Storyteller Shadow's page

Gunther Thesing

You do not pick up any other useful information. The man did not seem to have any enemies so this may have been a random act of violence. Perhaps with more time you could uncover more information about him but that would require a full day or two of investigations. You need to get home to see Jordan off to her party, she hinted that she may want you to come but I am not sure whether you have decided to go or not.

The evening will begin once I have a chance to get to it!

Xing Shi & Andrew the Hardy

That gives you about an hour to rest Xing, that dress fitting took a while and Jordan had to go first!

Lorenzo Cappelli

When you arrive at home there is a note on your door, you open it and it is from Father Communilazi. He requests a meeting with you at his church in the early evening (it is 2 pm when you arrive at home). He states that he has information for you.

Gunther Thesing

Do you want to do any further investigations or head home?

Lorenzo Cappelli

"Ah well. I guess it is best then that he leaves. With everything going on I am becoming more sure by the moment that I should sell the business. Let this be another family's headache. I am going to head home and get some rest. I will swing by for that Tuesday lunch. If you hear from your benefactor in the meantime let me know". Dominic leaves the warehouse leaving you to rummage around further or head home if you like.

Lorenzo Cappelli

Dominic shrugs, "If we are losing Federico and Francois in the same day we will need a replacement. I can do this interview tomorrow Giuseppe".

Giuseppe smiles, "I will let him know!"

He heads off back to the front desk to watch the doors.

Dominic looks at you Lorenzo, "You don't think that Federico made up the story about the break-in by this Scotsman do you? With what happened with Volkov I doubt anything anyone tells me anymore. So many coincidences. The man kicks the door in then offers a workman a business opportunity?"

Lorenzo Cappelli

"Perhaps plans have changed? It is what he tells me, I only ask because I have a cousin looking for work", replies Giuseppe.

Lorenzo Cappelli

Dominic shakes his head, "No I was not aware. Did he say why Giuseppe?"

The old man squints, "He said something about getting a foreign investor for his pipeweed business".

Dominic looks perplexed by the statement.

Lorenzo Cappelli

You and Dominic arrive at the warehouse and inspect the few documents related to Sergei Volkov. He rented space but only cam in once. Dominic opens the crate which he rented and it yields nothing, he never placed anything inside. The one time he was here Francois was on duty according to old man Giuseppe, who you recognize from the night which started the current plot you find yourself involved in.

Giuseppe clears his throat, "Master Cappelli, I happened to run into young Federico just last night, he told me he intends to quit, did he tell you the same?"

Federico was the young guard on watch when the Scotsman accidentally kicked the front door of the warehouse in.

Gunther Thesing

You find out that the man was a local carouser. He lived off of the fortune that his parents gave him and was in the process of squandering it away when he was found dead early this morning. The last people to see him were some locals an a tavern which he staggered out of around two am.

People ask you why you have such a strong interest in a man you did not know.

Unfortunately, the scene was already inspected by apparently the Doge's men. They took the body and cleaned up as best they could which is why some blood residue is still there. It is a cobblestone street so there would be no evidence of a scuffle.

Once Lorenzo and Gunther have completed their scenes, which should be relatively quick, we will move on to the Sunday evening. It should be a doozy!

Lorenzo Cappelli

Dominic nods in agreement, "Will you come with me now to look things over? Two sets of eyes would be better and there will be few customers if any to interfere today".

Alessandro Khadaji

The man smiles at the payment you give him, "Normally this is not something I would do Signore but I will make an exception in your case".

Your shopping list complete you are free to stroll home and get ready to greet the return of your father.

Gunther Thesing

You ask a few people in the area about the actual placement of the body and they are more than happy to gossip with you about it. Based upon the way the man was laying and the location of the church nearby it is obvious that whoever killed this man left him here to be found on purpose.

Lorenzo Cappelli

Once the two of you are alone Dominic turns to you, "We must release Francois from his current position, I do not want someone who is friends with that lunatic having access to our warehouse, at least for as long as it is our warehouse. Do you think his interest has anything to do with that intruder that was slain during the break in?"

Gunther Thesing

No need to spend the willpower, two is sufficient.

You spend a few hours following rumors across the city towards the spot where the murder supposedly took place. With the exception of a fresh spot of blood someone failed to wash away, the conversation you heard was true, there is no way the blood of a full grown human being could have been wiped away so quickly, especially in the cobblestoned streets of Venice.

