Play@YSDC

The store is at its usual state of emptiness. Most of those who are seen in this town, which is only an hour distance from the local city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, are tourists who don't have much use for him. On the plus side, he did have a television that needed repairing that was dropped off by a local motel: The Golitsin. So at least he did have some additional income available. The mail from Ophidian lays on his counter. More mail doubtless begging for him to join the media circuit and enjoy the high life of Berlin.

Valentine starts to remove the back of the TV, already he can smell burning from within bringing with it the prospect of an expensive job, bringing a smile to the mans face.
He glances over and notices the letters, the smile vanishing from his face. He puts down the TVs back cover and wanders over the mail pile from Ophidian and picks up the letters.
Valentines gaze is then drawn to the small dog that was resting behind the counter. Valentines hunting dog "Trip" has stood up and is looking directly at at him, one head cocked to the side.

"I am only going to read the mail trip, nothing more than that....then I'll get back to the TV"

The dog cocks his head to the other side and whimpers slightly

"Honest! I am just going to read it...doesn't mean I am going to go to berlin and leave you with old man andrei"

At this the dog snorts briefly and returns to his spot under the counter. Valentine chuckles to himself
"Later when I have finished the TV" Says Valentine now leaning over and looking under to were Trip is resting "We will have a long talk about your attitude problem with authority figures"

Valentines laugh is answered by two short muffled barks from under the counter.

Now lets see what these letters have to say Valentine thinks to himself as he opens the first one

The first letter is a package containing multiple pamphlets on the sights to see in Berlin. Another letter mentions the itinerary and contains a pamphlet of a luxuriant hotel where "others who will be visiting the mountain in Kamchatka will enjoy together". The itinerary seems to have plenty of time available for sight seeing and it even mentions several methods of doing so - by bus, by plane, by helicopter, by taxi. Another is an offer of spending money. Finally, there is a letter requesting he get back to them.

Valentine places the "tourist" letters in a pile with the other junk mail and reads the last letter seeing if there is a contact number.

"May as well see what they want" he thinks to himself as he starts dialling

"Guten tag, Ursula Humboldt spreken,"[/color] says a cheerful female voice in German, followed by: "Good day, Ursula Humboldt speaking."

The letter identifies the phone number as belonging to Daniel Carter's personal assistant. Daniel Carter, the man spear heading the media circuit in Berlin, funding body adviser to the expedition and Media Development Chief Marketing Officer. Of course, it being a German number, it would certainly cost a small fortune on his next phone bill. Still, since he was being paid admirably enough it would be more than enough to cover it. He was being paid a hell of a lot of money - $50 000. Which was 1,156,275rubles. All for ten weeks of his time. That was the Russian equivalent of $5,000 a week.

OOC: Failed a German Language roll. Base skills 1%. Rolled 96.

Valentine switches to english and begins speaking "Hello...I am..My name is Valentine Pilman I recieved a letter recently asking me to contact Mr Carter...it's concerning the Kamchatka expedition?...I have been hired as the guide"

"Yes, yes, it's great to hear from you," says Ursula Humboldt. "Will you be willing to take us up on our offer for the all-expenses paid trip?"

Valentine winces at this question...the very idea of him flying out to berlin, wandering about looking and feeling like a bumpkin and then having cameras shoved in his face fills him with dread.

"I am afraid that will not be possible...I have some very important work to do" He says, glancing now at the television "Yes very important...could take me some days to finish...but I will be ready for Mr Carter and his...erm..party, so please give Mr Carter my apologies but asure him that things will be ready for him when he flies over to Kamchatka"

Valentine gives the secretary his number then still apologising profusely hangs up.

Ursula Humboldt seems to notice his hesitation. "The primary factor was really to get a few of the people in an easy-going, low-pressure environment. You understand what it's like when an expedition is about to be mounted ... so much is happening there is so little time for anyone to even speak. We felt it might be useful to find a good excuse for you all to get to know each other. The media circuit makes a convenient excuse for Ophidian. If you find that idea rather tiring, even if you only do one or two radio talk shows or attend a few photo shoots, to keep Ophidian happy, we would be perfectly happy to fly you over and get to know you."

Valentine looks upwards to ceiling exasperated at the secretaries attempt to keep the conversation going...but mentioning all the things that he finds annoying serves only to strengthen his resolve.

"I understand that people can be a little overwhelmed, but really these things are fairly straightforward...and there will be plenty of time to get to know me during the expedition. But to be honest I like to keep things on a formal basis. This of course is getting away from the fact that I won't be able to attend the circus..sorry...circuit. I guess they'll have to interview during the trip"

"Very well, sir," says Ursula Humboldt. "I do so hope you will change your mind. If you do wish to speak to me, thank you."

"Thank you miss"
Valentine hangs up the phone, sighs and returns to his work.

Valentine returns to the broken television set and starts examining it in order to find out what the problem is. Unfortunately, he doesn't see any tell-tale signs. Looks like he'll be at this for a fair long while.

Outside, a couple link arms and strut past his shop front window. They seem very much in love and very much like tourists. They don't even glance into his shop as they go.

Well, at least he has the time to do this job. Or he could finish going through his mail.

Valentine shakes his head...swearing that there was a brief smell of booze coming from the back of this TV...goddamn tourists His attention is drawn back to the rest of the mail pile sitting on the counter. He picks it up and slowly starts going through it item by item...with his foor he nudges out the bin under the counter, so he can get the junk mail straight in were it belongs!

