Play@YSDC

Monday December 13th 1880, 2pm

Fleming's Tavern, Half Moon Street, Mayfair
The members of The Seekers of Enlightenment, a society given to the exploration and discussion of the supernatural, have received an urgent telegram from their provisional leader Miss Isolde Beauchant, to meet at Fleming’s Tavern. The telegram appears to convey that the matter is very urgent and should be acted upon immediately. All those who are willing and able to spare the time make their way to Mayfair accordingly.

Braving the cold of the city streets, they can find a warm and welcoming atmosphere in the upper rooms of Fleming’s, in which a private room has been reserved for the occasion. Food and drinks are provided, and the members begin to relax, curious about the summons which has brought them together. The atmosphere is full of anticipation and speculation.

The members who have managed to make the occasion are recorded in the Society’s minutes as the following:

Miss Isolde Beauchant, acting head
Mr. Percy Stringer
Dr. Alexander Campbell
Miss Melody Flores
Cpt. Aubrey Fitzwilliam

Once the guests are settled, the meeting begins…

Captain FitzWilliam stood by the fire and warmed his hands. The summons was unexpected but not unwelcome. He only had an afternoon of whist with his great-aunt and her widowed friends to look forward to, so he was pleased to be able to make his excuses and leave the house.

He wondered what the urgency of the summons foretold as he waited for Isolde to speak.

Percy takes a pinch of snuff and smiles at their host. "Well, Miss Beauchant, I do hope you haven't brought us here to watch you pull some ectoplasm out of your nose, or other such medium's tricks. Really, all that table-knocking is quite old hat to the newspaper-reading public in this enlightened age. Give us realism. Give us outrage. Give us scandal."

”On the lookout for a story, are you, Mr Stringer?” asked Captain FitzWilliam. ”Something for the masses to get into a lather about, I’ll be bound!”

FitzWilliam was no great believer but he felt that at least he approached the subject with an open mind, unlike some of the public, who seemed all too willing to let themselves be carried along in mass hysteria.

"I hope it's something tangible," says Dr. Alexander Campbell between bites of his steak. "I like a mystery I can get my hands on."

Melody does her best to lurk anonymously in the background, as befits her station, ready to assist the doctor or his friends. She is excited to see and hear the topic of today's meeting.

Isolde Beauchant has been sitting at a small table, reading a letter and half listening to the conversation around her. She finishes the letter and looks at the gathering. She'd been warned about some of the new members; that they were skeptics there was no doubt. She wondered why they were here and wished there were more of the likes of Oscar 'White-eyes' Pent-whistle and Madame Bligh. She sighs and then stands up, walking to stand, back lit by the fire.

"Welcome and thank you for coming to this impromptu meeting tonight. Dr McTavers sends his apologies; we hope he will recover soon from his affliction. We have invited you tonight because we are hoping to gather a group willing to travel to Devon within the next day or two." Isolde smiles around the group,

"I'm afraid I have no information for you yet but this letter is from an eminent barrister in Knightsbridge and his client is respectable."
She stops to gather people's reactions.

"Ah, Devon," says Alexander with a wistful expression. "It will be good to get out and about." He smiles at Melody. "You're always saying I should get out of the lab more often. This will be a good opportunity."

"Yes Doctor Campbell," Melody smiles, "I've been told that Devon is a beautiful place to visit."

Captain FitzWilliam drew his diary from the inside pocket of his jacket and flicked through the pages. ”I don’t have anything on that I can’t rearrange,” he said, ”But Devon is a trek, particularly at this time of year. It can be decidedly inhospitable!”

He pointed to the letter that Isolde held in her hand. ”Is there nothing more in the letter, Miss Beauchant? I think I should like to know what I am letting myself in for before I commit.”

Percy nods, intrigued. "A mysterious summons, indeed. Why would a barrister have professional need of a society such as ours? As the good captain says, there may be a story here. Perhaps even a scandal. I believe I could make the trip."

Isolde frowns, "I'm sure Morcombe Shearer, the barrister, has good reason to need our services. I myself have helped many leading families and pillars of our society with that concerning the supernatural. I expect this case to be no different. Mr Shearer particularly expresses the need for upmost discretion and complete secrecy so I doubt there will be any opportunity for a popular story." She casts a disapproving look at Percy.