Make another Intelligence+Investigation roll DC 5

Lorenzo Cappelli & Alessandro Khadaji

Dominic orders a wine and toasts to "clean living".

"Well Alessandro I think my brother and I will be off, many things to do at the warehouse since I have not been there in a few days. Lorenzo would you like to accompany me or do you have something else to do? Remember, think about whether you want to add this business to your ventures Alessandro, on Tuesday we can discuss it at length!"

Dominic stands waiting for Lorenzo's response as he slowly shifts his way towards the exit from the cafe'.

Gunther Thesing

The first man responds, "Afraid we can't, I am sure if you head out to the north you will find more people talking about it".

None of the men take you up on the offer mumbling how the death of someone they do not know is not their business, of course that did not stop them from talking about it though!

You can exit and make an Intelligence+Investigation roll DC 6 to determine the area where the murder took place or you can head home. It is about 1 in the afternoon right now.

Alright Caps, I think you made it. I will check the DC before game tonight, pretty sure it is 35 or 36.

As you will be showing up late I will just have Otho be on the sidelines till you get there. You have now ben with these goons for a couple of trips, I assume your motivation to stay is to aid in the good fight? It is likely that the Harper's would sanction your actions if indeed the threat is as large as this group claims it is. Let me know.

Gunther Thesing

A third man chimes in, "Afraid we can't Signore, I hear it happened near the north side of the city if you wish to seek the location out".

Lorenzo Cappelli & Alessandro Khadaji

Dominic turns to Alessandro, "I am sorry I do not follow your question my friend, are you asking about my customers?"

Gunther Thesing

"What wild beast stalks these streets? How would it even get here, swim across the lagoon? It must be a man", replies the first fellow.

A second chimes in, "We can be certain of nothing Signore. This is a tale we have heard we did not find the body ourselves. But I see your point. Still if they brought the body from somewhere else would the body not bleed in transport, how could the killer be so clean as to produce no trail but yet drop the body where church goers are sure to find it?"

Storyteller Shadow wrote:

Gunther Thesing

The people talking about the murder are nearby, you can approach them if you wish.

Your food arrives as Matteo answers your question, he then runs off to tend to another customer while you eat and drink.

Gunther turns and reaches out to one of the people discussing the recent murder, attempting to stop them before they pass him.

"Excuse me, friends, I apologize but I could not help but overhear. Can you tell me what happened?"

One of the men turns to you, "Why just this morning a man was found with his throat half torn out, the scene did not have nearly enough blood. A strange murder indeed. Frightening to behold I am told, the work of what foul beast of a man I do not know. Perhaps it is the Lord telling us that His counsel on earth should be followed!" The man makes the sign of the cross as do his friends.

Alessandro Khadaji & Lorenzo Cappelli

Christopher shakes his head, "With the pressure from foreign wars we are all feeling a little crazy I fear. Well gentlemen this was a wonderful lunch. I think I know what I will place on the menu this evening. Perhaps we can all meet again on Tuesday for lunch? I would like to hear more about this warehouse business Signore Cappelli. I am also interested in what you have to say Signore Khadaji, the Council often does not hear the concerns of the merchants who were not fortunate enough to have ancestors who sat on its council".

Dominic smiles, "Tuesday lunch, perfect I look forward to it!"

That being said Christopher and Enrico head off leaving the Cappelli Brothers and Alessandro alone at the table.

I will get to the thread again tomorrow sorry for the delay.

I will try to pick up the In game thread tomorrow morning, work was very busy today. If not I will be back to it Monday morning as the rest of the weekend will be very busy for me.

I believe the by Day portion of Sunday is nearly complete, Night should be coming up shortly.

Not sure about the WP, I need to review everyone's WP, I will decide over the weekend who gets what back.

Gunther Thesing

Matteo shrugs, "Who knows, the rumor is there was someone on the north side of the city away from the hustle and bustle but very close to a church, which one I do not remember. People disappear all the time, now because they find a body it is a big deal? Travel in groups at night or stay off the streets, I say be smart or be dead, tis their own fault".

The people talking about the murder are nearby, you can approach them if you wish.

Your food arrives as Matteo answers your question, he then runs off to tend to another customer while you eat and drink.

Alessandro Khadaji & Lorenzo Cappelli

The man that Lorenzo pointed out arrives and places his hand on Volkov's shoulder, "Sergei, do not make a scene".

Dominic looks at him, "Francois, you know Signore Volkov!?"

