18th Session

Finding a Needle in a Haystack

The session started at 12 August 1937, just after the destruction of Dallol. Lillian, who had written a letter to Cecil beforehand, now looked it over, thinking about adding something, but finally just signed it. Vito wrote to his priest (although his player had to miss the session itself).

Lillian wrote to Cecil before this, but after, she looked over the letter, thinking about adding something, but finally just signed it.

Joyce took the plane she had, er, borrowed from Captain Renato, and tried to find Ayers with it. My original assumption was that this wasn't possible, but on thinking it over, I decided that was not correct.

I don't know enough about planes to know how easy it is or isn't to use them to spot one person living in a desert, which means I don't know that it's impossible. So, looking at this from the dramatic point of view:

• Joyce knew roughly where in the desert to look for Ayers.
• Joyce knew some details about how Ayers had lived, which meant she probably had some idea of how he might have changed in appearance over the years.
• Ayers wasn't exactly hiding. People on foot / camel with a proper guide and the knowledge Joyce had would find him.
• My base assumption was that this particular desert wasn't exactly easy to hide in. That is, one could see a lone rider coming from a long way away.
• At this point, there was no doubt in my mind that the PCs could and would find Ayers. Given that, there's no good reason to say that a plane can't play a part in that search.
• There was one particularly interesting detail about Ayers that was relevant to the search, and it seemed not unreasonable that Joyce might realize it.

This detail had to do with George Ayers's lifestyle. Going by the text, the PCs are expected to travel with a guide who'll be checking around oases, something Joyce could probably spot from the air. But, as written, the guide will assume that Ayers's tracks from a month ago either can't be from Ayers, or, if they are, Ayers will have moved on or died, given he'd have to come back to the oases sooner than a month later.

This, however, is an incorrect assumption. George Ayers has spent over a decade living a very ascetic life. I asked if Joyce might have known others who had lived ascetically well enough to figure out something that would also apply to Ayers.

It turns out that Joyce once flew Lillian to Tibet, where Lillian met with some monks in a monastery, to discuss Tibetan Buddhism with them. All right. Clearly, at least some of those monks were ascetic.

Therefore, Joyce realized that someone used to severe asceticism needed less water than one would expect. So, she knew that Ayers might live further from an oasis than even the average local person. She either spotted Ayers's hut or spotted a couple of possibilities which she was able to narrow down to one on further consideration.

Joyce went to Massaua to return the plane. Martin decided to forgo traveling back into the desert, as even being in protective custody, as per Joyce's instructions, was preferable.

Joyce: They're Italian, not Greek, Marty. <beat> Well, someone had to say it.

Actually, Joyce agreed that Martin could be released from custody, and Martin went to Asmara, where Joyce's plane, the Wayfaring Stranger, was, and got a hotel room there. I handed Jerome's index card character sheet to Martin's player. Joyce considered bringing her Egyptian friend along -- well, technically, Josh's Egyptian friend -- but decided that exposing him to George Ayers and the mythos was undesirable.

I did a quick check to see where the various items that constitued the "artifacts of the Liar" were.

• Martin had the Locksley Overcoat, and was keeping it in his room.
• Vito, of course, had his arm with its mouth on it.
• Lillian had the teeth from the calcified mouth that used to be at the Dallol dig site, as well as Savitree Sirikhan's pickled arm with its mouth.
• Joyce had the Nectar.

Joyce and Jerome led the others to George Ayers's hut. Jerome went on ahead, as he was the only one George knew.

Joyce: Lillian, how do we talk to a guy who took a vow of silence?

Well, technically, he hadn't taken such a vow, but he also didn't speak much. I told folks in advance to assume that, while I'd be answering questions to George Ayers completely and uncryptically, they should assume he was using as few words as possible, with long pauses between sentences.

George Ayers was naked, and the calcified mouth in his stomach was clearly visible. The first time he tried to speak, sound didn't come at all. He didn't panic, but he did need to spend some time working his mouth to get enough moisture to speak.

As Jerome had believed, his converstion away from the worship of the Liar, whether or not it had been sincere in the beginning, was sincere now, and had been for years. He described his practices, wanting to help Vito and anyone else fighting the effects of having an extra mouth, courtesy of the Liar.

Short version: His practices are as rigourous as the roll-your-own rituals folks were able to cobble together, although even learning them had certain beneficial effects, which I'll detail at the end of the write up, along with their cost. Lillian and Joyce (and Jerome) have Rituals of Self Denial at level 1, whether or not they practice them.

