Cycle 1062 (Autumn), Day 37: Hamlet of Gwynedd

[atpollard]

So this is a soft relaunch. We will jump around and give people a chance to briefly interact with key people and bits of information before I jump ahead with the timeline and place everyone together.

Day 37 is late autumn. The sun has set, but the sky is still darkening. It is just getting dark enough for stars to become visible (Astronomical Twilight). Total darkness is about two days (6 shifts) away.

[atpollard]

DOC

Cycle 1062 (Autumn): Day 37: Shift 3: Hour 5 [Hamlet of Gwynedd: 45N,25W]

The first few days had been a hectic blur of treating patient after patient from the disaster. Injured passengers and rescuers first, then the illness and infection that inevitably followed. After the rush, came the calm. There were still the inevitable follow-up visits with the worst cases, but they were few and far between. While Doc had felt nothing but welcome during the crisis, the return to normalcy brought with it an increase in tension. The lady Pharmacist was married to the town Doctor, and while they were always friendly, you could feel the tension as Doc threatened their livelihood with his simple presence.

[Note: Doc has a friendly RIVAL in Scott Richardson, ex-Marine Medic-1 'Company Town' Doctor and his wife, Ellie Richarson, 'Company Town' Pharmacist ... both speak with a North Brittania accent (Welsh) common in 'Company Town' that is similar to, but distinct from your Orkney accent.]

During his time at Gwynedd, Doc learns that there is a close link between Company Town and Industry Park with many in both communities coming to the Pharmacy for their medical needs, but there is a sharp cultural and economic divide at the ferry. The people of Old Town seldom venture into Company Town and the fishermen from the Landings virtually never do. As a result, the wealthier residents of Company Town and Industry Park are over-served and the poorer residents of Old Town and the Landings are under-served by Heath Care. One result is that 'Ladies' are over medicated for their 'nerves' while Fishermen loose fingers to infections that should have healed.

[atpollard]

JOSEPHINE

Cycle 1062 (Autumn): Day 37: Shift 3: Hour 6 [Hamlet of Gwynedd: 45N,25W]

Josephine made it to the bank and withdrew some cash to cover expenses. One of those expenses was the purchase of the exquisite Studley Master Tool Set. While at the Bank, you learned that Mr Studley's old home had been repossessed by the bank some time ago and was up for sale if anyone was interested [The House (#2) in Company Town across the street from the Pharmacy (#1).]

The salvage mission to recover the second engine didn't go as well as it could have. Jo went down with a group of experienced divers to babysit her because the Captain thought your knowledge of the ship would be useful. Unfortunately, being a girl and an inexperienced diver meant that the Lead Diver refused to listen to anything that you tried to tell him. As a result, he broke the pole on the hoist attempting to rip the bolts out of the decking. The Captain was furious that the entire salvage mission was wasted and his boat was damaged. When the Lead Diver attempted to blame it all on you, Jo stood up for herself. One of the divers backed up your story and the Captain used language shocking even for a sailor, threatening to use the Diver for an anchor. Jo was able to rig a temporary repair to the hoist. Nothing close to capable of lifting the giant engine, but able to salvage 10 tons of bottled wine from one of the cargo holds.

The Lead Diver stared daggers at Jo the whole trip back and she knew that she had made a lifelong enemy in Jimmie Watson, diver. Unfortunately, the time Jo spent underwater and the instruction that she got was too little to improve her Vacc Suit (Diving Suit)-0, however the salvage did earn her either a half ton of bottled wine (25 cases = 300 bottles) or Cr 2,000 if she sells it immediately with the rest of the cargo recovered.

Her ability to fix the hoist earned Jo a job at the Company Dry-dock (#20) in Industry Park. She learned to work in all three buildings, the Metalworking Shop nearest the dry-dock, the Woodworking Pattern Shop in the middle and the Sail Loft furthest from the Dry-dock.