There are several catalogues, a letter written in English telling him he had won something from Reader's Digest, a handwritten letter post-marked from Berlin but written in English, and a hand-written letter post-marked from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky written in Russian.

Accessed Prop 4.
Accessed Prop 5.

He glances over the first letter again, trying to discover i he recognised the writing...he makes a mental note to phone Mr Carter to discover if he knows anything. The second letter is far more appealing though and he picks up the phone at once and starts to dial the number on the letter.

The call is answered on the fourth ring. "Hello, Mikhail Lubov here. How can I help you?" a man asks, his voice deep, his accent identifying him as coming from St. Petersburg.

As he speaks into the telephone, he gazes around and can see the newly published bookon the early Kamchatka expedition, its cover a glossy print of an old-fashioned book. It was sent a few weeks ago by Ophidian as a gift. He may have already read it or he may still be meaning to or he may have no interest in it. But it's there.

"Mr Lubov, this Valentine Pilman...you contacted me about a possible trip out here in Kamchatka" He pauses waiting for Lubov to speak, and picks up the book and begins to leaf through it slowly

"Yes, yes, Mr. Pilman, I'm grateful you called me back," he says. "I was hoping on getting to see that mountain. I'm in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky for the next couple weeks with my family and it would be great to sight-see on the foothills. I've heard a lot of nasty rumors so I'm fine to not venture any higher. Many people have had no issue with walking through there. Oh, and if you're up for it, it would be nice to see the Valley of Geysers, as well."

"Well I think the foothills should cause no real problems...though if you are bringing your Family then I will insist that we go no farther than this...no matter how scenic you think it is higher up...it's no place for families. As for the valley...well I am afraid its not majestic as it once was...the place was practically destroyed during a mud and land slide. Its not nice to look at anymore and can be tough going now to traverse. When were you thinking of leaving any way?"

"We can clear our schedule almost immediately, and we will be willing to bow to your wisdom," says Lubov.

"Excellent...if you give me your address, I can pick your party up tomorrow morning. Now about the fee..."

"Well, we can meet you if you'd like. The town you're living in isn't that far from Petropavlosk-Kamchatsky anyhow. Whatever is convenient for you, in other words. And the fee... Yes? It's not sufficient?" asks Lubov.

"Well that'll be ideal...I can give you the address of a local cafe, I will pick you up in the morning around 7:30. The fee is satisfactory, but I will have to insist on payment on the day of the trip, I hope this does not cause any problems?"

"That's not a problem," says Lubov. "Do you have a local bank account I could drop it in tomorrow? I don't like walking around with that much money for long."

"That won't be a problem, I can drop the money off before we set out"
Valentine then proceeds to give the man the address of a small cafe in the town centre

"Thanking you kindly," says Lubov. "See you tomorrow then." He hands up after leaving a number where he can be reached tonight, at least.

How will Pilman spend the night? You may make another attempt on that television.

Valentine checks his watch, then glancing over at the TV set...sighs and goes back to work

Valentine quickly determines that the cause of the blue tint in one corner and the green tint in the other corner is because of magnetisation of the shadow mask. Old television sets like these, about a decade old, can have that problem. Of course, replacement picture tubes are expensive as are professional degaussers so he simply took a magnet and "stroked" the tints away.

OOC: Any other plans for the night? Or should I fade out until tomorrow?

The morning seems to be bathed in a rosy hue due to the large amount of loose soil that seems to have been kicked up into the air. Crisp weather from a warming winter turning to spring. Leaves budding on trees long since bereft of signs of life. A dog that just wouldn't quit until it got its breakfast and was all over him until he left his bedroom. The dog had tracked muddy paw prints across the floor of the bedroom. Had Pilman left the back door open?

Pilman frowns at all the mucky paw prints and wanders over to the back door to check

The back door is open several inches. The dog pauses at the kitchen door and scrapes it with a paw with a slight whimper. He seems a little dizzy and isn't standing straight. Perhaps the dog is feeling ill. As Pilman approaches the back door, he can smell something disgusting. It smells like rot hanging humid and thick in the air. Rot and blood and early decay. The smell seems thickest near the kitchen door.

Pilman grabs "trip" by the collar and lifts the dog up quickly, moving out of the kitchen before putting the protesting hound on the ground. He then re-enters the kitchen closing the door behind him. Moving over to one of the drawers, he takes out a large kitchen knife and then moves towards the door leading to the backyard and opens it quickly.

As Pilman enters the kitchen, he enters a room where a number of bird corpses have been splayed across the room, split down the middle and spread across the counter, the drawers, the cupboards and the table. Their corpses have been driven into place with long, thick nails through wings and eyes. The sight of it nauseates him but he keeps his mind from slipping at the sight of it. There is a note sitting on the kitchen table.

Valentine slowly backs away from the scene before him and reaches for the phone in the hall...transfixed by the sight as the birds are to his kitchen work top he has to force his gaze away to dial the correct number for the police...reporting a break in and giving his address he hangs up the phone. Only then does he approach the counter again to look at the note without picking it up.

The police tell him they'll be there soon.

The note is perfectly folded in half. He will need something to open it.

Reluctantly he goes over and quickly picks up the note, his nose wrinkling in disgust at the smell. He opens the folded paper and begins to read

Trip howls from where he's been placed, obviously still upset by the stink of carrion.

