Avery seemed none too pleased at Leo's suggestion that he, a gentleman's gentleman, would be left behind in this time of need. It was a notion that he intended to correct privily, in a most proper manner and an appropriate tone.

"I would imagine that with the...work that was accomplished in Harlem last night the membership of the organization has suffered a terrible blow. Potentially even a fatal one," the valet suggested. "If we do not hear from them again soon, I would wager we're out of the woods."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:27, Wed 11 Nov 2015.

Leo nodded. "I do think it's best, and I think your working relationship with Mister Grey will be quite useful. And while I think there is still some danger here, I agree with Avery. Much of the worst of the threat may have been destroyed last night. I don't expect that you'll want to stay in this house, so perhaps now will be a good time to reconnect with some of your family."

  Annabel gave a sigh in acceptance. "If you're sure it will be ok. But," she added, "if I see anything odd, I'll ask Mr. Grey for assistance. I'm sure he'll know people that can help."

 At the suggestion of visiting her family, Annabel gave a slight grimace at the thought. "I suppose that might be a good idea," she said in a very unconvincing tone. "I am sure mother would want to know how I am. But I won't stay long for fear that will give her time to throw yet another suitor in my path." She shook her head at the thought of that.

 "Well, it's decided then. I'll have my things packed up and moved out, plus make arrangements for travel. By the time I'm back, I should be ready to get things organized here and you will probably almost be in England."
This message was last edited by the player at 08:14, Fri 13 Nov 2015.

Bishop knew that Annabel was disappointed,  but had she seen the horrors of the Juju House she would know they were right. Where they were going was the valley of death. They would need others to carry on the fight if they were defeated.

"We will be counting on you Annabel. This will be a long fight. We will recruit help, but you are the one we know we can depend on. You need to be there when we speak to Gray."

Tommy listened carefully. The idea that Annabel would be watching their progress from New York was reassuring - it meant that whatever happened out there, they wouldn't be forgotten. He offered her a greatful smile and said "It'll be good to know someone back here is thinking about us.".

His expression turned more serious as he faced the rest of the group. "Are you sure we want to go to London though?". He gestured to the notes strewn on the table.
"Amongst all of this, there is one man left alive who was part of the expedition. Jack Brady. You saw Huston's notes...Brady isn't just some thug for hire. And here," he picked up the letter with Jackson's scribbled notes. "Your son found that Brady might be alive in Hong Kong!

Sure we can retrace the expeditions steps. But Jackson Elias and Erika Carlyle have both attempted to do that already in different ways.

If we find Jack Brady we could blow this thing wide open. More importantly, what if the cult we ran in to last night was somehow in contact with Brady? If we spend months in London or Africa, we just give Brady more time to vanish.".

Leo shook his head at Tommy's opinion. "I'm not sure of anything, and I'd had many of the same thoughts about Brady that you just voiced. If we could find Brady, we could potentially learn a lot about what actually happened to that expedition. He is more of a moving target, though. And getting to him from New York is certainly a long trip."

Encouraged by Leo's response Tommy elaborated.
"But that's the point. He is a moving target.

We guess whatever this 'thing' is spans from Africa to New York. Why not to Asia too?
If there is even the slightest risk that Brady could find out we are investigating and vanish...we should track him down first.

Whatever is in London or Egypt is going nowhere, it's waited for us long enough. Brady is a lead that could go to ground.".

He paused thoughtfully.
"Or we could split up?".

ooc- I know we shouldn't really split up. Imagine it would be a nightmare for our GM!

Bishop listened, and gave it some thought. Tommy's idea was worthy of consideration.

"We could travels to the West Coast by train and take a ship to Hong Kong. I served along side Brady. If he is still the man I remember,  we can trust him."

"From Hong Kong we could sail to Kenya, and then onto to Cairo and London if needed on the way home." Jack said the last bit wondering if any of them would ever see home again.

"It's not a bad idea. Though given what we have seen I wonder if we should not give some weight to Leo's dream about Jack and London."