[atpollard]

DIANA

Cycle 1062 (Autumn): Day 37: Shift 3: Hour 7 [Hamlet of Gwynedd: 45N,25W]

Diana finished cleaning with Abi and found the games to be mostly honest at the Grogg and Tankard. The 'house' seemed on the up and up and the players were a mixed bag from amateurs out to have fun to skilled professionals able to memorize every card played. Cheating was rare, but some tried and the large bouncer or owner invited them to leave without their money (and occasionally without a tooth). Diana tried testing the waters at one of the smaller but still interesting games and finished Cr 20 ahead. Of greater interest was a certain contact she made while visiting the tables. A skinny man with a peculiar accent and a peculiar dress. He was friendly and polite, but had a talent for talking about himself without actually saying anything. After two days, you eventually learned that his name was Jeremy Beller. After another day of talking, you learned that he was a 'Separatist' ... one of those radicals that broke off from Britannia by establishing their own nation of city-states far to the north. Only after coming to his aid when a card shark was cheating him, did Diana eventually learn that Jeremy was a very specialized type of Navigator. He was an expert at smuggling goods into and out of protected ports. It seems that between Britannia and Vinland, most ports are closed to the Separatists, so they have no choice but to specialize in boats and men that evade detection and capture.

[CONTACT: Jeremy Beller ('Separatist' Navigator-Smuggler)]

[ffilz]

DOC

Cycle 1062 (Autumn): Day 37: Shift 3: Hour 5 [Hamlet of Gwynedd: 45N,25W]

The first few days had been a hectic blur of treating patient after patient from the disaster. Injured passengers and rescuers first, then the illness and infection that inevitably followed. After the rush, came the calm. There were still the inevitable follow-up visits with the worst cases, but they were few and far between. While Doc had felt nothing but welcome during the crisis, the return to normalcy brought with it an increase in tension. The lady Pharmacist was married to the town Doctor, and while they were always friendly, you could feel the tension as Doc threatened their livelihood with his simple presence.

[Note: Doc has a friendly RIVAL in Scott Richardson, ex-Marine Medic-1 'Company Town' Doctor and his wife, Ellie Richarson, 'Company Town' Pharmacist ... both speak with a North Brittania accent (Welsh) common in 'Company Town' that is similar to, but distinct from your Orkney accent.]

During his time at Gwynedd, Doc learns that there is a close link between Company Town and Industry Park with many in both communities coming to the Pharmacy for their medical needs, but there is a sharp cultural and economic divide at the ferry. The people of Old Town seldom venture into Company Town and the fishermen from the Landings virtually never do. As a result, the wealthier residents of Company Town and Industry Park are over-served and the poorer residents of Old Town and the Landings are under-served by Heath Care. One result is that 'Ladies' are over medicated for their 'nerves' while Fishermen loose fingers to infections that should have healed.

Doc will do his best to make it clear he won't be sticking around and taking the Richardson's jobs. While he has a certain draw to Old Town to help there, he doesn't want to upset the social order just yet. If he can discretely offer services there without causing too much problem, he will, but if it would cause trouble he will hold off for now.

Meanwhile, he is looking for opportunity. He's not ready to settle down, and even if he was, this isn't the place.

[Leitz]

Well aware of her lack of skill at cooking, cleaning, being a maid, and most other day to day activities, Diana made herself useful by asking Abi's mom where a room could be rented. Diana would prefer something with a family; to give them possibly needed coin and to keep her away from the usual rumors and issues of staying in a bar.

She made it a point to find Reginald Bowler, the gentleman constable from the boat, as well as Claud Herve, Diana's impromptu castellan of Third Class. She was clear with both gentlemen; she appreciated their willingness to assist others in a crisis. As much as she could, Diana took the ship-wrecked needy in hand and ensured they found places to stay and got what medical care was needed. James would be ecstatic. Diana's feet were sore by the end of each day.

The card games were a welcome break. Diana knew she wasn't the best player at the tables, by far, but the talk gave her insight into who was whom and what all was going on. Jeremy laughed at her over-the-top feigned indignation at his activities and failed to lose properly to her pair of eights.

Life wasn't too bad.

[Urson]

Josephine

Jo will be selling her share of the salvage. Living with the messes her brother has created, she has absolutely no interest in wine or other strong spirits.

