Return to the drawing room

Following their encounter with the manservant and their subsequent departure from the Kitchen, the five former bus passengers, Kurt, Manny, Roland, Hal and Richard find themselves back in the drawing room of the Black Chateau. They are seated on the white chaise longue, or in the black chairs, or leaning against the sideboard containing the decanter. The sky outside the darkened window continues to hurl wind and rain against the layerred glass. The picture of the house hangs still hangs on the wall, and the child's doll rests on on chaise longue.

There are faint muffled sounds that carry through from the Kitchen, but the heavy metal doors hide much of what might be happening back in that direction.There is silence amongst the men for a moment, but an anticipation. Who will be the first to put into words the thoughts that must be occuring to them all? It seems they have things to discuss.

Richard, leaning against the sideboard and having serious thoughts about pouring another brandy, scowls slightly before speaking.

"There's clearly something very odd going on here, and as it seems that the only person present other than ourselves is an imposing but mute manservant, we'll have to look elsewhere for answers. That does suppose that answers are what we all seek; I for one do not wish to stand idly by while we all collapse and hallucinate!"

"Gentlemen, we need to get to the bottom of this, so let's see what we can fathom, yes? Our bus crashed off the road due to a post and chain wrapping themselves around the rear axle. An accident? Could be, the fierce weather we're experiencing could have washed the post down from an embankment above the road, perhaps something neglected since the War. The other facts are thus: we're sheltering in a bizarre building built atop an old chemical weapons facility. The building is owned by someone who appreciates art and architecture, although it seems the owner is not present. I believe we have explored the majority of this floor, and have not found much. Did anyone find a map, or plans for this building? Or does anyone have anything to add to what I have said?"

Manny says,

"Maps and plans would be useful, yes, because I feel there is something in the very walls of this house. But we must think about the visions we have seen. it is too many now to be coincidence. Are they linked somehow? It cannot all be ascribed to chemicals and head-wounds."

Manny waits, in a way he still wants to be convinced of a rational explanation, but the time for that has passed. All he knows is that he doesn't want to wait around to be served the stew they saw the manservant cooking

Kurt doesn't really have any answers at this stage. He probably need to discuss further with the rest before coming up with any ideas. It occurs to him that it is possibly some sort of device in the house causing the fits? He doesn't think he can rely on the others really. Not that he doesn't trust them - he just doesn't know them well enough. A couple of them strike him as a bit hysterical so probably can't be counted on if the chips are down. He's thinking they need to explore more of the property and will suggest that, but is open to other suggestions as well.

Kurt's vision

Kurt quite probably felt hunger, it had been a long journey here, and some time since he had eaten. However, something caused him to be suspiscious about the cooking meat, and its source. Things had gotten desperate on the Eastern front, and there had been rumours of...unsavory..practice.

Sniffing the air, the meat smells like fatty pork, and is being boiled in some kind of weak stock, probably made from the bones of the animal. The aroma of this suffuses the kitchen from the open pot. It has that sweetness that is sometimes offputting in meat, but it does still smell like the flesh of an animal, rather than that of another, more upright prey animal.

The smell of meat still suffuses the room. However, that sweetness shifts, starts to develop a sharper note that irritates the senses. Was something else added to the pan? The butler barely moved.

It's not that.

Kurt can smell chlorine gas.

It stings the back of his throat. he coughs involuntarily. The movement shifts shifts viewpoint, and the officer's sword hanging on the wall in the dining room catches his eye. It holds his focus. Sitting there, polished and shining. A weapon, but also a symbol of authority.

He feels a weight pressing against your mind, the mind of somebody else. Somebody who has weilded that sword.

He sees through the eyes of another. Not here, and not now, not in the dining room, but somewhere else in this house, earlier in time.

As you turn the handle in the bathroom, you hear the hissing begin,
just as you thought.
You recognise the smell of chlorine gas instantly of course.
You smelled it often enough during the War.
It's all very Neat;
A perfect double-envelopment maneuver.
Perhaps turning the handle some more will open the pipes even wider, and you'll simply choke and die before you vomit your lungs out.
As long as that traitor Xavier vomits his lungs out first.
Then you'll have served your country.
Even if it has crushed you under its heel.

Kurt comes to his senses, kneeling on the floor of the dining room and coughing, close to the door to the kitchen. The Luger has fallen from hia grasp and lies near him.

Richard, momentarily halted by both embarrassment at the intrusion and the presence of the disturbing manservant, snaps to his senses when he sees Kurt collapse. Immediately he kneels down next to him and ensures Kurt's airways are clear, two fingers on his neck to check Kurt's pulse.

Whilst he does his best to attend to Kurt, Richard tries to study Kurt's expression. Is it pain? Could well be, choking is hardly pain free. Confusion maybe? That would be understandable, Richard is definitely confused by today's occurrences. Richard shakes his head in annoyance, he's never been that good at reading people.

"Sir? Sir? Can you hear me?"

Quite why the manservant wasn't shocked by the intrusion, let alone the collapsing, speaks volumes to Richard. He's not entirely sure what's written within those volumes, but he has a strong feeling that it's not good. Whilst 'unflappable' is surely a required characteristic of a manservant, 'callous disregard of the well-being of guests' is surely not.

Roland is angry at the manservant's impassiveness. He takes a step or two toward him looking him in the eyes and pointing back to Kurt. He should show some concern, some kind of emotion. Useless panic would be better than this cold observation.

"Hey! Can't you see this guy's in trouble? What the hell kind of country is this where you don't lift a finger to help a man choking? Damnit I want you to fetch the man of this house right now!"

He continues to stare the manservant in the face, hoping Richard and perhaps the others can help bring Kurt round.

Kurt sits up and tries to catch his breath.

He seems to have had vision involving the thoughts and experiences of a third party. He has considerable antipathy towards someone called Xavier. It might be worth finding out who he is/was and his connection with the house. Also further discussion with Kurt's commpanions about their "episodes" may prove fruitful.

Chlorine gas reminds Kurt of the war. Not good.

Roland gets a good look at the manservant's face as he stares at him. You don't get good at acting without being able to read and understand people's body language. Perhaps he's even been experimenting with some of the Stanislavski's methods - really getting inside the mind of a pirate, or fighter pilot to get the best portrayal on screen. He puts this to use now.

The manservant is nearly unmoving. There is a subtle rise and fall of his chest as he breathes, but the rhythm is slow. Slower than normal.There is no sign of emotion on his face, his eyes hidden behind those dark glasses, uncessary in the dim light of the kitchen. The impression that projects is not one of calmness however. Rather it is as if the manservant has made himself impassive and uncaring. Hardly responding to the world around him. His movements are funtional, minimal - efficient, but devoid of the variety of character that makes up most people's bearing and gait. Roland for example has an upright, active stride. His new companion Manny tends to slump dejectedly, interspersed with moments of conviction.

