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"Ah, sir," William addresses Edrington. "I've been away from the city for some time. The Cirque is a fine establishment, but unknown to me beyond a casual reference the other night. We learned something of your style from the good Mr. Hartley, but I was wondering if you could enlighten us to the history of this place. [b]Where did the idea spring from, and why this location?"
Congrats, Nevermore! My boys are still both under 4 so I remember this time period vividly...well more like I remember the blurry sleep deprivation vividly. Dad moment:
Recent moment that is the kind that makes being a parent totally worth it: I put up a small shelf in my son's room at the wife's bequest: a simple task that ended up taking 4 hours because studs are never in the right place. At the end of all the headaches, my son comes in to see it and gets really excited. Then without prompting, he runs up and hugs me saying, "Thank you so much for my new shelf!" Sorry for Vanishing: I ended up going dark for a week due to migraines and allergies. Tried not to look at a screen. Sorry for not posting earlier that I was slightly incapacitated.
William perks up at the mention of Jack and examines Jakob with renewed interest. Did he have an encounter with the Ripper? Lost someone maybe? ...it would fit the Connections. Taking a seat with the others, William scans the space looking for anything beyond the norm in this establishment. "So you get a lot of carousing types in here, do you Mr. Hartley?"
In the Carriage:
William stares intently at John, his mind peeling away the layers of age the years pile on one's features. After a moment, a small grin lights up his features. "Third row from the door, fourth seat back. It has been quite a few years since then, hasn't it?"
William settles more comfortable into his seat. "Alas, I have not taught for some time now. Due to some...complications with my health, I retired to my family's home. Being out and about in London is something of a recent endeavour. Whether it could be said to have improved matters is open to interpretation, I suppose." William is silent for a moment before musing aloud. "Connections. Curious. At the heart, the spoke, Scarlet. All but one brought into the fold now." *** William accepts John's offer of a bed--the rooms he took on the other side of the city are a sad prospect at this hour. As the dawn light breaks through his deep sleep, William panics at finding himself in a strange room, but quickly regains a sense of time and place. The bizarre and terrifying events of the night before play out once more in his mind's eye. It is not the evil William sought when he set out for Londontown, but it certainly is an incident he cannot leave alone. Slipping from beneath the covers, William sets out two items on the floor beneath the window: His cane and the bulky package he carried the night before. He slides the long blade from his cane and watches the light bounce of it around the room. Unfastening the paper on the package he reveals an old metal shield embossed with a coat of arms, his family's sigil. Sitting silently, he seems to fall into a daze as he peers at the two objects only shaken from his reverie by a knock on his door signalling breakfast. William sheathes his sword and rewraps the shield in its paper to disguise the odd form. At the table, William samples some of everything. The food is as good as if not better than Kennedy's meals. Kennedy. "John, in the late hour last night, I fear I was a complete fool. I need to send a message to the flat I am renting. My butler Kennedy would have been waiting for me. He's a dear friend--we've known each other since we were pups--and has served faithfully through my...convalescence. Do you know of a trustworthy runner boy I could employ before we depart this afternoon?"[b] [b]"And speaking of, has sleep offered you any more thoughts on the matter of Mr. Wainwright?"
Before William departs with the others he steals a moment with Scarlet. "Miss Grey, though I doubt anything would occur this night within a house of so many, I wish to add some level of...protection to your residence. With your leave, of course.
Sorry for my lack of posting the last few days. We've had a hectic time. Wednesday my sister-in-law tested positive. She had seen the entire extended family on the 4th, so 24 people have been juggling unexpected quarantine. The kids have been...well...."lovely little dearies". I wish there was a better way to express sarcasm in text form. Anyway, will try to post more often, but may be a bit sporadic.
Wainwright's sudden collapse does not surprise William. Of course the man was in no condition to be up and about. But that mention of eyes...it is chilling to say the least.
Happy Independence/Colonial Treason Day!
What is happening? Such strange occurrences. A man with his eyes torn out. Miraculous healing. This recovery and return to coherence even after the doctor's medicines. And now a room of...what, cultists? Villains in the dark, I expected, but this is something beyond. More to himself than addressing Mr. Wainwright or the others, William muses aloud. "But if this happened indoors, how did he come to the bridge? We came from all directions so any carriage would have passed us on our way to aid him. How did he make it there without being noticed?"
