In reply to John-Marc Falcon (msg # 41):

Seeing the Count and his men covering the front door, Darlington said to his mates, "Lawd above! Rattle an' Hum wiv me." They followed JM around to the rear.

The two groups split up, one heading left around to the rear and the other to the front. Cynthia, Molly and Sykes (one of Darlington's friends) stayed in front.

When he tried it, the Count found front door was quite locked or barred from inside.

Around to the rear, JM and Darlington (plus Pelkingham and MacLeod) discovered a servant's entrance off the kitchen. The door was also iron-shod, and locked or barred from inside.

The windows on the first floor were high and difficult to access, and were shuttered by thick wood planks, and the second floor windows were shuttered as well. JM thought he saw movement on the upper floor in the rear above them over the kitchen door, a silhouette for a second blocking the light seeping from around the edges of the shutter, but it was gone.

From where he was sheltering behind the tree, Singh could hear at least a few of the cultists talking back and forth in Arabic, getting themselves sorted out. An electric torch light lanced out, probing the shore and bushes around him but not coming to rest on his hiding place. Yet.


This message was last edited by the GM at 10:53, Fri 04 Jan 2013.

Cynthia kneels down beside the front wall of the house and levels her gun at the front door (putting herself on the hinge-side if the door opens inward, or the knob-side otherwise, either way so the door won't hide her target) and waits, finger on the trigger.

In reply to Cynthia Jane Holloway (msg # 45):

Cynthia moved up behind Bathony and his comrades. Bathony and Tom Perkins were to the right of the door as the Count tried the handle, the other Perkins and CSM Jones were to the left.

The large single door opened inwards, hinges were on the left side (looking from outside). From next to the wall she would be unable to shoot inside (and a couple men were also hugging the wall in front of her in her line of fire) but then someone inside would need to come out to shoot here in return!

In reply to The Keeper (msg # 46):

Molly moved up to the wall and stayed back.  She knew that she didn't have a target yet but wasn't all that keen on shooting anyway...at least not at a human being.  These men were doing such hideous acts that it could be argued that they weren't human so it didn't count.  That was a discussion to happen late at night when one tried to sleep after their actions were replayed in their head.  That would probably take place IF it happened.  There were a lot of IFs in this plan.  Hopefully things would turn out.

Molly prepared herself for such an eventuality and takes the safety off while she waits to see what will pop out of the door. She did grin, however, as the thought of the game Pop Goes the Weasels filtered through her brain.  When the door opens up it just might be appropriate.

The door was obviously not going to give with the meagre items and skills the Count possessed. So instead of bunching for a possible attack he directed the group to head to the right looking for another door and a possible way in.

As they approached the corner he stopped and tried to assess the scene of the truck crash.

JM pointed up at the window where the silhouette had appeared.  "Something up there gents.  Be wary."  After he tried the door and found it locked he shook his head.

"Can anyone pick a lock? Otherwise we'll need to find a better way into this place."

Singh pulls a second grenade from his bag. He crouches behind the tree and arms one grenade, throwing it from the right side of the tree toward the nearest electric torch in a short, flat arc. Shuffling two steps to his left and arming the second device, he heaves it in the direction where he heard several voices in close proximity.

Throwing himself onto his side, he covers up until they detonate...
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:10, Thu 10 Jan 2013.

MacLeod, one of the detectives, nodded. "Och aye, Ah reckon Ah ken somethin' abit locked doors. Gie us a minute, willye lads?" He took out his lockpick set and started working on the lock. "Bugger me," he muttered in frustration as he seemed to be having a spot of trouble, even with it being an old lock. Darlington stepped back to keep a nervous watch on the upstairs windows.

Out front, Molly and Cynthia could both hear from nearby, somewhere on the ground floor, the sound of... chanting? As well, the wail of a man's voice in some distress. These were off to their right (looking at the main door.)

Something exploded close by to Singh.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:25, Thu 10 Jan 2013.

In reply to The Keeper (msg # 51):

Molly turned to Cynthia and quietly asked "Did you hear that?  It sounded like chanting."  Molly wasn't going to mention it to the others until Cynthia confirmed it.  Weird noises sounded in the night and she wasn't about to make it look like she was imagining things until she either had company in her imagination or a witness.

"Please, hurry Mr. MacLeod. There's an innocent man in danger in there." She turns to the Count and John-Marc. "I heard Phil. When we enter, we'll need to hurry to the right side of the house. If we can do anything to distract them, to stop the ceremony, I think it's time to do that."

If only Mr. Singh hadn't gone off ... Cynthia was sure he'd have found a way in by now, even if it involved climbing by his fingernails to the roof. Where had that man gotten off to anyway?

