kapuchu
DnafeinI have edited my last post to bring us forward in time to life on board the ship, but not long before port. Anything you wish to add via flashback or similar is welcome. The trip itself, with the exception of the storm and working the children's butts off, has been uneventful. I have some NPC stuff to post up soon but will wait on another post before I do so.
Astarael42 Member
- Last Seen: 1 yr ago
- Old Guild Username: Lannick
- Joined: 11 yrs ago
- Posts: 674 (0.17 / day)
- VMs: 1
-
Username history
- Astarael42 11 yrs ago
- Latest 10 profile visitors:
Status
User has no status, yet
Bio
User has no bio, yet
Most Recent Posts
In
Rites Of Passage (a High Fantasy/Forgotten Realms Adventure)
→
6 yrs ago
Forum: Advanced Roleplay
In
Rites Of Passage (a High Fantasy/Forgotten Realms Adventure)
→
6 yrs ago
Forum: Advanced Roleplay
hi @orcpunx. You can use whichever method you prefer. It's probably simpler to do it in the ooc. I have a post half started but I had a pretty serious family emergency (for the past month and more) and I'm working on that right now. If I don't get it up today then it won't happen for a week or so and I will rewrite to fit whatever happens to be up by the time I can do stuff again.
In
Ianus Congreatio: Secret societies, horror, and mystery in the shadows of Prague.
→
6 yrs ago
Forum: Advanced Roleplay
Adam closed his eyes as he listened to the two women discuss the cases. It was easier to shut out the distractions and focus on the pattern as it emerged. He too had been leaning towards the situation with the child as being the more pressing. Partly because it Felt to him like it was the more intricate and complex pattern and partly because helping the grown police force came second to helping a young girl abandoned by her parents and left in a mental hospital. Oh they gave it a fancy name, but they basically had written the child off as crazy.
Adam disliked mental hospitals, and psychiatrists, as a general rule. In no small part because he knew he was only a step away from madness himself. He had never learned how the doctor had come to know his parents, and probably would never have contacted the man for any reason, but he would not disrespect his parents by refusing their friend his services, no matter how the doctor's “treatment” of the little girl rankled him.
His conscious thoughts had strayed to his parents as Lucie was talking but his unconscious mind still heard everything she said. It was a testament to his mental acuity that he could follow multiple different threads of thought at once and not find himself lost and it was a simple matter to catch up as she finished her questions.
“Very well” he said quietly. “I will send word to the hospital director that I will be happy to come to his assistance at his earliest convenience. Perhaps in that time more details on the other situation will have come to light, it is always a challenge to attempt to solve a problem when people don't wish to admit they have one.”
“As to the issue of the girl” he paused and did some quick math. “There's a 93% probability that her parents have simply washed their hands of their offspring and would be all too happy to have her disappear. I believe it would be possible to safely engineer some sort of disappearance which would satisfy all involved.”
“All of this is of course based on successfully finding out whatever is affecting the child, whether it's external or internal, and coming up with a solution that will end up helping her.”
“Please pardon me for a moment” he said and stood up. He grabbed a slim cardboard card from his desk, scribbled something on the back, and went to the outer room door and summoned a footman. Speaking quietly to the man he sent him on his way and returned to his chair and settled in again.
“I have just informed the good Doctor Helson that I shall be delighted to attend him in the morning so that I may offer my assistance. I am sure I don't need to tell you that were certain...truths...about myself to come to light I would very likely end up in the asylum myself. Or more likely they would just try to kill me, women who prefer to be men are unwelcome abominations to say nothing of my own sexual inclinations which are equally reviled. Should we come into an accidental confrontation with the staff we shall simply have to extricate ourselves in the most efficient manner possible. Hopefully without the need of lethal force but I will do what I must.”
He said the last with a dark finality that was out of character for his usually calm self.
“As such I don't think all three of us should descend on the good Doctor at once. It would be completely reasonable however if I were to show up with an assistant. Someone who is apt at blending into the background and taking notes. Perhaps you would be willing to take up that role again Miss Lily while Miss Lucie, perhaps you can find a more...subtle...way to make your way into the hospital. While Miss Lily and I distract the good doctor by plying him with questions you can take a more direct approach to the child? I've no description of her so it's going to take a bit of sleuthing to find her as it is. But I would very much like to find her, and talk to her, out of the influence of the Doctor or his staff. Somehow I think it would be far more enlightening, and truthful. 'Tis a pity we can't visit tonight before our scheduled visit tomorrow. I suspect that would be even more enlightening.”
