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A Good Heart in the Wrong Place [spoilers]

Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 12:49 am
by DerPidder
Letter from Bernhard Boehden to his grandmother, Hildegard Boehden

Dearest grandma.
I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirit.
As mentioned in my last letter, I have now arrived in London, discontinuing my lifestyle on the waves for the time being and trying to find some … sense.
As you know, I did have something of a crisis of faith in my chosen profession a few months ago when I couldn't bring myself to slaughter dolphins or even narwhals any more, which didn't sit too well with my comrades on the Seemannsgarn.
Now, in London, I have gotten in contact with an investigation firm looking for someone with my particular talents. Your grandson's time among people of ill repute finally seems to pay off!

I can hardly list all the things that happened in the last days.
For almost two weeks, I drifted through my days, stayed near the harbour and simply got word out that I was looking for some kind of employment away from the sea.

Nothing happened during the first week, so I resigned myself to keeping my room tidy as you and mother taught me, dressing neatly as grandfather and father showed me, and in the evening trying to get drunk like Uncle Theodor demonstrated. Being a troll has its disadvantages here, though – I cannot in good conscience pay for as much alcohol as would be necessary to drink myself into a stupor, so you can tell Father Sebastian at church little Bernhard is living a better, more sober, life now. Something he might think about when talking about The Lord and his mysterious ways.

Anyway, yesterday I got invited to a posh neighbourhood, meeting some local nobility AND a decidedly prussian lady. Being German AND a troll, I had feared for the worst, but I think it might have been this lady's influence that got me this job. I shall speak to her when time and circumstances allow. Sadly, her being named Mayer will make it hard to find out anything about her for any of your genealogically interested friends.

I don't think anybody at home in Hannover has heard of the Faraday Firm, but they seem like the decent sort. I met an actual Lord there, an aegyptologist, as well as a native man from Alaska! And if you think this was the most interesting thing happening, you are SORELY mistaken. The alaskan man is a magician. He can conjure spirits and talk to spirits that are already there. I was present when he summoned the unquiet spirit of a young man my new colleagues and I are assigned to search for.
Apparently, some serial killer is making his rounds in some of the shadier parts of London these days. Excitement abounds!

The alaskan, a Mister Cusa, afterwards went to a coroner with Lord Carnavon and I to interview a „Hearth Spirit“ about the incident. To cut this letter short, let me just state a few points you might find interesting and leave you anxious for my next letter.
I met an elf receptionist and a trollish doctor here. My group were able to ascertain the whereabouts of the young man's body. And I will spare your however criminally interested mind the details of the victims' deaths for now. Suffice it to say: you will love the shudder down your spine when next I write you.

With a kiss on your cheek and a warm hug,
your grandson Bernd.

Re: A Good Heart in the Wrong Place [spoilers]

Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2020 9:36 am
by ChrisDDickey
Old Cusa sat with the other tribal elders as the dancing continued at the potlatch. Cusa had been out in the dance circle for the traditional dances, but now the younger tribe members were doing American dances and it was time for him to sit. As the elders ate and drank, the conversation flowed over many topics. As the topic turned to dance halls and other houses of entertainment that the elders had known in their youth, Cusa found himself describing the Castile Marie social club. And soon thereafter he was talking about the case of the loup-garou killer in London. 


I was very young then, and much taken by the sights and sounds of European things. I listened to the British songs, and danced the British dances. They were not the dances of the people, but still they were better than the god-awful stuff the the young people are dancing now. But the point is that I had this one case that took me to the Castle Marie Social Club. A fascinating hive of scum and villainy... but let me start from the beginning. 

We were called in by the Fairaday firm to find a missing young man.His aunt as a well-to-do dwarf (her father had been a quite fashionable milliner in his day). William Barbier had sent a note several days previous mentioning that he would be attending upon his aunt upon the evening of his birthday (his 25th birthday), but had neither appeared, nor sent a follow-up note, nor responded to her own notes. This was quite out of character for him, and his aunt hired the Fairaday firm, and they hired us.

