IC: The Penhew Foundation - Andrei, Caroline & Timour

[coffee demon]

OC,Yeah, I think Elizabeth and Johnny were pretty much just going to deal with the police. I don't think we knew anything other than that. Nathaniel and Maks were going to check out an Egyptian-sounding club. Andrei still isn't really sure what that club is all about. He has enough on his mind. :)

[Decrepit]

"To be honest with you, Helen, Caroline says, "I'm not exactly sure what my friends are 'up to.' I took off with Andrei and Timour when it looked like Andrei was dead-set on coming to the foundation to look for trouble. That's partly why I'm so worried about them."

She picks up the telephone. "Yes, operator, Railway Inn, please."

[Raiko]

A quick summary of events since you spit up,After you left The Ritz you headed straight to the Penhew Foundation and cased the place. You encountered Helen in the park outside the foundation, she was distressed because her fiance Paul has been missing for several days. You learned that both Helen and Paul work at the Penhew Foundation. Helen let Timour and Caroline in through the back door, while Andrei sneaked inside later through the basement. Timour and Caroline learned that Paul had been studying a strange book prior to his disappearance and had not been himself. Andrei located the secret area in the basement, but it wasn't accessible from down there. He moved upstairs and was confronted by the night-watchmen. Bloodshed ensued resulting in the deaths of both the night-watchman and the cleaning lady, both of whom appeared to be insane. The cleaner had been trying to murder Helen at the time that Timour killed her! Meanwhile Andrei located the entrance to the secret basement room and checked it out. Down there he was attacked by the terrifying "Fog Chimera," Timour rescued him. The investigators grabbed various documents and items from the secret room before fleeing the Penhew Foundation as the cops were arriving. They have walked to Paul's apartment to examine what they've taken from the foundation, look for more clues about Paul's disappearance, and borrow Paul's car. Caroline and Helen have just gone back downstairs to use the telephone. Helen is nervous as she doesn't like Paul's creepy landlord Owen. Meanwhile Andrei and Timour are examining that things recovered from the Penhew Foundation.

Upstairs, in Paul's Flat.

As Timour carefully scribbles over the top sheet of writing paper, Andrei carefully lays out the rest of the contents of the box.
The small ornate chest, containing two well made silver daggers, with a rolled scroll tucked between them.
Six different passports of various nationality including Great Britain, the United States and France.
A heavy ledger.
A crumpled letter from the same pad as the one Timour holds.
Professor Wilson's missing notes about the Pnakotic Manuscripts.
Three other parchment scrolls.
Timour can see that there is writing impressions on the pad, but they're written in a delicate hand, he concentrates on his work, trying to be as gentle as possible so as to not ruin the clue.

@SuAside",If you are joining in then please make a d100 roll against DEXx5

Downstairs, Outside Owen's Flat.

<<Certainly Marm! Just one moment.>>
The operator connects Caroline through to the pub, and she hears the phone ringing at the other end.
The landlord's door creaks open and Owen emerges from his room, his hair is greasy and unkempt and Helen sees bits of food stuck between his crooked teeth as he smiles lustfully at her.
He licks his lips slowly before speaking, "Hello Helen, who's your friend? Would you like to use my phone?"
He eyes Caroline up a down as he speaks, his eyes lingering on her chest, and he wipes his nose with the back of his hand. The ends of his fingers are stained brown from tobacco.
As Owen licks his lips again, the phone at the other end of the line is picked up.

<<Hello, the Railway Inn, can I help you>>

[coffee demon]

Andrei swallows drily as he carefully lays out the artifacts.

"Lets be careful not to be too hasty with any of this, Timour. For the moment, I think we should just put these away, and take more time to look at them later. Perhaps the fellow from the bookstore, Nathaniel, will have a better idea about what to do with them."

He pauses for a moment, biting his nail.

"But I'm not convinced anyone... I'm not convinced he needs to know about these things. Part of me thinks we should just throw it all away."

Andrei contradicts everything he just said and picks up the crumpled letter, smooths it out, and reads it.

[Raiko]

While Timour continues lightly scribbling on the pad of writing paper Andrei looks at the smoothed out letter.

