Play@YSDC

Preston and Reg leave the Museum and take a cab to Bayswater. Arriving at Jordan’s address in Clarendon Road. It is a street of tall Georgian-style houses, many of which have been turned into rented accommodation.

The door is answered by a simply dressed elderly lady, who asks them in a neutral tone what they want.

Dr. Jordan is indeed in, she tells them. But returning after conveying their request to him for an audience, she informs our heroes that Dr. Jordan does not wish to be disturbed.

Dr. Francis Preston

Preston steps back to confer privately with his companion. "Jordan is supposed to be a friend of the Colonel but they had a row so telling him we know about the Colonel might go either way. Or we could mention Abadan or the murders..."

"At this point, what have we got to lose?" asks Reg. "He's already refused to see us. The worst that can happen is that he still refuses. I can't think of any other way to get him to see us."

The landlady is listening to this exchange. Her eyes widen at the word ‘murders’.

“Perhaps you’d better go talk to him yourself” she mutters. She directs them to an upstairs room, where the landlady announces them to a closed door, and walks away.

“Go away!” cries a voice from inside the room. "I'm busy!"

"Is what you're doing more important than an ongoing string of murders, Dr. Jordan?" asks Reg through the door.

There is a period of silence.

“What murders? What are you talking about? What do you want with me?” comes the reply.

OOC,You can try rolling Persuade with your comeback.

Dr. Francis Preston
"There is a killer stalking those of the Buffs associated with Colonel Hollingsworth's raid on Abadan. Several have died and more lives are at stake. We are former army personnel. We learned you had argued with the Colonel, who is refusing to see us. If there is anything you can tell us about why someone might wish these soldiers dead, or about the relics brought back from Egypt, you must help us."

There is a long silence from inside the room. Finally Jordan speaks.

“I can’t help you. Please go away.”

"You can speak to us," says Reg, "or you can speak to Inspector Craddock."

OOC,Persuade roll (15% base skill) to convince [b]Dr. Jordan[/b] to talk to us: [dice]0[/dice]

A rather forced-sounding laugh is the reply.

“I don’t care about the police. In fact, I’ll call them unless you leave me alone! Now, go away!”

"Very well, we're leaving," says Reg. "Good day to you."

There is silence from behind the door.

OOC,What will your next move be?

Dr. Francis Preston

Preston gives his calling card to the landlady with a request to pass it on to Jordan. "Madam, has he been staying indoors refusing all visitors this way or only us?"

“Well, he’s always been a strange one, what with his native knickknacks. But lately he’s had a real bee in his bonnet about something. Hardly goes out.”

She shakes her head. “I run a respectable establishment, gentlemen. I don’t want any trouble”. She looks worried.

Dr. Francis Preston

"I'm afraid the matter is a serious one, madam," Preston replies to the landlady. "Your tenant may hold information relating to the deaths of several soldiers and one Dr. Sangster. If you cannot convince him to speak with us on our behalf we shall be shortly along to see Inspector Craddock of Scotland Yard."

The landlady raises her hand to her mouth in horror. “Good gracious!” she exclaims, before turning and fleeing down the hallway.

OOC,I’m afraid it will take something more convincing than an elderly landlady to get Jordan to talk. Would you like to try and talk to Craddock, or something else?

Leaving Jordan’s rooms, the friends partake of a spot of lunch and then head to Scotland Yard. They ask for Inspector Craddock, and are fortunate to find that he is on the premises.

That esteemed individual shows them to a private room and regards our heroes with a cool and steady gaze.

“How can I help you gentlemen?” he asks.

"We've discovered some new information relevant to your investigation, Inspector," says Reg. "The men who were murdered were part of a mission to a place called Abadan, which was the late Major Gower's last word. The killer appears to be seeking revenge for that mission."

The Inspector regards them both in silence for a moment.

“So, you’ve been conducting your own investigation, it seems. Well, I agree that men of the 2nd Buffs appear to be targeted. You’d better tell me about what you’ve learned”.

OOC,We don't have to play out the whole exchange of course. Do you want to tell him about everything you've learned, or is there anything you want to leave out?

OOC,Sorry for the long wait! If its okay, lets move it along a little.

Craddock is silent for a while, deep in thought. “To be frank, I’ve been thinking that Colonel Hollingsworth has been hiding something. If he is the one responsible for all of these deaths, he must be brought to justice. It seems like Professor Jordan might be able to furnish us with some answers. Let’s go pay him another visit.”

"Yes, let's," says Reg. "He refused to speak to us earlier, but I do not think he will refuse you."

The three men take a carriage back to Bayswater. It is late afternoon now, and the evening is drawing in. It will be another foggy night.

