The Mysterious Deaths at the Painted Lady Inn
Player Instructions - Occult Verification Society (OVS)
Four Unnatural Deaths at the Painted Lady Inn
From the Journal of
Doamne Leica Badamaru of the OVS
The newspaper reports soon
brought us many pleas for our help with possible occult happenings. With the
trial of the bullion smugglers coming up, we replied that we were too busy. Most
of them sounded bogus in any case. The police thought that the male members as
witnesses, might be under threat before the trial. So Ronald Helping, Doktor
Nichtwissen and Manko moved into chambers beside Professor Learning, as being
the domicile of many Lawyers, they were well protected. Doctor Watson also wrote
to us:
Dear
Mr Helping,
Mr Holmes has suggested
that I write a word of warning to you and your Society. Your recent very
praiseworthy heroics have struck very heavy blows against the Arch Criminal
Professor Moriarty. He thinks and I agree with him, that he is likely to send
some of his minions to do you a severe or even fatal mischief. He may try to
prevent you testifying against the smugglers in Court!
Your friend John Watson MD
Meanwhile we were notified
that the Wittelsbach Bank was sending us a reward for helping recover their
money. This amounted to £8,743, 11s, 3d, an enormous amount!
We discussed the
possibility of us all living in one large premises. Marjorie was not too keen as
she had her step twins, Hywel and Hypatia used to coming to her Kensington
Address. Hywel has just started his first year at Cambridge but Hypatia was
hoping to be presented in the small season in November. The Baroness Rosalind of
Clonakilty was going to do this but she also expected to meet Marjorie who was
her second daughter. No doubt she would be interrogating Wuw as to what she had
been up to! Fortunately with the press omitting our names and Wuw feeling guilty
that she had not accompanied Marjorie to Mallow Towers, it was agreed that our
presence there should not be mentioned. To keep him quiet Swithin Easy
was given a raise in salary, enabling him to move to more up market apartments.
Marjorie was called to testify at
the trial on the 20th October 1892 as she had had temporary custody
of three of the accused. Since she said that Benjamin Black and the other two
had caused her no problems, the defence did not bother to cross examine her. So
again her name was kept out of the newspapers. Benjamin Black was sentenced to
one year’s prison and Wilton Rugge two. The Frenchwoman masquerading under the
name of Kate Black was sentenced to one year but was subsequently extradited to
France where she was wanted for two murders. The thug Timon Thence was sentenced
to fifteen years and the Honourable Lionel Blame-Taker who was accused of
leading the gang was given twenty! The judge said that as a respected
stockbroker he should have known better!
After the trial Ronald and
Sigismund returned to their former lodgings but were advised to be vigilant by
the police. These were notifying their foot patrols near their residences of the
possible threat. They asked Old Shufflewick the match seller to keep an eye out
for ‘shady characters’ in Rosemoor Street where Ronald lived. On Thursday 29th
October we had our first meeting back at Ronald’s House. Professor Learning was
absent giving a lecture on investigating ghostly phenomenon’s. We had just had
the minutes of the last meeting read, when Cordelia Higginbottom’s ghost
appeared in the darkest corner of the room. “Go! You must all leave this house
immediately! A great danger threatens all that are within it! After this I am
limited to but three more appearances but they will not be unless you move away
to safety!” and she dissolved. So collecting our records and any other valuable
items to hand we descended to the kitchen. There we collected Wuw, Ludmilla and
Mr Helping’s cook Janet Kilham. Then we fled off out the kitchen door and down
the back alleys to Cadogan Street. We walked along there to Sloane Street, where
we were able to catch cabs to take us to our home addresses.
Marjorie took the cook to her mansion and Doktor Nichtwissen took Ronald
to his apartments. We agreed to meet again here at Aunt Griseldis’ house on the
Saturday 31st October.
Detective Inspector Hastings
arranged to come too because Cordelia had been right. There had been a big
explosion at Ronald’s house which had been completely destroyed!
“I am here to help advise you on your
future safety. It is obvious to me
as to Mr Holmes, that this explosion was the work of the criminal elements
involved with the Wittelsbank robbery, the Moriartia as he prefers to call them.
