Shadowed Arkham

[Cearlan]

"Fortunately for us, you did get away though." Cox smiles as he turns on his heel and says "I really must go now."

You turn round and look up at the cadaverous form of Armitage who looks down his nose at you and says. "Well ladies and gentlemen, firstly I will require you all to sign in." As you are doing so he continues "Now what is it that I can do for you today. Professor Cox has indicated that I am to assist you but never indicated how or more to the point why, what is it that I can do for you?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Professor Armitage, I'm Professor David Johnson from Brown University," says David, offering his hand to shake. "You were assisting my friend and colleague,the late Professor Martin Sorrell,with his research. We were hoping you could help us retrace the research he was doing here and grant us access to any restricted materials he may have been using. It may shed some light on what happened to him."

[Cearlan]

Armitage looks down his nose at your outstretched hand as though it is a king cobra you are offering him. "I am not a professor, but the head librarian for this University library. You say I, or should I say we, assisted with this Martin Sorrell, with his researches." He steeples his fingers and thinks for a moment. He offers a description which you verify was similar to young Sorrell.

"Yes I remember him. A most disagreeable young man. Came in here expecting us all to bow and scrape to him simply because he is considered to be a rising star in his field. His research involved some fairly disturbing tomes, and in truth I have to get further permission for you to get access to them, supervised access of course."

OOC:   Basically, Armitage is not happy about having you thrust upon him by Professor Cox and is trying to be as uncooperative as he can possibly be - it is so obvious that you won't need a Psychology roll to spot this. He will grant access to the general stock whilst he begrudgingly, and slowly, seeks permission to allow access to the more interesting books.

Armitage eventually gets permission and he calls you into his office. Just as you enter his office, you see Whateley puts something small and heavy in his coat pocket, then says Well it seems you have friends in high places. You can have supervised access, despite my better judgement." He leads the way back through the stacks, talking sullenly as he goes. “The University is very particular on how these books are kept you understand. We keep them crated up, as safe and secure as possible. Also, we never entered them into any catalogue. Your friend Sorrell was the first to come looking in a long time. A very intense young man, left a bad taste in my mouth.”

Armitage leads them down a long flight of steep, dark stairs. Most of the lights in the basement seem to have burned out. At the bottom, you find cavernous rooms with arched ceilings piled high with boxes and crates of all descriptions, the floor drowning in dust and the ceiling lost in a haze of cobwebs. Spiders stroll without haste across the walls. Parts of the walls, the floor, and many of the crates are encrusted with a gray fungus which you believe even a trained mycologist cannot identify.

OOC:   A Spot Hidden roll please.

[Mr. Handy]

David looks around, but it's too dark to see much detail.

[royya]

Spot (1d100=36)- Pass

Hmmm...
Joseph says with interest as he picks out something in the corner of his eye.

[Cearlan]

Joseph,Your successful Spot Hidden roll shown faint, fresh-seeming footprints in the dusty floor, and Whateley follows the path that the footprints have blazed.

In a far, shadowy comer is an isolated crate. A chipped and dented folding card chair sits before the crate. The crate lid is clearly marked in black paint: 'RESTRICTED COLLECTION. Do Not Open.'

Whateley takes out a small prybar from his coat pocket and wedges up the nailed lid. Inside are heaps of wood shavings used as packing material. The books themselves are gone! No sign of them can be found. As Whateley and the investigators search, they find themselves looking over their shoulders as the movements of the spiders, falling bits of fungus, and shimmers from the cobwebs. You all get the impression you’re not alone. Whateley makes a feeble attempt at a joke about the feeling, but it’s nowhere near funny.

Though Whateley expresses shock and chagrin at the loss, he is angry enough to substantially accuse Sorrell of stealing the books.

OOC:   Psychology roll please If you pass,Your successful Psychology roll suggests that the librarian is faking his surprise about the theft. You feel that he is a good enough liar that he gives no clue as to why he might be faking.

"This is outrageous, it is obvious to me that your 'friend' Sorrell is behind this. He is the only one who has been to see these books in years I'm going to inform the police. Right everyone. I have to ask you all to leave this area now as the police will no doubt have it cordoned off as a scene where criminal activity occurred."

Once back in his office he does indeed phone the police.

OOC:   Spot hidden roll please If you pass,A successful roll reveals something in the way he reports the matter encourages the investigating officers to believe that the books somehow will turn up. Looking at this situation from a neutral perspective, you would say that the police have better things to worry about given the way the complaint was put over to them.

[Mr. Handy]

David can't get a good read on Whateley, but his eyes finally adjust to the dark. "Let's not jump to conclusions without proof," says David. "Keep in mind that Sorrell died under mysterious circumstances. We did not find any trace of these books among his effects. But whoever killed him appears to have taken an interest in his research and may very well have had reason to take the books. In any case, finding out what happened to him may lead to recovering the books."

