Ivo rides again

[Sierra]

<El-Cideon> "All's well that ends well?" Selene asks as you walk back down the pier. "I am sorry I couldn't help with your little interrogation, but I don't wish for them to add me to some secret Nazi hitlist. There some enemies I simply don't need."
<El-Cideon> *there are
<Erin> "It's not like I really want to make enemies of Nazis," replies Erin, defensively. "Anyway, it seems their regiment or whatnot is regrouping in Cape Town, Dr. Ivo included. We might have a chance to get there ahead of them this time."
<Nadia_Chekova> "I can't say I blame you," Nadia accepts the words of her fellow Frenchwoman, "Still, it's been exciting to do so much travelling while trying to reclaim my mother's legacy and put her spirit to rest... in a more metaphorical sense than the spirits we saw tonight, I hope."
<El-Cideon> "Oh yes? Your mother's legacy?" Selene sounds intrigued.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Yes, my mother was a servant of the Tsars in the old country," Nadia is happy to explain, even though said knowledge is somewhat new to her, "She was able to flee the Bolsheviks with one of their ancient treasures during the Revolution. Since she never sold it or did anything with it, I would not ascribe her motives to greed."
<El-Cideon> "Ah, a flight from persecution! Always the making of great drama. And what happened to her?"
* Yomi (~corwin@bzq-79-183-71-9.red.bezeqint.net) has joined #HometownHeroes
<Nadia_Chekova> "She settled in Monaco and I was born shortly afterwards - I never knew my father, but from the timing he must have been from the old country," Nadia finds herself going on in some detail, "She was a beautiful woman, though often very sad..."
<Nadia_Chekova> "She cared for me well enough, by whatever means she could," she's a little more vague here, not wanting to outright say she suspected her mother was a whore. "Until the nazis came to claim Catherine's Aurora. They killed her for it, just ended her life in a second like it was nothing at all," her voice lowers at the conclusion, cold fury bleeding through.
<Yomi> And yet another story causes Yomi to doubt her conviction to protect all human life, as she gives Nadia a sympathetic look.
<El-Cideon> Selene nods sadly. "I am sorry," she says, in what sounds like honest sympathy. "It sounds like you were close to each other. I understand your situation somewhat, but for that detail. My mother and I had disagreements." She shakes her head. "I wish you luck with your mission of vengenace, at least. I mean to be Paris-bound before what's left of the local authorities start asking questions around town, however."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Thank you," Nadia calms herself somewhat and nods gracefully at the expressions of support. "We had our ups and downs, but family is family."
<El-Cideon> Another nod. "Well...I imagine I'll be on my way, now. I'll be taking the first ship bound north in the morning. My luggage is still back at the mansion, but I have no intention of going back there to retrieve it. I suppose I'll have to tolerate wearing the same clothes every day of the trip back." She grimaces. (more)
<El-Cideon> "Look me up if you're ever in Paris? I'm sure a band of intrepid adventurers would spice up any party. I've already seen you can do it once! Farewell for now?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "Maybe we can even take in one of your plays? Until then, Selene, au revoir," Nadia offers with a wave.
<Erin> "And here I thought you'd have some objection to bringing magic to your doorstep, particularly in the wake of tonight," remarks Erin. "I will certain accept the invitation of a fellow actress, however!"
<Yomi> "Always wanted to visit Paris, and now I'll have a reason to," Yomi says for her part, likewise waving with her healthy arm.
<El-Cideon> "If you're likely to cause a repeat of tonight, Erin, I'll merely be sure to invite all the local critics beforehand. It was exciting when I wasn't paralyzed with terror. Au revoir!" Selene waves and walks off into the town proper.
<Yomi> "As for us, we really should return to the mansion, unless we want the Germans to return for the urn," Yomi mentions. "Unless you think you'd be better off pulling this on your own, Nadia?"
* Erin inspects the snake idol, turning it over and over in her hands. "I really have no idea what they planned to do with this thing," she mutters. "Perhaps even they don't know exactly what it is they need for whatever it is that they are doing."
