Music From a Darkened Room

[HoneyDog]

Nik

Unnatural,Unnatural 9: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/706866]Unnatural[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]81[/b]

“Look, Brian” Nik says, testily. “Speaking as a lawyer, you have to make a claim against your client’s estate for your money, or take it out with your insurance. You want to demand money from Feds to enter a crime scene? How’s that going to look having a crime scene at your business? How many people need to know about it? Ease off a little, hey?”

He returns to the lock-up.

Nik is preoccupied about thinking about the strange ax.

"Why did Donnelly say this ax made no sense when it is obviously the most important artifact here? Why did he write about it in capitals?" he wonders aloud to the others.

[Lwunder]

OOC:   have fun guys

[Silver Priest]

ooc,Sorry to see you go, Lwunder. It's probably best we retcon his character out. Borderline, crit successes and fails in this game are doubles. So if you have a skill of 30, an 11 and 22 would be crit successes, while a 33 and above would be failures. As for ore information, I will allow everyone to make a psychotherapy or HUMINT roll to closely examine the section of the notes pertaining to the axe in general.

Brian sulks and mutters to himself, but makes no move to stop Nik , who returns to the unit and proceeds to place tape around it.

[Mr. Handy]

Vanessa thinks she knows exactly why the axe didn't make sense to Donnelly.

OOC,HUMINT roll (55% skill) about the description of the axe: [dice]0[/dice] Woohoo! 8-) Critical success!

[HoneyDog]

Nik is still thinking about the ax.

HUMINT,HUMINT 73: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/707006]HUMINT[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]70[/b]

[Silver Priest]

Thinking about it more critically, it seems likely to the agents that Donnelley had some form of fear or paranoia regarding the axe. Vanessa in particular examines the handwriting and finds Donnelley's letters more stressed and sloppy than other parts of his notes. It seems to be the same handwriting, but something about the axe seems to have almost frightened him and caused him great distress; in some way, stress that seemed even worse than his fear of the house.

OOC:   town hall next? It's about 3 in the afternoon.

[HoneyDog]

OOC:   Sure. I think we've done all we can here for now.

[Silver Priest]

OOC:   Great, will move us on then. Let me know if you guys take anything with you from the storage area.

The town records building was located a few blocks away. It was a two-story marble building that could most charitably be described as having plenty of character. There is parking just out front, but no other cars here, suggesting the building received little in the ways of guests. As soon as the agents enter, they come to the attention of the desk clerk, a twenty-something fellow in disheveled clothing and with unkempt hair. He gives them a dopey grin.

"Hey folks. How can I help you today?'

[HoneyDog]

OOC:   Nik brings the ax and the notes.

“Hi there!” says Nik cheerfully. “Can I ask you where you keep property records? Also, I’d like to see birth and death records if I may? Plus local phone listings too, if you happen to have them.”

[Silver Priest]

"Sure thing! We have records of purchase, records of sale, zoning records and death certificates going all the way back to 1940. Were you guys looking for anything in particular? I'll go fetch it for you and bring it out for you to review. You can't leave with the records unfortunately, but we don't close for two hours so you should hopefully be able to find what you need by then."

ooc,A HUMINT roll indicates the clerk is desperate for approval, and his friendliness is an extension of that. If the agents take him into their confidence or make him feel useful in some way he seems likely to be willing to bend the rules a bit for them, though how much remains to be seen.

[HoneyDog]

HUMINT,HUMINT 73: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/707079]HUMINT[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]34[/b]

“Wow, that’s great!” Nik tells the clerk. “Well, first we’d like to see the records for 1206 Spooner Avenue. I’d like the birth and death certificates for an Anton Ture, born 1957 died 1966, and any listings for the following family names; Tycroft, Ture, Crease and Wheeler. This is really helpful, man! Say, what’s your name?”

[Silver Priest]

"Anthony Freeman. You can just call me Tony though. Everyone does."

"He writes down Nik's requests, giving no apparent reaction to the mention of the Spooner house.

"Wow, That's a lot of files. You folks doing a genealogy project or something?" He leans in close and his voice falls to a conspiratorial whisper. "You know, I'm not supposed to be doing this, but to be honest you guys are the first people to show up this week asking for anything other than 'where's the bathroom?' If you'd like to come back to the file room you can look for yourselves. Would probably save time.."

