To the hotel to try to find them.
Quickly changing and starting to feel at least a little warmer. Once Dr. Greene introduces her, It is a pleasure to meet you Dr. Roman
Back at the Amherst hotel, Stanley writes a note for Professor Moore and folds it several times before leaving it with the front desk to give to the man as soon as he returns.
Prof. Moore,
Went to Cmdr. Douglas's hotel with Prof. Arnault as requested, but he wasn't there. Prof. Arnault went to trace his movements while I waited there in case he returned. As far as the hotel knows, he hasn't been seen since he left in the morning. Given today's events at the pier, it may be a good idea to contact the police if Arnault was unable to locate him.
Stanley Chastain, P.E.
8 Sept. 1933
That errand completed, Stanley heads up to his room to get some rest for the next day.
Give me some space and I'll see what I can do
You arrive at the Hotel and find your name at the front desk registry, you will be sharing a room with Gretchen as rooms have become sparse at the Hotel. You inquire about Moore and Starkweather and you are informed that Moore is available but Starkweather is not.
You knock on Moore's door and he responds, "Come in".
As you enter he is sitting at a writing desk poring over a letter and looking rather vexed he looks up, "Ah Ms. Stanton, welcome aboard. I fear you have joined us at a chaotic time, we'll not have much time to chat before we leave in a few days. Is there anything you need from me?"
Quickly changing and starting to feel at least a little warmer. Once Dr. Greene introduces her, It is a pleasure to meet you Dr. Roman
Give me some space and I'll see what I can do [dice=Medicine]1d100+45
As you arrive at your hotel a ma approches you and hands you a note, "Don't read it till you get to your room". The man, who certainly looks down on his luck, turns to leave.
None of the professionals can ascertain whether Christopher received the blow by falling or in some other manner, hopefully he will wake up the next day and reveal what happened to him.
Dr. Greene turns to Dr. Roman, "This was not the only reason why I asked you here Dr. I know your specialty is working with the dead. Tell me, would you be interested in this venture to the South Pole? I believe there may be some use for a man of your talents there".
"I would like to bring my airplane with me in the expedition, if that is possible."
"I would like to bring my airplane with me in the expedition, if that is possible."
Moore practically grins form ear to ear, "You have a plane and can fly it? This may the only god news I have received in a week. Of course you can bring it, tell me, what airport do you keep it in?"
"Is in the "Colina Vieja" air strip. I will take care it is packed, and put in the ship, if that is ok with you."
As the man hands him a note, Stanley frowns wondering if this part of whatever has been going on to sabotage their missing.
"Hold on, just a minute," he says, angrily, waving the letter at the deliverer as he turns to leave. "I'm not going to read it at all without knowing who sent it. I'm not going to just trust someone who feels they can't even approach me without a proxy. Does whoever sent this have a name? Or at least a description?"
"Certainly. However, before you do that I would ask you to head to the ship to see Dr. Greene to get a physical and Peter Sykes to get outfitted for the proper sized gear.Bring Gretchen with you for both tasks and t retrieve your plane. We are asking no one to do anything alone until we disembark, is that clear?
Once you get back, have Stanley Chastain check the plans to ensure that it can fly in such extreme temperatures."
The man shrugs, "He did not give me a name, just a series of letters to hand to a series of people and you re one of the ones that fits the descriptions. He was younger than me, pale skin, short blonde hair, a clean shaven round face and wore an ordinary coat with trousers. In pretty decent shape so the guy is not hurting like I am here on the streets. They guy gave me two bits each to hand out letters, that means I can eat this week, a pretty big deal ya' know...?"
"I will. Where can I find Miss von Hammersmark?"
With no idea where to check next Arnault hails a cab and heads back to the hotel to report to Professor Moore
What exactly do you expect to be finding on this *expedition*? From what I understand, there isn't much there, living *or* dead.
Perhaps the young miss Phoebe would be able to collaborate with Dr. Roman in discerning what the problem with the boy is?
"Sorry for the overreaction," Stanley say sheepishly, calmed down a bit. Feeling foolish that he expected the messenger would be allowed to know or witness anything particularly useful, he gives the man a quarter as sort of an apology for his outburst. He thinks hard about the description, trying to remember if he's seen anyone like that before, and makes a mental note to keep an eye out going forward.
He does not, however, wait until he's returned to his room to look at the note. Rather, he finds as public a place as he can in the lobby so there can be potential witnesses when he reads it, just to be safe.
Dr. Greene steps closer to Dr. Roman, "Most of the members of the prior expedition were murdered. The story is unclear what exactly killed them. No doubt preserved as they have been by the cold for nearly two years now, your expertise may reveal the story for all to know. One of the men slain was a college roommate of mine in college which is mainly why I agreed to go. His widow asked me to discover the truth of what happened and I could not deny her request when this opportunity arose".
