1. GM Edwin's Zeitgeist Campaign

Game Master Insnare

It might be the early afternoon in Flint, but its always night in the House of the Blue Birds. Paper lanterns make more shadows than light around a shady clientèle in this exotic hostel/bar. A beautiful young woman with long sleek black hair and deeply slitted blue dress embroidered with flowers greets you at the bar. 'Welcome officers. The Royal Homeland Constabulary is always welcome in our house. Can I get you a drink - or something else?' She claps her hands and a toothless miserable looking man in the corner plays some sort of out-of-tune violin. You notice she has a dramatic scar across the left hand side of her face when she turns to the barman to get his attention.

* * *

The RHC badge works and you are ushered through the open factory floor, under catwalks and chain pullies past vats of acid and reagents to a small section a the back separated by a low wall. A man wearing heavy gloves half-burned away by acid is fiddling with fiendish-looking arrangements of bubbling glass vials and liquids. He winces when he sees who you are.

'This is about Nilesa, isn't it? What's she done now?' When he hears the news, he is crestfallen, yet not surprised. 'She was a daughter to me, you know', he shakes his head sadly. 'Yet I knew this was coming. We tried to warn her - if only she hadn't gotten caught up with those terrorists. My uncle even had a vision about this: “an adopted daughter will blindly ride the wind to her demise" he had said. He's a skyseer - getting on in years and doesn't have many visions anymore, but just a week ago he had that one.'

'It's my fault, if only I had talked less about how horribly the other factory owners treat their workers. I just wanted to instill a sense of pride in her about working here - you know she was my very first employee. But she took it to heart, and for years had been seeking out Gale and the fey terrorists. I should have reported her I know but...' he sobs. '..is like a daughter to me. What a fool I am'.

He insists on taking you to the small room upstairs where Nilesa has been staying, but its spartan and there’s not much to find: just some clothes, incidental money, and a lesson book for her to learn Elvish. As you look around, Heward Sechim looks out the small window to the protesters outside. 'I understand them you know - the protesters, Nilesa, even Gale. On the matter of the debate about Risur's tradition versus its future, where do you stand?' he inquires.

'But you are not the first to ask about him today, officers.' She smiles mysteriously.

She brings you into the room with Maggie sitting in the chair and says, "This is Maggie the cleaning lady. The room is as it was left by Officer Porter, but to be frank, although he had proper I.D. he didn't comport himself like a policeman." says Lucy.

Maggie the maid nods in agreement. You look about the room and see the place in complete disarray, mattresses flipped over, paintings broken and nothing of any personal value.

Maggie says "At about eleven o'clock a police officer with a pencil thin mustache came in and asked about the doctor who had just left. He showed a police badge with the name Officer Roger Porter, so he was allowed into the doctor’s room. After five minutes of flipping over mattresses and pulling any stray personal item into a small bag, he left.'

'I know a policeman when I see one, officers. This was no police. If you'd like to inspect his room go ahead - We left it exactly as it was after the Mr. Porter left.'

A little man brings a small folder to Miss Ling without, it seems, even being asked. 'Here is Doctor von Recklinghausen's hostel form', she passes you a document, 'and his reference'. The documents name and nationality from Arrovia in the Malice Lands and a note saying he recently arrived from Cherage with the proper Danoran papers. The letter of recommendation from Dr. Barnaby Camp is generic and vouches for the doctor to stay for a few weeks in Flint, and provides a North Shore address.

'Now officers, if there is anything further I can do for you please let me know.'

The room, if you choose to visit it, is a total mess with the mattress ripped and on the floor. There are no personal items at all - only some new unworn underwear, socks and trousers, a guidebook to Flint and a Primordial-Common dictionary.

'I will help you in any way I can. I'd be more than happy to sell you many types of acid and alchemical vials or ammunition direct from the factory floor at trade prices if that can help you find answers to what led Nilasa to be killed.' He removes his huge gloves and wipes his brow. 'This has come at the worst possible time, what with the protests, the government pushing me to lower prices so they can get the arcane etchings for the next ship like the Coaltongue, and then the men threatening to burn down my factory'.

He thinks for a while. 'I have an idea of how you could get to the root of it. My uncle Nevard, he is the most famous Skyseer and has the respect of radicals like Gale, but that he’s not violent, and could be able to arrange a peaceful meeting between Gale and the authorities. I can give you directions through the rough roads and trails in Cloudwood to the henge where Nevard and his followers live. You should not tarry though: Nevard’s an old man, and if he dies one of the best chances for reconciliation dies with him. I can set up a meeting for tommorrow'

"I thank you for your generosity. I for one would like nothing more than to see this all resolved peacefully and the longer we wait, the more likely someone will do something that will cause the whole situation to erupt into violence. If you can arrange a meeting with your uncle, we will be there."

"And don't you worry that Nilasa's death will go unanswered for. We will find out the truth of the matter and those responsible will be brought to justice."

'The second time, two different men came. I stalled, said I needed time to arrange something, then had the men followed by two of my workers. My workers are great - like sons and daughters to me. They were followed to a seedy part of the district, away from the lake and nearer to the Nettles. They lost them there, in that warren of alleys, but that's where a lot of criminal scum hang out. That's when I hired those three guards outside.'

He will analyze the questionable treat either in his own office or the laboratory at the University, whichever seems better to him.

Maggie answers, "He is a blonde haired man late thirties or early forties, I noticed him wince in pain a few times, and
thought I noticed a bandage and dressing on his chest. Strangely though, I didn’t see any blood, but when he left his shirt did have an odd black stain there, and he smelled oddly like scorched engine grease."

"He asked the same questions, about who the Doctor was, where did he go, what his contacts were.. but he was very, very odd for a policeman because he gave me 100 gold for no reason."

"Hmm... That is curious. You did well in not allowing them to make the purchase. I hope that the guards will serve as a deterrent, but we'll look into it and you keep an eye out for anything suspicious. If you wont sell to them, they might try to steal it."

Mithas offer him his hand,

"Sir, you have been an enormous help. Hopefully with your aid we can put an end to all this nonsense before things escalate further. But, unless my collegue has something he would like to add, I believe that we must take our leave of you."