001: An Evening at the Feng-Huang's Feathers

On/Under the streets of Yuggoth
User avatar
Joshua
Gibbering
Posts: 2987
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2009 11:59 pm

001: An Evening at the Feng-Huang's Feathers

Post by Joshua »

It's nighttime. The sun-lights that make up the sky and keep the mi-go away have been off for an hour. All good people are huddled in their homes hiding from the darkness and the monsters that dwell within. The streets are home to vagrants and adventurers, pickpockets and those who have dark business.

And the occasional well-guarded noble, of course - the unofficial curfew clearly doesn't apply to them after all. Besides, their business is important, and not dark at all.

The Feng-Huang's Feathers, by contrast, remains well-lit, with the white, almost-daylike illumination of its Nernst lamps shining out through the windows. Inside, the scene is slow; a handful of those bodyguard-types waiting for their assigned charge to surface from the gambling room, nursing drinks or slowly munching through now-discounted pastries. A few hangers-on and otherwise less-dangerous-looking escorts who decided they were more interested in tea than in losing money... or, perhaps, had simply run themselves out of funds and are waiting for their patron to go home.

And, of course, a few carriage drivers waiting until it's time to bring their vehicles back around. Sometimes those are the same people as the bodyguards. Sometimes they're not.

A single feather-masked waiter putters around the room, washing the empty tables and attending to the rare (this late in the evening) orders.
User avatar
Joshua
Gibbering
Posts: 2987
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2009 11:59 pm

Re: 001: An Evening at the Feng-Huang's Feathers

Post by Joshua »

Said waiter, makes his way through the room, coming to one patron who clearly has passed out in the corner.

The large female bodyguard is dressed more masculine, with tanned pants and a vest. Her longcoat has been checked, and she's wearing a simple aviator cap. It'd fairly obvious she's got pistols somewhere on her person.

The waiter taps her on the shoulder, "Miss?" Before recoiling in horror as the bodyguard topples over onto the floor, dead with a froth in her mouth.
Wyvern
Prismatic Pangolin
Posts: 2283
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:50 pm

Re: 001: An Evening at the Feng-Huang's Feathers

Post by Wyvern »

It takes less than a minute for Kin to turn up, accompanied by the distraught waiter.

"Mr. Saunders," she addresses the waiter, "Head out back and fetch Apothecary Spurling - and if you see Mr. McKinnon, let him know what has happened as well."

And with that she takes a few moments to survey the scene - paying attention not only to the corpse (and her drink or whatever's left of it), but also to the disposition and interest of the other people in the room.*

* Relevant skills: Investigation (possibly with a synergy bonus from science: chemistry), and empathy to read the room and see if there's someone else here she needs to talk to, or things that need to be said to prevent a panic. An actual examination of the corpse itself should probably wait for Apothecary Sperling, though; Kin's medical expertise is almost certainly not up to the task.
User avatar
Joshua
Gibbering
Posts: 2987
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2009 11:59 pm

Re: 001: An Evening at the Feng-Huang's Feathers

Post by Joshua »

A cursory examination of the room reveals the bodyguards have seen death before, although a number are uncomfortable with poison. At the moment*, no one is attempting to take over the investigation or willing to declare themselves in charge. The consensus is that she talked with a man briefly before passing out. Said man left about when that happened, he was dressed as a gentleman, although in all black**.

Several of them recognized him as an undertaker who helped clean things up once or twice in their line of work. Although, they're not sure of his name, they're fairly certain he works in the Thirdgate Cemetery, one of the oldest on the level and only about two plates away (around six to seven miles).

Oh yeah, and the lady is someone's bodyguard, so... There's a noble in the gambling den who might be slightly annoyed in a bit.

Kin's seen poison before, definitely in the victim's last tea drink. It's not too hard to take an uncontaminated sample from what's left in the cup. You have the ability to analyze it***, Kin just needs to duck into his lab.

The body itself looks in rough shape the more you glance at it****... like the skin is starting to peel away from the flesh. Maybe it's time to cover her up?
_____________________________________
*: Not that they can't, but this is an intro scene, so... It's on the PCs right now.
**: So much easier... https://www.historicalemporium.com/store/outfits.php
***: Apparently Kin has the highest Science: Chemistry of the group? Of note, Beth's assistance will grant you a +2. Alternately, Beth gets a +2 synergy with her medicine (if she examines the body), and can gain a +2 from your assistance making her roll higher and means Beth can succeed automatically, with your help. The cutoff for said bonus is 4, so you don't get it from your medicine.
****: In theory a dead body is a Horror 1 check. So, you'd roll willx2 and need 1 success. It's low enough, I'm not going to bother. There's something coming up that I will call for though.
kitsunenotsume
Missing Some Marbles
Posts: 147
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2015 1:55 am