I'm guessing Vito learned them as well, and Martin certainly had time to do so.

Vito's got three options at this point:

• Practice the Rituals of Self Denial. This pretty much takes him out of the game for the foreseeable future.
• Get an amputation. NB: While I am sure Lillian or Joyce could do this in the field, it's really much safer doing it in a hospital.
• Deal with having to spend Sense Trouble every time he's making a General skill spend or get bitten, and risk having the mouth attract unwanted attention. Of course, it may sometimes bite an enemy. Yes, it can be gagged, but as Vito has seen, if it can't chew through the gag, it moves out from under it.

In theory, one could sacrifice people who know the rituals of self denial to one of the larger mouths to calcify it. In practice, this isn't a good deal.

• First, the sacrifices must be willing.
• Second, you need as many rating points as the most damage a mouth can do. So, let's say a mouth does +2 damage. The maximum it can do, then, is 8 points. This means that you need 8 people with a score of 1 in rituals of self denial (which takes a week to get), 4 people with a scroe of 2 (which takes a month and about 5 points of various abilities to get), and so on. As you'll see below, a score of more than 2 isn't that practical for a PC, and may not be that practical for an NPC.
• Third, this is to close ONE MOUTH of the Liar. It doesn't prevent other mouths from opening. It doesn't touch the Liar's body. It's sacrificing probably 6-12 good people for a temporary advantage that can be gained in other ways.
• Fourth, the sacrifices have to have been practicing the rituals for some time. Merely knowing the rituals isn't sufficient.

After a week, George Ayers's mouth was slowly beginning to stir, just a little. And, a small group was approaching the hut, those who had managed to escape from Dallol before it had been surrounded and destroyed. They wanted George Ayers.

I suggested not playing out this combat, given that it was basically a mini-version of Dallol, and there was ample time for the group to set up to best tactical and strategic advantage. I'd already done a 5 point non-mythos Stability test for destroying Dallol, and I saw no reason to do that again.

Lillian's player said that, while Lillian would stand her ground in the appropriate place, and shoot or stab as needed, she would be crying silently the whole time.

Joyce (to Lillian): Wait, -you're- crying? Marty cries! You don't cry!

Martin's (Mis)Adventures

Martin, in the meanwhile, had recieved a few letters. One was from his brother, Henry, written before Martin's player decided to replace him as a source of stability with Jeremiah -- and decided that Martin couldn't get Stability back from anyone who wasn't mythos aware. (His current sources are Darla, Samson, and Jeremiah, all of whom are.)

The letter still made sense and was amusing, as Henry did care about Martin and did want to know how Martin was doing -- but also didn't want Martin talking openly about things Henry knew and vaguely accepted, but really, really didn't want to think about, let alone to hear Martin say or write them outright.

Henry Locksley's Letter to Martin

Dr. Keaton also wrote to Martin, but he wrote to Martin as "Mr. Rhodes", since that's how Martin introduced himself to the man. He didn't even have a first name for Mr. Rhodes.

Dr. Jonathan Keaton's Letter to "Mr. Rhodes"

This letter, describing Dr. Keaton's perception and misinterpretation of Dr. Cecil Walker's arrangements to keep Jeremiah, brain and cylinder, safe at Johns Hopkins, made Martin laugh.

And here, I had another "Oh, I suppose that is a logical way to see it" moment. I've had these before. In the Los Angeles section of the campaign, it never occurred to me that folks would fixate on the conservatory of Trammel's mansion as a probable danger spot. This despite, as Martin's player reminded me, the drug being called "Nectar" -- it really is a logical, if incorrect, conclusion to draw.

After reading Dr. Keaton's letter, Martin (and his player) thought that Dr. Keaton thought that Cecil might be having sex with Edgar Job. This is a reasonable conclusion to draw. However, it had not occurred to me when I was writing the letter, and it didn't occur to Dr. Keaton, who was thinking more along the lines of "Poor Dr. Walker was clearly kidnapped and hasn't recovered from his ordeal, and really needs a bit of a vacation, for the good of his patients, and also for himself. And, if that means I wind up with more authority, well, that is for everyone's good."

But it'd be interesting to see Martin deal with Keaton's letter with that assumption in mind. I don't know if that would be amusing, chilling, or both.

Martin's third letter was from Jeremiah.

Jeremiah Rhodes's 2nd Letter to Martin

Martin was crying after he finished reading that letter (which I did not write, leaving that to the person who wrote the previous Jeremiah letter).

