Post 54:  Wolves and Sharks pt 1
----------DC-----All----------
Spider and Jack selected the file on the wolfman, noting it was thin.  The newspaper article, clipped from a local weekly paper, tells a story of how Joy and Amanda had been out in Glen Echo Park celebrating their recent spelling bee victories; Joy had won first place and Amanda second.   They had gotten fireworks from Adams' father and were setting them off  towards the Potomac river, the evening being unseasonably warm.  The unfortunate Amanda had been hospitalised for her injuries, which the reporter described as horrifying.   The attack happened 9 January, during a full moon, and a wolfman is the attacker, and still at large as of the article.   The police report details the attack on ten year old Amanda Adams, daughter of the local preacher, savaged by a creature that witness Joy Mitchell described as a wolf man.  The police officer assigned to the case is Clayton Webster; he added a few details to the report of "bite marks, large mouth like a bear or wolf, left leg, torso, arms and face" and "Mitchell minor injuries from climbing tree to escape" and "said attacker howled and ran when she shot off Roman Candle at it".    The addresses of both girls are listed; they are neighbours, two houses apart on Oxford Street in a small village of Glen Echo.  Of interest is that Mr. Mitchell is noted as an employee of  Indian Head's Naval Ordinance Lab - a Department of Defense concern, a military proving ground.   Jack knew pretty quickly that this was what had put the file into the Bureau's caseload.  And Spider knew who to ask about werewolves.

"Silver, yes, have some for 1911 Parabellum, some for rifle," Fritz said.  "Some mixed silver and lead shotgun shells."  He looked keen to be off hunting werewolves again, but Thorne grumbled something about the Opera.


-------------------------------
The Djinn seemed curious about travelling around.  "Pennsylvania's snowy, and cold, so not there," she said.  "Is the other one nicer ?"
"We'll go to the Valley," Thorne offered then, "So long as you can wait til Thursday.  Or to North Carolina.  I have some cousins there."
"Walking sharks ?"  Fritz said, reaching for the file despite Thorne's glare.
"California ?"  Angus said, looking over his shoulder.  "It's near San Diego.  Is that a big city ?"
"We need more agents," Edith said in a low tone to Ben.
"How do we travel to California ?"  Fritz asked, handing Angus the file.
"Driving, take a few days, at least," Angus said. "It's more than two thousand miles away."
"The California case is the most serious; I want at least four of you in the group," Ben said.  "And I want you well-equipped for combat.  Fritz, even if you have to wait until Thursday, can you get the weapons we might need ?"
"For walking sharks ?  You bet, boss," Fritz said, with an evil grin.
"I'll take the truck in for service," Edith said, "And I'll restock it with food and essentials."
"Then it's settled; Spider and Jack are taking the Wolfman case; and at least four agents have to go to California.  Cameron, Angus, Fritz, Thomas - Miss Black ?"
"I can't drive the truck," she said, looking embarrassed.  "I don't know how."
"Plenty of time to learn, two thousand miles, schatzi," said Fritz.  "It is useful skill." He strode off to fetch the silver ammunition for Jack and Spider, returning with a crate full of carefully labelled bullets and shotgun shells.
----------
----------
GM: Actions, etc, any preparations for your chosen case, for the next few hours of game time, please respond by 22 February, Saturday, next post Sunday; still cross posting to yahoo and here
-----------------------------------
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:09, Sun 15 Mar 2020.

Cameron grinned at the djinn's question. "Well, it's definitely warmer," he answered her. "Nicer is relative, given the case. San Diego's a port city, lot of Naval bases." He looked mildly perturbed at the thought of being close to the ocean, but pushed that concern down. Walking sharks implied they were on solid ground, right?

"No way we can cheat and get there any faster?" Cameron threw the question out there. If Gruber's current location was in doubt, he'd attempt a contact, but Cam wasn't averse to another road trip in good company. "But yeah, we're... I'm in." He looked to the djinn for her own confirmation.

Cameron will research everything they have on the California case, help Edith gather the supplies and is more than happy to help her learn to drive the truck, if she's willing.

In reply to The GM (msg # 19):

As tempted as she is by werewolves, especially given the recent mission to Ohio, and the prospect getting to go along with Jack, Irina is concerned that the Bureau is spread pretty thinly. Two dead people indicates that *something* is happening in Pennsylvania, whatever it may be.

"If there's no-one else to go, I'll investigate the tree monster in Pennsylvania," she tells Edith. "If it looks dangerous I'll call for backup."

[OOC if you'd prefer not to split the party that much, I'm equally happy to take the werewolf case.]

Besides silver bullets for his .45 and silver shotgun shells, Jack will try to procure a silvered dagger of some kind, a couple of pounds of dried wolfsbane, and 3 or 4 flare pistols with a case of flares (since the monster ran from fireworks). He will read up on lycanthropy, and will try to gather background info: if the girls’ families moved recently or always lived there, where else their fathers worked previously, how the mothers and any siblings spend their time, any old monster stories or sightings in that area in the past decades, any big changes in town lately, etc. Also, the evidence indicates that the two girls are unusually bright. He’ll check with their teachers and the town library to see if they’ve been reading any unusual books, etc. (Jack will do as much of this as he can by phone, and what he can’t do long distance will have to wait until he and Spider get to town.)

