THE NEW VANGUARD! HAUNT Issue #10 With special guest star STEEPLEJACK!

HAUNT HP 17

STEEPLEJACK HP 42

Professor Thoth frowned. "I have no idea where the ADVENT villains planned to go next. Probably some place I never existed so you will have to find another magic user to power the gate that ADVENT use to traverse to the next time. Remember! Strip the TIME STONES from the villains, SAVE whoever they target or PREVENT whatever it is they want to do which will change the history in YOUR time and allow Advent to get closer to their goal of DOMINATION OF THE EARTH!"

Haunt and Steeplejack raised eyebrows at Thoth's dramatic emphasis every now and again.

Looking out of the cave they saw dust clouds from the Indian Braves, the Cowboys of Billy the Kid and Doc Scurlock and the Indian Bounty Hunter Scalphunter had been affected by Thoth's spell that removed their memories and prevented time from being polluted.

Thoth petted his Mule, CODSWALLOP who in another time was a Asian Female and who knew what else, Thoth turned to the heroes. "You need attire suitable to the era, but the magic will sort that out Gentlemen. One other thing. I'm getting strange 'readings' on these runes and I feel there were TWO targets for Advent in the next realm so the magic will most likely separate you. Obviously you are stronger together and I have used what magic I can to power both the gate and the Time Stones you carry so you can keep your abilities for longer before Time rebels and starts to deprive you as it did in this era."

"Good luck Gentlemen! If you can somehow find me I will do all I can to help you, but I have no idea when or where the gate will transport you to!"

With that he cast a spell in a long forgotten language with a hand thrust out and the other resting gently on the back of his mule which suddenly glowed like a beacon! The Gate lit up too and the heroes looked at each other. "Go... NOW!" shouted Thoth!

OOC The recap/highlighted stuff, CAPS should help to remind what went before all being well. These things can get mighty confusing sometimes! Oh and by the way, don't take too much notice of anything you might remember from a certain Golden Heroes adventure... Here we go...

Haunt stepped through the gate... It was foggy but not from him, unusually!

He wore... what? This looked like period costume, Victoria Era if he didn't know better! He had acted in several plays as Rush King, actor that reminded him of the era.

He was stood in an alleyway and could hear whistling. Also shouting, running and barking of dogs...

He looked about. There was a door a few feet away into a building or the alleyway went north/south...

And there was a body at his feet - a young woman from the looks... and blood, pooling about it!

Steeplejack stepped through the archway...

Into darkness and ... death!

He was drowning!

Thrashing about with no idea what was up or down, the cold and pressure indicated he was DEEP and had already gulped a mouthful of sea...

A hand grasped his ankle and Steeplejack was dragged, hard and fast, in a direction he hoped was up!

A moment later he broke the surface, coughing and spluttering and struggling to stay afloat in a wild, tempestuous sea! Even as he coughed and wondered what had happened he saw a remarkable sight.



A mermaid!

She smiled, a dazzling sight in the pitch darkness and a reminder that he was alive! Alive and in the middle of nowhere! All about he saw huge waves and the rain pounded down. It was night time and he was in the middle of the sea!

Just then he heard something, a bell tolling... in the distance he saw a light being tossed about in the darkness ... it was a long way off, but it looked like... a ship! An OLD ship, with several masts and not at all one he would recognise from his era! It was distant, a mile away and he didn't know if it... or he... would survive getting to it!

Admin wrote:A mermaid!

Just then he heard something, a bell tolling... in the distance he saw a light being tossed about in the darkness ... it was a long way off, but it looked like... a ship! An OLD ship, with several masts and not at all one he would recognise from his era! It was distant, a mile away and he didn't know if it... or he... would survive getting to it!

Treading water, as best as he could. Steeplejack did his best to smile, between spitting out what seemed endless amounts of saltwater before another wave threatened to fill his mouth as soon as he spat out some. "Thank you, I'm St...Joe. Since I have no idea where I am I think that might be my boat. Any chance you can help me get to it?"

Joe could swim, but in these waves, he had to wonder if even he could get through this storm to the ship before it left him in the lurch. But then his other question was, what on earth was a Mermaid doing rescuing him. Heck, what was a Mermaid doing? Weren't these creatures of myth and over-imaginative drunk or bored seamen? Although that last thought was moot since there was one before him, who'd just saved his life, thank you very much. What other surprises did this time hold?

OOC: Hoping that speaking in tongues, fish or otherwise isn't required to make myself understood here. And then the second question is do I go with the pretty Mermaid or the ship, one assumes the ship...but therein is the mistake - never assume, right? BTW nice opening graphic.

Sj

Haunt stepped through the gate... It was foggy but not from him, unusually!

He wore... what? This looked like period costume, Victoria Era if he didn't know better! He had acted in several plays as Rush King, actor that reminded him of the era.

He was stood in an alleyway and could hear whistling. Also shouting, running and barking of dogs...

He looked about. There was a door a few feet away into a building or the alleyway went north/south...

And there was a body at his feet - a young woman from the looks... and blood, pooling about it!



