Frank thanked John for sending the Watcher. He felt happier now he knew someone would be keeping an eye on his family.

"I've sent Toby the text," he said. "He's working on it now, expect to hear back, hold on, just getting something back from him... OK, this isn't what I expected."

Frank read the note to John, his voice touched by cynicism.

"Not that it doesn't have trap written all over it, but I'm taking it that if we follow this up, it's on our own dime?"

There's a slight, uncomfortable pause when Frank asks about money. Well, er, you know how the accounting department is. I don't think I'll be able to convince them to pre-approve what is ostensibly somebody's birthday party. But keep your receipts and take good notes; I'll see what I can do.

OOC: Toby, where and how exactly are you looking for a big house?

Toby then went to the QR code adhered to the note, having no real luck with the google maps wizardry. He fired up the burner laptop, an old one, years out of date and barely able to connect to the internet. He used it for all risky internet activities. He grabbed a cup of coffee while it booted up (he'd stopped trying to clear the malware from it long ago) and looked at the code...

It wasn't right. That little box should be in the bottom right... He rotated it, then grunted. He might have to mirror it... He sat down and went to work, scanning and mirroring the image on his graphics program, getting every possible way to mirror it into a valid code box.

Tobias realizes that once he mirrors it horizontally, the code is readable by his phone. It is a link to Google Maps: http://qrs.ly/9b1njvz

Patmos?

What the hell would they be doing in Patmos?

He shrugged and copied down the location's coordinates, then picked up his phone. "Frank? Yeah, it's Toby. You intend on following this up?"

"I don't even know what in the hell this is, Toby," replied Frank. "Someone who knows where we live invites us to a birthday party. It's odd, I'll admit. That name mean anything to you, 'Diyamba'? Sounds African to me." He paused. "That's the other problem here. I don't see an address..."

...

"Patmos? Never even heard of it. Which state?" Frank pauses. "Greece, in Europe!? Well I guess we're going to have to keep all the receipts, don't think we can afford this one on our own dimes. Can we fly from Baltimore, or maybe Dulles?" Frank walks through to the computer in the study and turned it on. It booted within a few seconds. "Hold on, I'll look now. Where are you, Toby?"

Frank might not have had the computer skills to realise what the QR code was, but he wasn't completely useless when it came to computers. He started to search for flights that would get them to Greece.

[Private to GM: OOC: Frank is searching for the quickest way to get to Patmos, flying from either Baltimore (BWI) or Dulles International(IAD)]
This message was last edited by the player at 17:58, Wed 29 Feb 2012.

Frank quickly discovers that there is no airport on Patmos, but there are numerous ferries to and from the island from nearby islands. A ticket leaving within a couple of days will cost anywhere between 800 and 1,200 dollars, and a flight leaving the next day will be somewhere in the neighborhood of $3,000. At any price range, there are plenty of flights in the 14-16 hour range. Once in Greece, ferries to the island of Patmos cost around $50 to $75 per person.

Toby gave his address, not terribly far from Frank's, and while he was looking up airfare, Toby was on the computer researching whoever this Diyamba person was. Fortunately for him, Greek was one language he knew how to speak. Not terribly well, but passingly enough.

You rolled 30 using 1d20+16 ((14)). Research Role... er, roll.

Except for being the name of a small beach in Sri Lanka, nothing conclusive comes from Toby's searches, but something about the name resonates with him anyway. It's almost as if it's magical... or it could simply be he's heard it before but can't remember where.

"Right, earliest flight is tomorrow morning," said Frank, already entering passenger information. "I'll book us onto it now. You'll need to send over your passport details so I can add them."

Frank gave Toby specific details about the timings for the flights, and told him he'd collect him and drive him to the airport in Baltimore.

[Private to GM: OOC: I'm presuming my Wealth score of 26 is sufficient to cover airline tickets?]

Private

[Private to Francis 'Frank' Decourcey: Diane will not be happy with you, but she also won't have to go without food or gas money. Did you want to try to get the first flight available?]

Private

[Private to GM: OOC: Oh dear, looks like poor Frank will be in the doghouse...

Yes, I do want to try and get the earliest flight available.

Frank would be less concerned about getting out to Patmos if the message had just been sent to him at work, but the fact it came to his home address has him worried.]

The earliest flight out Frank can find is a red eye leaving from Dulles at 7:50 that evening. Almost nine hours later (09:30, local time) the weary pair arrive in Munich Germany, where they have just enough time to grab breakfast and head out for their second leg of the trip: Thessaloniki, Greece. This flight takes a little over 2 hours, and then they practically have to run to catch their final flight to Rhodes. From here they have enough time to grab another meal (breakfast? lunch? It is mid-afternoon local time, but it feels more like late evening to their jet lagged bodies) before embarking on their last leg of the trip, a ferry to Patmos.

Thursday, February 9, 1012. 23:35 (local time)

When they land on Patmos the small port is almost completely deserted. The air is just as frigid here as it was at home (not helped at all by the slight sea breeze); luckily for them the hotel is only a short walk from the port. The Chris Hotel Patmos Island is a little less... business class than Toby and Frank are used to, but it was the only room available on such short notice. Luckily it has two beds.

