[IC] Chapter 3: Wergynstone

[jp1885]

Miss Coates smiles at Miss Knight, obviously pleased that an interest is being shown in her work.

"Oh that's very kind, but I'm afraid like all artists I'm loathe to show my work until it is finished - especially more... challenging pieces like this. Now, tea I think."

She disappears into what you assume is the kitchen.

Grigori,Excellent rolling sir. Your keen eyesight spots a number of books on British history, myths and legends (including [i]Memorials of Old Herefordshire[/i]), as well as an eclectic range of classical works, from the Iliad to Shakespeare. There are also numerous books about arts, crafts and art history. Clearly the woman is something of a polymath.

The current painting in question remains covered, with the exception of one corner, tantalisingly left exposed by the carelessly tossed smock that covers the work. This corner reveals a vibrant swirl of red and orange.

With the kettle alrady whistling, someone will have to keep Miss Coates occupied in the kitchen if you wish to look at the painting.

[Mr. Handy]

"Here, I'll help you with the tea," says Cynthia, going with Miss Coates into the kitchen. "I see you're an avid reader. So am I, and I'm a librarian as well."

[Whitehorse]

Grigori takes Miss Knight's cue, and carefully lifts the corner of the smock...

OOC:   Sigh, here we go... Hit me with the brain curdling vision!!

[Zero]

After a good deal of thought, Henry Joseph Lewis III reluctantly entered the woman's home after the entire Eton group. While the others spoke with the contact, the young dilettante remained standing as nearby to the exit as he was able to. He didn't even seem all too interested in tea this time and nervously glanced at his fob watch, a fine John May of London Repousse timepiece from the 17th century at semi-regular intervals.

"Make sure one of you lot is taking notes, I do not care to return here again." he said as he wiped a layer of dust from a nearby surface and looked upon his soiled fingertip with disdain. It was utterly dreadful that anyone could live in such a state as this.

[jp1885]

Miss Knight

Miss Coates beams. "Oh, how nice to talk to a fellow bibliophile, and another female to boot! Alas most of the womenfolk around here, while capable and indeed often formidable examples of our gender, have little time for reading. So what, may I ask, brings a librarian to this corner of England? What has it to do with the Boundary?"

Mr. Lewis

While the cleanliness of the place may not match your exacting standards, at least, judging by the smears on the mirrors and striations in the dust, sporadic attempts at cleaning have been made.

Perhaps your inspection may uncover something other than slapdash domesticity; please make a luck roll.

Mr. Tereshchenko

Alas, gently lifting up a corner of the smock causes the garment to slip off the easel and fall to the floor, revealing the full horror of the painting...

Good God! The calamity! The mind-shattering hideousness!

The, well, to put it bluntly, bally awfulness of the thing!

The painting is terrible - sheer amateurishness! Poorly painted stick figures scamper jarringly across a splodgy landscape of black and red. Badly drawn faces leer and gurn at ham-fisted slashes of ochre. Childish spirals of crimson clash with zigzags of yellow.

Frankly, one would find more worthy works of art in a nursery.

While Miss Coates is occupied with Miss Knight, anyone wishing to study this monstrosity may make some kind of artistic skill roll.

[Mr. Handy]

"Well, the Provost of Eton received an inheritance in this area that was apparently intended for his predecessor," says Cynthia, grinning as well. "He sent my companions and me to sort the whole mess out. Have you heard aught about it?"

[Whitehorse]

Grigori reels at the ghastlyness of the piece. Shocked and disappointed that an apparently edicated woman could have created such a thing he tries to make a professional appraisal of it, it as he would a naive religious or peasant work.

Appraise 60%,[dice]0[/dice]

And surely this piece must fit somehow into the scheme of artistic techniques and styles, if only cave painting...?

Painting 40%,[dice]1[/dice]

[LTD1969]

I don't know much about art, but I know what I don't like, and I don't like this. On the other hand if Miss Coates wants to spend her leisure time daubing stick figures on canvas who am I to demur?

[Zero]

Henry Joseph Lewis III continued to casually look about as the others examined what appeared to be a painting at the far end of the room. One glance at the object told him that it was utterly worthless and entirely undeserving of the deeper examination the others appeared to be giving it.

Luck (60),[dice]0[/dice]

OOC:   HJLIII owned that Luck roll...

[jp1885]

"Well, the Provost of Eton received an inheritance in this area that was apparently intended for his predecessor," says Cynthia, grinning as well. "He sent my companions and me to sort the whole mess out. Have you heard aught about it?"

"Oh yes, some sort of legal wrangling isn't it? The new Squire appears to be quite protective of his territory. That's understandable I suppose: these landowners don't give up land if they can help it, but it all seems rather silly to me. That parcel of land is basically worthless, save perhaps some historical interest about the old church, and has been in the O'Kent family's hands since the middle ages, when the original 'Cunning Man' was awarded it by the original Squire Barneby. Why rock that particular boat after all this time?"

