The Prologue (1941) - Part I

[jacemachine]

Eisen’s Sense Motive Result

You do not get the impression that Bones and Pingo are plotting your group’s downfall. Paying attention to them you DO realize that they were not actually even talking to each other they seemed to communicate strictly with hand gestures. Not really “real” sign language, it’s something more organic, and perhaps specific to these two men.

Bones returns to the party with the Mayan native Pingo in tow. “Alright, Pingo let me know that not too much has been happening along the road while he had been waiting for us. He’d spent the time while I was in town listening to travelers’ gossip. It seems some villagers had past a couple of Nazi trucks two days ago heading inland. They definitely got a head start on us, but when we stop to make camp tonight, I’ll explain why I think we have an edge over them…”

Pingo taps Bones on the shoulder, and makes a clawing motion in the air with both hands. He has a broad smile on his face. Bones rolls his eyes. “Oh yeah, Pingo says that we had better watch out for ‘El Abuelo’.” Bones shakes his head. He clearly thinks that it's a ridiculous story. He notices Richard's cast off pile.

"I hope you've got plenty of dry socks. Without your foot powder, you run the risk of getting jungle rot on your feet." He bends down and grabs the condom box. "You don't mind if I take these, do you?"


Nazi Soldier’s Letter

June 6, 1941
Puerta de Santa Boca, Guatemala


Dear Franz,

It is I, your favorite brother, Hanz! How goes the war? Are you still enjoying your time in France? If you get a chance to write Mutter, tell her that I am fine and will write her when we get back from Guatemala.

I miss being in the same unit as you, but this is certainly an interesting mission. Well, it could be interesting. It all hinges upon whether or not we are able to locate this forgotten city that is somewhere deep in the jungles here.

Oh! And the jungles smell worse than Großvater’s famous bratwurst. Even though I’ve been here for a little while now, I’m only JUST getting used to the horrible smell of the rain forest. It smells like a pig farm. It is literally nothing but a gigantic compost heap!

The first Gruppe departed for the jungles only a couple of days ago, and I’m glad. Herr Krouse the archaeologist from the Ahnenerbe SS and Hauptmann Karl Dietrich have both gone with them. I’m most please that the Hauptmann is gone though. He’s a bit difficult to get used to. Thankfully his 2nd in command usually delivers his orders. We’re all glad because we don’t like being around him. He’s just a cold individual. He treats us all like we’re incompetent and he tells us that we are worthless. He was rarely around anyway at least. He’s never around for more than 45 minutes to an hour, tops. He’s sadistic and cruel, and though there are many in our great nation’s military that share like traits, I have never seen a man that I have feared as much as Karl Dietrich. You never know though, I wouldn’t put it past Dietrich to kill any man woman or child in cold blood. I’m just happy that he doesn’t know my name.

As you can imagine, we aren’t looking forward to when our Second Gruppe is sent to join First Gruppe. I’d rather spend my time enjoying the sights, sounds, and tastes of this town.

Oh well, I must be going.

Your brother,

Hanz

[BowenSilverclaw]

Perhaps a Knowledge check or something for Eisen to know something about Karl Dietrich (see my previous IC post)?

[jacemachine]

Perhaps a Knowledge check or something for Eisen to know something about Karl Dietrich (see my previous IC post)?

I agree. I feel that this falls within the realm of Streetwise: Street and urban culture, local underworld personalities and events. Eisen's "streets" per se would also include knowledge about the German military, and various personalities that fall within.

[Nanshork]

Richard eyes Bones.  "I've been in the jungle since you were sucking on your mothers teat and I never had any foot powder, don't worry about me.  I don't want any of this useless junk.  As for their head start, you tell me what direction we're going and I can cut our travel time by half."  A dark smirk crosses his face.  "The jungle is my home, this is why I'm here."

[Tarotdragoon]

"I don't know most of this stuff seems kinda useful to me" smirks Russo sitting down and letting the good 'doctor' see to his wound.

