Thunder clapped the sky as the rain poured down. One moment, Henri and Naomi were in the cabin, thinning into the ethereal. The next, they found themselves in the rain on the fairgrounds of some dark Carnival. The sky was bleak and there was a fetid smell in the air of rot. In the distance, gears were grinding as the rusted Ferris wheel was churning.

Henri looked around at the surroundings.  He hadn't been paying much attention to what had been going on in the cabin when whatever happened.  He glanced over at Naomi.  "I think something went wrong with that stupid book.  All of the things that we had gotten ready are not with us I think.  Do you have anything?"

"Oh...! No! No! No!" April yelled.

She was behind Henri, and seemingly appeared out of no where.

Henri turned to look at Naomi.

Suddenly, there was a whishhhing sound, and an object flew through the rain. The glint of steel shimmered off of it. Naomi raised her arm as if to block her face and there was the sick sound of metal sinking into wet meat. One of Naomi's feet slipped away and she tumbled, squawking away from one of the puddles, floundering on her side.

Henri watched as her face slapped against the ground and she took a gritty mouthful
of wet mud.



A clown on top of a unicycle appeared from behind one of the Carnival's wooden wagons.

"Tee! Hee! Hee!" It announced.

Henri looked over to the weird girl.  "You might want to run and hide I think," he said, stepping over to check on Naomi.

OOC - Medicine + Wits or Int I would guess?

16:23, Today: Henri Aiton rolled 1 success using 3d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((4,9,3)).

Henri ran over to check on Naomi. He could see the handle of what looked like a knife. It was sticking out of her forehead. Rivers of blood pooled all around her body.

April screamed. She screamed loud enough to cut through the sound of the rain that was pouring down all around them. Her hands came up to her mouth, fingers trembling.

"Run! Run!" She cried, as she stood there, trying to shake off whatever fear had gripped her.

"Then run," Henri yelled at April.  Even though the girl had tried to help him back in the cabin, for some reason, she got on his nerves as his mother would say.

Henri was fairly sure that Naomi was dead or about to be.  But he remembered stories that his parents and their friends who were doctors had sometimes told of people who survived injuries that should have killed them.  He knelt down to check the pulse on her neck, just in case.  He didn't really know what he could do if she was still alive, but he had to know.

09:09, Today: Henri Aiton rolled 1 success using 3d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((8,6,2)).

Henri angled his arm to one side to avoid the handle of what looked like a knife sticking out of Naomi's forehead. Her neck was still warm to the touch. Yet there was no pulse. That was it. Dead. A dead kid right in front of him. And someone he knew too. Someone that was just talking to him moments ago in the cabin.

Rain pelted down in thick drops all around Henri, the puddles splashing like great stones were being thrown into them.



"Blawrgh!" The clown belched. Then it threw a small round ball at April's direction as she was running.

16:18, Today: Storyteller, on behalf of Evil Circus - Zampolio the Clown, rolled 3 successes using 8d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((3,8,7,8,7,8,5,7)).

It landed square against April's back with a deep thud. She stammered slightly off balance before plunging head forward into the mud, rainwater splashing upward as she landed.

"You got suckered! Had. Taken. Cheated. Hoodwinked! Didn't April tell you that Mr. Cherrywinks can get anyone and go anywhere? That poor kid Shawn you helped out made a side deal with him." The Clown said, its unicycle moving forward toward's April who was trying to get to her feet, its high voice shrieking into the rain.

"And now...you're all gonna die!"

Henri looked around, seeing if there was anything that he could use as a weapon against the clown; a stout stick, or a broom or mop, or something that he could throw.  But not the whatever it was in Naomi's head, that was just something he couldn't touch at the moment.

Henri could see to his left, inside one of the wagons, there was a box labeled Cherrywinks Fireworks. Getting there would require going inside the wagon and from this vantage point he couldn't tell if there were any matches nearby.

To his right, there was a barrel that he might be able to tip over at roll if it wasn't too heavy.

Further along to his left, was a large ream of fabric, the kind old time acrobats would twist themselves in and hang from during some of the circus acts under the big top.

Also near him on his right was single bowling pin. It looked aged and had a long crack down one side of the wood, the white paint faded.

Barring anything else, Henri thought he might be able to run for it, past the wagons. It appeared from this vantage point that he was already inside the old Circus.

Henri grabbed for the bowling pin.  Way too heavy for him to get a good overhand throw.  He turned, swung it back and lobbed it underhanded at the clown on the unicycle, but not directly at the clown, instead going for the fairly wide wheel.  At the least it should slam into the spokes, possibly jamming the unicycle, but pretty certainly spilling the clown into the mud.

