[Nyarlathotep] Shanghai, July 1925

[Lev Lafayette]

The Investigators literally take a slow boat to Shanghai via Singapore and
Hong Kong with the tentative clues of an old photograph, a sighting, and a
matchbox - and a mark on the map in temple of the Black Pharoah. The air
is hot and humid with occasional downpours and thunderstorms. The locals
speak of the possibility of typhoons.

Booking into the Cathay Hotel on the Whangpoo River, they are comfortably
located in The Bund, a protected European "concession". The British,
French, Americans, and even Japanese have such concessions in which no
Chinese law applies. Citizens of these treaty powers cannot be tried under
Chinese law, whether or not they are in the concession areas.

The Investigators have visited The Stumbling Tiger Bar, where they met
Fergus Chum, the owner of this dive. Proving to deeply inscrutible, the
only item of note was the passing of sums of money between the clients.
When this information is further investigated by Stefan St. John, it is
discovered that The Stumbling Tiger Bar is a "puzzle bar" - a please where
circumspect questions may be asked and, with the payment of money,
information may be obtained.

Visits to the quartermaster on the wharf reveals that the boat in the
photo belongs to the Dark Mistress, a slim 90 ft yacht that visits Ho
Fong's warehouse every few days in the evening. Ho Fong is a wealthy and
powerful individual, who is perfect in all respects, even in his
imperfections (he cheats a little on his taxes). The international trading
items of Ho Fong include tea, porcelains, rice, dried herbs, salted fish,
cordage, machine parts, hard woods - pretty much everything. Please note
he does not have a "shopfront" - my mistake.

Tomorrow night's episode will begin with the information received from a
visit to The Shanhai Courier, "the newspaper morgue" as it's been put.


-- 
Lev Lafayette, BA (Hons), GradCertTerAdEd (Murdoch), GradCertPM, MBA (Tech
Mngmnt) (Chifley)
mobile:  0432 255 208
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