Campaign: Facets

[tshiggins]

Astor hotel feud escalates!

The nasty war of words between William B. Astor, Jr. and his nephew, William Waldorf Astor, grew even uglier this week when the hotels owned by each branch of the famed family tried to hire French chef extraordinaire Henri DuBois.

Mr. Dubois, who worked in several restaurants in Paris, before he opened his own successful establishment in Montreal, Canada, was highly sought-after.

The French artiste of cuisine had spent several years in semi-retirement, after he sold his restaurant, La Grande Paris, in Montreal several years ago.

Reportedly, Mr. Dubois sought a position in New York where he could focus on culinary arts, and less on business, but would accept no position he considered unsuitable for a man of his considerable talents.

The two hotels owned by the different Astors, the Waldorf and the Astoria, stand next to each other on Fifth Avenue, between 33rd and 34th streets, and are widely considered the two finest in the city.

In part, that’s because the two branches of the Astoria family have engaged in a fierce feud for leadership of New York’s social scene since the marriage of Carolina “Lina” Webster Schermerhorn, of the knickerbocker Shermerhorns, to William B. Astor, Jr.

Considered somewhat scandalous at the time, as Astor was considered her social inferior, Schermerhorn immediately began to repair her social standing with a number of exclusive balls and parties.

This put her at odds William Waldorf Astor, son of her sister-in-law, Charlotte Augusta Astor.

Waldorf’s wife, Mary Dahlgren Astor, had long stood at the apex of New York society until the former Miss Schermerhorn decided her older pedigree entitled her to the position.

The situation came to a head upon the passing of Charlotte Augusta, who had held the unofficial title of “Mrs. Astor.”

Lina Astor immediately lay claim to the title, but Waldorf demanded she cease doing so, since it should be his wife who held that honor.

Eventually, the situation caused the two families, who lived next to one another, to demolish their fine townhomes, each of which took half the Fifth Avenue block.

Waldorf demolished his home, first, and built the first hotel. This sat poorly with “Lina,” who found herself living next to a busy commercial establishment.

However, that changed when William B. Astor built the Astoria Hotel, in response, and moved Lina uptown.
##

Gem thieves may be in Europe

International ramifications entered into the mystery in connection with the disappearance of jewels values at $275,000, belonging to Mrs. Clarence Milhiser and her daughter, Elizabeth, of Richmond, Va., from a safety deposit box in the Hotel Biltmore, when a foreign detective agency was called into the case.

It was asserted that the police had uncovered a clue indicating that the thieves had taken a ship for Europe.

More than one hundred detectives and several firms of lawyers were working on the case, last night, a favorite theory being that the actual theft was perpetrated by a woman who, obtaining a key to the box, impersonated Mrs. Milhiser successfully and removed the contents of the two jewel cases.

Indications are, it sias, that the theft was the work of a well organized band which made extensive preparations for it, and for the subsequent escape.

Another theory, held by several detectives, is that the gems were stolen from Mrs. Milhiser’s room in the hotel before she made her deposits and that the packages, when she put them in the vault, did not contain what she believed.

Many rumors were current, yesterday, in connection with the case, a persistent being that two arrests had been made.
##

[SionEwig]

Man, I just love your "news" accounts. Excellent way to bring the campaign to life completely. Keep up with the occasion advert in them also, loads of fun.

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by SionEwig

Man, I just love your "news" accounts. Excellent way to bring the campaign to life completely. Keep up with the occasion advert in them also, loads of fun.

I like writing them, but I had to bang this one out in a hurry, so I couldn't put in as many fun ads.

[tshiggins]

We held the latest session of Facets recently, and I need to get this write-up done so I can devote a bit more effort to how I want to set up the Orbital Realm of Jupiter. We rewound briefly to get everybody up to speed who didn’t attend the previous session, and then the story moved forward.

##

Characters Present:

Dr. Henrietta "Indiana" Johnson -- A personable, age 29-and-holding Anthropologist who specializes in the pre-Columbian indigenous people of the American Desert Southwest. A Native of Apache Junction, AZ, "Indiana" is good with people and has been fascinated by American Indian religion and folklore since she was a child. Henrietta speaks Apache fluently, and not-so-secretly wishes archaeology could be more like Raiders of the Lost Ark and less like digging in a trench with a trowel and a toothbrush -- Played by Debbie S.

