Call of Cthulhu 1890s England IC, The Yorkshire Horrors

[littlebottom]

Reverand decides to follow a lead previously ignored, and decides to check out the old church.

[Xsesiv]

The Church of Starry Wisdom is reached by a side road off the main highway. The road is overgrown and, in parts, nonexistent. The greyish land is desolate for miles around, with no sign at all of human life. The first thing noticeable from this distance is that the belfry is completely boarded-up. The church is surrounded by a rusty old wrought-iron fence holding no trace of any paint it may once have held and interrupted only by an iron gate leading to an overgrown path which in turn leads to the church door, which faces south. On the east is a small graveyard and to the northeast is a single large tomb. On the west is a clump of brambles wrapped around dead dry bushes and trees. The church sits in the centre of an open plain but to the west and north are patches of forest, so that it is not visible from the manor. A mile to the east looms the hill with the standing stones, and behind that, the Cleveland Hills. Some tens of yards west lies a small tributary of the River Swale.

As you approach, you see the words carved in wood above the door; Catholic Church of Starry Wisdom (Formerly the Catholic Chapel of St. John the Baptist).

[littlebottom]

Reverand enters if that is possible.

[Xsesiv]

There is a hideous squeak as the gate opens, then you have a choice of entrance; as the windows are boarded up, you can enter the front door or a side door. The front door likely has heavier locks.

[littlebottom]

Reverand tries out the side door first (along with whoever else is actually still playing in this game?)

[Xsesiv]

The side door needs someone to oppose STR 18 with either STR (battering) or SIZ (charging) on the resistance table.

[littlebottom]

hey, robert? do you think you could get through this door somehow?"

[Xsesiv]

"I'll try."

Robert backs up and charges the door.

50% chance of success (d100)[21]

The door bursts open and you are on the stand at the front of the church, where services are held. A new-looking book is on the podium (strange, as this building was desanctified nearly three centuries ago). Opposite is the vestibule, containing the front door, two interior doors and a ladder, and between you and it are a pair of railings androw on row of pews.

[littlebottom]

reverand inspects around the place... but asks robert to look at the book...

[Xsesiv]

Reverend James sees that there are no owls, no blown leasves and no dog dung everywhere, despite the glassless windows. The place is clearly in use. The cracks between the floorboards amply reveal that there is a basement of some sort underground. The left door leads to an office, unused for years, but the right door is locked with a STR of 18, and the trapdoor to the belfry is nailed shut with a STR of 20.

The book is no Latin Bible. It is a copy of something called the Necronomicon, translated into English from the original by somebody called John Dee. Just skimming the book to get the gist of it is enough to give him a loss of (d10)[3] Sanity points. When Reverend James next looks at him, this huge, hardy man is hunched in a corner, smeared with his own vomit and rocking back and forth.

[littlebottom]

"what the hell happened to you? and i MEAN hell..." as reverand runs over to robert.

[Xsesiv]

"The...book." Robert wipes his mouth, and points at the white book on the altar with a pale, shaking finger covered in sick. "I wasn't meant to know the stuff in there...I know that..."

[littlebottom]

"my god... the book must be destroyed! it is clearly a book against nature, against god himself!" reverand walks towars the book and shuts it without looking, grasping only a corner, he takes it outside, before promptly filling it with several rounds from his shotgun and burning it. after it has been burnt, reverand collects the ashes, and loads them into an empty shotgun shell, and fires them into the sky.

[Xsesiv]

The book is utterly obliterated.

[littlebottom]

"william? can you go and fetch the officers and anyone related to the case? bring them here as quick as possible, and explain to them what we have found, im going to clense this place... in the name of god."



"i shall clense this place..." *puts sunglasses on* "in the name of god." *WHOOOOOOOOOAAAA* (as the who plays)

[Xsesiv]

Where do you start then?

[littlebottom]

Reverand enters the church again, and if robert is ok, he asks robert to open the next door.

[Xsesiv]

Robert goes into the disused office and charges from there into the opposite door.
(d100)[58] 50% success chance

The door shudders, but refuses to open.

[Xsesiv]

Failing this, he takes out his bat and begins battering at the door.

(d100)[65] 35% chance

The door fails to open again.

[littlebottom]

"lets try again, but togeather"

(d100)[70]

[Xsesiv]

Combined STRs = 27

95% success chance

(d100)[72]

The wood finally creaks and splinters open. The room the door opens into is a storeroom, obviously recently used, with mostly ecclesiastical goods, but with a ceremonial brazier, which James can tell you is used in no normal church ceremonies.

Spot Hidden roll please.

[littlebottom]

(d100)[39] spot hidden = 50%

[Xsesiv]

Small tracks, half an inch across but like tiny human hands and feet are spotted on the floor. Also here are some items of blatant occult significance; black candles, pentagrams, incense; even an old grimoire (Ye Booke of White Magick Explain'd).

[littlebottom]

Reverand prepares the stocks to be removed and burnt, but leaves them as they are for a moment untill help arrives, then looks for a way into the basement.

[Xsesiv]

There is no obvious way you could enter the basement, so I'm going to need a Spot Hidden roll.

[littlebottom]

(d100)[6] spot hidden = 50%

[Xsesiv]

You see from the end of the church the podium has a gap underneath; examining it, you see that it tips over and is attached to a trapdoor. Very ingenious.

As a bonus/penalty for such a low roll: you also see some dried entrails beside the altar, pushing the altar aside you see an eviscerated, mouldering collie with no head. Sanity roll for the loss of 0/1d2 Sanity.

[littlebottom]

SAN=75% (d100)[68]

[littlebottom]

"where do you think we should look first? up there or down there?" Reverand asks roberts EXPERT opinion

[Xsesiv]

"Maybe we should go up, but I doubt we'll find much but bird dung, the trapdoor's been nailed shut. We have a few candles we can light now, shall we go down the cellar?"