A murder gone cold
Baronet Sir Benjamin
Coulter Player C
You are the owner of the
Ploughstead estate and effectively lord of the village of that name. There is
also the remains of the Darbeyfield estate, now owned by the aged Miss Victorine
Darbeyfield. Most of it you have bought from her including the barn.
You live in Coulter House,
a respectable mansion with the farm buildings beyond.
In the House are your wife
Lady Anthelia, Your Agent Wordsworth Primfield (Player D) Blanders your valet,
your groom Turpin, the Housekeeper Miss Agate Primfield, Mrs Rawlings your Cook,
the maids Peggy and Polly King and the boots Arthur Nown.
Your brother the Honourable
Jasper Coulter used to live with you but was murdered in the Darbeyfield Barn on
the night of the 26th November 1891. The Norwich Constabulary
arrested Fay Strangeholm who had an earlier liaison with him. She was a spinster
of tarnished reputation who came first as a seasonal worker and then stayed
weaving rush baskets for the strawberry crops. Coming originally from Hainford
village, north of Norwich she had only lived in the village eighteen months or
so. In court she was accused of luring Jasper to the Barn on the night of the
Willow Stripping Dance and murdering him with a potato fork. His body was found
in a potato pit covered by a tarpaulin. She was not seen at the dance but was
seen coming away from the barn. She claimed that she stayed at home that night.
It was said that she was demanding monetary support from Jasper which he was
reluctant to give. It did not come out in court but you know that that Jasper
had made her pregnant and had paid handsomely to have the baby aborted by
Gamma Magda Brown, the midwife. A key to the barn was found in Fays house so
she was found guilty and was hung in March. Despite this, the newish Village
Constable Lymington, has had the impertinence to suggest that there were other
suspects and that the Norwich Police botched the job. At the time you were very
glad that they had latched onto the culprit so fast and dealt with her without
too much scandal. There was quite a bit of unsavoury nonsense in the Local
Newspapers but it has died away. Your wife Anthelia always says that they are
designing hussies but Jasper was much too fond of the women workers. Perhaps for
the honour of the family name it is as well that he is dead. But now the
constable appears to have attracted the attentions of a bunch of Londoners with
a tame detective in their midst. You heard this from Agent Primfield who has
many contacts. He is a Norwich man, a friend of your late brothers, but whom
you do not wholly trust. Normally your Estate Manager John Gammon keeps an eye
on him but he is in Norwich preparing things for the Strawberry Harvest.
Primfields sister Agate doubles as your housekeeper and as manager of the
female workers. He has two friends staying in the village that look to be little
better than thugs! However he is an effective leader of the peasantry and
perhaps could inspire them to mishandle the Londoners if necessary. Apart from
him and your bulldog Picton, your groom Turpin and your Gamekeeper Bartleby can
be relied on to help you keep order. Bartleby lives elsewhere but due to the
Londoners coming, you have ordered him to come to the house. You wrote to the
Chief Constable suggesting that he post PC Lymington elsewhere and asking what
constraints can be put upon the snooping of private detectives? He replied
saying that he has posted PC Lymington to Westhorpe, way beyond Diss. His
replacement will be a PC Valance, a Norwich man. He also says that Private
Detectives must always obey the law. That is not very helpful but you intend to
keep Valance up to the mark. The Daffodil Harvest being over things are quiet at
the moment but the Strawberry picking at the end of May will bring the next
influx of seasonal workers. The murder of your brother brought group of ghoulish
sightseers coming to see the Darbeyfield Barn. You have been sending Arthur Nown
the Boot boy to show them around and keep them away from annoying you and yours.
Now the word is that these Londoners are arriving this morning at the Nelson
Inn, so you have sent Nown down there to keep an eye on them. He is to report
everything that they do to you!