Dr. Arthur "A.J." Jamison -- a retired NASA scientist with a home in one of Moab's nicer canyon sub-developments, who volunteers for 4CSAR because he needs to do something to get out of the house. Considers himself responsible for Sunmi Jones, who is enough of a science-geek that the two of them can actually hold a conversation. -- Played by Anten S.

Aurelia R. Lockrin -- A young woman with a shady past who teaches History at Grand County High School (Home of the Red Devils!), and volunteers for 4CSAR because she's a bit of an adrenalin junkie and likes the companionship. -- played by Bennie Rae P. (Not available, this time.)

Dr. Belody "Doc" Bascher -- a local veterinarian for both large and small animals, who frequently fixates on her job and uses 4CSAR as her primary social outlet. -- played by Samantha H.

Beatrice "B" Lawrence -- U.S. Army veteran who works for a local air charter service as a helicopter mechanic. She recently lost the lower part of her left leg in a fight with a sorcerer from an opposing lodge, and now wears a high-tech prosthetic. A cynic about men, she is accompanied by "Grunt," the biggest, best-trained pit-bull anybody has ever seen (purchased as an ally, and a totally badass dog, even before it was possessed by what appears to be a benign “foo” spirit) -- played by Bernetta W.

Claudia Abigail Tavulari, member of the NASA Quantum Physics Research Team, and an old friend of Arthur Jamison’s. The team has been helping Arthur research the portal physics, on the sly. – Played by Tisa T.

Stephen Mack, another member of the NASA Quantum Physics Research Team, a former U.S. Marine Corps test pilot, and outdoors enthusiast. – Played by Jeff T.

Frank Moses -- A former Marine who quit his job as a trooper with the Utah Highway Patrol (UHP). Moses formerly volunteered with 4CSAR and has an interest in Doc Bascher. Frank has spent the past several months living in the Dark Canyon base camp on the 1918 side of the portal. -played by Mike H.

NPCs Present

Jimmy Ehrland – A fugitive from the 1919 Colonia de Nova España, on the other side of the portal, he had fled from his vampire mistress, Doña Eva, only to find himself in a strange, alien world to which he must struggle to adapt.

Grunt: Beatrice's ally, a large pit-bull possessed by a protective "foo" spirit.

Hops About: An enthusiastically lethal nunnupi, a six-inch tall fairy girl with black wings, pale skin and American Indian features. Currently dressed in the colors of the Unseelie Court, with a bow and knife, she frequently takes the form of a magpie four times the size of a normal bird and can go invisible.

Circles Thrice: A laconic and lethal nunnupi with a dry sense of humor, also dressed in the cool colors of the Unseelie Court. Apparently the sister of Hops About, she bears similar weapons that can inflict elf-stroke, also appears as a large magpie, and can go invisible.

##

As noted in the previous write-up, Doc Bascher decided to sell off her long-neglected veterinary practice, and after some pretty decent merchant rolls by the realtors, we determined she made about $300,000 on the deal. (Samantha had created Doc Bascher with one level of the “Wealth” advantage, which helped matters.)

The former veterinarian decided to reinvest $250,000 of the proceeds which, combined with the investment of some of her earnings from previous trips to the 1919 world, gave Samantha the pretext to spend accumulated experience to give Doc Bascher an additional level of Wealth.

That left $50,000 in 2015 currency to equip herself, so Doc Bascher picked up some top-quality period garments, as well as some mid-18th Century replica pieces that she had modified to more closely resemble firearms from the early part of that century. She also looked up how to make paper cartridges and briefly considered trying to buy concealed breech-loaders, but decided against it.

Doc Bascher also devoted her summer to learning enough French to order food in the restaurants and ask directions (two points for “Broken”).

Mike generally followed suit, and study time to have Frank Moses pick up enough French to get by. He already had the skill, “Broadsword” (used for his long police night-stick), and Mike decided that he’d spent some of the months the character had spent in NPC mode to pick up the Escrima martial art (he had to spend earned experience to get that, though).

He figured nobody in early 18th Century France would pay too much attention to a guy with a stick.

Anten took the opportunity to push things, a bit. He decided A.J. (who has the relevant skills at good levels) built himself a version of his lever-cocking crossbow that appeared to use period materials.

