Vampire

Vampire:??the Requiem??

City of??Darkness:??Manchester

The Endless Waltz

Episode 1: Blood Ties

The troupe made their way to the Sugar Lounge club, up on Deansgate Locks. On the way they called Partirck Falken and explained what had happened so far. Patrick was not impressed and demanded they find the hard drives. Arriving at the club Dimitri and Kane headed in, these two being the best dressed for the venue. Dimitri simply stated his name and who he works for and both himself and Kane were let into the bar, an dark, leather and acrylic decorated place filled with guest with far to much monet to spend. Heading upstairs they found the DJ, Benjamin Caren, but also found their Beasts stirring. Another vampire was present. Looking about they spotted someone who waved them over, a woman dressed in a blue dress with platinum hair. She introduced herself as Lauren Esten and asked quietly if they were here on business or pleasure, but somehow knew that Kane was hiding their motive. She also stated that she was a member of the Carthians. Speaking with Benjamin Caren Dimitri posed as an intervierwer before Kane confronted him with the device that was attached to the camera in Rizor Systems. Caren, keen to not get drawn into this tells them that he did make such a device and that he sold it recently to a guy who owns an internet cafe in town. The man works as a fence for stolen eletronics and data.

Leaving the bar Kane and Dimitri are followed by four well built men, and so Chuck and Stella hang back and then follow after them. Knowing that they are being followed Kane and Dimitri lead the men into a dark carpark where the trap is sprung. As an argument breaks out between Kane and one of the gangsters, it seems these men represent a gang that wants to muscle in on the upcoming auction, Chuck lifts up and hurls one of the men, the man landing in a crumpled mess on top of one of the others. Chuck then easily lays into the other while Dimitri intimidates the other, Stella emitting an aura of dread which saps the gangsters resolve. As they question the man about who he works for and then knock him out, Chuck takes one of the other unconcious men and feeds. And feeds. And feeds. Killing the man in a savage manner. Dimitri walks over to where Chuck had gone to feed and finds the corpse and Chuck crouched over te man, blood dripping from Chucks mouth. Chuck cleans up and dumps the body in a dumpster nearby, hoping that no one will find it.

As it gets closer to midnight the troupe rush over to the internet cafe at PIccadilly Gardens in the centre of the city. They find the cafe closed but there are lights on both downstairs and up. They head around to the back and find the the back door is open. Heading in, Kane, followed by Stella, with Dimitri and Chuck going upstairs. Dimitri could see someone upstairs through the window and so Chuck tried to break down the fire door but failed and so instead they smashed the window. Stella headed up the stairs and her Beast growled and she was confronted by a man with teeth like a shark and a hairless head that looked as if it was red from being scolded. The man snarled and launched towards Chuck who had got inside through the window, grabbing him and launching both men out the window onto the ground below. Scarmbling about Chuck grabbed the vampire and held him, only to have the Nosferatu look at him with wild eyes. Chuck convulsed, blood seeping from eyes and mouth and fled in terror. Dimitri tried to block any escape while Kane grabbed the vampire, bestial claws growing from Kanes hands. The claws slashed and gouged the vampire before Kane pinned the fiend to the ground. Certain he was not going to fight Kane and the other awaited for Chuck to return, Chuck having gathered himself together. Chuck decided it would be best to stake him, but the vampire protested and said he would tell them anything they needed to know. SO while Stella and Dimitri looked over the cafe some more Kane and Chuck took the vampire away to another back alley where they could interrogate him.

Stella found an answering machine message from a Laurence Panis who had called 4 hours ago to arrange a meeting half an hour ago. Dimitri meanwhile found in the trash a printed email about the auction, that it will take place the following night at Club Quicksilver at 2 am.