Moretti crushed out his cigarette, then rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He honestly could not believe what he was about to advocate for but then, he, all of them, had woken up that morning in a new and unfamiliar world.

"Look, strange as it might sound, it's hard for me to dismiss this dream that Leo and Annabel both had. If we're going to try to call it a coincidence, it's pretty big one, especially when you consider the timing."

”A day or two back, I couldn't have imagined saying something like this, but I think Bishop is on the right track. I think we need to take the dream, and its message about London, seriously. It may be that there's something there that's important for us to find."

He thrust his hands in his pockets and leaned back against the wall, feeling suddenly self-conscious. Now he really wanted a drink.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:50, Mon 16 Nov 2015.

Rosalie pondered for a moment.  "I agree with Vincent.  It seems like it is too important a sign to ignore.  Jackson had a rumor that Brady was alive.  Just a rumor.  Even if it were true and Brady was once in Hong Kong, it doesn't follow that he'd still be there.  I agree that he would have valuable information, if we could find him, but it seems like a wild goose chase to go halfway across the world in search of one man when our last report of him was a rumor that's almost six months old."

Tommy had been about to respond it was just a dream! and yet something stopped him. Leo had dreamt of his son. Worse, the murder of his child, and despite the older man's calm assurance Tommy knew that must have been a terrible thing. He knew better than to tear at that wound.
Besides, Vincent had a point. Before the last few days none of them would have put much faith is a shared dream. But now, after what they'd seen? The ludicrous was ever so slightly appealing...

Instead he spoke gently. "Maybe the dream was nothing, or maybe it was something. I guess we won't know unless we chase it's tale.". Or would they be burning valuable time chasing their own tails by believing in a dream?

"I was taught to chase leads that might vanish first. And while the rumour of Brady is unproven, if it is true he could be the key to this whole thing. Look at Jacksons notes on the book structure. If I was writing, I'd credit in increasing importance and that man is second only to the negro woman. Hustons notes prove Brady was in to this arcane cult stuff too. He's important.".

He smiled to Roaslie.
"But as you say, he might not even be there. And Hong Kong is a hell of a wild goose chase. At least we know the expedition went through London, and it's on the way to Africa anyway.".
He held up his hands
"Leo, it's your call. I'll follow wherever you lead.".

Leo rubbed his chin for a few moments in thought. "Let's go to London. The proximity makes that direction more efficient. Hong Kong might have nothing - at least London has several things that we can be certain to access that might have clues. I also have a couple friends there. One is Lord Arthur Balfour, the former Prime Minister. The other is James Willis, who is a parapsychologist. He might have a few things to say about what we've found."

Leo looked around. "Unless there are any other objections or thoughts on the matter, I think we should see Mister Grey again, tie up a few loose ends, and then head east."

"London is is then." Bishop said. It had been a while since he had been to London, he had been fighting a war then as well.

"Great Britain has some restrictions on hand guns. I don't think it is safe to go around unheeled. I can go through the Pinkerton office to get permits for myself. But if you are friends with a former prime minister,it should not be a problem to get some permits issued." Bishop commented.

"Old friends should be trustworthy enough, but given the nature of our enemy we should consider anyone involved with the matter to be a potential foe. It might be useful for some of us to appear to be traveling separately, with one group acting overtly and the other watching over them and carrying a more clandestine investigation." Bishop said.

Much of his time with Pinkerton had involved overseeing the infiltration of labor unions. He had found it useful to place multiple operatives in such cases, with one man investigating and the other watching him.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:08, Fri 20 Nov 2015.

"London it is then.". While he had advocated the pursuit of Brady, the alternative plan did not dampen his enthusiasm. Either way this thing was big.

"I guess we have a few leads over there.".
The reporter was settling in to his stride now, and fishing his notebook out of a pocket brought a reassuring sense of normality. It was good to be studying a case.
"We know the expedition went to Cairo via Southampton on the Imperial Standard. Could we get the same boat? Might be staff on the ship who remember things from Carlyle's group.