I ruled that might pass, at a distance, but if local artisans got a close look it could trigger a qlippoth irruption.

A.J. also loaded Rosetta Stone for French on a couple of laptops, which they usually brought with them in lead boxes and kept carefully concealed.

Beatrice picked up what she hoped would be period gear, as well, and had picked up a smattering of French from previous study during her time on probation. However, she couldn’t learn any more, since she spent the entire summer on dirigible upgrade duty.

Anyway, with all that done, we picked back up with the group that dropped into the valley north of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The group decided that the “away team” now consisted of Aurelia, Henrietta, Claudia, Beatrice, Frank and Doc Bascher.

A.J. and Steven stayed behind in the dirigible, with Jimmy to help operate the winches when they met up with the group, again.

We join in media res, with Claudia griping about the bump on her forehead.

##

The “Away Team” reached the banks of the Susquehanna River without incident, turned south on the road that along the top of the bank, and hiked into Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, before mid-morning. While a bustling town, Harrisburg was not a large one, and the group made it to the train station shortly after they arrived.

There, they learned passenger trains traveled from Harrisburg to New York twice a day – once at 10 a.m. and once at 4 p.m., and the trip took about five hours (with a stop in Philadelphia). The group quickly bought tickets and dashed to the train, which had started loading; dropped their luggage in their compartments; and then headed to the dining car for a late breakfast.

The group mostly kept to themselves, so the routine trip passed without incident, and they soon found themselves on the platform at Penn Station, in midtown Manhattan, bags in hand.

The Away Team made their way outside, to see a line of hansom cabs mixed with what looked like a few Model A and Model C Fords doing cab duty, as well.

They also looked east, and saw no sight of anything resembling the Empire State Building. This came as no surprise, since the structure in their world wasn’t built until 1931, and they doubted this world’s retarded technology would allow the construction of skyscrapers, yet.

At that point, Henrietta spotted a kid hawking a few newspapers left over from earlier in the day, and bought one as the others began to discuss what to do next. Frank and Beatrice wanted to go for a cheap hotel where they could blend in, but Claudia and Doc Bascher held out for a top-end establishment.

Henrietta waffled a bit, until Doc Bascher pointed out that cheap hotels in this era likely didn’t have hot baths, and might have lice or bedbugs. At that point, Claudia put her foot down and insisted on someplace nice, noting that even if the other picked somewhere cheap, she had no intention of sleeping anywhere that didn’t have clean sheets and a hot bath.

(continued...)

[tshiggins]

(...continued)

That led to a discussion about where they should stay. By then, Henrietta had opened the paper and found the Society Gossip article about the two hotels owned by the Astors, the Waldorf and the Astoria. She noted the addresses of those two establishments – on Fifth Avenue between 33rd Street and 34th Street, and said those two stood where the Empire State Building did, in their world.

That meant the portal to the Orbital Realm of Jupiter in this world – if it matched the pattern Henrietta had discovered in her research – would open directly above those two hotels, about 1,320 feet up.

The group briefly discussed trying to stay at one or the other of those hotels, but decided that posed too many risks. So, based on the story about the gem theft, Henrietta asked one of the hansom cab drivers the location of that hotel. He replied that the “brand new” Biltmore was fairly close by, and the party decided to stay there.

The group piled into two cabs and, within about 15 minutes, debarked in front of the large establishment (apparently, the technology existed for fairly large buildings, anyway…). A doorman immediately summoned several bellboys who helped get the luggage to the service desk, where the well-dressed gentlemen, there, asked skeptically if the motley (but generally well-dressed) group had reservations.

They confirmed that they, in fact, did not, but managed to convince the desk clerk they could afford to stay and asked for a large suite. Somewhat mollified, the man noted he did have such a room available, and soon enough the busboys and interdimensional interlopers found themselves in accommodations sumptuous enough to satisfy even Claudia.

Once they’d gotten settled in, the Henrietta and Frank thought it might be a good idea to give the two Astor hotels a once-over, since they were located only about eight blocks away. However, Doc Bascher and Claudia said they needed to establish their cover more convincingly, and thought they should go shopping.

After another brief argument, Doc Bascher and Claudia headed toward the Fifth Avenue shops, promising to join the others at the hotels “in a while” (they never showed). Meanwhile Henrietta and Frank took a walk down Fifth Avenue, while Aurelia stayed behind (in NPC mode) to hold down the fort and keep an eye on the luggage.

