002d: Lair of the Snake Person

On/Under the streets of Yuggoth
kitsunenotsume
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Re: 002d: Lair of the Snake Person

Post by kitsunenotsume »

"Ooh, well, isn't that fancy. I should like to see one of those animated book-cases for my own library, though now I'm curious what Miss Ryan needed such a closure fo~. Oh, how peculiar, it seems ... opaque." Augustus will mentally poke about the perimeter of the warded room gauging it's rough size and entrances. "I don't think I want that in my library. Seems large enough for a respectable study, I'd hazard. Shuttered windows off the apartment's posterior*. I suspect we might be dealing with an honest-to-goodness safe-room, and quite a well fabricated one at that. I'd not be surprised if our Miss Ryan or her associates owned the building. Though perhaps one with those finances could afford a better secretary; this one has a terrible filing system, practically indistinguishable from looting."

He looks to the others and shrugs. "I suppose we might wish to monitor the back, but we might as well ask if he knows anything that might help."


*: I'm assuming any decent safe-house probably has shutter-able windows to aid in preventing conventional spying, in addition to providing somewhere to mount the wards.
Wyvern
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Re: 002d: Lair of the Snake Person

Post by Wyvern »

"On the one hand, stationing someone behind the apartment could be useful. On the other hand, I don't really think we should split up - or fail to bring all of our expertise to bear on searching Ms. Ryan's apartment."

Unless someone else brings up any counter-arguments, Kin will lead the group up to the apartment and unlock the door to begin examining it.
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Joshua
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Re: 002d: Lair of the Snake Person

Post by Joshua »

Inside the well-furnished apartment, with dozens of books, maps, and adventuring equipment layed out... Due to the layout of the building (a central hallway that bisects each floor), it's clear the hidden room does not have a door into the hallway. The only exit would be out a back window, or back into the apartment*.

Minor questions then: Are you being quiet as you rummage through? What do you think he hears through the wall/door?

Within the room, there are records and information of all kind. Some highlights include:
  • Information on at least three other identities. A female one from over a hundred years ago, and several male ones that overlap that.
  • More novels and writings than most nobles' libraries. Including a dozen (unpublished) penned by Ms. Ryan herself.
  • A closet that has several changes of clothes, for no less than six identities. Female and male, bounty hunter, coachmen, street performer, a homeless-chic style, among others.
  • A spartan steam-kitchen**, with very little actual food...
  • A small collection of pet rats, possible related to the above.
  • A cache of weapons. Mostly small pistols, knives, nothing out of place for a bounty hunter***.
  • A number of scrap papers with scribblings in a strange dead language****.
Agustus, you can find the switch to the hidden room quickly, it is in one of the bookshelves near to the one that swings open. If you want to poke it.
_____________________
*: There does not seem to be a hidden door into the hallway, although, since the building touches the one next to it, it is possible. While such an exit would be excessive, so is using tok'l metal to shield the room.
**: A steam kitchen uses superheated steam from a tok'l engine, in a place like this, it'd be the one that heats the building. That being said, it's still a higher level amenity than the rest of the building.
***: Although, a 'real' bounty hunter would have a number of big weapons hidden somewhere.
****: Murtha(the rock?) recognizes the elder sign worked into it. also, edited to specifically say these are papers.
Veyska
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Re: 002d: Lair of the Snake Person

Post by Veyska »

As they make their way to the apartment, Beth will comment, "Cheap novels would suggest tugging at all the books and various bits of decoration on the bookcase to try and make it open but under the circumstances I'm loathe to assay that without sturdier gloves, even if it were just an ordinary bookcase left as a trap*." Once inside, Beth will put inaction to words, (visually) perusing the papers scattered about on the desk, Lord Fairthingsworth having drawn her attention to them with his comment about secretarial organizational styles.

(*Potential for poisoned traps.)
((Slight sequence editing after a bit of OOC discussion.))
Wyvern
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Re: 002d: Lair of the Snake Person

Post by Wyvern »

Kin is... not deliberately being especially stealthy, here, but she does generally tend to move quietly as a default. I don't think I can really speak to the 'how much does he hear' question, though, given that we don't know how the safe room is set up; it might be designed to be able to listen in to the apartment - or it might be designed to be thoroughly soundproofed in case of an unwilling resident. (Given how the serpentfolk seem to operate, I'd actually bet on the latter; having somewhere to stash a person where screams couldn't be overheard seems like the sort of thing they'd find useful.)

"My goodness," Kin comments as she looks around the apartment, "This all is certainly much more than I had expected. Nothing immediately obvious for why someone would have wanted her murdered, but I suppose that would have been too much to hope for. There's certainly enough wealth here to tempt some people to such an attempt - but I don't think that's right given that there's no sign of anyone having tried to loot the place..."

