*Hugh Roger's calls Kenny sometime later. While he is extremely interested in the sinking of the ship and the fact he had two eyewitnesses there, he is actually calling to tell them about Harvey.
"That Harvey guy I sent down with you sent me up a story. Decent. Not great. I got the feeling he didn't have the stomach for continued crime reporting, which is fine. Anyway, I can't wait to see what you write up."
Article: Does Fisherman’s Ghost Haunt Historical Hotel?
When one walks into almost any room in the Historical Hotel Renard in Cape Truman Virginia, they will almost immediately be struck by the smell of fish. The odor permeates every floor. What is the reason for this peculiarity? Some experts believe it to be the only one of the physical manifestations of the ghost of Captain Jeremiah Troutsnape, a seaman who died in 1965 in room 33.
“It is quite possible for a spirit to manifest itself through odors,” comments Dr. Hi-lo Lee, chinese parapsycholigist and an expert on ghosts, “There have been many documented cases of it all over the world. I once personally encountered a ghost in Hamburgst, Germany who whilst never seen with the eye smelled strongly of Saurkraut and sausages.”
There are other signs of an otherworldly entity in the Hotel Renard. It is a well known fact that the walls in room 33 continually exhibit a slimy, oily substance on their surfaces and then there is the handprint. A black handprint that some think might be of blood has been on the ceiling of room 29 for years.
One resident of the hotel complained of the noises that awoke him each night.
“It’s horrible,” said the hotel guest, who wished to remain unnamed, “I can’t hardly sleep. This voice starts singing a horrible off-key song about fish every night and it echoes through the whole room.”
Another guest speculates that perhaps it is the ghost that is responsible for the hot water shortage experienced each morning at the hotel.
Dr. Lee agrees, “The drop in ambient temperature around a spiritual manifestation is a well known phenomena. If this ghost takes to dwelling in the water pipes out of a life-association with the water, then it is entirely likely that the water would be cooled by the presence of the spirit.”
While Rachel Wilkenson, the young lady who works the front desk at night refused to comment on the ghost of Jeremiah Troutsnape, her employer Douglas Johnson, a native of Cape Truman, was very vocal in his denial of the ghost’s existence. He refused to comment or speculate on the reasons for the handprint, the odors or the hot-water problem but he did acknowledge that there was often singing to be heard in the hotel at night.
“But I don’t believe it is a ghost,” he was quick to clarify, “Probably just one of the other residents who had too much too drink.”
Though Mr. Johnson was understandably quick to argue that there was no ghost in his beloved hotel, others are not so sure.
“Captain Troutsnape was an ornery old fisherman,” said one long-time resident of the small Virginian port, “It would be just like him to stink up a hotel out of sheer meanness after he was dead. We was all surprised when he died so sudden like when he did. We thought he was so mean he would be sure to outlast the rest of us. He always thought he would too”
The Hotel Renard, from the outside, looks as peaceful as the rest of Cape Truman. But inside its walls, there is the possibility that the restless spirit of an angry fisherman walks the halls in a ghostly and ghastly effort to outlast the rest of the small sea-side community.
Overall, events went as they should have. The job of the PCs now is to write something about what they have seen or experienced, though not necessarily about the truth. If its any consolation, the next scenario will allow a slightly more proactive approach if certain intrepid reporters desire to stop some umpleasantness. :)
As for the article *bows to Kenny* that is for the writer to handle ;D
We'll be starting in New York for a breifing. Does Kenny have a Title for his article(s)?
Each PC recieves 600 experience points.
We'll be starting in New York for a breifing. Does Kenny have a Title for his article(s)?
Each PC recieves 600 experience points.
If Kenny loses his cookies in the back of the plane she is flying Carlotta is gonna be ticked......
;)
The plane ride the next day, back to New York, is uneventful and by the afternoon, both Kenny and Carlotta are exiting a cab in front of the building which houses the offices of the Sunlight Scoop.
There is no SRD for Cthulhu but the d20 modern SRD is close enough for most of it. 2nd level is at 1000 experience.
Carlotta climbs out of the cab and stretches. "Shall we go see our boss now?" she asks Kenny.
Carlotta climbs out of the cab and stretches. "Shall we go see our boss now?" she asks Kenny.
"Yeah. Rogers is one of the few people will probably believe us when we tell him what we saw."
"I wrote up something on this. When I read what I wrote I could not believe it was there on the paper."