Arnault arrives at the hotel to find Thomas and Seamus in the lobby. Both have their bags packed. Both turn to you, "This whole thing is rotten, someone is trying to sabotage this trip and I'll not be on the ship if that happens again on open seas. I have a daughter to think of", states Thomas.
Seamus nods, "I am heading down to the precinct to see what I can dig up, maybe someone saw something, I think that kid was a bit of a brat but I smell a rat, he did not just fall in that water if you ask me..."
Moore gives you her room number which is now, for the next few days, your room number as well.
Meeley goes to the room, and knocks on the door.
"Miss von Hammersmark?"
I suppose I could join you. Not a fan of the cold, but it's better than the heat.
A familiar woman's voice responds, "Who is eet?"
Dear Man of Science,
Soon You will go down far away to the cold and the white ice and the old old things that wait and move and work and plan.
Do not!
Blessed Mary hears me beg You to stay! Do not wake the Sleeping One there. Do not pass the prison walls of black and white cold ice and time. The cage must not open! Let the dead and the dying hold closed the doors.
I have listened to His dreams. I have seen Its form within His mind, for He has seen It and He knows It must be free and He will stop You if You go.
Turn back or we all die.
A friend.
Dr. Greene seems relieved, "Excellent. I shall see to it that you are placed on the manifest. Come by the Amherst Hotel in the morning and I will introduce you to Moore and Starkweather".
"Miss von Hammersmark, it's Josephine Stanton, the reporter, we met in the morning. May I come in?"
Once inside she will explain to Gretchen.
"May I call you Gretchen? I have been accepted in the expedition, as a reporter and aviator. And I will be your new roommate. Dr. Moore has asked us to find Dr. Greene to get a physical and the to find Peter Sykes to get outfitted for this adventure. Shall we?"
It seems we get to continue to work together Dr. Roman. Currently we have to wait for the young man to wake up. Thank you very much for coming down to help with this problem.
What utter nonsense is this? Stanley wonders to himself while reading the note. The way the author uses pronouns makes it impossible to tell what is being talked about. Who's prison? Who's mind? At the south pole? There aren't any prisons there! Listening to dreams, ha! If the author knows I'm a man of science, then surely he would know I respond to facts and data, not overblown poetry.
Shaking his head and regretting letting himself get all worked up, Stanley tosses the note in a trash bin and continues on with his evening as though it hadn't even happened, believing himself to be made of sterner stuff than the people who've been finding these warnings disturbing.
Only later, as he's falling asleep and his conscious mind is losing its firm hold, does he start to seriously wonder whether he might be in any danger. Not from poorly described monsters, but from a very real person who knows an awful lot and could become desperate when his "friendly" warning goes unheeded.
Arnault arrives at the hotel to find Thomas and Seamus in the lobby. Both have their bags packed. Both turn to you, "This whole thing is rotten, someone is trying to sabotage this trip and I'll not be on the ship if that happens again on open seas. I have a daughter to think of", states Thomas.
Seamus nods, "I am heading down to the precinct to see what I can dig up, maybe someone saw something, I think that kid was a bit of a brat but I smell a rat, he did not just fall in that water if you ask me..."
" I zink you are right Seamus. Vell good luck I suppose. Oh, if you see Commander Douglas could you send him here? Professor Moore vants him to stay here because of all zese accidents and zings. "
Gretchen opens the shade on her window, I tink it vould be best if we got an early start tomorrow. We ca go to the sheep and do what must be done ok?" She asks stifling a yawn,
You stay the night with Christopher who is stable and seems to be recovering his color quite well.
You rest for the night and by the grace of God do not dream about poorly described monsters.
Seamus agres to do so as Thomas asks you to give his best to the rest of the crew. You head to bed for the evening and find a note slipped under your door...
Dear Man of Science,
Soon You will go down far away to the cold and the white ice and the old old things that wait and move and work and plan.
Do not!
Blessed Mary hears me beg You to stay! Do not wake the Sleeping One there. Do not pass the prison walls of black and white cold ice and time. The cage must not open! Let the dead and the dying hold closed the doors.
I have listened to His dreams. I have seen Its form within His mind, for He has seen It and He knows It must be free and He will stop You if You go.
Turn back or we all die.
A friend.
You get the exact address of the Hotel from Dr. Greene and head home to put your affairs in order before meeting with the heads of the Expedition the next day.
You awake the next morning in the hotel to a few crew members who seem very concerned about the events of the prior evening. "Dreadful just dreadful", states Dr. Green as he shows you the papers lead article.