She'll do her best to ignore the friction with Jimmie Watson, having gotten used to this sort of treatment over the years.

Jo will take a casual look at the house for sale- it will probably be too big for her needs, but...


She spends her time at the Dry Dock, trying to establish a reputation as a hardworking, skilled craftsperson

[atpollard]

IGNATZ

To the young woman, whom Ignatz has trouble looking at directly: "Miss, that is, Becky, your bandage is soaked with seawater. Let us exchange it for a dry one." He motions, nervously, for her to sit near him so that he can change the dressing while hold the till with one knee.

Becky smiled and sat scandalously close to Ignatz as he changed the dressing, eventually snuggling up against him for warmth. She was soft ... a strange mixture of both shy and flirty. Ignatz learned that she had been travelling alone to purchase a leather bound French Diary for a book collector at the University and had no family. Becky was indeed well educated for someone from an obvious blue collar background. Like Ignatz, her education tended towards the practical rather than the purely theoretical. The next few days presented opportunities for Ignatz and Becky to become friends ... but Ignatz could never stop seeing her wet and curvy as he lifted her out of the water, and blushed at the involuntary thought. Becky always seemed to smile at your blush and just snuggle closer.

[If Ignatz takes Becky to the Grogg and Tankard at some point, he discovers that she is a very good dancer.]

****

Cycle 1062 (Autumn): Day 37: Shift 3: Hour 8 [Hamlet of Gwynedd: 45N,25W]

Your journey to the tree-covered sandbar yielded one additional survivor, almost thirty pieces of luggage ... including the trunk with your manuscript [roll = 12] ... as well as the remains of a 45 foot steamboat with multiple bullet holes in the cabin walls and a decomposed corpse near the helm. The steam engine appears intact but the boiler appears to have exploded (probably from a 2" gun shell). The boat appears to have been looted by pirates and abandoned, drifting among the trees and being grounded when the tide fell. With a new boiler it could be repaired and refloated with the next high tide.

In total, Ignatz rescued 8 survivors and recovered two corpses and 29 luggage trunks (plus your own).

****

Upon returning to Gwynedd, Ignatz arrived at the Gwynedd Hotel in Company Town and felt uncomfortable about the way Edwin Belsey both spoke to Becky and leered at her. So Ignatz checked out of the Hotel to take a room at either the noisy Grogg and Tankard or the quiet Hearthfire Inn in Old Town.

[Pulpatoon]

Ignatz falls into infatuation with a fervor exclusive to the young. He mentally rehearses an interminable letter home, explaining to his mother that he has fallen for a woman of low caste, and entertaining daydreams of outraged melodrama meeting its receipt. While not at all in keeping with his mother's actual character, he finds these imagined scenes very satisfying.

Despite the passionate mental squall, very little of it reaches the placid exterior. Pen never touches paper, and while he seeks out Becky's company, he is careful not to monopolize her time. That Becky seems to invite more forward progress is not something that the young man can entirely process.

But, even greater fortune! His trunk! His manuscript! Such a joy to have recovered it! And what's more, now that he has lived through the disastrous pirate attack, and known the... ennobling affection of a remarkable young woman, that is to say, now that he is truly a man of the world, he has such greater insight to bring to its pages! He sets about rewriting great swaths of the text, now adding in many more exploding boilers, shots fired on crowded decks, shipwrecks, mad captains, and virtuous maids pulled from the jaws of direst peril. Virtuous maids whose wet clothes cling to the gentle slopes of their bodies, whose glittering eyes well in sudden realization, whose full, carmine lips part...

Sometimes the power of his own narrative makes Ignatz' breath catch, and he needs to take a brisk walk before he can continue.

When not caught up in thoughts of Becky or literature, Ignatz goes about staking his claim on the wrecked ship. He reckons Gwynedd is full of people who find their travels suddenly interrupted, and many of them may not have the resources to buy the next stage of their passage. IF he could gather a few who have more skill than money, perhaps he can not only rebuild the wreck, but crew it as well. And then... Captain Kitt has a nice ring to it.

