In previous runthroughs of this game I have sometimes let the game bog down waiting for conversations to peter out before skipping on to the next scene.

Hence this thread; when I move the game on, you can continue talking here in parallel with the main thread. This applies to conversations between PCs, and sessions with NPCs such as Everett.

Good idea.

"I noticed three other guys loitering about and should recognise them the next time we meet..."

"Let's hope you shan't need to Captain.  But to Kit's point, it would be wise to keep an eye out just the same."

Kit's visit to Hodder and Stoughton was a great success. A respectable publishing house, they are setting up a new imprint called Gallowlight Press, specialising in pulp fiction. The sub-editor in charge of the project, Julian Grahame, and Kit really hit it off, and Kit leaves with a three-book contract to look over and the promise of a small advance.

Grahame may be used a contact in the literary world. Also Kit, if you survive the adventure, your Credit Rating will rise by one.

"….shoe falls, I said," laughed Kit as he walked out of the publishing house. He waved good-bye to Julian, who beamed back at him, and headed off down the street.

And so the hero strode off, the picture of sartorial perfection, secure in the knowledge that the world was safer for his effort, and knowing that he was stronger for the day it would rise again... He chuckled to himself. His real life was so little like his books, in many ways, but he was certain the feeling must be the same.

He headed off to find his cousin--and perhaps a young lady to toast...
This message was last edited by the player at 15:24, Thu 01 Mar 2012.

You decide to visit Jonathan's townhouse, and after a short drive arrive at Kingsgate Square. The address is in a select area of Mayfair, on to an out-of-the way square, with a small garden in the middle enclosed by heavy iron railings. There are only three residences, one on each side of the square - number one is the first on the left.

Someone in the house has evidently been watching for your arrival, as you are met by a small group of servants. An elderly couple introduce themselves as Mr. and Mrs. Henderson, the butler and housekeeper.

"Welcome to Kingsgate square your Lordship!"

As the hall boy manfully struggles with your luggage, you are led into the house, where the other above-stairs servants are lined up to meet the new Lordship, in strict order of seniority of course. Apart from the Hendersons, there are two maids, a footman and a cook, a large slab-faced woman.

Carry on your conversation in the main thread, this is a flashback to a few hours ago.

Kit smiles at everyone as he accompanies Jonathan into the house.

Since this has already happened from the timeline of the main thread, I'm posting it in the open and George would have surely mentioned it. He spotted a maid looking shifty, and followed her to a bedroom.

Listening at the door, you hear a light patter of feet, then nothing. After two minutes you open the door and stride in. The room is obviously the master bedroom, as you recognise Jonathan's suitcase on the bed. It is open, and the maid is rifling through it. As she catches sight of you, here hand whips behind her back.

"'Scuse me sir, I was just unpacking 'is Lordship's case" she says timidly.

"So I see..."

Reaching into his jacket, Captain Yates produces his pistol and points it unwaveringly at the maid's heart.

"Carefully reveal what you are hiding behind your back young lady. Unless you explain yourself quite carefully, you shall be looking for new employ tomorrow, without a reference."

He takes a careful sidestep to the left, putting a wall behind his back, rather then the open doorway.

"Lawks sir!" squeaks the maid at the sight of George's gun. She brings her hand into view; she is holding Jonathan's silver-backed hairbrush. "I was just going to arrange his lordship's toiletries"

Make another Sense Trouble roll, target 6. You may also make a spend on Asses Honesty if you want

"Honest women do not hide items they plan to put away behind their back. Especially times worth as much as that silver backed brush."

he continues to move away from the door.

"Now place the brush on the bed, then empty your pockets. Slowly and carefully, don't want to have to call the doctor back so soon, now do we?"

She nervously complies. Her pockets are empty save for a small sheet of good quality paper folded in two.

Now you are standing at the suitcase you can see that the maid made a beeline for Jonathan's toiletries bag. There are certainly more valuable things in his luggage than the hair brush.

George gestures for the woman to move away from the suitcase, then tries to read the paper, while keeping half an eye on the maid.

The paper is unmarked and in pristine condition. "Lovely slip of paper sir, I saw it on the street and picked it up for my brother" says the maid. There is a subtle change in her demeanor, a hint of suppressed humour.

"It is my opinion that any servant who takes two minutes to open a suitcase a retreive one brush is a lazy one."

He folds the paper back up and puts it inside an interior pocket of his jacket.

"Perhaps a week or two off without pay will motivate you to better service. I will speak with the head housekeeper regarding you behavior, as well as your insolent manner."

Confused but convinced that this young lady and her paper were more than they seemed, he plans on suggesting all new staff be hired.

"Now be off with you!"

He had had some truck with invisible ink in the military, once she has left he will hold the paper over a flame to see if that should reveal anything.

"Yes sir" answers the maid pertly and, with another pretty curtsy, hurries out of the bedroom. You find a and light candle, but holding the paper over a flame does not reveal any hidden markings.

He folds the paper and places it back in his pocket.

Most curious, and most concerning. No servant would take the potential for punishment or dismissal so lightly.

He glances thru the open suitcase, poking at things with his pistol barrel rather than his hand.

Was there something in there that she might have added.

He was certain that the nonsense about immortality had nothing to do with this, but charismatic madmen had been known to have very loyal followers. Plus there was the money and the land that others might covet.

He would have to look into this more closely.