"His client is Lady Amanda Allingham. I think it was Lord Allingham who was murdered not so long ago. But I'm sure Morcombe Shearer will give us all the details tomorrow; we are meeting at the offices of Spencer, Hartley and Whigg on King's Road tomorrow at two o'clock. I'm sure we will all endeavour to uphold the principles of The Seekers of Enlightenment. And no, it won't be such a pleasant journey to Devon at this time of year."

”Well, hearing out the solicitor won’t do any harm, I suppose,” said Captain FitzWilliam. He referred to his diary once again. ”l’m free to attend so I will be there.”

He glanced across at Percy. ”You’re in the trade, Mr Stringer. Do you recall anything of the death of Lord Allington?”

Melody listened with interest, she was a little disappointed that Doctor Campbell's friends all thought that Devon would be dreadful in the Winter; the only person who she knew who had actually been to Devon was her friend Joan, who worked for Miss Farrington and had visited the new pier at Paignton in the summer. Surely the seaside would still be pleasant, even in December? Anyway her mother said that winters were much tougher in Scotland.

Still this summons sounded very exciting and Miss Isolde was very mysterious.

Alexander has lived most of his life in Scotland, including more than a few winters. "I'm not too worried about the weather in Devon," he says. "I'm sure I've been through worse. We'll just have to dress warm, is all. Whether there is anything supernatural involved is another question, but we'll get to the truth of the matter."

Alexander has never heard of Allingham.

OOC,Know roll (90% stat) about [b]Allingham[/b]: [dice]0[/dice]

OOC,Know roll (85%) [dice]0[/dice]

”Wait a minute!” said Captain FitzWilliam, with a sharp click of his fingers. ”I think I have heard of Allingham...”

OOC,Know 65%[dice]0[/dice]

Percy turns attentively to the captain.

Know(70%) Roll,Know(70%) Roll: [dice]0[/dice]

Melody also listens intently to the Captain.

Melody thinking:   I wonder if [b]Captain FitzWilliam[/b] has heard the same things that I've been told about the Allinghams.

Still listening, Isolde turns to face the fire and watches the flames intently. Dark shadows flicker around her perfectly still outline.

FitzWilliam,You read in the paper that Allingham, Lord Bargrove, was murdered, and his body burned. There is local gossip about a curse, but no definitive suspects.

Melody,Melody read that Aliingham, Lord Bargrove, was murdered and his burnt body found on his estate on Dartmoor.

”Allington - Lord Bargrove - was murdered,” continued Captain FitzWilliam. ”If I remember correctly, his body had been burnt.

He paused for a moment and thought some more. ”There was also talk of a curse, but I would struggle to give that any credence. I mean, the Zulu Inyanga would prance around and put the wind up some of our lads out in Africa, but in England? I thought we had left witchcraft behind in the dark ages!”

Melody thinking:   [i]Witches?[/i]

Melody catches her breath and listens intently, she hasn't heard that, just that Lord Bargrove had been murdered mysteriously, his burnt body being discovered on the estate on Dartmoor.

"Oho!" Percy exclaims. "This certainly sounds worth investigating. Say what you will, Miss Beauchant, but I have a feeling it will take more than a palm reading to solve Lady Allingham's problems."

”Mr Stringer - you would have access to a journalistic archive, would you not?” asked Captain FitzWilliam. ”We should perhaps make some enquiries of our own, before we meet with these legal chaps. Fore-warned is fore-armed, after all!”

FitzWilliam rubbed his hands together briskly. His enforced lay-off had been somewhat chafing but this sounded like an adventure!

Isolde draws a short, sharp intake of breath and falls to her knees so she can look closer at the flames, "Burning, burning, burning; agony! And death!" She whispers and then falls silent. After a moment she stands and turns to face the room. "We must go to Dartmoor. Do what you need to but please be discreet! We shall meet outside the office in King's Road at two o"clock." She moves away from the fire and goes to sit down in a chair.

Captain FitzWilliam raised a questioning eyebrow at Isolde’s sudden outburst. He looked around at the other members of the society, waiting for someone to speak.

