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Jamski
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lol ED&D is officially full PvP LOL
May 2002
time: 05:34
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March 26th 1854
Letter recieved by Mina Harker.
My dearest Mina,
I arrived this day, the twentysixth of March in the year of our Lord 1854 finally at the destination your father so vividly described in his notes. The great bleak house stands on the mountain top overlooking the village of Apolyton almost exactly as he described it. His words say it better than mine,
"...then upon crossing of the river for the third time by way of those most curiously constrcuted stone bridges they have in these parts, the vista over the Apolytown valley was revealed to me for the first time. Never have I felt such desolation of the soul as when this vision first entered my eyes, and took such a grip on my thoughts that to this day I am never rid of the picture. The castle, or mansion, as they say in the dialect of the valley, rises on a crag high to the left as a rotting tooth in the mouth formed by the basalt cliffs of the valley, while down beneath this edifice squats the hovels and stables of the small village that lends its name to the cleft as a whole..."
Your father spoke truely. A rotting tooth is indeed an apt description for the huge decaying fortress on the mountainside. Its walls are made from some kind of limestone, and against the black walls of basalt that rise around it the effect is like a skull floating in the darkness.
I plan to stay a few nights either in the village or the mansion. I feel somewhat driven by the promise I made to your father to investigate the curse he claims lies on this valley. May God standy by be if he spoke the truth, for in all honesty I have a chill feeling as I write this. It is almost as if the Castle is watching me, calling me to my doom.
With all my love, and I hope to return soon having solved this mystery.
Yours eternally
Jamski van Helsing Esq.
From the 1854 Parish Taxation records for the valley of Apolytown
Number of male residents currently living, visiting or working in the parish : Twenty two
code:
mafia2
| Name
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Role
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Status
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| GhengisFarb |
Watercolour artist
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Alive
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| Kassiopeia |
Travelling salesman
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Alive |
| Zopperoni |
Butler
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Alive |
| GJRamsey |
Bookkeeper
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Alive |
| Vlad Antlerkov |
Message boy
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Alive |
| MattH |
Doorman
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Alive |
| ADG |
Cook (fish)
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Alive |
| Alva |
A Major
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Alive |
| Rasputin |
Priest
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Alive |
| General Ludd |
General
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Alive |
| Spaced Cowboy |
Cattle farmer
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Alive |
| Mart7x5 |
Woodchopper
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Alive |
| Doc |
Physician
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Alive |
| Guynemer |
Cook (vegetables)
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Alive |
| Jonny |
Elder Son of the Duke
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Alive |
| flipside |
Younger Son of the Duke
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Alive |
| Duke o'York
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Lord and Master
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Alive |
| Skanky
Burns |
Wine waiter
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Alive |
| Tuberski |
Master of the Hunt
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Alive |
| Theben
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Cook (meat)
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Alive |
| Jon Miller
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Libarian
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Alive |
| Urban Ranger |
Groundsman
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Alive |
From the Diary of Jamski van Helsing
26th March 1854 : Arrived today in Apolytown village and inqired a local character as to the possibilities of lodging somewhere in the village. The curious little man suggested I look elsewhere, and reccommeded
"A gen'nelman loike you, sir ought'er be stayin' in dem dere Mansion"
For a shilling the man, whose name turned out to be Vlad, at least from what I could understand of his dialect offered to carry my bags ahead and tell his Lordship, strangely called the Duke o'York that a visitor wished to spend a night. We headed up to the castle while my porter explained the village to me in response to my questions, of which I had many. I'll not attempt to reconstruct his comical accent any further, but only the gist of what he said.
It appears that apart from the Duke who is the lord of this valley and his two sons, Jonny and Flipside there are no more real noblemen in the valley. Apart from some gentlemen, such as Doc, the physician, Rasputin the priest, Major Alva and General Ludd (Who represent His Majesty's forces in this distant province) the other inhabitants of the valley are mere craftsmen and servants. The two exceptions to the rule are visitors like myself, a travelling salesman called Kassiopeia and a painter who goes by the name of Ghengis Farb.
Vlad informed me that I would probably meet these two at dinner time in the mansion.
From the Diary of Zopperoni
Today comes a new guest, some kind of mystery-hunter from the city. That means more work for poor old me. I'll have to get Guynemer, Theben and ADG to cook extra tonight, and tell Skanky to open another bottle of wine. Jon Miller will eat in the library I suppose, and GJRamsey will be in there with him, checking the papers for his Lordship, so that's two less to worry about. REMINDER : Tell that lazy bastard Mart7x5 to bring extra wood next week before it gets cold.
Oh, and MattH should see to the guest, and I need to have a word with Urban Ranger about the fences again. We don't need anymore of Spaced Cowboy's cattle getting into the formal gardens...
It is now growing dark, who will not survive the night?
-Jam
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Guynemer
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Brilliant, Jamski.
Now to make my vegetable medley.
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Guynemer
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My abject and most humble apologies, milord.
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Jamski
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lol ED&D is officially full PvP LOL
May 2002
time: 05:34
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quote:
I recognize the Dracula-part, but what inspired you to apply it to the Mafia game? Was it something you'd been thinking of for a while, or was it rather spontaneous? |
My head (as I'm sure you must have noticed by now) is filled with ideas for games. I just took one and went with it. I didn't really have a plan yet, just the idea of "going gothic"
Anyway, here's the rest of the introduction while we wait for the mafia. (Of course I may have had the orders for hours already, but you know I'll not give anything away so early)
From the Diary of Jamski van Helsing Esq.