* Nadia_Chekova resists the urge to sigh, really just wanting to lie down in a hot bath, not sneak around that charnel house some more. "I suppose you are right. I'll try and sneak in and out quickly to get it over with - lets go back then?"
<El-Cideon> OOC: warping back up the hill, I take it.
<Yomi> OOC: If we can warp past getting the urn, that's fine too
<Erin> OOC: Looks like. And yeah.
<El-Cideon> OOC: I'd love too but for two things: the Germans were trying to break into the basement to get what they wanted, and you left the guards down there. But it's not like they can do anything disarmed, so I guess we can handwave you bullying them into giving you what you want.
<El-Cideon> The mansion is deathly silent when you ascend the hill again, the interior still and littered with the liquefied remains of unfortunate guests. It's not until you return to the storage room that this changes at all. The head guard is still down there, seeming shellshocked (the others seem to have unlocked the door from inside and fled some time after you left). It takes only a minor amount of browbeating for him to direct you to the object you're looking for. (more)
<El-Cideon> It takes only a minor amount of browbeating for him to direct you to the object you're looking for. (more)
<El-Cideon> The urn is in one of the crates scattered about the basement room. It's small, cylindrical, and covered with ornate gold engraving. You make your way back out of the mansion and down the hill towards your hotel just as the noise of a car crewed by the local military police trundles into motion across town.
* Nadia_Chekova suggests they avoid the main streets on their way to the hotel to hopefully avoid further trouble. And also calls first use of the bath.
* Yomi would want someone who actually knows what they're doing to bandage her wounds, so minor comforts like baths don't occupy her overmuch.
* Erin takes a seat at the tiny desk their second hotel provided, letting the various knicknacks they've acquired spill across the table. "Some people seem insane, don't they?" she wonders aloud, picking up one of the scrolls to read over.
<El-Cideon> It becomes apparent once you're back in your hotel room that getting a doctor to work on Rena might be awkward. Now that you have a steady source of light to see in, it looks like Rena's bullet wound bleeds a sluggish green. She doesn't seem terribly concerned about this.
* Yomi honestly can't find an explanation to this, muttering, "This world has many strange things in it."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Green blood?" Nadia is less able to handle this with a shrug and a smile as she looks at the German woman, currently wrapped in a hotel bathtowel after her ablutions. "Is your blood normally that colour?"
<Erin> "Pardon me- what?" asks Erin, seperating her attention from her trinkets and seeing Rena's injury for the first time. "My god! What was done to you?"
<El-Cideon> "A guard shot me, but I killed him," Rena says to Erin. To Nadia: "Yes."
<El-Cideon> Then: "Are you finished in the bathroom, Nadia? I would like to wash this off thoroughly."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Uh... yes. All done," Nadia nods slowly, making room for Rena to get by.
<Yomi> "Thorough is good," Yomi agrees. "Take your time."
<El-Cideon> Rena nods and heads into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. (OOC: unless Erin has a response first.)
* Erin lets Rena go, unwilling to keep a bleeding woman around for questioning until she's taken care of herself. "Yomi, how are you feeling? You should probably..." she manages, glancing at the other girl and trailing off.
<Yomi> "First time I got shot," Yomi says wearily. "It feels different than getting hit."
<Nadia_Chekova> "You're lucky it barely hit you," Nadia comments as she changes into her nightclothes. "Bullets normally kill."
<Yomi> "That's what they're meant to do," Yomi agrees, giving the door to the bathroom a long look. "Green blood, huh?"
<El-Cideon> The sound of running water comes from the bathroom.
<Erin> "The imagination of how that came to be is likely more horrifying than the reality."
<Yomi> "The things I've seen while chasing Elgin are impossible to believe, at times," Yomi says, shaking her head. "Of Selene and Rena, which one would you expect to have a demonic heritage? And yet, once again, the stranger something looks, the more likely it is to be natural to this world."
<Nadia_Chekova> "More magic," Nadia sighs wearily as she climbs into bed.
<Yomi> "What kind of magic could do this?"
