Ooc: rolled a 93. Brits can't organize their libraries for shit. Yeah, that's the problem...
This message was last edited by the player at 17:02, Thu 07 Apr 2016.

Mine is so low, there's really no hope:

21:02, Today: Rosalie Elias rolled 88 using 1d100 with rolls of 88.  Library Use (25).

"I would like that, very much.  I think we have all of the leads covered unless the others uncover something, so we might as well enjoy ourselves until we can meet up with them."  She threw a glance at the library.  "It really is an impressive collection.  A pity we can't get into see their antiquities."

The library is indeed an impressive collection of volumes. They have all of the classic and seminal works of Egyptology and many for Archaeology and Anthropology as well. Furthermore, it is clear that they had many rarer volumes, including a special rare books collection.

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OOC:

It's not a big deal, just thought I'd see what you find. Let me know when you know what comes next.

Leo looked trough all the books at least twice. He pulled a few off the shelf and paged through them a little. But nothing seemed to catch his eye. "Wow, there are a lot of books here. Must be very interesting for you to see some of them Rosie? I think I could probably appreciate antiquities more than these volumes, though. Some of the artifacts from the ancient world really capture your imagination."

After some time Leo sighed. "I suppose there's nothing for it, though. Perhaps we should take a bit of a walk? Surely if we decide we need to return, Mister Gavigan will allow us to do so."

"That's true," she agreed.  "Better if we get on with our day and maybe take a little drive.  We've some things to discuss, anyhow."  She gestured to the door.  "Shall we, Uncle?"

Leo took one last look around. "Certainly, dear Rosie." Leo moved with his niece at whatever pace was most comfortable for her, opening doors in advance of her movements.

Once they were outside, Leo set a leisurely pace along the sidewalk.

Once they were alone, she finally posed the question that had been at the front of her mind since their interview.  "Do you think this Egyptian cult ties in to the other things we've found?  It seems strange to me that Jackson still had Gavigan's card in his possession when he met with him some time ago.  That and the fact that the foundation deals exclusively in Egyptian artifacts and nothing from the Kenyan region.  I feel like we're missing something."

Leo nodded at his niece's thoughts. "He was being dishonest about something. While you were speaking, I was trying to get a read on him. I think he might know something about the cult operating in London. What, I cannot say."

Leo paused. "He did also mention the British Museum as a place that has any number of artifacts from Africa beyond just Egypt. Possible something interesting from Kenya is stored there? Perhaps that should be our next stop."

She nodded.  "I still don't know how it ties in to the cult Jackson was investigating, but I had a feeling that he wasn't telling us everything.  I wouldn't mind popping by the museum to have a look.  How do you think the others are faring?"

When they returned to the hotel, Avery awaited them, informing them of the progress and impending return of the others. One by one, they trickled in and when they all returned, they reconvened in the room of Dr. Elias.

Leo breathed a sigh of relief when it seemed everyone had returned safely. "So, how did everyone fare?"

Bishop was also glad to see everyone back safely. Given Vincent's insights into the case, Bishop decided to let his friend report to the others.

As he took off his overcoat he offered Rosalie a smile. After what they had learned about London he hoped he could protect she and the others.

Tommy grinned. "We had fun. Miss O'Connor attempted to get us all drunk.".

The reporter sat at ease on a dresser while more esteemed members of the group took chairs or leant against the smartly papered wall. It was a half decent hotel after all, and Avery had cleared a little space to make folk comfortable.

Becoming more serious he put down the small ornamental clock he'd been toying with and quickly described what his trio had been up to.
"We took a stroll to Fleet Street to pick up on the Mahoney lead. Looks like he runs a small gossip paper, you know the sort. Anyway, Mickey showed us an article that Jackson had been especially interested in...what looks like a serial killer case. Let me see..."
He flicked open his notes and reeled off the key facts.

"24 dead, all Egyptians. First one the cops noticed was three years back, and the latest victim yesterday. All the bodies were killed in pretty much the same way-something about a beating then a spike to the heart.". He grimaced. "Grim stuff. And rumour is they killed a chief inspector too. Did Barrington say anything about that?". He looked over to Moretti and Bishop.