The manservant has seemingly removed those traces of individual motive force derived from personality.He reminds Roland somewhat of the automatic movements of Brigitta Helm's 'Maschinenmensch' in Metropolis, or the actors playing the 'Anihilants' - Ming's robotic servants in the Flash Gordan serials.

The manservant continues to hold the meat cleaver in his right hand at his side. The knuckles of that hand are even paler than the rest of his skin due to the tension there. He is gripping the tool, the potential weapon, very tightly.

One thing is for certain. Roland's fairly sure that the manservant isn't acting.

"My God, what's wrong with you?"

Roland stands more at ease, continuing to regard the servant and glancing at the hand wrapped tight around the cleaver's hilt.

"Can you tell me, yes or no, is your master here?"

Slowly, deliberately, the manservant moves his head from side to side, to indicate the negative. Rolands ability to assess honesty suggests that the manservant might be lying about the absence of his master.

"Finally, an answer. Well, my friend and I will leave you to your work, and take our colleague through to another room."

Roland turns away from the servant towards the others, helping Richard help Kurt to his feet. "Come on guys, let's head back through." He looks them each in the eye, a serious look betraying his calm and reasonable tone.

Hal watches the exchange with a sense of unease. His gaze flits from the cleaver in the manservant’s hand to the discarded Lugar lying nearby and wonders if events are about to take a significant turn for the worse. He briefly considers his own Webley back in his bag in the other room but quickly dismisses the notion. Tempers are frayed and another firearm is unlikely to help.

He decides instead to intervene and gently places a hand on Roland’s arm.

“Steady on old chap,” he says in what he hopes is a reassuring manner. Then to the manservant:

“Can you assist us? We appear to be having a spot of trouble.”

Hal then goes on to quickly outline recent events in the hopes of eliciting some reaction.

The manservant watches Roland turn away from him, and head back to assist Kurt and Richard. He then turns his dark glasses towards Hal, his face just as impassive. He appears to be listening to Hal's account of the past hour or so, including the collapse of Manny in the gallery and himself in the library. The manservant was himself present for Kurt's collapse in the dining room.

When Hal has finished speaking, the manservant waits for a moment. Taller than Hal, the manservant looks down on him. He appears to be checking the front and sides of Hal's head, potentially for any cuts of bruises from the detailed collapse. Apparently finding no serious injury he turns away.

He walks to the counter. Opens a large, metal refrigerator doorwith one hand, and produces a jug of chilled water. This he hands to Hal. He makes a gesture with the now empty hand, pointing back to the dining room, then at the bubbling pot on the counter. He moves his hand several times to indicate twenty minutes. He seems to want you to await dinner.

Kurt coughs

"Kof...Kof...Gak -Thought I was back in the war for a minute. There's something about this house that's giving people hallucinations. Also anybody find any mention of someone called Xavier while we've been here?"

Nobody having picked up the luger, Richard carefully stoops to retrieve it, making sure his fingers are nowhere near the trigger, before handing it to Kurt, appearing to hold his breath as he does so.

Nodding towards the manservant, Richard says "Let's leave the gent to his preparations, hmm? Shall we find the dining room?"

As he ushers them to leave the kitchen, he whispers to the group

"This man, indeed this house, unnerves me greatly. There is something most
strange afoot, and we'll need to keep our wits about us if we are to get to
the bottom of this."

Kurt pockets the gun and says:

"Danke. I agree something is wrong with this house - did anybody else
who had a strange turn experience visions from their past?"

The Kitchen

The Dining Room

Hal's stride takes him first into the dining room. He is the first of the passangers to step foot inside this room.

It is again shaped like an 'L' with one open plan end opening out onto the library and gallery spaces. There is another window that reveals the view from the back of the house. It is similarly bleak to the view from the front.

Standing out against the bare, white walls is a large, highly polished, ebony dining table, surrounded by high backed chairs made of black lacqured metal. There are five of the chairs. two on each side, and one at the head of the table. They seem spaced out, as if the table should accomodate more settings than this.

On the wall above the table hangs an officer's sword from the Great War.



There are set of double doors on the opposite side of the table, again made of burnished metal, like the single door in the gallery, and the larger front doors of the house.

From behind the double doors, there can be heard, over the footsteps of the passengers, a dull hissing sound, accompanied by a rhythmical thud, a sound of something heavy and metal hitting something more yeilding.

Kurt says to the other "Do we want to see who or what's behind the door?" Entering the room behind Hal, Roland turns to Kurt.

"Absolutely, it's about time we found out what's going on here."

Kurt takes out his Luger, although he has the sneaking suspicion it won't be of much use here. Roland is pleased and frankly, a little excited at this turn of events. He doesn't show it though, maintaining a look of seriousness and capability as he strides up to the doors, turns to ask Kurt if he's ready, and attempts to open them (dramatically if possible).

Richard, momentarily distracted by the officer's sword on the wall, jumps slightly as Kurt pulls out the pistol. He's always been wary of firearms, respectful of how easy it is to cause unfathomable destruction with one. Even though he's handled one briefly in the past, it was an experience he'd hoped was never to be repeated. Seeing the luger now brings some of that back to his mind, and he unconsciously clenches and relaxes his hands, before shaking them as he snaps his focus back to the door, and the odd sound emanating from behind it.


He moves towards the door, eyes searching for the door hinges, noting which way they open. Once his hand grips the door kob, he looks up at Kurt, his eyebrows raised in the universal body language way of saying "Ready?". Richard waits for a nod from his armed companion, ready to open the door swiftly should the signal be given.

Kurt looks at Roland and Richard and say, "I'm ready if you are."

"Ok, here goes nothing."

Richard looks once more to Kurt and Roland, glancing also to Manny to see if there's any dissent, before opening the door in a swift, but (hopefully) smooth manner.

The rhythmic noise continues behind the door, as the five men take up positions on their side. Richard and Roland stand at either side of the double doors. Their hands tensed on the handles waiting to pull the doors open. Kurt stands directly opposite the doors, the barrel of his Luger pistol jutting forward at the doors, waiting for whatever lies beyond. Hal and Manny are stood behind Kurt, watching.

On a nod from Kurt, the door is pulled open.

It moves smoothly on well-oiled hinges. In the space beyond there are a a set of short steps. These steps lead down from the dining room, to the lower space of what appears to be a modern, high quality kitchen.

The manservant is stood behind a central, steel topped work counter. He holds in his right hand a large butcher's cleaver. He continues to raise and lower this instrument with mechanical tempo, cleaving through whatever sits on the chopping block.He is watching the door as it opens, but does not falter in his work for one moment.

His chopping completed, he turns and slides the contents of the block, some cut of meat, into the large boiling pot, sitting upon hissing gas jets. The kitchen smells, somewhat uncomfortably, of boiling meat.

The kitchen features a large, modern refrigerator and other conveniences. There is another window in this room, and a further steel door on the far side. A large rack of knives hangs on the wall behind the manservant, who regards the group, impassive behind his small dark glasses, and silent. He does not seem taken aback by their rapid entrance, nor by the pistol pointed in his direction.