Meanwhile the interrogation revealed that the vampire, a Nosferatu called Jacob Lewis, was looking for the hard drive, having arrived late at the offices of Rizor Systems. He followed his leads to the fence but the drives had been sold on and now he was trying to find out who too. He also revealed he works for the Invictus, Vicountess Natalia Kerkoft. Kane and Chuck are satisfied and decide to stake Jacob so they can take him back to Patrick. Jacob of course gets worried, and breaks free but Kane just attacks and slices Jacob to pieces, sending the vampire to Final Death. Kane, caked in blood realises the power he now wields unlike when he was human. He Beast savours the moment. Dimitri and Stella arrive to find the scene and are shocked by what happened. They dump the decaying remains of Jacob, knowing that they have already broken the laws of the city. Dimitri grabs the phone that Jacob had and checks the numbers and texts. There is a Robert Woking, Annabel Barbican, Natalia Kerkoft's ghoul, some others. But these few seem to be used the most and most recently. From the last message Robert Wokin had texted to tell Jacob that Laurence had set up the meeting.

The rest of the evening was then spent by the troupe feeding at various clubs.

The next evening they called Patrick to tell them their plan before heading to the club at 9 pm. Dimitri and Chuck posed as photographers for a local paper and got in easily. Stella kept to the crowds but was generally not having a good night as the music in the club was DnB and trance. Kane took the other option of going in from the top. THe club was located outside the city centre in some unused land, the building being a old cotton mill. Kane sliced open the fence before climbing to the top of the building, his claws cutting into the brick. Once at the top of the building Kane broke in and headed downwards to find where the items were being stored.

Meanwhile in the club Dimitri, Stella and Chuck were overcome with a feelign of unease. There were more vampires present and worse, they were more powerful. Dimitri started to scan the crowd with his camera and found the culprits, a brunette in a fur edged jacket and a well dressed man who also had a camera. The woman held a phone and the one in Chucks bag, taken from Jacob, began to ring. Chuck got out of the way and went to turn the phone off while Dimitri watched the group who had now spotted Stella and started to confront her. The woman, Annabel, slapped Stella round the face before she, Robert and their three ghouls took Stella to a quiet area of the club. Chuck return and watched, and seeing that things were getting out of hand, and that Stella was caught in some trance, picked up a bottle and launched it at Annabel's head. Annabel was staring down Stella, her ability to dominate Stella's mind apparent. But the bottle smashed on Annabel's head and broke her concentration. Annabel frenzied and Robert and the ghouls had to hold her down. Stella then began to create an aura of dread, her Beast stirring up the crowd. The club went nuts and tried to escape the club a
s Chuck tried to get Stella to safety. Meanwhile, with all hell breaking loose the guards on the floor with the items stored left to find out what was going on, giving Kane enough time to find the hard drives and get out.

End

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Vampire

Vampire:??the Requiem

City of??Darkness:??Manchester

The Endless Waltz

??

Prologue: The Depth of Shadow

????????????????????????It is mid September, 2004. Labour is in it???s second term of office and Tony Blair still holds the office of Prime Minister. The??London??bombings were still to happen and the ???War on Terror??? is still in it???s infancy as British and American troops wage war in??Iraq.

????????????????????In??Manchester??the Kindred wage a timeless game of politics and intrigue. Currently the Carthians, the democratic Covenant of vampires, holds power over the city, led by the stern and fair Chairman Jonathan Williams. He however is aided in his governing of the city by a Board of Representatives, a gathering of key Kindred representing the Clans and Covenants of the city. As Chairman he acts as judge and overseer of the democratic body that is the Board of Representatives.

????????????????????It is the 18^th??of September, a Saturday night. The cool and suave Dimitri, a Daeva, awakes in his apartment in central??Manchester, in the exciting and fashionable area of the Northern Quarter. Dimitri spends his day in the on suite bathroom of the main bedroom, the room lacking any windows and so is easily sun-proofed. Speaking with his ghoul and aide, Karl, they discuss the plans for this evening. Dimitri is to hold a party and so Karl must gather guests, drinks, food, and of course an adequate herd. However, to begin the night Dimitri heads to one of the largest alternative clubs in??Manchester, Jilly???s Rockworld, to find his first juicebag of the night. But before Dimitri leaves Karl hands him a letter. It reads that Dimitri has been invited to Elysium tomorrow evening at the Urbis building where he will be formally presented to the Kindred of the city.

