The Year of Our Lord Sunday January 2, 1911 – Vienna - Austro-Hungarian Empire - The Orient Express
Sarah nods at Henry's suggestion, "Of course. It is critical that we take the lead as Celestyn saw fit and he chose you Acolyte Gaden".
The Year of Our Lord Sunday January 2, 1911 – Vienna - Austro-Hungarian Empire - The Orient Express
"The witness said he saw a dark figure hovering over the young woman! What happened I do not know, but she has perished!" The man starts to move away from you towards the front of the train.
The Year of Our Lord Sunday January 2, 1911 – Vienna - Austro-Hungarian Empire - The Orient Express
Wenzel continues to follow Marcus looking about.
"Not that I noticed, but I admit I was a bit focused on trying to find out more about our destination. Might've missed something."
When Master Beschi leaves the car, Badger, realizing the lesson is likely concluded for the evening, begins listening a bit more intently to the commotion.
The Year of Our Lord Sunday January 2, 1911 – Vienna - Austro-Hungarian Empire - The Orient Express
Continuing back towards the scene, and once out of earshot of the man, Marcus says to Wenzel, "Dark figure hovering...sounds like it could be one of our kind."
Arriving at the scene, Marcus heightens his senses, trying to eavesdrop on any conversation around the body and attempting to steal a glance or two to see what he can observe.
The Year of Our Lord Sunday January 2, 1911 – Vienna - Austro-Hungarian Empire - The Orient Express
"Agreed."
Wenzel is going to observe the area to see if he can put any pieces of this puzzle together and determine where the hovering figure could of went or a shred of something out of place.
Perception (Attentive) + Alertness
"A murder... on the Orient Express."
"Conductor, I am afraid I don't know your name, but a woman said she saw the killer and knows the man! Are there authorities here on the train who can assist in making an arrest?"
"Oh yes, we have some men who represent the company who will hold potential criminals for the proper authority".
"Excellent, then the case can easily be solved by checking the manifest of the train, the murderer is an Englishman named Simon Equivocata.
You pause an check your ticket, the name on your ticket is Badger Bainbridge...
-------
Wenzel and Marcus
Marcus is simply too distracted by the Mortals and all of the fresh blood on that corpse to focus.
Wenzel though can see quite clearly that there are three sets of fang wounds in the Mortals neck, blood runs from each. Whether that is three separate Vampires or one aggressive Vampire is not clear.
The press of bodies though surges back and forth as more people come to see this horror with their own eyes. You are both pushed back by the tide. As you end up near the back of the train car, a man with an air of authority strides in, "YIU PEOPLE ALL GET OUT, THIS IS A CRIME SCENE, NOT A CIRCUS!"
He is not a conductor, but appears to have, or believe has has, some sort of authority.
Henry
After a pause of a few minutes hearing the commotion in the hallway Sarah turns back to Henry and checks her ticket, "My ticket uses the name Sarah Kleibold. So strange, having an identifying slip of paper that does not actually identify me".
-------
Jim
Donato sighs, "Well, we know none of us committed any such murder. I hope this does not interfere with our trip, we are due to arrive tomorrow and I am anxious to get moving towards our ultimate goal. Mortals die every day, why should the death of this one matter to us?"
"I believe I am the oldest of the apprentices by quite a few years." Says Henry. "You get used to it. Putting on masks when you must interact with mortals. The time will come when you find yourself not dwelling on it as much." His tone is slightly wistful. He finds himself rarely dwelling on his time as a human anymore, but sights like this do remind him of it. By all accounts he should be dead, and it was only through his embrace that he remained unfrozen as time moved on. Though how much of the man he had once been when he drew breath was up for debate.It was not a matter he gave much thought to, never having been one to dwell on the past.
Wenzel and Marcus
Wenzel leans in to whisper into Marcus' ear.
"There were wounds in the neck. should we go report back?"
"Seems like the right call." Marcus says, nonchalantly backing away from the area.
Back in the Tremere Sleeper Cars
Marcus and Wenzel return before Master Beschi.
Badger appears lost in thought.
Donato blurts out, "Well, anything for our coterie to be concerned with?"
Badger is mumbling something to himself and swearing when Marcus and Wenzel return and he seems to snap back to the here and now.
"Right then. Chief... a word."
Pulling Henry aside, he quietly shares his concerns.
"We might have a problem. Seems someone on the train is lookin' to pin this murder on me. They'll be lookin' for the wrong man, but I wouldn't bet on that bein' the end of it."