She spends some time simply looking around the room - investigation, with a possible synergy bonus from the previous night's investigation/alienism checks on Ms. Ryan's corpse.
kitsunenotsume
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Re: 002d: Lair of the Snake Person

Post by kitsunenotsume »

Augustus will peruse the rooms, taking the opportunity to observe their state prior to the party's ransacking, aiming to retain relevant details as to the departed's life*, and to convey a more congenial visit than one of criminals or assassins**. He will casually investigate far more than he cares to move or touch, scanning the books and scattered papers for anything salient regarding the crime at hand.*** "I might suggest that the level of deceit involved in disguising her wealth implies enemies she's had for some time. Possibly a benefactor or heiress, perhaps a scion for some House I've not heard of unlikely though it may be. Of course, it may have been stricken form the record if they were found consorting ..."
He pauses, looking over the glyphs and scribbling. "Oh, whats this you've found here, Murtha? Oh, is it? Most intriguing, Please, tell me more." He kneels next to the illegible script and cants an ear to a voice only he can hear.



*: Alienism, I think.
**: Spying? both Unobtrusive and Speed Read might be relevant in context.
***: ESP, restrained to within 10 feet, while doing other things. Basically reading books and peering in drawers without opening them.
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Joshua
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Re: 002d: Lair of the Snake Person

Post by Joshua »

There's a lot of information that can be acquired.

the list was already mentioned for what you are visually scanning for. The identity paperwork* is most of the loose papers, and an unfinished manuscript** is the rest. (plus incidentals like a shopping list. I'm not going to fabricate a lot of additional details as they're all going to be dead ends at this point. If Ms. Ryan wasn't dead, it might help more.)

The combined alienism show that Ms. Ryan was creative, and that was unlikely to be an act. She was violent, yes, but brought little of that home. Her haven seems to be built more for comfort than paranoia, although, anything within it could be explained away... The rats do seem to be food, as any indicator they are pets is missing.

The most likely cause for the paranoia would be longevity. Ms. Ryan's effects (and the books that are penned) date back at least 100 years in her name, and 200 or so in her handwriting***.

Also, at this point, the person who ducked in the secret room, has ransacked it and jumped out the window. He is gone.
_______________
*: You do make a note of the names. Unfortunately, these are birth records and similar, none of them contain current addresses.
**: She likes fantasy, it's very Conan.
***: If you won't touch the books, esp can assist with that. The alien writing is all in the same hand, and likely also Ms. Ryan's****.
****: Although, since it uses a different alphabet, it's impossible to be sure.

Edited to note that the mythos scraps are loose paperwork but not on the desk.
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Joshua
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Re: 002d: Lair of the Snake Person

Post by Joshua »

So, in order to speed this along, as there is nothing else that needs a roll:
Ms. Ryan does not trap her apartment. Your paranoia slows you down, but there is nothing dangerous beyond the mythos papers (assuming you can translate and read them), the rats (which are about as dangerous as an angry rat in a pet store?) and the weapons (which I'm assuming you do not use for gladiatorial combat, and the ones in this room are not... really impressive?).

The side room, when you eventually get it open has some impressive weaponry. Mostly guns, like elephant guns and a micro-uzi with a single clip*. There is a second collection of knives, which is more of a collectors thing. It's clear there was ritual materials here**, but all the most essential stuff was grabbed in a hurry.

Also, the back window is open.

The tok'l metal for the ESP faraday cage is embedded in the walls. Ripping it out would require construction.

Is there anything you are taking with you? And, it's starting to get late afternoon. Do you check in with the tea house?
______________
*: Newcomer guns are a big deal, but getting ammo for them is REALLY hard. Getting these guns out may be a bit more difficult, but there's a handful of interesting ones.
**: What little you find will match the scrap papers. Edited because it's not a book, but about a dozen or two scraps of writing.
kitsunenotsume
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Re: 002d: Lair of the Snake Person

Post by kitsunenotsume »

((How many floors did he jump?))
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Joshua
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Re: 002d: Lair of the Snake Person

Post by Joshua »

The apartment is on the third floor, plus half a floor (submerged basement kinda deal) so, the window is about 30-ish feet up. The back alley has clothes lines, awnings and other windows that allow for a climb down*, or ways to break ones fall. Kin** could likely make it in either form or possibly leap to the opposing building or climb sideways to a window in one of the adjacent buildings***. Kin can likely point out how to climb to the roof or additional ways out.
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*: Parkour!
**: Athletics allows for climbing and jumping, thus she sees how to climb almost anywhere from here or jump to the next building. Breakfall (AKA duck and roll) is Acrobatics, and would allow for someone to jump down and grab random stuff on the way down and roll at the end to not injure themselves. The perp had at least one of those skills.
***: Again, buildings on the same side of the back alley are touching****.
****: He would have had to go through one of them to exit, but that's not really a track that can currently be followed without a bloodhound.
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