Play@YSDC

Alex appears outside the hotel where he met Liz and Jacob fairly early the next morning. After loading everyone's kit, he lays an old battered map out on the bonnet of his Land Rover.

All of this is the Alps, sometimes called the Accursed Mountains, you can see it cover much of the North as well as into our neighbours Kosovo and Montenegro. I think about the pictures and think makes sense that photo taken in Tropoje. Tropoja is very remote part of Albania. Only ways to get there is to drive north from Tirana, towards town of Shkoder take us about 5 hours. From here there are two ways for us to go. Shorter way is to come in from the north - west from Shkoder through the village of Bogë good road stops here then onto Thethi.
Easier way but bit longer route is to travel by ferry across Lake Ligeni Komanit to the town of Breglume then by road to Bajram Curri. Then we start looking at Photos again maybe.

OOC:   Alex arrives with two vehicles an old battered looking Landrover Defender 110, and a Russian 4x4 of unknown parentage driven by a grey haired old guy called Lek. Alex is happy to dispense with Lek's serices if you'd rather bring the hire car.

Andy Wade

Andy studies that map "Well... would we lose much time by taking the ferry?" he asks.

Alex laughs in response to Andy's question "honestly, only if the car breaks down on the road, but the seats on the ferry are a lot comfier than travelling in any car going over these roads, the ferry, it would be my most liked... preferred route"

Andy Wade

Andy nods "That's what I thought you would say" he replies grinning "Makes sense to me.... "

Clay shows up the next morning rested and ready to go. "Well lets get going while its still light."

Liz wears khaki shorts, a white tank top with a brown leather jacket over it, and brown boots. She carries her laptop bag slung over her shoulder. "I like comfy too," she says, also smiling as she skips over to the Land Rover. "I call shotgun!"

Whatever the rest choose is fine by me.
Jacob replies.

Route agreed you bundle yourselves into the two vehicles and start heading north immediatly finding yourselves caught up in the rush hour traffic. Rush hour traffic in Tirana is a world where cars and Lorries simply ignore road signs, while pedestrians and bicycles weave through the traffic as though on some suicidal mission. On the other hand the fact the traffic moves at a snail’s pace makes the risks of an 'serious' accidents, both Alex and Lek seem to have the fortitude to handle the traffic simply by driving like every other Albanian, by driving slowly into the stream of traffic, and leaning permanently on their horns.

Outside of Tirana the traffic eases considerably but so does the road quality deteriorates rapidly. While the roads are constantly being improved (if the number of road crews are anything to go by) they seem to have more in common with the roads of India than Europe.

"In Albania if you want to drive anywhere outside of Tirana a four wheel drive vehicle is necessity not luxury like your Kensington Tractors" says Alex as he pulls into a Petrol station. Parking up by a free fuel pump Alex hops out and walks around to back where he starts unclipping jerry cans . "Stretch legs, look around, I top up all of these just in case, fuel in some places is not always so very good"

Liz gets out of the vehicle. "Good idea," she says. "We wouldn't want to get stranded." She takes a look around, her camera in a small carrying case on her belt in case she sees anything she wants to photograph.

Andy Wade

Andy gets out of the vehicle he's in and walks up and down a little to 'stretch his legs' and takes the opportunity to have a look at the car's but doesn't wander more than 5 or 6 yards from them.

Both Liz and Andy get a nod and a smile from the petrol station attendant as he arranges fresh fruit in baskets outside the store.

As far as Andy can see both cars are old and battered but clearly well maintained.

"Shall we buy some fruit for the journey?" Liz asks Alex.

Alex smiles and nods. The young man running the pertrol station smiles at Liz grabbing a plastic bag clearly ready to take Liz's order. Mirë se vjen. Si jeni?

He says welcome how are you says Lek, we say Mirë, falemenderit, po ju? he adds slowly so Liz can hear clearly.

Liz smiles and repeats the words to the young man: "Mirë, falemenderit, po ju?" She picks out the fruits she'd like to buy, looking for the freshest and most appetizing.

The young man takes the fruit of Liz then says something to Lek as Alex walks up unrolling a roll of dollar bills He asks if that is all? says Alex.

Liz nods. "Yes, thank you," she says.

Albert takes the opportunity to stretch his legs and snaps a few surreptitious photos of Liz and the shopkeeper - taking advantage of the early morning light for some natural reportage/National Geographic type shots.

He thinks to himself You know, when this is all over Albert, why don't you take some time out and go on a little photography holiday. Jump in a car and meander around europe and explore the peasant life style he smiles to himself.

Alex pays the young man for the fuel and then turns raising his voice so everyone can hear. Please take five minutes and stretch your legs. After Shkoder the road it splits and we head towards the ferry but we don't stop now until we get to ferry as there are only two a day. He smiles adding "We do not want to wait at ferry terminal, waiting for next days ferry is very, very boring" he slumps pretending to be very, very bored.

