Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori [IC]

[Dustfinger]

Chester

*Uhg, I didnt want it to come to this so quickly.*

Chester then gets up, draws his gun and quickly, and quietly aproaches the his foe. He holds his gun head height prepared to fire if theman turns around.

Spoiler

Show

If I get all the way up to the man then I will yell
Drop the weapon, and the keys, and get on the ground.

Intimidate (1d20+3)[6]
Attack (1d20+1)[11]
Move Silently (1d20-1)[1]

[Penril]

Jonathan

One man turns to you, sporting a wonderfully maintained goatee and exclaims "Exactly what we where saying, sir! Tennison here says he heard the the taller one mention a murder of all things!" The one presumably named Tennison, a heavy set man with a ridiculaous toupee nods enthusiatically "Poppycock!" cries another "Archie, you and Tennison will do anything to cause a stir!" The other man, a tall, well dressed fellow in his fifties chides the goateed man. "I heard what he said and what he said was simply that the curley-haired fellow come with him in order to prevent unpleasantries"
"Fine," replies Archie "But think about it, there must be something afoot. A stranger walks up to you and says 'Come along chummy and there'll be no funny business'. Makes you like that the curley-haired chap has a skeleton or two in his closet and that, Thomas," he says striking the bar with the palm of his hand smugly "Is something to get stirred up about!" Thomas sighs and returns to his drink. You get the impression that this trio have had similar discussions before. The one named Archie turns back to you. "Archie Flash, freelance photographer!" he cries enthusiastically, thursting forth a hand.

Chester

The bald man sighs, freezes and drops his weapon and the keys without a word and quietly lays face down on the ground, with his arms behind his back. "You have me at a disadventage, sir" he says with a sly, self-assured tone.

[Dustfinger]

Chester

Chester kicks the keys and gun to the adge of the car then looks up at the passengers. He looks for a strapping you man and says

You! No, not you, the man behind you in the bowler. Come here and handcuff this madman.

Chester then keeps his gun trained on the prone man as he pulls out his handcuffs and gives them to the young man.

Now sir, what is it you think you were doing here? Holding people hostage, threatening perfectly innocent civilians.

Chester walks over to the keys and the gun andpicks them up as the young man handcuffs the assailent. He puts the gun in his own holster and clasps it shut.

[Lepre_Khan]

Jonathan Langston

Langston returns the handshake in a more reserved manner,
"Jonathan Langston, poet. Pleased to meet you, sir.

Would I be wrong in assuming you generally work with newspapers? If so, I suspect you're missing some rather interesting photo opportunities. I've encountered that detective before and he's not very subtle, as we saw when he burst in here."

Jonathan sips his drink while awaiting a reply. Yes, I suppose I'll have to approach that detective and take him in hand. Else he'll simply get in my way and make a general mess of things.

[Penril]

Chester

The man's voice is muffled slightly due to the thick red carpet. "Sir, I need to speak with this man as a matter of urgency. There are matters at hand that are more important than you, myself or anybody here. In the end you'll realise the mistake you are making." The man does not struggle as the young man you selected, a bright-eyed, keen looking gentleman, applies the handcuffs.

Jonathan

The gentleman laughs heartily, a high, slightly off-putting sound. "No sir, I work for a much more prestigious patron. I am a photographer for the acclaimed National Geographic Magazine!" he says with a flourish, basking in his own acclaim. "yes, I've been all over the world with my trust camera, braving fierce jungles and impassable mountains! All in search of truth and knowledge for my fellow man!" As he goes on to talk about his work, you get the impression that he has rehearsed this introduction many times before and judging by his demeanor, it is an attempt to impress men and delight women.

[Lepre_Khan]

Jonathan Langsont

"Yes sir, that is quite impressive. You do this work with your friends here?"

Langston gestures at Thomas and Tennison, adopting a polite and civil tone. Meanwhile, he's attempting to hear what's going on in the next cabin, where a certain-trigger-happy-detective just barged in.

Spoiler

Show

Listen (d20+2)[22]

[Dustfinger]

Chester

Who is this man you are looking for? We will bing him here and we will all have a nice fine talk to see just what all of this is about.

Spoiler

Show

If the man gives a description, a send a staff member of the train to go find him and bring him here.

