Louis Laroche's page

At Miskatonic Camp:

Delighted by the emperor penguins, Louis carefully unpacks his dictaphone and gets as near to the creatures as he deems safe, recording several minutes of their squawks on a fresh cylinder before packing the device away again.

At Base Camp:

Louis gratefully takes a piece of seal meat and chews it with a smile, blood smeared across his large block teeth. "Very good!" He looks wistfully at the seals as he eats the meat. "They remind me of home..." he says to no one in particular. He talks with Olaf for a few minutes about seal hunting, something the two apparently have in common, before heading off to double-check the radios while Stanley sees to the plane. We cannot be too careful with our equipment in this place.

Electrical Repair / Radios (45): 1d100 ⇒ 97
Listen (50): 1d100 ⇒ 88

Louis, now a bit sheepish after his embarrassing falls, keeps himself focused on his footing to the exclusion of most else.

Spot Hidden (30): 1d100 ⇒ 68

Fascinated by the optical illusions presented by the landscape, Louis is too busy looking at the horizon to look at his feet. Despite his multiple mis-steps and falls, however, his Nova Scotian intuition for wintry conditions seems to save him from injury.

DEX x 2 (30): 1d100 ⇒ 44
Luck (85): 1d100 ⇒ 10

Sorry, I thought I'd posted in gameplay on Monday before doing my skill increase but apparently said post was eaten :(

On Deck

Louis bares his jumble of enormous teeth at the two men in a smile, giving a shake of his head at Avery's request. "I think maybe you were in radio training, yeah? Nice to meet you again."

Ashore!

Louis gives all the radios a once-over before they're packed up and shipped out, and inspects the ship's radio before he leaves the Gabrielle.

Radio Operator (65) or Electrical Repair (45): 1d100 ⇒ 26

He makes sure to securely pack all of his own belongings. Once disembarked he keeps the pistol he retrieved from the wreck of the Wallaroo stowed in his parka's inside pocket, while his rifle is near to hand, slung over his shoulder.

"They say there are no bears here, but I'm not sure i believe it!"

It would appear the only skill Louis succeeded at was

Spot Hidden (30): 1d100 ⇒ 45

which will increase! I believe it goes up by

2d5?: 2d5 ⇒ (4, 4) = 8

Hi everybody. For the next few weeks my work/life balance is going to be very out of whack from the norm, and my posting will most likely be spotty and/or brief. I apologize for the disruption, and please feel free to bot me whenever necessary. My hope is that by the end of June I'll regain some equilibrium and be back to my regularly scheduled posting.

I should still be able to check here 2-3 times a week, but if I go quiet, this is why.

Louis's eyebrows raise at Starkweather's apparent enthusiasm. He looks to Stanley.

"I trust his judgment, Captain," Louis says, indicating Stanley with a nod. "He'll sort out the best place for the blasting, no doubt about it." Monsieur Starkweather seems a little too eager about the whole thing! He smiles at Stanley and gives an apologetic shrug.

Louis stares grimly at the remains of the lifeboat.

"Perhaps this is why so many were stripped of clothing? After they got stuck here they trekked back to the ship over the ice, yeah? Once on board they stripped off their wet clothes and tried to warm themselves." He shakes his head slowly.

"Pauvres âmes."

I'm good with the four we have, but won't raise a fuss if we recruit more crew :)

Louis's eyes light up when the contents of the lockbox are revealed. "Ah! Well worth the extra effort, no?" He gleefully stuffs bottles into his jacket pockets. His look sours somewhat at Alphonso's suggestion, but he doesn't disagree. "We should let the Captain decide what to do with the whiskey, it's true," he sighs. "But he is a good man, I'm sure he'll make the right decision."

Back on board the Gabrielle, Louis will ask for a private moment with the Captain. Once they are alone, he gives him the strange golden coins he recovered. "Very exotic, no? I thought it best not to show these to anyone else. Should our going get tough, better not to have people's thoughts turning to treasure already recovered, I think. Such a thing would not help anyone's resolve."

On Deck / Spot Hidden (30): 1d100 ⇒ 6

Louis smiles wide. "Of course!"