Ignatz had turned the two corpses over to the authorities, and left notice that he was in possession of reclaimed luggage, and would return pieces to anyone who could prove ownership with either possession of a key, or by being able to describe three items contained therein.

He takes a room at the Heathfire, the better to write and dream, and he will definitely, soon, maybe tonight, or maybe tomorrow, ask Becky to accompany him to the Grogg for dinner and dancing.

But first, he has heard that another survivor of the disaster is working at the dry dock—a young woman of skill and dedication. He decides to approach her about appraising the repairs to his ship.

[atpollard]

DOC
Cycle 1062 (Autumn): Day 38: Shift 1: Hour 4 [Hamlet of Gwynedd: 45N,25W]

While having a meal in the Restaurant in Company Town shortly after the worst of the crisis had passed, Doc happened to make the acquaintance of a certain local ... a crotchety old man that seemed to have little patience for anyone. As it happened, Jacob Winslow, the self same crotchety old man, had an interest in old manuscripts and saw you working on the translation to the runes on your coin. After a brief conversation you discovered that Jacob was merely bad at suffering foolish questions from the dull witted, and you had somehow agreed to a game of chess. So it became a habit that you would visit with Jacob at his home (#27 in Industry Park) which was, fortunately, only a short walk from the Grogg and Tankard where you were staying. Each day you played a game of chess, which Jacob enjoyed even if he wasn't a very skilled player, and spoke about any number of things to pass the time. Thus as days passed, you learned that Jacob was actually Mayor Winslow and had been a resident of Gwynedd all his life. He could remember the sleepy little village before the Dry-dock and steamships came and the wealth from the East built Company Town and Industry Park. Jacob also was the clerk and maintained all of the land records, although he didn't really need the records. He could remember every purchase and sale that he ever recorded.

On one particular day, your game was interrupted by a local seeking to talk with Jacob about the trouble and the upcoming vote. Jacob was typically annoyed at the interruption, viewing it as pointless gossip without any real facts to add to the speculation. "How I plan on voting is the concern of no one except myself. You should try thinking for yourself. You might decide that you like it." snapped Jacob.

"What about the case for giving his Lordship more time? And the rumors about Edwin."

Jacob scowled. "I am not interested in rumors and we have already delayed the vote twice. His Lordship has had plenty of time to put a stop to the crime. No more delays, now get out and go do something useful." After the man left, Jacob continued over your Chess game ...

"That Edwin is a sly one, all right. I am probably one of the few people in town that knew what he was really up to. However he seems to have quit his games and settled down recently." He moves a rook "Blasted rumors."

"I think the source of the trouble is right under his nose." said Jacob, pointing a pawn at you for emphasis "His Lordship is letting his friendship with Gotthard blind him to the Grogg and Tankard as the source of this trouble. They both arrived at about the same time, you know ... Gotthard and the trouble with crime." He captures a Bishop, but looses a Rook. Ordinarily a fair trade, but it leaves his queen vulnerable to attack by your Knight in a few moves. "I am hoping that after the vote, they will both leave together."

[ALLY: Jacob Winslow [M] - (Mayor of Gwynedd): Book collector and Scholar (dead languages)

****

Your first attempt at translating the coin was a miserable failure. Dutch Runes each represent a syllable in Vinland writing and each syllable forms a word-picture or part of a word picture. When you attempted to translate the coin, the syllables and word-pictures created complete nonsense. For a while you began to consider the possibility that the coin might be a forgery and the runes were meaningless. However, the wear and patina said that it had to be a very old and well circulated forgery, so you redoubled your efforts.

The obverse of the coil bore the outline of an island and a crown, identifying the coin as being struck to commemorate some event by some Vinland 'king' ... which could in reality be anything from a prince to a knight with delusions of grandeur.