Valentine moves quickly to the back door and locks it...then quietly backs out of the kitchen to await the police

The Militsiya arrive within ten minutes. He sees their car pull up outside through the wide glass windows of his shop front. One tall man and a short, curvy woman get out of the car, dressed in typical militsioner uniform, and come towards the front door of his store.

He moves over to the door and opens it for the militia, beckoning them in, he hands over the note to the tall officer
"My intruder left this along with...well go through to the Kitchen, you'll soon see"
Pilman escorts the officers into the Kitchen once more, but before following them in, he takes the time to usher little trip to his nook under the counter.

The Militsiya woman looks around and utters a short whistle. "They've really done a job on your kitchen, haven't they? You're not going to get that stink out in a hurry." He pokes his head back out into the corridor. "Muddy paw prints but no shoe prints ... did you let the dog in or was the back door open?"

"I came down and smelled it long before I saw it...I was thinking some foul drunk had collapsed outside the kitchen door. Then I came in and saw...when I got over the shock I realised that the door was open...and I do remember locking it the night before...Trip was wandering all over the Kitchen and the back court, he was highly distressed...whoever had broken in did it without alerting my dog...which makes me think I need to take him to the vet, in case the bastard doped him with something"

"That's probably quite likely," said the Militsiya woman. "Best to check that out. Can you think of anyone who might want to do this? Do you have any enemies? Been receiving any threatening mail or phone calls?"

Pilman nods slowly and retrieves the strange mail he had opened yesterday, along with the book

The Militsiya woman nods and takes a look over them. "Any idea who may have sent this letter?"

Pilman thinks long and hard about this one, before answering.
"The trouble is...that mountain has always brought out the kranks...i think its the same here...only this one went too far"

The Militsiya woman nods again. "You're the guide for the expedition?" She chews her bottom lip, as though deep in thought. A short while passes before she speaks again. "Have you been receiving any crank calls? Has anyone followed you? Approached you in the street?"

"Mikhail Lubov!" Pilman is slightly startled by how loudly he shouted the name. "Sorry officers, but although i have not been getting crank calls...I was approached by this man...he sent me a letter, wanted to me to take him and his family to the foothills region...was quite a bit of money as well...5000 roubles...I have his letter here and the contact number"
Valentine again leaves the kitchen and retrieves the letter sent by Lubov and then hands it over to the officer.

"That's a possibility," she said, her face unreadable. "It may also be a coincidence. You do know, of course, that the expedition got quite specific permissions to scale that mountain... From what I've heard, it's still out-of-bounds to most. Still, I'll take down a copy of his details. Has anything been stolen? Anything missing? Otherwise broken?"

"Well I told Lubov this and that the Geysers were out of bounds after the mudslides...I was to take him to the foothills..nothing more...he wanted to bring his family with him....but as for anything being stolen...I haven't had a chance to check...I called you straight away"

She frowns. "I know there's a lot of money to be made by escorting people up there with the current publicity ... but it's illegal. If you get caught, you'll be looking at jail time. As to not touching anything, that's wise. A lot of people get so emotional they start searching the place over, ruin any and all evidence in their haste. I'll be straight with you, our department isn't going to check these for fingerprints. We don't do that for trespass, harassment or ... this level of property damage. If you bag this evidence yourself, though, and keep a diary indicating all the dates and times of this sort of occurrence ... threatening letters ... things like that, then if this escalates, we'll then have a place to start."

"Sure, of course...i had no idea that even the foothills were totally out of bounds...I'll let Lubov know and I'll have a look over the house and store to see if anythings gone. I'll keep this note, and take a photo of the bird, but I'm not keeping it in the house"

Pilman sees the officers out promising to keep in touch and to check about legal boundaries...when the door closes, He goes through to clean out the Kitchen, disposing of his present and giving the place a good airing out.

*ooc*
Valentine will then phone the authorities to discover how far he can take Lubov...if the entire area is out of bounds he will waste no time in contacting Lubov and cancelling the trip.
He will also have a good look around the house to check for other presents or signs that things have been removed...paranoid he even checks the phones

The authorities reveal that he can walk around the base of the mountain and take photographs but the foothills themselves are out of bounds without proper, written permission from the right government departments. There don't appear to be any further presents or signs of items being moved. The phones don't appear to be tampered with.

He hangs up and then rings up Lubov to tell the man that there has been a change in plan...The family outing will be to the base of the mountain only, no trip to the foothills and certainly no trip to the geyser, which after the mudslide is very much out of bounds. To soften the blow, Pilman informs Lubov that he cannot accept the fee agreed, and feels that only half should be paid.

Lubov acknowledges Pilman's words with a grunt and a sigh. "I'll tell the kids. Still, thanks for sorting that out. The last thing I want to do is have any trouble with the law."

The moment Lubov puts the phone down, it rings. There is also a knock on the door, a moment later.

Valentine curses under his breath and goes towards the door thinking that if its his night visitor come to gloat, he is going to knock his block off
"Ah what am I thinking, I'm never that lucky" He opens the door....

Leaving the ringing phone behind, he opens the door to see a disheveled man covered in a multitude of scratches, cuts and grazes whose nose appears to have been broken at least thrice in the past. His greasy brown hair hangs before his face and down around his ears toward his chin. His round face has sprouts of bum fluff poking out at all angles. His blue-gray eyes, on the other hand, appear bright and intelligent, though they roam around, checking all corners and movement, as though searching for something.

"M-Mr. Pilman?" asks the strange man.

