B.P.R.D. Issue #1 "City of Night"

Prophet HP: 3

Xavier just stands back after asking his initial question and let's Andy take over, nodding his agreement to Andy after he said he could translate.

At first the tribesmen are surprised and a bit suspicious when Andy comes back into the tent and start conversing with them in there tribal tongue, but fairly quickly he is able to charm them with praises and compliments. Nodding their head back and forth among themselves they says {translated from their local tongue} “Blessing upon you stranger, it has been many years sense an outsider has bothered to learn our language, you do us a great honor. Please understand that what you ask is… difficult for us to talk about this. Hassid here…” the chief points to the larger tribesman who is staring at the floor right now “…he is young and foolish at times. He speaks of things that are best not spoken about. But, we will tell you want we can. We don’t do this for reward or fame, we seek to warn you. Toward the rising sun and northern desert there is a place… it is said to be curse and we never go there. When Hassid was young he and some other boys dared each other to go there… three days later Hassid wandered back into camp dazed and swooned and could not remember where he was or what happened to him. There was never any sign of his friends again. This happens every now and then, many stories are told by the tribes of the desert about this cursed place. No living man has every come out of the area and remembered what he saw… a few never return at all. We know not if there are ruins out there, I am sorry I can not help more. The stranger that we found in the desert was walking from that direction. We thought at first that he was a djinni, but when he got closer we saw it was only an old white man… it is said that the only enemy that the tribes have is the desert and so we cared for him as best we could and brought him to the city. That is all that we can tell you my friend”

Lia

Karl Green said:

Dr. Clay talks to one tribesman (an older small man, who speaks a bit of French) and then looks back you Lia "Their leader here says that they could take you there if you wished. It is about a half a day north of here by camel. But they are wondering...well they are afriad that you might not fair well in the desert. They say that the sun is very harsh out there... and that you are not wearing the proper cloths"

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With about zero tolerance for other cultures she ignores the feeling that she thinks Dr Clay didn't tranlate all. She doesn't care for these peoples sense of decency at all.
"Tell them I can handle harsh conditions."

Red Knight said:

"Bah, I have no fear of the sun. Its heat is nothing compared to the fires of Avalon that fuel me. I will go out into the desert and find where this man came from."

"I thought you didn't want to go on this searching mission?

"Well I don't really have a choice now do I? At least in the desert I'll be able to stretch my joints a little and possibly have some fun. It'll be just like in the Crusades. I remember the time during them when I..."

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Lia interupts the two, by pushing Christopher aside if she has to.
"Can you move in silence? Otherwise you will just be a bother"

Andy said:

"Sorry, missed that last bit of conversation-I think, er, wait a second." Andy pauses to wave his hand, speaking the equivilant of 'Hi' to the tribesman in their own native language, before continuing in english, "Correction, I can translate and talk to them for you guys. Anything you want me to relay before I begin negotiations?"

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ooc:asuming that andy translates what the tribesmen tell him

Lia looks surprised at Andy, not getting why anyone should bother learning this language but still pleased that they don't have to rely on paid translators of questionable aliance anymore.
"Tell them I want to see that cursed place."
With a great sigh she reconsiders and ads:
"They can just bring me as near as they dare to go and point me into the right direction. I don't suppose the wretches will work up the courage to go all the way."

Lia said:

"They can just bring me as near as they dare to go and point me into the right direction. I don't suppose the wretches will work up the courage to go all the way."

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"After we look at the old man's body in the morgue," Michael added to Lia's comment. "Perhaps it would not be bad to check the body, then wait until after the heat of the sun to set out - maybe a couple of hours before sunset?"

After Andy translated what the tribesmen said, Michael quietly requested to Andy, "See if you can get the large one alone to talk with . . . I think he has something to add but he's afraid."

Assuming that Andy relays Lia’s and Michael’s questions, the tribesmen talk among themselves for a moment or two and then the old leader says {translated from their local tongue} “Your friends are wise to want to travel later in the day. The desert sun is the enemy of all during the day. Traveling at night has its hazards also though. As for taking you to these… cursed lands, we can not. You must understand that we are not cowards, but the djinni of those lands would kill us without a second thought, just for trespassing. Maybe with your friends… he mentions as he glances at the Red Knight “…you will be able to overcome them. We will send young Hassid to guide you to where we found the old man. It is the least that he can do for embarrassing us in front of you. It would be better if you left this evening or late afternoon, but whenever you are ready, young Hassid will be ready also. He will make ready his camel now. Will you also be traveling by camel my friend? We could supply them to you? It is the least that we can do.”

About then the larger tribesmen (Hassid) stands with his head bowed and walks out of the tent. Outside a woman starts crying and falling at his feet. Andy understands what she is saying “Do not go my husband! This is a death sentence?!?! Who will care for me and the children when you don’t return?!? What of all the camels that you take? To supply all of these foreigners you will leave me with nothing?!!? Are you to make me a beggar?!?! NOOOO do not go?!?” Hassid hushes her and walks off to prepare his camel… (although not fast enough to get away from any of you if you wish to stop him).