March 31st, 1925 (post 55: And they scattered like squirrels in a pine forest)
-----------------------------------------
The Wolfman of Maryland
Spider and Jack
----------------
Spider decided to check in with Cressida, using the telephone.  To his surprise, the volatile heiress sounded calm and serene.  "They changed back," she said.  "They didn't even argue about clothes.  They're playing with some toys."  After he got her attention, she considered what information the file had.  "It could certainly be a werewolf," she said.  "One that has poor impulse control.  I think we can travel safely enough."  She will wait for Spider and Cameron to come round, and pack up essentials for a day trip.
Jack meanwhile stocks up on wolfsbane and gets one of the silvered knives from the armoury.  He also telephones the police station to find out more.  The officer he speaks to was the same one that made the report.  The background on the two families shows both have lived in the area for some time; the Mitchell family for three generations, the Adams moved to the area about twelve years ago.   Amanda Adams is home from hospital but does not leave the house, though Joy Mitchell visits her daily, usually with books and schoolwork to do.   The area is small, a very tight knit village where everyone knows everyone.   "We'd be very grateful if you can help us," the officer said.  "No one has seen anything like it since, but everyone is careful to stay out of the park at night."
----------
It is an easy drive to Maryland from DC; shockingly, Spider's errant offspring are looking human and decently attired, though both stare around with a predator's attention to detail, and they don't speak.  Cressida is sensibly attired in trim jodphurs, tall boots and a shining white silk blouse.   Curtains twitch at the windows as they drive slowly into the village of Echo Park, and find Oxford Street, stopping near the Adams and Mitchell homes.  Cressida inhales deeply, as do the twins.  "Humans, dogs, cats, birds, nothing unusual around here," she said.  "A rabbit in the bushes there.  Some squirrels - no, back in the car !"  The two terrors have bolted and are scrambling after a bounding squirrel, chasing it up into an oak tree.   Cressida strode after them and scruffed them both by the neck, effortlessly carrying two squirming toddlers back to the car.
-------------------
-------------------
Irina in the Forest
-----------------
"We will be delighted to accompany Irina on her case," Mills the Mouse said, sitting up on the table and waving a paw.  Two more mice also sat up to volunteer.  It wasn't much of a force - but at least it was something.   Edith bit her lip, looking at Ben.  "You'll have to answer the phones," she told the Boss. "I'll be going with Miss Pallenberg."   Now that Edith was going along, Irina was a bit less worried.   Ben, however, turned pale at the thought.
---------------
The case was as follows;  Pennsylvania, Hillsgrove, Sullivan County; the report is from a school of forestry administrator, Johnathan Stuart.  He reports that two hunters were found dead in a part of the deep forest, under suspicious circumstances, the bodies having been smashed by what seems to be large hooves, more than a foot across, and one had a leg bitten off by 'something larger than a bear'.   The hunters were found last month, February 23rd, the bodies were no more than a day old, by a group of student foresters out on a survey of the area.  The file has been forwarded by the PA governor's office, with a terse note from Gifford Pinchot himself - 'find it !'  Thus far no one has claimed the bodies, which were probably buried in a Potter's Field by now.  A coroner had signed off on cause of death as "Trampled" for the fifty-ish man, and "Blood loss and trampled" for the thirty-ish man.   The missing leg was not found.  The area is uninhabited, heavily wooded, hills and valleys.  There is a hand-drawn map of the area showing the trails, the waterways, the forestry station, and the site of the deaths; it is finely detailed.  At the time, about a foot of fresh snow was on the ground, and one clear hoofprint was measured at 10 inches across, a cloven hoof like a goat.
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------
California, or Bust
Cameron, Angus, Thorne, Fritz, Miss Black, the Djinn
--------------------------------------------
"Our budget does not stretch that far," Ben said, when Cameron wanted a faster way to get to California.  "We're already in the red for hiring Ellison and Gruber, though we may be able to get some money back from Ellison's agent."
"Spear gun," Fritz said, and ran away, either to make one or fetch one.
----------------------
The file has a coast guard report on a damaged fishing boat found adrift near some shoals, with one body on board, clawed to shreds; Lonnie Kettleridge, 46 year old local charter captain of the Elsie Lee, a sport fishing boat registered to port in San Diego.  His crew manifest was Lou Hong, 38, first mate, and there were three people on the boat fishing; Marilyn Reed, 27, her husband Joe Reed, 29, and their friend Jane Weisman, 26, all of whom are missing. The boat was reported as missing on March 2nd by Jane's husband Nathan Weisman, 33, who did not go with the party as he had a business meeting that kept him from attending.  Nathan Weisman contacted the police when the boat failed to return to dock at its appointed time but the boat was not found until the following morning.   The weather had been fair, with some fog - nothing a skilled captain could not handle.  Damage on the boat was from scrapes and digs, on the port side.  There are three accounts from witnesses on the shore for that week, all reports of  'walking sharks with glowing eyes' prowling the sands.   Andy Jarvis, another fisherman, provided the most detailed description; "Three froglike men, about six feet tall, coming out of the water fast, and ran back in just as fast, at tide change near midnight, one was carrying a spear or stick.  Their eyes shone yellow like cat's eyes."
The California-bound group has time to do some research or practice some skills that might be needed near or in water prior to their journey.
--------
---------
GM: Actions, etc, for the next interval of time: any preparations or queries before the next scene, please respond by Saturday 29 February, next post Sunday
--------------------------------------
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:53, Mon 24 Feb 2020.

"Understood boss," Cameron returned amicably enough. "Get two!" He called after Fritz.

---

Cameron read the report through a few times, and checked into any family connections the deceased and missing might have. He pencilled in his notes a need to talk to both Mr Weisman and Mr Jarvis, and he made a call to the local PD to check their report as well as inform them that the BPRD was on the case too now. Here to help. Where had this fishing boat been, anything special about it or its route?

He couldn't help remember a certain mermaid encounter a while back now, which dredged up mixed emotions and a few thousand yard stare moments. Ocean. Frogmen with spears and cats' eyes. If it hadn't been for the whole 'clawed to shreds' part of this Cameron might have thought humans were involved. It didn't of course really exclude them yet either.

He'll look into any spells that can help with breathing under water, as well as binding or attacking waterbound foes. Once Cameron had spoken to the djinn, and the others about any personal experience in this realm of trouble, he'd hit the books for any references of walking shark types, claw attacks and fog.

OOC: In the initial file we were given, Mr. Adams is listed as both a naval employee and the local preacher. And also the supplier of the fireworks. I think at least one of those must apply to Mr. Mitchell instead.
IC: Jack greets Cressida politely when they meet, and says hello to the children. He is fascinated by her keen senses but tries not to stare. He doesn’t know much about children, but tries to buy his way into their good graces with some Turkish taffy, if their mother allows it.
“Let’s go by the park where the attack occurred, and see if we can detect anything there,” he says. “After that, I suppose we should talk to the Mitchell girl – the one who escaped – and her parents.”

In reply to The GM (msg # 23):

Irina's eyebrows rose as she read the file. Something with 10" hooves that eats people and drains blood sounds pretty unpleasant.
"Do you have any ideas what this might be, Ben?" she asks.

[OOC: I suspect a Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath, but I'm not sure if Irina's Cthulhu Mythos is up to deducing that on her own. But, searching the archive, I see the Group has encountered one - Jan-March 2014 - so I'm going to assume they can pass on that information].

Irina looks at the mice and Edith, and smiles and thanks them for volunteering. But as reassured as she is of their presence, tackling something on that scale in a physical manner might be beyond them.

