In reply to Grimsby Baskerville (msg # 829):

Rosabelle smiled in response and moved her hand slightly closer to the creature so his smoky breath could waft over the tattoo, but he couldn't touch it without stretching out.

Well, now what do we do? It seems the removal of the grandstands is proceeding apace, and what Vril agents are around have been captured or killed.

I suppose I should speak to my people briefly before I disappear on them. I will be expected in the exhibition hall in a few hours. They will be able to sell my pieces without me there, but I'm sure there will be concern if I don't put in an appearance.

In reply to Rosabelle Descant Tinker-Plumist (msg # 830):

Grimsby replied, "Very well, doctor. I understand you have your responsibility to your own people. You may wish to keep your new tattoo hidden while you are in pubic in the hall, as there is no knowing who might see it and become curious. When you are ready to join Miss Holroy in her cell, I daresay any of the gendarmes can direct you to the local prison." 

In reply to Grimsby Baskerville (msg # 831):

Rosabelle searched her handbag and triumphantly emerged with a pair of short gloves in the same shade as her dress. She inspected the tattoo to make sure it was dry before tugging the gloves into place.

This shouldn't take long. I'll return here first when I am finished. If you are gone, I'll seek out the police station. She set off with a determined stride toward the exhibition hall.

With Connor, Marian and Mercy helping secure the straps around the second set of bleachers, it goes much more quickly this time as they've learned what works and the false dawn meant they weren't working in the dark. Soon, the second set is flying back over the city to the sea just as the morning sun peeks up over the eastern horizon.


With a plan of action determined, the Vril agent is led away to the local prison, which turns out to be in the basement of the right-hand building, since that is also the police headquarters.


The exhibition is scheduled to open at 8am... about an hour away, with the Queen giving her speech during the opening ceremony at 10am. Hopefully, you've thwarted the ability of the Vril agents to communicate with the gun emplacement, so you should have 3 hours to find it

In reply to GM StarMaster (msg # 833):

Grimsby saud to Marian, "Since the situation here seems to be well in hand, perhaps we should be off to the prison to see what can be learned from the Vril, though we may need to wait for Dr. Tinker-Plumist before you go into your cell. Since you are supposed to be a Vril, you had best arrive separately from me.Perhaps you can persuade a gendarme to escort you there in a properly officious manner." He started to walk toward the police station/prison.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:05, Fri 13 Apr 2018.

Inside the exhibition hall, Rosabelle hurried between the tables and booths to her assigned area where several people were setting up for the day. She passed a critical eye over the display of tiny clockwork animals, scooting a couple into slightly better positions for visibility.

Mr. Tyler, she called to a tall, middle-aged, dark-haired man.

Yes, ma'am? he answered with a slight Scottish brogue.

Everything looks well, Rosabelle said approvingly. I have another appointment today that may take some time. Please keep things running and apologize to those who were hoping to meet me. I should be available tomorrow, but this was unavoidable.

Do ye need an escort, ma'am? Tyler's brow was wrinkled with concern. He saw his lady almost as a niece and protected her whenever she was away from home.

No, no. Not necessary. Just take care of things here. I know all will be well with you in charge. I must dash. I will see you tomorrow.

Rosabelle quickly walked back out of the exhibition hall, wishing she'd already given Thorn over to Mercy or Connor so she could head straight to the jail, but she would simply search them out first. If nothing else, she could probably find their airship in the hangar.

Marian takes Grimsby's advice, searching for a local gendarme to "arrest" her and bring her into the jail. It was crucial the prisoner saw her being officially led in or none of this would work. She thought about making herself properly disheveled but with all the crawling and running around she'd done that night, she probably already looked the part.

In reply to Grimsby Baskerville (msg # 834):

As Grimsby begins to walk away Bellgrove stops him, "One moment, my friend. I fear I am a bit uncertain of your plan. It is your intention to help the police interrogate the Vril?

"Would it not be quicker to let them do that and for us to get into the blocks here about to simply find and deal with gun emplacement we know they have set up?"

In reply to Bellgrove G. B. Wander (msg # 837):

Grimsby stops and says, "While I believe the ladies may be a valuable addition to the interrogation, if they can successfully impersonate the Vril elite, it is true that I might be less useful there, if you need me to search for the gun."

Bellgrove nods, "Quite so, old man! We know the villains have a back up plan, don't we?

"We heard the one say to the other that the position of the gun is at the 'fair entrance'.

"So...It is simply a matter of finding where they have hidden the damn thing within range of the entrance. I would imagine it would be place atop a building as well.

"All of this may make it seem simple to find whatever they have set up, but I can't believe that it is undefended or obvious and we still do not actually know what sort of weapon they're using and given their technology we may only assume the worst right now."

