Paris Shuffle

Game Date: 30 Oct 2010
Present: Cindy, Kim, Maer, Andy, and Jim

August 18th , 1867, Sunday
Hotel St. George, 42 Rue du Mont Thabor
Paris, France
4:30 A.M.

We are staying at the elegant Hotel St. George in Paris. We’re on the 3rd floor of 6. Our rooms are on the same hall and at 0430hrs in the morning, Flora wakes everyone up by screaming out of her sleep. Dionysius looks out the her room’s window and glimpses something climbing the outside wall upward.

To the roof! he says. Bertie, Ezekiel, and Josephine take to the stairs up. Beignet leans out the window, tied to the curtain ropes for security. Katherine stays with Flora to comfort and compose her from her upset.

Beignet looks again and confirms he thought he saw something climbing up the wall. It flows unnaturally over the parapet and disappears from view. Katherine inquires if he needs help with the curtain ropes. No, he does not, he says snippily and she growls at him that maybe she should move that curtainry so he can get a better look….

Since Bertie ran into the room to check Flora, he’s behind Ezekiel and Josephine when they make it to the roof. Ezekiel throws the door open, Josephine right behind him. The roof isn’t easy to negotiate, being cluttered with cupolas and chimney stacks and water towers and maintenance shafts. There are puddles of stagnant rainwater and rotting leaves from last year and bird droppings decorate every surface. It is, in a word, a mess.

A flurry of pigeons explode in a scatter of feathers and coos as we step upon the tarpaper and Ezekiel spies something oozing off to the side and the strange feeling he got outside the French club is back.

Ezekiel: This way!

Ezekiel chases after what he’s seen while below, Beignet gets smacked by a roof tile. It opens a gash on his head and Katherine rushes to keep him from falling to the street. Head wounds bleed profusely and soon her dressing gown is smirched with red.

Roofside, Ezekiel sees something that looks like a gargoyle… in fact, it’s likely a gargoyle in fact. It hears us, not that we’re trying to be discreet, and makes to fly off. Ezekiel is closest and his sword’s in hand. He swings at it first. He misses. He yells to Josephine to fire. She levels her gun at it and fires. Her bullet whizzes so close to his ear he’s momentarily deafened.

The gargoyle hisses something in French, guttural and menacing, and launches skyward.

Josephine shoots again, hits it and the bullet pings off its stony hide. Ezekiel studies the creature as it takes off and sees it’s a true gargoyle, not a grotesque: it has the rain gutter running down its back clearly visible between its wings. It flies off with a gravelly laugh. There being no stopping it, Ezekiel sighs and turns back inside. We rejoin the others in Katherine’s room and plans are made to meet at a restaurant at 2PM after our day’s errands. We part to our respective rooms. Ezekiel sketches the gargoyle for reference later. Dionysius grumbles back to his little trundle bed. Josephine and the other ladies likewise seek their rest. Bertie goes to bed, having determined he can’t get any nooky with Flora.

When the sun rises, we all part on our respective errands. Ezekiel and Katherine take a morning walk and have breakfast on the Rue Cler. Josephine makes her way to Trumpshaws of Paris, there to complete her clandestine errand. Bertie accompanies Flora and Dionysius to the Paris Thaumaturgy Guild’s Ladies’ Tearoom. Beignet is interested to see if anything magical is attracted or pops up with regard to Flora amongst the fellow thaumaturgists. Afterward, Bertie takes her for a walk upon Montmarte.

At 2PM we gather at the Bistro.

Beignet advises us to designate someone to be a chairman of our little party. Josephine should be the Chairman of Investigations as the Warranted agent, but someone else should be the overall organizer. Are you volunteering your services? Ezekiel asks Beignet. Katherine seconds it and it’s done. Josephine reports first—Edward Billingsley more or less confirmed what we already know about Rembecki, so we must be on the right track: Lake Bled. We will table looking for information of Area 3 in Switzerland. Next, Ezekiel shows us the sketch of the gargoyle and confirms that it’s obviously like the ones off the club last night, the Societe du Nord. Does Mlle. Flora remember anything the gargoyle spoke to her last night? Flora admits she doesn’t know French and cannot be sure what was said. Beignet urges her to try. She remembers something …

Bon nuit, mon petit… je suis regarde … : Good night. I am watching.

So who would be watching Flora? She has no memories at all of her past? Nothing from childhood? No. So her amnesia is not local but total. Damn.

Beignet says his discreet inquiries at the Guild reveals that the Societe du Nord wasn’t involved in Flora’s past, but an individual from that club. It’s also a social organization with political intent, with an interest to strengthen native German resistance to join under Prussian control. That individual may have been in England where Flora was found. She may be a political puzzle piece but it’s not clear how she’s involved with Rembecki… unless Rembecki’s kind is involved with political machinations as well. There is some evidence to suggest that she was in the company of the individual of this club, perhaps she was able to escape, perhaps her memory loss is connected in some way.