He quickly checked to see if there was any blood on his hands or outfit. Looked to see if there was a murder weapon lying nearby and did not plan on touching it if there was. Did a quick Detective skill to determine what clues he could find out. He also used his Self Manipulation to focus his eyes better to see if he could spot the tiniest clues - Microscopic Vision. All would determine what he would do next, stay and wait for the police, head for the roof and observe or run away. Or perhaps, trying to track down the killer.

Admin wrote:Hope that makes sense!

EDIT: One more thing. If you have any preference for Victorian Era characters to appear please post a list or a note in the chat about the game OOC post. I have been making a list all afternoon and chances are the character you suggest is on it biut if not I will try to squeeze in an appearance somehwre.[/i][/color]

OOC: Steeplejack will go for 3 thanks.

As to characters, hmm, Moriarty? Some of the oriental bad guys should really show up as well, otherwise, I am not so familiar with this time or characters of this period other than Holmes.

Sj

STEEPLEJACK DIFFICULTY 3 HP 42

Shivering and somewhat out of his depth (!) with no earth nearby to control or buildings to swing off Steeplejack pretty much had to ask for the mysterious woman/fish/mermaid's help!

She smiled though didn't answer. Instead she took Steeplejacks hand, draped her other arm over his shoulder and kissed him!

Something happened... and suddenly Steeplejack was pulled through the water finding himself able to breathe underwater! He couldn't see much but they were blasting at high speed - certainly faster than a speedboat - thanks to the Mermaids' powerful tail! She surfaced near the boat but then her grin faded...

She looked at the ship bucking up and down and Steeplejack treaded water trying to figure out what was...

Then she glanced at Steeplejack, terror in her eyes... and dived between the waves, kicking away and disappearing into the depths!

Thankfully Steeplejack was within swimming distance and knew that his superhuman strength would mean he could get to it. Getting on board was trickier with the waves and the rising and falling of the ship...



He went for a spare rope, trailing from the deck in the water...

OOC Dex 13 + Roll(2d12)+0: 2,3,+0 Total:5 (18) vs
OV5 + 3 (Difficulty, which I won't say every time I'll just add +3Diff)+Roll(2d12)+0: 6,2,+0 Total:8 (16)

+2 EV (to 15) vs OV5+3Diff (8)=7 RAPs. Easy!

Steeplejack scoops up the rope first time and uses the momentum of the ship to swing up and somersault to land in a crouch on the slippery rain drenched deck! The ship was made of wood so he gripped instinctively and could move like his feet were glued to the deck. He could see at the far end of the ship a human figure at the wheel...

The bell that rung occasionally was because of the ships motion. It was inscribed "DEMETER"...

You (as players) can choose a number between 0 (at full power, not affected at all) up to 6 (really struggling!). This will apply as a modifier to EVERYTHING your character does and is added to the Opposing/Resistance checks of every single task from combat to picking a lock. It doesn't make the bad guys more powerful but it does make your characters job harder.


Just to be clear, are you saying if we go for a 1, we get a minus 1 on all skill and attack rolls or all our skills and powers go down by one?  So my, for example, Detective of 7 goes down to Detective of 6?  And if we go for six, it is down by 6?


I was thinking of asking about Dr. Fu Manchu, though he first appeared in 1913, when Sherlock Holmes was older. Sherlock's adventures were published from 1887 to 1927, so maybe ole Fu could work. Heck Well's War of the Worlds was printed in 1897. H.G. Wells' other novel prior to WW1:

Novels
Wells's works were reprinted in American science fiction magazines as late as the 1950s
The Time Machine (1895). Fragments from the serial form in The New Review which were generally excluded in the book version can be found in the anthology edited by Philmus, 1975, as can the untitled version published in seven instalments in the National Observer 17 March – 23 June 1984.[2]
The Wonderful Visit (1895)
The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896)
The Wheels of Chance (1896)
The Invisible Man (1897)
The War of the Worlds (1898)
When the Sleeper Wakes (1899)
Love and Mr Lewisham (1900)
The First Men in the Moon (1901)
The Sea Lady (1902)
The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth (1904)
Kipps (1905)
A Modern Utopia (1905)
In the Days of the Comet (1906)
The War in the Air (1908)
Tono-Bungay (1909)
Ann Veronica (1909)
The History of Mr Polly (1910)
The Sleeper Awakes (1910) – revised edition of When the Sleeper Wakes (1899)
The New Machiavelli (1911)
Marriage (1912)
The Passionate Friends (1913)