The next morning Kit and Jonathan are feeling much improved, but Glenn has taken a turn for the worse overnight. When you check up on him first thing in the morning his pillow is soaked in blood and his painful, gurgling cough leaves you wincing in sympathy. Glenn can almost feel whatever is inside his lungs wriggling with obscene life. It looks like you will have to try the purgative one more time.

You lose 1 Health Glenn. See Meta.

In reply to Great Old One (msg # 19):

Earlier in the morning, before Glenn woke up, Jonathan set up a meeting with the domestic staff. He learned that, before your arrival, the property was managed solely by Mr and Mrs Henderson and a part-time gardener. The extra staff for your visit were all hired via an agency, Grant's Placements.

Right away George notices the maid he caught in Jonathan's room is not present, and on questioning Henderson you discover she handed in her notice yesterday, right after your altercation. "Of course she forfeited her pay, and we have complained in the strongest terms to Mrs Grant. She promised to check her references forthwith"

The old war-hound felt certain that there was something, some question he should ask, but he was unable to wrap his mind around it.

In the meantime...

"I think I should head over to Grant's myself, and have a word with your employer. Something isn't quite right here."

Jonathan considers for a long moment, then says to Henderson, "Do not use Grant's in future, please. If they cannot be relied upon to check the references of the people they send, I do not trust them.

"Discharge all of the staff hired since my arrival at the end of the week, with one month's wages as severance. Then use a different agency to replace them. You may retain the current individuals -- except for that girl -- as needed until they are superseded.

"Thank you, Henderson."

As he and George go in to breakfast, he says quietly, "If you're going to Grant's, you'd best do so before Henderson talks to them. They're less likely to be co-operative once they know we've dispensed with their services."

[ooc -If we go to Bermuda, Henderson can take more time to get replacements.]

George takes a taxi to Grant's Placements, where he is swiftly ushered into the office of Mrs Cornelia Grant, a severe dowager who is evidently chagrined by the conudct of your maid. In her defence she produces a glowing reference by a distinguished old soldier Brigadier St. John Stevens from Seavenoaks and is more than happy to pass on his address.

Making light of the issue is an effort for the Captain, however he hoped to perhaps gain more information about the girl. This service would never get a recommendation from him.

Taking the address, he also asks for the phone number. If there is no phone number, he will inquire as to how exactly they checked the reference? If there is a number he will ask to use her office, in private, to make the call. If this is the case he will poke around her desk while making the call, not feverishly, but curiously, in particular looking for anything that might reference any of the people or places that have already been put in play.

The Brigadier does not have a telephone, so Mrs Grant is obliged to explain her due diligence process. In short, the Brigadier he was given as a reference by the maid in question (listed on Grant's books as Abbey Morton) when she first registered with the agency a few weeks ago. Firsly,t Grant enquired about the character of the Brigadier from friends in Seavenoaks and determined he a gentleman of the highest calibre. Then she send the Brigadier a letter asking for a written reference, and received a short note a few days later, signed by the gentleman in question. She has no qualms in showing it to you.

I can attest that Miss Morton is hard-working, modest and trustworthy, and has carried out her duties to the highest standard.

As a military man, the Captain brooks no excuse for failure, but he keeps as pleasant a demeanor as he can.

"May I take this note with me, Mrs Morton," he says, holding up the reference note from the Brigadier. He fully intends to visit this man, after he has spoken to the others. He wonders if they might have found any reference to Brigadier St. John Stevens in their notes. It seemed unlikely, but worth asking.

Thanking Mrs. Morton for her time, George heads to Scotland Yard to explain why the evidence had not been delivered. He is torn over exactly how much of this madness to pass on...

George heads to Scotland Yard to speak to inspectors Nelson or Pye. He is kept waiting for half an hour, to be confronted by a visibly annoyed Pye who demands that you produce the documents by tomorrow morning. It seems the police have not yet made the connection to the events at Blenheim house, let alone the death of father Glenn which would have been reported by the doctor as a matter of course. If they had, you presume they would be asking more pointed questions...

"Look here Pye, you can't bully me, I'm an American, and you better remember that!"

Ire raised, George continued.

"Those documents are in the possession of your young Lord Deville, make your demands to him, though if I understand your countries laws right, as a Member of the House of Lord's, he doesn't much have to listen to you."

Pye bristles at George's combative tone. "I'll have you know the laws of the land apply from the highest to the lowest. Even Americans are included" he adds sarcastically. "Now I expect to see those documents tomorrow and lordship or not, if I have to come and get them Deville will be looking at the inside of a cell by the end of the day"

"That's fine with me," George replied, his frustration with Jonathan's fascination with the documents and all  of the rest of this nonsense.

He debated telling Inspector Pye about the death of the good father, but decided not to. Against his better judgement.

Reaching into his pocket, he withdraws the piece of paper taken from the maid.

"By the way, we ran into a mysterious young woman posing as a maid. She managed to escape us, but she left this odd piece of paper. She hinted that it might be meaningful, but I am uncertain how. Could you have your world-class lab boys look it over for me?"

The inspector agrees, albiet with bad grace.

"Look, I appreciate your concern Inspector. In fact, if anything, my own concerns are darker than your own, but I a not able to see these things in black and white. I have my loyalty to the young lord to consider, as well as the weight of the Queens justice."

As much as apology as he can muster, he hopes the inspector realizes the plight the Captain has found himself in. With a final hand shake, George grabs his hat and heads back to the others.