If agreed, he leads them back to the storage area of the town's records. The record room is a barely controlled mishmash of water-stained boxes, photo sheets, and 28 huge pre-World War II filing cabinets. Papers do not seem to be filed here so much as abandoned.

"Most of our funds have been diverted to the new library going up on Palmtree," Tony explains. "So the records have fallen a bit into disrepair. Still, everything since 1940 should be here. And since I'm not doing anything else I'll be happy to help you dig up those things you were looking for."

ooc,Finding the particular files you're looking for is no easy task. To find details, you should chose a subject to research, and then make a roll of either bureaucracy or history at a -20 penalty. If you allow Freeman to assist you this eliminates the penalty, but it also means he may be exposed to potentially troublesome information. Each roll represents one hour, and you each get to roll. I'm going to retcon slightly and say the town hall won't close until 6, so you have 3 hours to get some research done.

[HoneyDog]

OOC,I think we should bring Tony in to help in order to give us a fighting chance. Our scores are too low.

Nik’s heart sinks when he sees the mess.

“Don’t these assholes give a shit about their town?” he thinks.

“Sure Tony” he says. “Can you help me look up the Spooner address?”

Bureaucracy,Bureaucracy 13: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/707324]Bureaucracy[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]24[/b]

[Mr. Handy]

With Tony's help, Vanessa has better luck finding the information they need.

OOC,Bureaucracy roll (43% skill) researching the Spooner address: [dice]0[/dice] HUMINT roll (55% skill) about [b]Tony[/b]: [dice]1[/dice]

[Silver Priest]

Tony gamely assists Nik and Vanessa, both of whom take to looking up information on 1206 Spooner. Vanessa gets the feeling he's a genuinely helpful person. But she also thinks this is probably the most exciting thing that's happened this month for him, at least on the job, which is one reason he's so eager to assist.

Nik is unable to find anything, and all the home applications begin to bleed together pretty quickly for him. Vanessa however has more luck, and with Tony's assistance finds information on 1206 Spooner after about an hour. The house is from the turn of the last century, built in 1907 by a Michael Weaver, who moved into it with his wife Isabelle.

The house next exchanged hands in 1956, when George Crease moved in. In 1959 it was purchased by a Michael Dougherty, but was sold once again to Adam Ture and his family in 1960. The house went on the market again in 1963, when a Jonathon Reese purchased it.

In 1967 Dr. George Weaver purchased the property. In 1970, Thomas Greeley and his family moved in. 1974 saw Peter Diaz buy the house; 1978, Gareth Gedjos. 1980, Jason Aiken. 1984, John Tyler. 1988, Louis Tycroft. 1992, Amanda Braintree. 1994, Andrea Falcone. 1999, Yamilla Isari. And presently in 2000 the house is listed as up for sale by Ryan Realty Services.

None of the fates of the homeowners are described in these particular records, but this seems like a remarkable amount of turnover for one house.

important ooc,So you may all hate me at the moment, and I don't blame you. This is a lot of information to take in. I'll try to give you a more easily digestible version.Forgive my poor attempt at forming lists here. [i]Name[/i] [list]Michael Wheeler George Crease Michael Dougherty Adam Ture Jonathon Reese George Weaver Thomas Greeley Peter Diaz Gareth Gedjos Jason Aiken John Tyler Louis Tycroft Amanda Braintree Andrea Falcone Yamilla Isari [/list] [i]Date moved in[/i] [list]1907 1956 1959 1960 1963 1967 1970 1974 1978 1980 1984 1988 1992 1994 1999 [/list] . If you want more details as to a particular tenant, that sort of thing, specify a name you're doing research on and make a bureaucracy or history roll with a +10 bonus to account for Tony's help. remember that each roll regardless of success takes one hour, and so Nik and Vanessa have 2 rolls left today, while Charley has 3. The same roll can be attempted more than once.

[HoneyDog]

Nik's heart starts to quicken as he looks at the list of names. Things are starting to connect. He wants to talk with the others, but it will have to wait until they are clear of Tony. He starts to make notes, and as he does so, he makes a new request.

