Railway Station Waiting Room

[Charlie Hagan]

Charlie shakes Artemis' hand firmly, "Looked like Arabic to me. Bit of it on this letter too, as well as English." He holds the letter out for anyone to take. "Seems like someone's idea of a practical joke. I've got this friend, Richie, seems just like the sorta thing he'd do to me for a laugh."

[Ejstricker]

"How interesting, what does it say?" asks the countess, who had entered at the same time as Kate.

[Ritterton]

Artemis takes the proffered letter and read it quickly. He gave Hagan a puzzled look, and when one of the ladies asked what it said, he cleared his voice.

"There are parts of it that are in one of the languages of the lavant or of Egypt, I suspect." Artemis shook his head and began reading the letter when it was apparent that he had the various occupants of the station's attention.

You are not the first. You are not the last. لم تكن الأولى. لم تكن الأخيرةIf you are reading this than it may not yet be too late. Know that you are not the first and that, for the war to end, you will not be the last either. The train will arrive at 8:30 but it is essential that you miss that train and return home as soon as you are able. You are not the first. You are not the last. لم تكن الأولى. لم تكن الأخيرةThe longer you linger in the station before that point, the more difficult it will be to escape. You are not the first. You are not the last. لم تكن الأولى. لم تكن الأخيرة I came here to help arrange matters and to assist with the vital preparations necessary to allow the glory of Great Britain to succeed and I have willingly and gratefully assisted my Egyptian allies in fighting off the Nazi threat but their methods are cruel and You are not the first. You are not the last. لم تكن الأولى. لم تكن الأخيرة

"Surely, Mr. Hagan, if this is a prank, it is a poor prank and a significantly improper imposition upon the rest of us." Artemis shook his head looking at the letter. "And what's all of this about missing the train, I need to catch that to meet up with a friend at the British Museum tomorrow morning. I really cannot figure out what all of this would be about."

[Mr. Handy]

Kate follows Ilona over to where the others are looking at the medallion. "Good evening," she says. "I'm Kate Lacey. Let's see what we've got here." She peers with interest at the medallion and the letter, the statue already forgotten thanks to this new and intriguing find. "Some sort of good luck charm, maybe?" Her eyes go wide when she reads the letter. "Whatever this is, it's related to the war effort. We'd best report it to the authorities. We could knock on the station master's door."

OOC,I'd like to spend a point of Anthropology.

[Laraqua]

Medallion Anthropology SPEND for Miss Kate Lacey,the upside down ankh has something to do with more modern Egyptian cults of the past few centuries which likely involves a resurgence in pagan religious interest due to the current (historically speaking) insecurities at hold there, while the strange faux-pentagram-like symbol is more commonly found in Polynesia and occasionally also scattered in other typically coastal communities and has a long history that stretches back a couple millenia and is thought to ward off drowning, malformed children and adolescent deformities. Since this medallion's style appears far more modern, perhaps even machine-pressed, it is likely that it is either part of some mock-occult swindle or some genuine wannabe occultist is stealing foreign imagery to make themselves feel safe. After all, medallions (worn so close to the hart) are more typically designed as protective amulets than for any other reason.

[jimjam]

Ilona rests her statue in her lap and reaches out and takes the medallion. “Ah, thank you Mr Hagan.” She looks over the object and mumbles the writing as she’s reading it. “This seems to be written in Arabic, Mr Richter. Alzalam fireawn yahmini, or in English it would translate to Dark Pharaoh Protect me. Quite a, er, quite an interesting medallion Mr Hagen. May I ask where you found it?” She says taking out her glasses from her bag once more to take a closer look

Examining the medallion,Going to point spend for one of each if I can – Art History, Archaeology, History

[Laraqua]

Art History,Since this medallion's style appears far more modern, perhaps even machine-pressed, it is likely that it is either part of some mock-occult swindle or some genuine wannabe occultist is stealing foreign imagery to make themselves feel safe. After all, medallions (worn so close to the hart) are more typically designed as protective amulets than for any other reason. This medallion is certainly silver, and not just silver-plated, and was likely machine-pressed in the late Victorian era. This means that it is, at most, sixty years old. Is is worth quite a bit of money just because it's a sizable chunk of silver. The Polynesian faux-pentagram symbol on one side and the Egyptian ankh on the other side suggests someone who wanted to create something that appeared to mean something, but isn't real, or a modern occult tradition that cobbles together mixed symbolism.

