IC-Chapter 1-Telling Lies(Markus Fletcher/Remy Leblanc)

[Mr. Handy]

Logan Hall, University of Pennsylvania
5:30 PM - Wednesday, July 16th, 1969
Markus Fletcher had just finished his last lecture of the day and was on his way through the lobby of Logan Hall to the bright, hot summer day that was still not quite over. He was walking past a bulletin board, which many pieces of paper were stuck to with thumbtacks. There were various advertisements, flyers announcing special events, requests for rides, and the like. The board was fairly thick with notices, and it was not uncommon for some of them to be posted on top of others. As someone else opened the front door and left the building, a gust of wind blew one of the notes that had only been loosely tacked onto the board away, and it drifted to the floor. It was nothing that interested him - someone was trying to sell an old guitar - but the flyer that had been buried behind it did look to be of interest:

Undergraduate and Graduate Volunteers Needed for Psychology Experiment
Earn $50.00 For Your Participation

We are seeking undergraduate and graduate students for a psychological experiment about sleep and dreams. The study will last three consecutive nights, and volunteers will need to sleep in the lab overnight. Participants will need to arrive at John Morgan Hall, Room 110 at 8:00 PM and will stay until approximately 8 to 10 AM the morning after, depending upon when they awaken. Snacks will be provided in the evenings, and breakfast in the mornings. The study will be conducted twice, from Thursday, July 3 through Sunday, July 6 and from Friday, July 18 through Monday, July 21. To volunteer, please contact Dr. Gregory Anderson, either in person at his office in Room 322 during normal office hours or by telephone at 5-2009.

The phone number must have only had five digits because the first two digits for the University's exchange have been assumed.

[masonstone]

Markus paused in his stride and read the note over for a second time to ensure that he knew all the information that the note would yield before considering the experiment. As an anthropology student, much of his subject had strong ties to phsycology and Markus considered how much he could gain from the experiment, as well as the perfectly respectable $50. After some consideration he decided to find out more about the experiment and, if possible, participate in whatever the experiment entailed. He considered whether to call the number provided or if he should ask around first...

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Let me know what you want to do next.

[masonstone]

OOC,Sorry bout that I wasn't sure if you had something in mind

Markus considered for a moment before deciding that while it would probably be safer asking around, he had not come to America to enjoy the quiet life. Taking a pen and a scrap of paper from one of his pockets he noted down the number, pocketing the scrap and walking off and out of the University, planning to take a cab home before going out for a drink.

[Mr. Handy]

Markus Fletcher's Home - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
6:15 PM - Wednesday, July 16th, 1969
Markus arrived back at his home at around 6:15 and went inside. It had been a while since he had eaten lunch, and he was feeling a little peckish. He first went to his phone and called the number he had written down. The phone rang several times, but there was no answer.

OOC,Don't sweat it. I like to have players make decisions about what they're going to do rather than force them down a speciifc path. Some simple actions can be assumed, but when going to new places or doing something that will take a good deal of time, it's best to state your intentions and then let me describe what happens, which is exactly what you've done. I'll then describe the situation and any characters present, and leave it up to you what you want to do next. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of things. [b]Markus[/b], feel free to describe your own home and your car if you like. Also, roll Idea to try to figure out why nobody is answering the phone.

[masonstone]

Markus dropped the phone back into it's cradle, annoyed that he would have to either find the note again or remember who had posted it again if he was unable to make contact by phone after another few tries. He ambled into the kitchen from the lounge, opening the fridge to inspect his meagre supplies. Inside he found half a bottle of milk, dated yesterday, some sausages he had been planning to use for the past week and a small chunk of cheese. However the fridge also contained the object of his search, his last remaining botttle of beer and the paltry remains of last night's spagetti. He opened the beer and tossed the cold spagetti onto the worktop before closing the fridge, proceeding to search a couple of draws for a spoon. He ate the spagetti cold, telling himself that he planned to find something else to eat later but really just being too lazy. once he had finnished his meal and binned the empty bottle he proceeded to pick up his coat, check that his keys and the knuckledusters were still in his pockets before heading out to his car.

It was a flashy new red Jaguar E-Type which he had brought only a month ago, choosing to retain the traditional British right-side driving position and manual gear box. He climbed inside, smiling with satisfaction at the fine enterior of the car and the deep throated roar of the engine starting. He pulled out of his drive and headed back into Philidelphia, planning to park the car at the University where it would probably be safer before walking to one of the nearby bars

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Before we continue, you should roll Idea to see if you can figure out why nobody answered the phone. Use Invisible Castle to roll 1d100. You want to get less than or equal to your Idea score, which is 75. If you succeed, I'll tell you what you realize. If you fail, I won't tell you any more on the subject, though you may be able to figure it out yourself.

[masonstone]

OOC,http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2239968/ failed so badly its almost as if he doesn't care lol

[Mr. Handy]

Penn Tavern, 33rd and South Streets - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
8:00 PM - Wednesday, July 16th, 1969
Markus drove to the Penn Tavern, a bar located a few blocks south of campus. He had just started on his first drink when a group of five or six jocks staggered in. They looked like they had embarked on a pub crawl and had made significant progress already.

"Hey, guesh what?" slurred one of them. "We were jusht down at Lenny's Bar, and shome professor's kid jusht got arrested! The cops just bursht in and caught him dealing drugs. He fought back, but they got him in cuffs before it got innereshting." He sounded disappointed, but then he brightened. "Oh, and they also shaid he tried to kill shomeone!"

