Rick O'Shea and the Munich Mystery Episode 6

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New Scene: The Europa day 2

MID SCENE INTERRUPTION!!!

Research scene

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The next Morning Rick rises, freshens up and heads towards the dining area. He scouts the area to see if the young man, Mrs Fontana or the young lady are around

He scouts the area to see if the young man, Mrs Fontana or the young lady are around? (24): Yes (55%)

who is there? 0-50 all 3 51-75 2 76-100 1 of them = 51 – which 2? 33 split - 82 the young lady is dining

the young lady is dining - is she alone?

? (84): No (50%)

is the young man with her? (8): Exceptional Yes (<10% / 50%)

Rick walks into the main dining area and notices the young woman with the dazzling smile having breakfast with the young man who has been watching her so intently.

does it look anything more than polite? (81): No (50%)

is the young man trying to charm her? (98): Exceptional No (>82% / 90%)

is she trying to charm him? (67): No (55%)

the room is very crowded? (77): Yes (95%)

They appear to be sharing a table out of polite necessity. They are talking but it’s pretty superficial.

Rick tries to manage it so that the steward ushers him to their table

persuasion d6 3 d6 6!5 +2 = 13 = 1 success and 2 raises

The waiter shows Rick to the table

"Excuse me Frauline, mein Herr, we are very busy at the moment, would you mind if this gentleman were to join you? - thank you."

 (At this point it was clear that this conversation was going to be important. I didn't want to know what was said before hand so ran through a 2 stage porcess. First I ran a number of preliminary questions and checks on Rick to see what Rick was able to pick up. (These are listed below) I then took each of those possible strands and brainstormed a load of options for each one. Those ideas were given a % and run through the emulator to see which ones turned up. (The brainstorm can be found on a seperate page if you are interested in how that worked) Then I wrote a sentence or two around each one and tried to weave them into a single conversation.)

 [femalename]: Nancy Higgins

is the man German? (69): Yes (95%)

[germanmalename]: Adolph Fischer

Rick makes polite conversation with them whilst they share breakfast?

Streetwise D8 1 D6 6!3 = 9+2 = 11 = 1 success and 1 raise

Both get on well with Rick and a friendship begins to develop between the 3 of them

Does Rick get any interesting info out of either of them?

From Nancy

Streetwise D8 8!6 D6 6!3 = 16 = 1 success and 3 raises

Mythic Event Focus: Action Change Attention

Mythic Event Meaning: Inquire Extravagance

[clueobjects]: Letter

[clueobjects]: Manila file

From Adolph

Streetwise d8 7 D6 4 = 7 +2 = 1 success and 1 raise

Mythic Event Focus: Plot Twist!!! Rustics - The PCs find themselves in a place where people aren't used to heroes or strange powers.

Mythic Event Meaning: Develop Pilot

Rick watches the 2 closely for any unusual signs whilst they chat

Notice D8 7 D6 6!6!4 = 18 = 1 success and 3 raises

[clueobjects]: fingerprint

Notice d8 7 d6 6!6!1 = 15 = 1 success and 2 raises

[clueobjects]: Magazine

[clueobjects]: Scroll

The Conversation

Adolph (standing to greet Rick shaking his hand): Guten Morgen, my name is Adolph Fischer

Nancy (remains seated): Good morning I am Nancy Higgins.

Adolph gently intervenes, looking at her

Adolph: I think you are too polite, most people know her as Lady Nancy Higgins the famous aviatrix yes?  you have heard of her yes? He says looking intently at Rick

Rick: Well of course, an honour to meet you. I’m Richard O’Shea - recently retired from the New York Police Department. Call me Rick though.

Both men sit down.

Adolph (innocently): Excuse me for asking Herr Rick, are you not a little young to retire?

Rick: Believe me, it was not through choice. I was shot in the line of duty and had to leave the force. I am taking the opportunity of my enforced leisure to visit Europe. My doctor has advised that some hill walking would be good rehabilitation so I am heading to Munich to put that to the test.