"And is there a ritual to dismiss or control it?" she asks.

She will review any information that there is on such a creature, including, if necessary, in the Necronomicon.

The most pressing question is - do these things just wander about the earth on their own, or do they only appear in response to a summons? If the latter, then the question is who summoned it.
It's odd that no-one has reported the hunters missing - are there no missing persons reports that match their descriptions?
She'll get the best map of the wider area that they can and find settlements near the site [Hillsgrove, I'm assuming - wow, that looks fairly remote even today], and start stocking up on camping gear, warm clothing and guns.

Post 56: Onward

The Californian Walking Sharks
-------------------------------------------------------
Cameron does the background research on the Weismans, the Reeds, Kettleridge and Hong.  Kettleridge has been running charter boats out of the San Diego area for many years, and has a houseboat moored at Imperial Beach.  He has one son, Daniel Kettleridge, a local chef, who claimed his body.  Hong leaves behind a sister, Mei, and two nephews in the same area.  The Weismans are from Idaho, as are the Reeds. Marilyn and Jane attended the same university, Bryn Mawr, in Pennsylvania; Nathan Weisman and Joe Reed attended university at Penn State.  Nathan Weisman is by trade a corporate attorney and Joe Reed a corporate accountant at a banking firm in Idaho, both enjoy golfing and Reed is noted to be a sport fisherman.   The Coast Guard admits that attack was very unusual, and that Kettleridge had a good success rate with his charter and never revealed where his best fishing spots were located - so it would be very hard to guess where the boat was when the attack occurred.   The Elsie Lee is at the Coast Guard yard, since it is considered an active crime scene.  Nathan Weisman is still in the San Diego area.
-------------------
Cameron asks the Djinn about water monsters.  As far as he can remember, he's never seen her try to do more than taste any liquids, though she does practically inhale the Dragon's Blood potion whenever she gets the chance.  "Not much for getting wet," she said, thoughtfully pacing along a desk and leaning on a pencil box.  "What IS a shark, anyway ?"  After a description, she considers.  "No, I don't know anything about them," is the response.  "I'd fly above the water if I had to."
As far as other research goes, he is able to find the creatures of Father Dagon and Mother Hydra, the Deep Ones - which the Raiders have dealt with before - though these had more of a froglike than sharklike appearance.   Deep Ones are known to try to create hybrids with humans, though research indicates that the hybrids often revert to Deep Ones over time.  Innsmouth, Massachusetts had been a site where the Deep Ones frequented.  "You know," Ben said, after the information was run past him, "I think we ought to drop a lot of explosives into that immediate area.  Maybe I can get approval for it, for, I don't know, widening the channel to improve boat traffic.   As far as I can recall, enough damage will kill a Deep One, so take all the weapons you can."
"Yes, Boss !" came the joyful yell from Fritz.
As far as spells to breathe underwater, there are none that look reliable enough to try, but Edith knows that some experiments are being done with the US Navy; there is supposed to be some kind of experimental underwater breathing apparatus.  Official paperwork needs to be filed, though, as the BPRD is still very much a new organisation and Edith's contacts at the Navy are not as tight.
The California team prepares for their journey, as Fritz modifies shotguns to be a harpoon guns, and finds a harpoon cannon that can be mounted on a boat deck.   The large truck is loaded to the rafters with supplies and weapons, and the group assembled to travel West to California.
-------------
-------------
The Dark Young in Pennsylvania
----------------
Irina recalls the Dark Young attack.  The monster had been huge, fierce and resistant to damage; whipping tentacles, a huge mouth and stomping hooves.  "Yes, it sounds like Dark Young." Ben agreed.  "Someone must have summoned it.  There is an unsummoning spell, but it requires proximity and the Dark Young has to be in the pentacle to be dismissed.  And the larger the pentacle, the less powerful it is.  You may be dealing with an active cult, and they may be able to summon more of them; so go look, and report back with your findings - do not engage in combat."  She is able to research the dismissal spell, and can memorise the shape of the pentacle, which can be made in sand and salt on broken ground and is a variant of the Elder Sign spell, from the book Unaussprechlichen Kulten, which is on Trevor's desk.  As far as is known, no one has reported the two hunters missing, and no one claimed the bodies.  The area is remote, hilly, with water features and a lot of trees, with almost no one living up there.   The only local industry seems to be logging.   The forestry school agrees to reserve a room for housing Irina, Edith and the three mice, as the weather in that area is still too cold for outdoor camping; she can still load the Model T with camping gear and other essentials, in case they have to go out into the forest for any length of time.  Edith plans on wearing canvas trousers, hiking boots and a flannel shirt that belonged to her husband; the mice plan on taking shelter in her handbag.   It will be a long drive and they will need to stop for the night; some roads may not be entirely passable by the Model T, especially at night.  The map the forestry service sent is quite detailed, so the site should not be difficult to find, though they will have to survey it on foot, or by horseback.  The school keeps a stable of five horses.
----------------------------
------------------------------

The Werewolf in Maryland
---------------------------------
Cressida gives Spider a quick smile as she offloads the offspring into the car again.  "Maybe," she said.
-----------
Jack's offer of sugar is sniffed at by the children and immediately accepted; then they seem to look at each other, as if some unspoken communication is happening, then at their mother.  When she nods, they bite into the offering and both find it pleasant; soon Jack has a pair of toddlers gently clinging to his knees, leaning their cheeks against his legs.  Just as quickly they let him go and hurry off, to watch some squirrels bounding around in the treetops.  "That's as much a thank you as they will give, but thank you," said Cressida.  "It's not easy to be a young werewolf."
-------------
At Jack and Spider's suggestion, they move on to the Park, where a pine-needle laden path leads to a canal.  "Racoons," Cressida says, "Humans, dogs, birds, squirrels, deer, rabbits.....and something odd.  Chemical.  Harsh.  Sort of like gunpowder."   The site of the attack has been rained on, snowed on, and trampled for weeks; some marks on one maple tree might be clawmarks, or might not, about five feet up the trunk.  There is a faint North breeze; all of the werewolves sniff the air intently.  A careful search turns up some shreds of expended fireworks, which from their condition, might be the ones Joy Mitchell and Amanda Adams were setting off that fateful night.  These also get an intense sniff test.  "Not the same," Cressida said.  "The chemical smell is coming in on the breeze."  It was coming, Jack knew, from the direction of the Indian Head's Naval Ordinance Lab.
----------------
----------------
GM:  Actions, etc, for your investigations, including any other preparations and research, please respond by Saturday, 7 March, next post Sunday
-------------------------------------------------------

OOC: Awesome, thanks for all the info :) Understood re breathing underwater - was there time to find any attack/defence spells for using specifically around the ocean? Thanks! V.