????????????????????At the other side of town in a partially built block of apartments Kane awakes. A brooding, long haired figure, well built and somewhat feral, and a member of the Gangrel, Kane is an Unaligned Kindred, but such is the way of the Carthians, this neonate has been provided a haven. There is a rap at the door and Kane opens the door to another vampire, the Carthian in charge of the communal havens that are located in the building, Alexander du Prais. Alexander is a well dressed and handsome young man, though with a touch of arrogance and self importance. Alexander hands Kane the letter of invitation to Elysium, just as Dimitri received.

????????????????????The Nosferatu known as Stella awakes in her dilapidated Victorian house in??Salford. She clambers out of the basement, dressed in tattered black clothing and immediately heads out into the night to hunt. She watches patiently in the inner city streets of the city of??Salford??(a city consumed by the city of??Greater Manchester) and timing the moment lures a hooded young man to her before launching herself at him, restraining herself when feeding. Returning to her haven she finds waiting on the doorstep the Constable (the??Manchester??term for Sheriff) Ihram, a dark featured man wrapped in loose black robes, much like those of Arabic descent in the city. Ihram hands her the letter inviting her to Elysium.

????????????????????Chuck Taylor, a Gangrel, awakes in the basement store room of the gym that he owns in the east of central??Manchester. Chuck is a muscled ex athlete who conducts himself in a military manner. His ghoul, Dean, greets him as Chuck heads upstairs. Before Chuck goes for his nightly run he is given a letter of invitation by his ghoul.

????????????????????At Rockworld Dimitri, having already got the attention of a number of girls and guys, inviting them back to his flat for his late night party, finds his Beast is arosed. The hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and he feels a deep growl in the back of his throat. He looks about the dark club and finally spots a man with scruffy short hair, a slim build and in a blue shirt. He casually smokes a cigarette as two girls sit next to him chatting. He pays them no attention and beckons Dimitri over. He introduces himself as Zahred Zilber and it is clear that he is a vampire. Dimitri leaves him on good terms, even inviting to his after party later that night.

????????????????????On the Sunday night before the Elysium gathering Stella sits in her study, water dripping down from pipes, walls lined with a large collection of books, candles flickering in the cold Autumn breeze, and prepares a ritual. As a member of the Circle of the Crone, the Covenant of eclectic pagan vampires, Stella is already trained in the basic arts of Cr??ac, and keen to have an upper hand at Elysium, while also being quite worried and afraid of her presentation, she performs a small ritual. Forming a ritual circle and filling a bowl with water, Stella slices her hand and allows a few drops of her vampiric blood to drip into the water. Concentrating and focusing on the spiraling patterns of blood she is able to read the patterns. Her growing experience allowing her to see the patterns of chaos. It is obvious there is some form of disharmony in Kindred society that will make it self known at Elysium. Finishing her ritual Stella prepares to make her way to the centre of??Manchester.

????????????????????In the cool dark of the night Chuck arrives at the Urbis building. The glass slope of the building reflecting the gothic spire of the nearby cathedral and the rotating white beams of the Manchester Wheel. All about steel and glass stands next to Victorian and Gothic architecture. Chuck approaches the rear doors of the building where two guards await and Constable Ihram watches. Chuck is welcomed in and asked to wait, but is first padded down for weapons. The next arrival is Kane who is likewise checked for blades and guns and then asked to wait for the others to arrive. Stella makes her entrance, having previously been waiting in the Cathedral gardens watching people arrive at the Urbis building. Finally, almost 10 minutes late Dimitri makes his way in. All of them are then greeted by Spokesman Mathew Rain, a charismatic and sharply dressed man, and also the sire of Dimitri. He explains what will happen upstairs, and then together they take the lift to the top of the Urbis building. The lift exits out onto a clean white corridor that then leads to a darkened room, lit by minimal lamps set into the ceiling. The room is completely exposed, windows all looking out on to the city about them. Against the lights of the city many others are silhouetted and at the other end of the room, the room tapering, is a single desk lit by a lamp. At it is sat a man with a goatee and short hair and dressed in a fine mourning coat and loose shirt. His stern features are made ever more so by the shadows cast by the lamp. Mathew Rain and Constable Ihram walk forward and stand next to the desk, Rain on the left and the Constable on the right hand side, next to another figure who has long hair and is also dressed in a long mourning coat.