Jules Verne was a bit earlier

1. Five Weeks in a Balloon (1863)
aka Journeys and Discoveries in Africa by Three Englishmen
2. Voyages and Adventures of Captain Hatteras (1863)
3. A Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1864)
aka A Journey To The Interior Of The Earth
4. From the Earth to the Moon (1865)
5. In Search of the Castaways (1867)
aka The Children Of Captain Grant
6. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1869)
7. Round the Moon (1869)
8. A Floating City (1871)
9. Adventures of Three Englishmen and Three Russians (1872)
aka Measuring a Meridian
10. The Fur Country (1872)
11. Around the World in Eighty Days (1872)
12. The Mysterious Island (1875)
13. The Survivors Of The Chancellor (1875)
aka The Chancellor
14. Michel Strogoff (1876)
15. Hector Servadac (1876)
aka Off On A Comet
16. The Underground City (1877)
aka Black Indies
17. A Captain at Fifteen (1878)
aka Dick Sand
18. The Begum's Fortune (1879)
19. Tribulations Of A Chinaman (1879)
20. The Steam House (1880)
21. Eight Hundred Leagues On The Amazon (1881)
aka The Cryptogram
22. The Robinson Crusoe School (1883)
23. The Green Ray (1882)
24. Keraban the Inflexible (1883)
25. The Southern Star (1884)
aka The Vanished Diamond
26. The Archipelago on Fire (1884)
27. Mathias Sandorf (1885)
28. The Lottery Ticket (1886)
29. Robur The Conqueror (1886)
aka Clipper Of The Clouds
30. North Against South (1887)
aka Texar's Revenge
31. The Flight to France (1887)
32. Two Years Holiday (1888)
33. Family Without a Name (1889)
34. Topsy Turvy (1889)
35. Caesar Cascabel (1890)
36. Mistress Branican (1891)
37. The Castle of the Carpathians (1892)
38. Claudius Bombarnac (1892)
aka Adventures of a Special Correspondent
39. Little Fellow (1893)
40. Captain Antifer (1894)
41. Propeller Island (1895)
aka Floating Island
42. Facing the Flag (1896)
aka For the Flag
43. Clovis Dardentor (1896)
44. The Sphinx of the Ice (1897)
aka An Antarctic Mystery
45. The Superb Orinoco (1898)
46. The Will of an Eccentric (1899)
47. Second Fatherland (1900)
48. The Aerial Village (1901)
aka Village in the Treetops
49. The Sea Serpent (1901)
50. The Kip Brothers (1902)
51. Scholarships for Travel (1903)
52. A Drama in Livonia (1904)
53. Master of the World (1904)
54. The Invasion of the Sea (1905)

Admin wrote:The bell that rung occasionally was because of the ships motion. It was inscribed "DEMETER"...

Rather saddened by the strange departure of the Mermaid, and unsure what that all meant, Steeplejack filed it away to think about later. As he looked about the ship for some clues as to where he was, and at this point whose this was. He moved steadily unaffected by the swaying ship, and already so wet as to be unbothered by the crashing waves, toward the lone figure at the wheel.

OOC: Ok taking the usual precautions, and moving to see what is going on here. Where are the crew, where are we heading and where or how far is landfall?

Sj

STEEPLEJACK DIFFICULTY 3 HP 42

With his danger sense not warning of impending doom (OOC Now with Added 3 Difficulty!) Steeplejack moved along the ship. His superb sense of balance, thankfully restored, allowed him to move with the motion of the ship though he had no doubts that 'Time' itself would throw up as many obstacles as possible to his being here. Wherever here was.

He moved closer to the man at the helm of the ship. He seems to be slumped at the wheel of the sail ship - which immediately suggested 19th Century to Steeplejacks keen intellect - and on closer inspection...

Not slumped.

Tied.

The man was tied to the wheel and at some point had perished. There were no other crew in sight.

What was...?

OOC Danger Sense 10 (!new and improved!) + Roll(2d12)+0: 4,7,+0 Total:11 (21) vs
OV8 + 3Diff + Roll(2d12)+0:4,6,+0 Total:10 (21)

10EV vs 11RV=No sense of danger...

CRASHHHH!!!!

The ship struck something - hard - and Steeplejack grasped for a rail but the slippery wet surface ...

OOC Cling 3 + Roll(2d12)+0: 2,5,+0 Total:7 (10) vs
OV4 + 3Diff + Roll(2d12)+0: 10,8,+0 Total:18 (25) Cling FAILED

...proved too hard to grab hold of!

The ship foundered on rocks so hard the nose was driven down and Steeplejack himself hurled through the air like so much flotsam!

Thinking it better to land on his feet in the water rather than jagged rocks he twisted in mid air in the driving rain and darkness and ...

OOC Dex 13 + 4D Acro + Roll(6d12)+0: 12,7,8,4,8,2,+0 Total:16 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 5,1,+0 Total:22 (35) vs
OV6 + 3Diff + Roll(2d12)+0: 2,5,+0 Total:7 (13)

+7 EV (to 20) vs RV9=11 RAPs. Massive success...

... dived into the water spearing neatly between rocks and surfacing a short distance away. Breaking the surface on the violent waves he looked about and saw the 'Demeter' foundered on rocks, shipping water and splaying badly to the side with each passing moment. He'd seen no sign of life on deck. Might there be someone belowdecks?

A glance around and spraying out a mouthful of seawater whilst he treaded, Steeplejack saw a distant light shining on and off. A lighthouse, warning of the rocks but ignored, of course, by the dead man at the wheel. What mystery was this, and what did ADVENT seek to gain in this time, whenever - and wherever - he was?

