The Armitage Papers

Game Master greg white 722

Nils is looking a bit haggard from the previous nights drinking, "Circus? Oh, right. The circus. I Don't know much about them I am afraid, I do not usually have for such frivolities and nor did my father" he winces, takes a few breaths with closed eyes, "I would imagine that would have to be on the outskirts of town though, yes? They are still viewed with more than a small amount of distain by proper city folk?"

I am unable to find the year the game is taking place, is this in the 20's sometime, yes?

Calendar

So, I imagine you meeting over coffee and pie at a local diner, to plan the day's itinerary. Pritchard rushes in, looking excited, clutching a newspaper.

"Mr. Pritchard, what is it, my good fellow?! Edward asks excitedly, clumsily spilling his coffee.

"Keep it down you two, I...we...I am a little out of sorts currently" then seeing his excited behavior and the newspaper, "Well, what is it?"

Pritchard spreads out the newspaper.

"Pair of Hobo's murdered in country-side!"

A grainy photograph shows investigators at the campsite, the two dead men at their feet.

Oh, my Lord. What if someone saw *us* there?

The image of the electric chair flashes through Edward's mind.

Voice shaky, Edward asks Pritchard or Nils or Blakesmith to read the article out loud.

Nils holds up his hand, "What? Our plan worked I guess. Give me a minute, the coffee is still working. You know what? Maybe someone else better read it, hopefully we aren't mentioned"

Pritchard begins: "A pair of vagabonds, were found murdered this morning, in the country-side just outside our city's precincts. The two men, Scott Browning, a.k.a 'Brown Scott', and Joseph Washington, a.k.a, 'Memphis Joe', ages 28 and 37 respectively, were most cruelly slain, apparently by a knife, or other edged weapon, in a manner that those who have seen the condition of the dead men's remains, can only call 'barbaric and brutal.' The pair were camping on pasture-land belonging to one Wilbur Poole, who has told authorities that the indigent often bivouac among the fields and meadows along Frenchman's Creek, despite the best efforts of the agriculturists of the area to discourage the practice. The police say that they are seeking, as a person of interest,
one 'Zeke Carter', another indigent, who has often been seen in the company of the two slain men. This man has been described as tall, with a long, unruly russet beard. Their initial searches are to be carried out among the old milking barns that now adjoin the property surrounding the 'Morning Rise' sanitarium, as it known that those disused buildings have often been used by the area's numerous vagabonds. Authorities want to assure a concerned and anxious public that the fiends responsible for this horrendous crime will soon be caught up in the inexorable net of justice."

So the circus? The stones out on Aylesbury Pike that are supposedly the inspiration for the drawing that Nils purchased at the sanitarium? Or is there somewhere else you'll like to visit.

You'll be using Nil's battered but dependable Model T.

The newspaper account's description of Zeke Carter matches the hobo that you struck with Blakesmith's car.

The circus works for me

Starting to look a bit better, especially after hearing that they are not currently wanted, Nils stands, "Well, shall we be off to the circus? Hope that Zeke guy does ok on the lam"

Ok. You know that the circus' first matinee is at 3 o'clock. What are you going to do till then? Do you want to sneak in prior to the show?

Kinda waiting on Dr. Mayfield's player, who's fighting a serious case of the flu.

So Dr. Mayfield's player is still very much under the weather.

Do you want to: put the good Dr. Mayfield on auto-pilot until that time he feels up to posting. Take a 'solo' trip out to the standing stones. Put the game on hold.

lets put the game on hold for now, anticipating a ton of irl stuff coming up this week

K. I'll check in a couple of times over the next week CYA

Checking in.

I am still here :)

K. Still waiting on Dr. Mayfield.

So Dr. Mayfield is back with us.

So do want go directly to the circus? Or is there's something else you would rather do first?

So its Tuesday, morning, a little past eight. The circus has a show at 3:00 and another at 7:00. You can of course try to sneak in before they open. Or you can do something else before then.

"Lets get in there a bit early, we can pose as circus fans hoping to see some of the attractions early. What do you think Mayfield?"

So anything you want to do before you pile in the flivver and head out to the circus?

Maybe grab some food, a sandwich or something quick to take with

So you spend a hour filling a picnic hamper with some fried chicken, cold cuts, and pickled eggs. A growler of beer from 'the clubhouse' completes your provisioning.

Then you pile into Nil's battered roadster for the quick trip to 'Visconti's Travelling Carnival and Bazaar of Delights and Wonders. Fun and thrills for the young and old!'

Edward is dressed in a ridiculous array of clothing: a pinstripe shirt, plaid pants, old work boots and a bowler hat.

"Do you think I'll fit in as a circus fan?"