The aunt mentioned that she was worried that maybe he had fallen afoul of the Loup-Garup killer. The killer was the media sensation of the day, killing one or two persons per week, wrenching their victims chest open and extracting organs. Knowing how dangerous London was in those days, and how easy it was to come to trouble, I felt it not unlikely that the young mans problem was of a less sensational nature.

We asked our questions, and learned that the William was a Social butterfly, a good looking young man who dressed fashionably (foppish). The only one of his friends that the aunt could recall was Jack, whom she described as taller, blond, and as having "enthusiastic sideburns". She supplied us with his home address and the name of his favorite hang-put the Castile Marie in Southwark. After the Aunt left, we agreed upon our fee with the Fairaday firm. For this case they were willing to pay each of us 3 pounds per day, plus expenses. 

After inquiring and being told that it was thought that all of the Loup-Garup killers victims were being quickly identified, and that it was unlikely that he was laying unidentified on a slab in some morgue, We decided to visit Williams address first. His land-lord (Uncle Barber - old and blind) was very impressed by Lord Carnavon. He said he hand not seen "Sweet William" in 3 or 4 days. He offered to introduce us to his flat-mates, James, Jenny, and Jacks. Talking to them, it quickly became obvious that all 4 of them were members of the Elephant and Castle gang (though they insisted on calling it a Social Organisation). The flat was an E&C perk, having been rented for years longer than any of the current 4 residents had been lodging there. The E&C specialized in gambling and gambling houses. 

When they learned that the Aunt had sent us, the flat-mates agreed to cooperate to an extent. They told us that William had been last seen shortly after waking upon Tuesday, 3 days before, but refused to tell us what he had been doing the day he went missing other than to say that he had been planning on performing a task for the E&C. He went to do his task, then disappeared. When the LGK was mentioned, James was dismissive and expressed contempt for the idea that LGK would mess with E&C. 

Jack, did mention that when last he saw William, it was for lunch in a tavern, and that he had noticed that 3 or 4 street kids, aged 6 to 8 or so, had caught his attention, but he was unable to put his finger on what exactly it was that had attracted his notice.  

Just to test if William was dead, I collected some hair samples, and attempted to summon Sweet William. I most definitely got a dramatic response (a howling, gusts of wind, gas lights blown out, etc.), but the spirit was extraordinarily unsettled and I got nothing other than that a pained and unsettled spirit was answering. We went to the office of the Coroner we knew, and got his permission to summon the hearth spirit we had talked to before, he looked at my hair samples and said that this body was on slab 3B of their storage. We examined the body on that slab, and indeed we recognized the body from the descriptions we had received. The chest had been torn open by main strength and the heart ripped out in a most gruesome manor. Other marks on the body (other than the gaping chest wound) include a sharp impact to the skull from a sap or small club and a number of small impacts and lacerations.

The coroner, questioned about the LGK bodies, said it was "Most fascinating", the chest was always wrenched open through main force. ripped apart, no teeth mark, sometimes there were signs of a stabbing that would break the ribs from the breastbone. Heart always missing.  There were signs that it was a Ritual sacrifice, cut skin and bones, then rip ribs apart, grab heart. The perpetrator probably had greater than average strength, possibly the strength typical in a troll. There was discussion of Ancient Nordic ritual of blood eagle, and Lord Caravon speculated about the Cult of best, death magic to power. 

We went back to the Fairaday firm to arrange for the Aunt to be notified that her Nephew was dead, and where she could claim the body, but Mrs Kippling and Mr Vern informed us that Madame Bareir (the aunt) had been found dead, killed that afternoon in an obvious case of foul play. 