The servant who was supposed to carry my bags never appeared, so I remained waiting on the doorstep for some not inconsiderable length of time. I contemplated ringing the bell that hung for that purpose beside the door once more, but refrained so that I could shortly study the building I was about to enter.
When seen close to, the castle showed many signs of its great age. Stones were crumbling, windows were broken or bricked up, and the stems of some type of climbing plant entwined themselves naked over the facade. As my gaze followed these strands upwards it was arrested by the rows of hideous gargoyles that protruded all around the roof. Perhaps they were the reason for the stories that surounded this place, as they were certainly ugly enough to stir my imagination, the effect upon a more impressionable mind, or that of a woman can only be guessed at.
My thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a smartly dressed servant, whom I correctly judged to be the butler to his Lordship. He was most helpful in escorting me to my room in the north wing of the building, and after I had bathed and shaved, he arrived again to guide me to the dining room.
Dinner was excellent, as was to be expected in the castle of a Duke, but his Lordship and his sons were absent that evening. I dined with Mr Kassiopeia and Mr Farb, who proved to be interesting company, as both had travelled widely, and with two millitary officers who spoke only to wish me a pleasant evening, and again to excuse themselves when they were finished eating. One of the other two gentlemen, Mr Kassi left me alone to eat with Mr Farb, claiming a small appetite, and soon after him the painter excused himself too, insisting that I visit him after breakfast in the morning in the studio his Lordship was allowing him to use.
I accepted his kind offer, and the hour being late, allowed Zopperoni to guide me to my room, where after writing this diary entry I hope to sleep the sleep of the blessed.
-Jam
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Theben
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Dance Dance for the Revolution!
Jan 1970
time: 00:34
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n/m
Last edited by Theben on 26-03-2004 at 21:19
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Jamski
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lol ED&D is officially full PvP LOL
May 2002
time: 05:34
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Letter to Mina Harker
My dearest Mina,
This is a terrible place. The night seemed endless, as I could not sleep, being constantly disturbed by the whispering voices of the servants or the shouting of the Ducal family returning from the hunt, and it was with great difficulty that I arose from my bed just after dawn, having been startled by a man's scream from somewhere outside.
I quickly threw on my dressing gown and hurried down to the front door, which I flung open. There, lying on the ground in the centre of the courtyard was a man, a servant it appeared by his dress, who lay perfectly still.
Naturally I called for assistance, and Vlad was despatched to obtain the village physician, who arrived breathless minutes later. By this time the others in the Castle had ample time to arrive, but noone else seemed to be about. Despite the warm March sun I felt a cold shiver, standing as I was alone in the courtyard with a corpse, a doctor and the errand boy, I had a feeling that someone else was watching me.
I looked up to the first floor windows, and I swear I saw a face pressed against the glass like a pale moon. Then there was a twitch of the curtains and I blinked. The face, if it had ever been there, was gone.
Three men entered the courtyard from the direction of the stables at this point. At the time I did not know that I was meeting my host, the Duke, for the first time, or I would have addressed his Lordship with rather more respect.
"Come quickly, sir" I called "One of the servants here appears to have had an accident."
The younger of the three spoke,
"Father," he said "Who is this man?"
The one he addressed as his father approached me.
"You must be the famous Professor Jamski van Helsing," he said "Welcome to my mansion."
I thought it most strange of him to act so calmly in the face of the situation, but, remembering my manners, I introduced myself, and informed the Duke of my interest in the history of his house and his family. He in turn made me aquainted with his sons Flipside and Jonny and was pleased to offer me the hospitality of his house.
The doctor approched us.
"Begging your pardon, sirs," he interrupted "But Mr MattH, your doorman, is dead."
The doctor did not elaborate further, but I noticed that the poor doorman appeared to have been stabbed twice in the neck with some kind of small dart or stiletto. I said nothing of it, for the Duke was already issuing orders to his butler to gather the whole valley together.
The Duke apologised for the incident, and said he was pleased that he could demonstrate for a visitor one of the small pieces that made up the history of Apolytown Mansion.
Mina, its all true. The horrors that your father wrote of are indeed based on reality. When anyone in the valley dies, and the causes are judged not to be clear, that is to say, whenever foul play is suspected, then the village performs the "Ritual of Voting" just as your father described it.
I shall write more later, my dear, but now I must observe this ceremony for myself.
Yours in all Faithfullness,
Jamski van Helsing Esq.
From "Customs of the Apolytown Valley" by Dr P. D. Harker
...and that a man being found dead, and no sign from illness, nor from the infimities of old age be found upon his body, then they take that man and burn his body, having first obtained a stake of oak or ash and driven it though his heart. The men of the valley then gather into a place together and observe the "Ritual of Voting", in which barbaric practise each man has a choice, or "vote" as the tool for condemming another to death upon who falls the greatest number of these "votes". All the men, from Duke to beggar may choose thier man, while the priest calls for the holy blessing of the Lord to sanctify thier ritual. The one who is chosen in this process is put to death in the same manner as the body of the one already dead, in this way they hope both to catch the murderer and to deter future murders from occouring.
Its is time for the Ritual of Voting.
(wait for the clues, why don't you  )
-Jam
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Theben
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Dance Dance for the Revolution!
Jan 1970
time: 00:34
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n/m
Last edited by Theben on 26-03-2004 at 21:21
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All times are GMT. The time now is 05:34.
Apolyton Time is 00:34. |
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26-03-2004 18:05
ACK!
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