Re: 001: An Evening at the Feng-Huang's Feathers

Post by kitsunenotsume »

On the floor above, seated in the lotus position before a semi-completed tea ceremony, is a gentleman with a teacup part-way to his lips. He seems to be making light banter with the empty room as his mind is quite literally on walkabout.*

"Oh, it's just a servant. I had hope it might have been someone of importance. I am most sorry for your comrade, Manfred", he comments to his teacup, "She must be in shock from the loss of her new friend. I dare say there is something familiar about the victim, perhaps she attended someone at the Whitsworth Manse gala last week. I don't suppose you have any ideas, Mirtha?"

While he continues to chatter softly to the objects above and Kin organizes her staff below, his projection will peruse the room for the obvious details, as well as doing things that a more-hinged person would find absurd, like poking and peering the peeling body, and tasting the tea.**

*: Using ESP (Difficulty 2, Rating 10), to project himself after Kin (I figure 'downstairs' is between 10 and 100 feet).
**: Relevant skills: Perception, Connisour (to critique the poor woman's choices). He can't physically affect the scene, but all five senses are there.
User avatar
Joshua
Gibbering
Posts: 2987
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2009 11:59 pm

Re: 001: An Evening at the Feng-Huang's Feathers

Post by Joshua »

The tea is high quality. A little mundane and inexpensive for your taste (a basic black with lemon), but overall not a bad choice. Whatever poison is... not easy to taste. She definitely had the palette of a servant.

About then is when you recognize her. Erma Ryan, a bodyguard in the employ of Bryce Williamson. Bryce is the irresponsible fop who was instrumental in accusing your family of consorting with things beyond the gate*.

There is something definitely wrong with the body**.
________________
*: An accusation of playing with Mythos is a scandal. Had he accused you of working with teh Mi-Go, there would have been a more formal inquiry. He was mostly jockeying for familial position, not trying to get your parents or you executed.
**: Yay, our first horror check. Horror 3, seems appropriate. Again, will x2. I will pm a description and wait until you say something or until the body is physically examined to post here.
Veyska
Lunatic
Posts: 515
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:46 pm
Location: In front of my computer

Re: 001: An Evening at the Feng-Huang's Feathers

Post by Veyska »

Beth slips in through the back entrance a few minutes after the waiter was sent to fetch her, a worn but sturdy leather satchel slung over one shoulder. Nodding politely but briskly to those she passes, she quickly makes her way to the victim's side. To Kin she says, as she begins examining the body*, "I'm afraid I borrowed your employee for a few minutes longer, I was in the middle of preparing a tonic and it was still a little ways from boiling. I asked him to wait until it was boiling and then turn the burner off before heading back. Didn't think you would mind and it looked like he could use a breather anyhow."

(*She'll want to examine the tea too, but priorities.)
User avatar
Joshua
Gibbering
Posts: 2987
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2009 11:59 pm

Re: 001: An Evening at the Feng-Huang's Feathers

Post by Joshua »

And that's a horror 3 check.

The body isn't human. The skin is a hollowed out shell over the body of a dead serpent person, who was wearing the lady's skin. The skin itself is preserved like a subtle leather in a way that defies what you know of biology.

Said serpent person has fangs that are barely visible between the human skin's teeth, yellow-ish scales with a green tint and black eyes that make up the darkness of the skin's eyeballs. From what you understand of snake responses, the serpent person was definitely poisoned by something nasty. If you want to do a full workup, you'll want to bring the body someplace else... you can't really run full tests on it while it's still in the skin.
Veyska
Lunatic
Posts: 515
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:46 pm
Location: In front of my computer

Re: 001: An Evening at the Feng-Huang's Feathers

Post by Veyska »

"My skills are more to do with keeping patients from reaching this state rather than deducing how they did so, and this... subject... is just as far out of my usual purview, but if you've somewhere more private I can see what further I can figure out beyond the superficial," Beth says, standing back upright with a faint grimace.
Wyvern
Prismatic Pangolin
Posts: 2283
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:50 pm

Re: 001: An Evening at the Feng-Huang's Feathers

Post by Wyvern »

Kin nods, "One of the cellars should do; I don't want to take this into the kitchen or anyone's living quarters."

Getting the corpse down there may be a bit tricky, though, at least unless someone with a bit more physical strength shows up. (( Miles, this is probably your cue to turn up and get to roll horror factor with the rest of us? ))
Post Reply