A single light above illuminated an area in the middle of the room and Dimitri, Stella, Kane and Chuck stepped forward into the light. The Chairman, Jonathan Williams, stood up and walked around the table and stood before them, studying each closely before asking for each to announce their name, their Clan and their sire. Once that had been done the Chairman went about informing them of the nature of the democratic system of the city, of the three traditions, and the additional laws known as the fourth tradition and the fifth freedom. These laws, the executive powers of the Office of the Chairman, allows the Chairman and his officers to break all traditions and human rights so that ultimately all are restored. The Chairman then goes on to explain that as members of the city they may always ask for the aide of the Carthians so long as they support the city when needed.

With the ceremony over the Chairman takes his seat again and the lights come up and the new neonates of the city are presented to the Board of Representatives. There is Prefect Arken, a shaved head but dressed in the most fashionable of modern suits, a Daeva and also the representative of Carthains on the Board. Priscus Stewart, a spectacled shabby fellow who represents the Mekhet and is a member of the Carthians. Priscus Kollins is a brutish dreadlocked man of Clan Gangrel and the Carthians. Priscus Max Neils of the Daeva and the Carthians is a large framed man, ruddy cheeked and long beard. Judex Lord Peter Hawkins, Viscount of Northern Manchester is the Ventrue leader of the Invictus. Hawkins is dressed like a military officer, a dark uniform bearing medals and a red sash with bears the Invictus emblem. The Good Alder Lady, Natalia Kerkoft, Viscountess of Southern Manchester, is the Ventrue Priscus and is red headed and wears numerous jewels and a long green gown. Bishop Michael Kenner, a Venture, is the leader of the Lancea Sanctum. Dressed in the purple robes of his position, he is steely eyed and has a shaved head and a well kept moustache. Priestess Amanda Heath is an emaciated figure, leathery skin and wrapped in red robes befitting of her position in the Lancea Sanctum and is the Priscus for the Nosferatu. Finally there is Magus Gregor of the Nosferatu, representative of the Circle of the Crone, and also head of the local Crone cult, the Cult of Cernunnos. Gregor is a truly ancient vampire, a pallid skinned figure, tall and sneering with a lipless smile of piranha-like teeth.

Once all the formalities were over Dimitri, Stella, Chuck and Kane were free to stay and meet other members of the city or leave if they had other things to do. Dimitri casually approached the fiery blond, Lady Tabbitha Gao, Harpy and Daeva of the Invictus, a politely asked if he may sate his thirst on one of her herd. This of course caught the attention of a number of Carthians vampires. But before leaving the group is approached by the charming and discerning Ventrue, Patrick Falken of the Carthians. An intelligent and polite business man, he offers the coterie employment and his patronage and suggests that he will call them soon.

??

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Episode 1: Blood Ties

Since their presentation at Elysium the coterie has been pursuing a number of things.

Kane has been scouting the city for a new haven, in particular looking for abandoned houses or warehouses at the edges of the city.

Dimitri has been following his profession as a blogger and photographer, using his vampiric abilities to stalk and photograph celebrities.

Chuck has been looking up what he can find on Patrick Falken while Stella has been attending to her grandsire at hierophant, Magus Gregor. The Hall of the Hunt, a warren of caves and tunnels in a hillside north of??Manchester??out towards??Bolton. With the nights growing long, and the feast of Samhain approaching, the Cult of Cernunnos, some half dozen Kindred, study and follow the rituals of the

The coterie is summoned to Patrick Falken???s office at Ship Canal House in the financial heart of the city of??Manchester. Patrick has a simple task for them to perform. He has some files, photographs, which are being analyzed by Rizor Systems, a computer data analysis company based halfway across the city centre. Falken has given the company strict instructions to not keep any electronic copies and so physical transfer is the only way possible to retrieve the files.