OOC: I sort of breezed through the travel arrangements here. If you need to go back and do anything feel free, otherwise I will continue on. Here is your actual itinerary:

Take off IAD 750p Wed (8h 30m flight) Lufthansa
Land munich 920a Thur(1h layover)
Take off munich 1020a (2h 15m flight) Aegean Airlines
Land Thessaloniki 135p (25m layover)
Take off Thessaloniki 2p (1h 10m flight) Aegean Airlines
Land Rhodes  310p

Leave Rhodes 5pm (6h 35m ride) Blue Star Ferries
Arrive Patmos 1135p

[Private to Francis 'Frank' Decourcey: All told (tickets, hotel, meals, and spending money) it will be about 5 grand. You can afford this without having to make a check, but it will reduce your wealth total by 1, to 25]
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:29, Sun 11 Mar 2012.

OOC: Given the flights, I'm presuming we won't be able to take our guns with us. Frank wouldn't want to head to Patmos unarmed, so would likely try to locate a weapon on the black market in Rhodes.

01:07, Today: Francis 'Frank' Decourcey rolled 21 using 1d20+14. Gather Info: Guns.

[Private to GM: I've reduced my Wealth total to 25 accordingly. Thanks.]

OOC: I imagine Toby will have no such difficulties, as his is a genuine antique. We've also got some sort of clearance for concealed carry and such, so perhaps there's some leeway there as well?

Toby flopped onto one of the beds in the hotel room, letting his luggage join him where he had dropped it moments before. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, letting out a soft moan. He never could sleep on airlines... "Remind me," he said absently, "when we hit a dragon's lair, to buy a private jet..."

On such short notice, John is not able to get the appropriate clearances to allow Frank to carry a weapon on an international flight, especially to Greece, given the current political climate. Tobias is able to use his Universal ID to convince airport security that he works for Vatican Special Collections, and he is able to transport Possenti's Handgun as checked baggage, however no ruse will allow him to bring any ammo; percussion cap rounds are outright banned from flights by the TSA.

When Frank and Tobias get to Greece, Frank is able to (after greasing a few wheels) find a less-than-reputable weapons dealer. After applying a little more lubrication and narrowing the selection down to handguns, the dealer produces a few different weapons for Frank to choose from.

If you are looking for something small and easy to carry, this Glock is popular he says, brandishing a small, familiar-looking polymer-and-steel pistol. If you are looking for something a little more middle-of-the road, this Egyptian model is very nice. And today it's on sale for the low cash price of 500 U.S. Then of course if you are looking for real firepower, look no further than this baby. He holds up a humungous 5-shot revolver. Emblazoned on the side is an emblem that says "Raging Bull".

Do any of these strike your fancy?

[Private to GM: Glock 26 9mm autoloader, 2d6, 20ft, 10 box, semi, tiny (+2 SoH), DC 19
Taurus Raging Bull .44 revolver, 2d8, 30ft, 5 cyl, semi, med, DC 17
Tokagypt 58 9mm autoloader, 2d6, 30ft, 8 box, semi, small, DC 15]

Frank turns to Toby as if to consult with him. "And it could blow your head clean-off," he says in a low voice, doing a passable Eastwood impression.

He smiles wryly and then turns back to the dealer. "I'll take the Egyptian," he says. "The Glock's nice, but I need something with a little more stopping power, I reckon. I'll need a couple of boxes of ammo and a couple of spare magazines too. Reckon you can include them for $500?"

Oh, ha ha ha! You are a fan of the Mr. Eastwood too? I tell you what, for a fellow movie fan I will give you my best deal yet. For 500 American cash I will give you the, uh, collector's special.

The dealer pulls out an otherwise nondescript briefcase. He opens it to reveal a foam insert with cutouts for a weapon, 2 extra clips, a box of ammo, and a belt holster. After loading up the case and closing out the sale he turns to Toby. Well, sir. Is there anything you were interested in? This Raging Bull really seems like your style.

[Private to Francis 'Frank' Decourcey: The weapon is a Tokagypt 58: 9mm semi-auto, 2d6/20 damage, 30ft range increment, 8 box magazine, small size. After filling the clips you end up with two boxes of ammo total (40 rounds). All of the equipment will reduce your wealth by 1 point, and you don't need to roll.]

Toby smiled a little and nodded, opening his jacket and producing his pistol. "No pistol for me, just ammunition. I imagine this one might present you a bit more of a challenge."

The dealer looks at Tobias's weapon and shakes his head disapprovingly. No no no no, no! A nice young man like you shouldn't carry around an old relic like that! You can't even find the bullets for it, anyway! No, you, my friend, you should carry one of these — he thrusts the Taurus in Tobias's face again, as if the smell of it alone would convince him to buy it — This baby will make all the ladies leave their puny boyfriends and be with you! What do you say?

He couldn't help but laugh. "Oi, I'd BE one of those puny boyfriends... No, no," He showed him the pistol again, "women like a piece with experience and character, not size and no sense of tact."

The man looks unconvinced. I hear they also like a piece which shoots bullets...