[jp1885]

Grigori reels at the ghastlyness of the piece. Shocked and disappointed that an apparently edicated woman could have created such a thing he tries to make a professional appraisal of it, it as he would a naive religious or peasant work.

Appraise 60%,[dice]233476:0[/dice]

And surely this piece must fit somehow into the scheme of artistic techniques and styles, if only cave painting...?

Painting 40%,[dice]233476:1[/dice]

It only takes a quick glance to judge the painting completely worthless. You know of some 'unusual' works that might fetch a price in certain corners of the art market, but not even collectors of the extreme, unusual and outré would bother with this piece.

One thing that does catch your eye though. In the four corners of the painting, a theme can be discerned. In one corner, a horned figure can be seen wrestling with a wiggling blue line, as if forcibly moving a stream of water. In another, a similar being is dragging a large stone through a forest of lollipop-shaped trees.

In the third corner, a horned stick figure, wielding what appears to be a rug beater, seems to be dancing on top of a fire, while in the final corner another one is mischieviously pulling someone's sheets off a washing line.

In the fifth corner-
Fifth corner? This horrible painting is clearly messing with your perceptions. As you were quite right to predict, please make a sanity roll (0/1).

[jp1885]

I don't know much about art, but I know what I don't like, and I don't like this. On the other hand if Miss Coates wants to spend her leisure time daubing stick figures on canvas who am I to demur?

Keeper only,[dice]0[/dice]

Who indeed professor? By the way Mr. Tereshchenko is studying the work, he appears quite taken with it however.

It appears that Miss Knight is keeping your host occupied admirably, so you have time to take a closer look around if you so wish (a spot hidden roll perhaps?)

[jp1885]

Henry Joseph Lewis III continued to casually look about as the others examined what appeared to be a painting at the far end of the room. One glance at the object told him that it was utterly worthless and entirely undeserving of the deeper examination the others appeared to be giving it.

Luck (60),[dice]233531:0[/dice]

OOC:   HJLIII owned that Luck roll...

I say, excellent rolling sir. For this, you shall be suitably rewarded...

Idly mooching around the room, you come across, quite by chance, a small and very well-thumbed address book. Flicking through its pages reveals the addresses of the village notables, from the landlord of the inn to the local butcher, through the vicar and even the gamekeeper of Wergyn Hall.

Eccentric she may be, but Miss Coates is clearly a meticulous record keeper.

[Mr. Handy]

"I wouldn't know," says Cynthia. "The inheritance has something to do with O'Kent's Boundary, and we were hoping to speak to Mr. O'Kent himself. Unfortunately, he lives in the middle of the Squire's land, and he's not letting anyone cross it. We were told that the gamekeeper might be able to escort us, but we're not sure where he might be found."

[Whitehorse]

Grigori replaces the covering to the painting with a troubled frown....

Sanity is(was) 47,[dice]0[/dice]

[LTD1969]

"I wouldn't know," says Cynthia. "The inheritance has something to do with O'Kent's Boundary, and we were hoping to speak to Mr. O'Kent himself. Unfortunately, he lives in the middle of the Squire's land, and he's not letting anyone cross it. We were told that the gamekeeper might be able to escort us, but we're not sure where he might be found."

"Surely there must be a legal access for Mr O'Kent to come and go from his land? If we were to take a wander along that in broad daylight, en masse as it were, could the squire stop us from visting O'Kent's house?"

[jp1885]

By the time you have finished looking at paintings and copying address books, Miss Coates emerges from the kitchen with a tray of tea, having co-opted Miss Knight to carry the biscuit tin.

"Marching en-masse? Well, that may work elsewhere, but around here it's the Squire who lays down the law I'm afraid. To be honest I've no idea how O'Kent travels to and fro - he's rather self-sufficient and any supplies he orders are simply left by the church gate in the evening and are gone by the morning."

"I suppose Sam the gamekeeper could get you to the Boundary undetected - if there's anyone who knows the hidden paths, it's him. He lives in one of the tied cottages on the track to Sty Farm: turn left after you leave here, head out of the village and follow the lane until you reach a row of cottages. His is the furthest one along."

"Now - tea?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you," says Cynthia. "That would be lovely." She finds a seat.

[jp1885]

Humming tunelessly, Miss Coates doles our tea and biscuits. When satisfied that all is in order she takes a seat next to her easel.

“So, how else can I be of assistance?” she asks.

[Mr. Handy]

"Well, you've already helped us a great deal by telling us how to find Sam the gamekeeper," says Cynthia after taking a sip of tea. "Have you seen anything unusual around these parts recently?"