IC:

"I'd fly over the water too, if I could." Is Cameron's response to the djinn's answer to the sharks. He makes plenty of notes on everything they've read up on and discovered, keeps up his caffeine intake and widens his eyes as Ben gives them the advice that a bombing run would be beneficial.

"Sounds like we need to speak to the Navy then," he says. He'll definitely file paperwork for any access to field testing the underwater breathing gear - presumably with Naval personnel about as well - and will make contact with any relevant and useful people once they get to San Diego.

Cameron will look over their new harpoons with curious interest. He'll also ensure that he has a supply of the djinn's dragon blood food to take along with.

Irina nods at Ben's advice. A cult sounds like a lot to deal with! She will stock up on a few bags of salt and sand, just to be on the safe side, and give one to Edith.
She'll also pack her fur coat and some warm, practical clothes; layers are probably the thing, and some good boots. Irina can ride, so I'm guessing she has some jodhpurs and riding boots she can take along.
They'll drive up to Hillsgrove, breaking the journey at... [looks at map]... Harrisburg, PA?, and then see what there is to see - who remembers the hunters, who found them etc.

Jack thanks Cressida for her olfactory expertise, and agrees with Spider that a trip to the Indian Head Naval Ordnance Station is in order.
"Maybe if we just pull up to the gate, show our government badges, and turn on a little Eastern Shore sociability, we can get inside and look around a bit before someone kicks us out. And keep sniffing on the way -- we may find what we're looking for before we even get inside."

Post 57: Onward pt 2
------------------------
----------California Walking Sharks------Cameron, etc-----
Cameron looks over the harpoon guns that Fritz is producing, noting the barbed arrows they are loaded with look quite lethal.  The harpoon gun was apparently taken right off a whaling boat, though how legal it was remains an unanswered question.  "Slow to reload," the German says, grimacing as he studies a blackboard on which is a lot of undecipherable math apparently related to the harpoon alterations, the density of water and the ability to hunt underwater.  "I want faster.  Faster - but maybe not possible.  Must then be closer.  And waterproof.  Wax.  Zahnschmelz."  He is reluctantly dragged from his work by Thorne, arguing about an Opera, and the rest of the agents are stuck packing the truck for travelling.   Cameron tries through official channels to get access to the Navy's experimental underwater gear, filling out a great deal of paperwork then making a special trip to the offices of the Navy to deliver it.  His badge receives some curious looks; apparently word is getting around about the new Bureau within the Department of Defence.  The paperwork is taken away and he is told it is being processed, which 'takes as long as it takes'.  Nothing is forthcoming from the Navy before the Raiders board the truck and set off for the long journey to California; it will take about five days driving to get there.
------------------------------------
--------Pennsylvania Dark Young------Irina-------
Irina packs sensibly and the two women agree to share driving duties to get to Pennsylvania.  The weather being still chill, there is snow and ice as they get into the Pennsylvania hills, but they are able to reach the Forestry School with little difficulty.  It is a plain structure, little more than an oversized log cabin, with an outbuilding that has fencing, no doubt the stables.  An old truck is parked by the front porch, and a modest, hand-lettered sign denotes the building as the Western PA School of Forestry, Instructor J. Stuart.  Knocking on the door presents no one; as Edith cautiously opens the unlocked door, to call "Hello ?" the mice race inside the foyer.   No one seems to be in the building.  Tacked to the wall by the door are a number of dried leaves and twigs, with labels denoting their species and relevant information; a bench against the wall has a coil of old rope and a pair of old, muddy boots next to it.  A telephone begins to ring in a room down a short corridor, unanswered.  The first room they look in is a classroom, to judge from the old tables, chairs, and a slateboard with the agenda scrawled on it: Check perimeter, check for tracks, check river, muck out stables, chop wood, study for fire exam, laundry.   The room with the now-silent telephone is an office, with an old bookshelf stuffed full of books, a couple of filing cabinets, and a desk that has seen better days with a chair that looks worse.  On the desk is a notepad with the notations 'DC, Pallenberg, room 2', and a completely unrelated note of 'fix belt in truck'.  A framed diploma from the University of Pennsylvania, noting Johnathan P. Stuart had successfully completed a Bachelor's degree in Science twelve years ago. Some file folders are scattered across the desk, mostly relating to business receipts for coal, fodder, and upkeep; another holds some hand-drawn maps with the same fine detail as Irina had on her map.  "There's a barracks room down the corridor," Professor Mills reports, "Along with a room that seems to be the canteen.  And no horses in the stable, but five stalls.  And a cat, which has been warned."
------------------------
-------Maryland Werewolf Attack--Spider and Jack-----
---------------------
Spider checks with Jack about talking to the Ordinance Lab people, and also mentions tracking downwind.  There is not much downwind besides the river, and the marshy ground too wet to move around.  The agents have not yet decided to check in with the local police in person nor talk to the two girls and their families.  Cressida hurries after the two kids and grabs them for transport, in time for the one police cruiser the town has pulls to a stop near the park.  It's no surprise that the local law has noticed their presence in a village of this size.  "You folks lost ?"  the policeman asks, sounding like the one on the telephone when the agents had called earlier.
--------------------------------------
---------------------
GM:  Actions, etc, for the next session, please respond by 14 March, Saturday, next post Sunday
-----------------------------------------------------------

“Officer Webster, I presume,” Jack says with a smile after Spider greets the man. “Jack Sterling, we spoke on the phone. As I said before, my family goes back a way over on the Eastern Shore. Tobacco, mostly. So this hits quite close to home for me. Any change in Miss Adams’ condition since we spoke?”
He will let Webster answer and then continue the conversation at an easy pace. Other questions he will ask:
What makes Miss Mitchell think it was a wolfman? Where has she even heard of such things? These girls are obviously bright, since they cane in first and second in the spelling bee. Have they been reading any unusual books at school or at the library lately?
What does Mr. Adams, the preacher, think about the possibility of a werewolf? What type of sermons does he preach in general – anything about demons from hell or such?
What does Mr. Mitchell do at the navy testing facility – is he a scientist or engineer, or a naval officer? Have the police received any unusual calls about the facility?
Any werewolf sightings or other strange activity during the full moons on February 8th or March 10th? Did anyone stake out the park?
Are there any legends or old stories around town about monsters or other strange goings-on?
Anything we should know about the other members of the girls’ families? Any newcomers to town, or odd oldtimers?
That should do it for now. :-)

Irina is a little perturbed that no-one seems to be home, though the fact that the horses are missing leads her to at least hope that they might be out 'checking the perimeter' or the river.

