Blackwater Creek lies on a rural road a little to the east of Dunwich, barely represented by a dot on the old road map that Knoll gave you of the Miskatonic Valley. The least inhospitable route from Arkham still involves extensive travel through the back roads and dirt tracks of the Valley. The quality of the roads diminishes the further west you get from Arkham, and once you pass Worcester, the condition rapidly becomes much worse. As you travel further into the Valley, the few settlements you come across become more rustic, and the glances the locals shoot you less welcoming.
September 25-26, 1926
Apr 30, 2019 3:54 pm
The rain has ceased by the next morning. Though the sun is beginning to force its way through the clouds, the ground is still wet, and the cars splash through puddles as you begin your journey out of Arkham and to Blackwater Creek.
Blackwater Creek lies on a rural road a little to the east of Dunwich, barely represented by a dot on the old road map that Knoll gave you of the Miskatonic Valley. The least inhospitable route from Arkham still involves extensive travel through the back roads and dirt tracks of the Valley. The quality of the roads diminishes the further west you get from Arkham, and once you pass Worcester, the condition rapidly becomes much worse. As you travel further into the Valley, the few settlements you come across become more rustic, and the glances the locals shoot you less welcoming.
Blackwater Creek lies on a rural road a little to the east of Dunwich, barely represented by a dot on the old road map that Knoll gave you of the Miskatonic Valley. The least inhospitable route from Arkham still involves extensive travel through the back roads and dirt tracks of the Valley. The quality of the roads diminishes the further west you get from Arkham, and once you pass Worcester, the condition rapidly becomes much worse. As you travel further into the Valley, the few settlements you come across become more rustic, and the glances the locals shoot you less welcoming.
Apr 30, 2019 3:57 pm
OOC:
For ease, I'm going to assume the cars are the same as before - Caden and Eric in one, with Caden driving; Wingate and Frank in the other, with the professor driving - unless anyone wants to specify otherwise.As such, I'd like the drivers to give me Drive Auto rolls, please.
Apr 30, 2019 4:29 pm
OOC:
oh boy....we may be in trouble...OOC:
EDIT: and we all died in a fiery crash.....sorry guys.Last edited April 30, 2019 4:30 pm
Rolls
drive auto 20% - (1d100)
(94) = 94
Apr 30, 2019 5:49 pm
Before we set off I related my findings at the Library to the group:
One less sinister and undoubtedly less puzzling mystery of the Miskatonic Valley is the fate of the settlement known as Cade’s Rest.
Historical record shows that following the hanging of Mary Dyer on Boston Common in 1620, a group of Quakers left Boston, fearing persecution at the hands of the Puritans. This group was led by the tailor Ezekiel Cade, and included as many as ten other families. After some months of travel, they settled by the banks of the Miskatonic River, not far from the spot that would one day become Dunwich.
While records from this point are scant, the folk story holds that the settlement thrived once Cade and his followers made contact with a local Indian tribe known as the People of the Black Earth.
Where the tale turns to folklore is in the demise of the settlement. Some stories have the earth opening and swallowing the settlers’ whole. Others tell of them being snatched away by the Devil himself. Even the more mundane details are contradictory, with some describing the discovery of empty homes on the site, and others saying that even the buildings had vanished.
Given that there are mentions of Cade being spotted in Boston a few years later, the most likely explanation is that the settlers simply moved again, possibly spreading the rumors of their disappearance themselves to secure their privacy. Alternatively, they may have come into conflict with the Black Earth tribe and been killed. Regardless of the truth, the legend is a minor one at best.
[ +- ] Excerpt from "Myths and Legends of Old Massachusetts"
One less sinister and undoubtedly less puzzling mystery of the Miskatonic Valley is the fate of the settlement known as Cade’s Rest.
Historical record shows that following the hanging of Mary Dyer on Boston Common in 1620, a group of Quakers left Boston, fearing persecution at the hands of the Puritans. This group was led by the tailor Ezekiel Cade, and included as many as ten other families. After some months of travel, they settled by the banks of the Miskatonic River, not far from the spot that would one day become Dunwich.
While records from this point are scant, the folk story holds that the settlement thrived once Cade and his followers made contact with a local Indian tribe known as the People of the Black Earth.
Where the tale turns to folklore is in the demise of the settlement. Some stories have the earth opening and swallowing the settlers’ whole. Others tell of them being snatched away by the Devil himself. Even the more mundane details are contradictory, with some describing the discovery of empty homes on the site, and others saying that even the buildings had vanished.
Given that there are mentions of Cade being spotted in Boston a few years later, the most likely explanation is that the settlers simply moved again, possibly spreading the rumors of their disappearance themselves to secure their privacy. Alternatively, they may have come into conflict with the Black Earth tribe and been killed. Regardless of the truth, the legend is a minor one at best.
Apr 30, 2019 5:52 pm
The_Librarian says:
OOC:
oh boy....we may be in trouble...OOC:
EDIT: and we all died in a fiery crash.....sorry guys.OOC:
Can I use my Drive Auto to grab the wheel in a dashing and heroic manner?May 1, 2019 2:17 pm
OOC:
Another fumble barely missed!The next morning you're off after a quick and underwhelming continental breakfast. Progress continuing west past Worcester is labored, due to the utter lack of roads - you find yourselves driving stretches of road that seem to have been developed by virtue of repeated use rather than any formal civic project. Where there are actual roads isn't much better - they're uneven and littered with potholes, forcing drivers to bob and weave erratically around them. Even driving at excruciatingly slow speeds, the cars bump and rattle the entire way along.