On arrival to the Rizor Systems, based in a small block of offices, the coterie is directed up to the third floor where they would be greeted. However, upon arrival, they find that the offices have somehow been broken into. The man they were to contact is dead in his office, the back of his head caved in. A quick sweep of the office shows that the computer hard drives have been ripped out. The files are gone and so are any possible prints. After some snooping about and use of Majesty by Dimitri they were able to find the video footage from the CCTV for that evening. The camera over looking the corridor. The footage shows an image freezing and not changing. Going back to the camera itself they find that it had been tampered in order to show a still of the last image. The CCTV also showed that the fire escape door opened and closed by itself, suggesting that something invisible entered. Following this up Kane spoke to a rat in the alleyway outside the fire escape and discovered that a man with ragged teeth and blood red lips had passed that way. Also within the corridor they found a book of matches for the Sugar Lounge, a club on Deansgate Locks, and with a few calls it was discovered that a man, who also works at the Sugar Lounge as a DJ, is the most likely person to have sold the device attached to the cameras. It seems as if that was where they were going next if they were to get these files back for Patrick. Stella, wanting some sort of advantage, performed a quick ritual to see if she could gain some insight into what was happening. Taking the blood of the deceased programmer and her own she used a clean coffee mug to act as a vessel for her magic so that she would be able to see into the future. She could taste molasses, see a battle field with dead Romans lit up by lighting, and the smell of mercury and the sound of loud drums.

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Unhallowed Metropolis - The Curious Cases of Dr Bartlebee

Prologue: Case File LW24B ??? Lady in White, City in Grey - part 3

?????????? In the dead of night, having sneaked past the remaining Death Watch troops that were still on the streets, Sir Arthur, Dr Edward, Lottie and Ophelia made their way along the docks towards the Stalzen Leather Goods factory. Quickly Lottie found a side entrance and unlocked the door. With the group inside the factory they started to look for where this clone had disappeared to. Edward turned on his lamp and he and Arthur checked the vats used for preparing the leather, Edward almost losing his lamp in the container of tanning agents as his nerves got the better of him. Meanwhile Ophelia stood on guard at the door, stay as quiet as a statue, and Lottie, in the dark, searched about the shelves and crates. Bumping into a stack of containers Lottie, startled she thought she could hear some one moving about in the dark. Creeping back towards the others she signaled for Edward to swing the lamp in her direction, and after a few moments they found that there was nothing there.
?????????? Once they were sure that the factory floor was clear they all made their way to the stairwell, moving down into the dark, stepping down on filthly stone steps and almost tripping on rats scurrying under foot. With Edward in front, followed by Ophelia they found that the stairs went further down past the underground entrance to the subway network. As they descended down into the dark they found a large steel door that was open, and beyond it a long corridor, dark except for the dim sickly green glow from the other end of the tunnel. On either side of the corridor there were three large steel doors, doors not unlike those used in asylums. From within they could hear the wails and moans of people or creatures. Slowly they crept forward and they past each of the doors until they were almost at the entrance to the room from where the green light eminated. From within they could hear an argument between a woman and an older man. The older man was shouting, dictating that Josephine should not leave the labs again, and that their patron was interested in her development. But soon she became angry, angry at how she had been used and how she had killed her real father. Soon her anger flared and there was a scream and a crash of glass. The scream rippled through the tunnel, shaking the nerves of Edward.
?????????? Then there was the cries, the shouts and the moans. Hands crashing against the doors. Soon all the steel cell doors swung open, their locks broken, and naked figures emerged. Not zombies but also not humans, but other things, their eyes cold and hungry. Picking up his shovel Edward looked up into the face of Josephine, her young face contorted with rage. Lunching forward Edward kicked out at the clone, pushing her back, but she would not be stopped so easily and thrust forward with her iron talons, her finger tips puncturing through Edwards coat and into his chest. Edward stumbled back, blood welling up from the holes in his chest, barely dodging the swipe of the clone, her steel like claws raking the stone wall. Behind Edward, Arthur levelled his pistol at the approaching anathema, firing shots at the mutants. Likewise Lottie drew her two knives and lashed out, making for killing strikes at eyes and throats. Ophelia, seeing the danger that this clone, Josephine, presented, stepped forward, her exculpus ready and lunged forward, her sword striking the target and cleaving through the clones neck. Blood erupted from the neck of the abomination and in turn the remaining clones fled in terror.
?????????? In the undeground lab, though injured, Edward and the others picked over the crumpled body of the scientist, and found papers and notes. It seemed that the man was working for two people. The first were more than likely the Smithsonian company, rivals of Haughtons own company. The other letters Edward figured must be from the Lux ex Morte. Whatever was going on here was just the tip of the iceberg, but for now the mystery of the murder of Mathew Haughton was over.