Sergei ignores Dominic and loosens his grip on Enrico. "Dr. Cappelli, I am quite sane I just do not like being touched by a jumped up bodyguard. I do not need to walk anywhere Signore Khadaji. No I must run to Signore Querini's home, it seems he has played me falsely and I will know why".

With not another word Sergei leaves with Francois imploring him to be discreet dammit.

Enrico drops to the ground coughing while Christopher sits watching Volkov walk away, he smiles, "It would serve that snake right to get a taste of his own medicine. How do you know that raving lunatic Dr?"

Dominic chimes in, "The man approached my brother about renting form our fine establishment, with this assault I must say I believe that we should perhaps rethink that contract we signed! MOre than that we must be rid of Francois as well, I do not want my employees being so friendly with the clients, it is bad for business."

The rest of the crowd goes back to their business as Christopher does not make a further scene of the altercation.

What do you two do?

Not a federal case, just being scrappy. :) Your game, your rules. Thanks!

To some extent this is true, the ST/DM/whatever puts in more time then the players do, still I look at it as OUR game that we are in together. As I stated I wanted to run V20 rules I should adhere to them and where applicable inform the players if I am changing those rules (for example the lethal vs bashing damage rules which I don't like I did away with and went with the old format).

Alessandro Khadaji & Lorenzo Cappelli

Dominic blurts out, "Wait, I recognize you! You rent space from me! Lorenzo brought you on as a customer!"

Ah yes, I see that now spent the 4 + 4 XP to get to the 3's. Gotcha.

Alessandro, I reviewed the rules for Alertness and Awareness last night. You were correct, you should have rolled Alertness and had one more die to roll. I have been applying the rule based on my own interpretation of how the Talents worked.

FYI the differential in difficulty for the last roll I posted has to do with the familiarity that Lorenzo has with the target of the check and nothing else.

Alertness is applicable when spotting mundane occurrences.

Awareness is applicable when spotting supernatural ones.

I will be applying this rule moving forward, my apologies for the oversight :-)

I am just used to running things a certain way having run this game since the mid 90's, need to spend a little more time double checking the rules in the V20 book as that is the system I stated we would be playing.

ONE MORE THING - Lorenzo, now that you have a 4 in both Alertness and Awareness you get to pick a specialty for each one. Under the V20 rules, 10's are no longer re-rolled by count twice.

Alessandro Khadaji & Lorenzo Cappelli

Christopher looks up at Sergei, "I am not sure what you wish to say but get on with it so we may get back to our lunch".

Sergei chuckles, "To the point, I like you Dandolo. Tell me what it is I need to know about a certain crate of goods you are renting in the Cappelli's warehouse and I will be on my way, I am sure you know the one I am referring to. You are here dining with both of the Cappelli Brothers so I am sure this is no coincidence".

Christopher snorts in derision, "Actually it is a coincidence, I have never seen either of these men before in my life. I rent no space from their warehouse, perhaps you should speak to my father or my brothers or uncles. If that is all?"

Sergei's eyes narrow, "I know what I was told, you rent the space by proxy. I tire of you silver tongued Venetians. Once I find what I am looking for I will conclude my business find my sister and abandon you all to the demons in your midst, you are not worth saving".

Christopher laughs even harder, "So it seems that is how you know the Doctor, you are a madman who needs medical attention".

Sergei grits his teeth, "You rent that space by proxy through Michele Querini, deny it once again!"

People turn at the harsh tone of Sergei's.

Christopher retorts, "I have no business, especially with that snake of a Querini, Michele or his cousin, whoever told you that is lying".

Enrico stands and places his hand on Sergei's arm, "Time for you to go or I will throw you out!"

Sergei seizes Enrico by the throat and picks him up as if he were a rag doll his strength must be incredible! "I will decide when it is my time to leave".

What do the two of you do? Dominic is shocked by the display of Sergei's strength. Additionally Perception+Alertness rolls DC 6 for Lorenzo and 7 for Alessandro

Michele Querini

Alrighty then.

Xing Shi

The girls curtsies again, " I am Jordan and this is my mother Fiona Thesing".

The mother smiles but not as warmly, the man tending the store grimaces, "Leave? Leave? No I must tailor the dresses to perfection first!"

Michele Querini

You head to Marco's place but he is not home. Shrugging you consider your next move.

Do you want to try to track him down or do something else? Later on this evening you have at least one meeting with Sadir but the rest of the evening is probably free. Obviously this trip will require you to speed up the process for meeting with Michael and his strange employee Hans.