Notes not included in the story. Jenny, sturdy young woman, broad shouldered, surly. 
James, shorter, rotund, cheeks, dark hair. Key phrase: remember the firefighters memorial. 
why did I have the comment "funny pointed hats, constables"?At the coroners, Mr. Brown, the receptionist (elf). Dr. Sullivan, the coroner (troll) 

Re: A Good Heart in the Wrong Place [spoilers]

Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2020 12:57 am
by ChrisDDickey
Mr. Burns and Miss Meyer introduced us to a new investigator they had hired, a Miss Chesten Gioyne, a Dwf woman of unfortunate appearance. Her training is in the science of aquatic biology. They asked us to continue to investigate these murders. We got the address of the Aunt's house from the Solicitor's, and asked if their research department could find out if there were any grizzly murders near Bank Hall between the time we were there and now, and if there were, whether they bore any resemblance to the LGK. Obtaining some local newspapers from the area, or perhaps a quick telegram to somebody (a solicitor or a newspaperman in that area) who has already read them should do the trick. A Mr. Greer, the solicitor in charge of their research department agreed to take on that task. 

We went to the Aunt's house, in a depressed area of Southwark. We explained our business to the PC at the door, and he said he would let us in, if we could get rid of a reporter that was bugging them. Bernhardt set about boring him until he went away while Miss Gioyne and I entered and went upstairs. The house felt very empty and underutilized. In the upstairs library a small Dwf woman lay in a pool of blood. A Police Inspector allowed us to examine things after we told him what we already knew of the case. 

The amazing thing is that this body was not the same woman we had talked to at Fairaday that morning! She was a dwarf of the same size, and the same grey hair in a similar style, and she was dressed in a similar manner, but the facial features were quite different. The blood was from a bashed in head (we found nether a weapon, nor anything missing). The inspector tells us he believes her to have been killed between 9 and 11 this morning, but the body was not found by the cook until tea-time. The windows were open, and we found signs that somebody probably climbed the rose lattice. 

I tried questioning the hearth spirit that resided there, but it was sluggish, incurious, knew nothing and cared less.

We questioned the cook and she believes madame did not send a telegram yesterday. She says madame was very concerned about "Sweet William" missing his birthday tea, and believes she posted him a letter or a quick note last night, but does not think she would have considered hiring investigators so soon (she hinted very strongly that she almost certainly could not afford to hire investigators). She said that Madame Bareir does not like to leave her house. She gets lightheaded and feels faint if she tries to go outside. She had a very active correspondence, and friends over for whist every Thursday. But none of her friends are dwarvish women, so whomever impersonated her this morning was not one of them. 

So this is the timeline we have come up with: It is very confusing to us.
  • William was last seen alive and well Tuesday about noon. There were some children acting strangely there.
  • His body was found before dawn the next day. A lump on the head suggests he was knocked out, and perhaps killed later when he was stabbed by a knife in the chest and then his ribs ripped open by hand. He was delivered to the Coroner Wednesday morning, but not identified it until we did so Friday afternoon.
  • No other activity Wednesday. 
  • Thursday teatime, William failed to show up at his Aunts. She was reportedly concerned, and probably sent him a letter or postcard. 
  • Also Thursday evening, the imposter aunt (or a confederate) sent a telegram or letter to the Fariday agency requesting an appointment that was granted for 10am the next day. Cusa got a telegram from the Fairaday firm Thursday evening. Check when exactly Fariday got notified.
  • We arrived at 10am at Fariday. The business part had already been arranged. Find out when exactly the imposter aunt arrived at fariday. The imposter aunt hired Fariday to investigate Williams disappearance. She seems to have paid a very substantial deposit. Find out how much she paid and how (cash? Cheque? Forged Cheque? She knew that William was due to visit aunt. Knew that did not visit aunt. She mentioned the Loup Garou killer, even though that should have been a long shot, but William apparently was killed by LGK. She had lots of money. She paid lots of money for us to look for William. 
  • The real Aunt was not at Fariday, and probably knew nothing of the meeting there. Probably between 9am and 11am, somebody climbed her rose lattice and bludgend her to death. This might have been done before the imposter arrived at Fariday, or after, but in any case, it was done before we started our investigation. 
  • Friday early afternoon we found Williams body. 
  • Friday mid afternoon, cook found Aunts body. 
Questions:
  • Why hire us?
  • Who hired us?
  • Why kill Aunt?
  • We have assumed the person who hired us killed the real Aunt. Is that true? If not, who killed real aunt?
  • Was Aunt killed because somebody thought she had hired us?   (probably not, since she was killed before our investigation started)
  • Why not just give fake name and fake address?   (ask fariday this) Did they correspond, or attempt to correspond with her at her real address. Nail down times and methods of contact. See if telegrams/post-marks can be traced back to real sender. With hind-sight, does anybody who corresponded or dealt with her have any clue as to real identity or location.
  • Was William killed by LGK? 
  • What is LGK up to?

