Watching Larkin and de Mendoza leaving the bar, Jesse takes a sip of his drink and looks at you all calmly. "So, how much of that bullshit did you believe?"
This message was last edited by the player at 03:45, Thu 05 July 2018.

In reply to Jesse Hughes (msg # 37):

Gustav sits lazily on his chair, visibly relaxes and orders another one of those pisco sour. "All I know is I'm getting paid on my vacation, this is just gravy here on out".

Keeper can I make a language check to determine if his accent is from the US, or from a native of Peru, or where else?
This message was last edited by the player at 12:41, Thu 05 July 2018.

Upon hearing Gustav mention 'vacation', Rachel shot him a withering glare, but said nothing. She had remained quiet for most of the dinner, spending most of it mentally noting holes in Larkin's bargaining abilities. It was either he was immensely stupid or new at this, or he was getting something else they didn't know. His assistant--de Mendoza was a brute who followed Larkin's every whim, and watched his master like a hawk. She couldn't blame him though, Larkin was very pale, despite the heat.

As de Mendoza and Larkin left, Rachel leans back in her chair, crossing her arms across her chest. It would seem she had sunk a fortune on an expedition led by someone so inexperienced. She quickly looked up, hearing Hughes talk. She raised an eyebrow, surprised, and relieved that someone else thought the whole thing to be bullshit.

"Not a lot, but then again, I'd say our criteria for bullshit is very different--what makes you think what he's spouting off is bullshit?" Rachel responds without missing a beat.

In reply to Rachel Katz (msg # 39):

"Now now, let's not be too hasty. The man is clearly in poor health. Still, I've never met someone from the colonies who gave so easily when theres money involved... I'd not be too hasty to trust him or his *ahem* valet, alone - Thank goodness I seem to have fallen in with such fine company as yourselves."

"We aren't to depart until Monday morning. That gives us three days. Larkin said he had provisions under control, but given the man's state we should not be too careful. I'll need to find a hunting supplier for ammunition at the very least. Lot's of dangers in the jungle - I do fancy bagging myself a jaguar though..."

Bromley trails off, day dreaming of hunting...

In reply to Gustav Schmidt (msg # 38):

Jesse has a New England accent.

In reply to Jesse Hughes (msg # 37):

Gustav motioned towards Jesse and in a very nonchalant way, orders another pisco sour for Jesse from a waiter.

"My friend, It would be such a shame if we all come from so faraway land just so to listen to some bullshit, would you care enlighten us on what you do know?"

He then takes a gulp of his third pisco sour "Well at least you do know your alcohol, Mr. Hughes, this drink is quite satisfactory"
This message was last edited by the player at 12:38, Thu 05 July 2018.

“Well,” replies Jesse. “Let’s just say I’ve done a bit of research on Mr. Larkin – and I believe that he may be leading you into danger.” As he speaks, he fills the bowl of his pipe with sweet-smelling tobacco.

“Please allow let me explain. My real name is Jackson Elias. I am a writer, and I have been researching a new book about secret societies in Peru. I have spent a couple of months traveling around the area near Lake Titicaca, looking for evidence of what I believe is a centuries-old death cult. Now, it is my suspicion that Larkin and his hound are somehow involved with this cult.”

He lights his pipe, taking a deep puff and pauses to gauge your reactions.



[You can try an EDU/3 roll or normal Occult roll to see if you have read any of his books]

Rachel and Johan have heard of Jackson; he's a writer from New England who writes about death cults. He often provides first-hand accounts of his investigations. His most famous book is 'The Black Power', about African death cults, which was released earlier this year.

Bromley has heard that this guy is a writer of smutty books!
This message was last edited by the player at 13:28, Thu 05 July 2018.

In reply to Jackson Elias (msg # 43):

Hearing the name Jackson Elias, Bromley immediately chokes on his cocktail.

"Oh, I think I've heard of you, Mr Elias..." says Bromley, wiping his chin and apologising to the table.

Of course, the Jackson Elias Bromley assumes this man to be is actually a contributor of smutty fiction to a low brow skin magazine Bromley occasionally indulges himself in.

"You're... You're rather prolific... Or so I've been told... Not at all to my tastes I'm afraid..."

[Bromley Aveline-Edgeware rolled 100 using 1d100.  EDU roll for for Jackson's book - Target 23.]
This message was last edited by the player at 12:59, Thu 05 July 2018.

Rachel glanced around at the rest of the group, looking for anyone who had the same horrified expression as hers. Her mouth worked, but no sound came out for awhile, as questions overwhelmed her. She had heard of the author's name-- he was quite popular with some of the ladies in high society back in New York. While his explanation seemed plausible, considering those droll little stories in his books whenever he infiltrated cults, realization was slowly dawning on Rachel: she was way in over her head.

