The Campsite

[Cearlan]

OOC,IDEA rolls please Gentlemen Due to your occupations and the fact that you are Arkhamites, I'll give you a bonus ... say +10%

[DrPeterson]

Henry's office was exactly what you expected it to be. On the first floor of the building was a door with a big glass pane with his name on it and inside was the confirmation of the cliché. Creaky boards, empty desk and the residual smell of cigarettes.



He led Jimmy up to the second floor, where a small but comfortable apartment housed the detective. Putting some spare clothes and towels in the bath room, he retires to his living area.

While the young reporter was getting changed, Henry picked up his violin case and took out his prized instrument. He put the bow to the strings and started playing the 4th movement from the New World Symphony, staring out of the window and losing himself in thought and the music, when suddenly a flash of insight hit.

IDEA-Success!,[dice]0[/dice]

4th movement,[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yctfXIqugXc[/url]

[Priest]

1d100 → [22] = (22) http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4174238/ (Easy, easy!)

[Cearlan]

Henry,You close your eyes and give yourself over to your prized instrument as it pours forth Dvorak's allegro con fuoco, it seems to act as your muse as it suddenly hits you that the Arkham Historical Society may well have at least some, if not all of information that you can peruse.

Jimmy,As you dry yourself after washing the last traces of river-mud off your neck you get a flash of an image of a beautiful two-story Georgian mansion - the Arham Historical Society, You think to yourself, [color=#FF4000]"Now what was the name of my contact there, the po-faced librarian .... this is going to bug me now - Ropes! Lester Ropes! If anyone can help us it'll be him I hope."[/color]

[Priest]

Using his fingers as a makeshift comb, Jimmy neatens his hair. "You know Henry, I figure that Lester Ropes is the go to guy over this. As librarian over at the Arkham Historical Society, he's our best bet".
He fans the notebook with his copy of the symbols found on the pillar, "I still think this may be some kind of ancient writing, if it is Lester will know".

[DrPeterson]

Nothing against it that we can't both be right, Jimmy!


Once everyone's changed and freshened up, Henry drives to the Historical Society.

[Cearlan]

Whilst you both get ready and travel across town, dark clouds seem to start gathering ahead. It is getting on for about four o'clock when you both turn up at the Arkham Historical Society. As you park up outside the Pingree-Baldwin house as it was formerly known, having been bequeathed to the society by one of Captain Pilgree's descendants. You enter the hallway just as a squall of rain begins to fall once more. Sitting at an ornate desk, surrounded by numerous portraits of notable Arkhamites from the last century, is the society's attractive receptionist.

Henry,you dated her once or twice a few year back, but nothing serious came of it, and you both parted on reasonable terms. Her name is Janice and she is about 40 or so.

[/color]

"Why if it isn't Henry Calamy in the flesh ... Have you come to honour that rain check you left me with, a girl can't wait forever you know? Don't tell me that after all this time you finally got the history bug then, because that would be stretching even my credibility too far." She laughs at the notion and seems genuinely happy to see you. "And who is this fine looking fellow with you then?" Once introductions have been made she looks out the window at the falling rain and asks "So what can the Arkham Historical Society do for two of the town's leading lights then or have you just come in to shelter from the rain?"

[DrPeterson]

Henry's usual scowl turns into an almost charming smile as he sees the receptionist. The day's stress which had been partly subdued by his music, seems to pour from him as he greets the attractive woman.


Janice! What's the matter, can't a guy look for a ray of sunshine and an amazing smile on this bleak day? And I'm on a case now, darling, but I'll buy you dinner when it's cracked.

They both knew there wasn't going to be a dinner, there'd just be another case and then another one. That's why they'd stopped dating, but it was always fun to pretend.

Young Jimmy and I here are actually looking to talk to Lester Ropes, is he in?

[Cearlan]

Janice looks mollified by the offer of dinner, even though she knows it will never be fulfilled. "Ah yes "Lester the Jester" is in the library." She giggles and puts her hand to her mouth. "Sorry it's just because he's so taciturn that we call him that, but never to his face though. Shall I show you the way or do you know where the library is already? C'mon I'll escort you two fine gentlemen up there." Turning to Jimmy she asks as she links her arm in his "So what about you honey are you free to take a girl out tonight?" Her outrageous flirting causes Henry some mirth as he's seen it before, but Jimmy is nearly wrong footed by it.

"Relax lover boy, I'm only teasing ... perhaps."