Back in the Tremere Sleeper Cars
"Potentially...maybe even likely. The cause of the death was certainly one of our kind, the question is was it one of us out for a snack or is there someone else on board that we didn't know about." Marcus says.
Back in the Tremere Sleeper Cars
"I saw quite clearly that there were three sets of fang wounds in the Mortals neck, blood ran from each. Whether it was from three separate or one aggressive of our kind I do not know."
Henry's eyes widen at the information.
"Hardly surprising that another of our kind is onboard; it's a convenient way to travel.But any kindred with a modicum of discipline would know not to commit a murder in an enclosed space such as this, due to the suspicions that would arise. Unless said suspicions were the point, and they seek to cast them upon us to sabotage our mission. The brutality and overt nature of this murder leads me to think this was a deliberate attack on us. "
To Badger he whispers, "What makes you believe they were targeting you specifically?"
"Picked up a name someone dropped."
Badger begins fishing around his pockets and pulls out some false facial hair and a small powder case with a mirror in it.
"It's not the one on my ticket, but it's a sure bet someone's lookin' for me. Best not to take chances they'll recognize this lovely mug."
He begins subtly aging himself.
Donato waits impatiently as Badger and Henry whisper in the corner of the common area of the Tremere sleeper car.
Sarah places a hand on his shoulder, "Patience"
Eliastor turns to Wenzel, "I doubt any of our kind astute enough to be aboard this train is sloppy enough to leave marks, multiple marks like that. This was done on purpose. Is that on purpose to give our lot grief?"
"I tend to agree with you unless they were surprised in the middle of the deed and made haste out of there. Either way I believe we should assume the worst and that this was done on purpose to cause us grief."
"Apprentice Badger, I think it time you share that information with the rest of the group." Henry says. "Do you have any enemies among our kind? It's unlikely to be solely personal, but there may be a reason they chose to direct blame towards you as opposed to the rest of us. And it means they may have more familiarity with you than the rest of us."
"Well who don't have enemies? 'Specially among our kind?" Badger responds, continuing to apply his disguise. "But I doubt I'm the only one with exceptional hearin' on this train, so I do question the wisdom of too earnest a conversation at this particular moment, but, if you insist, I will indulge."
"Given the circumstances its likely best that we have all the information." Henry reasons. "Still, perhaps you could write it down for us if you possess the skill."His words are blunt, but Henry seems to mean no offense.
"Alright, then."
Badger finishes applying his age lines and false facial hair then begins fishing around his pockets for a scrap of paper. He scribbles a few quick lines and passes the paper to Henry.
ONCE USEFUL ALIAS
ACCUSED OF AMARANTH
"The unfortunate lad will need to be taken care of." When he speaks this time, he has taken on a completely different affect. His posture changes. His accent no longer betrays his North London origins, but instead suggests something closer to Eton in Berkshire. His usual smile and swagger is replaced by an air of cold disdain as he wipes off a pair of brass framed oblong specs.
"I see." Henry shows the note to the others.He's slightly taken aback by Badger's new appearance and mannerisms, but its a useful skill and one that he respects the utility of. Though he now does wonder if the Badger they've been speaking to all of this time was just another facade of the man in front of them.
"It seems we may have to hunt down a saboteur lest he jeopardizes our mission.If we can find a way to pin the murder on one of the other passengers and ascribe a mundane cause for it, so much the better."
Donato's eyes widen.
Sarah shrugs, "Another time we should discuss how that happened. For now, shall we fan out in teams of two and seek our wayward cousin on board?"
Jim
Donato sighs, "Well, we know none of us committed any such murder. I hope this does not interfere with our trip, we are due to arrive tomorrow and I am anxious to get moving towards our ultimate goal. Mortals die every day, why should the death of this one matter to us?"
"Mortals become agitated when a murder occurs, and they start trying to ferret out secrets to find out who committed it. They can become quite... intrusive. Which would be... shall we say... annoying for our trip."
"Sadly correct. If the murder is not solved to their satisfaction, the kine authorities will be called, and they will be troublesome to deal with. I am sure some of us possess the ability to modify the minds of the kine, but it's far easier to implicate someone using the same tactics to throw their attention off of us.
"As for finding the real killer, I'm not convinced teams of two are wise. We don't know our foe's capabilities or if they have help. I would suggest groups of three personally. It makes investigation slower but provides us further protection."
Sarah nods in deference to Henry's suggestion, Donato in turn speaks, "Eliastor and I will remain behind to inform Master Beschi of our plan".
"Do any of you possess the ability to cloak your form?" Asks Henry, "I am able to assist us in disappearing from view, but my abilities allow me to only cloak five of us. I suggest casting it now to provide added security in conducting our investigation."