"Rogers will probably see all of the crazy stuff in your article and tell you to make something up so that it will be just that much crazier." Carlotta then looks around the street "I'm hungry know any good quick places for lunch?"
The building looks just the same as it did three days earlier, except for the man in the purple trenchcoat leaning against the elevator doors. A very small bulldog lays besides him. Contrary to expectation the man does not appear to be drunk or have any brown bagged bottles on his person. There is a slightly dazed expression on his face and he is muttering something to himself as he stares at the stairwell.
Carlotta mutters quietly so that only Kenny can hear "Nice coat, do you suppose he works for Rogers? Or I can't really see his face d'you spose he is Rogers?" Hoping not to draw attention from him Carlotta pulls her hat out of her pack and covers her green hair with it.
As Carlotta covers her hair, the man looks up.
"Rogers! I ain't Roger's. They're not my secrets! I wasn't up there on that floor!"
He titters and runs a hand through his short cropped gray hair. Despite the gray hair, he doesn't look all that old. Carlotta sees a notepad and pen sticking out of one of the pockets of his coat and correctly pegs the man as some sort of reporter.
The door to the street opens and another man enters...
Carlotta lowers her voice even more to make certain that the man won't hear her. "He looks like a reporter of some sort, I hope he isn't going to join us in Arizona, he looks like a total nutjob."
You see a slender man come through the door, he wears a long black trench coat and his longish, pre-maturely graying, hair is pulled back into a tight pony tail. He doesn't notice the people in the corridor at first, but is preoccupied with a note in his hand. You hear him mutter to himself in a thick british accent, "bloody 'ell, they could have written this address a smidgen more clearly. I 'ope I'm not late. And 'ow the hell is there a 14th floor when the building is only 3 stories tall?
He looks up from the note and gives a small start upon seeing the inhabitants of the corridor. He gives the strange man a very hard look, then mutters " 'ell, if they expect me to dress like that, I'll gone"
But, seeing the more modestly dressed people he approaches with a small grin and askes " Do you mates know how I'm to get to the bloody 14th floor?" while gesturing to the roped-off stairs.
Carlotta spends a moment looking Avery up and down before she replies.
"The 14th floor? Oh well as I remember it is just the top floor... they just call it the 14th for some stupid reason or other. Feng Shui or something like that..." She trails off into silence for a moment before sticking out her hand. "Carlotta Shelle, by the way, who are you? Do you work for Rogers?"
"I'm Kenny, this is Carlotta. I guess you are the new guy. As far as the 14th floor goes, I have no idea."
"Where did you work before this?"
"I'm Kenny, this is Carlotta. I guess you are the new guy. As far as the 14th floor goes, I have no idea."
"Where did you work before this?"
He warmly shakes both Kenny and Carlotta's hands. He turns to Kenny, " My most recent occupation was a rather menial computer tech job, truly buggerific that job was. But not to long ago, I was the chief mechanic for the McLaren Formula 1 racing team. God, I miss that job."
"so," he says, " am I with you mates, or do I have to talk to the big cheese on the buggered up 14th floor?"
"I'm Kenny, this is Carlotta. I guess you are the new guy. As far as the 14th floor goes, I have no idea."
"Where did you work before this?"
He warmly shakes both Kenny and Carlotta's hands. He turns to Kenny, " My most recent occupation was a rather menial computer tech job, truly buggerific that job was. But not to long ago, I was the chief mechanic for the McLaren Formula 1 racing team. God, I miss that job."
"so," he says, " am I with you mates, or do I have to talk to the big cheese on the buggered up 14th floor?"
"From Fromula One to the Sunlight Scoop is an incredible change in careers. I bet there is quite a story there."
"I guess you are with us now. All we know is that we are headed to Arizona next."
Carlotta listens to him and then "Yeah what makes a mechanic turn into a journalist?" She casts a look at the purple coated man "Lets go up and talk on the way, we don't want to be late for Rogers." She makes a move toward the stairs or elevator.
" 'Ah, well. Lets just say I have a particular affinity for, um, Hacking. The real reason why I'm not a mechanic anymore is because I hacked the mainframe and leaked the newest car design over the internet. Oh I would 'ove gotten away with it, but a close mate of mine ratted me out."
Carlotta looks slightly surprised and then asks bluntly "Are you wanted by the law then? And that still dosen't explain why you chose to become a journalist."