He also decided that he would learn how to use firearms. This immediately got all of our attention in a "who are you and what have you done with Martin" kind of way. But, as the player noted, Martin had been told by Jeremiah to please stay alive and whole, and he was throwing himself into learning how to do that.

Either Lillian's Player or Joyce's Player: Ah, the difference between Season 2 and Season 3 Wesley on Angel.

[Anyone remember who actually said it? I just know it wasn't me.]

Eventually, Martin went down to the bar to get a drink or three. As he got a refill and drank it, he realized that:

• The drink was laced with a full dose of Nectar.
• The man sitting next to him at the bar was very good looking.

Martin's player decided to put a saved point in Assess Honesty, a skill Martin previously had not possessed. Martin scanned the bar, paying particular attention to the bartender, who looked away guiltily. Martin guessed, correctly, that someone had convinced the bartender to drug his drink.

He then turned to the man sitting next to him and explained his predicament.

Martin: I need you to kiss me, and then I need you to get me to my room.

Martin's player decided to add a point to Sense Trouble, another skill that Martin had not previously possessed. This meant that when the man kissed him, as requested, but then started steering him in the wrong direction to get to his room, Martin noticed.

This was a tactical error -- the man would have been much better off getting Martin to his room. But, hey, he had no reason to know Martin had just been motivated to pay more careful attention to his surroundings and his own safety than he'd been doing for over a year. Without Jeremiah as a factor, Martin might well have just let himself be kidnapped.

As it was, he yelled for the man to get away from him, informing the entire population of the crowded hotel bar that the guy had just made a pass at him. The man was surprised, but tried to make a counteraccusation stick. After all, Martin had kissed him, right?

This was, however, reckoning without Martin's new found determination, as he drew on his not inconsiderable interpersonal skills to convince the soldiers in the bar that he was the injured party here.

Somewhere around here was a semi-imaginary conversation. That is, the players all said what I've got here, as if speaking in character, but as Joyce and Lillian were in the desert fighting off cultists at the time, I'm guessing the conversation took place inside Martin's head.

Lillian: Stab him with an umbrella.

Martin: We're in Ethiopia -- I don't have an umbrella.

Lilian: Stab him with your hat pin.

Martin: I don't have one of those. I'm not a woman, just a fairy.

Lillian: Got you to say that.

Joyce: You have something that is mightier than the sword.

While she was referring to a pen, Martin was getting results from speaking, not writing. The soldiers in the bar beat up his would-be kidnapper while he explained earnestly that he'd seen the man taking an unhealthy interest in his younger brother. Apparently, Martin had forgotten his own advice about making lies too complicated, but his audience believed every word.

Of course, Martin was still high on Nectar, the Malta variety (which was like the Los Angeles variety), not the Bangkok variety, which meant that he was extremely aroused in a bar full of Italian soldiers all fighting to protect his honor and virtue. Martin managed to keep it together enough to ask to be allowed to speak to the man later, get to his room, lock the door, and masturbate.

Another semi-imaginary conversation followed.

Martin: And that, boys and girls, is how you take out an imminent threat without firing a shot.

Joyce: Yeah, but I'm able to look at myself in the mirror.

Martin's Player: Martin can do that, no problem.

Some time later, there was a knock on the door. It was one of the Italian soldiers, apologetically explaining that Captain Renato had been informed of the situation and instructed by Josh Winters (aka Joyce) to have Martin arrested and put into protective custody. There was no need for him to return to Massaua, but the man insisted on handcuffing Martin and bringing him to wherever the soldiers were staying in Asmara.

[WAS THAT A BARRACKS? A BASE? WHAT WERE WE CALLING IT?]

Martin asked if he could see the man who'd accosted him in the bar, and he was taken to the room where the rather battered man now waited and left alone with him. As Martin started to question him, the door opened and the man with the beetle tattoo on his wrist, aka Alex Kramer, who worked for Luc Fauche, came in, gun in hand, to try again to kidnap Martin and, while he was at it, rescue the other man.

Martin: Why do you people keep trying to grab me?

Alex: Either you go out that door with me or I shoot you.

Joyce (presumably Joyce-inside-Martin's-head): I like this guy.

That made an odd amount of sense; after all, he was being strictly business, like she generally was.

Jerome and Lillian

At this point, I cut back to the desert, and gave Martin's player a bit of metaphorical whiplash as she adjusted to being Jerome again.