Liz strolls around the petrol station. When she notices Albert snapping pictures, she smiles and strikes a pose, glancing back over her shoulder at him while she places one hand on her hip and flips her other one through her hair.

Clay gets out to stretch and checks the tires and the spare to make sure they are all looking okay. He gets some fruit as well and bites into one of them enjoying the juice as it rolls down his dry throat. "Yea, lets make sure we make the ferry."

Jacob sits on a nearby bench, enjoying the wind, the fresh air and waits for the two Albanians to prepare the car.

Albert smiles and continues shooting as Liz poses for him. When he's finished he gives a wink and thumb up.

Right then, we ready to move on? he loos around at the others I know you don't want to stop en route Alex but maybe a 5 minute leg-stretcher when we're halfway there wouldn't hurt. he heads towards the car.

Liz has fun playing the model, twirling around and trying out various poses, including one where she slides her jacket down her arms and rests her chin on her bare shoulder, When Albert is done, she skips back to the vehicle. "I'm ready to roll," she says, sliding back into her seat.

Back in the cars the first first port of call is Shkodër, the largest city in the north, the pleasant looking town is overlooked by an impressive medieval castle which Alex says was built by the Venetians. The town is criss-crossed by wide communist-era boulevards and the driving is much easier (on your backsides at least, the traffic here is just as nightmarish as Tirana) In the midday sun most of the population seems to be keeping t the shade or sat outside cafés. Its quite easy to imagine you are somewhere in Italy – until you hear a muezzin's call from one of the city's many mosques, or see another building which looks like it was transplanted from 1950s Moscow.

OOC:   Can I have two Spot hidden's please from everyone

Albert takes in the scene, taking pictures from the car window.

Rolls,Spot Hidden[60] [dice]0[/dice] [dice]1[/dice]

Jacob is distracted by the muezzin's call and tries to count the number of mosques' towers.

Spot: 2d100 150 - 2 Fails (72,78)

Clay tried not to let the drive send him dozing, so he took in the peaceful city while trying to imagine them all as having guns and wanting to kill them.

Spot Hidden,target = 45, [dice]0[/dice] [dice]1[/dice]

Liz is distracted at first, but she notices something as she peers out the window at their surroundings.

As Alex and Lek drive slowly and carefully through the town of Shkodër. first Albert then Clay and Liz all notice suspicious graffiti at the side of the road, it bears a worrying resemblance to the graffiti written on the walls in the apartment. Once you become aware of it you see the same or similar passages written over and over again along the route, some instances it appears once but more frequently over and over again filling otherwise blank spaces.

OOC:   POW rolls from the three of you please.

"Oh boy," says Liz when she sees the familiar writing. It may be the last intelligible thing she says for some time.

In the back seat of Alex's car Liz starts to get a general strange feeling she finds hard to describe, a rising feeling in her stomach as though she was on a fairground ride A strong sense of déjà vu and an intense smell of wet dog. As she swivels in her seat to tell the others she first feels a sense of pins and needles in her legs, then stiffness then uncontrollable twitching as she pitches sideways into the gap between the seats. At the other end of the tunnel she can hear Greg shouting "Christ she's having some kind of fit"

OOC:   Liz is out of it for the next 15 minutes. SAN loss D3+2

Liz,When Liz comes around she finds her grasp of the English language is not as good as it was -5% for every point of SAN she's lost, however her grasp of German is better by +5% for every point of SAN lost

Liz is reduced to a gibbering wreck.

Pow check,[dice]0[/dice]

Clay pretty much ignores the graffiti. "looks like a bunch of jibberish to me."

Is everything all right?
Jacob turns from counting the towers to his companions.

Like the others Andrew notes the suspicious graffiti at the side of the road, Andy is thinks the graffiti is very similar to the graffiti written on the walls in the apartment as well as the stuff Westerlund and Liz wrote on the blackboard. Once he become aware of it, he sees the same or similar passages written over and over again along the route, no two instances seem to have been written with the same tool (ie some chalk, some spray painted, some brish painted etc).

OOC:   I'll need a SAN check from Andy and I'm still waiting on one from Albert.

Greg gets Alex to pull the 4WD over to the side of the road then he and Jacob get Liz out of her seat and puts her into the recovery position. Those in the Land Rover (Albert, Andy Greg -assuming nothing horrible happens to him) can see this clearly she recovers enough to talk after about 15 minutes.

Marbles,San[80] [dice]0[/dice]

Albert,[b]Albert[/b] finds his gaze being drawn to the graffiti again and again it feels like someone is screaming a message at him. A message which is trying to batter open doors in his mind in order to expand his conciousness. Through force of will alone Albert is able to tear his gaze away from the writing and shrug off the sense that if only he started to repeat the message he'd be able to understand it.