Henri Rolls (Dexterity + Athletics +2) -3 Defense.

Henri Rolls Dexterity + Athletics -1

OOC - burning a Willpower


10:13, Today: Henri Aiton rolled 4 successes using 8d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((2,3,8,2,9,6,6,10(+8))).

The clown edged forward, the old tired spinning through the mud as the unicycle made its way towards him. From this distance, Henri could see that the Clown had greyish skin, and a flash of lighting in the sky above revealed a crooked grin with missing teeth.

That's when Henri jammed the bowling pin into the tire's spokes. The grin turned into confusion as the Clown continued forward. It's large, skinny body propelled by inertia, landed in the mud with a loud splat. The colored ball it had been juggling flew in every direction.

Henri turned to see April slowly getting to her feet. Naomi still hadn't moved.

Henri took the moment of surprise when the clown hit the muddy ground to jump on top of the prone figure.  He grabbed for the red nose, trying to rip it off the clown's face.

Henri Rolls Strength + Brawl +2 (Prone) - Minus Clown's defense (3) Minus (2) (unarmed attack on adult)

Henri Rills Strength + Brawl -3

Henri jumped on top of the Clown. The Clown struggled and whirled Henri twice around his head like a carnival wrestler giving his opponent an airplane spin, and throwing him into the mud. Henri's head connected with the ground. A large fireworks display went off in the center of his brain and he was vaguely aware of pain. Still, he struggled onward as the Clown began to paw at his neck and arms, struggling to grab a hold of Henri through the slick mud.

OOC - burning another Willpower


19:33, Today: Henri Aiton rolled 1 success using 3d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((1,4,9)).

Henri ripped the nose off of the clown as thunder boomed in the air, shaking the very ground that he was kneeling in. Around him, rain pounded the ground, his arms slick with mud. The clown instinctively reached towards its face, a gesture of blindness as it got to its knees and stammered backwards, hitting the side of a wagon.

Then it collapsed to the floor. Slowly, through the rain and darkness, he could see the body of the Clown. It looked smaller. One boot hung loose off of its leg, which was twisted in an awkward angle.

"It's...*cough*...*cough*...over?" April asked, coming up alongside Henri, blood streaming from her nose.

Henri shook his head slowly, clearing the flashes of light from his vision.  "What?  Maybe for the moment.  But there will probably be others.  Maybe very soon I think.  You should keep watch in case."  He spoke in a very offhanded manner.  He picked up the bowling pin and held it ready, just in case as he cautiously approached smaller looking body of the clown.  He nudged it carefully with one foot.

It didn't move. The body lay face down, covered in mud. Rain patted down on the bowling pin and ran onto the boot of the...

the child's foot. The Clown, for it was a clown, wasn't a clown anymore. The bald head whose pate had reflected the moonlight was now covered in tangled black hair. An idea of something familiar nudged at Henri's brain but before he had time to think, April came up beside him and fell to one knee.

"It...hurts..." she said. Lightning illuminated the night sky and Henri could see through the flash that April's teeth were stained with blood.


"hurts...bad." She stammered. Even in the near darkness, Henri could sense that something was wrong. Her torso was lopsided. One shoulder was lower than the other and she cradled her left arm gingerly. Another flash of lighting, and Henri could see that the the left side of her dress was also stained with blood.

"That does not look good," Henri said.  "I think that you should be out of the weather so that we can see how you are."  He helped the girl up and helped her over to one of the trailers.

Henri shifted April into the trailer. The inside of the wooden wagon was lit with a dim, flickering candle. All around were boxes and crates with labels that read 'snake oil' and 'jumping jacks' and other such names that didn't make sense to Henri.  But this fact was quickly forgotten as Henri saw the problem with April: There was something lodge into the left side of her back. A ball of some kind.

It was one of the Clown's juggling balls. Henri realized, consciously for the first time, that he was still holding the Clown nose in his left hand.

He could see the ball wedged into April's back. Splinters of bone protruded from the skin, blood pouring down her dress and onto the wooden floor of the wagon.

Henri examined the wound closely.  He wracked his brain to try and remember what he had learned from both of his parents, mainly basic first aid, but occasionally he had been around when one or the other had treated someone injured at odd times.  "Hmmm, this is not good but not too bad I think.  Let me see if I can find anything here to help," he said in as cheerful a tone as he could manage.  He rummaged around the trailer, looking in drawers and cabinets for anything that he might be able to use.  "It is too bad that the odd book is not here for you to use."