He retains the cleaver in his right hand

The group is caught momentarily inactive by the scene of apparent normality behind the door of the Kitchen. The manservant appearing to be preparing a dinner for them.

The pale, hairless butler continues to stare impassively at them for a moment or two, as each member looks to the others to be first to say something about their intrusion. The drive that had brought them here seems to have, perhaps momentarily, faltered. Perhaps it is embarrassment, perhaps a deeper caution. When no-one speaks, the butler continues with his work.

Then they hear a coughing sound amidst their number. It is Kurt. The unexpected sound draws their attention to him. He looks pale and the luger in his hand wavers.

He coughs again, and there is a sudden blank and unseeing look in his eyes as his throat convulses and his lungs heave.

He drops to his knees, falling to the carpet with a poorly controlled thud. His back remains ram-rod straight however. The luger drops from his hand and slides to the floor.

There is something more complicated about the expression on his face. It carries something, something that can perhaps be uncovered, and understood.

The manservant remains in the kitchen unreacting. He seems to be watching the rest of the party intently.

The Library

Hal and Roland leave the gallery, heading back into the library. Intending to find out they can about the pictures in the gallery. The modernist metal chairs, seeming unsuited for comfortable sitting for any length of time, are brought into service to hold books of interest, and the two men begin their researches. They combine their respective fields of experience, in architecture and the libraries to good effect.

The stark white shelves of the library are well stocked in terms of books on architecture. Each of the books they take off the shelves features a bookplate in the inside cover featuring the words 'Sammlung Von Adhemar Grau: Architeckt'. Grau's library is also well served in terms of culture and other artistic works, leaning towards the cutting edge of modernist thinking and philosophy, and the more nihilistic types of literature. There are books here by Gropius and other members of the Bauhaus, Le Corbusier and Taut. There are texts in English, German and French.

It is Hal who first notices that despite the leaning towards the modern, there are no books here less than seven years old. Of course, it would be difficult to get the most up to date literature out here in these backwaters, but Hal knows that you could send to a publishers to have any book you needed delivered from the more civilised parts of Europe, even to these parts.

Searching through the books on architecture for the names of the four architects whose buildings are exhibited in the gallery reveals one fact that seems to united them, despite having different architectural philosophies behind them. It looks like each of the buildings was designed by an architect who later committed suicide.

Having found this fact for Eichler, Maher and Trevail, both men are searching for confirmation on Wittek. For a moment, this takes them out of each other's eyeline as they search the shelves for an appropriate volume.

Roland starts to think that the guy who lives here. this Grau, is clearly a strange one. The lack of new books, combined with the other factors about the house is starting to give him a feeling of something genuinely sinister going on, a very morbid side to everything here.

Why on earth hasn't their host shown himself? Impetuosity taking over, Roland is inclined to start looking for the owner, politeness be damned.

Hal's search takes him along the shelf, in the direction of the gold signet ring displayed on a diorite hand in a break between the books. Hal had ignored the ring up to now, but as his eyes move along the self below they feel drawn upward and he glances at the ring. It glints in the light, and holds his gaze.

Suddenly, Hal feels as if he is not looking at the ring with his own eyes, but with those of another. Another who wishes to place the ring back on their hand in its rightful place. Hal is rooted to the spot as the thoughts and sensations of another fill his mind.

You smell someting sharp; not foul exactly, but dangerous. Your eyes water, you start to choke.

Perhaps it's the gas; perhaps that was the scheme all along.

You can barely see; breathing is painful and difficult. But its the gas choking you, not that foul snake Emil. He's probably choking to death too; both of you caught in something bigger.

God it hurts. Hurts your lungs.

Can't see to read, can't see if Emil is still here. But he's choking, that's what matters.

Hal finds himself collapsed against the bookshelf, coughing and hacking loudly, his eyes watering. He is on his knees half supported with one hand on the shelf. He has dislodged a shelf worth of books, which are now scattered across the floor.

Roland's search takes him along the shelves in the oppositite direction to Hal's. He is looking through the selection of titles, hampered somewhat by only being able to properly read the ones in english.

His fingertips brush against a slim folio volume. He's not sure that this one will help, but it's worth a look. He pulls it out from the shelf. He starts to pick through it. It's not about architecture at all. It's a play of some sort. Something European no doubt - it seems to be about a noble court in some decaying city on the shores of a massive lake. It might occur to Roland that if it was an obscure play nobody in Hollywood had heard of, that it might make a good basis for a screenplay.

Roland is about to turn the volume over to check the title when he hears a loud crash, followed by heavy coughing. His eyes flick up from the book to where Hal had been standing.

Hal has collapsed bodily against the bookshelf, coughing and hacking loudly, his eyes watering. He is on his knees half supported with one hand on the shelf. He has dislodged a shelf worth of books, which are now scattered across the floor.

Roland thinks this looks like what happened to Manny earlier, or maybe this guy has a condition. He absentmindedly slips the play into his jacket, and hurries over to Hal, doing what he can to help.

For Hal it is too soon to process the vision. Hal thinks he's being poisoned. The brandy perhaps? Or something more targeted? Poison darts, gas vented from the ceiling? Hal naturally assumes people will come to his aid. It's the British thing to do.

Upon hearing the coughing and the crash, Richard immediately rises and runs into the library, grave concern almost completely overshadowing the slight hint of fear in his eyes. On hearing the crashing noise and the coughing Kurt head towards it. Manny follows the others at the crashing sound

Richard, Kurt and Manny enter the Library, pushing themselves out of their chairs in the drawing room in response to the crash. In contrast to the image of studious research that had presented itself as the three walked through the library to the drawing room earlier, the scene that greets them is one of disarray.

A whole shelf of books has been dislodged and is now scattered across the floor, the shelf hanging at an angle off its brackets. Amidst the heap of books, Hal is slumped, with a dazed expression on his face that is slowly regaining clarity. It looks like the man had fallen against the bookshelf and sent it flying.

The sculptured hand that had sat on the shelf with the books is now lying mixed in with the pile of architecture books, several falling open to display blueprints, or architectural projections of various buildings.

Roland is kneeling next to Hal. It must have been his quick footsteps as he moved to help that the others heard from the gallery. He looks as if he is doing what he can to help Hal.

"Say, you with me buddy?" Roland looks for signs of awareness on Hal's face. "Someone get this guy some brandy or something"

Kurt asks Roland and Hal:

"What happened?"

Richard stops briefly to survey the devastation, before nipping back to grab a glass of brandy for Hal, only half-heartedly trying not to spill any as he hurries over to the collapsed man.

"Here, take some deep, controlled breaths first, then take a drink. What
the hell happened?"

Richard finds it very hard to believe that two people collapsing in coughing fits is a co-incidence, either something sinister is afoot in this house, or these two 'victims' are linked somehow, likely some sort of scam, or act of misdirection maybe? Richard is certainly worried that the owner of the house might be a little upset that we've wrecked his library, and wonders if they can swiftly replace the books and items onto the shelves. Looking at the piles of books, restoring the original order of the library will be rather difficult.