New York Times Morning Edition
Watery Death for Commander Douglas
New York (AP)—J. B. Douglas, fifty years old, was discovered last night in the water off Battery Wharf. Two fishermen brought the unconscious mariner ashore after an assault by person or persons unknown. Commander Douglas died on the way to the hospital.
A respected officer of the Merchant Marine for many years, Douglas will be remembered as the captain of the SS Arkham, one of the vessels
which carried the Miskatonic University Expedition to the Antarctic in 1930. Douglas was reportedly in New York City to speak with the leaders of the Starkweather-Moore Expedition, which will leave in a few
days.
The expedition expects to retrace the route of Douglas’ ship three years ago. Thomas Gregor and Phil Jones, sailors resident in New York City, were returning to their fishing boat Bristol when they heard muffled cries and ran to see what was happening. They spotted a man running away and some agitation in the water.
While Jones ran after the fleeing man,Gregor dove into the cold waters of the harbor and found a motionless figure there. He heroically pulled the unconscious man out of the water and onto the dock. He attempted to
revive the drowned man. Meanwhile Jones, who had lost his quarry, went for help. Police later announced that Commander Douglas had been bludgeoned about the head, and began a search for his murderers.
Anyone with information about this terrible crime, or about Mr. Douglas’ whereabouts on the night of the murder, should contact Detective Hansen at the Battery Precinct Station.
See Page 32 for the Commander's Obituary.
-------------------------------------------------
"No one can locate Starkweaether or Moore. A catastrophe!"
ACT II
September 9th, 1933
You wake in the morning feeling a sense of adventure awaits you.
ACT II
September 9th, 1933
You stir in the early morning as you hear Christopher begin to moan. "Owww. Wha.. where am I?"
ACT II
September 9th, 1933
You head to your office for early morning hours a full classload on Monday will have you busy grading papers all morning but if you want the rest of the weekend off this is the time to do this. The halls are quiet n a Saturday morning as per usual.
That is why you are shocked to find a Professor standing at your office door, Dr. Abbot the Chair of the Applied Sciences Department. He was one of the faculty who interviewed you and recommended that you be offered your current position. In his hands he holds a coy of the Boston Globe.
"Good morning Reginald, might I have a word with you in your office?" His demeanor is serious, more serious than it normally is as Abbot is known to have a sense of humor.
ACT II
September 9th, 1933
You are at your desk early this morning sipping your coffee and considering what you should work on today, Saturday is no day of rest for men of high finance even in these dark rimes, when Gus Levy, no less the managing partner of Goldman and Sachs slams the New York Times down on your desk.
"Dammit Wolf! You said that we should sink some money into this for good publicity. This is a g*+ d#*ned disaster, find Starkweather and make sure this damn thing has not been completely derailed! If it has been you get every last cent we gave that Limey back you hear me!!!"
You pick up the paper and see the following headline.
New York Times Morning Edition
Watery Death for Commander Douglas
New York (AP)—J. B. Douglas, fifty years old, was discovered last night in the water off Battery Wharf. Two fishermen brought the unconscious mariner ashore after an assault by person or persons unknown. Commander Douglas died on the way to the hospital.
A respected officer of the Merchant Marine for many years, Douglas will be remembered as the captain of the SS Arkham, one of the vessels
which carried the Miskatonic University Expedition to the Antarctic in 1930. Douglas was reportedly in New York City to speak with the leaders of the Starkweather-Moore Expedition, which will leave in a few
days.
The expedition expects to retrace the route of Douglas’ ship three years ago. Thomas Gregor and Phil Jones, sailors resident in New York City, were returning to their fishing boat Bristol when they heard muffled cries and ran to see what was happening. They spotted a man running away and some agitation in the water.
While Jones ran after the fleeing man,Gregor dove into the cold waters of the harbor and found a motionless figure there. He heroically pulled the unconscious man out of the water and onto the dock. He attempted to
revive the drowned man. Meanwhile Jones, who had lost his quarry, went for help. Police later announced that Commander Douglas had been bludgeoned about the head, and began a search for his murderers.
Anyone with information about this terrible crime, or about Mr. Douglas’ whereabouts on the night of the murder, should contact Detective Hansen at the Battery Precinct Station.
See Page 32 for the Commander's Obituary.
ACT II
September 9th, 1933
You head to your office for early morning hours a full classload on Monday will have you busy grading papers all morning but if you want the rest of the weekend off this is the time to do this. The halls are quiet n a Saturday morning as per usual.