The next attempt at deciphering the runes yielded suddenly unexpected results. In addition to representing a syllable-word fragment (like 'feoh' = 'wealth') each rune can also represent a phonetic sound (like 'feoh' = 'f'). When you replaced each rune with a phonetic sound, it still spelt nothing meaningful in 'Dutch' ... or English for that matter. However when you began sounding out the letters phonetically, you were able to identify two misspelled Dutch words. While an interesting discovery, it was nothing compared to the fact that you were also able to identify one 'Old Orkney' word from an ancient saga that you read as a boy. There was a distinct possibility that this coin was not 1800 cycles (200 years) old, but it might actually be closer to 7000 cycles (800 years) old. Furthermore, a coin with Orkney words in Dutch runes would prove Vinland settlement in the Orkneys thousands of cycles before Brittania arrived to claim the islands. It could rewrite a large chunk of under-examined history with impacts on archeology, linguistics and history.

However, you will need a better reference library to translate Archaic Dutch and Archaic Orkney Runes into modern English.

[Doc and Diana post coming up next.]

[atpollard]

DIANA
Cycle 1062 (Autumn): Day 38: Shift 1: Hour 4 [Hamlet of Gwynedd: 45N,25W]

Diana took a room in the Hearthfire Inn (#47) in Old Town, near enough to the fishermen of the Landings to check on most of the poorer survivors, but in more of a real town. Within both Old Town and the Landings, the locals had a sort of rolling lilt to their speech and a distinct sentence structure that immediately set them apart from proper Britannia Society. It was actually pleasant to listen to. [Irish Accent]

Zack and Maeve Whelin run the Hearthfire Inn. Once the busiest (and only) Inn in Gwynedd, it now faces stiff competition from both the Gwynedd Hotel for the upper class travelers and the Grogg and Tankard for the working class travelers. Still, this quaint Inn has enough regular patrons that prefer the hospitality of the Whelins to pay the bills. The building is a large 3 section building entered through the center of a long wall. The middle third of the building is open two stories tall with a round hearth in the center burning with an aromatic fire. To one side is a comfortable sitting area and to the other is a long communal table. Beyond the table, doors lead to a kitchen and pantry and beyond the sitting area doors lead to the owner’s living apartments. A single set of stairs along the far wall rise to a balcony that circles the second floor and is lined with bedrooms. There are six single bedrooms and three double bedrooms. There is a small bar in the common room where Zack serves drinks to guests on order.

The price of the rooms is reasonable and includes access to a small ‘help yourself’ breakfast and a large common supper. Each guest is on their own for lunch as the Inn does not serve lunch, but there are several street vendors available to purchase breakfast or lunch from in Old Town. (There is also a Pub in the Landings that serves simple food anytime.)

The single rooms contain a bed, a nightstand with a wash basin and a wooden chest with no lock.
The double rooms contain two beds, a nightstand with a wash basin and a four drawer bureau.
There is a single bathroom with a tub shared by all of the guests, and a second water closet on the first floor.

While staying at the Hearthfire Inn, Diana learns that the crime wave has not impacted anyone at the Inn and that your host and hostess think very little of German proprietor and German guests at the Grogg and Tankard. "Sooner we’re rid of those ruffians, the better, I’ll be a sayin an meanin it."

Reginald Bowler, the constable from the ship, was located at the small pub in the Landings enjoying a pint of bitters as he pondered his prospects. Lady Hayes put in a good word during her visit to the Manor house and Reginald was suddenly rooming at the Hearthfire and employed at the nearby Manor as a Gwynedd constable. Reginald seems happy with the position and determined to put a stop to this crime wave.

Seamen Claud Herve was trying to make the best of a bad situation. He was actually in a far better position than most of the survivors, but he simply could not see it. Ships still sailed during the darkness since the stars made navigation easier and the new wind directions opened up new ports. However, ships needing the service of an Able Body Seamen did not sail among the rocky islands and dangerous waters in the dark, so Claude was going to be stuck in Gwenydd until after sunrise before he had even a chance of landing a birth on a ship. On the other hand, Claud was welcome aboard any fishing boat in the fleet ... skilled sailors were always in short supply. If Claude could avoid dying of self-pity, he would not starve or go homeless this winter dark.

Living at the Hearthfire and among the residents of Old Town and the Landings, Diana encounters a number of curious local stories.

