Back to the Village (everyone)

[Joajackson]

”Ye should have telt me earlier, Miss,” said Constable Leslie. ”When ye were stood by the hoose.”

He switched off his engine and got out of the car. ”I think ye need to show us whit ye’ve foond,” he said. ”But first…” He moved around to the rear of his car and opened the boot. ”Given what ye’ve said, I think it will be safer for everyone if you place your weapons in here for safekeeping, before we go any further.”

Father Ó Shaban seemed quite worried at the words of the Constable, and he was a really not in the will to go inside no place in this town without protection, so he spoke trying to be as persuasive

"Forrgive me, mister Constable, but I am a very old man, and I am quite tired. I don't believe we all ze present require to present zemselves at ze manor, I reccomend for my and my helper Hamish to stay and rest."

[Mr. Handy]

Bonnie puts her gun case with its weapons in the boot of the car.

[BoyBlunder78]

Dr Douglas places Bonnies shotgun in the trunk. Keeping the small knife he found in the Manor concealed. Don't like the idea of being in that place unarmed he thinks.

[Snapper]

Ascot sighs. "Constable, I will of course do as you ask. However, I am a professional big game hunter, and I'm telling you there are quite recent tracks of some big wild animal up at that manor. Something whose ancestors were brought here from Africa by the last owner of that manor a century ago. Some animal who has killed a sheep and brought it back to the manor to eat. We saw the sheep, freshly dead in a tree."

"And Dr Douglas here has seen the, ah, bones in the manor, gnawed, and can agree an animal did that."

"Now, if you disarm us and we go back to the manor, you better be ready to defend us all because you're going to be responsible for us."

"Finally, this revolver was issued to me when I was commissioned during the War. Dr Douglas is of course a gentleman. Father Shaban is a member of the clergy. And Miss Mackenzie is a gentle-woman and the daughter of a gentleman. I would ask that you remember with whom you are dealing."

With that, Ascot hands over his ironmongery.

OOC:   Any chance Ascot can make a Persuade roll?

[Philulhu]

The party could see Ascot’s words had touched Constable Leslie… …

Persuade roll, please.

[Snapper]

1d%pd40%

OOC:   Hard success! If it will help, Ascot can spend 3 Luck and make it an extreme success.

[Philulhu]

No, it’s fine. Save your luck for when you might need it…

Ascot couldn’t tell what the look was that passed over Constable Leslie’s face, but the policemen said, ”Nae one will interfere with them here.” He leaned into the boot himself and unlocked a wooden box from which he withdrew a service revolver of his own. He closed and locked the boot and turned to face the group.

”If ye wish tae rest, Father, then please remain at the hotel until we return. I may ha’ some questions for ye later,” he said. ”As fae the rest of ye’s let’s go.”

Leslie lead them back through the trees and up to the Manor House. He stopped at the tree line and looked over to the others. ”Right, lead on. Ye can show me whit ye’ve foond.”

[Joajackson]

No, it’s fine. Save your luck for when you might need it…

Ascot couldn’t tell what the look was that passed over Constable Leslie’s face, but the policemen said, ”Nae one will interfere with them here.” He leaned into the boot himself and unlocked a wooden box from which he withdrew a service revolver of his own. He closed and locked the boot and turned to face the group.

”If ye wish tae rest, Father, then please remain at the hotel until we return. I may ha’ some questions for ye later,” he said. ”As fae the rest of ye’s let’s go.”

Leslie lead them back through the trees and up to the Manor House. He stopped at the tree line and looked over to the others. ”Right, lead on. Ye can show me whit ye’ve foond.”

Father Ó Shaban showed some gratefullness to the Constable while stopping Hamish from leaving strangely.
Presuming the Reverend wasn't going to go with the [/b]Constable[/b], he directed himself to talk to him.

"Will you be too occupied forr some conversation while ze ozers investigate ze bodies? I would appreciate if you could tell me of ze manor's history. I have heard some resumes already, but I am sure zere is quite a longer story to tell, given ze time. We can do it over some nice tea, I will pay for it."

The Father was patient while trying to Persuade the priest.

[Mr. Handy]

"Let's go to the crypt first," says Bonnie. "That's where the bodies used to be."

[Snapper]

Ascot gives the others an 'I tried' shrug.

[BoyBlunder78]

Dr Douglas places his hand on Ascots shoulder, giving him look as if saying 'Good effort". " I agree, lets show him the desecration and the footprints before heading upstairs to where that devil rests."