One thing was for sure - he wasn't immune to cold or drowning so he had to make a decision. Swim through violent seas to the Demeter which was vanishing below the waves, or make for the lighthouse and presumably the shore which was some several hundred yards or more away in the dark, rain and foulness of the storm....

So, Steeplejack Difficulty is 3... Haunts is...?

(then I can update his post with a reply at the crime scene... the difficulty will make a lot of difference! you are right about the Detectives too. I'm not sure what Holmes' stats are - I'll see if there's a write up but I suspect he's poor physically, a giant mentally and pretty good spiritually. We'll see.)



Guess I will go with 3 Difficulty too.

HAUNT DIFFICULTY 3 HP 17


He quickly checked to see if there was any blood on his hands or outfit.  

Haunt was dressed in 'period attire' which looked to be a suit of some kind made of tweed. There was no blood on his hands or outfit, thankfully, but standing over a dead body would lead any policeman to a conclusion whether logical or otherwise!

Looked to see if there was a murder weapon lying nearby and did not plan on touching it if there was.  

OOC Perception check AV8 + Roll(2d12)+0: 9,3,+0 Total:12 (20) vs
OV4 + 3Diff + Roll(2d12)+0: 8,4,+0 Total:12 (19)

+1EV (to 9) vs RV7=2 RAPs

1) The woman is face down and the wound looks to have been inflicted on her neck. The pool of blood around her that is creeping away suggests if she is not dead, she soon will be.
2-3) A closer glance at the wound reveals less than Haunt might like. The neck wound is slashed, as if from a knife swung several times... no... it's more uniform and slightly serrated.

Having found the clues, Haunt narrows his eyes, chin in hand and kneels to think on what he has seen...

OOC Detective Check AV8 + 4D Detective + Roll(6d12)+0: 1,4,4,10,5,3,+0 Total:8 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0:
2,11,+0 Total:21 (29) vs
OV6 +3Diff + Roll(2d12)+0: 9,10,+0 Total:19 (28)

+1EV (to 9) vs RV9=0 RAPs. Failed

Without more time and a detailed analysis Haunt cannot as yet determine the nature of the attack or details like when it occurred or whom the perpetrator was.

Did a quick Detective skill to determine what clues he could find out.  He also used his Self Manipulation to focus his eyes better to see if he could spot the tiniest clues - Microscopic Vision.  

Changing his face to resemble a microscope fitting to it he adjusted it to take a closer look at the wounds.

Jagged, a single stroke. No, a slash. An animal then. But what kind of animal could strike a grown woman down with a solitary blow? He narrowed his eyes. A blood spatter. A pattern reaching from the body to... he stood, looking about. A motley collection of old crates and rotting garbage lay some twenty feet away in the alleyway. Had something struck from there and the blow hurled the young woman... over here? What kind of animal could do that? A bear? A BIG bear?

He heard whistles and shouts again, much closer this time. English voices.

"Over ere! I 'eards a scream! Get out th' way, Peelers comin through! Make way!"

At the end of the alleyway there soon would be a group of Policemen or 'Peelers' as they were known... That suggested... London? 19th Century?

Another glance about. Aside from the side door to who knew where there was the opposite end of the alleyway or... or up. How many of his powers remained after the time jump, considering what had happened last time?

Any chance of saving her?  If so, he will stay and try to save her.  If not ... he will still stay and continue to investigate and knowing he will have a hard time with the peelers but will stay anyway and hope he can find more clues.

"Over here, officers," he calls out in his American accent as he looks to see if he can save her or not.  "This woman has been attacked!  An animal of some kind is my guess.  It might still be around so be careful!"

ooc:  And since I don't think you would be using an American Detective of that time period in London, the Haunt will become him instead, Nick Carter.

Nick Carter first appeared in the story paper New York Weekly (Vol. 41 No. 46, September 18, 1886) in a 13-week serial, "The Old Detective's Pupil; or, The Mysterious Crime of Madison Square"; the character was conceived by Ormond G. Smith, the son of one of the founders of Street & Smith, and realized by John R. Coryell.[1] The character proved popular enough to headline its own magazine, Nick Carter Weekly. The serialized stories in Nick Carter Weekly were also reprinted as stand-alone titles under the New Magnet Library imprint.[2] By 1915, Nick Carter Weekly had ceased publication and Street & Smith had replaced it with Detective Story Magazine, which focused on a more varied cast of characters. There was a brief attempt at reviving Carter in 1924–27 in Detective Story Magazine, but it was not successful.

In the 1930s, due to the success of The Shadow and Doc Savage, Street & Smith revived Nick Carter in a pulp magazine (called Nick Carter Detective Magazine) that ran from 1933 to 1936. Since the Doc Savage character had basically been given Nick's background, Nick Carter was now recast as more of a hard-boiled detective. Novels featuring Carter continued to appear through the 1950s, by which time there was also a popular radio show, Nick Carter, Master Detective, which aired on the Mutual Broadcasting System network from 1943 to 1955.