• "The food at the Grogg and tankard tastes good enough, but with all those spices and sauces there is no telling exactly what sort of meat you are really eating ... If you know what I mean."
• "The man what lives behind the Grogg and Tankard was cursed by a witch. That's why he can't speak a word and always keeps to himself."
• "The Church grounds are haunted. People have seen them with their own eyes. It was probably the angry spirits themselves what burnt down the old church."
• "These waters have been used as a haven for smugglers and privateers. Who knows how many lost treasures lie burried and just waiting to be discovered."

[Doc and Diana post coming up next.]

[ffilz]

I had envisioned Doc staying at the Gwynned Hotel, but he might actually not be welcome there, and having a closer tie to the Grogg and Taverm may be better for hooking everyone together. I'll await the next post before responding too much, but Doc will certainly welcome the budding relationship with Mayor Winslow.

[Leitz]

Quiet 'chinks' from the dinnerware mixed with the 'plump' of mugs being set back down on the table. Aromatic morsels wafted around. The single bed room upstairs fit Diana just right; it was more spacious than many places she had been. However, supper with others lodging at the Hearthfire gave her a chance to relax and extend her space just a little.

Lunch with Lord Baldry had been excellent. Reginald was in place and the talk of local crime had dominated much of the conversation. It did seem to be an issue that needed a professional. Lord Baldry knew Diana would stand with law and order, if it came to that.

Still, it had not come to that just yet. Diana sliced a little cheese from the communal round, and nestled it into some bread. She sat back and smiled when her hosts spoke of the Grogg and Tankard.

"While certainly a different sort of place than here, I found Herr Hass to be running clean games of chance. That says something. The food was certainly Bundish, they do a lot with creams and sausages. Interesting combinations. Not too bad, though one would quickly become plump if you ate there often."

A sip of tea as she looked at her table mates. "I'm enjoying the chance to find my way around the islands, though. What do the rest of you think of Gwynedd?"

[atpollard]

IGNATZ & JOSEPHINE

Through her work at the Dry-dock, Josephine had the occasion to visit many of the important industries in Industry Park and to get to know the proprietors. Mr. Roman Moore operated the Blast Furnace (#32) where boats loaded with 'Bog Ore' arrived to sell it to Moore so they could spend the coins on important manufactured goods and critical supplies. Jo learned that only the "Boaters", those born and raised at sea, knew the secret of where and how to recover the iron rich nodules from deep below the surface. So the "Townies" as they called the people that lived in settlements near islands, were as dependent on the Boaters for resources an the Boaters needed the manufactured goods from the Townies. "All trade starts right here." said Roman as he piled ore and crushed limestone into the furnace. Smoke billowed from the chimney for hours and finally, molten metal was cast into ingots. Jo delivered one of the ingots to the Metal Shop at the Drydock where it fed a variety of small projects. While waiting for an ingot, Roman spoke with Jo about the crime issue and the upcoming vote to close down the Grogg and Tankard. He shared his personal theory on the matter "I think that Haas is selling food at a loss because he was never in business to make money. I think the Grogg and Tankard is a front for a German spy operation. They spy on the guests to gather information and some of the Guests are probably there to spy on the town ... and on ship movements. Mark my words, there is more going on than meets the eye."

Logan Howard and his family ran the Foundry (#28) where most of the Ingots were delivered to be melted down, molds prepared to customer specifications, parts cast and then surfaces ground down. Logan is actually very skilled at his craft and is able to cast pieces that are both small and precise, like a gun parts, as well as large pieces with very intricate surface details. The only serious drawback to the shop is that it is a family business so custom ordered parts take weeks to work their way through the long que of work. Jo finds herself visiting the Foundry fairly often on business. Often it is far easier to simply recast a broken piece or to cast a replacement from a pattern than to either repair of fabricate the item by hand. During your visits, Jo strikes up a friendship with Gwen Howard, the wife of Logan and mother of three almost grown sons. She tells you that she grew up in Gwynedd. Her eldest son, 19 year old Raymond, is one of the town guards. Sixteen year old Logan Junior works at the Grogg and Tankard. "Well, not actually in the Tavern itself. That's no place for a boy. He works with Urs in the cottage behind the Tavern. My husband bellows that he should be working beside him at the forge, but Junior is a stubborn as Senior." she chuckled "That boy has a mind of his own and he loves wood the way my husband loves metal." Her youngest, 12 year old Tergen, works with his father at the Foundry and loves it as much as his father. With her children becoming more independent, Gwen confides to you that she has started to look around for something else to fill her time. So she has been spending more time in the Foundry learning the business. Your friendship allow you and Gwen to accomplish several small, simple jobs together, bypassing the que. The ability to get small jobs done quickly gets you noticed at the Dry-dock.