Pilman looks the wretch over slowly "If you're the one who left the calling card this morning, then you are in very big trouble...if you are looking for charity then you are damn out of luck"

"You called the police, yes?" said the wretch. "To the birds? You called the police?" He nods and mumbles to himself. "Geburah's dismissiveness but Binah will not be so kind to you. Understandable, yes, I should think, very understandable. But if you would follow, you would know what it meant, the lictors are not so kind to birds, you see, you would not have entered the room. Bizarre find, yes, bizarre, but no lictor are you." He keeps nodding and mumbling to himself.

Pilman's dog whines in the background.

Pilman nods slowly, aware that Trip is getting very upset...the anger in him rising
"You bet your ass I called the militia you crazy old crank, and the only explaining you'll do is to the militia"
With that said, Pilman lurches forward and throws out a right cross towards the vagrants head(fists 50% 1d100=34)

The fist cracks against his chin and the man's eyes roll up into the back of his skull as he drops to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. A polaroid photograph, smudged with dirt, slips from his fingers to the pavement below.

As he lays there, his body trembles slightly, his eyes rolling somewhat beneath the lids. Several people walk passed on the street, looking from Valentine to the unconscious vagrant, than looking away - a few with disinterest, some with concern but a slight trace of fear. A little girl who was busy pushing her brother in front of a shop, turns and stares, stopping her brother when he tries to push her back, and turning him around to regard Valentine.

No one lifts a finger or gets in his way as he towers over the unconscious vagrant, considering what to do to him.

OOC: Lost the roll, but on the KO you got about 13% or less.

Pilman reaches down and grabs the photograph examining it quickly, but then realising that people are looking he heads in doors quickly to reach the phone on the shop counter. He quickly redials the militia, reminding them of his earlier call, he states that no sooner had their officers left his premises when the cultprit turn up at his door.....

"There was a slight scuffle, but I laid the old krank out on the pavement...yes he's out cold at the moment...you better send an ambulance along with a patrol car..yes i'll be here" Pilman hangs up the phone...looking around the shop, he grabs a chair from behind the counter, takes it outside and placing it down next to the vagrant, he sits down.

He looks at the photo again and towards the old man.

The photograph shows a young, somewhat pretty sixteen-year-old girl, with curly blond hair.

It doesn't take long for the militsiya to return. The woman peers down at the unconscious man's face with a frown. "That was quick. You must have put him down very quickly. We'll take over from here." She turns to gesture to her partner to pick up the man and take him to the back of the militsiya car.

Pilman nods as he follows the officers to the car...
"He must been watching the place, so the old bastard knew I had called the police. He also mentioned the bird...then he named two others called Geburah and Binah...and that Binah would not be too happy about me calling you...he also had this"

Pilman hands over the photograph

The two militsiya simply regard the photograph. "This does occur occasionally. The criminal returning to the scene of the crime for any one of a number of reasons. We'll take it from here." She takes out a notepad and jots the names down. "Geburah? Binah, eh?"

The man silently leans down to pick up the man and take him to the car. "It'll be quicker if we just take him now."

"Uh, okay," says the female officer. Then she turns back to Pilman. "We'll take it from here."

The militsiya go to get back into their car with the unconscious man in tow.

Pilman frowns slightly at the abruptness of the militia and lack of curiosity about the incident. He shrugs, grabs the chair and heads back into the shop. Looking towards the Kitchen area he shudders slighty and decides that He and trip will breakfast at the cafe...he grabs Trips lead, gets his coat and heads out of the shop, locking the door behind him.
Then with his dog, he wanders down the street towards the cafe.

His lunch at the cafe is reasonably uneventful. Its a nice, somewhat warm day, with a reasonably clear sky and some attractive women to view who were sitting at a table only a few feet away.

Pilman has his breakfast and coffee and then heads back to the shop...remembering that he has that Lubov family outing to prepare for.

The preparations for the Lubov family outing are finished quickly - he's so well-practised that he has it done almost before he knows it. He ensures he has his first aid kit packed into his 4WD, along with several litres of water, some extra petrol, and other essential items. He also fills his tank with fuel, in case he forgets to do it in the morning rush. He still has time left over to finish cleaning his kitchen - or he could hire a cleaner to do it for him, now that he's soon to earn a sizable amount of money. Otherwise, he could just relax, perhaps throw the ball with the dog, or curl up with a good book, and wait until it's time to fetch the Lubov's.

Pilman sets to work with a vengence...mop and bucket in hand he cleans up the floor, then sets to work on the worktops...he is only happy when the only smell is the harsh chemical smell of cleaning products. If he has time he will then set up with a book and and cup of tea...if not he locks up, bundles trip into the 4x4 and heads out.

A man, woman and two teenage girls sit on the chairs outside of Cafe Cossachok at 7:30 A.M. Perhaps this is Mikhail Lubov and his family? There's no one else outside the cafe as Pilman parks his car. The morning is cool, with a slight chill coming from the easterly winds, though the clear sky suggests a nice day ahead. Several birds fly overhead as he approaches the cafe.

"Mr Lubov?" Valentine says as he approaches the table..."I am Valentine Pilman"

"Ah, Mr. Pilman, a pleasure to meet you," says the rather portly man, shaking his hand with a shrug.

Pilman nods over to where the 4x4 is parked. "Lets get started shall we?"