Henri pulled out a large magnet. There was one box labeled 'portable holes' that Henri sifted through, large black masses falling on the floor and creating darkness where wood once was. Then he grabbed a bottle that read simply 'First Aid Carney Pills.'

Henri shrugged, First Aid Carney Pills, not what he had been thinking of but as messed up as this place was they just might work.  "Well, I do not know if these are any good but I can find nothing that looks like it is better," he said.  He looked for any instructions on the bottle, ready to follow them if there were any.

Henri read the back label, narrowing his eyes as the candlelight flickered.

Directions:

Warning: Do not drive a car or operate machinery after taking this medication

First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.

*Keep taking pills until these directions begin to make sense

Except for the warning about cars and machinery which he remembered being on lots of other medicine, the directions made no sense.  He read them out loud to April.  "It is up to you if you want to take these," he said.  "They may help or they may not do anything.  Or they may even do something not good."

April let out a gasp and a gout of blood dripped out of her mouth, red lines flowing over her lips and down her chin.

"something..." she said in a weak voice.

"do...something." she gasped.

And then, her eyes taking on a distant look "should have....never let you all in...should have stayed in the cabin...forever."

"Well, there is nothing much that I can do except for the pills and hope that they work," Henri said.  He opened the bottle and shook two out.  "Here, take two and call me in the morning."

Henri felt April's weak lips press against the palm of his hand in search of the pills, much like a horse's lips might seek a sugar cube. She struggled to swallow them and for a moment Henri thought that April was going to cough them up. Then she leaned back and collapsed onto the floor, letting out a small groan. Henri noticed that a small pool of blood had now saturated the floor and was spreading out from April, though she still remained conscious.

Henri looked around for a relatively clean cloth to hold outside and dampen in the rain.  His plan was to fold it across April's forehead, that might make he feel better.  Or if the pills worked, then she would probably want something to clean up with.

Henri grabbed one of the rags jutting out of a box labeled 'ACME Tires.' Selecting the rag that had the least amount of grease stains on it, he damped it with the rain and placed it on Aprils forehead.

Thunder boomed outside of the wagon as lighting cracked in the sky. Suddenly, the wagon fell silent without April speaking, the ambience took on a solitude that allowed Henri to catch his breath. The Clown's fallen body--now a boy--lay outside in the mud against the backdrop of the Circus, the large Ferris wheel with its rusty hinges, the empty popcorn stands with their old, 1920s signs faded.

Knowing that there was nothing further that he could do for April, Henri checked outside to see if there was any movement before going back out and bringing in Naomi's body and that of the former clown, checking on April after each trip.

When Henri finally laid the last body down inside of the wagon, he glanced over at April. Her chest no longer seemed to be rising and falling. Yet, there was a strange smile on her face. Henri wondered if it might be the result of whatever pills she had eaten.

Then, suddenly, in the distance he heard a loud beeping sound. It sounded like a bicycle horn.

Henri covered over the two bodies so that April wouldn't have to look at them when she woke up.  If she woke up.  He made her as comfortable as possible under the circumstances and then, shielding the light of the candle, peeked outside to see if he could spot the noise he had heard.

A great confusion of magnificent tents and vending shops piled one upon the other, broken up by small, narrow passageways, circled by towering Big Top, studded with a hundred lofty, tattered flags. The rain sliced straight down, battering the tents and structures. Henri had to squint. He thought he could hear the sound coming from the other side of the Big Top, but getting there might require going through that maze of winding passageways. It looked like some kind of Souk from the Orient.

Henri checked on Naomi before heading out.  Once out, he stashed the unicycle up under one of the other trailers, picked up the bowling pin, and collected all the juggling balls that he could find.  He closely examined the first ball he picked up in case there was something odd about them.  The one that had hit April had seemed to do more than he thought it should have.

There was no doubt about it. Naomi, was dead. Her mouth was open, eyes staring distantly at nothing. As Henri headed out to the rain to pick up the juggling balls, he noticed that they were hardened. He was able to collect 4 balls in all. Red, yellow, green and blue. They were metallic and had been thrown with deadly intent at high speed. High enough speed to lodge themselves into their targets.

Henri was now clutching an arm full of objects. As he descended down the hill into the rain, the beeping sound stopped. There was a distant sound of putting engine and a car driving off. But not off...

Closer. The sound was coming closer.

OOC - my brain is not working at all tonight.  I did not mean Naomi, I meant April.  Sorry there.

Henri stuffed three of the balls in various pockets, keeping one in this throwing hand and the bowling pin in his other hand.  He looked for some kind of cover or concealment and hid, waiting for the car to come closer or leave.

