[Scenario 1] The Edge of Darkness

[Stirling]

Miss Faversham

"We're going to look quite a strange bunch wandering around here. Lets' decide quick. Anyone come with me to check out the church?"

Jasmine will go see if the church is open and the Rev is inside.

[MI70]

Jed
Jed will stop at the store to get some gas (and a small mirror ) and casually inquire about the farm and any strange events around town.

[coil23]

Hyacinth Ausby Hudspeth, antiquarian

I'll go with you to the church, Miss Faversham. We may get to hear of any history or recent happenings that could help give us direction.

[ken-do-nim]

Alrighty, let's get this show on the road. In this case, to Ross's Corners. (Um, I think it should be Ross' Corners, but I always see it as Ross's Corners in the book.)

Ross's Corners is a hamlet a few miles west of Arkham. Sounds like you guys are driving, though just so you know, there's a bus option. The bus route is Arkham to Worcester and back each day, with 80 cents fare. The bus stops at Ross's Corners shortly after 10 AM on the way out and shortly before 2 PM on the way back.

When you arrive at the hamlet, you find it consists of a few tired buildings and homes. The prosperity of the old farms has long been in decline. No more than 40 people live here. A church and a combination general store, post office, gas station, and milk depot are the community's centers. Do you want to stop in town to purchase supplies, gas, or ask questions, or do you want to go straight to the farmhouse? You can see that Boone Road runs north out of town, and the farmhouse is about a mile and a half up it.

By the way, I'm assuming you started off the next morning, not the same night that you heard the tale, did all that research, and loaded up on goods. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[gaylord500]

Aloysius Taft

Someone around here might have heard something about the place we're going to. Or do we want to be even more low key than that... Just in case?

He peers and the milk depot and general store, and considers perhaps buying something eat.

[Scott308]

Elmer "Big City" Ramsey

We should prob'ly pick up any supplies we'll need. And I'm going to get a nice, cold glass of milk.

[geomys]

"I'll talk to the shop owner while you sample the milk."

[gaylord500]

Aloysius Taft

Aloysius will head over to the church/general store, after a quick glance in his wallet. Should have taken the brown bag, like Zelma offered.

[ken-do-nim]

... Alrighty, where were we, lemme see ... ah yes, stopping in town.

********************

Miss Faversham

"We're going to look quite a strange bunch wandering around here. Lets' decide quick. Anyone come with me to check out the church?"

Jasmine will go see if the church is open and the Rev is inside.

He is not, though Jasmine and Hyacinth see a man praying fervently in one of the pews. His lips are moving in silent prayer.

Jed
Jed will stop at the store to get some gas (and a small mirror ) and casually inquire about the farm and any strange events around town.

Jed, Aloysius, Elmer, and Archie enter the general store. There are 3 customers and a proprietress here. You find them an exceptionally dour and unsmiling lot. Psychology rolls:

Jed: 100, failed
Aloysius: 74, failed
Elmer: 24, failed
Archie: 47, failed

Wow, okay nevermind. Their demeanor is probably just ordinary small town Yankee reticence.

Jed and Archie introduce themselves to the proprietress, who tells them her name is Ma Peters. She cocks an eye to your inquiry of 'strange events' and the farm, stops what she's doing, and asks, "What business is our town of yours? The farm is owned by a Mr. Merriweather over in Arkham whose done nothing with it except pay taxes for it, everyone knows that. The children say it is haunted, but if you ask me that's a whole load of rubbish. Now, what events do you think are going on around here, hmm?"

Hint: here's where you can use skills like Fast Talk, Credit Rating to make some purchases in the hopes of loosening tongues, or just try role-playing with color.

[Scott308]

Elmer "Big City" Ramsey

Elmer purchases a few supplies Jed was not able to procure from his house (I assume he was not able to get everything on his list but do not know specifically what supplies we still need) as well as a quart of milk, drinking it all down without stopping for a breath. This way, he can return the bottle immediately and not pay the deposit. Looking at the logo printed on the bottle, he asks Ma Peters, This is from a local farm, right? Milk is always so much better when you are able to drink something locally. I live in Boston now, and the milk there just ain't the same as when you get it right from the farmer. The farther the milk has to travel, it seems the worse it tastes, don't you think? Heck, I like a glass of cold milk right out of the icebox almost as much as anything, but it is by far the best if you can get it straight from the cow. I didn't care much for gettin' up in the mornin' to milk the cows, but I sure did like getting that first taste of milk to start the day! As I got a bit older, Pa had my younger sister do the milkin' seeing as she didn't drink near as much of it as I did. Plus, she wasn't much help with the hay bales. Guess that kinda came natcherly to me. He smiles at Ma Peters. My name is Elmer, Ma'am. I'm sorry if my friends said somethin' wrong. We are friends of Mr. Rupert's, and he passed recently. At this, he removes his cap and stares at the floor for a few seconds before replacing it and continuing. He had some things he wanted for us to take care of out at the old farm now that he is gone. We didn't mean to cause no offense.

Credit Rating 15%: [1d100] = 41

Elmer may not have the funds to try and purchase all the supplies he grabbed.