Richard is surprised no one came when Manny collapsed half an hour ago, but surely someone must have heard the crash of all those books! He listens for any sounds outside of the room. There is little other noise to be heard in the house in between the conversation in the library. You can hear the wind and rain buffeting against the windows, muffled by the glazing. There do appear to be some faint sounds of movement, coming from the dining room, or perhaps beyond it. Other than that, the house seems inertly unresponsible to the collapse of either of the two men.

Hal is obviously badly shaken, but does his best to keep his upper lip stiff and understand what has just happened. After draining the brandy glass in a single gulp he struggles to his feet.

“I think I’m fine now. For a moment I felt lightheaded and had what I can only describe as a hallucinogenic episode. It could only be the gas seeping in to the house, or perhaps a narcotic introduced into my system by some other means.”

Hal pauses for a moment before glancing down at the empty brandy glass in his hand.

“Two men suffering similar symptoms within minutes of each other. I suggest we find a common link quickly. I think perhaps it may soon be time to put politeness to one side and begin a search for our absent host.”

Roland stands as Hal stands up. A look of frustration passes over his face as Hal speaks. "I agree. It's time we found our host, damn the mess. Let's go."

Richard nods "Agreed, we have waited long enough, and two troubling events have so far gone unchecked by our host."

Now that something strange has also happened to Hal, Manny feels more sure of himself again.
"Was there a voice friend?" he asks Hal. "An artist in love with the woman in the painting?"

“No,” says Hal grimly. “There was a murder.”

"Who was murdered? The woman? Was Karin murdered?"

“It felt like I was being murdered, but… I was someone else, I don’t know who, but I man I think. My thoughts were of malice and vengeance, not what I would associate with a woman.”

Hal straightens and marshals his thoughts.

“But it’s irrelevant, it was a hallucination, nothing more. Now let’s find our host and find out what cruel joke he’s playing on us.”

With that Hal strides of towards the part of the house the butler retreated to.

Manny and the Painting

Kurt and Richard have remained close enough to Manny so that they see as he slips into a strange trance state as he touches the painting of the woman in the yellow dress. His expression is confused, and his eyes unfocused. He starts to speak in a low, quiet voice, as if recounting a memory from long ago. His words are occasionally indistinct, but it is clear that they come from a powerful source. The manner of speach is odd, unlike Manny's normal delivery, words run together, or have strange breaks in the middle of pronouncing them. This is what Manny says.

"My greatest work was the portrait of the mayor. It was a commission, at long last, but they gave it to me to ruin me. So that I would become respectable, a mere painter rather than an artist, a copier not a creator. They wanted to take me into the establishment and churn me out, as it had churned out them. So i took their commission and gave them truth."

"There are a million colours between white and black without ever leaving grey. They said that the painting was just lines, drab lines of grey and black but of course they could not see. I gave the mayor his portrait as he was - an unimportant man , from an unimportant city. He wanted to be bold, in proud colours, like Caesar come again or some civic saint, but the man was nothing.

"He was grey man, part of the architecture, from a grey city, and was too pompous to see that there was something grand and beautiful in obscurity. I made him an archetype but he only wanted to be a cliche."

"Of course he didn't like it. The city refused to pay for it, and it was a long time before I received another commission again."

Seemingly having said his piece, Manny's eyes refocus and he stops speaking. There is a sudden silence as the other two realise how intently they have been listening. This silence is only broken by the sounds of Roland and Hal in conversation on the other side of the gallery.

Hal and Roland are talking at one end of the gallery. They are too far away to make out what the lion-tamer is saying in a hushed voice as he stares at the painting of the woman in the yellow dress, his back to the two men. But he seems to be saying a lot, his jawline moving almost constantly for a minute or two.

If they look closely, they are also able to make out that Richard and Kurt are paying close attention to whatever it is the man is saying. Looking down at the other group Roland turns to Hal and says quietly: "Uh oh. Looks like our lion tamer friend is having another episode." He calls down the gallery

"Hey fellas. Everthing ok over there?"

“An interest in books?” Hal is about to launch into a convoluted monologue regarding his exploits as an accomplished author but is cut off when Roland calls over to the rest of the group. Hal frowns, annoyed and deflated, but he decides to let it pass.

“You know,’” says Hal quietly. “I’m beginning to think our lion tamer friend may be mad. OF course I’m no expert, but I’m wondering if there’s perhaps some information regarding those prints in our host’s library. Perhaps if we can uncover a mundane origin for them…”

Hal looks at Roland expectantly. Keen to distance himself from the clearly mad lion tamer and lose himself in something as routine and everyday as browsing a library, but not comfortable enough with his surroundings to wander off alone.


Richard will stay by Manny until a few minutes after his mumblings to make sure he's ok. After about ten minutes, he'll calmly suggest to Manny that we go to the little study, where we can sit down and have a brandy. If Manny agrees, then that's where they'll go to relax a little and ease the nerves.


During this time, and after a little small talk:

"So, Manny, what exactly happened in the gallery? You seemed as if caught in a trance by that painting of the woman, are you aware of what you were doing?"

Kurt follows Richard and Manny to the drawing room and avaisl himself of another brandy. He is interested in hearing Manny's account of his "episode".

Manny has that terrible sinking feeling that he has had before. He knows the others think him mad, catching his blood-stained reflection in the window glass only confirms his suspicions that he looks like a lunatic. Manny isn't sure he would believe himself right now. He mutters about something otherworldly going on.

A grey man, part of the architecture, from a grey city

My greatest work was the portrait of the mayor. It was a commission, at long last, but they gave it to me to ruin me. So that I would become respectable, a mere painter rather than an artist, a copier not a creator. Thay wanted to take me into the establishment and churn me out, as it had churned out them. So i took their commission and gave them truth.

There are a million colours between white and black without ever leaving grey. Thay said that the painting was just lines, drab lines of grey and black but of course they could not see. I gave the mayor his portrait as he was - an unimportant man , from an unimportant city. He wanted to be bold, in proud colours, like Caesar come again or some civic saint, but the man was nothing. He was grey man, part of the architecture, from a grey city, and was too pompous to see that there was something grand and beautiful in obscurity. I made him an archetype but he only wanted to be a cliche.

Of course he didn't like it. The city refused to pay for it, and it was a long time before I received another commission again

The Negative Photos

Magerstadt House, Chicago

Headlands Hotel, Newquay

Sarajevo City Hall

Saviour's Church, Baku, USSR

Falling and Coughing

Whilst the other four are engaged in conversation about bus timetables, the polarisation of windows, and enthusiasm for meeting the owner of this place, Manny, standing in a position to see deeper into the house, appears distracted by something he has seen.

He walks out of the drawing room without saying anything, passing through the library and out of sight, unless you move in order to keep him in view. From the layout of the house (or at least what they saw as they were escorted through the library to the drawing room) they might assume he had walked over to the gallery. Perhaps some piece of art had caught the showman's interest.