By some means they introduced a very powerful explosive device into Mr Helping’s
house. We are still sifting through the rubble for evidence. I understand that
your members all left the building just in time, but there was a man found dead
in the street outside. At first everyone assumed that he had just been caught in
the blast but the police surgeon found that he had three 0.44 calibre slugs in
him! They were what had killed him. He was a Mr Rueben Solomon who lived in
Rosemoor Street. He lived there with his wife Miriam and three children. He
owned three tailor’s shops and had moved from the Jewish ghetto areas so as to
be close to the Kensington Bowling club, of which he was a member. We have
hinted to the press that the explosion was due to a room filling with gas from a
light fitting. There will have to be a coroner’s inquest into Mr Solomon’s
death. Since some of his faith have spotted the bullet holes, his death will
have to be declared as murder. Theories have already arisen concerning rival
tailors or feuds dating back to before he left Poland, twenty years ago. Now my
superiors are suggesting that officially some of you may have died in the blast
and thus satisfying the Moriartia’s desire for revenge. They can arrange a
Coroners Court in camera to provide the cover needed accepting the coal gas
theory. What do you think?”
Professor Learning spoke first, “Since I
was holding a public lecture at the time I shall have to stay alive. However
since poor Ronald Helping’s home has been destroyed, I propose that some of the
money we are to get from the Wittelsbach Bank be used to re-build it. I put it
to the vote?”
Naturally everyone voted
for this but Reginald entered a caveat “If my house is rebuilt it would be silly
of me to live in it, if I am to be declared dead. I think that the house should
become Society property and rented out. Since Professor Learning is to survive
he can be the future contact point for the Society, especially as his home is
well protected. Now we were earlier discussing the possibility of our all living
in one large premises. I think that those thought deceased should do so. I have
in mind some remote country mansion, preferably with a history of hauntings for
us to investigate.”
Marjorie shook her head.
“It is a nice proposal but I am afraid that I could not move away for a while
yet. A pity because I should love to kill Wuw off!”
Doktor Nichtwissen though, nodded his
head, “I am agreeing with that proposal. I am not liking too well mine present
housing. Doamne Leica how about you as we must be having enough of us to make it
worthwhile?”
I thought rapidly trying to make up my
mind.
Marjorie broke in “He is right, and
after all I may manage to move in a year or two if Hypatia manages to snare a
groom. For myself I think that if there is any ghost hunting to be done in this
mansion I do not need to live there to do that! I shall ask Swithin to search
for any likely haunted mansions big enough for us. So Leica, how do you stand?”
“I think I shall go at least for a few
months. For after all that may be enough to put these enemies off our scent.
Whether Aunt Griseldis will want to move again I do not know. I shall take
Ludmilla and I suppose that she and I will have to stay indoors until the new
place is found.”
“Let us re-cap.” said Ronald, “We have
now ample funds for purchasing such a place, and for its furnishing and hiring
servants! We take up your kind offer Mrs Butterfield, for your agent to search
the market for such a property. Timing is urgent as I think the Doktor, Manko
and myself had best disappear back to the chambers beside the Professor. So the
members that are to be reported dead are we three plus Doamne Leica and
Ludmilla. And I suppose possibly my cook Janet Kilham. Marjorie and I shall have
to speak to her. She might come to the new address or she might have been away
from the house when it blew up. Can you wait until we have done that Detective
Inspector?”
“Certainly but I think that after this
meeting you must disappear from sight. We will contact the Professor about
future arrangements. We did ask Old Shufflewick the Match seller if he had seen
any shady characters hovering around in Rosemoor Street. Do you know what he
replied? ‘Only ones wearing dark blue uniforms and helmets!’ I think Mr Holmes
hopes to track down whoever caused that explosion but it will be a hard job. We
are more concerned with the shooting of Mr Solomon but I suspect that it may
have been the same people.”
“I too will seek out properties with
suitable records of hauntings in the London area!” declared Professor Learning.
On the evening of
Tuesday 2nd of November Marjorie (with Wuw of course) went to call on
Professor Learning, Ronald Helping and Doktor Nichtwissen. She was excited that
Swithin Easy had found a likely premises and should he make an offer for it? It
was an abandoned old Inn in a sparsely populated part of Bermondsey. It had just
come onto the market yesterday for offers over £180. Twelve bedrooms and a
stable, some renovation needed! Named the Painted Lady, four people had been
murdered there eleven years ago, so probably there would be ghosts around.
The Professor consulted his library and
found that there had been ghost hauntings in its past. There had been sightings
of a Cavalier Lady who was killed there resisting arrest and also of two men
fighting a duel in its courtyard. A Mrs Kettlebarn swooning at the sight of
these caused the locals to call the Inn the ‘Fainted Lady’. These reports, with
that of the murders, convinced those present to vote to offer for the Inn, on a
condition of early entry. (Without reference to me! But I did agree with them.)
So it was agreed that we
should all proceed to inspect the Inn on the morning of Friday 5th
November. The English celebrate this day as Guy Fawkes Night, when that person
was stopped from blowing up their King and Parliament in the past. They have
bonfires and even set off fireworks. If there is one night in the year when
supernatural beings will not show themselves this is it!
So we all arranged to arrive
there at around ten o’clock.
