DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Horror ACS: Achtung! Cthulhu - The Black Sun ACS: The Drop

[OOC: Vyrx has it correct. The farmer is busy in the dark and rain herding cows. He won't notice them unless the PCs choose to approach. How you decide to handle the locals is entirely up to you. As traditional with a situation like this, you might have some who dislike the Nazi oppressors or other sympathizers. It could go either way.]

Jean-Jacques Lupien

Jean-Jacques set out to find a stealthy way to stick to the hedgerows south and west to the further treeline as the Captain ordered. He knew they'd need to stay out of sight of the town but that farmer and his cows were on the same side as their unit and lightning lit them up like a spotlight. Maybe that barn could be cover. Or maybe...

"Captain," Jean-Jacques whispered to Swann, "What you think about that old fermier? If he sees us, he might know no better than to start shooting or calling for help. But maybe somebody talk to him and get him to keep quiet. If he's a partisan, maybe the nice way or if not, maybe the other way?"

Jean-Jacques Lupien Agility + Stealth, target 11, (focus Rural Stealth 2)
Vryx rolled d20,d20 and got 6, 5
Agility + Stealth: 2 Successes (+1 Momentum)

Jean-Jacques Lupien Insight + Obervation, Target 10, (focus Instincts 2)
Vryx rolled d20,d20 and got 19, 13
Insight + Observation: 0 Successes



((OOC I realize if you want to spend Momentum on extra d20s you have to declare it before rolling them! So, nevermind if you saw the extra roll.))

[OOC: Finally spotted the reference. Doesn't change Isabella's actions. She will look for something to camouflage or cover the car slightly better.]

As the troops sneak away from the farmlands leaving the farmer to his herding of cows in the dark and rainy night.

They sneak their way along the roads but sticking to brush cover as they are able. They might watch the woman drive off in her car as she takes a circuitous route towards the south.

As they travel they note that most men and beasts don't want to be out on a night like this. At one point there is another flash of lightning and thunder rolls almost immediately as it blasts above them. As it does so they all feel a cold chill, a veritable wave of fear passes over their skin.

These soldiers are seasoned, but even this particular effect takes a few by surprise.

Soon they come to the south of the village, seeing fire damaged farms.

[OOC: This time the mental attack is 2. Those with courage of 1 a resistant to some of the effects, but almost everyone feels it for a bit. By the time they reach the burned out farms, they are recovered though.

What do you do when you arrive at the cluster of burned out farms?]

Jean-Jacques Lupien

Jean-Jacques led the small contingent from cover to cover across the fields and farms surrounding Saint Sulac, years of experience avoiding U.S. Marshals and Border Patrol agents in the deep woods of Maine and the rivers of Vermont and New Hampshire, now supporting the activities of the government.

When he felt the physical proximity of the lightning flash and subsequent boom of thunder, though, even he was shaken somewhat.

"Non naturel," he muttered to himself, hurrying his steps to get to shelter as soon as possible.

When in close sight of the burned out farmstead, he pulled out the field glasses to check what he could make out from cover, as the others joined to take a brief rest to shake off the chill of the strange storm, Private Gregg hiding the lit end of his cigarette in a cupped hand to shield it from view.

Jean-Jacques checked for Isabella's car in addition to any activity in or around the farm.

A careful survey of the area he can spot her with her car hidden slightly by the foilage she has applied.

Looking around Jean can spot signs of battle. There are obvious bullet marks through some of the still standing boards. The area looks as if it has intentionally burned so that it can't be used for anything else. There are no signs of any life.

Swann

He has his field glasses out as well, looking over the farm area and the surrounding fields and woods for any sign of a trap.

{Isabella}

It was cold out, and the sudden shiver down her spine didn't help. Isabella waited for the others to arrive, remaining vigilant with her shotgun ready if needed. There would be little talking her way out of this particular spot if found by the Nazi's.

"Wo ist der Widerstand?" Isbella wondered under her breath.

As Isabella and Captain Swann look over the area both come to the conclusion that a firefight happened here. But no one is hiding here now. That is why the buildings are burnt to the ground. The Black Sun troopers made sure no one could use the places again.

Captain Swann as an experienced officer understands tactics and can see both sides and their thinking. He also imagines that if any resistance soldiers survived the battle here they would have sought refuge in buildings that are still standing or fled. Maybe to the North of town where they just came from?