Archaeology,The upside down ankh is connected to the Pharoah Nitocris. According to Dr. Ali Kafour of the Cairo Museum, Nitocris was a beautiful and evil queen during the Egyptian 6th Dynasty, reputedly in league with the Brotherhood of The Black Pharoah. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitocris Nitokris is a legendary figure who may actually have been the last pharaoh of the Sixth Dynasty. She appears as queen of the ghouls, leader of an army of abominable composite mummies, and consort of undead King Kephren a tale written but little-known by Harry Houdini in a set of weird fiction published in the mid 1920s. Nitokris, "who once invited all her enemies to a feast in a temple below the Nile, and drowned them by opening the water-gates," is presented by Lovecraft as a sinister but beautiful woman, the right side of whose face has been "eaten away by rats or other ghouls." The upside down ankh is also connected to The Black Pharaoh, Nephren-ka, an insane pharaoh who secured the Shining Trapezohedron for Egypt, but after being convinced by the resident Haunter of the Dark within that stone, he had a lightless temple created to hold the stone and the deity within. That temple became a center of abominable happenings, and the rites carried out there were so monstrous the temple was destroyed and the Pharaoh's name was struck from all records and monuments.

History,The upside down ankh has more recently been used by the Brotherhood of the Black Pharoah which is a group of terrorists based out of Egypt dedicated to hastening the return of an ancient dynasty of Egyptian pharoahs who would control the world through magical intent. More recent awareness suggests that they are actually a crime syndicate who uses fear of their cult-like loyalties to force officials in Cairo to bow to their whims. Much of their activities have been kept quiet, and they've pretty much disappeared since England took true control over Cairo. It is said that they made frequent use of hallucinogenics to help keep the Egyptians compliant but when the British arrived they ate from separate dishes and tended toward foods who were bland enough to notice the strange taste of a hallucinogen most often covered up by the taste of spice.

[Charlie Hagan]

"T'was in those saddlebags miss, same symbol on them as well. If this isn't some prank on one of us I'm guessing that whoever it is for was s'posed to see that symbol. Look," Charlie holds out an open palm, "I'll take 'em upstairs and see if anyone's there, if they're British intelligence I'll hand 'em over, if they're a prankster I'll let 'em know they're all wet. Everyone good with that?"

[Ritterton]

"Makes sense, I guess, but I also think we should knock on the door of the Station Master for with a train about to arrive, surely the man should be here." Artemis handed back the letter and then walked over to the marked door for the master and rapped on its glass a few times. "Sir, Sir, are you in there, there seems to be something rather odd going on out here. Sir, sir."

[Overlord87]

Jonathan smiles as he reads the letter, half-amused, half-puzzled. "Well, I've got to admit, this might be the most elaborate prank I've ever seen in my life. It's not on me, though - I don't have friends around here. But still, very well done... the choice of words, the parts in arabic... one of you understands the language, yes? Miss... I'm not sure I got your name. Seems reasonable that this would be a joke from someone that knows you, and your knowledge of the language."

He hands back the letter to Ilona, then turns towards Artemis as he knocks on the station master's door.

[Laraqua]

There is no response at the Station Master's door.

[jimjam]

Ilona gladly lets Charlie take the medallion from her and hesitantly takes the letter from Jonathan. “My Apologies, it’s Ilona Aston.” She says, not looking up from the letter she was handed and furrows her brow as she quickly reads it.

[Laraqua]

Arabic writing in the letter,You are not the first. You are not the last. This is what is repeated throughout.

[Ritterton]

Artemis waited at the door when he heard no response. Then rapped the glass again and tried the handle to see if it was in fact locked. When the door failed to open, he turned back to the group with a look of frustration.

"Where is this man? He needs to be here for the passengers that would be arriving, if not for us?" Artemis scowled and came back to the larger group shaking his head.

[jimjam]

"This should be reported to the authorities." Ilona says, she seems very uneasy. She hands the letter over to the person nearest to her, Miss Lacey. "I- I think I'll go wait out the front with my belongings."

[Charlie Hagan]

"Cheers." Charlie says as he takes the medallion, then heads upstairs.

