Chapter 3- Amazonas

[kabukiman]

The following morning, the native porters load your gear and provisions onto Rio de Janeiro boat, the Santiago. It takes several hours to get everything secured and stowed, but before noon the vessel is ready for a multi-week trek to get to your destiny.
There is a morning mist that quickly evaporate, and the heat of the day is building as you depart from Rio de Janeiro, leaving the busy metropolis behind.
It takes several days to arrive to the river mouth; only then the voyage to the river properly starts.

It is forty feet long, thirty feet wide, and despite its flaking paint and spots of rust, it is very serviceable. A small wheelhouse consisting of an eight-foot-square, corrugated metal shed with an entrance cut out of the metal stands towards the aft of the vessel. A large, boxy engine assembly is located behind that, driving the blades of the propellers that churn just beneath the water’s surface to push Santiago along at up to 10mph. Four canoes “wall-in” the barge, while a series of three-foot-tall poles line the perimeter of the boat. There is no immediate shelter, although there are tarps that can be stretched from the wheelhouse and attached to the poles or creating a makeshift, if very cramped, tent.

Life aboard Santiago is relatively easy, and the first two days pass without incident. The native guides, and any of you that express interest take turns piloting according to the directions listed in the map you made, but only Harry will be given time at the wheel without supervision. On the second day, the lumbering shape of a zeppelin is seen above the forest canopy, but it is too far ahead to interact with and you soon lose sight of it as the Santiago follows a bend in the river.

Midway through the third day on the Amazon, after a steamy morning rain, you encounter a gruesome sight. A thin log bobs low in the river, and draped across it is the dull yellow-and-black spotted corpse of a jaguar. The sight spooks several of the native guides, and some panic rises.

[Mephistophilis]

As the boat left Rio Father Alex Malone felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders. He was back where he was meant to be, travelling back into the dense forests of the Amazon. Away from the tedium of the civilised world. He uses the first few days to help Crowley translate the journal as best he can with his limited Spanish. He takes his turn at the wheel and spends the rest of his time chatting with the native guides, trying to build a rapport, gain a little insight into their beliefs, and offer some spiritual guidance where wanted.

Lounging on the deck, cigarillo in one hand and Bible in the other, when he spots the body of the jaguar floating on the log, Alex first cranes forward to take a closer look to see if there is anything sinister or occult about the way it is arranged. Seeing the distress of the native guides he tries to reassure them as best he can.

OOC,Alex has Portugese, Psychoanalysis, Charm, Occult, and a little bit of Anthropology. He'd like to use what he knows about the native guides and their beliefs to reassure them and perhaps using some of his religious authority

[Mr. Handy]

Harry spends the early part of the journey conversing with the native guides and practicing his Quechua, as well as taking his turn at the helm and keeping an eye on the jungle. The sight of zeppelin disturbs him, as it means the Nazis are well ahead of them. He also realizes, and tells the others, that wherever they're going, there must be a clearing in the jungle big enough for the zeppelin to moor and let people down. "This was not the work of an animal," he says when he sees the jaguar's corpse. "An animal would have eaten the jaguar, and would not have been able to drape its body on a log so it would float downriver. The only creature I know of that could have done such a thing is man, but what man would? It's not the Nazis, they're flying ahead of us."

[Starspawn338]

Butch will take as much time at the wheel as he can. It's not his first time piloting a boat into the unknown and it's good to stay in practice. However, when not at the wheel,Butch enjoys being out in nature and spends his time watching from the side of the boat.

Pilot Boat,Pilot Boat 35 [dice]0[/dice]

[Snapper]

Crowley's eyes start to sparkle at the prospect of the expedition finally beginning, with mysteries to be solved. He packs away his sombre suits and bow-ties, leaving them to be collected on his possible return. From this point onwards, he dresses in the khaki linen uniform of the explorer, with a pith helmet on his head, his Webley revolver at his hip, pouches filled with ammunition around his belt, and his trusty shotgun never far from reach.

