From lev at rpgreview.net Wed Jan 2 11:12:41 2013 From: lev at rpgreview.net (lev at rpgreview.net) Date: Wed, 2 Jan 2013 22:12:41 +1100 Subject: [Nyarlathotep] Next stop... Constantinople Message-ID: <12997dc74c7956b6ba5f2ba49a1a09b2.squirrel@webmail.rpgreview.net> Hey everyone, Welcome to the new year... and to another outstanding session of the Melbourne Roleplaying Salon Horror on the Orient Express campaign. Although the party did not find The Head in Belgrade they have continued their journey in the hope of recovering it at a later point. Hercule Poirot has just left his room, quite scared by the appearance at his carriage window of a certain vampiric figure who tried to mind control him with commands most dangerous. This does not bode well! So tomorrow night at Willsmere, steel yourself for a session of the psychotic vampire on the loose. As the train trundles towards Constantinople... From lev at rpgreview.net Wed Jan 2 12:44:53 2013 From: lev at rpgreview.net (lev at rpgreview.net) Date: Wed, 2 Jan 2013 23:44:53 +1100 Subject: [Nyarlathotep] Chapter Three: Lausanne Message-ID: <37191effc6e6b80fa0f07b6d40b1c043.squirrel@webmail.rpgreview.net> Chapter Three ------------- Le Journal De Hercule Poirot, Thursday, January 11th, 1923. Lausanne. --------------------------------------------------------------------- We arrived at Lausanne early in the morning; a cold, misty, and beautiful town on the shores of Lake Geneva. We took the opportunity to break our fast, and read the newspapers. Frau Weissmuller was most concerned to read that French (and Belgian) troops had occupied the Ruhr, due to the failure of the Germans to pay reparations from the Great War. After breakfast we booked a hotel, and took a cab to the "Centre de Rehabilitation" on the outskirts of town where we met Lillian St. John, an Australian woman of great investigative skills but a propensity towards hedonism. I took the opportunity to have a quiet word with her doctor, who assurred me that her current interest in the cocaine stimulant was no longer of a level of addiction, a matter which brought me great relief. After collecting M. St. John and informing her of our journey so far, we went to visit Edgar Wellington, as so informed by the note from Poissy. The terrace house and shop was marked as an taxidermist. M. Wellington, a man of tired and haunted appearance, invited us inside and engage us most politely in conversation. His brother, introduced as William, also joined us although that meeting was a little disconcerting. William had suffered injuries during the War and was paralyzed in his face. He could not talk, and could only stare straight ahead. M. Wellington was most forthcoming with information concerning the scroll, claiming that he had acquired it during the War in exchange of cigarettes and rations, that it was a confusing mixture of Turkish and Arabic, an dthat it referred to the Simulcrum, the previous owner being the Comte Fenalik. M. Wellington offered to sell the scroll at least two hundred and fifty pounds sterling, a very high sum for what must be only a curio to him. However, at that very moment our taxidermist received another visitor, a very well-groomed Frenchman, who was introduced as "Le Duc de Esseinites", who was also an amateur occultist. This Duke also expressed interest in the scroll; he suggested that we all met at the 7:30 club, an informal discussion group so perhaps an amiciable solution could be found. In the rest of the afternoon we entertained ourselves with a tour of the city; M. St. John, Senhor Garcia, and Mr. Frazer all took the opportunity to visit the lakeside. Myself and Frau Weissmuller saw the main sights to the city with the Le Duc, including the Cathederal, the Museaum and Library, and ultimately the highest pointof the town. After that he took us to a French cafe, The Chat Noir, and informed us that he would return at eight p.m. But he never returned; instead at the allocated time, one Maximillian von Wurtheim arrived, an enthusiastic young man with handsome Nordic features. He gave us his entire life story, or so it seemed, over the next three hours. Frau Weissmuller took quite an interest in these tales, and I believe spent some time with the Prussian noble after the cafe closed. The rest of went to M. Wellington's residence in an effort to discern his non-attendance. On arrival we discover the door is slightly ajar. We entered and discovered a sight most disconcerting; William Wellington was near death, a gaping wound in his chest where a large section of skin had been removed. We applied what emergency care that we could. In a neighbouring wound, M. Edgar Wellington lay dead, with two syringe marks, one on each arm - clearly someone else had applied the second dose of morphine that lay nearby that had led to his demise. We also discovered his diary which spoke of a journey most peculiar; the use of a drug entitled "Dream Laussanne", and a fake version of the scroll easily dated by our expertise. The diary was most extraordinary; it spoke of a parallel Lausanne which could be reached by taking the drug and whatever objects one carried in their hands would also be taken to this reality. There, we thought, that we would find the real scroll. M. St. John enthusiastically suggested that we should take the drug, which