During the meeting, Josephine is asked if her contact at Trumpshaw’s mentioned anything about Area 3 in Swizterland? No, nothing was mentioned, but Josephine resolves to go back to inquire. Area 3 might be connected to the political machinations of the Societe du Nord and via their connection to Flora, the mystery attached to her. Beignet asks to accompany her and she agrees.

Beignet hands over hot air balloon tickets to Katherine and Ezekiel and Bertie and Flora. Both couples get romantic time together… and not coincidentally get time to aerially surveil the city and the Societe du Nord’s roof. The balloons will take off from an open field on the east side and the Champs Elysées on the west side of the city.

Bertie and Flora gain their balloon and Bertie pays the operator to let them aboard and then remain on the ground anchoring the rope so he and Flora can go up alone. Bertie has a basket with champagne and glasses and the drink flows.

At the Champs Elysees they find not only their balloon but a man trying to fly his blimp.

Ezekiel spies someone on the roof of the S.du Nord building, agitated and shouting at something on the roof of the building. It’s not clear what that something is. Ezekiel points it out to Katherine but she cannot make out what the man is saying either. Ezekiel asks the balloon operator to move the balloon closer to the roof, could he do that please? The operator agrees, though is trepidatious of the club’s magical reputation. A monetary bribe from Ezekiel gives him the incentive he needs.

Ezekiel and Katherine hear: Traitorous Beast! Return to your position.

They see there are five or six gargoyles in a line with the man on the roof. Ezekiel confirms they look like the gargoyle he saw last night. the man on the roof departs and shows up on the ground, heading north on Rue d’Amsterdam. Ezekiel orders the operator to follow the man. He’s told the winds are not favorable. The blimp from the Champ Elysees barges into view and heads north, narrowly missing their balloon.

It’s a frightful moment—because everyone knows that blimps are dangerous. Katherine clutches Ezekiel and he takes her into his arms. Luckily for them the blimp misses them. Over her fright, Katherine looks after the blimp and says she wants one.

In Bertie and Flora’s balloon, Flora sees a woman on the ground and though she cannot identify the woman, she gets a very bad feeling about the woman. Flora feels this woman has something to do with her past.

There is a private note for Josephine at Trumpshaw’s (02:18:00). It’s a letter of introduction to allow her to see Arthur MacEwan. MacEwan tells her that the Area 3 is not in Switzerland but in either Nurnberg or Genova. It is in effect the third point of an equilateral triangle formed by Lake Bled on one point and Eiger on another. Drum was sent to northern Italy and disappeared. Schulmann shows up dead. Dart goes missing. Spectacle goes missing. Clockwork shows briefly, delivers Schulmann and then disappears.

Beignet talks to Josephine on the way to Trumpshaw’s, seeking to come to an understanding in their working relationship. He plays the class card in sympathy and commiserates.

They compare notes and based on the geopolitical landscape, Nurnberg looks the likelier choice for our target, being in Wetphalia and close to the Prussians, instead of Genova in Italy. Josephine arranges to have the trunks delivered to the train station we will depart from for points east. Our train will leave at 8AM in the morning.

We arrange to change roommates to confuse the gargoyle should it come back. And then we arrange our evening’s entertainment. Bertie and Ezekiel will be going to the Moulin Rouge. Flora and Katherine will be attending either the Comedie Francaise two blocks from the hotel. Katherine is disappointed but agrees.

Katherine expresses interest in how Josephine carries her gun when in women’s dress. Josephine agrees to take her to her room to show her. She sends a note in to Ezekiel telling him to wait in the lobby before he leaves for the night and sends another note to have the concierge to go to her room to take her order for three sets of men’s evening dress—three, because Flora is coming with Katherine and Josephine on a jaunt. Quickly she arranges for Flora and Katherine to meet her at the hotel at intermission to disguise themselves as men in evening dress so they can go to the Moulin Rouge, too. The Eldren women gleefully agree and Josephine sends them off to prepare for their outing while she makes the arrangements. She quickly dresses in men’s clothing and meets Ezekiel in the lobby to tell them of her plans. Bertie thinks it’s a capital idea. Ezekiel is nervous but game, but cautions them to go slow and remain flexible enough to avoid scandal.

Beignet goes to the same restaurant we ate in last night to spend the evening on the roof with a picnic dinner. Being a Hobbit, they load him down with food and send him up. He goes up and observes the Societe du Nord building close by. He sees one of the gargoyles moving and tries to draw his attention, hoping to shoot it down but before he can do that, someone goes onto the roof across the way to berate the moving gargoyle for leaving its position. There are important things going on this evening and it is not to leave its post. Go back to its position. The man leaves the roof. Beignet watches. The man leaves the building and walks down the Champs Elysees and Rue du Rivoli toward our hotel.