A quick dip in the ocean was not a good thing for that salvaged engine. However it was worth a not so small fortune, so it quickly found a home and some tender loving care. One of Jo's tasks was helping to transport it to the Machine Shop (#26) run by Gabriel Martin. Inside the large structure Jo found a variety of specialized equipment for the manufacture and repair of Steam Boilers and Engines as well as a large stock of both boilers and engines, both new and used. Upon learning of your familiarity with this particular engine, Gabriel and the Captain came to an agreement that allowed you to work at both places

'Oiler Jo' became a regular fixture around the Dry-dock and Captain Bartholomew Bill, generally just "the Captain" took Jo along on several small rescue jobs to tow damaged boats or make field repairs on a nearby island. The Captain became a good ALLY of Jo and you found you had complete access to any part of the Dry-dock.


Cycle 1062 (Autumn): Day 38: Shift 2: Hour 4:00 [Hamlet of Gwynedd: 45N,25W]

Four bells ring ... time for a break. Jo had slept in after a long night working on the Engine to finish reassembling it, grabbed a quick breakfast to eat on the way to the Dry-dock, and was looking forward to lunch. Before you get very far, a well dressed young man briskly approached you. From his creased trousers and stick up his back posture, Jo sized him up as either ex-Navy or ex-Marine. One glimpse of those spotless cuticles on his outstretched hand and even before she heard his highbrow accent, Jo knew ... 'Navy'.

"Excuse me miss." said Ignatz as he began his introduction and his rehearsed speech.

[Pulpatoon]

Ignatz: "Excuse me, Miss Baxter-Smith? Forgive the intrusion—I was referred to you by several admiring colleagues along the dry dock. My name is Silas Ignatius Kitt, but I hope you'll call me Ignatz. I believe we are both recently arrived to Gwynedd, and by the same hapless means." He pauses to smile a little nervously and gauge her reaction. "I have a salvage I would like to refurbish. Are you available to appraise the job?"

[Urson]

Josephine

Jo smiled politely. Yes, I am Josephine. I'm flattered that you would seek me out for this- there are several people at the Dry Dock who could give you an honest appraisal. I can give you a couple of hours of my time now-where is this diamond in the rough?

[atpollard]

Grogg and Tankard
(just a reminder of some information given to Doc before the break in the game ...)

• Doc has heard very little about the crime wave from inside the Grogg and Tankard. Just the general talk that there seems to be more burglaries and muggings going on lately. In Company Town, outside the Grogg and Tankard, there are whispers everywhere about the latest incident. It seems as if a robbery or a mugging has become a daily event. Most people seem reluctant to speak about it too much. The one notable exception is Jim, the town drunk, who is more than happy to share his opinion that it is all because of the Grogg and Tankard being a magnet for thieves and things will not get back to normal until you eliminate the rat's nest. There have been three attacks and two burglaries in town in the 3 days you have been here, but none at the Grogg and Tankard.
• What you notice after a few days at the 'Tankard' is that the German owner runs a fairly tight establishment that caters mostly to the lower end of the social spectrum. It is rowdy and loud, but security and the owner quickly deal with anyone that starts to get too out of control. There is a large room at the Tankard where those with no money and those too drunk to find their way home can sleep for free. There are single rooms on one side of the great central hall (upstairs) where several young ladies seem to be practicing the worlds oldest profession. There are also single occupancy rooms, double occupancy rooms, suites and a great suite available for rent (without companionship). There are two guests, Frenchmen, staying in one of the rooms that seem off. They have done and said nothing wrong, but some unknown "streetwise" sense just doesn't quite feel right about those two.
• There was an amusing story that you heard around town claiming that the man living behind the Grogg and Tankard is really a 'merman' ... that's why he never talks to people and spends all of his time repairing boats.

