Category: Campaign

• 1. 2016 May 14
     1. PCs: Markov, Lester, Maverick, Angus
  2. Date: 2012 Dec 17
     1. While in London, an Inspector Lestrade from Scotland Yard – a friend of the Knights is seeking the Millenium Knights help in investigating a pair of murders that are have suspicious ritual cultic activity. Supervisor Gordon-Yancy asks the agents for help in investigating the two suspicious murders as she notes that they have previous experience with ritual cultic serial murders, and that the Knight’s local expert on cult activity was killed the week before during a burglary at his antique store.
     2. The two victims in the past few days have no known connection:
        1. Kendra Myers: DOB 22 Dec 1991
           1. An engineering student at the University of London.
           2. Slain at approximately 9 P.M. on Saturday, December 15 in her flat on Bedford Way in Bloomsbury (a district of London near the University of London).
           3. Body found at 9:40 P.M. by classmate Jeremy Burnham, arriving to study for upcoming engineering tests.
           4. Neighbors interviewed reported hearing no unusual noises or visitors around the time of death.
           5. Probable cause of death: massive bleeding caused by amputation of hands and removal of heart from chest cavity.
           6. Victim also had bruises on biceps, suggesting that she was gripped strongly by a powerful individual standing behind her. However, no defensive wounds or other signs of a struggle were found.
        2. Michael Grosvenor: DOB 22 Dec 1981
           1. A library assistant working in the British Library.
           2. Slain between 9:45 P.M. and 10:30 P.M. on Monday, December 17 in a reading room at the British Library.
           3. Body found at 8:20 A.M. on Tuesday the 18th by another library worker.
           4. Probable cause of death: massive bleeding caused by amputation of hands and removal of heart from chest cavity.
           5. Victim also had bruises on biceps, suggesting that he was gripped strongly by a powerful individual standing behind him. However, no defensive wounds or other signs of a struggle were found.
           6. Partial bloodstained footprint found near body; print resembles that of a great ape, but the species is as yet unidentified.
     3. The agents also request the details of the death of the local cult expert. There likewise is no connection with the two deaths, and the method of death was vastly different.
        1. Paramijt Singh: DOB 16 Jul 1953
           1. Antique dealer who operated a shop in east London.
           2. Time of death: approximately 8:45 P.M. on Friday, December 14 at his shop. Body found at approximately 9:30 A.M. on Monday the 17th by a customer.
           3. Probable cause of death: massive bleeding from multiple slash wounds across the abdomen.
           4. Current hypothesis: The victim interrupted a robbery in progress (as suggested by toppled shelves and ransacked storage). It is yet unknown what (if anything) might have been taken by the assailants.
           5. Analysis of the body found no defensive wounds or other signs of struggle.
           6. Fiber analysis revealed several reddish-brown animal hairs on the premises. Preliminary analysis indicates that they most likely belong to a primate, perhaps a baboon or orangutan.
           7. No signs of forced entry were found, suggesting that either the assailant had a key or was known by the victim.
  3. Determined to get the investigation started early, they decide to head to Singh’s Antiques in east London. In the midst of the Asian district, there is still a fair amount of activity in the evening time as customers made their way into 2nd hand electronics stores, book shoppes, shoemakers and such. The agents weave through the small crowds gathered around food stalls on the way from the tube exit to Singh’s Antique. Sitting in the midst of the many stores, it stands out with the yellow police tape over the door.

1. Markov proves adept at making quick work of the lock as they gain entrance; he notes that the lock is intact with no signs of being forced. Inside, the small store is littered with toppled shelves and scattered items. The only other door leads to a small back room.
2. Picking through the evidence, they notice no bloody tracks, suggesting the killer was careful to avoid the large bloodstain on the floor. They find Singh’s locked cashbox tucked under the counter with over 500 pounds inside, as well as several clearly valuable artifacts, such as those made of engraved silver or gold jewelry with inlaid semi-precious stones.
3. Sitting on the floor in the back room is an opened wooden crate that appeared overly large for the two items still carefully packed inside: a bronze vase inscribed with skulls and leaves, and a triangular iron spear tip decorated with a flame motif. Next to the crate is a page that appears to have been torn from a Sotheby’s catalog.
4. They agents retire to their hotel rooms for the night.

