[IC]Chapter 1.1 - A Message from a Dear Friend.

[Raiko]

CHAPTER ONE - NEW YORK - JANUARY 1925

I do not recall distinctly when it began, but it was months ago. The general tension was horrible. To a season of political and social upheaval was added a strange and brooding apprehension of hideous physical danger; a danger widespread and all-embracing, such a danger as may be imagined only in the most terrible phantasms of the night.
-H. P. Lovecraft, Nyarlathotep

Columbia University - West 114th Street, New York City
3:50pm - Tuesday 13th January, 1925

The icy start to 1925 has done little to lift Amy's disappointment that Jackson did not after all make it back to New York in time for Christmas. There have been two heavy snowstorms in the last two weeks, and the newspapers warn of more to come. The last storm saw over ten thousand men mobilized to clear the streets, and deep piles of snow still cover many of the cities sidewalks. The skies above Manhattan are clear today, but the low winter sun cannot hope to bring the temperature above freezing.

It's a worse winter than most New Yorkers can remember, but the talk of the city in every university campus, coffee shop and speakeasy is the total solar eclipse in ten days' time. Street parties are planned to celebrate the momentous occasion and the Navy are even sending an airship to observe the eclipse more closely.

Amy is concentrating on her studies when the news the she's been longing for finally arrives; a maritime radiogram is delivered to the small apartment on campus that she shares with Cynthia.

[jp1885]

Cynthia huffs as she barges into the apartment she shares with Amy, stamping the snow off her shoes.

"Damn it's bitter out there! Makes you wish we were back in Lima, huh?"

Dumping her bundle of books, she reaches for the 16th century Spanish rapier that hangs on the wall over the fireplace. It's razor-sharp edge seems to hum through the air as she tests the balance before slotting it into it's scabbard.

"I'm not needed at the lab today so I'm gonna get some practice in. Meet you outside the gymnasium later? Sanchez is treating us to dinner." She grins. "He just doesn't know it ye-"

She stops, realising that her housemate is more focussed on a telegram than her bustling commentary.

"Say, whatcha got there? Ooh! Is it lover-boy?"

[Mr. Handy]

Amy stops in mid-twirl, a huge smile across her face. "What gave it away?" she asks, showing her the telegram, her voice oozing with excitement. "Jackson's coming in two days! I've waited months to see him, but these next couple of days are going to feel so long. We can show Dr. Sanchez the telegram at dinner. He'll be able to gather the rest of our team. We can get started on doing some background research tomorrow on the Carlyle Expedition while we wait, too! I think Jackson will be pleased that we took the initiative." She has been speaking a mile a minute, and only now does she pause to take a breath and let Cynthia get a word in edgewise.

[jp1885]

Cynthia grins.

"Two days? That's peachy!" She stuffs the sword in a duffle bag and slings it over her shoulder. "Practice can wait - c'mon, let's go find Sanchez straight away and tell him the news."

[Mr. Handy]

"Great, let's go!" says Amy, putting away her books and grabbing her purse. She's too excited to study any more anyway.

[Raiko]

Hall of Mexico and Central America - The American Museum of Natural History, New York
1:30pm - Tuesday 13th January, 1925

After a ten minute subway journey on the Broadway line, a walk along 79th street, with sidewalks piled with snow and five more minutes wandering through the halls of the museum Amy and Cynthia locate Nemesio Sánchez and their other friends. It is a surprise to see the young ladies earlier than the dinner appointment, but it is obvious from the big grin on Amy's face - and the telegram in her hand - that they bring some good news.

[Anatomist]

"Careful now, just a little bit more to the right"
Sr. Sánchez is distracted from work with a huge stone slab that he, Atauchi, Marcus and Michael is trying to move into position on a pidestall.
"Hello you both... Is it that late already? What is that grin on your face Amy? won a prize at the fair?"

[jp1885]

"Hi Prof. You could say she's won the jackpot."

Cynthia chuckles, waving in greeting to the others.

[Mr. Handy]

"Jackson's coming back!" squeals Amy with delight, showing them the telegram. "The day after tomorrow, and he's onto something big!"

[Raiko]

OOC:   Make a knowledge and/or history roll.

Make a successful Knowledge roll,You recall that the Carlyle expedition happened a year or two before your visit to Peru. They all perished somewhere in Africa.

HARD Knowledge success or successful History roll,The expedition was led by New York playboy Roger Carlyle. Departing from the city in early 1919, they all died in Kenya later that year. Carlyle is survived by his sister, who travelled to Kenya in 1920 and discovered the fate of the missing expedition.