"Anyhow, that's about it. The scoop is offering a small reward, not that it's brought 'em any sensible information so far. Mahoney did mention some club in Soho named the blue pyramid as a place the Egyptians hang out. We walked passed on the way back. Couldn't tell much from the outside, but seemed harmless enough.". He shrugged.

"Bo, Milly, did I miss anything? Jackson was investigating it on some sort of belief there was a cult here in England...which dosnt make sense to me, as I thought he only came here on the trail of the Carlyles?".

"What about the rest of you? Did London give you any of her secrets?".

Moretti nodded in response to Cotton's question. "Yes, Barrington mentioned that his predecessor, who had been investigating the case, had been murdered. The only victim who was not of Egyptian heritage."

Moretti's stomach suddenly went cold, making him wonder if he was beginning to lose his nerve. How many times had he sat at the back table of Nuova Villa Tammaro with Joe Masseria, listening to the boss rattle off which of his enemies his soldati had put in the ground? How many times had he pulled the trigger himself? And yet, talking about these killings in London strangled his courage. Maybe it was because facing down a few teppisti like himself made sense in the scheme of things. It was how the world, his world, worked. But this business Jackson had gotten into defied everything he thought was true. Made him question the fragile fabric of reality.

He cleared his throat. "Barrington told Bishop and I about the murders. Named the same method that Tommy just gave. Every victim was beaten with a spiked club, then stabbed through the heart with a spike."

"Jackson had consulted with Barrington about the murders. He told the Inspector that he believed that the killings were the work of a cult, the Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh. Barrington seemed to have dismissed the idea early on, but now, with the cases still unsolved, and an Inspector dead, I think he's more open to unusual ideas."

He took a deep breath. That was it. Once he had this out, he was having a drink. Or two. Or ten.

"I'm convinced Jackson was right. While we were on the Mauretania I read one of the books we collected. Life as a God. It's an account written by a former English soldier named Montgomery Crompton. Crompton became a devoted member of the Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh."

"In the book, Crompton talks about having visions of this god he served. The Black Pharaoh, Nophru Ka. He spends a lot of time detailing some of the cult's rituals. I don't want to spoil anyone's dinner. But, when he discussed the human sacrifices the cult made, he was clear about the method they used. The victim was beaten with a spiked, 'sacred' club, then put to death by being stabbed in the heart with a bronze spike."

He paused, then added, "Crompton spent a number of years in Egypt. But in the book, he claimed that he and some of his fellow cult members returned to England in 1805 to...spread the faith. He didn't give much detail about their activities."

"But it sounds like Crompton was telling the truth. And that Jackson had figured out exactly what was going on."

Walter pours a glass of whiskey from the bottle on the dresser and passes it to Vince.

"This Black Pharaoh gang sounds pretty grim and someone should put a stop to them. But what makes them our business right now?"

He looks to Leo.

"Perhaps Jackson thought that this cult was tied to the other, or somehow related.  Our interview with Edward Gavigan of the Penhew Foundation confirmed that Jackson had asked him about the Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh.  He denied that any such cult could exist, of course, but Uncle discerned that he was lying when he told us that he knew nothing of the group."

Leo nodded at his niece's response. "It seems like there is another cult here in London, and perhaps Jackson discovered that. It may even have some attachment to the group we discovered in New York." He looked over at Rosie, and then back to the others. "I feel that Mister Gavigan knows something about this cult, but decided not to share it with us. I can only speculate as to why. He did mention visiting the British Museum to consider artifacts that might be there from Kenya."

  Millicent gave a fake horrified look at Tommy.

"Oh come on, it was ONE bottle. I went easy on you since it was the afternoon."

Listening to Tommy and the others, Millicent commented. "Ol Tommy here pretty much got the gist of it, it's a grisly telling isn't it, though I have a feeling you're not too much surprised by it." She gave a little sigh then gave a small laugh. "Perhaps I should have asked Mr. Grey for more dough for doing this; and here I thought I was 'the cat's meow' to him, oh well."

    She didn't look nervous, but when Milly went over and poured herself a drink, one could see her hand shaking a little. She downed it quickly enjoying the feel of it down her throat.