Killmaster revival
Main article: Nick Carter-Killmaster

Following the success of the James Bond series in the 1960s, the character was updated for a long-running series of novels featuring the adventures of secret agent Nick Carter, aka the Killmaster. The first book, Run Spy Run, appeared in 1964 and more than 260 Nick Carter-Killmaster adventures were published up until 1990.

(Two additional books have been erroneously listed as Killmaster novels by some sources: Meteor Eject!, a memoir by an RAF pilot named Nick Carter, published in 2000, and a 2005 release entitled Brotherhood, which is actually an autobiography of singer Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys.)

The 100th Killmaster novel -- Nick Carter 100—was accompanied by an essay on the 1890s version, and a short story featuring the character; that marked one of the few times the Killmaster series acknowledged its historical roots.

None of the Nick Carter series of books carried author credits, although it is known that several of the earliest volumes were written by Michael Avallone, and that Valerie Moolman and NYT bestselling author Gayle Lynds wrote others, making this the first series of its kind to be written in significant part by women. Bill Crider is another author identified with Nick Carter.[3]

The Nick Carter name was treated as if it were a pseudonym, and many of the volumes were written in first person.[4]

HAUNT DIFFICULTY 3 HP 17

'Nick Carter', Victorian hard boiled American detective (?) called to the Peelers who rushed en masse to where the well dressed man stood over the body. A pair instantly moved to take his arms and others spread out. A pair stood at the end of the alleyway.

"Right, then, what's all this ere, eh?" said one, a Sergeant.

"Coming through! Make way!"

A sallow, rat-faced, and dark-eyed man was let through by Peelers and accompanied by a woman who screamed and fainted dead away at the sight of the woman on the floor. The man frowned and handed her off to a Peeler who, without any other ideas, started to waft at her face with his notebook.

The man strode up. Suited, in his early fifties most probably (OOC by the time of this adventure) he looked at the woman on the floor and felt about for a pulse. "Still alive, but weak. Get a doctor!" A peeler ran off. The man stood and turned to Haunt. "And you fellow, who might you be? Happening out on a stroll and came across this poor young woman, no doubt?"

"He called us sir." said a Peeler. "Did he now?" said the newcomer, tapping out his pipe with the detrius landing next to the young woman.

Haunt winced. He was no doctor and would fail at saving this woman's life but there seemed little in the way of haste from the Policemen.

"I am Inspector Lestrade, of Scotland Yard." said the man.

A peeler repressed a chuckle at the rhyme.

"Who are you sir? I would also know of your business at this place at this time and of any relationship you have with the victim... ahhh..." he looked about and the Peeler wafting the notebook glanced at it before calling over "Nichols sir. Mary Ann, this lady said."

"Ahh. Righto. Where's that Doctor, blast it?" he shouted before turning to 'Nick Carter'. "Out with it then lad, don't keep me waitin or you'll spend the evening at her Majesties convenience locked up in a cell for wasting my time."

OOC Don't worry too much about the dates for this. A google will tell you who Mary Ann Nichols was but we are not cast iron on dates, names, places or faces!

This adventure is going to be a right mish mash an no mistake govner!

"The name is Carter, Nick Carter," the Haunt says suavely going into his upper East Side New York accent. "I can't tell you much. I was out for a stroll, learning about your fair city when I heard a scream and moved to investigate. I'm a private detective in New York, guess you call them consulting detectives or something like that here. So screams are something I tend to investigate."

"I haven't had a chance to investigate fully as I was trying to figure out how to save the lady's life but I have no medical skills. Here is what I have determined by a cursory glance..."

Jagged, a single stroke. No, a slash. An animal then. But what kind of animal could strike a grown woman down with a solitary blow? He narrowed his eyes. A blood spatter. A pattern reaching from the body to... he stood, looking about. A motley collection of old crates and rotting garbage lay some twenty feet away in the alleyway. Had something struck from there and the blow hurled the young woman... over here? What kind of animal could do that? A bear? A BIG bear?


"I haven't yet examined that spot where I believe the attack came from," he finishes up, pointing to the spot, "so it might still be there. Anyone have a gun? I wouldn't investigate otherwise if you don't."

"This is obviously not a case where rounding up the usual suspects will work," he finishes up, looking at the pile of crates.
"By the way, can I have your autograph? You are somewhat famous across the Pond, Inspector LeStrade."

ooc: I never knew if it was pronounced Le srROD or Le sTrade or Les Trade or Les Rod.

Admin wrote:STEEPLEJACK DIFFICULTY 3 HP 42

One thing was for sure - he wasn't immune to cold or drowning so he had to make a decision. Swim through violent seas to the Demeter which was vanishing below the waves, or make for the lighthouse and presumably the shore which was some several hundred yards or more away in the dark, rain and foulness of the storm....

He pulled himself up onto the rocks, and taking a running leap as best as he could he leapt toward the boat, seeking to see if there was any clew to what this was about and indeed before the ship was sunk to the bottom of the ocean if there was anyone alive yet to be rescued.