Andy,gazing at the graffiti for a few moments [b]Andy[/b] gets the same sense of pressure building up behind his eyes the sense there is something there to be understood if only he tried. Once again he is able to shrug it off.

Andy Wade

It slowly dawns on Andy that some of the graffiti looks 'familiar' and soon makes a connection to the writing seen over the walls in Maria's apartment and the words that Liz and Westerlund scrawled on the blackboard while under the 'influence' of the marking on the pottery shards that Gossham had collected. Sure enough as he makes the connection his eyes start to itch and pressure builds up in his head, causing a dull ache to start up.

"Ohh shit.. it's happening again!" he says, trying to control his breathing and trying to banish the insidious thoughts that the writing seems to be trying to beam straight into his brain... at that moment the other car slows and pulls off the road. Lek pulls off the road too, stopping the Land Rover a couple of metres behind the battered Russian 4x4 that Alex is driving. As they come to a stop the other cars doors open, Alex, Clay and Jacob pile out and are soon lifting an apparently unconscious Liz from her seat.

Andy looks over and sees that Albert is shaking his head and massaging his temples, "You... you felt it too? That damn writing, right? he asks as he opens his door.

Liz's eyelids flutter open as she returns to what remains of her senses. "Ach, mein kopf," she moans, then blinks. "Wait, that's German. I don't know German! That stuff hacked my brain and I went doolally again. I feel so...what's the word? Why can't I remember the word? I've forgotten so many words, especially the big ones. What kind of nerd am I? I can't technobabble any more. I can only...babble..." She breaks down and sobs. "How can I go back to uni like this? What are we going to do with me?"

Mr. Handy wrote:
As Modified by GHill

Liz's eyelids flutter open as she returns to what remains of her senses. "Ach, mein kopf," she moans, then blinks. "Wait, that's German. Ich weiß nicht, Deutsch! That stuff hacked my brain and I went doolally again. I feel so...what's the word? was ist das Wort? I've forgotten so many words, especially the big ones. What kind of nerd am I? I can't technobabble any more. I can only...babble..." She breaks down and sobs. "How can I go back to uni like this? Was machen wir jetzt mit mir zu tun?"

OOC:   In the quote above I've modified Mr Handy's last post for Liz slightly. The reality of her situation is 25% of Liz' vocabulary has effectively been overwritten in German, its not just the big words its all sorts of word. Its a bit hard to reflect this in game, but basically Liz has two OWN Language skills. I wont ask for Speak Own Language English rolls every time she enters into conversation with the rest of you, but when she's not thinking or under stress. she speaks them both interchangeably.

Andy Wade

Andy looks on concerned as Liz comes to, he looks to see if there's any reaction from Alex at her revelation and wonders if it's happened to any of the locals... stands to reason that others would/could be affected too.

"Don't worry ... Greg will give you a quick check up... any problems you have may be temporary.. try and keep calm." he turns to Alex "Have you heard of anything like this before?" he asks.

Alex doesn't look as though he's really taken on board what has happened to Liz he looks at Andy a bit blankly for moment. "Umm...no I have heard of nothing so strange. She is all right?"

Greg quickly decides that there is nothing physically wrong with Liz although he determines to keep an eye on her just in case she is suffering from shock.

"Nein..." cries Liz, wiping her eyes. She tries to control her breathing and calm down. "Maybe...maybe it will wear off. It makes sense, I guess. Deutsche und Englisch are related, nicht wahr? So when my brain got scrambled, they got mixed up. This may have happened to Maria too. If I don't get better, Ich learned to sprech Englisch once, Ich can learn again. Kannst du teach me?"

Andy Wade

"None of us are teachers but we can certainly let you know the words for anything you've got mixed up.." he replies. "Let's take a five minute break and we'll head off again..." he looks to Liz and Alex to see if that's OK.

Whilst waiting he approaches Greg "Liz seems more susceptible to the 'proto language'; I felt it too... head still aches a bit and I think Albert felt some affects too.. do you think that Liz ought to sit in the middle - she might not see that stuff then?" he asks.

"Ja, das ist gut," says Liz. She pauses and takes several deep breaths. "I mean, yes, that's good. If I take the time to think before I speak, I can still make sense - well, as much sense as I usually make!"

"I suspect its due to the fact she's already been effected by the mimetic disease which the proto-language spreads. I reckon the evidence points at it not being self immunizing which means a similar if lesser impact on her language skills if it happens again" says Greg. He then helps Liz into the car ensuring she's sitting in the middle.

OOC:   Unless anyone is keen to investigate the writing and or do anything about it we can move on

Liz sits in the middle seat and looks straight ahead, taking care not to glance at the graffiti even inadvertently.

