[IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

September, 1915. On the western front, battle rages less than 100 km from Paris. Paris, the beautiful. Paris, the proud. Paris, a city on her knees. The government has fled the capital, seeking a safe haven in Bourdeaux. General Joseph Gallieni is now military governor of the city, and he faces a terrible task. There is not enough food for everyone. The city is dark at night, for fear of bombardments. Explosives and ammunitions are manufactured inside the city, sometimes resulting in terrible incidents that costs tens of lives. And this is just on the surface. Dark tales tell of monstrous, yet horribly human-like creatures, prowling through the battlefields and the graveyards, eating human flesh. Even darker tales revolve around a mysterious and incredibly powerful tome of ancient, dark magic; a tome that could destroy the balance of power between the Germans and the Franco-British coalition.
And yet, even among all this despair, human nature finds his hope. Hundreds of people arrive in the city every day: soldiers, journalists, thrill-seekers. Each one injects fresh energy into the agonizing city. Entertainment is the only thing that is not rationed - music halls, theaters and the Moulin Rouge are shining beacons of light, metaphorically if not physically. New forms of art cry out as newborn children.

Semptermber, 1915. Paris, the city of tears. A mysterious murder sets in motion a chain of events that, unknowingly to the rest of the world, will decide the outcome of the war. Millions of lives are at stake. There will be no glory for the unsung heroes, no recognition for the martyrs. A terrible power awaits those willing to use it - or seal it. What will you do? How far are you willing to go for your friends, your loved ones, your country?

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Re: [IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

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"Yes, I can arrange a safe place outside Paris for you to stay as a protected witness," says Jacques, "along with a couple of gendarmes - gendarmes I personally know and trust - to guard you. But the only way to ensure your safety on a permanent basis is to catch the killers. For that I need to know who murdered Monsieur Dupont, why they did it, and how you know."
OOC,Were there any fingerprints on that window that was opened from the inside? I hadn't thought about it at the time, but that's something for which I should have checked. If I have to, I can check when we go back there.
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Re: [IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

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Madeleine bites her lips and for the first time today she looks uncertain about what to do. Then she shakes her head. "I... I cannot give you that answer right now. Not until you've seen Verchanne, at least. Then we'll talk again. In the meanwhile, I'll accept your offer of protection", she says.
Jacques,You know that the village of Verchanne was the turning point of the last counteroffensive of the French Army, a few weeks ago, a stunning victory that forced the enemy back twenty kilometers. The offensive covered kilometers of front lines and involved more than 200000 soldiers. The French Army first managed to break through at Verchanne, forcing the enemy to retreat and abandon their positions. You don't know the details of the operation, but you can probably dig them out easily at the Army HQ.
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Re: [IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

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"Verchanne you say - and what will we find there Madame Madeleine that will sway your decision to reveal the identity of the murderer, or indeed murderers if this be the case?" Andre asks with a frown creasing his forehead.
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"You'll realize what kind of game we're playing, and what are the stakes. You wouldn't believe me otherwise", she says slowly.
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Re: [IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

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"There was a great victory at Verchanne recently," says Jacques. "I was not part of it, however, but I think you must be referring to the means by which that victory was achieved. Was a new weapon deployed there, perhaps? When we go to Verchanne, what is it exactly that we should be looking for?"
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Re: [IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

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"I'm sure you'll notice right away, Colonel. Or perhaps you might try asking the soldiers who fought there", she says, with an enigmatic smile.

Edoard finishes preparing the coffee and brings it to the table, along with an half-empty bottle of wine and some glasses. He then pours himself some, saying: "A-Are you going with them, Madeleine?"

She just nods. "Try to stay safe, Edoard. I hope I'll see you again once this is over".
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Re: [IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

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Andre says "Sorry for appearing slow here, but where is Verchanne and how far is it from Paris?"
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Re: [IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

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"Verchanne is a village where our forces counterattacked and achieved a breakthrough a few weeks back," Jacques tells Andre. "We pushed the boches back twenty kilometers! I'm not sure of its exact location. I can find out the operational details at headquarters before we head out there, but first we'll need to arrange for a safe house and protectors for Madame Morvan. We can also tell the gendarmes to stop searching for her now that we've found her so they don't waste their resources."
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Re: [IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

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"Do we have someone we can trust with Madeleine's safety?" says Jean-Luc look at Jacques.
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Re: [IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

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"There are gendarmes I've known and worked with for decades," says Jacques. "I would trust them with my own children. I have, in fact."
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Re: [IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

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"Well then gentlemen, are we ready to go?"
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Re: [IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

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"Yes, let us go," says Jacques, offering his arm. "Time is of the essence."
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Re: [IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

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Francois pats his pocket once again checking his pistol hasn't disappeared since he checked it ten seconds ago. "Yes lets. Madam, will you give me the honour " he says offering Madeline his arm.
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Re: [IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

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"I don't think anyone has ever been arrested so chivalrously", she says, laughing, then accepts Francois's arm.

You walk out of the apartment and down the stairs. It's another short trip on taxi to the gendarmerie, where you leave Madeleine in custody of trusted Gendarmes.
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OOC:   1) how do you want to arrange Madeleine's custody? Technically she can be held at the Gendarmerie, or you can select another safe location.