"Excellent," he says, drinking his glass of coca cola quickly and abruptly rising to his feet, gesturing for his family to rise as well. "Excellent." They head towards Pilman's car.

Pilman watches the family rise and escorts them to the car...he opens the door to the rear for them to stow their gear then lets them board the 4x4. He then gets behind the wheel with Trip riding shotgun.

"Okay then folks...lets get this show on the road"

He starts the car and begins the drive out of town

"Of course...I am afraid we are going to be a little limited in what we can see and do...had a little incident today and have been warned off by the police...we are not going to be able to do more than skirt around the edges of the foothills...it's restricted now, same with the Geysers...so it will only be half the price we agreed...I think that only fair"

"Okay, whatever can be done," says the man, producing a suitcase that contains a large camera with a very long lens. He smiles over the shoulder of his front seat to gaze at his wife and two eager children.

"How long till we get out there?" asks the little boy. "I'm Oleg, by the way. And my sister's Glebka."

Pilman groans inwardly...barely 5 mins in and already the kids are wanting to know "are they there yet"
"Well hello Oleg...well it'll be a while yet sorry...say an hour and we should be at the foothills"

Glebka turns on her walkman without putting the ear plugs in her ears and the music flows into the car:



"Okay fine," says Oleg.

The two children turn to each other and start playing a hand-slapping kid's game.

"Darkness grows,
As your nose does knows,
Purple prose,
Whenever snows,
Your mother knows,
Your purple toes,
Get off the hoes,
It hurts your toes!"

Followed by:

"City breathes,
And the city bleeds,
A Moscow night,
A hero's fright..."

The two faux-gasp as though suddenly shocked.

"Morloch's asleep,
He goes beep-beep,
You're only meat,
He says we're sheep..."

"C'mon kids," says their father. "We have a long journey. Play your Gameboys or something."

"I guess..." says Glebka.

Pilman grimaces briefly, knowing that this trip is most likely going to feel like a long drawn out week rolled into a day. He glances over Lubov and examines the camera

"So tell me...this is hardly the usual place for a family outing...what decided you on a trip here, rather than...say...euro disney?"

"We have, shall we, say, a macarbe curioisity? Even the children are more prone to seeing a wax museum than euro disney," says Lubov.

Pilman smiles and nods as if in agreement and turns his attention back to the road
"More likely it's a wierd dad dragging his kids to see those macabre curios than have a decent family holiday" He thinks to himself as glances over at the camera "Then he subjects his neighbours to a belt-fed projector of his holiday snaps!"

The rest of the drive passes by in a relatively easy silence. The last signs of civilization begins to fall away as he follows the road further into the mountainous regions of Kamchatka. In the distance, steam flows from a crack upon the mountainside, causing one of the children to lean forward, pressing against the glass.
Later, they cross a bridge over a clear stream and the children coo at the sight of a bear that sips at the water, a few hundred yards from the bridge itself.
Pilman looks over at the signs. Only an hour's drive to the outskirts of the geysers. It will take six hours to drive to the Mikhov town that marks the halfway point between here and the Nameless Mountain. There would be a lot of driving. But then, it was a lot of money. He couldn't be sure how well the children would go and how long it would take for the children to become irritable and bored. He might need to devise some sort of plan in order to keep them from getting on his nerves.

Thinking on it...he realises that he really does not want any distractions or long delays to humour children, that will simply result in the trip taking longer. Pilman suspects the Kids will act up at some point on the road to the village but he will just have to play it by ear. He then advises the "party" that it is time to head off now and make their way to the Geysers...this part of the trip he is not really looking forward to...the mudslides had done a lot of damage to the region.

They stand and view it from a distance, as close as Valentine can safely make it. It's still beautiful, even after the mud slides, and there is a certain quiet that fills the air, bringing gentle smiles to everyone's faces. The more pleasant news is that as a result of the landslide some ground sites with incredible colour scheme have been exposed. The colour scheme is formed with light blue and red loam.



"Wow, this is truly amazing," says Mr. Lubov. "So what happened to the geysers?"

"Well some time back two geysers were buried as a result of a landslide from a slope in the middle part of the Valley" Valetine points in the direction to allow Lubov to take more pictures
"The landslide covered the Geysernaya River which caused a natural dike to form and the water flooded Geyser Valley. So now some geysers were covered with water"
Pilman now on full guide mode motions the small party to follow him as he makes a circuit of the damaged valley.
"Scientists say that the water is going up about 5 meters a day, most of this has already gone over the dike and the rest of the geysers that are further up the canyon are not going to be flooded. They are hoping and praying that the dike will be weakened by the hot water and burst open allowing the flooded geysers to become active again"

"Now whatever you do do not step on the grass...it is very dangerous, hut burning acidic mud lies below it, and you could sink into it up to your ankles...I know a few spots were a local plant called wormwood grows...it doesn't like the mud...you can picnic there if you like but nowhere else...and that goes for you" Pilman directs this last statement to the children smiling as he does so - Don't want to scare the little angels he thinks to himself

"Can we really picnic?" asked Oleg.

"We did bring food," says Lubov, looking at Pilman.

Present for you,for doing your background research, I'm going to highlight three appropriate skills as 'checked' as it's not fair for you to not get the opportunity of a successful roll simply by your own knowledge and skill. By the next chapter, you'll get to roll for improvements in them. I chose to check off your Natural History, Navigate, and Geology skills.

