Play@YSDC

Duc's Palace, Workshop - Vyones, Auvergne, France
11:05 PM - Sunday, April 19, 1517

Gui glanced up in shock from where he knelt over the body, the crystal in one hand and the puzzle box in the other. The hurled dagger that had slashed his left shoulder lay on the floor nearby. The man standing in the open doorway that led back to the corridor who had apparently thrown it now seemed to be unarmed, but he looked like he was quite capable of finishing him off even without a weapon to hand. He registered the teenage girl's emergence from the blue box, but she did not look like a threat.

Jacques stood in the doorway. The man he had wounded was still conscious, but he was hurt rather badly. The girl who had come out of the box only served to make things more confusing.

Brook stepped out of the TARDIS into the chaos of the workshop, taking in the scene, including the dead man.

In the TARDIS console room, Story and Elizabeth could see what was going on through the open doors, though they couldn't see much of the room from there. Into what had Brook just stumbled?

It is currently Gui's turn to act. Brook, please roll Sanity for seeing the corpse. Sanity loss is 0/1D3, so you'll lose no Sanity if you succeed or 1D3 if you fail. Elizabeth and Story will also need to roll if they exit the TARDIS, but they can't see the body from the console room. Jacques does not need to roll for seeing the body, being a seasoned warrior. Gui already rolled.

After Gui's action, then Brook and Story act at around the same time, followed by Elizabeth.

Gui swore and rolled out of the way, an involuntary groan of pain escaping through gritted teeth. He scurried around behind the blue box so the man in the doorway couldn’t target him again.

He glanced around - the only viable exit was the door to the bedroom or the door back into the hallway, and his assailant was blocking that. He pulled out his own dagger as he peaked around the corner of box. ”It was not me, Monsieur!” he called. “I heard him cry out and came to render aid!”

[2] = 2
SAN 87 d%: [ 2 ] = 2

Sadly, Brook has seen more than her fair share of death, or perhaps the strangeness of her surroundings is enough to occupy her attention.

Skidding to a halt, she lets out a surprised yelp.

“Woah! This isn’t Carneby Street! Story, Liz, you’d better get out here!”

As if noticing the two men for the first time, she grins nervously at each of them in turn, trying to place their archaic clothing.

[10] = 10
History 29 d%: [ 10 ] = 10
Hard success!

Jacques:

"Verminous dog! You murdered this old gentleman and I caught you stealing jewels from his body. Surrender and I shall have you before the Duc. Or if you do not surrender, I shall break your bones."

Jacques looks to Brook. "Miss, keep away from this murderous rogue. He is dangerous. Ah... Bad. Man. Well, boy really." He realises the young lady may be a foreigner therefore starts using short words and speaking loudly, as always helps with foreign types.

”You do me a great disservice, Monsieur!” cried Gui around the corner of the box. “Your words cut me almost as deep as the blade of your dagger that you impudently threw in my direction, without even ascertaining the facts of the situation!”

Since we're now out of combat, everyone may act normally. If Story and Elizabeth come out, they may also roll History.

The wounded man was dressed in black clothing of a cheap but functional sort, as was the dead man. The man who had thrown the dagger was in more elegant clothing. From the style, and from her surroundings, Brook deduced that this was the early Renaissance, most likely the early 16th century. There was something familiar about the contents of the workshop, too. The style of the painting and some of the strange devices in it reminded her of Leonardo da Vinci.

Jacques:

Jacques has a good parade ground roar. "Villainous son is an unwed pig! Spare me your lies. What would a good Christian be doing, skulking around in the old gentleman's apartments in the wee hours of the night? How did you even get into the palace? Walked up a wall by accident and fell through a window?"

Turning back to address Brook again, Jacques adds slowly and loudly, "Miss, Bad Man has Sharp Knife, very bad, stay back." Helpfully, he mimes over-hand stabbing motions and points at the other chap.

Gui had to admit that it didn’t look good but he wasn’t about to concede that to the pompous ass shouting his mouth off. He glanced around the corner of the box as the man was miming a stabbing action.

”Beware, Mademoiselle!” he cried. “The son of a syphilitic donkey means to kill you! Do not trust him - he means you harm!”

Brook steps back, alarmed.