"Thanks doc much better than anything I could do. So we patched up? we ready? If so what  are we waiting for? any opportunity to avoid getting shot seems advantageous to me"

[jacemachine]

Bones gives Richard a sidelong glance. "Okay, pops. If that is why you're here, then we're heading to Orino Perro. Max said that was where you gang were going to try to find me. I'm pretty close to the village chief and his family and they're the one's who I left in charge of protecting my river boat.

"And as fast as you may be, we'll want to take advantage of the road, as rutted and muddy as it is-- we'll save the most time if we can take advantage of existing travel routes. It will take us long enough to cut our way through once we REALLY get deep.

"Once we get to the road again, I'm going to have Pingo trail us from a distance. He should be able to let us know if we have any krouts crawling up our tails."

Avery stuffs the condoms into his bag. "Alright. Let's get moving."


[[ Richard, a Survival Check please? ]]

[Nanshork]

I take ten which gives me 28 which beats the DC of 25 to reduce our travel time by 50%.   

[Flay Crimsonwind]

I feel that this falls within the realm of Streetwise: Street and urban culture, local underworld personalities and events.

Crap, of course a knowledge skill that I for some reason put no points in. Alrighty, well, I suppose I'll just roll, since taking ten is a 12, which would suck anywho. I'd prefer the 51% chance of higher or equal. 

Knowledge; Streetsmarts: 20

Son of a bitch! Alrighty, lemme see....

[Neull//]

Max follows the group. Meanwhile he is still interested in the letter

“ Anything useful in there Eisen?”

[jacemachine]

"Road to Orino Perro"

The terrain rises and falls with their passage.  Exotic colorful birds scream as they pass below the heavy canopy. Soon though they arrive upon the muddy road, now miles to the north east of Santa Boca.

No other travellers could be seen, but long worn ruts in the road showed indication of heavy passage. Many of them going towards the port town.

Bones talks, cracking jokes and sarcastic comments. During conversation there was one thing that was certain... he fucking hated Nazis. Pingo offered not a single word. Still only communicating with gestures, that Bones usually would respond to in Yukatan or English.

The sky greyed and Bones suggested making camp off the road, up atop a flattened area atop a broad boulder. Pingo scouted the area, and Bones announced a nearby stream a half mile to the east.

"Alright. We'll camp here for the night. If anyone can make themselves useful, collect fire wood, make a fire, what have you I'd really appreciate it. In the meantime. I'm going to get my things in order. I have a chest of interesting items to show you. One of them being a VERY special map, drawn by a man named Albert Dunning."

Bones tells pingo to find some dinner, and the native disappears into the encroaching darkness of the jungle at night, shorts spears in hand.

"I have to appologize for Pingo's apparent antisocial behavior. You see he doesn't have a tongue. Cannibals ripped it from his mouth and ate it before I had a chance to rescue you him. I was too late to save his daughter or his wife unfortuntely. He's been with me ever since. A good honest man, if you can believe that of a savage! Hah! Max, you've heard me mention him quite a number of times I know."

Eisen, a 12 isn't very spectacular. What you do know is that he is a man who gets results, and a personal favorite of Himmler's himself. He's known to be very neat, clean, and proffesional.

[Nanshork]

Richard silently gets a fire going, then sets up his tent.

Taking ten, Survival check 28 to do whatever.   

[BowenSilverclaw]

Eisen/Flay decided to roll, he got a 20 on the Knowledge check, not a 12

[Flay Crimsonwind]

^ What he said.

[Neull//]

Max helps out by collecting fire wood and setting up a nice fire at the centre of the camp.

Survival check (take 10): 17

The adventurer did not know about the story with Pingo and the cannibals…he feels quite sorry for him and his family…

“Is he going to be all right over there just by himself Bones?” 

[j0lt]

The usually socially reserved Dr. Loder perks up at the mention of a map by the mysterious Albert Dunning.  "You have Dunning's map?!  I'd love to get a look at it, I might be able to make sense of some of the landmarks."