The cultists now dead, George Ayers indicated that he suspected they had found him via the artifacts of the Liar -- Vito's arm, Savitree's arm, and the teeth from the old mouth of the Liar (and possibly the Nectar as well). He and Joyce agreed that it was time to destroy the teeth and Savitree's arm. Lillian and Jerome agreed, and the items were ground down or burned or both -- they were, in any case, thoroughly, thoroughly destroyed.

I think the Nectar remains, as it's potentially useful when dealing with addicts and cultists. Vito's arm is still attached to the rest of Vito.

Joyce agreed to borrow the plane back and fly George Ayers somewhere else.

[I THINK THAT WAS TO A DIFFERENT PART OF THE ETHIOPIAN DESERT, CORRECT? LET ME KNOW EITHER WAY?]

Lillian spoke privately to Jerome, trying to ascertain whether Jerome thought that the guardians' numbers needed to be increased, and if so, if he might want to do that by conceiving a child with her.

Jerome: You have raised a child before?

Lillian: No, but I know how I was raised.

(I don't know about Jerome, but I don't find that entirely reassuring, and not just because Lillian is more than a little odd.)

I explained to the players, and Jerome explained to Lillian, that the number of guardians had always been small, and that the problem wasn't that their numbers had been shrinking steadily over the centuries. No, the problem was that two of the three tribes of Afar in which there were guardians were far off to the north, fighting in the Italians' war.

Lillian (with the smallest bit of a flounce): Well, I suppose I can't use saving the world as an excuse to get you to court me properly.

Jerome: Lillian, if you want to have my child, I would be happy to -- (blushing) make arrangements until that happens. But you should not feel obligated to.

He also noted, if a bit awkwardly, that it might be "poor to have symptoms while in Malta", i.e., morning sickness.

Lillian: Your brutal practicality is surprisingly romantic.

Jerome: So is yours.

He gave her a very light comradely punch on the shoulder, not yet aware of just how capable Lillian was as a combatant.

Jerome (on being asked if Afar men have multiple wives): Only if we are very rich or very lucky.

Lillian: Well, if I come back, you will be both very rich and very lucky.

Jerome: I'm very glad I've met you, Lillian Avery.

At this point, someone did a quick web search and confirmed that the Afar are apparently polygamous, which presents a problem today, given AIDS.

I think is probably the most healthy and promising relationship Lillian's been in, and that's counting Cecil.

Leaving Ethiopia

Meanwhile, back in Asmara, Alex Kramer was trying to get his confederate and Martin out of the building as quickly as possible. Martin's player thought about a Preparedness spend to see whether or not Martin had a lighter on him.

I pointed out that the player had specified quite some time ago that, while Martin didn't smoke (considering it disgusting, iirc), he always had a lighter on him so that he could offer to light someone's cigarette.

Martin's Player: What we are trying to say is that Martin's a whore.

Me: No, I'm trying to say he already has a lighter and doesn't need to make a Preparedness Spend.

Lillian's Player: Because he's a whore.

Martin's player explained that Martin wanted to use Filch to slip the lit lighter into Alex Kramer's pants pocket as a reverse pickpocketing.

Me: Luckily for you, I've read Holly Black's _Tithe_.

Martin's Player: I love that book!

At this point, there was a brief digression about Holly Black's books other than the ones in the Tithe series, which I recommended (The Curse Workers books, Coldest Girl in Cold Town, Spiderwick, and so on).

Back in Asmara, Martin managed to slip the lighter into Alex's pocket, despite still being in handcuffs. A 5 point Filch spend didn't hurt.

He then dove under the man's legs and ran, I think using Athletics, but I'm not sure. I know he used Stealth, making another 5 point spend, which was good, because I think the player rolled a 1. Somewhere in there, probably before the Stealth roll, Martin blew his police whistle to alert the base, the whistle being something he'd specifically acquired in game.

Alex and his confederate left this base quickly. Martin waited where he was, then found some of the soldiers in the base, who'd been quite worried that they hadn't seen him. The soldiers were trying to protect him, and had no idea what was going on with the would-be kidnappers, beyond what Martin told them. They agreed that he could return to his hotel and removed the handcuffs. Captain Renato even sent a basket of food as a personal apology to Martin, and, more importantly, to Josh / Joyce, as he'd genuinely thought he'd been following Josh's instructions.

Martin told his companions about the excitement when they joined him in Asmara.

Joyce: To be fair, it does sound like what I might have done, but I didn't do it.

She listened as he talked about Alex Kramer / beetle tattoo guy and the other man.

Joyce: Wait a minute. Why do you keep saying this guy was a homosexual?

Martin: He has a good body.