He leaned back after his flood of words and closed his eyes waiting for the two ladies to offer their insights as to better plans or ideas he might have missed.
"Do you ladies have any thoughts or plans to add? If not I suggest we reconvene on the morrow at dawn for a light meal before heading out."
Adam disliked mental hospitals, and psychiatrists, as a general rule. In no small part because he knew he was only a step away from madness himself. He had never learned how the doctor had come to know his parents, and probably would never have contacted the man for any reason, but he would not disrespect his parents by refusing their friend his services, no matter how the doctor's “treatment” of the little girl rankled him.
His conscious thoughts had strayed to his parents as Lucie was talking but his unconscious mind still heard everything she said. It was a testament to his mental acuity that he could follow multiple different threads of thought at once and not find himself lost and it was a simple matter to catch up as she finished her questions.
“Very well” he said quietly. “I will send word to the hospital director that I will be happy to come to his assistance at his earliest convenience. Perhaps in that time more details on the other situation will have come to light, it is always a challenge to attempt to solve a problem when people don't wish to admit they have one.”
“As to the issue of the girl” he paused and did some quick math. “There's a 93% probability that her parents have simply washed their hands of their offspring and would be all too happy to have her disappear. I believe it would be possible to safely engineer some sort of disappearance which would satisfy all involved.”
“All of this is of course based on successfully finding out whatever is affecting the child, whether it's external or internal, and coming up with a solution that will end up helping her.”
“Please pardon me for a moment” he said and stood up. He grabbed a slim cardboard card from his desk, scribbled something on the back, and went to the outer room door and summoned a footman. Speaking quietly to the man he sent him on his way and returned to his chair and settled in again.
“I have just informed the good Doctor Helson that I shall be delighted to attend him in the morning so that I may offer my assistance. I am sure I don't need to tell you that were certain...truths...about myself to come to light I would very likely end up in the asylum myself. Or more likely they would just try to kill me, women who prefer to be men are unwelcome abominations to say nothing of my own sexual inclinations which are equally reviled. Should we come into an accidental confrontation with the staff we shall simply have to extricate ourselves in the most efficient manner possible. Hopefully without the need of lethal force but I will do what I must.”
He said the last with a dark finality that was out of character for his usually calm self.
“As such I don't think all three of us should descend on the good Doctor at once. It would be completely reasonable however if I were to show up with an assistant. Someone who is apt at blending into the background and taking notes. Perhaps you would be willing to take up that role again Miss Lily while Miss Lucie, perhaps you can find a more...subtle...way to make your way into the hospital. While Miss Lily and I distract the good doctor by plying him with questions you can take a more direct approach to the child? I've no description of her so it's going to take a bit of sleuthing to find her as it is. But I would very much like to find her, and talk to her, out of the influence of the Doctor or his staff. Somehow I think it would be far more enlightening, and truthful. 'Tis a pity we can't visit tonight before our scheduled visit tomorrow. I suspect that would be even more enlightening.”
He leaned back after his flood of words and closed his eyes waiting for the two ladies to offer their insights as to better plans or ideas he might have missed.
"Do you ladies have any thoughts or plans to add? If not I suggest we reconvene on the morrow at dawn for a light meal before heading out."
In
Rites Of Passage (a High Fantasy/Forgotten Realms Adventure)
→
6 yrs ago
Forum: Advanced Roleplay
OK....
1.) I'm using the next couple posts to establish our current equipment inventory so feel free to give brisa a boring "list of what we need"
2.) Skills to be added
all) geographical lore: cities...knowledge of how the flow of rumors and gossip works, social standings, underworld vs legal, how
ports and trade cities function
Brisa) reading/writing Chultean, cantrip: warm, level 1 unique spell Camouflage, meditation, staff use, papermaking, parchment
making, quill making, ink making, arithmatic, clerical shorthand, spellcraft, cooking, haggling, herbalism, reading/writing
elven, endurance, dodge, potion making
Adian) blacksmithing, hunting (bow), spear, bow (cross and long), knife, dagger, endurance, strength, alertness, perception,
brawling, fishing (salt), trapping (animal)
Argurios) farming, hunting (sling), axe (hand and battle), spear, alertness, endurance, strength, perception, haggling,
leatherworking, tanning, appraisal (furs), woodcutting, brawling, cooking
3) no one has as yet seen the thing watching us...but it's still there. feel free to mention it as it's watched all three of us.