Pilman smiles and looks for a spot well away from the slopes leading down to the water, but still commanding a good view.
spotting one he motions for the family to follow him. "You can picnic over here"

Lubov heads over to the vehicle and withdraws a basket weighed down by food. He brings it over to them and they make their way over sturdier ground to sit amongst the wormwood and the family looks around at the sights as they eat.

"Beautiful," says Glebka.

Birds fly overhead in a flock. The same species that were nailed to his cupboard doors.

He watches the birds fly past and considers the mornings events. A slight pang of guilt for thumping the old man, it should have been the others he was talking about who should been on the business end of his fists. Leaving the family to get on with their picnic he does a quick circuit around the area, checking his watch every now and then.

They enjoy the meal and the view, taking several photographs, and then it's time to head to the little town that is the last stop before reaching that mountain. He realizes that if they kept driving, they could be at the foothills and back at that little town before night fell. It would save him time enough to get back to Petropavlosk shortly after noon as he could enforce a deadline on leaving before it got too dark. If he saved the trip to the foothills for tomorrow, they'd probably keep him out there for hours.

His decision somewhat depended on how much time he wanted to spend on the foothills.

Pilman decides that a night in the town would be ideal. He could get a decent meal and something to drink and get away from the family. Lubov's family in turn could "ooh & ahh" around the little town in the morning and the little gift shops. Probably spend lunch time there...then head to the foothills and be back before dark.

With the decision made he heads back to the little group to corral them back into the Jeep.

The night turns out much as he expected. By the time he gets there, the family are thrilled to get out and stretch their legs. The food there is better than that which he packed and the town is built in such an old-fashioned, pre-communist style that it draws all of the requisite giggles and gasps. He is allowed to leave them to their own devices and he sits, finishing his meal, as they hurry off to take photographs of nocturnal mountains. His dog sits and sniffs around the well, seeming overly interested in the old, bricked-up well.

He wanders over to were trip is and examines the well briefly while attaching his dogs lead.

The well has a strange, musty smell coming from it, like mildew mixed with dust. There are a number of old, weathered boards that have been nailed over its gaping mouth. It appears there are a number of words etched into the wood. He doesn't recognize the language. He hears something inside the well. It's a strange tittering sound interwoven with bizarre croaking, like a mix between an insect and some kind of frog. He has no idea what kind of local fauna would make that noise.

He listens for a few seconds more thinking it to be acoustics and nothing more, but on an impulse he wanders over to a local shop and gets a postcard and a pencil. Wandering back to the well he sits on the edge of the well and copies the writing out on the card. Pilman then puts it in his wallet, wondering who on earth he could pass it on to?

He then leaves the square to arrange room and board for his party for the night.

This town doesn't have a hotel but from experience he knows that there is a two-story house that rents two rooms and even a couch, if necessary, to tourists-in-the-know. It's a nice little homely place, built in a very Russian style, with a lovely little garden that flowers brightly in the spring. It's a bit of a walk (about 20 minutes) but the family are now sitting around the little general store that is what passes for a cafe in this tiny town and they seem content enough to sit and chat. He could bring them all along with him, or take a short drive, or go for a walk to stretch his own legs better.

PIlman decides against the walk...he might end up being too late to secure accommodation. He goes back to his 4x4 puts trip up in front then clambers. Much quicker to drive secure the family a place to sleep while they doing the tourist thing, then come back and get them. Yes...much better plan altogether.

It's a very short trip to the house on this deserted little strip of road. The house itself was made up of slabs of multi-colored rock cut from the nearby foothills. Bright green creepers crawled across the stone work. Trees and shrubbery lended more color to the bright display. There's a dented, yellow 4x4 car sitting in the garage. Torn remnants of the garage door hang lop-sidedly from the garage. The front door hangs open, beckoning.

Pilman shakes his head slightly as the disrepair...but then his party will probably think this adds to the charm. He walks up and knocks loudly on the door calling out to see if anyone is in.

"Really, this is it?" Mrs. Lubova shakes her head. "I was hoping for something a bit more comfortable."

"Well, we did want an exciting adventure," said Mr. Lubov though even he sounds unsure. "There's nothing more adventurous than roughing it, I suppose. Besides, this is probably a historically registered building."

"Right.... Yes." Mrs. Lubova doesn't seem convinced.

Trip lowers his head to sniff the path and whines deep in the back of his throat.

Valentine Laughs at Lubovs observation "It's historic all right, but I doubt it's listed anywhere...it's a little homely, sure but it'll only be for one night...and the people are ok" When they're in he thinks to himself and knocks on the door more loudly.
"HELLO IN THE HOUSE"
waiting for a reply he tells the Lubovs to wait back at the 4X4, while he walks round the back.
"They might have left for some reason...I'll have a quick look round the back"

Lubov steps around to the rear of the building and something crackles underfoot. Broken glass litters the wooden floorboards of the wrap-around verandah from one of the windows of one of the bedrooms. It looks like something was thrown through the window though there's no sign of what that might have been. The rear door has been partially ripped from its hinges.

Roll Spot Hidden and Listen.

Pilman strains to hear anything from within the house as he peers in through the broken rear door.

(Spot Hidden - 58%)1d100=28, and (listen 70%)1d100=36

Pilman notices a complete absence of birdsong. Only Trip's low, rumbling growls and the soft sound of leaves rustling in the nearby trees breaks the silence. It's never been this quiet. The gentle hum of the nearby generator that is kept in a shed behind you has also ceased. Perhaps it has run out of fuel. Pilman has been here before on occasion. He knows this is the best accomodation this far out, even if only because of the excellent hospitality offered - certainly not because of the style of the accomodation. There should be a family of seven, including a grandmother that bakes the most delightful biscuits, and another dog that ran around loose and absolutely adored Trip. This place has never seemed so unsettling.