They will have to seek help from the locals or search farm to farm on their own.

The real question will be which way to go about it?

{Isabella}

She continues to wait for someone to appear. Resisting the urge to have a cigarette or a sip from her flask, she glances at her watch.

Jean-Jacques Lupien

"Orders, Captain?" asked Jean-Jacques. "I see the Austrian but not nobody else."

Swann

"It looks like our contact was made. I see no sign of our contact unless there is a basement. We need a quick recon to be sure. Volunteers?"

Jean-Jacques Lupien

"I go," Jean-Jacques said with a shrug. "The lady already know me, eh? And maybe Corporal Walker and the doggie, eh? Maybe he smell out our friends."

Walker

"I am happy to do a search for survivors. Maybe there are bolt holes that we can't see from up here."

{Isabella}

To stay warmer, Isabella nestled into a crook where two charred wooden beams met, their once sturdy form now buckling into a warped embrace. The scorched remains of the barn whispered of the chaos that once reigned, the air still holding the acrid tang of wet burned embers. A cold draft snuck through the splintered planks, carrying the biting scent of frostbitten earth and something more with an iron tang.

She drew her hunting cloak tighter around her slender frame. Each breath formed a ghostly wisp in the frigid air, the stillness so pronounced that the sound of her breathing seemed like an intrusive rustle in the overwhelming silence. The cold bit through her gloves, numbing her fingers as they pressed against the damp, soot-covered ground, the texture gritty and abrasive. The shotgun resting in the crook of her arms.

Isabella closed her eyes, seeking the warmth from within, the calm center of her being. As she inhaled deeply, her senses began to stretch beyond the immediate sensations of cold and discomfort. The distant howl of the wind through barren fields became a gentle hum in her ears, a stark contrast to the silence within the barn. She could discern the soft, uneven patter of a solitary rat's paws as it scavenged through the debris, the tiny heartbeat a rapid pitter-patter in the quiet.

The faint creaks and groans of the barn settling became a language she understood, the building's lament, its resilience, and its fatigue. Each groan was a story of a day under the sun, a night under the stars, of laughter and life now extinguished. The scent of burnt wood, a poignant reminder of loss, was underlaid with the subtler, sweeter hints of hay that had been stored for a winter that would never come.

Her metaphysical senses unfurled like nocturnal blooms, reaching into the ether for the familiar strands of Aramis’ life energies. The air around her seemed to vibrate with potential, charged with the latent power of the earth and the unyielding spirit of those who had Resisted. In this space between breaths and being, Isabella found a profound connection to the land and her cause…

The sounds of heavier movement broke her reverie. She swung the shotgun around that direction.

Isabella saw them approach the big Canuk and a tanned woman commando with a dog at her side. The dog is sniffing the air and ground as it comes nearer, not seeing Isabella as a threat yet.

Isabella's senses told her that the scorched Earth policy had worked. Nothing was living within the range of her feelings.

Assuming the trio does a fairly thorough search, they and Crook, the pet associate of the Aussie commando, all confirm there are no survivors in the burnt-out remains of the several farms.

It is now entering early morning, and the rain has not slowed. They have a few more hours before false dawn will approach and make their activities easier to spot.

They will have to seek help from the locals or head back west and north, doing a farm-to-farm search on their own to locate the resistance operatives if they still live.

Or they will have to press on blindly with greater risk.

Jean-Jacques Lupien

Jean-Jacques, Walker, and Crook made their way up the muddy slope to the farm. Jean-Jacques had noted Isabella disappear from view inside the scant shelter of the burned out barn. A nod from the Australian Corporal told him she had seen as well.

When they got close enough, Walker and Crook moved to the farmhouse remains while Jean-Jacques crossed to the barn. Upon entering where he'd seen the Austrian woman, he found himself face to face with the end of a Winchester 12-Gauge.

His chuckle was low and menacing, a small thunder amid the greater tempest. "Now, that's a loud boy that probably make us all dead real soon even if you shoot someone not so nice like me." He hefted the logging axe in his hands. "Night work is for quiet work, n'est pas?"

He stepped back to the other side of the pointless doorway. "So I don't see no Aramis, eh? I don't see no nobody. You think they got 'em? Or maybe they pull up the stakes when they see the torches coming. That's what you got to do sometime when trouble find you, eh?"