4.) our employers will be giving us gifts before we leave...if there's something in particular you think your character would really like let me know otherwise it will be something high quality and useful (as opposed to decorative)
1.) I'm using the next couple posts to establish our current equipment inventory so feel free to give brisa a boring "list of what we need"
2.) Skills to be added
all) geographical lore: cities...knowledge of how the flow of rumors and gossip works, social standings, underworld vs legal, how
ports and trade cities function
Brisa) reading/writing Chultean, cantrip: warm, level 1 unique spell Camouflage, meditation, staff use, papermaking, parchment
making, quill making, ink making, arithmatic, clerical shorthand, spellcraft, cooking, haggling, herbalism, reading/writing
elven, endurance, dodge, potion making
Adian) blacksmithing, hunting (bow), spear, bow (cross and long), knife, dagger, endurance, strength, alertness, perception,
brawling, fishing (salt), trapping (animal)
Argurios) farming, hunting (sling), axe (hand and battle), spear, alertness, endurance, strength, perception, haggling,
leatherworking, tanning, appraisal (furs), woodcutting, brawling, cooking
3) no one has as yet seen the thing watching us...but it's still there. feel free to mention it as it's watched all three of us.
4.) our employers will be giving us gifts before we leave...if there's something in particular you think your character would really like let me know otherwise it will be something high quality and useful (as opposed to decorative)
In
Rites Of Passage (a High Fantasy/Forgotten Realms Adventure)
→
6 yrs ago
Forum: Advanced Roleplay
“It was a good day for me today” said Brisa with a smile as she handed the boys the dinner she had purchased. If they wanted the meat-pies hot they had better eat fast. “The more people start piling up in town the more people need scribe work.” Since Brisa was paid by the job, not by the day or the hour like the boys were, it wasn't hard to see why she liked busy days “I need to test out my new spell later, if one of you don't mind, I think it will help us. I remember how those frog men were invisible, only they weren't, they were just camouflaged by the terrain, and I think I can mimic that effect on one of us now. Later anyway.”
“A shipwright came in today needing some scribing done and said that trade ships were going to start heading south soon, maybe as soon as another moon cycle if the weather holds this nicely. You are right we should start preparing.” She took a big mouthful of the meat pie. “um, I ot sue but I ink we eed os” she continued around her mouthful of pie.
Seeing the boy's odd look she blushed and swallowed hastily. She rarely got to eat anything for the midday, usually just a bit of goatsmilk and honey or a cooked egg if she was really lucky, thats all her Scribe employer ever ate during the day, she was just grateful he shared it so willingly. Hector often had sweets he called “hard candy” on hand, like sucking on a sweet rock, good but not very filling. When dinner came she was famished and that often overwhelmed her manners.
“Sorry” she said. “I mean I'm not sure but I think we need a horse, or a donkey, or something like that. I know we can book passage for them on the larger ships too. I'm a bit sturdier than I was...was it only half a year ago?” a far away look came and went as she remembered her family and her teacher, the whole reason she was trekking to the strange land of Chult. “I still can't carry very much though. And I have my books and scribes tools I need to look after.”
She continued to munch on her dinner as she thought about what they might need.
“We will need food and water of course, and some way to keep it safe from the elements, and bedding, clothing, good boots, rainproof cloaks, hmm what else. I've been reading a lot about Chult now that Hector helped me translate that book of maps we have.” Hector had indeed taught her the Chultean language and he had let her look through his library on the subject. She felt she almost knew what to expect. Almost. “There's lots of weird animals down there, strange man-eating cats, winged snakes, giant boars as big as a horse, and strange peoples too. It's also very hot and very wet, rains all the time and lots of mud, the plants grow thicker than even the marshes here. What will we need to bring to help with all that? Hang on let me grab a parchment.”
She swallowed the last of her pie, licked her fingers clean, and ran to her bed to grab her scribes kit.
“Goats!” she exclaimed enthusiastically as she set herself up to take notes. She had been thinking about how much better meat pies were than goats milk and it dawned on her. “What about taking some goats? One for each of us? They can travel easily on almost any terrain, eat almost anything so we won't have to worry too much about feeding them, carry reasonable loads, the females provide milk which will help our food supplies, and the bucks are feisty bastards willing to protect their does.”