He pauses an uncomfortable smile appearing on his face, "So, yes, we are going to need all the help we can get."

Grimsby replies, "Very well. If we are to find this "gun" before it is used, I suppose we had best move on. There cannot be too many buildings by the fair entrance --and I hope there are fewer with anything that might be a gun --or be hiding a gun-- on top."

So Marian is 'arrested' and taken to the local jail, which is one of the buildings behind the bleachers that would have been blown up. She is not placed in the same cell as the Vril agent, but in an adjacent one, separated only by a row of stout iron bars.

This does not appear to be permanent jailing, just temporary holding cells until a trial is held.

Mercy goes with Marian and the gendarme, both as a 'witness' and as back-up.

Was Rosabelle going to the jail?



Grimsby, Bellgrove and Connor headed for the fairground, on the lookout for anything that could be used to house a machine gun. The assumption was that it would need elevation to be the most effective, so anything that was more than one story tall was a likely candidate.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few of those.

A lot of them are simply facades of a booth, but a few booths are fancier than that.

While the discussion was going on, Dash, on the airship, had managed to get the second bleachers into position and dumped them into the ocean. Now, as Remi piloted the black airship back to the fairgrounds, Dash was keeping an eye out for a suitable placement for the machine gun as well, hoping his experience and elevated position would give him an advantage.

Grimsby looks over the nearest buildings carefully and suggests to Bellgrove and Connor, "Perhaps we should try to separate to explore the fairground along the main routes. We could agree to meet somewhere after a given time if we have found no sign of the gun."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:49, Tue 15 May 2018.

In reply to Grimsby Baskerville (msg # 842):

Dash scans the exposition field as the zeppelin approaches from the sea. He thinks back to his experiences in Cuba, the usefulness of American Gatling guns there, and tries to think how the Vril would put such to best use for their nefarious purposes.  After a few moments a horrible idea occurs to him which he feels is right in line with the Vril activities so far.

Dash hurries through the zeppelin until he get to the Captains office, which he'd searched before.  He quickly searches for the clever object he'd seen earlier, then, upon finding it, he grabbed paper and pencil and scribbled a quick note containing his idea of where the Vril gun might be.

Unscrewing the pointed, weighted cap from the metal cylinder he'd found, Dash shoved the note into the hollow container, then replaced the cap. Again he searched the captain's desk until he found a heavy metal whistle he knew must be there.  Grabbing up the whistle, Dash rushed to the bridge.

Stepping into the glass-walled control room at the front of the zeppelins gondola, Dash went straight to Cap'n Remi - the big Algerian standing tall at the wheel.

"Cap'n, can you see any of our people down on the ground?" Dash asked, peering down through the large glass windows, "I need to drop a message. So, if you could divert course just a little, to fly over somebody?  Grimsby - Bellgrove - even the big cat, Connor - any one of them would be perfect.  Maybe not Miss Mercy.  If she gets this message, she might run of and act on it by herself. Could be dangerous, that."

Bellgrove shrugs in response to Grimbsby, "Yes, I suppose... It would be better and quicker to do this from the air, though, if they have chosen a location at height.

"This thought is only occurring to me now... Too bad we do not have a way to contact Remi and Dash."

In reply to GM StarMaster (msg # 841):

Rosabelle passes Thorn up to the airship before it takes off with the second set of bleachers, then follows Marian and the gendarme to the jail to also be arrested. She checks her henna tattoo to ensure it hasn't been smudged. It felt strange not having Thorn on her shoulder. He'd been an all but permanent fixture except when she was sleeping.

In reply to Rosabelle Descant Tinker-Plumist (msg # 845):

Dash is leaning against the glass, looking down over the exposition field,

"There! Remi, I think I see..." Dash starts, then pauses as he ... senses, more than sees ... a slight movement to his right.

Turning his head slowly, Dash is surprised to see a small, clockwork brass dragon perched on a stanchion just a few feet away. It's ruby-glass eyes sparkle as they stare back at him, and a small wisp of steam escapes its jaw.

Dash stands perfectly still, wide-eyed with surprise.

"Uh, Remi?" Dash calls in a casual tone, moving his lips as little as possible, "I say, Remi, old chum, I think the Vril left a doomsday device behind.  There is what looks to be a clockwork fire-breathing mini-dragon right there - and this zeppelin is filled with hydrogen.  Any suggestions on what to do, mon Capitan?"

Marian, now with Rosabelle, eyes the other prisoner warily, looking him up and down. She then goes to the barred cell and looks around with a mixture of subtlety and show, hoping her movements looked natural, then back at the man again. When she seems satisfied that there are no guards listening, she turns to the prisoner and speaks in a low voice. We don't have a lot of time. I know what you are. We are the same. she shows him her tattoo, hoping the dim light would make it all the more convincing. I still have allies on the outside. I think I can get a message to them, but there isn't much time. How badly have you failed? She tries to sound irritated, as if disappointed in the man. He would hopefully be more likely to answer her questions if she spoke to him as his superior.