[royya]

There are foot prints in the dust.
Joseph says to his companions as they look at the empty crate.
Maybe we can trace the thief ?
Joseph tries to understand the size of the shoes and other features that might help him identify the thief.

Psychology and Spot (1d100=48, 1d100=31) - Fail the Psycho and passed the Spot.

Well, the man with the bulgy eyes could have taken the books.
Joseph says
Mr. Whateley, who was the last to visit this place and who holds the key beside you and Armitage ?

[Cearlan]

David, Joseph, Meredith and Jemima, You are all ushered unceremoniously out of the basement and once more have to brave the long passage with the failing lighting and huge spiders.Once back in his office you can see that he is flustered as he phones the police to report the theft.

Looking squarely at David, the librarian's eye narrow almost as thin as his bloodless lips. "I am well aware that young Sorrell is dead, if what you say is indeed true. Assuming it is then I am truly sorry for him, and for your loss. But perhaps the subjects he was researching finally caught up with him." Addressing the group in general he continues. "There are very few people who are even aware of the existence of the restricted collection, let alone have access to it. I am not prepared to discuss who has access with strangers, no matter if you have Cox's ear or not. Now if you'll excuse me I have an appointment. You are of course free to use the library as you will. I hope I will see you after my appointment is complete." The expression on his face tells you the opposite though.

[Mr. Handy]

David sighs. "Well, we might as well do some research while we're here," he says. "Even without the restricted books, Miskatonic's library is well known as a font of information. Let's choose topics we want to study further and divide up the work."

[Cearlan]

OOC:   Are you studying / researching anything in particular? Idea Roll please

[Mr. Handy]

Something occurs to David.

OOC,I'm sure there are specific things I'll want to research, but I need time to look back through what we've discovered so far and sleep so I can think straight, both of which I can usually only get on weekends.

[Cearlan]

David,You think to yourself that if the librarian does indeed have an appointment it might be of benefit to see who he meets with and whether it is here or elsewhere.

[Mr. Handy]

"One of us should discreetly follow the librarian and see where he goes and who he talks to," suggests David. "I'll see what I can turn up about these 'Deep Ones' in my research. That fellow who was poking around Martin's house appears to have been one of their descendants, and he's most likely to have stolen the books. We need to know more about them."

[Cearlan]

You sit at a table opposite Whateley's office and he sits for a while gazing into space, his face more ashen than it was before. After a few minutes he checks his watch, rises and exits the building without locking his office, obviously preoccupied about something. Jemima says "I'll follow him and see what sort of 'meeting' he is about. I'm afraid I'm not really focussed on books at the moment anyway. Smoothly she gets up and walks out the library, a fair distance behind the emaciated librarian, but close enough to react to his movements.

David, Meredith and Jonathan all sit reading through some very rare texts on Mayan Lore while awaiting Whateley and Jemima's return.

After about an hour Whately returns and Jemima sidles next to you. "Well, I'm not sure what to make of that ..." she intones. "... he left the library as you saw, and I followed at a safe distance as he strolled down West College Street to the museum. I don't think he knew I was following, though he did seem agitated. In the museum grounds he had a somewhat heated conversation with a female gardener. Jemima chewed her lower lip in consternation. "I say heated but it was obvious they didn't want anyone to hear what was said by their furtive whispering. It was the body language and abrupt hand gestures that gave it an angry tone, you know lots of pointing fingers and so forth. Being an actress you got to know about this kind of stuff. I tried to get close enough to hear what they were saying but could not in case he recognised me. After their conversation, which left him looking more dazed than he was before, he went to a delicatessen, bought a sandwich, sat in the park and ate it before returning here.Now the gardener was very suspicious in the way she acted after their argument and all but ran away after collecting her tools together. I was torn between following her and following Whatley, I hope I didn't make the wrong choice."

[Mr. Handy]

"It would have been nice to know where she went from there and who she talked to," says David, "but you had no way of knowing that following the librairian further wouldn't produce anything more. In any event, we know where she works, so we can always observe her and find out more about her later."

[royya]

Do you think Whateley knows who took the rare books ?
Joseph says

[Mr. Handy]

"I don't think he or the gardener know who took them," says David. "Otherwise, they wouldn't have reacted in such panic if they knew who had them. They wanted the books for their own purposes, and they were upset that someone else got them first. Either that, or he stole them himself and is upset that it's been discovered they went missing. I don't think Whateley really wants the police heavily involved in this considering the way he reported it to them, as if they books would just turn up. It seems there are a lot of players in this game."

[Cearlan]

By the end of the day, there is little you have discovered in the books that you did not already know from Sorrell's notes. All you lack is corroboration and/or context of the quotes Sorrell made.

OOC:   Either way - what you going to do now, stay till closing time, follow Whateley when he leaves, go back to the hotel or something else?

[Mr. Handy]

"One of us ought to follow Whateley and see where he goes," suggests David. "Another might go to the museum and try to pick up the gardener's trail. If she went back there, it might be good to see where she heads, even if it's only to her home. At least then we'd know where she lives."