She liked goats, she had tended her family's goat and when they first started out she had even taken one of the goats with them. She had lost the poor girl rather quickly but she was smarter now, and better able to take care of herself and others.
“So what should we bring? I'll watch for the proper merchants to register with the city clerk so we can be among the first to know and shop before the wares get picked over.”
***Nearly 2 months later****
Brisa forced her bleary eyes open and looked around in the dark room. It took her a minute to remember where she was then the smell hit her...salt air, wet wood, damp hay, chamber pot, goat, slightly mildewy canvass cloth. Still on the damn boat.
With a groan she rolled out of her hammock and plopped to the floor landing on the damp hay between their three goats. She was the only female on the boat as such she got the luxury of having a berth to herself. Only not really. She shared the small stall where their goats were quartered. She had learned quickly that goats, if not kept in the fresh open air, stunk. She was so ready to be off the boat, even if it was going to be in some strange new world she didn't know and barely spoke the language of.
Traveling by ship might be convenient, and about the only way to get where they were going but it was pretty awful. Not to mention that despite what she had heard it had taken the better part of the month to actually find a ship heading all the way to Chult.
Her berth was with the goats which wasn't the freshest smelling spot on the ship but she had space because the goats were rather well tended but small enough they didn't take their whole stall. The boys had to berth together in hammocks strung in a space that seemed about the size of a broom closet. That had to get annoying. To make matters worse a recent storm had given all three children a chance to experience true sea sickness first hand. Brisa still wasn't entirely over it and for the last three days had nothing to eat but hard tack soaked in a little goat milk. She was sick of it but there was no way she could keep much else down.
Her body clock was telling her it was time to get up and start her daily routine. This meant clean up the goat's bedding and lay down new hay, take the old bedding up top along with her chamber pot and dump it overboard, fetch her old clothing along with that of the boys and mend anything that needed mending then magick it clean. Then back to the goats to milk them and take the milk up to the galley. There she joined the cook and set to prepping the food for the day.
It was a routine that had her below deck almost all day, she hated it but part of their passage was paid in work...and her work was the galley which was sort of an all day thing between prepping food and cleaning up. Argurios and Aiden had work above deck, hard labor intensive work, but at least it was fresh air and they had long breaks followed by spurts of intensely busy work. With her sea sickness she really wished she had more time to spend in the fresh air. She didn't see much of the boys; she couldn't even join them for meals since she was expected to eat with the cook after all sailors and captain had already eaten.
Only at the end of the day, when her chores were done, could she find a place to study. Since candles, lanterns, and other sources of fire were not allowed willy nilly on ship that meant if she wanted to see she had to do so on deck near one of the regular night lanterns.
After the long day was over she wearily climbed above deck, her precious spell book tucked under her arm. There was a massive coil of rope near the upper deck and it was situated just below one of the very few lanterns allowed on the ship. Since lanterns were fire and fire and boats didn't mix the Captain was very careful about where the night time running lanterns were placed and you just had to accommodate that. Brisa had taken to crawling into the middle of the coil of rope and sitting there, cross legged, held in place by the heavy hemp coils around her. She wondered if either, or both off the boys would have any time off from their duties to come over and chat but for now she set to studying. Every free moment she could scrap together she studied, spells, maps, languages, everything she could to help them prepare for their arrival in Chult. After all it was only supposed to be another 10-day before they made port.
“A shipwright came in today needing some scribing done and said that trade ships were going to start heading south soon, maybe as soon as another moon cycle if the weather holds this nicely. You are right we should start preparing.” She took a big mouthful of the meat pie. “um, I ot sue but I ink we eed os” she continued around her mouthful of pie.
Seeing the boy's odd look she blushed and swallowed hastily. She rarely got to eat anything for the midday, usually just a bit of goatsmilk and honey or a cooked egg if she was really lucky, thats all her Scribe employer ever ate during the day, she was just grateful he shared it so willingly. Hector often had sweets he called “hard candy” on hand, like sucking on a sweet rock, good but not very filling. When dinner came she was famished and that often overwhelmed her manners.
“Sorry” she said. “I mean I'm not sure but I think we need a horse, or a donkey, or something like that. I know we can book passage for them on the larger ships too. I'm a bit sturdier than I was...was it only half a year ago?” a far away look came and went as she remembered her family and her teacher, the whole reason she was trekking to the strange land of Chult. “I still can't carry very much though. And I have my books and scribes tools I need to look after.”