OOC - if it's a VW Bug, then he would probably recognize it.  There are a lot of them over in Europe and the sound is very distinctive.

Henri could hear the distinctive sound of the VW bug as it came closer. April's yes we're closed and the pallor of her skin was pale, gray. It didn't look good.

Henri looked around for a place to hide.

OOC: Henri Rolls Wits + Stealth

OOC - 22:18, Today: Henri Aiton rolled 2 successes using 4d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((8,7,2,10(+1))).

Henri hid behind one of the wagons. The rain was pouring down and he immediately felt the chill of the rain as water poured down his back. He could see the headlights of the car approaching. It was a small, Volkswagon but it hard to tell anything else but it's vague shape in the darkness and rain.

Thunder boomed across the gray sky, vibrating the ground. The car pulled up about 30 feet way and idled. The engine emitted a weak, sputter with an occasional pop. Then it just sat there as rain drummed down on the roof sounding like pebbles falling on metal.

Henri found himself peering out behind the wooden wagon at the car, headlights flooding the earth around him.

Henri waited and watched.  He was pretty sure that any vehicle had something to do with the clowns.

Henri watched as the Volskwagon car door opened. A short, stunty silhouette emerged from the driver's side. Rain drops fell in small puddles around the car.  A running stream of water was now flowing down hill, passing under the car, and flowing down towards where Henri was hidden.

The silhouette closed the door.  Henri watched as the silhouette took several steps forward. It was to see anything Through the blinding light, he saw that the figure was standing there.

Henri didn't move and just waited where he was without a sound until he knew more.

"Zampolio? You out here?" A smarmy voice said. The silhouette stepped into the harsh light of the car, which still ran idly in the background.

It was midget. A midget Clown. It was bare chested, sporting bright orange suspenders which held up yellow pants that were too big for its small body. It's back, chest and the top of its feet were covered with coarse, black hair. It spoke with what sounded like a Brooklyn or some kind of New York accent, very similar to that of Bugs Bunny.

"You out there Zampolio, you fuck!?" it shouted into the rain, scanning the ground for any sight anything that might give an answer to its question.

Henri kept quiet, observing the new clown.

The Clown took several hesitant steps forward, peeking his hear around and standing on the tippy-toes of those hair-covered feet. Then it turned around and headed back to the car. Henri could hear the car door close. The flood of light from the headlights went away, as the car backed up and turned, the sputtering engine popping and fading in the rain.

Henri looked around. To the right there was a labyrinth of winding vending booths with the sign 'Side-show Alley' hanging crooked above a main path.

Straight ahead, through the rain, he could see the Big Top. Its large structure standing tall above the pouring rain, tattered red flag beaten about by wind.

Henri waited a bit longer, just in case.  All the while thinking about his next move.  Should he look around the Side-show, head up to the Big Top, go back and check on April, or head out completely away from the Circus.  He wondered about what had happened to Ron and his sister and Bradford.  Where were they?  Had they fallen victim to one or more of the clowns?  Had they become clowns?  Were they hiding somewhere around here or had they gotten away?  So many questions.  He finally made a decision and headed carefully into the Side-show area.

As Henri stepped out, his foot sank unavoidably into a thick puddle of mud. A sheet of rain passed over him and the sound of thunder intensified. The noise on the vending booths was 'phut-phut-phut' that ripened nuts make when they hit the ground. It wasn’t the soft, sodden, swollen drops of spring Henri was hearing. It was like ball-bearings were hitting the canvas roofs of the Side-show area with force.

Henri could also hear an occasional ker-plunking sound. It was caused by the rainwater gathering on the tents falling to the ground in a great swash of release.
The temperature had plunged as Henri ran towards Side-show alley. Heading into the labyrinth of vending booths, Henri felt somewhat sheltered from the the curtain of rain. It was like being a forest populated with popcorn machines, funnel cake stands, and gaming booths. But they were all empty.

"psssst." a voice said from somewhere being one of the counters.

This weather was just miserable.  Henri would have strongly preferred to get in somewhere and stay out of the mess, but it didn't feel safe to stay put.  When the sound came he stepped back a few feet, putting some more room between him and whatever it was.  He half raised one arm, ready to throw if it was needed.  "What," he quietly replied back.

"You're...out in the rain." The voice said in between the thunder booming. It was a soft voice.

"You can truly grieve for being out there being hunted by the clowns, and still be happy that they haven't found you yet, those two ideas are not mutually exclusive. You can have great regard for their power and still want them not to find you."