Having met up with the other group next to the kitchen door the Count momentary left them to work on the lock as he led Mr Perkins, his brother and CSM Jones back to the corner of the house to provide cover and to try and assess the truck accident scene.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:22, Fri 11 Jan 2013.

JM glanced around in the darkness for approaching cultists.  He looked back as the Count attempted to force the door, the shots ringing out in the gloom.  With a frown he nodded to the two women.  "Yes you are correct, there is something going on.  To the right then and rush the ceremony once we are inside!  Now can anyone else work the lock or we'll need to go into the carriage house and look for an axe or something to use as a ram."

In reply to Count Sigismund Bathony (msg # 48):

When they got to the corner, Bathony heard yelling, then a new series of explosions in that direction. "BAM! Ba-BAM!" It was difficult to tell as the booms echoed through the damp riverlands, but it sounded like one, then a pair close together.

There was no other door, so the group from the front met with those trying to force the rear door. Darlington detailed Sykes and Pelkingham to go back and keep watch the front door. MacLeod gave up, backing off to let the Count have a go.

The Count was worried by the amount of action that seemed to be taking place around the scene of the truck accident.

When all other avenues had been exhausted in the attempts to open the door the Count tried his boot and as a last resort his revolver.

In reply to Count Sigismund Bathony (msg # 57):

The Count's assault seemed to be fruitless, even on the "weaker" rear door. Damn these Civil War-era portals! A few bulletholes but nothing dramatic. There was fortunately no reaction to the distraction from inside. Whatever was happening over by the bridge, it was quieting down. Mr. Singh had not reappeared.

Putting aside her nervousness, Molly tried her hand at picking the lock.

Inside, the chanting raised to a frantic crescendo!

Keeper's Note: You're in the rear, so the chanting is kind of off to your left.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:14, Sat 12 Jan 2013.

JM watched the attempts at breaking down the door and then picking the locks.  As they worked he looked more carefully at the upper floor windows and the sides of the house.  Perhaps they could scale the walls?

The Count returns to the corner and continues to observe the general direction of the truck crash. He curses himself as he jogs back, sitting in his carpet bag was a small pry bar and a hammer and chisel.

"We may have to retrieve Mr Singh. He has been away to long."

In reply to John-Marc Falcon (msg # 59):

Molly looked at the attempts to pick the lock and pushed people aside.  "Here let me try.  You guys stay and on watch to make sure I don't get shot at while I do this."

Molly bent over the lock and closed her eyes for a bit.  It always seemed to help.  One of those "feel the lock, be the lock" type things that always sounded good in the papers and directions.  Sometimes it even worked.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:49, Sun 13 Jan 2013.

Being dressed slate blocks, the second story couldn't be scaled without a ladder or climbing gear. They just made buildings too solid so long ago! In many ways, al Misr house was a small fortress, and had been like that for centuries.

Just as she was about to give up, the ancient lock to the kitchen door opened with a loud click. Molly was flooded with a sense of real accomplishment!
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:52, Sun 13 Jan 2013.

In reply to The Keeper (msg # 62):

Molly muttered something similar to "chalk one up for Mungo" and put away her tools that she had used.  Once the grin off of her face she turned to the rest and with a grand sweep of her arms indicated that the door was unlocked now.

"There you go.  No offense but I'll just scoot back a bit and let one of you go in first now that it's unlocked."

Darlington replied to the Count, "two ov me blokes are aaaht front. I can take da uvver an' 'ave a look fer Mr. Singh if yew like. Sorted mate."

JM calls out softly to the Count.  "Molly's got it open, come on back." His teeth flashed in the darkness as he smiled at the intrepid reporter.  "Good work Molly.  That helps a lot."

He looks back at the others and hefts his gun.  "Let's go."  He peers carefully into the room, staying in the cover of the doorway.

As he moved back to the kitchen door the Count reloaded his revolver with one of his speed loaders. He doff his hat to Miss Fuller before following Mr Falcon into the house.

He kept his rifle pointed to where he was looking as they moved through the rooms. The Count tried to cover Mr Falcon as he hugged the walls. If he had to look through a doorway he did it at waist height as a means to throw off the aim of anyone covering entrances.

While he understood the urgency of their movement he still tried to do it as safely as possible.

Cynthia doesn't like the comments about her Mr. Singh possibly being in worse straits, but she can't argue with them, or come along, so she shuts her mouth. Hopefully enough noise in the house will bring anyone giving Mr. Singh trouble.

She falls in behind the gentlemen, mostly watching towards the rear of the group. The Count will move forward as quickly as is safe; as much as she wants to badger him, it won't help. Instead, she focuses on remembering everything she's been taught about trigger safety. It simply would not do to shoot on Mr. Singh as he catches up with the group from behind.