“Thank you, Luz,” Dr. Martin says to the housekeeper as she returns to the kitchen.
Brandon’s eyes play about the room. The décor is tasteful, contemporary – a couple of original watercolor landscapes, a crystal bowl with river rock, several carved wooden pieces that look to be of American Indian origin. Over the mantle of the fireplace, upon which sits a brass and black lacquer pedestal clock with a vaguely Asian motif, is a large framed studio portrait of Dr. Martin and what appear to be his wife and son, a boy of around eight or nine years old – on an end table is another framed photo of the same threesome, dressed in ski clothes against a snowy backdrop. On the coffee table are a pair of books: Margaret Bourke-White : Photography of Design, 1927-1936 and Spruce Root Basketry of the Haida and Tlingit.
After exchanging greetings with the doctor, Decker wanders over to the glass patio doors. The rain and the night form an inky darkness that the light spilling from the room is unable to penetrate. From across the room Decker hears Dr. Martin’s voice. “Unfortunately there’s not much to see tonight,” he says. “During the day the view of the strait is fantastic.” Decker: Make a Spot check with a -4 circumstance penalty.
Luz, the housekeeper, returns with bottles of water and glasses with ice and serves them to the assembled group as Slocum enters the front door, carrying a brown leather briefcase. “Evening, Peter,” he says as he hangs his jacket from a rack next to the door. He smiles at Luz and takes a seat on one of the couches. “Shall we be seated?” he asks.
“First, I’d like to begin by thanking you all for coming this evening,” says the attorney, reaching into his briefcase and removing several manila folders. “Before we continue, I need to advise you that everything that we will be discussing tonight is of a confidential nature. To that end, I’ve prepared a standard non-disclosure agreement” – he passes a folder to each person as he speaks – “that I must ask you to sign and date.”
The agreement, one of two documents in the folder, is succinct: any work performed on behalf of Dr. Martin, Martin Pharmacology, its parent company, or its subsidiaries and contractors is considered proprietary, subjecting you to stringent legal penalties for disclosure to any third party without express written permission. It covers intellectual property and confidential discussions as well - it appears quite iron-clad. A pen is included in each folder.
To parse the provisions of the NDA, make a Knowledge (business) or Knowledge (civics) skill check (whichever is higher for your character), with +2 synergy bonus for 5 ranks in the complementary skill if applicable.