She continued to munch on her dinner as she thought about what they might need.
“We will need food and water of course, and some way to keep it safe from the elements, and bedding, clothing, good boots, rainproof cloaks, hmm what else. I've been reading a lot about Chult now that Hector helped me translate that book of maps we have.” Hector had indeed taught her the Chultean language and he had let her look through his library on the subject. She felt she almost knew what to expect. Almost. “There's lots of weird animals down there, strange man-eating cats, winged snakes, giant boars as big as a horse, and strange peoples too. It's also very hot and very wet, rains all the time and lots of mud, the plants grow thicker than even the marshes here. What will we need to bring to help with all that? Hang on let me grab a parchment.”
She swallowed the last of her pie, licked her fingers clean, and ran to her bed to grab her scribes kit.
“Goats!” she exclaimed enthusiastically as she set herself up to take notes. She had been thinking about how much better meat pies were than goats milk and it dawned on her. “What about taking some goats? One for each of us? They can travel easily on almost any terrain, eat almost anything so we won't have to worry too much about feeding them, carry reasonable loads, the females provide milk which will help our food supplies, and the bucks are feisty bastards willing to protect their does.”
She liked goats, she had tended her family's goat and when they first started out she had even taken one of the goats with them. She had lost the poor girl rather quickly but she was smarter now, and better able to take care of herself and others.
“So what should we bring? I'll watch for the proper merchants to register with the city clerk so we can be among the first to know and shop before the wares get picked over.”
***Nearly 2 months later****
Brisa forced her bleary eyes open and looked around in the dark room. It took her a minute to remember where she was then the smell hit her...salt air, wet wood, damp hay, chamber pot, goat, slightly mildewy canvass cloth. Still on the damn boat.
With a groan she rolled out of her hammock and plopped to the floor landing on the damp hay between their three goats. She was the only female on the boat as such she got the luxury of having a berth to herself. Only not really. She shared the small stall where their goats were quartered. She had learned quickly that goats, if not kept in the fresh open air, stunk. She was so ready to be off the boat, even if it was going to be in some strange new world she didn't know and barely spoke the language of.
Traveling by ship might be convenient, and about the only way to get where they were going but it was pretty awful. Not to mention that despite what she had heard it had taken the better part of the month to actually find a ship heading all the way to Chult.
Her berth was with the goats which wasn't the freshest smelling spot on the ship but she had space because the goats were rather well tended but small enough they didn't take their whole stall. The boys had to berth together in hammocks strung in a space that seemed about the size of a broom closet. That had to get annoying. To make matters worse a recent storm had given all three children a chance to experience true sea sickness first hand. Brisa still wasn't entirely over it and for the last three days had nothing to eat but hard tack soaked in a little goat milk. She was sick of it but there was no way she could keep much else down.
Her body clock was telling her it was time to get up and start her daily routine. This meant clean up the goat's bedding and lay down new hay, take the old bedding up top along with her chamber pot and dump it overboard, fetch her old clothing along with that of the boys and mend anything that needed mending then magick it clean. Then back to the goats to milk them and take the milk up to the galley. There she joined the cook and set to prepping the food for the day.
It was a routine that had her below deck almost all day, she hated it but part of their passage was paid in work...and her work was the galley which was sort of an all day thing between prepping food and cleaning up. Argurios and Aiden had work above deck, hard labor intensive work, but at least it was fresh air and they had long breaks followed by spurts of intensely busy work. With her sea sickness she really wished she had more time to spend in the fresh air. She didn't see much of the boys; she couldn't even join them for meals since she was expected to eat with the cook after all sailors and captain had already eaten.
Only at the end of the day, when her chores were done, could she find a place to study. Since candles, lanterns, and other sources of fire were not allowed willy nilly on ship that meant if she wanted to see she had to do so on deck near one of the regular night lanterns.
After the long day was over she wearily climbed above deck, her precious spell book tucked under her arm. There was a massive coil of rope near the upper deck and it was situated just below one of the very few lanterns allowed on the ship. Since lanterns were fire and fire and boats didn't mix the Captain was very careful about where the night time running lanterns were placed and you just had to accommodate that. Brisa had taken to crawling into the middle of the coil of rope and sitting there, cross legged, held in place by the heavy hemp coils around her. She wondered if either, or both off the boys would have any time off from their duties to come over and chat but for now she set to studying. Every free moment she could scrap together she studied, spells, maps, languages, everything she could to help them prepare for their arrival in Chult. After all it was only supposed to be another 10-day before they made port.