  "This cult like it or not is probably is going to have answers to some of the questions we are looking for; and unfortunately the only way it seems to get those answers is to pry into their business. If we go about it we need to watch our backs, fronts and every other side. I don't want one of us on the front page of Mr. Mahoney's quaint newspaper.

  As for where to go, this museum sounds nifty and all, but I'm just jazzed to see that Pyramid joint and the kind of hooch they serve."

"Well concidering how we acquired that book, if I had to bet it is involved. I have enough nightmares with reading these books, but based on what I heard about it, I would not be surprised if there were more whites among the worshippers."

"I would enjoy a drink as well. This nightclub sounds like a goof place to start. But as before I suggest we take precautions."

"While don't have permits to carry handguns, it might be smart to avail ourselves of the chance to purchase some of the fine firearms for our trip to Africa."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:07, Sun 17 Apr 2016.

Tommy nodded as Bo spoke. What makes them our business now? It was a fair point.

He listened to Leo's response before furrowing his brow.
"But Jackson's notes tell us it is the Carlyles that matter. Even if there is some cult here, the police are on to it. Shouldn't we be focusing on whatever Roger Carlyle did here?". He didn't show it, but the thought of the Black Pharaoh cult made him distinctly uncomfortable. After the Juju house he knew such things were cruelly real, and Moretti's reading confirmed it. They'd got lucky in harlem. Such dangerous groups were a case for the police or government.

He shrugged, easing back and trying not to dwell on dark thoughts. "Though I suppose a few drinks in that Pyramid place would do no harm. If we can dig up a few leads for Barrington and maybe 'Scoop' the reward", he winked for effect at his awful pun "then all the better.

Did you learn anything else about the Penhew Foundation? Why did Aubrey join the expedition?".

He glanced to Milly. "I hate to say it, but aside from the museum, if we really do want to investigate this Pharaoh lot, there is another lead. Mahoney said a fresh body was found yesterday. I dont imagine it would be too hard find out where and pick up from there.".

Moretti accepted the drink Brandon passed to him gratefully. After taking a sip, he cleared his throat.

"Barrington indicated that Jackson wasn't really looking into the murders themselves. He was focused on the cult. Mind you, I could be wrong, but it sounds as though Jackson was already investigating the Brotherhood's existence and the murders just served as further proof to him that they were active here."

"Barrington mentioned that he contacted Gavigan about Jackson's theory regarding the Brotherhood. It sounds like Gavigan dismissed it out of hand. He told the Inspector that the cult was an ancient one that had no modern day equivalent. Gavigan also spoke pretty poorly of Jackson. Told Barrington that he was a sensationalist who was only interested in money. I may be trying to infer too much, but it almost sounded as though Gavigan wanted to discredit Jackson. The Inspector didn't buy it. He viewed Jackson as earnest and sincere."

He set his glass down on a nearby table. "Trust me, the last thing I want is to experience another nightmare like Harlem. But if Jackson thought this Brotherhood was important, it's probably worth looking into, even briefly. There might be a connection between the cult and the Carlyle Expedition that we're not yet aware of."

Leo furrowed his brow in thought as the others discussed the cult and next steps. "There are too many similarities between this cult and the one operating in New York to ignore it as coincidental to our goals. It certainly seems like the same dance to different music, as it were. Mister Gavigan mentioned the Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh. Which is also mentioned in one of the books from the Carlyle Estate - Life as a God. The Black Pharaoh appears to be the name for some sort of god that a group of Egyptians and European ex-patriots worship."

Leo considered the question about Aubrey. "We didn't mention the Carlyle expedition to Gavigan. I don't trust him and didn't want to tip our hand. We can always return later to ask about that - he understands that Rosie has interest in archaeology. We could also play the reporter angle if we want to take a shot at getting more information about Penhew."

"Stanley, could your Pinkerton colleagues get us a line on Gavigan?" Walter asks, "And Vince, maybe you know some friends that could approach the thing from another direction? Then Tommy here can do some of that ace reporting and find out what the Fourth Estate can tell us."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:47, Wed 20 Apr 2016.

"I doubt it Bo, we would normally depend on Scotland Yard in such an endeavour."


Turning to Leo and Rosie "When you spoke with Gavigan did you mention Jack? Or did Gaviganmake a connection? What was your sense of the man?"