IC-Ep 1-Ghostwriter(Story/Elizabeth/Lucius/Brook/Val/Elliot)

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you," said Virgil. "It was fifteen years ago. My brother and I were very close, and he was the only family I had left." He turned to examine Valerie and Elliot. "Although, perhaps that's not entirely true any more. I don't see any resemblance, though Mrs. Soames would only be related by marriage."

[ImpInTraining]

Questions,1 - So if this gem dated back to Greece, there wasn't much time between Greece and Rome, right? Any chance Lucius might have heard about the Eye of the Hydra in common-day conversations back then? 2 - are there more than one Valerie in this story? I'm getting a little confused there...

Lucius wondered about this man Virgil and what he was witholding from them about the sea creatures. He imagined pressing the subject would be fruitless. However, he might be able to work the conversation around. From his place near the window, he asked Virgil pointedly, "Would it be possible we could speak with your brother about the sea creatures?" Lucius guessed he already knew the answer would be no... but he wanted to know why.

[Mr. Handy]

"Alas, I cannot really summon the spirits of the dead," said Virgil, "in spite of all the talk being bandied about Dunwich regarding me. That was merely an attempt at humour."

"Was your brother a writer as well?" asked Valerie Soames.

"He was not as prolific as I am, but he had a talent for writing and has done his share."

"Did he happen to keep a diary?"

"He did, as a matter of fact. Unfortunately, I loaned it to Dr. Kirby the evening she visited me."

OOC,He never said when in Greece the gem was from, but the Crusades were well after [b]Lucius[/b]'s time. The gem is older than that, but it certainly wouldn't be part of everyday conversation, and it's not something he'd have heard about. But if you make an Occult roll, it may give you some ideas (in fact, you may all roll Occult). Yes, there are two characters named [b]Valerie[/b]. You haven't met [b]Dr. Valerie Kirby[/b] yet, but you've heard about her here from [b]Valerie Soames[/b], the old lady. It wasn't intentional that they'd both have the same name; her player just happened to choose the same first name.

[yockenthwaite]

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3899993/]Rolling Occult (stat 5%) re the gem of wotsit (1d100=7)[/url]

[jaysun81]

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3900495/]Occult - 20% (1d100=92)[/url]

[ImpInTraining]

Occult - Fail,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3900520/]Occult (15%) (1d100=49)[/url]

ooc,The way he responded - seems like I might have missed where he said his brother died, but I looked back twice and didn't see anything regarding that.

Lucius found Virgil's comment about speaking with the dead curious, but he tucked it away for now. "I'm sorry..." he responded feeling a little awkward. "I was not aware your brother had passed. Did he meet his fate with these strange sea creatures you mentioned?"

He took another glance outside.

[Mr. Handy]

Outside the window, nothing had changed and everything seemed peaceful.

Something about the Eye of Hydra rang a bell with Brook, but she couldn't quite place it. It went right over Elliot and Valerie's heads.

"I did mention it," said Virgil. "I don't know exactly how he died, as I wasn't there, but his mangled body was found on the shore. I'm certain he was lynched. Considering the state he was in, it could have been the creatures."

Elizabeth Young/Brook Davies,[b]Elizabeth[/b] and [b]Brook[/b] recalled that Hydra was mentioned somewhere in Greek mythology, but they did not know the precise details.

OOC,[b]Virgil[/b] mentions his brother's death in the next to last post on the previous page. He starts by making a reference to things he'd have to do to hold a séance, though [b]Lucius[/b] would not have recognized that either. He did, however, explicitly mention that his brother has been dead for quite some time right after that.

[Thorn]

Brook ponders. "Hydra......Greek, ain't it? Something from Greek mythology, like Hercules and that god of the dead that look like James Woods."

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, that's not far off the mark," said Virgil. "One of the many feats of Hercules was to slay the many-headed Hydra. Every time he cut off one of its heads, however, two of them grew back. As strong as he was, he had to use his brain to defeat the beast. He figured out that after decapitating one of its heads, he could quickly cauterise the wound with a firebrand and prevent new heads from sprouting. Once he did this with all the heads, the Hydra was slain for good."

