Scene One, The Party At Chadwick Manor

[Priest]

Scene One, The Party At Chadwick Manor

You all have been invited to a homecoming welcome gala at the Long Island estate of Regina Chadwick. A society party thrown to celebrate the homecoming of her nephew, Edgar Lee-Chadwick, at the Chadwick Manor Cole Spring Harbour on the extreme end of Long Island, New York on the 29th October 1926.

The party starts at 8pm and is a somewhat strange affair, the magnificent ballroom of the Manor has been decorated with masses of balloons, flowers, and crepe-paper streamers. But since Edgar has developed a phobia to strong and intense colours, all decorations and flowers are in black and white, giving the entire affair a somber feel.

Mrs Chadwick has hired her nephew’s favourite musicians, an extremely popular jazz band called ‘Duke Ellington and his Kentucky Club Orchestra’. Out of the best of intentions, they have been supplied by Regina a song list of her nephew’s favourite songs, but there are only six songs on the list, forcing the band to play them over and over and over. (what is more, they are all bouncy jazz numbers which at this point in the 1920s are inappropriate for high society When the saints go marching in, Yes I’m in the barrel, Basin Street blues, etc..).

This makes an already nervous crowd reluctant to dance – already you have heard more than one guest complain that the music gives the entire affair the feel of a ‘slumming party’. Throughout the ballroom guests huddle in small groups making uncomfortable small talk and watching nervously for the first opportunity to politely leave.

As you mingle amongst these groups, you are able to hear various snippets of information.
Please Roll Fast Talk (+25%) or Knowledge your choice.

[BenTheRat]

Ted circulates through the room, making polite conversation, but his low cost suit makes him stand out as slightly out of place. A couple times already people have made a hasty retreat when he started a conversation. It didn't bother him much, he never cared for the high society crowd anyway. Sure they'll talk to him when they need him to follow a cheating spouse or track down a wayward youth, but outside of that, only Mrs. Chadwick seemed to appreciate his subtle charms. So he helped himself to the free food and drinks and engaged in one of his favorite hobbies of talking to people who don't really want to. Its amazing what they will spill when they don't really want to talk to you. People are an odd lot.
.

fast talk,target = 90% [dice]0[/dice]

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priest,can you get handy to turn on the dice rolling for this forum. Otherwise I have to wait to get home to roll on the other site.

[PatGrillo]

Professor Theodore Krugman stands awkwardly. He's wearing his suit which he saves for his obligatory attendance at College Formals, but it seems strange without an academic gown over it. He watches rather than engages. And listens...

[Spoiler-Button][dice]0[/dice][/Spoiler-Button]

[Mr. Handy]

Tony Esposito mingles with the guests, dressed in a black suit that covers his extremely bulky frame. Being as tall as he is helps, as he can easily see over the heads of the crowd. He isn't very good at social situations, but he manages to overhear a few interesting things by hanging around the right people.

OOC,Dice are now activated for this forum.

[CrackheadC.]

Bridget Barrett find the party's setup rather drab and boring, but she did like the music. Reading the room however, she knew talking about what she liked wasn't going to get her much of a story. She flits from group to group making small talk and asking questions about the affair, adopting whatever tone seemed necessary for her momentarily captive audience.

She focus particularly on Edgard Lee-Chadwick's return and strange phobias - asking the help if necessary.

Roll,Fast talk +25% (I am assuming that "Talk 55%" on my sheet is for fast talk so I am going to roll against that as 80% [dice]0[/dice]

[Priest]

OOC:   Sorry I may have confused folks a little. When I said your choice between rolling Fast Talk (+25%) and Knowledge (Know), I meant your choice which to roll as one will probably be higher. So either Fast Talk (+25%) or Know (as per character sheet). Hope that clears any confusion I may have caused. Once everyone has made the roll I will post the results

[Cearlan]

Tilda Smith-Chadwick

I wander around the room not deigning to get involved in any drawn out conversations. I look down my nose at those who make any such attempts and with a barely disguised sniff and a sneer before I turn and move away.

I wonder how much longer I have to tolerate this ridiculous facade? I think to myself

[dice]1[/dice] Know 80%

I do pick up some small tidbits of information, but nothing that seems relevant to me at this time.
[dice]0[/dice]

OOC:   Sorry I seem to have made two rolls here - hence my not picking up anything of note.

[Priest]

During your mingling with other guests you pick up some interesting tidbits of gossip, some may be true others simply rumours.