Xing Shi

"My father owns the tavern/inn called Greetings. We will need to leave by 5 today to be at the party on time. I am so excited to have you come with me, none of my friends have a dress nice enough to get in!"

The girls mother gives you a sideways, don't upstage my daughter look and smiles cooly at her daughters excitement.

Alessandro Khadaji & Lorenzo Cappelli

Alessandro, the man is fairly tall, a bit over 6'. He has dark hair and dark eyes and appears to be of Eastern European descent, certainly you have never seen him before.

As the table occupants turn to regard him, he grimaces and approaches openly.

"Good afternoon Dr. Cappelli, perhaps I can interrupt, I see you are with someone I wish to speak with regarding a certain shipment from outside of Venice".

Dominic looks confused, "Lorenzo, do you know this man?"

Lorenzo Cappelli & Alessandro Khadaji

Dominic, Christopher, and Enrico also raise their glasses.

Dominic grins, "There would be no issue with him as I have not approached him on the matter. Certainly we can discuss the business in more detail at a later time".

Christopher chimes in, "What does this business entail Dominic?"

"Cappelli Storage houses wares for merchants of Venice as well as merchants who frequent the port with great regularity. We provide security around the clock which also gives our customers access day and night to their wares. Our location away from the docks, while sometimes a chore to load and unload from, gives the added protection of fewer eyes probing who comes and goes and when", replies Dominic.

"Interesting, I would like to hear more. If Alessandro has no interest, perhaps House Dandolo will".

Alertness gives Alessandro as m extra die... Or should I stop whining?

Stop whining! :-)

I will re-read both Talents tonight, I believe I ask for the appropriate skill at the appropriate time and tonight I will confirm that is the case. If I am wrong I will let you know though it will not help in this scene.

Lorenzo, yes I would you may also apply those increases to your roll (I did not check the thread so not sure if you made it already).

Just a few notes on spending XP.

1. Only in the case of Willpower, Humanity, Virtues, Disciplines and in some cases Faith do you need approval to spend XP. If you have it, you may freely spend it.

2. XP may NOT be spent mid-combat under any circumstances.

3. Backgrounds are not something a player may spend XP without ST approval.

No, this is situational. Crowded streets, middle of the day, engrossed in a fine meal and good conversation. Most normal humans are not focusing overmuch on the environment around them when involved in this type of encounter. None of the PC's or NPC's present are paranoid (if they were their DC would have been lowered or they would have had a bonus to the roll), I think the DC fits. :-)

Lorenzo Cappelli & Alessandro Khadaji

You eat the curry chicken the spice lives up to its reputation as it may well be one of the spiciest dishes you have ever eaten. Enrico's advice regarding the yogurt is well taken as it reduces the burning sensation in your mouth.

After some small talk Dominic changes the course of the conversation, "Alessandro, as you well know my family has operated a storage facility for merchants and residents of the city alike. I am transitioning away from that business and I have seriously considered passing it to my brother in law. However, seeing you makes me wonder if Khadaji Shipping would be interested in acquiring both our property and our exclusive clientele".

Everyone please make a Perception+Awareness check DC 8

Michele Querini

With your father departing what do you do next?

Xing Shi

"You may come with me and my family. Meet us outside of my fathers place of business Greetings and we can go together!"

Xing Shi

She curtsies, "I would be delighted if you could come, I am sure that you will have a splendid time".

Her mother interrupts, "Don't you think you should inform Christopher first my dear?"

The girl turns to her mother, "Do you check everything you do with father first?"

Alessandro Khadaji & Lorenzo Cappelli

Enrico chimes in, "I would recommend a yogurt for those who have not had much experience with spicy food".

Christopher approaches the merchant and arranges a tasting in a nearby area. Eateries cater to the merchants and soon enough you all find yourselves sitting down waiting for the food to arrive.

Christopher addresses the group, "I agree that the streets should be safe. I disagree that disarming everyone is the way to do so, it will lead to an abuse of power by the Doge and his men. I am his ally and my family is a staunch supporter so I do not say that lightly. This altercation was a spark that allowed the Doge to disarm everyone in the city but his men. I do not like it but my father and grandfather seem to support the move. As far as the incident itself it stems back to a rivalry from a long time ago with a man whom I was once friendly. We both were interested in the same girl, I won he lost. The fact that our families are rivals fuels the enmity between us".

Xing Shi

The girl smiles widely, "Only the most gentle and handsome man in all of Venice. Christopher Dandolo".

The mother smiles warmly at her daughters happiness.