• HereBeDragons

Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4

(SimonBooth)

It's football season again, and this year the Smart Money is on the JenkinDragons - but will TheUnitySociety solve the mystery in time to watch the match?

guest starring Leo Lyons as MrFlanagan

A personal account can be found in JacksJournal

Episode 1 - Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt

Friday, 12th October 1923

• AlsoudHassam was approached in his office by PaulTatish, who said wanted to be introduced to the members of TheUnitySociety. Though Tatish would not be drawn on his own knowledge of local history, Alsoud agreed to introduce him to the memebrs on Sunday afternoon.

time passes uneventfully, in the usual direction

Sunday, 14th October

• In the morning, as JuliusErlich was enjoying his first cup of weak, unsweetened tea, a stranger brought a corpse to his surgery in TheSlums. After leaving an obviously false name and address, the man left and Julius began to examine the corpse. He found that, similarly to two corpses which recently passed through his surgery, the corpse had died during a struggle and had a strange mark on its chest. In this case, the mark was much clearer, and took the form of a wavy three-pointed bruise with a love-bite in the centre. He could also identify an ourobouros-like pattern in a ring-mark in the bruises caused by the struggle. After performing some tests and setting others going, Julius asked SarahHutchinson to call the police round to collect the body (along with the usual "licensing fee")

  Alsoud brought Dr. Tatish to the TeaRoom that afternoon. Tatish revealed that both he and JohnAcier would be away from their offices the following morning. Along with Julius, EricColigny, EthanLocke, RebeccaSwarovski, RobertJohnson and BenitoTorelli were enjoing FruitTeas. All were introduced to Tatish, and he was shown around the library. Most noticed that he seemed to be looking for something, but no-one could tell what and he insisted he was only interested in local history. MrFlanagan appeared as he was saying his goodbyes to TheCharacters, and showed him out.

  TheCharacters returned to the TeaRoom, and while agreeing that they did not trust Tatish, talk turned back to the JenkinDragons. Benito pointed out that interfering in the game might incur the wrath of TheMob. Julius noticed that the symbol of the Dragons was likely the same as that on the ring-mark, and told the others about the corpses. He and Alsoud went to TheLibrary to look for more information.

  Julius found little of value, but Alsoud noticed that the cover article of "Ripley's Beleive It Or Not!" showed a beast which could produce the marks shown on the corpses. He took the magazine down to the TeaRoom, where TheCharacters read about Ripley's travels in Russia, where he learnt about the SerdtsePiyavka, a creature from russian folk myth which lived in pine trees and sucked courage out of people; which had been investigated by a Russian seeker-after-the-occult named PavelTatische, and his father Arkady. EricColigny noticed that the SerdtsePiyavka matched the description given by MarcusDelany (see TheBookStopsHere) of the creature in the pine tree. SarahHutchinson rang Julius to tell him that the tests had finished, and that while clearing up the corpse she had taken an oily residue off the chest marking which smelt strongly of pine. Julius, Rebecca and Benito went back to the surgery to investigate the corpse. Rebecca took lots of pictures, and after a long and uneventful autopsy Julius determined that the cause of death was "fright".

  Alsoud returned to JenkinUniversity to investigate PaulTatish, and found that everything was in order. Tatish had come to Jenkin from New York, where he had worked for a company calle ThePasagadeCorporation.

  EthanLocke found PavelTatische in the records of naturalisation, coming to America in 1913 and working for ThePasagadeCorporation by 1917. He then went to TownHall and found that ThePasagadeCorporation had been registered in 1901 by CyrusHazzard.

  EricColigny and RobertJohnson investigated the OldPineTree. After getting scared and shooting a wood pigeon, they smushed a pine cone. The sun started to set, so they left.

  TheCharacters met back at the TeaRoom, and Rebecca, Benito and Robert decided to borrow a bloodhound. He also ordered a chain-mail vest, though it won't arrive until mid-november. JuliusErlich took some of the oily residue up to 122's laboratory, and found that it was composed of pine oil, and something else. He prepared a weak solution of the oil.