As Doc Bascher and Claudia headed toward the boutiques, Doc Bascher learned that the two nunnupis had accompanied them across the country when she heard Hops About whisper in her ear that the shopping trip looked like a lot of fun. After that, she periodically heard whispered comments from the two fae, while Claudia (who had never seen them, before) occasionally commented at the huge magpies she sometimes spotted flying around.

Over at the hotels, Henrietta, Beatrice and Frank saw large banners across the front of each hotel. The banner across the front of Waldorf announced a ball to help raise war bonds, while the Astoria’s indicated a soiree in “celebration of our brave troops,” each to take place on the first day of Autumn – three days hence, when the Jupiter portal opened.

The trio paused for a moment to consider the implications, and to watch the foot traffic a moment. Eventually, Henrietta and Beatrice decided to check out the Waldorf, first, and walked through the door held open by a skeptical doorman. Frank decided to circle the block, to see if he could spot anything that seemed out of place.

Inside, Henrietta Beatrice found themselves in the midst of a the sort of sumptuous surroundings only found in the Gilded Age. While this world’s United States might not be as rich as the one in their history, the Astors appeared to be doing quite well for themselves, and their hotels apparently had a fair number of patrons.

The hotel atrium rose several floors above them, and featured a massive crystal chandelier, art nouveau décor, and thousands of dollars in dresses, jewelry and hats meandering around the place, or sipping drinks while draped artistically across uncomfortable-looking chairs. Even the silk suits of the gentlemen probably cost several times the rather nice one worn by Frank, outside, and while the Henrietta and Beatrice avoided looking frumpy, it was a near thing.

The two extra-dimensional interlopers gawped around for a moment, but then moved to a corner to talk things over. Eventually, they noticed some rather large chaps in some not-quite-so-expensive suits eyeing them, and decided to leave.

They made their way next door to the Astoria, and couldn’t even make it inside. The doorman politely pointed them down the alley to the trade entrance.

About that time, Frank returned from his perambulations. He said the alley was quite clean and neat, and while the newspaper might indicate the various branches of the Astor family didn’t get along, the security staffers in each hotel seemed to have reached a mutually beneficial accommodation. Frank said he had spotted a couple of the guards from each hotel chatting amiably with one another, as they walked down the alley.

Given they could barely even get themselves through the doors, the group decided to retreat and re-think, and find out more about the lay of the land, so to speak. By the time they returned to the hotel, Doc Bascher and Claudia were busily sorting through hangars of very nice – and very pricy – garments while making sounds of delight.

Henrietta, Beatrice and Frank interrupted the sartorial celebration long enough to report what they’d learned (nothing), and Henrietta said she needed to visit the New York Public Library to find out more about this area’s history – and especially about the Astor family.

Doc Bascher cryptically announced that she needed to avoid learning anything important, and went out to find something to eat and Claudia tagged along. Beatrice went along to keep them out of trouble, while Frank decided to hang out at the bar.

Henrietta clambered into one of the cabs waiting out front, and soon found herself in the Lenox Research library, amongst the tombs of old newspaper clippings. She spent the evening shuffling between there and the local history stacks, and found out quite a bit.

Apparently, the Astors in this world had made their money from furs and opium, just as they had in their own history. The family rose to prominence in the early to mid-19th Century, and then vaulted to even further heights in the 1860s. That’s when John Jacob Astor, Sr., the grandfather of all the American Astors, used money from fur trading (and opium sales in China) to purchase large swaths of land along the banks of the East River, in Manhattan.

No fool, John Jacob, Senior, had set up an Astor family trust locked down with all sorts of legalities that prevented any of his heirs from gaining access to any of the principle, into which all proceeds from ongoing business operations were placed. From that family trust, the Astor family children and grandchildren drew monthly disbursements large enough to maintain them in superb style.

The other thing she noted was that, while the Astor family fortune had grown quite impressive during the past couple of generations, the Astors themselves sort of went the opposite direction. No longer required to actually accomplish anything meaningful, the Astors devoted their time such endeavors as horse-racing, long visits to noble relatives in Europe, vacationing, feuding for social prominence, and providing unending fodder for the gossip columns of newspapers in New York and London.