“Definitely not Carneby Street! Everyone just chill okay? Let’s just discuss this like adults and stop waving sharp things around, yeah?”

Jacques:

Jacques is relieved the foreign girl speaks French, sort of. He stops speaking as though to a stupid child.

"Actually, Miss, I'm unarmed. As opposed to the murderous thief over there. I would be most grateful if you could get behind me so I can protect you, which I assure you I can do even unarmed. With my body if necessary."

Jacques turns back to Gui. "Unpleasant offspring of a diseased black rat, do you intend to surrender to be brought before the Duc?"

The door at the rear of the workshop opened, behind which stood an old man in nightclothes with white hair and a beard to match. In his left hand he held a lit candle in a holder, and with his right he picked up a loaded crossbow that he had leaned against the wall beside the door in order to free his hand and open it. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

Brook recognized the man from descriptions and pictures she had seen. This was Leonardo da Vinci!

I guessed that would be the case but didn’t want to presume anything.

”Armed?! I am not armed!” blustered Gui indignantly, desperately trying to hide his dagger and blackjack about his person. “I merely employ my ready charm and my quick wits, which is why I have the better of you, you camel’s behind!”

Gui was just congratulating himself on his repartee when he spotted the old man with the crossbow. He smiled at him weakly, ”Oh, err, bonjour, Monsieur…”

"Bonjour?" said the man. "Does it look like daytime to you? What are all of you doing in my workshop? I am Leonardo da Vinci. And who are you, monsieur?"

Yes, it's a telepathic gift to those who travel in the TARDIS. They hear everything in their native languages, and those who hear them hear them in their own languages. It was actually explained in The Masque of Mandragora.

Brook’s jaw drops open.

“Oh my god… it-it’s you! Leonardo da Vinci!”

She turns back to the TARDIS.

“Hey! Get out here! You’ll never guess who’s here!”

”I am Gui l’Argot, gentleman th… err, gentleman around town,” replied Gui, with a hurried bow. “As I was attempting to explain to the slack-witted buffoon by the door, I heard a cry of distress and being a kindly Samaritan, I came to the aid of the poor unfortunate that you see before you. Indeed, such is the witlessness of the gentleman over there that he violently assaulted me as I was in the process of giving succour so that this poor fellow might ascend to the heavens to atone for his sins and sit at God’s right hand…”

He glared at his assailant for good measure.

“Well it certainly doesn’t look like 1960s London. I hope Brook is alright.”
Elizabeth leaves Story and walks to the door to stand next to Brook.
“Oh my word, Renaissance France, incredible!” She whispers to Brook.

History 73 roll:46

"A likely story, monsieur," said Leonardo, keeping his crossbow raised. "This fellow will not be sitting at God's right hand, and I doubt you will be either. I want an explanation as to what is happening. The truth this time."

”You have me at a distinct disadvantage, Monsieur” replied Gui, judging that this Leonardo da Vinci was no fool, and more pertinently, that Gui wasn’t going to outrun a crossbow bolt if he pulled the trigger...

He smiled the most disarming smile he could muster under the circumstances. “I was a guest at the Duc’s event this evening and I heard that you were residing with him. I merely hoped for a glimpse of some of your works and I foolishly visited after hours so that I might admire them as I feared you would not entertain me otherwise. I found this man, slain by this automaton, and after I ascertained that he was indeed for the afterlife - whether he ascend to heaven or otherwise - I admit that I removed the jewel and the box, but for the purposes of examination only!”

He turned and glared again at his assailant. “Were it not for this Andouille wounding me most grievously, I would have set them aside and left the room, but instead, like Caesar, I must bear the stab in the back from the despicable Brutus!”

Jacques:

Jacques raises an eyebrow at the addition of Da Vinci and Elizabeth to the ensemble.

"Master Da Vinci, your fame as an artist precedes you at least as far as distant Rhodes. And probably a good deal further, I'll be bound. I am the Chevalier Jacques du Baudin, also a guest of the Duc, and at your service."

"By way of explanation for this ruckus, I was in my room here in the palace when I was disturbed by a commotion. I went to explore and saw your door ajar. On looking through, I saw this rogue standing over the dead fellow, and relieving him of a box and a jewel."

"Without further ado, fearing murder was afoot, I attacked him, with a view to bringing him before the Duc, one way or another." Jacques smiles at Gui.

