Tue Sept 5 - Dex

[Gaffer]

At about half past two there's a bit of a commotion at the circulation desk, some voices raised in dispute. Before Dex even turns his head, he recognizes Langdon Vilas's voice. As Dex rises from his chair, Langdon catches sight of him.

"Never mind," he says, his voice ringing amid a chorus of shushing, "I see him now. I must say, Miss, you were less than helpful." With that he marches toward Dex with swift steps, "Sorry, I'm so late. I was digging up some information and time just got away from me. Let me tell you--" By then patrons and staff alike are glaring and a couple of grad student types are rising from their chairs. Dex catches Langdon's arm and steers him out to the front steps for a smoke.

"Okay, here's what I got," the young man says in the shade of one of the stone lions, consulting his notes, "The building at 13 Thomas Street that houses the art gallery is owned by Burton, Eliot & Finney, Inc. It's a long-established property investment firm, in fact, I went to school with the youngest of old Finney's sons, Grandison.

"Hieronymus Koslov leases the building for commercial purposes, but his business license renewal is a couple of months overdue. So is his rent. Burton, Eliot & Finney have filed for eviction and seizure of assets and obtained an order, but Koslov got it stayed, claiming that the artwork is mostly on consignment, not his property, and that he's been unable to locate some of the artists to return their pieces. Burton, Eliot & Finney agreed to the stay, because they didn't want to be responsible for storing and safeguarding the art themselves.

"Koslov's residential address is... also 13 Thomas Street. He apparently lives over the shop," he concludes on a triumphal note, "What do you think of that!"

[Posted by Gaffer on behalf of Langdon Vilas.]

[Dexter Ford]

Dex listens to Langdon and nods his head. "Well at least we have a locale where the painter is. I think I have pretty much finished up anything I could discover from my major sources. Let me just check these books out, and then we can drive over to the artist and see what we can find from there. If you want to give the others a call, see if they want to meet us there. But if not, I am quite sure the two of us can handle whatever we find."

Dex will head back inside, and collected up the books and check them out if possible. He will then meet up with Langdon to head to the artist's gallery, where on the way he will fill Langdon in with what he discovered during his assorted conversations.

[Gaffer]

I presume you're trying Delores and Franky at their offices. Esposito is out, but you reach Delores.

[Dexter Ford]

"Delores, it's Dex. Langdon and I are here at the Public Library Main Branch. We have both made some progress, but Langdon especially has tracked down the location of the artist who did all those creepy paintings. We were thinking of heading to his shop. Would you like to come along? Do you want us to pick you up or meet us there?"

OOC: IF she says meet us there, I'll get the exact directions from Langdon and relay them to her. Otherwise we will try to pick her up and head to the painter's shop/studio/home.

[Gaffer]

[OOC - Okay, missed communication. Langdon's information is about Koslov's Art, the gallery on the same street as Hirt's apartment building. You still haven't gotten the name of the artist who did the paintings.]

[Dexter Ford]

(OOC-Okay I will change things to say we found the lead to where we can find out who the artist is who painted the creepy paintings. Since we all know where Hirt's building is, I'll just go with that.)

[Gaffer]

A few minutes later, Dex's Ford swings into the curb out front of the World-Telegraph Building, getting a horn blast from the cab that was trying to pull away. Delores is hurrying down the front steps and reaches the car just in time to hear Langdon say, "...I'm-a-tella you, in Rome taxi drivers are-a reala men!"


Dex laughs uproariously, though it's not clear whether he's more amused by the punch line, by the knowing grin on Delores's face, or by the crimson color of Labgdon's when he realizes she overheard him. What is clear is that Dex isn't letting his injured hand slow up his driving very much.

[OOC - You get to the gallery about 15 minutes later. I'll assume Langdon describes his info as above. Delores can describe her interview or keep it for Flannigan's.]

[Delores Brown]

"Well, what have you guys found out?" says Delores as she slides across the seat, cheered up by the sight of Dex and Langdon. "I found Hirt's literary agent. He's read some of the stuff that Hirt was working on, and he's trying to hide from it in the bottom of the bottle. He said that Hirt had been talking about some ceremony he'd taken part in and he'd seen the moon bridge..." She shudders and rubs her arms. "I saw something similar in the picture in Hirt's flat, and in the shop too..."