For instance, she learned that the story in the paper she’d picked up, earlier in the day, had roots in events more than a decade old. William B. Astor, Jr., had been the brother of the “grande dame” of New York society, Mrs. Charlotte August Astor, the wife of William’s older brother, John Jacob Astor III. Charlotte and John III’s son (and only child) was William Waldorf Astor.

That made William Waldorf the nephew of William B. and his wife, Caroline “Lina” Webster Astor, born Caroline W. Schermerhorn. Henrietta found out that Caroline’s marriage to William B. had been a bit scandalous when it happened, more than 30 years prior, as the then-Schermerhorn was a daughter of one of the oldest wealthy families in New York.

The Schermerhorns traced their lineage to the original Dutch settlers of Manhattan, back when it was the Dutch West India Company colony of Nieuw Amsterdam. When the British took Manhattan after the Second Anglo-Dutch War of 1665-1667, which apparently matched her history, pretty closely, Henrietta read that many of the more successful Dutch families had stayed in the newly-renamed “New York,” and become British subjects.

While the vicissitudes of history had seen some Dutch families fall from prominence, some of the more prudent (and luckier…) ones had remained prominent, and the Schermerhorns were one such. However, the family had apparently suffered some reversals, in the late 1870s, and Lina’s marriage to William B. had managed to match pedigree with prosperity.

Lina had apparently decided to try to recover from the perceived loss of social status by hosting lavish, exclusive parties at William B.’s lovely townhome on Fifth Avenue, between 33rd and 34th streets. She eventually managed to do so, and that particular status quo held until the death of her sister-in-law, Charlotte Augusta.

As soon as a suitable period of mourning had expired, Lina decided to claim her late sister-in-law’s status at the apex of New York society, by insisting that she no longer be referred to as “Mrs. William B. Astor,” but instead as simply “Mrs. Astor” – the one and only, and the former appellation used by the late Charlotte Augusta.

(continued....)

[tshiggins]

(...continued)

This did not sit at all well with Charlotte Augusta’s only son, William Waldorf, who insisted that the informal (but oh so meaningful) appellation formerly held by his mother should, instead, pass to his wife, Mary Dahlgren Astor. Adding to the drama was the fact that William Waldorf lived in a posh, Fifth Avenue townhome right next door to the one owned by William B. and Lina.

Henrietta read any number of stories that reported on that incandescent argument, and learned that the situation finally got so bad that William Waldorf and Mary Dahlgren (in a fit of pique), had demolished their fine townhome and built the lovely hotel, the Waldorf, that she’d visited earlier in the day.

This meant that William B. and Lina, rather than living in a highly exclusive residential block, now found themselves next to a noisy, busy, commercial establishment. Unable to tolerate such a thing, William B. and Lina demolished their stunningly-lovely townhome, also, and in its place built the Astoria Hotel – which Henrietta hadn’t even seen the inside of, earlier.

After the demolition of the townhomes, William B. and Lina had purchased an even nicer townhome a bit further north, on Manhattan, while William Waldorf and Mary had decided to spend more time in their London home, where Waldorf held the title of 2ndt Viscount Astor and served as a member of parliament in the British government.

In the two decades since, the hotels had served as highly exclusive cash-cows for the children of William B and Lina, and William Waldorf and Mary.

At that point, Henrietta decided she’d had her fill of researching such high-society silliness, and learned that the library was closing soon, anyway. Besides, she felt like she was missing something, and headed back to the Biltmore.

Once there, she reported what she’d learned to the rest of the group, who decided they needed to dig a bit deeper into the Schermerhorns, and maybe find out some of the names of those who got invited to Lina’s “exclusive” parties. Claudia, who felt (slightly) chagrined that she’d played hooky, volunteered to help Henrietta with the research.

The next morning, the two ladies showed up at the research branch of the library, again, and tackled the stacks. Henrietta dug out some of the names of those invited to the parties and passed them to Claudia, who checked into their family histories and soon hit the jackpot.

Many of those invited to Lina’s parties came from old Dutch families associated with the Schermerhorns. Called “patroons,” these prominent Dutch families constituted some of the earliest “knickerbockers,” a term that referred to the knee-length pantaloons and stockings worn by their ancestors in the 17th Century.

The name eventually began to refer to all New Yorkers (in their world, the formal name of the New York Knicks basketball team was actually the New York Knickerbockers), but the term, “patroon” continued to refer only to the old Dutch families.

