The Blackstone Hotel, Keswick, England.

[Priest]

Helen snorts derisively, although she does feel her temper subsiding slightly, her Mother had always told her that her temper would one day get the better of her and Julie is always warning her to calm down a touch. She always imagined that her temper was what made her art special, take away her temper and her art stops - simple.
She so desperately wants to interogate the old man further but realises that the Doctor seems to have goten further with his kind words. Perhaps that is what they call a 'bedside manner'.
She knows that the details in the Photograph are wrong, her name is Long and always has been. Of course she has no pictures of her at an early age, but that is just coinidence. Anyway the idea that she might be related to that chinless wonder Exeter would be too much.
I need a cigarette, she thinks and with fingers that still shake from anger she begins the process of reploading her cigarette holder.

[Philulhu]

Rosa turns the photograph over and starts to pick at the tape that holds the back in place. Sighing in an exasperated fashion she says, "Do any of you gentlemen have a penknife?"

[Abdul Alhazred]

Nigel looks over at Rosa. "Madam, please! You can't do that." Seeing his pleas have no effect he continues, "You'll have to pay for that damage!"

OCC,Preparedness is a useful general ability. It means that, given the right circumstances and using common sense, the character has a chance of finding just what they need in their bag, pockets, etc. Rosa has Preparedness 8 as an ability. If she can make a successful test roll she'll find a pair of scissors in her handbag. She can increase the chances of success by adding points from Preparedness (which are deducted from her ability score as the scenario continues) to her die roll if she considers it important enough. Give it a try, I'll let you know if you're successful.

[Priest]

Helen, once more in full control of her emotions, finishes replacing the cigarette and begins checking her bag for a light.
At the barmans complaint she snaps, "You there boy, do stop whining and do something useful like give me a light" to no one in particular she adds "Just how much can an old photograph and a bit of tape be worth? Particularly if the subject means nothing to anyone here"

[Philulhu]

"Oh do stop worrying!" snaps Rosa. "You've made it quite clear that any damage will have to be paid for and I assure you that if will replace the frame if necessary."

She looks at the men surrounding her and tuts loudly. "Were none of you Boy Scouts?" She shakes her head and starts digging in her handbag to see if she can find something to cut the tape.

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4258592/]They're in here somewhere... Rosa looks for scissors in her handbag. (1d6=4)[/url]

[Abdul Alhazred]

Inside her handbag Rosa finds a small pair of nail scissors that look up to the job.

OOC to Rosa,You succeeded! Normally (though in a Purist game not always...) tests are a 3 or a 4 to succeed :)

[Fabio Silva]

Pedro thinks it's strange the exaltation near the bar, and afraid that a fight can be start he says:

"Calm down my friends. Maybe a conversation and some lighter refreshment might help us to solve this! We drink too much!". He laughs and winks at the bartender while moving close to Exeter and placing a hand on his shoulder.

Looking for the source of the mystery he says "I'm sure there's just some mistake, and that this misunderstanding will be cleared up."

[Priest]

Helen is taken slightly aback at Rosa's angry comment to the barman, Jolly good, bully for you, she thinks and hates to admit it but is beginning to warm to the younger woman especially when she makes the Boy Scout remark at which she can almost feel the waves of umbrage wafting from the upper class representative, Whot ho, yourself young oike, she thinks
With the appearance of the nail scissors she watches eagerly as Rosa begins to cut away the tape

[Abdul Alhazred]

As Rosa peels away the cut tape the photo falls from the frame and lands face down on the floor. Helen bends to pick it up and in doing so notices a small embossed mark on the back about the size of a small thumbnail. The back is otherwise plain.

For Helen Only,With your knowledge of photography you recognise the mark for what it is - the signature mark of a photographic studio. By referencing this in a good library, you may be able to find out where the studio is located that took the photo, assuming it still exists.

[Philulhu]

"Well?!" barks Rosa. "Is there a photographer's mark?"

'Dash it all! I saw the photograph first and I was the one to open the frame and now this woman's taking over!' thinks Rosa as she waits impatiently.

[DrPeterson]

Exeter refills his champagne glass and smiles widely at his friend.

"How do you propose to solve this wicked puzzle by drinking less, man, utter madness!"


He took a few sips of bubbly and observed the women working on the photograph with a combination of amusement and wonder.

"I say, ladies, you are quite thorough! Quite thorough indeed!"

[Abdul Alhazred]

The rain continues to lash the outside of the windows of the bar, if anything increasing in it's intensity. The reception on the radio is getting noticeably worse. The long case clock in the hallway of the hotel chimes nine o'clock, and as it does so an old man enters the bar.

