Tommy clasped his hand across Howard's broad shoulders and grinned warmly at the friendly man.
"As always doc the Times begs the wisdom, nay genius of Columbia's finest African expert!". The pair joined the gathered investigators and Tommy pointed out each of his new companions in turn.

"And this time I've even brought friends, who will no doubt be fans if you astound them as reliably as you always do me.". He winked. It was fun indulging Howard, the man was always friendly and Tommy liked him.
"Allow me to introduce Dr Leonardo Elias...Stanley Bishop...Walter Brandon, and of course..." he stepped back to flourish a wave at the ladies, allowing Howard a moment to nod his head amiably.
"...of course, Ms Annabel Ashcroft, and Ms Rosa Elias. Infact, I imagine you may even have met one or two of them before. Dr Elias, you were Columbia too right?".

While the academic settled himself Tommy chatted amiably.
"That piece you helped me on about those Neanderthal bones caused quite the stir you know. We had all kinds of folk, mostly religious, awfully flustered at the very suggestion man might have evolved from somewhere.

But this time, I hope you wont mind, our topic is a little less precise. Infact to cut to the chase, I dont even know exactly what to ask you.".
Tommy leaned closer, drawing the maps out to expose them in turn. He treated them gently, bringing them forward for Blake to inspect.

"These maps belonged to book seller who apparently developed quite an obsession with the region of Africa depicted...and that interest drew him unwelcome attention.". The reporter glanced at the others, unsure how much detail to expose. If they felt it appropriate to bring up talk of Jackson and the murders all well and good, but for his part he wasn't about to break their trust.

"So its a bit of a riddle really Doctor Blake. Are these maps significant in any way? It may be nothing, but we had a hint of association to the old Carlyle expedition...and here... he shuffled the maps until the mountain of the black wind was prominent ...here, we wondered if this was significant?

What do you make of them sir?".

Dr. Blake offered polite and reserved greetings to those in attendance. Unlike the exuberant young reporter, he seemed a much more somber individual. The flattery that young Thomas seemed to think was necessary didn't cause any noticeable reactions from the older gentleman. He listens to the strange request posed by the reporter

"Well, young Thomas, I'm not sure what you want me to say here. Everyone knows the Carlyle Expedition went to Kenya. These are a variety of maps of Kenya. I suppose that's all that connects the two.

"Nothing really stands out to me here, other than this Mountain of the Black Wind. Now, neither in my travels to the Kenya Colony,nor during any reading of books and journals have I ever heard the name. It sounds like the sort of name a local tribesman might use for such a thing, but it also might be baloney. In any case, if it's a real name, it's an obscure one - probably a translation from a regional language," he said.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:11, Fri 26 June 2015.

Tommy listened with interest.
"Are these maps particularity rare or notable? We think they have garnered somewhat unwelcome interest, which would mean something in them is important for some reason.
For example, do they cover regions that are not usually exposed? Or are there differences in them to traditional maps? Or perhaps they are hard to get hold of...where would one buy maps like these?".
He mused for a moment, recalling what he knew of the Carlyle expedition from stories at the time.
"The Carlyle Expedition disappeared somewhere near the Rift Valley or some place like that didn't they?". Tommy raised a questioning eyebrow. "Which general area is that in?".

ooc: I presume the maps are generally in English and don't have any clues as to local dialect (i.e. local names) on them?
This message was last edited by the player at 10:12, Fri 26 June 2015.

"There is nothing rare, notable, or otherwise special about these maps. You could get them from a catalog if you wanted to order them yourself," he said.

He shook his head when asked about the Carlyle Expedition. "I'm afraid I don't know where they disappeared. I do believe they intended to explore the Great Rift Valley, but that encompasses a large part of the country so it's hardly a specific area."
This message was last updated by the player at 13:54, Fri 26 June 2015.

Tommy suppressed a frown. It was tenuous, but if Thurmond had been killed because of those maps there surely had to be something notable in them. Maybe Blake's response simply proved that wasn't why the bookseller was killed, and they'd missed something else.

The academic's comments on dialect reminded young Cotton of another matter that their expert might be able to shed light on.
Reaching for his notebook he flicked to the page where he had scribbled the motif that had been associated with all the murders so far.
"How about this symbol. Does that have anything to do with the region, or is it used in any particular tribe?".