After a few moments there is sudden muted noise - as if of a body crashing to the floor. This is followed by a series of violent hacking coughing sounds, as if a man was trying to cough up his own lungs.

Richard immediately looks towards the apparent source of the noise, and starts to move quickly in that direction. He then stops, his eyes widening slightly, as he pulls a monogrammed handkerchief from his jacket and clutching it to his face, before walking briskly yet more cautiously towards where the sound came from. "No art gallery has made me collapse in a coughing fit, but then I haven't been to a gallery built on top of a chemical weapons facility before" Richard thinks to himself as he tries to think over what could have caused the noise.

Richard is concerned about Manny, but is at least glad that there's coughing coming from the sound of the crash; any noise is better than a deathly silence. Whilst not convinced that his handkerchief could protect him from whatever has caused the violent coughing, he's glad for it nonetheless.

Roland joins Richard on his way to the gallery, pushing past as Richard slows and heading towards Manny. He doesn't really know how to help if this is a medical issue but wants to be at the centre of things, find out what's happening. "Maybe that Manny guy's bump on the head was worse than we thought" Roland is concerned for the man, but heedless or unaware of any potential dangers to himself in this situation. Maybe he really is brave like the men he plays, or maybe he can't yet fully grasp the possibility of real danger.

Kurt proceeds cautiously in the direction of the gallery. He is not sure what has happened, but the possibility of a chlorine gas escape does suggest itself. He has some concern for Manny, but more for himself.

Hal follows the others to investigate. He may be unsuspecting but is not at ease and is more interested in not being left alone than finding out what happened to Manny.

Roland is first to reach the gallery, with Richard a few steps behind him. Kurt and Hal follow afterwards. The gallery is another L-shaped room, the end which you enter from joins the library and the dining room in an open-plan space. There is another external window. At the far end is a closed door, again of burnished steel.

The air in the gallery is warm and slightly stuffy as in the rest of the house so far - there are the same forced air heaters at the top of the wall - but bespite the investigators possible suspiscions, there is no tell-tale scent of lethal chlorine gas in the air.

The gallery prominently displays a large portrait, executed in oils. It is of dark haired woman wearing a dress of yellow silk. She is beautiful but somewhat cold and haughty. The painting is captivating despite their speed of your entry and the circumstances.

Below the painting, lying doubled-up on the carpet and coughing heavily is Manny. His racked coughs reverberating off the plain walls and glass frames in the gallery, as he gasps for breath between coughs. He has a slightly glazed although oddly contented expression. He does not at first react to your entry.

After a few moments, Manny sits up, gasping for breath. He is disorienatated. He cannot understand why the same air that seemed to choke him a minute ago is now clear. He wonders how long he has been out? He wonders why he is lying on the floor and for a brief moment he wonders who he is. Fearing that he is losing his mind he addresses Richard:

"Herr Doktor, I am feeling very strange. Do you think there could be side effects to my head wound?"

Richard moves to Manny and looks into his eyes, checking their focus.

"Sorry chap, I'm no Doctor, just picked up a few first aid skills over the years. Now, calm down, you're okay. Just focus on my finger as it moves... good... Right, let's see if you've banged your head again, hmm?"

To the best of Richard's First Aid knowledge, Manny isn't showing any serious symptoms. His pupils show an appropriate amount of dilation for the level of light in the room, and his eyes are able to follow Richard's finger without delay. The fresh bandage is in place, and there is no further sign of blood seeping through it.

It could be concussion, but that would have been expected that to show itself with the exhertion of getting across the former battlefield in the rain. The fall also doesn't seem to have done him much in the way of damage, falling onto the carpet as he did. Perhaps there is some psychological cause? Richard's training in psychoanalysis suggests that Manny is agitated, and something is causing him some psychological stress. Perhaps above and beyond just being in this unusual experience and surviving a coach crash.

"Now, are you ok to stand, or would you rather sit? Oh, and what happened?"

Manny knows it is not the head wound. He is simply hoping against hope that there might be another explanation - something mundane and rational. Otherwise he can't be sure that he wants to know the meaning of the strange things that keep happening to him.

"This will sound strange, I know," he says, "but as I looked at the painting I was overcome by the thoughts of another. We five hardly know each other I accept, but you must believe me. I have experienced something similar before and the message was proved correct. Such things are strange but there is always meaning in them."

"The presence, the vision, I know not what, loved this woman. She was real and she rejected him. There is something more in the painting and in the house too, there is a significance to everything I think, but alas I am no intellectual. These riddles are perhaps for smarter men such as yourselves..."

Richard offers his hand to help Manny stand.

"I've heard of people being overcome by an artist capturing a moment or emotion, but had always thought it mere hyperbole. We were involved in a terrible crash, walked through a nightmare, and are sheltering somewhere I doubt many of us could comfortably call 'homely'. It's a lot to take in, but time is on our side, if the bus timetables are anything to go by."

Richard looks at the painting, without any apparent ill effect. There is a signature on the painting. It's hard to make out, but it looks like it starts with an E then decends into a a squiggle, with an upturn at the end. There is no obvious occult symbolism to the painting. There is no information card.

Seeing that Manny seems to be ok and in good hands. Kurt decides to check out the "negative" pictures, to see if a closer examination reveals anything interesting, such as any common elements. Wondering if the buildings look alike - perhaps built in the style of their current refuge from the elements?

One of the buildings looks like a church, possibly orthodox, another a modern house, one is a large impressive hotel on the coast, the fourth looks like a civic building of some sort, a central European town hall if Kurt is not mistaken. They are all different types and styles of architecture from the look of them.

There are no names of the buildings, nor hints as to their location, but each of the them has a small card beneath it with a name, (in the same order as above):

Eichler, Maher, Trevail & Wittek.

Unfortunately, none of these names mean anything to Kurt. From by the photos Kurt says "Anybody know anything about art, and stuff like that?"

"Not my area of expertise I'm afraid, unless you need pieces attributed to eras." says Richard, having helped Manny to his feet, and looking one more time at the painting of the lady.

'Me neither I'm afraid. The written word is more my forte,' says Hal. He turns to Manny. The bus crash, the injury, the unsettling nature of their surroundings. It's not surprising he took a strange turn. Besides, a psychic lion tamer? Could be the poor fool was delusional to begin with.

'A good stiff drink will see you right,' he says with what he hopes is a reassuring (if slightly patronising) smile.

Roland has some knowledge of both architecture and photography.

The church is Saviour's Church in Baku, USSR designed by the architect Adolf Eichler
the Hotel is the Headlands Hotel, Newquay, by Silvanus Trevail
the house is magerstadt house in Chicago, Illinois, by George W. Maher
and the civic building is the City Hall in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, designed by Alexander Wittek.

They are all disperate types of buildings, and in disperate styles. None of them is modernist in the same way this house is, but Roland has a niggling feeling that there is something that connects all four buildings, or their architects. If only he knew more about architecture than his passing interest. It occurs to Roland, that there might be something of use in the library in this house. It looked like it contained plenty of books on architecture.