Claudia discovered that many of those families had stuck together pretty tightly after the British took over Manhattan. That association, at first informal, gradually evolved into something called the “Ancient and Honorable Order of Knickerbockers,” a very private and highly exclusive social club open only by invitation to those descended from the original Dutch settlers of Manhattan – including such prominent names as Van Rensellaer, Van Cortlandt and Schermerhorn.

Recognizing the similarity between the Knickerbocker Order and the Academy Club, in Denver, the two ladies focused their attention on that organization. They soon found that the organization as it was formally known dated back about a hundred years. Moreover, it also seemed to act as a business networking association, and many of the members had combined their funds to buy a lot of property along the Hudson River near Albany, and then north through the Fingerlakes region to Buffalo.

A quick check confirmed Henrietta’s suspicions – much of the property lay along the route of what was known in this world as the “Hudson River and Lake Erie Canal,” The completion of this world’s version of the Erie Canal in 1852 (more than two decades later than its counterpart’s completion, in their world), had caused the property values to skyrocket.

It had also apparently triggered the decision by the children of John Jacob Astor, Sr., to purchase huge chunks of land in western Manhattan, along the banks of the Hudson River – which became packed with barge traffic upon completion of the canal. At one point, the Astors had donated a significant patch of land to help build Central Park, only to see the rest of their property in the Upper West Side skyrocket in value.

Further digging into financial records allowed Henrietta and Claudia to learn that, in the decades since the construction of the Erie Canal, a number of the families involved in the Ancient and Honorable Association of Knickerbockers had tried to buy as much of the Astor land as they could get. Those efforts included a serious offer to purchase the block of Fifth Avenue between 33rd and 34th, back when the wives of William B. and Waldorf started to throw fits at each other.

That revelation kicked off an OOC discussion, and the group figured out what Henrietta struggled to figure out, the previous evening. While the Astors had all the wealth and power that any group of Cabal mages might want, the members of that rich family wasted their time and effort on trivial crap that got spewed all over the society pages of any number of newspapers.

By contrast, most lodges did everything they could to avoid anything even remotely resembling publicity, in favor of exercising their considerable power invisibly, behind the scenes, with no scrutiny and no accountability to anyone.

Their gossip-column shenanigans almost certainly meant the Astors had nothing to do with the lodge that knew about the portal to the Orbital Realm of Jupiter. The Astors and their vast wealth -- locked up as it was in a legally-invulnerable trust fund guarded by legions of lawyers and scrutinized by hoards of tax accountants – actually interfered with the ability of the local lodge to control the portal.

That lodge almost certainly lay embedded in the Ancient and Honorable Society of Knickerbockers, who had been trying to acquire the land beneath it, for decades – the block of Fifth Avenue between 33rd and 34th streets where, in their world, the combined Waldorf-Astoria Hotel had been demolished to make way for the construction of the Empire State Building.

If Lina Schermerhorn had anything to do with the lodge mages, at all, the group guessed, she was nothing but an ignorant cat’s paw with a grotesquely exaggerated sense of self-importance, unknowingly inserted to create chaos in the Astor family.

With that finally understood, Henrietta and Claudia began to look into the records of the Society of Knickerbockers. They soon found the organization’s club currently stood at the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 96th Street, across from Central Park. The name of the chairman of the board of the private club, a Mr. Peter Maarten, appeared in some recent records and business blurbs.

Further investigation revealed that Peter Maarten owned his own real estate firm, the New Amsterdam Development Company, located a little further east along 96th Street, from the club. Henrietta and Claudia also noted that the area north of 96th Street remained an enclave of old Dutch patroon families.

Not surprisingly, this world’s Manhattan did not include a Spanish Harlem.

The two researchers returned to the Biltmore and reported their findings. Most of the group decided they needed to visit the New Amsterdam Development Company promptly, as the Autumn Equinox lay only two days away, and they needed to return to upstate New York and rendezvous with the A.J. and Steven on the Paradise.

However, Doc Bascher didn’t want the nunnupi anywhere near the place and said she would remain outside the building, a few blocks away, with the bags in the cabs. She offered no explanation.

