World War Cthulhu/Actung Cthulhu Rome: Episode 1
The Cast:
John as Mr. Phillips 68 yr old retired Dutch engineer
Kathy as Victoria, Proper English collegette with leftist leanings
Nick as Clifton, English test pilot
Wyatt as Max Webber, SIS spy in Vienna
(NPC) Giovanni the Italian Hitman
...and introducing...
Niccollo "Nicky" Filipi, Insane missing SIS Agent
The party boarded the train in Vienna with a destination of Rome, Italy. They are headed there for two missions; an SIS agent has gone missing and their partner has sent a distress note to Vienna, and there are indications from Erlichmann's notebook that there are hidden Atlantean artifacts wanted by someone in the Nazi hierarchy located in Rome.
This episode was covered in "tradecraft" - the party moving through enemy country and trying to not be noticed. In fact, the most that could be said, by the end, was that some luggage went missing on a train, and that tourists were looking at the tourist attractions of Rome. No bang-bang shoot-shoot here, But plenty of time for the characters to heal up.
The train ride through Austria and Northern Italy and much of the maneuvering in Rome was overcast with annoying features of being a spy on the run. The party started on the train with no luggage or change of cloths, so they had to steal train luggage to fit in, eventually they had to spend money on replacement cloths and luggage (after throwing away the evidence of the stolen luggage) - all of which could have gotten them caught. Same as in Rome - the investigation has taken days of maneuvering, avoiding being seen together and watching for tails. The party has really done a good job so far. OOC they have to date not raised the attention of the local Secret Police and made progress towards their objectives. But all that tradecraft means progress is much slower than a "normal" investigation.
After arriving the party split into two hotels, and tried to avoid being identified as a "group of foreigners". Meeting was always difficult, and at different cafes. The only time after arriving that the group was together (other than a moving once a day meeting) was on a tour to find some of the clues. Max discovered a tail his first trip out and while succeeding in losing him, it set the party to constantly looking over their shoulders. Even on the tour of art, there was a suspected secret policewoman keeping an eye out.
The party followed the trail of the missing (both agents in Rome were missing now) - from the abandoned and wrecked shop of their missing contact Lucrecia, to a statue on an art tour, to an ancient church, where they found a letter indicating some of Lucrecias concerns and fate of her partner...that he had been caught, but not even sent to trial. One of her comments, about a Castel between the Vatican and central Rome drew the party's attention and they decided to each individually wander past the next day, either as tourists heading to the Vatican (Mr. Phillips and Victoria, and Clifton), or as everyday Italians (Max Webber and Giovanni). Max makes his way past and takes his time observing the road crews and the area, mentally focused on drawing a detailed map in his head, and not drawing attention. Mr' Phillips and Victoria stroll by looking like tourists. Victoria almost blows cover when she realized what is going on at the site...an archaeological dig! Worse - the workers are completely incompetent! The idea of them destroying the site through their carelessness makes her want to run over and stop them! But Phillips keeps her moving to a nearby cafe. Victoria has another revelation - the workers are not just laborers, they are prisoners - and there are armed guards all over, even leading the prisoners into a make-shift building (and the prisoners coming out dirty, as if digging within). She notices a man directing the work, a tall older Italian man in a three piece suit with a pot belly and greying hair.
Phillips watches a limousine pulls up. Out steps a small thing man in a suit, followed by two German troops armed and in uniform (with the same symbol that is on the ring that Phillips took from the Nazi in Vienna (that he killed). But strangest was the last person to exit - what looked like a Tibetan monk in blue robes.
All were distracted as a prisoner made a run for the gates...the other prisoners cheered him on only to see him shot down. One female prisoner was not cheering - a woman who Mr. Phillips and Victoria were able to identify as Lucrecia...their contact!
As if all that was not enough, during Clifton's final run, as he got the idea of possibly stealing a plane for an escape, and on his way back through a circuitous back alley he ran across a homeless madman. The man started gibbering in mixed Italian and English to Clifton and then jumped up to hug the pilot. Despite the filth and stench, Clifton identified the man as their other contact, Niccolo the missing SIS agent.
Clifton brings him back to the Hotel Imperial (also housing Mr. Phillips and Victoria) and bribes the front desk man to give the madman a room. Clifton takes the man up and tries to clean him up...
