The PARADYs lady
Butler
Daffyd Owens
You are Daffyd Owens Butler and trusted henchman of the arch criminal Professor
James Moriarty. You were footman and then Butler of Cricceagh Castle in Wales.
You took as much advantage as possible of your old master Sir Henry Jones.
Nearly three years ago
Mrs Cressida
Bermondsey came to the castle and you realised that she was ‘casing the joint’
for an intended burglary! Naturally you demanded a share in the scheme and
accepted a twenty-five pound bribe to keep quiet. Your wife Gwen the Housekeeper
knew something of this and of your other swindles. She was happy enough until
you got too involved with Amy Hughes the new maid. Then she threatened to tell
Sir Henry about your rackets! You lost your temper and hit her so hard with the
silver salver that she died! Grabbing whatever valuables you could lay hands on
including the salver, you fled to your cousin’s flat in Swansea. He was a
coastal sailor frequently involved with nefarious activities and when the police
hue cry seemed to be getting close, sent you to London with two men wanted for
burglary. There you came to the notice of Professor Moriarty’s organisation and
Mrs Bermondsey came offering this butlering post. She made it plain that the
professor would tolerate no nonsense from you but the pay would be good, if you
would give him total obedience. This Paradys Hall is a half-forgotten mansion in
the wild woodlands of the Weald. It is Professor Moriarty’s secret lair which is
an ideal place to live for a murderer on the run. As a token of good faith the
Professor has even hired your girlfriend Amy Hughes as one of the maids. You are
in charge of the servants and security in the Hall. The overgrown estate is
protected by the Fratelli Rossi based in the Stable Block. They are some very
ruthless Italian political banditti whom Moriarty has helped escape justice.
They call the Professor’s organisation the Mori Facile (Easy Death) which is how
his contacts in Italy are known.
The Fratelli Rossi were an anarchist group, trying to overthrow the
establishment in the Kingdom of Italy by terrorist attacks. Having made enemies
of the Mafia as well as the authorities, they stole some art treasures. These
were brought to England by the Silchester Line vessels for Professor Moriarty.
Some of them now help furnish the Hall. They patrol the woods around the Hall
and at night have a boy dressed as a headless Elizabethan ghost haunting the
area. This ghost is supposed to have done for two poachers unwise enough to come
trespassing. Anyone found trespassing in the hall is to be killed and dropped
down the old well! If a force of the police too strong to wipe out should
arrive, your orders are to escape with Lady Verdandi down the secret passage
from the office. The entrance is a trap door under the carpet. This leads to the
crypt under the ruined chapel in the wilderness, close to one of the woodland
paths. Whist this path can be used to get east to Eridge which has the nearest
railway station your orders are to take her to 2 Howards Row Lye Green to the
west. Lady Verdandi is being hypnotised into becoming devoted to the Professor
by a German Woman Frau Vermogen Seher. She sleeps in the Yellow bedroom. Lady
Verdandi’s is guarded by Mrs Cressida Bermondsey who sleeps in a screened of bed
in the lady’s bedroom. In addition the thugess Janice Grant sleeping in the
Valet’s room whilst the Professor is away.
*
*
*
You are wakened from a deep sleep by your partner
Amy Hughes shaking
you and shrieking! “Wake up Daff! She was here! Here in this room and you
snoring like a bull bellowing! There at the end of the bed!”
“Who was here? Make sense woman!”
“Gwen of course, your old wife! I
dursent move for fright till she went!”
“Nonsense! She’s dead and buried! You’ve
just had a nightmare!”
“It weren’t no nightmare honest! She
pointed at the pair of us and she said… she said the righteous ones is coming!
You’ll both hang! She said!”
“Nonsense it was more like that Edna
playing a trick on you! You know you was mean to her. This’ll be her getting her
own back!”
“No Daff, it were the ghost of Gwen come
to haunt us!”