Looking around, Pilman sees a lot of the glass shards have been brushed about, as though someone tumbled through the glass, landed amongst it, and then kept running. He can see a pair of footsteps heading off into the wilderness in the soft topsoil. Bare feet. Probably one of the older children or the mother. The father was quite large and his tracks would be the same.

There is a cold feeling in the pit of Pilman's stomach. something very bad has happened here, one of the children maybe wandering about the wilds...frightened and alone...his first instinct is to enter the house, his second to track down the child...but his thoughts turn to Lubov and his Family...like it or not, his first duty is to their safety.
He turns and runs back to the 4X4 and gathers the family into the vehicle.

"I am afraid the trip is going to be postponed...possibly cancelled...something very wrong has happened here. I can't have you or your family in a position were they could be in danger"

He starts the vehicle and starts down the road back to the village.

"I need to alert the militia...then come back out here with them. I am sorry but I am sure you understand"

"Why? What is happening?" asks Lubova, her voice slightly shrill.

"Is there something wrong? Is someone hurt?" asks Lubov.

The children just look at each other and then stare out the window at the house as they pass it by on their way along the road toward town.

Pilman looks over to Lubov and glances around to the rest of the family.
"Someone has broken into the house, but I think one of the children has run off into the wilds. I need to get to the police, drop you off then head out here with them. As much as I need to see this matter resolved, i need to insure that your family is safe"

"I appreciate that," said Lubova.

"What do you think has happened?" asked Lubov.

"Was there blood?" asked Olga.

A light rain begins to fall, slanting through the headlights and pattering off the windshield. It is going to be a 20 minute drive to get to the nearest police station at the very least. Pilman's knuckles tighten around the steering wheel as he follows a bend in the high, rocky walls before the headlights spill over a number of rocks and pebbles that are clattering down the cliff to his right to cover the road before him.

Pilman puts his foot down and drives as fast as he dare, knowing that the 20 mins will be the longest in his life and trying to convince himself that it was the right thing to get the Lubovs to safety first

As Pilman puts his foot on the accelerator, he hears a rumbling sound up to the right of him, in front of his car, as something heavy is dislodged from one of the walls. He can hear the clattering, grating sound as it tumbles down the cliff, gathering speed and momentum. His fingers tingle on the wheel as he grips it tighter as he tries to control his car on the pebbles so far at these much increased speeds.

Roll a Drive check to keep control of your vehicle.

"This was not one of my better ideas...get your seatbelts on in the back please"

Drive roll 40%1d100=33

The children scream in the back as Lubova wraps her arms around them, desperately drawing them close to her, as the car picks up a tremendous amount of speed. Lubov grips the overhead bar just above the window, his knuckles turning white, as the blood drains from his face. Trip whimpers as the increased speed knocks him against the rear door of the 4WD. The car skips along the gravel, wrenching the wheel left and then right, but Pilman manages to keep the car relatively in the middle. The high cliffs slant up and away, dribbling rocks and pebbles, and then a large boulder comes crashing down, slamming into the road just behind the car and coming to a rest against the other cliff.

Pilman keeps the car going at top speeds, speeds strong enough to shake its body, until he brings them out from the cleft in the rocks and starts along the winding road back to town. He can even catch sight of some of the house lights winking in the distance.

"Is it over?" asks Olga. "Are we safe now?"

Trip just whines.

"It shouldn't be long now...I'll leave you with the militia and I'll probably head back out with them"

The rest of the trip is made in silence but for the crackle of loose stones beneath the wheels of the car. It takes awhile to reach the local militia station that is actually open at this time of night but once Pilman slides that car into the car park it's as though a giant weight has been lifted off his shoulders. Lubova and Lubov each carry a child who have fallen asleep in the back of the car - perhaps rendered exhausted by the sheer fright of the escape.

Pilman leads up in through the front door into a cramped office where a militia man in uniform sits behind a desk, watching something on his computer and laughing. Hearing the bell ding above the door, he straightens and turns off the volume. Suddenly all business, he says: "How can I help you?"

Pilman gives as detailed an account of what he saw at the house, and his fear that one of the children ran out into the wilderness.

"I came back here to alert you, but also to drop a party of holiday makers...they have two children with them, and I didn't think it safe to have them out there, but we need to get back as soon as possible officer... I am willing to help in the search"

The officer nods and picks up the telephone, making a few quick calls to off-duty officers to bring them in to the station. "It'll take about fifteen minutes for them to start rolling in. Please take a seat. You can wait here while we do what we need to do and then we'll have someone drop you off at, well, we don't have hotels but I'm sure someone can put you up for the night." He turns to regard Pilman. "You can't come into the house with us. We don't want to damage any evidence. However, if someone has run off into the woods then you can always assist us in a search party. We could certainly use your skills there."

"Of course officer, only too happy to help" Pilman then turns to Lubov "I am afraid this is were your tour ends for the moment. You and your family can wait here, the officer will arrange accommodation for the night... I'll be heading back out with them"

The family nod. Too pale and shocked to comment. It can only be hoped that they don't go putting up bad reviews all over Google. That would be all Pilman needed. On the plus side, once the advance payment for the Kamchatka Expedition was received, all of Pilman's financial troubles would be over for quite a while. He just needed to pay the rent for another fortnight.