Re: A Good Heart in the Wrong Place [spoilers]

Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2020 7:37 pm
by DerPidder
Dear grandmother.

I am sending you kisses and a big hug from across the canal and hope this letter finds you, as always, in good health. I have told mother nothing of my escapades here in London yet, just that I am in good health and have found more gainful employment. Please decide for yourself however you would like her to be informed about what I am telling you.

I told you per my last correspondence how my colleagues and I are searching for a young man named William (NOT Wilhelm) and the whole Loup-Garou killer Schlamassel over here.
Imagine my surprise (and the queasy feeling in my stomach) when we indeed found young William's body at the coroner's office. The coroner is, by the way, a learned and quite urbane troll with a doctorate. I think that settles the questions about trolls' supposed intellects you and your Kaffeeklatsch discussed before my last departure.

The Hearth Spirit Mister Cusa talked to led us directly to one of the slabs in the cooled room and we went to investigate the body hidden underneath. You know I am used to gutting game, fish, and whatever animals whales and dolphins are counted as, but seeing a young man ripped from life's bosom the way young William was, is … something else. Now, for your amusement and the aforementioned shiver down your spine, the scene was positively ghastly. Imagine your beloved Edgar Allan Poe describing this scene, or even Mary Shelley.

William Barbier's heart was missing. We could immediately tell because his rib cage had been wrenched open by immense force. As gentlemen, we of course immediately paid our respects to the deceased and spent a quiet moment each on his own. Apparently, young William has indeed fallen victim to the serial killer on the loose in London these days, who goes by the moniker „Loup-Garou killer“ - for his habit of bestially slaughtering people and taking their hearts, no doubt. His aunt's suspicions turned out to have been correct after all!

But wait – there's still more.
When we returned to our employers, the Faraday Law Firm, with these developments, they informed us Mme Barbier had been found dead as well!
We of course made haste to visit the scene of this crime as well and, after some Scharade by your grandson (I haven't forgotten my hours as a stand-in at the theatre after all!), were given access to the house by the attendant police officers (they really do have these funny hats you so often doubt).

Now, for your curious mind, some snippets of info and facts we have on our own hands as I write this:
Mme Barbier was killed, yes. By blunt force to the head, as it seems.
Mme Barbier was not the one who hired the Faraday Law Firm, as her kitchen assistant told us she never left the house in 15 years and wouldn't even have had the funds.
The dwarf woman we had talked to bore a resemblance to the dead woman that would have fooled a casual observer – so she must have had access to at least a likeness of the dead woman to fashion her disguise.
The estimated time of death of the supposedly true Mme Barbier directly corresponded with the time we spoke to the impostor Mme Barbier.

You can imagine how my mind is racing right now. I will, of course, keep you up to date with whatever we may find out next. Hopefully, a solution to all this chaos.