At the Comedie Francaise, Katherine and Flora are too absorbed in the performance to notice anything else. When Josephine shows up at the lobby at intermission she sees Rembecki on the arm of a handsome man and since she’s in men’s dress for the evening, Josephine drifts closer to verify the identity. It’s her. Josephine revises her plans. She will follow Rembecki to note her box, then fetch Katherine and Flora to watch her while Josephine goes in male guise to fetch Ezekiel and Bertie for reinforcements.

Katherine and Flora meanwhile have seen a Hobbit Katherine is convinced is Beignet. Contrite she taps him on the shoulder to admit her deviation from the Opera Nationale (as originally planned) and a stranger turns around. It is not Beignet but a Hobbit named Pierre D’Faubourg who is delighted to see to lovely ladies seeking his company. He invites them to join him at the lobby bar for wine, bread and cheese. Flora is chaperone enough for Katherine’s honor, so Katherine accepts. He’s engaging and charming and fascinating. He keeps the conversation flowing despite the women looking for Josephine. He’s distracting them successfully and they do not notice Josephine enter.

Josephine notices that people are coming and going from Rembecki’s box. Men are coming up and getting orders and leaving, to be exact. Four of them. She cannot overhear the verbal orders. She meets up with the women in the lobby and tells them to watch Rembecki while she runs to the Moulin Rouge to fetch Bertie and Ezekiel.

Meanwhile, Beignet surmises the insubordinate gargoyle is attracted to Flora and so is trying to see her again. That being the case, he will deal with the gargoyle and not the man. Ten minutes after the man leaves down the street, the gargoyle leaps off the roof of the building. Beignet aims and shoots at the gargoyle with his pistol. He hopes to attract it closer with the piddly bullet shot, and once it’s in range hit it with a magical force bolt. If he times the bolt right, he will hit it when it’s over the street and the impact on the cobblestones of Paris will take it out. It is heading down the Rue de Rivoli.

Beignet hits it with the bullet but the force bolt has no effect on the gargoyle. Damn. It flies past Beignet and goes slightly north and west. It’s not heading to the hotel but in the general direction of Moulin Rouge. There being no way to track it, Beignet heads back to the hotel. He crosses paths with Josephine and she quickly tells him of the situation. Beignet sends her on to the Moulin Rouge and goes to the Comedie Francaise to watch with the women. Josephine runs as fast as she can.

At the Moulin Rouge, Bertie is engrossed in watching the women and their knickers. Ezekiel attends the show but he notices a little circus area to the side of the stage. There’s a cage on wheels and in the cage what appears to be a stuffed animal that bears a shocking resemblance of Selene Dashwood, dressed up as Selene Dashwood as a tribal warrior carrying a spear. He taps Bertie on the shoulder and finds the other man about to lose change down a woman’s shirt. Ezekiel wishes the man well and goes off alone to the cage.

Abyssinian Warrior of Africa, says the sign on the cage. As Ezekiel gets closer, he cannot determine if the figure in the cage is a taxidermist’s art or if this is Dashwood in the flesh. No one is trying to pet the oddity in the cage, and there are people guarding the cage… but as for a carnival sideshow, it’s fairly pathetic. there is one other cage with an exotic ‘African’ creature—an armadillo—and Ezekiel draws closer.

He’s stopped by a man asking if he can help, in French. Ezekiel says this is a fascinating exhibit (with air quotes attached). The man tells Ezekiel that he shouldn’t get too close to the exhibit. Is it real? He’s been told it’s an authentic warrior of Abyssinia and cat warriors are common. Ezekiel pays him a sou to take a closer look and looks and steps back. (04:10:00) The man tells him that the exhibit isn’t even supposed to be here, it’s travelling with a circus to somewhere in Germany and is supposed to be at the train station. Ezekiel pays the man another sou and thanks him and goes back to Bertie. Bertie is arguing with a woman about pricing. For the time being, Ezekiel positions himself to watch the cage and the show and the door, waiting for Josephine and the women to show up.

Meanwhile at the Comedie Francaise, the women are looking at two different women and two different boxes. One of the Rembeckis gets up to leave and now they don’t know which one to follow and which one to watch or ignore.

At the Moulin Rouge, Ezekiel sees the side stage door is opening violently and Ezekiel calls Bertie to him— Monsieur! With me! Now!— and makes his way with haste to the door. The gargoyle steps through the side stage door. The attendant and cries out, whipping out his sap and attempts an attack. He gets knocked aside. Ezekiel is running now, no care for appearances. Bertie has his sword cane out and is right behind him.

