1899 - The Hidden Hands of the Aether

[Esther]

Rolled on: Aug. 28, 2013, 12:05 p.m.

1d10.extra(10) → [3] = (3)
1d10.extra(10) → [[10, 7]] = (17)

[LuckyDee]

It remains elusive as ever. This does create an opportunity for Hugo to share in the fun...

[Klear]

Hugo seizes the opportunity, going for the kill.

[LuckyDee]

Are you going to throw the bedpan, or strike with it?

[Klear]

Strike.

[LuckyDee]

Please roll Strength+Weaponry-2, in that case.

[Klear]

Nope.

[LuckyDee]

You fail to hit the rat, but luckily manage to miss Josie too. The floor, however, being very prone, proves an ideal target for your sanitary fury. The bedpan crashes into it with a spectacular crash, sending chips of enamel flying around.

And in this confusion, your intended target lightly skips over and under a couple of limbs and zips underneath the bed.

[Esther]

Josie throws Hugo an angry look, takes the bedpan out of his hands and puts it on the floor. She points at Hugo and then at the door, holds up the key and gestures the roomnummer of the other room she knows is not taken at the moment. She points at the door again, then acts as if she is picking up a customers bags, holds up the key and gestures the roomnummer of the empty room again. She then gestures to Hugo he needs to move the closet back and get out of the room. She waits for him to close the door behind him and then locks herself in. With a wicked smile she then crawls under the bed on her belly. She waits and listens for the rat every move, giving her eyes some time to get used to the dark.

[LuckyDee]

Unbeknownst to the part of the Inn's staff redecorating one of the guest rooms, more people are paying the common room a visit for a drink or a bite to eat. This never really ceases, of course - and fortunately so - but on this particular eve the number of guests with an intriguing part to play in each other's lives is steadily climbing.

Cole10000, Nightfalcon, please take this opportunity to post your characters below. If in doubt, see the examples at the start of the thread.

[Klear]

Hugo, still focused on the rat, takes a moment to notice and understand Josie's gestures, but then he acknowledges them, replaces the closet and muttering excuses, leads the guest to the other room.

[LuckyDee]

The guest is nowhere to be seen. You seem to recall something like him announcing he'd wait downstairs.

His absence is more than made up for by the sudden appearance of Mellie, whose red face is usually a very good indicator of imminent trouble - mainly for the staff. "For Durhaeon's sake," she snaps at you through clenched teeth, "what on earth are you two up to?! Get yer arse back in there right now, mister!" She emphasizes her command by simply keeping on marching at you; you could probably resist her, but from experience you can tell it's better to just go with the flow in cases like these.

[Cole10000]

Thaddeus Grey
Orphan Scholar

Details:

Backstory

Spoiler

Thaddeus Grey had his humble story begin on the front steps on an orphanage just outside of London. He himself openly scoffs at the situation when telling it, that he was left in a basket in the middle of the night. "It would have been even more perfect if it had been raining, who knows I might just add that in when I write my autobiography." He had once told one of his university professors. 
   There had been no note giving the child's name, and it had been left to the young man working at the orphanage who found him to create one. As the man would tell it, the surname he would give the boy was easy, his inquisitive grey eyes were a very defining feature and the only real distinctive thing given to the boy by his genetic family. The real issue had come when trying to find a given name for the boy. One night, when the young man had been reading a book as he was preparing for bed he stumbled across a name for one of the characters, Thaddeus. When the young Thaddeus had been old enough to ask "Why is my name Thaddeus?" the once young caretaker was unable to tell him why beyond he thought the name had a nice ring to it.
   Thaddeus never showed much athletic ability, where he truly shone however was his intelligence. He found himself spending many a day inside reading some new text while the other children were running to their heart's content outside. This of course, was a stigma among the others of his age group, ad he had to learn to run, hide, or trick them into leaving him alone which over time he became fairly adept at.
   At the age of thirteen, Thaddeus found himself well past the teachings the other students were receiving at the orphanage and found himself reviewing old books on mathematics to the point of memorization while the caretaker was speaking to the others on matters of faith. "I would like to claim that I try to at least have passable knowledge on any subject, however I cannot do so. Topics regarding religion, while the morality questions posed can spur thought, I find thoroughly disinteresting." Thaddeus had said once to a fellow student.
   Thaddeus was finally taken from the orphanage that very year, not by a lonely and infertile couple however. A Professor from a university in London had been giving a lecture in the local area, and Thaddeus simply had to be there. The Professor had found it curious as to why a young boy would be sitting in with such rapt attention of his lecture. After he had finished teaching, he had a talk with Thaddeus to satisfy his curiosity as to the boy's purpose in being there. One thing led to another in the conversation and the Professor learned of Thaddeus' orphan status and his desire to learn more than what could be taught given his circumstances. The professor was an aloof man, never having found romantic company and as such having no children found the prospect of raising a mostly grown boy interested in learning interesting. He went to the orphanage later that very day and applied to adopt Thaddeus.
   The next several years of Thaddeus' life was spent constantly going through book after book on subjects ranging from medicine to the occult, and when he became old enough to do so he enrolled in the university where his adoptive father taught. Upon completing his studies in mathematics Thaddeus found himself still wanting for more, and while there was still more than an endless supply of written words to learn from, he wanted to look into learning more of the world at large in its current state.
   He had spent the entirety of his life away from the streets, and had never had the time to spare from his books to visit a pub or bar of any kind. While he was still sifting through the option he could pursue in learning more of the world first hand, he found an article detailing the "Lock and Feather Inn." and the large number of people who found the place an enjoyable pastime. After packing his things and bidding his, admittedly still very aloof if elderly, adoptive father farewell set out to visit this "Lock and Feather Inn."