With a kiss on the cheek and a broad trollish grin I remain your grandson,

Bernhard

Re: A Good Heart in the Wrong Place [spoilers]

Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2020 1:05 am
by ChrisDDickey
Cusa's story continues. 
Sunday morning, Lord Caravon went to the library, where a very helpful librarian, Miss Watkins, found him a book that purports to describe blood magic as practiced in South America. The book was recently published, and the author Walter Germain taught at a London university. The group then went to Sweet Williams funeral wake. Everyone agreed that he was well liked by everyone. They also went to the Castile Marie for the first time. During this time Jacks and Lord Carnavon noticed that they were being followed by a dwarf wearing a disguise. 

They also learned a bit about the Brass Rabbits, a gang of urchin's. They were a new gang, mostly children who pickpocket and do petty larceny. They lived in shacks and boxes under a railroad bridge in Southwark. The adult who has most to do with them was called Mother Marianna. The Brass Rabbit fortunes have been looking up lately. They are seeming better fed and more confident. 

In the meantime, I did some research on other gruesome murders. There are a lot of murders in England, and by no means all of the country murders make the London papers. It was not possible to make out a firm pattern but we believed that we had hit upon a trail. It had been 4 months since we were in Lancashire at Bank Hall, where Lady Jane and Mssr Niece, both members of the Sons of Thoth conspired to murder poor professor Grumble in an effort to reanimate a long dead mummy of a troll. While both the conspirators were slain, the troll turned into a flying snake and escaped. We had warned the police and press that there was an undead monster on the loose, so the gruesome murders in Lancashire were well covered in the press. There were a rash of them in the area for several weeks, then the murderer seems to have slowly migrated south, until apparently arriving in London about 2 months ago. The murders then seemed to have changed (or perhapes settled) into the style that has become known as the Loup-Garou Killer. Approximately once a week a person goes missing from in or near Southwark. Then the body is found a day or two later with signs of having been kidnapped unharmed, then their breastbone smashed with a knife and their chest ripped open and their heart removed. 

We felt that we had deducted that the Loup-Garou Killer was the Undead Troll from Bank Hall. We did not know if the undead troll needed to feed off of a person's heart to remain animate, or if it used the gruesome ritual to gain magical power. 

We talked to PC campbell in Hackney and a News Seller in Southward named Charlie. He told us a lot about the Brass Rabbits. The paper he sold told of a new LGK death, an elderly man from the southern part of the burrough. 

We were standing in an abandoned lot eating Fish and Chips when we were assaulted. A very nicely dressed elf distracted us by asking directions while a dwarf snuck up behind us and bashed Lord Caravon in the head with a cricket bat. The fight was short and vicious. I cast entange upon them, then started using my stun spell. Carnavon used both his revolver and his sword cane. The Elf was a mage who did weird stuff. Just as we were obtaining the upper hand, a third assalent joined in the fight. She was an elf who several times referred to the other elf as her brother. Eventually we dropped all three unconscious, Both Caravon and myself had wounds (mine from an enemy sword). The assailants were mostly stunned, though the female elf had a nasty sword wound. I cast a lot of healing spells upon myself, then Caravon, and then the wounded elf. 

We learned that the Dwarf male was named Brown, and was actually a female in disguise. The elf brother and sister were Hargrove and Geraldine. They claimed to be simple street criminals who make their living mugging people, but the elves were dressed very nice, and looked properly upper class.  We sent for Bernhard and told them that he was a torturer. While we were attempting to interrogate them, we saw a small child watching us from a roof. The Brass Rabbits knew what we were about. The assailants claimed that they employed the Brass Rabbits as spies and lookouts. Bernhard arrived and really scared them with his torturer routine. At one time a spotted Brown looking at me with a look of unbridled hatred. 

Eventually one of them broke and said that they were the Sons of Thoth, and that we would rue mistreating them this way, and for interfering in their plans. They said the troll was an "Ancient master" brought back into this world to guide humanity to a brighter future, and that it was through our interference that he and ben lost.  Unfortunately, just as the vital information was starting to flow, Brown managed to slip her bindings and tried to run away. We knocked her out again, and I picked her up and we started to leave the area (Burnhard was carrying both elves). 5 young men and women confronted us, but we guessed they must be Elephant and Castle gang members, and told them that we were interrogating these people to see what they had to do with Sweet Williams death, and they agreed to lead us to a nice quite place were we could interrogate them more thoroughly at our leisure.