"I can let you in to one of the booths, if you promise not to hurt me."

Henri took a couple more steps back.  "I promise nothing.  Why do you not step out to be seen."

Henri noticed that his heart was still pounding with adrenaline. Whether it was from seeing Naomi die or the conflict with the clown, he couldn't say.

"Because if I step out, my tail will get wet, and then it will take hours and hours to dry. I don't like the feeling of a wet tail. It reminds me of when I used to get my socks wet. It's not a good feeling. Like your toes are all squishy. Probably like you feel right now."

"Why should I trust you?" Henri said.  "All that I have seen has not been friendly to me."

"Because its raining. And having wet socks doesn't feel good." The voice said simply. It was a simple answer. And it struck Henri suddenly that where ever the voice was speaking from and whoever it was, the answer came across child like. On the one hand, it seemed somehow less threatening with simple logic like that. But on the other hand, Henri thought about how he had ended up here and the possibility of whatever that one kid had written in the Book maybe had something to do with Henri being placed here.

Henri thought about this as he weighed the voice's answer

OOC: Henri Rolls Wits + Empathy

10:36, Today: Henri Aiton rolled 1 success using 3d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((9,3,7)).

There was no way for Henri to truly know what the voice's intentions were, but listening to the simple, child-like explanation, he found himself feeling less threatened. Clearly, whomever he was talking to was already in some kind of discomfort. The idea that the voice was perhaps lonely also began to take shape in Henri's mind.

"I am sorry that you are here also but I do not know who or what you are," Henri said.  "And I also do not know if you are one of those who are a part of all of this.  So I think that perhaps we should part ways."  With that he began to head on the way that he had been going.  He did so with caution, carefully watching ahead as well as where the voice had come from.

"Don't stay out too long in the rain." The voice warned. "You could catch a cold."

Henri squinted. It was clear the voice was coming from behind the dart game counter. Somewhere behind that counter. The counter itself started to fade into the distance has Henri took steps into the muck.

Rain fell in crazy chaotic drops, the gusting wind carrying them against Henri's face in diagonal sheets. It ran down his face as a thin, cold layer. His socks squished with each step.

To his left, there were a line of prize booths with old, ragged stuffed animals. Some had cotton stuffing falling out, others with missing an eye where a matching button should have been.

After struggling through the rain for several minutes, Henri came upon a row of gaming booths on both his left and right that might offer shelter. He was deep in the maze of sideshow alley now.

There was the classic Fish ball toss booth, the ring toss, money wheel spin, five pin bowling, whack a mole, wooden nickel toss and even the spill the milk game.

Henri kept moving, looking for any sign of anyone that he had met in the cabin.

Henri walked for what felt like an hour in the rain. He weaved his way through the mass of gaming booths before arriving at an exit. From his position at the bottom of the hill, he could see a tent, obscured with red and yellow clouds, which lingered above it. It sat up upon the hill like a watchful hawk, looking down on the empty Circus below.



Henri saw the headlights of a car outside of that tent turn on. The sound of a Volkswagon Motor turning over.

Henri ducked down, to stay out of sight, waiting to see where the Bug with the midget clown went.

Henri ducked to the side of the Strongman game, his hand resting on a giant antique circus carnival mallet.

OOC: Henri Rolls Wits + Composure

22:20, Today: Henri Aiton rolled 2 successes using 4d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((7,10(+4),8,4)).

Henri saw it. He saw it as clear as day. Others had alluded to it. April had said as much just before the Clown had attacked here. Before Naomi died. Henri watched as the boy on top of the hill stood peering down. Their eyes met.

It was Shawn.

The boy who had wrote his name in the Book. And if April was to be believed, then this was the boy that had send him, sent them to this place by writing their names in the Book.

OOC - now I'm a bit confused here.  As far as I can find, and I just went back and looked through this thread and the other thread, but April never did say anything about Shawn.  The clown on the unicycle made the claim that Shawn had sold us out, but no one else did.  Bradford made that claim, but that was somewhere that Henri/Naomi/April were not at.

OOC: Right. Sorry about that. Assume that April had mentioned it. I think I was sneaking that in there as backstory that actually was written in-thread. Sorry if it as confusing.

The car drove by and Henri, for just one moment saw Shawn in the passenger seat. Their eyes met and then Shawn turned away. Curiously, Henri saw a Clown driving the car. It's face was streaked with red, blood plike tears.

The car drove by and Henri, for just one moment saw Shawn in the passenger seat. Their eyes met and then Shawn turned away. Curiously, Henri saw a Clown driving the car. It's face was streaked with red, blood plike tears.