In
Rites Of Passage (a High Fantasy/Forgotten Realms Adventure)
→
6 yrs ago
Forum: Advanced Roleplay
No worries. I was waiting on a friend for awhile, then I was traveling and while I thought I'd have good signal I didn't, then my dog passed away and I'm just now coming back to life though I still don't want to do much.
In
Rites Of Passage (a High Fantasy/Forgotten Realms Adventure)
→
6 yrs ago
Forum: Advanced Roleplay
now the question is anyone else here? I was waiting for a friend to join us but he seems to have dropped off the planet so I'm done waiting.
In
Ianus Congreatio: Secret societies, horror, and mystery in the shadows of Prague.
→
6 yrs ago
Forum: Advanced Roleplay
Adam leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, searching for how to lay out his thoughts without influencing the thoughts and opinions of the three gathered here. Ren, he knew, was a strange mix of superstitious and stiffly unyielding; out of the box thinking was simply not his forte. The other two however, Adam wanted to present to the information to them in such a way as to avoid any preconceived notions. He tapped the folders in his lap absently then handed one off to Ren. It was yet another string of disappearances, he wanted at least a little more information before he had this newly formed “detective” group delve into it.
“Would you be so kind as to research this a bit more when you are out today? I don't expect your other task to take long and I'd rather have a bit more information before we start studying that particular one.”
He turned to the two ladies and smiled.
“I fear that particular mystery might turn out to be distressingly ordinary” he said with a tone of apology. “I have no interest in wasting your time with the mundane. The other two are considerably less ordinary. I assume you are familiar with the new law enforcement station established along the river two months ago? It was a great triumph for the city. Contains all the most modern forensic equipment and has an attached training facility to ensure that Prague's law enforcement are the best in the world. At least that's what they claim. And yet it seems that the entire building is completely unusable. This isn't common knowledge of course, they still make it look properly used. Since the average citizen isn't supposed to know of this situation we can't exactly question anyone who uses the building or who is supposed to train there and unfortunately I'm not exactly clear on what makes it unusable. The prevailing theory is that it is haunted. But no one seems exactly clear on what, how, or why. A truly haunted building could be a very interesting study...but it could be almost anything else as well. As I suspect that no fewer than two of the current crop of detectives to possess untapped psychical power it's entirely possible that “something” is reacting to their presence. I'm not sure where to begin but some oddities in the pattern tell me that its exactly the kind of thing that would be up our alley.”
He handed the thin folder over to Lucie as she was closest. There wasn't much in there, just a few statements gathered by Adam's eyes & ears, his network of informants. Standard superstitious spooky stuff...noises, flickering candles, miscellaneous things falling off shelves and tables, winds in closed rooms. The one that really stood out was a report by one trainee....revealed when the young trainee got piss stinking drunk in a rat filled tavern one night...he reported that the lower floor of the building flooded...with blood. It soaked everyone who was in the building at the time but when they left the building the blood mysteriously vanished. Taken separately these things were just hookum, nonsense and worthless ramblings. Together Adam's Talent told him there was more underneath. The real problem would be how to investigate it without seeming to be investigating it as they were, of course, suppose to know nothing about the problems.
“The second of these is the story of a sweet innocent little girl. The daughter of Lord and Lady Dovorak.” He named one of the wealthiest and most connected people in the city. “It seems that she has been acting oddly. So oddly in fact that her devoted parents decided to send her to a private “hospital”. The director of the hospital contacted me directly to ask for help. His first concern is for the family, or rather their money, and I know he fears loosing the income from the family therefore I'm sure he hasn't told me everything. He is an old friend of my parents however, I will of course lend my assistance. Something in what he said, or did not say, lends me to believe the good doctor is quite out of his depth. The young girl has taken to disappearing. No one sees her leave, no one sees her return, and when she returns she is completely mute. It takes several hours before she can make a sound. She claims to remember nothing and then proceeds to chatter endlessly on about all the new friends she has found in her dreams. The director is concerned with how she keeps getting away and back without anyone noticing, as well as her mute spells. I think that, plus her dreams are interconnected, and perhaps more. I will not burden you with my suspicions into this matter, but I will be heading there to investigate and would hope to have your accompaniment and input. Unlike the other case, in this one we shall receive a fee for our consulting services.”
