"The Victorian Affair"- Game thread.

The fog lay heavily over St. John's dockyard, encasing the condemned shipyard in a thick gloom. Wood creaked and groaned, fraying ropes swung, and the water lapped greedily at the pontoons. The nine strangers had gathered together on a long jetty, where a large, and grand looking Dutch vessel was moored. That raised a question: what was such a ship doing here- in a ship yard scheduled for demolition? A symbol, painted in red was etched onto the side of the boat, showing a tree with it's branches and roots stretching out- as though groping in darkness.
The strangers eyed each other warily. Each of them knew their reasons for being here- but what of the others?
Then, a great and terrible sound erupted from the fog- then huge metal gates of the dockyard had slammed shut- somewhere out there. It seemed likely that these strangers were now trapped, together...

(It is now up to you, the players, to decide your actions during the first day. Will you seek shelter, or search the dockyards for supplies? will you group together will your fellow "prisoners" or set out alone?)

Chapter One begins.

Louis Mason let out a cough as he looked at the locked exit. He smelled his breath. A slight smell whiskey still lingering. The air was stiff and cold , he examined the other dock's captives. An odd group they were. He wonder why they were here or even if they were allowed. The company had strict orders to clear the docks of any workers trying to stage a strike. The others didn't seem to be threats ,so he'll let them wander as long as they were gone when the demolition teams came in.

"Come on Argyle" Louis exclaimed as Argyle appeared to be quisickly at the Russian ballerina. "We gotta search the docks then we'll make camp in one of these abandon buildings" He told. They begin to roam the docks in search of union workers.

After a few hours of hunting for strikers they took refuge in a small storage shack, hoping tomorrow that the gates will be open.

The clash of iron alarms William, and his grip around his cane tightens. He turned on his heels and stormed straight toward the gate. He grabbed one of the iron bars and peered through. No one that could unlock the gate was around.

Defeated, he wearily shuffles back to the group. "Well," he began with a heavy sigh, "we are indeed locked in here. I only hope that it was some hapless worker who shut the gates. If not, then the gates will most likely not be our only obstacle. I am going to board that dutch ship, see if it has anything useful in its stores. You are welcome to join me, if you wish."

Without waiting for a reply, William Haverson walks up the gang plank, cane resounding with every other step.

Argyle jumped, startled by the sound of the dockgates slamming shut.
"Damn..." Argyle mutterd under his breath,"looks like we'll be here for a while." Argyle studied the strangers that had been trapped along with them, quite a colorful bunch they were. Amongst them was a rather attractive woman who appeared to be a baller- wait, is that a man?
Come to think of it, that other young man seemed a little more... shapely than a man should be. "Come on Argyle," Louis called out to him, "we must search these docks, and then we'll make camp in one of this abandoned buildings." "Right," Argyle said as he followed Louis through the dockyard.

After what might have been a couple hours of searching, they decided to call it a night and rest in a small supply shack until morning.

Stephanie Jeebleson was quizzical as to why everyone is giving her a awkward look.

"Is something wrong?", She said in a deep thick Russian accent. "I mean you all no harm, I am but a humble woman who enjoys the frivolousness of ballet. I am as worried as all of you are. Please accept me as a normal and productive woman of society."

Jeebleson gracefully ambles her way over to Argyle, Haverson, Mason, and the rest.

"I choose to stay with you, I do not like to be alone at night. In Mother Russia the night can harbor many things one would not like to be caught alone with."

Horatio robert lee surveyed his fellow captives. After closely inspecting each one of them. He sighed heavily. He looked over at the heavy iron gates which had been recently shut and said "Well, it seems like we're stuck here for the night, that fellow who got on that boat over there has the right idea, there's probably someone on that thing that can help us, if not, it should be warmer in there than out here."
He started up the gangplank after William, but not before ensuring that his revolver was loaded.

Harry Donaldson scowled as the gates slammed shut. "Who the hell slammed those doors?" Deciding against pursuing the perpetrator, he surveyed his surroundings. Deciding that, obviously, someone wanted them to stay here, he would stay with as many of his fellow prisoners as he could throughout the stay. He would follow them, since there was strength in numbers.

Then, setting straight to what he was hired to do here, he looked carefully through every window and open door he could see, but discerned nothing in the dark. Tomorrow he would search more.

"Wherever most are resting, I will as well," he said to the rest. "But we must search this place tomorrow. And thoroughly."

Edward jumped slightly at the sound of the gate slamming shut, but quickly regained his composure and fiddled with the silk neck kerchief. It was nice. He'd picked it out of a trunk along with everything else he wore. The trunk had been left out on the moving dock nice-as-you-please for the picking. And picking was just what Edward was good at. Edward followed the man with the nice cane, was that gold filagry Edward spotted? Indeed, the man to be close to was the man that showed his wealth.

Inside, Elizabeth was panicking slightly. Anything that resembled a cage set her instantly on edge. Her brothers had taught her, always keep her options open. Always have at least 2 exists out of every situation; The heavy gate that, despite being pulled and having the lock overlooked, seemed quiet closed. She was not going to be getting out that way. She was not locksmith, that was for sure.

The Russian ballerina began speaking, her thick accent soothed Elizabeth into control again and she allowed her Edward persona to carry her through the group, up the plank and onto the strange ship, while making note of the strange symbols on its side.

As the gates closed with a crash Christine rushed to them to see who had locked them inside. How could any dock worker be so careless? She called out several times to see if there was anyone on the other side who could help, to no avail. She finally gave up when one man stated, "I am going to board that Dutch ship, see if it has anything useful in its stores. You are welcome to join me, if you wish." She wasn't alone thinking this was a good idea, as she and several others joined him in a small group. She was comforted by the fact that she had some company.

As she walked alongside those that choose to board the ship, she stopped to investigate the red, treelike symbol on the side of its hull. What was it's purpose? It was an unnerving symbol to put it lightly. She tried touching it to see what kind of psychic impression she could get from the artwork.

No not a tree...not a tree...it was a warning of something much worse. She felt the debilitating fear of whoever had painted it and forced herself to prevent that fear from overwhelming her. This was worse than she had anticipated.

She gripped her umbrella tightly. She didn't know just how to tell the others, as a professional psychic it could be hard to get some of the more skeptical types to believe her, but she was certain that the cause of these unfortunate circumstances where of supernatural origin...and extremely hostile at that.

She stepped aboard the ship and hoped that the morning would find them all safe.