(CoC) A Test of Faith - IC

[Lycan 01]

A Test of Faith

Mr. Lyver and Rabbi Harav have run into some trouble on their trip. Their car can barely stay on the road, its tires losing traction in the mud that was once a dirt highway. The rain shows no signs of letting up, pouring down in sheets while lightning forks vibrantly through the darkness above them. All around them thunder roars over the wailing wind, and the storm is only getting worse.

But as the rain briefly lets up for a moment, a small light can been seen atop a hill in the distance, further up the road. As the darkness is suddenly illuminated by a nearby lightning strike, the outline of a building flickers in the distance.



Spot Hidden rolls to know what sort of building it is...
Drive Auto roll to get to the building by staying on the road...
Walking is also an option... :smallwink:

[Xsesiv]

Rabbi Aaron Harav, a greying-haired, long-bearded, compact man, looks out the window at the building. An unusual sight, this building, to be sure, and he has seen a lot of things he shouldn't in his fifty-five years. "That looks a bit strange..."

Spot Hidden 25% [roll0]

"Don't recognise it. Shall we go and take a look, my friend? It isn't as if we are likely to make much progress in this weather, anyway."

[littlebottom]

"i feel i must agree, Aaron. im going to take it slow up there though, this roads dangerous." the driver replys. as the thunderbolt hits, it illuminates him just enough to tell he has short black hair, and is rather void of musscle. his cloths are not suited to the weather, he has a white shirt on, with plane black trousers, fortunately he had his coat. though that was not much comfort in this storm.


roll for identifying building, spot hidden : 25 [roll0]
roll for driving (specifically said im going slowly, so hopefully we dont die already. even if i mess it up. drive auto 20 [roll1]

[Lycan 01]

Mr. Lyver recognizes the outline of the building in the distance as that of a church. A small two-story chapel, with a belltower on the back side of the church. The lights appear to be filtering through several stained-glass windows, and there are a few smaller windows near the back of the church up on the second floor, beneath the belltower - supposedly the location of the preacher's study.

Between trying to see the church, and the severity of the weather, Mr. Lyver is barely able to keep control of the car. It eventually loses traction on the road, however, and skids into a ditch about 100 down the road from the church.


Driver Auto test to try and get the car unstuck
Conx7 test if you choose to walk to the church

[littlebottom]

drive auto 20 [roll0]

"ill give it some gas, see if i can get it out before we walk it in this weather."

[Lycan 01]

With the driving talents of a rum-running bootlegger, Mr. Lyver manages to not only get the car out of the ditch, but expertly drive it up the hill without hitting even so much as a small bump. With expert handling, he swerves the car to a halt just feet from the church's front door.



You may now do whatever the heck you want. Good luck, gentlemen. :smallwink:

[Xsesiv]

Rabbi Aaron exits the car and walks up to the church. "Heh, a church. Not my favourite place in the world, I must say, but it offers us a bit of refuge - do you think anyone's in?"

[littlebottom]

Noah steps out of the car locking it hurredly with anything he could lay his hands on that would be usefull to use as a makeshift umbrella. he holds it over his head. "well its a church, they proberbly wont have locked the door if someone is in, so its worth a try." Noah attempts to get the door open to get out of the rain.

[Lycan 01]

As the rain pours down on Noah, he discovers the set of double doors to be unlocked. It cracks open slightly as he pulls on it, and a sliver of dim light emerges from the gap between the doors.

[Xsesiv]

"Someone must be in," thinks Rabbi Aaron out loud, looking through the crack in the doors. "Or maybe they just left the lights on. Better to check. Hello? Sir? Madam? We don't mean to intrude. Is anybody there?"

[littlebottom]

"its tipping it down, we go in now, if they want us to leave, then we leave, but atleast get out of the rain."

noah pushed the door open and stands just inside the doorway out the rain before looking around.

[Xsesiv]

"Alright, but I don't feel right going into holy grounds without permission. Even if it is..." Aaron follows Noah into the house and shakes the drips off his rabbi hat.

[Lycan 01]

Pulling the doors open, the two men step into the doorway to get out of the rain. But it seems that by stepping out of the storm, they've stepped into Hell itself.

