This'll be the long-term OOC thread. Start using it right away (unless you have anything to finish up in Character Creation), since most the other threads are going to get deleted or relocated relatively soon.

Now that is a great setting description!

I cribbed heavily from AA Gil, but thanks. (c:

The disappearing threads from the previous game are not deleted - they've simply been moved to an archive board ( link ) for the time being. I'll see about making them more accessible, for posterity's sake, at some point in the future ... Chosen tells me that the forum software will be able to add subboards in a little while, so that might be a good method.

Wow, nice setting intro, I almost literally feel the need for a shower. Yeck!

Back from vacation at last and ready to start!

That is Janos.

Everyone give some brief description in your first posts. I was going to do that myself, but then I realized that I didn't really have descriptions for everyone.

That is Isiah Tsedek, a cat-burgler turned security specialist. He came with Clay.

I'll make a Dramatis Personae thread with write-ups for Whitley Styles and Tsedek, but not tonight. Tomorrow, probably.

Oh, and duh ... hey, everybody, I've finished the intro. I expanded the original post, rather than add a second post. Suppose I should've mentioned that bit first.

OK, I'll be gone until late Sunday night, so I won't be replying until Monday. Alex if you want to take it from here or just assume that I'm following the doctor's lead. Have a nice weekend all.

I don't think that'll be a crippling delay.

Also, some bits of situational background that I didn't get to last night (it was late):

You are all present for various good reasons. Raphael would've been contacted by Clay and asked to come (thus explaining Misha's presence). Regan is present as an Aeon Society liaison.

Mark is was brought in either by Clay or Raphael ... he might've already been in the area. There'll be a PM in that, to get the details down. Likewise with Janos.

No investigation has been done before now. Whitley Styles is lying dead in a Russian hotel room, and that's about all you know at present. The police have been convinced by the Society to forget about the case, as has the hotel (these things are rather easy to do in Russia in general, and Kaliningrad in particular).

The Society has asked some of 'movement' kids to deal with this. That means Regan and Clay, mostly, but they've brought in additional help, obviously. The Society has handed off the case because, frankly, they don't have anyone better suited to looking into the situation ... membership has dwindled, and the Society's go-to detective just got murderer. It helps that Regan and Clay are both Society members.

Not everyone knows it yet (only Regan and Clay do), but Annabelle Lee Newfield-Styles is coming on the first flight ... you only beat her here because Clay has very fast transportation available. It would be a generally good idea to get the prelim forensics done before she arrives, because she isn't evenminded in the best of circumstances. Things'll probably get messy and confused once she arrives.

A thumbnail of the Society as is:

• Max Mercer's skipping this decade.
• Whitley Styles has married Annabelle Lee Newfield, and has just been murdered.
• Professor Dixon died in the Cold War. It might have been suicide (nobody's saying). He wasn't the same after his ex-wife died in the tossup with Primoris during WWII.
• Danger Ace is still around somewhere, but he's getting old and he's mostly inactive.
• Annabelle Lee is, again, married to Styles. She and Styles both hit their 'autoevolutionary' stride and slowed their aging. He looks to be in his forties, she looks to be in her thirties.
• Primoris is obviously no longer associated with the Society, and he has been following a policy of studied inactivity.
• Jack Tallon is the de facto leader of the Society in Mercer's stead - Styles isn't really made for leadership, and there aren't really any other options. His aging is slowed, but he's been around since Victorian times, so he's still starting to show his age.

There are members beyond the three active members mentioned above (only two now that the Styles is dead), but they're all only tangentially connected, or they just aren't heavyweights.

Mind if I have a Perception + Investigation roll, thanks?

Ack ... I should read this before posting. Also, Janos looks to be about thirty, but I would willing have his hair grey-streaked with all he has been through.

Looking for Medicine and Science rolls here for any forensics type info I can gather (time of death, guess as to the cause of the wound, if a gun are there power burns indicating close range, etc.)

It should be underscored that Clay is a very magnetic personality. He has a one-two of natural charisma and his great-grandfather's psychic abilities, so people tend to naturally slip into his orbit (a big part of why he's one of the movement's chief organizers).

Not that the PCs automatically fold to him, or anything, but you are actually getting bonuses from him just standing in the same room as you ... he's really good at being that interpersonal version of grease between the wheels.

I stuck a short pause in before Janos arrives, in case Raphael cares to respond to Misha. There should be a minute or so of time, there.

Just bookmarking so I remember to check before Mark opens his big mouth...

An edit to the earlier posting ... the window actually ought to be open. This isn't terribly unusual, as it is fairly pleasant out (for northeastern Europe).

OK, tomorrow I'm going to Gencon so I'll be back on Sunday and can post until tomorrow.

Lucky....

Say 'hi' to Steve for me. He's the owner of The Ugly Troll store in Racine, WI. I think he is going to spend most of his time playing Mini's.

Umm...unless he's got a store in Indianapolis I doubt I'll see him. The convention got moved a few years ago.

He'll be at the convention. You can't miss him... he's barrel shaped with one eyebrow and a goofy smile... he named his store after himself. I just like to tell people he doesn't know to go up and say hi. Freaks him out.

OK, if I see someone like that I'll say hi, should be funny, but might not be an unusual description for a Con full of gamers. We'll see.

He showers regularly.

Alex, your PM Box is over-stuffed.

Also, Misha has a PM.

My mailbox is cleaned out, again.

Got it, thanks. Checked it at the hotel yesterday.

I'm just a touch lost, are we in the hotel room still? me, Mark, Raphael and Janos's niece?

Near as I can tell, yes. Raphael, Misha, Mark, and the npcs.

Alex, anything other conclusions Raphael can draw or observations he can make?

You've had a general look at the scene. There is undoubtedly more that can be discovered, but you need to start specifying what you're looking at and what you're looking for. If you'll recall, you haven't even fully searched the body yet - the previous information was just for looking, and not touching.

And yes. Regan and Janos went out onto the street. Everyone else is still in the hotel room.

OKie dokie, now that Clay has confirmed we've got carte blanche I'll actually start messing around ... just wanted to be clear before I did something stupid.

I believe Janos and Regan are going to try and locate the point of origin for the lethal projectile.

Alex, we know that the body was face up but what was the orientation? Was Styles looking out the window or facing inward before he fell. Since the body was hit off center he could have spun so more than likely analysis of the wound will be needed in addition to the position of the body.

Can I make an alertness roll on his luggage?

Janos, your inbox is chock full. So short answer: yes.

Misha: It's probably more Investigation, but yes.

Raphael: Probably should have been more clear on that. He was well away from the window. This is why it doesn't look possible to have shot him from the street or nearby buildings - someone would have had to shoot from pretty much directly perpendicular to the window.

He actually might have been shot shortly after walking in the door, since he's pretty close to there. He might also have just wandered back in that direction when the sniper was drawing a bead, though.

The bullet entered from the front and exited through the back.

Thanks for pointing that out for me, Raphael. I made some room, in case you have any suggestions. Btw, what was Jameson's nemisis' full name?

PMed you some information you might find handy Janos.

Anybody heard from Alex lately?

Nope. Although I think he posted recently at RPG Crossroads.

FYI, Dunno if it'll even be an issue but I will be away from any sort of computer from this evening through until sometime Monday.

Me too... kinda