caused me some concern. Nevertheless, I relented such was our need. Leaving Mr. Frazer behind to look over us, we passed out almost immediately, according to him. From our perspective however, we awoke in a most peculiar and medieval version of the town. We travelled through the town and encountered a variety of events both surreal and gothic; when a flying lion bled tears on M. St. John, a madness it did overtake her, and it was only the rapid pursuit of Senhor Garcia that saw her to safety. It was fortunate that we managed to avert her eyes when a stage magician placed his limbs into a hat, leaving a giggling torso and head. With the tolling of a bell we encountered an open-air trial, where a figure which resembled Le Duc, called "the Prince of Lausanne" conducted a parody of a trial over against M. Wellingon with a statue sitting in judgment. But I, Hercule Poirot, did defend M. Wellington against the flimsy and ill-thought charges that we set against him, and we were able to leave the plaza. Shortly afterwards however we were pursued by a mob, no doubt raised by the Prince. Following M. Wellington's instructions we recovered the real scroll and returned to our waking world, where M. Wellington made the unfortunate discovery that he indeed deceased, appearing as an apparition. Following his instruction, we made our way to Le Duc's house, a very well established affair. The house was empty, but with M. Wellington present we were able in to ingress with greater ease. The apparition informed us that there were many trapped souls within an old heavy door within the house which led to the dreamworld again. Again, following the apparition's suggestion, we set this door to madness alight, and vacated the premises rapidly. M. Wellington was beginning to fade; we returned to his home to leave him with his brother and promised to contact the hosiptal anonymously as soon as possible. Then, as it was already early morning of the following day, we took to the Orient Express. Le Journal De Hercule Poirot, Friday, January 12th, 1923. Lausanne. ------------------------------------------------------------------- It was after noon when our party finally arose, exhausted from the events of the previous day and evening. Fortunately, the civilised Orient Express was able to provide us a hearty late lunch in the dining car. Unfortunately, we also had an unwanted guest, being none other that Le Duc, in an outfit slightly singed. He demanded the Sedefkar Scroll, and in an expression of his powers when Frau Weissmuller refused, he uttered some words which caused her to convulse in pain. Not wishing to continue this, we handed him the scroll, but of course, we gave him the fake. Accepting this, he then draped a lasso around his body and vanished into thin air! I do wish that I have seen enough of this epiphenomena, but I suspect there will be more before the journey ends. From bikenerd at gmail.com Wed Jan 2 21:05:00 2013 From: bikenerd at gmail.com (Simon Stainsby) Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2013 08:05:00 +1100 Subject: [Nyarlathotep] Next stop... Constantinople In-Reply-To: <12997dc74c7956b6ba5f2ba49a1a09b2.squirrel@webmail.rpgreview.net> References: <12997dc74c7956b6ba5f2ba49a1a09b2.squirrel@webmail.rpgreview.net> Message-ID: I've missed a few sessions in the lead up to Christmas, my character has gone nuts and so has my personal life. (Louise and I broke up over Christmas - we are both looking for new places to live). I gather there are around three sessions left until the end of this story arc. I'd like to sit these sessions out and resume Thursday night gaming when the next role play game starts up. I hope that by then I will have a house of my own (car share membership to make the trip to Kew easier) and be in the right headspace for a dose of escapist fantasy. In the meantime good hunting, and may your (crazed demonic) dreams come true. S On 02/01/2013 10:12 PM, wrote: > Hey everyone, > > Welcome to the new year... and to another outstanding session of the > Melbourne Roleplaying Salon Horror on the Orient Express campaign. > > Although the party did not find The Head in Belgrade they have continued > their journey in the hope of recovering it at a later point. > > Hercule Poirot has just left his room, quite scared by the appearance at > his carriage window of a certain vampiric figure who tried to mind control > him with commands most dangerous. > > This does not bode well! > > So tomorrow night at Willsmere, steel yourself for a session of the > psychotic vampire on the loose. As the train trundles towards > Constantinople... > > > _______________________________________________ > Nyarlathotep mailing list > Nyarlathotep at rpgreview.net > http://rpgreview.net/mailman/listinfo/nyarlathotep_rpgreview.net > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lev at rpgreview.net Wed Jan 16 10:06:28 2013 From: lev at rpgreview.net (lev at rpgreview.net) Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2013 21:06:28 +1100 Subject: [Nyarlathotep] Constantinople! Message-ID: Well, it looks like the fearless Investigators have found reference to the Shunned Mosque, and have picked up some employment with the Queen's own representative in the land! What could possibly go wrong? Find out tomorrow night at The Asylum, 6.30pm...