Resurrection City 2: The Adventure of the Iron Knives

[Andrew D. Gable]

Dr. Hewitt slides the stack of papers over in front of him and leafs through them. Incredibly, both sides of the paper - and there must be over 50 sheets - are covered top to bottom in the numerical scrawlings. The three numbers in the grouping are always different. They seem to have no mathematical significance, however.

In the uppermost corner of the first page is scrawled lightly 'OA'.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Diggory's mind races.

"Inspector Longtree, may I have one of yer men get me some records? -- clippings from the Times, anything official, police files, that sort of thing. I need all the information ye can get me on the death of Elias Cartwright. Died in a cab accident on June 24th. Also, we need to find out if anything odd happened at the Black Lion Hotel out in Truro around the 28th or 29th? Would ye be wantin' to take a look at this, Baron Walsingham?" He offers the letter to Trevor. "Oh, and Dr. Hewitt, ye might mark that the number three has some sort of occult significance there. At least it did in this letter. Dr. Westcott, may I have a word wit' ye in private for a moment?"

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

"Inspector Longtree, may I have one of yer men get me some records? -- clippings from the Times, anything official, police files, that sort of thing. I need all the information ye can get me on the death of Elias Cartwright. Died in a cab accident on June 24th. Also, we need to find out if anything odd happened at the Black Lion Hotel out in Truro around the 28th or 29th?...Dr. Westcott, may I have a word wit' ye in private for a moment?"

Longtree nods and turns towards the gang of men who had just come in. "You heard the inspector, hop to it! And Monty, if you could go have them telegram the police in Truro, I'd be most appreciative." The two hustle out of the room.

Dr. Westcott walks over towards Diggory. "Yes?" he asks.

The results of the Sense Motive checks:
1) Successes were Kajamba, Jarval, Karl and ShortAssassin.

Spoiler

Westcott looks very surprised, and dare you say frightened, at Miller's description.

2) Successes were JimAde and ShortAssassin.

Spoiler

You can't really say what it is, but you don't like the looks of the constable just sent to the telegram room.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Diggory looks around for a moment. Once he's satisfied that no one's listening, he says in a low tone, "I couldn't help but think that ye might know something -- based on what ye were saying just now about necromancy and revoked curses -- about a Frater EIECET. It may be a foolish impulse on my part, but as ye're a learned man, I figured it wouldn't hurt te ask." He tries his hardest to make this sound casual, as if he's just attended a dinner party and found out that the gentleman to his right attended Oxford at the same time he did. If Westcott answers positively, Diggory shows him the letter from Cartwright to Oldacre.

 

[JimAde]

"... Would ye be wantin' to take a look at this, Baron Walsingham?" He offers the letter to Trevor.

"Thank you," says Trevor, accepting the paper and moving to stand near Longtree. As he peruses the letter, he says to the inspector, "Looks as though this could get...sticky. Presuming the elder Mr. Cartwright wasn't completely barmy, he seemed to feel he had influential enemies." Trevor casts a glance at the door through which the constables left. "Are you quite certain these fellows with you are the right sort for this job?"

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

"I couldn't help but think that ye might know something... about a Frater EIECET.

"Ex inferni, ex celestia, ex terra," Westcott says. "'From hell, from heaven, from earth'. The Frater's true name is unknown to... to any, I imagine, certainly to me, at any rate. He's reputed to be the oldest living member of our Order, according to my letters with Fraulein Sprengel in Germany." He looks over the letter from Cartwright. "The Dulcarnon..." He shudders. "Also known as Cernunnos to the old Celts, or Pan when the Romans came over. Later fought, supposedly, by Merlin. Somehow I'm not surprised someone is mucking about with him. That feeling your friend described... I felt it too. Something is awakening."

"Are you quite certain these fellows with you are the right sort for this job?"

"Quite," says Longtree. "Why shouldn't they be?"

Just then the door opens and in rushes the fellow Trevor expressed doubts about, clutching a slip of paper. "Telegram from Truro, sir," he says, casting sidelong glances at the Baron.

"Thank you," Longtree says, reading over the paper and nodding, fingers on his chin thoughtfully. He passes it to Trevor. "By the by," he says to the constable, "stay here a moment, would you?"

