"That's fine. If you could tell me where to find my lodgings, I would appreciate it."

"Ah, yes," the woman said, "I'll need to make another call."

She did this and after a discussion, she made a note of something on a piece of paper on a notepad. She reached under her desk for a fold out map of Leipzig and after tearing the sheet off, handed both to Jacob.

"You're in our student halls on Talstraße. 12a. It's just over 10 minutes walk from here."

Consulting the map, he began to make for the Student Center. He decided he'd get settled in as quickly as possible, then visit the ailing Manfred Wendell.

OOC: Take a Luck Roll please

The map was in black and white, with rather small text. He also suspected that it wasn't fully accurate - maps in the Communist bloc generally weren't. It wouldn't do to put the location of the Stasi offices on a map anyone could pick up...

16:37, Today: Jacob Fleury rolled 2 using 1d12 with rolls of 2.  Luck roll .

Jacob found the student accommodation easily and was soon face to face with a fierce looking older woman who reminded him of one of his teachers. Down to the accent, as she had been a refugee from Germany before the war.

She took his details, handed him a key and gave him the house rules, including no music past 2200.

She then led him to his room, which was a single bedroom in a shared apartment for five people; the kitchen and bathroom was communal. The bedroom had a desk, a bed, some shelves, a wardrobe that had seen better days and a wall-mounted radio with the dial currently set to one of the East German stations.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:08, Sun 12 Jan 2020.

Wow, he thought, this Manfred Wendell really went all out on the accommodations. I guess he's showing me Leipzig's best side.

"Thank you," he said, accepting the key. "Pardon me, ma'am, before you go, I'm a bit confused. I have a couple of questions: can you tell me is this housing attached to the university? Do students lodge here who are enrolled at the university, or is this housing for the public at large?"

Afterward he asked her the best way to get to the hospital, and if it were possible for her to contact him a cab.

"This housing is part of the accommodation provided for students who are enrolled at the university and those given special permission", the woman said, looking metaphorically down her nose at him while actually looking up, "It is not for the public at large."

"The hospital is on the university campus and you can quite easily walk there, Comrade", she continued, "I assume you are there to see our fine medical facilities."

It was clear she was not going to call him a cab... and at that point, the hall light went out.

"Another power cut, Comrade. You're not from round here, are you?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:36, Tue 14 Jan 2020.

"Thank you for the information. You're correct, I'm not from around here."

Before he left his luxurious suite, he asked her one last question. "I'm actually visiting a friend. Perhaps you've heard of him, he's a professor here--his name is Wendell. Manfred Wendell."

The woman grunted and shook her head.

"Sorry, I don't know him..." she said in a testy manner, "What does he teach?"

At that point, the lights came back on.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:33, Thu 16 Jan 2020.

"Literature. Good day, ma'am."

He closed the door to his room, locked it and left to go to the hospital.

The walk to the hospital was fairly short and uneventful. It was now a case of asking where the professor was at reception.

He approached the nearest person behind a desk who at least looked like they had common sense, and had an air of caring about their job. "Pardon me, I'm hear to see Manfred Wendell. Can you tell me what room he is in, please?"

In reply to Jacob Fleury (msg # 208):

The nurse looked down.

"I'll just make a call and find out," she said, "What is your name, comrade?"

Once he had given it to her, she dialled a number on the rotary dial telephone in front of her and gave his details.

"Please wait, someone will be coming to escort you up to see him."

A couple of minutes later, the doors to the intensive care ward opened and two men in trench coats walked over in his direction...

He waited to see what would happen next. These two gents were his 'escorts' he presumed.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:50, Tue 21 Jan 2020.

The two men moved rapidly towards him. One reached into his pocket and pulled out some form of identity card. He got up to Jacob and discreetly showed him a card with the words "Ministry of State Security" on it.

"Please come with me. Do not resist."

"As you wish."

He didn't resist, and walked with the men.

The two men led them out of the hospital and into the car park, where a black saloon car was waiting.  One of them opened the rear door and ordered Jacob to get inside, taking the middle seat. They then joined him on the leather bench seat, one either side.

A wire mesh screen separated him from the driver, a bald man with a bent nose and boxer's ear, who said nothing as he turned the key to start the ignition.

The man who had shown Jacob his pass turned to him and spoke calmly.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way. We know Wendell was working for the West and we know you were one of his contacts."

OOC: Perception check please.

11:13, Today: Jacob Fleury rolled 3 using 1d8.  Perception Check .

Jacob strongly suspected that the man was bluffing and the Professor had not in fact talked after all. Also, the heart attack story might have a considerable ring of truth around it.

They were starting to head out of town as well.

"That's a flat-out lie and you know it!" he said with both conviction and certainty. "I'm here to speak with Wendell, an expert on German literature, and for my research, nothing more. And where are you taking me? You learn of a West German visiting your country for scholarship and you're immediately suspicious of him? I demand to be released or to be taken to the West German embassy to straighten this out at once!"

The officer looked at him and smiled.

"Count on your fingers, please. Out loud."

OOC: This is a test. If you've ever seen a certain Quentin Tarantino film, you may remember a scene with ordering drinks.

This was absurd!

If he were back home he would put this guy in his place for his impertinence in no uncertain terms. But he wasn't back home, was he? He was in a communist country where they'd likely stick him in the gulag for a sideward glance.

Swallowing his tongue, he counted. On his fingers. Out loud.

"One, two, three..." etc.

Sorry. Don't know the reference.

Unfortunately for Jacob, he'd not had his clandestine operations training during the Second World War. This particular 'shibboleth' might have been covered.

As he extended his ring finger to count 'three', the man who had arrested him broke into a wide grin.

Then switched into English.

"You are not German, are you?" the Stasi officer said, counting on his own fingers... and his three saw him extending his thumb, "So, we have you on entering the German Democratic Republic on forged papers... that's a couple of years in prison at any rate."

He placed his hand on Jacob's shoulder.

"Ever been to a place called Bautzen?"

I'm not sure I understand what's happening. It's been understood Jacob has been speaking German the whole time. Now, it suddenly switches to English just because he's counting ?! I don't get it.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:45, Fri 31 Jan 2020.