"Thank you, we would be honored if your tribe would help our journey by loaning us camels." Andy says in the native's language. He translates everything that is said to the group (with reluctant truthfulness, although the only emotion he shows is eagerness to please), save the last part about Hassid's wife. He instead colors her words to something more trivial sounding, saying she is just concerned for her husband's safety.

I'm not surprised that even in backwards cultures such as this one, that greed and selfishness takes precedence over love. Love...heh. It's kind of assuring in a way, I suppose...let's not make a scene though. He thinks.

He turns to Hassid's wife, his voice assuming a calm and quiet tone as he attempts to comfort her (in her native language), "Do not be afraid, we will bring your husband back in one piece."

Facing the group now, Andy asks (now in English), "Any last questions before we get ready to go?"

Lia

Keia said:

"After we look at the old man's body in the morgue," Michael added to Lia's comment. "Perhaps it would not be bad to check the body, then wait until after the heat of the sun to set out - maybe a couple of hours before sunset?"

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Lia just nods.
Giving my prey even more time is bad but the night is still the best time to hunt.

Radiant said:

Lia interupts the two, by pushing Christopher aside if she has to. "Can you move in silence? Otherwise you will just be a bother"

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" A bother am I. You just wait till we have to fight these Raggy-Roke people and then we'll see whose a bother. Now where was I... Oh right, the Crusades. It was really....

With that the Red Knight returns to his conversation (If you could really call it that) with Christopher.

At the end of the conversation and translation Christopher speaks up.

"Alright then lets head into town and go see the corpse. While were at it we should see about getting other means of transportation through the desert. I'm not overly confident about my riding abilities and he" He says pointing a thumb at the Red Knight "will fall off before the camel starts moving. A jeep would probably be a better idea."

[OCC – I assume that there are no other questions for the Tribesmen… if not please let me know and I will revise]

The tribesmen bid Andrew and the others farewell and good-fortune. They say that Hassid will wait for them on the edge of town on Route 12 with camels, and supplies for two days. Dr. Clay suggests, as the party is heading back to the landrover, that they bring some of their own water and food. Tuareges are poor but proud, and some of their food stuffs might not sit well if they are not use to it.

[Assuming that you are off to see the body then next…]

After dropping off Mohammed back at the re-construction site, Dr. Clay directs the party to the Morgue. Driving through town Ace parks the landrover in front of an older, large 4 story building. Some of the plaster and brick is peeling off this building that might be of French origins, but at least 20 years old. ‘Hospital’ is written on the outside in a number of languages including English. Dr. Clay directs you to a back stairwell that leads down two levels underground, then down a long hallway and finally into the city’s morgue. A doctor is sitting behind a desk, eating some kind of salad, smoking a cigarette and reading an Arabic paper. He looks up and smiling says {In French} to Dr. Clay “Ah my friend, it is good to see you… ah these must be the Americans. Wonderful, wonderful” he then switches to broken English to address the party “Welcome, welcome to Timbuktu, and to here. I am Doctor Ahmad El Husseini. Please come in, and be comfortable. You wish to see the body of man here, yes? This way he is” and then leads you into a back room, where there are four examiner tables laid out (3 of which have sheets covering bodies on them). There is also a modern body storage closet with five rows of three deep doors where bodies could be storage, and another door in the back leading to a room marked (in Arabic) “Not Claimed; Long Term Storage”.

Dr. Husseini goes to one and pulls the sheet back exposing the body of a very old looking Caucasian male. You can see that his face and hands are sunburned very badly, but there are sharp lines where his cloths were obviously covering, the rest of his body is very pale as if he has spent a great many years without much light at all. Dr. Husseini also pulls up a box of personal affects and opens the lid, inside is a worn WWII German vintage uniform, some old military papers, a pair of nice knee high leather boots, and some rather odd, pink and filly laced undergarments…

[Anyone wishing to make an INT roll can do so… anyone wanting to examine or take a closer look at anything please let me know and if you want to make an appropriate roll/skill check you can include that also]

Drakknyte32 said:

" A bother am I. You just wait till we have to fight these Raggy-Roke people and then we'll see whose a bother. Now where was I... Oh right, the Crusades. It was really....

With that the Red Knight returns to his conversation (If you could really call it that) with Christopher.

At the end of the conversation and translation Christopher speaks up.

"Alright then lets head into town and go see the corpse. While were at it we should see about getting other means of transportation through the desert. I'm not overly confident about my riding abilities and he" He says pointing a thumb at the Red Knight "will fall off before the camel starts moving. A jeep would probably be a better idea."

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"Jetzt streite ich schon mit einem wandelnden Haufen Rost."
Lia crumbles. Still somehow she feels petty for the thing. Or maybe just for herself and it reminds her of herself.
"Now who would doubt your fighting skills? It seems we will all go...
...and she doesn't appear that thrilled with that...
but even if it where different no one can expect a knight to do the work of a low scout or can he?"
Somehow she feels as if she just exhausted her supply of friendlyness for the next year.