The interior of a church is that of a simple Protestant chapel - two rows of pews on either side of the sanctuary, a pulpit at the front with a choir box behind it, a high vaulted ceiling, and tall stained glass windows along the walls. However, there are things within this house of God that do not belong. The whole chapel is aglow with the light of hundreds of white candles of various sizes, all lining the pews and clustered on and around the pulpit. Behind the podium stands a tall, slender man, the glow of the candles illuminating yet shadowing his aged and gaunt features. His arms are raised, and his old yet surprisingly strong voice echoes within the building in a foreign tongue. Two women in nun habits, one young and one old, stand at either side of him, holding up crucifixes.

However, the thing that stands out the most is the red cross painted on the floor in front of pulpit, and the small crowd of people clustered around and on top of it. They are a middle aged man and woman, and a young man - the men have on overalls and plain shirts, and the woman has on a simple plaid dress. They all appear to be sopping wet, and their legs and shoes are muddy. However, there is a fourth person in the group - a little blonde girl in a white nightgown, who's being pinned down by the people on top of the painted cross. Her head is facing towards the doorway, the middle aged couple holding down her arms, and the young man pinning down her legs.

As the old man bellows in a strange language, and the group of people struggle to restrain the little girl, she thrashes and struggle to get free while crying and whimpering. As she tilts her head back, she notices Mr. Lyver and Rabbi Aaron standing in the doorway. She shrieks, and begins to scream out to them: "Help me! Help me please! My family's hurting me! The old man is scaring me! I don't know whats going on! Please, help me!"



Sanity Check for entering a house of God and instead finding some sort of ritual in progress. Pass/Fail result is 0/1 San Loss.

Do whatever you want. Running is an option...

[Xsesiv]

[roll0] SAN 55

Rabbi Aaron goes berserk. He pulls out his pistol and drops his coat on the floor. "Oi! What are you doing? What's all this?" he roars at the people at the other end of the chapel, rushing towards them, gun pointed.

[littlebottom]

sanity

"what the hell is going on here?!" noah says in fear. he stands there a moment, with mouth ajar and pure shock and terror across his face. eventually the addrenaline gets too much and he snaps. he charges towards them, and grabs the girl in an attempt to pull her free from the people holding her down.

whatever you want me to roll on [roll]d100

if successful, i will run with the girl to the car and attempt to escape.

[littlebottom]

sorry rolls dont work in edits, d'oh. [roll0]

[Lycan 01]

Everyone in the church turns their eyes towards the duo entering the sanctuary, except for the old man, who continues rambling on in what sounds like Latin. The young nun and middle aged couple's eyes are filled with fear, and the younger man and older nun both look angry. As the Rabbi draws his gun and storms towards the alter, Noah races to the girl's aid. He grips her shoulders firmly, and attempts to wrench her from the mob's grasp. However, his hands are still slick with rainwater, and when he pulls she slips from his grasp. He finds himself staggering backwards, and he barely avoids knocking Rabbi Aaron over.

"Stop this nonsense, you fools!" the older nun snarls. "The girl lies!"

"Her body and mind are possessed by an evil spirit!" the younger nun exclaims, her voice tinged with fear.

"They're lying!" the little girl cries, her expression one of abject fear and terror. "Don't listen to them! Help me, please! I don't want to die!"

"Leave my sister alone, demon!" the younger man roars, struggling to keep her thrashing legs pinned down.

"Pleeease!" the little girl shrieks, looking into the two men's eyes. "Save me, misters!"

[littlebottom]

"if all of you value your lives, stop this ritual, explain what is happening! then if your intentions are good and this girl really is possessed, then i shall do nothing to stop an exorcism, so there is no harm done, otherwise we are forced to kill you all, just to prevent all possible bad outcomes from this!"

noah is feeling lost for what to do other than this at this moment.

[Xsesiv]

Rabbi Aaron speaks Latin. What is the old man saying?

Rabbi Aaron can't think straight with everyone shouting over each other. How, so, is he supposed to work out what is going on? He pushes Noah aside as he slides into him. "Calm down, Noah. And the rest of you. We need to know what's being said here." For now, Aaron keeps his gun drawn and aimed in the group's general direction. His gut instinct is to fire on the people holding the girl down, but for now he doesn't, just in case they are telling the truth. Stranger things have happened. He has seen them.