On the off-chance that the snow has preserved some tracks, she will take a look around the outside of the buildings. She is also unable to resist the lure of a bookshelf and will see what kind of reading material Johnathan Stuart favours. If the phone rings again, she will answer it.

If there is a cult in the vicinity, the foresters are all potential suspects (Shub Niggurath is almost a twisted nature deity after all), so she will suggest a check of the bunkhouse - how many people seem to be living there? Are there any strange belongings?

I'm assuming it's probably late afternoon if they've been travelling all day, and so there may not be much daylight left, so it's probably not a good idea to go wandering too far, especially with no horses, so she will suggest she and Edith sort themselves out and find 'Room 2', make some supper and see if anyone returns.

Are there any firearms or other weapons around? Axes, presumably?

Post 58: Onward pt 3
March, 1925
---------------------------------------------------------
---Jack and Spider---Maryland----
------------------------
Jack greets the Officer pleasantly, seeing that the man relaxes slightly.  "Yes, I was called over by Ira Jenkins, the retired Army Major who lives just there," Webster points to the last house on Oxford Street, a modest white-painted cottage with a decent garden of roses.  As for Spider's promise that Cressida knew about wolves in particular got a raised eyebrow.  "This is something else for us," Webster admits, settling in for a long chat.  "My brother Harold is godfather to Joy Mitchell.  She's not known for being fanciful in any way - smart and cool in a crisis.  Plans on being a chemist.  Amanda Adams is her best friend - also a smart girl.  As far as I know, they read a lot of books about science.  Joy said it was a wolfman, a man with a wolf's head and paws, not walking upright, more of bent over.  He went after Amanda when she was standing on the path while Joy was setting a fuse.   Joy said she lit up a Roman Candle just as he knocked Amanda over and went for her; she went up a tree and aimed it at him, and he ran.  Preacher Adams was the one who provided the fireworks to the girls as a reward for their schoolwork.  John Mitchell, that's Joy's father, was going to take them out to the city for a film the next weekend; John Mitchell never says exactly what he does at Indian Head, but he did serve in the Great War.  The Ordinance place does tests on this and that, at whatever time it pleases them, more than once the local residents have been awakened in the middle of the night by weapons testing.   Never heard of any other strange things around here - but I had a cousin near Carroll County tell me about a snallygaster monster, some kind of lizard and bird creature."  His description of the snallygaster sounds very much like the Jersey Devil, but the account dates back to 1909.  "There are no newcomers to town unless you count the Sanderly brothers, two retired bakers from Boston, who arrived five years ago and routinely win the town bake-off contests; both are in their mid seventies, and one needs a cane to walk; they live off of Barr Road.  Amanda isn't too happy to have anyone look at her scars, but Joy says they aren't so bad.  Joy's doing whatever she can to keep the girl's spirits up."
Webster goes on to tell them that the Naval Base closes up tight at five o'clock, which is coming up quickly.  "Most of the folks as work there, they come home then, though there's always someone at the base."  Clayton Webster knows everyone in town, including their hobbies, what time they go to, or get back from work, and can easily direct the Raiders wherever they want to go.

---------Irina, Edith and mice-----
------------
Irina takes a look in the muddy, snow-slush tracks; there are plenty of hoofprints, though only one stands out, the hooves being large enough for a plowhorse.  All of the horses are shod.  There are boot prints of several sizes in the slush as well, and she finds a lost leather glove.  It is late in the afternoon as she peruses the office and observes a bookshelf full of earth science and ecology texts, along with a volume of Keats that looks like it has never been opened.  The School Book of Forestry, by Charles Lathrop Pack, seems to be the school's main text; it is full of bookmarks, underlining, and notes jammed here and there.  There is a small volume on medicinal plants, well-worn, that also has some bookmarks, and a partial set of encyclopaedia, a dictionary, and some notebooks, also written in the same fine hand that her map shows.  The notebooks seem to be for college-level classes on ecology, biology, and earth sciences.   There are also books of leaves and twigs, mounted like a scrapbook, with information about each tree, bush or weed depicted, and another detailing animal footprints and scat, fortunately drawn in ink.    A closet holds a good amount of axes, picks, rope, climbing gear and there are a few empty hooks that doubtless held hatchets.  There are no strange belongings besides a small tin dish holding a triplet acorn, three nuts on one twig, in a drawer of the desk.  As far as she can tell, there isn't a room 2 anywhere, just the office, a short corridor, the canteen and the barracks - even the WC is an outdoor building, a tiny privy near the barn.
------------
The canteen is fairly plain, with a small range for cooking; some salted beef is soaking in a large pot, possibly meant for the evening's dinner.  Cans of beans, a sack of dried peas and some wrinkled potatoes suggest that dinner will not be memorable.  A coffee pot is set aside, the remains of the morning brew cold and thick as tar in the bottom.  The barracks is a fairly sloppy mess of six bunks, one set off in an alcove with a curtain, the rest crammed together.  There are plenty of woolen blankets.   Personal effects are stored in wooden boxes or canvas sacks, and there is a string holding some still-damp woolen socks.  There is nothing odd, unless you count the terrible drivel contained in the tatty pulp paperbacks she finds hidden here and there.  One student has a picture of Lillian Gish hidden in his Bible. Heat is supplied by a wood-burning stove in the middle of the room, and it is still warm even though the wood is down to embers now.   As she looks around, she hears the whinny of a horse, then the sounds of hoofbeats.  A look out the door shows five horses, the lead horse a massive black and white mare that looks familiar to Irina as a Gypsy's vanner.  Riding it is a middle-aged man with an eyepatch, sitting tall in the saddle, wearing a plain brown uniform; brimmed hat, jacket and trousers, with tall, muddy leather boots.  Behind him are four more horses, two bay, one grey and one dun, all saddle horses of middle quality and ridden by young men in similar uniforms, though they wore caps instead of a brimmed hat.  All of them have a hatchet strapped to their belt and a knife, and there are rifles on their saddles.  "A lady !" said one of the young men, though Irina had noticed at least three of them looking at her curiously.  "Miss Pallenberg, I presume ?"  the older man asked, reining in the big horse.  "John Stuart, at your service.  This is the School of Forestry.  How may we assist you ?" He swung down off the big horse effortlessly and then struggled to decide whether to bow, or to offer his hand for her to shake.  He finally opts for both, bowing over her offered hand, and gives an evil glare to the snickering youths.  They go silent and he introduces them in turn.  "My students; Curtis Lester (the blonde one who shyly looks at the ground); Martin Blaine (the one who said "a lady !"); Frank Donnegal (missing one glove); Henry Whitely (who fell off his horse rather than dismounted).  All of them are in their early twenties and greet Irina, and then Edith, politely, then take the horses off to the stables to be groomed and put up for the night.  Martin Blaine also leads the massive Gypsy horse into the stable, with notable caution.  "Vadoma likes to bite," Stuart muttered.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---Cameron, et alia-------
The truck trundles westwards, with minimal delays.
-----------------------
------------------------
GM: Actions, etc, for the next few hours of gametime; it is getting onto evening for everyone.  Please respond by Saturday 21 March, next post Sunday.  Still cross-posting.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Irina realises her mistake on examining the bunkhouse. The 'room 2' must have referred to the number of guests expected, and the curtained off area is presumably for herself and Edith. Ah well - she has roughed it on her father's archaeological digs before.