[yockenthwaite]

"It seems remarkable that such an important artefact could have found its way to Dunwich," says Elizabeth. "And so sad for it to be lost under the water."

[Mr. Handy]

"Well, Dunwich was a major city during the Crusades," said Virgil, "so it is not surprising that crusaders came from here, nor should it be odd that one of them would plunder a valuable gem and bring it home. But, you're right, it is remarkable that something so priceless is right under our noses, and sad that it has remained buried for centuries. It is not quite correct to say that the Eye of Hydra is lost, however. I know precisely where it is. The difficulty lies in retrieving it."

[ImpInTraining]

Mangled body... lynched... Lucius had some other guesses about who might be responsible. Regarding the brother's death, the Roman said "Forgive me, I was distracted earlier." He glanced outside again. One might think he was expecting company, or very paranoid. Looking back to their host, he went on to ask "Tell me, Mr. Sommes... did the townsfolk also have ill-feelings against your brother?"

[Mr. Handy]

"You might say that, yes," said Virgil. If he noticed that Lucius was paying undue attention to the window, he didn't show it. "He was accused of killing old Josiah Lake. Many here in Dunwich admired Captain Lake, and our family were the only real enemies he had left. To be honest, I believe Edward did kill him, but he should have had a chance to defend himself in court." He sighed. "The feud between our families dates back to 1945. After the war, Captain Lake returned to Dunwich a hero. He immediately started taking full advantage of it, throwing money around with abandon to win the support of the prominent people in the area. He was suddenly flush with gold, and nobody knew for sure where he got it, though the most likely possibility is that he looted it from the Japanese. My father, Edward Soames, Sr., led the opposition to Lake. He was a man of high moral character, and he could not countenance bribery or corruption."

[ImpInTraining]

"Captain Josiah Lake," Lucius repeated to dedicate it to memory. Looking to Story, the Roman stated, "I believe that is where we will find more answers about this situation. I think perhaps the villagers maintain a loyalty to the deceased war hero - for unexplained reasons. We can verify this if we look into Captain Lake's life, maybe explore his estate if at all possible."

He asked Virgil, "I presume Captain Lake was buried in a nearby cemetary?"

[jaysun81]

Story nods at Lucius and says, "Excellent idea."

[Mr. Handy]

"Captain Lake was buried in the cemetery at St. James's Church," said Virgil. "It's the only one left on land, and it's still in use. You'll find it all the way at the end of St. James's Street. Father John Stewart is the man in charge at the church, and he no doubt can tell you more. Lake lived at the old Barne Manor, which he purchased in 1947 with his ample wealth. If you continue down Monastery Hill to the southwest, you'll find the driveway on the right eventually. It's private property, though. Lake's family still lives there, and it's to them that the townspeople are still loyal, though many of them do remember old Josiah fondly. He married some island girl that he brought back with him after the war, though nobody's ever really seen her as far as I know. Their son Bertie now basically controls Dunwich. There's also a daughter, Victoria. Bertie's sickly, they say. He hasn't shown himself in years."

[ImpInTraining]

Lucius acknowledged with a nod, then asked "I don't suppose your father kept a diary as well? I should like to know his personal insight about this Captain Lake. Or ... barring that, perhaps you might point us to someone else in the village who would have an unbiased opinion about the Lake family?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Nobody in Dunwich has an unbiased opinion about the Lake family," said Virgil, "especially not me. Everybody either hates them or loves them, and there are few left that hate them. Some of the older people who remember what things were like before Josiah returned may resent them, but they'd be sure to hide their true feelings. Everyone already knows where I stand, though. My father may have kept a diary, but I do not know what became of it. I was only three when he died."

[jaysun81]

"Mr. Soames, has anyone else ever inquired about the stories you write?" Story looks towards Virgil.

[yockenthwaite]

Elizabeth looks up with interest at Story's question, and turns attentively to see what the answer will be.