"I know how to Don the Mask of Shadows." Marcus offers.
"Excellent. Perhaps you should cast it on yourself. I will cover the rest of us," suggests Henry. He gets to work, taking a half hour to cast the effect.
"That should cover us for the rest of the night."
"I do not possess anything usually for the moment."
Marcus nods, and begins casting the ritual.
Henry, Wenzel, and Badger
Invisible though not intangible based on some of the puzzled looks on Mortal faces, the English contingent heads to the back of the train where the body was found.
With the initial hysteria dying down, that last car has been evacuated of all but the conductors, one official of the Ottoman Empire, and one official of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, and of course, the invisible Coterie.
"...preposterous. Outrageous. Who is this witness!" asks the Austrian official.
The conductor, not quite perfectly fluent in German replies, "The was a woman, very pretty, dark hair".
"Her name?" presses the Ottoman official.
The conductor sputters... "I.. I... I... I don't remember!?"
Marcus & Jim (PCs) Sarah (NPC)
The group glides towards the front of the train, the Mortals are not quite as packed in as so many were in the back gawking at the shocking murder. Still with the press and heat, and smell of the bodies, you are all glad to be well fed.
You all make your way to the front of the train, unseen of course, and find a conductor speaking with the engineer.
... every chance that we will need to stop!"
The engineer shakes his head, Are you mad? Murder or not murder, we must meet our obligations. With the winter I do not wish to stop on the tracks in the middle of no where!"
"I do not wish to be responsible for letting a murderer free, do you?!"
Henry, Wenzel, and Badger
The information does not surprise Henry. Given the circumstance he suspected one of their kind would manipulate the mortals memories. He also doubted one truly forgot a woman who was apparently so pretty, yet also so forgettable.
He says nothing for now, and waits to hear anything else useful the conductor might recall even with his distorted memories.
As they make their way to the back of the train, Badger scans the auras of any they pass for a familiar lack of vibrancy.
Henry, Wenzel, and Badger
Badger scans the crowd for any signs of a pale aura, but he turns nothing up. Of course, with so many closed doors, there could be a Kindred hiding behind within.
The group holds in place but after questioning for several more minutes, the conductor is unable to provide any useful identifying information. The officials finally withdraw, speaking among themselves, leaving the frazzled conductor behind lighting up a cigarette. He steps out onto the back of the car to get fresh air, letting the freezing weather in.
Marcus & Jim (PCs) Sarah (NPC)
The engineer pushes back, "I would certainly not. I would also not like to be fired for delaying many very important passengers. I suggest you consult with the officials of the various states and get their blessing if they wish to stop prior to the next destination, and where".
The conductor frowns, "I shall, and I shall be back soon!"
He leaves the engineer alone in the locomotive, only the fireman remains alongside him. The engineer shakes his head at the fireman, "Madness!" The man shrugs and grunts, "He's a point".
Marcus & Jim (PCs) Sarah (NPC)
Marcus whispers to the other two, "Should we wait to see what the decision is? If they choose not to stop, I do not believe there is much for us to do beyond keep an eye out for this assailant. If they intend to stop, we need to report back for further instructions."
Marcus & Jim (PCs) Sarah (NPC)
Sarah whispers back, "Perhaps we should simply place an order in their mind not to stop no matter their orders...though I cannot do so myself".
Looking at his companions, Henry considers their options.
"Do either of you possess the ability to pluck hidden memories from inside his mind?" he asks quietly. For once he finds himself wishing he had spent time learning the powers of the other clans; inferior though they were, they would undoubtedly be useful at a time like this.
Henry, Wenzel, and Badger
Wenzel shakes his head no.
Marcus & Jim (PCs) Sarah (NPC)
"Not a bad idea, but outside of my abilities." Marcus says, looking back to Jim and Sarah.
"I do, indeed," Badger responds, pulling off his spectacles and cleaning them again. "Let us hope that our mystery woman's mastery of the art is not superior to my own."
He steps onto the small landing at the back of the train and gazes into the conductor's soul, searching for the memories of which the man was robbed.
Badger steps out onto the train, startling the man but before he can cry out in surprise, Badger is in his mind and in his thoughts....
Marcus & Jim (PCs) Sarah (NPC)
Sarah nudges Jim to see if he has the tools!
"Perhaps we ask Master Beschi to do so?"
Jim whispers to Sarah, "I do not speak French, so I can't follow their conversation and don't even know if I could communicate effectively with them. Let's report back what little we've learned."