“Nonsense! There are no such things as
ghosts! I’ll just go and have a word with Miss Edna! I’ll soon have the truth
out of her!”
“You can’t go like that tis not decent,
especially in the women’s rooms!”
You responded that
she was not so fussy back at Cricceagh but
decided to get dressed.
Amy and you shared
the East Bedroom which had a fine double bed. It also had windows facing both
East and South. Outside was a moonlit night but black patches amongst the stars
indicated clouds moving Eastwards. Lighting your candle you discovered the time
on your fine silver pocket watch showed twenty minutes to midnight. You
proceeded along the upstairs corridor thinking about what to do about Edna. Edna
Atkins had served a year in prison for her part in a blackmailing operation
which went wrong. She had been set as a maid in the house to spy on the owner.
Unfortunately when he committed suicide the operation was discovered and three
of them tried and jailed. Her brother Lennie another of the Prof’s followers was
in jail for burglary. He was an expert in discreet break in’s and valued for it.
It was on his behalf that Edna was employed here, her last employer sacking her
when she found out about her record. The problem was that Amy fancied herself as
Housekeeper but was obviously too young and inexperienced. The Estate Agent
Andrew Penistone refused to accept her as
anything but First Housemaid. The much more experienced Edna resented this and
there had been several clashes. Edna had been shot at by one of the
Fratelli Rossi when
black-berrying on the estate. Amy suggested that they need practise to make them
better shots! The result of that was any organisation people had to wear a grey
goose quill as a badge to protect them from the Fratelli. The Fratelli not being
able to speak much English!
At the end of the corridor
you turned right through the green door into the Servants wing. The first door
on the left was the maid’s bedroom and without ceremony you opened it and shone
your candle into the room. One bed theoretically was Amy’s and another was
occupied by the kitchen maid Dawn. About to start shouting you hesitated, the
third bed belonging to Edna Atkins was empty! With some difficulty you shook
awake Dawn. “Where is Edna?”
“Dunno Sir, is she not here? Oh. Well
she was here when we went to bed!”
This confirmed your
suspicions that it was she who had played the trick on Amy. One worrying thing
was that it seemed Edna must know something about you killing your wife! How if
she was in league with some of the mentioned righteous ones plotting to get Amy
and you taken! Dawn was sitting up staring at you blearily. “You go back to
sleep! I’ll find the little wretch!” Dawn had to be up at half past five to
light the fires. You then rousted out Jerome the footman and George the dog
handler who sleeps in the Servants Hall. In theory his two dogs wander the hall
and corridors at night on guard but they were asleep in front of the embers of
the Great Hall fire. Assembling the two men with the dogs in the Great Hall you
told them, “Edna Atkins is missing from her bed! I think she just played a
spiteful trick on Amy and I and I want her found!”
The Footman Jerome
then says “You are sure that she is not away betraying us to the Peelers? She
served her time so she has little to lose!” Jerome is wanted for a murder in a
bar room brawl and George for a large theft from the warehouse he was supposed
to be guarding. A nasty suspicion so you say “The sooner we find her the sooner
we can be sure! Make sure you all wear your feathers in case. We don’t want them
Wops shooting at us!”
“Speaking
of shooting I thought I just heard two shots outside!” says George.
“It’ll be Edna bringing the Peelers just
you see!” mutters Jerome.
So it is up to you
how to conduct your search.
Outside is a moonlit night but there are
occasional clouds. There is a light Westerly breeze. Quills seen at recognition.
In Moonlight
sighting is 20” with possible recognition within 8”
In the dark sighting
is 10” with possible recognition within 5”
Dark Movement
As normal on paved surfaces but D10
if running 0 trip Bst –3
Cross Country –1”
running –2” but D10 1-trip Bst –2
Crops (BCC) –2”
running –4” but D10 3- trip Bst -2
Cattle Grids walking men -1” women -2”. Running D6 3+ OK, 2 hurt -1” to all moves 1 -2” to all moves.
