OOC: Chapter Two- The Death of a Sea Captain

[Raiko]

Laraqua keeper of The Aartri Asylum and a player in my Masks campaign will be taking over playing Kitt as soon as I write a synopsis of the game so far.

Laraqua is a great player, so I'm sure Kitt will be in good hands. If Shadow ever gets chance to rejoin the game, he's welcome to select one of the NPC slated as "PC replacements."

[Decrepit]

And here I made my goofy reply about Kitt in the recruitment thread ...

Raiko, I'm starting to feel like Jack's on the longest ride to police HQ in the history of rides to police HQ.

[Raiko]

Point taken, you'll arrive at the HQ today.

Sorry I was originally trying to pace what Jack and Olof learned from Hansen, with what McRaven and Isugtag learned at the hotel; and also have them encounter Graves at the HQ, but I've screwed up the pacing somewhere so everything is going too slowly now.

Well you learn from your mistakes, I'll attempt to get things back on track in my next post.

I'm going to split things off into separate "danger threads" in future as with my Masks game, this should make pacing separate groups easier.

As the majority of players won't be following my Masks game, what this means is that if some of the characters go into a situation of 'real or perceived' danger, they will post in a separate thread. So for current events I would have created a separate thread for McRaven and Isugtag when they left in the taxi.

If some horrific mythos entity had been lurking under Douglas' bed, then the last the others would have known is that they had left the Amherst together.

Then Jack would have found out that Isugtag knew where Douglas was staying from Hansen, and hopefully gone looking under the same bed

As with my Masks game, I'll sometimes use a separate thread because there is just a perception of danger (such as the hotel), other times I'll wait until the last possible moment (ie The two investigators climb down into the hold... switch to separate thread; or As he sat reading he noticed the door handle turning slowly... separate thread).

This is to keep everyone on their toes. 8)

The threads will not be locked in any way, for the benifit of anyone who wants to just read this campaign, so I ask you all to be honest and stay out of threads that your characters aren't aware of, to keep the story more exciting for you.

Once you get back together the 'separated characters' can just 'tell the others about events in the other thread,' to save their player from writing a huge post. Or the player can choose to lie...

[Raiko]

Ok, hopefully that should get us back on track.

I think that I've covered everybody except Kitt, I'll get my synopsis sorted out now so that Laraqua can take over playing her (which should cheer Jack up).

[Decrepit]

Just yankin' your chain, Raiko.

The last thing Jack needs is a love interest. The last thing Kitt needs is Jack.

[Raiko]

Regarding the Edgar Allan Poe novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, I’d say that it’s safe to assume that any of the characters who have been ‘well educated’ in the USA (say EDU 15+) will have read the book. For characters who received their schooling outside the USA (or those with lower EDU), I’ll leave it for you to decide, if you want to roll I’d suggest rolling against half your English language skill if you’re from outside the USA, or your full English skill if you’re from the USA.

Gunnar I have decided has not read it.

I’ve quoted Wikipedia’s synopsis below. Although it isn’t mentioned in the quote much of the story is set in the Antarctic region. It ends abruptly and so does indeed suggest that some additional chapters are missing.

If you really want to read the whole 25 chapters yourself for some reason , it’s public domain and available here.

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket is Edgar Allan Poe's only complete novel, published in 1838.
The work relates the tale of the young Arthur Gordon Pym who stows away aboard a whaling ship called Grampus. Various adventures and mis-adventures befall Pym including shipwreck, mutiny and cannibalism. The story starts out as a fairly conventional adventure at sea, but it becomes increasingly strange and hard to classify in later chapters, involving religious symbolism and the Hollow Earth.

[Raiko]

Where are McRaven and Isugtag planning on going next? Back to the hotel? To the docks?

[Decrepit]

Jack is toying with the idea of an ongoing information exchange between him and the police. He's troubled by that idea, as any self-respecting journalist would be, but he's also concerned about the fact that two people associated with the expedition have already died. (He'll probably be even a bit more worried when he hears about the latest problems at the ship.)

Jack will try a Psychology roll to assess O'Meara's reaction to the bait sort of being dangled.

[Decrepit]

Guess I forgot to do the Psychology roll. Not a problem, apparently, as Jack and O'Meara seem to have something of an understanding.

Raiko, any chance that all of us are going to get together again fairly soon? Feels like we've been off on different paths for a real long chunk of IRL time. Maybe that's just me, though.

[Raiko]

Guess I forgot to do the Psychology roll. Not a problem, apparently, as Jack and O'Meara seem to have something of an understanding.

O'Meara seems to be being straight with you, as far as Jack can tell.

Raiko, any chance that all of us are going to get together again fairly soon? Feels like we've been off on different paths for a real long chunk of IRL time. Maybe that's just me, though.

If you head to the docks now, you'll be able to meet up with most of the other PC's. Just assume that you arrive shortly after McRaven & Isugtag

Callum, James and Nils' plans to live at the warehouse mean that I can't really get all of you togther as easily now.

And if all of you sleep there the stakeout won't be very inconspicuous.

[Decrepit]

And if all of you sleep there the stakeout won't be very inconspicuous.

No, I suppose not.