He handed Lily the second folder which contained very precise notes by the director psychologist looking after the girl. Written in the doctors precise hand are the very detailed records of the child's disappearances, the fanciful stories she tells each day about her dreams which seem to grow more and more detailed with each day, and the very descriptive list of ways they tried to get her to talk during her mute spells...most of what they tried was designed to make her cry out in pain or fear.
Adam leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes letting the women ponder what he said.
“So...what would you deem the best way to progress. It seems my services are already committed to an old family friend, however I see no reason I must rush to investigate. Yet.”
“Would you be so kind as to research this a bit more when you are out today? I don't expect your other task to take long and I'd rather have a bit more information before we start studying that particular one.”
He turned to the two ladies and smiled.
“I fear that particular mystery might turn out to be distressingly ordinary” he said with a tone of apology. “I have no interest in wasting your time with the mundane. The other two are considerably less ordinary. I assume you are familiar with the new law enforcement station established along the river two months ago? It was a great triumph for the city. Contains all the most modern forensic equipment and has an attached training facility to ensure that Prague's law enforcement are the best in the world. At least that's what they claim. And yet it seems that the entire building is completely unusable. This isn't common knowledge of course, they still make it look properly used. Since the average citizen isn't supposed to know of this situation we can't exactly question anyone who uses the building or who is supposed to train there and unfortunately I'm not exactly clear on what makes it unusable. The prevailing theory is that it is haunted. But no one seems exactly clear on what, how, or why. A truly haunted building could be a very interesting study...but it could be almost anything else as well. As I suspect that no fewer than two of the current crop of detectives to possess untapped psychical power it's entirely possible that “something” is reacting to their presence. I'm not sure where to begin but some oddities in the pattern tell me that its exactly the kind of thing that would be up our alley.”
He handed the thin folder over to Lucie as she was closest. There wasn't much in there, just a few statements gathered by Adam's eyes & ears, his network of informants. Standard superstitious spooky stuff...noises, flickering candles, miscellaneous things falling off shelves and tables, winds in closed rooms. The one that really stood out was a report by one trainee....revealed when the young trainee got piss stinking drunk in a rat filled tavern one night...he reported that the lower floor of the building flooded...with blood. It soaked everyone who was in the building at the time but when they left the building the blood mysteriously vanished. Taken separately these things were just hookum, nonsense and worthless ramblings. Together Adam's Talent told him there was more underneath. The real problem would be how to investigate it without seeming to be investigating it as they were, of course, suppose to know nothing about the problems.
“The second of these is the story of a sweet innocent little girl. The daughter of Lord and Lady Dovorak.” He named one of the wealthiest and most connected people in the city. “It seems that she has been acting oddly. So oddly in fact that her devoted parents decided to send her to a private “hospital”. The director of the hospital contacted me directly to ask for help. His first concern is for the family, or rather their money, and I know he fears loosing the income from the family therefore I'm sure he hasn't told me everything. He is an old friend of my parents however, I will of course lend my assistance. Something in what he said, or did not say, lends me to believe the good doctor is quite out of his depth. The young girl has taken to disappearing. No one sees her leave, no one sees her return, and when she returns she is completely mute. It takes several hours before she can make a sound. She claims to remember nothing and then proceeds to chatter endlessly on about all the new friends she has found in her dreams. The director is concerned with how she keeps getting away and back without anyone noticing, as well as her mute spells. I think that, plus her dreams are interconnected, and perhaps more. I will not burden you with my suspicions into this matter, but I will be heading there to investigate and would hope to have your accompaniment and input. Unlike the other case, in this one we shall receive a fee for our consulting services.”
He handed Lily the second folder which contained very precise notes by the director psychologist looking after the girl. Written in the doctors precise hand are the very detailed records of the child's disappearances, the fanciful stories she tells each day about her dreams which seem to grow more and more detailed with each day, and the very descriptive list of ways they tried to get her to talk during her mute spells...most of what they tried was designed to make her cry out in pain or fear.
Adam leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes letting the women ponder what he said.
“So...what would you deem the best way to progress. It seems my services are already committed to an old family friend, however I see no reason I must rush to investigate. Yet.”
In
Rites Of Passage (a High Fantasy/Forgotten Realms Adventure)
→
6 yrs ago
Forum: Advanced Roleplay
yup. still here. barely.
tis a pity but such is life. Off to the next adventure.
© 2007-2024