Present to visit the
Inn, May leave some outside at the start. Mr Swithin Easy (with key) Mr Ronald
Helping, Professor Able Learning, Doktor Sigismund Nichtwissen, Doamne Leica
Badamaru, Mrs Marjorie Butterworth, Miss Wilhelmina Wandsworth, Domnisoara
Ludmilla and Herr Manko. = 9
Mr Ronald Helping
Lea, Activist, Mo 6”, Fa 3/3/5, Ag +1, Th +1, Me +2, Mallet Bst –2
Lockpicking D10
6+ to pick each move, any 0 lock cannot be picked. Wooden stake
Class VII, PI
Respectable, Charm M 0, F +1,
Coercion 0 MC £9 – 11s- 5d
Speaks Latin,
Romanian (P) Watch, penknife. Police Whistle, lamp
Professor Able
Learning
VLe, Activist, M0 5”, Fa 1/2/3, Ag -1, Th 0, Me 0, Silver cross of St Patrocles
Bst –3, Culpepper’s Soul Seeker. Scroll of exorcism.
Derringer 2 silver
bullets 3” 4+ st 0, 6” 5+, st –1, 11” 6+ st –2
Bottle of holy water
(2 dollops) lamp & matches.
Class VI, PI
Respectable, Charm M0, F 0, Coercion
-1 MC £4 – 7s- 8d
Speaks Latin,
Romanian, Greek, French, German, Russian & Italian.
Herr Doktor
Sigismund Nichtwissen
Activist, Mo 6”, Fa
2/3/5 Ag +1, Th 0, Me +2 Derringer 2 silver bullets 3” 4+ Pst 0, 6” 5+, Pst –1,
11” 6+ Pst –2
Class VI, PI
Respectable, Charm M-1, F 1,
Coercion 0 MC £2 – 13- 7d
Speaks German,
Latin, French, English, Polish & Italian.
Case with Canvas sextagram & brush in it
chalk & six purple candles.
Manko
WA +1, Mo 6” Fa
2/5/7 Ag +1, Th +1, Me +2 cudgel Bst –1. Class III
MC £0 – 11s – 8d,
Lamp, two Na K’uei bronze disks for making demons visible.
PI
Respectable Speaks German, English
(P) Lamp
Doamne Leica
Badamaru
Activist, Mo 5”, Fa 2/3/4, Ag –1, Th –1, Me –1,
Dagger Pst –1, 3
pepper sachets R 2” D10 -2 rounds
blinded sneezing Mo & Me –2.
Deringer 2 silver
bullets 3” 4+ st 0, 6” 5+, st –1, 11” 6+ st –2. Watch
Class VII, (VI) PI
Respectable, Charm M +1, F +1,
Coercion 0. 4 Holy water pots.
1st level Magician
MMP 4 Spells: Summon a ghost, Dry
Clothes, Reveal Occult Presence
MC £3 – 2s – 6p
Speaks Romanian, Hungarian, French (P) Lamp & matches
Domnisoara (Miss) Ludmilla
Bystander -1, Mo 5”, Fa 2/2/3, Ag -1 Me -1,
Dagger
Pst -1 Class II PI
Dubious, Charm M +2 F 0,Coercion 0.
Has lamp & matches.
Speaks Rumanian, Turkish
(P) English (P) MC £0 -6-11d Man mad!
Mrs Marjorie Butterworth
Activist, Mo 5”, Fa 2/2/3, Ag -1, Th -1, Me -2, Umbrella
Bst -2, silver ferule Pst
-2, Watch, reticule, 4 pots holy
water pots.
Small Revolver 3” 5+ Pst
-1, 6” 6+ Pst -1, 11” 7+ Pst -1, 5 silver bullets.
Class VII, (VI) PI
Respectable, Charm M 0, F +1,
Coercion +1.
MC £12 – 8s – 6p
Speaks English, French (P), Latin (P) Lamp & Matches Lea, Ac +1,
Miss Wandsworth
(WUW)
Bystander -1, Mo 5”, Fa 1/2/2, Ag -2, Th -2, Me -2, umbrella Bst -3,
Watch, smelling
salts, 1st aid kit. police whistle, lamp & matches
Brass rubbing paper & crayons Class V, (IV) PI
Respectable, Charm M 0, F 0,
Coercion +1.
MC £1- 2s- 2d Speaks
English, French (P)
Mr
Swithin Easy Willing Assistant
Mo 6”, Fa 3/3/5, Ag
+1, Th +1, Me +2, Attache case Bs -2 Class VI, PI
Respectable, Charm M +1, F +1,
Coercion 0 MC £2 – 11s- 5d
Speaks Latin,
French, German (P) Watch, penknife.