"A death cult?" Rachel finally muttered, absently raising her hand to the base of her neck, looking at Elias. "If you knew this from the beginning, why did you allow him to call for us?"

A smirk begins to slide over Johans face At the utterance of the words “death cult.”

“Well you see, where I come from, bullshit usually means that something much more interesting is being fertilized  below the surface, and I am eager for the digging!”

In a return to his nervous energy, Johan stands up and almost violently Extends his arm across the table to shake Jackson’s hand.

“Truly a pleasure to meet you Mr. Elias! I am a very big fan of your work!”


06:09, Today: Johan Braun rolled 4 using 1d100.  Edu roll for Jackson’s Book - target 28.

In reply to Jackson Elias (msg # 43):


"Death Cults? Secret societies? Surely you people don't believe in old wives tales!" Gustav exclaimed. Audibly loud and visibly pinkish from the booze.

"Aren't we a little too old to believe in these superstitious mumbo jumbo? Its 1921, we have come a long way from voodoo and ritual sacrifices" Gustav continued.

"What's next? A little girl who's half fish who fell in love with a land prince and wishes to have feet?" Gustav chuckles as he continued to ridicule Mr. Elias.

"I'm afraid you have to give me more than that."


[Gustav Schmidt rolled 51 using 1d100.  EDU roll for reading book from author Jackson Elias (60%|30%|12%).]
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:36, Thu 05 July 2018.

Somewhat startled, Jackson rises out of his chair and shakes Johan’s hand, but smiles at the compliment. “Always nice to meet a fan,” he grins as he sits down again.

His face turns somewhat red with embarrassment at Bromley’s comment. “Ah, yes. The other Jackson. I have been mistaken for him more than once, and even perused his work. He’s very…. descriptive.. but somewhat weak on character setting.”

Turning to Rachel and Gustav, he frowns. “I could not warn you before now, as I did not know who else signed up for the expedition. I had only met Larkin briefly before this evening and had no way of knowing who you were. I do believe there is a lost pyramid, and there might well be treasure inside, but I am wary of Larkin and de Mendoza. He tried to hire local people for his expedition, but they all refused, so he contacted you – and here we are.”

He takes another puff on his pipe and continues his tale. “I have spent the last four months in the southern Andean highlands, in the region around Lake Titicaca, meeting the locals and researching stories of the kharisiri.” Seeing your frowns, he explains. “The legends speak of the kharisiri as white-faced men who sucks the fat of innocent farmers and their families in the Peruvian highlands. While the historical information seemed to be mostly fanciful folklore, I found that these accounts gained credence when I found contemporary stories of murder and mutilation in the same locales.

I believe that I have enough reason to suppose that some form of pagan ritual is at the root of the tales of the kharisiri, and that in all likelihood, the attacks were perpetrated by humans, perhaps as some form of human sacrifice. My hypothesis is that the legends stems from the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century, and I suspect that the details of the myths indicate an all-too-real cult that practices murder as ritual practice.”

He takes a sip of his drink and continues. “While speaking with the locals, I was warned about a man named Luis de Mendoza; a person mentioned by some as a man to be feared. While no one could provide concrete proof of any wrongdoings, some referred to de Mendoza as a kharisiri. He is of course not a real monster, but perhaps a key figure in this cult. I was surprised to encounter de Mendoza in Puno, and followed him from a distance, making notes of his movements and contacts. In so doing, I learned of de Mendoza’s association with Augustus Larkin and, ultimately, Larkin’s plan to find and explore a lost pyramid.”

He looks at you all earnestly. “Now, feel free to take my words as nonsense if you wish, but I feel that I would be amiss in not telling you what I found. I have plans to visit a Professor Sanchez at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology tomorrow. He wanted to join this expedition, but Larkin did not hire him. He has some papers and artifacts related to the site that I am eager to see, and you would be most welcome to join me.”

In reply to Jackson Elias (msg # 48):

"Well old boy... Well, I'd be delighted to accompany you to visit this professor tomorrow" starts Bromley, embarrassed but relieved that this new companion is likely not a famous phonographer... "Erm, no hard feelings then?"

Bromley clicks his fingers to attract a waiter for more of the delicious sours.

Can I roll psychology?

In reply to Dermot Murphy (msg # 50):

Jackson seems honest and forthright

In reply to Jackson Elias (msg # 48):

“I would be happy to accompany you as well. What is Professor Sanchez’s area of expertise? And has he indicated what kind of information he has for You?”

“I am pleased that at least some of you believe my story,” says Jackson, with a sideways glance at Gustav. “Now, don’t get me wrong – I still want to visit the pyramid. If we can learn enough about the cult at the pyramid to stop or curtail their activities, then many innocent lives may be saved! And it will be a memorable conclusion for my book. Not to mention the treasures that might be found there!”