"I found this key, maybe it will work?" He holds out the iron key. "If not, I also have my crowbar, yeah?"

Louis takes in the scene a moment, then moves to investigate the captain in his bed. "The crew naked throughout the ship, while the captain lays in bed fully clothed? I fear these men may have broken under the weight of their situation."

Suspecting suicide, he inspects the captain's head before gently searching through the dead man's clothes. Once his search of the corpse is complete, he takes the pistol and pockets it.

Spot Hidden (30): 1d100 ⇒ 1

"Their nakedness is strange... But why take the clothes of dead men - undergarments and all? Perhaps whatever caused the boiler to explode first made it run hot for a time, too hot to be below decks clothed?" Louis pauses a moment. Too hot inside and too cold outside. Such a fate, in such a place, might break many men.

"If anyone was here before us, they must have found the wreck soon after it exploded, no? They would hardly chip the clothes off frozen corpses. They will be long gone, I think. And if they salvaged even the sailors clothes, I think then they made off with everything that was actually useful, too."

"Mister Chastain, is time as dire as you say? If so, I think we should split into pairs to search the most area for anything still left behind."

Shadow, can Stanley make an engineer-y type skill check to determine the imminency of the ship's disintegration?

I'm good either way.

"I agree that time is of the essence. I will check the captain's quarters and forward deck."

I hope you all fulfilled your raisons d'etre and have moved on, my brothers. Louie clicks on his electric torch and begins looking for the radio room.

SAN (85): 1d100 ⇒ 47

Seeing Alphonso's mining helmet, Louis decides he'd better prepare himself as well, equipping himself with an electric torch and a crowbar.

"I'll go, sir!" The Canadian stands up straight and gives the captain a proper salute. "Best if I gave Mr. Chastain some assistance, especially with the radio, sir. After all, you can never have too many working radios."

Before Eliza can respond, the radio operator is distracted by Alphonso's commotion. He runs over to the man, following his indications of where to look. He's right! He gives the man a friendly clap on the shoulder and a flash of his large square teeth before running off to tell the captain the good news.

Louis looks serenely out over the ice, lost in his own thoughts. Strange that I should travel to the south pole before the north. Looking across the deck and seeing Eliza at the rail, he crosses over to her.

"Feeling better, I hope?" he says with a smile. "If I'd taken such a hit, I don't know if I'd have fared so well! You Australians are from tough stock."

Spot Hidden (30): 1d100 ⇒ 68

Mon dieu - what didn't this man sabotage?

"Let us hope we find no more because there is no more to be found!"

Louis helps Stanley check over the planes but is soon distracted by Eliza's injuries. "Miss Stevenson, perhaps you should sit down and let nurse Barrett have a look at you, no?" He motions towards a crate of an appropriate sitting height. "These machines, they will be only as broken as they are now if we wait to tend to them, but you - you may be worse for the wait."

Mechanical repair +40 (60): 1d100 ⇒ 51
Spot Hidden (20): 1d100 ⇒ 99

With the chain in place Louis tentatively loosens his grip, and a moment later his face breaks into its trademark toothy smile. "Well done!" He shares a nod with his companions. "One down, one to go."

He warily approaches the second engine, trying his best to time his advance with the ship's surge and sway to avoid being crushed by weighty piece of machinery. With a bit of luck he stumbles up to it unharmed, gripping it as best he can while turning an encouraging grin towards the others.

Luck 85: 1d100 ⇒ 70
SIZE: 13/30

"Mon dieu!" Eyes wide, Louis steps back as a plane engine tumbles past. We'll go up like the Mont-Blanc! He takes a deep breath and charges towards the nearest loose engine, his hands scrabbling for a secure hold on the oiled machinery. "We must tie them down!"

Luck: 1d100 ⇒ 45
SIZE: 13/30

Wanted to give everyone a heads up that I'm travelling this holiday weekend and my posting may be sparse/non-existent. Will catch up on Thu 11/28 at latest.

If you haven't seen it, this movie is just about the best Lovecraft film treatment I've seen (granted, the bar's not that high in this regard). Highly recommended if you don't mind low-budget and silent films.