John as Mr. Phillips 68 yr old retired Dutch engineer
Kathy as Victoria, Proper English collegette with leftist leanings
Nick as Clifton, English test pilot
Wyatt as Max Webber, SIS spy in Vienna
(NPC) Giovanni the Italian Hitman
...and introducing...
Niccollo "Nicky" Filipi, Insane missing SIS Agent
The party boarded the train in Vienna with a destination of Rome, Italy. They are headed there for two missions; an SIS agent has gone missing and their partner has sent a distress note to Vienna, and there are indications from Erlichmann's notebook that there are hidden Atlantean artifacts wanted by someone in the Nazi hierarchy located in Rome.
This episode was covered in "tradecraft" - the party moving through enemy country and trying to not be noticed. In fact, the most that could be said, by the end, was that some luggage went missing on a train, and that tourists were looking at the tourist attractions of Rome. No bang-bang shoot-shoot here, But plenty of time for the characters to heal up.
The train ride through Austria and Northern Italy and much of the maneuvering in Rome was overcast with annoying features of being a spy on the run. The party started on the train with no luggage or change of cloths, so they had to steal train luggage to fit in, eventually they had to spend money on replacement cloths and luggage (after throwing away the evidence of the stolen luggage) - all of which could have gotten them caught. Same as in Rome - the investigation has taken days of maneuvering, avoiding being seen together and watching for tails. The party has really done a good job so far. OOC they have to date not raised the attention of the local Secret Police and made progress towards their objectives. But all that tradecraft means progress is much slower than a "normal" investigation.
After arriving the party split into two hotels, and tried to avoid being identified as a "group of foreigners". Meeting was always difficult, and at different cafes. The only time after arriving that the group was together (other than a moving once a day meeting) was on a tour to find some of the clues. Max discovered a tail his first trip out and while succeeding in losing him, it set the party to constantly looking over their shoulders. Even on the tour of art, there was a suspected secret policewoman keeping an eye out.
The party followed the trail of the missing (both agents in Rome were missing now) - from the abandoned and wrecked shop of their missing contact Lucrecia, to a statue on an art tour, to an ancient church, where they found a letter indicating some of Lucrecias concerns and fate of her partner...that he had been caught, but not even sent to trial. One of her comments, about a Castel between the Vatican and central Rome drew the party's attention and they decided to each individually wander past the next day, either as tourists heading to the Vatican (Mr. Phillips and Victoria, and Clifton), or as everyday Italians (Max Webber and Giovanni). Max makes his way past and takes his time observing the road crews and the area, mentally focused on drawing a detailed map in his head, and not drawing attention. Mr' Phillips and Victoria stroll by looking like tourists. Victoria almost blows cover when she realized what is going on at the site...an archaeological dig! Worse - the workers are completely incompetent! The idea of them destroying the site through their carelessness makes her want to run over and stop them! But Phillips keeps her moving to a nearby cafe. Victoria has another revelation - the workers are not just laborers, they are prisoners - and there are armed guards all over, even leading the prisoners into a make-shift building (and the prisoners coming out dirty, as if digging within). She notices a man directing the work, a tall older Italian man in a three piece suit with a pot belly and greying hair.
Phillips watches a limousine pulls up. Out steps a small thing man in a suit, followed by two German troops armed and in uniform (with the same symbol that is on the ring that Phillips took from the Nazi in Vienna (that he killed). But strangest was the last person to exit - what looked like a Tibetan monk in blue robes.
All were distracted as a prisoner made a run for the gates...the other prisoners cheered him on only to see him shot down. One female prisoner was not cheering - a woman who Mr. Phillips and Victoria were able to identify as Lucrecia...their contact!
As if all that was not enough, during Clifton's final run, as he got the idea of possibly stealing a plane for an escape, and on his way back through a circuitous back alley he ran across a homeless madman. The man started gibbering in mixed Italian and English to Clifton and then jumped up to hug the pilot. Despite the filth and stench, Clifton identified the man as their other contact, Niccolo the missing SIS agent.
Clifton brings him back to the Hotel Imperial (also housing Mr. Phillips and Victoria) and bribes the front desk man to give the madman a room. Clifton takes the man up and tries to clean him up...
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