patriarch nods his head and says, "Of course, makes sense you didn't see it on your way in. The motel is on the highway onramp, you'd have to have gone all the way through town to get to it." He sighs then adds, "no doubt they'll have a room you two can share... not that it will be too romantic." This causes the younger brother to snigger.

[Daishain]

"Romance isn't really my concern right now sir. I do apologize for the intrusion. Highway on ramp you said? We'll find it."

If there isn't anything else, Frank starts packing up the few things they'd gotten out for their impromptu meal.

[Thundercracker]

Jen quickly also starts packing up, she wants to get out of there as quickly as possible.

[Bennosuke]

The three farmers remain as Jen and Frank pack up their camp into the truck, though only the heavy set older brother watches with any suspicion. It is almost a relief leaving the three behind, though anxiety begins to creep back in as Frank drives back into town. It is not hard to find the road that leads back to the freeway, and by now the entire town has shut down and there are no lights on on main street.

It's no more than a ten minute drive before they get to the motel; the only building for what seems like a few miles in either direction. A dingy neon sign in front of the building reads, "Salem Motel" uninventively. The building is L-shaped, two stories of drab curtained windows. The parking lot is on the side of the motel opposite the freeway onramp, and when Frank pulls in he sees that there is only one car parked. The motel clerk's office sits at the corner of the L, and is the only part of the building with it's lights on. Glass doors peer into a homey but characterless office space with grey carpeted floor and yellow fluourescent lighting. Despite the fact that the lights are on, no clerk sits at the desk, and you can't see anyone from outside the office.

[Daishain]

"Nice and inviting." Frank states dryly as they pull in. "You want one room or two? I can sleep on the floor if you want to stick together, it's the least I deserve for this farce"

[Thundercracker]

Jen

“Eh, it’s not your fault,” Jen replied, “besides, this is kind of an adventure anyway, right?”

“We’ll get one room, let’s see if they have two beds though,” she said, “no need to pay more than we have to and this whole place gives me the creeps. We should probably bring our stuff in from the truck, too.”

[Bennosuke]

As Jenn and Frank enter the motel office, the glass door slaps a brass bell which wakes the clerk who must of been sleeping. He's just a kid, the rash of acne on his face screaming that he can't be any older than 16. His voice even cracks when he greets the two. "Welcome," he almost shrieks, "my, you two are getting in late. I take it you need a room?" He pauses for a moment, his face suddenly flushing as he eyed the couple. Just by voice alone, you can tell the clerk is not a local; not a hint of midwestern twang.

[Daishain]

Outside, Frank responds to Anna, "Thanks, I am sorry though, I swear I checked online before we left, there wasn't anything like this mentioned."

Frank ignores the awkward look "Yes, looks like we have our pick, so maybe whichever's had the fewest problems."

[Thundercracker]

Jen just nodded and kept her mouth shut.

[Bennosuke]

"The fewest problems?" the boy asks with confusion and concern, clearly not picking up on Frank's tone. He looks at the two with a vacant and tired expression, and then seeming to give up, chuckles awkwardly before saying, "May I recommend the Valentine's Suite? It is one of our most spacious rooms, and comes with a bottle of sparkling wine. Perhaps that would be a nice way for a... couple like yourselves to end the night?" He smiles at both Frank and Jenn, trying his best to be welcoming and perhaps hide an adolescent anxiety and discomfort.

[Daishain]

"Do we look like we're looking for that sort of evening? No, don't answer that. Just a regular room, one without major complaints, messes, or nasty history."

[Bennosuke]

"Oh, I'm so sorry," the boy squeaks, his voice cracking an all time high, "Sure sure. Uh, I take it you want two twin beds then? Do you want separate rooms?" He turns to his computer and begins a short burst of typing.

He gets the two whatever configuration of room Jenn and Frank prefer, apologizing repeatedly. Fortunately, the prices are more than affordable, and the duo are able to afford whatever sleeping arrangements they are most comfortable with. Of course, you get what you pay for, and while the room is not particularly dirty, it is far from spacious, comfortable, or luxurious.

(OOC: If you want to RP a bit please, otherwise, let me know what time Frank and Jenn plan on waking)

[Daishain]

Frank simply hands over his card to pay for the single room with two beds without tormenting the youth any further, then starts hauling everything of notable value from the truck into the room. He pulls out his sleeping bag and lays it over the hotel bed Jenn didn't pick, even if he trusted the cleaners here, the thing was more comfortable anyways.

I'm fine ending it here or RPing out a bit more, either way.

[Thundercracker]

Jennifer Gibbs

"Good idea," Jen said as she followed suit with her own sleeping bag.

"This is kind of like camping in a way, right?" she said.
"So what do you think was going on with those guys?" she asked.

[Daishain]

Frank laughs a little, "Not quite the same feel, but sure."

"Anyways, I dunno. Probably just hustled out to deal with a few trespassers, which I can't say I really blame them for. I'm just glad they didn't try to stop us from leaving or anything like that."

[Bennosuke]

Frank's phone alarms early in the morning, too early considering the late hour the pair went to sleep, and the hard mattress, and the scuttling noises coming from the walls. The lack of sleep certainly won't help the mood, but at least it is easy to check out of the motel in the morning. The same teenager is at the desk, bleary eyed but surprisingly cheery.

As the sun is starting to rise and turn the sky pink, Frank and Jennifer take off for Lychwood Park, a ride that is both mercifully and surprisingly short. They pull into the Eastern Parking lot, where a handful of trucks are already parked. Contrary to the description received the night before, the park seems to be fairly well maintained... at least from the parking lot. Next to the dirt path entering into the park from the parking lot is a big green sign with yellow/gold lettering that reads "WELCOME TO LYCHWOOD PARK", then under it in smaller font, "Toadstool Trail". A park ranger in khaki colored uniform is kneeling next to the sign with a can of paint, touching up the ivy colored sign.

When Frank pulls in and parks the truck, the ranger gets up from his work, and saunters over to the them. Now that he's walking towards the car, you can see that he's really just another teenager; one with long straggly blonde hair. The button down shirt of his uniform is wide open, exposing his wiry frame and sun kissed skin. He grins under his pathetic attempt at a mustache as he approaches, and once close enough that he does not have to raise his voice the ranger says, "Welcome to the park. I take it you'll be camping here overnight?" There's none of the twang in his voice that hung heavy in the locals who had caught Frank and Jenn in the field last night, and none of the suspicious glances.

[Daishain]

Frank eyes the place, "That was the plan originally, but on the way here we caught some worrying chatter. Something about visitors disappearing and the state looking to shut the place down? What the heck's going on?"

[Bennosuke]

Frank's statement makes the ranger chuckle. He grins and says, "That's just uneducated hoosier superstition man." After taking a moment to gaze back at his sign and the dirt trail he adds, "I've only been here for a little bit now, but my understanding is we have just about the same number of disappearances, accidents, and injuries as any other major park. We sure as hell ain't shutting down." The ranger shakes his head, his messy tangle of of hair flapping side to side with the gesture.

Something in the back of Frank's truck catches the ranger's eye and he takes a moment to stroll over to the side of the truck for a better view. "Take it you're plan on doing some hunting and fishing while you're here?" he asks.

[Daishain]

Frank looks at Jen with a triumphant grin, "I told you those guys were just messing with the out of towners."

"Yeah, we were hoping for some channel catfish and maybe a deer. Certainly not planning on shooting any eagles, and we know not to mess with the hellbenders, the mussels, or the bats. I happen to like black bears, but we're not looking to mess with those guys either, and I've got a fresh can of EPA approved bear spray. Oh, and there's a snakebite kit in there in case of vipers, though its done nothing but collect dust since I picked that one up."

"That about cover most of your warnings?"

Couldn't find a Lychwood park in the state, so I took information on the local animals, including which are protected, from Mark Twain National Forest, which is pretty close to Salem Missouri. If anyone's wondering what the heck is a hellbender, they're a kind of salamander, pretty big as such things get (usually a bit over a foot long, sometimes as much as twice that, but they're harmless, I'm not sure how they got the name)

[Thundercracker]

Jennifer Gibbs

Jen glanced around at the nature around them while the others talked. They definitely took the long way to get here but they were here, and that’s what was important.

[Bennosuke]

The Ranger nods his head, seemingly appreciative of Frank's detailed knowledge of the local hunting laws. "Sounds good," he replies, before going into a short summary of the park's specific rules regarding what can be hunted, and what can be brought out of the park. He offers Frank a hand to shake and says, "Anyway, my name is Mitch. Nice ta meetcha, and have a safe stay at our park!"

He gives Jenn a wink and a nod, then saunters away from the truck and heads back to finish his touch ups on the sign.

I assume Frank and Jenn are going to start by setting up camp, but I will defer to you two as to what you want to do first.


Couldn't find a Lychwood park in the state, so I took information on the local animals, including which are protected, from Mark Twain National Forest, which is pretty close to Salem Missouri. If anyone's wondering what the heck is a hellbender, they're a kind of salamander, pretty big as such things get (usually a bit over a foot long, sometimes as much as twice that, but they're harmless, I'm not sure how they got the name)

Yep, that's because Lychwood Park doesn't exist :P! In fact, I didn't even realize there was a Salem MO, and the town I described is definitely not based on the real place. When the characters return to St. Louis proper, I'll base locations and the like in more reality, but this part is definitely fabricated. :smalltongue:

[Thundercracker]

Once they found their site, Jen busied herself unloading the car and setting up the tent, using a small hammer to drive pitons into the ground to anchor it. Once that was done, it would be a two person job to get it up and aired out.

[Daishain]

Frank finishes hauling the stuff out of the truck and to the center of the campsite while Jen stakes down the tent, then goes to help get the poles set and the thing erected.

After the tent is set, and the basics placed where they need to be, he unfolds a chair and plops down into it, grateful to finally be here. "Well then, that was fun. All right, we've got the hiking map to those landmarks we wanted to see, there's a good meadow off to the south that we could check for deer, but after last night might I suggest starting off with some relaxing fishing?"

[Thundercracker]

“Yeah, and the beers,” Jen said, “can’t forget that.”

[Daishain]

"Works for me" Frank grabs the chairs and loads some beer in the smaller, easier to carry, cooler. He checks the map for the likely fishing spots they'd worked out earlier to make sure their orientation is right before setting out.

[Bennosuke]

Frank and Jenn grab their fishing gear, their cooler filled with beer, and some chairs and head out for the lake. It's about a fifteen minute walk during which time the pair run into not a single other person. In fact, the forested park is remarkably quiet; no birds chirping, no bushes rustling, just peace and quiet. The route to the lake is a relatively straight forward path down a winding but well maintained trail that would be wide and even enough for biking or even horseback riding. Several smaller paths break off of the trail, some so narrow and forested that it's unclear if they are foot paths or clearings made by animals. The trail crosses several large creeks and ravines, likely small offshoots of the Mississippi. Fortunately, most of these can be crossed by small wooden bridges, though there is once creek where Jenn and Frank are forced to haul everything cautiously while stepping from rock to rock.

Finally, the trail widens out as it comes to the lake. The map calls this "Black Raven's Lake". The dark green body of water seems to go on forever against the horizon, and if the map is truly to scale, it must be nearly ten miles in diameter. It's clear to see why it might be named after a raven, as from above the lake has a shape like a bird's head and beak viewed from the side; like a crescent feeding into a round basin. The air smells fresh here, and it's nice and cool by the murky body of water.

Jenn and Frank set up their chairs, their cooler and their fishing rods, and get to finally enjoying their trip.

Is the time spent at the lake relaxing? Do the two finally find an opportunity to catch up like old times, or is there still underlying tension given how poorly the trip first went?

[Thundercracker]

Jennifer

“Now that’s a lotta algae,” Jen said as they set up and cast their lines, “so how’s life, how long’s it been, two years since we did something like this?”

She occasionally turned a few ticks of her fishing rod, but the activity was something more of a background to the chance to relax and catch up.

[Daishain]

Frank sighs as he settles in and casts a line. He hoped that this getaway turned out well. Not just because he'd roped Jen into this, but for his own sake. He didn't like to admit it, but he needed a break pretty badly...

He grunts as Jen breaks the silence first, "Closer to three I think, it really has been too long. Things are going all right for the most part, the girls are finally settling down after the divorce. It hit them pretty hard for a while. What about you?"