"The younger young lady is a foreigner but can be understood, more or less. I cannot speak for the second lady. And I have no idea who they are or where they came from."

“We’re, um, travellers,” says Brook. “We sort of arrived by accident.”

“Ur yes, we got rather lost In afraid. This is Miss Davies and I am Miss Young. A pleasure to make your acquaintances.” Elizabeth says.
“ If I may say so, it looks rather like that dead man might have been a thief. It’s lucky this young man has recovered the stolen artefacts.”

Sanity roll: 28 pass.

Two burly guards in chainmail armor with the Duc d'Auvergne's tabards over it, which bore the image of what looked like a stick with branches over a French fleur de lis, arrived from the hallway. Their naked blades were in their hands. "Sacre bleu!" cried one of them when he saw the dead thief. The other crossed himself.

"You will return the crystal and the box to me now, please," said Leonardo to Gui. "I am delighted to meet you, young ladies, and you, Sir Chevalier. I would prefer it had been in the morning, of course. I am old and require my sleep. The thief got what was coming to him, it seems. While it was the automaton that killed him, it is not autonomous. It is incapable of acting on its own. It can only be operated by the controls in the back. It seems unlikely he could have done so from in front of it."

Gui bowed to Elizabeth. At least she recognised that he was merely recovering the items until such time that the opportunity arose to deliver them into the safekeeping of their owner. Sadly that time was now and he handed them to da Vinci with an obsequious bow…

As he stood up, he considered what da Vinci had said about the controls of the automaton. ”Monsieur,” he addressed da Vinci, “Who was entrusted with the knowledge of how to control your creation?I”

"I am the only one who knows how to operate the automaton," said Leonardo. Now that the guards had arrived, he returned the crossbow to its place and retrieved the box and the crystal. "I could not have done so, as I was asleep in the other room. I would have been well within my rights if I had, of course. The thief was clever enough to solve the puzzle box in order to remove the crystal, so he may have been clever enough to figure out how to make the automaton move, or he could have done so by accident while examining it. However, as you can see, there were limits to his cleverness." He peered at the crystal. "Strange. It used to glow with light. The glow is gone."

“But this fellow could not have made the automaton move and be struck by the axe at the same time? It is not possible!” declared Gui. “Why would someone try to reach around the creature to manipulate the controls? It makes no sense!”

Edited!

Jacques:

"Right, well, we better sort this mess out in the morning." Assuming an air of calm command, Jacques turns to the guards and indicates Gui and the body. "Gentlemen, this man - the one who's not dead - will need to be brought before the Duc in the morning to explain himself. I do not want to be the one to wake His Grace now though, so this one will need to be kept somewhere safe till then. Unless he really does have a guest apartment in the palace somewhere?"

"And we'll need some servants to carry the body out, so Master Da Vinci may retire in peace. Perhaps it could be taken to one of the cold cellars, till more permanent accommodation can be arranged tomorrow?" Jacques seems familiar with such grim practicalities.

Brook sidles back to Story and Elizabeth.

“I guess we’re gonna stay, yeah?”

Sorry for the silence - that crisis I mentioned is still going on.

Failed History but succeeded at Sanity.

"We probably should do that, yes," says Story to Brooke. "May I examine that device of yours, Master Leonardo?"

Crisis? I may have missed a post.

Jacques:

Jacques' mouth gapes at the appearance of a third foreign lady. "By St John! Are there any more of you?"

Jacques realised he may have been rude and visibly attempts to control himself, clearing his throat. "And I must admit ladies that I don't recognise the style of your clothing. May I ask what country you hail from?"

"We shall escort him to his guest quarters and make sure he stays there until morning," said one of the guards. "Then we shall summon servants to remove the dead man."

Leonardo's eyebrows rose at the sight of Story's appearance. "Be my guest, mademoiselle," he said to Story. "Just be careful. Our fellow guest is right, it does not make sense why he should reach around behind the automaton while standing in front of it. Perhaps someone else operated it." He glanced over at Gui. "I can show you how it works if you like." He examined the strange blue box from which she emerged. "How did this get into my workshop? It must have been a tight fit for the three of you. Did you have it brought in during the night, with yourselves inside? If so, it is far more elaborate than Cleopatra arranging to be brought before Julius Caesar hidden in a bed sack."