DIANA & DOC

Cycle 1062 (Autumn): Day 38: Shift 2: Hour 4:00 [Hamlet of Gwynedd: 45N,25W]

Diana was taking lunch at the unmarked eatery (#72) in the Landings known to locals simply as "the Pub". It was her habit to dine here every few days as it afforded an opportunity to stroll the landings, chat with Abi Farley and her mother (#76) and to visit with many of the refugees. It was ironic that the poorest members of Gwynedd, the fishing folk of the Landings, were the ones that opened their homes to the survivors. Those that knew what it was to be in want seemed to have a special sympathy for others in need and a special blessing for being able to stretch even a little, just a little further. Of course, the flip side was that in the landings there was no such thing as an idle pair of hands. The survivors were given exactly 24 hours to feel sorry for themselves ... then everyone was put to work. Diana moved into the Hearthfire just in time to avoid having her fishing lesson turn into a career.

Constable Bowler had quickly become a regular fixture in The Landings. Technically assigned to patrol Old Town, Reginald felt it wrong to leave the Landings unpatrolled. His regular routes raised the suspicions of the locals at first, but after dealing with a few drunks at the pub and domestic problems around the community, the folk of The landings decided that having a Constable around might not be so bad after all and the community warmed to this "foreigner".

At the Pub, Diana encounters a group of fishermen just back from a trip and stopping in for a pint and a sandwich. One of them is a boy of no more than 14 who appears to be sweating heavily.

"Have a doctor look at that, you should." one of the fishermen said.

"Na. I'll be fine." the boy replied with labored breath "Ma, she'll be needed all the money. Besides, I'll not be having that Company Doctor talkin down to me gain. Not never."

Several men around the room nodded in agreement.

As they were still arguing the point, the boy's eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted. Diana went to examine him and found him burning up with fever ... not a "sick in bed" fever, but a life threatening fever.

****

Doc had just finished an early lunch at the "Broken Rudder" (#7) and was strolling towards the bridge and into Industry Park to pay a visit to Mayor Winslow (#27).

[Pulpatoon]

I can give you a couple of hours of my time now-where is this diamond in the rough?

Ignatz: "Josephine, it is an honor. You've established a considerable reputation in a very short while, but I confess that I was also drawn to the notion of working with other survivors. We all find ourselves in similar straits, and I reckon there's some sense in supporting each other when we can." He doesn't, at this point point, mention his hopes to crew his ship with other survivors itching to roam free. "The ship is on a sandbar, just a short row away. I've rented a row boat that we can take out."

[Leitz]

Diana's brain worked hard. It was lunch. Doc Linkletter had been seen by lots of the castaways and locals since he treated many of them right after they arrived. Kids could run fast. Okay, she could do this.

"I need some kids who can run fast as the wind. Doc Linkletter is probably at lunch somewhere, but he checks in with the Company Doctor. A credit to anyone who can get Doc Linkletter to the boy's home within the next two hours." Diana looked at the fishermen. "Let's get this boy home and cooled off; he's likely to die of whatever it is. That would make us all look bad."

[ffilz]

Diana's brain worked hard. It was lunch. Doc Linkletter had been seen by lots of the castaways and locals since he treated many of them right after they arrived. Kids could run fast. Okay, she could do this.

"I need some kids who can run fast as the wind. Doc Linkletter is probably at lunch somewhere, but he checks in with the Company Doctor. A credit to anyone who can get Doc Linkletter to the boy's home within the next two hours." Diana looked at the fishermen. "Let's get this boy home and cooled off; he's likely to die of whatever it is. That would make us all look bad."

The kids will have to get over to company town by ferry or using a boat, assuming that's possible, I'll set a scene with the kids finding Doc.