Hi Everybody,
Hold onto your hats for Episode 4 of Dark Things - Grand Master- Richard Burd.
Adventurers
Ivor as Emlyn, John, Kitty, Paul and Wendy - they are currently in the adventure doing stuff that Emlyn does not know about yet.
Character Sheet:
Emlyn Cadoc
Settings:
Rules: d20 rules Interaction: ‘Go
for it!’
Profession:
Reporter at the Wyndham Whistle
Player:
Ivor Cogdell
Description:
Young with an innocent smile. Aged 23, Male.
STR:
14 DEX: 15 CON: 14 INT: 14 POW: 13 APP: 11 SIZ: 13 EDU: 12 MOVE: 9
LUCK: 11 SAN: 65 MP: 13 HP: 13
Attacks:
1 Punch
Punch:
(-1 to hit) doing 1d3+1d4+1
Skills:
Photography 60%, Acting: 50%, Writing: 60%, Credit Rating: 50%,
Dodge: 57%, Drive Auto: 20%, Brawling: 45%, Welsh Language: 21%,
Advanced English: 20%, Library Use: 40%, Research: 70%, Gather
Information: 40%, Diplomacy: 40%, Sense Motive: 40%
Equipment:
Smart office suit, boots, notebook and pen, wallet with about £20
and the keys to a Land Rover! Fire extinguisher CO2 (next to the seat
in reception), Press card, bottle of water
Turn
4 – The Gathering Storm – June 1983
”What
in Shadrack’s knightmares have we gotten into this time?”
you wonder as you look around at the developing situation.
“Eh,
Colonel Coffey, Sir” you ask as you move toward the seated Colonel.
“Always
butter up the brass, works wonders.”
You think as you stand opposite the military officer.
“Excuse
me, I don’t know if it’s relevant to the situation, but Marion
here”, you nods towards her, “said there has just been a break
in. I saw some sort of shadowy figure down the hall, another worker,
Thomas is missing, I presume barricaded into one of the hotel rooms,
but we have not heard anything from him.”
At
this the officer jumps to his feet, lifts the radio to his mouth
shouting ‘Confirmation Tango rear of hotel. Alpha Hot! Alpha Hot!
ETA Majestic Land One? Over!’ He draws a pistol and moves to look
along the corridor and the three soldiers lift their weapons,
assuming a battle ready posture.
You
note that the Police Officer leaps to his feet, with baton drawn he
moves against the wall seeking what little cover exists still tapping
his baton.
You
move back toward Ram and look at your mate, “You had me worried
there, kidder. I thought you had got caught in some sort of
explosion. We heard some sort of a bang, didn't we?”
Marrion
nods and mumbles, “I think so. Yes“
Ramsay
looks at you and whispers so that the nearby Police Officer can’t
hear. ‘We went over to the wreck as quickly as we could. I assume
they were crew climbing out of the wreck. They seemed to be wearing
some sort of silver pilot suits with helmets. There were 3, one ran
off around the back of the bar and grill, really fast but the other
two were looking at us.’
‘Then
that idiot officer drew his gun and shot at one of them, for no
apparent reason! Next thing I know is that I got dizzy, everything
went black and then I’m here. I have no idea why he fired on them,
what a fool. Hope we don’t get arrested for shooting at military
personnel!’
The
last thing on the Colonels mind seems to be water, so you ask Marion
if there is any available. She nods and collects bottled water from
behind the reception desk and shares it among you all.
“What’s
your name Officer? How are you feeling?” you ask the constable who
stands weapon drawn peering down the corridor alertly.
‘I’m
Tom Edgar. Your friend needs his eyes checked! Those things on the
wreck, they’re not normal. Is it normal for two military jets to
fire on one of their own? I saw it from the upper window of a house
in Crawl Ley. They shot it down! These things are hostile I tell
you!’
‘Oh,
and my wounds, my bad leg, cut face. Some maniac pushed me out of the
window when I was watching all the action. It’s a miracle I’m
still alive! What the hell is happening, Professors from the Eye and
their families going missing, pushed out the window, then this!’
‘Watch
your back, there are strange forces at work here and that Colonel
knows it!’
‘Hey,
baboon boy’ he shouts at Ram, ‘Where is my gun!!!!’
Ram
snaps back ‘You must have dropped it when you tried to kill the
crew, you psycho!’
Marion
moves toward the Colonel, holding out a set of keys ‘Colonel, this
might help. Last I knew all the doors are locked and this is a spare
master key set. Please be careful, Thomas is back there I think!’
You
follow Marion and take the opportunity to ask, ”Colonel, can you
tell us what on earth is going on here, please? All those gasmasks,
guns and shooting, this is no ordinary plane crash.”
He
just ignores you as he takes the keys and says into the radio ‘Echo,
Ultra, move my location now, Over’ An instant response ‘Roger, on
way, over’. His strategy is clearly just to ignore you.