Crackhead,[b]Edgar Lee-Chadwick[/b] is not insane. He only has a terrible drinking problem, and he was sent away in order to dry out

Cearlan,[b]Edgar Lee-Chadwick[/b] is not insane. He is actually sick with something he caught during his world travels.

Ben,[b]Edgar Lee-Chadwick[/b] was not in any shape to be released from the Asylum, but his aunt [b]Regina[/b] pulled strings to insure his early release.

PatGrillo,[b]Regina Chadwick[/b] is fascinated with the occult.

Mr. Handy,[b] Edgar Lee-Chadwick[/b] is mad, having a touch of the same insanity that plagued the [b]Chadwick[/b] family since they came over on the Mayflower. You know that the first part is true, but had little idea that the madness was inherited.

General Knowledge:

Regina Chadwick – An extremely wealthy lady, twice divorced with no children. Her family consist of her nephew Edgar and her two nieces, Veronica and Tilda. She is a leading light of society, but other than one messy divorce, and, for some, an unhealthy obsession with the occult. She is of little merit, except as a benefactor.

You are all aware that the gentleman in whose honour the party is being given, Edgar Lee-Chadwick, has spent the past two years incarcerated in the Three Pines Asylum, Battle Creek, Michigan.

[kabukiman]

Francis is bored. The things he is forced to get a book published. Well, if he had at least a book. Because his mind is completly dry. So he takes a drink and look at all those boring persons. It won't be here that he will find inspiration.
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4523086/

[Priest]

Kabukiman,Regina Chadwick likely engineered her nephew’s release from Three Pines in order to ensure her receiving Legal Guardian status over him and so giving her access to his secret fortune.

*************************

At precisely ten o’clock to applause and a rendition of For he’s a jolly good fellow, from a band who welcomes the change of music, Edgar Lee-Chadwick is wheeled into the ballroom by a white uniformed attendant. The wheelchairs occupant, Edgar, looks nervous but does his best to act graciously to his guests.

He has a difficult time looking anyone in the eye, and you note that he cannot bear to look at anyone dressed in bright clothing for more than a moment.

Leaving his charge momentarily beneath a sombre looking 'Welcome Home' banner. The attendant heads for the nearest table of drinks, from where he pulls a bottle of soda, pops the cap and takes a long drink - from the bottle.

[PatGrillo]

Professor Theodore Krugman politely and briefly welcomes the young man home. He'll wait until Mrs. Chadwick is between conversations, then go over to her and introduce himself, by full name and chair. (She will have invited him by name, he wishes to make sure that she can now put his face to his name, and reminds her of his chair in the hope of encourage her to open up about her occult interests.)

[Mr. Handy]

Well, I'm not drinking that soda, thinks Tony, watching the proceedings. I wonder if they have any of the hard stuff laying around. Doesn't have to be illegal, if they've got some left over in their wine cellar from before Prohibition went into effect, and they're wealthy enough that they probably do. This is exactly the sort of special occasion when they might break it out.

[kabukiman]

"Well, well, well, this may actually be interesting."
Francis goes near Edgar and give him a a warm welcome.

[Priest]

Professor Thodore Krugman (PatGrillo),As you approach [b]Mrs Chadwick[/b], impecable in her clothing style if somewhat muted colour wise, you are able to see that she is involved in a deep conversation with two people, one of whom you recognise from the papers as some military officiado, the other awakens no interest in you being merely some overdressed socialite. It would appear from the conversation that discussions over financial matters are being conducted. With your approach the conversation ends. [b]Regina Chadwick[/b], politely, turns to you as you introduce yourself, [color=#0040FF]"Forgive my rudeness professor, but my time is at a premium here"[/color], she turns, her gaze indicating the room full of guests,[color=#0040FF] "I would like to speak to you presently in the library. My buisness manager, [b]Mr Myers[/b][/color]", again her eyes flicker briefly to a dapper dressed, portly individual who stands sipping tea near one of the windows, a sheaf of papers beneath his left arm, [color=#0040FF]"Will give you the details"[/color]

Tony Esposito (Mr. Handy),You know from your employment at the estate that there is a supply of ilicite liquor within a secret area of the cellar. Indeed from the amount of guests sipping from bone china tea cups, you would guess that either the New York social scene had become filled with tea drinkers or the cups merely give the right impression. Also you guess that the soda that the attendant has finished at speed, and is now involved into removing the cap of a second bottle, had contained no ordinary soda, despite the label identyfying it as such. Amongst the New York society faces you see within the room, are others from the top echelons of American society which you recognise from newspaper articles, as well as several that you do not recognise at all. You shrug, [color=#008000]'Well I guess[b] Mrs Chadwick[/b] has her reasons for inviting them, even if they do look out of place'[/color] As you watch a gentleman you do not recognise dressed in a dinner suit that has seen better days, goes over and speaks to [b]Mrs Chadwick[/b], although to far away to overhear the subject of their conversation, you see her look towards the portly figure of [b]Nelson Myers[/b], the Chadwick Estate buisness manager.