[Thundercracker]

Jen

"ugh that sounds like such a pain, at least its settling down somewhat," Jen replied, "you know me, more of the same. I bounced around the east coast for a while, Miami, Atlanta, Raleigh, and thought about heading to California but I didn't have enough money to stay and look for a job if I didn't find one right away, so I ended up back here. Now I'm hoping to find something that'll let me travel out west. Can't see one ocean without seeing them both, right?"

[Daishain]

Frank nods, "I know you said you'd think about it, but that offer to work with me is still open. Once you're certified you can get welding jobs anywhere. I don't think there's a state in the country that isn't running short on skilled tradespeople. Anyway, not really here to talk about work though. So west coast huh? Anything in particular you wanted to see?"

[Thundercracker]

"Yeah seriously let's not talk about work.

Eh, I wanna drive up that coast road you always see on TV," Jen replied, "guess that means I'll have to learn how to drive, or hitch a ride with someone who's willing to put up with me ha ha."

[Daishain]

"You know, when we were younger I always kind of pictured you as a motorcycle kind of gal, I guess I'm surprised you never learned to drive even a normal car. There a story there I missed?" Frank reels in his line to check the bait, grimacing as he finds it missing. Dang fish... He replaces it and recasts.

[Bennosuke]

As the two are chatting, there is a rustling in the brush about fifteen yards away. The noise is soft at first, then grows louder. The forest and bramble are parted by the emergence of a stag's antlers, followed by the long triangular head. The deer is massive, the biggest Frank has ever seen; almost the size of a moose, though with a more slender regal figure. It takes tall graceful steps as it comes out of the forest and turns to side eye the two humans. Unlike any deer Frank or Jenn have ever seen before, this ancient creature's coat is an almost charcoal grey, shaggy and mottled. It looks at the two humans with an heir of almost disdain, before sauntering over to the edge of the lake for a drink of water.

[Thundercracker]

Jen paused and watched the deer, then automatically felt around for her rifle.

Then she stopped and just admired the deer for a minute or two, the fishing momentarily forgotten.

[Daishain]

Frank stares at the creature for a few moments before lifting his half empty beer in salute. Setting the bottle down carefully, he reaches for his phone, hoping to get some video. He'd never seen a deer like this. Not that size, and certainly not that color. This stag was magnificent, and clearly not very skittish. It seemed almost a miracle some trophy hunter hadn't bagged him already.

[Bennosuke]

The stag finishes it's drink, then lifts its head to give the two onlookers one last stare. Then it turns away from the lake and begins moving back towards the forest. As it approaches, the deer begins picking up speed till it is moving and a full gallop by the time it hits the tree line. A moment after its antlers crash through the brush and the stag disappears, the silence is interrupted by an explosion of crows out of the forest. They take to the air and begin to caw and caw, circling in the bright clear sky overhead. It does not take a trained eye to notice that the stag disappeared down a clearly trod-over path that fades into the darkness of the forest.

[Daishain]

Frank has a goofy grin when he finally turns his head to look at Jennifer, "I've heard of black deer before, but they're supposed to be super rare, even tougher to find than albinos. Its gonna be tough to top that. What a magnificent creature."

He rewatches the minute or so of video he managed to get on his phone for a bit, then gets up to take a look at the trail it disappeared down, "Deer trail, looks pretty well established. I think we found a good spot to hunt later on. Not sure I could shoot at blackie, but there should be other deer using that too."

[Thundercracker]

“That was amazing,” Jen said, “I’ve never seen anything like that, at least not so close. We definitely picked the right place.”

[Bennosuke]

If the two settle back into fishing, Jenn and Frank are able to enjoy a few more beers, and manage to catch a few small game fish. It is a relaxing late morning, but as the sun starts to rise in the sky, it begins to become hot and humid by the lake, and you can feel your skin beginning to tingle and redden.

[Daishain]

Frank looks around for a shadier spot to keep fishing from. He wanted to get a nice fish for that dinner he'd promised last night.

If he doesn't see anything he'll shrug and turn to Jennifer, "Welp, its probably getting around time for lunch anyways. Care for a bite to eat and then maybe hit the trail? Plenty of things to see around here."

[Thundercracker]

Frank looks around for a shadier spot to keep fishing from. He wanted to get a nice fish for that dinner he'd promised last night.

If he doesn't see anything he'll shrug and turn to Jennifer, "Welp, its probably getting around time for lunch anyways. Care for a bite to eat and then maybe hit the trail? Plenty of things to see around here."

"Sure sounds good to me," Jen replied, "if we're going to hike we'll need to grab the water bottles anyway."

[Bennosuke]

It takes the better part of an hour for Frank to finally catch something, and by that time the sun has reached its zenith, creating a heavy humid and little shade. Frank had of course managed to fine the one spot that had a modicum of relief, provided by an old oak tree that seemed to tower above the forest line. The catfish that Frank finally caught was a silver skinned and slimy sucker, plump and about the length of Frank's upper arm. It swished and flipped and fought hard once Frank wrestled it out of the water, but of course the catfish finally lost the fight. It would probably fry up nicely.

(OOC: The group still goes back to the camp for lunch?)

[Daishain]

Frank grins as his efforts finally yield fruit, "There we go, I was starting to wonder if we had the right bait. And we have our dinner. We can leave this in one of the coolers while we take our hike. I was rather interested in seeing those weird rock formations, what about you?"

(OOC Yes, heading back to camp for lunch then heading out for a couple hours on the trail)

[Thundercracker]

“Sure let’s do it; we have a couple of days, we can see everything,” Jen replied.

[Bennosuke]

Frank and Jenn quickly pack up their fishing gear and march back to their campsite, Frank proudly carrying the catfish as if it were a trophy. They throw the catfish into one of the coolers.

(OOC: I'm sorry, maybe I'm not caffeinated enough, but what weird rock formation are we referring to? Also, please let me know what gear you are bringing with you, wherever it is you plan on going?)

[Daishain]

Frank stows the fish into the cooler, with just enough ice so it should still be nice and fresh for the evening meal. Most meats stored okay, but fish for some reason never really was the same if it wasn't practically still living when it hit the heat. This should be a treat for both of them.

But that was for later. For now... Frank loads up a lightweight hiking pack with a tiny first aid kit, the bear spray, water, and a bit of jerky, suggesting that Jan does much the same. After a moment's thought, he adds some rope and a few pitons to his own pack, then straps a multipurpose survival axe onto the side. It was a little more than he thought they'd actually need, and he'd likely regret the extra weight later, but the warning from earlier, especially about the ravines, was still weighing on him a bit. Being a little extra prepared than they actually ended up requiring would be considerably better than the reverse.

Before heading out, Frank places all of the food supplies, fish cooler included, into the bear bag, and uses another rope to hoist that up into the trees. He liked bears for the most part, but they could be a real nuisance as well. He really didn't want to come back to a wrecked campsite and no food...

[Thundercracker]

“Better to have it and not need it, right?” Jen remarked as they loaded themselves down with gear.

[Bennosuke]

It's just a little after midday when Jenn and Frank finally set off for Blackstone Rock. According to the map, Blackstone is a good two miles or so Northwest of the lake, and the sun is already at it's highest vantage to roast the air with early summer heat. The two follow a trail that runs along a steep ravine, and Frank and Jenn are kept company by the sound of the slowly rushing creek. This path is definitely well maintained, and it's pretty easy at this point to discredit everything that was said by the crazy armed farmers the other night. As the trail winds higher, the two can begin to see a jagged rocky formation of dark grey stone peaking over the treetops. Even in the protective shade of the forest, Jenn and Frank find themselves sweating, especially with the weight of their hiking packs. It gets even warmer when the trail winds away from the ravine.

The two are just leaving the blanketed protection of the forest, as the trail clears out into the final stretch before reaching Blackstone Rock, when the air is split by the thunderous sound of rifle fire. The blast is so loud that it's at first impossible to tell the proximity of the shot. But as the ringing in their ears begins to clear, a man calls out, "Oh ****! Sorry about that!" No more than thirty yards to the left of the trail is a rangy looking man with a scraggly mess of brown hair and an equally tangled long beard. He's got a red wife-beater on and camo patterned cargo pants covered in pockets, and is hoisting a smoking matte black hunting rifle over his shoulder. The man takes a step away from his open red ice cooler to walk towards Jenn and Frank, his arm extended as if in greeting. "Are you two okay?" he hollers.

[Daishain]

Frank shakes his head, trying to dispel the ringing in his ears, he looks to Jennifer before answering, a bit of anger creeping into his voice, though he tries to stay civil. "You didn't hit us if that's what you mean. What exactly did you think you were shooting at?"

[Thundercracker]

Jen ducked and fought the reflex to dive for cover. The bearded man was lucky she wasn't quicker on the draw. She looked at him and her expression echoed Frank's question.

[Bennosuke]

Perhaps it was the anger in Frank's voice, or perhaps it was just the discomfort with the situation, but the bearded man just chuckles as he steps closer. "My bad there," he says jovially, adding, "Glad you're okay." He pulls the rifle off of his shoulder, and then points it at the direction that Frank and Jenn just came from. Using the weapon as a pointer, the man replies, "Was shooting at a stag that just dove into the woods back where you two came. Big mother ****er. Biggest I've ever seen!"

[Daishain]

Frank shakes his head, "We'll be heading back through here in a few hours. If you're still out here, please watch your target better." He moves to continue on the trail. Frank is wondering about the big deer, but didn't really want to keep talking with this guy.

[Thundercracker]

Frank shakes his head, "We'll be heading back through here in a few hours. If you're still out here, please watch your target better." He moves to continue on the trail. Frank is wondering about the big deer, but didn't really want to keep talking with this guy.

“Seriously, what if you hit one of us?” Jen added. When Frank left she followed on.

Stupid hunter.

[Bennosuke]

Being met with scorn rather than friendship, the hunter watches as Jenn and Frank depart and hollers after them, "Well, **** you then! Damn hippy liberal city folk!"

(OOC: Assuming the players don't respond)

The two hike up the dirt trail as it climbed towards a rocky outcrop that was the beginning of Blackstone Rock. The march up the hill is surprisingly arduous, as the trail blends into a semi-worn path across the rocky surface of the hill. Blackstone Rock seemed to be composed of layer upon layer of gritstone. Geometric pillar like protrusions seemed to almost grow off of the rock's surface, and there was little shrubbery or vegetation growing from the stone surfaces.

At the peak of the rock, Frank and Jenn were a good few miles up, and could look down upon the grassy field around the hill, as well as the forest line that seemed to creep in from all directions around the rock. The sky was clear this high up, and the only birds in the sky were the occasional crow, soaring with purpose from one location to another.

[Daishain]

Frank keeps moving, muttering to Jen as soon as he's sure they're out of earshot. "What did he expect? Us to be happy about being lucky the idiot missed?"

Later on top of blackrock, he looks around at the scenery with satisfaction, it was definitely worth the climb.

[Thundercracker]

Jen

Jen whipped around as the guy shouted after them.

“Learn how to handle a weapon!” she yelled back at him. She watched him for a moment to make sure he wouldn’t try to shoot them.

Then she continued hiking. Crazy rednecks.

[Bennosuke]

From the top of the mountain, you can make out the general surroundings. There are almost no humans around, though you can see a red smudge that is probably the redneck hunter down below. The air is clean, but the heat of the after midday sun is intense, and there is little protection from its baking rays. The birds above pay no mind to the two hikers, and the only noises are the caws of the crows and the gently gusting wind.

[Thundercracker]

Jen finds a spot near the peak where she can sit comfortably and take a break. With the baking sun she wont' want to stay long, but if you're going to make the trek to the top, you have to admire the view for at least a few minutes.

[Daishain]

Frank surveys the area as best he can from up there, getting an idea of where everything is.

[Bennosuke]

The view is absolutely worth it. From this high up, Frank and Jenn can appreciate the complex spiderweb network of creeks and ravines that run through the park. The lake is easy to locate, as the vast majority of waterways twist their way towards the massive nearly black mirror of water. Interestingly, the verdant greenery of the park does seem to fade away to a thick whorl of dark forest, more densely packed the farther North you look. Of course there was nothing wrong with this section of forest, but there was something foreboding about the area, as if the trees were so close together that no sunlight could penetrate.

As long as Jenn and Frank are at the peak of Blackstone Rock, nothing more interesting happens, though several times the report of the hunter's rifle can be distantly heard.

[Thundercracker]

Jen

“So where should we go next?” Jen asked, “wanna check out that forest?”