[MI70]

Jed

Jed will piggyback on Elmer's lead and help the young fella with his purchases out of the cash he brought. Adding some fresh produce to his purchase of the mirror, he adds:
"Yes indeed! Nothing like fresh off the farm. I've got a place not far myself and nothing compares to what we grow right here. The young man is right, ma'am. We didn't mean no offense. We're just coming up to help settle the Professor's affairs, may he rest in peace, and wanted to make sure that there weren't any squatters up there before we went up. That might be what the children saw and thought was the work of ghosts. Ain't right to take a man's property or to scare kids neither. We'd sure appreciate anything you could tell us." He adds a fresh apple on the top of his purchases.

[ken-do-nim]

Fast talk for you both ...

Elmer: 38
Jed: 73

Didn't think either of you would get the roll But still, the flattery about fresh milk was a nice touch.

Ma Peters replies, "I'm sorry to hear about Mr. Merriweather. Squatters; yeah that's a possibility. Now I'm glad that old Mr. Merriweather put his farm into the hands of such polite folk as yourselves. We do have very fresh milk in these parts." You can see her demeanor changed considerably. Then she motions to draw the two of you closer. "Now, " she whispers, "tell me what you're really out here for. Does it have to do with poor Maggie? Is she in some kind of trouble?"

If you'd made the fast talk roll, she'd just spill the beans, but as you see with role-playing you can still get the info you need.

[Stirling]

Jasmine Faversham

Jasmine will enter the church, quietly so as not to disturb the man at prayer. See will look around the place casually, "Hmmm Hyacinth, I must say I am more used to those colourful happy-clappy places, you now a bit of fire and brimstone and lots of waving alleluias'. Chicken jerky bar-b-ques afterwards were all the rage."

Jasmine will flick through any loose pile of books, odd Bibles and hymnals. Looking around how is the church decorated? Tapestries of harvest scenes and fresh flowers or dire scriptural warnings of apocalyptical doom? Is there a pulpit and font, altar area?

As is her way, Jasmine will probably (un) intentionally kick over the tambourine or knock a pile of books over.

"oh...err, excuse us please, I was looking for the Reverend Father, I thought he might be about?"she says to the praying man if he turns around. Moving a little closer, can she hear what he is mumbling?

[Pulpatoon]

Dr. Pale watches with awkward bemusement as the others spread out and begin interacting with the town with such confident purpose. At the hospital he felt so in charge—but here, among strangers and... the working class, he feels lost at sea. He fumbles around with the buttons of his coat for a bit, trying to look busy. Eventually, he settles for walking up and down the street, peering into storefronts and generally looking around the place.

[coil23]

Hyacinth Ausby Hudspeth, antiquarian

Hyacinth sticks close to Jasmine, feeling awkward while the two wait for the praying man to notice them. She hates to disturb him during worship.

[MI70]

Jed

Realizing that fast talking is really not his thing and not remembering a Maggie, Jed tries to play it pretty straight and still get some more information.

"Frankly, ma'am, I don't rightly know, though some of my companions may. We came about the house, but it has a troubled past so it might be linked to any other troubles around here. I'm not at liberty to say more, but I can tell you that the Professor wanted us to get up here fast to make sure that nothin' bad happened to the good folk round here. We'd like to put things right so anything you can tell us, we surely would appreciate. Professor Merriwether passed awful sudden and we're all tasked with honoring his last wishes. Ev'ry man oughta have a chance at redemption and putting his affairs in order, they say."

[Scott308]

Elmer "Big City" Ramsey

He frowns upon hearing Ma Peters' question. I'm sorry, Ma'am, but I don't know who Maggie is neither. Is there some reason you think she might be in trouble? I'd really like to try and help her if I can.

[geomys]

Archie decides not to crowd the woman. He steps off to one side and eyeballs the other customers.

[gaylord500]

Aloysius Taft

A snack procured, Aloysius proceeds to eat it at the front of the general store, keeping a close eye on the store patrons and wanderers on the street just outside.

[I'm LARPing this weekend and may not be able to check much.]

[ken-do-nim]

Gosh June was a blur!

Jasmine Faversham

Jasmine will enter the church, quietly so as not to disturb the man at prayer. See will look around the place casually, "Hmmm Hyacinth, I must say I am more used to those colourful happy-clappy places, you now a bit of fire and brimstone and lots of waving alleluias'. Chicken jerky bar-b-ques afterwards were all the rage."

Jasmine will flick through any loose pile of books, odd Bibles and hymnals. Looking around how is the church decorated? Tapestries of harvest scenes and fresh flowers or dire scriptural warnings of apocalyptical doom? Is there a pulpit and font, altar area?

Nothing particularly concerning here. Usual church layout.

As is her way, Jasmine will probably (un) intentionally kick over the tambourine or knock a pile of books over.

The praying man looks up.

"oh...err, excuse us please, I was looking for the Reverend Father, I thought he might be about?"she says to the praying man if he turns around. Moving a little closer, can she hear what he is mumbling?

"He's ... not here at this hour."

He goes back to praying; you try to listen ... (I guess she has the standard 25%?) ... 01. Wow! Jasmine clearly hears his prayer, with a success roll like that you get every detail!

Dear Heavenly Father, please return Maggie to me. I know she doesn't have a perfect church attendance record, but she's a good person. Keep her safe from whatever that thing was. Don't let it ... harm her. I know it's got her ... please ... help us in our time of need. Sobbing ...