<Erin> "I did not know what kind of magic could do what we witnessed tonight, nor what it may have done to those women," replies Erin, turning back to the scrolls. "That may need to be rectified."
<El-Cideon> OOC: read magic covers reading scrolls, no? If so, I'll just post what they are in loot. Potions would need spellcraft.
<El-Cideon> Erin finds the scrolls contain directions for faily common spells--well, common to one with her arcane training, that is! At least they're spells Erin doesn't know personally (though she recognizes them from hearsay).
<El-Cideon> Rena eventually wanders out in a towel, apparently having decided from Nadia's example that this is the done thing, and sits down on a bed combing tangles from her hair with her fingers.
<Yomi> With a wave at Rena, Yomi proceeds to take her own bath.
* Erin (~carthrat@c122-107-246-130.eburwd9.vic.optusnet.com.au) Quit (Quit: )
* Nadia_Chekova reaches down into her bag to get her hairbrush and then tosses it onto the bed besides Rena without a word.
<El-Cideon> ~
<El-Cideon> Finally, you all have a quiet, uneventful night in which to rest! No thugs interrupt your sleep, no ghosts try to eat you. The only disturbing thing is Rena's alarming preference for sleeping naked. Her and Yomi both seem to have largely recovered from their injuries by the morning, the German woman having recovered at least most of the strength sapped by the dread spirit's touch. (more)
* Erin (~carthrat@122.107.246.130) has joined #HometownHeroes
<El-Cideon> The morning is bright and clear, belying the carnage of the previous evening.
<Yomi> "We have a few days to work with," Yomi says once she dresses for the day ahead, feeling much better than the previous night. "Is there any reasonable chance of finding out more about the snake idol or the urn in that time, or do we head straight to Capetown?"
* Erin awakens late, as seems to be usual for her, and seems unable to resist ordering a large breakfast via room service. "All I know is that they're not magical," she remarks in between bites. "I think we're better off going to Capetown. See, I think I've got it, they clear one chunk of the world at a time-"
<Erin> "-so they'll meet there to go somewhere else. And since they're all together, we'll have a good shot at finding a list of what they're after, or questioning Ivo directly."
<El-Cideon> Rena eats little, as usual. She seems to subsist mostly on fluids.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Let me have a look," Nadia reaches over to grab the snake idol, examining it all around with her practiced art thief's eye.
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: Does my knowledge of the arts help?
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+8 if relevant
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+8 if relevant and gets 17."12 [1d20=9]
<Nadia_Chekova> She shrugs and hands it back afterwards, "I'd say a gifted amateur made this thing," she surmises.
<Yomi> "I can't help but wonder if we should just break it," Yomi voices.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Think there might be a better treasure hidden within?" Nadia asks with an amused grin.
<Erin> "That may be unwise," points out Erin. "If it really does serve some purpose, perhaps it could be turned against whatever Ivo's goal is. After all, we wouldn't be able to undo breaking it if we somehow needed it later."
<Yomi> "If Ivo needs them to do whatever weird rituals he's doing, then depriving him of such means would work just fine, wouldn't it?"
<Erin> "The germans have the means to go to other worlds, which we stole from them. If they have access to other powers, we may need to replicate them somehow later, and these things could be the key!"
<Nadia_Chekova> "Erin is probably right. It's out of their reach as long as we have it, anyway," Nadia supports the Irishwoman.
<Yomi> "Let's make sure we hold on to them, then," Yomi says somewhat dubiously. "In any case, let's find transportation to Capetown?"
<El-Cideon> OOC: moving on? Looking to travel by sea or air?
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: lets go by air
<El-Cideon> OOC: plane ticket is about DC 18, which you can make easy but which lowers wealth by 1. Someone has to cover Rena too, of course. Assuming that's cool, I'll move things along.