[Daishain]

"Sounds like a good option to me. Watch your footing though, fair number of vipers in these parts." Frank settles his pack back onto his shoulders as he starts moving again.

[Bennosuke]

Jenn and Frank make their way back down the hillside, winding their way along the footpath between that passes between jagged rocks and clumps of reddish dust. By the time the two reach the base of Blackstone Rock, the sun is no longer at it's peak in the cloudless sky, and the redneck hunter is nowhere in sight.

The two pick a path back into the forest, and begin their exploration.

So we are going to steal a mechanic from Changeling regarding walking through The Hedge. I'd like you each to roll Wits + Survival.

If there's anywhere in particular you want to go, or a specific part of the forest you might want to look for or try to reach state it. If I roll more successes than either player, then I get to choose where you end up... and the fun begins :smallwink:

[roll0]

[Daishain]

Frank has a grin as the pair descend from Blackstone. "We could use some shade and a bit of rest I think, that big oak tree is near, care to stop for refreshments there?"

He pulls out his map to be certain of the direction needed.

Wits+survival [roll0]

[Bennosuke]

Frank and Jenn leave the clearing, finding refuge under the shaded canopy of the forest. They follow Frank's map, cutting along a narrow twisting trail. As they hike, the trees grow closer together, their branches almost appearing to intertwine to block out more and more sunlight till it a flashlight is almost desired.

Their hike is uninterrupted, the only signs of life being the occasional squawk or chirp of birds hiding within the heavy forest ceiling. Frank never loses his confidence as he navigates through the woods, and in only an hour, they reach their destination in The Crone, an ancient grandfather oak tree estimated to almost be a thousand feet tall. The duo know they are reaching their destination first by the growing cacophany of cawing, and the thickening carpet of silky black crow feathers. The tree line widens as they approach The Crone is a towering moss covered explosion of bark and branches, fingers as thick as a man's torso sprouting out in all directions. Every branch is covered in shimmering black crows, and their shrieks and the sound of rustling feathers fills the air as much of the musty stale odor of bird feathers and droppings. The birds do not seem to take the presence of their visitors lightly, and as Frank and Jenn approach The Crone, the chorus of caws grows louder, and many birds take flight into the canopy above.

(OOC: Please give me a perception roll each of you)

[Bennosuke]

(OOC: Jenn gets 3 successes)

As Jenn steps forward her boot crunches on something dry like twigs but too large. She looks down at the forest floor, finding thousands of tiny yellowed bones buried between the carpet of black feathers and fallen leaves. The tangle of detritus is dizzying and almost causes a sense of vertigo, and as Jenn looks up trying to clear her head and her vision, it almost looks for a moment like the grandfather oak itself is staring at her hungrily from the gnarled black knots that speckle its surface.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

"That was weird," Jen said as she looked down at the bones again to make sure they are actually, in fact, bones.
"Frank, take a look at this," she said.

She scuffed her boot around a bit to see if it was only a small pile, or if there were more spread out around the area.

[Daishain]

Frank kneels down and picks up a few of the bones, taking a closer look and trying to identify what sort or sorts of creatures they came from "This is strange, bones don't get gathered in one place like this in my experience. Scavengers should be scattering them, and if some predator or toxin was killing lots of creatures in this area, the rest should instinctively avoid it."

He looks up at the judgy corvids, "Maybe they're responsible? Hauling every carcass they can carry back here from all over the woods? I haven't heard about anything of the sort before, but Crows do some weird stuff, and often teach it to their neighbors."

"Either way, this place is not as peaceful as we thought, lets maybe have lunch somewhere else." He pulls out a camera and starts taking some pictures, wanting to send them to a guy who might make sense of this.

Not trying to identify species or anything that specific, just if we're mostly talking birds, rodents, snakes, etc. or a mixture thereof sort of thing.
perception [roll0]

[Bennosuke]

Looking down at the carpet of feathers and bones on the forest floor, Frank notices that the collections of bones appear to almost be gathered together in collections. Though not necessarily in exact piles, it seems like there are areas of the ground speckled with an array of dirty yellowed bone, while between these collections are areas of dried dirt without a single piece of skeletal remains.

(OOC: To tell more about the types of animals, please give me an Int + Survival roll)

[Bennosuke]

To Frank, many of the animal skeletons scattered out on the ground are clearly rodent... but as he looks closer, there are some bones from a larger animal. These are far less common, but they are clustered close enough together that Frank is certain that they belong to whole animals. Frank has to get around and root through the loose piles of bone, but it isn't till he unearths a skull that he realizes... cats. There are cat bones scattered out here!

(OOC: 2 successes)

Jenn also starts rooting through the piles of bones. She can't draw any further conclusion about the origins of the skeletons, but she picks up on a separate surprise. There's no damage to the bones; no evidence of trauma, no talon or beak scratches, no bones cracked open for the marrow. Despite the tree full of scavengers, there's no evidence these rodents have been eaten!


The crows begin to caw louder, thousands of black eyes seeming to stare down at the two human intruders.

[Daishain]

Frank drops the cat skull and looks to Jennifer, "Lets get out of here quickly. I don't know what, but something is deeply wrong with this place. I was wrong about the ravens, they're not strong enough to lift a cat. I think that leaves just one animal that might arrange this. Humans, and I don't want to meet anyone that thinks of this crap as a hobby."

Unless she for some reason disagrees, he sets off in the direction of their camp.

[Thundercracker]

Frank drops the cat skull and looks to Jennifer, "Lets get out of here quickly. I don't know what, but something is deeply wrong with this place. I was wrong about the ravens, they're not strong enough to lift a cat. I think that leave just one animal able to arrange this. Humans, and I don't want to meet anyone that thinks of this crap as a hobby."

Unless she for some reason disagrees, he sets off in the direction of their camp.

“Yup, f this, time to go,” Jen replied. She unslings her rifle and checks the safety, just in case.

[Bennosuke]

Jenn and Frank turn and begin to make their way back down the path that had winded them to this terrible tree. The screeches of the crows seemed to grow louder and more threatening, even as the tree fell farther and farther away in the tree line. If either of the hikers looked back, they would be relieved to see none of the big black birds chasing them through the forest. It was fortunately cooler under the forest canopy, but still the humidity was stifling, and the trees were so thickly gathered here that the lighting was almost dim, making it disorienting to figure out how late the day had grown.

And to make matters worse, the trail no longer looked familiar. The trail had somehow narrowed, and branches seemed to reach out as if to grab or slow down the two hikers.

Assuming the two are making their way back to camp. Please give me Wits + Survival, but this time -1. Competing against the following roll [roll0]

And feel free to make any other rolls you think would be useful.

EDIT: Wow, my rolls have just been so bad of late.

[Daishain]

Frank grits his teeth, and checking his surroundings regularly, keeps on trudging along. This trip had been a mixed bag to say the least. Several awe inspiring moments, and then things like this..

wits+survival-1 [roll0]
ten again [roll1]

[Bennosuke]

To Jenn it seems like the two are truly lost. The trail keeps splitting far more than she remembers it had on the way coming to the tree, and the path just seems to grow more and more narrow. Frank is doing his best to maintain a sense of optimism, studying the map and using every ounce of his wits to navigate.

Somehow, the two make it back to camp, though Jenn is almost certain they took a completely disparate route to prior. By now the two are covered in sweat, their legs smeared with patches of splashed mud, and sporting scrapes from unexpected branches that seemed to reach for them out of nowhere. The sun is just starting to descend, the baby blue sky becoming lined with a hues of pink and violet, though it is still unmercifully hot and humid. There might be time for one last adventure before the sun sets, if the two are truly feeling brave.

(OOC: Tie goes to the runner with Frank's one success)

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

"Ugh, I'm wiped after that hike, how about dinner?" Jen asked, "think that fish is still good?"

She decides against mentioning anything about the freaky tree, the bones, or how they seemed to get completely lost on the way back.

[Daishain]

"Yeah, lets get a proper fire going and wash up. Might be time to open that whiskey bottle too." He looks around the campsite and takes a breath, talking in a more positive tone now that things seem to be safe. It had been a very long time since he'd had that much trouble figuring out which direction to go...

"We'll want to leave early in the morn if we want a good chance at those deer anyways."

Frank cleans himself off with some wipes from a "dude shower" brand cleaning kit, and goes ahead and changes clothing before walking out to the bear bag and beginning to bring it down from the trees.

In case it comes up, Frank has no intention of getting drunk, but a bit of Jameson to calm his nerves sounds good to him.

BTW, Frank actually has a merit stating he never loses his sense of direction. But I figure it probably wouldn't apply against mystical happenings. Besides, him never normally getting lost only adds to the suspense when suddenly that's changing.

[Bennosuke]

Fortunately, the camp has been left unmolested, and the two are able to go about their chores in preparation for the evening. As the sun sets, the sky turning darker colors of plum and violet, it finally begins to cool and a warm fire becomes a welcome companion. The afternoon is peaceful, and again it is like there are no other animals or humans in the park with them.

Frank and Jenn get their fire going, the logs they collected finally taking light from the gutting tinder, and the air becomes filled with the homey aroma of wood fire. Once the logs stop putting out black smoke, the two begin cooking the fish Frank had caught. But even over the crackling of the fire, the two can hear the disturbance of a group approaching. Raucous jovial voices, and the sound of trampled thicket grow closer and closer. Jenn and Frank can tell even before the group arrives that they are being descended upon by a group of kids.

The four that push through the shrubs, walking where no trail has been cleared can't be any older than 18. It's three guys and one girl, all dressed as if they were going to a Christian metal concert rather than camping in a national park. The leader is a lanky kid with a shaved head and pierced ears, whose skin is so pale it reflects the red firelight. He has his arm around the girl, and he leers at Frank and Jenn before giving her a sloppy peck on the cheek. "Told ya I'd find them," he chuckles at his girl and the two boys behind him, his voice heavy with some form of intoxication, his lids half mast and puffy over scorched red eyes. He's got a heavy midwestern accent that reeks with the stench of Hoosier, and when he grins again at Jenn and Frank, you can see he's missing one of his top front teeth.

The girl is a little dumpy, her soft form hidden behind an oversized black T, a camo denim jacket, and oversized jeans taken from a rap video in the 90s. Her eyes are equally bleary red, and she chuckles at her boyfriend's triumphant remarks as if it was a too clever joke. "Way to go Zach," she giggles, before giving the two an embarrassed smile, "maybe they'll be willing to share their dinner with us."

"Ya, sorry to interrupt your... romantic evening, but we're awfully hungry and well, we forgot to bring any dinner." Zach chortles. Then he lifts his free hand, carrying a bright red cooler and adds, "but we got beer... among other things, if you want things." And this causes him to chuckle all over again.

One of the boys in back steps forward from the shadows. "Oh hey, it's you two," he says, and Jenn and Frank can see that it's the long haired park ranger they met this morning. Now he's wearing a striped button down, two sizes two big, and has clearly been partaking in the festivities of his companions. "Sorry to barge in on you," he adds with sincerity and a touch of shame.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

“Oh hey, it’s you,” Jen said to the ranger, completely ignoring the others, “hey listen, what do you know about this crazy looking tree a few hours hike over that way? There were about a million black birds in and around it, and the craziest thing, someone had gathered all the bones of like hundreds of little animals , other birds, mice, squirrels, and cats and piled them in little stacks all around. Freaked me the F out. Do you have any idea what that’s about?”

[Bennosuke]

Zach speaks up before his ranger pal can reply. "That's wicked," he chuckles, nodding his head in excitement, "You're not yankin' my chain, are you mam?" He seems genuinely excited by Jenn's story. His exclamation causes his girlfriend and the other kid to give whooping cheers of excitement.

Mitch, the ranger from this morning steps forward and with a touch of both confusion and concern says, "You mean The Crone? I'm... I'm not really sure I know what you mean. I've seen some birds up in the old oak tree, but a million black birds? And animal bones everywhere? I... well that's... kinda crazy sounding, no offense."

(OOC: Feel free to give me Composure + Empathy)

[Thundercracker]

Jen

“Yeah, it was totally crazy, freaked me the F out,” Jen replied.

composure -1(?): [roll0]
10 again: [roll1]

[Daishain]

Frank sighs as the others approach. Right when things were looking up again... Looks like a couple of delinquents pressured the ranger kid into taking them out here, and from the looks of it he knew this wouldn't go well.