Notes: Take the time to look over the book, and maybe talk to Walter Germain?Club, sap, 4 darts, dodger chatelaine.  cardboard tube(?), vial, 2 monocle of heat vision, rapier, physicians kit. buckler.  Silk ballistic jacket.  Medium resolver and ammo.  Cash 3pnd 18 shillings, Parchment, magic, written in Egyption. single use magical fetish that gives +2 to one spellcasting test. A vial with a mysterious liquid that has a "barking scent". 

Re: A Good Heart in the Wrong Place [spoilers]

Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2020 10:03 am
by ChrisDDickey
We interrogated our prisoners and learned a great deal. The Sons of Thoth, disliking direct action themselves and prefuring to use catspaws, had hired the law firm to investigate Sweet Williams death so that we would run the risks of the investigation rather than themselves. They had not known that the the law firm would subcontract the investigation to us, who were already familiar with the events at Bank Hall. They had killed Sweet William's aunt in a very clumsy attempt to clean up loose ends (in reality drawing much more attention and ire to themselves). 

When asked about the age of the "mummy" said it was much older than we could possibly guess, maybe 6 or even 9 thousand years old. They claimed up about what a Troll was doing being a Troll way back then. They gave the impression that they knew more about it, but they were closely guarded SoT secrets. Or maybe they just pretended to know more about it in an attempt to look clever. The brother and sister seemed quite interested in cutting a deal, and were willing to sell out Miss Brown (the dwarf). The most important thing we learned is that they were not certain that the "Ancient Master" was holed up in the Brass Rabbits warren under the railway embankment. 

It was about that time that we noticed that Miss Brown had escaped. We decided it was not worth our time to try tracking her down. We took the twins to the local police station and accused them of murdering Sweet William's aunt, working to illegally support the Loup-Garou killer (creating it actually), and assaulting us in broad daylight. They were arrested. We told the police that we had a line to the loup garou killer's lair (brass rabbits) and were told to come back tomorrow to talk to the chief inspector. We were exhausted, so went home to sleep. 

We came back the next morning and laid the situation at the feet of Chief Inspector McCloud, and learned that nothing had been done overnight. the twins were still locked up, but the police were only mildly enthusiastic about going into the Brass Rabbit warren. We got him to agree that if we went in and tackled the LGK, they would keep all the Brass Rabbits off our back. So us, the chief inspector, and about a dozen patrolmen headed down to the rabbit warren. I talked to a rat who confirmed that we had the right place, and that the troll laired near the front door. There was an undead child watching from the front door who told us we were expected. 

The LGK looked much like he had when he escaped Banks Hall. He was urbane and well spoken. He offered refreshments (which we refused). He expressed a hope that we could be friends. It seemed apologetic for needed to eat people's hearts, but said that his mind "slips" if he does not feed. He said he needed more magic. And his feedings needed to be still living sentient beings. Cows are  not good enough to feed him. Already dead people are not good enough to feed him. He thought he was limiting his feedings to people who would not be missed, but realized he had made mistakes. He expressed willingness to limit the subjects of his feedings (but not their number). 

When he said he needed more magic, I thought of the Gruv. It is said that the mana level is higher there. I also thought that the Samsuit are said to have unspeakably wrong technologies for powering the undead. I offered to put him in touch with the British Government with the goal of transporting  him to the Gruv, with the hope that the magic level will be high enough there that he will not need to feed. Bernhart left to float the idea to the chief inspector, and returned with a message that we should talk to the chief inspector personally. Carnavon and I came out of the Warren to find that the CI had already resolved to fire the warren to drive the LGK out and kill it. The police soaked some of the huts in oil. Dozens of young children ran out of the warren and ran away, these all seemed to be normal street urchins. 