<Erin> OOC: I'll cover her
<El-Cideon> Your flight is long and boring, but this does at least give Erin plenty of time to work on deciphering those spells she found. You arrive in Cape Town early in the evening, the flight having taken most of the day. It's just light enough to get a good glimpse of the city as you land, a tangle of colonial buildings across a sprawling hook of land, surrounded by a swell of more modern residential buildings. (more)
<El-Cideon> The vast plateau of Table Mountain looms over the city on the landward side; out to sea, rain clouds threaten to move in with nightfall. It is chilly and not altogether comfortable at this time of year. (OOC: so, what's your plan of action here?)
* Nadia_Chekova intends to find a place for them to stay and ask around to find out if any Germans, specifically soldiers, have arrived recently. There's no telling how the arrivals might be staggered, coming all from different places.
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+12 gather info
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+12 gather info and gets 25."12 [1d20=13]
<Yomi> If they have a bit of free time on their hands, Yomi hopes they can find a proper sword for Rena amongst their other preparations.
<Erin> "They're probably at the docks," states Erin. "If we start our searching around there, we might get a hint."
<El-Cideon> Swords aren't exactly and over-the-counter item in most stores these days, though a nicer antique shop might have some keepsakes brought by European settlers or a cavalry saber from colonial days, worst comes to worst.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Looks like we beat them here," Nadia reports after returning from the mysterious things she does to learn things, not a hair out of place. "However, Ivo's been here before. Usually stays at the Hotel Partridge - seems a good place to wait."
<Yomi> "You want to stay at the same hotel? He might have contacts there to alert him of our presence."
<Erin> "Perhaps he has contacts that alert him of other things, as well," murmurs Erin, speculatively. "Perhaps Ivo should pay an early visit."
<Yomi> "Now we're talking!"
<El-Cideon> Rena looks from one of you to another. "I don't understand. What are we planning to do?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "Remember how I was dressed as a man when we first met?" Nadia tells Rena as she eyes Erin. "It's a little bit like that."
<El-Cideon> "Oh. Do you frequently dress like men?"
<Yomi> "Except a lot more fun!" Yomi adds. "And we won't be doing that. The two of us will look for a sword that suits you!"
<El-Cideon> "I've never used a sword. Someone will have to show me show."
<El-Cideon> *how
<Yomi> "You're a very skilled amateur. I'm sure you'll be fine after I guide you through the basics!"
<El-Cideon> Rena nods. (OOC: moving on? Yomi/Rena going shopping, Ivo going to the hotel, or all going there first?)
<Erin> OOC: Ivo will go and check into his hotel!
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: I'll go with Erin but leave Ivo alone so as not to draw any connection between us
<El-Cideon> So "Ivo" heads to the Hotel Partridge, a tall building with an ornate 19th-century exterior that you can tell practically defines "swanky" the second you enter the lobby. Lush carpeting, silk-upholstered furniture, gilded wall-length mirrors, bellhops in starched red suits--everything in sight screams that this is an elite establishment for people who can afford to not ask about price. (more)
<El-Cideon> The man at the front desk recognizes you immediately: "Ah, Mr. Ivo! Welcome, welcome, we weren't expecting you for another five days, but you will be glad to know that your usual room is vacant. Will you be moving in early?"
<El-Cideon> Meanwhile, Yomi and Rena wander into an antique store several blocks down the street. The proprietor is an old, white-haired little man with the look of a war veteran about him. He fastens a squint on Yomi and doesn't seem too happy to have her in the store, though he's obviously not about to turn away a customer. There are some old, finely-crafted weapons in display cases, though most of the stock seems to be art.
<Erin> "That is DOCTOR Ivo, thank you very much," replies Erin, before breaking out in a phlegmatic cough. "I will indeed, but I need to make some arrangements with you with regard to messages and calls and the like. I'm expecting some."
<El-Cideon> "Oh, of course, of course," the hotel manager says unctuously, clasping white-gloved hands together. "Anything you receive will be sent to your room immediately."
<Yomi> Knowing she can squish the man like a bug is all Yomi needs to keep her cool. "Let's start with trying... I believe they are called bastard swords in the west," she says, glancing at Rena speculatively. "You'll need to test the weight and see how well it suits you."