• • 1. 2012 Dec 18:
       1. Scotland Yard: The next morning, the agents meet with Inspector Lestrade who provides access to the medical examiner as well as accompanies them to the murder sites.
          1. When asked about why the Inspector contacted Gordon-Yancy at the Millenium Knights, he informed them that he has found them knowledgeable and helpful with the “strange ones. We used to have a chap who handled that kind of thing – Richard? Randall? Or something like that, but left the force six, or maybe eight years ago. Odd chap, to be sure.”
             1. They ask Emma at Personnel to track down Reginald Falsworth.
          2. A quick inspection of the two bodies did not reveal any new information, and they are notified the bloodwork analysis is still pending.
       2. British Library:
       1. Accompanied by Inspector Lestrade, they have no trouble accessing the cordoned reading room – a comfortable chamber with several overstuffed chairs and a fireplace. The cozy room is marred by the enormous bloodstain soaked into the large rug in the center of the room.
          1. Markov notes that there is less blood splattered around that might be expected for such a gruesome killing.
          2. Lester points out a partial bloody footprint just inside the door.
          3. They also make note that while the fireplace is empty of tinder or ashes, the hearth bears a scorch mark. Curiously, in the center of the scorch mark is a round, unmarred area about 8 inches across.
       1. Kendra Myer’s flat:
       1. Located near the University of London, the building sits among rows of other student houses. Students bustle to- and fro- to meet with friends, head to class, or participate in some collegiate activity.
       2. The hallway leading to Myer’s flat is like the thousands of similar ones throughout the city, with only the bright yellow police tape marking the room as anything but usual. There are no signs of forced entry through the door, and likewise for the single window in the living room. The toilet window only opens a few inches, and there are no signs it has been tampered with.
          1. The sparse, but comfortable space is tidy, and the accoutrements of student life decorate the small room – books on engineering, photos of mum and sisters, class catalogs, etc. For whatever diabolical reason, her murder cut short the life of a promising young woman.
          2. Like the Grosvenor murder scene, there is less blood splattered around than might be expected for such a gruesome killing, again suggestive of a victim that did not struggle much.
          3. They agents notice however, that the edges of the bathroom sink are slightly charred, as if they had been exposed to direct flame. There is also a small soot stain on the ceiling directly above the sink.
       1. Around tea time, they return to Scotland Yard where Markov calls the Sotheby’s Auction House in New York upon their opening.
          1. He confirms that Singh had previously purchased several items from southeast Asia – an Indian brass bowl, a Nepalese bronze ritual ewer, a Tibetan iron spear point, and an Indian copper dagger and sheath.
       2. Maverick meanwhile begins his research on the unique methods of death and is rewarded with information that suggests the practice of removing a heart and a hand was linked to a particularly sadistic worship of the Indian god Kali.
          1. Indian Mythology, AL. Trivedi, Ph.D.; © 1988 Panjabi Publishing “Kali is an emanation or aspect of Devi, one of the Asuras, whose name means “black.” She was often called “Kali Ma.” Meaning the black mother. She has a dark complexion; long, loose hair; a blood-smeared, tusked face; and three eyes. She has four arms: one handling a sword; another holding the severed head of a giant; and with the other two, she encourages worshippers. She is naked except for a belt made of rows of severed hands and a garland around her neck made of human skulls and of snakes. She is usually shown standing over her husband, Siva.
          2. “Her first deed was her battle with Raktavira. Unfortunately, each drop of blood Raktavira shed gave birth to a thousand giants as powerful as himself. She finally overcame him by holding him up, piercing him with her spear and drinking all his blood (which is why she is often shown with her tongue lolling out and dripping with blood.)
          3. “After the fight, Kali danced a victory dance that shook the entire earth. Siva begged her to stop, but Kali did not see him and he was trampled underfoot. From that time on, the gods would bribe or beg her to slay their foes. She gladly did this to satisfy her lust for blood.
          4. “Kali is waited upon by a great number of shapeshifting demons called Rakshasas, who feed upon flesh and are also known as Asra-pas or blood drinkers. Her worship includes orgiastic rites and human sacrifices, during which the victims’ hands are severed and eaten while their hearts are cut-out and burned in a consecrated brass bowl. According to Indian calculations, the world will soon enter the fourth age of the cosmos. This age is called Kali Yuga or Kali’s Age: the Age of Destruction. Most texts place the start of this age as December 22, 2012.”
       3. The medical examiner confirms the two bodies contain elevated levels of copper in the blood, and at the site of the wounds
       4. Emma also is able to get a picture of Reginal Falsworth from the personnel files. He is a young man with black hair, and she tells them that he would be 46 years at that time. But she cautions them that the picture and information is almost 10 years old.