A quick cab ride later, the group found themselves inside the elegant lobby of an older building at 96th Street and Fifth Avenue with a lovely view of Central Park. After asking directions, they soon found themselves in the reception area of the New Amsterdam Development Co., where a pretty receptionist blinked in astonishment at the unexpected arrival of such a sizeable group.

To the receptionist’s further consternation, Henrietta stepped forward to introduce herself, and asked to speak with Mr. Maarten, promptly. The young woman asked if the visitor had an appointment and, when told she did not, firmly advised Henrietta that Mr. Maarten might have room in his busy schedule to meet with them, sometime in the next week.

That led to a protracted discussion that went back and forth, as Henrietta insisted that she see Mr. Maarten immediately, and the young woman stood her ground. Finally, the exasperated archaeologist decided to cut to the chase, leaned in, and quietly told the young woman that she was her on a matter of “magick.”

The receptionist blinked in astonishment, and excused herself. She returned within a few moments and, with a face that betrayed a bit of shock, announced that Mr. Maarten had cleared his schedule, would meet with them in 30 minutes, and offered refreshments.

Everyone except Frank (who had edged into “paranoia” mode and stood glowering in a corner…) politely refused the refreshments and took seats. About 25 minutes later, the receptionist invited through a door into a large, well-appointed common area with pictures of suited gentlemen on the dark-paneled walls behind three tall, slender men and women on either side.

(continued...)

[tshiggins]

(...continued)

Most of the group decided to walk through without acknowledging the obvious security staff, although Frank eyed them (and they eyed him) as he walked through the room at the rear of the group.

A short trip down a hallway through a doorway at the far end of the room took them to a conference area, lined with tall bookshelves. A quick perusal by Henrietta revealed a large selection of nothing more esoteric than law books and property records.

Within a few moments, the door opened again, and a distinguished middle-aged gentleman flanked by four other suited men came in and invited everyone to sit. The ladies and gentlemen all settled in, and Maarten decided not to make an issue of the fact that Frank remained standing a few steps back behind Henrietta’s chair.

Henrietta spent little time on pleasantries, and pretty much went straight to business. She told Maarten that she and the rest of her lodge had come from a different world through an interdimensional portal, and needed to reach the world of 1711 Europe through the Paris passage. That world, where John Dee had founded a powerful magical lodge, apparently had a problem, which prevented travelers from reaching their destinations after passing through the dimensional gate.

This led to a brief period of confusion, as Peter Maarten said the European portal didn’t lead to any such place, and didn’t lie in Paris, either. Henrietta cleared things up by explaining the world they needed to reach lay through a portal in Paris in her world.

Instead of using the Paris portal, Henrietta explained, they wanted to try and access it by flying through the Orbital Realm of Jupiter, rather than charge straight into whatever trouble lay in wait along the traditional route.

During the entire extraordinary explanation, neither Maarten nor his colleagues had so much as blinked. When Henrietta wound down, he simply asked if they had a way to prove their claims.

At that, Henrietta reached in her bag and pulled out her portable digital radio. She switched it on and radioed Doc Bascher, whose voice promptly acknowledged the call in crystal clear tones.

Henrietta told the veterinarian that they were in a room with Peter Maarten and some of his colleagues, and Maarten’s eyebrows rose toward his hairline when he heard Doc Bascher ask if he was cute. Henrietta asked her to stand by, switched off the radio, and handed it across to Peter Maarten.

Mr. Maarten took the high-impact plastic communication device, eyed the illuminated liquid crystal display window, and handed to the man on his right. The colleague eyed it carefully, forwards and back, and after a few minutes handed it back to Maarten and commented that it didn’t seem to use any sort of Decanic energies.

Henrietta explained the radio used advanced technology, and not magic, and it was a fairly common device in her own world.

Maarten looked it over a few minute longer, and then slid it back across the table to Henrietta. He said he would grant them passage through the portal as a courtesy, since they’d gone to the trouble of finding him and asking politely.

He then followed up with another offer. His group would grant them the right to pass through the portal any time they desired, in return for a future benefit. Should the group’s errand go well, Maarten explained, he’d ask that Henrietta and her group provide for them plans and designs of devices that had proven financially lucrative in their history, but which wouldn’t stand out too much in the 1919 world, and could be produced with local technology.

Henrietta said that seemed like a fair bargain, with the caveat that they wouldn’t provide anything that would give any sort of military advantage. Instead, they’d provide information about particularly lucrative consumer goods that would likely find a large market of ready buyers.

