Agenda
Episode Three
"The Mysteries of Kali"
Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity
The scene opens with Nicklaus Klaus having a meeting with Lawrence Pope, the infamous white-haired man from the first episode. Pope had called for a meeting, it seems, to clarify his position in the matters and to hear first-hand from Klaus his views on Aeon Society. Pope, like Klaus, was once a member of Branch 9, and seeks to understand where Aeon Society truly stands. Unhappy with how Branch 9 had supported certain dictators and questionable political figures in the past, Pope reiterates to Klaus how he is determined to bring down Aeon Society if the group happens to share the same views. Klaus reminds Pope his membership in Aeon Society was the job he was given and that for him a job is a job.
Elsewhere, Candy Misselthwaite was enjoying some time in the poolside of the Aeon Society when Whitley Styles joins her. He swims a few laps, clearly a man dedicated to keeping himself healthy, and addresses her respectfully when he realizes he is sharing the pool with a lady. They talk about her missing fiance, who had vanished while at sea, and he asks if she ever plans to move on with her life. She admits to him she has no plans to do so and cites loyalty as one of her virtues.
And in Central Park, Samuel Warren finds himself sharing some time under the morning sun in a conversation with Sarah Gettel. The two had been sitting beside each other at the park when Sarah asked for a light. Commenting how smoking is bad for her, Samuel ends up having a long cheerful conversation with the intrepid reporter. The two clearly have a wavelength of sorts. But when Michael Donighal appears and frustrates Miss Gettel, alluding to a history between them, Sarah Gettel walks out on them. Michael reminds Samuel to be wary of talking to the press and leaves. Samuel sees Sarah in the distance, and watches her for a bit, only to bear witness to three men abducting her as they drag her into an alleyway!
Klaus returns to the Aeon Society mansion to learn Maxwell Mercer with a number of other members are off to another mission at some undisclosed location. Benjamin Franklin Dixon mentions the need to purchase something and has issues with opening the gate himself. Klaus walks inside, amused, and finds Styles in a wet towel headed for his own room. Accompanying the man, Klaus shares a conversation with the man while he get's a good shower. The two discuss his past, with Styles admitting the semblance of a dreadful past. Klaus maneuvers around some of Styles' questions, particularly about his suit, and learns that Styles writes a journal entry for each day the Aeon Society has existed. Styles hears something beyond Klaus' perceptions, and tells the other that they best head to the Conference Room where a new mission is afoot.
Samuel had investigated the scene of the crime and managed only to get the name and plate number of the leaving truck. Rushing back to Aeon Society, Samuel calls for a meeting and only Candy, Klaus and Styles are present. Sharing what just happened, Styles suggests to Samuel to try searching his "Mental Room" for more information. With Klaus providing smoke for meditation, Samuel dips into his memories and learns more about the kidnappers. When the key factoid of them being Thugee is mentioned, Styles is visibly bothered. With the truck having been sighted in the pier, the four quickly make their way there using Samuel's car.
At the pier, the group splits up in hopes of finding the truck (Maharasthra Carpets) which was carrying rugs. The group suspected Sarah Gettel was rolled up in one by her abductors. Scarlet and the German investigate a liner, but find a dead end. They do learn that the Maharasthra staff had "mistakenly" brought the carpets to another vessel before bringing them here, and both realize that vessel was the one they should have gone to. The Sleepwalker finds a trail of rolled up small dollars, a trail which he suspected Sarah Gettel had left for them to follow, but learns that the ship it lead to had already left twenty hours ago. Styles tries to see if a plane can be chartered but none happen to be available. Thankfully, Klaus remembers Benjamin Franklin Dixon muttering about an experimental ship, and the group rushes back to Aeon Society to take it.