          1. Maverick once again takes to the computers and is able to find a match in the conspiracy theory forums for a man who claimed to be a part of Scotland Yard. He even finds that the handle “SpookyMan” was active even as of just a few hours previous. Further sleuthing reveals the man’s IP address’ physical location in Hyde Park!
    2. Falsworth’s flat:
       1. The agents accompanied Inspector Lestrade to Falsworth’s flat anticipating a conflict  with a delusional man. They are met there by Angus McGillicuty, and they show Falsworth’s picture to the landlady, who tells them his flat number.
       2. Breaking in, they find a surprised Falsworth – older and more disheveled than his decade-old photograph –  who turns out to be more relieved at finding a group open to believing his theories than upset at being confronted.
          1. He informs them that he believes that the murders are the work of a group aiming to summon the demon-god Kali. And further that he has identified the two other people that they will murder for the ritual to be complete – Vivian Brunswick, a nurse at St. Thomas Hospital, born 22.12.71 and James J. Sibley, a member of the House of Lords and Minister of Parliament,  born 22.12.61; both at 12:01 am.
          2. He is convinced that they will be targeted in the next few days, and that the Kali cultists have a Rakshasa servant. He emphasizes several times that they must do whatever it takes to prevent Kali from being summoned.
       3. Markov calls the Yard and threatens Sibley’s life in all manner of colourful ways to ensure enhancement of his security. Inspector Lestrade hurriedly speeds off to aid in the security.
       4. A second call to St. Thomas hospital reveals that Brunswick is still working her shift. They ask her to be detained by security until they arrive. It is an hour trip on the tube.
    3. Protecting (?) Brunswick:
       1. The agents, accompanied by Falsworth, meet with Brunswick, who becomes understandably concerned about her daughter’s welfare alone at home when told about the danger to her. She is anxious to return home, so they decide to follow her discreetly whilst she travels; perhaps the cultists can be lured out!
       2. Forming an invisible protective bubble, they board the District Line to Beacontree. They keep a close eye on her even as the light crowd pushes in onto the train.  A few minutes later, they realize that Brunswick is exiting on Plaistow; the agents quickly debark with Angus staying on to ensure there wasn’t any trickery going on. Markov quickly catches up and attempts to nonchalantly walk parallel to the widow, with Lester, then Markov and Falsworth following.
       3. Brunswick exits onto the surface streets where the crowds slowly disperses. After walking the streets a few minutes, she abruptly turns down into an alley. Markov quickly backtracks and enters the alley to see that 20 yards in front of her, a pair of men are slowly walking away. He rushes forward, attracting their attention – a young Asian man, and a large British man. As he pushes past Brunswick towards them, the Asian man simply tells Markov to “leave them“. The Russian agent stops in his tracks – the command tugging at his brain; but pushing through the sudden urge to leave, Markov simply turns away… draws his pistol, completes his turn, and puts a bullets square in the Asian man’s forehead.
       4. The distinctive crack of the firearm discharge spurs the other three toward the alley entrance where they see the other man striking Markov in the throat with powerful hands, dropping him. Not trusting to shoot past Brunswick, Lester runs up to her with his pistols appearing in his hands; a pair of shorts sees only one finding its home in the man’s shoulder. Maverick meanwhile tackles Brunswick to the ground as Falsworth fires his .38 into the Brit as well.
       5. Unbothered by the two wounds, the man rushes forward and swings at Maverick, gouging thin streaks of blood onto his upraised arms. More shots ring out into the man’s back, which seem only to enrage it further, who’s furious swings at Maverick come close to tearing his throat out.
       6. Falsworth suddenly calls out for Maverick to “sacrifice the woman!” as he aims his revolver at the woman cowering behind Maverick; Maverick hesitates, but unleashes his next bullet again at the Brit. Is the blood loss getting to him? It almost appears as if the man’s elongated fingers and thickly-haired arm are claws!
       7. In desperation, Lester charges in and fire Johnson and Johnson directly into the back of the man’s head, finally causing him to drop. Kicking at the body, Falsworth is satisfied the threat is gone before taking the gun off Brunswick.
    4. Epilogue:
       1. Quickly arousing Markov, the agents retrieve the dagger and bowl from the Asian man. They find no CCTVs in the dark alley and quickly leave the scene with Brunswick before the growing sirens arrive. A glance back at the Brit doesn’t show any strangeness to his appearance; it must have been the light and the adrenaline playing with their senses…
       2. The agents contact Lestrade, who doesn’t want to know any details. He is comforted by the fact that the woman is safe, and that there is no video evidence of the “Asian gang violence”.
       3. XP: 3
    5. GM:
       1. London Calling was originally a module released for the Alternity Dark*Matter game

