IC-Ep 2-Searching the Past(Chad/Raymond/Salem)

[Mr. Handy]

Dunwich Museum - Dunwich, England
11:35 AM - Thursday, September 5, 1985

"Do you have any questions about the Roman exhibits?" asked Amelia. "When you're ready, we'll move on and I'll show you the exhibits on Saxon Dunwich."

[SSior.27]

Chad continues to follow and listens only a little bit. "Ready when you are."

[Mr. Handy]

"The Roman Empire fell into decline," explained Amelia as she led the group to the next cluster of exhibits. "They withdrew from Britain, replaced by the Angles and Saxons who plundered the eastern coast in their absence. They used Dunwich for the same purpose that the Romans did: trading with the Continent. In the seventh century A.D., the Saxon king of East Anglia decided to convert to Christianity, and he brought his friend, a monk named Felix, to Dunwich from his native Burgundy to convert the people. He became known as Saint Felix, and he was the first bishop of Dunwich. Here is a portrait of him." She indicated a panel of stained glass.



"It was from that point that Dunwich became a centre for religion as well as commerce, and the construction of churches for which the town became famous began. Aethilwald was the last bishop of Dunwich, in the ninth century, and his seal can be found in the British Museum in London, but we have a replica of it here." She pointed it out.

[DetectiveSocks]

"I assume St. James Church was built around the seventh and ninth century?" asked Salem.

[Mr. Handy]

"Actually, no," said Amelia. "It was the last one constructed here, built in 1832. All of the old churches were built to the east and are now sunken. By 1832, only All Saints' Church was left, standing on a cliff edge overlooking the sea. They built St. James's Church inland so that it wouldn't meet the fate of all the others."

[CrackheadC.]

"What happened in the ninth century that Dunwich lost it's Diocese? Not enough people?" Raymond asked as they walked through the museum. "Has there ever been a plague or disease outbreak in Dunwich?"

Raymond tried to turn his line of questioning to a more useful subject, as much as he enjoyed the little history lesson they did have a job to do.

[Mr. Handy]

"No, Dunwich was still growing in those days," said Amelia. "The coastal erosion didn't really get underway until after a tremendous storm in the 13th century. Dunwich, like any other English city, had its share of plagues. The Black Death struck in the 1340s, same as it did in London and elsewhere. More recently there's been a rash of odd...deformities in the local populace. It started showing up in the seventies. The people who developed them looked normal before, and it seems to only affect young adults. I've never heard of it happening to children or older people. Maybe it has something to do with that nuclear plant nearby."

[CrackheadC.]

"Yeah, we saw a gentleman with some skin problems at the inn. That is odd, I can't imagine it would be the nuclear plant - if it was then everyone would be getting sick. Unless all the young folks that have been becoming deformed all work there. Is there anything obvious that they have in common?" Raymond inquires.

[Mr. Handy]

"Just the symptoms, and the fact that they're all from Dunwich," said Amelia. "Nobody is really spared. Some of the poorest residents have it, and so does Bertie Lake. It affects both men and women. I don't really know too much about medicine. For that, you should talk to Dr. Richard Strong, who lives just up the street. History is my speciality."

[CrackheadC.]

"Bertie Lake?" Raymond is quite interested, "I met Dr. Strong briefly when I got into town, is he treating these people?"

[Mr. Handy]

"I'd imagine so," said Amelia. "He's the only doctor in town. Mr. Lake hasn't been seen in a few years. His condition is probably getting worse. He's the son of the late Captain Josiah Lake, who rose to prominence after he came back from the war. The Barne family used to own Dunwich, but they sold off their assets in 1947, and he bought a lot of them, including their manor and grounds."

[SSior.27]

"Fascinating. Where is the manor? Would we be able to drive by and see that... fixture of historical... importance?" And at that point Chad remembered why he wasn't the one asking the questions...

[Mr. Handy]

"Oh, it's right down Monastery Hill," answered Amelia. "You can get there by turning right at the end of the street past the Ship Inn, and you'll eventually see it on your right. You should be able to have a nice view of it from the road, but you'll need to stay off of the driveway leading to the manor. It's private property, and the Lake family values its privacy very highly."

[CrackheadC.]

"I wonder why the Barne family sold everything off. I feel like if I owned most of a town I would keep hold of it - for investment's sake at least." Raymond thinks for a few moments before coming to a the decision to just make the plunge, "You know, it's strange that people in town get that disease, or at least some people and not others. Our friend Valerie Kirby mentioned a guy by the name of Armistead that developed all these symptoms and from what I heard, he was only in Dunwich for a short time."

Spoiler:

Don't think that I am a talker or your characters shouldn't or can't ask questions/move the plot along. I very often talk myself into a corner or am stumped for questions.

[Mr. Handy]

"Oh, you know Dr. Kirby!" said Amelia, brightening. "She did pay the museum a visit a couple of days ago, and I had a great conversation with her. I'm glad she recommended this place to you. Armistead...I know I've heard that name before...Of course, Beth Armistead! She's an historian too. She wrote a book about Dunwich some thirty years ago. But you said it was a guy. A relative, perhaps?"

[CrackheadC.]

"You know Beth Armistead? What am I saying, of course you know of her since she is a Dunwich historian." Raymond relaxes a little bit, "Yeah, I'm talking about a relative of hers, her son actually. His name's Simon, he came to visit Dunwich not too long ago and he developed the same deformities that some of the people we've seen here have. Except his seemed to be very acute."

As they walk and talk Raymond continues, "He was only in Dunwich for a little bit, though he changed just the same. Dr. Kirby, myself and my fellows are trying to figure out why, in case it is something dangerous. We haven't heard from Dr. Kirby though, she was supposed to meet us here. Can you tell me anything about what she was doing while she was here? What she was looking into, who she was talking to?"

[Mr. Handy]

"I've never heard of anyone from outside of Dunwich coming down with any symptoms," said Amelia. "Dr. Kirby and I talked a lot about Dunwich's history, and she did ask me about the odd deformities, but I didn't have any answers for her other than what I told you. She wanted to know more about recent history here, so I directed her to old Zeke Baker, the chap who found the denarius. He can usually be found combing the beaches when he isn't out fishing. He's usually a bit taciturn, but some liquor will set him to talking. She left the museum after that, presumably to go find him. I don't know who else she spoke to, though. Mr. Baker is about fifty years old or so, and he typically wears a green mackintosh and a fisherman's hat. If he's on the beach, he's probably going about with a metal detector."

[CrackheadC.]

"I'll have to talk to both of them I suppose. Quick question, why did the Barne family sell out to the Lakes? I imagine owning most of a town - even one on the decline - can be quite profitable."

[Mr. Handy]

"I don't really know why the Barne family sold off their holdings," said Amelia. "I was young at the time. The war impoverished many people, so they might have needed the money, or maybe they wanted to seek out a better investment. They sold it to many of the people living in Dunwich, not just the Lake family. Captain Lake was very wealthy after he came back from the war, so he was able to afford their manor."

Spoiler:

Everyone is moving to the thread linked below.

Tourists