[Penril]

Jonathan

"You mean these milksops? Nay! We go way back though, Tennison here runs chain of fine tailors and Thomas, the old misery-guts that he his, works for a law firm." As the others begin to comment on their respective vocations, you strain your ears for the sound of action, but to your suprise, you hear no crashing, no gun shots and no shouting. Very strange. As you ponder on this, another thought wanders through your reflective mind. A photographer, a tailor and a lawyer all from different vocations and areas, judging by their accents. They can't be school friends given the age difference between them, so you reason that they must have fought in the war together.

Chester

"His name is Felix Last and among other things, he's wanted for murder. He's a pale little sod with curly dark hair, dressed in a cheap, brown suit. He's in there." The man gestures with his head towards the locked door. You nod with satisfaction, then blink. You feel that somehow this is too easy, the man clearly isn't an authority, but he has allowed himself to be captured. Why is this? And why is he so compliant in the potential capture of this Last fellow? If he is beyond the law, then the last thing he would want is Last in jail. Then again, you did have a gun and his demeanor of confidence may be just a mask. After all, you are an authority, people normally do what you say anyway ...

You shake the conflicting, paranoia from your mind and chide yourself. A clear head is what is needed now.

[Lepre_Khan]

Jonathan Langston

Surprised by Chester's lack of volume, Langston coolly takes another sip of his drink--he's the sort of man who always takes sips--and thinks to himself, No distrubances? No gunshots? Perhaps the trouble is over. Still, better safe than sorry. I may as well waste another word or two on these veterans.

Lowering his glass and casually swirling it's contents, Jonathon inquires of the trio, "So, tell me chaps, what's your stop today? I myself am off to Liverpool for business."

[Penril]

Jonathan

"We are bound for Chester as a matter of fact, we intend on meeting some of the old gang and we're all going to spend a few days enjoying some well deserved rest and relaxation!" Thomas snorts at Archie's last comment "When was the last time you had any work, Archibald?" he asks haughtily, before grinning wide. Tennison also chuckles into his drink. You see in Archie a sudden look of anger and embarisment, but it vanishes as quickly as his drinks and he retorts "Well, at least I am still able-bodied, old man." and all three laugh once more, evidently enjoying some kind of in-joke.

[Dustfinger]

Chester

Well my friend,we are going to find Mr. Last.

Chester pulls the man up with his gun at his back walking him towards the door.

Don't try anything funny, I'm not in the mood today.

The two men then walk off searching for this mystery man.

[Penril]

Chester

You thrust your charge ahead of you as you approach the door and clumsily unlock the door in the tight space. You step into a dark carriage full of suitcases and luggage. There are plently of places to hide within the shadowy corners and the light shining in thorugh the door just about illumintaes another door at the far end.

((Make a Spot check))

[Dustfinger]

Chester


Alright Mr. Last, come out right now with your hands up. Sir there is no use in hiding, I know you are here just come out.

Spoiler

Show

Spot (1d20+1)[20]

[Lepre_Khan]

Jonathan Langston

Finishing his glass, Langston politely excuses himself from the veterans and attempts to return to his seat.

[Penril]

Chester

A thorough scan of the room reveals that Mr Last is not, in fact, in here. You carefully poke around the dark corners and investigate some of the larger cases, but find nothing. Trying the door, you find it locked on this side so you assume he hasn't gone through there. You are about to give up when you notice a soft breeze chilling the back of your neck. Peering up, you see a hatch in the ceiling, just out of arm's reach. The hatch is everso slightly ajar and looking down, you can see an over-turned case, presumably used as a step up, then kicked aside. You stare at the hatch for a long moment and sigh heavily as you realise where the hatch is most likely to lead.

[Dustfinger]

Chester

Chester quickly re-cuffs the man he is with a a pole or some other large immovable object them makes for the hatch. He uses the same case that the other man used to get up. Chester then peers around, trying to find this man, this Felix Last.

Alright Mr. Last, I have a few quesions for you. If you've done nothing wrong then just come here and let's talk.

Chester prepares to fire if Mr. Last tries to get the drop on him.

Spoiler

Show

Spot (1d20+1)[10]
Prepared Attack (If he attacks me) (1d20+1)[9]

[Penril]

Chester

You push open the hatch to find a small ante-space and a slightly smaller, steel hatch. From the other side, you can hear the sound of rushing wind and rythmic "clack-clack" of tracks. You push this hatch up and out and torrent of rushing wind bursts into the space. You can barely hear your self think and have to clamp a hand heavily onto you head to avoid losing your hat. You can see down the length of the long train from here, as well as the verdant, green countryside, which seems to shine in the mist and haze of the recent wet weather. About ten feet away from you, almost at the end of this carriage, you can see a wind-swept figure staggering against the tremendous forces which threaten to sweep him off the roof of the carriage at any moment. Judging by the tangle of curled locks, you recognise him as Mr Last. Walking out on the roof of a speeding train in weather like this is suicidal, especially when you take into account that a tunnel could rise up suddenly and leave you splashed across some cliff or mountainside.