He paused as he watched the shadows of Walker and Crook explore the farmhouse. Memories came back to him of a red firelit night and the carnies hustling to save what they could and get the wagons going. The smell of recent burning of a place that had had the stink of life never sat right with him.

Looking around, he didn't get a sense of there being a hidden bolt hole in the barn or house.

"Maybe that farmer with the cows saw something. Captain didn't want us to talk to nobody but hey, you don't report to him, eh?"


((OOC: Clarifications, please? Does "no survivors" mean there are corpses? Or No sign of people at all? No scents for the dog to track?))

As they explore the burned out remains of three different farms they begin to pick out what they thing is the order of events. The troopers cornered some foes in the first farm, burnt it to the ground chasing the survivors to the second farm. They repeated their tactics on to the third. Though there are cellars and other possible hiding places, they all were thoroughly exposed and explored.

Corporal Walker is masterful with Crook her canine companion. The pair work as a team, swiftly exploring and following scents. As they cover ground a few things are apparent. There are no corpses, they must have been taken away because even in the heat of the fire some sign should have remained.

The battle started farthest south and progressed north and east. The battle was swift moving but still took a hour or more.

It isn't until the last burned out ruin of a barn that Crook latches on to a scent. He begins to drag Walker excitedly more north westward. Jean spots a possible reason why there is a sign of fresh blood, the splatter indicating someone was running the direction Crook is heading.

Crook gets 3 successes. Because he is an NPC, no momentum is banked, but all three are used on the roll. Crook knows exactly where the blood trail leads and is taking them to it, assuming they follow the dog.
Crook Tracking Scent
Pandemonium rolled 1d20,1d20 and got 4, 2

Jean-Jacques Lupien

Jean-Jacques turned to Isabella. "Looks like our good doggie's on to something, eh? You want to come along?"

He signaled to Swann and the others to come out as well and follow where Crook led them.

Swann

He had been keeping an eye on them and nods at the signal, motioning to move out and moving slow and steady in the shadows toward his men.

{Isabella}

"N'est pas." Isabella had to smile a little and nod an acknowledgment when the big Canuck noted the ruckus shotgun would have caused. So she was pleased not to need to use the weapon and relaxed with it. She continued to watch him, unsure if she trusted any of them yet and sure that they didn't trust her. Isabella was considering his proposition to talk to the farmer when the dog picked up a scent.

"Best to leave him alone. He would only become a target if the Black Suns have started herding the locals." She responded in English as they followed what was clearly a blood trail. Isabella started to consider their options without the support of Aramis and the resistance. First they would need to find shelter for the day. Her contact at the inn would be of little help to handle a squad like this.

[OOC: sorry for the delay - very rough week.]

Their trip is less stealthy this time around, but Crook leads them north and east away from the Chateau. Eventually they cross a small rise and spy a cluster of three farm buildings together.

With Crook's help, it is easy to identify which building is the best choice to search, it is an old farmhouse with a cellar door that they have to search a little bit to locate. It has been obscured by debris that have fallen due to the heavy rainfall.

Isabella spots a bloody handprint, which is silhouetted in a lightning strike flash. The bloody handprint is on the door and bloodstains on its stairs.

If one of them listens for sounds, they might also hear an occasional cough from the cellar someone is in.

Swann

"Weapons at the ready. Will he recognize you?" he asked their contact.

{Isabella}

It had been a longer trek than expected following the dog. And while geared for hunting, Isabella was sure that her Canadian friend was amused that the Austrian's boots were now muddied and her blonde hair was starting to stick to her face. The leader of the squad, Captain Swann had been the briefest of introductions, directed a question her way as the others locked and loaded their weapons.

"Yes. Aramis and I have met before." She nodded, realizing that it also meant that she should go first. Isabella edged forward. "And I know other passcodes for the local resistance. Perhaps it is best that I don't have this in hand." She gave her shotgun to the captain and headed down the stairs. As she made her way, Isabella idly fiddled with the necklace and amulet at her neck. She knew someone was injured below, she needed to start gathering her powers to help them - just as she had with her sister. Just as she always did.

Jean-Jacques Lupien

"Hey," Jean-Jacques breathed to Isabella. "You know they gonna be a little froggy if they just got shot up and burned out. They don't gonna see me but I pull you out if there a problem."

He moved very quietly for a large man at her side like a musky shadow and pressed his back against the stone basement wall in the darkness next to the door, axe in hand.