The car drove by and Henri, for just one moment saw Shawn in the passenger seat. Their eyes met and then Shawn turned away. Curiously, Henri saw a Clown driving the car. It's face was streaked with red, blood plike tears.

Not having seen any sign of any of the people he might trust, Henri headed back through the booths to the trailers.

Henri was looking for someone he could trust. But the rain was coming down stronger than ever as Henri left the hill. Storms brewed on the cold horizon promising nothing but winds to level even the mightiest of trees to the soil might not resist.. The darkness and damp-smelling air threatened to render Henri helpless beneath whatever pitiful shelter he sought among the booths. Henri  David his eyes to the charcoal sky, his attention held by a golden streak, a crack in the cloud layer where some version of the the sun, an angry red, streamed through as fast as water through a cracked dam.

But it didn't last. Soon the clouds overpowered whatever lay beyond them, casting the entire landscape in darkness. Rain pummeled Henri, and for a moment it looked like he might not make it to the booths. Henri struggled to move, forcing himself

OOC: Henri Rolls Dexterity + Stamina with the following results:

0 Successes: Swept away - The wind and water drag Henri down to depths unseen, washing him away like water down a drain

1 Success: Henri grabs on to something, holding on to the side of a structure (Henri will have to make the same roll again with more than 1 success)

2 Successes: Henri finds Shelter in the gaming Booths.

09:22, Today: Henri Aiton rolled 1 success using 6d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((1,10(+4),4,2,6,4)).

Riiiiiiiiiiip. The sound of cloth tearing as Henri found himself lifted up by gale force wind. He managed to grab onto the flapping, weathered fabric of one of the Circus tents. Straining his eyes, he grabbed the the fabric, feeling it slipping through his fingers, the rain and wind pushing against him and threatening to take him away.

OOC: Henri Rolls Dexterity + Stamina with the following results:

0 Successes: Swept away - The wind and water drag Henri down to depths unseen, washing him away like water down a drain

1 Success: Henri grabs on to something, holding on to the side of a structure (Henri will have to make the same roll again with more than 1 success)

2 Successes: Henri finds Shelter in the gaming Booths.

19:44, Today: Henri Aiton rolled 1 success using 6d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((8,5,1,3,6,1)).

OOC - still hanging in there, LOL.


19:46, Today: Henri Aiton rolled 3 successes using 6d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((1,6,10(+9),1,3,8)).

OOC - finally shelter.

Henri worked his way down the fabric, pulling himself arm, over arm. He strained to see in front of him, the wind whipping about his face and hair. The muscles in his forearms burned as he drew himself closer to the canvass roof of the tent, legs dangling in the air as the wind threatened to take him away.

Then, with a last ditch effort, he reached out with one hand, grabbing the open, yawning hole in the roof of the tent, pushing himself inward.

Immediately, he felt himself moving downward in a sliding motion, the canvass below him giving way and pushing downward. Water rushed down in a torrent, Henri's legs now no longer dangling above him, but in the air in front of him as he slid downward. A sense of weightlessness gripped his stomach As he found himself in mid-air, only to hit something seconds later with a cloud 'clompffff' sound.

A stinging feeling on his backside, Henri was surprised to find that he was in a chair. A Victorian chair. Tea cups and saucers lay turned on their side. Stuffed animals, the kind that might be given away as prizes, were seated around the table. In the center, there was a tea pot which smelled of a rich, oak spice. A low candle burned in the corner of the room, giving light to the scene.

"What's this?" A smarmy, but refined voice said. A creature no bigger than a toddler sat itself at the opposite side of the table, starting to examine Henri with quizzical eyes.

"A guest?"

Henri wiped the dripping water from his face.  "Uh, hello.  I am sorry for dropping in so suddenly without warning.  The weather is unpleasent at the moment.  I will be leaving as soon as it is possible.  Please do not trouble yourself on my account."

"It's no bother, really. I do worry that you might not make it far in this storm. We get them now and then."

"You are welcome at my fire. I rarely get guests here and my hat goes off to anybody who can sit down and put their heads together. I am ready for something like that because I am free and I am happy and I have time. There were a lot of things in the way before. I have nothing but time, and I love getting older."

"I shall not disturb you, or any here.  I will leave as soon as the storm lessens."

"Time is a mind construct. It's not real. Who are you?"

"I am just someone passing through who was dropped in here by the not good weather.    Someone who will be leaving soon I hope."

The creature seemed to take this information. Then it let out a small chuckle.

"Where will you go? You're not like the other ones here, that's obvious. And, why are you in such a hurry?"