[Dustfinger]

Chester

Chester see's the man on the far end of the train and then screams to get his attention.

Mr. Last! It is safe now, I caught the man that was chasing after you! You can come down now with no worries, he is handcuffed, he's no harm to you now.

Chester lowers his gun and starts to walk towards the man.

Come on, now get inside.

[Penril]

Chester

((Make a Balance check))

Your cries seem to reach the man's ears because he turns slowly, keeping his arms out to balance him on the slippery roof. As he begins to make his way back to you in slow, careful steps, he calls something to you.

((Make a Listen check and a Sense Motive check))

[Dustfinger]

Chester
*Oh God, what have I gotten myself into now. It's cold, windy and slippery and I left my coat and hat in the train. Oh crap he's talking to me, I better listen.*

Spoiler

Show

Balance (1d20-1)[17]
Listen (1d20+4)[8]
Sense Motive (1d20+7)[21]

[Penril]

Chester

You balance yourself against the buffeting winds and try to make out what the man is saying, but his words are lost on the wind. However, you infer from his wide eyes glancing behind you and the fact that he is diving for the floor, indicates that something very, very bad is coming your way.

((Make a Reflex save))

[Dustfinger]

Chester

Excuse me, what! I can't hear you! Oh God.

Chester dives onto the floor back towards the hatch.

Spoiler

Show

Reflex (1d20-1)[7]

[Penril]

Chester

You spin around and see, to your horror, a high, rocky hill ruching towards you! The train is whooshing through a tunnel and you dive for cover just in time to avoid a sticky end. You hit the damp, metal roof and gasp as the wind is knocked out of you. As you rush through the dark, billowing space, you cling on for dear life and you feel a sudden, sharp pain in your back that almost causes you to loose your hold. You can feel your warm blood seeping through your shirt, but you grit your teeth and cling on, white-knuckled to the roof. After what seems like an age, light bursts back in again and you slowly pull yourself onto your side and peer down the train towards Mr Last, but find that you are alone.

Less than six feet away, smeared along the roof, but becoming more obscured by the damp and the wind is a singular, bloody handprint. A familiar chill runs down your spine as you begin to imagine the poor man's fate.

[Dustfinger]

Chester

Chester stands up carefully and walks back to the hatch. He then jumps down inside.

That was close. The man killed himself. His body is crushed up against the side of a cliff. Now come on. Give me the full story on him.

Chester takes the handcuffed man back towards where he left his things. Once he has them he goes to get a drink.

[Penril]

Chester

You retreive your belongings from the vacant seat and order yourself a stiff drink to calm your adrenalin-shaken body.

((Sorry to slow this down a mite, but where are you planning on interviewing this man? The bar, one of the carriages or in the luggage compartment?))

[Penril]

Chester

Considering it more prudent to conduct these matters in private, you leave your prisoner safely handcuffed to a handy railing in the luggage carriage and make your way back to the bar. Your windswept hair and shaken demenaour draw a number of looks from the other patrons at the bar.

((Jonanthan and Chester, Spot checks both please.))

[Lepre_Khan]

Jonathan Langston

Spoiler

Show

Spot (d20+2)[20]

[Dustfinger]

Chester

*Uhg my back... I'll get though this day if it kills me. And even if it does, i'm dying with a drink in my hand a smile on my face.*

Spoiler

Show

Spot (1d20+1)[12]

[Penril]

Jonathan

You notice the door slide back open and the detective return to the bar.

Spoiler

Show

You can try a hide check to disguise yourself as you did before if you want to, roll against Chester's Spot check.

Both
((OOC: since Jonathan has the high Dex of the pair of you, I'll allow Janthan to react first and then Chester can respond as appropriate, if applicable))

[Lepre_Khan]

Jonathan Langston

At the Chester's entrance, Jonathan suppresses a sigh and attempts to drain his already empty glass before taking his leave of the veterans and approaching the dashingly disheveled apprentice.

"Mr. Gould? What the devil are you doing here?"

Rasing his left hand to his chin Langston mutters, almost as if to himself, "Still, I suppose this does make things easier."

Jonathan extends a hand in greeting, "I don't suppose you would be interested in a job, old boy?"