2) how do you want to proceed now?  
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Re: [IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

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OOC,We'll send her and her escorts to a safehouse outside Paris. One of the others mentioned possibly using a hunting lodge. While we're here, I'd like to get the operational details of the breakthrough at Verchanne and, if possible, talk to anyone who was there. I'd also like to find out what I can about the gendarme [b]Christophe Duchamps[/b] who was killed and then later seen alive. Then I plan to head to Verchanne. I never got an answer to my question about fingerprints on the window. I had specifically said I was looking for them and using Evidence Collection and Forensics in [url=http://www.callofcthulhu.org.uk/pbp/viewtopic.php?p=182162#p182162]this post[/url]. If there were any, we can get [b]Madeleine[/b]'s prints for comparison while she's here to rule her out as a suspect.
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Re: [IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

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We will all need passes if we wish to travel near the front says Francois which hopefully the gendarmerie can provide. he adds with a smile.
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Re: [IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

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Jacques: Verchanne,Verchanne was the breaking point of a very large offensive organized by the French Army, involving about 170000 soldiers on a front wide dozens of kilometers. Searching through the relevant documents (battle orders, reports, and so on), you notice that a total of 10000 soldiers were concentrated in the Verchanne area, with only a unit of 100 soldiers charged with taking control of the village proper. The remaining units were to break through the enemy defenses and split to the left and right to flank the enemies and cut their retreat lines. This whole battle plan sounds a little strange to you. It's as if the Army command knew beforehand that the offensive would break through in that specific point. Also, the village itself should have been garrisoned and fortified, making it unlikely that a relatively small unit of 100 men could easily take control of it. A possible explanation is that the Army had intelligence on the enemy forces in the area, and tailored to the battle plan to make the best of a weak point in the enemy lines. Still, you're not completely satisfied by this explanation. Even more strangely, the village of Verchanne was sealed off after the offensive, and has remained off-limits since then. You can track the members of the unit that entered the village, but a 1-point Credit Rating or Bureaucracy spend is required to speed up the search and have the information right way, otherwise it'll be available tomorrow.
Jacques: Christophe Duchamps,Captain Christophe Duchamps was filed dead seven days ago, the funerals being held six days ago. You remember [b]Adolphe Bissette[/b] telling you that he saw the man just three days ago, and you ask for a research of any document on that date with the Captain's name on it. Quite surprisingly, one such document is found: a request for a military transport to the Army HQ.
Jacques: Forensics,On the windows there were fingerprints of [b]Mr. Dupont[/b] himself, a few members of the house staff, plus one unidentified set. It is possible these might be Madeleine's, but some time might be required for the analysis. Multiple sets were found on items inside the room, but Mr. Dupont sometimes received guests in the room, so that's not surprising. In the meantime, the results for the soil under the body's boots also came back. Quite surprisingly, there are two very different types of soil, stratified. One is an as of yet unidentified black soil, possibly volcanic in nature, but it is unclear how it could have ended under the boots of a dead body in the middle of Paris. Regarding the second type, a chemical analysis suggested that it came from a graveyard, or otherwise a land where a large quantity of dead bodies (humans or animals) were buried during the centuries. Furthermore, this soil was mixed to fragment of bones, suggesting that the man wearing the boots walked over bones, most likely inside a catacomb of some sort. A 1-point History or Occult spend can provide more information on catacombs inside the city.
Hunting Lodge,[b]Francois[/b] can probably provide one that could be used to hide [b]Madeleine[/b] and her guardians.
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Re: [IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

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OOC,I'll spend a point of Credit Rating to speed up the search, and a point of History for more on the Paris catacombs.
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Re: [IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

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History Spend,The creation of Paris catacombs dates back to 1780, when it became necessary to shut down the huge Les Innocents graveyard, situated inside the city. This graveyard was severely overused, to the point that a basement wall in an adjoining property collapsed under the weight of a mass grave. Les Innocents was closed to public and all burials inside the city walls were forbidden. More or less in the same period, another problem came to the attention of public authorities: the extensive mining of the Left Bank area had left a vast and uncharted underground network over which the city has expanded over time, causing the occasional collapse of houses and other buildings as the surface was not able to sustain the weight and caved in. In the end, the existing tunnels were reinforced and put to another, very different use. All the bodies from the city graveyards, that needed to be closed and emptied, were moved to the subterranean tunnels, that came to host millions of dead bodies. The moving of the bodies took years to be completed. Later on, certain areas of these catacombs were organized and open to the public, even though most of them are still closed. The official entrance is near the old city gate known as Barriere d'Enfer, in Montparnasse.
Credit Rating spend,The 100 soldiers that entered Verchanne were later reassigned to different units. As you investigate further, you realize with growing incredulity that almost all of them have died since then - in fact, you can trace only one survivor, a sergeant named [b]Albert Proulx[/b]. All the remaining 99 have died in incidents since then, or committed suicide. It is not rare for soldiers to die these days, obviously, but these numbers are disconcerting, and not one of them actually died under enemy fire. You trace Sergeant Proulx to a reserve force stationed near Aulany-sous-Bois, northeast of the city.
OOC:   Technically the spend are for Mr. Handy's investigator, but I don't mind the other players reading them. In this particular case, the bit of historical trivia is quite interesting and might be worth some more reading, or perhaps a visit if one ever happens to visit Paris ;)  
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Re: [IC - SCENE 3] Savatier's House

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Jacques fills the others in on what he's learned. "The next thing I'd like to do is speak to Sergeant Proulx," he says. "Time is critical, as something could happen to him as it has to his comrades in arms. I'll arrange for passes for myself and anyone who wants to come with me. We can go directly to Verchanne from there too.'
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