Chapter 2: Day One

[Mephistophilis]

'An obvious location for the treasure would be Nicholas Forby's sarcophagus' says Harry, 'but I can't say I'm too keen to be rooting around in there'.

Harry goes over to the sarcophagus to take a look, in particular for any signs it has been opened or tampered with.

[Philulhu]

Vic joined Harry at the sarcophagus. ”What are you looking for?” she asked.

[Mephistophilis]

Harry turns to Vic, 'This sarcophagus has obviously been here for some time. Any serious search for the treasure would involve looking inside. I'm trying to see if there are any signs the stone has been moved, scrapes, chips, that kind of thing'

[Philulhu]

Vic nodded her understanding and knelt down next to the sarcophagus for a closer look. ”Have you done this sort of thing before, Mr. Brown?” she asked, conversationally.

OOC,Spot Hidden to see if there any signs of tampering (25%) - [dice]0[/dice]

[HoneyDog]

Looking closely at the sarcophagus, Vic sees that it has been in place for many years. No attempts to open it appear to have been made.

OOC,I just noticed Isolde’s Strength is 19! I think it should be 9? :o If the companions all try together, they might be able to open the sarcophagus by pushing up the lid. It will require a successful Strength roll. Roll 1d100 and if you get 50 or under, you’ll be able to raise the lid. I’ll take success or failure from the first player who dares to roll.

[Mr. Handy]

"I'm no grave robber," says Alexander, "though that sort of thing is all too common back in Edinburgh. Certain unscrupulous scientists enlist the services of chaps known as 'ghouls' to acquire dead bodies for their research. They're none too particular about where the dead bodies come from, and they don't ask. Some of these ghouls, when unable to find corpses to sell, will make their own. Of course, biology and medicine aren't really my fields anyway, so it hasn't exactly been a temptation for me."

[Mephistophilis]

'I can't say I've been involved in opening any graves' says Harry, 'but I have certainly been on a few treasure hunts in my time'. He looks over to Alexander, 'I have no more desire than you to go disturbing the dead but I really do not see how we can overlook this particular possibility'.

[aine]

"It would be prudent to get permission first -although it is a difficult question to ask. I'm sure this would have been the first place they looked anyway but we could bring the subject up at dinner; in a casual way, of course." Says Isolde. "Let us look for that hollow before retiring to the house."

ooc,Isolde must be stronger than she looks! Probably a cut and paste error- will edit.

[Mephistophilis]

'I agree' says Harry, 'no need to go defiling the sanctity of the grave just yet. I'm keen to look for this hollow, it could well be quite obvious with the ground so parched. Another thought does occur to me - we've been looking for laurel trees - were there not two either side of the front door? You don't suppose "Apollo's bower" could be the house, or at least the entrance?'.

[Philulhu]

”So what is the reference to Apollo?” asked Vic. “He was one of the Greek gods, was he not?”

[Mephistophilis]

'Alexander said the laurel is the symbol of Apollo did he not?' says Harry. 'A bower is a shelter made of branches and vines, but is also another name for a house'.

[Mr. Handy]

"Aye, 'tis so," says Alexander. "The 'iron dog' that has sparks may be found in a fireplace, then. We can ask for permission later from Harry. In the meantime, let's try to find that hollow, while there's light."

OOC,Maybe her STR was supposed to be 10 instead of 19. The 9 and the 0 are right next to each other on the top row of a keyboard.

[HoneyDog]

The companions leave the mausoleum, locking the door behind them. They make their way back to the house, looking for the depression shown in the carvings.

The ground is far more overgrown though than that shown by the representation. Any dip in the ground could be what they are looking for, but then again it might not be. After about an hour of fruitless searching, the investigators are thirsty, sweaty, tired and irritable from the incessant heat. The sun is beginning to drop below the horizon – evening is coming on.

[aine]

"Oh bother this!" Exclaims Isolde, fanning herself. "I need a nice long cool shrub to drink. And then something light for dinner hopefully. We can't find anything down here; something might show from an upstairs window; or you could look at shadows or something but I'm going in for a rest now." And she moves wiltingly into the relative cool of the house.

ooc,I'll see if I still have an original character sheet.

[Mr. Handy]

Alexander follows her into the house, intending to examine the fireplaces.

[Philulhu]

Fanning herself as best she could, Vic followed the others back to the house. She intended to head to her room to freshen-up and change her blouse, then she wanted to take a closer look at Mr. Forby’s folios.

[Mephistophilis]

Harry Brown intends to take a look at the front of the house, the Greek portico-style entrance and flanking laurels, before returning to his room to freshen up.

[HoneyDog]

OOC,There are fireplaces in almost every room, so you might want to focus on something else for now to narrow down the cope of the search.

The companions freshen up somewhat, although inside the house the heat is even more oppressive, sapping at their energy. It has been a long day.

Harry is regarding the front of the house, seeing nothing remarkable for now, when Bates announces that dinner will be served shortly.

The companions gather in the dining room, where Harry Forby sits awaiting them, eager for news. Gertrude is also present, as is a young boy who regards the newcomers curiously. He is introduced as George Forby.

Dinner, like lunch, is rather plain, consisting of boiled chicken and potatoes, followed by rice pudding. No alcohol is on offer. Harry inquires into the investigators’ progress so far.

[Mr. Handy]

"From examining the carvings in the mausoleum," says Alexander, "Harry hit upon the possibility that 'Apollo's bower' is a reference to the house itself, or perhaps the entrance, as there are two laurels flanking the front door and a bower can be a house. The treasure thus may be in the house rather than on the grounds somewhere. I was thinking that perhaps the iron dog that gives off sparks may be found in one of the fireplaces."

[HoneyDog]

Harry nods his head slowly, intrigued. “That’s amazing! You’ve found all this out already! I was right to ask for your help!”

George looks up from his chicken. “Are you all searching for a ghost?” he asks.