It takes a few minutes for the patrons of the Moulin Rouge to realize that there is something going on. Ezekiel draws his sword and rushes the gargoyle. (04:35:00) Ezekiel lands a blow with his sword, but given the foe is stone, the blade bounces off with a pank! Bertie engages as well. The gargoyle is outnumbered and pauses. Ezekiel tells it to go now, while it can. Por Quoi? it sneers and the fight is on.

The bouncers at the Moulin notice and make their way over. The gargoyle engages Bertie and smacks him hard. Bertie staggers. Stand firm! says Ezekiel. Think of what Flora will say when I tell her this story. Stand firm! Bertie stays on his feet. Ezekiel lands a whopping blow on the gargoyle and growls: Your business is with me, sir. The gargoyle ignores him.

Bertie and the gargoyle go at each other, the gargoyle sensing the weaker opponent and an easy win. Bertie manages to elude. The gargoyle goes for Ezekiel next and connects. Ezekiel is wearing his armored coat and the blow only does glancing damage. Bertie has his second wind now and rushes the gargoyle as it’s engaged with Ezekiel. The gargoyle counters Bertie and knocks him hard. It takes the starch out of Bertie and he’s wobbly… but he’s still up.

The bouncers have arrived and five of them surround the gargoyle and Ezekiel steps back to give them room to do their job. Ezekiel prays to the Host for help with his Becalm: send the creature away, let it not complete what it was sent here to do.

It looks terrified and says: She must not leave.

And then it flies away.

One of the bouncers runs away in terror, three fall unconscious, and the remaining one is beatically saying his prayers: all of them have been affected by Ezekiel’s becalm spell. If you’re innately good, you are at peace; if you are innately evil, you run away If you’re neither, you fall asleep.

At the Comedie Francais, Flora’s Rembecki gets up to leave. Flora alerts Katherine. Katherine is confused but goes with Flora’s cue. We’re going to follow her, says Flora. She and Flora get up to leave and then rush to the Lobby to catch sight of Rembecki. The woman is leaving in the middle of the performance. This cannot bode well. They catch sight of her skirt going out the door. Katherine and Flora pursue, trying to sneak. On the plus side, Rembecki is not looking behind her. On the minus side, she turns at the last second and sees her pursuers and throws a force bolt. The bolt hits Flora square in her armored corset and given the intent was to knock an opponent down, down Flora goes. She flies into the wall, slides to the floor, and her bustle takes some of the impact.

Katherine throws her weighted evening cane like a cop walking his nightstick, hoping to trip Rembecki up. The cane trips Rembecki and the woman goes down. Rembecki is not alone—she has a handsome associate to lend her his arm. The two of them gain the sidewalk and Katherine follows. She cannot let them get away.

Rembecki has a carriage waiting for her up the street. There is a velvet rope on stanchions and Katherine runs for one of the brass poles, grabs it and swings for Rembecki. Katherine’s hair flies wild, her expression ferocious, wielding a big brass stick—it’s a sight to give one pause.

Flora is trying to regain her feet.

Outside, Katherine swings. She misses. Rembecki strikes. The force bolt knocks Katherine down. Flora has made it to her feet and joins Katherine on the sidewalk.

Rembecki makes it down the street—she’s getting away! Katherine scrambles up and starts screaming for help. Rembecki climbs into the carriage. Flora has drawn her gun and is aiming for the carriage horses. Rembecki gives Katherine an angry look. Katherine readies her stanchion to throw at the horses. She throws, it falls short behind the horse. They bolt. And off the street the carriage goes.

The driver hauls on the reins.

Beignet makes it to the scene in time to see the carriage coming for him. Beignet casts a force bolt at the carriage—taking it off the wheels but the horses are maddened enough to drag the carriage after them. The choice for anyone inside it is to jump out now or be beaten to flinders before the carriage flips.

Several police whistles sound on the street, to the loud cry of: Arrêt!

Beignet ceases and desists.

Rembecki jumps out of the carriage with her man and starts screaming for the police.

Beignet denounces Rembecki as an international criminal and foul woman.

Katherine screams J’cuse!

Rembecki counter screams that we’re trying to kidnap her and the Count.

Katherine demands that Rembecki be arrested.

Beignet says we’re on business of the British Crown.

The Count prevails and the police listen to him—we are all hauled off to court to see a judge. Separately.

Josephine finally arrives at the Moulin Rouge to find the crew mopping up. She finds Ezekiel and he tells her of Selene and the gargoyle, and how the gargoyle is trying to keep her from the train station: she must stay. Bertie’s been fairly severely injured.

Final score: our team member is injured. Our healer—Katherine—is in jail. The warrant that can get them free is in the hands of an apparent transvestite.

We just can’t seem to get a break.

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