Joyce managed to pry the rest of the story out of him. If one presumes the semi-imaginary conversations were what Martin thought his companions might have said, he was pretty spot on where Joyce was concerned.

Joyce: Have a little pride!

Martin: We can't -all- shoot them up.

Lillian's Player: But you lit them on fire.

If I understand correctly, one of the things Joyce figured would happen as a result of Martin's unusual tactics was that the Italians would round up "the usual suspects" and make their lives miserable.

[THAT ABOUT RIGHT?]

Meanwhile, Lillian thought had a different question.

Lillian: Oh, yes, that's -is- important -- what kind of Nectar was it?

Martin: The good kind.

Joyce wanted to leave immediately, especially since, when I was asked if Martin's room had been ransacked, I said that it had been, but nothing had been taken. In hindsight, this was absurd, so I did a retcon, saying that it had not been searched. Alex Kramer had been on his own at that point, and had too many balls in the air to go searching hotely rooms, and after Martin had escaped, he had other things to worry about. It wouldn't have occurred to me that anyone would have searched the room if I hadn't been asked. And, really, it was a big, big mistake not to bring Martin back to his room when he'd asked.

Martin convinced Joyce that they should stick around for a couple of days and try to find Alex and the other man. Joyce agreed, reluctantly, and went looking for them, or for word of them. Meanwhile, Martin and Lillian talked.

Martin: Lillian, if somebody tries to kidnap you, I will light them on fire. Through their pockets.

Lillian: Oh, that reminds me. We need to get you another lighter.

Martin: Immediately.

I'm assuming that's been done by now.

Joyce learned that Alex Kramer had left Ethiopia on a freighter called the Thyrsus. (Cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyrsus for the literary reference.) It was heading to Malta. As Joyce planned to fly there, she and her companions would arrive first, despite the later departure.

Joyce was unable to find any word of the other man. She told Martin and Lillian that this man was probably lining the stomach of a jackal.

Lillian asked about doing a walkthrough of the Wayfaring Stranger, iirc, and Joyce said Joyce would do it. Lillian said that it was important to do it for her own plane.

Joyce: -Whose- plane?

Lillian (wisely promptly): Your plane.

Joyce said the Wayfaring Stranger, was all that she had in the world.

The evening before they left for Malta, folks relaxed at the bar. Joyce flipped through a newspaper.

Joyce (casually): The DOW crashed again.

Lillian reacted visibly, though I'm not sure how.

Martin: My father will be displeased.

He didn't sound at all displeased himself at the prospect.

Joyce received a letter from Douglas Henslowe. Like Dr. Keaton, he was aware that all was not as it seemed with Dr. Cecil Walker. But, unlike Dr. Keaton, he suspected something Dire was going on.

Douglas Henslowe's 3rd Letter to Joyce

Joyce wrote to reassure him and to scold Cecil.

Joyce's 2nd Letter to Dr. Cecil Wallker Joyce's 2nd Letter to Douglas Henslowe

Arrival in Malta

The Wayfaring Stranger took off for Malta on 27 August 1937. I asked how long that would take.

Joyce's Player (via post-session email): Prob two days transit; it's about 2000 airline miles from Asmara to Valletta, which is a bit of a stretch. So, Asmara--Cairo, then Cairo--Valletta. There's no civilian aerodrome in Valletta, although there is an RAF base which we have presumably negotiated a landing with.

That sounds good to me.

Lillian: You're really going to enjoy Malta.

Martin: Why? Do they have a large number of homosexuals?

Lillian: No, but they have a large number of alcoholics.

Martin: Oh, okay, then.

[MY NOTES SAY MARTIN SAID SOMETHING ABOUT JEROME. ALL I CAN MAKE OUT IS "Ex tack below" and I'm not sure even that's correct. Anyone have a clue?]

Lillian: The problem with us is doing anything incognito is the Wayfaring Stranger.

Joyce: There aren't that many DC-3s. If you want, I could change the nose paint.

They did their best for an incognito arrival, at the very least concealing their identities and the name of the plane.

Joyce decided not to be either Joyce Summers or Josh Winters. There's a reasonable chance that the Malta cultists and Luc Fauche's group still don't know about the Josh Winters identity -- but there's also a reasonable chance that they do. So, she's going as Colonel Jacques Hivers.

Martin noted that he spoke French. Either he or Lillian suggested that Martin be the dashing young pilot bringing the colonel and his fiance (Lillian) to Malta. Someone pointed out that it would make more sense for Martin to be Lillian's fiance, and the colonel to be the pilot.