Sj

HAUNT DIFFICULTY 3 HP 17

OOC For the most memorable iteration of Holmes, Watson and LeStrade I recommend any of the Basil Rathbone films. LeStrade was always pictured as a blustering buffoon for the most part in the films and books but in one of the books Holmes expressed he was the best of a bad bunch, quite high praise from him.

"A Consulting Detective eh? Might you have a warrant declaring your authority in these matters then?" said LeStrade.

"Beggin' pardon sir but you never ask fer Mr Holmes papers..." said the Sergeant.

"Quiet Smith." admonished the Inspector. "Don't they call you chaps the 'Pinkertons' or some such? Well I'm afraid you have no jurisdiction here and the fact that you are at the crime scene means we must find evidence to rule you out of our enquiries sir. For all we know you might have set this whole thing up!"

"As for fame..." blustered LeStrade. "It's understandable. I have worked and solved... had a hand in solving many high profile cases!" he said while puffing out his chest.

"You men..." he said pointing to two constables. "Watch him. I'll check out these crates..." Though he fished out a webley revolver, 'just in case'.

Nervously moving towards the crates, he and the Sergeant seemed ill at ease and the Sergeant spluttered. "It stinks here! Sour... like... like..."

"Like an animal!" declared Lestrade. "Let that fellow over here. Carter!" The Police let Haunt go and he walked over. The smell of rotting meat and sour unwashed animal assaulted his senses and he looked to see a space cleared out amongst the crates, as if it were a lair or place to rest. The crates themselves stank of fish and the whole thing was most unsavoury.

"So, a consulting Detective eh? Give me your thoughts on this." said LeStrade. "Middle of London, busy area, a woman walks down an alleyway alone and is attacked by something that you say is a bear. How would a bear pass in these streets unnoticed?"

A crisp clean voice cut through the conversation. "It would not, Inspector. I have sent runners to the various Circus performers in the area and to the London Zoo for details of missing animals." said the famous Detective Sherlock Holmes as he entered the alleyway with his companion Dr Watson who rushed past the police to kneel by the woman.

"Have a care Watson! This is a crime scene!" shouted Holmes.

"She'd not dead Holmes!" declared the Doctor. "I need an ambulance here, now!" he said as he fished into his bag to retrieve bandages and clamps to slow the rush of blood. "We can still save this woman!"

Lestrade wandered up "We may not have need of your services Holmes!" he said. "We have a 'Consulting Detective' here from across the pond! A Mr Carter, if you will."

Holmes stepped up and measured Haunt with a gaze. The greatest detective mind of this or any age would surely not be able to divine who or what Haunt was, would he...?



Holmes and Watson



Insp LeStrade of Scotland yard

"Nick Carter, private detective, out of New York and other parts west," Nick says to Holmes offering his hand while still observing the "lair", looking for any other clues.  "And while I said a bear, I doubt it was actually a bear.  But something similar with claws for it to do what it did to this poor woman.  It would have to be strong like a bear to "throw" her this far while slashing her throat."

"And I've heard of you, Mr. Holmes, and you as well, Doctor Watson.  You occasionally help out Inspector Lestrade on some minor cases," he winks at Holmes as he says that.

"Shall we see what we can find from this now very muddled crime scene, Mr. Holmes?"

ooc:  Assuming a positive, then use Detective and Thief skills.  Also paying attention to the walls.  If the creature didn't leave through the alley into the streets, he must have gone up the walls, maybe I can find some marks or clues as to which wall he went up and find some way to there to see if I can track him. Or maybe through a sewer grate or something like a hole in the wall.

And yeah, I loved the old Basil Rathbone Holmes' movies when I was a kid.

STEEPLEJACK DIFFICULTY 3 HP 42

Steeplejack leapt through the rain and darkness to the boat...

OOC It's at the edge of his range but he's taking aim in the wind, rain and darkness on a wildly rocking ship. And there is increased difficulty from time itself!

Dex 13 + Acro 4D + Roll(6d12)+0: 8,1,2,2,11,7,+0 Total:4 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 11,1,+0 Total:16 (29) vs
OV5 + 3Diff + Modifier 8 + Roll(2d12)+0: 11,3,+0 Total:14 (30) MISSED, Just!

A gust of wind blew Steeplejack off course and he landed in the water, getting a mouthful of sea water for his troubles! What followed was a minute fighting against the wild waves and he reached the side of the boat thankful for superhuman endurance and strength. Without either he would be dead now, no question!

Finding it hard to get adhesion on the wet slick ship side he finally managed to get his fingertips to grip and dragged himself up onto the ship. Moving to the man at the wheel he checked for a pulse knowing that the white pale form would not have one.

He was somewhat surprised when he felt the faintest of pulses and the man looked up with bloodshot eyes! "Va... va...Vampir..." he mumbled in an accented voice. Then he sagged forward, and this time there was no pulse to detect. There was another crack and Steeplejack knew the ship had broken its back and was about to split into two and fall away! He had very little time!

Nonetheless he made his way downstairs and sloshed through chest deep freezing cold water in near Stygian darkness.

