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The Mysterious Deaths at the Painted Lady Inn

Player Instructions - The Honourable George Manton

Four Unnatural Deaths at the Painted Lady Inn

the Honourable George Manton {At Mallow Towers}

You hastened through the first gate and on to the big wooden one in the sea wall. Will Hedger silently opened it with his key. “I oils the lock and hinges now and then so as not to disturb anyone!” he comments. There being a bed of reeds in front of us we veered to the right and then through a gap in a belt of woodland. On a rise was a ruined cottage and beyond it a tower that was also ruined. As we neared the latter, Jennifer spoke “I can hear the bats squeaking in there!”

“We are not really going to watch bats are we?” demanded Hank.

“No we are seeking to catch the Occult Verification Society committing witchcraft!”

We approached a wooden bridge over a brook when Will Hedger staggered and gave a cry “Ow!” he hopped around clutching his knee. “You worthless little swine’s I’ll get you!” and we could see two boys waving catapults at us. As soon as Hank and you ran towards them they fled. “We do not intend you any harm!” you called out but roaring with laughter they disappeared into the woods.

“You speak for yourself guvnor I’ll murder them when I catches them! They have crippled me!” wailed Will Hedger, and in truth he could now only hobble along painfully. We cautiously crossed the bridge moving closer to the castle ruins. Jennifer said that she could hear bats in there too but Mervin felt no indications of nearby magic. Then from way to the west we heard a distant scream. You all halted silently and then Mervin said that he now heard a very faint buzzing. You thought that the OVS might try their spells in the open space beside the castle. Therefore you brought your party back across the bridge to hide under some trees near the ruined cottage. These also gave you some shelter for the shower of rain that began to fall. You heard a distant booming sound and Hank said “Mr Manton, I think that those noises indicate that the actions are taking place beyond that ruin. Your OVS people may never need to come this far!” So you moved back over the bridge to some trees beside an un-ruined two story building, as the shower ceased. Mervin reported that he was hearing the buzzing a lot louder now and asked should he cast his magic stripping spell? You said “No, wait until you can see the OVS in the flesh.” Hank drew his pistol. There was shouting going on beyond the building so you all went to emerge beyond the south wall. Seeing a group of people a score of paces away Mervin cast his spell. “Venefica Desistro Potentia!” and a woman in the left part of the group of people staggered. Someone in the group recognized Will Hedger, as he shouted, “Constable! There is another vagrant! It is that damned poacher Will Hedger! Oi been after him for years!” At that moment you saw a man in a top hat lurking just the other side of a broad ruined foundation wall. He looked as startled as you were!

= = =

You were groping for your derringer when he said, “Do you know where I can find Mr Blame-Taker please?” I asked.

You answered “I am afraid not sir. It is not a name that I know. We are here tonight studying bats but it is getting rather too noisy.” And you ushered your party away towards the ruined castle. The man followed but then turned along the rear of the building. Then you were startled by three shots ring out from within the building. Mervin then said “I can no longer hear the magic buzzing. The spell must have disempowered the witch. It must have been either Lady Leica or Mrs Butterworth, it was one of the women who staggered! So you said “Fine, let us get away back to the Duck Inn. It is getting too dangerous out here!”

So you returned safely and managed to get upstairs to the bedchambers without too much ribald comment from the merry locals. On your return to London you wrote a letter to Frau Seher.

Dear Madam,

My party and I essayed to Mallow Towers in pursuit of the OVS. Mr Mervin Inglis detected witchcraft powers amongst them and cast a spell against them. As a result his senses told him that the powers were destroyed and the witch, one of the women in the group has been stripped of her powers! I am therefore claiming the £100 for disabling the OVS of their powers.

I remain The Hon George Manton

Ten days later you received a reply:

Honourable George,

I have relayed your information to our organisation’s head. He is displeased that far from damaging the OVS the press has made them heroes! The disabling of the witch he acknowledges as a worthwhile feat and forwards £5 for Mr Inglis as a reward. However the OVS have drastically interfered with one the organisations operations. The organisation believes that only the death of Mr Reginald Helping can satisfy their dismay at the damage done by his OVS! Naturally for your own safety this must appear to be an accident or perhaps an ‘Occult Happening’!

Your Obedient Servant Vermogen Seher

= = =

The Honourable George Manton

Following the disappointing news turning down your claim to have completed your mission, Mervin Inglis left you. He had been appalled at having to stay at the demon drink purveying Duck Inn with its raucous clients, who kept singing until one in the morning! He thoroughly disapproved of your close association with Jennifer Hoy. He realised that the OVS were now heroes because they had foiled a smuggling operation! You told him that you had had no knowledge about this and would have left the OVS to it if you had and this was true! He felt that he had done a good job stripping the witch of her powers and was happy with the three pounds given to him for that service. He felt that to try to discredit the OVS with witchcraft powers which they no longer had at a time when they basked in public approval would be madness. He was off back to Clawdd Hirin to help in his father’s small Baptist Chapel! Then to top it all Peter Dymchurch whom you have been relying on to find out what the OVS are up to has been taken to hospital with typhoid! So you are left with Jennifer Hoy and Hank James and little idea of how to damage the OVS. The EU wish you to murder Ronald Helping but really that is not in your nature to do. However Frau Seher has sent you another letter:

Honourable George,

The EU Head is very displeased with the OVS, Mr Ronald Helping in Particular. The operation that their activities foiled has been excessively costly. If you have no immediate plans to kill him, one is being organised for you to carry out. A Mr Windy Blower will be contacting you in due course. The EU believe that the time for subtly is past and intend to destroy the OVS at one of their meetings in Rosemore Street with dynamite! Realising that this may put you at risk with the authorities, they consider that you with Miss Hoy and Mr James should depart for pastures new in Australia. If agreeable, passages will be booked nearer the time.