The Crumpled Letter,The letter was clearly discarded before it as finished. It it neatly written in black ink using elegant hand writing. [quote="The Crumpled Letter"][i][size=150]Dear Aubery, Elias has been dealt with in New York. You must stop Brady. It is stupifying that he has evaded us for so long. This man may become an obstacle to our Great Lord. If you wish I will[/size][/i][/quote] OOC: Since it's years of RL since your characters library research into the Carlyle Expedition, here another mini synopsis: Aubery [Penhew] was the co-leader of the Carlyle Expedition, and the founder of the Penhew Foundation. He was supposed to have died in the massacre in Kenya over five years ago. [Jack] Brady was Roger Carlyle's bodyguard and closest friend, he is also assumed dead in the Carlyle Expedition massacre. Jackson Elias' Kenya notes suggested that no white bodies were found at the massacre site, and that a mercenary called "Nails" Nelson had seen Brady alive and well in a Hong Kong bar years after the massacre. Elias thought that all the expedition leaders had survived the massacre. Elias' crazy London notes also suggested that he thought "they all survived!"

[SuAside]

Timour quietly and diligently continues the task at hand. His large hands are not the best suited for the task, but slowly some characters emerge. Trying not to lose his concentration in excitement, he refrains from trying to read anything until his work is done.

OCC: 1d100=49 vs 60, success.

[coffee demon]

Andrei can barely contain himself. He strides across the room to Timour and speaks to him quickly in Russian.

"Look."

He waits a moment while Timour reads.

"Gavigan knew about this all along. He lied to us. He knows about the massacres and the rapes."

A vein starts to bulge on the side of Andrei's neck.

"I can't wait to get my hands on him."

Andrei stalks impatiently across the room, stares at a lamp, then paces back to the other side of the room, shaking his head with a cold grin.

"Finally we found someone, Timour! Someone who has a part in this! I can't wait to have a little chat..."

[Raiko]

Upstairs in Paul’s Flat

It is clear to Timour that the impressions on his page are a later version of the same note that Andrei holds. It takes him another couple of minutes delicate scribbling to finish, and not all of the elegent handwriting has made an impression onto the page, but he soon reveals the bulk of the letter. It is clearly written by the same hand as the crumpled note that Andrei holds.

Dear Aub---y,
Elias has b---n dealt with in New York, unfort---y he man--- to cont--- friends before he could be sil---c---
Muk--- was f--- to flee N--- ---rk, and Elias’ associates have followed him to London. I think that Mukunga’s talents will be helpful in locating Brady, which is why I have en--- this letter to him, it is stupefying that Brady has evaded for so long.
By the time this letter reaches you I will have dealt with Elias’ friends for good, and Brady will be the la--- Ob---c--- in our Great Lord’s plans.
You--- ---
Edw---

OOC,I’ll assume that both Helen and Caroline are NPC’s for the time being, so I won’t detail what is happening downstairs until the ladies return, unless there is a disturbance. Obviously if Decrepit starts posting again, I’ll detail events in full

[SuAside]

"And another lead, Andrei." Timour nods as he admires his work "My note says the same thing, more eloquently and gives us a name."

"Mukunga." he says, as if tasting the name and trying it on for size.

"He has done the dirty work. And he'll be made to pay for his deeds..."

[coffee demon]

Andrei peers over Timour's shoulder at the other note.

[OC: Still speaking in Russian].

"Look - it's signed "E.D.W." - That must be Edward Gavigan. Brady sounds like an ally. And this Mukunga fellow - yes - it will be good to meet him as well, won't it?"

Andrei grins and squeezes Timour's shoulder.

"Let's put these two notes somewhere safe. This is evidence."

If Timour doesn't disagree, Andrei will carefully fold the notes into one of the books in his satchel (which must be getting quite heavy by now). He passes the ledger to Timour. "Take a look."

Then he stands over what's left on the ground - three parchment scrolls, a small chest containing two daggers and scroll, passports, and notes on the Pnakotic Manuscripts. He picks up the passports and leafs through them - both to determine the name in the passports, and to inspect the stamps to see where that person has been.

"I don't know if we should touch this other material."

[SuAside]

"Yes, obviously Edward." Timour nods in agreement "But who else could it have been?"

He does not prevent Andrei from taking the notes.

"I think I'll want to inspect the daggers, but first the ledger." he says as he carefully opens the booklet, making sure not to disturb any paper jammed inbetween the pages.

[Raiko]

Inside Paul’s Flat

Andrei finds that there are six passports in all, two British, one American, one French, one Belgian and one German.

The photographs in all six are clearly of the same man, presumably Edward Gavigan, since that is the name given in the US passport and one of the British passports. These two passports, as well as the German and Belgian passports contain identical photographs of a fair haired, clean shaved man probably in his mid-fifties.