Photography indicates that the same photographer shot each picture - the same film type, exposure speed, and certain tell-tale aspects of the photographic style. The photographs were also lit with great care (or some sort of special filter) to avoid washing out the stars.

"I have an interest in architecture and photography, let me take a look. Hmm, I recognise all these places, and the names here are the architects. Can't figure out what the connection is though. Maybe... nah, I'd have to look it up.
Looks like the same photographer for each though. Probably some kind of amateur astronomer as well by the looks of it."

"I wonder if these were taken by our mysterious host?"

Manny steps forward and starts to examine the negative photos, pulling them away from the wall and looking behind them. They are fixed in place with what appear to be very normal picture hooks, and could be lifted off the wall entirely if anybody so wished. As Manny investigates, he spots the names on small cards underneath the four pictures.

Manny then moves to further examine the painting. He reaches up, places a hand on both sides of the frame. He then stops and seems fixed on the painting, he begins to speak quietly, almost inauibly, as if remembering something and talking to himself.

Still a little concerned about Manny, Richard stays close to him to make sure he doesn't collapse again.

The drama appears to have passed now that the strange lion tamer is now examining the photos Hal decides to wander off slightly and nosey around the rest of the room. There is a window looking out over the blasted terrain outside. It has the same control panel beneath it as Richard Pimms examined in the drawing room. The storm is still raging outside, although the glazing of the window blocks out much of the noise of the wind.

In the direction he entered the room from is the open plan area that links through to the library, and also through to what looks to be the dining room. There is a long rectangular table in the middle of that room surrounded by upright black chairs, There is another sideboard, similar to that in the drawing room, and another door on the far side. In a more conventional house, it would make sense for that to be a door to the Kitchen. If so, It's probably where the manservant went.

On the other end of the Gallery, past the painting and the negative pictures, is a door. It is made of burnished steel, like the main doors of the house, but is a smaller, standard size internal door. It is currently closed. These two doors, one from the gallery, and one from the dining room, are so far the only internal doors Hal has seen in this house.

Not thinking anything of Manny's strange behaviour, Roland joins Hal in looking at the rest of the room.

"Say, Hal isn't it? I fancy having a look at this guy's library. There's something bugging me about those photographs. Are you interested in books?"

The Art Gallery

From where Manny is standing near the door of the drawing room, he can see through to what looks like a gallery. On the wall is a large painting. You can't make out the details from there, but it appears to be of a beautiful young woman with dark hair, wearing a yellow gown.

It is strangely captivating. Manny heads to investigate the painting, intending to rejoin the group if he encounters anybody in the house.

It is quiet in the house, away from the others, although Manny can hear parts of their conversation, and some occasional noises coming from through the dining room, where you think the manservant headed. He encounters no-one.

The gallery is another L-shaped room, the end which you enter from joins the library and the dining room in an open-plan space. There is another external window, and you can see that the storm has not abated in the slightest. At the far end is a closed door, again of burnished steel.

A row of four odd negative-image photographs hand on one wall. Their black frames contrasting against the white walls and gray carpet. Each photograph shows a different building at night. Because they are negatives, the skies are white and the stars are black. One of the buildings looks like a church, another a house, one is perhaps a hotel. Manny recognises one of them after a moment. It is the City Hall in Sarajevo. Manny imagines there is some symbolism to both the photos and the paintings, but he cannot work out what.

The gallery also displays the large portrait, executed in oils, that caught your attention. The woman in it wears a dress of yellow silk. She is beautiful but haughty, and is looking away from the artist. In some ways she could remind Manny of Anya, although her expression is perhaps colder. The woman in the painting unsettles him. He does not like cold women or wish to possess them. Anja is passionate, wild and untameable, this is why he is drawn to her and this is why he's chasing her across europe.

Suddenly, Manny feels as if he is not looking at the portrait with his own eyes, but with those of another. He is rooted to the spot, as thoughts and sensations of another fill his mind.

He is in front of the portrait, of course. Gazing at it for the first time in years; he had to sell it to see her again in the flesh. Now here it is, and he's unsurprised somehow.

He inhales a great lungful of gas; it's scent seems to clarify and revive his artistic sensibility. The whole thing is a design, a portrait.

He will die choking in agony: even now his throat closes and he almost vomits, but sinks to his knees. He chokes, his lungs seem swollen shut, but finally He and Karin will be together. She cannot reject him when they are both dead.

Manny is sure the others will find him. He trusts them, especially Richard, from how they have acted so far.

map of the black chateau so far

Respite

The manservant leads the passengers through the library, into another room, a drawing room. The rooms is slightly smaller than the library onto which it opens, although it can hold all five of them. Going clockwise from the doorway through which they enter, there is another outside window looking out across the battlefield, and flecked with rain from the storm, then a large mirror the same size as the window. Hanging on the wall opposite the window, and again matching it is size is a framed architectural drawing. Below the window, is the same set of unusual controls as beneath the window in the Library.

The drawing is an external elevation of the house at night, with a constellation of stars visible in the sky above it. The house sits on the brink of an enormous lake. This is odd in that there was no sign of a lake in the area around the house, and certainly, there was no lake right against the walls of the house. There is a label below the drawing.

The drawing room is furnished with two angular, white chaise lounges, and three chairs, the same type as in the library. There is a white metal sideboard equipped with decanters of what looks like wine, brandy, and vodka, as well as the requisite soda siphon, glasses and a square bucket of ice. The manservant walks to the side board, stiffly produces a metal tray from within the sideboard and begins to pour each of the travellers a strong measure of brandy. Having passed a glass to each of them in turn, he gives another slight bow, and leaves the room, passing back through the library. If you are a connoisseur of such things, it smells of good quality and offers warmth after the rain.

On one of the chaise lounges, there rests a child's doll. It is expensive looking, and the one of the few signs of personality and character in this ordered, minimal and stark house. You get the impression that even this object, which in a more lived in home, could be cast anywhere when a child finishes playing with it, has been placed here with thought and intent.

The silent manservant returns after a few moments. He places a stack of folded white towels on the low coffee table. On top of the pile rests a folded map and what appears to be a local time bus or train timetable. Having placed this burden down and handing Manny a sealed packed of fresh bandages, he once more departs the drawing room, leaving the bus passengers alone once more.

Richard takes the glass with a smile and a nod, sniffing it to confirm that it is indeed brandy, not some local concoction that you could no doubt strip paint with (remembering one time in Russia when he was all but temporarily blinded by a liquid that clearly was not the vodka he'd been expecting). Having drained the glass, and feeling the warmth gradually seep through his body, he places the glass back on the tray and walks over to take a peek at the strange dials and controls, before noticing manservant bringing the towels in.

Richard's knowledge of things mechanical and technological suggests that this might be some sort of fancy control for polarising the window. The wall is thick enough to contain the system of recessed lighting that would be necessary. It would allow the windows to be changed from transparent, to dark, and potentially to a reflective mirror. If the windows could be controlled together it would explain why the lights had not been visible as they approached the house. Perhaps they were lit, but the windows simply polarised in the wrong direction.