Admitted to the house, they are announced by the landlady. Jordan again tries to rebuff them, but Craddock is having none of it.

“Dr. Jordan, I’m Inspector Craddock of Scotland Yard. Talk to us now or I’ll arrest you and we can discuss this in a cell.”

“Come in! Come in!” comes the quick reply.

Jordan’s large sitting room is a jumble of books, periodicals and papers, which sit on shelves, tables and even the floor. There are knickknacks and curios everywhere; Egyptian, Sumerian, Celtic, and others.

Jordan himself is slight of build, and pale from spending too much time indoors. It is hard to tell his age – his hair and beard are prematurely white. He wears thick eyeglasses. He is puffing on a pipe; its strong tobacco fills the room. He is obviously on edge and is very nervous.

“What do you all want?” he says. “I’m very busy”.

OOC,You can roll Spot Hidden.

Dr. Francis Preston
"As former army personnel we are gravely concerned about this so-called werewolf who is murdering members of Colonel Hollingsworth's unit," Preston says, looking around. "We understand that you are an associate of the Colonel and recently argued with him. Has the Colonel's behavior been suspicious?"

Reg looks around the room.

OOC,Spot Hidden roll (55% skill) in [b]Jordan[/b]'s room: [dice]0[/dice]

OOC,Craddock Spot Hidden 75: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/598647]Spot Hidden[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]72[/b] There is a suspicious bulge inside Jordan's jacket. To the practiced eye, it unmistakably the butt of a handgun.

Craddock has also noticed.

“Open your jacket, Doctor.”

Jordan reluctantly reveals the butt of the revolver stuck in the inside pocket of his jacket.

“Now why are you carrying that, hm? Answer the question, please.”

“I haven’t seen Hollingsworth for years” he snaps. “And why can’t I have some personal protection? This is a dangerous city, you know.”

OOC,You can roll Psychology.

Dr. Francis Preston
"Come, sir, we have it from the Colonel's wife that you and he rowed following the visit of one Mr. Faez, who we believe is a colleague of yours at the museum. Why so evasive? If you are in trouble, if you know the killer's identity, we and the Inspector can help protect you. Does it have something to do with those relics he brought back from Abadan?"

Reg can't get a good read on Dr. Jordan.

OOC,Psychology roll (5% base skill) about [b]Jordan[/b]: [dice]0[/dice]

Preston,Jordan is petrified, scared for his life.

“It has everything to do with those relics.” Jordan holds his face in his hands, and sinks into a chair, utterly deflated. “There are dreadful forces at work here. Dark, dreadful forces. And they will destroy us.”

Dr. Francis Preston

"I do not doubt that you fear this terrible murderer. We all do. But we must apprehend them swiftly and bring them to justice. Now, these relics are your area of expertise. I presume they are in the Colonel's possession. What can you tell us about them? Valuable, are they?"

Jordan shudders. “Nick Hollingsworth came to me after he retired, when he got back from Africa. He showed me what he had taken from Abadan, and he wanted to sell them. I didn’t know how he came about them until later. I knew that the pieces belonged in a museum, but we both needed money, so I found buyers. But he kept the mummy. That awful mummy.”

He shakes his head. “There were also some scrolls. After I translated them, and realized what they meant, I confronted Nicholas about them and learned about the raid. God, the fool!”

He looks anguished. “The cult is ancient, more than 4000 years old. The forces they worship are older than man. The mummy is none other than Sekh-T’aut, their first high priest. According to the scrolls, he has incredible magical power, knowledge that was given to him beyond the stars! The scrolls prophecize that he will be reborn into a new world, one which will fall under the power of his gods!”

Jordan is on his feet now, his hands clenched. He looks desperate.

Craddock looks aghast. “What is this nonsense!” he sneers.

“You don’t understand!” wails Jordan. “The key point of the prophecy states that Sekh-T’aut will only be reborn when invading infidels have taken his remains to a distant land! That is what happened! He is here! Once he is alive again, his vengeance will fall upon England! We are doomed!”

He falls to his knees.

Craddock is disgusted. “I don’t know about you too, but I deal in realities. This is absolute balderdash and I won’t waste any more of my time. I suggest you gentlemen leave this to the police from now on.”

He puts on his hat, and leaves. Jordan is still on his knees, on the floor.

"Chin up, man!" says Reg. "No bunch of savages is going to lay the British Empire low!"

Jordan looks up, his face despairing. “The prophecy is coming true! Hollingsworth wouldn’t believe me either.”

"Whether or not I believe it doesn't matter," says Reg. "Someone out there is killing members of the Buffs, and Colonel Hollingsworth must be at the top of his list of targets. Chances are that he'll go after him to try to retrieve the mummy, since the blighter most likely knows of this prophecy and believes it. If we work together, we can stop him."