Welcome back!

If you want to try to figure out on your own how the automaton operates, please roll Mechanical Repair (for the TARDIS crew) or Repair/Devise (for Jacques). Gui has already rolled.

The party is actually set to last for about a week, and it's just getting started. Your invitation is good for the entire time, and you do have a guest room nearby.

It suddenly occurs to Brook how anachronistic she and her friends must look. Leaving Story to speak to Leonardo (she isn’t sure she could resist the temptation to ask after the other ninja turtles), she focuses on answering Jacques.

She pauses for a second, unsure if France and Britain were friends or enemies during renaissance times.

“We’re from, um, Narnia. We do dress differently, but if clothes are provided we’d happily change if our outfits offend… I suppose.”

“I am sure that this misunderstanding will be resolved in the morning!” said Gui haughtily, as he grudgingly allowed the guards to lead him in the direction of his bedroom.

Jacques:

Jacques watches Gui leaving with some mild respect. To Gui's departing back he says, "You might see if a servant can bandage you up. We don't want you bleeding on the Duc's furniture. And may I recommend - strongly - you present yourself to the Duc very, very unarmed. Sleep tight."

After Gui has gone, Jacques shakes his head. "You have to admire his commitment to his ludicrous story." He collects his own dagger and fastidiously cleans it on the deceased before sliding it back into his boot.

Frowning slightly, Jacques addresses Brook. "Narnia? I've never heard of it. Is that up past Sweden? Once you go past those Swedes, it's all a blur of countries to me with names I'm never sure of. And ice bears, so legend has it."

"But perhaps in Narnia people give you free clothes. I'm afraid here in France, they cost lots of money."

Trying not to look rude, Jacques glances discreetly at the three ladies' attire.

"Whilst I personally have no objection and am in no way offended by the perfection of the female form, I'm afraid that your and your friends' clothes will be considered very, ah, revealing of figure at the Duc's court. I should warn you that it may give the uncouth the impression that you, ah, may, ah, consider your virtue to be negotiable..."

"Miss Young probably need not fear on that account though."

Jacques trails off, slightly red faced, and occupies himself diligently searching the deceased thief, careful not to get blood on his hands or clothes.

Gui didn’t bother to acknowledge Jacques but once outside, he touched his hand to his wound and pulled it away again, inspecting it for blood. “Did you see what he did?! That ruffian stabbed me!” he protested indignantly.

“I shall make a formal complaint to the Duc in the morning, but in the meantime, can you fetch someone to look at my wound - preferably a physician rather than a servant! I’m sure the Duc would be displeased if one of his guests was not taken care of in the appropriate manner!”

"Bring him back here!" called Leonardo, hearing Gui's shout from the hall. "I know more about medicine than anyone else in the palace, and perhaps more than anyone else in France!" The guards dutifully turned Gui around and marched him back to the workshop, where Leonardo took out a needle and thread and sewed Gui's shoulder wound shut. "Once it heals, I'll need to remove the thread." While the bleeding had stopped, even Leonardo was unable to repair the damage.

Leonardo da Vinci's Medicine roll (90% skill) treating Gui's wound:
d%
Jacques, please roll Spot Hidden.

Elizabeth and Brook knew that England and France had historically been enemies, but whether or not there was a war on at the moment depended upon what year it was. They also knew that Scotland, from which Elizabeth hailed, was a long-time friend of France.

Jacques:

1d%pHdd75%

Jacques made a thorough search of the thief's body while Leonardo held his candle near.

Jacques found a roll of lockpicks wrapped around the dead man's calf underneath his clothing, clear tools of the thief's trade. He also found a folded letter tucked under his tunic, on his chest. Thankfully it had been low enough that the halberd blow had not damaged it. The writing was in a flowing script, but unfortunately it was in Italian.

Spoiler:

You may make an Own Language: French roll at half skill to understand the gist of it, as the two languages are fairly similar. You may also roll Insight, whether or not the other roll succeeds.

Jacques:

1d%HLFL48%

1d%H75%

Snapper wrote: ↑Tue Aug 03, 2021 1:12 am

Crisis? I may have missed a post.

A death in the family, and some fallout.