Impassable to normal livestock. Stampeding beasts D6 +F Cows -1, sheep -2 Goats -2 Pigs -3 = 2+ OK 1 trapped D6 5+ to escape 0- stuck need help to be freed. {Planks needed to allow horse drawn vehicles to cross. These usually left beside Grid. Takes one man 3 rounds to emplace.
There are pairs of planks
hidden near all the five Cattle Grids on the table
Daffyd Lea Ac +1,
Mo 6”, Fa 3/2/2, Ag 0, Th 0, Me +1 pistol Bst –3 Gags & Cords
Revolver Firing 3”
4+ Pst 0, 6” 5+ Pst 0, 11” 6+ Pst 0, 18” 7+ Pst –2, 5 +5 rounds
Class IV
Unsavoury, Charm M -1, F - 1,
Coercion +1, MC £ 1 – 14 – 7d
Lamp, Speaks English &
Welsh
Jerome Ac +1,
Mo 6”, Fa 3/3/3, Ag +1, Th+1, Me +2 pistol Bst –3
Revolver Firing 3”
4+ Pst 0, 6” 5+ Pst 0, 11” 6+ Pst 0, 18” 7+ Pst –2, 5 +5 rounds
Class III
Unsavoury, Charm M -1, F - 1,
Coercion +1, MC £ 0 – 13 – 10d
Lamp, Speaks English
George
WA, Mo 6”, Fa
3/3/3, Ag +1, Th 0, Me +2 cudgel Bst –2 Gags & Cords
Class III
Unsavoury, Charm M -1, F - 1,
Coercion +1, MC £ 0 – 0 – 7d
Candlestick matches
& 2 spare candles. Controls Mastiffs to 12”
Can pick locks
D10 6+ to pick each move, any 0 lock cannot be picked
Mastiffs
FV 2,
Mo 7”, Me –1 Pst –2 Fa 2/2, Ag +1
Amy
WA -1, Mo 5”, Fa 2/2/2, Ag +1, Th 0, Me
-2, hands Bst -3, Charm M +2, F 0
Class III (II) Unsavoury MC £0 -0
-3d
Dawn
By, Mo 5”, Fa 2/2/2, Ag +1, Th 0, Me -2,
knife Pst -2, Charm M +2, F 0
Class III (II) Dubious MC £0 -0s -0d
Speaks English
Mrs Cressida
Vle, Ac +1, Mo 4.5”, Fa 2/2/2, Ag -1, Th 0, Me
-2, hands Bst –3,
Charm M +1, F +1 Coercion
+1 Speaks English, French, Italian
Class V (IV) PI
Dubious MC £6 – 9s – 0d
Janice
WA+1, Mo 5.5”, Fa 2/2/2, Ag 0, Th +1, Me
-1, Pistol Bst –3,
Revolver Firing 3”
4+ Pst 0, 6” 5+ Pst 0, 11” 6+ Pst 0, 18” 7+ Pst –2, 5 +5 rounds
Charm M -2, F -1 Coercion
+1,
Class III (II) Dubious MC £1 -4s -2d
Frau Seher
Ac +1, Mo 4.5”, Fa 2/2/2, Ag -1, Th 0, Me
-2, hands Bst –3,
Charm M +1, F +2 Hypnotic
Powers D10 8+ to take control of one person.
Class V (IV) PI
Unsavoury MC £6 – 11 – 1d Speaks
German, English, French
Lady Verdandi
By, Mo 5”, Fa
1/2/2, Ag –2, Th –2, Me –2, hands–3,
Class VII, (VI) PI
Respectable, Charm M +2, F +1,
Coercion -2. Watch
Speaks French,
German, fine Musician & singer MC £0-0s-8d
Edna
By, Mo 5”, Fa 2/2/2, Ag +1, Th 0, Me -2,
hands Bst -3, Charm M +1, F 0
Class III (II) Dubious MC £0 -0s -4d
Speaks English V Poor Italian.