Or the butler had been sitting alone in the dark before they arrived.

"Ah, thank you" he says to the manservant, as he takes two towels and walks over to Manny, offering him one.

"Mind if I take another look at that bump of yours? I can redress it now we're out of the dark and rain."

Manny allows Richard to look at his wound. As he is being tended to he drinks the brandy and voices his concern.

"I am thinking that perhaps our friend [meaning Kurt] is right. There is something strange afoot. The servant is a monster of some sort, and where there is a monster there is often a master."

Once Richard has finished and Manny feels more himself again. The daze and fuddle of the injury have been alleviated. He springs to his feet and walks to the window. Addressing the group, he says:

"I was once a master of monsters myself, a beast more ferocious than he I should wager. The African lion. It is a simple thing to control a beast if one remembers a golden rule. Never should you trap the beast and never should the beast trap you..."

Manny taps the glass of the window in an attempt the gauge thickness, The glass of the window reverberates solidly under Manny's tap. It is thick and well fixed in place. Then he walks back to the drawing room door and checks that the route back out of the library to the hall is still open. The way through the library to the entrance hall is clear. The large open doorways between the rooms make it easy enough to see from one room to another. He then adds, melancholically,

"...It is when you are cornered that there are problems"

Kurt says to Manny.

"Steady on friend, I never said the chap was a monster. I was just remarking that anyone who lives in a place like this is going to be a mite strange. And then some."

He then moves to take a closer look at the picture with the house and lake. The label underneath the drawing reads: Adhemar Grau: Architekt and Schwarze Wohnung. Kurt's no art critic or student of architecture, but it's not the best drawing he's ever seen. From the way the house is positioned against the landscape, it really does look like it is a drawing of this house in situ. Apart from that sizeable lake that sits right up against it, of course. The constellation of stars is not familiar to Kurt. He shrugs non-committally and heads for the drinks cabinet.

"Oh come now," scoffs Hal. "The manservant is no more a monster than you or I. He is simply an unfortunate soul who happens to have an excentric, and elusive, master.

"Besides," continues Hal as he picks up the bus timetable, "if you wish to trap people presenting them with their means of escape is not a good way to proceed."

"I don't think there's going to be a bus coming any time soon. This is probably the kind of place where they get one a week, and we left it back in a ditch remember?" Objects Kurt.

"There is something unsettling in his eyes - deeply unsettling. And as our friend says even if we are not trapped in this house. We are trapped in this wilderness." observes Manny

“Only until lunchtime tomorrow,” replies Hal. “Given our backwater location I think going back to town is our best option. From there we can make what alternate arrangements are necessary to reach our respective destinations. I’m sure our host will offer us a bed for the night, and once we are rested, warm and dry we shall be able to view our current circumstances from a more balanced perspective.”

With Brandy warming his belly and the harsh weather firmly locked outside Hal is beginning to enjoy himself. Although their situation is reminiscent of many horror stories he has read over the years (the ultra-modern architecture of the house is a nice deviation from the traditional gothic mansion). He sees their current situation as odd, but not threatening.

The timetable is byzantine in it's complexity. However, If Hal is reading it correctly, then there appears to be a local service, stopping at all manner of local hamlets and towns. It's going in the wrong direction, back towards the city the bus departed from..

It should pass along the road near here at some point around lunchtime tomorrow.

Richard looks somewhat relieved upon hearing Hal's remark.

"Tomorrow, you say? That is a relief!"

Having finished tending to Manny, he then returns to the dials and controls by the window.

"Hmm, this may explain why we couldn't see any lights from outside, this seems to control the polarisation of the windows."

He looks up from the dials, and unsure as to whether the faces of his companions are blank through tiredness or confusion, adds

"You can use these to darken the windows, and make them so that light cannot escape. You could possibly even create a mirror effect, though I shall not venture outside to test that theory."

"Don't count on it," says Kurt pouring himself a drink. Then to Richard "You sure you know what you're doing with that?"

"Oh, it's been a while since I've seen a device like this, but the layout and counters certainly fit. I won't touch the settings, so don't worry."

Richard dries his hands on the towel once more, before walking over to Kurt and extending a hand.

"Apologies, in all the chaos I didn't introduce myself, I'm Professor Richard Pimms, but please call me 'Richard'."

"Pleased to meet you. Kurt Steinhauer, currently on holiday."

"Pleased to meet you too. Let's hope that this setback doesn't impede your holiday too much!"

"Good to meet you Professor. Well I for one am fascinated by this whole encounter. To find the Black Chateau, fully constructed and out in the middle of nowhere? This is an extraordinary opportunity, I certainly wouldn't want to leave before meeting the man responsible. Besides, I'm really out here more for experience than to reach a particular destination, so all this suits me just fine." adds Roland joining the conversation.

The Black Chateau

A silvery, actinic light suddenly floods simultaneously from all windows on the ground floor. It is in sharp contrast to the dark night, and casts long shadows behind the rain-sodden bus passengers standing outside the house. As their eyes adjust to the sudden presence of artifical light, the enormous double doors of the mansion swing inward noiselessly, despite their weight.

A tall, impassive looking male figure, dressed head to toe in black now stands in the doorway. His complexion is pallid, almost grey and he is completely hairless. He wears a tightly buttoned black tunic and trousers. He also wears small mirrored spectacles, tightly covering his eye sockets. He appears as some modernist take on a butler, or manservant.

Behind him they can make out a white painted two-story room with grey carpeting.

He says nothing, but beckons the travellers with both hands, inviting them forth into the house.

"Mein Gott! This is like something from a horror film." exclaims Kurt.

“Nonsense!!” exclaims Hal. “It just proves what I was just saying.” Hal rushes forward, he notes the oddness of the man waiting for them, but most foreigners are odd anyway. But that persistent part of Hal’s mind wonders why the man was sitting in complete darkness only a few moments before. As Hal approaches the man he extends his hand and says,

“Hello, my name is Hal Apnyo, myself and my travelling companions appear to be in a spot of bother. I wonder if we might use your telephone?”

Manny says to Kurt,

"I think we should worry about what is real, not illusions. The storm is real, the horror show is not. The doors on castors, quick lime in the windows, the albino in the black suit - it is an old look. I've seen better shows in a two-mule carnival. And anyway, what options do we have?"

Manny shrugs and follows Hal. Kurt replies to Manny:

"On the contrary, the look strikes me as modern - like one of those expressionist films the Nazis are so fond of banning. Haven't you seen The Cabinet of Dr Cagliari? I'd agree there's little choice but to go inside but I suggest we keep a close eye on mine host."

Kurt thrusts his hand deep into the overcoat pocket where he keeps his Luger and starts to follow the other two inside...In the doorway of the black house the dark clad man looks at Hal from behind those dark glasses. At first it looks as if he has not understood Hal, and will simply stand there passively and uncomprehending. Then after a few moments he makes a gesture at his throat with his open hand, seemingly indicating that he cannot talk.