OOC,I have no desire whatsoever to look at the writing again. ;)

Clay helps where he can, but besides keeping a look out while the others help with Liz, he feels way in over his head. "Good damn thing that didn't happen to me, I don't know English well enough to lose any of it.

The two vehicles climb into the foothills of the Albanian Alps towards the ferry landing at Koman. The ferry landing is actually nothing more than a spit of rock projecting into the lake reached by driving over the hydro electric dam and then through a slightly claustrophobic tunnel blasted through the mountain. There are a number of mini buses, a pack of Czech motorcyclists, a mixed handful of backpackers and a reasonable number of of local pedestrian. The ferry is a simple flat bed drive on drive off ferry onto which everyone rushes at some secret signal. Then almost everyone Albanian troops down below, to smoke and drink lethally strong coffee in the bar.

Outside the surface of the lake is perfectly still. The steep hills on either side and the high mountains beyond seem empty of human life, save for the occasional lonely farmstead stuck high up in the hillside. There are no visible roads, no telephone wires to connect this place to the outside world. The ferry stops several times, allowing passengers to step off the ferry in what appears to be the middle of nowhere and disappear into the mountains. In short it is a two hour relaxing ferry ride through some of the most staggeringly beautiful country in all of Europe.

The end of your day see's the two 4x4's looking down on the town Bajram Curri. From the distance it’s really beautiful, nestled at the foot of ridiculously dramatic mountains, with a scenic plain before it. Up close, it is small, three parallel main streets, easily knowable, and a little wild-westy. Confident cows and ragged dogs wander the streets, there is little car traffic. The architecture is largely in the style of "crumbling communist" decorated with a riot of satellite dishes, window boxes and crisply fluttering laundry, nonetheless a Rough Guide to Bajram Curri might say it has a certain plucky charm, it has a functional market, bustling cafes.

Alex pulls up in a small wired compound which is clearly private parking outside what looks as though it may be a hotel. I will go inside and arrange rooms for the night, perhaps you want to get an evening meal at the pizza place says Alex

After the vehicles leave town, Liz relaxes and starts to recover from her ordeal. She takes out her camera and begins to photograph the amazing scenery, leaning around the others on either side of her to get better shots. When Alex mentions pizza, her eyes light up. "Wunderbar!" she cheers, forgetting herself for a moment. "Uh, I mean, wonderful! Pizza would sure hit the spot."

Andy Wade

Andy tries to hide a wry smile at Liz's mixing of languages "Yep, that does sound good.. can we leave our gear in the cars?" he asks Alex

Jacob stretch his hands up high and takes off his yarmulke, placing it in his pocket.
Marvelous authentic place. I guess no kosher food over here...
He says when Alex mentions the pizza

"Halal maybe, but Kosher not so much" says Alex. "If you wish to keep stuff in the cars this is OK, one of us has to stay with them until we are all booked into the hotel. Its OK though, the Pizza guy he speaks English I think."

"That's good," says Liz. "I sure hope I still can when I talk to him. I don't want him to think I'm weird. I mean, I am anyway, but there's no sense advertising it."

The six of you are ushered into the small pizzaria by a woman in her mid forties who seats you in a corner overlooking the street. She then proceeds to feed you some of the nicest pizza you've ever had.

Greg looks at Andy over a mouthful of pizza. You're the man with all the plans, so what do we do next?

Andy Wade

"There you go... you had to spoil things... I had almost forgotten about our quest." Andy jokes.

"I guess we could try and see if anyone remembers seeing Maria come through here in the last day or so, I guess Alex will help us with that." he scoffs some more pizza... "ohh... did anyone think to bring a picture of her?"

"Mmm..." says Liz, savoring the delicious pizza. "Yes, we do have some pictures of her from her flat, and also on her laptop. I would guess she'd gone to the dig site, but we may as well ask around if anyone's seen her. I'll help with that. I'm not the best people person, but at least I'm cute! At some point we also need to go to the market and buy...stuff."

When she finishes eating, she starts showing one of the photos of Maria around and asking if anyone has seen her, but either no one has time for her, or they don't understand her. She also doesn't have enough money to spend much time in the shops before the shopkeepers realize she's broke.

Andy Wade

Seeing as it was his idea, Andy grabs a photo and heads off in the opposite direction from Liz and tries to find any information from the locals....

Persuade: 55,[dice]0[/dice]

Credit Rating: 15,[dice]1[/dice]

Andy talks to a waiter bussing tables outside a cafe who says he noticed her Blue Volkswagen parked outside a nearby garage he remembers because it is rare to see a Tirana registered number plate in Bajram Curri. In turn the Garage mechanic agrees he was approached by a attractive woman (he identifies her as Maria from the photo) she paid cash to get her car fixed, she’d driven it on a flat tire and the whole wheel needed replacing she was in a hurry to get going.

Andy will, of course, share the info.