We know one of their member was Aubrey Penhew, and they went to his foundation in London to do 'research'.". He gestured to the table strewn with various clues, plucking out Gavigans card. "Jackson obviously thought this guy might have known something about that.

Plus your own research has pulled out another name. Aleister Crowley. Huston's notes mention him. I couldn't place the name at first, but now I remember. He's a Brit - been published a few times. Had interests in poetry at first, but there have also been occasional articles about the occult. I'll see if I can dig 'em out to read on the boat.

Tommy ran a hand through his wave of brown hair and continued.
"Anyway, Huston's notes aint quite clear if Crowley and Carlyle were in direct contact. But they do suggest they shared certain interests in..." he blushed slightly as he glanced at the girls "...ahem, sex magic."., finishing the words with a slightly sheepish schoolboy grin.

"And Bishop - great idea about how we travel.".
This message was last edited by the player at 18:22, Sat 21 Nov 2015.

    Annabel had been sitting quietly listening to the exchange without comment. Since she had to stay behind, she really didn't have any say wherever the group ended up going. She did wish they would make their minds up though, after all, she WAS going to be the one to arrange how they got there and getting information to them. London would probably be easier than one of the other places.

   Finally it seemed they had reached an agreement, London it was. Annabel gave a small sigh, she really would have liked to have gone to see it again. As Thomas was talking about the clues there, the term 'sex magic' escaped his lips. Annabel, startled, blinked in surprise and blushed not believing her ears.

  "Did I hear you right Me. Cotton? Is there really such a thing? If you are investigating someone who does things like that, maybe it's good I am not going."

Annabel's girlish response was so utterly disarming and human that the dark mood lurking from the night before was momentarily swept away.
"Yep, sex magic. Huston and Carlyle spoke about it apparently. Now whether is real or just some kind of psychological hallucination, who knows.".

With a lull in the conversation Tommy made his way across the room to check the lighting conditions by the window. He began to position their various finds, ready to begin cataloging them with his camera.
"I'll take pictures of these and if no one objects head over to Columbia to see if Dr Blake can make head or tail from them.
Leo, Bishop, maybe could talk with Grey and Erika?".
This message was last edited by the player at 15:49, Mon 23 Nov 2015.

Leo nodded. "Yes, and Miss Ashcroft should accompany us as well." He looked over to the others to see if they had any opinion on where they might best be deployed.

"Before we leave, I'd like to take the feathers to the museum to visit with one of the ornithologists and see what information they might have about them.  They may not be significant, but if they are, it might give us another clue on where these cultists are located.  I don't mind popping over to the museum by myself if everyone else is going to be busy with errands.  It's just across the park and I can take a cab there and back with no issue."

  Annabel nodded, perhaps a little too eagerly, wanting to feel useful and perhaps get away from further discussions of 'sex magic; and stuff like it.

"Yes, it would be best to make arrangements with the Carlyle estate while the group is still here." Of course she really didn't think it they would go without doing this. But still, she was glad they were going all the same.

Leo shook his head at Rosie's suggestion. "Let's all stick together with at least one other person. Perhaps Thomas, Walter, and Rosie should all go to the university and the museum together. The rest of us will pay Mister Grey a visit, or have him call on us. Sound good?"

Moretti nodded. "I can certainly join you to speak with Mr. Grey," he said. He looked to Leo. "Later this afternoon, I will need to meet with my employer, sir. There are a few matters I need to discuss with him. It should not take long."

"Very well. I think we should set up a meeting with Kensington as well. Perhaps, if we convince them, we might call upon them for assistance as we pursue this quest." Bishop added.

In reply to Dr. Leonardo Elias (msg # 359):

Walter nodded at Leo's suggestion.

"Sure, I'll tag along with the egg-head expedition. Might learn something."

Tommy chuckled as he began taking those photographs.
"Egg heads? I think you've got the wrong reporter Bo!

It'll sure be interesting what Dr Blake has to say about all this. I wonder if he would know anyone in England or Africa who might assist us?".