He is dressed in a drab grey gabardine mackintosh, and felt Newbury hat, both of which are sodden and drip steadily onto the floor of the bar. There is no telling exactly how old the gentleman is, but it's safe to say its well past seventy.

"Evening Bob, nice weather for ducks! Famous Grouse?" asks Nigel. At a nod from the old man he pours a double, takes a few coins and hands it over.

[DrPeterson]

"No, no! That won't do! I insist that you put it on my tab, bartender!"

Exeter cuts loose from the bar and with great pomp walks over to the old man.

A man hardy enough to brave this weather for a brace of grouse, should find more merit at the end of his road than this salesmanship.


He grins his most winning smile.

"I am Hilary Viscount Exeter, and I welcome you to our merry gathering of dry, yet jolly folk. If we share with you our warmth, would you perhaps share with us a story or two?"

[Abdul Alhazred]

Bob looks at Viscount Exeter, smiles a toothless grin and says "Thank you young sir, can't say the offer isn't appreciated."

He takes a seat near the bar and slowly, oh so slowly, removes his coat and hat. Underneath he wears a cheap tweed jacket and trousers. Finally he gets settled and says "I've many a tale I can tell for sure. "Oh, it's certainly a terrible night..." and then goes into a lengthy and very tedious story of the 'great flood of 1885'. After twenty minutes or so he finishes, smiles another grin, looks at his now empty glass and leans towards the Viscount saying "Despite these tales of wet and stormy weather, a man can still build a dreadful thirst".

[Fabio Silva]

Now intrigued, Pedro believes the source of the mystery would seem to be on the small piece of paper.

Could I see this insoluble mystery? There is a remote chance that I can solve the unfortunate case and we will drink to celebrate. It's on me if it does!

He laughs and thinks "I should not have been drinking before eating something, I think I'm a little drunk." Now he too looks at the mysterious photo that seems to have ended the day for everyone.

[Philulhu]

"Another drink for the gentleman," says Rosa briskly. "Viscount Exeter will be paying!"

She pulls Helen by the arm, encouraging her to show the old man the photograph. "Now Mr. Barton," she says gently, "Perhaps you would be so kind as to tell us if you recognise the older couple in this picture?"

[Priest]

Helen feels her previous annoyance with Rosa returning and her feelings of growing warmth cooling rapidly. How dare she use that tone.
With a determination that she believes comes from her mother, she tightens her grip on the photograph deliberately covering the photographers mark with her thumb.
"If there is, my dear it is better left to an expert to decipher rather than a well intentioned antiques seller"
As she listens with growing tedium to the tale of the 'great flood', she is tempted to interupt and get to the question she, and everyone else it seems, want to hear asked - who are the Waring's and what is the story behind the photograph? But she will wait and see how much information Exeter can illicite with his honeyed approach.

She feels she should object to Rosa's rough grabbing of her arm, but lets it pass only making certain to keep her thumb obscuring the photographers mark.

[Abdul Alhazred]

Waiting to see that the promised drink was indeed on it's way, Bob looks intently at the photograph and frowns. His manner changes. Gone is the friendly bar room bore, replaced by a more melancholic man.

"Ah, that'll be Jack, Jack Waring. Not sure why it's on the wall over there, although he was a schoolmaster so s'pose he counts a dignitary. Not no more though." He shakes his head sadly and looks down at the table. "Not no more." At the arrival of the whisky, Bob takes a hearty slug. As he continues, the lights flicker strangely, and the shadows seem to close in around the darker corners of the room.

"Twas going back, what, maybe thirty years or so when that was taken over in Manesty, across the lake. That's him and his wife Victoria and their kids, before it all went wrong. That very year, Vicky, he wife, drowns herself in the lake. Rowed out to the middle, put stones in all her pockets, and threw herself in. It was about then that I last saw him. He started keeping himself to himself, never made no trips to Keswick no more. Years went by, then I hear one day I hear he just disappears. Just like that. One minute here, the next he's gone. Rum old tale if you ask me."

[DrPeterson]

Having just given the old man his drink, Exeter speaks out.

"Now, what ho there, old timer? Those can't bally well be his kids! Look!"

He jabs his finger at the photograph, indicating the boy that resembles him most uncannily.

"That's me, or Bob's your uncle!You can't go around claiming I'm some son of a school teacher, headmaster or no!"

[Priest]

Afraid that Exeter was going to lose the moment Helen gently, and tactfully, pushes him aside, "Ahem! what happened to the children?"