"Well, that confirms we're on the right track," says Liz. "She must have gone to the dig site, and she sure seemed desperate to get there. I wonder what she's been doing there all this time? We'd best get after her in the morning as soon as we finish our preparations. It sounds like she hasn't been taking care of herself. Unless you can think of something else we can do tonight, we should go to the hotel and rest up so we can get an early start. I'm starting to feel my old self now that I've gotten around some pizza. A night's sleep will do me some good too."

Greg returns and says he 'talked' with a local shop keeper who remembered her (Maria) buying armfuls of chocolate and soda. The woman said she looked as though she had been going without sleep. Which would all seem to agree with Liz about her not looking after herself. – She also remembered the woman spoke to one of the town’s policemen outside the shop.

Shortly afterwards Alex walks over and says he has arranged rooms 4 rooms ( as single for Liz, two doubles and a triple for everyone else) He suggests that everyone chills for an hour or so and then they meet in the bar to discuss how they approach the next few days.

OOC:   Guys, I'm happy for anyone to do required dice rolls for asking after Maria, but I'm also keen to move the story on. Unless anyone strongly disagrees, for the rest of this section I'm going to give 24 hours for responses then move on.

"Maybe we should try to find the policeman who spoke to Maria," suggests Liz. "There can't be that many of them in a small town like this. We could show them the pics of her and her car and see if any of them recognize her."

I think we better leave the local authorities out of the story and as my Rabbi is saying - It is better not to wake a sleeping dog.
Jacob replies

Andy Wade

Andy nods in agreement at what Jacob has to say.. "There's a lot to say for that.... we're trying to 'fly under the radar' calling I'd be wary of drawing any attention."

"Okay, that's a good point," says Liz. "Ich bin immer noch nicht zu denken, wie die verwendeten." Wie ein Verbrecher, she thinks, but she doesn't say it. "There's prolly nothing they can tell us we don't already know anyway."

Evening see the group including Alex and Lek (sitting slightly apart eating their evening meal and drinking some local spirit) as you try and relax an young lad strides into the room.

With his head shaved, his leather jacket, white shirt, worn work trousers and heavy work boots the lad looks like a typical local boy, but he does not behave like one. Walking straight up to your table without showing any of the reserve of a young boy, instead he starts to ask the investigators a string of questions in Albanian.

OOC:   Can I have Spot Hidden rolls please

As the young one walks up, Clay makes sure he is nearby in case things go violent he wants to be able to jump in at a second notice.

Liz remains extremely alert, refusing to be distracted.

Andy Wade

Andy looks up as the boy starts jabbering at them, he's vaguely aware that the boy entered a few moments earlier along with two men.

Andy thinking:   "Dammit.. what's going on here.. have we been rumbled... or are all strangers treated like this.."

"Sorry... I don't speak the lingo... Do you speak English?" he asks in a friendly tone and sneaks a look to Alex.

"I think he and the two chaps he walked in with want to know who we are, where we're from, and what we're doing here," says Liz. She smiles at the youth, trying to keep his attention while Andy signals Alex. "Sprechen zie Deutsche? Parlez-vous francais?"

Alex approaches slowly, looking visibly scared. "He wants to know who you are, where you from, why you are in town, why you ask so many questions about Maria...and when we leave, back for Tirana "

But we are colleagues from the university archaeological department. aren't we ?
Jacob says, waiting for a confirmation from the others. This is the most reasonable notion a man can get.
Now if this lad is a member of a local gang, maybe we should take him to our side... He can support us with weapons and equipment for the right price against robbers.
He thinks to himself and whispers it under his breath to Andy, the nearest to him.

The boy looks at Andy with what he can only describe as contempt and he when completely ignores Liz, doesn't even acknowledge her when she talks to him. Just stands there clearly impatient for some answers.

Alex looks at you in turn. What would you like me to tell him?

OOC:   Jacob: considering the boys aggressive tone of voice, you'll have your work cut out trying to make a friend of him.

There is a short exchange between Alex and the lad, after which he leaves followed by the two men at the bar.

I said we were scouting for film locations... says Alex "weve been asking about Maria because she was meant to meet us back in Tirana she left a note saying she'd already left to come this way... He said we should leave and we weren't welcome around here

OOC:   Well Alex is reasonably worldly wise, he knows foul play has gone on which is why you are all up here, he's looking for an believable alibi

OOC:   Also guys - I've asked for Spot Hidden can you please do so if you haven't already done so.

Andy Wade

Andy listens to Alex nods his thanks ... "So, who is. or rather are they.. local 'mafia'?

"Prolly something like that," says Liz. "They were armed, not just with pistols, but with knives or small swords. I don't fancy getting shot or stabbed." She almost says "again," but she catches herself. "You know, I could sort of get what he was saying, and I don't know a bit of Albanian. This must be because of what happened to me. Maybe it's not so bad. Ich bin ein polyglot!"

hmm, what's that?
Spot Hidden: 1d100 12

Jacob recognises the knife swords the men carries he's seen one before when he was fighting the old man above the tattoo studio. In his mind the men aren't Mafia, they are clearly Verbtoi.