by Andy Collins. It was originally published in Dungeon Magazine #83 (November/December 2000). It is available online at London Calling.

Sotheby’s Catalog

17. A SINO-TIBE’IAN GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF VAJRADHARA
AND CONSORT, late 18th/early 19th century, seated
in dhyanasana on a double lotus …
Arcade: Along the Silk Road: Asian & Islamic Decorations
& Chinese Furniture-Lot 17 8-Dec-2001 [Sotheby’s New
York, NY]
—————————————————————————————
18. AN INDIAN METAL RITUAL VESSEL, circa 18th century,
brass howl with Hindi inscriptions and slender serpentine
feet, approximately …
Arcade: Along the Silk Road: Asian & Islamic Decorations
& Chinese Furniture-Lot 18 8-Dec-2001 [Sotheby’s New
York, NY]
—————————————————————————————
19. TWO TERRACOITA HEADS, Rajasthan, circa 19th century;
each with almond shaped eyes, triangular nose, plump
cheeks and slightly smiling …
Arcade: Along the Silk Road: Asian & Islamic Decorations
& Chinese Furniture-Lot 19 8-Dec-2001 [Sotheby’s New
York, NY]
—————————————————————————————
20. A PORTRAIT OF A NOBLEMAN AND AN ASCETIC, Deccan,
Hyderabad, circa 1800, the nobleman kneeling before
the ascetic on a terrace, the …
Arcade: Along the Silk Road: Asian & Islamic Decorations
& Chinese Furniture-Lot 20 8-Dec-2001 [Sotheby’s New
York, NY]
—————————————————————————————
21. A MUGHAL STYLE DRAWING OF A PRINCE, circa 18th
century, standing and facing left wearing a flaring jama and
turban, a sword and …
Arcade: Along the Silk Road: Asian & Islamic Decorations
& Chinese Furniture-Lot 21 8-Dec-2001 [Sotheby’s New
York, NY]
—————————————————————————————
22. A TIBETAN THANKA OF PEHAR, 19th century, seated on a
white lion and holding a capa and sara, churi, khadga and
danda, encircled by …
Arcade: Along the Silk Road: Asian & Islamic Decorations
& Chinese Furniture-Lot 22 8-Dec-2001 [Sotheby’s New
York, NY]
—————————————————————————————
23. FIVE TIBETAN COPPER, BRASS AND SILVER GAUS.
18th/19th century, each portable shrine decorated on the
front with Tibetan characters and …
Arcade: Along the Silk Road: Asian & Islamic Decorations
& Chinese Furniture-Lot 23 8-Dec-2001 [Sotheby’s New
York, NY]
—————————————————————————————
24. A TIBETAN LARGE REPOUSSE GILT COPPER FIGURE
OF VAISRAVANA. 17th/18th century the guardian seated on
a lotus throne, wearing boots,
Arcade: Along the Silk Road: Asian & Islamic Decorations
& Chinese Furniture-Lot 24 8-Dec-2001 [Sotheby’s New
York, NY]
—————————————————————————————
25. A TIBETAN REPOUSSE GILT COPPER GUARDIAN FIGURE.
18th century, standing and wearing foil armor, boots,
long billowing sashes and large …
Arcade: Along the Silk Road: Asian & Islamic Decorations
& Chinese Furniture-Lot 25 8-Dec-2001 [Sotheby’s New
York, NY]
—————————————————————————————
26. A NEPALESE BRONZE RITUAL EWER, circa l8th/l9th
century, the flaring body chased with lappets, skulls and
scrolling foliage, mounted …
Arcade: Along the Silk Road: Asian & Islamic Decorations
& Chinese Furniture-Lot 26 8-Dec-2001 [Sotheby’s New
York, NY]
—————————————————————————————
27. A TIBETAN IRON RITUAL SPEAR POINT, l7th/l8th century,
damascened with flames at the base of the faceted triangular
blade, …
Arcade: Along the Silk Road: Asian & Islamic Decorations
& Chinese Furniture-Lot 27 8-Dec-2001 [Sotheby’s New
York, NY]
—————————————————————————————
28. A THAI SANDSTONE HEAD OF BUDDHA, Ayuthia Style,
with serene expression, triangular nose, full lips, downcast
eyes anti arched …
Arcade: Along the Silk Road: Asian & Islamic Decorations
& Chinese Furniture-Lot 28 8-Dec-2001 [Sotheby’s New
York, NY]
—————————————————————————————
29. A NEPALESE COPPER VOTIVE PLAQUE, late 19th century,
rectangular centered by a bodhisattva inset with rock
crystal, standing on a lotus …
Arcade: Along the Silk Road: Asian & Islamic Decorations
& Chinese Furniture-Lot 29 8-Dec-2001 [Sotheby’s New
York, NY]
—————————————————————————————
30. A TIBETAN ASTROLOGICAL THANKA, 19th century, a
central stylized lotus flower with eight petals each containing
a trigram, encircled by a …
Arcade: Along the Silk Road: Asian & Islamic Decorations
& Chinese Furniture-Lot 30 8-Dec-2001 [Sotheby’s New
York, NY]
—————————————————————————————
31. A MUGHAL STYLE COTTON HANGING, 1940, boldly
decorated with a large poppy plant with three large red blossoms
and five buds, all with …
Arcade: Along the Silk Road: Asian & Islamic Decorations
& Chinese Furniture-Lot 31 8-Dec-2001 [Sotheby’s New
York, NY]
—————————————————————————————
32. A TIBETAN PAINTED WOOD CABINET, 19th century, She
central door depicting the face of a ferocious dharmapala
with bulging eyes, open …
Arcade: Along the Silk Road: Asian & Islamic Decorations
& Chinese Furniture-Lot 23 8-Dec-2001 [Sotheby’s New
York, NY]
—————————————————————————————
33. AN INDIAN COPPER DAGGER AND SHEATH, circa 18th
century, the steel blade damascened with Hindi characters
and foliage. …
Arcade: Along the Silk Road: Asian & Islamic Decorations
& Chinese Furniture-Lot 23 8-Dec-2001 [Sotheby’s New
York, NY]
—————————————————————————————
34. A GANDHARAN STUCCO HEAD OF A WOMAN. 4th/5th
century, her face with benign expression, downcast eyes and
slightly smiling mouth, …
Arcade: Along the Silk Road: Asian & Islamic Decorations
& Chinese Furniture-Lot 23 8-Dec-2001 [Sotheby’s New
York, NY]
—————————————————————————————
35. A GANDHARAN GRAY SCHIST HEAD OF BUDDHA,
3rd/4th century, his oval face with meditative expression,
heavy-lidded almond shaped eyes …
Arcade: Along the Silk Road: Asian & Islamic Decorations
& Chinese Furniture-Lot 23 8-Dec-2001 [Sotheby’s New
York, NY]