[Lycan 01]

"We cannot stop, you fool!" the older nun barks. "If Father Ibram halts his prayers for even a moment, the ritual will be interupted, and the daemon will regain full and total control over her!"

"She's gotten stronger and stronger since this thing first got into her!" the young man holding her feet down yelps, struggling to keep her legs from kicking. "One minute we're having dinner, the next moment she's speaking a weird language and stuff starts floating! We carried her here as fast as we could, and even with the Priest's prayers, she's getting stronger! So unless you idiots want to help, I'd suggest you just leave before you get in the way!" he growls.



Latin roll to understand his archaic speech.

[Xsesiv]

Because there is such a thing as non-archaic Latin?:smallconfused::smallwink:[roll0] Latin 60%

Rabbi Aaron takes hold of one of the girl's feet, ostensibly to help, but really to check whether she is much stronger than your average little girl.

[Lycan 01]

The Rabbi attempts to hold down on her legs, only to find that she is barely able to put up any resistance. Perhaps the strength they speak of is being drained by the ritual? Or maybe she's just a weak little girl after all? At any rate, the Rabbi is able to divert his attention to the Latin. Sure enough, it sounds like an exorcism, as the Priest proclaims that the power of Christ is supreme, and no foul daemon can stand against Him. Father Ibram, as he is apparently called, beseeches God to save the young girl, and that the Enemy will lose its hold on her spirit.



Strength test optional, to try and hold down the girl just in case she tries anything. But she feels pretty weak. Occult roles might prove handy as well, if you want to try...

[Xsesiv]

Rabbi Aaron does not forcibly hold her down. He just lets go. Even if this is an exorcism, which it seems to be, it's a Christian ceremony, and he can't take part.

[roll0] Occult 65 <How perfect is that?:smallbiggrin:

[Lycan 01]

Just as the Rabbi lets go of the girls leg and rises to step back, her foot lashes out and strikes at his face. Her heel, a blur he can't even keep track of, comes to a halt less than an inch from his nose. If the blow had connected, his nose would have been struck with enough force to pulp the cartilage structure within it, and probably knock him out instantly. "Fools..." a deep, echoing voice croons sarcastically from nearby. It sounds like two voices - a young girls, a throatier, darker male tone - speaking together at once with bone-chilling harmony. "You shouldn't have gotten involved."



Sanity checks, fellas. Results are 1/1d4. :smalleek:


Littlebottom, please make a Spot check.

[Xsesiv]

[roll0] Sanity 54
Sanity loss if failed [roll1]

The Rabbi stops and stares for a second or two - then raises his gun, aims at the girl's head, and pulls the trigger.

[roll2] Handgun 65

[littlebottom]

sanity [roll0] pass

spot [roll1] fail

[Lycan 01]

The family screams as the weapon fires, the gunshot echoing through the chapel, barely audible over the roaring thunder and wind outside. The bullet strikes the girl in the dead center of her forehead. However...

It merely bounces off.

The little girl throws her head back and laughs, a deep, throaty, unnatural chuckle shaking the air around her. The bullet, having ricocheted off her forehead, tumbles through the air, an unaimed projectile of death. And unfortunately, Mr. Lyver is in the center of its unplanned path.



0/1 San Check for seeing a bullet bounce off a girl's face

Littlebottom, make a Dodge roll please, or suffer [roll0] damage.

[littlebottom]

sanity: [roll0] fail :smallfrown:
dodge: [roll1] noooooooooooooooo i failed by 1 :smalleek:

heres hoping i roll well:smallcool:

[Xsesiv]

Sanity 52 [roll0]

Rabbi Aaron's eyes widen in fear. Apparently the girl is immune to gunshots. What can he do, at this point? He backs away down the aisle, gun still readied.

[Lycan 01]

The bullet tumbles through the air, striking Mr. Lyver in the side. It rips through his shirt, tears into his flank, and imbeds itself between two of his ribs. The wound is not fatal by any means, however, and is essentially a flesh wound. It still hurts like the Devil, though...


"Shooting a little girl? You should be ashamed of yourself... Hah hah hah hah!!" the little girl cackles with a voice not her own.