He's grateful to Jen for taking the conversation in a different direction. He was inclined to send the lot packing, but that could cause even more trouble than feeding the pack and keeping an eye on them.

As doubt is expressed about what was seen at the Crone, he fished out his phone and pulls up the pictures he took.

[Bennosuke]

As far as Jenn can tell, Ranger Mitch is being sincere. He sounds surprised and perplexed as he replies, "Well... that sounds pretty crazy. If it's alright, I'll check it out first thing in the morning. I'm technically supposed to be off," this causes his companions to chuckle, "but I'll come back in and me and Ben will go check it out." But something about Zach's expression seems more curious than concerned.

[Daishain]

Frank clears his throat, "Right, with that out of the way, this request of yours. I can't say I'm particularly in the habit of sharing a campsite or hard won food with others just because they didn't think to bring the basics. Do you have some means of shelter for the night? If not, I'd focus on that first, because while we might have enough food, tent space is in short supply. It gets cold out here in a hurry."

[Thundercracker]

Jen stayed quiet as she waited to see how the kids responded.

[Bennosuke]

"Aw, hey man, don't be like that," Zach says with a sneer, his girlfriend chiming in, "We're really hungry man."

Mitch does his best to reign his friends in, saying apologetically, "We don't need a place for the night man. We've got our own camp and everything, and if we really needed to, we could just head back to our cars and drive home. We just... well Jason was supposed to be in charge of packing food, and I guess he didn't get the message." Mitch shoots the third boy a glare, which is met with a playful vitriolic sneer and the middle finger from Jason. He turns back to Frank and says pathetically, "But we are really hungry."

"Ya man, starving!" Zach says, clutching his stomach in imitation of true pain. Not sure about Frank, he moves to Jenn, giving her his best puppy dog eyes and says, "What do you think? You wouldn't turn away a group of poor starving kids, would you?"

[Daishain]

Frank looks to Jen with an eyebrow raised, looking for a cue on how okay she is with this. They were annoying, but at the least taking them in for dinner wouldn't mean putting them up for the night.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

Jen gives a sly smirk.

“Wellll, I think if Jason was supposed to bring the food and he didn’t, it wouldn’t really be fair for us to bail him out like that, no consequences,” Jen said, looking at the other kids, “a mistake like that needs to be paid for, don’t you think?”

“Something like, stripping down to his boxers and singing the national anthem, would that be a fair punishment?” she asked.

She grinned.

[Daishain]

Frank's lips twitch up a bit in amusement. Then he looks to Jason to see his reaction.

[Bennosuke]

Jason's eye twitches at Jenn's suggestion. The kid looks like he's a high school or collegiate wrestler; all muscles, and no neck. He's got a beany on, and is probably wearing back eye liner. He starts to protest, but before he can get anything meaningful out, Zach chimes up, clapping his hands together. "Yes," he announces with excitement, "I couldn't agree more! It's only fair to us... and Jason!" The girl cheers on this idea as well, though Mitch says nothing.

"No man," Jason growls, "that's not fair! Come one! It's not my fault... I mean... well that's not fair!" His protests turn into pleas, but Zach and his girlfriend Lydia are merciless, and begin chanting for him to strip and sing, "Do it! Do it! DOOOO IIIIIT!"

"****, fine!" the boy shouts in defeat, his hands shaking with anger. He reaches down and unbuckles his black studded belt, dropping his dark stretch jeans to reveal yellowed tighty whities, before throwing off his black leather biker jacket and white wife beater. Standing with his hands about his ankles, face flushed with equal parts anger and embarrassment, Jason begins to sing the National Anthem; his voice cracking hard anytime he hits a high note. By the end of the performance, he's shivering in the cold evening air, his hands clutched in front of his crotch to protect his... modesty. "Happy?" he asks, voice almost breaking into a sob, lined eyes still narrowed with anger.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

“No no, start lower!” Jen yelled as he started singing, but it was too late. After his voice cracked the first time she started feeling bad and joined in to sing the rest of it together.

“Happy? Well, you won’t be singing for the Chiefs anytime soon, but I guess it’s good enough for dinner,” she said, “pull up some dirt. We’re gonna need more wood too if we’ve got more people; anyone want to volunteer to go foraging?”

She looked at the other kids.

[Bennosuke]

Zach and his girlfriend hoot and jeer while Jason does his best. Mitch just stands there looking uncomfortable. But when Jenn joins in, the group's mocking quickly gives way and Mitch, then the other two join in as well, the entire group (plus or minus Frank) crooning the ending to the National Anthem together.

At the end, Jason quickly starts pulling his pants back up, hands fumbling as he zips up and buckles his belt while Jenn speaks. His face is still flush with embarrassment, but he grins when Zach swoops in to pat him hard on the back with a chuckle.

Jenn finishes her statement, and with an arm still around his half naked companion, Zack salutes her and replies, "Aye aye captain," He turns back to his girlfriend, lips pulling back into a snaggle toothed smile as he gives her a wink, before turning back and replying, "Lydia and I can do the foraging. We'll bring back some great firewood, since y'all are kind enough to share your dinner with us. Much obliged. Mitch, you can stay here with Jason and warm yourselves by the fire." He turns his somehow charming grin back to Jenn and Frank and adds, "But is there any chance you wouldn't mind sharing a few beers with us?"

[Daishain]

Frank simply states, "Maybe, lets get things set up though. We need some more seating. There's a log over that away that would do pretty well, but I'll need a few hands to move it. Mitch and Jason, if you wouldn't mind helping. Jenn, if you could rummage through and get out the rest of the potatoes? Just wrap them up in foil like the other two and set them all next to the fire, just barely not touching the flames. Those things take a while to cook."

[Bennosuke]

"Sir yes sir," Zach says snotily as he turns to give Frank a salute. He gives the man a big fake grin and says, "Lydia and I will be back with some firewood, and then when we get back, we'll definitely need to quench our thirst with some beer... after all that hard work and all." Without waiting for a reply, he winds up and gives his girlfriend a hearty spank on the tush, causing her to shriek in surprise before breaking out into a fit of giggles. With playful groping hands he chases Lydia off into the dark.

The moment they are gone, Mitch steps forward, brushing his long hair out of his eyes before apologizing, "I'm sorry about this you guys. Thanks for being so cool. Jason and I will help with the log if you like, just lead the way." Jason falls in line with Zach gone, and the two do their best to help out with the work and dinner preparation anyway they can.

Unless you want to do anything further, I can move things on to dinner.

[Daishain]

As Zach leaves and Mitch apologizes, Frank looks to him, "I understand. But if this sort of thing is common, you may wish to speak with Zach when the time is right. He's not acting like much of a friend."

He doesn't say anything else on the matter as he points the way to the log he'd seen earlier. A mid sized length of pine, not too much rot, not too heavy to move, still big enough to serve as a decent seat.

[Bennosuke]

Mitch shrugs, clearly uncomfortable with the situation and replies, "Eh, he's not that bad. He just... likes to have fun by being a bit of an *******, if you know what I mean."

Later, the group is sitting around the campfire eating dinner. The temperature has dropped by now a good 10-15 degrees, and while not cold, the heat of the roaring fire is very welcome. The previously raucous teenagers have quieted down a bit as they tuck into their food. As he is finishing up his portion of fish and baked potato, Zach looks up with a grin and reaches into his pocket to pull out a small glass pipe. The smell of marijuana can immediately be appreciated over the smoke of the firewood. "Anyone up for a little fun," he asks with a mischievous **** eating grin, "Let's smoke and tell some... scaaaary storieeees!"

[Daishain]

Frank decides to ignore the weed. He always thought the laws against its use were bogus, but that didn't mean he wanted to partake.

As the activity is suggested he shrugs, "Sure, I have a few good ones in store. Who wants to start?"

[Thundercracker]

Jen just focuses on eating and cleaning up; no need to be swarmed by racoons and who knows what else in the middle of the night.

[Bennosuke]

Zach lights a purple bic lighter and takes a long pull of the pipe, the tiny flame flickering in a pale comparison to the campfire. He coughs after exhaling a heavy cloud of black pungent smoke. Grinning while still trying to get his breath back he says, "Why don't we start with the most appropriate one?" He raises an eyebrow at Lydia, whose own grin widens before she stares knowingly at Jenn and Frank. Mitch gives him a dirty look but does not say anything until Zach adds, "Let's tell the story of The Wytch of Lytchwood Park!"

"Cut it out Zach," Mitch growls. But Zach just sits there grinning, eyes turning red as he studies Frank and Jenn, trying to read their faces.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

"Ooh, that sounds like fun," Jen said as she cracked open another beer, "let's hear it."

[Daishain]

Frank sips at his own drink, he has no particular intention of dulling his senses with this sketchy teenager around. Although this story might be interesting.

[Bennosuke]

Mitch rolls his eyes an makes a frustrated sigh but says nothing. Zach gives him a rueful sneer and then passes him the pipe. Turning back to the rest of the group he says, "Right, the Wytch! Well rumor has it that there's this woman monster that lives in these woods. Some people say she's always been here, while others say she was a preacher's wife when the settlers first got here, ya know, and that she was lured off by the devil or something." Mitch takes a hit of the pipe, coughing loudly and forcing Zach to pause momentarily to wait for silence. He pats Mitch on the back a few times as the young park ranger fights to regain control of his airway. Once Mitch is better, he continues, "Anyway, none of that really matters. You see, though no one talks about it, the ignorant white trash Hoosiers of this town much all believe in her. Ever since I was a little kid it was always, behave or we'll take you out to Lytchwood and feed you to the Wytch, right?" Zach looks to the others for affirmation. Lydia and Jason nod their heads in knowing agreement.

Mitch shrugs his shoulders apologetically and inserts, "I'm not from Salem. We only moved here a couple of years ago," which causes Zach to snicker.

"But it's more than that," the ring leader continues, "no one will admit it, but it's like, well the people of this town really believe in her. They like, worship her or something; not in a church or anything, but there's kinda this rumor that she's got all these crazy powers and can grant wishes, or favors or something. My uncle says that if you leave her something to eat, like your cat or something, she'll help you out. Like ya got a big test coming up? Leave her little Fluffy out at the Crone oak tree and you'll ace it. Oh yeah, and like a bunch of people think she lives in that giant tree, hence the name The Crone." Zach pauses, locking turning his attention just to Frank and Jenn, the grin slinking off his face to leave an expression of hesitance and concern. "That's why I figured you had to hear this story, because like, you said you found a bunch of animal skeletons out there, right?"

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

"I dunno man, there were a _lot_ of bones out there," Jen replied, "and the birds were acting weird too. It was freaky."

She shuddered as she recalled the odd tree and the bones, and birds.

[Daishain]

Frank's eyebrow rises a bit, "That would certainly explain a few things. Based on the numbers this had to have been going on for a long time."

[Bennosuke]

"That's the thing," Zach says excitedly, "you're whole story doesn't make sense, see?" He grins at the two, and now his eyes are almost red in the firelight. "I've been to the tree many times man, we were just there last weekend. No bones. How did so many get out there in just a week?" His words were filled with excitement, like he believed in everything he had said, and everything Jenn and Frank had said, and was on the verge of cracking some unsolved mystery. Leaning forward, almost to the point where the fire should be singing his face, Zach continues, "And even if someone had brought all those animals out there in one week, how did they all get.. kept there. Like why didn't all the cats and rats or whatever it was you saw just scamper off?"

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

"Got me man," Jen said as she took another swig of beer, "maybe the tree ate them."

"Damn, wish I packed some s'mores..." she said.

[Daishain]

Frank figures the kid was trying to mess with them by saying the bones weren't there before and shrugs, "Welp, I'll take local superstitions and some dead pets over some of the other theories that popped into my head. I was kind of thinking we'd might have stumbled into a 'The hills have eyes' situation."

[Bennosuke]

"Hills have eyes?" Zach asks scornfully, the pipe finally having found its way back to him. He lights it again and takes another puff, adding, "Hey man, we're not all just dumb hicks out here or whatever. I mean, our parents are all crazy or whatever, but we're not just inbred hillbillies."

Jason chuckles at this, but after his laugh the grin recedes from his face. In dead seriousness he says, "Nah man, Zach's right. But people round here believe in The Wytch, that's for sure. I got a friend who says his dad is even part of some Church group that's dedicated to tracking her in this forest, and making sure she can't leave. I heard she's also a shape shifter, and would prefer to heat humans if she could!" He's wide eyed, and dead serious, if not a little too high.