As Manny, Kurt and Richard follow Hal into the doorway, the tall figure turns to regard them each in turn. Seeing Manny's head injuries, he slowly nods, then steps aside, gesturing into the house with a sweep of his arm.

The air inside the house is warm and very dry. In sharp contrast, and blessed relief, to the cold and rain of the storm outside. Warm air comes from the metal grates of a forced air heating system set high along the walls near the ceiling. The walls are painted matte white, and the carpets some sort of artificial fibre in a complementary grey

The entry room is dominated by the staircase leading upwards to the second story. A large open rectangular doorway leads through to what appears to be a library. On the wall below the staircase, is mounted a mirror the same size and shape as the doorway to the library. Other than that, there are no decorations in this stark white room. It is akin to an expression of artificality and modernity pressed into the chaos of the former battlefield outside.

The manservant's gesture points through the entry hall and through the library.

Richard takes off his hat, shaking the collected water off to one side as he eyes the dark clad man with slightly hidden suspicion, before stepping into the stark room. He scans the room briefly, there not being much to focus on, but is thankful for the warmth and shelter.

Turning back to regard his companions, he catches the dark clad man gesturing to his throat, and begins to ponder what manner of eccentric would live here. Catching the eye of the mute man, Richard nods politely and smiles, before heading towards the library.

Richard isn't very familiar with Modernism, indeed his knowledge of recent artistic movements is limited to the occasional article in the news papers. His focuses lie more in the past.

There's not a chance, that he would want to live somewhere like this, a home should be inviting, a place to relax in. These sorts of places are not meant to be lived in, they're statements, where dwellers are as wanted as dust is on a painting. Kurt has a similar aversion to the house, although he is more bothered about the surrounding fortifications and detritus of war.

Regarding the modernist aesthetic, he thinks: "I don't know much about art but I know what I don't like, and I don't like this. At the same time I'm not in favour of people as ignorant as myself going around banning stuff they don't like e.g. the current shower of shits running Germany."

For the present, Kurt remains with the group, while observing mine host as closely as possible without making it look as if he's staring at him like he's an exhibit in a freakshow.

Manny doesn't have any full formed opinions about modernism. It is unlikely he knows what it means. He is deeply distrustful of the modern world, of progress and any attempt at demystifying the passions and the horrors of existence.

He has no time for architecture, and fails to understand the fascination with bricks and fences, or the longing for a fixed and confining home that exists amongst settled people. He has always been a traveller and as such would not want to live anywhere for too long, let alone this stark monstrosity that attempts with steel and glass to blank out the depths of the human soul.

He tries to fix the butler with a cold stare, to see if he can judge the subtleties of his mood as Manny used to do with lions. Manny's stare is reflected back at him in the tight dark glasses the manservant wears. For all the strength contained in Manny's gaze, the butler does not flinch or back down. He appears to hold the gaze, cutting through the small crowd of people gathering in the entry room, or moving through the Library. It is as if he is simply waiting for Manny to finish.

Roland is familiar with Modernism through friends and general talk back home. He's conflicted by it. Although he appreciates the progressive feel of it he leans more towards nature and ideas of the rugged outdoors, which are at odds with modernism's mechanised, ordered feel. A house like this, possibly filling the role of cabin in the woods does appeal. He's making mental notes of things he might want to incorporate when work on the new place starts.

After looking around with evident interest Rolands turn to the manservant and says:

"This place is amazing. Those guys at the architectural society dinners will choke on their soup when I tell them about this. Is the man of the house around? I sure would like to talk to him. Name's Roland Drew by the way."

He extends a hand.

The manservant does not take Roland's hand. Instead he holds Manny's gaze for a moment longer before turning to face the actor. He moves somewhat stiffly, turning his whole torso. He bows slightly, inclining his upper body forward a few degrees in a gesture of silent deference. Roland cannot be sure if it is a nod, or in recognition of the famous name.

He gestures forward through the library, indicating that the group should head further into the house. Now that all of the group are inside the house, he sees to the door. Pulling it firmly shut, and silencing the storm outside.

On one wall of the the L-shaped Library, high windows look out over the blasted and unwelcoming landscape outside. The storm lashes against the windows. The windows appears to be thick, polarised glass. Beneath the window, a small burnished steel dashboard mounts three Bakelite dials.

On the other walls, white metal shelves hold row-upon-row of books. At a glance, many of the titles are in German, but there are others in French, English and other more obscure languages. Two modernistic metal chairs, neither of them particularly inviting or comfortable looking, complete the furnishings.

Richard seems to spend great portions of his time and career scouring books and papers in libraries both public and private, in England and Russia. It was within a private collector's library in Saint Petersburg, access to which had been a particularly tiresome task to secure, that he found the diary of a member of a Khlysty sect visited by Father Grigori Rasputin, detailing how Father Grigori joined briefly and partook in their decadent rituals, before persuading certain members to leave with him and form a separate sect, one that focussed more heavily on the decadence rather than the salvation, and to look not to the clergy for guidance.

The diary went on to describe in unrivaled detail the early stages Rasputin's occult involvement, and whilst difficult to verify, enabled Richard to request his superiors for permission to delve further.

Hal is no fan of libraries. People get to read his books for free!?! Outrageous!! Kurt feels, that Libraries can be useful for research. But the most important thing? The football results. Hertha Berlin? Sehr Gut!

One shelf at chest hight, devoid of books, holds nothing else but a sculpted dark grey diorite hand. On it's ring finger is a substantial gold signet ring.

Richard wears a simple gold ring on his left ring finger, which he subconsciously turns around his finger during moments of contemplation or stress. Age and a largely sedentary occupation have led to his fingers becoming slightly chubbier around the ring, while the ring preserves the small part of what he once was all those years ago, with her. He has never for a second contemplated trying to remove the ring.
Neither Kurt nor Hal wear a ring. Hal pawned everything of value to finance this trip, though in general Hal is not the sentimental type.

There are two other exits from this room. Both are large open doorways of the same size as the one from the entry hall. One seems to open onto a drawing room, the other onto what looks like a gallery. The manservant's movement and direction seems to indicate that he wishes the bedraggled group to head towards the drawing room.

Having looked around the room, and curious as to the books on the shelves, Richard becomes very aware of the manservant's gesture, polite yet insistent. Not wanting to offend, Richard walks through to the drawing room. Of course, Hal and Kurt follows the manservants gesture, Kurt cautiously.

We look to be a ragged bunch of drowned rats, Richard thinks to himself as he straightens his overcoat and attempts to cajole his hair back into something resembling a side parting, I only hope we haven't ruined anything priceless by trailing mud and rain water! Kurt doesn't think they look very impressive but he's not overly bothered. The house owner's a weirdo who lives in a modernist bunker in the middle of a battlefield. What's he going to look like to me?

Hal's assumption is that he will simply look English.