She will accept Mr Stuart's proferred hand, and nod with a slight smile at the others.

"Good afternoon, Mr Stuart, I am indeed Irina Pallenberg, and this is my colleague, Edith Wilkins. I'm sorry to turn up and disrupt your routine; we're just following up on a report about two bodies being found, out in the woods. Hunters, I'm led to believe, but... I understand that the remains were... in a bad way. Did you and your men find them?"

She'll ask about the site, and the condition of the bodies - anything unusual about the location, tracks thereabouts etc. Have there been any other unusual occurrences in the area of late? And of course, whether they could lead her and Edith up there the next day. Also - what happened to the bodies (or what was left of them)?

At some point she will remark on the horse he has been riding.
"That's quite an animal you have - where did you get her?"

Jack suggests they make a quick excursion to the naval testing range before it closes, just to get a look (and a sniff), and maybe introduce themselves to whomever’s in charge. Then perhaps they can drop in on the Mitchells for a talk, and then on to the Adamses (possibly with the Mitchell girl along, so her friend will feel more at ease revisiting her attack with a group of strangers).

Onward, pt 4 Post 59
----Irina, PA----------
Irina greets Stuart and gets straight to business.   Stuart is definitely old-school when it comes to women and is very polite.  "I was telephoned to expect two agents, but I must confess I was surprised to learn there are...lady agents.  I'll have my students clear out my office to give you acceptable sleeping quarters.   As for the bodies, we were doing a routine ride along the streams, after a snowfall, to teach the students tracking.  The bodies - had been savaged by something I can't identify.  I have made some sketches."  He goes to the office, and pulls a file from a desk drawer, then issues orders to the young men who file into the building.  "Pack up my desk and put it in the corridor, unfold two cots from storage for the ladies and get dinner started."
"Yes, sir," said Blaine, trying to hide a weary look.  Stuart waits until he is out of earshot to continue.  "The bite marks were also at an unusual angle.  As if the mouth was vertical, not horizontal.  And the hoof prints - I know of no ungulate predator.  We have a very sparsely populated area, though I know of some places that have vagrants and squatters outside the park.  This is government land and no residency is legally permitted, though we tolerate logging camps and other necessary use, and some of the residents have been here since before the park was made.  There is some kind of settlement in the northwest side of the forest, in some caverns, but that's fairly far away.  I've been systematically searching each quadrant of the map looking for more signs of this creature." He  is able to unfold a pieced-together map of sketchbook pages, detailing the lower south and east quadrants of the forest, which also marks were the bodies were found, not too far from a stream.  "There are hundreds of acres to map, and we can only cover so much in a day - the weather does not permit camping outdoors, not that I would consider it safe to do so.  I will be happy to show you the site, though the tracks are by now obliterated, tomorrow.  Do you ride ?"
As for the horse, Stuart nods.  "I was fortunate in being able to trade for her," he said.  "The gypsy camp is on the East side of the park, where there's a trading post.  They came to me after hearing I was looking for another horse and offered me a trade for her.  I gave up a few oil lamps, a decent rifle, and some canned goods - that was what they asked for, and I didn't want to insult them."  From what Irina can gather, the man doesn't want to insult anyone, but it's clear that he got a very good bargain, something very unusual when gadje are dealing with Gypsies.
The rest of the evening is a busy one as the students carry out Stuart's desk and set up to folding cots for Irina and Edith.  Dinner is indeed a mediocre offering; stew of salted beef, potatoes and some still-crunchy dried peas.  "Frank, Curtis - if you see a buck, take the shot," Stuart tells the two students, after the disappointing meal.   Irina and Edith have no trouble dropping off to sleep after a long journey, despite the cots.  There are plenty of wool blankets to keep warm with and the students are polite.  The green mice set up to stand guard, but the evening is uneventful, though a screech owl makes a racket about two AM.  Next morning is fairly busy; oatmeal for breakfast, with honey taken from a woodland hive, and the students getting ready for the day.  Morning seems to be lesson time, though Stuart cuts the study short to take Irina, Edith, Frank and Curtis out on horseback to the site of the deaths.  Edith is given Star, the bay with a small star on her forehead, a calm and quiet mare, and Irina is given the dun gelding, called Monday.   The two students remaining at the school are specifically told to work on their target practice. The weather is grey and chill, with a fog rising along the stream as Stuart leads them to the scene of the crime, about three hours of riding.  As promised the more recent snows and melts have destroyed the marks, but they have their map of the scene, and some dried blood can be seen on a fallen log.  Luncheon is a bit of jerked venison and some hardtack biscuits in the saddle.
--------------------------
----Jack, Spider, MD-----
Jack suggests a trip to the Naval Ordinance labs before end of day, and is certain he can smell something on the breeze as well.  It is also noted by Cressida and the two young werewolves, who are standing hand-in-hand, frozen in place, while their mother staggers slightly as she walks around.  "Whew," Cressida said, shaking her head.
Webster provides them with directions to the Base, and they load up the car.  Cressida looks tipsy, and the youngsters are sleepy, but struggling to stay awake.  "Something in air," she said.  "Not right."
-------------
Please respond by 11 April, Saturday, next post Sunday

Onward, pt 4 Post 59
----Irina, PA----------
"I was telephoned to expect two agents, but I must confess I was surprised to learn there are...lady agents.