[Daishain]

Frank shrugs again, "Didn't think you were like that, but you got to admit, so many hoosiers in one place does make it seem more likely for there to be a bunch of inbred hillbillies hiding in the woods nearby. Every town has its rejects."

"Anyways, sounds kind of like this myth might have common roots in an old Native American story I heard about. Skatega... Skade... something, not sure how to pronounce it. Ghosts of evil magic users that refuse to stay dead, and rise at night to kill, eat, and throw curses. Only way to get rid of them is to find and destroy their bodies with fire."

Skadegamutc if anyone's curious about where I got that, the "ghost witches" of the Wabanaki native americans. Probably entirely unrelated to what Benno had in mind but still...

[Bennosuke]

"Bad ass!" Jason says under his breath, the whites of his eyes almost completely replaced with red.

Zach simply sits there, nodding his head as if he already knew the story. But his girlfriend mistakes the look for concern, and making her hands into claws Lydia turns on Zach cackling, "What, are you scared now or something?" She grabs him by both shoulders and giggles joyfully.

"Hey, cut it out babe," he says with annoyance, though he gives her a big smirk to show he's not scared. Turning to Fred he says, "You think they're the same thing? Does this Skade mother grant wishes or whatever?"

[Daishain]

Frank shakes his head at the question, "Not that I know of, but I don't remember them being tied to a tree either. Maybe the legend changed." He grins then, "Or maybe the spirit is trapped, unable to act freely, and using the promise of false wishes to get what it wants."

[Bennosuke]

Zach shrugs and starts to speak, but before he can, Jason excitedly blurts, "That makes total sense. My uh, friend's dad, he said that they trapped it somehow in the forest. He didn't say anything exactly about that it being in the tree... but like wouldn't that be crazy?"

Zach's scowl at being spoken over melts away into a charming yet mischievous grin. "Well then, maybe we'd be doing the town a service by cutting the ****er down, right? Or maybe light it on fire? Wouldn't we be the heroes then?" The suggestion causes Lydia to giggle, and he leans over to start sticking his tongue down her throat.

"Cut it out man," Mitch blurts out, clearly irritated by the suggestion. However, Zach seems suddenly too busy to argue, or even to pay attention to his buddy.

[Daishain]

Frank shakes his head, "Sounds like a good way to get arrested for arson, or maybe pecked to death by a murder of crows. Those suckers looked mean. Anyways, enough about the Wytch I think. Ever heard of the legend of Three Sister's Road? Its an old tale from Nebraska about betrayal and revenge." If the teens don't interrupt him, Frank tells the story as best he recalls.

[Bennosuke]

The teenagers don't do anything to interrupt Frank, though Lydia breaks away from Zach, suddenly curious about the new ghost story, much to the young man's chagrin. As Frank begins, the three teenagers listen with excited interest.

(OOC: Not to drag things on, as I think we are getting ready to end the night/scene, but I think for fun, why don't you give me a Presence + Expression roll for this, take a +1 for good measure)

[Bennosuke]

Though it's not the greatest story ever told, Frank keeps the three teens focused as he tells his story about... The Legend of Three Sister's Road! When it's over, Zach chuckles and throws an empty beer can over his shoulder and announces, "Well ****, not bad not bad." He pulls Lydia into him, and gives her an evil looking face. "Hope that didn't scare you too much babe," he says in a voice meant to sound like Vincent Price. He plants a big wet one on Lydia who turns half jokingly away from his kiss.

Zach stumbles to his feet, and shakes his head out. "**** guys, I think it's time to head back to the camp site." He grins at Frank and Jen and says, "unless you want us to join you two lovebirds," before making kissy faces at the two.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

“Nope,” Jen replied, “I dragged my butt all the way out here to pitch my tent and sleep in it, and that’s what I’m gonna do.”

[Bennosuke]

"Very well then," Zach says with a dramatic shrug. He offers Lydia a hand to help her rise and playfully says, "My lady," She takes his hand, stumbling as well but falling into his arms. The two snog for a moment as Jason and Mitch roll their eyes, and all in all it takes another five to ten minutes before the four young adults stagger away from the campfire, fading into the dark night forest like a bad dream.

The following morning comes on as if the incursion of Zach, Lydia, Mitch, and Jason was a bad dream. As sun streams in through the branches of the trees, the sound of birds chirping from somewhere above trickles into the camp. The camp fire has completely gutted, and there are still plenty of empty and crushed beer cans scattered around, mostly left by Zach and the others.

[Daishain]

Frank rubs his eyes as he gets up, looking to Jen as she crawls out of her tent. "Mornin', hope you slept well."

"Did you want to try and snag a deer this morning? If so we need to get moving right away."

[Thundercracker]

Frank rubs his eyes as he gets up, looking to Jen as she crawls out of her tent. "Mornin', hope you slept well."

"Did you want to try and snag a deer this morning? If so we need to get moving right away."

Jen Gibbs

"Yes, why don't you get everything ready for hunting and, let me clean up the campsite a bit first, nothing like coming back to a dozen beer cans all over the place," Jen said.

"You know, for an attempt at getting away from people, we sure have seemed to attract a lot of them. First that hunter with no clue how to hunt, and then those kids last night eating our dinner," she added.

[Daishain]

Frank shrugs, that arrangement seemed fine with him. He gets out the rifle cases, opening them up for one last check. He'd thoroughly cleaned them before they ever came out here, and they should be flawless, but he liked being meticulous with his tools. Soon enough he has everything gathered that he thinks they'll need, including the camouflaged tarp that he liked to use as a quick blind that goes anywhere.

[Bennosuke]

By the time the two are ready, it is almost half past eight, and the sun has fully illuminated the sky. Frank and Jenn head out, carrying their rifles and gear. The forest was already wide awake, and unlike the day prior, the woods are filled with the sound of animals rushing through the brush and bird chirping high up in the tree tops. The tension of the evening's incursion with the local teenagers is almost immediately forgotten as the two hike through the forest, looking for a good place to set up "camp".

Sorry for the delay. I want to minimized the crunch here, but I think this will be best served with an extended action of sorts. I think a Wits/Dex + Survival/Firearms roll would make the most sense here, and you can use your better stat for the attribute and skill options. Each roll counts as an hour. Goal will be 6 successes for a normal deer, but 10 if you choose to hunt rare black stag (please specify).

While the rolls can mostly be done in the OOC thread, I'm also going to ask that along with choosing your target first, that one of you give me an IC post describing where you decide to set up your gear ect.

[Thundercracker]

Jen followed Frank's lead in finding a decent spot to hunt from, and helped set up the tarp to create a blind before checking her rifle and settling in to wait.

[Daishain]

Frank sets out as soon as they're ready. Most deer hunters would insist they're heading out far too late, but honestly being in place before dawn always seemed excessive. He heads first for the lake, and has them set up a bit away from the deer trail they'd discovered yesterday. Chances are it was used somewhat frequently for the other deer to come and get water.

It actually ends up being the same number of dice regardless of the available combinations, but I think wits/survival is closer to the flavor... and I think Frank and Jenn would agree to leave the magnificent one be.
wits+ survival hour 1 [roll0]
ten again [roll1]

wits+ survival hour 2 [roll2]
ten again [roll3]

wits+ survival hour 3 [roll4]
ten again [roll5]

[Bennosuke]

The two make camp by the lake, bundling up at the tree line so that they have a wide view of the clearing and the muddy grass that leads up to the expansive body of water. They scent the immediate area with a packet of doe urine that Frank had brought, the smell is pungent. By it's very nature, hunting was a sport of patience, and it's almost a two hour wait before a good sized buck saunters out of the clearing. The lithe animal has a short pelt of light brown that almost shines in the morning sun, and a pair of blooming antlers crown its mantle. The deer is maybe a hundred yards away, and as it exits the forest, it stops to look both ways like a child at a crosswalk. Head to the sky, sniffing at the morning air, the buck decides there is no danger and pads over to the water's edge to take a drink.

Frank is still taking sight, when Jen's rifle fires, blasting a small cloud of grey powder into the air. The buck twitches sideways, stumbling against the impact of the rifle shell. It sways but does not go over, instead turning away from the water on shaking thin legs to flee back into the cover of the forest. The buck takes several unstable steps across the mud, but as it tries to gain speed it's legs give out and the deer falls neck and flank first into the grass.

(OOC: Giving Jen the credit for TC's excellent number of successes in the first two rolls)

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

Jen waited for the echo of the shot to fade away, then checked her rifle's safety before slinging it over her shoulder.
"That's dinner for the trip," she said, "c'mon, let's get over there and make sure it's down for good."

[Bennosuke]

Jen and Frank begin racing across the clearing towards the struggling buck. As they come out into the open, it seems to see them, and fumbles back onto all four hooves, though one of them seems to be moving badly. The buck begins limping back towards the forest, almost dragging the left front leg as it crashes back into the brush. The deer was clearly badly wounded though, and was leaving behind a trail of churned up dirt and a splattering of dark red blood on the slick wet grasses.

(OOC: Of course, Wits + Survival + 1 for both of you please. Goal 3 successes)

[Daishain]

Frank nods as Jen makes the shot, "Good hit, lets put it the rest of the way down."

He safeties and shoulders his own rifle, and moves up towards the trail left by the buck, determined to reach it swiftly and end the creature's pain.

On catching up, he would approach from the sides to avoid any last ditch kicking and use a long bladed knife to try and pierce the heart.

wits+survival+1 [roll0]

[Thundercracker]

"Careful," Jen said.
Getting up close to a wounded animal with just a knife could always be unpredictable.

[Bennosuke]

(OOC: Unless someone wants to try with a willpower, I only count two successes.)

Jen and Frank hurriedly begin to follow the trail of spattered blood and muddy hoof prints. At first it is easy to keep on the trail, and based on how bad the deer had been hit it seemed like it could not have gone far. But soon the two find themselves deep within the woods with no sign of the deer's tracks.

The woods here are darker, the branches clawing today to block out the midday sun; thin spidery white trees all somehow almost bereft of leaves. No other part of the forest has been like this. Frank and Jen find themselves standing at the edge of a ravine that must be almost twenty feet deep. Below the mudslide and bramble of tree roots, the river rushes at a furious pace, roaring loud enough to drown out the chirps of the birds, loud enough to drown out almost all other sounds.

As the two shuffle around the edge of the ravine, looking for a sign of the deer, they come across a thin but definite trail of animal bones. The line of crushed skulls and spindly femurs seems to fade back into the forest, but swells to a collected pile at the lip of the ravine, ending where it appears a tree trunk had once been used to cross the river. The trunk now rests precariously at a diagonal stuck in the middle of the rushing creek.

(OOC: Feel free to take an Int + survival roll along with anything else you want to do)

[Thundercracker]

Jen pulled out her phone and took some photos of the trail of bones and the pile, along with the fallen tree and the ravine. The next time someone questioned whether something weird was going on, she’d be ready.

“I don’t think it came this way,” she said loudly over the sound of rushing water.

int+ survival: [roll0]
10 again: [roll1]

[Bennosuke]

There is not much more Jen can gather from looking around. It is hard for her to tell how long the tree trunk had been like that, and how long the bones had been there. As she snaps pictures with her phone, her mind races over what could be happening.

[Daishain]

Frank looks confused, "How the hell did we lose that trail? That buck was floundering like a fish on land."

On seeing the bones he shakes his head, "And even more weirdness with the bones." He looks around, thinking of the last place they saw the trail and how to backtrack.

int+survival [roll0]
ten again [roll1]

[Bennosuke]

Frank looked down at the trail of bones. The pieces of spine and skull and limb were all the same sorts of animals they had found at the tree. And just like the night before, it seemed that the different yellowing pieces of skeleton had only laid of the forest floor for a short period of time. The dirt underneath was still moist, and did not cling to the bones like it would have if the bones had sunk down with the weight of time. Furthermore, just like the bones from the night before, these had only recently been picked clean; knuckle bones still clung together with spidery ligaments.

It also looked like the tree trunk that was laying in the river below had also relatively recently been moved. Frank could see the streak in the bed where it had been dragged.

[Daishain]

Frank takes his rifle off of his shoulder slowly, he lowers his voice a bit as he says, "Whoever messed with the bones and the tree did so recently. Probably earlier today. Lets backtrack, see if we can't find that deer trail again. I don't want to be messing around with whatever this is."