<Erin> "Nein, nein! When I receive mail, ja, send it up straight away and leave it outside the door. But when you take any calls you must tell them you do not know if I am there! Then, take their name and inform me before putting anything through, ja? There are.. people.. I do not wish to speak to."
<El-Cideon> The shopkeep appears mildly incredulous, but shuffles over to a far corner of the store where several weapons matching such a description are set up and polished to a blinding gleam. "We have some such weapons in stock. You mean to...use these items?" He says with a cough.
<El-Cideon> "Yes, Doctor Ivo," the hotel manager says. None of Erin's behavior seems unexpected. "We'll do just as you instruct." He waves a bellhop over. "Would you like us to take your bags up now?"
<Erin> "Er, yes!" replies Erin, holding over her suitcase. "And I am not to be disturbed by staff, ja? Now then, do you have anything for me now, hmm?"
<Yomi> "For training purposes," Yomi says curtly. "It is important to know the basics of handling a sword. Who would possess a blade they cannot even hold properly?"
<El-Cideon> The bellhop takes the suitcase. "No sir," the manager says. "You'll find everything is in order and I hope you enjoy your stay." The bellhop makes his way over to an old-fashioned elevator complete with sliding grate door and wizened elevator operator.
<Erin> This is going to be a challenge. Erin's disguises are temporary things, so she'll only be able to appear as Ivo intermittently. But as long as nobody barges into Ivo's room to find her there, it should be alright.
<El-Cideon> "Collectors?" the shopkeep says icily. "Was there a particular make you were looking for? Most of my stock come from the isles, all of the finest make, some even used in far-gone Scottish wars. I must admit I did not expect them to be used *again*."
* Erin thus follows after the bellhop to take stock of her new room!
<El-Cideon> Fortunately, Erin's disguise doesn't have to hold up long; the bellhop departs as soon as he's guided Erin to her room (and recieved his gratuity, of course). It's an impressive spread--king-sized bed, antique furniture, wide open spaces that could fit several of the prosaic hotel rooms you've been staying in. Hell, the bathroom could manage that. There's also a sliding glass door that looks out onto a wide terrace which provides a nice view of the sea.
<El-Cideon> wide terrace which provides a nice view of the sea.
* Yomi gravitates towards the Durer bastard sword. She's vaguely aware it would suit Rena thematically, and that's good enough for her to try.
<El-Cideon> The shopkeep hefts the sword off the shelf, casting a dubious glance over both of you before handing it over. It's relatively plain, but perfectly balanced and, above all, very well-crafted for the business of killing people.
<Erin> Once safely inside and away from invasive hospitality staff, Erin fishes aroudn in her pockets for the communication orb, and attempts to contact Nadia.
* Yomi tests it herself, first, not going so far as to actually swing it. Testing the weight and shape would do for now. The moment it passes her inspection, she hands it over to Rena. "Does it feel right, or do you feel you require something lighter?" she asks.
<El-Cideon> Down on the street, a soft warmth and glow from the sphere alerts Nadia to the fact that someone is attempting to contacT her!
* Nadia_Chekova picks up the sphere and holds it to her ear as she lurks in an alley near the hotel. "Hello?"
<El-Cideon> Rena takes the sword, and *does* go so far as to swing it experimentally, which nearly causes the shopkeep to have a heart attack (though Rena does at least take care to not hit anything). "The weight is not a problem. I will just have to grow used to a larger blade."
<Erin> "Hello, it's me. I managed to get in safely," replies Erin, walking over to the terrace and glancing out. "The receptionist said that Ivo wasn't expected for five days."
<El-Cideon> Using the sphere is distracting--sounds outside of the two-way communication seem dull, muffled, and you get a sense of the other person's visual surroundings bein superimposed over your own.
<Yomi> "We'll take it," Yomi says, putting her doubts aside. To Rena, she says quietly, "Don't swing it until I've taught you just how you use it safely, alright?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "So he had a reservation? Have you found out anything useful?" Nadia asks, turning away from the road and focusing on the strange overlayered feeling coming from the sphere.