[ANYONE RECALL WHO WANTED MARTIN TO BE THE PILOT AND LILLIAN TO BE THE COLONEL'S FIANCE AND WHO MADE FOLKS GO FOR THE MORE LOGICAL LIE?]

[WE'LL NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHO VITO'S PRETENDING TO BE. ALSO, WE NEED A DISGUISE ROLL AT THE BEGINNING OF NEXT SESSION -- I THINK MARTIN'S THE ONE USING THE SKILL WITH EVERYONE ELSE PIGGYBACKING, YES?]

Lillian decided to use the name Gloria Vanderbilt, while Martin used the name Gabriel Archer.

Janet Winston-Rogers sent more money and told the group to please check in with her in person after Malta. Joyce's player revealed Joyce's new Source of Stability, who just happened to be on Malta, a writer and pilot Joyce referred to as Tony. His full name was Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and he had perhaps taken credit for one or two of Joyce's own exploits.

Folks decided to secure their more valuable belongs in a storage locker. A Credit Rating Spend meant that they're using Lloyds of London.

Martin: Do it as Janet Winston-Rogers.

Lillian: That's a terrible idea.

Martin: Yeah, but it would be funny.

They checked into a luxurious hotel suite in Malta, with luxurious security. Next on the list were asking about Montgomery Donovan and asking about Nectar.

Lillian: Can I be the junkie next time? I never get to be the junkie.

Martin: The problem with you being the junkie is that they might expect you to take Nectar.

He said that if both of them were the junkie, he could pull Lillian back if she tried to take Nectar. And, if he tried to take it, she could break his legs.

Lillian: I would never do that. I would break your arms. You need your legs for running away.

Preliminary research indicated that Donovan owned a warehouse, a town house, and a yacht. But, he left a surprisingly small legal footprint, and for the most part, folks in Malta hadn't heard of him.

Also, the group didn't know what he looked like. He joined the cult on Samson Trammel's watch, not Ramon Echevarria's, and he wasn't in any of the photos that Douglas Henslowe's group had taken in the 1920s.

Joyce spent some hours watching the warehouse, which was very active at night, and very well guarded. A car with a man guarded by several others arrived and departed after a few hours.

Lillian and Martin found absolutely no signs of Nectar on the streets. Apparently, no one was selling it, and no one in Malta was taking it -- at least, not outside of the cult, at least not so far as they could determine.

Folks discussed trying to kidnap the guy who'd been to the warehouse, as he seemed important, or maybe kidnapping someone else -- or even kidnapping folks who seemed to be connected to the cult until they found someone who could answer their questions.

Martin: I'm in favor of just keeping kidnapping people until we can kill them. I don't like fighting people.

Me: Martin's getting ruthless.

Lillian's Player: Martin's always been this ruthless.

[At this point, someone, I think Joyce's player, described a possible flash forward to Stonewall, as Martin launches himself at the police.

Joyce (in disbelief): Marty?!

NB: Both of them will be a bit old then.]

Martin did a bit of research in the local libraries and managed to find a single photograph of Montgomery Donovan, with his wife, Portia, at a gala event for the opera house.

I noted that there was a photographer credit listed, if someone wanted to look up the guy who took the picture.

Martin: Does it have plot significance?

Lillian: Martin? That idea of how its all a nested fiction? It's fine when we're drinking, but during the day, it's a little creepy.

(Martin's player did confirm this was said in character, not OOC.)

Armed with the photograph, Joyce was able to find plenty of folks who recognized Montgomery Donovan, even if most had no idea who he was. He was the man who'd been in the car that went to and from the warehouse. He regularly traveled with an entourage of bodyguards. While he had something of a routine, he didn't seem to have any friends.

Joyce's Player: So, you're saying that in Malta, there's a rich guy as reclusive as Thomas Pynchon as the big bad?

Montgomery Donovan had a wife, Portia, and a son, Monte, Jr. Joyce set up a network of contacts and had them let her know about Montgomery's routine. This varied somewhat, but was predictable enough that folks could plan. I'll go into details after the write up proper, but for now, it also revealed a little more about the man.

Montgomery made regular stops at the opera house, the hospital, and a small, private cemetery. Folks in local cafes said that he used to come in with his wife, but they hadn't seen her in some time. The staff at the opera house, who did know the Donovans by name, confirmed that Portia Donovan had died recently, and there was a plaque that read "In loving memory of Portia Donovan." Montgomery passed it every day, touching it as he walked by.