1. Game Date: 2016 March 5
2. Markov, Lester, Bill, Maverick
3. Investigating the leads
   1. Maverick recognizes the name Fascius Claudan and is able to plunge into the various internet theories about him and his most famous work – the Libri Plures Admiratio, or the Book of Many Wonders.
      1. Claudan was a Brussels-born sage who lived from 1535 to ~1561.
      2. First 6 books were published on astronomy and mathematics and responsible for many minor breakthroughs in science and technology. Some of his pulley systems, cog works and early machinery for pumping water as well as various knots are still in use throughout Europe.
      3. In the later years of his life, he was said to travel to Asia and Africa to learn from their sciences. Upon his return, he was said to be withdrawn and strange. His defaulted on his debts, and wrote a series of articles he called “Wonders” on astronomy, Asian and African-influenced science and alchemy.
      4. These were collected into his last book called the Libri Plures Admiratio. It contained a code which was thought to be an equation – this was regarded in small circles to be an epiphany or complete gibberish. Mathematicians and cryptographers throughout the ages have spent hours plugging away to solve the glyphs, with little to no success. This equation was called the Laqueus, a math puzzle he claimed to have learned from an Arab in Istanbul (Constantinople) in 1560. The book claimed that the Arab was 600 years old and had seen the “grand library of Nakotic,” wherein lie the secrets of the ancient architects of the world.
      5. Caludan was incarcerated in an alms-house in the summer of 1561 and assumed to have died that summer from an outbreak of cholera which swept through Brussles and killed thousands.
      6. Only 6 known copies of the Libri survived to the modern age, and all but one were lost during WW2. What is believed to be the original copy resides in Brussels.
   2. In examining the photocopied book Bill had found in Wei’s room, they learn that it was a photocopy of a copy in the university’s library. It was published by an “Educationals Studies Book” and translated by Maurice Ester.
      1. The company ceased operations in 1944. The location of the company in the lower East side of Manhattan is now a Shack Burger, having previously been a Dunkin Donuts, a tire repair store and an art gallery.
         1. Ester died from progressive Alzheimer’s disease in 1986.
         2. Lester, Markov and Bill begin cautious examination of the text.
         3. In the last pages, Lester and Bill realized that some of Wei’s mathematical scrawls in the margins are interpretable.
            1. Lester makes out 2012 October 11 1458 followed by his own date of birth and then his own social security number and “hello!”
            2. Bill reads out 2012 October 11 1458 followed by his date of birth and 42.634 and -70.156
            3. The date and time correlate to this exact moment they are reading the book.
            4. Recognizing this, Lester realizes that everything in his life is predetermined by this equation; nothing that he does is going to change it, and starts to become particularly fatalistic.
   3. Determining that the others who had seen the equation may be in danger, Maverick hacks into the googlelists’ moderator’s email – one Dr. Julio Kimbrel, a professor of math at Alfred University in upstate New York. He sees that the email is unread in his account and recalls the email from the list and deletes all evidence of it from his computer.
      1. Maverick then begins to hack into the email accounts of the various list members. They include:
         1. Kelly Casselman, 29, a math teacher in a high school in Brinkman, Montana.
         2. Ben Philbeck, 44, a computer scientist at Lawrence Livermore labs, California.
         3. Kelly Pletcher, 21, a physics student at the University of Columbia, Missouri.
         4. Julius Sward, 31, a house-husband in Modesto, California.
         5. Tia Markell, 29, a math dabbler from New York City.
         6. Emile Tumlinson, 51, a chemist for Tyson Foods from Miami, Florida.
         7. Jamie Izzi, 19, a biochemistry student from Paris, France.
         8. Noreen Kuder, 22, a math student from Manila, Philippines.
         9. Dr. Eve Mehaffey, 39, a physicist from Brighton, England.
         10. Lawrence Badek, 42, a math and chess enthusiast from Wiesbaden, Germany.
   4. They spend the afternoon in a rented hotel as Markov and Lester continue their attempts at deciphering the Libri and Maverick works to hack the emails.
      1. Tia Markell’s email is first as she is closest in NYC. The account proves easy to break into and Maverick removes the email from her Inbox.
      2. Maverick is able to confirm that Kelly Casselman had indeed read the email the day prior, but Philbeck’s email sat in a spam folder unseen. Tired from the all-night drive as well, he is not able to stay up yet another full night.
4. 2012 Oct 12, Friday
   1. The next morning, Markov, Lester, and Bill opt to physically investigate Tia Markell as well. After confirming she is still at work at as a accounting aid at Morgan Stanley, they break into her apartment and confirm there was no sign of disordered thinking.
   2. Shortly afterwards, a call from State Trooper Blanet, who informs them that he had gotten a lead on the origins of the murder weapon. It was a Remington Model 870 shotgun serial number 2022998 that was registered to the New York Police Department and supposedly still at the 24th Precinct in NYC.
      1. The agents meet with Sergeant Marquez at the desk who escorts them to the basement weapons storage lockers. The locate the wooden storage box still nailed shut in the locker. Upon opening it, four of the 870s sit undisturbed, but an empty cutout in the foam shows where a fifth is missing.
      2. Markov stays with the box as Lester and Bill accompany Sergeant Marquez up to get a forensics team for fingerprints and find out who was responsible for checking the weapons in and out.
      3. The computer records show that Sergeant Marvin Herrera had checked out dozens of weapons on the morning of 2012 Oct 10 as part of the quarter weapons maintenance program. They were moved to the precinct parking lot for the gunsmith to work on for the day and just brought back down at the end of the day.
      4. Herrera is brought downstairs and questioned about the missing gun, but swears he knowns nothing about it. He is a 19-year veteran of the NYPD with a sterling record and informs them that it was a simple “pipe” replacement of the shotguns under the care of Jose Lopez of Long Island Firearms. He claims he never left the guns unattended.
         1. Upon further questioning, he remembers that he did walk away from the guns “for a minute or two” when an accident occurred at the other end of the parking lot as an exiting squad car hit a dog.