Nonplussed at Peter's revelation William joins John at the drinks cart. When Mr. Wainwright appears in the doorway, William's tumbler clatters to the ground as he fumbles to get a hand on his cane. "Good God, man; how are you standing?" A familiar dread settles into his stomach, fear of what lurks in the night.
William waits grimly through Lady Grey's proposition thinking over what avenues would be readily available to them. As she closes he holds up a hand as though he were one of his old students patiently trying to get the teacher's attention. He shakes himself from this thought as he points out the real tragedy of Scarlet's idea. "Unfortunately, we have seen how that plays out. Despite all the notoriety and appeals, Jack has never been caught. The Yard is simply not prepared to handle men like him."
Searching through Mr. Wainwright's effects with Lucia, William nods and turns to the gathered. "Might I suggest we withdraw to give the doctor room to work? Perhaps away from this tragedy we can see our way forward, whether separate or together. Is there a removed place we might speak, Lady Grey?" As he moves to leave the sitting area, William pauses beside Jakob. "I believe you asked me a question that I was rude enough to ignore. My apologies. In short, I am not one accustomed to travel, friend. Four walls are far safer in my view than an open sky." He motions back toward Wainwright's bloody visage. "This is what you risk when you open your front door."
Apparently missed the question from Jakob earlier. I'll try to work in an answer in my next post. Rushing of to my RL game so it may be tomorrow by the time I can post.
After the initial welcome to the residence, William melts into the shadows. He feels so out of place; of course, anywhere there were people he felt out of place. Careful not to touch any of the Grey family possessions on display, he stands against the wall examining this group brought together by a singular tragedy. Many seemed to know each other, the young elite of London often had tendrils connecting them everywhere. But then there was...Peter? His cousin just happened to work in this very house. What were the chances? It seemed that he and the cockney fellow were the only ones left out on the fringe. Perhaps it was simply coincidence, perhaps not. While the women cleaned the unconscious man's face, William stepped forward and began gently checking the man's clothes and pockets. "We may be able to figure out what happened to this poor wretch if we know more about him. Maybe we can find an address or a daily schedule if he is a banker or the like."
:) I know it was prompted by wife, but it was pretty great when my 3yr old woke me up this morning with, "Good morning, daddy! Happy Father's Day! Can we go to church?"
I am lurking every day, just trying to figure out if William has anything to contribute to the situation. I actually had him purposefully not become a doctor like his father; I am now quite annoyed I did that.
The manor reminds William of his own residence and he hesitates at the entry. How many horrors, great and small, lie in wait for him there? As many as his own home holds, or new and more terrifying events from another "respectable" family? No matter, in the end he resolves to see the injured man to safety and see to the reason for his grievous injuries. "Quite an estate, milady; I fear this pageantry means I should recognize your name, but alas I have been absent from the city these past few years. Whereabouts would you like us to deposit this fellow for treatment?"
I should hopefully be catching up tomorrow night . Currently recovering from a massive allergic reaction that left me looking like Will Smith in Hitch, but at least now I know what happens if I stay outside for more than 30 min.
Hey folks, just want to say I'm still here. Thought I posted yesterday, but apparently that was a fever dream or something. I've been traveling and my allergies are trying to murder me. If you can bot William for a day or two I will hopefully be back to normal.
The thick fog comforts William. He strolls the city streets, refamiliarizing himself with the flow of London town. This place has seen so much death and pain, it is a wonder I am not assaulted by the dark merely by touching the streets. Westminster Bridge is strangely quiet aside from the clack of William's cane on the cobbles, but the oddity does not register until it is broken by a man's screams. William dashes forward on instinct, pulling the blade halfway out of his cane before noticing the scene is not one of immediate danger. He takes in the others around the bleeding fellow and quickly slides his blade back home in its disguised sheath and approaches slowly. He dealt with enough of his student's scrapes, bruises, and broken bones to know the basics of seeing to a wound, but there seems too much blood for him to be a great help. Nonetheless, he offers his help. "Woah, there. Let us see to that wound before you hurt yourself further."
Caught up. Shoo, sorry for the craziness near you, OS. I live in a small rural town and barely knew about what was going on around the country until today. Equipment
Hey folks, sorry I will try to catch up on the new info tonight. I got hit by a wicked sinus infection and have basically been sleeping most of the last few days.
Mechanics Question: I just realised a strange interaction with implements that I need a ruling on.
