The coffee shop is less than the length of a football pitch from Mile End station. Good thing, too, since Cat and Amit are running late for their appointment with the mysterious Angharad. Bloody fucking signal failures...
There's a woman sitting alone at one of the tables outside on the pavement, despite it being only a few degrees above freezing. They'd noticed her from across the busy intersection, sitting with such poise and presence that she naturally draws the eye, all the while maintaining a fierce aloofness which says 'look, but don't come near'.
She has the alabaster skin of one who gets less sunlight than Cat, but without the concomitant vitamin D deficiency. She's got the long straight auburn hair of a penitent Magdalen and the serene expression of an Odalisque. When she stands to introduce herself, she's almost the same height as Cat -- though a good four inches of that is stiletto heels.
"Cat? Amit? Angharad. If you're having anything, get it to go. We'll walk in the park."
[Scene 4 : the meeting w/ Angharad
Age: Youthful, perhaps someone up-and-coming in their role.
Profession: (what ever I originally rolled got superseded by the Quirks roll below).
Memorable Quirks: Pronounced sexual or ethnic minority identification (1d2= the former)
Social Standing: Loved and admired by many, envied by other peers
Relation to Situation: An unwitting pawn necessary to someone’s plans (?)
The Problem That Drives Them: They’re badly mistaken about someone involved in it. (?)
Subsequent events sort of over-ruled the Relation and Drive results. I wasn't going to let a couple rolls on a chart stand in the way of a developing mystery. The important thing was that I instantly grokked the NPC from the other rolls.]
Coffees in hand, they saunter into the park in silence. But Amit feels impatient, and the question finally tumbles out of him.
"So, how do you know Rahi, anyways?"
"I was his domme."
"Oh! I, er... I s'pose that's why it didn't come up in conversation..."
"Quite. But you want to know why Rahi had to die." [UNE: mysterious - secrets - previous scene]
"Had to?"
"You didn't think it was an accidental overdose, did you?"
"Pretty out of character for him, I admit."
"They were after him, you see, and they're not the sort one can hide from."
"Who, though? and Why?"
"Your friends are in deep with organised crime. They should have been more careful, but Rahi got greedy and foolish."
"Seriously?"
"My attentions don't come cheaply. But I'd have told him not to be so stupid if I could have done. I am very persuasive."
"I did Udar a favour to keep his arse out of trouble, got him his merchandise back. This isn't going to come down on me now, is it?"
"I shouldn't think so. He's too spooked not to hand over the whole package."
"Good. I don't want any part of their shite. I'm strictly small-time."
"Can I interrupt?" asks Cat. "Like, Amit, it's too bad about your mate and all, but I fail to see why we should give a shit about any of this."
"I'm getting to that," says Angharad. "Udar said you had more esoteric interests."
"What the shit have you been telling people?"
"Cat, chill. I didn't say nothing. It's no secret who you used to hang round the gallery. Everyone still calls you 'witchy Cat'."
"Not to my face they don't!"
"Children, let's try to get along, shall we? If you're not interested..."
"Sorry."
"Sorry. Please continue."
"The [d6=]bloke your friends are doing business with is a fixer of sorts, setting people up with what they want, or need, for a price. He's a criminal, make no mistake, but some of his clients are interested in less... strictly pecuniary matters. He eventually cozened on to what they were asking of him, and rather than running in horror has decided to embrace this new market."
"Did Rahi and Udar know...?" asks Amit.
"Not at first. But Rahi began pushing boundaries, and he was called in for a little chat. It turns out one of his boss' gigs is feeding some sort of cannibal cult or the like. He told Rahi if he didn't straighten up, he'd find himself on the menu. And Rahi believed him. He wouldn't tell me why -- and he told me everything, as a matter of course; I don't like having secrets kept from me. But whatever happened that day scared him into silence. Into breaking my rules. I sensed that pushing him wouldn't help, so I let it drop. He was on best behaviour for a few months after that, and, I'm embarrassed to say, I didn't notice when he started to slip. Then the other day I got an urgent voicemail from him, saying he'd made a mistake, that his boss was going to have him killed or worse, and that he was too scared to let it happen, so he was going to poison himself so that he wouldn't end up as some nutter's tea."
"That's... that's really shit," says Amit.
"So where do we come in?" asks Cat.
"This might seem a bit tasteless, with everything I just told you, but please believe I'm desperate: I need to find this guy." [UNE: mysterious - uncertainty - contacts]
"You what? Why?"
"My reasons are my own. But I heard a rumour, and I tracked it down this far. Rahi wasn't in any position to make an introduction for me, and neither is Udar. The two of you are outsiders, relatively anyways, but you move in similar circles, I've been told."
"Why should we help you?" asks Amit.