Irina smiles a slightly wearily familiar smile.
"Well, these are changing times," she says. "But please don't try to shield us from any... unpleasantness. You may be surprised at what we have seen in our careers."


The bodies - had been savaged by something I can't identify.  I have made some sketches. ... The bite marks were also at an unusual angle. As if the mouth was vertical, not horizontal.  And the hoof prints - I know of no ungulate predator.


Irina nods. "It is certainly nothing ordinary. But there are darker things that lurk just beyond the world we know, and I have encountered such a thing before. One thing I am sure of: if it is here, it is because someone has called it."


I will be happy to show you the site, though the tracks are by now obliterated, tomorrow.  Do you ride ?"


Irina nods. "My father taught me."

In the evening she'll study Stuart's sketches of the site to see if anything strikes her as unexpected.

In the morning she'll ask if any belongings from the dead men were recovered, and if she can see them.


As promised the more recent snows and melts have destroyed the marks, but they have their map of the scene, and some dried blood can be seen on a fallen log.  Luncheon is a bit of jerked venison and some hardtack biscuits in the saddle.


Irina is not tremendously surprised to find the marks gone, but she will have a look around the surrounding area to see if the metling snows have revealed anything that might have been dropped.

Once she is sure she has gleaned all she can from the site, she will turn to Stuart.

"Is it far to the tsygani... the gypsy camp from here?"  she asks. "Could we get there today? They might know who the dead men were."

She also suspects that if anyone was able to summon a Dark Young, they might be found among the Romani. But if Stuart thinks it too far to get to today, she will suggest a visit tomorrow.

Post 60, Onward pt 5
-----------------
---Irina, in the wilds of Pennsylvania----
-------------------------
Stuart's sketches are realistic and detailed.  He has enough artistic skill to render a fine map in pen and ink, and accurately show trails, significant landmarks and waterways.   The sketches made of the bitemarks do indicate a certain oddness, as if the mouth was indeed very long, with irregular teeth, and the angle of bite seems to suggest a vertical line.  He considered Irina's words about the summoning of a creature with an unusual intensity but makes no comment.  As for the students, the two with them acting as lookouts and scouts, the blonde one, Curtis, seems to be carefully listening as well, though Frank is idly whistling and watching a raven soar overhead.    There were no other clues revealed in the scene. "The gypsy camp is a day's ride on a logging trail, here," Stuart showed her on the map.  "We would take the truck but the belt is broken, and I haven't had time to fix it.  I'm not sure a Model T could handle the trail."  He paused, eyeing the grey sky.  "We have weather coming in tonight - it will be a wet ride tomorrow, but there are enough oilskins.  Curtis - any sign of deer ?"
"No, Sir," the blonde young man said.   At this, Frank looked around, his horse moving uneasily.  "We should go," Frank said, looking around with alarm.  The horses seemed to be picking up on something too, getting nervous.  "Black bear, sir, fifty yards," Frank said, pointing; a smudge of dark fur among the trees.
"Let's go," Stuart said, in a calm, authoritative voice; his big black and white horse shaking her head and stamping a large hoof.  "I'll take the rear guard, Curtis, you lead."  They made an orderly retreat back to the school, where one of the students had at least gotten a pair of grey squirrels for the dinner pot.  The rain began pelting down just at sunset, rattling the roof as a squirrel and mushroom stew was doled out into bowls, with some cornbread.   The green mice huddled in Edith's handbag, nibbling some cornbread, and Stuart tortured his students for a solid hour on leaf scar identification of trees from an extensive twig collection.   Then a shopping list was made, and saddlebags waxed to resist water.   Edith decided to stay at the school the next day, as riding was not so kind to her posterior.  Stuart gave the students orders.  "Martin, you will accompany us tomorrow to the trading post, get a list of what is needed.  Frank, Henry and Curtis, patrol the southern trail and hunt for deer.  Only bucks; if you shoot a doe, you fail."
------
The next morning, rain was still falling, though not a downpour.   Stuart led the way, his vanner and himself draped in oilskins.  It was chilly and wet but the waterproofed cloth kept the rain from soaking in, and Irina was glad to see signs of civilisation as they headed east on a track that was mostly cut tree stumps and drag marks.  A clapboard shack stood at the end of the trail, with a sign proclaiming it to be Western Woods Trading Post; another horse was hitched to the rail, draped in a large oilskin, chewing oats in a nosebag.  Inside was a small wood stove, a table, quite a few sacks, casks and crates, and a disagreeable-looking old man in a green hunter's outfit.
"Your gypsies moved," this worthy told Stuart. "I tole them to go or I'd shoot up the whole camp.  Don't know where."
John Stuart took this news calmly.  "I need flour, beans, potatoes, peas, corn meal, a box of 22 cartridges, a box of 12 gauge shells, a pound of butter."
----------------------

------------------------
-----Spider and Jack, Maryland------
--------------------------
Spider notes Cressida and the kids looking less than well and ushers them back to the car.  The two silent children seem alarmed, but Cressida seems drunk.   They leave a puzzled police officer behind.  After driving out of the park, along the more easterly roads, the effects seem to wear off.  "What the hell was that ?"  Cressida said, slapping a hand over her eyes as if a hangover was making its presence known.  "It feels like something Dorothy would drink was brewed in my skull.  I'm seeing spots everywhere."  The wind direction is shifting to the East.
---------------

GM:  Responses, please by 18 April, Saturday, next post Sunday.  Please be careful out in the world.
----------------------------
-----------------------------------------

Jack keeps an eye on the two cubs to make sure they are recovering like their mother, then asks her if they need to leave the area.
If they’re out of immediate danger, he asks, “Any idea what was in that? Was it like man-made chemicals? Or something more primitive, perhaps like an alchemist or witch might brew? Or completely natural?”
If going to the ordnance range will take them back the direction of the strange fumes, Jack suggests he and Spider drop off the others somewhere safe and go on alone. Otherwise they will proceed cautiously together to investigate it, as planned.

Irina doesn't get very positive vibes from the trading post owner. That and the rain conspire to put her in a bad mood. Still, she has a job to do...

"Have there been many other people through here recently?" she asks. "Maybe some hunters?"