Again it is another sunny day, as you roll through the country side along a narrow, dirt road.

At one point you find yourself trailing a lumbering truck, painted a drab, olive green.

A heavy tarpaulin covers the contents of the bed.

The road is narrow, but there a few, wide spots, where Nils could pass; with some luck and nerve.

Does he attempt to pass the truck? Or should he content himself enjoying the pleasant scenery rolling past.

Of course he doesn't have Driving Skill; so any Driving Maneuvers, like passing a slow moving truck on a narrow dirt road, will be using the Default rating of 20%.

Nils is content to enjoy the scenery, not getting to drive very often.

Can he see what is under the tarp at any time or is it too tightly secured?

Edward wants to try to peek under the tarp as well with Spot Hidden. It seems like he’d have a better chance since Nils is driving.

Okay, so I’m not completely back in the RPG groove yet. Would you allow me to go "back in time" to where Edward was getting dressed in his obnoxious clothes and allow him to get a few things? I want him to have a pistol, camera, magnifying glass, a small toolkit, and a small first aid kit along for this trip. Is that doable, or too much? Either way is cool by me.

Ok. A camera, a magnifying glass, some basic first aid supplies, probably 'borrowed' from a campus nurse's station, can certainly be had.

Nils, being a traveler from the 'west' will certainly have some tools in the his car.

As you both bought points in the handgun skill, I'll allow that you have such weapons available to you. Automatic, or revolver? Caliber?

The tarp over the bed of the truck ahead of you is too tightly secured: all you can tell is that from the angular shapes you can guess
at beneath the tarp, the truck looks like its carrying a load of long cases or crates.

A 0.38 6-round Colt revolver that Edward inherited from his cousin, a World War veteran.

"Army olive green," Edward says, offhandedly. "I say we try to go around it."

Edward adjusts the lens on his camera and snaps a photo. He then realizes he had the lens cap on, looks around sheepishly hoping no one notices, removes the cap and then he takes another snapshot of the truck.

Well, Nils, you're in the driver's seat. Shall you risk trying to pass the truck? You can boost a failed roll with Luck points (provided that's it not a Fumble).

So up ahead, on the left, you see a grassy field, where the flamboyantly colored big-top stands; the dirt road continues on past the circus.

I will not try to pass the truck, but I will get up close so Edward can get his picture of it, then back away to a safe distance. "Hey, if that truck keeps going past the circus, then nothing changes. But if it does turn in there, then I will go past until we are out of sight, park, and walk back. What do you think?"

Nils spent some time in the military, so he would probably also have a 0.38 Colt

So, Nils carefully pulls a little closer to the truck: which doesn't seem to be slowing down at all for a turn into the circus grounds.

I slow down and pull into the circus grounds, finding a spot to park out of the ay of those working to put up the circus, "Well, how do you want to play this?"

"Holy Toledo! What a mess! Where do we find an albino amongst all of this?" Edward says.

So of course there's the big top. There's a a number of smaller tents, where the performers sleep. In the back, you can see where the animals are corralled. Workers and performers are constantly leaving and entering the big-top.

As typical of the period, the circus travels by train, and 'parades' from the train station to the 'fair-grounds'. This particular carnival/circus is a little unusual, as they've chosen to set up in a field near a rail-road spur; perhaps a sign that they're not one of the more respected and established circuses.

The truck you were 'following' disappears around a curve in the road.

There are a scattering of trucks around the periphery; apparently largely farmers bringing in their produce to sell to the circus.

Shrugs, "I suppose we start looking. Should probably stick together on this, no telling how they may react"

As you're sitting in the car, pondering your approach into the circus grounds, a fairly clean and new Packard pulls into the field,
and parks among the farmer's trucks.

A skeletally thin man exits the Packard, lights a cigarette, and strolls into the circus.

Edwards holds up a finger to his colleagues and asks them to wait.

"Sir," he says to the skinny stranger. "Do you know anyone around here? We're looking for an albino-looking man."

Dr. Mayfield catches the tall man at the edge of the grounds.

He looks over the garishly garbed Dr. Mayfield, with some amusement.

"You're here to see Blackie,' he says, his voice is strangely child-like. "Who sent you?"

He reaches into the pocket of his jacket, pulls out a small, mother-of-pearl case, which he opens, to carefully remove a small ivory pick; which he carefully begins to pick at his teeth with.

The Thin Man : "Though I don't know that 'Blackie' is in charge of hiring clowns; or even that they're looking to hire any."

Edward, never a man to use particularly judgment, rubs his chin, thinks for a second and then decides that honesty is the best policy.

"Virtue," he says. "A girl named Virtue wants us to look for him, this 'Blackie'."

The thin man nods.

Thin Man : "Well, follow me then gentlemen."