      5. They pull up video surveillance of the lot on that day and “around 9 or 9:30”. As they watch, Herrera and Lopez are in the foreground with several wooden boxes of weapons. Bill makes out in the background of the video, Michael Wei standing just across the street from the parking lot. For about 20 minutes, he just stands there with a duffel bag regularly looking at his watch. Suddenly, he begins to walk to the west parking lot entrance. Some fifteen seconds later, a patrol car pulling out of the east entrance jerks to a stop as a terrier runs out in front of it chased by an older woman. The struck dog and frantic woman draws a crowd as well as the attention of Herrera and the gunsmith, who get up and walk to the other entrance. Just as they leave, Wei arrives at the boxes, uncovers the them and pries them open with a hammer he removes from under his jacket. He takes one of the shotguns and places it into the duffel bag, then hammers the box shut again before covering them and walking back away. The time stamp shows 09:21. A minute later, Herrera and Lopez return to their work.
      6. The Sergeants are obviously disturbed by what they saw and asking “how could that psychopath know we’d be gone for a minute?!?”
   3. Maverick continues to work on the email accounts of the mathgeeks as the agents investigate the driver of the squad car (Officer Jonathan Levy cleared), the owner of the dog (a pensioner Alice Richardson – cleared), and Jose Lopez.
      1. They drive to his home on Long Island and break in when they convince his wife that he had been in a bad car accident and they needed her at the hospital.
      2. The only math book of note they find is a picture counting book “for ages 2-4”, likely belonging to one of the 11 grandchildren pictured in the various family photos.
      3. Maverick meanwhile finds that Kelly Pletcher had accessed the email the previous evening. Julius Sward’s inbox was full of unread urgent messages “CALL ME NOW!”, “what’s going on?!??!!”, “OMG are you ok???” from this morning. The googlelist email was read in the morning shortly after it was sent on 2012 Oct 10.
         1. Further research revealed on news sites revealed a house fire in Modesto, California that is suspected to have “claimed the lives of the Sward family – investigators on the scene now”.
   4. With two suspicious events now connected with the Laqueous, Maverick calls Field Director Jones about the list of potential exposures and requests resources for help in containing the equation. They are requested to track down Casselman while the Hoffman Institute were sending other assets from St. Louis to investigate Pletcher and from California to Modesto. He states that he would be contacting sister organizations in Europe and Asia to look into the non-US names on the googlelist.
5. 2012 Oct 13, Saturday
   1. The four catch the first plane to Montana from NYC in the morning (with Maverick buying a nice hat prior to boarding).
   2. Upon arriving in Brinkman mid-afternoon, they surveil the unassuming single-story ranch house in a quiet neighborhood. No car in the driveway, and no lights on in the house. Various neighbors go about their Saturday business.
      1. Markov and Lester sneak up to the house and notice the front door slightly ajar. The stealthily move in and see the living room covered in a bizarre mixture of ripped and arranged pictures – mostly of teenagers.
      2. Moving further into the house, they find the young woman seated at her desk working on a computer spreadsheet; a Mossberg shotgun laying across her lap. As they approach, she smiles at them and asks quietly, “What is the answer?”
      3. Quickly replying “9920.29…” before trailing off, Casselman suddenly raises the shotgun. But Lester was anticipating the move and fires a pair of shots from Johnson & Johnson – hitting the gun and causing it to fall. A scuffle ensues with Casselman’s Tai-bo put to good effect against the surprised Markov before they successfully restrain her.
      4. On her spreadsheet, a variety of math calculations has resulted in a series of seven 9-digit numbers. They delete all files on the computer (after Markov makes a backup copy). Then a quick call to Field Director Jones has them calling the police to detain the woman while being recommended to track down and destroy the copy of the Libri in Brussels.
   3. They depart on a red-eye to Chicago to head to Brussels.
6. 2012 Oct 14, Sunday
   1. The long flight gives time for Maverick to catch up on his rest while Lester and Markov study the Book of Many Wonders.
   2. Arriving in Brussels that evening, they secure a hotel room near the L’Universite libre de Bruxelles, where the Libri is located.
   3. While checked in the room, the news began running a breaking news story about an “unfolding situation” of a middle-aged man threatening suicide at the top of the Marktkirche Cathedral in Wiesbaden, Germany. Later that evening, the man had unfurled what appeared to be a bed sheet with numbers written on it in shoe polish. They recognize the same numeric sequence as at the Ridgway house. Sure enough, the man was later identified as Lawrence Badek, a previous math teacher. Even later, the Spezialeinsatzkommando stormed the rooftop to try to secure Badek, but it ended when Badek fell to his death along with one of the SDK SWAT commandos on live TV.
   4. Markov and Lester continue studying the photocopied English translation while Maverick finally manages to break into the email account of Emile Tumlinson. Scattered among a multitude of unread emails, are the occasional ones which had been read. Fortunately, the mathgeeks one is buried on the 12th page, unopened. It is quickly deleted from the email.
      1. Having spent close to the entire day trying to puzzle out the Laqueous, Lester manages to convince himself further that no only were his actions predetermined and non-malleable, so were those of everyone and everything in the world! To deal with these depressing thoughts, he wanders into the night of Brussels where he acquires – and immediately begins using – cigars; they calm his mind to rest from the constant thoughts intruding into it.
   5. Bill is able to get into contact with an acquaintance, Franc Petri; Franc had spent some time with Bill at the Hoffman Institute in New York. He was able to provide the agents with some pistols as they were unable to bring their guns into Belgium.
7. 2012 Oct 15, Monday
   1. Maverick works through the night and day to break into the remaining email accounts while the other three go to the Brussels University Library.
   2. The three find it quite easy to draw the attention of the librarian away from the small closed room where the special collections are stored and for Lester easily secreted the book away in his waistband. After a quick debate as to the merits of keeping the book, Lester regretfully sets it alight with a cigar.
8. Epilogue:
   1. The NYPD informs the agents that the fingerprints on the weapons box indeed matched that of Michael Wei
   2. Kelly Casselman was arrested and placed into a psychiatric ward. The numbers on her spreadsheet corresponded to the Social Security Numbers of 7 of her students.
   3. The Hoffman Institute also informs the agents that the body of the FBI mathematics crypto-analyst, Special Agent Sarah Comox was found Oct 15th at the Shaver and Sons – a small stock trading firm on the lower east side of Manhattan. Firefighters responding to the fire in the building (located at 229 9th Ave East) found her body on the ground where it appeared to have fallen nine stories from the room. It required several hours to id the body. Surveillance photo showed she accessed the safe and destroyed 2.3 million US dollars worth of bearer bonds by setting a small fire. Interestingly, the phone number of Shaver and Sons is 212-333-0229.
   4. XP 2