[Philulhu]

”I wouldnae here of ye paying for tea,” said Reverend MacCallan. ”Come wi’ me and I’ll have my housekeeper put the kettle on.”

He lead the way back to his home and invited Father Ó Shaban to take a seat in his study, banking the coals in the fire to bring a bit more warmth to the room. ”Yer pals seem to ha done some digging intae the history of the manor already,” he said. ”But I’ll gi’ ye a potted history of the place. At the time in question, the manor was owned by Gordon MacMorn, a kind, benevolent, Christian man. He and his son, Alexander, regularly attended the kirk and all was well. As he grew up, however, young Alex got the wanderlust and took himself off tae Africa, returning months later a changed man. He nivvor once stepped foot in the kirk once he returned and he kept strange company; a native fellow and a sailor that he’d met on his travels. It wasn’t long afore Gordon McMorn was taken ill and died and frae that moment on, Alex became the Lord of the manor, living in that big old hoose wi’ his strange companions.”

”It didnae take long frae the rumours started and there were strange comings and goings at the hoose. Then, one day, Alex and his companions vanished and were seen nae mair. Not frae that day til this. Naturally, everyone aroondaboots thinks that the place is haunted so everyone hae given it a wide berth. We’ll, until ye and yer pals, that is…”

Constable Leslie took the lead up to the house but once there, bid the others show him what they had found. He looked on at the crypt disapprovingly and appeared thoroughly vexed at the state of the coffins in the house itself.

Eventually he said, ”Is this how ye found it, or have ye moved anything?”

[BoyBlunder78]

" Constable as you can see by the amount of dust lying about this is exactly how we found them and they have been this way fer quite some time".

[Mr. Handy]

"Aye, I touched nothing," says Bonnie.

[Joajackson]

”I wouldnae here of ye paying for tea,” said Reverend MacCallan. ”Come wi’ me and I’ll have my housekeeper put the kettle on.”

He lead the way back to his home and invited Father Ó Shaban to take a seat in his study, banking the coals in the fire to bring a bit more warmth to the room. ”Yer pals seem to ha done some digging intae the history of the manor already,” he said. ”But I’ll gi’ ye a potted history of the place. At the time in question, the manor was owned by Gordon MacMorn, a kind, benevolent, Christian man. He and his son, Alexander, regularly attended the kirk and all was well. As he grew up, however, young Alex got the wanderlust and took himself off tae Africa, returning months later a changed man. He nivvor once stepped foot in the kirk once he returned and he kept strange company; a native fellow and a sailor that he’d met on his travels. It wasn’t long afore Gordon McMorn was taken ill and died and frae that moment on, Alex became the Lord of the manor, living in that big old hoose wi’ his strange companions.”

”It didnae take long frae the rumours started and there were strange comings and goings at the hoose. Then, one day, Alex and his companions vanished and were seen nae mair. Not frae that day til this. Naturally, everyone aroondaboots thinks that the place is haunted so everyone hae given it a wide berth. We’ll, until ye and yer pals, that is…”

Constable Leslie took the lead up to the house but once there, bid the others show him what they had found. He looked on at the crypt disapprovingly and appeared thoroughly vexed at the state of the coffins in the house itself.

Eventually he said, ”Is this how ye found it, or have ye moved anything?”

Spoiler:

The Father heard with quiet attention and interest, answering as the Reverend

"But we werre not ze first one zere. Ze man zat was accused of murrder here said to have been zere zat night. And... If our grub is not incorrect, Alexander brought a strange predator frrom his travels, and it has somehow survived until now... Two sheep in the recent days, maybe more soon or before."

[Snapper]

"We are most definitely not in the habit of disturbing people's final rest."

"By the way, there's a dead sheep in a tree nearby too."

[Philulhu]

”It seems so far-fetched as tae be unlikely, Father,” replied Reverend MacCallan. ”Surely any creature brought back from Africa by Alex McMorn must be long gone. Even if it had hae bairns, we’d surely hae noticed more sheep goin’ missin’? They’d hae to eat after all.”

Constable Leslie studied the animal bones for a long while before grudgingly conceding that they must have been there for some time. ”Whit else ha’ ye found?” he asked.

[Snapper]

OOC:   Animal bones? Weren't they human?

[Snapper]

"Come and see the sheep in the tree. Something has stored it there for later."

[Mr. Handy]

"Aye, the sheep, if it's still there," says Bonnie. "If the beastie didna come back for it."