He sighed. "Thomas, I don't know every symbol associated with every one of the myriad tribes in East Africa. You're looking for a needle in a haystack. To be clear, off the top of my head, I'm not familiar with it. Have any of you done any research on this symbol?" he asked, looking around at them.

Bishop had offered a polite greeting but then had been silent. This was not his specialty. Bishop had remembered the mention of the Black Wind in Elias' notes and on the map made it almost certain to be important. But Cotton's expert did not have any answers and they did not know the questions.

Bo breaks his silence to underscore Blake's point: "Yeah, I'm not familiar with this patch, but there are dozens, maybe hundreds of native dialects and myths and superstitions in every part of Africa, especially below the Sahara."

Tommy nodded. Instead of being discouraged he felt a surge of enthusiasm.
"Ok so now we are getting somewhere. I've had no real idea where to research that symbol. But Doctor Blake, maybe you could point us in the right direction? I mean you know more about this region than anyone I know. Where would you start looking for this symbol?".
He bit his lip, hoping the academic would be gently encouraged.
"I'm more than happy to do leg work. Just point me in the right direction and I'll make sure next time we visit our questions are more precise.".

"Ever hear of the cult of the bloody tongue? They are connected to the Black Wind Mountain. known for human sacrifice and such things?" Bishop asked Blake.

"I'm sure a librarian could direct you to the appropriate section to find a book, though you should know there are works that focus on pictorial languages specific to the region, which may be a good place to start. That having been said, our collection here is not what we'd like it to be with respect to this subject. If you're intent on serious research on this subject, I would visit the library at Harvard which would be much better equipped to identify the symbol you're showing me," he told Thomas and the others.

"Bogeymen," he said to Stanley when asked about the Bloody Tongue cultists. "I have heard of this Bloody Tongue group on a visit to Africa once but only in passing. I was studying some tribesmen not far from Nairobi at the time. Children carried off in the night, human sacrifices, that sort of thing. There's no credible evidence that the group exists, though. I believe most of their rumored depredations are supposed to be carried out in the mountains north of Nairboi. So if you know of some Black Wind mountain, I suppose it is possible the two are related. I haven't specifically heard that name, but it sounds suitably ominous. Here where it is indicated on the map, that is in fact north of Nairobi. It seems many of these markings are there." He seemed dismissive of the idea that this group existed, but serious in his analysis of what they presented him - and there was a glint of curiosity in his eye.

"It would be only the crudest speculation, but from the smattering of clues you've given me, I can presume that these may be presumptive locations for some sort of headquarters of this Bloody Tongue cult, or perhaps sacred site. If not some manner of red herring, you might also wager a guess that this symbol is associated with the group. That might at least help guide your research," he said.

"I'd be curious to know where this man came about these maps. Even in Africa, very little is known of this group. Most educated people - Negroes and whites alike - believe it a fairy tale, and only the uneducated Negroes that live in the wilds in huts believe the sort of nonsense presented here. Certainly a map of locations even theoretically associated with the group would not be an easily available thing. Even presuming that they do exist, they would have to be very secretive to evade credible notice or colonial justice by this point if their acts can be said to be true."

---

OOC:

15:08, Today: The Keeper got the result "As I see it, yes" on the magic 8-ball. Does Blake know about the Bloody Tongue?

The young reporter furrowed his brow as Bishop mentioned the cult.

Bloody Tongue? It sounded grim. Or theatrical.

Did these people really think some African tribe of 'bogey men' as Blake put it,  was behind all the killings? Surely it was more likely there was just one deranged maniac going around. The suggestion there might be a whole gaggle of mad Negroes was...

The idea sent a chill down Tommy's spine and in his naivety he pushed it away. No, the Elias group are too close to the case. They are being paranoid, this isn't some backwater jungle.

Blake's intimations that the maps might hold secret head quarters though appealed to Tommy's exuberance. Not treasure maps, but maps to a secret mountain base! He could see the story writing itself, and why a misguided fanatic might go after such things.

"Bogey men. Right.". Tommy nodded enthusiastically. "But some folk love tales of such things. I can see why the maps might be interesting whether or not that cult lot are real. People are always paying for stuff like this, whether its to do with Jesus, the Holy Grail, whatever.

As you say then Howard, the question is where did our book seller get these maps?".

No expert in such matters Tommy absently leaned in to examine the corners of the uppermost map. Did it hold a printing mark? An authors note? He was looking for any trail that might lead to where the maps had come from.

ooc: Are the black mountain notes part of the map, or do they look like they are added (i.e. if they are part of the map, then the map/maker itself could be critical. If it was added later, then the person who added the note seems more important).
This message was lightly edited by the player at 21:34, Mon 06 July 2015.

