Northern Front - Gameplay

Cathy Nordin uses her free hand to wipe her eyes. "He's been acting normally, I swear, I... I just texted him last night that dinner was ready, and he didn't come home... He's never late, much less this late..."

She looks even more crestfallen as she considers more possibilities. "He didn't have any enemies, or anything like that..." She trails off, unwilling to pursue that thought further.

The baby begins to cry. Cathy softly rocks it in an effort to calm it down. She looks at Maialen and Dallas, desperation in her eyes. "I... I don't know who you are, but please... Find my husband."

---

With everyone else gathered in the forest, Etheldred feels their organization pager go off.

Change of plans. More urgent.

Bring everyone who knows to the fishery.

Now.

Spare fishery uniforms in a bin out back. Take the service elevator to the 5th floor. Your pager will work as a key.

Crawford will explain from there.

Dallas nods and gives her a solemn look. "I swear I'll do whatever I can, ma'am." They nod, turn, and motion for Maialen to follow. "C'mon, we should go take a gander at th' place we know he last was."

Maialen nods too, saying one last word of comfort to Cathy. "We'll do our best to find your husband. I promise."

The two start walking back up to Arnie's, ready to take a drive over to the forest, and keep talking on the way once out of earshot. "The forest fits with my dream, and so does the time of the disappearance," Maialen states, cross-referencing the notes she just took with her "dream journal" on the way back. "I'm not sure about the bog, though, or the frogs. We might want to ask some of our local friends about the environment and wildlife, if they know."

Maggie humphs. "Fairbanks is right, and you know I hate saying that. You could've gotten yourself killed."

Dennis sighs. ”Yeah I’m with the majority here. We can keep investigating now that a bunch of us are here, but you seriously need to stop going at these things alone. Maybe next time we don’t show up fast enough to save you.”

Anna looks sheepish as her head hangs. "I wasn't expecting it to be that close. Or that big," She says, embarrassed. "I was just going to examine the perimeter."

"Maybe we c'n ask Fairbanks, then. He seems the sort who'd know that kinda stuff," Dallas reasons.

Maialen and Dallas head out as Cathy bids them a somewhat teary farewell. The duo make their way to the forest (not terribly far) and head towards the location described - a lone bench that sits outside the southeastern edge, probably dedicated to some old Barndock resident.

Before that, however, they catch sight of others that they know - Anna, Maggie, to name a few - closer to the western edge.

They also likely heard the gunshots from earlier. Around Barndock they're not super unusual, with the occasional hunter or target shooter in the woods, but this isn't the crowd to typically go hunting.

Dallas inclines their head towards the others. "Howdy, pard'ners. There a kerfuffle?"

"Oh, cousin Dallas, and Maialen too, surprised to see you both out here. Yeah, we just had a run-in with an overgrown frog from a bog that we don't think is supposed to be out here," Anna replies, giving the pair a small wave. "We were just going to investigate the bog now. What brings you two out here?"

"Perdy much th' same reasons, I s'pose." Dallas says, their brow furrowing. "An overgrowed frog, y'said? We're out here lookin' for Eric Nordin. Y'don't s'pose, he, uh... got swallowed?"

Dennis looks back in the direction of the frog. "Well if he did, I'm not hopeful about getting him back."

"Yeah, Steph kinda fried it with that spear of hers," Anna says, with a glance to the possessed girl. "He might have just wandered into the bog though, why not come with us to check it out?"

As everyone discusses what to do next, their conversation is interrupted by a blaring of police sirens. Not long after, they are approached by a pair of police officers, almost comical in their height difference - one towers over the other by nearly two feet.

This likely concerns Anna though - she doesn't recognize either of them. But then she sees Etheldred by her, and they give her a knowing nod, as if to say, "trust me."

The short officer, a young woman wearing aviators, calls out. "Alright, you all, time to clear out. We've heard reports of people going missing here, this is now police business. Officer Anna, please help us escort these folks out of here."

Dallas eyes their cousin, cocking their head. "What d'you reckon brought 'em here?" they ask.

A confused Anna looks between the two newcomers and her group. "I'm not exactly sure, but I feel like we should roll with it," She says.

Maggie raises an eyebrow. "Sure. We should probably regroup anyway."

"I'd bet you dollars to donuts that that one's got something to do with it," Fairbanks says, with a nod towards Etheldred. "Let's go along and see what they know."

The short officer speaks up again. "Come on, we don't have all day. You're not under arrest or anything, we just need civilians away from this area. We have heard gunshots so we'd like to take you all in for a few short questions, that's it. Trust me."

The tall officer, wearing a helmet and matching aviators, just silently nods and smiles. They gesture to two police cars, barely visible to the party through the thicket of trees.

Etheldred doesn't speak but begins to walk towards the cars, again nodding at the party. It's a weird time to keep quiet, but they at least seem trusting of the officers.

Dallas shrugs and looks to Maialen. "C'mon. Ain't nothin' to do but follow along f'r now," they say, giving her a curt nod.

Maialen nods, willing to go along with Etheldred. "We should all go. Let them clean up the mess." She begins to follow Etheldred towards the cars, assuming the others will follow behind.

The group decides to comply and go with these police officers -

All except Dennis, however, who had taken off running the moment he heard the sirens.

As everyone walks by, the short officer counts under their breath, "Five... Six... Seven..." She furrows her brows in rising concern and looks to her companion. "Shit. Wasn't there one more? Who's missing...?" Behind her shades her eyes widen in realization. "Motherfucker, of all the people to be missing..."

She rubs her temples as she considers her options. "Shit, OK, shit, OK..." A wendigo left alone was concerning, even one supposedly in their right mind... Not to mention whatever is in these woods that attacked the jogger and most likely killed another man.

But they also needed to get everyone back as soon as possible. And splitting up is always the worst idea, especially now.

The short officer grits her teeth. "Argh, Godammit. Alright, let's go." The two officers follow the incomplete group to the two cars, get in the driver's seats, and drive off back to the station.

After the short drive and shepherding everyone out of the cars, the short officer reiterates, "Alright, if you'll follow us into the interrogation room. It'll be short and confidential to boot, then you'll be free to go, trust me."

There's a hint of impatience in her voice. She seems concerned about something.

"Officer Anna, your assistance would be appreciated. Apologies for coming to you directly, we had a radio malfunction."

Inside is a single dispatcher manning the desk, one that Anna recognizes. They give a short wave and point to the opaque glass window that marks the interrogation room.

Does the group still continue?

Seeing little issue with cooperating with the police, Dallas dutifully plods along to the interrogation room and takes a seat. They have half a mind to ask for a beer.

”Can a fella get somethin’ t’ drink?”

Dallas only has half a mind, as it turns out.

Anna nods to the unknown officers, stepping into the interrogation room and taking up a position in a corner.

Maialen goes alongside Dallas as useful, no stranger to co-operating with authority. Plus, most of her attention is spent still trying to flesh out how her vision from the night prior fit with the scene of the "crime" they'd found. The frog fits, although it seemed a little small... and then Anna mentioned a bog inside the forest, which definitely fits my dream... Restless, she starts biting her thumbnail a little at her seat, waiting for the rest of the group to come in.