[masonstone]

Markus drained his drink as he listened to the story, setting his glass down with a clunk as the jock finished his account. "Well then" he said, walking over and putting an arm around the talker's shoulders "maybe if I buy you blokes a drink or two you'll tell us more, eh?" He motioned to the bartender to pull the group some drinks before motioning for them to sit at the bar "so come on, tell us about this bloke trying to kill someone"

OOC,this'll probably need a roll but should it be persuade or fast talk?

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Normally that would be Fast Talk, but in this case no roll is needed. The young man is eager to tell his story, and buying him and his friends drinks is more than enough to loosen his tongue.

"The kid'sh name wash Brian Andershon," said the atheltic-looking college student. "His pop's shome kind of big shot at Penn. I dunno exactly what happened, but there wash thish old dude who shaid Brian tried to kill him."

"That's right," chimed in one of his buddies, this one a little less inebriated. "He looked real disoriented and didn't recognize his own clothes. He said Brian stole them somehow."

[masonstone]

"ha, he was probably one of the kids customers, off his face and looking for revenge about high prices or something" Markus laughed, taking a big swig from his drink while he scoured his brain for information on Brian Anderson. He couldn't remember anything about Brian but the name Anderson was oddly familiar. He wracked his brain for answers. "hey isn't his dad a psycology professor? I heard he was doing some experiments so maybe the kid got the drugs from his dad." Markus said, his spirits rising as he remembered who had posted the note "if it makes you nutty enough that you don't know your own clothes then thats an experiment I want in on!" he joked, laughing loudly while quietly fileing the information away for later, just in case.

OOC,I wasn't sure whether the roll would be idea or knowledge but whichever it is I think I passed. Even if I didn't need to roll I wanted to give Markus a chance to be a bit thick, even if I had made the connection myself

[Voodoo]

While he had never dabbled in drug dealing, Remy figured it couldn't hurt to hear a little more about this kid. Grabbing his beer he casually slide down the bar closer to the group. Once settled he motioned the bartender for another round and tried to act uninterested.

[Mr. Handy]

The bartender distributed drinks to Markus and the young athletes, then got to work on filling Remy's order.

"Tha'sh right!" said the first jock, stifling a hiccup. "He teaches psychology."

"Psychiatry," said the second one.

"Shame thing!"

"He's actually a medical doctor at the School of Medicine, too. Doctor Gregory Anderson, I remember his name now. What's this about an experiment? That sounds familiar."

OOC,That would be an Idea roll, and it would succeed either way. I asked another player who didn't make the connection to roll Idea to come up with it a while back.

[masonstone]

Markus thought fast, throwing out a haze of lies and half-truths while he considered his plans "There's some rumours around campus of some new superdrug, supposed to give your somethin' ten times better than anything else out there. Some of the people I know are telling me that it's made on-site too. I saw an advert for volunteers for experiments a couple of days ago, and now hearing about Brian's dealing I put two and two together" he said carefully, acting as if this hastily constructed fallicy was a considered conclusion. "I was thinking me and some boys should sign up for some of these experiments, see if we can put a squeeze on the good professor, how does that sound?" he said, leaning in conspiratorially and delivering the line as if he meant it. It helped that he considered the possibility of blackmailing the professor a few seconds ago however his true motivation was aquiring some bodies to back him up if the experiment turned out not to be to his liking and he had trouble trying to pull out...

OOC,yea this all does sound quite manipulative but hey, that's the character

[Voodoo]

Overhearing the plan, Remy thought to himself that he could probably make a quick buck with this bunch. Deciding now was the time to make his move he leans into the group some and says, "Mais,I donna mean to be rude, but I must say I tink dis fellas plan sounds interesting.", Giving them a minute to let it sink in, he then presses forward, "If you were agreeable to it, I wouldna mind lending you boys a hand." Leaning back in his seat, Remy takes a sip of his beer, and lets them consider his offer.

[Mr. Handy]

"There could be shome money in it..." said the drunk jock, thinking - or at least trying to think.

"I dunno," said the more sober-minded one. "We could get in trouble. If the coach found out, he could kick me off the team."

OOC,[b]Markus[/b] and [b]Remy[/b], either or both of you can roll Persuade to try to enlist the jocks. You get a +10 bonus to the roll because they've been drinking heavily and their judgment is impaired. How well you succeed, and whether or not you both do, determines how many of them will go along. You could roll Fast Talk instead, but that may wear off overnight when they have a chance to think about it, so it won't guarantee their continued support.

[masonstone]

"See guys, We already have one recruit." Markus said jovially, eyeing up the newcomer with caution. This man was a wild-card, until now unnoticed and therefore unexamined. For all Markus knew he could be a police investigator, or worse a friend of the Professor's. Markus's brain churned, sizing the new character up before deciding that you couldn't win a poker game without taking a gamble. "if my new friend here is willing, surly you brave boys can't be too chicken." he goaded giving the jocks that final push towards a descision...

[Voodoo]

OOC,Before posting this I need to know if I did it right. [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2246684/]1d100-10 → [6,-10] = (-4)[/url]

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Pretty much, though techinically the bonus adds to your effective skill rather than subtracting from the roll - otherwise you'd have a negative number. You got a 6 out of an effective 25, which is a pretty good result. You'll win over the two guys you're speaking to with that one, but the others aren't going to be interested. Roleplay your speech to them, and then I'll post the outcome. [b]Markus[/b] failed his Persuade roll even with the +10 bonus, so he doesn't manage to recruit anyone additional.