The ship is a small replica of the ill-fated Titanic, down to the smoke stacks and a miniature chandelier. Styles' incredible perceptions guide the vessel as they chase after the Liner, and even with a powerful rainstorm hitting, the group manage to catch up with the vessel. They find the deck empty of people, and unbelievably a pirate ship and an island had somehow appeared beside it. While the German investigates the captain's deck, the Sleepwalker and Scarlet opt to head to the Pirate Ship to learn where the missing passengers have gone. The German finds a surprise guest in the captain's deck: Lawrence Pope, who fears the passengers had been kidnapped because the Thugee are searching for him. He admits he is a penultimate Master of Disguise and believes the passengers were gathered in hopes of weeding him out. Making a deal with the German, Pope agrees to help rescue Gettel in exchange for the German giving him safe passage out of the predicament. Pope somehow can change his appearance with a moment's focus and after first using it to mimic Scarlet to get close to Styles, he then knocks Styles out and assumes his form. Pope and the German encounter a number of Thugee, and when the German misses one target, he quickly nicks himself on the neck to cause the Thugee (which he learned have a code against spilling blood) to retreat. The two find a platform leading below the ground and take it.
The Sleepwalker and Scarlet explore the pirate ship and find it to be stocked with weapons and watched over by an armed crew. Eventually the two reach the lower deck where a hatch leading to the island waits. To their surprise, the Thugee have no problems with using guns and the Sleepwalker gets struck by a few. Blood letting, it seems, is not illegal if the weapon drawing blood was not directed by the Thugee's strength. They descend below to find the hatch leading to a long tube with a flat platform serving as an elevator. Using her telekinesis to flick the switch, the platform descends to the island's underground depths.
The German and "Styles" stand before the passengers surrounded by the Thugee, and their leader, the Jemadar Paruq. Paruq has Gettel wrapped in special paper cloth that is held aloft by two elephants over a pool of water. Once wet, Paruq explains, the cloth contracts and will slide Gettel into shreds. Paruq tells the two that the events were orchestrated to bring Styles here, as he is the promised one who will inherit the Thugee. "Styles" and German discuss things quickly and decide to try to catch Paruq off guard. The German admits "Styles" isn't the man Paruq seeks, but someone else. And Pope reveals his true face. Angered, Paruq commands the Thugee to attack. But above, Scarlet and the Sleepwalker find the elevator ends in a glass room above the whole chamber. After disabling the woman in the booth, the Sleepwalker realizes the devices before them are theater controls, which explains how Paruq has maintained his "favor of the Goddess Kali" all that time. Scarlet grabs hold of the commands and uses it to tilt events in the German and Pope's favor. Pope uses his abilities to manifest AS the Goddess Kali, and the German sways those present to believe he is an emissary of the true goddess. Try as Paruq might, his words fall on deaf ears as the combined efforts of the team bring the Thugee to attack him. "Kali" fires "lightning" at the elephants, causing Sarah Gettel to fly away from the pool. The Sleepwalker then swings in to grab her and take her to safety. By the time the Thugee calm down, however, the spot where they had attacked Paruq is empty, leaving no sign of where the man had gone. Pope quickly offers the German a second deal, to introduce him as his sidekick, since his participation can no longer be ignored. But on the last second tells the German to just claim he had left and to introduce him at a later date. The German agrees to the price and plays his part well, even as Sarah Gettel later once again tries to win a new exclusive scoop with Aeon Society.
The next day, Mercer calls for another meeting. He is infuriated with the headline and demands the three make amends and apologize to Sarah Gettel. The reporter, ignored from her attempts to gain an interview, had written a very unflattering image of Aeon Society and even suggested they had broken the law by flying to Switzerland to break someone out of prison. The three walk out on Mercer, unwilling to bow to the repoter's ego. There is no denying, however, that the three are part of Aeon Society for Gentlemen.
At least for now.
*
The game's interludes included a glimpse of how an Aberrant in the modern day was tapping into the web collected tales of Aeon Society and how she felt frustrated her incredible calculations would spoil for her what actions the group would undertake in a mission.
Another glimpse showed the Orgotek's interest in the Inspired corpse that the Ministry had acquired, and a Benefactor telling the Electrokinetic to agree to meeting with the Ministry liaison in secret. To show why the corpse was important, the Benefactor allowed the man a glimpse of something called the Babel Dossier, which happened to be a future transcription of what was once the Journal of Whitley Styles.
And finally, back in the modern day, a young football athlete finds himself erupting at the height of a football championship game. His life is forever changed, and his coach, a certain Donny Michaels, walks away with a smile. The players are informed that Coach Donny resembles the other leader of Aeon Society, Michael Donighal.
*
Here's hoping the seeds I've laid for the game keep the mystery going. I do hope this game actually reaches its ending given I've written it to work with all three lines.
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