Unhallowed Metropolis - The Curious Cases of Dr Bartlebee

Episode 1: Case File TC37C ??? Fires from the Skies part 2

Having left the elevated carriageway the group, on board of the corpse carriage, made their way through the main roads of??London??towards??London??Bridge. Before each carriage could pass over the bridge the carriage was to be inspected by the police. Satisfied the police let the carriage past and so Dr Edward directed the horses forward.

????????????????????????While crossing the bridge, the tall walls of the structure lined with Death Watch troops scouring the bridge for animates, the carriage was signalled by a soldier, a Lieutenant Mathews, and another fellow corporal. The Lieutentant, introduced himself and that he was there to meet the carriage, under orders from General Davenport. The papers with him checked out but with a keen eye Sir Arthur spotted the corporal had placed some device under wheels of the carriage. Soon enough guns were drawn, shots fired, Arthur grabbing the bomb and flinging it high above the wall of the bridge. As Mathews escaped, the corporal dead and Dr Edward suffering a broken foot from a shot, the Death Watch descended on the group and secured the area.

????????????????????????Taken to the offices at the top of??Tower??Bridge, the group awaited General Davenport. The gruff general with the prosthetic clawed arm informed them that they had found on the corporal a map, with notes in German, describing a route to a farm out in the outskirts of??London. They had until 8pm when some event would occur, presumably the weapon if it had been captured would be taken from the farm at this point.

????????????????????????Leaving the centre of??London, the weapon safely in the hands of the army now, the troupe made their way out into the farmlands of??London??to the east of the city. It was early evening and slowly getting darker as they passed each ring of fortified walls. After some time they dismounted their horses and crept along the roads and into the fields. These few areas of land that exist for farming are owned by the aristocracy and industrialists. After another twenty minutes on foot, making their way over low walls. As they got closer in the dwindling light they could make out a number of men patrolling the farm. Arthur got his rifle out and could see that there were some 20 men circling the farm. As they got ever closer the chance of being spotted increased, and soon they were. A pair of guards made their way out of the farm grounds and headed towards them, as Lottie, Arthur, Edward and Ophelia split up to hide. The guards walked past and then back, finding nothing. But, distracted by a stone thrown in the wrong direction, Ophelia emerged silently and in two clean swipes decapitated the guards.

????????????????????????Taking the uniforms, Arthur and Edward sneaked into the farm while Ophelia and Lottie made their way forward to get a closer look at the barn. Taking the right moment Lottie and Ophelia sneaked over the wall of the farm and hid in the small patch of trees while Arthur and Edward, thanks to Arthur???s ability to speak German, were able to get into the farm house. Here they found the man in charge looking over maps and details about the weapon. It seems that the spy had not yet returned from the attack at the bridge, and so Arthur and the others had the upper hand. Using a bit of distraction Arthur lifted a few papers, especially one that he noted that was written in English. However, outside all hell broke loose.

????????????????????????Ophelia and Lottie watched the guards shout orders as from the skies a large destroyer class British dirigible descended from the clouds and came into range with its undercarriage cannons. Soon enough the first volley of round were fired, obliterating the barn and the airship inside. Men ran looking for cover, others cried out in pain as splinters of wood tore through them. Together Arthur, Edward, Lottie and Ophelia ran for their lives as further shells were fired. The farm was levelled and what few Prussian remained escaped into the fields.

????????????????????????Once safe Arthur pulled out the papers he had stolen, and on the head of the one written in English, was a British coat of arms. It seems that the traitor within the British government is a noble. Something which of course Arthur found very worrying.

Unhallowed Metropolis - The Curious Cases of Dr Bartlebee

Episode 1: Case File TC37C ??? Fires from the Skies

????????????????????????The dirigible ???Zeus??? Claw??? descends through the smog and lightning the crackles about it. Thrumming Magneto engines propel the ship down and spot lights illuminate the hull of the lumbering airship as it begins to slow in order to dock with the extended arm from the gothic spire of the Airship port that towers above??London.

????????????????????????The hull of the airship opens and steps are lowered to the deck. In the howling wind passengers get out of the ship and onto the exposed deck. One of the passengers gets out, dressed in a long coat, glasses and brimmed hat.

????????????????????????Ship hand ??? ???Good afternoon sir. Welcome to??London.???

????????????????????????Man ??? ???Guten Arben. Thankyou.???

?????????????????????? Called upon by Bartlebee the group arrived at the Thornkirk and Drayton testing facilities to see a new weapon being put through it's last checks before being shipped out to the Airforce. The weapon, a behemoth of a device, almost like a large version of a Death Ray, rumbled into life, crackiling with energy and was used to destroy a target, a tank of Prussian design. The weapon fire, a beam of red hitting the target, and then nothing. Or at least so some would think. An expanding sphere of crackling energy consumed the tank and an area some 40 yards in diameter, before sucking back in on itself and vaporizing the area.
?????????????????????? Impressed, General Davenport, a veteran of many battles against the animates, his left arm now a hulking clawed prosthetic, asks the group to transport the weapon to the military base at the south of the city. The plan that the group come up with is to use a corpse truck as their cover, while Lottie goes to the East End and asks for help in the transport of?? precious goods. Of course Lottie gives the men that she meets the wrong date, as this is all a ruse to ensure that no one tries to sabortage the weapon.
?????????????????????? The next day, with the truck ready and the weapon mounted, the group ride out of the testing facilities in the early morning, and soon are making their way out of the West End and up onto the highrise carriage ways that sweep about the towers of London. With Dr Edward driving, Ophelia in the passenger seat, and Lottie and Sir Arthur up top keeping an eye out for people following they make good time but soon decide it may be best to make a last minute change of root.
?????????????????????? As they pass the north of central London the carriage way come up to the trainlines. A growing thrumming comes from behind the truck as a train starts to come up, but as it does it slows and the single freight carriage opens up and men with rifles start to take aim at the group. Shots are fired and Arthur starts to shoot, as the group are soon also attacked by a number of men on horses. Lottie, flicking a switch, lets a machine gun flip into place on the top of the carriage and starts to fire of a continuous burst at the train, peppering the vehicle with holes as men fall to their deaths from the open doors, tumbling to the ground far below.
???????????????????? With the train no longer a problem Dr Edward directs the carriage off the highway and throught the centre of London, heading to London Bridge, one of two that are able to take the size of their carriage.

To be continued

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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