"Sorry, sir," he says, fishing out his pocketwatch. "It's late, and I'd best be gettin' home to the missus, or she'll have me in the wringer."

The telegram indicates that the Black Lion Hotel burnt to the ground the morning of the 29th.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Diggory sighs. "He's raising Pan? The ramifications of that -- they can't be good."

In response to the telegram...
"That means that Cartwright had possibly just burned down the Black Lion when we met him on the train at Chiswick. So we have Cartwright burning down the hotel on the 29th, we meet him on the train, he dies, then Oldacre dies -- did we ever decide when, Mr. Robinson? --, we come here...We're running in circles. It seems like no one's quite doing what we expect them to do or is working for who we expect them to be working fer. Right now, I'm not sure I have a bloody clue as to what we're supposed to be looking fer now. I think we should be lookin' to talk to Mr. McCarthy at some point. He may be able to point us in the right direction. Any other thoughts?"

 

[JimAde]

"Thank you," Longtree says, reading over the paper and nodding, fingers on his chin thoughtfully. He passes it to Trevor. "By the by," he says to the constable, "stay here a moment, would you?"

"Sorry, sir," he says, fishing out his pocketwatch. "It's late, and I'd best be gettin' home to the missus, or she'll have me in the wringer."

The telegram indicates that the Black Lion Hotel burnt to the ground the morning of the 29th.

Still looking at the telegram, Trevor takes a few casual steps, interposing himself between the constable and the door. "I'm certain," he says, finally looking up with a smile, "she can survive without your company for a few moments. Duty calls, after all."

 

[ShortAssassin]

... I think we should be lookin' to talk to Mr. McCarthy at some point. He may be able to point us in the right direction. Any other thoughts?"

Robinson gave his head a little shake to clear his wandering thoughts. He wasn't much of a thinker by most accounts, but this talk to occult doings was right out of his league. He heard Diggory mention McCarthy. "I think 'e may be knowin' somethin'. And at least 'e be alive to ask."

He looked over at the nervous constable, took a step towards him and put a hand on his shoulder. "We may be needin' ye boy, the missus will understand. Stay put a second."

[ooc: boy did *I* pick the wrong day to out of town]

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

Longtree looks at the constable. "Help me alleviate this man's fears, if you can," he says. "Everything said in this station-house would be staying here, wouldn't it?"

"Well... of course, sir."

"See, Baron Walsingham? Nothing to fear. You can go, Monty." The constable nods and turns back towards the door. The inspector pauses, then grins, shakes his head, and calls to the constable. "You really should try to lie better when you're trying to fool a fellow who's been on the police force for twenty years. Why don't you tell me, Monty, who else is paying you?"

"Nobody, sir. Just the Met Police."

"Monty. I know you're lying. Who else?"

The constable places his hand on the wall and hangs his head for a moment. "I... I can't tell you that, sir..." he whispers harshly. "Not for my family's sake."

"I'll see that they're protected if you talk."

"Sorry, but that won't be enough, sir. Not against what he can do. He has eyes and ears everywhere... he'll know if I talk... he probably already does..."

Longtree sighs. "Very well, have it your way." He looks around at the others. "Anyway, if you're thinking of going into the East End, best wait until morning. It's quite late, as Monty said, and it wouldn't do to be out and about in Whitechapel and Spitalfields this time of night. Especially not Dorset... blimey!"

There is a clattering noise from the slab where the body of the blind man lies. With horror in their eyes, the group looks over to find that the corpse is getting up off the slab, the Y-shaped autopsy incision and vacant sockets making it all the more evident that the walking dead is here in the morgue... it picks up the serpentine knife and advances towards Monty, who shrieks and cowers on the ground.

"I'm sorry!" he shouts. "They knew! They knew, Mr. Franks, I didn't tell them!"

Lightly Wounded = 75% health or above
Moderately Wounded = 50%-75% health
Severely Wounded = 25%-50% health
Critically Wounded = less than 25% health

Blind Man's Corpse: unhurt

Inspector Jamison O. Diggory: unhurt
Trevor MacAllistair, Baron Walsingham: unhurt
Dr. Richard Hewitt: unhurt
Pastor Andrew Miller: unhurt
Sgt. William Robinson: unhurt
Inspector James Longtree: unhurt

Wisdom checks, DC 12.