Ingo von Lamprecht's page

Superstring vibrating in nine dimensions.

d

n

a

A Buddha

In Tokyo in the Meiji era there lived two prominent teachers of opposite characteristics. One, Unsho, an instructor in Shingon, kept Buddha's precepts scrupulously. He never drank intoxicants, nor did he eat after eleven o'clock in the morning. The other teacher, Tanzan, a professor of philosophy at the Imperial University, never observed the precepts. Whenever he felt like eating, he ate, and when he felt like sleeping in the daytime he slept.

One day Unsho visited Tanzan, who was drinking wine at the time, not even a drop of which is suppposed to touch the tongue of a Buddhist.

"Hello, brother," Tanzan greeted him. "Won't you have a drink?"

"I never drink!" exclaimed Unsho solemnly.

"One who does not drink is not even human," said Tanzan.

"Do you mean to call me inhuman just because I do not indulge inintoxicating liquids!" exclaimed Unsho in anger. "Then if I am not human, what am I?"

"A Buddha," answered Tanzan.

A Mother's Advice

Jiun, a Shingon master, was a well-known Sanskrit scholar of the Tokugawa era. When he was young he used to deliver lectures to his brother students.

His mother heard about this and wrote him a letter:

"Son, I do not think you became a devotee of the Buddha because you desired to turn into a walking dictionary for others. There is no end to information and commentation, glory and honor. I wish you would stop this lecture business. Shut yourself up in a little temple in a remote part ofthe mountain. Devote your time to meditation and in this way attain true realization."

A Cup of Tea
Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring.

The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"

"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"

Cocaine, anyone?

Without any trace of sarcasm: "Gentlemen, I have such measurements as are sufficient to cost the fabric we require. I will sketch my designs, and present them when I am satisfied that they meet our criteria. I will be going to the garment district to source fabric. I shall also make some enquiries at a haberdashery. If any of you know of a reputable plasterer, please indulge me by furnishing his details. You may find me at luncheon in the Wilson room of the Ambassador Hotel. I trust that you all find such stimulation at the tavern as you crave. I apologise that I attempted to burden you all with the onerous task of measuring this room, and am relieved that you escaped my request and had a good time crawling around down there. A brick weighting down the end of the tape measure proved sufficient help, and I was able to do the measuring alone. Had any of you helped me, I would not have discovered the merits of working with masonry, and would instead have finished far too soon to truly savour the experience of trudging up and down bent over nearly double like a burgher from a Durer etching. I will continue to take this task entirely on my own shoulders, so as not to interfere with your carousing, spelunking, and other necessary pursuits. Enjoy the tavern. Please try not to spend all the rent money I invested. I trust that Zoltok will not require any sleep again tonight, with the remarkable fortitude he exhibited last night, and hope the rest of you meet his exacting standards of debauch."

Ingo tips his hat to you all, snaps his briefcase shut, and walks up to Zoltok

whispering"Give me the object of your obsession. You can get it back when I see you have rested."

Mutters to himself in German: "Little boys playing in caves, and here I have nobody to hold the other end of the tape measure. "

Ingo will certainly not go down the hole. He thinks it a waste of energy, and will simply start measuring and surveying the room, and calculating how much cheap plywood and faux velvet he will need. He is going to pay no attention to anything short of screaming from below, and is going to meticulously record every step he takes. He is keeping an eye on Zoltok, but will just give him space to talk if he wants to. I am assuming that Zoltok sees Ingo as his therapist, and that that overrides friendship. They have a client-doctor relationship at the moment. He will, however, recommend a safety line for the spelunkers, and ask that they get some mining braces to hold the roof, before knocking anything with a hammer, and will caution them to take food and water in case of a cave in.

"I personally think there are people outside who need work, who will get their hands dirty for a few dollars. I don't see why you all have to go and play Alan Quartermain! I do see the need to keep knowledge of this tunnel a secret. I think if we can't use it in the act, we should just fill it in. Oh, I will need some help up here, to hold the tape measure, and do some simple surveying, but I can wait a while before that need becomes imperative."

We get Zoltok cleaned up. Ingo will get him some eggs hollandaise and strong tea from room service, and will send his soiled clothes to be laundered. They will only be gone an hour. Ingo will ask some open questions, to give him the opportunity to talk, but he will not press the issue. He will, however, notice that the play is not in his satchel anymore. He will only go into the bathroom if Zoltok is taking an inordinate amount of time.

He is a psychiatrist, and one of the best in the world.

I do not know how to roll skill checks. I know it is percentile, and provide a roll below. This is a psychology check, to understand what is going on with Zoltok. The second roll is a psychiatry check, to deduce the most positive course of action.
1d100=37, 1d100=57
91 Psychoanalysis
85 Psychology

Ingo arrives early, sees Zoltok, and immediately rushes to help him. He will ask Zoltok the classic questions to check for a stroke. "What day is it?" "How many fingers am I holding up?", "What is your name?".

He will give Zoltok some of the grape juice he has with him for the day's work.

"Zoltok! Talk to me. What is going on? I left you here, I find you here. I take it you didn't rest at all. You have soiled yourself. Can you walk? I will take you to the Carlton, to bathe yourself. You must get up now, and come with me. I will get you cleaned up. You don't want the others to see you like this!"

As the others arrive, a few minutes later, Ingo will step away from Zoltok, to avoid any of the others getting the wrong idea.