<El-Cideon> Nadia can make out an impossibly decadent hotel room in the background behind Erin's face.
<El-Cideon> Rena nods. "I will try not to unless someone attacks us again." The manager seems to have mostly shut his brain down rather than cope with these strange foreigners buying archaic weapons, but he has enough presence of mind to sigh and rattle off a price tag. (OOC: it's DC 18, which you can easily afford but cuts wealth down by 1)
<Erin> "Nothing that we didn't know. I doubt he keeps the staff informed of his activities," replies Erin. "I think I might, ah, stay here for a few days and see if anyone tries to contact him."
<Yomi> "Let's hope for a reprieve for now, then!" Yomi tells Rena brightly, and nods at the resigned shopkeep. "We'll take it."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Can I stay with you?" Nadia asks hopefully. It looks really nice in there!
<El-Cideon> The shopkeep places it in a matching scabbard and wraps the whole thing up in cloth. "Here you go," he says, muttering softly to himself as he turns away.
<Erin> "I don't see why not! Ivo's lines of credit are extensive and beneficient."
* Nadia_Chekova smiles wickedly, "So I'll just go over to reception and ask to see my darling Ivo?" She pauses and adopts a more serious look, "Although maybe that might be tipping our hand too obviously. How about I sneak in instead? What's the room number?"
* Erin glances at the key and relays the number back. "We're going to make a dash for it once our time is up anyway, I think, so I'm not too worried about leaving a trail, you see."
<Nadia_Chekova> "I'll be over shortly... how do I turn this thing off?" Nadia asks, frowning at the sphere. "Just let go of it?"
<El-Cideon> Thinking that seems to be enough. The transmission blinks off and NAdia's fully back in the alley.
<El-Cideon> Similarly, uupstairs on the eighth floor, Erin stops getting a transmission from Nadia.
* Erin drops the orb back into her pocket, and goes over to see if the room has a wine cabinet or the like she can raid.
* Nadia_Chekova puts the orb back in her handbag then seeks to infiltrate the hotel so she can take full advantage of Ivo's good fortune.
<El-Cideon> It does. It has a whole closet full of nuts and chocolate and the like.
<El-Cideon> OOC: just walking in, Nadia, or what?
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: I'll walk in, use the hotel bar for a drink, then go to the toilet and sneak off up the stairs to Ivo's room.
<El-Cideon> Nadia's innate glamour makes her right at home in a place like this and she fits in with the clinetele at the bar perfectly. No one gives her a second glance as she makes her way upstairs (well, except for the usual sort of second glance any pretty young woman gets!)
* Nadia_Chekova knocks on the appropriate door once she finds it.
<El-Cideon> OOC: Yomi/Rena going anywhere in particular after this? Staying somewhere else or what?
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: I can call them with the orb and invite them to the party
<El-Cideon> OOC: note that this totally classy hotel has a Whites Only notice at the front door.
<Erin> "Who is it?" demands Ivo, sounding crabby and upset.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Oh, Ivo," Nadia purrs, "Don't be like that! I've come to help you relax, my darling!"
<Erin> "Oh, Naaaaadia! My dear, come in, come in!" replies Ivo, opening the door and revealing his opulent bedchambers. On a dining table, a bottle of wine sits with glasses on either side, as well as a couple of bowls of nuts and snacks.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Monseiur, you do spoil me so," Nadia laughs as she skips in and helps herself to the treats on offer.
* Erin closes the door behind Nadia, and heads over to pull up a chair herself. "It is my pleasure to heaps gifts upon those I treasure," she replies, in her ordinary voice. "Ah, I wonder if we could find some way to bankrupt him..."
<El-Cideon> So Erin and Nadia settle down in their scammed hotel room, while across town Yomi and Rena find a room in much more proletarian boarding house *most of the more upscale establishments in the city turning Yomi away at a glance) and everyone goes to sleep for the night after exchanging status reports over the communication device.
<El-Cideon> roll 1d100
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d100 and gets 95."12 [1d100=95]
<El-Cideon> ~