If the answer is in the affirmative, she'll ask where they said they might be going, how they got on with the gypsies - the idea that the Dark Young might have been set upon them as a punishment for some transgression occurs - she wonders if the trading post might go the same way if he has driven them off.

She will also ask Stuart if he can see which way the gypsies have gone - presumably their tracks will be easy to follow if there are a number of them. Actually - she'll ask both man how many gypsies there are, and if any of them stood out in any way.

If she gets a moment to ask Stuart quietly, she'll ask about how the gypsies are received around here - he seems to have got on with them quite well, considering the bargain he got.

"In the country of my birth - Russia", she tells Stuart, "there are some who fear gypsies, who say they have dark powers, some are unkind to them, drive them away, like this man here. But I find people like them often have wisdom that eludes the majority of humanity. I would like to speak with them, if that is possible."

Post 61, Onward pt 6

---------------------
Irina, out in Pennsylvania, late afternoon
-----------------------
Irina meets the local trading post owner and is not impressed, though John Stuart weathers the man's tirade with quiet patience.  The man also looks at Stuart before answering, and simply refuses to believe that Irina has anything worthwhile to ask - and responds, "None of your business, nosey Missy !"  After they are back outside, Stuart having signed for the food on the school's account, and loading the bags onto the mighty vanner's saddle, does the quiet man respond.  "I am sorry for his ill manners," Stuart says.  "Hunting season is over, but there is a lot of poaching, and there are several moonshiners who have lost their stills thanks to me - which is partly why the bad treatment here, as they would move their bootleg liquor through this store.  As for me, I have always treated everyone I meet as if I was their friend, and hope they treat me the same.  Gypsies have also been kind to me in the past and traded me a very good horse when I needed one.  And I have a fair idea where the camp went to, I can read their signs."  He pointed to a fallen tree, where a number of symbols were carved deep into the bark, a sun, an arrow, and a stick figure.  "They went East.  There are about thirty of them, with seven wagons."  For a one-eyed man, he didn't miss much.  The rain lightened up a little, but it was still a chill, damp ride across a half-logged rise, then along a creek swollen with muddy water.  Even in the grey half light, Irina could see the yellow and red painted wagons, and see the black and white vanners gathered in a portable corral; then Vadoma let out a loud whinny, prompting more activity in the camp.  An oilskin-clad person came out of a wagon and raised an arm in greeting, which Stuart returned.
------------------
"Droboy tume Romale," Stuart said slowly, gently reining in Vadoma, who stretched her nose out to the Gypsy, a middle-aged man with a dark beard.
"Nais tuke, Stuart of the Forest," the man said, rubbing the horse's nose and slipping her a slice of apple.
"May I introduce Miss Pallenberg, she is looking into the matter of the dead men we found," Stuart said.  "This is Uncle Spiro, a gentleman traveller."
"God has brought you to us again," said Uncle Spiro, with a winning smile. "Come inside; we have porcupine stew and strong coffee to warm you up, and then we will talk of these matters."
"Thank you, and the King, for your kindness," Stuart said, with his formal little bow.  Uncle Spiro smiled and bustled them toward one of the larger wagons, while some younger gypsies hurried out of cover to take charge of their horses.  Inside was a small brazier, doing a good job of staving off the chill, and plenty of cushioned benches.  A covered pot stood near the brazier and a heavy brass samovar was next to it, with some simple clay cups.  Martin Blaine's eyes were like saucers, but then he smelled the stew and sat down staring at it like it was the only food he'd seen in years.  The smell was indeed rich, a succulent pork slow-roasted with beans and rice.  An old woman in a nicely embroidered shawl came out from behind a curtain and began to serve them.  "Thank you, Ma'am," Stuart said, nudging Martin to echo him.  The food and coffee was delicious.
Uncle Spiro wasted no time, as they sipped coffee and Martin had his third helping of stew.  He addressed Irina in good Russian.  "You are far from home, to look for answers here," he said.  "What can a simple man such as myself help you with, Miss Pallenberg ?"  She could not help but notice that the old woman had inobtrusively settled on a cushion nearby.
-------------
-------------
Spider and Jack, in Maryland, evening
----------------
Cressida did seem to recover though she reported a headache.  "It's coming from the North," she said.  "Crept up on me.  Something very odd, chemical, not far off....rye ?  Something bitter, like rye, or maybe morning glory, but much stronger.  Not natural, not really...."  She eyed the two youngsters, who solemnly looked back, then glanced at each other with slight nods.  "I'm not sure I want them any closer to it, whatever is causing it."
---------
They are able to drop Cressida and the twins at a roadhouse inn, after heading  East and finding a county road, then Jack and Spider drive North and West to get to the Ordinance Testing Base.
-------------------
As expected, there is a guard at the gate, which is down, though he is preparing to lift it to let three cars out; the time is close to 6 pm.  All the cars are late-model, and driven by middle-aged men.  The guard is burly and does not seem inclined to be nice.  "You want what, now ?"  he responds, when they ask for admittance.  It takes a badge flash and a threat to call Washington for the guard to reluctantly pick up a telephone and call into the main office.  "Well, you're out of luck.  Only man left on base is the janitor, so unless you want to waste your time talking about mops, you better come back tomorrow."  There are a few too many lights on in the sprawling brick building, and about ten cars in the parking lot, that highly suggest the guard is lying to them.
-----------------------------
OOC:  Cameron, California: Please carry on from last posts
----------------------------
----------------------------
GM: Actions, etc, for the next half hour, please respond by Saturday, 25 April, next post is Sunday.  Hope everyone is healthy and keeping safe.
------------------------------

Irina accepts the gypsies' hospitality politely, but raises her eyebrows slightly when she hears Spiro talk in Russian.
"It sounds like I am not the only one far from home," she tells him, speaking the same language, and looking apologetically at John Stuart for not including him in the conversation.
"I will get to the point. I am sent here by the government, which does not understand much, but it understands at least enough that it is important that there is someone in its employ who understands. I am here because two men were killed in the woods. They had been attacked by... a creature that does not belong here. I am trying to discover who called it, and why, and whether as a result the government needs to be concerned for the safety of... ordinary citizens."

----

OOC - Hi Mel, all good here. Going a bit stir crazy with lockdown, and fortunately or unfortunately I have a job that can be done from home, so still as busy as ever, but otherwise getting through these strange times. I hope everyone else here can say the same.
Richard