Ingo does nothing of any consequence. Dinner and a show. He is going to bring a tape measure, and some chalk tomorrow. He doesn't care about the tunnel, and is simply going to start drawing interiors, and planning the space. He is not going to have cocaine for a few days, because that is recreational, and he will be working.

Ingo crosses his arms in front of him, and raises his eyebrows. He seems to disapprove of the prospect of drinking from the jugs.

"Gentlemen. I know that this is an occasion for celebration. We can surely get some alcohol, if that is what you desire. We can get some Canadian brandy, or some Irish whiskey. I am sure you would prefer quality in your vices. As a doctor, I strongly caution you not to ingest alcohol of uncertain provenance. Ethanol and Methanol are bad enough, but the additives in most rotgut are extremely toxic. Why not just have some of my cocaine instead? Cocaine is the lord of all intoxicants. It strengthens heart and mind. Alcohol is merely a key to the cell of the id, and a dreadful nuisance to boot"

He produces a small bottle of cocaine from his breast pocket, and takes out a small leather pouch with mirror, razor and silver straw. The pouch is monogrammed I vL II

"Well that trapdoor is useless for staging. We should incorporate it somehow, but I can't see how. Zoltok, can we use this shaft in the show?"

"I expect we will have to place something over the graffiti on these pillars. The wood is not really strong enough to have it planed down. Zoltok, have you acquired the services of any artisans yet? I have many talents, and elegant interior decoration is one of them. Would you be amenable to letting me design the theatre? I would get help for the technical details, of course, but I daresay I could get the place looking marvellous with the right lighting! I am thinking to avoid red, as it is over-utilised in theatres. Perhaps a deep blue drapery, in bulk, fastened to cheap boards with round buttons, and gilt on the pillars?"

To Vincent. "I think it is a bad idea to have a man so obviously intoxicated loitering on the premises. We must avoid the appearance that this is a low place, or speakeasy.

Draw that bit there, that is unusual."

Ingo is enjoying drawing, but looks a little put out that the place is in such bad repair. He casts occasional glances to Zoltok, to let him know that he is ready to discuss business.

Ingo will help to copy the markings on the pillar. He will try to decipher their intent, by looking at percepts, and archetypes, particularly any motifs or patterns. He will completely ignore the presence of the sailor, and has not seen the letter. He also did not hear the exchange about the previous inhabitants, and their 'satanism'. If nobody fills him in, he will continue as stated above.

"This looks like the sort of thing Sir Fraser talks about in the appendix to the Golden Bough. I think it is telling, that the collective subconscious could tie the scrawls on these pillars, to the tribal motifs of the South Seas, and other primitive iconographies. The vandals here are unknowingly drawing old patterns from prehistory, filtered through the ego superstructure, of course."

Still waiting for clarification on skills, per the discussion thread.

" A bit of a fusty dive. This would be condemned back in Austria. At least it is cheap."

Inspecting the handkerchief with a non-plussed look, Ingo folds it up, and places it in a small tin, which goes into his pocket. He takes a fresh handkerchief out of his breast pocket, and arranges it artfully on his breast. He hands Zoltok an envelope of money. (His contribution to the rental.)

"What are you looking at? Are those graffiti? They look very poorly excecuted. If Carl or Sigmund were here, they would say that those are totem. Opposite of taboo, you know."

Ingo seems to look at the pillars with fresh eyes, through the lens of his profession. What ought I do, mechanically?"

Please describe the place as a whole. How high is the ceiling? Are there rafters? Is it carpeted? What exits are there?

Ingo arrives by cab. His eyes are bloodshot, his skin pale and clammy, and he has a fur-lined coat draped over his sloped shoulders. He is holding a handkerchief to his nose, which is bleeding slightly. He has his head tilted back, and gives a polite wave with his right hand. He is wearing a tailored tan suit, with narrow lapels. He is handsome, despite his awkward approach. His hair has been dyed since you last saw him. he pays the driver with a $10 note, and waves the change away. His wardrobe is painstakingly chosen to match his nordic eyes, and honey-brown hair. As he walks languidly toward you all, he glances at his gold watch, and lifts his eyebrows in mock surprise at the time.

"Hello Zoltok. I have what you asked for, in my breast pocket. Sorry I am late. I am feeling quite positively beastly. How do people live in this wretched sea air? Quite beyond me."

Here are my character's stats.

I am afraid I need some help. I don't have the CoC books. I need to know the skills for a psychologist/psychiatrist. I cannot see them in the quick start rules.

The quick start states:
Once you have select the occupation, you
should look at the list of skills on you character
sheet. Choose 8 skills which are appropriate for
your character's chosen occupation. These are your
"Occupation Skills."
You now have to assign percentile points to the
skills on the character sheet. Before you do so,
please note that no skill can start play with a rating
higher than 75.

Do I just choose 8 skills from the sample character sheet, note the percentages given, and add points to them?

Please help.

Character ideas are percolating. I will create him tomorrow. Looking to have high int, and lots of academic skills. Only combat skills will be from fencing in Bavarian gymnasia. He is corrupt, but looks like everyones favourite uncle. His homosexuality is subtle, and he never admits to it. His father still holds out hope that Ingo will come back and claim the family enamelware business. The war was good for the von Lamprecht family. Soldiers need tins and cups.

Trading Prussia for Austria has helped.

Ingo came to (insert campaign location here) to find something remarkable that is his alone.