Upon spotting the zeppelin, Crowley looks deeply envious. "By air, that's the way we should be travelling. If I had a good flying boat..."

Crowley studies both the zeppelin and later the dead beast with binoculars, ever on the hunt for clues.

[Starspawn338]

The sight of the jaguar is unnerving and Butch sympathizes with the natives. Not from superstition, but in concurrence with Harry's theory that another force was in play besides the Nazis.

[kabukiman]

Alex: make one roll of one of those skills at your choice.
All the others: make a listen and a spot hidden roll.

[Mephistophilis]

Alex peers closely at the body of the jaguar, something about the way it is arranged disturbs him but he tries to calm the natives with some simple prayers and reassurance.

Alex Occult: 70,[dice]0[/dice]

[Starspawn338]

OOC,Spot Hidden 50 [dice]0[/dice] A horrible failure Listen 35 [dice]1[/dice] An extreme success

[Mr. Handy]

Harry is oblivious.

OOC,Listen roll (20% base skill) in the jungle: [dice]0[/dice] Spot Hidden roll (55% skill) in the jungle: [dice]1[/dice]

[Snapper]

Crowley becomes very still and silent as he studies the scene like a hawk.

Spot Hid 60%,[dice]0[/dice]

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

OOC:   And learns nothing!

[kabukiman]

Alex:
Thanks to you occult knowledge, you compare the state of the carcass with all kind of curses and none of them fit, so it is a natural disease; the argument is good and they seem to be convinced.

Butch:
You see that the jaguar is starting to come alive in your direction! And he is making the sound of a huge number of mosquito's!

Harry and Crowley are too disturb by the scene... when they hear a huge cry: from the other side of the boat a man is attacked by swarms of mosquitoes who are sucking him: he throw himself to the waters... where the piranas are waiting for him. The swarm starts moving in your direction.

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Do we have mosquito repellent, or at least netting? I'm not sure if mosquito repellent existed yet, but if it did, it's something we'd have brought. The netting I'm sure we'd have.

[Mephistophilis]

'Agh, I hate bloody mosquitoes!' curses Alex. With plenty of experience dealing with pesky swarms of insects Fr Malone quickly grabs a some cloth, pours a little whiskey over, and lights it with the end of his cigarillo - he wafts the black smoke towards the mosquitoes. 'They don't like the smoke, if you dip something in diesel it will create a thick black smoke when it burns'.

[Starspawn338]

When he realizes that there is a swarm of mosquitoes coming aboard, Butch springs into action. He'll take a dirty rag or two of his (which should be full of oil and grease) and quickly tie them to an oar to create a large makeshift torch. He then grabs his gasoline blowtorch and lights it up.

"This should keep them away." He says. "I hope..."

[Snapper]

Crowley curses in Latin. Following the lead of the others, he ties his pocket handkerchief to the business end of his shotgun barrel and sets it alight. Then Crowley starts making his way to the wheelhouse to protect whoever's behind the wheel from marauding mosquitoes.

[kabukiman]

The guides/porters are completely hysterical, screaming and running in every direction throwing things causing an even bigger chaos.
OOC: You get all a penalty of 05% in the dex roll.

All roll dodge and dexterity.

[Mephistophilis]

Alex Dodge: 25,[dice]0[/dice]

Alex Dex: 50,[dice]1[/dice]

[Mr. Handy]

Harry is a surefooted as always as he races to retrieve any mosquito netting or repellent they have on board in order to apply it first to himself and then to the others.

OOC,I never got my question answered about the mosquito repellent and netting, but what I was trying to do was get them and put them on myself and then others to protect from the mosquitoes. Dodge roll (65% skill) to avoid the mosquitoes: [dice]0[/dice] DEX roll (90% - 5 = 85% skill) on the boat: [dice]1[/dice]

[Snapper]

Crowley:

Dodge 47%,[dice]0[/dice]

Dex -5 = 70%,[dice]1[/dice]

Crowley is all at sea on boats, clumsily falling about.