Unhallowed Metropolis - The Curious Cases of Dr Bartlebee

Prologue: Case File LW24B ??? Lady in White, City in Grey - part 2

?????? Having discovered that the hair sample has traces of agaptic serums, algae and tanning agents, Dr Edward, Sir Arthur, Ophelia and Lottie decide tohead to the East End and chase up the issue of who hired the gang.Taking a cab to the East End, Edward and Lottie head to the Wriggling Finger, hoping that they might find someone who spotted the man who hired the gang. However, after shelling out a few shillings Lottie simply found out that the man in the wide brimmed hat and with the rattler and talisman was in fact some one slumming it, someone with apparently fine boots. Meanwhile Sir Arthur and Ophelia headed down to the dock side, looking out for the leather working shops. After some time they started to head back to the Wriggling Finger, however, as Ophelia spotted, they were being followed. Taking a turing down a dark alleyway Arthur and Ophelia set a simple trap, eliminating their would be muggers with deft decaptating sword swipes and well placed shots between the eyes.
?????? Arriving at the inn and finding Edward and Lottie outside waiting they head back to the West End where Ophelia maintains her flat in a Mourner guild house. Once inside the head Matron of the house, making note of the time, suggests that Ophelia should let her guests stay in the lounge. Meanwhile Ophelia brings down a collection of books and she and Edward begin to start looking for the meaning of the talisman. It is also brought to their attention that Dr Bartlebee has sent them a letter, a quick message that he needs them to head into the East End to find Julia Eallen. Julia was a close friend of Josephine, and came to Barltebee to say that she had spotted Josephine heading to the East End, along the river side. Bartlebee urges that the party find Julia and then find Josephine. With Edward and Lottie pouring over the books Arthur and Lottie headed back into the East End, needing to act fast before it got any darker.
?????? In the East End, walking along the dock side, Lottie and Arthur once more check out the leather working shops, and after some time of walking about the docks they find Julia calling out for Josephine. Julia is not alone and has hired a guide.Sir Arthur approaches and is startled that Julia is not shocked by the idea that Josephine is still alive. Instead he quickly sends Julia back to Bartlebee's house. With Julia now out of the way Lottie and Arthur return to searching for Josephine. Speaking to some dock hands they soon found that one, who was now the subject of ridicule, has seen a woman in a night gown near to the crates just outside the Stalzen Leather Goods warehouse. But as soon as they started in the direction of he factory a whining began, an intermitant siren. All around the dock hands dropped what they were doing. There were screams and cries of terror. There was a possible outbreak in that part of the East End and there would be soon be Death Watch soldiers on the streets. Both Lottie and Arthur ran to the main street in order to find horses to ride out on. Spying in a linen warehouse a horse and cart. Arthur pulled out his pistol and shot at the lock but it didn't open the main doors of the warehouse. Taking the iniative Lottie simply cracked open the high windows of the warehouse and clambered in, followed by Arthur. With both of their weight on a crowbar they wrenched off the lock on the front doors. They swung open and to their horror, just across the street were the first of a wave of freshly turned zombies. Arthur legged it to the carriage and whipped the horse forward while Lottie took shots at the reanimated dead workers, nailing one in the forehead and destroying it's brain. However, in his haste, Arthur almost ran Lottie over, but she was much to quick and tumbled out of the way before leaping onto the back of the carriage, and as they made their desperate run to the gates of the sector Lottie let off another volley of shots from her pistol. The carriage sped along towards the walls of the sector, the Death Watch with their guns levelled, but fortunately they were let through at the last moment, the soldiers checking them for outward signs of the Plague. It seems Sir Arthurs position had once more given them the edge they needed.
?????? Returning to the Mourner's guild house, Lottie and Arthur described to Edward and Ophelia. In return Ophelia and Edward explain that they have discovered what the talisman is. The all seeing eye and the scalpels means that the man was working for a rumoured group, a cult known as the Lux ex Morte. Seeing that the streets of the East End would be empty, the group think that the time would be right to go back to the docks and finally end this mystery.
?????? Comissioning a small boat the group makes their way to the docks of the East End and make their way to the Stalzen warehouse.