OOC:   Remember, the Verbetoi are a ethnic grouping in Albania, so the appearance of the Kopis like knives does not immediately mean fire and screaming and death. Well not immediately.

Greg waites for the men and the boys to leave the room before hissing. "Did you see the tattoo on the guys arm, the one by the bar its the same horse tattoo the old man in the tattoo parlour had"

OOC:   For the benefit of Andy and Albert, Greg recounts a fight he and Jacob had where they almost had their asses handed to them, by an old boy in his late 80's and an old woman who seemed as though she might have been dead for a year or so. The old man had a punch like a mule and one of those large knives, most interestingly Greg claims he saw the horse tattoo on the man moving just before he leapt through a second storey window and sprinted off down the street.

"Oh, great," mutters Liz. "Those guys."

Adonai yishmor (God protects us in hebrew), He carried the a Verbtoi knife. It was identical to the knife the old man carried. You know, the old man with his zombie wife above the tattoo place.
Jacob whisper to the others.
We need to keep low profile and leave unless we are brave enough to catch, subdue him and interrogate him.

"He's got those two big guys protecting him," replies Liz, "We're not even armed yet. I'm scared of them snatching me, since I'll be in a room by myself tonight." She gulps.

Alex turns to Andy a look of concern on his face. "These are mountain Verbetoi, they are not kind people, if we do not leave there will be no second warnings. But I think they will not return as long as they believe we are gone or going. Anyone sensible would leave first thing in the morning."

Behind him Lek says something in Albanian. He repeats it again when Alex glances at him “te luftoj verbti, te luftoj zjarr me qaj lotoj...it mean “to fight the Verbti, is to fight fire with tears” they do not follow the Kanun the laws anybody with honour would keep to"

OOC:   Kanun, is a set of customary laws developed in the 15th century infamous because they specify how murder was supposed to be punished, and how blood feuds could be conducted... in the mountains was and could can be changed for can and is

Andy Wade

Andy thanks Alex and nods to Leq at his 'words of wisdom'; on balance he thinks it's ok to stay the night, yes they've been warned off but they've given a reasonable account as to their business in the area.

"I think we'll be OK as long as we move on tomorrow. But we had better be more careful in future, let's not let out guard down again and be more circumspect with any inquiries we make." he says to the others.

OOC:   If you want we can plan not to have anyone alone in a room for the night... just in case

"Right," says Liz, relaxing a little. "So, we'll stay here the night, then leave first thing on the morning, only to circle around and slip into the dig site. But we will need to buy stuff somewhere. If we do run into the Verbetoi again, we'll need to be prepared. You know, I'm starting to pick up a bit of Albanian."

Alex and Lek wake you in the wee hours. Alex has already paid for the rooms the night before and there is no one to see you leave but a sleepy concierge and the young man who guards the cars overnight.

Alex gathers everyone together behind the two vehicles while Lek pours everyone industrial strength coffee. Now is time for you to make decisions. First decision of morning is leave or stay, people must be stupid or brave to stay when we have a warning like last night's." Alex pauses long enough to take a sip of coffee, grimaces and puts four or five spoonfuls of sugar in the small cup, before he continues "We leave then we can take trucks back to ferry or even drive whole way. . He takes another sip of coffee, before adding two more spoons of sugar then satisfied, he continues. We already make sure every nosey person hear us making plans for leaving. Staying is fine, Go is fine, Lek and I already talk and we are happy whatever you say. Now If you want to stay do you want to go to the "night market" where we buy 'toys for boys', or do start looking for where first photo was taken straight away and see where this takes us? Your choices.

OOC:   Mr Handy mentioned a dig site, there is none - or at least none you are aware of. Just a reminder but the only evidence you had were the photos the first one of which would seem to have been taken in a small village only a short distance from Bajram-Currie. The fact you've seen the graffiti writing similar to that in the apartment would seem to indicate you are on the right track.

Andy Wade

Andy grimaces as he tastes the coffee, mirroring Alex's reaction and he too dumps a few spoonfuls of sugar into his cup and stirs while he listens to Alex.

Andy nods to the two Albanians, as he hears that they are both OK with carrying on, he wouldn't have blamed them if they had decided to return to Tirana, "Thank you both.... it means a lot that you both stay to help.." he says gratefully. "I think that a trip to the market might be in order... we should be more prepared; have more options." he takes another mouthful of the hot coffee... "God.. this is strong enough to lift a mountain!" he shudders.
"What do you guy's think... Clay you'd be up for getting some some 'equipment'?" he asks the others.