Dr. Charleston Barkley at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Being that the Metropolitan Museum of Art was close, Rosalie, Thomas, and Walter paid a visit first to that establishment. One of Rosalie's contacts there, a man by the name of Dr. Charleston Barkley was able to identify the feathers without much difficulty. He was a curator overseeing one of the exhibits in African Art.

"These look like the feathers of the Greater African Flamingo and the African Dwarf Kingfisher respectively," he said, identifying the various feathers they had taken from the cloak. "These birds range all over the world, in truth, but the two of them are found in concert as part of various ritual items in East Africa. I'd say somewhere in Kenya or perhaps Tanganyika." He shook his head when asked if there was any particular significance. "Not much, really. They're a luxury, and some have postulated that the Kingfisher feathers might be a sign of prestige, as they are a smaller bird so the feathers may be more valuable, but that's about it. Where did you come about them? They're certainly unusual in this part of the world."

"I'm doing a piece for the paper," Tommy said, waving his newspaper credentials briefly before the man. "Just a public interest story. A crate with a few items washed up on shore, and they're trying to return it to its rightful owners," he said.

"We're trying to figure out what it is, so that he can write about it. I asked Rosalie here if she could help me, and she told me you were the man to talk to. I bet young Tommy here could even quote you in the paper, and give you a chance to talk about your Africa exhibit," Walter said.

Clearly the attempts to butter the man up were working, as he gave the young reporter a smile and puffed up a bit. "Well, I'd be glad to-"

Before he could continue, Tommy thrust a few photographs into his hand. "What do you make o' this stuff? You think it looks authentic, or maybe just some sorta trinkets?"

"More items from your crate, eh? Let me see here..." He found the inscriptions on the copper bowl and the metallic band to be illegible, and though it looked like a very authentic piece, his lack of familiarity with the script made him question it. With respect to the staff, he could tell them no more than Rosalie had been able to. "It says Nyambe, thy power mine,' he said. "Nyambe is some kind of an African word for a creator God, I believe. You can't lump all of these primitives into one culture, but it is shared across a few different ones." He took a good look at the mask picture as well. "It doesn't seem to have a way to be worn, which is unusual, but other than that, I suppose it isn't any stranger than any other bizarre African masks you can find here in the museum in our exhibit. Speaking of our exhibit..."

Dr. Howard Blake at Columbia

Having gleaned all the information out of him they were likely to get, they gave the man his soapbox, thanked him, and bid him farewell, heading back to Columbia to meet the reporter's contact, Dr. Blake, who was found in his office with the door open reading a book which he closed upon seeing them.

"Ah, Cotton and friends. Back on that Carlyle business, eh? Well, I still don't know anything about those maps or any Black Wind, so I hope you've got some new questions for me."

"New questions it is," said Tommy, who had honestly forgotten a few of the questions he had asked previously and had been planning to repeat several of them all over again.

Dr. Blake repeated many of the same things they had heard from Dr. Barkley at the museum, though he had a few new thoughts to share. "I believe this mask is Congolese in origin. The staff has Egyptian hieroglyphs but uses a term of reference for a deity that is used more often in other parts of Africa. The bowl and the headband...I haven't the faintest clue as to what language that is. I can tell you though, that all of these things appear to be ritual items of some sort. Primitives believe these things will help them cast one spell or another. It's all nonsense of course. What is strange is that you've got a collection of ritual objects here from different parts of Africa. If that means anything to you, so be it. I don't have much more on that count."

When Tommy described the ritual conduct and behavior of the participants, he seemed perplexed. "That sort of sexual ritual does not seem to be something I recall from any of my studies in the area. Of course, all religions have some sexual element, and it is a very strong focus of human energy and thought, so I suppose it is possible something escaped my attention, but it doesn't mean anything to me. I'm unfamiliar with the practice." As Tommy's questions became increasingly bizarre and unrelated.

"What might be under a trap door? Maybe a leprechaun! I have no idea. What on earth are you talking about?" Rosalie was able to calm down Blake who seemed a bit irritated by the bizarre line of questioning Tommy had gone toward.