Joyce / Colonel Hivers took a look at Montgomery's yacht, which is visible from his townhouse. As Joyce knows about shipping lanes and harbor practices, she spotted at once that it was in the way -- and yet, there it stayed. This infuriated her.

Joyce: It's one thing to be a cultist and try to end the world. It's another to go against the laws of navigation and the oceans of the world and free shipping thereunto!

The player explained to me that this was to Joyce the Net Neutrality of the 1930s.

Colonel Hivers stormed into the harbormaster's office, in a fine French fury about the yacht. The harbormaster was flustered, and it was pretty clear that Montgomery Donovan paid well in bribes for the harbormaster not to care about certain irregularities.

The "colonel" learned from the harbormaster that the Thyrsus was due in port in a couple of days. It would tie up at the dock by the warehouse Montgomery Donovan owned, and ship out about a day after it arrived. During that time, it would be loaded with boxes from the warehouse -- boxes that Joyce and the others realized would be full of Nectar.

Lillian slipped into the cemetery to see the grave that Montgomery visited. There was a gravestone for Portia Donovan.

Joyce, Lillian, and Martin decided that the best course of action was to grab Montgomery Donovan while he was at the grave, as he left his guards outside the walled cemetery. Once grabbed, he could be hustled into a waiting car on the opposite side of the cemetery from the guards.

Martin's player decided to put a point into Interrogation, figuring that Martin could use that to build a rapport with Montgomery and get him willing to talk.

Vito's Options and the Rituals of Self Denial

1. Use the Rituals of Self-Denial

This would make Vito unplayable for the foreseeable future. Even teaching folks these rituals made George Ayers's mouth on his stomach begin to wake up, and he's been performing these rituals for over a decade -- minimal food and drink, total abstinance from sex in thought and deed, lots of meditation, almost total silence, complete abstinence from violence, no Spends allowed, and using abilities at all no more than once per day -- and that's for all abilities, NOT once / day / ability.

That said, Vito has no reason not to learn these rituals, and he's had the time. To get a score of 1 in Rituals of Self Denial requires:

• 1 week of time, which was already spent with George Ayers
• 1 point Spend in Cthulhnu Mythos OR Hypnosis OR Occult OR Psychoanalysis OR Stability. I figure Vito can have made the spend in one of the ones he has -- it would have refreshed after Ethiopia anyway.

Having Rituals of Self Denial 1 also means one loses 1 fewer point of Stability from seeing one of the Liar's Mouths, and also that one takes 1 fewer point of damage from an attack by one.

To get a score of 2 in Rituals of Self Denial requries:

• a score of 1 in it
• a month of time
• a 5 point Spend in any combination of the abilities listed above.

At this point, IF one is maintaining the rituals (abstaining from... well, just about everything), any extra mouths on one's person will calcify. But, one has to maintain the rituals.

To get a score of 3 in Rituals of Self Denial requries:

• a score of 2 in it
• a year of time
• a 25 point Spend in any combination of the abilities listed above.

To get a score of 4 in Rituals of Self Denial requries:

• a score of 3 in it
• a decade of time
• a 125 point Spend in any combination of the abilities listed above.

2. Amputation

This is viable. Vito's extra mouth is on his arm, not on his neck, head, or torso. This is MUCH safer if done in an appropriate medical facility than in the field. Antibiotics help as well, according to the text, and I've confirmed that, while the term wasn't coined per se by 1937, there are some antibiotics in existence.

There are lots of downsides to this if done in the field. If done at a proper medical facility, it'll take a while to recover, but certain complications will be far less of a risk. This can be done between chapters or if Chris has to miss a session or two.

Oh yes, and Vito will be missing an arm.

Mechanically, missing an arm means that Vito will be at +1 Difficulty to Athletics, Driving, Piloting, Scuffling, and Weapons tests. Hm, it doesn't list Firearms for this -- although it does point out that one-armed people can't fire rifles or shotguns, so clearly common sense applies.

So, stiff penalties, but viable, and it keeps the character playable.

3. Tough It Out

This is the part folks already know, but to reiterate:

Vito's Mouth has a Scuffling pool of 3, and it refreshes daily. If Vito attacks in close combat and Chris rolls a natural 6 -- and the Mouth is able to do so -- the Mouth will also attack Vito's target. It does +0 damage. Also, if one wants to force someone to make a Stabilty check, or threaten someone in non-traditional ways, this Mouth can be useful.

