Resurrection City 1: The Adventure of the Sealed Room

[JimAde]

"But first, Arthur, can you direct me to your writing desk?" Trevor asks. He goes to the desk Arthur indicates and returns with a few sheets of blank paper and a pen. "Now, my dear," he says to Rachel, "do you suppose you could help me with a rendering of this thing you saw?" He sits next to her on the devenport and begins sketching.

[OOC: Craft(Visual art) +3]

 

[Jarval]

"Quite the tale, and quite the eventful evening, by the sounds of things." Richard says, slightly doubtfully, once Trevor has finished his recount.

"Ah, yes, your cousin has been very helpful." He shakes hands with Arthur as he speaks. "Not that I wish to sound rude, you understand, but what he's told me seems a little... well, unbelievable. Walls dripping blood and all that, not really my field of expertise, at least not outside of the operating theater." He smiles slightly.

"Your cousin told me the young lady had a brush with some kind of creature. Is she unhurt?"

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

After a few moments and more questions to Rachel, Trevor has a passable sketch of the flying creature. It looks somewhat like a cross between a legless salamander, a starfish, and a Chinese dragon - a strange creature indeed. Its salamander-like body is somehow also reminiscent of an eel or cut-worm.

"It has been a very strange evening," Arthur says to the doctor. "Indeed it would seem unbelievable to one of a scientific bent. Rachel is apparently fine, more shaken than anything." He looks over at the jar and a quizzical expression passes over his face. "Devil's foot, you say this translates as? Remember the 'Cornish Horror' of a few years ago? I believe it was a type of root called devil's foot used in that affair. What could my grandfather have been doing with that?" Arthur takes a seat and picks up the book from where the inspector laid it, and begins leafing through it. "Perhaps it says in here..."

 

[Jarval]

"Ah yes, I seem to recall that affair." Richard looks back at the jar. "An unpleasantly poisonous preparation, if I recall correctly. Most curious that your grandfather would have a quantity of this to hand... Out of interest, how did he die? It's all to easy to poison oneself, believe me. I've had to deal with such cases on many occasions."

Moving back to the table, Richard gathers up the papers and settles himself in a seat. He begins reading through the more medical-looking documents, sipping his brandy as he does so.

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

"How did he die, Dr. Hewitt? Well, that's part of the mystery, you know," Arthur says. "The official word in the papers of 1845 said he was killed by his wife, but her diary, which I am inclined to believe - and I believe also that most of the others are, as well, after what we found this eve - said that he was killed by some creature he summoned."

Richard quickly notices that several of the papers are letters, many of which are from a man named Dr. S. Verdain. The only doctor fitting this name you know of is Serge Verdain, a physician and surgeon from Paris engaged as a visiting professor at Oxford. Verdain's reputation was brought down during a scandal in the 1860s which also claimed the reputation of a promising young student of his named Moreau.

From what he gathers after a closer look at the Verdain letters, the French doctor is making a number of references to some "project" he was working on at the time of the writings, and one which he thought he was on the track of perfecting. Interestingly, it is in these passages that there is actually references to the devil's foot root. Dr. Verdain says that the root's vapors gave somewhat the effect he was looking for in his experiments, but that he would need time to perfect it. He specifically mentions that he believes it would also be useful in Thomas' experiments.

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

Dr. Hewitt continues to leaf through the papers, and finds quite an oddity - one that is written entirely in some strange language, looking like none he recognizes. The letters are strangely curved, and resemble some sort of cuneiform or hieroglyphs.

Trevor and the others in the sitting-room hear quite a commotion from upstairs, people running and jumping. In a moment, the doors to the room are cast open and in rush DEDI, Inspector Diggory, and Mr. Shaw. The inspector has a small object wrapped in one of the linens from upstairs tucked under his arm. The object slowly oozes a black, viscous liquid.

"We got it," DEDI says, and uncovers the object to reveal the dead body of the creature that Rachel saw upstairs. "There didn't seem to be any others."

 

[Karl Green]

Pastor Andrew Miller

Andrew steps over the examine the 'body' Spot roll 7+5 =12 to get a good look at it and says "Indeed… truly this must be a hoax?"

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

DEDI looks at the priest. "A hoax? Judge for yourself, Pastor Miller." If it is a hoax, it is indeed a convincing one, thinks Andrew as he gingerly touches the object. It has a repulsive texture, wet and rather rough. Although it has a wet feel, its skin doesn't glisten or look wet.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

"A hoax? Perpetrated by whom, eh? Again, 'more to heaven and earth' and all that. Or, perhaps, 'O brave new world...' would be a more fitting reaction." Jamison takes a handkerchief from his pocket and wipes his brow while musing on Prospero's response. 'Tis new to you. Noticing the newcomer, he cocks an eyebrow. "Well, hullo, then. Who's this here? Inspector Diggory, Metropolitan Police, at your service." He extends a hand.

 

[JimAde]

"A hoax? Perpetrated by whom, eh? Again, 'more to heaven and earth' and all that. Or, perhaps, 'O brave new world...' would be a more fitting reaction." Jamison takes a handkerchief from his pocket and wipes his brow while musing on Prospero's response. 'Tis new to you. Noticing the newcomer, he cocks an eyebrow. "Well, hullo, then. Who's this here? Inspector Diggory, Metropolitan Police, at your service." He extends a hand.

"Inspector, allow me to present Doctor Hewitt. Doctor Hewitt, Inspector Diggory." Once the men have shanke hands, Trevor continues, "The good doctor has agreed to take a look at our discoveries. I'm sure he'd be very interested in the...creature. Or whatever it is. But first, Arthur, have you a camera about? We should try to preserve this thing's appearance before Dr. Hewitt has at it."