"The occultist needs only one such item to cast spells of the corresponding school, unless he selected that implement school multiple times, in which case he needs one item for each set of spells gained from that school." There is nothing in the panoply section exempting it from this, so the question is, does William need additional implements to cast the panoply granted spells? I have not returned any results through Google Fu. This dilutes the mental focus pool a bit (as it adds 1/possibly 2 implements needed), but also affects the resonant powers. If he has a second transmutation implement, then he would gain the ability to have a second +2 bonus to a physical ability score.
I don't think I weighed in on the wealth question. With APB, the only reason to really deal with wealth is really if nonnumerical magic items are in play to purchase (i.e. items like Druid's Vestments, Ring of Revelation, Swordmaster's Flair, Shifting Jerkin, Refocusing Rod). If they are only available via loot or crafting then wealth really can be a nebulous element of gameplay.
Raven: From a mechanics perspective, William should always have full BAB, but since it is possible for him to lose that by spending all his focus, should I keep his stats based on the regular Occultist BAB?
@Raven Will update my skills onto the sheet tomorrow. It's 1:45am for me (GMT-4), and I am exhausted. @All This is already shaping up to be one of the best groups I've been a part of. Really looking forward to this game!
Ha, this is one of those times where PF knowledge is blinding. I saw Harrow and connected it mentally with Harrow decks from Golarion rather than the location/school . I thought your references before were to a fortune teller. Depending on how accurately we want to portray England and actual people up to this point, I'm fine placing Harrow as William's former employer and either changing the headmaster he served under or changing Harrow's actual former headmaster at that time.
You are correct, I was just using Upper School to designate age in this case. The location of the school wasn't actually set in my background, but I envisioned it at least within a day's journey of London if not in the city itself.
Not sure of the ages of John/Peter/Javell, but William is in his mid to late 30s. If any of the three are in their 20s and want to connect backstories, William could have been their Upper School instructor.
An echoing "Huzzah!" from me. Finger crossing apparently works. I'll do the same as JBB. William is a former teacher from a once prominent family. He has only recently reentered society after a prolonged seclusion in his family's home and is not quite comfortable being near people . William does not necessarily brood, but he is haunted by the things in the dark and does not see much good in the world. He often refuses to accept even so much as a cup of tea from those who he considers close friends, preferring to bring his own utensils and dishes. Mechanically, William faces enemies head on with a blade and a shield with his family's ancestral crest rubbed mostly away. He knows a lot about...a lot, but his magical capabilities are fairly self buffing. Jagael is a mid thirties stay-at-home dad who uses tabletop to stay sane. I joined a group of old college friends for a weekly 3.5/PF game after my oldest was born 4 years ago so I could still converse with adults. I fell in love with this hobby and sought out pbp to sate my need for more stories. I do most of my gaming over on MW, mainly due to GM ghosting on my first three Paizo forum games, but I came back on a whim and have had a good experience this time. I think I mentioned this in the recruitment thread, but I'm also a bit of an Anglophile. I was born in a town outside London, but have been stateside most of my life. I've tried to keep up-to-date on current events and entertainment as well as reading about British history.
It's a bit more of a feat investment, but you can TWF with sword and shield fairly effectively.
Frontline Occultist utilizing Abjuration, Transmutation, and Trappings of the Warrior
10 Min Background:
1. Eldest son of a prominent physician, William disgraced his father by becoming a school teacher. 2. Though described as rugged, William would much rather be sitting by the fire with a book than traipsing through the countryside on a fox hunt. 3. While working at Martin's Preperatory School, William picked up a letter opener belonging to a former headmaster and had a vision of the man killing a student. 4. Other items at the school began to have similar effects on William, seeing the terrible history of the school one item at a time. 5. William was terrified after his abilities appeared and hid himself away from the rest of society at his family's ancestral mansion after his parent's deaths. 6. A gregarious man by nature, William's time in seclusion has left him unsure in social situations. 7. William was not safe in his own home. After seeing many horrible deeds from his extended family, he came across his father's old medical bag. The horrifying visions that followed have led him to believe his father was Jack the Ripper and his own supernatural connections.
About Jagael: I'm a bit of an anglophile so this campaign makes me very happy. I was born 30mi outside of London in Thatcher's England, but moved to the states as a baby. I've been reading quite a bit about the late 1800s, both speculation on Jack and Scotland Yard in the decades after the Ripper.
I've only been involved in tabletop (PF, 3.5, and now Shadowrun 5e) for the last 5 or so years, but 3+ of that has incorporated PbP (mostly on Myth Weavers).
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