The photographs in the second British passport and the French one depict the same man, but with dark hair and a moustache. The individual is named Edward Hilton-Smyth in the second British Passport, Edouard Dubois in the French and Belgian passports and Eduard Schröder in the German one.

The British “Edward Gavigan” passport is well used, with entry stamps for many countries including France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Kenya and Uganda.

The other five passports are much more sparsely stamped; containing only a couple of entry stamps each from amongst the countries list above.

Flipping through the fat ledger Timour sees that although it would take quite a while to examine in detail, it appears to list in detail several years’ worth of shipments to a network of locations around the world, mostly of art and archaeological objects, but also sometimes machine parts. The same places appear again and again in the listings: Ho Fong Imports, Shanghai, China; Randolph Shipping, Darwin, Australia; and also Emerson Imports, New York – the importer that Timour already knows had dealt with the Cult of the Bloody Tongue in New York. Other shipments have been made to cities around the world, Port Said, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Odessa, Calcutta and Los Angeles to name a few.

The art objects are usually listed with strange names that Timour hasn’t come across before, for example: Bust of Yig: 20inch; or Statuette of Cthulhu: Gold - 4 feet.

The information contained in the ledger appears to tie in with the coded entries in the book that Johnny took from the smuggler’s warehouse, but no attempt has been made to disguise these entries, although the writer hasn’t bothered to elaborate on what the “machine parts” and “spares” are that have been shipped to Shanghai and Darwen. The handwriting in the ledger matches that of the two letters from “Edw...” to Aubrey.

Edward Gavigan

[coffee demon]

"I really don't think we should touch the daggers," Andrei says. "I have a bad feeling about them, and the other pieces of parchment."

Before Timour can interject, he continues quickly,

"Remember what happened to me in that basement. We can't... we have to be careful about how we deal with these kinds of things. And remember the dreams we had after we read that book in the Carlyle mansion."

Andrei realises, too late, that he might be sounding a fit foolish, so quickly changes the topic as he flips through the passports [OC: Although he'll continue the conversation if Timour wants to.]

[OC: Assuming Timour and Andrei exchange the information:]

"It seems like it's a worldwide organization. Shanghai, Australia, New York, Africa, London... I wonder if Gavigan is at the centre of it all. What's taking Caroline and Helen so long?"

[SuAside]

"I get the feeling that Gavigan might be central to the plot, but that he might not be the largest spider in the web..." Timour comments "All evidence suggests to me that his boss might very well be alive, but perhaps not so 'well'..."

"I do want to see the daggers." he says and explains "I want to know if there's a trace of them being used recently and if any ritual might be ingraved in them."

[coffee demon]

"What do you mean by 'ritual'?"

Andrei watches Timour closely as he answers.

[Raiko]

As Andrei speaks to Timour he can hear footsteps on the stairs, Caroline and Helen must be coming back up.

[SuAside]

"The sects we're dealing with are clearly not shying away from spilling some blood." Timour calmly replies, while he peers over his shoulder at the door and switches to russian "If you want me to speak plainly: human sacrifice."

"The knives could hold some clues as to how, why, when or where." he says in english "Or they could just be plain knives."

[Raiko]

Upstairs, in Paul's Flat.
8:50pm - Thursday 29th January, 1925

Timour calmly replies, while he peers over his shoulder at the door and switches to russian

Helen and Caroline step in through the door, Caroline narrows her eyes a little and mutters quietly, "I must remember to ask my 'husband' to teach me some Russian."

"The knives could hold some clues as to how, why, when or where." he says in english "Or they could just be plain knives."

When Timour finishes speaking Caroline says, "I spoke to the barman at the Railway Inn, none of the others have arrived there yet, I hope they're okay."
"We were also cornered downstairs by Paul's landlord Owen," neither woman can hide their distaste of the man, "He was asking after Paul, his rent is overdue and I think he rather hoped that poor Helen would 'come to an arrangement!' "
"From what Owen said though, it does sound like Paul was visited by non other than our friend Edward Gavigan, late in the evening on the night that he vanished."

[SuAside]

"I don't think we've got the spare money to cover this months rent, Helen." Timour calmly notes "But if you feel threatened by his advances, we could persuade him that making an inappropriate move would be a bad idea..."

[coffee demon]

"I don't like that someone knows we're here," Andrei interrupts in English. "I think we should get out of here at once." He starts to gather everything up off the ground.

"We don't have time to linger around anywhere. Maybe we should go to where the others were headed, then to the Railway Inn."