"Did you really just try to shoot our little girl?!" the older man holder her down roars, struggling to restrain both the girl and himself.

"If you want to be helpful, there are better ways to do it!" the older nun snarls.

"Oh yes, I'm sure these fools can find some way to be useful. They're already doing a good job of killing themselves, which is sure to save me some time and effort..." the daemon-possessed child quips.

[littlebottom]

noah yelps in pain. his body beginning to fill with panic after seeing the bullet that bounced off the girl embed itself within him. (if the bullet is still right at the surface he will pull it out, if not, he will just apply pressure to the wound)

"aaron what light are you showing us infront of the christians?"

[Xsesiv]

"Is that really all you can think about?"

Rabbi Aaron continues to back off.

[littlebottom]

"no, i was just trying to take my mind off it you idiot! now you made me think about it again!"

[Lycan 01]

The bullet is lodged deep. It could possibly be removed by hand, but not without risk.


First Aid to try and remove it.

I need you guys to decide what you're gonna do before I go further. You want to try and help, stand back and watch, or make a run for it? :smallconfused:

[Xsesiv]

I've said. Rabbi Aaron continues to back away, gun trained on those at the altar.

[littlebottom]

"maybe we should get out of here and get help? i could get someone to tend to this wound then too."

[Lycan 01]

"If you want to leave, leave," the nun growls.

"Yes, yes! Run like the cowards you are!" the little girl quips with a mocking voice not her own.

"If you want to stay and help, though, you can at least make yourselves useful..." the younger nun quietly adds. "There are a few things that might help speed up the sacrament..."

[littlebottom]

"Dammit aaron! RUN! she deflected a bullet with her skull, we need to get more help!"

[Xsesiv]

"Will you just shut up?" Rabbi Aaron roars at the scrawny nun, pointing at her in a most threatening manner with his pistol and continuing towards the door, not once taking his eyes off the girl or the others.

[littlebottom]

noah sees aaron heading for the door and makes his own way out, and dashes over to the car in an attempt to stay relatively dry. he turns the car engine on ready to go.

[Lycan 01]

Noah manages to make it outside, the doors opening easily for him. The storm outside is at full strength, the rain pouring and the wind roaring. Making it to the car, the car engine starts up as lighting forks across the sky overhead. He can either wait for the Rabbi, or drive for his life...

Rabbi Aaron is still inside. All eyes are upon him, except for the little girl. She is simply staring at the ceiling, a content smirk upon her face. "Leaving so soon, Rabbi...?" the voice croons from her lips.

[littlebottom]

"HURRY, GET IN YOU FOOL!" Noah shouts from the car through the storm in the hope he can hear him.

Noah keeps his foot over the gas, ready to drive at a moments notice.

[Xsesiv]

"Um...yes." Rabbi Aaron hurls himself out of the door and into the car, using the back door if necessary to get in as soon as possible.

[littlebottom]

Noah drives, he makes his way onward, the way we were originally going past the church

do i need to roll for that? [roll0]

[littlebottom]

sorry, i keep thinking the system is like gurps :S

[roll0]

[Lycan 01]

The car's wheels dig into the mud, but eventually gain traction. The vehicle lurches free, and the two men quickly drive off into the night.



A few days later, both men discover a horrific article on the front page of their local newspaper. A quiet little church near a small town up North was recently the site of a gruesome murder. Several people were brutally slain, their bodies dismembered and mutilated almost beyond recognition, and their blood used to paint strange marks and Satanic symbols on the walls and floor of the church. The bodies were eventually identified as those of the priest and two nuns who served at the church, and the bodies of a local farming family. However, the youngest daughter of the family was not found in either the church or the family's home. Authorities believe it to be the work of a Satanic cult, with the daughter being kidnapped for profane purposes.


Rabbi Aaron and Mr. Lyver realize that it was the same church they passed through on that stormy night, just days before...



SANITY CHECKS!! :smallbiggrin:


Not my fault ya'll drove off... :smalleek:

[Xsesiv]

[roll0] Sanity 52 :smalleek::smallsmile:

Rabbi Aaron buys one of the papers right away.

[littlebottom]

"dear god. that little girl did all that?!"

sanity [roll0]

noah faints instantly.