Monday, 15th October

• Benito met Rebecca and Robert at 122, and after giving Rebecca's new Bloodhound, Henry, the scent of the oil, they went to JenkinUniversity. After explaining away the presence of a bloodhound in a University, they took the dog into the School of Medicine. The dog pulled at its lead, dragged them to the door of PaulTatish, and began to growl.

Episode 2 - Fear and Loathing

Monday, 15th October (continued)

• EthanLocke, Lisa DaVinci and JackProctor were starting the day in the TeaRoom while Hayes fussed over his new acquisition - a wireless receiver. Hayes tuned the radio to WHPL Radio, where NathanLocke was playing "Monday Morning Jazz". Nathan announced a competition to win tickets to see both the JenkinDragons' upcoming Plate Match on Tuesday, and the national semi-finals between the RochesterJeffersons and the New York Giants in New York on Thursday. TheCharacters noticed that he sounded very upset.

  After knocking and trying the door, BenitoTorelli broke into PaulTatish's office. RebeccaSwarovski tried to get Henry the bloodhound into the room, but he wouldn't enter, so she left to try to find a telephone. She met up with an elderly professor of toxicology, and charmed him into allowing her use of his telephone. She telephoned Julius' surgery, but was told by SarahHutchinson that he was unavailable.

  Lisa telephoned the radio station to enter the telephone competition, and with help from Ethan, answered the question, "who is the captain of the Rochester Jeffersons" correctly with "LeoLyons". She then asked him what was making him upset, and he revealed that he had split up with SarahLandsmann and missed her terribly. Benito pulled back the dusty shutters of Tatish's office to reveal a desk covered in papers, bottles and a packing case; as well as a row of six glass boxed agaisnt one wall. Five of the terraria contained two pine cones and were covered with glass lids; the last contained a larger pine cone and the lid lay smashed on the ground, amongst a greasy blood-like trail leading into a drain-hole in the corner of the room.

  Against the protests of Ethan and Jack, Lisa decided to solve Nathan's love-life problems. Jack set off early towards the appartment which he shared with MarthaLandsmann, but before he had explained fully to her Lisa arrived and explained the situation to her. Martha asked for tea. The men hid in the kitchen.

  Alsoud walked into Tatish's office, and had a look at the papers. He found that they were all in russian, but he found a few diagrams showing the SerdtsePiyavka in great anatomical detail, as well as what looked like a device for "milking" them.

  Tea was served. Martha told Lisa that Sarah was staying with her aunt Agatha, over on Morley street. Ethan and Jack emerged from the kitchen, and drove Lisa over to AuntAgatha's house.

  Robert investigated the bottles and the packing case. He found that the bottles contained an oily liquid that smelt strongly of pine, and that the case was addressed to "Leo Lyons, Rochester, New York".>>>

  AuntAgatha reluctantly let TheCharacters in, and SarahLandsmann came down to meet them. She explained her side of the situation, and Lisa told her that men couldn't decide things for themselves, and that Nathan could in a sense achieve greater freedom with her than without. Sarah decided to march over and tell that to Nathan in person.

  Alsoud obtained a trolley from the School of Antiquities, and the four smuggled the bottles, the case and the papers out of Tatish's office. After trying to track down ArkadyKoldun to translate the papers, they returned to 122, and listened to the wireless. Sarah burst into the radio station, paying no heed to the 'On Air' sign. She told Nathan that "he couldn't think for himself" and that "he could be free with her". She and Nathan left, leaving the confused producer in charge. Lisa, Jack and Ethan retuned to 122.