Dr. Francis Preston

"Who else beside yourself and the Colonel knows about the mummy? We heard there was an Egyptian scholar called Mounir Faez involved. Do you know him?"

Whatever colour remained drains from Jordan’s face. “Egyptian?” he stammers. “He must be one of them! Don’t you see? Hollingsworth has nothing to do with the deaths of those men. Oh God, it’s begun!”

Suddenly there is a crash and a scream from below. The men can hear footsteps on the stairs…

"Out the window," whispers Reg to Dr. Jordan. He grabs a chair and tries to wedge it under the door handle to delay whoever is coming from entering the room, then silently takes up a position leaning against the wall beside the door, drawing his knife.

Jordan kneels on the floor, cowering in terror.

OOC,It’s too high to jump.

Reg,Roll Luck.

Reg moves quickly and is able to get the chair in place in time.

OOC,Luck roll (55% stat) trying to block the door: [dice]0[/dice]

Something suddenly slams against the door with a might crash, almost taking it off its hinges. The wood buckles and cracks. The pounding continues, and the companions can hear it splintering. It is only a matter of time before the door gives way.

Almost as suddenly as it started, the crashing stops. A voice can be heard on the other side, in thickly accented English.

“Jordan. Do you have the scrolls? If you have the scrolls we spare your life.”

Jordan recoils in terror, backing up against a desk. “It’s them” he stammers in terror. Turning, he opens a drawer in the desk and brings out a sheaf of papers. “I have them!” he shouts.

"Do not let them in," whispers Reg to Jordan. "They will not let you see them and live, not when their necks are at risk for several murders. They intend to kill you anyway, but we can take them by surprise if they don't know you're not alone."

The door shudders again and the frame cracks. One of the panels falls and the companions can see a figure beyond. It has the body of a man, but its face is that of a snarling canine with large ears.

Jordan screams and drool comes from his mouth. “Jackals!” he cries. “Anubis!” The scrolls drop from his hand and he faints to the floor.

OOC,Roll SAN! If you fail, roll 1d8 for loss.

Reg recoils in horror at the sight of the creature breaking through the door, but he steels himself, certain that it can be killed the same as any man or beast. He grips his knife, intent on stabbing the thing to death.

OOC,Sanity roll (current level 55) for seeing the jackal: [dice]0[/dice] Sanity loss for seeing the jackal: [dice]1[/dice] Are we in combat now? When can I attack?

Dr. Francis Preston
"Good lord!" Terrified, Preston drops beside the fainted Dr. Jordan, grabs the revolver he'd noticed earlier from the man's pocket and points it at the apparition.

The creature bursts into the room. It appears to be a man wearing a mask. It looks like more are behind him.

OOC,The heroes can attack first. Reg followed by Preston. Be careful not to hit Reg!

Reg lunges at the jackal-headed man, channeling all of his rage into a powerful swing, cutting deep into him!

OOC,Knife roll (60% skill) attacking the intruder: [dice]0[/dice] Damage to intruder from fighting knife: [dice]1[/dice]+[dice]2[/dice] Nice! That's 9 damage. Readied firearms should go before melee, so [b]Dr. Preston[/b]'s first shot should go off before I close with the enemy, which I hope will ensure it doesn't hit me.

Dr. Francis Preston
Preston fires at the intruders but, being a physician rather than a soldier, his shot goes awry. Still he hopes the blast will serve as warning. "Halt and surrender yourselves!"

Reg’s knife rips into the man and black-coloured blood oozes out. However, he makes no sound and the wound doesn’t even seem to affect him. He turns to Reg and swings a fist.

Fist/Punch,Fist/Punch 65: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/600798]Fist[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]55[/b] Damage: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/600799]Fist damage[/url]: [u]1d3+1d4[/u] [b]4[/b]

It connects solidly and Reg goes down to his knees, winded.

Meanwhile, another jackal-masked man has entered and is heading straight for Preston. There are two more figures behind him.

Preston,Preston can shoot again before the man attacks. His weapon is .32 S&W caliber with a DB of 1d8.

Dr. Francis Preston

Panicked, Preston fires again point blank at the approaching intruder, this time finding his mark.

Reeling from the pain, Reg realizes that although his opponent does not seem to feel pain himself, he is bleeding heavily. If he bleeds, he thinks, I can kill him. With all of his strength, he drives his blade between his foe's ribs and into his heart!

OOC,Knife roll (60% skill) attacking the creature again: [dice]0[/dice] Damage to creature from fighting knife: [dice]1[/dice]+[dice]2[/dice] Wow! :o 12 more damage!

Reg’s assailant goes limp and he collapses, but his weight has pinned Reg to the floor. He is trapped! he watches helplessly as events unfold...