"Solving a murder sounds quite interesting," says Alexander. "Applying the scientific method to the problem should prove to be of aid, I would think. Where there is a murder, there is a murderer, and we shall find the culprit. The good captain is right, of course. We should do background research on the case first."

OOC,Percy will be able to get access to the archives of The Times. I will transfer the action to there. All searches will require a successful Library Use roll. Please state what you want to search for.

With their curiousities aroused, the Society makes its way across London to the City and Printing House Square, home of The Times of London. Percy’s journalistic connections makes accessing back issues a breeze, if the members know what to look for.

Alexander searches for articles about the murder of Lord Allingham. He is sure they must exist, for it was a newsworthy event, but so far he cannot find any.

OOC,Library Use roll (60% skill) searching the archives: [dice]0[/dice]

OOC,Library Use 55%[dice]0[/dice]

Percy, meanwhile, has better luck in digging out whatever he can find about Lord and Lady Allingham's past.

OOC,Library Use [dice]0[/dice] Edit: [b]FitzWilliam[/b] will look for general information about Lord Allingham, business interests and the like.

Despite little experience with libraries outside of his father’s somewhat meagre library back on the family estate, Captain FitzWilliam found navigating this one more straightforward than expected. With a little help from one of the assistants, he was soon back with more information about Lord Allingham.

OOC,Library Use (25%): [dice]0[/dice]

Although she feels more than slightly out of her depth, Melody does her best to assist Alexander

Once it becomes clear that she's just getting in the way, she goes in search of a kettle, and returns with a tray of steaming tea cups for the others.

ooc,Is this the next morning that we are doing the research?

library,(75%) roll:44

Isolde goes instead to the British Library to read up on supernatural occurrences on Dartmoor and historical occurrences at the Allingtons' residency.

Raiko wrote:Once it becomes clear that she's just getting in the way, she goes in search of a kettle, and returns with a tray of steaming tea cups for the others.

”Ah, Miss Melody,” said Captain FitzWilliam, as he helped himself to a cup of tea. ”That’s just what we need. Keeps the Empire going!”

He sipped the tea and smiled. ”You know, a learned fellow I once knew would refer to tea as a cup of brown joy. An odd chap - a professor, I think. I wonder what became of him...”

OOC,Apologies - a slight digression ;)

With a smile Melody says, "Oh you know me Captain, always bringing brown joy to the Doctor and his friends."

OOC,[ooc]Obviously in the straight laced Victorian era, that couldn't [i]possibly[/i] be innuendo. ;)[/ooc]

ooc,Yes I'll go to the times with the others and have a mooch.

"And an Irish cup of tea is one with a biscuit. Apparently, thank you, Melody." Says Isolde as she takes tea.

Raiko wrote:With a smile Melody says, "Oh you know me Captain, always bringing brown joy to the Doctor and his friends."

”Oh, yes, well, err... indeed!” spluttered FitzWilliam, who was, it was fair to say, somewhat more worldly than the young servant.

Through their efforts, after a couple of hours the members manage to find 3 articles regarding the Allinghams of Dartmoor; the first dated a few months ago, and the others dating back a couple of years.

"Cheers, Melody," says Alexander, taking a cup and inhaling the aroma before sipping. "Ah, you always brew the best tea. It keeps the Empire's subjects going as well." Thus fortified, he resumes his trawling through the archives, but with no further luck. Fortunately, his friends have found some interesting articles. "These are awfully vague on this so-called curse and how it came about. We may want to look further into how that legend started. Personally, I'm skeptical. Each of these deaths has an explanation, and the fact that these men were all younger than forty could be merely a coincidence. The most recent death is clearly foul play, and the killer may be deliberately exploiting the rumours of a curse."

"Still, Lady Allingham may know something these reporters don't," Percy points out. "I'm looking forward to getting the inside story, as it were, when we meet this barrister."

”It could be, Dr Campbell,” said Captain FitzWilliam, ”But three brothers in the same family would suggest something more than coincidence.”