Leaving his bucket behind, Louis follows the others out into the storm towards the cargo hold. The ice-wind snaps him back to his senses, and he traverses the rimy, rolling deck with an expertise owed more to his northern upbringing than his nautical training. As a particularly fearsome wave rocks the ship and washes over deck, he sees at least one figure ahead of him fall from the line.

Time to earn your wage, Louis! He advances along the line as near as he can to the unfortunate crewmate, then wraps one arm tight around the rope while reaching out to them with the other.

"Grab my hand!" he shouts, trying to be heard over the elements.

DEX x 4 (60): 1d100 ⇒ 6

"Sacre bleurgh!"

Louis is thankful when the first storm passes - he'd much rather deal with icebergs and fog than go through that Hell again! Over the next few days he recuperates and maintains his usual cheer, until the afternoon of the 29th. His face falls as he stares out over the rail at the black clouds charging towards them.

Kisulkw keep us safe!

He runs inside to his post at the radio, but soon is in the throes of sickness once more, aware of nothing more than violent motion of the ship, the sound of his own moans, and the static hiss of the radio.

CON x 4 (64): 1d100 ⇒ 77
Listen (50): 1d100 + 25 ⇒ (33) + 25 = 58

Perhaps he'd caught some illness in port at Melbourne, or perhaps the events of trip had begun to wear on his nerves. Either way, the stormy seas were sending Louis to the rail (or to the bucket when on duty), and it only seemed to get worse the closer the Gabrielle came to Antarctica...

CON x 5 (80): 1d100 ⇒ 87

"Sirs, my own experience was much the same as Mssr. Chastain's - I was in bed and woken by the alarms. I then reported to my station at the ship's radio. I am afraid I missed Nurse Barrett's bravery and the recovery of the body." He gives the officers an apologetic shrug.

Louis beams, shaking Eliza's hand while giving her a friendly pat on the shoulder by way of congratulations. "Welcome aboard! And yes, you must take us to your favorite restaurant. After all, you won't have the chance to eat there again for quite some time!"

Louis's eyebrows raise as Eliza rattles off her list of reasons to Moore, impressed. She is very eager to join us - or to leave this city. Either way, my guess is our journey will be more pleasant with her than without her! He gives Moore a reassuring nod. "She does seem to know her onions, sir."

Present!

"If Peasely Power wants to put someone on board to help set up and maintain all this equipment - free of charge! - I don't see how they would say 'no', no?" Louis scratches the back of his head in thought. "Uhh... We can say it is insurance against any further sabotage!"

Apologies from me as well on my posting rate - it appears I managed to accidentally turn off the notifications for new posts in the gameplay thread on my campaigns page.

Louis takes a few long moments to take in the size and clamor of the Peasely work floor, impressed. So engrossed is he by the mechanical goings-ons of the factory that he barely registers Eliza as she introduces herself and offers to assist them, simply nodding at her words without taking his eyes off the manufacturing works in front of him. Quite an operation they've got here! The Canadian trails behind the others as they traverse the factory to the back offices, coming to attention only once he's finally cut off from the mesmerizing display of industry in action. Truly noticing Eliza for the first time, Louis gives a sheepish grin.

"Oh, we'd certainly appreciate the help!" He looks to Stanley and Alphonso. "Should we compare the lists, just to make sure the telegraph made no omissions? They can be quite unreliable at times, if the sender takes liberties with the transcription."

"That's my thought as well," Louis chimes in after Stanley. Dressed for shore leave, the radio operator wears plaid navy slacks pulled up well above his waist and held in place by bright red suspenders, a pressed white collared shirt whose sleeves are rolled up past his elbows, and a tweed cap atop his head. A strapped wooden case is casually slung over one shoulder, his hands firmly embedded in his pockets as he nods to everyone in greeting.

"Surely staying together is the safest course, no? Especially in an unfamiliar place - at least then if we get lost, we'll all be lost together." His lips slide back to reveal a wide, toothy grin that does his face no favors. "I admit that I'd like to impress the Captain with our handling of this business; the way the voyage has been lately, I think he'd very much appreciate something going right! If we see to these matters together, the less chance that one of us makes a mistake unnoticed."

I'm excited to take part :) I'll have my first gameplay post up in the morning.