Mr. Handy wrote: ↑Tue Aug 03, 2021 1:41 am Leonardo's eyebrows rose at the sight of Story's appearance. "Be my guest, mademoiselle," he said to Story. "Just be careful. Our fellow guest is right, it does not make sense why he should reach around behind the automaton while standing in front of it. Perhaps someone else operated it."

"Merci," Story says to Leonardo. She doesn't attempt to make it do anything, just examine it and try to glean what principles govern how it would work (and what might cause it to malfunction, since Leonardo mentioned it should be glowing more than it is).

When Gui is ushered back into the room, she looks up and says briskly, "Well, now that we're all back in one place, perhaps we should share why we're here, one at a time, and no one contradicting anyone else until we're all done. Does that sound rational? My friends and I are simple travellers - our presence here is inadvertent, but sometimes we do find ourselves in places of crisis. By the way, does anyone mind if I turn the lamps up?"

Gui shrugged, ignoring the twinge in his shoulder from Da Vinci’s needlework. It didn’t really matter to him if the strangely-attired women decided to light the lamps. He would have preferred to have hidden his identity in the shadows but saying no might seem strange so he’d have to grin and bear it.

Assuming the lamps are lit…

As the room brightened, Gui stepped forward, pulling his jerkin straight and brushing his hair back from his face. He bowed deeply. “Enchanté, Mademoiselle,” he said. “My name is Gui l’Argot, a gentleman of leisure and a guest of the Duc, who shall be hearing of this indignity in the morning!”

He glared at Jacques and continued. “And as I said previously, intrigued by the famous intellect of Monsieur Da Vinci” - he turned and bowed to the inventor - “I sought to marvel even if briefly at his magnificent works. I accept that it was wrong of me to do so, but when I entered, I saw that this poor fellow had been struck so I rushed to his aid. It was at that moment, that the pompous peacock over there - who, for all we know, could have already been hiding in this very room and at least had a hand in this man’s murder - assaulted me most grievously.”

Jacques:

Jacques, kneeling and concentrating while trying to decipher Italian, looks up at Gui and rolls his eyes. "Pirate's blood, he's still here. Guards, the young man is all sewn back together and must be escorted to his room now. Please God."

Returning to the letter, Jacques hands it to Da Vinci.

"Determined, intelligent, female handwriting, I believe. As best I can make out, she has offered one "Giuseppe" a thousand florins for a crystal in your possession."

"I presume Giuseppe is our man with the lock picks here." Jacques pats the corpse. "I presume the crystal is your gem that you say has stopped glowing."

Thankyou everyone.

"Then the first question that comes to mind is where this crystal came from. Did the box came with it, or is of your own design, Master Leonardo?"

Leonardo nodded his assent, and Story lit the lamps to examine the automaton more closely. It was advanced for its time, but still primitive by her standards. While she did, he examined the letter. "It is just as you say," he confirmed to Jacques. "I have been reading Italian since I was a very small child. So a very wealthy woman, whoever she may be, has hired this miscreant Giuseppe to steal my crystal. The box is indeed of my own design, which I used to secure the crystal. Few are smart enough to be able to open it, but he managed. Whoever he was, he will no doubt be missed by someone - someone with a thousand florins to spend. The crystal is said to be from lost Atlantis. I do not know whether this is true or not, as I have no way to verify this, but it had an unnatural pale green glow to it before. I purchased it a few years ago back when I lived in Italy, from a traveling merchant."

"Come with us, monsieur," one of the guards said to Gui.

Story, please roll Mechanical Repair to try to determine how the automaton works.

It's the crystal that used to glow, not the automaton. Leonardo was looking at it when he mentioned that it doesn't glow any more.

All of you have heard of Leonardo da Vinci. To find out exactly how much you know, Jacques and Gui may make Know rolls. For the others, how much you know is based on the History rolls you've already made. Story failed and only knows the basics. Elizabeth and Brook know more details, especially Brook, who rolled a better success.

Jacques:

1d%95%

Jacques contemplates the famous Master as they consider the evening's events.

Mechanical Repair Roll 34 - success.

"It's a remarkable creation," Story says as she examines the automaton. Realising they're taking Gui away, she asks, "I can certainly understand your curiosity, but was it general, or was there a particular reason why it overcame you tonight?"