It takes a little over twenty five minutes for the five local militia officers, two paramedics, and three Emergency Services workers to congregate at the police station. One of the militia officers' wives also comes along and bundles up the family to take back to her home - promising a nice pot of tea to help them. The various assembly of people seem rather disturbed by the whole situation though they try to be professional - after all, they've known that family for decades.

Even Pilman well remembers eating Olga Grubova's tasty stews on cold winter nights while huddled around the immense fireplace with her dog (whom Trip adored), while her husband, Pyotr, came up with dozens of interesting stories about the local area and had more than enough gossipy stories of rural life to keep the tourists enchanted. Their twin children, Ivan and Ivanna, playing board games in the background.

The highest ranked militsiya man, Sergeant Duborov, quickly gathers up everyone's attention: "I hope you've left your equipment in your vehicle because we don't have time to go back. We're going up to the Grubov's place now. Apparently something bad has happened there and one of the children have run off into the woods. While we look over the place, I want the paramedics on standby and the emergency services workers, with Pilman, taking a look at the nearby surrounds. Don't venture too far. If no one's found in the first fifteen minutes, rejoin us and we'll spread out. Now let's be comprehensive about this. We all liked the Grubovs ... we want to get this right the first time."

Everyone nods and heads toward their cars.

Pilman heads over to his 4x4 and finds trip waiting for him in his usual spot in the drivers seat, he gives the dog a brief pat on the head and then fastens his seat belt. Starting the engine, he waits for the last police car to head out and then he follows the convoy out to the Grubova's house.

The convoy of vehicles are stopped at the ravine where it turns out that a large rock and some rubble has blocked part of the road. The other vehicles reverse out of the ravine and onto the shoulder of the road while the Emergency Services vehicle heads forward in order to shift the rubble. It looks like it might take awhile. At least twenty minutes.

Pilman has no choice but to wait with a growing sense of dread

As the Militsiya slowly move the rubble to the side of the road, their flashlights rove over the larger boulder, revealing a pair of four long gouges down one side. Hopefully it just scraped against something sharp on the way down. After all, it couldn't be two pairs of claws gouging it. That would be illogical. After ten minutes that feels like an hour, the boulder is pushed far enough towards the side of the road that the convoy of cars can simply go around it. His dog growls at the boulder as they pass it, hair standing erect, ears perked up. Then he turns his head and regards Pilman over his shoulder with a dull whine.

He pets Trip to help calm him down and himself...nothing good will come of this he thinks to himself.

They follow the long winding road until they reach the homestead. The cars pull up on the road outside the yard, signalled by the leading police car. Then the various emergency services and militsiyamen get out and hover in a loose circle.

"We'll go in first and take a quick look around and secure the crime scene," says one of the milisiyamen. "Then we'll come out and form up for a search party if no one's inside there. We'll be quick about it." Then he nods to the three men and one women that is the entire militsiya force for the area and they start over to the building.

"So, what'd ya see?" drawls one of the emergency services men, turning to Pilman and taking off his ear-muff-cap and wiping some nervous sweat off his forehead.

"I arrived seeking to book a room for a family that hired me as a guide. When I arrived I saw the front door open..no sounds from within..usually you'd hear the kids or the dog at least. I went round back and saw the back porch window smashed open and a child's foot prints leading off in the hills."

Pilman leaves trip in the 4x4 and goes round the back to get his torch...before closing the door, he takes his rifle from out of its case, checks the clip and puts the safety on before shouldering the weapon and heading round towards the front of the house.

"maybe someone should wait round the back?" He says to the officers before they enter the house

One of the officers nods at him and fans around toward the rear of the building. A few sharp, tense minutes pass before one of the officers comes out, looking a little pale and worn. He stands by the car and leans on it for a moment, waving away any and all attempts to converse with him. Another minute passes and the other officer come out of the house, looking equally shaken.

With a cold dead feeling inside his gut Pilman can tell that things have not ended well for the family...He approaches the officers. "Is it bad...? Should I look to see who is missing?"

The officer nods. "We found everyone but the youngest child and the dog. I'll stay here and secure the scene. The rest of you should fan out and see if you can find anyone. Work in pairs, though. This man has some sort of sharp knife and is probably quite tall." He takes a deep, shuddering breath. "Be careful out there. I'd suggest one officer per rescue team. That way you'll be armed."

"Was it the boy or the girl that you found?"

The officer lowers his head for a moment and stares at Trip. The dog whimpers and takes a step back as though feeling the weight of the officer's gaze. "The little girl."

Pilman closes his eyes for a few seconds a deep sadness welling up inside in. When he opens his eyes and attempts to speak he finds himself choking up. He coughs quickly before speaking
"The boys name is Ivan, the little girl was Ivanna...with your permission I want to get underway and look for him"

"Of course, you go with Gretchkin," he says, tilting his chin toward a stout-looking woman still in civilian uniform. "Boris, you're with me." The officer turns and starts pairing everyone else up. "And remember to be cautious. Whoever it was must have gone at them with a machete. He's still armed and at large."

Pilman heads round with trip and tries to find the tracks he remembers from earlier in the evening But the weather has done much to distort them, he decides that in a panic the child may have simply ran head long, so he heads off with Gretchen and trip. His torch on, scanning the ground ahead for any signs.