He smirked. "Tell you what. I'm sure you can get bullets for these if you try. How about a little bet? We take these both out to the firing range I'm sure you've got around here. I win, you get me those bullets, apologize to my poor, offended pistol, and don't charge me. You win, I buy the gun, the ammo, and pay whatever exorbitant price you have in mind for the bullets for this one."

OOC: Grrrrr he really didn't have any ammo, but your post is so hard to resist...

Ha ha ha! You are a tenacious little bastard, aren't ya? I have a friend who may be able to supply such ammo, and he likes a competition as much as I do. Let me call him up, then I'll meet you around back in 15.

The alley behind the back of the shop has been set up into a makeshift gun range. The shop owner grins and holds up a big box of ammo for Tobias and explains the rules of the competition. There are three rounds: accuracy, speed, and power. In round one you have to hit all the targets I have set up. You get as much time as you need, but you are penalized for every extra bullet. In round two you can use as many bullets as you need, but the fastest person is the winner. In round three you must destroy the targets as quickly as possible and with as few bullets as possible.

OOC: To make it quicker for Frank we will do all the rolls at once then I will summarize in the next post.

Round 1: Hit 10 targets (Def 13). First target is at 10ft, second at 20ft, and so on to the 10th target at 100ft. You get 11 points for hitting a target and lose 1 for each bullet you use (perfect score = 100).

Round 2: Hit 1 target 10 times at 40ft (Def 13). Start with 100 points and lose 1 point /second (6/round, 3/action) until you hit the target all 10 times.

Round 3: Destroy 5 cinder blocks (Def 9, HP 15, Hardness 8). Gain 21 points for each block destroyed, lose 1/second and 1/bullet.

Rules reminder: you can take a full round action to attack an object with a ranged weapon with a +5 bonus to your attack.

Tobias gratefully takes the ammunition provided, hunkers down, and gets to work...

Round 1:
Taking the full round, so all of these are with the plus five, and in order from nearest to farthest. Range penalties have been accounted for.
22:37, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 14 using 1d20+12.
22:37, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 29 using 1d20+12.
22:38, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 21 using 1d20+12.
22:38, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 15 using 1d20+10.
22:38, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 30 using 1d20+10.
22:38, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 27 using 1d20+10.
22:38, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 27 using 1d20+8.
22:38, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 26 using 1d20+8.
22:38, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 28 using 1d20+8.
22:38, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 16 using 1d20+6.
Why I do believe that to be a perfect score. :P

Round 2: Curse me not having a second attack... Fortunately, I have quick reload, so I waste no time in bothersome reloading.
22:43, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 26 using 1d20+7.
22:43, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 21 using 1d20+7.
22:43, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 10 using 1d20+7.
22:43, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 14 using 1d20+7.
22:43, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 12 using 1d20+7.
22:43, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 8 using 1d20+7.
22:43, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 27 using 1d20+7.
22:43, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 18 using 1d20+7.
22:43, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 9 using 1d20+7.
22:43, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 16 using 1d20+7.
22:43, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 11 using 1d20+7.
22:42, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 10 using 1d20+7.
22:42, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 27 using 1d20+7.
22:42, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 14 using 1d20+7.
22:42, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 22 using 1d20+7.
22:42, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 11 using 1d20+7.
There should be ten hits in there... Took me nearly two minutes...

Round three: Standard firing, and I'm assuming the blocks aren't evil...
22:44, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 27 using 1d20+7. HIT
22:44, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 9 using 2d6+1. 14 remaining
22:45, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 10 using 1d20+7. HIT
22:45, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 8 using 2d6+1. 14 remaining
22:45, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 11 using 1d20+7. HIT
22:46, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 7 using 2d6+1. 14 remaining
22:46, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 23 using 1d20+7. HIT
22:46, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 5 using 2d6+1. 14 remaining. Toby considers throwing his gun at the cinder block.
22:47, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 8 using 1d20+7. Crit fail! Do with me what you will.
22:47, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 19 using 1d20+7. HIT
22:47, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 13 using 2d6+1. 9 remaining
22:47, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 9 using 1d20+7. HIT
22:48, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 8 using 2d6+1. 9 remaining
22:48, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 23 using 1d20+7. HIT
22:48, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 8 using 2d6+1. 9 remaining... Damned hardness...
22:48, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 9 using 1d20+7. HIT
22:48, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 6 using 2d6+1. still 9
22:49, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 22 using 1d20+7. HIT
22:49, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 9 using 2d6+1. EIGHT
22:49, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 25 using 1d20+7. HIT
22:49, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 9 using 2d6+1. Seven. Toby calls a pause to shave.
22:50, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 19 using 1d20+7. hit
22:50, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 8 using 2d6+1. 7
22:50, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 8 using 2d6+1.  yes
22:50, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 12 using 2d6+1. 3
22:50, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 25 using 1d20+7. hit
22:51, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 9 using 2d6+1. 2
22:51, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 9 using 1d20+7. hit
22:51, Today: Tobias Byrne rolled 10 using 2d6+1. Dead.

In the interests of my sleep, I will defer to you the 'fun' of rolling the other four...