In reply to Bellgrove G. B. Wander (msg # 844):

Grimsby replied to Bellgrove, "You have a good point there, Mr Wander." As he was surveying the roofs of the buildings, Grimsby caught sight of the airship passing overhead, and waved vigorously towards it hoping to catch the attention of those aboard.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:36, Wed 16 May 2018.

In reply to Denholm Hawkesbury (msg # 846):

The little dragon tilts its head at the man looking at him and makes a soft purling sound. It is almost as if it can sense the tension in the air. It remains in place, content to experience the wind whistling through its gears. In fact, it blows out a few small bits of debris from the inner workings that are difficult to clean without taking the creature to pieces. The dragon flexes its wings as another small puff of steam escapes its mouth.


ooc: I forgot those on the airship hadn't seen him yet!

In reply to Marian Holroy (msg # 847):

Since she doesn't know very much about the Vril or exactly what her role should be, Rosabelle chooses to adopt a forbidding, but silent, demeanor. She stands back from the bars with her arms folded and a semi-glare on her face as Marian speaks to the Vril agent. She wouldn't speak unless it became necessary. Rosabelle didn't want to ruin things by saying something wrong.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:49, Tue 15 May 2018.

The Vril agent looks at Marian a bit suspiciously at first, clearly surprised that there was another Vril in the jail. When she shows him the tattoo, he relaxes a bit.

"I am still alive. That is failure enough!" he responds to her question.

"Somehow, they found out the bleachers were built with an explosive. They even managed to disable the timer. And then added insult to injury by using our own airship to haul the bleachers away! Viro tried to shoot the bleachers with his zolt, but they killed him before he succeeded."

"The gun will not be as effective without the panic of the explosion, but they haven't found it yet. Taris has not been spotted yet as he was already in place."

"Wait! Why are you here? You would have been caught in the explosion!"

He seems more shocked than suspicious.


Bellgrove was able to pass word up to the airship that they were looking for some kind of gun emplacement... a machine gun, not a cannon. As the sun comes up over the eastern horizon, the black airship becomes more noticeable flying up in the sky as people are starting to show up.

It's clear that these are the early risers that open their shops first thing in the morning. Whether they get to the fair proper is hard to say, but they are just trying to get a glimpse of it before heading to work.

Assuming their information is correct, the machine gun was placed with an elevation, at least upon the roof of a one-story structure. While it's easy for Grimsby and Bellgrove to spot such structures from the ground, Dash's military experience and his unique perspective from the air lets him see the most likely avenues for people to flee from the would-be explosion... what tended to be called 'kill zones'.

Because of that, the two groups spot the most likely perch at about the same time--the admission booth! It is only a one-story building, but the front is open, and there is a shallow peaked roof on it. Something about the design or construction seems odd, but you can't quite put a finger on what it is.

Grimsby exchanges glances with Bellgrove, and their eyes meet on the admission booth. Not wanting to show too overt an interest, the British agent simply inclines his head toward the suspicious structure, and starts moving towards it at a deceptively casual walk which is actually just short of an obvious trot. His hand grips his pistol in his pocket.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:39, Sat 09 June 2018.

It does not take long for Bellgrove to understand Grimbsby's signal and with a slight nod he smiles, "It's a lovely morning for a walk!"

As he walks his right hand is in his overcoat pocket holding the shotgun slung over his shoulder beneath so that it does not reveal itself. With his other hand he pushes his hat a bit more firmly onto his skull.

Marian actually chuckles at his question regarding the explosion. I look better than I feel my friend. I WAS in the explosion. Look she lifts her skirts to reveal several bruises and scrapes on her pale legs. That was the one truth in all this madness. She had most definitely been present for an explosion. I was trying to warn the others but I was too late. I still cannot believe I survived. That Mercy woman has a better head than we gave her credit for. I've been infiltrating them see, and even then they're always one step ahead. I think they're getting close to the gun on top of everything else. We may need to adjust our plans. I need to get word to Taris. I don't think he realizes how devious our enemies are and I have much intelligence he would find useful. Where is he? I've been too deep under cover to get all my communications, she shakes her head. Perhaps if I could have gotten away more, this whole catastrophe would have been avoided! She tries to adopt an angry, guilt ridden face then turns to Rosabelle suddenly. I blame you for that Caroline! she snaps suddenly. As my assistant you should have been more clever about getting me what I needed! Useless! Hopefully Rosabelle would catch on to her intentions. Identifying the woman as a low level assistant would account for any ignorance on her part and only serve to show herself in a more intimidating light. She hoped.