"Well I have no contacts here and I think those guys control this city. We need to go somewhere else, and I'll do what I can." Clay drinks the strong coffee with little more than a grimace. "We need to leave now."

"I know I'd like to get equipped," says Liz. "I don't like feeling defenseless. Or being defenseless. Alex and Lek know where to go shopping and have the contacts. We can't go away without finding Maria. Maybe they've already got her." She takes a drink of the coffee, and her eyes go wide. "Wow, that's strong stuff! I don't expect I'll sleep for days. I'll be too busy bouncing off the walls. Boingy, boingy, boingy, boingy!"

"I don't think Andy was implying you were some sort of criminal mastermind with contacts everywhere Clay" says Greg "Just you might prefer to to have something a bit more substantial than a rolled up newspaper the next time we meet those guys"



Alex nods "Alright we go to the night market, it is not far from here"

Alex then leads off driving west over the dirt tracks which pass for roads in this part of the country (a slight exaggeration, but the last time these roads were repaired was decades ago...the holes are 'BIG') finally he pulls into a field where a number of other vehicles are parked up and a small produce market is starting to set up. Alex drives past the the market place towards a small wood at the edge of the field as you get closer you can see a variety of vehicles parked up between the trees all selling weapons of one kind or another.

Alex turns to where you are sat the back seat, "I hope you have lots of cash"

Liz turns her empty pockets inside out. "I don't have that much left myself," she says, "but I never did. I hope my mates have more than I do.'

OOC:   Alex hasn't asked for payment at this point, so assuming travel to Albania was covered by the cards. I think you can safely assume the vast majority of it.

When the Government collapse in 97 Hundreds of thousands of guns were looted from army and police barracks. Says Alex People tell tales of towing fighter jets out of air force hangars, or farmers driving around in tanks. Many of these guns go to help in the war in Kosovo. But there are still enough here to fill your needs I think. Last time I was in a place like this with il Doctore**, is around £250 for an AK-47.

OOC:   **He came to look not to buy

OOC:   sorry, been super busy with other things. Yes, lets go to the market and load up.

"Yea, if you guys know of this night market, lets hit it. I'd feel a lot better." Clay adds.

Jacob just nod in agreement.

Andy will opt for a Makarov and the chinese ak clone plus some gun oil and a cleaning kit.

OOC:   Guys, please, please read the whole thread, before you comment. This is particularly important when you're not posting regularly. Its jarring when you post to events now well past, and somewhat frustrating when you are missing die rolls I'm asking for or decisions I'm asking you to make. I appreciate that my campaign style may not appeal to everyone. If the game has lost your interest then by all means feel free to bow out. I promise you wont hurt my feelings.

Albert looks at the weapons arrayed before him, "I'm not really a guns kind of guy. I'm a lover, not a fighter as they say. I'll just take one of those pistols"

"I didn't think I'd be good at it either at first," Liz tells Albert when Alex and Lek can't hear, "but you never know until you try. I guess it helps that I'm really good at video games."

OOC,I'm certainly enjoying the game and want to continue! 8-)

Andy Wade

Andy smiles listening to Liz respond to Albert, he wasn't overly fond of guns either but they'd all be dead if they didn't have those firearms when they were all in Professor Mathers' house. This time they could at least be a bit more prepared.

Andy moves over to Alex "Can we get some extra rounds for the pistols... and do you know of a quiet spot where we can get some 'target practise' ?" he asks, thinking that it'd be a good idea if they all took half an hour or so to get used to the firearms.

OOC:   We should all have a least a pistol each... and offer our Albanian guides the same.

We'll go a bit further along the valley and off the road says Alex, "I do not think the police take much notice if we do not make sound to much like war"

He shakes his head at Andrew's offer of weapons, "We have shotguns packed in trucks for game, they are enough for us"

Jacob was not a fan of firearms, he prefered to place his faith with god and his fists but sadly, times have changed and he comes into a conclusion that he needs a pistol.
I will have one of the pistols if we have enough cash to pay for them, if not, I can always carry an improvised club.

Alex hands Jacob one of the small business like pistols along with two magazines and a box of ammunition, carefully wrapping it all in a piece of dark cloth before he hands it over. In gut gezunt he says with a sad smile.

Clay picks up two of the Baikal opting for a faster fire rate than the extra stopping power of the .45. "I'll take a couple spare mags and a couple boxes of the 9 mm ammo." Clay says. "Everyone get a bit extra and we'll do a little practice out in the desert. You won't be an expert but hopefully you won't shoot yourself in the foot."

"Oh, you speak German," says Liz, brightening when she hears Alex speak. "I understood that: in good health. It's useful to have a language that at least some of us understand and the Verbetoi likely won't. Well, I could sure use some practice too. Will the shotgun be too loud to practice with?" She has already picked out the Norinco HP9-1, which she had spotted right away, and she takes a Makarov as well.