[Priest]

Jimmy reddens slightly, "Maam". He coughs to cover a moment of confusion, "Yeah I know where the library is but my grandad always said never refuse a beautifull woman"

[DrPeterson]

Henry smiles as he follows them up the stairs, but is stopped suddenly by a violent bout of coughing. Red-faced and out of breath, he waves off any concern and mutters something in the line of not going swimming at his age in this weather.


He takes a moment to catch his breath and then proceeds further up the stairs, producing a cigarette from a coat pocket and putting it between his lips.

[Priest]

Jimmy pauses and waits for Henry to catch up, he watches as Henry puts the cigarette to his lips. "You okay Henry? It isn't far now."
His own adventure into the world of cigarettes hadn't gone too well, his stomach churned at the memory.

[Cearlan]

As soon as you reach the library, you see a young man deep in conversation with Lester Ropes who is sitting, as usual hunched over his desk in the entryway into the John Holden Library. An older lady sits in the far corner of the room apparently dozing whilst 'reading' an old book of some sort. After a few moments the young man departs and Lester looks up at you scowling in his by now familiar fashion. His dark hair and full beard does not mask his look of distaste when you enter, but then he always looks this way. "Well Jimmy Vecchio, looking for someone to put some flesh on an old story once more." His tone is quiet, as befits a library, and acidic, but this is part of the relationship you have with the taciturn librarian. "You still owe me the finders fee from that last one I did for you." his mouth twitches in a half smile, as close as either of you will ever see him to laughter.

The room has several large tables and chairs, most situated besides the large windows that let in the maximum amount of natural light. Where there are no windows and doors, there are large mahogany shelves and bookcases filled to overflowing with books and maps which you know focus on Arkham and the Miskatonic Valley.

[Priest]

Jimmy moves several sheets of paper to one side and half sits on the desk's edge. He knows it will annoy Lester, but does it anyway. He nonchalantly swings his free leg and grins at Henry. "Still banging on about that Lester? You know that our agreement was for a percentage of my fee for the story, and that as a result of the paper not using it your take of my fee is a big fat zero."
Tipping his hat back on his head, he grins again at Henry, then leans close to the straight-faced Lester, sliding his notebook, in which he copied the strange symbols, across the desk toward the librarian.
"However, my friend and I are working a strange case, one which has the potential to earn a lot of bucks and bring much fame to the right person", he taps the notebook, "We recently discovered some strange writing, or code, to me it looks so much scribble, but to someone as educated and smart as you...Well take a look and see what you make of it".
He looks up at Henry and releases the book...

[DrPeterson]

Henry raises an appraising eyebrow as Jimmy does his thing to Lester. He decides to hang back for this one and let the young man the librarian.

When Jimmy looks at him, Henry gives him an encouraging nod, anxious to find out what the symbols mean.

[Cearlan]

"Sorry Jimmy, but I can't help you with this one at all. It is a language of some sort I would guess but not one I am familiar with. How accurate is the sketch? Perhaps the Curator may know something. wait here a moment." He rises and leaves the library. After a few moments he comes back and gestures for you to follow him as he leads you diagonally across the hallway to the office of the curator, a E. Lapham Peabody.



Mr Peabody rises as you enter his office and gestures to two seats opposite his desk before he closes the door and sits behind the desk himself. He looks at you both in silence over steepled fingers as though weighing up how best to deal with you. The only sound in his office is the monotonous ticking of his clock. After what seems to be an eternity, though in reality was only a few minutes, he sighs and says in a cracked and aged voice. "Well my young friends what have we got here do you think, and just exactly where did you come by it?"

[DrPeterson]

Henry steps up and looks at the older man as he speaks in his cop voice.
Well, Mr Peabody, I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to divulge the exact location of the text, but we found it engraved in rock near the scene of a crime. We would very much like to know everything you can tell us about these etchings or whatever they are. Is it some ancient language or formula? Mr Vecchio here made the drawing, but we have some of the original as well, though the pieces are quite cumbersome to move around.

[Priest]

Realising that Mr Peabody might be more impressed by Henry's professional manner then my enthusiasm, I stand back.

[Cearlan]

"You say you have some of the original ... may I see them?" Peabody asks his curiosity obviously piqued. He goes to several bookshelves and consults pages from various books that he takes down. After about ten minutes he seemingly gets frustrated and he sits down heavily.

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you too much about them at the moment. I have seen something like them before somewhere, but I cannot quite remember where. Do you have the originals close by as seeing them may give me some clue as to where I may have been seen the like before."

[Priest]

Having got off Lester's desk at the arrival of Peabody I shuffle my feet slightly and glance at Henry. He had placed the stones he had collected at the site somewhere either in the trunk of his car or back in his office.