[Tarotdragoon]

Russo makes small talk with Bones during the trip, sharing comments and adventure stories as he can as the trip goes on Russo becomes noticeably more flustered and sweaty as more miles are put behind the group, when everybody finally stops he looks very relived and throws his pack down at the first opportunity to sit down where he can, he runs the back of his arm across his forehead looking exhausted.

he listens to the rest of the group and expresses interest when Avery pulls out the map

"Is this map what started this fool mission in the first place?" he stands up with difficulty and walks over

"can I see the letters?" he asks holding out his hand

[jacemachine]

At sundown predator and prey alike come out in full view to hunt or forage for their meals, often coming down to the rivers edge. Grasshoppers and caterpillars crawl out from under leaves and palm fronds, katydids chirp and munch away.


“We got lucky today. It should have been raining most of the day. Perhaps our Mambo gave us some good hoodoo after all…” Bones says.

Thick impenetrable jungles of vegetation created a heavy wall at the rear of the stone out-cropping. while there was still sunlight he road could just be seen through the trees seventy feet below. Richard and Max’s campfire was humble, but well made. They built it towards the rear of the boulder, near the heavy curtain of growth behind them. From below it was invisible.

Dusk provided excellent opportunities for observing animals. Howler monkeys roared from the trees announcing their territories over a resounding with chorus of booming voices & echoes. Bats dove in and out of the campfire's light, snatching insects attracted to the firelight. Not enough mosquitoes seemed to be eaten though, and soon everyone had been bitten a number of times. Bones swatting them away from an ear or his face. The sound of buzzing periodically loud in your ears.

"Yeah, Max. If anyone knows their business out in these jungles, it's Pingo. Born and raised. He's never been anywhere else. Though I have to admit I'd like to see more of the world someday. All I've ever seen is Chicago and a winding swath of the USA and Mexico that led me down to here.

"Remember the time we first met? It was on the deck of a steam ship, and the captain was giving you a piece of his mind about something, I don't remember... But you ended up knocking his block off, and the crew kicked us BOTH off the ship into the water! I had JUST met you, asked if you had any cigarettes!" Harrison laughs. It's a deep, warm sound. He pulls a metal flask from his vest pocket, and takes a swig from it. Then he holds it out to the group.

"Too bad the alcohol content of my blood doesn't kill the little bastards." he says, swatting a mosquito on his fore arm. "So...I heard the Government Issue Joe mention something about Karl Dietrich. What do you guys know about him?"

Harrison sits the wooden box from the curio shop on his lap, and begins to shuffle items around in it, looking for something.

He looks up at Russo's comment; "What letters?"

[j0lt]

Rummaging through his worn shoulder bag, Loder produces the copies of the Dunning letters.  "You mean these ones, Russo?"

"We were provided with copies of a few extant letters written by one Albert Dunning.  If that map you mentioned is really his, we may be able to piece together a little more of his route, maybe find what he had found!"

[jacemachine]

"Hmmm... maybe." Harrison says, then muttering, "Dammit Reggie don't you know how to put anything back to where it belongs... Geez...

"The map I have doesn't show you how to get there, otherwise I would have likely found it already. If I can locate this bastard, I can show you what I mean, but really it's a map of this lost city itself. He was a rather talented artist it seems, he even copied down some Ancient Mayan Hieroglyphics... A lot of good THAT does us." He pulls out a small leather sack and places it next to him, then a shrunken head. Still no map.

"When the Italian is finished, I'd like to get my peepers on them letters as well. Does he describe his route in any detail? Perhaps Pingo or I may recognize some landmarks."

[BowenSilverclaw]

John sits quietly against the rock wall, cleaning his weapons to make sure they stay in working order in this hot and humid environment. He hadn't allowed himself any smalltalk so far, he wanted to make sure they were well out of range of any Nazis tracking them before indulging in such pleasantries.

"Only thing I know about this Dietrich fellow is what a hooker in town told me. Seems like a pretty damn coldblooded fellow, efficient and ruthless." the sergeant replies to Bones' question as he puts away his weapons.

"So, what brought you guys here? If we're going to work together on this we might as well get to know each other a little better." he continues after taking a swig from Bones' flask.