Unfortunately, the automaton was just too primitive for Story to understand its construction. Give her an experimental high-tech robot and she'd have a chance, but this? The only ways she'd learn how to use it were either trial and error or if someone else demonstrated.

Spoiler:

I'm sorry, but I think you were looking at Elizabeth's character sheet. She has 35% in Mechanical Repair and is the only PC who could have succeeded with a 34. You have the base skill of 20%, which makes the 34 a failure.

You know everything you can research about Leonardo da Vinci, including about his inventions and the military designs he's developed. If there's anything relevant to the plot that you could know about him, I'll fill you in about it as it occurs.

1d100 Gui’s done his homework…

Gui turned back into the room once again and favoured Story with a winning smile. “Mademoiselle, this is the great Leonardo Da Vinci. The word genius is lightly used these days but for this man, it is very much deserved. There has never been a man who knew more about painting, sculpture and the human form, not to mention architecture and many other mathematical disciplines. I wished only to marvel at his creations but thought that a lowly creature such as myself would never be favoured with an audience. I freely admit that I came here uninvited, but only to marvel in his greatness, nothing more.”

While everyone else was busy, Brook allows herself a moment of reflection.

They’d arrived in renaissance France, with none other than Leonardo da Vinci! How cool is that?

Of course, turning up unannounced in such a time period, dressed in modern clothes, does have it’s challenges…

“Um, where are we gonna sleep?” she asks to no one in particular.

“If you wish, Mademoiselle, you may sleep in my bed,” replied Gui smoothly, with a deep bow.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, out of politeness if nothing else, Brook casts a glance at Story and Elizabeth.

“Perhaps we three might share a room?”

“I only have a modest apartment, Mademoiselle, scarcely big enough for one guest. Perhaps this gentleman,” he indicated Jacques, “might be persuaded to give up his no doubt sumptuous apartment for you. I’m sure he could find somewhere suitable to lay his head for the evening, such as a stable or such like…” said Gui disarmingly.

Jacques:

Jacques pinches the bridge of his nose, starting to feel weary now.

"Firstly, that's very unpleasant. Miss Brook is just a girl. Make no further such jests."

"Secondly, can everyone please stop calling this man back? Guards, he can go now." Jacques says this virtually grinding his teeth.

"Thirdly, ladies, if you have nowhere to sleep, of course you may stay in my apartment here in the palace. I will find somewhere else to sleep for the rest of the night."

“I merely offered the lady the use of my room, Monsieur. If you chose to misinterpret that gesture in some sort of sordid and depraved way, then we can only pray that St. Peter is forgiving on the day that your ascend to the pearly gates.” said Gui haughtily.

“Now, if no one has any further questions for me, I think I will retire for the evening. I will bid you ladies and Monsieur Da Vinci au revoir and I say adieu to you, you pompous peacock, for our next meeting need not be hasty.” he continued.

He bowed and left the room with the guards in tow. The last thing that Jacques heard as Gui’s voice faded down the corridor was, “Who was that cul de cheval? He seemed tediously full of himself… …”

Jacques:

Jacques waits patiently for Gui to leave, massaging his temples with one hand. He looks around suspiciously to see if anyone calls Gui back again.

I should have asked the guards to throw him to the ground very roughly, Jacques thinks.

"Right, all that needs to be done now is for the palace servants to take Giuseppe here away, and tidy up the mess a bit. Then we might retire. Morning will be here quite soon enough and the Duc will no doubt wish to hear from Master Da Vinci and me, at least."

"Thank you," said Leonardo with a slight bow. "Ladies, I'm sure arrangements can be made for you and your...cabinet," he said. "The Duc d'Auvergne has plenty of guest suites, and there are still a few vacant even with so many in attendance. When the servants arrive to remove Giuseppe, I will ask them to make it happen. The Duc would be pleased to accommodate you, both out of chivalry and as a favor to me."

The guards escorted Gui out of the workshop and down the corridor toward his own guest quarters. "Chevalier Jacques du Baudin?" said one of them. "Why, he is a legendary knight. You are lucky he did not kill you."

You know everything you can research about Leonardo da Vinci, including about his inventions and the military designs he's developed. If there's anything relevant to the plot that you could know about him, I'll fill you in about it as it occurs.

“Awesome!”