[Thundercracker]

Jen nodded and followed Frank’s lead. The situation just seemed odd, and she unslung her rifle, just in case.

[Bennosuke]

Frank and Jenn turn back the way they came, but somehow nothing looks the same. It has suddenly become much harder to find the deer's trail, which had led them to this ravine. Impossibly, it was getting darker too and it felt like the forest was beginning to close in on the two campers.

So we are going to continue with the antagonistic mechanic stolen from Changeling here, as Frank and Jenn try to find their way back through the woods. Please both of you roll Wits + Survival -2, and your combined successes will be compared to the following roll

[roll0]

[Daishain]

Frank tries not to show it, but he's getting increasingly nervous about this place. Perhaps this whole thing was a mistake.

wits+survival-2 [roll0]
ten again [roll1]

[Bennosuke]

The two walk as quickly as they can away from the ravine and the trail of animal bones. It had been a little before midday when they had entered the woods to track down the wounded deer, but somehow as they march on, the sky seems to darken above the forest canopy. Anxiety stalks the two through the woods like a demon hunter. Nothing seems familiar, and it becomes undeniable that Frank and Jenn are lost in the dark forest. Stars become visible bleeding between the branches, but even their light is strangled and unhelpful.

Suddenly, almost maddeningly even, the two campers find themselves back at the ravine. Not only are the two back at the ravine, but back at the long thin trail of bones! Jenn and Frank have only a moment to ponder what is happening, standing at the lip of the ravine and looking down at the fallen tree trunk, when the ground under them erodes with a sudden boom. The forest floor gives out and Frank and Jenn find themselves tumbling down fast and hard, rolling into the ravine with the rocks and soil and clods of dirt.

(OOC: I rolled for both Frank and Jenn, but Frank has failed his Stamina + Athletics roll and falls hard. He can either take the Arm Wracked, or the Leg Wracked Tilt. Up to you Daishain)

Jenn and Frank are thrown into the ravine, collapsed at the water's edge. The walls of the ravine are steep and the soil too soft to climb. However, the earth on the other side of the ravine seems to rise more gently, and may be more easily ascended.

[Thundercracker]

Jen tried to keep her arms and legs from tangling on anything as they fell, then when they hit the bottom she stopped for a moment, then checked herself over to see if anything was broken. Next she reflexively checked the barrel of her weapon to make sure it was clear as training took over.

“You okay?” she asked into the gloom.

She couldn’t exactly see where Frank was and hoped to follow the sound of his voice.

[Daishain]

Frank groans a bit in answer, then winces in pain as he tries to push himself up. "Wrist's hurt pretty bad, one sec." He pokes and prods at himself for a bit before continuing. "Bad sprain I think, not broken. Still, going to be one handed for a while." He gingerly stands and looks for his rifle, hoping it wasn't damaged in the fall. He'd have a hard time holding it now, but still...

"What in the bloody hells is wrong with me Jenn? I haven't gotten lost like that since I was a little kid in the scouts. And apparently losing track of time too... Am I just going nuts?"

[Thundercracker]

“Something weird is going on, let’s follow this ravine, it used to be a stream at one point right? Has to lead somewhere.”

[Bennosuke]

Jenn and Frank follow the ravine, marching along the nearside bank as the river rushes at a furious pace. They leave behind the fallen log that had clearly been used as a bridge at some point, trudging through soft dirt and pockets of mud, trying their best to keep to the most firm land. The two march along the ravine as it twists this way and that... but impossibly, as Frank and Jenn round the next bend, they come back upon the what is almost certainly the same fallen tree trunk resting diagonally across the river.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

Jen stopped and stared at the tree trunk, then she walked up to it and carved a large letter J in the side with a knife.

“No way that’s the same tree, water can’t run downhill in a circle,” she said, “let’s keep going.”

[Daishain]

Frank is frowning as they come on the site of the tree bridge again. Surely it couldn't be the same, but the more he looked the harder it was to find a difference in the scene...

While Jenn carved up the stump, he took advantage of the brief stop to take a sling out of his first aid kit, binding up his arm so it would be more comfortable.

[Thundercracker]

Frank is frowning as they come on the site of the tree bridge again. Surely it couldn't be the same, but the more he looked the harder it was to find a difference in the scene...

While Jenn carved up the stump, he took advantage of the brief stop to take a sling out of his first aid kit, binding up his arm so it would be more comfortable.

Jen helped Frank fashion a sling, which is infinitely easier to do with more than one hand.

[Bennosuke]

By the time Jenn finishes helping Frank with his injured arm, the sky has somehow darkened as if it were dusk, though it is hard to see the sky above through the thick forest canopy. Above the constant whirring of the river a voice calls out. Perhaps it is too dark to see that far, but it sounds like the voice is coming from the other side of the ravine. "Hello?" the voice calls out high and strained and... strange, "Help?" The voice sounds a little distant, but it is so hard to pinpoint in the darkness, and with the roar of the river right next to you.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

“Hello?” Jen called as she attempted to figure out where the voice was coming from. She tried to find an easy spot to clamber out of the ravine from.

[Bennosuke]

There is a pause after Jen calls out... when the air is only filled by the rushing of the stream. Then she is answered, the scared strained voice perhaps slightly farther away, "Hello? Please help? Hello?"

[Thundercracker]

Jen looked around to see if she could spot the source of the voice, then whether there was a way to cross the stream safely to get to the other side. Her thought was to get a better view from the top of the ravine.

[Daishain]

Frank calls out, "Where are you? Are you injured?"

[Bennosuke]

As Jen studies her surroundings, anxiety beginning to claw at the back of her neck, it appears that the most straightforward means of getting across the river would be by shifting the the tree trunk. It's base and roots still rest on this side of the ravine, and it looks like at some point it had lain straight across the river, though maybe the current had shifted it to lay at a diagonal not fully reaching the other side.

As Jen ponders this, Frank calls out again. The voice replies, still across the river but closer now, it's source still out of sight. "Help! Hello? Here, come here!" the voice sounds strained and desperate.

[Daishain]

Frank frowns, this was seeming... off, whoever was calling out was responding oddly. He calls out again, "Are you injured? Can you move?"

He walks up to the tree trunk and pushes it with his boot, trying to gauge how difficult it would be to shift back into position.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

Jen puts out a hand and stops Frank as he approaches the tree. Something about the voice seems off.

“Wait, who says ‘come here’ when they’re injured?” Jen asked, “somethings not right.”

[Bennosuke]

When Frank checks the tree trunk, it slides easily in the silt of the riverbed. In fact, he finds that there might be a track from which the tree trunk had slid through from a previous position that likely would have gone directly across from bank to bank.

But Jen speaks to Frank, he gets no reply from the mystery voice... or maybe the voice is just too far off and all Frank can hear is a desperate call drowned out by the flowing river and a gust of wind.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

"Where are you?" Jen called out.

She motioned for Frank to stay quiet, and unslung her rifle. The expression on her face was one of extreme suspicion as she strained her ears for a reply.

[Daishain]

Frank nods, suspicious of this whole thing as well, and glad that it wasn't just the pain in his arm making him paranoid.

[Bennosuke]

Perhaps Frank's suspicion was correct about the person calling moving farther away. There was no reply when Jen called out this time, even when the stream quieted, there was no reply to Jen's calling.

[Daishain]

Frank looks to Jen and shrugs, "Either their sense of direction is terrible, or they didn't need help after all. Okay, this trunk can be moved back into position, but if it slid before, it probably will again, I'm not sure we can trust it to stay put, and I'm going to have a hard time swimming like this. I'm thinking we could take it the other way though, pull it on around and climb it to get back up the bank to where we came from. Less chance of getting even more lost that way... I think."

"We've got a fair bit of rope, I think we can probably find a branch and use that to haul up one end. Sound like a plan?"

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

“Works for me,” Jen replied, “what do you want me to do?”

[Daishain]

Frank tilts his head, "First bit would be to haul that thing the rest of the way to this side of the water. Are you comfortable climbing out a few feet to get the rope looped around the trunk?"

Frank's plan, roughly speaking:
-Jen climbs out on the log just enough to be able to loop the rope around the big log.
-Use said rope, and probably a tree, Jen and Frank work together to pull the thing so its entirely on the near shore.
-roll the log into a good position near the ravine wall they fell down
-Weight the rope, toss it over an appropriately placed tree branch, then retie it around the thin end of the log
-Use the rope to haul the thin end up until its resting up against the ravine wall
-Jenn should then be able to climb up out of the ravine, using both the log and the rope.
-While at the top, she should be in a good position to help Frank do the same in spite of his arm

Of course, none of this is helpful if the ravine wall is too high for the log to reach, and/or the log is too heavy to be moved by two people even with good leverage...

Plan B would involve basically skipping to step 4, and instead using the rope to try and bodily lift one of them up without the log. Should be able to at least provide enough lift to make it much easier to climb. Easier setup, tougher actual climb...

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

"Eh, I think I can handle it," Jen replied as she attempted to visualize what Karl was suggesting and exactly how she was going to pull it off.

[Bennosuke]

Jen sets out, following Franks' instructions, struggling to bring the log onto the river bank.

(OOC: Let's keep it simple. Jen is primary and Frank is secondary. Please give me a Str + Stamina roll at -2 each. I believe the Arm Wracked Tilt applies an additional -3 modifier for Frank but I'm away from book at the moment. Any successes for Frank add more dice to Jen's pool. And don't forget about the ability to add 3d10 with a WP)

[Daishain]

Frank sets himself to pull as best he can, using his body and legs.


Str+stam-2 [roll0]
ten again [roll1]

[Bennosuke]

The going is slow at first, and Jen almost loses her footing as she climbs out onto the wet log. Her boot slides out from under her on the slick, almost slimy bark, and there is a moment of near instant terror where she can feel herself going over and into the river.

Fortunately, calamity is avoided and Jen is able to catch herself, before completing the task of tying the rope to the tree's spear-like end. After this, it is mostly Frank's patient instruction that gets the two through the lengthy task of pulling it out of the river and onto the muddy bank. Then they must lever the tree trunk up against the ravine wall, struggling to get the rope over a nearby overhanging branch. It takes several throws before they successfully get the rope over and taught. It's exhausting work playing tug of war to get the tree branch up against the ravine, creating a makeshift ladder, and by the time the work is complete, both Jen and Frank are exhausted, stained with sweat and spattered with mud. By now all light has gone out of the sky, and the two are forced to use flashlights as their source of light. The rush of the nearby river has become comforting, a constant in the otherwise unknowable and near impenetrable darkness. Then Jen begins the laborious process of climbing up the tree trunk, going limb over limb with her weighted camping pack, till she can finally pull herself up and over onto the forest floor above the ravine.

But something changes when Jen finally makes it; the forest goes completely silent. Even the constant roar of the water on rocks goes mute. Her flashlight shines down on Frank, but he seems so so far away. Down in the ravine, Frank can see his companion standing up above, her lit flashlight creating a yellow and charcoal silhouette against the blackness. If either calls out to the other, the sound is terribly distant, and warped, like an echo bouncing off of a cave wall. Jen still has the rope and can begin the process of pulling Frank up, if she so desires.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

"What the..." Jen thought as she pulled on the rope.
She repeated the curse like a mantra as she tried to get Frank up and out of the ravine as quickly as possible.

Something was wrong. Something was definitely very wrong. Had she accidentally been slipped some drugs or something? Was there something in the air?

[Bennosuke]

Between Jen and Frank's effort, there is no significant difficulty in pulling the man up out of the ravine. When Frank struggles to the top, he is greeted by the same eerie silence. It is near completely dark, but you realize as you look around that somehow you are not on the same bank of the ravine that you were when you first feel in. The trees here are too low and more tightly packed. The forest is almost claustrophobic here, strangling inward. But there is a trail, a narrow sort of path that might have been created by an animal or perhaps an old stream.

[Thundercracker]

Between Jen and Frank's effort, there is no significant difficulty in pulling the man up out of the ravine. When Frank struggles to the top, he is greeted by the same eerie silence. It is near completely dark, but you realize as you look around that somehow you are not on the same bank of the ravine that you were when you first feel in. The trees here are too low and more tightly packed. The forest is almost claustrophobic here, strangling inward. But there is a trail, a narrow sort of path that might have been created by an animal or perhaps an old stream.

“Weird,” Jen said, “that tree looks almost exactly like the other one. Is it me, or is it hard to hear the river from up here?”