The police fired the warren, which caught quickly and burned hot. The conflagration was instantly very massive, and in fact did serious damage to the railway embankment and train services were disrupted for days before the rail line could be made safe again. They were lucky they did not burn half the city down. 

From behind the Police line the patrolmen were set upon by scores of ferocious children who fought quietly, viciously, and competently. We think these children were mind controlled in some way. In ether case, their numbers were huge problems for the police. The police, though grown men facing children half their size, were outnumbered four to one, and the children fought with unnatural ferocity. 

The LGK made a flashy entrance and announced that we would rue our betrayal. 

Re: A Good Heart in the Wrong Place [spoilers]

Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2020 5:33 pm
by Slimcreeper
100 AP! Excellent roleplaying all around in this session.

Just to adjust my description a bit - a few children did flee the flames, but there are a _lot_ of Brass Rabbits attacking the police - there are about 8 constables and there are at least 4 per.

Re: A Good Heart in the Wrong Place [spoilers]

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 8:12 am
by ChrisDDickey
Cusa continues to tell his story.

There was a running firefight, us and chief inspector McCloud against the LGK. The LGK would attack and then move. He cast some sort of spell that chilled everybody in an area to our very bones, then dashed to a new area, leaving us to suffer the effects of his spell until we could manage to get out of it. He kept moving away from the huge conflagration that was the Brass Rabbits warren. He ran into a street, then  an alley, then inside a shop, then upstairs of the shop. We all followed and fought as best we could. I got several good Stun Bolts off at him, and Carnavon and Bernhard were banging and bashing away with their weapons whenever they could catch up with it. Every time one of us would catch up with him, the LGK would make some deadly attack and move on. He cast at least two more of his chilling circles. The last spell he cast was very potent, and frostbite dug savagely into the flesh of Carnavon and Bernhard. Bernhard was sorely wounded, and Carnavon fell frozen into a deathlike collapse. 

I took the time to dispel that spell so that it would not affect Carnavon any further as we attempted to finish off the LGK. Bernhard shook off the damage and proceeded with me up the stairs for the final showdown where we finally slew the murderer. Chief Inspector McCloud, who had obtained a double-barrelled shotgun, blew off the head and mulched the heart of the once again dead, dread mummy. I rushed down to see if Lord Carnavon could be saved. I was able to preserve his life, but he lost several fingers and toes. and the frostbite left life-long ravages upon his body.

We gave a statement to the police and to the Faraday Firm. I told all who would listen that a secret society named the Sons of Thoth had conspired to use foul and forbidden magic (for such magics are indelibly tied to the Samsuit, and thus unlawful within the empire) to raise an ancient Mummy to unlife, and they clumsily lost control of it. Bernhard suggested we talk to a journalist by the name of  Janice Blottenkeeper, which I supported in hopes of making negative publicity for the Sons of Thoth, and especially their recently unmasked and arrested members. 

We visited the Coroner again, and were amused to learn that the spirit there had been appearing and talking to him. At first I thought that it was just that the spirit had become more bold, it was only later that I realized that the Coroner had developed a sensitivity.

I took some lessons, and improved by Awareness and skill in Etiquette. I also bought some top of the line goggles. These were made for the Gruv, but this particular model came equipped with Panoramic mirrors, binoculars, and Heat Sight lenses, which made it perfect for anybody who spends as much time skulking in dark allies as I was.

Re: A Good Heart in the Wrong Place [spoilers]

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 9:08 pm
by Slimcreeper
100 AP!

Re: A Good Heart in the Wrong Place [spoilers]

Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 11:24 pm
by Slimcreeper
*Notes by Fidelity Williams, Journalist for the Times*

What’s your name and your associates?
My name is Bernhard Boehden, I used to be a sailor. My associates in this venture are Mister Cusa and Lord Carnavon. Mister Cusa's magic and Lord Carnavon's interpersonal skills were instrumental in finding and apprehending the Loup Garou Killer.