But, Vito needs to make a 1-point Sense Trouble Spend whenever he uses a General ability. If he can't or won't, the Mouth will attack him. It may also call attention to him and anyone with him. It may spit or drool or speak in the Tongue of Lies. And, the Liar probably has a mystical connection to it.

It chews through normal gags and moves around chains and the like.

All in all, a thorough pain -- but it's still viable to keep Vito in play.

Frankly, I'd pick 2 or 3.

Malta Infodumps: Montgomery Donovan

Donovan's Yacht and Townhouse

Joyce has probably seen the townhouse briefly, but not, as of yet, taken a closer look. She's seen the yacht from a distance. No one else has yet seen either.

Donovan's Warehouse

Joyce spent a night watching it and learned:

• The warehouse is a simple cement-and-corrugated-metal building with few entrances and high, closed windows. Aside from the light pouring out through those dirty windows, there’s little way of seeing what’s happening inside.
• The warehouse is especially active in the evening, starting around 4:30 p.m. and going until midnight or so. Dozens of staff work inside the well lit building while ten or so guards

patrol the grounds, rifles in hand. At least two men are posted on the warehouse roof at all times, also with rifles.

• The warehouse is owned by Montgomery Donovan and overseen by Diana Hantz. Martin's research indicates that no business name or other permits are on file. The "colonel"'s talk with he harbormaster made it clear that the harbormaster has taken a bribe so as not to care about that.
• The "colonel" learned from the harbormaster’s office learns that a freighter, the Thyrsus, is due to arrive at the warehouse dock about two days after the start of next session. (NB: The timing's a minor retcon, as it would have taken at least two or three days to figure out Montgomery Donovan's routine. Maybe the freighter hit bad weather.) It's due to stay for about 24 hours before departing for France.
• The roving guards stick to the paths in the gravel surrounding the warehouse. Not one of them deviates from these paths.

Donovan's Routine

This is measured in two ways:

• Visibility
• Vulnerability

• High Visibility means guards are plentiful and the police may be called swiftly.
• Low Visibility means people may not immediately notice that Donovan has been gotten to.

• High Vulnerability means more guards.
• Low Vulnerability means fewer guards.

Here are his typical stops, in order, though details may vary from day to day (e.g., he won't always go to the same cafe, he might skip something or do something slightly different, et cetera -- but, unlike Samson Trammel, he's not being deliberately unpredictable):

• 10:00 a.m.: Donovan departs the townhouse on foot with his entourage. He stops at a nearby café or bakery for an espresso and a pastry. There he reads the paper, surrounded by his entourage and other piazza or café bystanders.
  • Visibility: High.
  • Vulnerability: Low.

• 11:00 a.m.: Donovan heads southeast through Valletta towards Republic Street and the Royal

Opera House. He walks by a donor wall and touches a plaque. (It reads, “In loving memory of Portia Donovan.”) Perhaps he takes another espresso from a nearby café.

• • Visibility: High.
  • Vulnerability: Low.

• Noonish: Some days, Donovan walks northeast to a small private garden cemetery and, unlocking the gate, enters without his entourage. The garden cemetery is walled in stone and wrought iron and contains the grave of Portia Donovan. He stays for about fifteen minutes.
  • Visibility: Low.
  • Vulnerability: Moderate.

• 1:00 p.m.: By one o’clock, Donovan has reached the Hospital Superbissima in east Valletta. Meanwhile, at the Donovan townhouse, his car and driver depart for the hospital.
  • Visibility: UNKNOWN
  • Vulnerability: UNKNOWN

• 1:30 or 2:00 p.m.: Donovan meets his car downstairs and enters with three guards (two in back with him, one up front). The remaining guards head back to the townhouse on foot. The car drives southwest, around the Grand Harbor, and back northeast to the warehouse off Newcastle Drive.
  • Visibility: Low.
  • Vulnerability: Moderate.

• About 2:30 p.m.: Donovan is driven through the checkpoint at the warehouse fence line. His driver parks outside the warehouse, and Donovan enters with his reduced entourage. There he remains for a varying length of time -- an hour, two hours, four, six, it varies.
  • Visibility from outside: Low.
  • Vulnerability: UNKNOWN

• 3:30 to 8:30 p.m.: Donovan departs the warehouse for his townhouse, perhaps with a box. The car drives through Valletta, back to the townhouse in 30–45 minutes.
  • Visibility: Low.
  • Vulnerability: Moderate.

• Afterward: Donovan either stops for supper in Valletta or proceeds directly home. Once home, he is in for the night.
  • Visibility from outside: Low.
  • Vulnerability: UNKNOWN