1. 2016 Feb 28
2. Markov, Lester, Maverick, Bill
3. 2012 Oct 10, Wednesday: A call around 16:30 from Jones to investigate murder in NJ that occurred around 1430 that day.
   1. Jones said a post-doctoral math student at Columbia University identified as Michael Wei proceeded to a upscale neighborhood in Alliance, New Jersey and shot and killed 8 people belonging to a family. Witnesses out in the middle of the day reported hearing gunshots and then saw Wei chase Michael Ridgeway out into the nearby Highway and killed him. Witnesses understandably kept their distance as he proceeded to spray paint a series of numbers on the road before turning the shotgun on himself.
      1. The numbers are suspected of possessing dangerous, paranormal properties, having been tied to cultic activity and unexplained phenomena. This flagged an alert in the Hoffman Institute system
      2. Some of the Hoffman theoretical physicists say if the world could be considered a simulation run by a very powerful computing system, then some calculations would be “back-doors” into the code – hacking reality as it were.
   2. Secured transmission says:

BRIEFING

Operation IAPETUS

You are to investigate the murders of MALCOLM RIDGEWAY (44), DINAH RIDGEWAY (43), MICHAEL RIDGEWAY (18), CLARK RIDGEWAY (16), DEAN RIDGEWAY (14), MARY RIDGEWAY (13), ALICE RIDGEWAY (12), CLAIRE RIDGEWAY (10) in Alliance, New Jersey on 12OCT10.