  BenitoTorelli found ArkadyKoldun's address and went round to see him at his house. Arkady spoke at length of fear, and of beasts of fantasy being real. He told Benito that he should return the papers and the bottles, and that the legends which spoke of the SerdtsePiyavka sucking courage out were not entirely wrong. At one point, he used the phrase "my poor Pavel, what has he done"

  Benito returned to the club, where Robert was trying to decode the papers and the others were discussing the situation. MrFlanagan came into the room, and asked what Robert was working on. When he was told it was a russian text, he said, "your friend was asking for a russian text". He then admitted that he had allowed Tatish into the library, on the basis that the players had seemed so friendly towards him the day before. Tatish had asked for russian books, and flipped through a few books, but hadn't taken anything.

Episode 3 - Nerve Tonic

Monday, 15th October (continued futher)

• EricColigny returned from New York, where he had gone to the headquarters of ThePasagadeCorporation and talked with DariusMede; he had obtained a list of companies owned by the Pasagade Corporation; and he had found a record of a delivery from Darius Mede to Warehouse C13. TheCharacters went to the warehouse, which they found guarded by goons. They returned to 122, where MrFlanagan was waiting for them. FrankShort had been calling - there had been a murder at JenkinUniversity!

  Arriving at the School of Medicine where Frank was waiting for them, TheCharacters were told that ArkadyKoldun had been killed, most likely caught by PaulTatish breaking into his office. Since the police doctor hadn't arrived, JuliusErlich inspected the body, and found the most intense leech-mark he had seen. His medical skills told him that Koldun had most likely been knocked unconscious by a blow to the head, and then killed by a large SerdtsePiyavka.

  AlsoudHassam took FrankShort aside. He confessed to breaking into the office, but only out of curiosity. Frank admitted that he couldn't investigate properly, since if the trail led to Tatish or Acier he had orders to hand the investigation over to Lt. DavidGeorge. He agreed to turn a blind eye to the characters' investigations, since he could not conduct his own. Meanwhile, BenitoTorelli, JackProctor and RobertJohnson tried putting a lab mouse ino the terraria. Each time, the mouse seemed more and more frightened, until eventually it died. RebeccaSwarovski spoke to QuincyJones, who seemed to have worked out that Arkady had not gone into the office; but he was quickly distracted by the mouse-torture. On Alsoud and Frank's return, Benito asked the officer to investigate the warehouse, but he could not do so without a warrant.

  ThePlayers returned to 122, and waited until after dark, when Benito, Eric, Jack and Robert returned to the warehouse. Jack created a distraction enabling Benito and Eric to sneak round the back; Benito gave Eric a lift up to a window. Eric saw inside a PaulTatish and GilCobbett stood around large SerdtsePiyavka being "milked", and swore. They fled before the goons could give chase. They reported back to 122, where it was decided that Tatish had to be stopped. They discussed frontal assaults and aerial bombardment, but when none of these plans seemed at all feasible Alsoud decided to use the Desert People Hand Gesture (see UnityGrimoire). Alsoud took an incendiary which Julius provided, and went with Benito, Jack and Robert to the warehouse, where he used the gesture to become invisible. At 9pm, the goons change shifts, and he snuck inside.

Episode 4 - Fight or Flight

Monday, 15th October (continued even futher)

• With his enhanced vision, Alsoud saw screaming faces in the distilled liquid coming out of the SerdtsePiyavka. He gasped, but was otherwise unshaken, and was not discovered. He listened to Tatish and Cobbett discuss their plans, learning that the liquid here was for Cyrus Harrard in New York, and that the liquid for the JenkinDragons was with JohnAcier in the team's oranges. He set off the incediary, and dodged out of the building. He got into the waiting car, and TheCharacters fled. BenitoTorelli looked behind to see Warehouse C13 go up in flames.