"I speak German, Italian, English and Greek as well as a bit of Russia, but that was Yiddish for the Rabbi" says Alex gesturing at Jacob.

OOC:   You can assume an hour or so is spent in a secluded valley and you become reasonably familiar with your chosen weapon.

What now says Alex, We try to find the village in the photo?

OOC:   What now guys

"Yes, that sounds like our only lead," says Liz. "We know she's been there before, so maybe she went there again. Maybe someone remembers seeing her there, but we'll have to be cautious if we make any inquiries, or the Verbetoi are sure to find out we're poking about."

OOC:   Sorry all - been silent for a while but back now Albert will also take a shotgun,if there is one to be had, along with the sidearm.

Yeah, I'd say the village is our best clue to chase her down. he smiles at Liz and definitely the softly, softly approach. We may be tooled up now but I'd rather not stir the wasps nest if we can help it.

I've been practicing breathing since I was born and I've got quite good at it now, I'd hate all the practice to go to waste and have to give it up.

What about a flash lights and a fire protection vests ?
Jacob says
They were handy last time we encountered them.

"Lights is easy" says Alex "but fire protection vests, this place?" Alex gestures at the surrounding market and then shrugs. "Maybe"

OOC:   There isn't anything akin to the heavy weight fire jackets Clay "acquired" last time. Unfortunately for Albert - Liz has grabbed the only shotgun.

Yeah, some mini fire-exstinguishers would be useful. If we can't find any here, which I doubt, then maybe the cars will have them, most modern cars have a fire-extinguisher in the boot or glove box.

"Oh, yes, please!" says Liz. "Fire extinguishers are a must! This lot likes to use fire."

"This is not a place for modern cars" says Alex looking around the market full of tractors clapped out vans and cars. When someone points out it is possible to spot virtually every model of Mercedes produced since the 1970's. From the plushest new S-Class to battered sedans from the 70's. "They are status symbol. Who wants to drive Trabant or Fiat, if you can have a Mercedes? But for these people I do not think they sell bits of their car"

Then turning to Liz, "Is old wives tales you know. Verbti and fire, I think they use whatever is in their hand and this is those big knives they always carry. All Albanians dislike Verbti, they are like Gypsies, but they are not so easily driven away*."

OOC:   *Yes, Alex holds a fairly typical (for the region) racist attitude towards gypsies and Verbti.

Andy Wade

Andy's barely healed burns itch as the others talk about fire.... and he has to concentrate to stop from scratching but still be shudders at the memory of being ... hunted by the flames...

"Yeah.. I think we have missed the boat, for any specialist stuff we might want... we best make the best of what we have. We best proceed with due caution but we're here to find Maria, so let's be about it..."

Albert smiles at Alex

Yeah, old wives' tales or not, this lot have been more than happy to use fire in the past. Maybe we can get some woollen blankets, we can soak them and store in the cars, or a couple of sacks of sand, at least have something to smother flames if we need to eh?

"Yes, it's better than nothing," says Liz, recalling how she - and possibly all of them - would likely have been killed had they not taken similar precautions before. "They use guns too. I don't suppose there are any bulletproof vests available?"

OOC:   There are indeed a couple of vests which Alex seems to get for free or perhaps part of the package. The vests are old Soviet era, perfectly functional, but heavy, uncomfortable and reeking with the smell of old sweat.

Success full KNOW roll,There are home grown methods to fireproof materials, but they will probably take a couple of days.

So now we are armed for hare. says Alex "Do we go and find where Maria's photo was taken?"

Liz was unfamiliar with the vests, but she takes the smaller one anyway. "Cheers!" she says, "Well, I don't fancy getting shot, and I'm not as tough as the rest of you, so I'll need one of these. It's uncomfortable, but not as much as a bullet in the chest. I'm ready now. Let's head to the village and see if we can find the location in the piccie."

Jacob grabs a vest and heads after Liz

Both vest are the same size clearly to big for Liz (siz 9) and not designed for women. Whereas Jacob's (siz13) seems a reasonable match.

OOC:   The search will start here feel free to post further comments here, but I'd like to move things along.

"On second thought," says Liz, frowning at the vest, "this'll never fit me. I guess the Soviets didn't make these for a wee slip of a girl like me. Clay, maybe you can use it."

One glance at Clay's height and wedge like physique is enough to tell Liz that Clay will have an entirely different problem trying to squeeze himself into the flack jacket.

OOC:   Basically ideal fit is Siz 11-13 never really noticed this but four out of six of you are below average height Andy 5' to 5' 2", Greg & Liz between 5' 2" to 5' 4, Albert 5' 4" to 5' 6", Jacob 5' 10" to 6' and Clay towering over everyone at 6' 4"+This doesn't mean the vests can't be worn simply they don't provide all the protection you would hope for.