E. Francis Hardy (Kabukiman),[b]Edgar Lee Chadwick[/b] accepts your welcome with a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes and has all the warmth of a bucket full of ice. He mumbles something, too low to understand and he seems in no hurry to indulge in further conversation. His stare seems empty his eyes flat and dull, no matter how hard you look there is little sanity in his expression. He looks but moments away from dribbling down his drab brown, soiled tie. Looking around at the assembled dignitaries and social climbers that [b]Regina Chadwick[/b] has gathered, you see several faces you recognise but the one that stands out is [b]Krugman[/b] the parapsychologist, you have read his papers on the subject in your researches for a forthcoming book. Of course you know that the [b]Chadwick[/b] woman has an interest in the occult,[color=#008000] but why would she invite [b]Krugman[/b]?[/color] As you ponder the question, you notice that the white uniformed attendant clutching a half empty bottle of some soda of a brand you don't recognise, heads back toward his charge.

[kabukiman]

Francis returns to the table to see if he gets some soda from the same brand.

[CrackheadC.]

Bridget is disheartened that Edgar seemed to be a drunk - though wheelchair bound seems to suggest there is more to it- but heads heads to speak to him to get a quote anyway, "Hello Mr. Lee-Chadwick, I'm Bridget Barrett with the Brooklyn Eagle. Welcome back, it's good to see you. Are you enjoying your time back?"

[Mr. Handy]

Tony helps himself to a cup of "tea," then sips it as he maneuvers his way closer to Mrs. Chadwick and her guest so he can hear the discussion - and participate if they wish.

[Cearlan]

Tilda Smith-Chadwick

People seem to be queuing up to see the main attraction, though I have had little to do with the man directly, I have met him before. However, now there is something about him that piques my curiosity ... albeit slightly, something that seems a little different, and not just the fact he is in a wheelchair. I maneuver my way to the front of the queue in a brusque manner and introduce myself to Edgar.

"Hello there Edgar. Remember me, it's cousin Tilda? Your mother was gracious enough to invite me to your homecoming, and of course how could I resist the chance to catch up with you once more and meet all these good family members?"

"How could I get out of it without jeopardizing any chance of an inheritance more like?" I muse silently to myself, all the while keeping my best cobra's smile in place.

[Priest]

Bridget Barrett (CracheadC),For a brief moment[b] Edgar Lee-Chadwick's [/b]eyes lock on yours, although having an almost vacant look, some would call it souless, you get the impression that whatever afflicts him is not down to alcohol abuse. You speak to him, but before you have a chance to hear any reply, someone a young woman, overdressed and overbearing, brushes you aside and imposes herself between you and [b]Edgar[/b]. For a moment a kaliedoscope of faces cross your mind, until! [color=#008000]'Ah yes, of course, the boorish socialite and general good time girl [b]Tilda Smith-Chadwick[/b]. Fortune hunting as usual no doubt'.[/color]

Tilda Smith-Chadwick (Cearlan),Pushing your way to your cousins location meant pushing one rather drably attired female aside. For a moment you think you should recognise her, but dismiss that thought immediately. As you had expected you get no response from cousin [b]Edgar[/b], not even a flicker of recognition. However you realise that your aunt had noted your precense anyway so there is really no need to stay at this booring party any longer. Of course you had recognised the Band and in contrast to the horrified attitudes of others to the music you were enjoying the show even if the playlist was somewhat lacking. For a few moments you considered dancing to [i]'Basin Street Blues'[/i], just for reaction, but had decided against it. From the corner of your eye you notice the overweight figure of your aunt's buisness manager, the unimpressive Nelson Myers, heading towards you. It seems from the expression on his dull face that he intends to speak to you.

[BenTheRat]

Ted Nelson
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Ted watches with a curious eye at the attention the invalid is receiving. He looks around for white coat attendant and makes his way over to him drinking his soda. In a hushed ton, "So did you draw the short straw? Or did you volunteer for this?" in a joking way as Ted also reaches for a soda.