Nancy: How wonderful, I am heading to Munich as well, and Herr Fischer here has just advised me that he is going there too!

Adolph: It is true, we all appear to be going the same way, how wonderful!

Adolph: Lady Nancy, we follow your adventures in the papers most earnestly, can you say what your next challenge will be?

Nancy: yes of course - I am on my way to Munich to pick up my plane. It has been having some modifications made to it before my next flight and I have heard from Moses my engineer that it is nearly ready. I will need to do some test flights before I take on my next challenge but I hope to be on my way soon

Adolph: Are we allowed to know where you are hoping to fly to next Lady Nancy?

Nancy. I’m flying to the Himalayas. I have been asked to fly over Mount Everest and photograph it. However, that is not easy given the weather and cold so I have had to have special heating units designed for the engine to enable it to function correctly.

Adolph: I do not know if you are familiar Lady Nancy, but Germany has sent many archaeological expeditions to the Himalayas in recent years. We think there are many connections between our two civilisations in ancient times.

But, I should warn you. It is a most inhospitable and dangerous place. I have just published about it in our German National Magazine.

Rick: Are you a journalist Herr Fischer?

Adolph: Oh no, I am a researcher on Germany's ancient legends. We have had many of our expeditions to Lhasa become lost with no word. The perils are many - The weather changes in a heartbeat, one minute sunny and beautiful, the next high winds and snowstorms. The anger of the mountain gods the locals say.  The Locals appear friendly in the cities but in the wilds, they are suspicious of outsiders and the machines we have.

Nancy: Really? - Why are they afraid of modern machines?

Adolph: They have many fears. They are worried that the noise of our machines may anger the gods of the mountains and cause the snow to come down the mountain. It is not unreasonable, we know that loud noises can set off avalanches.

They also worry that the noise will wake the yeti – you have heard of the yeti yes? a large ape man that lives in the mountains. They say you can hear his call on the winds that howl through the mountains

Even more strangely, They fear our flying machines will stop their monks from being able to fly.

Rick: I’m sorry, their monks can fly?

Adolph: Well no one from the west has confirmed this, but there are stories of Western explorers who have gone in to the depths of the Himalayas in disguise and have visited the great monasteries and witnessed some of the monks be able to fly several feet off the ground. 

Nancy: My gosh, that would be amazing if it were true – it would certainly make it easy for me ha-ha!!

Adolph: Indeed, think what uses it could be put to. We could all reach the top shelf now, yes? And finally, they are afraid we will use our machines to find Shangri-La. Have you heard of this place yes?  

It is said that in a remote mountain monastery, there is a scroll that reveals the entrance to the legendary land of Shangri-La. Shangri-La or Shambhala, is a core concept in Tibetan Buddhism. It describes a realm of harmony between man and nature that is also connected with the Kalachakra or "wheel of time". It is described in detail in the Shambhala Sutra, a historical text written by the Sixth Panchen Lama. It says the entrance to Shambhala is in the west of Tibet, near the mountain of  Ana-Amarinpoche – which means “Goddess mothers finger in the snow”. Only no one knows or has heard of this mountain. It is said that the people of Shangri-La are without disease and are almost immortal. 

This Lady Nancy, is the land to which you head. A place I have often studied. One of mystery, legend, isolation and cold. I confess, I am rather jealous that you will get to see these things that the rest of us have only read about in books.

[shipincident]: you witness a man being physically abusive to one of the staff

is it Adolph who is abusive? (68): Yes (75%)

By this time the breakfast has been completed and the waiter returns with the coffee. Unfortunately, the ship heaves a little to one side and the waiter spills hot coffee into the lap of Adolph. He leaps up in pain and scolds the waiter in a loud voice, slapping him across the face. The whole salon quietens. Adolph looks slightly sheepish as he looks around the salon, he apologises and sits down wiping his lap with his napkin.

Adolph: I am sorry, that coffee was very hot and I think the waiter did it deliberately.

Still feeling uncomfortable he makes his excuses and leaves the table still dabbing at his lap.