When asked about Penhew, he came up short. "I'm sorry, I haven't heard of him. He or his foundation might specialize in another field, perhaps. I keep telling you this, Tommy, but I don't know everyone in some field of academics. We don't all have meetings or something," he said, chiding the reporter.

"Roger Corydon is the man you want. He's the colonial undersecretary for internal affairs. A genial man, knows his way around. Most of the other people I worked with are back in the states. Are you thinking about heading to Kenya?"

Once they had put his questions neatly aside, they took leave of him.

Jonah Kensington at Prospero Press

Of any told of the tale, Jonah listened with the most sincere concern and interest, having been not only connected with Jackson professionally but considered a good personal friend as well. "Prospero Press is my life's work, so while in spirit I wish to accompany you in this journey to discover the truth, I cannot. I will however honor my agreement with Jackson and will publish any of your findings in a book if anyone of you wishes to write it, or perhaps I could find a ghostwriter to help put pen to paper, as it were."

"London? Yes, I've been there quite a few times on business. Look up Mickey Mahoney. He's the owner and editor of a publication called The Scoop. Also, if you should need a police contact, you may wish to Inspector James Barrington of Scotland Yard. But be careful over there...the police are quite strict about the way they operate. If you should end up on the wrong side the law, friendship with Barrington won't stop him from clapping you in irons. Not that I'm implying that you would be on the wrong side of the law. It is merely an illustrative example," he said reassuringly.

"If you need anything while you're away, don't hesitate to contact me."

Bradley Grey, Esq. of Dunstan, Whittleby, and Grey

Bradley arranged to meet them all at the Elias home again, as he had done before.

"I'm sorry that Miss Carlyle wasn't able to make it. She's a very busy woman, running her family's estate. A heavy burden to bear, I'm afraid. She's more than up to the task, but she doesn't have many moments to spare in the day. She wanted me to send her sincere regrets that she couldn't make it. Not to blow my own horn, but it's a mark of her interest that she has asked me to represent her interests here. She has a great interest in this matter, as you well know," he said.

"If the truth you discover behind your son, whatever connection it has with the Expedition, should shed any light onto what happened to her brother, she would want to be the first to know. As you've mentioned that you'll be traveling abroad in London and other places, I wanted to mention that you can reach out to me and I will treat any communications from you at the highest level of priority. Depending on your situation, we may have resources and good will in far places. I can share with you the expedition's itinerary, and the names and contact information of various individuals employed by them. In return for all of the assistance that the Carlyle Empire can provide, I only ask of you two things:

First, keep her name out of things. The last thing we want is for any scandal to fall on this house, as if there wasn't enough already in Roger's lifetime. She demands circumspection and discretion in your actions. You may find yourselves cut off from our assistance.

Second, you must accept an agent of ours to keep an eye on Miss Carlyle's reputation while you are abroad. Our agent spent time in the war, has medical training, as well as other useful skills, having helped keep the Carlyle estate well supplied on ardent spirits in defiance of the current regime. Her name is Millicent O'Connor, and she's a hard nosed operative when she needs to be, but also capable of putting a soft touch on things. She will be an asset to your investigation, and help safeguard the Carlyle name. Miss Carlyle will of course cover and reimburse any expenses necessary for her participation in your mission. I'd not see her interfered with, especially from you, Mr. Bishop. I'm told you have a very traditional view on what women can and can't do, where they can and can't go, and that's your business when it comes to anyone else, but as far as Miss O'Connor she decides what she does and where she goes."

When it was mentioned that Annabel would be remaining behind, he nodded. "I think you've got the right way of thinking there. She'd be of better help here at home, coordinating information and communicating it to me when necessary, so that we can facilitate whatever we need to facilitate. If she's interested, I could find her a room in my firm's offices that she could work out of in coordinating this."

After discussing any final particulars, Grey departed, agreeing to send them the previously mentioned information, and that they would meet Millicent on the day of their voyage.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:28, Fri 04 Dec 2015.