Tuesday, 16th October (at long last)

• ThePlayers went to the OldPineTree and collected pine cones; they then returned to 122. The morning editions of the papers were leading with Koldun's death, though the warehouse explosion was mentioned on the second page of TheUnityTimesChronice. The cars from WHPL Radio arrived and most went to the Plate Match, but Benito and Jack snuck off to Tatish's office at JenkinUniversity with Hayes' wireless. While Jack distracted the guard with the wireless, Benito swapped the cones in the terraria for the ones he had prepared earlier.

  Meanwhile, ThePlayers arrived at the game, and Toni DaVinci waved to Lisa. The game got off to a slow start, but ended with the JenkinDragons up 7-0.

  <<<people with notes should feel free to correct these scores -- SimonBooth >>> Jack and Benito returned to 122 and burnt the pine cones; then poured petrol on the ashes and burnt those. The second quarter started well for the Jenkins, but the Bears reorganised and started to tackle more; one tackle sent a Dragon off in a stretcher, and the tackler was sent off by the referee. The quarter ended 28-7.

  Jack and Benito arrived at the game. JuniorAlessi waved at Benito. The third quarter started, and the Dragons were pushed back into their own half. The Bears put in more tackles, and sent four of the Dragons off, licking their wounds. The quarter ended 28-21. The players tried to find Tatish, but he did not seem to be present. The fourth quarter started. The Bears scored, equalising; but it was disallowed by the referee for no adequately explained reason. The bears scored again, and wityh the scores at 28-28 the game went into extra time.

  The fifth quarter looked terrible for the Jenkins; but their panicked running drew the Bears into leaving a gap, and a lone Dragon ran almost the entire length of the field to score a touchdown and win the game 33-28. The crowd went wild; TheMob were delighted, and the players returned to 122 relieved.

  MrFlanagan arrived with the evening papers - TheUnityReporter had been the first paper to run with the Dragons' victory; indeed the ink was suspiciously dry for something that had only been known for half an hour or so. Inside, the paper reported that Cobbett had survived the blast, and was in a cell at Unity Hills police station, "screaming constantly".

  Jack and Eric went back to the OldPineTree, and burnt it to the ground, leaving behind a piece of wood implicating discruntled Brown students. RebeccaSwarovski and RobertJackson took Tatish's notes to Rebecca's chemist, TatianaAptekara, a russian. She agreed to translate them for a generous fee.

Wednesday, 17th October

• JohnAcier came to the society early in the morning. He confessed to 6 killings, and said he wanted it all stopped. He said that since Cobbett had escaped the blast, it was likely Tatish did too; and that since he was a marked man in Unity he would be going back to New York. TheCharacters drove to UnityCentralStation, but arrived just in time to see Tatish get on the train, which began to depart. Acier drank a whole bottle of clear liquid, and crouched down into a starting position; but instead of sprinting he collapsed and began to scream. The train left.

  While the others drove to UnityAirstrip, Eric and Robert escorted Acier to the hospital, where they were taken to a ward where Cobbett and the Goons lay in beds, seemingly unharmed physically but all in severe mental distress. Benito flew the rest of the players along the route of the train. They arrived in New York before it, but could not see Tatish leave the train. They telephoned the radio station to tell them they had made their own way to New York, and took rooms in a hotel.

Thursday, 18th October

• Eric, Robert, NathanLocke, MarthaLandsmann and SarahLandsmann drove to New York and met the others. The radio station treated them all to an expensive lunch, and they went to see the RochesterJeffersons play the New York Giants, where the players were shocked to recognise EugeneHazzard as the Jefferson's wide receiver. The Jeffersons played appallingly, and after most of their fans left in the second quarter they conceded the match. NathanLocke was upset, but took the winners to meet the Jeffersons anyway.

  Most of the team trudged off in silence, though LeoLyons grudgingly shook hands with TheCharacters, but EugeneHazzard recognised them and spoke to them of how happy he was to have accomplished two of his childhood goals - to be a reporter, and to be a professional footballer. He then got into a black-windowed car. Before the car drove off, the driver gave the players a distinctive salute, and they realised that it was PaulTatish.

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