[Gaffer]

"Well, I had a very productive day," Langdon pipes up from the back seat, "One Hieronymus Koslov leases the building at 13 Thomas Street from Burton, Eliot & Finney, Inc. It's a long-established property investment firm, in fact, I went to school with the youngest of old Finney's sons, Grandison. But--" he scoots forward so that his head is between the two in the front seat, "But his business license renewal is a couple of months overdue. So is his rent.

"Burton, Eliot & Finney have filed for eviction and seizure of assets and obtained an order, but Koslov got it stayed, claiming that the art is mostly on consignment, not his property. He claims he's been unable to locate some of the artists to return their work. Burton, Eliot & Finney agreed to the stay, because they didn't want to be responsible for storing and safeguarding the art themselves.

"And here's the best part, Koslov's residential address is... also 13 Thomas Street. He lives right over the shop,"

[Dexter Ford]

Dex speaks as they drive towards the Koslov building for more answers. “I spoke with a few professors at Fordham this morning. Dr. Lavoie explained that the most troublesome sect or cult at the time of the great crusades were the Nizari, sometimes called the Hashshashins, under the leadership of Rashid ad-Din Sinan, also known as Shaykh al Jabal or the Old Man of the Mountain, based in Masyaf and controlling various districts in northern Syria. The Nizari defied both the Christian invaders and Saladin who ruled over Egypt and Syria. He said that the Yezidi are somewhat outside his specialty, being based in Northern Mesopotamia. He advised that I talk to Philip Richardson.

So I traipsed off to Dr. Richardson who says that Peter Thwaite would be the best one to speak with, since his area is northern turkey and what has now become Iraq; but he's on sabbatical in Istanbul at present. Richardson nevertheless tells me a bit about the so-called 'Yezidi Devil worshippers' of Iraq. They originally came from Southern Iraq and migrated north to Mount Lalish. It is supposed by many that they are descendants of the Assyrians who sought refuge after the fall of Nineveh in the 7th century B.C.

Their original home was Eridu or Irem, an ancient city in Southern Iraq, also known as “Enkidu” and called Father Satan's city. The valley of Baten El Ghoul which is right over the buried ancient city is now known as "The Devil's Hole" and "Belly of the Beast." The Jordanians and many others consider it to be haunted. Demons have been seen by many who have spent the night there. Those who have been there for any length of time claim it has a powerful energy which people label as "evil." He stated that the people there also had stories about passages being opened to other realms full of demons and monsters, fairly standard stuff, really.

Of course all this is just superstition, the way ignorant people explain things they don't understand and demonize outsiders. Richardson seemed to recall that there was some fuss here in New York about supposed 'child stealers' and 'devil worshippers' down in Brooklyn. He had just become a faculty member at that time, but he remembers that Thwaite was consulted by the police, in particular a detective named Maloney, if he remembers correctly. I called my police contact who said Maloney is living in Rhode Island at the moment having retired from the force. He mentioned that some of these Brooklyn home-grown devil-worshippers, caused enough of a stink that there were police raids and a building that was demolished. Some society woman and her husband died, perhaps. It must have been a decade ago.

Following Dr. Richardson ‘s advice I went to the New York Public Library to look up some tomes. Oh he also mentioned that Thwaite is due back in January. He recommends Isya Joseph's 1919 volume Devil Worship: The Sacred Books and Traditions of the Yezidiz and suggests an older book, one of the first to outline Yezidi beliefs, though from a rather uninformed viewpoint, An Inquiry into the Religious Tenets of the Yezeedees by George Percy Badger, written in the mid-part of the last century.

In the library I was introduced to some sort of archivist named Tweedy. Creepy fellow if you ask me. He gave me some more information about these Yezidis. He said that the Yezidis have long been a secretive people who keep their real beliefs hidden. As a result - and because they eschew the orthodoxy of the dominant religion of their region - they have been severely persecuted. As a result they are most suspicious of outsiders.

Most Yezidis are illiterate and the few doctrines they have are passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. They have purposely deceived outsiders concerning their beliefs and doctrines and kept their books a mystery, which explains why there are so many conflicting accounts of their faith. And it must be admitted that they have at times referred to their deity as 'Shaitan' or Satan, though this entity is not necessarily a "devil" or "demon" as Christians understand him.

In general, the Yezidi people are forbidden to mention the name 'Shaitan' or any of his attributes. They refer to their Shaitan instead as “Melek Ta’us” or the 'Peacock Angel' because of his beauty and pride. He is the “Proud One” and “Ruler of the Earth” and they consider him an archangel.