Murderer is MICHAEL WEI (26) (DECEASED). Wei was a mathematical student at Columbia University New York. Wei inscribed a series of numbers at the scene which are suspected to possess dangerous, paranormal properties.

Mission Instructions:

— Determine if WEI distributed the number in any manner besides the crime scene (phone, fax, email).

— Locate WEI’s notes and work on the number and destroy it.

— If possible, destroy the number inscription at the scene and all photographic evidence of it in the hands of the authorities.

— Locate any exposed to the number with mathematical experience and report them back.

— Link WEI romantically to DINAH RIDGEWAY. Fake whatever documents necessary to make an affair between the two seem likely.

— Once protocols are complete, contact director for further instructions

Possible Friendly Contacts :

— Trooper Thomas Blanet, New Jersey State Patrol

1. Jones says that the numbers found have been tied to paranormal and potentially Dark Matter activity
2. They are to go as special forensics consultants to the FBI after their previous mission
4. Markov, Lester, and Bill fly. Maverick drives through the night and day, researching on his phone as he does so
5. Bill goes to the John Jay Hall in Columbia around 2100. The front sign declares it houses dorm rooms, as well as the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, containing the Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics divisions.
1. He is met by Sandy Beema, the school’s representative, who shows him Wei’s messy room.
2. He turns on the computer to find the most recent email To: mathgeeks@googlelists.com with the Subject line reading: “I’ve got the Laqueus Solution!”
   1. This is followed by complex math in the body
3. The most recent file utilized was a complex excel spreadsheet that resulted in a numeric outcome:
1. 10.10.12,921,40.796901,-73.968158
2. 9:21(AM), 40.796901, -73.968158
4. Under the futon, he also finds a binder clipped stack of papers that look to be a photocopied book entitled “The Book of Many Wonders” that looks well-read annotated, and heavily marked

6. Meanwhile, Markov and Lester investigate crime scene.

   1. They successfully avoid the media circus that have flocked to the scene – after all, what else can attract media attention more so than a horrendous murder scene with innocent victims, insanity, and a confusing picture of a student with no connection to them; KILLER MATH TEACHER! blares the headlines.
   2. They meet the 3 FBI Special Agents: William Gant (a stocky young white man in his mid-30’s) who points out Special Agent in Charge Aiden Canor (well-dressed black man in his 50’s), and Sarah Comox (white woman in her mid-30’s) a mathematics cryto-analyst.
   3. The bodies are not yet moved, but are covered by tarps; the victim outside is face down with GSW to the back and Wei is nearby with his head mostly gone. Lower jaw is intact, and a shotgun and spray-can is next to the body. On the pavement, a series of numbers which has been spray painted. A pictures is taken of the number sequence: 9920.229989212.333
   4. Inside the nice 3-story house sitting on some quarter acre, they find the bodies of the 7 other victims; one near the front door, a few others sprawled on the couch and recliner, two near the back sliding down, and one near the kitchen counter.
      1. Markov pockets some of Dinah Ridgeways’ lipstick, perfume, and underwear.
      2. They note that the shotgun was loaded both with buckshot and slugs.
         1. There was also a shot to the kitchen stove that froze the analog clock at 14:28:13.

7. The agents retire to the Motel 6 in Alliance for the night. Maverick meanwhile managed to break into Wei’s various computer and phone records.

   1. He most often communicates with Mom, Imogen Wei (both with Californian numbers), Tony, and Molly
      1. The latter are more recent and text messages revolve around dinner plans
   2. He has no social media, but multiple online dating profiles, none of which have any substantial activity, and mostly inactive for past 6 months.
   3. He manages to stay refreshed regardless of his all-night drive
8. 2012 October 11, Thursday
1. The next morning, they return to the John Jay Hall. Markov places the pilfered items from Dinah Ridgeway as well as pornographic magazines featuring older women purchased from an adult book store.
   1. In his room, further searches reveals various credit card receipts for food purchases from the school cafeteria. Special Agent Gant confirms no unusual credit card purchases, and no weapons receipts.
2. They go to meet with Wei’s mentor Professor Offenhaut, who informs him that he hadn’t seen Wei since their weekly meeting the Thursday before.
3. His work and dissertation involved research into Mersenne prime numbers. He had been working on “fast distributed math models to generate extremely large Mersenne primes, numbers somewhere in the range of fourteenmillion digits, but he was not having much success.”
9. Offenhaut only knew the Laqueus Equation as a historic math puzzle that was unsolved. Looking into one of his texts, he remembered that it was a puzzle attributed to a Fascius Claudan, “a mathematician, astronomer and scientist who lived sometime in the 1500’s”, but not much else about it.