The masked man staggers back as the bullet hits home, but then resumes his advance. He is almost upon Preston.

The other two are in the room, and one dashes forward and picks up the scrolls from where they lay next to Jordan. In his other hand he plunges a dagger into Jordan’s chest. Jordan comes awake with a gasp of agony, and a huge gout of blood spurts from his mouth. He writhes around on the floor.

OOC,Preston has time to shoot again. It's point blank - you can increase your chance to 60%.

Dr. Francis Preston
Preston manages to squeeze off another shot at the advancing assailant.

Reg tries to use his strength to roll the body of the jackal-man off of him so that he can intervene.

OOC,That first shot, which hit with a 7, was 1/5 of your effective skill or less, which makes it an impale. That should mean you roll for damage twice for that one shot and add the total together.

Preston’s assailant sinks to his knees and falls on his face, inches from our hero. As Reg manages to remove the corpse atop him, the other two masked figures flee from the room, carrying the scrolls with them.

Jordan is still alive. He is gesturing at a writing desk in the corner.

“File…copy” he says weakly.

There is a thin paper file on top of the desk.

"Well fought, Doctor!" says Reg, rushing to Dr. Jordan's side. "We may still be able to save him." Though he has treated battlefield wounds before, he can do little more than assist the more highly skilled Dr. Preston.

OOC,First Aid roll (60% skill) trying to save [b]Dr. Jordan[/b]: [dice]0[/dice]

Dr. Francis Preston
Treating the gravely injured man as best he can, Preston's mind races. "Did he say something about a copy on his desk? A copy of the scrolls, perhaps?"

Jordan is almost dead from shock and blood loss, but thanks to Preston’s excellent medical skills he now has a chance. But he must get to a hospital immediately. Thankfully, police whistles can be heard in the street outside.

Preston,Roll 1d2 for SAN gain, for saving Jordan’s life against the odds.

Dr. Francis Preston
While waiting for the police to arrive, Preston also quickly examines the bodies of the two slain attackers for some clue as to their nature.

Removing the mask from the man he shot, Preston is can see that the man is simply that – a man wearing a mask. But on closer examination, he sees something which horrifies him to his very soul. For the man actually appears to have been dead for some time. This is true of both attackers – they show evidence of decomposition. This defies nature, but the evidence is before them. For a man of science, it is shattering.

OOC,Both roll SAN! If you fail, lose 1 point.

Voices can be heard from downstairs – it seems that the police have arrived.

Reg is startled when he sees that the men they had fought were already dead before the fight began. He had just thought they were opium fiends or the like. While Dr. Preston looks after his patient, he goes over to the writing desk to see if there is a copy of the writing that had been on the scrolls.

OOC,Sanity roll (current level 52) for seeing that the men were already dead: [dice]0[/dice]

Reg looks at the papers in his hands. There is a lot of writing which seems directly translated from the original, perhaps an alphabetized version of hieroglyphics, but some are in English.
The police finally enter the rooms. “Wot’s goin’ on ‘ere, then?” says one constable, surveying the scene.

Jordan is whisked away to hospital by carriage. The police secure the scene, staring in puzzlement at the bodies. Jordan’s landlady is found, unhurt, but babbling in panic about the ‘dogmen’ she saw.

Craddock returns, and apologises to the heroes about leaving them. After seeing the corpses and the jackal masks, he concedes that despite the illogical nature of the evidence, Jordan must have been telling the truth. He assures Reg and Preston that no charges will be made against them, and that he will work with them to get to the bottom of the events.

OOC,Again, it's up to you about how much you want to share, and how much help you want.

Dr. Francis Preston
"We now know that we are facing a gang or group rather than a lone killer and that at least two still remain at large, Inspector. Dr. Jordan implicated an Egyptian scholar named Mounir Faez. He believes Colonel Hollingsworth is innocent yet it seems that a mummy in his possession is the cause of all this. I am loath to credit this talk of prophecies but, after seeing what I have seen, I believe that mummy must be destroyed or at least returned from whence it came."

OOC:   returned from whence it came."

OOC:   Nice.

“Very well. I’ll be taking a statement from Dr. Jordan if I can. I expect I’ll be talking to Colonel Hollingsworth very soon. I’ll inform you of when I will make my visit. I suggest you gentlemen get some rest.”

Craddock has a carriage ordered to take our heroes to the Army & Navy Club.

OOC:   We can move back to the Chapter 6 thread now and you can rendezvous with the others, unless you have anything you'd like to pursue here.

Dr. Francis Preston

After this encounter Preston considers it prudent to keep hold of Dr. Jordan's revolver for the time being.

Dr. Francis Preston
As they are leaving, he also tends to Reg's injuries from the fight.