"Might be your bookseller kept a record of wherever he got the maps," Bo suggests, "A notebook or bills of sale, something like that."

OOC:

The maps are printed from well known map publishers, but the markings upon them have been obviously added to them. As stated previously, the words in the margins are also handwritten.


This message was last edited by the GM at 12:57, Tue 30 June 2015.

Dr. Blake furrowed his brow a bit. "Just to be clear, where the maps were purchased may not be of import. The important piece of information is where he got these locations that have been drawn onto the map by some third party, as is this handwriting in the margin."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:18, Tue 30 June 2015.

Tommy glanced at Bishop .
"Did you see the mans hand writing when you we looking through the other items? Or...". Tommy hazarded a wild guess, "Does the script look familiar at all?".
It was a long shot, but given the entwined nature of the cases, was it possible that Jackson himself or some other familiar party had annotated the maps? There had to be some connection.

Ooc: I think Tommy and bishop looked through thurmonds things but found nothing notable. Having done that, is it obvious to them that the writing on the maps is the same/ or different to the black mountain note? Or maybe ambiguous?

OOC:

The only handwriting is the comment in the margins that says "Mountain of the Black Wind." That is the only writing on the maps. As you went through Thurmond's office, you will notice that it is Thurmond's handwriting.

I'm not actually sure where you guys are going with this right now, but I'm just rolling with it as best as I can. I suspect you're looking for or are imagining clues that just don't exist...so in case it has been unclear up to this point, I would like to state it once more explicitly:

The maps in Thurmond's possession are fairly basic commercially available maps of the region. The ONLY thing special about these maps is various areas marked on the maps - marked by someone (NOT the publisher of the maps) using a writing utensil - and the comment in the margins "Mountain of the Black Wind."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:09, Wed 01 July 2015.

  Annabel stood back and listened to the men discussing the map that they found. it was all very droll,but they seemed to be very focused on it. Cult of the Bloody tongue, the place sounded awful, she REALLY hoped she would never actually have to go there. Maybe that awful book came from there, she wouldn't be surprised if it did.

  Annabel piped up, "maybe Dr. Blake is on to something. This bookseller could have been killed because he asked too many questions and got himself noticed by the wrong people; so they well...., dealt with him before he could learn any more. Is there anyway we could find out where he got his information from?"

Leo shook Dr. Blake's hand once they had been introduced, and listened to Tommy explain what he had found from the maps.

Leo was mostly happy to listen, and they had gained at least one or two more good suggestions from Dr. Blake. But he was curious about one other thing. "On a possibly unrelated note, do you know if there are any African legends concerning a sand bat, father-of-all-bats, or rainbow snake?" It was a shot in the dark, but perhaps there was a connection.

Bishop stood by and listened until Tommy asked him about the writing.

"The maps matched his hand. As far as where he picked up the information, his wife had little idea, but as I said before mentioned Harlem." Bishop said.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:36, Thu 02 July 2015.

"Sounds like you attended Professor Cowles' lecture a few days ago. No, I'm afraid there are no parallels to what he was talking about in African folklore as far as the Sand Bat and Rainbow Snake, though he did also mention some kind of rumored Australian cult that performed human sacrifices, if I recall correctly," he said, standing.

"If there's anything else that pertains to my expertise in the region, I'd be glad to answer it now, but I fear there is more guesswork and detective work involved here than there is anything I can help with," he said. "Otherwise, I'll be going now to continue my research. You know where you can reach me, Thomas."

He waited to see if there were any more questions before he left.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:14, Thu 02 July 2015.

'I don't have any other questions. You have our appreciation for your time. I am sure it goes without saying, but we would appreciate your discretion in this matter." Bishop replied.

Tommy echoed the PI's words of thanks.
"As always doc, we appreciate your time. Quite a riddle this one.".
He stood, giving the academic room to depart, walking with him to the door.

Leo nodded at the Doctor's informed guess that they had in fact attended the lecture by Cowles. As the man stood to leave, Leo offered his hand again. "Thank you for your time, professor. We appreciate your willingness to help."

Dr. Blake took Leo's hand and shook it. "Of course, and if you should have any further questions, please feel free to ring me up or visit my office. Good luck." With that said, Dr. Blake left the meeting room.