OOC:   Regardless of whether you made a successful roll, the name of the expedition rings a bell, and you're sure it'll be easy to uncover more detailed information.

[Silver Priest]

"Hey, that's great!" Marcus says. He was fond of Jackson, but preventing an ancient god from casting off its bonds would build those sort of relationships. "Congratulations Amy. I know you'll be thrilled to see him. We should throw him a little party when he gets back. I know a few places that never got the news that Prohibition went into effect."

Knowledge roll,I forget, is Knowledge EDU or INT? Going with INT for now, which gives me a 75. [dice]0[/dice]

He reads the telegram. "Huh. Yeah, I remember that expedition. Think they all died in Africa a year or so before we went to Peru. Was a big story for awhile."

[Mr. Handy]

"That's right!" says Amy. "It was led by Roger Carlyle, the famous playboy from right here in New York. They left in early 1919 for Kenya, and they never came back. The following year his sister mounted a search to find out what happened to them. They'd all been killed! Jackson must have found out about it while he was in East Africa. I wonder what the connection is to Larkin."

OOC,Know is EDU, but that succeeds either way. Know roll (76% stat) about the [b]Carlyle[/b] Expedition: [dice]0[/dice] History roll (65% skill) about the [b]Carlyle[/b] Expedition: [dice]1[/dice]

[jp1885]

Know 66%,[dice]0[/dice]

History 28%,[dice]1[/dice]

Cynthia shrugs.

"Never heard of this Carlyle, but for an entire expedition to be wiped out... Well, sounds like the kind of thing Larkin would be involved in."

She shudders at the name, trying to supress the memory of those black, void-like eyes.

[Anatomist]

OOC:   Make a knowledge and/or history roll.

Know 94%,[dice]0[/dice]

History 77%,[dice]1[/dice]

"Great news Amy, hes finally on his way back, congratulations, we should definitely take him out for drinks"

"So the sister survived. I'm gonna ring the Newspaper and find the name of this sister, even better if they know where she lives, she might tell us more about the expedition Carlyle. The sister must be very interested in hearing about Jacksons findings."

Dr.Sánches will get to the nearest phone and call up the operator asking a connection to the New York Times.

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, let's all go out when Jackson returns," says Amy, already looking forward to it. "I'm keen to meet Roger Carlyle's sister too. It took courage and dedication for her to go to the ends of the earth to track down her missing brother."

[Zero]

When the two women arrived, Atauchi followed Marcus' example and decided now was as good of a time as any to take five. He reached into an inner pocket and quickly produced a pipe and matches. A moment later its contents began to smolder and the scent of tobacco began to permeate the nearby air. Over the past four plus years the tracker had heard whispers of the Carlyle expedition's disappearance, though he recalled none of the specifics. However, he figured that if Jackson was coming here, he'd soon hear all about it. He puffed upon the pipe as he listened to the others talk. If either Amy or Cynthia looked in his direction, he would nod in recognition.

Knowledge (83),[dice]0[/dice]

History (09%),[dice]1[/dice]

OOC:   Since arriving in the US, Atauchi adopted Jackson's brand of tobacco. Mostly because his own wasn't available, but also because Jackson "knew a guy".

[kabukiman]

"Well, I'm pretty sure he will have some interesting story, as long as it doesn't involve vampires"


know: 65%
[dice]0[/dice]

history:73%
[dice]1[/dice]

[jp1885]

"I can ask around the university and see if there's anything about Carlyle in the library."

Mention of vampires makes Cynthia shudder and she resolves to pick up her pistol at the earliest opportunity.

"If someone wants to tag along, then that's fine by me."

[Anatomist]

"I can ask around the university and see if there's anything about Carlyle in the library."

Mention of vampires makes Cynthia shudder and she resolves to pick up her pistol at the earliest opportunity.

"If someone wants to tag along, then that's fine by me."

"We all love a mystery to solve it seems"
Dr.Sánches smiles at the team seeing the Carlyle expedition triggers theirs curiosity
"We are quite good at it at if i might say"
Dr.Sánchez touches his arm where he still got tight skin over his acid burn, he looks up and smiles "Good timing anyway, the exposition is almost finished and only a minor shipment of secondary objects are in the toll, we can be distracted for a week or so i think"

[Raiko]

Silver Priest,[quote="Silver Priest"]]Knowledge roll,I forget, is Knowledge EDU or INT? Going with INT for now, which gives me a 75.[/quote] Your roll was good either way, but it's EDU for knowledge. :) Sorry, I didn't spot the question earlier.

Dr. Sánchez gets to the phone and the operator connects him to the Times offices, a receptionist answers immediately:

*** Hello New York Times. How can I help? ***