Age: 22

Virtue: Prudence
Vice: Greed

Attributes:

          Physical   Social     Mental
Power   Str 1           Cha 1     Int 4
Finesse   Dex 3           Man 3   Wit 2
Resistance   Sta 2           Com 3   Res 2

Skills:

Mental (11)
Academics: 3
Science: 3 (Specialty: Mathematics)
Research: 2
Medicine: 2
Occult: 2

Social (7)
Empathy: 3
Subterfuge: 4 (Specialty: Manipulation)

Physical (4)
Stealth: 3
Athletics: 1 (Specialty, climbing)

Other Traits:

Poor sight (2)
Hiding in plain sight

Mentor(3): Charles Ivensten
A professor at the university of Cambridge and Thaddeus' adoptive father. He have no known blood relatives and is a fairly aloof, if very knowledgeable, individual.

Size: 5
Speed: 4
Health: 6
Willpower: 5
Initiative: 6
Defense: (3,3)= 3

While the events unfold upstairs, on the ground floor a new face arrives. A clean shaven young man just arriving in this part of London sporting a heavy set of spectacles and carrying what appears to be his luggage takes a moment to look around the inn he currently finds himself in.

[Esther]

The sound of Mrs. Feathers voice in the hallway makes Josie hesitate for a second. Then she lets her frustration at the situation rise, and take her to a place she's been trying to stay a way from since she got to the Lock and Feather. It feels good. Like a true predator she now focuses on the hunt. Green eyes leading the way...

[LuckyDee]

Although the part of Josie's mind that actually registers it is too far away to make anything of it right now, there's a heavy thump at the door, like the sound of a very big man walking backwards into it. It's followed by an impatient rattling of the door handle, and a series of knocks as the party on the other side conclude that the door is in fact locked and it's still too early to start tearing it down yet.
Josie, taken for the moment by the beast that resides within her, sits poised and waits, willing her prey to show itself.

On the other side of the door, Mellie is really starting to build up steam. She's now arriving at the most terrifying stage: the one where she goes all calm and composed. In a voice that almost sounds fully under control, she tells Hugo: "Downstairs, now. Make yourself useful. We'll continue our little talk later."
Which will probably be painful, but for now you get some respite.

In the common room, meanwhile, Thaddeus is yet unable to spy anyone looking like the man in the picture professor Ivensten gave him. You were told to meet him here around eight o'clock, but naturally the excitement that this Voyage of Scientific Discovery sparks made you cheat a bit and arrive far too early. Your contact, Mr. Day, is an acquaintance of the professor, who refused to tell you much about him, saying you'd have more fun finding out for yourself. He was deemed the perfect tutor for this particular study, and you trust your mentor's judgement fully in matters like these.
You are now left with some time to kill, of course.