Sir Benjamin
LEA Ac Mo 6, Fa
2/2/3, Ag 0, Me +1 Stick Bst 2
Class VII Respectable, Charm M 0, F
0, Coercion +1, MC £ 2 1 7d
Bulldog Picton FV 2, Mo 6, Me 2 Pst 2 Fa 2/2/2, Ag -1 Obeys Benjamin
Turpin
WA Mo 6, Fa 3/3/3,
Ag +1, Th +1, Me +1 whip Bst -4 but one free hit
Class IV Respectable, Charm M -1, F
- 1, Coercion +1, MC £ 0 1 7d Bullseye lamp
Bartleby
WA Mo 6, Fa
3/3/3, Ag +1, Th +1, Me +1 shotgun Bst 1
Shotgun 3 3+ Pst +1, 6 4+ Pst 0, 11 5+ Pst 1 18 6+ Pst -2 2 shots (6 spare)
Cord.
Class IV Respectable, Charm M -1, F
- 1, Coercion +1, MC £ 0 1 7d Bullseye lamp
Boot boy Nown
WA Mo 6, Fa
2/2/2, Ag +1, Th +1, Me -2 Hands Bst 3 penknife Pst -2
Class III Dubious, Charm M 0, F +1,
Coercion -2 MC 0 0 3d
PC Valance
WA 0, Mo 6, Fa
2/4/4 Ag 0, Th 0, Me +1 truncheon Bst -1
MC £0 3s 3d,
Police whistle 24, Handcuffs, Bullseye lantern watch
Less Active Characters who
may become involved & who you may play.
^= member of Church Decorating
Committee, the Ploughstead Moral Mafia!)
Gentry
Lady Anthelia^
By +1, Mo 4.5, Fa 2/2/2, Ag -2, Th -2, Me -2,
hands Bst 3,
Class VI Charm M +1, F +1
Coercion -1 Speaks English, French, Latin, MC £3 -1s -4d
Vicar Bartholemew Hurt
By Mo 6, Fa
2/2/3, Ag 0, Me 0 Hands Bst 3
Class V Respectable, Charm M 0, F
+1, Coercion -2, MC £ 2 1 7d
Mrs Xanthe Hurt^ Vicars wife
By -1, Mo 4.5, Fa 2/2/2, Ag -2, Th -2, Me -2, hands Bst 3, Class V Charm M +1,
F +1 Coercion -2 Speaks English, French, MC £1 -2s -4d
Doctor Mathew Penge
By
Mo 6, Fa 2/2/3, Ag 0, Me 0 Hands Bst 3
Class V Respectable, Charm M 0, F
+1, Coercion -2, MC £ 2 1 7d First Aid kit
Mrs Divina Penge^
In -1,
Mo 5, Fa 2/2/2, Ag -1, Th -2, Me -2, hands Bst 3,
Class V Charm M 0, F 0
Coercion -1 Speaks English, French, MC £2 -8s -7d
Miss Sibyl Penge ^ Schoolmistress
By -1, Mo 5, Fa 2/2/2, Ag -1, Th -2, Me -2, books Bst 2, Class V Charm M +1, F
+1 Coercion +1 Speaks English, French, Latin, MC £0 -11s -7d
Hon Miss Victorine Darbeyfield^
By -1, Mo 4, Fa 2/2/2, Ag -1, Th -2, Me -2, umbrella Bst 3, Class VI Charm M
0, F 0 Coercion -1 Speaks English, French,
MC £2 -8s -7d
Servants
Blanders the Valet
WA Mo 6, Fa
3/3/3, Ag +1, Th +1, Me 0 fist Bst -3
Class IV Respectable, Charm M -1, F
+ 1, Coercion -2, MC £ 0 1 7d
Bullseye lantern, First Aid kit
Mrs Rawlings Cook
By, Mo 5, Fa 2/2/2, Ag 0, Th -1, Me -2,
Rolling Pin Bst -2,
Class III Charm M -1, F 0 Coercion 0
Respectable
MC £3 -4s -1d
Housemaid
Polly King In, Mo 5, Fa 2/2/2, Ag 0,
Th -1, Me -2, knife Pst -2,
Charm M 0, F 0
Class II
Respectable MC £0 -0s -0d
Housemaid Peggy King
In, Mo 5, Fa 2/2/2, Ag 0, Th -1, Me -2,
knife Pst -2,
Charm M 0, F 0
Class II
Respectable MC £0 -0s -0d