“Um, I mean, thank you for your gracious hospitality.”

Brook curtsies awkwardly in what she hopes is a suitably historical manner.

“A knight?!” exclaimed Gui. “I thought you had to be of noble birth to be a Chevalier! It seems they award them to just about anyone nowadays!”

Jacques:

Jacques looks very pleased with Da Vinci's plan and nods approvingly

"Miss Brook and Miss Story, I would encourage you both to find some dress-ware tomorrow that is slightly less scandal-inducing than your current choices. If you want to be heard, not stared at."

Brook nods. Perhaps the TARDIS will contain suitable attire.

Jacques:

Killing time while waiting on the servants, Jacques inspects the automaton suit of armour.

1d%p/d20%

Unfortunately, any machine more complex than a horse or sword is outside his experience.

"Master Da Vinci, is it safe to remove the halberd from the thief? I won't break your device?"

"You are very welcome, Signorina," said Leonardo.

Story, Elizabeth, and Brook knew that the TARDIS had a vast wardrobe filled with clothes of all sizes, eras, and cultures. It was where Story had gotten her current outfit.

"Any noble can make someone a knight," said the guard to Gui. "Jacques du Baudin was knighted for valor on the field of battle. He is one of the Knights Hospitaller."

Jacques could not understand how the automaton worked. "Yes, it should be safe," said Leonardo. "Especially as you look like you know how to handle a weapon."

Jacques:

Jacques puts a boot on the thief's chest then pulls the halberd free, still trying to stay blood free if he can help it. "You can rest easy now lad," he says to the deceased in a friendly voice, "No more late night adventures for you." Jacques crosses himself.

1d100 Gui has heard of the Knights Hospitaller.

“A Knight Hospitaller?” said Gui. “He doesn’t strike me as particularly hospitable to me!” He grinned at his own joke and then glanced up and down the corridor with exaggerated care. “Do you fellows know where we might get a drink? The night is but young, after all…”

The halberd slid out of the automaton's gauntlets without a problem, and Jacques removed it from the body. The blade was coated in blood, but the shaft was long enough that he was easily able to keep any from getting onto him or his clothes.

"We will have a servant bring you some wine," the guard told Gui.

Everyone has heard of the Knights Hospitaller, but your Know roll means you know anything you can look up about them (from up to 1517).

Gui bid the guards a good night and let himself into his room. He listened at the door for a few moments then quickly started exploring the room in case he had to make an exit in a hurry…

“Yes, we had better find more suitable attire in the Tardis before meeting the Duc; I doubt he will be as open-minded as these gentlemen. And then I wouldn’t mind a nap.” Agrees Elizabeth.

Previously said:   I should have asked the guards to throw him to the ground very roughly, Jacques thinks

As with Pilate’s ‘wapscallion’?

Brook nudges Elizabeth.

“I suppose trying on fancy outfits is some recompense for missing a shopping trip.”

She suppresses a giggle, suddenly remembering that a man died in the room not long ago.

"I am grateful for your hospitality," Story says, taking in both Jacques and Leonardo.

Once the three time travelers and their"cabinet" are ensconced in their chamber, Story puts a finger to her lips, then very quietly says, "I admit I am not the greatest TARDIS pilot Gallifrey has produced, but I am sure I didn't mess up this time. And if that's the case, it means some other factor brought us here. So you were quite right earlier, Brooke. We need to stay at the very least until we find out what that is, and whether it poses any further threat to the people here."

More loudly, she says, ""What delightful chambers. We are very fortunate."

Jacques:

Jacques politely remains with Da Vinci until the servants arrive to clean up the mess. Once that appears to be in hand, he will retire for the rest of the night.

“Let’s get some rest and some clothes,”, suggest Brook.

“In the morning we can get a better look at this jewel. I hope it isn’t the same one the Steadmans we’re using!”

“God forbid! But it could be possible I suppose. The fact that it lights up means it isn’t just a bauble.
We must find out who this woman of the 1000 Florins is and how she knew about the jewel.” Elizabeth sits on a couch, takes off her shoes and lies down with a big yawn.

Story, Elizabeth, and Brook are moving to the thread linked below:

French Toast in the Renaissance

Jacques is moving to the thread linked below:

Good Knight

Gui is moving to the thread linked below:

A Thief in the Night