"Some place that is not here."  Henri got up from where he was sitting and checked on the weather outside.

The storm which had threatened to take Henri away was abating. But it was still raining hard. Through the sheets of rain, he saw movement of figures and wondered if they were clowns, or some other kind of creatures. He remembered what April had said about there only being one manner to get away from this place and wondered if Shawn had the Book or not, if Shawn was using the Book to get back to the cabin. As these thoughts circulated his mind, the creature behind him started to speak. There was a change in its voice, evidently tired of exchanging pleasantries with Henri.

"If you have something of value to pawn, I can help you. Otherwise, it's best you leave."

"I do not have anything of value.  Thank you for your hospitality.  Au Revoir."  With that Henri exited the booth and headed towards the trailers.

The wind screamed and howled as Henri braved the storm once again. Rain fell like stones. The poles on the tents bent and moaned in wrath enough to scare the Gods, branches from nearby teas torn like paper limbs. This storm, more wicked than anything Henri had ever seen, pushed rain and debris alongside the left side of his body.

Through the veil of water blinding him, he could see a figure start to approach.

Henri moved over to one side, but continued in the direction of the figure he spotted.

Through the rain, Henri heard the sound of someone singing. The voice was soft and it seemed to resonate beyond the thunder, cutting through the rain. It was hard to understand, but the words he seemed to make out were:

"Charlie...

Charlie...

Charlie...."

OOC : Henri Rolls Wits + Composure - 2

22:08, Today: Henri Aiton rolled 1 success using 2d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((10(+2),5)).

"My name is Charlie. Charlie Charlotte Reynolds. I think."  A lady appeared through the rain and mist.

Then, as if noticing Henri, she looked around and focused on him.

'"You've got such wonderful, smooth skin. I want to see it. I want to touch it. I want to draw on it." And she reached over to try to grab Henri her arms extending outward.

OOC: Henri Achieved 1 success on the last roll, so he rolls Dexterity + Stamina first for the foot chase.

09:43, Today: Henri Aiton rolled 2 successes using 6d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((1,6,9,1,8,7)).

Henri took off in a random direction.

12:48, Today: Evil Circus - The Tatooed Lady rolled 6 successes using 10d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((9,3,8,8,1,3,5,9,8,8)).

Henri barely started moving through the rain and the woman was on him. Fast. She reached out with one finger, touching his bare hand.

12:53, Today: Storyteller, on behalf of Evil Circus - The Tatooed Lady, rolled 4 successes using 12d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((4,1,6,7,5,9,2,10(+2),9,5,1,8)).

It was like getting touched with a bundle of needles all at once. Through the bleary-eyed rain, Henri retracted his hand and watched as creeping, green and black-colored ink spread across his hand and up his arm in a scaly, floral pattern.

OOC: 4 damage bashing to Henri

Henri looked around for one of the drains he had seen earlier.

OOC - die pool of 10 and 12, kind of overkill don't you think.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:52, Wed 28 Dec 2016.

Henri could see the one of the storm drains. If he could only get there faster than this haunted, Tatooed woman, he might have a chance. There were three drains in total. One was about fifty feet in front of him.  Another lay haphazardly sucking in large gouts of rainwater, seventy five feet away. The third was a huge storm drain, rainwater sucked down by the gallon. All the while, lancing pain could be felt up Henri's arm and his shoulder blad as the tattoo spread.

Henri stumbled forward and could see a fourth drain pipe, but it would require a jump to reach up and grab a hold of.


OOC:

Henri chooses

1. First Drain pipe =  1 contested roll of Dexterity + Stamina vs. Tatooed Lady (Tatooed lady can fit into drain pipe as well)

2. Second Drain Pipe = 2 contested rolls of Dexterity + Stamina vs. Tatooed Lady (Tatooed lady has to roll to fit into drain pipe)

3. Third Drain Pipe = 3 contested rolls of Dexterity + Stamina vs. Tatooed Lady (Tatoed lady cannot fit into drain pipe)

4. Jump and Climb Drain Pipe = Contested roll of Dexterity  + Athletics vs. Tatooed Lady (Tatooed Lady will continue Chase)

Henri Rolls contested Roll

Henri headed for the drain pipe about 50 feet away.

OOC - burning a willpower
16:03, Today: Henri Aiton rolled 6 successes using 9d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((10(+2),9,9,6,8,2,8,8,7)).

"Oh you little devil! Get back here and let me draw on you!" The Tatooed lady scowled. She reached out with her hand as Henri began to scurry across the waterlogged path, struggling to get to the drain pipe.  Henri could here her coming on fast behind him, his back wracked with the pain of individual needles, the tattoo still spreading.