[Mr. Handy]

"I'll try to find someone in charge," Kate tells Ilona as she takes the letter. "The passengers and crew on that train could be in danger, and they must be warned. It's odd that the station master isn't responding. That medallion is interesting, but like the statue, it is not as ancient as it appears at first glance. It's at most a few centuries old, and it looks like it may have been machined. The inverted ankh is Egyptian, but its usage there is far more recent. It's some sort of neo-pagan symbol of the sort that might be used by indigenous cults there, but the pentagram-looking thing seems Polynesian, though some coastal communities use it too. That symbol is a couple of millennia old, and it's believed to protect from drowning, birth defects, and deformities in adolescence. Either it's a fake, or someone who's into the occult decided to put these symbols together for personal use in the belief that it will provide protection, which is why amulets are often worn." She fingers her own St. Christopher's medallion, which is supposed to serve a similar purpose.

[Laraqua]

Waiting Room Description

Upon opening the front door you must then push aside a black out curtain to enter a small and dark ante-chamber with wooden partitions either side that run up to the ceiling. You wait there a moment for the curtain to fall shut behind you, ensuring no light can escape, and then you brush aside the next curtain before entering the main waiting room. Around four people can squish in here at once but it's better form to wait until the person, or couple, ahead of you have entered before entering yourself.

Once you've passed through this little ante-chamber, you find yourself in a wide room with scuffed floors and worn benches sitting back to back in the middle. More benches line the walls, with paintings of local scenes and nearby Plymouth adorning the brick above them. Naturally all of the windows beside the entrance door are covered in a heavy shroud of black cloth that blocks your view of the outside world and leaves you enclosed in this cozy little space.

The whole place feels quite warm and cheery due to the lovely big old fire burning on the other side of the building, flanked on either side by the ladies and the gentleman's restrooms. It's given an even toastier feeling because the whole room is bathed in a nice orange glow with very little competition - only one of the wall-mounted lamps is on and that's one of those nearest the door. There is a most peculiar odour of polish, cologne and saddlery, which might be caused by the pile of horse gear strung out over one of the benches which is most peculiar. A portrait of the British King holds pride of place above the fireplace.

The other doors here all have glass-frosted windows with black stencilling giving their labels. On the left are two doors and a shuttered window. The labels read Station Master's Office and Baggage Room where you can pay to store your baggage. On the right is a door to the restaurant. Near to that is a set of steps that head upwards to what would presumably be a few hotel rooms.

Places to Go:

• Station Master's Office (locked).
• Baggage Room (locked).
• Restaurant (locked).
• Ladies Restroom (unlocked).
• Gentlemen's Restroom (unlocked).
• Upstairs (accessible).
• Ladies Waiting Room (accessible).
• Platform (accessible).

Credit Rating Knowledge,It really is quite all right to knock on the Station Master's office door and expect him to manage things for you.[/spoiler] [spoiler]Outdoorsman or Riding Knowledge, These high-quality saddles have been kept in very good condition despite also being well-used. They therefore belong to a keen and enthusiastic rider who nonetheless takes great care of his or her horses.

Law Knowledge,Allowing a chink of light to escape from the railway station would be grounds for a not-so-insignificant fine and some serious dressing down. Of course, one thing that should also be present are instructions to the nearest air raid shelter. There are no such signs in here. Hopefully there isn't an air raid before you manage to board the train.

Art or Art History Knowledge,The paintings are all local pieces of the sort made by ordinary landscape artists who have a neat skill with a paint brush but lack the sense of style that separates mundane painters from the masters. These paintings have been made by a half dozen different artists. Only one has signs of real style but something about the design work leaves you in mind of a painter who has used a skilful photograph as their subject and presumed the colouration. It is a haunting image of a sunset with brooding storm clouds above the flashes of colour with green grasses below.

NEW INFORMATION: Three women and a man are sitting or standing near the middle bench seats. One of those women holds a letter in her hand), while a second man (Artemis) broods near the Station Master's office. There's no sign of the third man (who the others know went upstairs).

[RhinoRat]

After passing through the second curtain, Frank Durant walks into the waiting room, notices the other travelers in passing, and walks over to an unoccupied corner nearest where the train will board.

He double checks his ticket, glances again at his watch, and setting his suitcase down next to him (his trunk having gone ahead on the earlier train on which he arrived) he looks at any nearby paintings or photos while he waits.

[jimjam]

"Please, I want nothing to do with Terrorists or-or Dark Pharaoh cults."
Ilona puts the statue back in her bag and hurriedly exits the room out to the platform.