"If you're looking for revenge, here's a good way to see the one you're up against. Just get me my meeting. Once that's taken care of, I can give you a few more tit-bits for the police, or whomever. But you might also find he can help you out in your...endeavours."
"How do you know about all this?" asks Cat. "You seem remarkably well-informed for someone who needs help."
"A former client of mine belonged to the Circle of the Shadow Chalice. [d6=]She told me an awful lot of things she ought not to have revealed."
"Why didn't you go to them?"
"They can't help with this. On that point she was very clear. Also, that they're dangerously unhinged sociopaths."
"Say we find this guy for you. How do we get him to meet you? We're going to need a bit more than, 'this bird we just met wants to talk to you, but we're not sure what about'."
"I see your point. Tell him I am interested in that which sits within the Silver House."
[I used my still-unpolished excel grimoire generator to get the title, The Silver House.
Whatever the Silver House is besides, there's at least a magical text of that name (or perhaps it's just the incipit). There is definitely a magical text involved in the adventure, because of course there is! Cat knows the SL version of the Comprehend Languages spell, but in order to pull Elgin in I decided just to make the text in Sanskrit, which he knows.]
. . .
They watch her leave the park, then walk on for a bit, in silence. Cat is still trying to figure out how to best make her case when Amit blurts out, "There's no way we aren't doing this, innit?"
"Wait-- really?"
"I get it now, why you were always into this stuff. Damn, I just never figured it was, y'know, real. Ancient secrets, modern wizards... this shit's addictive. Sorry, bad choice of words."
"No, that's prolly it with me, anyhow."
"Well, count me in. I mean, I was already in, but now I'm in in."
"Careful, mate, or they'll start calling you 'witchy Amit'."
They get some lunch at a loud builder's café where they can talk without being overheard, then Amit rings Udar to say they really need to see him.
[Q: Next scene? (1d4) 1 Conflict, 2 Investigation, 3 Udar, 4 random: d4=3
Scene 5 : meeting Udar]
They go to meet Udar in the hotel he's been hiding out in. When he opens the door to them, he seems on the edge of tears [Daintily / Watery]. He invites Cat and Amit to sit on the edge of the bed, and sits opposite them in a chair for all of five seconds before he's up and pacing.
[Amit needs to roll 8+ Cha/Persuade to get him to open up: 2d6+2=9, success.]
Amit manages to get him talking, but half-oblivious of Cat's presence, he keeps switching from English to Bangladeshi and back mid-sentence. Still, from what Cat can piece together, his boss gave him a right bollocking when he handed over the goods, and made it very plain that his next fuck up is his last.
Amit also pushes him for info on the enforcer, but hits a wall every time. Amit's honeyed tongue may have convinced his gran that being unmarried at the age of 30 isn't cause for concern but he can do nothing in the face of Udar's sheer terror.
[10+ Cha/Persuade: 2d6+2=9, fail. Spend Expertise for re-roll: 7, failed again: he's too spooked to help.
Q: Next scene? (1d4) 1 Conflict, 2 Investigation, 2 Mary rings Cat, 4 random, d4=2
Scene 6
Investigation scene: An Actor is involved in a Secret at the site, and is convinced the PCs’ curiosity is actually directed toward the Secret.]
Since the meeting with Udar, Amit has been out looking up everyone he knows to see if anyone can put him in touch with the enforcer, Tihan. He's had to go alone, since Cat is too much the outsider to be anything but a hindrance. She'd gotten a phone call earlier and had to dash out, and later texted him to say she wouldn't be home until tomorrow.
[6+ CHA/Culture-Criminal: 9, ok - he makes a connection, but given the Investigation scene rolled...]
He's at their flat, considering his evening options when there's a knock at the door. It's Tihan.
"Amit! Glad I caught you at home. Where's Cat?"
"Dunno. We're not married or nuffin'."
"Too right. Not to worry, we have better options without her. You like shisha? There's a new place in Hackney I been meaning to try out. How about we go for a drive."
Amit can think of a million things he'd rather do than accept the ominous offer, but the sight of Tihan's hulking subordinates on the pavement tells him he's not got much choice. Fortunately, the offer is exactly as presented; Tihan just likes to show off his new wheels. The shisha bar is as chichi as Amit expected, but Tihan also likes to throw cash around, so no use in passing up a free night out.
[Amit needs a 9+ CHA/Persuade roll to make his case: 2d6+2=12, success]
Amit navigates the evening's small-talk with exceptional finesse, and despite Tihan's occasional incisive probing doesn't give away any more than he means to. But he can count the evening a success, as he gets a meeting with Tihan's boss set up for [1d8-1=] two days hence.
next post: Cat makes an arse of herself