Unhallowed Metropolis - The Curious Cases of Dr Bartlebee

Prologue: Case File LW24B ??? Lady in White, City in Grey

????????????????In Highgate, a horse-drawn cab trundles it's way up the cobbled street and parks outside the residence of Dr Bartlbee, Offices of Private Investigation. A man exits the cab and pays the fare. He is dressed in a long leather coat wearing a bowler hat, a standard brass gas mask and carrying a worn and creased black leather medical bag. His gas mask hiss and tilts upwards as the man inspects the house and checks the weather. Lightning crackles above in the ash laden clouds.
?????????? Knocking on the door of the typical Georgian three story house, it's outer brick work stained with soot and rain, the man is greeted by a fumpy aging old lady, the head maid of the household, who ushers the man inside and through the inner door. The man begins to take off his coat and his gas mask which are all hung up for him in the cloak room. The man then hands the maid his business card. In times new roman it read 'Dr Edward Brick, Practioner of the Medical Sciences and Anatomy'. The maid then leads Edward into the main drawing room where she prepares a hot pot of tea for him and then goes to tell Dr Bartlebee that he has arrived.
?????????? Soon enough there is another knocking on the front door and the maid finds a young street urchin before herself. The girl, dressed in a long pvc coat, tall boots, stockings and a torn and modified bustle skirt and corset, introduces herself as Lottie and that the Dr is expecting her. The maid, with a heavy heart, leads the girl to the drawing room where she then asks for a drink of gin while they wait. She looks over at Edward and is unimpressed by the scruffy man, his suit thread bare and stained, his face not as closely shaven as it could be. Edward is reading some notes and medical papers.
???????? The next arrival is Ophelia, a mourner. She is tall and wears a tight fitting corset, a small top hat, immaculate pale makeup, and a custom skirt that just about conceals her impossibly high heeled boots. Her hair is unusually blond and long. She seems to gilde into the room and also asks for a tea and pays no attention to the other that are present.
???????? The final, late arrival is Sir Arthur Augustus Hallow-Woodsby, a knight of the realm. Tall, dark, wear a fine suit and sporting a cane he is treated with the upmost respect by the maid she prepares a glass of wine for him and he too is led to the drawing room where he examines the others as if a lord were examining his livestock.
???????? Finally the maid returns and tells them all to follow her to the dining room where Dr Bartlebee will greet them. The dining room is large and has windows looking out onto the garden of the house. There is a table large enough to seat 12 people and the walls are wallpapered with a sickly green material. Above is a fine chandelier. At the head of the table is Dr Bartlebee, a portly fellow, dressed in a smoking jacket and twirling his long handlebar mustache. His is drinking a glass of brandy and smoking a large cigar. Edward, Arthur, Lottie and Ophelia sit, Lottie chewing on a large cigar. Bartlebee is amused and offers his cigars to the girl before she just steals them. Lottie reaches out and grabs a generous amount and stuffs them in a pocket.
???????? Bartlebee then goes on to explain that a good friend of his, the industrialist, Mathew Haughton, was found dead just four hours ago. He apparently commited suicide after jumping through the window of his fourth floor bedroom, landing in the street, which is just 10 mins from where they are now. Bartlebee passes the case file that he has been able to put together with a friend in the force. THe police have not released the body but have 3 eye witnesses, one of whom is still being held at the station. Bartlebee explains that he is surprised by the event since Haughton was suffering depression due to the death of his daught, but was not the sort of man to commit suicide. There must be something else which would explain why the body had not yet been released and the witness was still held. He tells everyone that they are to get access to the body and the witness and the crime scene and figure out this mess.
?????????? Together in Sir Arthur's carriage, Arthur, Ophelia and Lottie ride to Haughton's house while Edward headed to the station.