[BlackGoat]

Regarding the Edgar Allan Poe novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, I’d say that it’s safe to assume that any of the characters who have been ‘well educated’ in the USA (say EDU 15+) will have read the book. For characters who received their schooling outside the USA (or those with lower EDU), I’ll leave it for you to decide, if you want to roll I’d suggest rolling against half your English language skill if you’re from outside the USA, or your full English skill if you’re from the USA.

Gunnar I have decided has not read it.

I’ve quoted Wikipedia’s synopsis below. Although it isn’t mentioned in the quote much of the story is set in the Antarctic region. It ends abruptly and so does indeed suggest that some additional chapters are missing.

If you really want to read the whole 25 chapters yourself for some reason , it’s public domain and available here.

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket is Edgar Allan Poe's only complete novel, published in 1838.
The work relates the tale of the young Arthur Gordon Pym who stows away aboard a whaling ship called Grampus. Various adventures and mis-adventures befall Pym including shipwreck, mutiny and cannibalism. The story starts out as a fairly conventional adventure at sea, but it becomes increasingly strange and hard to classify in later chapters, involving religious symbolism and the Hollow Earth.

After reading that little wikipedia deal it seems like a nice read, I may just check it out lol, too much reading to do and too little time...I'm currently reading "Alien Agenda - Jim Marrs" , "Rule By Secrecy - Jim Marrs" , "The Zombie Survival Handbook - Max Brooks"

[Raiko]

Everybody who went to the docks are now together. So you can now discuss everything that you have found. If nobody chats, I’ll move the timeline forward as soon as Charles Graves has caught back up.

Charles Graves: You can either continue talking to Bolan, or you can move the Professor to either the Library or the Docks if you want to chat to the other PCs.

Just start talking to the others if you move, you’ll arrive at either place at lunchtime. So you’d either squeeze into the little security office with them, or arrive at the library at the time that for Gunnar and Sean found the article about the Hudson Riverboat fire.

Regarding Commissioner Bolan, I’ve never found a photo of him, but I did find this article:

Appointed. James Sylvester Bolan, 60, Deputy Chief Inspector of Manhattan's police; to be Police Commissioner, succeeding Edward Pierce Mulrooney who last week resigned to become chairman of New York's State Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. Like his predecessor. Commissioner Bolan answered the recruiting call of Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt in 1896, has come up steadily from the ranks. He got his first promotion (to sergeant) in 1901 when he jumped from a ferryboat into Hell Gate Channel, rescued two drowning men. During his ten-year supervision of Manhattan's theatre district, Broadway has called him its "toughest" inspector, "so straight he bends over backward."

[Raiko]

Since all the characters bar Kitt are now in two locations, I’m going to leave you to chat together until Sunday evening (UK time). Then I’ll advance the timeline.

In the meantime I’m writing up the synopsis, so the Laraqua can take over playing Kitt. I’ll post the full synopsis on the forum, and PM a “Kitt specific” one to Laraqua.

I’ll also make any necessary rolls that your posts require.

By Sunday I need to know who is sleeping at the docks, and who is returning to the Amherst.

So far Callum, James and both Sorensen brothers will be at the warehouse tonight. Everyone else will be at the hotel.

[Raiko]

Do you want another couple of days to chat? Or should I move onto the evening/the following morning?

I'll make a library use roll for Graves if I know what he's researching. Blackgoat I think he was waiting for a reply from Sean.

[Decrepit]

I'm not sure we're done, are we? I know some of the characters are remaining at the docks for the evening. Jack, I know, isn't, and it looks like he could make some phone calls, though I'm not sure what he's hoping to find. Maybe I need to go back and reread some old posts; I've kind of lost the thread, no pun intended.

[Raiko]

I'm not sure we're done, are we?

No I don't think so either, but I didn't want to hold things up if you don't want to chat.

I'll wait until you're all happy that there isn't anything to discuss before I move things on.

[Raiko]

"Ok. I'll make some enquiries about the 'Purple Cup' then." comments Callum. "I'll be using your phone for a while if you dont mind?" says Callum, passing a crumpled $5 bill to the security guard "That should cover the cost of the calls."

Out of curiosity who are you planning on calling?

[Raiko]

Please try to wrap thing up at the docks as quickly as you can now, I'd like your planning to be finished by Monday so that we can move the game along.

[Raiko]

Here is a summary of what I think everyone is planning to do, I’m going to move things along in my next post tomorrow, Laraqua will be able to join in then.

At the New York Public Library

Sean – Returning to Hotel, after chatting to the librarian and researching something else(?)
Graves – Still has time to research something at library, Returning to Hotel
Gunnar – Sticking with Sean, then going to docks stakeout (though he doesn’t know about it yet)

At the Docks

Callum, McRaven – Checking out Purple Cup speakeasy, then Docks stakeout
Nils – Staying at Docks, asked James to bring sort his gear
James – Returning to Hotel(?), then Docks stakeout
Jack – Going to Newspaper Morgue to research Blackman, then back to Hotel
Olof – Going of Library to research Blackman, then back to Hotel
Isugtag – Staying at docks ????

At the Amherst Hotel

Kitt – To be reintroduced with Laraqua as player, she’ll meet up with any characters who are at the Hotel in the evening.