"That sounds like a very sensible idea K9... Especially important with the Police before anyone gets too nervous or too possessive.

Oh and K9 if you can do so without getting into trouble. could you check my police files, I am a little curious as to what they think of me?  No biggie though if you can't.  I am not certain but I do think I have the right to see my own files. Just to be safe you only need ask an Officer if it is OK. And do please call me Drifter, Master sounds so Dictator like."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:56, Sat 29 June 2019.

"Yes Master"

OOC Drifter is almost positive he could hear a smile in K9's voice just now.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:03, Sat 29 June 2019.

As the heroes repair to the street, not much happens till someone comes out of the building who is definitively in vigilante garb. When that occurs, a bedraggled man in distressed business attire begins to limp towards them. He shouts, "wait! Wait! I don't have much time."
Continuing to approach, his facial expressions tense and shifting as if concentrating on some impossible task, the unknown man approaches within ten feet of the hero before grabbing the top of his head with both hands and screaming in pain as he collapses to the sidewalk.
As soon as someone approaches, he reaches one hand up to grab at their clothing and moans "...uhhh....fo....sailfishking..."
Then, he dies.

Darryl quickly searches the man for notebooks, cell phones, and other distinctive equipment of an investigative reporter. He tells the others "this was a colleague. Nathan Jonas, Central City Gazette. Fine investigative journalist. Im trying to find his story notes to give us a clue where he has been." After this, Darryl looks for clues on the body and clothes as well.

Perception 13-, rolled 6 on 3d6.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:44, Sun 30 June 2019.

In reply to Darryl Starre (msg # 351):
"Street Cameras. If you are fast enough you could trace his path from the feed off the street cameras. If the Police allow it of course.  Saw it in a movie one time or other."

Darryl nods and pulls out his smart phone. He quickly uses a back door into the CCPD computer system and tries to access the local street cameras.

Police Department Computer Link
Computer Programming 13-, rolled 11 on 3d6

"I wonder what he meant by sailfishking sounds to me like something may be happening on the Docks, where the charter boats for Marlin fishers set out?"

Nathan has nothing in his pockets or on his person. Using the traffic cameras shows the man jumping off a poultry truck and wandering erratically through the city before arriving at The Harmon Building.

In reply to The Great Karnac (msg # 350):

"Holy crow! Nathan Jonas!" Shade said over the body. Of course, David knew of Jonas. He did not know him personally. However, he did know the news outlet he worked for. His contacts would use that outlet for info, and Visa versa.

If Jonas had been missing for a time, they might know what he was working on before he was taken-and how it tied into this 'sailfish King' he was talking about...however he could not seem to get a hold of anyone on his phone.

(Ooc-11:53, Today: Shade rolled 16 using 3d6.  Group media contacts 13-.)
This message was last edited by the player at 15:54, Sun 30 June 2019.

Darryl does a freeze frame of the poultry truck to read the contact number and license plate. If they could track down the truck's route this day, they might be able to determine where Nathan got on it.

"Sorry to intrude here people, I do not want to sound callous or anything but if you have finished searching the body?  May I take a look at him to see if I can determine the cause of death or any other abnormality that could possibly be evident?  From what was seen he suffered cranial pressure, but what was the cause?  I would understand if you would rather wait for a professional Medic to do an autopsy but that may take awhile and who knows if we would even be given permission to read it?  Freedom of the Press and all notwithstanding."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:34, Sun 30 June 2019.

Messages

"Not sure Freedom of the Press has anything to do with autopsies, man," Free Bird said in a rare moment of clarity. Tenth grade Civics class had apparently sunk in. "That just means you get to write whatever you want, not that anybody is required to tell you what you wanna know.

"Just sayin'."

Darryl says "go for it. I'm a fair detective, but I havent found anything besides the obvious. Except a way to track where that truck went on its route."

"I think I got a lead!" Shade tells everyone, putting away his phone. The way he does that act is by physically putting the phone into his shadow substance, like he is made of some sort of black goo.

"Jonas' last assignment had soemthing to do with the Church of Divine Harmony and its leader Father Heronomos Kinkaid!" Shade briefly gets his phone back and looks up what that group is, and its leader...


Ooc-14:50, Today: Shade rolled 15 using 3d6.  Phone KS power 14-. Possible bonus if church and its leader is well known.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:53, Sun 30 June 2019.