"You may indeed be right about that," says Alexander, "but that doesn't necessarily mean supernatural involvement. It could simply be that someone has a grudge against the family. The other two deaths may have been murder as well. Someone could have pushed that gargoyle onto Sir Charles and sawn most of the way through Sir Walter's saddle girth."

"There will be other forces at play here, that is why they have asked for the services of The Seekers of Enlightenment. We may not there be there to solve the case but to help those still living. Or to help those who have died." Says Isolde, closing a book.

"We can help the dead?" asks Melody wide eyed.

"Perhaps it would help them to bring those responsible to justice," says Alexander. "We can certainly at least try to solve the case while we are there. I don't like leaving a mystery unanswered."

"Oh yes, Melody. I have often been in contact by those who have passed. Some of them cannot rest until all has been made right on this side and it helps to pass on their wishes to those still living. I feel sure this may be the case this time with such violent deaths." says Isolde expansively. In a more normal voice she then says,"Do you think this curse is true? If we have time we should see if other men in the history of the family have died before they are forty."

ooc,Great news articles, HoneyDog!

”I think this is all we found, Miss Beauchant,” said Captain FitzWilliam. ”Perhaps a copy of Burke’s Peerage may help in tracing any earlier ancestors? I’d be surprised if they haven’t got a copy knocking around here, somewhere.”

A copy of Burke’s is located. As well as the recorded deaths of Sir Walter and Sir Charles, three more Allinghams are found:

Captain The Honourable Gordon Allingham, cousin, died May 1875, aged 27. Suicide by drowning.

Sir Fitzhugh Warrick Allingham, father, died Bargrove Hall December1861, aged 39. Fell down stairs and broke neck in celebrations on Christmas Eve.

Sir Percival Gilbert Allingham, grandfather, died in the Crimean War, 1855, killed by enemy fire, aged 38.

”Six dead - and all before the age of 40!” said Captain FitzWilliam, quietly. ”You can see why there may be talk of a curse...”

Despite himself, he could feel the hairs rise on the back of his neck and he shivered involuntarily.

"So there might be six souls who cannot find rest?" asks Melody, "Will you be able to help so many spirits to find peace Miss Beauchant? Do you think that all those souls are trapped at the house?"

Melody is fascinated by ghosts, and by ghost stories, but is feeling a little apprehensive at the idea of contacting so many!

<Still at least Miss Beauchant seems to know what she's doing.>

"And how about the living?" Percy wonders. "Does the Peerage mention any male relatives still extant or was our Lord Bargrove the end of the line, so to speak?"

"That's a good question," says Alexander. "If there are male relatives under the age of forty still living, they could be in danger."

Captain FitzWilliam studied the newspaper articles. ”Allingham was survived by a wife and daughter - no male heir, apparently.”

He turned back to the copy of Burke’s Peerage and read some more, trying to find out if the male line continued.

OOC,Any luck?

While the others are scrutinising books full of peerage records, Melody asks, "Is there anything that you would you like me to purchase? And shall I book tickets for the train?"

OOC,[ooc]My character is pretty rubbish at research anyway, unless she gets to look through someone's accounts.[/ooc]

”I think we should wait and hear what the solicitor has to say tomorrow,” said Captain FitzWilliam. ”This mystery is intriguing, but let us find out more before we make further plans.”

ooc,Sorry, looks like my post didn't post yesterday. It was something along the lines of...

"It must be a powerful curse to cause so many deaths. Something terrible must have happened to the family a long time ago. Or one of the men did something unspeakable; a curse is often a form of revenge.
We would have to go back through the Allingtons' history to find out when the men were still living past the age of 40. That might be when the trouble started. Of course, the barrister might know, unless he is newly appointed." says Isolde from the depths of a book.

"We do have some time for additional research in the morning," suggests Alexander. "We could pursue that angle of research then and go into the solicitor's office better prepared."

”That sounds like a solid plan, Dr. Campbell,” said Captain FitzWilliam. ”But where would we find such information?”

"We could try the registry office- births and deaths. That might also show us if the curse is related to the family at home or to any member, wherever they live." Isolde stifles a yawn. "We could meet again there tomorrow."

”Is that the place at Somerset House?” asked Captain FitzWilliam. ”Will we need an appointment, do you think?