Session 10: There's a lobby with nine hundred windows Report

General Summary

Saturday Evening June 14, 1923 - Thursday Evening January 15, 1925 After some deliberation, we decide to tell a mostly true story to the police in Vienna, claiming that we saw Hunderprest with the stolen artifact and he became violent and attacked us. The police arrive and begin questioning us, patching up Booker slightly in the process. In the exchange, some of Booker’s blood spills onto the brass head, giving a brief scent of lighter fluid or something flammable on it. As we are escorted from the scene, Edward informs the police that Hunderprest seemed to be particularly defensive of the closet. We’re then taken to the police station, and after hours of boring and repetitive questioning, we are released. We then go back to the auction house and inform them that the police are in possession of the artifact. When we try to claim our items early, we are told we have to wait for the entire auction to finish. Time goes on, and we hear rumors of further altercations at the Hunderprest residence, and this seems to be the reason they don’t investigate us anymore. We also try to ask Frederick if he is willing to obtain Hunderprest’s Book of Darkness from the police as payment for our services, which takes time, but he eventually agrees. Eventually the auction continues, and for some unknown reason, Monte buys the mechanical head for 600 pounds. Michel de Borsavin approaches us after the auction and asks if he could still borrow the head for a séance, and we agree. He does make contact with a spirit, but not Booker’s father like Booker requested. Seeing as the head didn’t help, the session quickly ends and we are dismissed. The events of auction are wrapped up and we go our separate ways for the next year and a half.

At the end of our time together, Monte calls us together to discuss a spell he learned from the speaking head that theoretically can summon a powerful entity from the void to grant great knowledge. Jack feels that it’s not on the square, but we still decide to try it out anyway. Booker chooses not to participate and leave. Edward attempts to cast the spell, with blurred vision and an odd smell briefly coming over him. But it fades.

Not long after this, we are contacted by someone telling us that Jackson Elias is wanting to meet with us January 15. He wishes to discuss his investigation into the Carlyle Expedition, which seems to have been the center of his investigations for the past several years. Campaign Beginning Handouts We gather at the appointed hotel at the appointed room at the appointed time. Monte overhears what seems to be multiple people stop moving, almost as if they seem to want to avoid being heard. We bust down the door and are met with multiple dark-skinned cultists and a presumably dead Jackson Elias with something carved on his head. A fight ensues, one cultist and Booker goes down, two others flee. We call for the police and inspect the crime scene. The symbol on his head looks like some weird bite mark, though it is definitely carved. We also find a letter to Mr. Carlyle, a business card for the Penhew foundation, a matchbox from the Stumbling Tiger, and a grainy photo of a boat. America Handouts