[Daishain]

Frank shakes his head, "Not just you, this is definitely weird. All right, so we need to get our bearings again, or at least find someplace with shelter. There's a couple of distinct mountains we should be able to see from anywhere in the park given a clear view, if we can get to where they're visible, we'll be able to place ourselves on the map."

[Bennosuke]

As Frank raises his flashlight up towards the skyline looking for mountains, his beam falls upon the something tangled in one of the nearby trees. Is it bones? From afar it looks like a small figure maybe made out of tied together sticks... or something.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

"Okay, I don't want to know what that is," Jen said, "let's just get out of here."

She ignored the figure and kept looking for mountains, or any landmark aside from the nearby trees.

[Daishain]

Frank mutters as he keeps moving, "Looks like some sorta fetish to me. More crap related to that witch of the woods thing probably."

[Bennosuke]

Jen and Frank start to move cautiously into the forest, desperate to identify any landmark that might help them navigate. But to their dismay, as they keep going, they find a second figure strung up in the trees... then a third... then a fourth. These poppets are mostly in the same form, a two pronged branch strung up in the shape of an upside down Y, crossed on it's longest limb by a single straight branch. These "fetishes" as Frank called them seemed to be appearing more frequently as the duo walked deeper into the forest, and yet nothing was appearing as familiar.

Then the voice returned, this time closer, clearer, "Hello? Are you there? Help! Please help!" There was something jarring, almost grating about the voice of this mystery person; it was high pitched, the words pronounced in a sibilant screeching voice. It made the hairs stand on end, it made one want to run as fast as possible in the opposite direction.

[Thundercracker]

Jen stopped as she heard the voice call out again.

No way was it the same person from the river... this was some kind of ambush or something.

She put her back against a tree, crouched, and just looked and listened to see if she could pick up any clues about the voice, if it was masking some other sound perhaps. The weight of the rifle was comforting in her hands, and she slowly flicked the safety off.

[Bennosuke]

Jen threw herself against the tree, moving suddenly, her body remembering the thrill of combat. Her eyes search the darkness as she plays her flashlight across the tree line. Her ears pricked to pick up the slightest of noises. She hears nothing but the sound of Frank's breathing, and maybe the rustle of his cloths. She sees nothing... until her flashlight plays on the branches immediately above her head. Strung out in on the tree's gnarled limb are multiple of these wooden fetishes. The strange strung up dolls seem to reach down for Jen, and she can feel her stomach do flips, seeming to reject what she is seeing.

As Jen casts her flashlight about the tree line, she sees that somehow they have come to a part of the forest festooned with thousands of these poppets hanging down from the branches.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

No one person put all of these up; who knows how many people were living in the woods. Had they stumbled on some kind of weird cult? If they had, they definitely knew exactly where they were because of their flashlights.

“Hello?” Jen called, trying to get a direction on the voice, “where are you?”

[Bennosuke]

There is a long pause... silence. Then the strange voice, "Hello? Over here! Please help!" Jen had the mad thought, that it was like someone had taught a goat to speak. The consonants and syllables were all there, but it was as if the sounds had no meaning to the speaker! Jen was fairly certain she could point in the direction the voice had come from.

[Thundercracker]

There is a long pause... silence. Then the strange voice, "Hello? Over here! Please help!" Jen had the mad thought, that it was like someone had taught a goat to speak. The consonants and syllables were all there, but it was as if the sounds had no meaning to the speaker! Jen was fairly certain she could point in the direction the voice had come from.

“Ok, I’m coming, don’t worry!” Jen called.

She looked up, was there any moonlight or ambient light they could see by?

[Bennosuke]

The night was somehow pitch black. The trees were not so close together that they should be blocking out the sky, but there was nothing beyond the trees other than a black, lightless, hungry void.

[Thundercracker]

The night was somehow pitch black. The trees were not so close together that they should be blocking out the sky, but there was nothing beyond the trees other than a black, lightless, hungry void.

Jen Gibbs

Jen moved to where Frank was and looked around for a good spot to sit and wait in the dark, maybe some undergrowth or something they could hide in.

"Feels like an ambush," Jen whispered, "Long as we're using flashlights, they'll be able to see us from a mile away. On three we turn off the lights and head over to those bushes, quiet as we can. We'll wait there until our eyes adjust and see if there's enough light to see well enough to get out of here without turning them on. OK?"

[Daishain]

Frank nods, really not liking the idea of hiding in the dark right now, but trusting Jenn's instincts. She was the soldier here after all.

[Bennosuke]

The two move away from the voice, crouching low till they can find what maybe feels like a safe place. No other sounds can be appreciated in the dark as the two move, taking shelter under another tree. The ground here is damp, the soil soft, but dotted with what feels like hundreds of quarter sized slick rubbery prominences. It takes a moment to realize that the forest floor here seems to be covered... no littered with mushrooms.

After several very very long moments, the voice comes again. It's the same voice, but this time it seems to come from somewhere else, "Hello? Please come! I need help!" Another long moment and the voice comes again, but this time from some other part of the forest and this time much closer, much louder, "Please help. Help me!" Impossibly, there were no other sounds in the forest; no crunching of leaves, no foot falls, no sound of someone breathing right behind you, hands reaching out for your neck!

As the two stay still, the voices continue to come, each time from a different direction and a different proximity. Still no sign of anyone else in the forest, other than the voice. But as the chorus comes, first from this way, then that, it becomes harder to remember which way the two came from. Which way was the ravine?

It slowly becomes easier to see, though that means maybe being able to see shapes on the ground immediately around you, and dark shapes up to five feet away. Trees surround the two, and it is clear that most of them are strung up like candelabras with the strange stick figures.

[Thundercracker]

Jen stuffed some of the mushrooms into her pack. Maybe they were trippy mushrooms and she was actually hallucinating. Then she grit her teeth and stayed quiet, hoping that if she wasn’t hallucinating, whatever was out there would move away. If it knew where they were, it would have closed in by now. If it didn’t, turning on their flashlights would give away their location instantly. She strained her ears to hear footfalls amid the calls for help.

[Bennosuke]

In between the please for help, Anna can hear nothing. No foot falls, no breathing, no wind, no animal sounds; NOTHING.

[Thundercracker]

In between the please for help, Anna can hear nothing. No foot falls, no breathing, no wind, no animal sounds; NOTHING.

Jen tried to get comfortable in the little space they had beneath the bush. If she was hallucinating it was better to wait it out then try to wander off through the woods in the dark. Other than that, a bunch of speakers or a drone or something calling for help couldn't actually harm her. She'd stay awake all night if she had to, until the sun came up and she could see what was out there...

[Daishain]

Unable to properly hold his rifle, Frank keeps his hand on his knife, and stays close enough to Jenn to feel her presence and avoid separating. This was freakish beyond belief, and the idea that they'd been drugged somehow was seeming more and more likely.

[Bennosuke]

Complete and utter silence falls over the forest as Jen and Frank bundle together in their little shelter. The crying voice stops out of nowhere, leaving the two campers in near total darkness. Deprived of sight of anything farther than just a few feet, and with a maddening silence falling over them, both Jen and Frank quickly become aware of the scent on the stale night air. It is not overpowering, but the woods are filled with the scent of wet rotting wood. It is like the earth and the trees are all moist with decomposition. With little other stimulus, the scent seems to slowly grow stronger and stronger, as if spores are unavoidably invading their nostrils, filling their lungs, worming deep inside of them.

[Thundercracker]

Complete and utter silence falls over the forest as Jen and Frank bundle together in their little shelter. The crying voice stops out of nowhere, leaving the two campers in near total darkness. Deprived of sight of anything farther than just a few feet, and with a maddening silence falling over them, both Jen and Frank quickly become aware of the scent on the stale night air. It is not overpowering, but the woods are filled with the scent of wet rotting wood. It is like the earth and the trees are all moist with decomposition. With little other stimulus, the scent seems to slowly grow stronger and stronger, as if spores are unavoidably invading their nostrils, filling their lungs, worming deep inside of them.

If both of them were healthy, Jen might consider trying to move away, but with Frank injured, she figured it was probably best to wait until morning. Then again, if the mushrooms were really what was causing them to hallucinate, it might be a good idea to get away from them.

She tapped Frank on the shoulder and leaned in close so he could easily hear her.

"Stay or go?" she whispered as quietly as she could into his ear.

[Daishain]

Frank blinks rapidly, trying to clear his head, then whispers back, "Go I think, anywhere's got to be better than whatever this is, even just sheltering by that river we left. But we need to pick a direction and keep as straight as we can. Wandering in circles isn't going to help."

[Thundercracker]

Frank blinks rapidly, trying to clear his head, then whispers back, "Go I think, anywhere's got to be better than whatever this is, even just sheltering by that river we left. But we need to pick a direction and keep as straight as we can. Wandering in circles isn't going to help."

"Alright, we're going to have to use the flashlights then, can't walk when it's this dark, we'll both end up injured," Jen replied.

She looked up to try and find any stars to orient herself. Whether she can find any or not, she'll flick her flashlight on, cast it around quickly to see if anything was nearby, then she started leading them, away from the bushes they'd hid in.

[Bennosuke]

The two hikers gather their courage and push into the forest, trying their best to choose a direction that takes them back toward the ravine. Their flashlights seem to be their only light, and somehow the pale yellow light seems to die out at Jenn and Frank's feet. The tree line claws at the sky, blocking almost all the star and moonlight, and making it impossible to find any star by which to navigate. In fact, peering upward only forces Jenn's eyes to fall on the strange stick figures hanging from the branches. The poppets seem to stare back at Jenn, their strange angles causing a painful spasm of nausea to claw at her throat and stomach.

Looking up causes Jenn and Frank to almost stumble over the slumped dark figure on the forest floor. A boot hits the soft heavy body crumpled in a heap. Even in the darkness you can make out a broken human shape, head arms and legs.

The voice returns, "Hello? Anyone? Hello! HEEEELLLLLOOOOO!!!" ringing out; echoing loud enough to fill the entire park with it's inhuman screech.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

"Cover me," Jen said. She fully suspected this thing could be a trap but she couldn't simply leave a potentially injured person in the middle of the forest without at least checking them first.

She knelt down by the body and inspected it with her flashlight alone, without turning it over, to try and get an idea of the extent of the injuries. That damn disembodied voice was going to drive her crazy soon; she did her best to block it out.

wits + medicine(?): [roll0]
10 again:[roll1]

[Bennosuke]

It takes only a moment for Jen to ascertain just what she is looking at. This is a human. Female. Dead. Skinned! The flashlight falls across moist fatty tissue, shiny gristle and underlying strips of ribbed muscle. The body has been stripped perfectly from head to toe; not even lips, or eyelids. It's like a cadaver at the body museum. The stench of the dead body suddenly hits Anna, the heavy smell of blood and fresh meat, forcing her gorge to rise instantly. As Jen stumbles back, she realizes something terrible, this poor stripped thing was Lydia, the poor teenage girl they had met the night before!

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

What the!

Jen stumbled back and cast her flashlight around.

“Keep your head, keep your head,” she thought frantically, “don’t panic!”

On a whim she also checked above them. She forced herself to breathe slowly, to not hyperventilate.

She suddenly wanted to bind her flashlight to her rifle, so she could carry it in two hands and shine a light at wherever she was aiming. Did they have any duct tape with them?

[Bennosuke]

Both players, please give me an Integrity roll of Resolve + Composure +1

[Daishain]

Frank's eyes go wide as he takes in the grisly sight. F***, this was even worse than he'd thought... F*** F*** F***!

Forcing himself to pause and breathe, the normally rather composed man has a difficult time keeping himself together. But after a moment he looks up again and whispers, "Let me handle the light while you get the rifle, call out if you need me to light something up. Let's get the hell out of here."

[Bennosuke]

Neither Jen nor Frank have steady hands as they work together (assuming Jen takes the rifle), but neither individual truly loses control. The beam from Frank's flashlight darts and quivers as he struggles to keep it steady.

The voice continues to call out, but each time it does, it sounds like the source is in a different direction.

Neither Frank or Jen fail their breaking point. They both keep their integrity intact, but must choose either the spooked or shaken condition.

Shaken: Something has frightened your character extensively. Anytime your character is taking an action where that fear might hinder her, you may opt to fail the roll (before you’ve made the roll), and shed this Condition. This Condition can be imposed by a successful degeneration roll.