Arriving at the house Lottie moves quickly and heads to the back allyways where she can get into the Haughton house while the others talk to the police and the family. Arthur and Ophelia are allowed past by the police and enter the house, after having a cheeky looking at the scene of the death which sits under a police tent. Arthur and Ophelia meet the sister of Haughton, a old refined lady, with pinched features, who explains the death of Haughton's daughter, Josephine, and about Haughton's recent business. Meanwhile, Lottie had already made her way into the garden of the house and was now scaling the back wall, making her way up and finding a window that was unlocked. Creeping inside Lottie then made her way upstairs, only just sneaking past one of the police officers in the house. Once into the bedroom of Mathew Haughton Lottie start to have a look around. The window was visibly broken from the inside, and on the desk there were many letters from Haughton's daughter, along with an open portfolio describing stock prices and efforts by a rival company to win the contract to build a new railroad to the east of England. Then there at the foot of the desk lay the picture of Haughton's daughter, the glass cracked. Walking about a bit more Lottie then foudn something more unusual, foot prints, bare foot prints, of ash. They led from the door to the room to the bed. Following these foot prints Lottie made her way towards a staircase that led to the loft and to a door that led onto the roof. The door had been obviously broken open with force from the outside.
???????? Meanwhile, in the Highgate station, a large and imposing fortfied building, the roof lined with weapon emplacements and spotlights, Dr Brick made his way inside and promptly hypnotised the officer on the desk into allowing him the key to the morgue. Making his way to the morgue Edward open the large reinforced doors and was greeted by two armoured Death Watch soldiers. Edward then found the right drawer and opened it to find the body of Haughton, his face crushed by the impact and his collar bone poking out of his flesh. The body was of course strapped down. Edward then proceeded with his examination and found something odd. A few hair fibers, blonde hair, under Haughton's finger nail. Bagging these Edward then left the morgue and sat in the lobby reviewing the case file.
???????? Soon enough the Athur, Lottie and Ophelia arrived at the station, and pulling the same trick Edward got them access to the witness. The other two witness reports said they saw Haughton jump to his death. In the witness room they found a young man, who said he saw a woman in a white dress forcefully throw Haughton through the window. THe man was quite shaken up and Edward gave him a measure of morphine to calm him.
?????? Leaving the station they all then sat in the nearby pub reviewing the evidence so far and then concluded that they should return to Bartlebee's and perform experiments on the hair, which Edward had found to smell almost a bit like the river and a bit like tanning agents. While Edward laboured away in Bartlebee's lab with Lottie lending a hand, Arthur and Ophelia heard the faint crys for help. They quickly made their way outside and found the witness they had met earlier in an alleyway being beaten by three thugs. With one look at Arthur two bolted for it, while the third raised his gun to shoot. O
phelia then launched forward, whipping her exculpus from out of her skirt and made for a diabling blow, but misjudged the distance and instead set sparks off the blade as it grazed the brick wall of the alley. Quick as a flash Arthur pulled out his pistol and fire two rounds at the man, the shots echoing in the narrow alley. The first slug thudded into the man shoulder and the second hit the leg at the knee, severing the lower lomb off in a spray of blood. Acting quick Arthur took the man's belt off and tied it around the bleeding leg while Ophelia helped the witness, now bloodied and brusied, up and led him back to Bartlebee's.
?????? Once back at Barltebee's the old doctor did his best and seared the wound of the thug using a hot fire iron. Bartlebee then gave the man a quick jab of opiates to knock him out and ease the pain.
???????? Some time then passed until the thug came back to. With Ophelia looming over the man like some death spectre, her blade lowered at his neck, the man told them everything he knew, that they met the man who paid them at a bar. He told them to kill the witness. He wore a mask and a large wide brimmed hat and spoke using a rattler. But there was something else, the thug told them. The man had a small talisman, a triangle with an eye, like a masonic symbol, but with medical instruments.
???????? Edward then came back up form the lab and informed everyone that it seems the hair is from a clone.

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