That is why you are shocked to find a Professor standing at your office door, Dr. Abbot the Chair of the Applied Sciences Department. He was one of the faculty who interviewed you and recommended that you be offered your current position. In his hands he holds a coy of the Boston Globe.
"Good morning Reginald, might I have a word with you in your office?" His demeanor is serious, more serious than it normally is as Abbot is known to have a sense of humor.
Reginald smiles. It'd be my pleasure Dr Abbot
The professor fumbles for his keys and unlocks his office door. He holds it open for Dr Abbot. Please, Please. Have a seat. he says extending his hand to the chair in front of his desk. Reginald moves to his desk and places a thermos he'd been carrying on top. He sets his briefcase to the side of it.
Reginald sits, and the wooden swivel chair protests with a squeak. Putting his hand on the thermos again, he says. Can I offer you a spot of tea?
ACT II
September 9th, 1933
You stir in the early morning as you hear Christopher begin to moan. "Owww. Wha.. where am I?"
Grimacing from the pain in her lower back that was earned from spending another night in a chair. Oh good he finally woke up. Standing up and walking over to the young man. You are in the medical bay of the SS Gabriele. I am going to check you over ok?
Phoebe would begin checking is vitals and asking him a few questions. Phoebe would be trying to avoid guiding him to any answers and would refuse to tell him what happened until she figures out if he remembers anything himself.
What is you name? Can you tell me the date? Assuming that his able to answer her question and seems responsive she would ask the question that has been plaguing her mind. Can you tell me what you did last?
Stanley grimaces at the news of Commander Douglas's death, and wonders if there had been anything he could have done differently to perhaps prevent it. It's a real shame, the man seemed like a nice guy and didn't deserve what happened to him.
"What do you mean nobody can locate Starkweather or Moore?" he demands. "They have to be somewhere. Has anyone asked at the front desk to see whether they left this morning?"
Alphonso looks up from beneath his glasses not startled nor reacting the the theatrics of Mr. Levy and says;
"I had it upon good information that Douglas would join. Now we might capitalize on their loss and follow up with their heroic journey in Douglas name. I will make contact with the expiditon and ensure another worthy captain or ensure we receive our monies back."
With that Alphonso briskly stands nodding to Mr Levy and leaves the room only once checking the time before looking up where the expidition is housed and who is now in charge of it.
I head directly to the hotel. Everything else has been taken care of, and the next thing on the list is this expedition.
" Zis is terrible news! Zee expedition seems doomed to fail before it efen begins! " Arnault says shaking his head. " I had better head down to zee police station. Starkweather and Moore might be zere and I should probably put in a statement. I did try to follow zee commander yesterday, and I know at least vhere he stopped for breakfast. "
Arnault grabs his hat and heads out of the hotel.
"Dr. Arnault, let's ask for them in the front desk, as Mr. Chastain says, before going in a wild goose chase."
She leads the men into the front desk, and ask for the doctors.
September 9th, 1933
Reginald Farley - Miskatonic University
Dr. Abbot smiles, "I would yes thank you Reginald". After you pour him a cup he sighs and begins speaking, "Tell me, have you heard of the University's trip a few years back to the Antarctic?"
September 9th, 1933
Meeley, Arnault & Stanley - Amherst Hotel
You three along with Gretchen head to the front desk. You see that is it literally crawling with reporters looking t get a lead on the story.
The clerk looks around the room and back at all of you and states loudly, "I am sorry, Misters Starkweather and Moore are in an undisclosed location and I can't share that with you right now".
He then reaches down below the desk and pulls up a slip of paper which he places n the desk before him and raises an eyebrow at Meeley. He then walks away from the desk for a moment yelling at a reporter, "You there, stop bothering the guests!"
As he walks away another reporter approaches all of you, "Meeley, you with these guys? They look like Expeditioners to me! Want to share a scoop with me old pal?"
September 9th, 1933
Phoebe - SS Gabriele
Christopher groans, "I think it's September 8. The last thing I remember is walking on the docks investigating the ship which is supposed to be used by Acacia Lexington. Then I think somebody approached me... then I don't remember... what happened to me?"
September 9th, 1933
Alphonso & Adrian - Amherst Hotel
You both arrive at the Amherst Hotel which is in a chaotic frenzy. Reporters crawl all over the place and as you each step out of your respective cabs you are asked a series of questions by different reporters at lightning speed.
"Who are you?!
Are you with the expedition?!
Can you comment on the Commanders unfortunate death?!"
Once again the sudden surprise of a mass of reporters catches Stanley off guard and he reels back from the mob, reflexively putting an arm in front of his face for a sort of defensive stance.
"Bloody press," he mutters to himself. "I can't wait to get the the part of the expedition where we're very far away."