Opening a door that was blocked from the other side he found a wooden box... no ... a coffin.. bobbing about. Looking through the darkness he saw other shapes sloshing about. Boxes, chests, clothes...

And a body, face down in the water.

It looked to be another sailor but he was pale skinned and his eyes blank. He'd been dead for a while and there was a savage wound on his throat which was puckered and looked to have been made by some beast of some kind.

Another crack!

Steeplejack was about to go down with the ship! He called out, got no answer and had a choice. Carry on looking or get out whilst the going was good!

HAUNT DIFFICULTY 3 HP 17

Holmes raised an eyebrow and suppressed a grin. "leStrade you do keep the strangest company." he said. "But I rather like this fellow." The Inspector frowned.

"Now, let's have a look around shall we, before too many careless boots scuff what evidence there is into the muck and detrius of Londons' cobbled streets." said Holmes.

OOC It's dark and whilst Haunt could make night vision goggles it would blow his cover somewhat!

Perception 8 + Roll(2d12)+0: 1,9,+0 Total:10 (18) vs
OV6 + Diff 3 + Modifier 4 (dark) + Roll(2d12)+0: 4,4,+0 Total:8 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 1,9,+0 Total:18 (31) Perception check FAILED

Haunt/Nick Carter was somewhat frustrated and found it too difficult to pick out the details from the existing dirt and sludge of an alleyway in London and the lair of a beast. he felt sure that in daytime he would have found something, but the trail would have gone cold by then!

Holmes struck a match and held it high. "LeStrade! Have one of your men fetch lamps would you? There's a good fellow."

LeStrade harrumphed but shouted "You heard him! Let's have a look instead of blundering in the dark! And help the good Doctor there! Snap to it!"

Holmes slowly moved the match about despite it burning down.

OOC I'm not too happy with the stats on Writeups.org. It was written by a knowledgeable person on the character but shows Holmes in his early career whereas this is later and misses a number of things like Sharp Eye, Free Access and so on. However, he may go on to gather those so it's the best I have to go on. I will add 2 points to all detective abilities and remove 2 points from all martial type skills (Martial Artist and weaponry)

Sherlock Holmes (early stories)
A 979 Points Character + Changes (age/experience. This original writeup is 1882-1884 and the game is set in the 1890s)

Dex: 03 Str: 02 Bod: 02 Motivation: Thrill of Adventure
Int: 09 Wil: 11 Min: 09 Occupation: Consulting Detective
Inf: 07 Aur: 05 Spi: 07 Resources {or Wealth}: 004
Init: 021 HP: 045
Powers:
Recall: 12

Bonuses and Limitations:
Recall is Skilled Power (+5 BC).

Skills:
Acrobatics (Climbing): 04, Animal Handling (Riding): 03, Artist (Musician, Writer): 03, Artist (Actor): 06*, Charisma (Interrogation): 08, Detective (Law, Legwork, Police Procedures): 08, Detective (ID Systems): 10, Detective (Clue Analysis): 11, Martial Artist: 03, Medicine (Forensic): 07, Military Science (Cryptography, Tracking): 08*, Scientist (Analysis, Research): 08, Thief (Stealth): 03, Thief (Locks and safes): 07, Weaponry (fencing, pistols): 03

Advantages:
Area Knowledge (London) ; Connoisseur, Expertise [Violins], Familiarities [Classical Music, Geography], Gift of Gab, Languages [French, German], Omni-Connection, Scholar [Chemistry, Poisons, Smoking Ashes, XIXth century Crimes]. Sharp Eye, Free Access

Connections:
Baker Street Irregulars (High), Dr. Watson (High), Scotland Yard (HIGH - LeStrade).

Drawbacks:
Attack Vulnerability (Flattery, -1 cs), Loss Vulnerability (When mentally idle, Mental Attributes), MIA (Mental thrills), Misc.: +4 cs OV/RV on rolls about Astronomy, Contemporary Literature and Politics (30 HP).

Equipment:

Revolver [BODY 02, Projectile weapons: 03, Ammo: 06, Miniaturisation: 01, R#04].
Magnifying Glass [BODY 01, Microscopic Vision: 03].
Equipment at Baker Street, 221B:

Has an Encyclopedia at home that includes 16 APs of information in the fields of Anthropology (15 APs), Geography (14 APs) and History (14 APs).
He also has different books about Crime and Criminology (with useful information being like 9 APs from a total of 14 APs info). Also a 4 APs lab and several disguise kits

The BOLD indicates things I have changed

Holmes flicked out the match and struck another, crouching on one knee to poke a finger and sniff, pulling a face. He pulled out a magnifying glass.

OOC Here we go.

Perception 9 +Microscopic Vision +3+ Roll(2d12)+0: 4,9,+0 Total:13 (25) vs
OV6 + Modifier 2 (dark) + Sharp Eye -2 + Roll(2d12)+0: 2,2,+0 Total:4 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 4,10,+0 Total:18 (24) Success +1 EV (to 12) vs RV 6 (8)= 4RAPs

1) This was the lair of some beast but the size of the boxes indicates it was not as large as a bear
2-3) It was made recently, within the last day, by clearing boxes aside carefully and placing them to the sides rather than tossing them about. The blood splatter on the opposite wall indicates a blow was struck here or close to it, within feet.
4-6) A discarded wrapper for food (presumably meat of some kind) is stashed away under a box and looks too clean/new to have been discarded for a long time. Sniffing at it reveals a fresh meat smell despite the sour smell of the lair. The sour lair smell is off fish and rotting meat.