“This is great Tony. But actually, I changed my mind for now. Can we have a look for any records relating to Michael and Isabelle Weaver, the original owners of the house?

Bureaucracy,Bureaucracy 13: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/707429]Bureaucracy[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]5[/b] Cool.

[Mr. Handy]

"I'll look up the second name on the list, George Crease," says Vanessa. That was one of the ones on Donnelley's list.

OOC,Bureaucracy roll (43% + 10 = 53% skill) researching [b]George Crease[/b]: [dice]0[/dice]

[Borderline]

I hesitate a minute before leaving the storage unit. Caressing the wooden handle of the axe slightly I'm snapped back to attention by the call to leave. I pack the axe and camera in my trunk and follow in my car. Once in the file room I make friendly conversation with Charlie asking when he works, since he's sich a rockstar and we may need his help again. If he's available during the time I'm looking I will also enlist him to help. "Guess I'll start at the other end and check out Yamilla Isari. Who came before her? Andrea Falcone?"

2 rolls for 2 hours beurocracy@30,[dice]0[/dice]

[Silver Priest]

Tony frowns. "I really wish I could, but according to the files here the Weavers first moved in in 1906, right? We only keep files going back to 1940. Finding anything before then is just plain not possible.

Nik however proves persuasive, and after a few moments the clerk relents. "I'll tell you what. If you buy me lunch I'll see about digging up what I can on them. I have a few things I should be able to check. I'll try to have them for you folks by tomorrow, but no promises. Depends how busy I get."

Vanessa and Charles get to work on what they can find on some of the names.

Vanessa researches George Crease. It's not too hard to find information on him, and she soon discovers why. He and his wife Margaret moved into the house in 1956. They soon set about remodeling the home, turning it from a early century home to a modern one for the time, with a water heater,a modern refrigerator, and improved wiring. Margaret apparently then spent an exorbitant sum to restore huge wall mirrors in the master bedroom, and then allowed a local home magazine to take pictures of it. They were included in the article, and reveal a room in which every surface is covered in full length mirrors. It looks a bit disconcerting just looking at pictures of it. The Creases are positioned in front of the mirrors, both staring at the camera with a blank expression on their faces.

The next article Vanessa finds reveals that in mid 1959, George Crease drove to a sporting
goods shop, bought a double-barrel shotgun and a box of 20 shells, drove home, and shot his wife and then himself. Margaret had been shot in front of the a mirror in the master bedroom, and most of her head was embedded in the broken glass. George had set fire to the house before shooting himself, but a neighbor, Afred Uleski, extinguished the fire before it could spread.

In the days after the murder-suicide, friends mentioned that the couple had seemed off for quite awhile. Margaret had become rude and pushy, while George, never a very religious man, had taken a keen interest in church in the months before his crime. Still, nothing prepared the community for the violent act, and it seems to have shaken the town.

Charley learns that Tony works weekdays at the office, from 8 to 6. Then he does some research of his own.

He finds limited information on Andrea Falcone, save that she had purchased the home in 1994 after moving to the area with her young son. She lived in the home for five years, and was regarded by most neighbors as quiet from the very start. In early January of 1999 she was found suffocated in her bedroom by her son; the cause of death was ruled a previously undiagonosed medical condition.

There's a little more on Yamilla Isari. An exchange student from the United Arab Emirates, she had apparently seen the house while in town one weekend and fallen in love with it. Reports indicate that she had made Andrea Falcone an offer to buy it, but this was apparently not taken. Within a week of the house being on the market after Falcone's passing, she had purchased it from Ryan Realty Services. She spent a few months decorating the home to her liking, and was seen frequently in many local antique and furniture stores. Then as soon as she started purchasing she stopped, and became something of a recluse.

In late December of 1999, she was discovered dead, her throat cut in a manner consistent with a straight razor. The coroner estimated the death had occurred a few days before. But the weapon itself was apparently never found.

ooc,one action left for all of you guys, if you'd like to do any final research for the day.

[Borderline]

I'll continue right up the list and check on Amanda Braintree.

beuro 30,[dice]0[/dice]