"Well if it is any use to you all it might be worth checking the docks.  From what I gather from a peek on the net the Sailfishking is a yacht registered to this Heronomos Kinkaid. It should still be anchored at the Long Island Sound?  If you lot want to go check that out while I finish here...

Or should we all stay together? I could put the body on ice? Hoth is not far away but he might get eaten... Heck I could even try using a Gould Sarcophagus except they are so heavily guarded someone is bound to get hurt... Badly

With what Shade just told us it looks like we definitely have a suspect. I also think on ice is not really necessary now.  But I do think we should call the Police to come pick him up before some innocent passerby discovers him.

Now a Cult has been identified as the Murderers is anyone else thinking Ritual Sacrifice?"

"Isn't that jumping to conclusions?" the stranger spoke. "We know this person died. We know he mentioned SailFishKing, but that doesn't make anyone a murderer or a cult just yet." He lowers his voice so that only the heroes near him can hear. "I'm Shadow Strike. Can I assume that you are the group that calls itself the Crusaders?"

"Actually, we're the guys who are filling in for the guys who call themselves the Crusaders. I don't think we've been calling ourselves that, anyway." Free Bird thought a minute. No, he wasn't sure they were the Crusaders, really. Not yet, anyway. "Anyway, I'm not thinking ritual sacrifice, but that's mostly because I don't know what one would look like. Would they wind up on the sidewalk like this?

"Oh... I'm Free Bird."

In reply to Shadow Strike (msg # 364):
"Hmm... 'Isn't that jumping to conclusions of your own about who we are?'" Drifter shrugs with a look of contemplation on his face.

"However... What else would you call members of some organisation only known by us as
 'The Church of Divine Harmony and its leader Father Heronomos Kinkaid'! A book club?
  What ever it is Jonas's last assignment had something to do with it.

Perhaps, but let us look at the things we do presume to know
1 At first sight Jonas seems to have died from sever physical trauma
2 By definition sacrifice is an act of slaughtering an animal or person or surrendering a possession as an offering to a deity.
3 The victim was investigating an organisation known by us only as The Church of Divine Harmony
4 Father Heronomos Kinkaid is reputed to be The leader of this Organisation

That sure sounds like a Religious group to me! Why else do they use the terms Father, Church or Divine for that matter? So perhaps I am jumping to conclusions! No need to be Heroes and at least check this matter out just to be one... OK no problems I will just let the matter drop. Every thing is hunky dory you do not need to worry. Tea and Crumpets for everyone.  Hey Jonas would you like your Crumpet buttered... What? OH your dead oops I forgot.

All that really matters is some sadistic person or people did this for reasons of their own.

I for one am not going to stand by and do nothing when murders are being preformed right in front of me. I am off to check things out. Is anyone else willing to do the same?"

Making my way towards the Dock I will glance back to see if anyone else is following. If they do not respond their intention to do so in some other manner.

"Someone's got a feather up his ass," Free Bird muttered.

"Maybe we should handle this from multiple fronts, if I would ask to see the head of this church as a diplomat with the intent of sending a member or two to my home world maybe I could get into their home base? Well brute force may not be the best option over cunning and I can handle myself if it turns out they mean me ill will.

And you can act as you wish and be the outside threat. Just saying we go around as you say kicking some booty it might not go far.," Mystica says as she look up the groups information and web site the things they want people to know.

stagger stagger roll stumble sneak sneak
This message was last edited by the player at 23:08, Sun 30 June 2019.

"Do we have any proof that Dead Guy here has anything to do with a stolen nuke or virus?" Free Bird asked. "We know he was investigating a cult... was it the guys worshipping the nuke at the end of Beneath the Planet of the Apes?

"We might have more than one problem to deal with. "

Nathan Jonas died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage, there was also some haemolacria. In addition to discovering the Sailfishking is Father Kinkaid's yacht, it is discovered that The Church of Divine Harmony has a commune/retreat in Kansas, and Jonas's last known location was at this commune/retreat. The reporter had been attempting to infiltrate the place posing as a divorced, middle-aged man seeking spiritual guidance. The only thing that, in any way, connects this with the virus, nuke, and ransom demands is that Jonas seemed about to say "force" before he named the yacht.

Darryl says "I advise a cautious approach. Last time I investigated a phony church it turned out to be a front for DEMON. The experiments I was subjected to werent pretty." He shudders in remembrance.