Spooked: Your character has seen something supernatural — not overt enough to terrify her, but unmistakably otherworldly. How your character responds to this is up to you, but it captivates her and eats her attention. You can shed this Condition when your character’s fear and fascination causes her to do something that hinders the group or complicates things (she goes off alone to investigate a strange noise, stays up all night
researching, runs away instead of holding her ground, etc.).

[Thundercracker]

“C’mon let’s go, anywhere’s better than here,” Jen said.

She led the way forward, based on the way she’d first seen the body.

Jen will take the spooked condition, because that one seems more interesting.

[Bennosuke]

Jen rushes forward, barely even waiting for Frank as she begins marching forward. Her mind is racing faster than her feet, playing over and over the image of the skinned young girl. The impossibility of everything that had happened was enough to drive one mad, but by focusing on what she needed to do, Jen was holding on tight to her sanity.

As she leads, Jen's flashlight beam, shaking though it may be, begins to play on some sort of structure up ahead. Despite any other judgement she has, Jen finds her feet walking forward, closer and closer to bring the mound into view. As she does, the flashlight pulls into view a stooped figure standing before the mound. The yellow light reflects off of the figure's flesh as if her skin were made of some sort of rumpled mirrored glass. The figure looks up at Jen and Frank, round eyes seeming to catch the beam of the flashlight and reflect it back like a wild animal. This time, there is no doubt where the voice is coming from. "Hello, help please!" the voice screeches, forming words without any meaning behind them, the voice of a parrot.

Now Jen and Frank can see the creature's simian form, stooped forward such that it's long limbs nearly touch the ground. It's skin was slick but wrinkled, long heavy breasts aged and withered. For a moment, Lydia's face stares back at the two, before unreality sets in and the two realize that this thing was wearing Lydia's flayed skin like a body suit. The thing throws its head back, mouth slick with black gore, and cackles, long thin arms raising up to the sky.

(OOC: No point in a second breaking point here, but still waiting on Daishain's choice of condition!)

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

"It's like something out of a horror film," Jen thought, "shoot first, figure it out later."

While one part of her brain starting utterly freaking out, her training took over the rest of it and forced her limbs to react.

On instinct, Jen shouldered her rifle and fired at whatever it was that had skinned Lydia and now wore the gore as a costume.


Firearms style 1 - fire first, add firearms skill to initiative, rifle -5 initiative
initiative dex4 + composure 3 + fire first 4 - 5 rifle: [roll0]
attack: [roll1]
10 again: [roll2]
rifle damage = 4

[Daishain]

Frank takes a few steps back, clutching the flashlight hard enough to hurt his hand as Jennifer opened fire, wishing he'd brought a pistol or something he could use in spite of the injured arm.

Taking Spooked as well for the same reason.

[Bennosuke]

The report from Jen's rifle thunderously cuts through all noise in the forest, drowning out The Wytche's cackling laughter, and fills the darkness for just a moment in blazing yellow light. In that moment you can see the overlay where the skin suit hangs off of The Wytche's own greying fetid flesh, her massive owl's eyes reflecting the fiery discharge. The instant is interrupted as the Wytche is nearly thrown off her feet by the impact of the rifle shell. The figure seems to explode into a cloud of dark feathers that gather around her, but as the impossible shrapnel slowly floats towards the forest floor, you can see that The Wytch is still standing, a massive cavity blown into abdomen, dripping black ichor.

The Wytche raises both hands outward, her bony appendages like the long branches of the trees overhead. Jen and Frank can feel heat gathering in the forest, and an airless breeze begins to whip the tree limbs overhead. The Wytche was jibbering something low and incomprehensible in some sibilant language long ago forgotten. Every hair on your neck and arms begins to stand up on end, and the smell of ozone begins to fill the air, as if right before a lightning strike.

(OOC: I'll give you this chance to flee before bad things start happening, though if you want to stay, I'll let you resolve your Spooked condition... and you will probably face another more severe breaking point)

[Thundercracker]

“Ozone comes after lightning,” Jen thought.

Now completely out of her depth, Jen let one hand off her rifle and grabbed Frank’s arm, and ran. Something was coming, and she wanted to find cover behind a large tree or boulder before it hit.

[Daishain]

Frank is stunned for a moment. He'd been prepared for weird inbred cultists maybe, but this... And then Jennifer is yanking on his arm, almost causing him to drop the flashlight. Feet moving more on instinct than conscious control he follows her towards cover.

[Bennosuke]

Jen and Frank flee, simply picking a direction that takes them away from The Wytche, and running. Her strange discordant laughter echoes in the forest, and something like foot falls seem to chase the two. At some point, you think you pass another dead body, but with Frank's torchlight floating this way and that as he runs, you can't be sure, and the two are too too focused on getting away to stop and double check.

For whatever reason, mercifully, the two arrive at the ravine. The shallow bank can be easily descended, and despite everything wrong with navigating in the forest, the tree trunk/bridge is right there waiting for them.

(OOC: Assuming you want to descend down the side of the ravine and cross the tree trunk bridge, please give me Dex + Athletics + 3)

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

Jen's heart pounded in near-panic as they fled through the forest. Whatever the hell that was, it wasn't natural. Nothing could take that kind of wound and stay standing. And that wasn't blood leaking out of it either. Fight or flight took over, and she ran flat out without even feeling an ounce of fatigue. Then the ravine was in front of her.

She slid to a stop near the edge of the ravine and pulled her light out to shine behind her. Assuming she doesn't see anything chasing them, she set it on the ground, still pointing back the way they came, and propped it slightly on a stone or something so it was angled up a little bit, so as not to be blocked by the ground. She then moved into a kneeling position, aiming back into the forest, scanning the trees for any movement.

"You go across first," she said, "I'll cover you, then when you get there set up you light and cover me."

[Daishain]

Frank nods, he didn't like it, but it made sense with his arm. He does his best to keep his balance going across.

Once on the other side, he unshoulders his rifle, finding a branch or rock to rest the end on as he aims back across the stream to cover Jennifer as she makes her own crossing.

dex+athletics+3 [roll0]
ten again [roll1]

[Thundercracker]

Jen slung her rifle and picked up her flashlight to make her way across the ravine.

She focused on putting one foot in front of the other, and tried her best to trust Frank to cover her.

dex+ athletics +3[roll0]
10 again: [roll1]

[Bennosuke]

First Frank, and then Jen are able to make it across the makeshift bridge onto the other side of the ravine. As if it were like stepping through a magic wardrobe, the forest suddenly becomes filled with noise again. The rushing river suddenly comes to life with the thunderous sound of water shifting and moving quickly. The canopy even seems less thick, allowing for bright starlight to shine through and illuminate the forest so that you don't need a flashlight to see what is immediately before you.

Standing now on this side of the ravine, Frank and Jen see a loping deer path that climbs its way up steep bank wall. But far off on the other side of the river, the two think they can hear a mad cackling voice calling out incoherently to them, slowly growing louder!

[Thundercracker]

“C’mon, let’s get outta here,” Jen said, and she led the way up the deer trail, only pausing long enough to make sure Frank is keeping up with her.

[Bennosuke]

Mercifully, the two almost immediately find the deer trail, and are able to start back tracking towards their campsite. If someone checks their phone or watch, they find that it's (or maybe already) a little after midnight. No matter how slowly or quickly the two go, there is no sign of the Wytch, or the nightmare the two left behind, though it is very probable that every noise in the forest causes the two to jump with sudden fear.

(OOC: Are the two going to talk about this, or is this a silent march? Also, are we walking back to the campsite, or doing something else?)

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

"Okay, what the hell was that back there?" Jen asked quietly, "that was totally insane wasn't it? Was I completely tripping, or did that just happen?"

She kept her rifle close and her senses peeled for anything approaching. She was jumpy, and she knew that was dangerous, but given what had just happened, she figured it was a miracle she wasn't tearing through the woods screaming in terror.

"You saw me shoot it, right? Dead center, that would have dropped a grizzly," she said, "and it just laughed at us."

[Daishain]

Frank slings the rifle over his shoulder again, he'd dearly like to hold onto it, but couldn't do much with it on the move, so...

He tries to stop his hands from trembling as he says, "I... I don't know. I'd say we had a really bad acid trip or something, but I've never heard of two people seeing the same things while on a bender like that. Lets get out of here and clear our heads."

[Bennosuke]

It is not too long before the two find their way back to the camp. As far as they can tell, the site is undisturbed. Their tents stand in flimsy defense, the smell of last night's campfire still hangs warm and welcoming in the air. As far as the two campers can tell, they are safe; though at the same time, one can't help but recognize how vulnerable they are with their tents out in the middle of these dark woods.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

"Do you want to pack up and drive, like right now?" Jen asked.

"Or just drive and leave the tents?" she asked, "because I'm kind of torn."

[Daishain]

Frank hesitates, looking at the tents. "Lets pack up first, use the activity to focus a bit. If we've been drugged I'd rather find out for sure by taking too long untying knots than by wrapping the truck around a tree."

[Bennosuke]

Trying to pack in the dark by flashlight is slow, frustrating work; and it does not help that Frank only has one good arm. Any time a bush rustles with the sound of a scampering critter, or a bird hoots overhead, the two are momentarily shocked with fear.

But the dark night is never split by the sound of the Wytche's cackling call. Instead, just as the two are nearly finished, the light of a flashlight peers into the campsite like a terrified yellow eye. A shaking desperate voice calls out, "Hello? Please tell me you're there! Please!" The voice sounds like Mitch, frightened out of his mind, coming from behind the yellow beam.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

Jen has kept her rifle on her at all times, and that slowed them down even more, but no way was she letting her weapon go, not with that thing out there and who knows what else.

When ranger Mitch came walking up, she immediately thought of another trick. She dropped to a knee and brought her rifle up.

“Mitch? Is that you? Stop where you are, shine the light on yourself, right now,” Jen said. Her voice sounded tight and panicky, even to herself.

[Bennosuke]

"Ah, yeah, sure," Mitch's voice squeaks. The yellow eye of the flashlight lifts, turning into a column pointing shakily skyward. The beam illuminates the gaunt face of the park ranger. The boy's eyes are two round white circles, a rictus mask of terror pressed into his face. Mitch's hands were shaking, causing the flashlight to quiver this way and that, lighting his face in an almost strobe effect, and his teeth were chattering, causing the boy to appear to shake and twitch violently in the darkness. Seeing Jen's raised weapon and her combat stance, he shrieks, "[B]Please, don't shoot me! Oh god.[/B" ]

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

Jen pulled the barrel of her rifle away and flipped the safety back on.

“Relax, I’m not gonna shoot you, but there’s something out there, and as soon as we pack up these tents, we’re gone,” she said.

“You’re coming, right? Grab that, throw it in the trunk,” she said as she continued packing as fast as she could.

She could figure out his story later.

[Daishain]

Frank is still trying to awkwardly haul his rifle with one arm into position as Jen handles the issue, he hesitates before putting the rifle back up, but then follows suit, "You saw something too huh? Come on kid, help me get this damn thing on the tailgate."

[Bennosuke]

Jen pulled the barrel of her rifle away and flipped the safety back on.

“Relax, I’m not gonna shoot you, but there’s something out there, and as soon as we pack up these tents, we’re gone,” she said.

“You’re coming, right? Grab that, throw it in the trunk,” she said as she continued packing as fast as she could.

"Oh god," Mitch shrieks as Jen lowers the aim of her rifle, "you saw it too didn't you."

Rather than following Jen's command and coming over to help, the boy just stands there shaking, his hands so out of control that he actually drops his flashlight.


Frank is still trying to awkwardly haul his rifle with one arm into position as Jen handles the issue, he hesitates before putting the rifle back up, but then follows suit, "You saw something too huh? Come on kid, help me get this damn thing on the tailgate."

"It... it got Zach and Lydia. Oh god, it got both of them. I... I ran, I just ran. Ran as fast as I could. Don't know how I got out. Oh god, I left them." Mitch drops to his knees, trembling hands moving to cover his face.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

The image of the skinned girl swam across Jen’s vision, and she angrily forced herself to keep packing.

“You wanna end up like them? Keep packing,” she thought.

She redoubled her efforts to get everything in the car, and when they were done she looked to Mitch.

“You coming?” she asked.

[Daishain]

"Not the time to break down kid. Survive, and then panic when you can breathe. On your feet Mitch. We've got things to do." Frank doggedly hauls the cooler he'd been hoping for health with up with one arm, keeping moving so he doesn't have to think himself.