Despite centuries of persecution by Islam and Christianity, they have clung faithfully to their beliefs. I am quite certain that, to the extent there are Yezidi in this city, they practice their ancient religion here. Certainly the Jews have maintained their faith over the centuries in the face of similar treatment wherever they have settled in the world."

He then left me to my own devices before I ran into Langdon, we rang you, and now, spot on, we are driving to investigate the source of the odd paintings."

[Gaffer]

Dex has no trouble getting a parking spot almost in front of the gallery. Thomas Street is fairly quiet, given that it's midday on a Tuesday. A couple are just emerging from Trilby's Hat next door and an older man is going into Simpkins' grocery down the block.

A sign hanging in the front window says CLOSED (and probably reads OPEN on the reverse). Several works of are displayed in the window. The ones that don't look amateurish seem weird - melting clocks, blue sheep, people with two noses and three eyes, landscapes of places that couldn't really exist.

Delores,[color=#FF4000]As you try to keep your gaze from the painting that caused you such distress yesterday, you realize that it's... [i][b]gone[/b][/i]. You're flooded with a sense of relief, but then...[/color]

Peering through the glass door, there's a pile of several days' mail on the floor. Beside the shop door is a stair to the second floor with a buzzer and a small card that reads: J. Koslov. A narrow space between this building and the next probably leads to an alley in the back.

Dex,[color=#FF4000]Your years of experience (Streetwise and Shadowing) make you realize that there's probably a back door to the place that might need to be watched, if someone's going to ring the bell.[/color]

Langdon,[color=#FF4000]Your eye catches a movement from a window above, the flutter of a drape in a window, as it falls into place.[/color]

[Delores Brown]

"I've been here before," says Delores quietly, "This is where I saw the painting I told you about..." She shudders and waves a hand towards an empty space in the window.

"There's a back door round the back," she says. "And I got the impression there was someone here last time. I tried the door but got no reply."

[Dexter Ford]

"Well someone had to have taken the picture out of the window. And despite all that mail, they were here recently." Dex moves for his .45, and shifts it from his shoulder holster to his coat pocket. "I can try to jimmy the lock, or you two can try to get in, and I could go around back and make sure no one sneaks away that way. If I don't go there, someone should and quickly."

[Gaffer]

Langdon says, "Don't look now, but I think someone's at that window up there. I just saw the curtain twitch."

[Delores Brown]

Delores glances up but too late to see the twitching curtain. "If there's someone up there, they don't want to play. How about you go and talk to them, Dex? The back door didn't look that sturdy. We can stay out front and make sure whoever it is doesn't come this way."

[Dexter Ford]

Dex nods at Delores' suggestion and goes around to the back of the shop, looking for the rear door.
He'll assess whether he needs to drag out the lock-picks or simply kick in the door.

[Gaffer]

Dex,You go down the narrow alleyway between the buildings and come out in an unpaved areaway behind several neighboring buildings, with various alleyways in and out. The back of Number 13 has a sturdy door at ground level and a rather rickety wooden stairway to a sort of porch on the second floor. You can see a door that presumably goes into the kitchen of the apartment.

Delores and Langdon,You loiter in front of the shop door and the stair to the apartment.

[Dexter Ford]

"In for a penny, old man, in for a pound. The last time you did this, you had back up you could trust, and it was against some of Capone's gang in Chicago. How bad could it be this time?" Dex muttered under his breath. He tucked the .45 automatic back into the shoulder holster, and slowly took a hold of the rickety looking stairs and climbed to the second floor landing. He made sure his wounded arm was protected as best as he could during the climb. Once at the top, if it becomes obvious that the door is locked, its the old "elbow, pane of glass, hand through, open lock, enter" routine...but instead of elbow it will be "butt of .45, pane of glass, hand through, open lock, enter."

[Gaffer]

Dex,As you turn the knob to unlock the door, you see a big man with a paper-wrapped bundle under his arm dash across the hallway. He wrenches open a door and runs down the front stairs.

Delores and Langdon,All at once you hear feet pounding down the front stairs, taking them two at a time. A moment later a big, shaggy man bursts from the stairway, a large bundle wrapped in brown paper under his arm. [color=#FF0000][a one-point Scuffle or Athletics spend is available, then make a D6 contest roll][/color]

[Dexter Ford]

Shit. Dex chases after the man, automatic in his good hand. He will try to pay attention to his surroundings while the man is running, just to make sure there are no surprises.

OOC: I'll make a spend of 2 to try and reach him before he gets too far out of range.
Athletics +2
result =8
<a href="http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/ ... 1d6+2=8</a>