“As for professor Sanchez, he is an experienced archaeologist and anthropologist, specializing in Incan ruins. He has done incredible work at Manchu Piccu. He told me that he has found an old document dating from the mid-16th century, written by a conquistador by the name of Gaspar Figueroa, which may refer to our pyramid. He has been working on a summary and asked me to meet him tomorrow at the museum.”

He lifts his glass in a toast. “Whatever may happen, I am pleased to have met you all! Drinks are on me if you want to stay here with me and swap tales, otherwise I will meet you at the museum tomorrow at 2 PM. Cheers!”
This message was last edited by the player at 01:51, Fri 06 July 2018.

The Museo de Arqueología y Antropología (Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology) as it looks today;

https://goo.gl/maps/oaUUQzv3oas

Murphy nods politely at Jackson Elias. Hardly one to turn down a free drink, he orders a second beer. Without shedding his overcoat or leather gloves, Murphy sits down at the table. He addresses the table in general:

The feller's a'right, I'd wager. A bit wild in the imagination perhaps.

He takes a look around the table, briefly meeting everyone's eyes in turn, and coming rest on Mr. Elias.

Seems our leaders have a stark difference in purpose.

As his drink arrives, he sits back comfortably, awaiting whatever comments his new comrades may proffer.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:58, Fri 06 July 2018.

Art quickly relaxes as the group consensus seems to settle on this being an expedition on the up-and-up. Quickly finding himself swapping stories and laughs shared over drinks bought on Jackson's dime.
"The best drinks I've had in a while, since I don't have to pay for them!" he exclaims, before swigging a large gulp of another beer.

Art offers many a story relating to his work, careful to filter out the more horrific from the more comedic variety

"... and then he looks at me, drops his trousers and shouts 'but doc, it looks like a monkey's tail!'. I couldn't help but laugh right to his face! Now every time I go to the zoo, it's all I think about when we get to the monkey enclosures!"

In reply to Jackson Elias (msg # 48):

Despite Gustav's misgivings about the current situation, his detective instincts is still somewhat functioning and the gears that turns suggested that it might be a good idea to learn a few things about the expedition before setting forth.

"heh, I didn't become a good detective by not trusting my instinct with a dash of common sense, though I still think you speak of hogwash, I would like to be present for tomorrow as well."

Gustav also talks shop and tells of stories of different cases he has handled in New York City as a police detective. He does not however, omit certain parts for the sake of Mr. Elias and Mrs. Katz likes stories of Black folks being gunned down for heroin trafficking or grisly murders of prostitutes. whether its because of the alcohol, or maybe because he feels in his gut that both of them wont be bothered by it.



Keeper, tomorrow morning, before going to the museum at 2pm, I would like to go to the main police station and hopefully try to get a record of a certain Luis de Mendoza. To see if he has any criminal records on past transgressions or if he was ever arrested.

"Oh, I'll join." Rachel muttered stubbornly. As annoyed as she was with the outcome of things, Jackson seemed to have a much better handle on things. There might be hope that she could still get a return investment on the whole thing. She would also never admit it to anyone, but the whole thing was quite exciting.

She remains quiet, politely listening to th stories, hiding a grin behind a napkin at the more lurid ones from Gustav, and laughing on cue when it came to Art's comedic ones. She nursed the sherry provided to her early on by Jackson for most of the night, not going past two drinks.

"Those are quite the stories, gentlemen. I'd imagine we'd have more after this trip is over."

You spend a pleasant evening at the bar with Jackson. He is a lively storyteller, and the pisco sours go down easily. Eventually the bar staff start stacking chairs around you and hum and haw to get you to leave.

Jackson walks somewhat unsteadily back to the hotel Maury, where you all have rooms. He bids you all goodnight and hopes that you will join him tomorrow at 2 PM at the museum.

For those of you who roleplayed drinking heavily at the bar, can you please give me a CON roll to avoid a -10% penalty to rolls the next day?
This message was last edited by the player at 11:42, Fri 06 July 2018.

In reply to Jackson Elias (msg # 60):

Gustav wakes up at 9am in the morning nursing a killer headache. He tries to sit up in his bed but the world seems to weigh on his forehead. He noticed that he is still wearing the same outfit he wore the day before. Apparently too drunk to remember to change and even take off his shoes.

The sun is glistening out the open window directly to his face. He doesn't even remember how he got back to the hotel. His bags are on the side table right beside the cabinet, unpacked and unopened.

"I'll need a gallon of coffee if I were to do anything useful today" he muttered.

After a concerted effort, Gustav finally gets out of bed, went to the shower, hurriedly got dressed and went to look for breakfast. Preferably where the police headquarters is located.

"Ten o'clock" as he looked at his watch. He heard from a colleague that a lomo soltado is a must eat in this city.