Your Obedient Servant Vermogen Seher

Mr Windy Blower does contact you and you view Rosemoor Street containing Mr Helping’s house where the OVS meet. Old Shufflewick the match seller has a pitch there, so from him you know the evenings and times they normally meet. He says that the only servant likely to be in the house is the Cook ‘Jaded Janet’ Kilham as the housemaid lives with her parents. From Mervyn Inglis attending a meeting, you know which of the rooms on the first floor they meet in. This is at the front facing the street. Mr Blower tells you that to make a certain job of it he will need a suitable carriage but that should be no problem. To throw a bundle of sticks of dynamite into the room, the window must be open which is not likely, or sufficiently broken. To throw them at unbroken panes would be to risk them bouncing back outside with serious consequences for you! Hence your job will be to throw full sized bricks to smash the panes first! Obviously you do not want any witnesses, so Jennifer and Hank will be posted as lookouts at either end of Rosemoor street. The EU provide an old carriage which they modify especially. The roof is reinforced for standing on and has a trapdoor and ladder so you can get up and down easily from inside. You practise throwing full sized bricks in readiness. You will carry two spares on the roof of the carriage. You will not meet the carriage driver until the night of the operation. So on the night of Thursday 29^th October you set the scheme in motion. You park the carriage down a side street until Old Shufflewick reports that five people of the OVS have arrived and gone into the house around seven o’clock. Then Jennifer walks to the near end of the Street and Hank to the far end to act as lookouts. The heavily muffled carriage driver trundles you and Windy to park a little short of Helping’s house. Then you wait until both Jennifer and Hank signal that the coast is clear. Annoyingly a trickle of people and the odd carriage keep passing by going in both directions. At last, after about three quarters of an hour both signal it is clear and the carriage moves forward to stop beside Mr Helpings house. You and Windy ascend the ladder to stand on the carriage roof. Trying not to think about falling down onto the hard road, you throw your first brick. It smashes a satisfyingly large hole in the pane and Windy lobs the dynamite through it. “Go!” he shouts as he has put only a short fuse on, for fear of anyone throwing it out again. You doubt that the OVS even know what dynamite is, but one never knows. You and he drop down inside the carriage but it has only gone about ten yards when there is an absolute thunderclap behind you. The horse stampedes away from the smoke and debris pouring out around you. Out of the carriage window you see a man standing on the pavement with his mouth wide open. Then he is slammed sideways and down, away from the blast and you see Hank firing at him with his pistol. You cannot hear the shots as your ears are still ringing with the bang. When the driver manages to get the horse back under control, Hank runs up to get aboard. “We dare not leave any witnesses!” he says re-loading his revolver. A look back at shows the street still a mass of smoke and dust. The carriage trots to the designated carriage house where you transfer to another. In this you proceed to pick up Jennifer and go on to Waterloo Station, to catch the next train to Southampton. There you are given the hard earned £100 and board the SS Botany Bay for a voyage to a new future.

= = =

Hon George Manton LEA Activist, Mo 6”, Fa 3/3/4 Ag +1, Th +1, Me +2 Bst -2

Derringer 2 bullets 3” 4+ Pst 0, 6” 5+, Pst –1, 11” 6+ Pst –2. Card Cheat D10 0 = caught

Can pick locks D10 6+ to pick each move, any 0 lock cannot be picked

Class VI, PI Respectable! Charm M +2, F +2, Coercion +1 MC £3 – 13- 7d

Speaks Latin, French, English, Eight foot pole, Bullseye lamp, watch

Mr Mervin Inglis Vle Activist, Mo 6”, Fa 2/2/3 Ag +1, Th 0, Me +2 Cross Bst -2

Class V, PI Respectable! Charm M 0, F +1, Coercion +1 MC £2 – 19- 2d

Speaks Latin, Welsh, English, Lamp.

Witch Finding & divesting of powers

Witch Finders like magicians can spot occult beings from their coloured eyes. They hear buzzing in their ears when close to magic objects or magicians. This occurs up to 18” for powerful magicians. (Ist level{4MU}12”) They can spot otherwise invisible demons.

D6 + MU – 2x level of magician + F, Holding +3 Touch +1, 3” 0, 6” -1, 9”-2, 12” -3

= 3- Fails, 4 Magician shaken 4 rounds, 5 magician dazed & loses powers, 6 magician faints & loses powers, 7 Magician in coma & loses powers, 8+ Magician apparently dead.

Hank James WA, Mo 6”, Fa 3/3/3, Ag +1, Th +1, Me +2 revolver Bst –2

Revolver Firing 3” 4+ Pst 0, 6” 5+ Pst 0, 11” 6+ Pst 0, 18” 7+ Pst –2, 5 rounds

Knife, Watch, jemmy, Lamp

Class III Unsavoury, Coercion +1 MC £2 -3 – 1d

Miss Jennifer Hoy WA +1, Mo 5”, Fa 2/2/2, Ag -2, Th -1, Me -2, Dagger Pst –2,

Pocket pistol 3” 5+ Pst 0, 6” 6+ Pst -1, 11” 7+ Pst -2. Lamp.

Class III Unsavoury, Charm M +2, F +1 Ventriloquist

Can pick pockets D10 6+ to pick each move, 0 caught!

Class III PI Dubious MC £1– 11 – 1d Speaks in English, French (P)

Will Hedger WA -1, Mo 6”, Fa 2/2/3, Ag +1, Th +1, Me +1 shotgun Bst –1

Shotgun 3” 3+ Pst +1, 6” 4+ Pst 0, 11” 5+ Pst –1 18” 6+ Pst -2 2 shots (6 spare)

Cord, lamp