It's on one of these backroad stretches, only a few miles outside of Worcester, when Caden's old jalopy finally meets it's matched. An unseen pothole... Caden's lead foot on the gas peddle... And all of a sudden, BANG! From inside the vehicle, you hear the loud pop and feel the car lurch as the front tire on the passenger's side gives out, forcing you to the side of the road.
Looking around you, there's really not much. The road you're on is little more than a pair of tire tracks nestled between some hills on one side, and trees on the other. The road curves out of sight in either direction. Nestled in the trees along the curve is a small cottage, surrounded by a yard and a wooden fence. There's someone inside the yard, leaning against the fence and smoking a pipe, watching you.
OOC:
What do you do?Fulbright, you can give me that Drive Auto roll as an attempt to repair the tire yourself.
May 1, 2019 2:41 pm
I get out of the car (if it can be called that) rubbing my knee which banged hard against the car when we hit the pot hole. "Holy smoke I though we were going off the road then!" Strolling round the car "Lets have a look at the damage and see what can be done, I'm quite good with my hands really".
OOC:
Can I spend some luck?Last edited May 1, 2019 2:42 pm
Rolls
Drive Auto (40%) - (1d100)
(48) = 48
May 1, 2019 2:56 pm
OOC:
Yes, you can spend Luck, but you have a few options here:-Subtract 8 Luck points, lowering your score to 58 and passing the roll;
-Push the roll - it looks like the axle has gotten a bit bent in the bang-up, making it difficult to get the new tire fit snug, but you could try and brute force it back into place... (A reminder that pushed rolls are still at regular difficulty, but if the pushed roll is failed, consequences will be more severe.)
-Go talk to whoever lives in that cottage and see if they'll help you.
Or, of course, anything else you can think of. Up to you.
May 1, 2019 3:07 pm
Turning to Caden "I might be able to do a bodge job, but it might make things worse." Nodding towards the person smoking the pipe "Let’s see if that guy can help first before we have to resort to desperation mechanics. I’ve got a couple of bucks in my pocket which might sweeten his attitude towards us.".
OOC:
Have the Prof and Frank realised we have broken down?Last edited May 1, 2019 3:11 pm
May 1, 2019 3:16 pm
Caden nods, smiles and walks towards the man. hey there. Bet that pot hole runs afoul of anyone who doesn't know the roads, doesn't it? Any way you can give us some help? He rocks on his heels, hands in his pockets trying to act casual as he smiles at the man.
Rolls
APP 80 - (1d100)
(12) = 12
May 1, 2019 5:59 pm
OOC:
Unclear in re: the Prof and Frank. They got a late start, apparently, and aren't in anywhere in sight.And Librarian: That's both a proper use for an APP roll and an Extreme Success!
"You boys look pretty shiny to be out in these parts. Must be a long way from home. What's your names, where you fellas comin' from?"
May 1, 2019 8:16 pm
"Johnny Critchlow. What then's a couple a city slickers like you doing out in the middle of nowhere? Y'can't get to New York this way, ya know."
He chuckles and tosses a glance at your car slumped forward where the tire blew out. "She gotcha pretty good, huh? Gotta say, gave me a chuckle seein' that rust bucket pop up in the air like that. I don't mind takin' a look and seein' if I can't help. But hey," he says, leaning over the fence and puffing on his pipe, "what are you doin' out here? Only ask 'cause it's so rare we see anyone pass along this road, let alone folks from the city."
He chuckles and tosses a glance at your car slumped forward where the tire blew out. "She gotcha pretty good, huh? Gotta say, gave me a chuckle seein' that rust bucket pop up in the air like that. I don't mind takin' a look and seein' if I can't help. But hey," he says, leaning over the fence and puffing on his pipe, "what are you doin' out here? Only ask 'cause it's so rare we see anyone pass along this road, let alone folks from the city."
May 1, 2019 9:13 pm
I beam a smile. "And I’m Eric. We’re on our way to Blackwater Creek to see a friend. We haven't been there before and didn't realise how bad the roads would be. If you can help in any way we would be mighty grateful."
Last edited May 2, 2019 8:31 am
May 3, 2019 3:49 pm
OOC:
Frank and Peaslee still haven't left Worcester yet, apparently...I'll update for Eric and Caden in a couple hrs.
May 3, 2019 5:57 pm
Critchlow stops moving at the mention of Blackwater Creek, and he turns to you, his face darkening. "Blackwater Creek, eh? What kinda friend do a couple a nice lookin' boys like you have in a place like that?"
He opens his mouth to say something else, but instead just shakes his head, putting his hands up and slowly backing away towards his hovel. "Any friend you have out that way, you'd be best off just forgettin' about. Uh-uh, I'm sorry fellers, I don't think I can help you out anymore, unless it's for you to turn that car around and head back where you came from."
He opens his mouth to say something else, but instead just shakes his head, putting his hands up and slowly backing away towards his hovel. "Any friend you have out that way, you'd be best off just forgettin' about. Uh-uh, I'm sorry fellers, I don't think I can help you out anymore, unless it's for you to turn that car around and head back where you came from."
May 3, 2019 6:00 pm
At this, Frank and the Professor come huffing around the corner of the road, dragging their belongings behind them, bags under their arms.
OOC:
So THAT'S where Frank and the Professor were. That's fumble, Professor. The car is totaled. Maybe you hit a tree, toppled over into a gully when making a sharp turn, ran into a deer crossing the road, whatever you like.May 3, 2019 9:48 pm
"You couldn't make it either?" the professor gasps breathlessly as he drops his bags in the middle of the road.
May 3, 2019 10:54 pm
I got hired to rescue some scholar types like him that got into trouble up there.
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