Who was your employer?
We were employed by a Madam Barbier, who contacted us in search of her lost nephew. Sadly, in the course of our chase for first her nephew and then the Loup Garou Killer, she was killed. It was a question of personal honour to fulfill her last request dutifully.

What are the names of those involved?
As I already said – there were my associates and I on the one hand, and Geraldine and Gerald Hargrove, twin elves, and Miss Brown? We caught the latter red-handed when they tried to keep us from finding out too much about their involvement.

What are their affiliations?
The elves and dwarf proclaim membership in a group or social circle called „The Sons of Thoth“, who were trying to contact the Loup Garou Killer and hoped to involve him in their own plans - „Grand designs for the future of humanity“, as they called it.

What more can you tell me about the Sons of Thoth?
As far as I can tell, they are an unscrupulous group of people with too much money and too much time on their hands. They were responsible for letting the Loup Garou Killer loose in the first place, as far as I know, and wanted to rein him in again using our investigation's results. I think they tried to steal them or learn them from us when they tried to mug us in the streets at an alley in Southwark.
As one of the elven muggers told us, the Sons of Thoth actually knew about these strange cravings of the LGK and were willing to provide him with means to keep doing this „in the most humane way possible“.
Seeing as the Killer told us he „needed human hearts to keep his mind from slipping away“, I don't think those so-called Grand Designs would be all that desirable for the people on the streets.

How did you get involved with the investigation?
I actually received a summons to meet with Madam Barbier after having asked around for work at the docks. If things would have gotten out of hand during the search for her nephew as she expected, my more martial skillset would have come in handy – which, regrettably, they did in the end.

Who, really, is the Loup Garou Killer?
As far as I can tell, he was a poor soul driven mad by reckless use of magic. He seemed convinced to be some kind of reborn magician from bygone ages who needed ritualistically harvested human hearts to conserve his mind. I don't even think he ever gave us a proper name to begin with and we didn't find any identification on him, so your guess is as good as mine as to where he actually came from. Most unsettling in all this, however, was how cultured and well-mannered he addressed us on one hand and how matter-of-factly he spoke about casually and repeatedly murdering people.
Saddest of all, he was a Troll just as I and I fear this will just play into people's stereotypes of me and my enlarged brethren.

Tell me the story of the final battle.
It all started with the aforementioned conversation in which he told us about his reasoning for the killings. After a few things got out of hand, the caves or warrens he was hiding in caught fire somehow and began to burn down. The Killer tried to flee the scene after seeing that he wouldn't be able to convince us to just let him leave. The two of us got into some serious fisticuffs, Lord Carnavon and Cusa supported me using spells and a pistol, and I managed to knock him out in the end. At least, I think I did. I later learned the police had had to shoot him. Apparently, he wasn't as knocked out as I had hoped, and went on to try and flee. It's a pity. Maybe with the right psychological treatment at the right time, this poor soul might have been saved. May God have mercy on him.

What can you tell me about the Brass Rabbits?
How are they involved?

Well, they are kids, for as much as I can tell. And they are practically living on the streets as urchins. As I see it, the Killer promised to protect them from people who would do them harm, and they provided him with a place to stay. I was unable to talk to any of them about their actual involvement, though.

Where were the police in all of this?
The constabulary were right there with us when we went to them with information regarding the Loup Garou Killer. Of course, without actual proof beforehand, the officers couldn't get involved too much, but they tried and managed to keep the kids of the Brass Rabbits out of the serious fighting and helped to cordone off the area the Killer hid in. Also, as I said, in the end they were instrumental in ending his threat for good.

- Points for further investigation:
- What was the cause of the fire under the trestles?
- How much did Barbier pay for the investigation?
- Was she killed by the Loup Garou as well? If not, then by who?
- Must get police statement on the rumored escape of the elf twins.