He chuckles again, "Naw, i'm not wanted by any big brovwer. the chuffin' racin' industry is so 'ush-hush that nah wahn knows abaht it. and abaht bein' a journalist, I also majored in english along wif mechanics."
Carlotta listens to him and then "Yeah what makes a mechanic turn into a journalist?" She casts a look at the purple coated man "Lets go up and talk on the way, we don't want to be late for Rogers." She makes a move toward the stairs or elevator.
The stairs going up are blocked with police tape. Rumor has it that Hugh Rogers puts up the tape himself. The elevator button is within reach but the man in the strange coat is on the floor leaning against the door. Entering the elevator might well require going over him.
Carlotta listens to him and then "Yeah what makes a mechanic turn into a journalist?" She casts a look at the purple coated man "Lets go up and talk on the way, we don't want to be late for Rogers." She makes a move toward the stairs or elevator.The stairs going up are blocked with police tape. Rumor has it that Hugh Rogers puts up the tape himself. The elevator button is within reach but the man in the strange coat is on the floor leaning against the door. Entering the elevator might well require going over him.
"Excuse me, we need to use the elevator."
Seeing that Kenny is going to first and talking to the man, Carlotta is perfectly content to hang back and let Kenny talk deal with it.
Seeing that Kenny is going to first and talking to the man, Carlotta is perfectly content to hang back and let Kenny talk deal with it.
"Of course you do," says the man, "You don't want to be using the stairs." He stands up and shuffles past the other three people in the room and heads out towards the street, mumbling softly to himself the whole while. The dog follows happily after him, its tail wagging.
"I hope that was not a former employee. He did mention Rogers."
Carlotta watches the man go and then steps into the elevator "I just hope he isn't a current employee.
The elevator seems in fine form as it lurches up to the top floor of the building, screeching and croaking the whole way.
The ride finally ends and the three travelers find themselves at the top of the stairwell. The door into the offices still says push and the stairs going down are still taped off. Aside from yourselves, there are no strange people in the stairwell.
Carlotta steps out of the elevator and as instructed, pushes on the door.
The door Carlotta discovers, despite the instructions of the sign, has to be pulled to be opened.
Mary, Roger's secretary is sitting inside the office, typing at her computer. Her hair, Kenny notes, is no longer purple, being instead light shade of green today.
The sound of Mariachi music drifts loudly from the hallway off of the front office. It sounds like there is a regular party going on down there.
Mary looks up, recognizing Kenny and Carlotta, whom she has met a time or two, "He'll be with you two in a moment."
She looks at Avery and asks, "And you are?"
I'm 'ere ter talk wif mister rogers, 'e offered me a job and i'm 'ere ter accept it. by the way, dove the Barnet 'air
Carlotta smiles at Mary and says "Okay thanks. By the way I like the new shade, I was thinking of changing mine too. I'm a little tired of the green.
When Avery speaks she frowns at him "You dove the what?"
'e dove the Barnet 'air, I loike the bloomin' green Barnet 'air .
Alwigh'!
Mary says, "Thanks. You must be Avery." She glances at a index card on her table. "You're supposed to go on in with these two. He's on the phone. As soon as he's off I'll let him know you're here."
From down the hall the music gets just a little louder and someone shouts, "hO-lay!"
Mary gives a look at the hallway, sighs wistfully and then returns to her typing.
"What is the celebration about? Is is Cinco de Mayo?"
"Its just the editors and layout men having some fun," says Mary smiling, "Mr Rogers allows them a lot of leeway with behavior so long as the job gets done. I think Chester just made a big sale with ad space. That tends to get things pretty jovial. Not that it takes much. Most of the time its a pretty fun place to work."
For some reason, Mary, at this point, stops smiling. Kenny gets the feeling that it was the sight of himself, Carlotta and Avery that ruined her mood. She grimaces, shakes her head and returns to her typing.
Jeez, it sounds loike there is quite a Moriarty garn on.
what's the bloody matter? in'cha invited ter those parties?
"Most of the time its a pretty fun place to work. Except when the reporters stop by," says Mary crossly.
Then she looks like she immediatelly regrets her words because she adds, "But don't sweat it. I'm just a little upset. Marvin was in just before you and... well... You look like a nice bunch and all. But even the nicest end up going strange..." she leans forward and whispers, "you should really get a different beat before this job gets to you too."