Haunt sees the clues pointed out by the Detective and comes to his own conclusions. Holmes raised an eyebrow and says "Well my colonial friend, might you venture an opinion on what we have found and further, how the unfortunate woman came to lie over there?"

OOC Int 8 + 4D Detective + Roll(6d12)+0: 11,10,1,2,9,10,+0 Total:20 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 5,4,+0 Total:29 (37) vs
OV6 + Diff 3 + Roll(2d12)+0: 2,1,+0 Total:3 FAILED OV0

+9 (to 17) vs RV6+3Diff(9)=8 RAPs

1) The lair indicates something more than animal intelligence so it must be a man, though a powerful one.
2-3) The Blood Splatter indicates the woman was slashed at when she passed the lair and smudged dirt on the cobbles indicates she was stood near the crates then twisted probably violently by the blow. Further examination shows smeared dirt on the floor where she fell. The dirt is too smeared to see a footprint of the attacker but she was picked up and hurled bodily some twenty... no, twenty five feet or so from the lair to where she landed and then slid a further six feet. The suggests a level of strength that is borderline superhuman at the very least. The strongest weightlifters might have that strength in this era, but it is a short list in London at this time and most certainly they would be circus performers.
4-6) The lair of the animal suggests it is a man sized animal and coarse hairs at the scene suggest the attacker had a wolf like companion, or large dog though the crates are compacted and tight except where they were moved in an orderly fashion. There is not, however, enough hair to suggest that the animal used it exclusively. Indeed, there are too few hairs to suggest there was anything other than a single occupant, they are very hairy, have the strength of several fully grown men and large sharp nails that can tear at someones' throat with near lethal power with a single blow.
7-10) The moon is full. The wrapper, the makeshift lair, the limited hair and organised way these boxes were arranged points to the impossible (to a non super). That is that the occupant was a man (or woman) when they entered the alleyway and moved the boxes aside to create a lair and eat then rest. They then woke when the woman entered the alleyway and reacted to the lunar orb in the sky in a manner which suggests they can change shape and become in form and manner that of a wolf, or a hybrid of wolf and man. In other words a Lycanthrope, most specifically a were wolf. It would have the strength to (easily) throw the woman once it had attacked her and the presence of mind to leave the scene whereas a true beast would have at least part devoured the woman first.

How you express Haunts findings to the Detective and the Police of this era is entirely up to you!

Holmes looks puzzled and is chewing on a thought. He frowns and looks about again, then stands and runs a hand through thinning hair whilst his tall lean form suggests a man who has formed a conclusion but doubts it from start to finish.

ooc:  I think they forgot beekeeping as one of his hobbies.  Or is that later in life?  I also seem to recall him doing a monograph on teas and/or tobacco.  One or both of them.

How you express Haunts findings to the Detective and the Police of this era is entirely up to you!

Holmes looks puzzled and is chewing on a thought. He frowns and looks about again, then stands and runs a hand through thinning hair whilst his tall lean form suggests a man who has formed a conclusion but doubts it from start to finish.



Pulling Holmes aside, he whispers to the man, "Mr. Holmes, believe it or not, we seem to be dealing with a werewolf.  I find it hard to believe myself, or I would have, if I hadn't been slapped in the face by the supernatural a time or two in America.  Some of the things I saw Indian Medicine Men do and some of the ... creatures that they fought, made a believer out of me.  I even met a snake oil salesman who turned out to be a wizard of some kind and his donkey that pulled his wagon was his shape-changing familiar."

"Here's what I've discerned to make me believe this ...  [I will outline points 1-10 that he learned]"

"There is no way I can say any of that to Lestrade.  You, however, may find yourself agreeing with me.  Now whether or not this is some kind of supernatural werewolf or some kind of monstrous man-made werewolf is unknown at this time but I am convinced it is one.  And thanks to Doctor Watson's recording of your adventures and many of your insightful sayings I submit to you, sir, "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."  Can you come to a different truth with the evidence before our eyes?"

Admin wrote:STEEPLEJACK DIFFICULTY 3 HP 42

Another crack!

Steeplejack was about to go down with the ship! He called out, got no answer and had a choice. Carry on looking or get out whilst the going was good!

Shocked not least by the cold chill of the water and the sight of death that clearly pervaded the place...vampires! Steeplejack wasn't sure about that, but then he just been rescued by a Mermaid, so it was all up for grabs. Moving quickly to stop his muscles from stiffening any further, he quickly hoisted the half-dead man from the wheel and sought to see if there remained a boat he could untie.

OOC: If not a boat, then anything that might serve to keep him out of the water and that I could use to push toward the lighthouse for help.

Sj