19:08, Today: Evil Circus - The Tatooed Lady rolled 4 successes using 10d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((8,1,3,5,5,10(+2),7,9,2,10(+5))).

Henri dove into the drainpipe and was suddenly swept away by the water. As he descended downward, he heard a loud splash, the sound of the haunted woman with tattoos also pushing herself into the drain.

Henri was propelled foward and as the light began to dissipate, he saw a divide in the pipes. He wondered if he should try to lean his body forward towards the left pipe, or towards the right pipe. If he just let himself go, the current would take him down the center pipe.

OOC: to direct himself to a particular pipe, Henri must roll one success on Strength + Athletics

OOC - sizes of the different pipes please.  It's actually important, but maybe not for the obvious reason.

OOC - added - would his speciality in swimming add anything?
This message was last edited by the player at 00:21, Thu 29 Dec 2016.

Henri glanced at the various pipes. Somewhere in the back of his mind he thought about how the storm had threatened to wash him away and how he struggled to free himself from its grasp. Now he opened embraced it, wishing it would whisk him away down the drain and away from his persuer.

Henri saw with certain clarity that the pipes were all of the same size, but with colors of Red, Green and Yellow respectively.

OOC - you didn't mention which color pipe went which way, but I went with Red/Left, Green/Center, Yellow/Right.

Henri wasn't exactly thrilled about being in the pipes but he still had room to move around in them, just not as much as he might like.  He angled his body towards the Yellow branch.


09:44, Today: Henri Aiton rolled 1 success using 6d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((4,1,6,3,9,6)).

13:22, Today: Evil Circus - The Tatooed Lady rolled 2 successes using 7d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((4,10(+8),7,1,4,7,3)).

Henri angled his body to the right, allowing himself to move into the yellow tube. Behind, him, he heard a 'wha-PLOOSH' sound, the Tatooed Lady in hot pursuit behind him also having managed to shift into the yellow tube.

Henri couldn't see the woman, but the shadow she cast from behind was large and ominous. As the water rushed up against his body, he could see the tattoo on his skin. Green and blank ink had bubbled up all over his hand. Large, angled designs of thorny vines crept up his forearm, dissappearing under the sleeve of his right arm. The colored ink stung with pain, water splashing all over Henri's clothing and smelling of raw sewage.

The rushing water seemed to level out and Henri found himself drifting along a lazy, sewage river.

At the end of the river was a large arch that Henri began to pass under. Painted above was the smiling face of the Clown that Henri had seen in the pet store. It had been painted down here, face grinning with edged, barbed teeth. The with letters underneath read 'Cherrywinks' Special Rooms!'

There were three old iron doors that he could see through the dim light, white paint faded on the old, oxidized metal. Each door had its own lever, presumably to open. As he drifted closer to them, he could see the letters on the doors.


The first door read 'Pets'

The second door read 'Bones'

The third door read 'Souls'

Behind him, he heard the loud splash of the Tatooed Lady as she careened into the water of the lazy river, her shape an elongated shadow in the near darkness.

Henri put the matter of what might be in the water out of his mind.  He swam as fast as he could towards the doors.

OOC: Henri Rolls Dexterity + Athletics + Specialty Swimming

Henri couldn't get much speed up due to the drag of the clothes he was wearing.
13:00, Today: Henri Aiton rolled 1 success using 7d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((2,2,3,5,7,8,5)).

Henri swam towards the doors and felt his waterlogged clothes, slowing him down. The Tattooed Lady was swimming toward him. At the same time...

20:16, Today: Evil Circus - The Tatooed Lady rolled 2 successes using 7d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((5,10(+4),1,7,1,4,10(+4))).

..he could feel the water behind him grow in disturbance as the Tattooed Lady swooped up to the surface, the water exploding into the air.

20:26, Today: Evil Circus - The Tatooed Lady rolled 3 successes using 12d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((8,1,7,7,1,6,3,8,3,8, 7,3)). 3 Bashing to Henri. Now at 0/7 Health.



She came down with one hand, grasping a hold of the back of Henri's head with the palm of her hand. Spidery tattoos broke out on his scalp, the skin blistering under his hair. It spread over his face, turning it a greenish-black. As Henri submerged into the watery depth, the last thing he saw was the painting of Mr. Cherrywinks, sitting above the arch with its leering grin and barbed teeth.

Henri Chooses

Fortune Teller - Melinda




OR


Lead Carnie - Hogwash