Sir,
I appreciate that this may be a, shall we say, a sensitive, matter.”
You add.
You
pause and produce your PRESS card, “For an exclusive story, I can
be very tight lipped, until you give me the word otherwise. It always
helps to have a friend in the press when they are handing out medals
in the Honours List.”
You
think, ”let’s
see what he makes of that.”
He
mumbles ‘You’re one of them. Well, we’ll be soon joined by
someone with the authorization to throw more light on the situation.
Hope you don’t have plans for this evening?’
Two
more soldiers burst into the reception and move like a pair of cats
to your location. The Colonel hands the keys over to one of the
soldiers and they join the soldier in the corridor and slowly move
their way along the ground floor opening each door and then checking
the room beyond. Always two soldiers check the hotel room, one
covering the other, while the third soldier watches the corridor,
always concentrating on the service door.
You
sits back down with Marion and Ram, while Tom remains standing, “I
could do with something stronger to drink, but water will do”. Ram
quickly replies ‘Yes, me too. We’re next to a pub, so close yet
so far’
‘Such
a shame’ adds Marion, ‘they only opened today and this happens.’
You’re
not sure that it’s the mention of the bar and grill or just sheer
chance, but you now become aware of a quiet tapping from the dividing
wall that is shared with the bar and grill.
Ramsay
smiles ‘My days in the navy have not gone to waste! That my young
friends is Morse code’
...
--- ... / .-- - ..-. / .... . .-.. .--.
The
tapping pattern repeats and Ramsay laughs ‘I think someone next
door wants some help!’
The
soldiers are now at the last door, the door that leads to the service
area. They kick open the door and all three raise their weapons in
preparation!
One
shouts, ‘He’s here, man down. Securing area, will advise’ and
with that all 3 troops move through the door which bangs closed
behind them.
Then
the Colonels radio crackles to life ‘Subject, male, white, mid
40’s, comatose but alive. He seems to have some sort of black
object in his throat. We’re going to need a trauma team. Over’
Marions
eyes begin to well with tears ‘No! It must be Thomas……’
Then
the radio comes alive once more ‘The back door, service entrance
has been forced from the outside. No sign of Tangos. Shall we exit or
hold? Over’
The
Colonel quickly responds ‘Secure the door, hold what you’ve got.
We’ve got friendlies on the way! Over’
‘Roger’
comes the short response.
Then
the radio imparts even more information ‘Majestic Land One ETA 5
minutes, coming in hot, over’
The
Colonel smiles grimly and finally turns his attention to you ‘Don’t
worry Ma’am, helps on the way and I’m sure Thomas will be well
cared for’, he then looks at you adding ‘and questions will be
answered’. He then moves back to a location where he can see the
end of the corridor, next to one of his men and turns down the volume
on his radio.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Turn
4a – The Gathering Storm – June 1983
As
you take a brief rest and recover from the recent mad turn of events,
the exterior reception door opens allowing the biting wind to enter
the cozy hotel interior.
Into
the room walks a large bronzed figure, a mountain of a man!
The
guard at the door backs off, raising his weapon, but not pointing it
at the newcomer. ‘Where
the hell did you come from?’ asks the soldier on duty at the door
as he backs away with weapon at the ready.
He
directs the new comer to join the rest of you.
For
a moment you think the large fellow might be the source of the
tapping from next door, but you can still make out the repeated
tapping noise continues.
Options
It’s
clear that this new guy isn’t a member of the armed forces and may
have some knowledge of what is going on outside. In turn he may want
to be brought up to speed. He’s something of a mountain of a man
and would most certainly come in handy should physical intervention
be required.
The
Colonel and his men haven’t heard the Morse code message and the
tapping of the Police Officers baton now makes sense and you note
that he is tapping his baton on his holster to cover the sound of the
message.
Do
you tell the Colonel or keep the message a secret?
Marion
wants to go see Thomas her manager and help with the first aid kit!
Tom,
the Police Officer – still tapping his baton is eyeing the exit,
where only one soldier is on guard duty. Tom whispers ‘I reckon we
could get young Marion to draw that soldier’s attention whilst we
sneak out! He’s on his own and I reckon we could make a run for the
pub’
‘Run
for the pub’ says Ramsay, ‘Aye, that is my sort of plan, right enough, but what
about Marion?’
‘They
won’t shoot innocent civilians’ responds Tom, ‘What you
reckon?’ he asks you directly.
Sometimes
no action is a good action, but is awaiting the arrival of Majestic
Land One a wise course of action? Maybe this new person will help
throw some light on what is going on.
This map originally came in possibly next turn, but I thought I would pop it in here.for clarity. (Note: North is down on here, reversed compared to the other maps later.)
------------------------------------
Ivor Cogdell
Dark Things Copyright 2020 (C) Richard Burd. All rights reserved.