Maarten and his people discussed the idea briefly, and then the real estate developer stood and extended his hand. About an hour later, he and his group had drawn up a contract that, in form, resembled the magically binding one the group had signed to end the feud between them and the Order of the Scarlet Sage.

The contract read that, should the Red Rocks Lodge (the group had decided to no longer call themselves the Friends of Olivia Lodge, with its unfortunate acronym…) return to this world, the Orange Lodge would grant them permanent access to the Orbital Realm of Jupiter. In exchange, the members of the Red Rocks Lodge would provide plans and information about no less than six manufactured items that had records of financial success, manufacturable with the technology available available in 1919.

As the official spokesperson for her lodge, Henrietta willingly signed and dated the contract, and everyone shook hands all around. Maarten asked for a description of their airship, and told them he would inform his people on the other side of the portal to expect them, two days hence.

The group then took its leave, and rushed to Penn Station to catch the train back towards Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

With that, the session ended.
##

Funny Quotes

(During the discussion about what arms Doc Bascher should purchase for the trip to 1711 Europe.)
Beatrice: We just had to kill a couple people.
GM: A couple dozen people!
Beatrice: I was just talking about me.

(Henrietta starts to read the gossip column out loud, with its multiple William Astors and a Schermerhorn.)
Frank: The names! The names just don’t stop!

(Henrietta reads the article about the jewel theft at the Biltmore.)
Henrietta: This sounds like something Aurelia would do.
GM: It happened weeks ago. The story is about the investigation.
Beatrice: Are we sure it wasn’t her?
GM: She just got here! She’s been with you, the whole time!

Frank: Let’s all just go to the Motel 6. They’ll keep the light on, for you.
Doc Bascher: A cheap hotel in this time probably has bedbugs!

Doc Bascher: I need to not know anything important, right now.
Claudia: Why not?
Beatrice (OOC): She has nunnupis on her shoulders.
Claudia (OOC): I don’t know what that means!

(During a discussion about the Astor, Biltmore and Roosevelt hotels.)
Claudia: They have baths, don’t they? Baaaths….
Henrietta: ‘Cause Claudia wants a bath.
Claudia: And no bugs!

(The group plans who is to do what, only to find out Doc Bascher and Claudia have their own ideas.)
Henrietta: We need to check out these hotels!
Claudia: We’re going to do that, too, but we need to look nice while doing it!
Doc Bascher: I’m multi-tasking!

Circles Thrice (whispers in Doc Bascher’s ear as they enter the Biltmore Hotel): This looks nice.
Doc Bascher: We’re going shopping, next! That’ll be even more fun!

(The group learns about the Ancient Honorable Order of Knickerbockers, and realize some serious horse-trading just became necessary.)
Beatrice]: We have spices from Wal-Mart!
A.J. (OOC): Like that’s going to help us, here….

(The group kicks around ideas about how to proceed now that they’ve discovered the existence of the Order of Knickerbockers, and whether the other newspaper stories might hold further clues. The conversation inevitably circles back around to the jewel theft.)
Steven (OOC, about what he’ll say next session, when Aurelia returns): While you were gone, you were framed! Heinously!
Beatrice: That is a herring, red in color! Also, a goose of the wildest nature!

(The group is waiting for their appointment with Mr. Maarten.)
Frank: If Face fails, B.A. has to pick up the slack!
Steven: Isn’t that the way that always goes?

(Henrietta decides to not use Friends of Olivia as the name of the lodge, and tries to recall the various names the group had discussed.)
Henrietta: I shall call it, “George”!
A.J. (OOC): And I will hug it, and pet it, and squeeze it!

##

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by tshiggins

(Henrietta starts to read the gossip column out loud, with its multiple William Astors and a Schermerhorn.)

Good thing I wasn't there. The Schimmelhorn jokes would have been irresistible.

[SionEwig]

Sounds like this was quite a fun session (and a very productive one too). Looks like they have learned at least some from their mistakes earlier, what with the prepping proper gear for the trip(s) and study. Nice to see that they are capable of being diplomatic. Two thumbs up.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by SionEwig

Nice to see that they are capable of being diplomatic.

They been plnety diplomatic in the past. As well as subtle.

They need to keep Beatrice muzzled and on a chain.