Event:1925/04/18 Following Newspaper Leads
The group reads the local papers (in English) over breakfast, and we find a few articles that catch our eyes. Jack and Quinn head to the Wayside Police Station to investigate the murders on Lantern Street. People are frequently being murdered by having their arms cut off by a sharp object and then left to bleed out. Jack asks about Mr. Du[1], and we are told he is heavily connected to the police in the French Concession. Slipping them some cash, Jack learns that Madam Gee was the witness identified in the paper that saw the murder. With some extra cash, we are told that the autopsy revealed one or two slices or chops is all it took to remove the arms, indicating a very sharp blade. We leave, and Jack notices[2] that the fisherman he was talking to at the Stumbling Tiger is following us on our way back. We turn a corner and Quinn grabs him[3] when he comes around. At first he starts screaming for help, but Quinn convinces him to quiet down. He says he's looking for Jack Brady as well because he needs his expertise in procuring something. Asking if he works for the Pale Viper, we believe[4] that he doesn't recognize the name. We tell him not to follow us, but if he drops by the lobby of the Astor House Hotel to check in with us, we could share info.
Victor and Elise go to visit Mister Lung, accompanied by Li Wen-cheng. There's a cat outside, but Elise keeps a foot out to keep it away and shuts the door quickly. Li Wen-cheng needs to translate everything for this exchange. Li Wen-cheng notes that everything in the place has great fengshui. Mister Lung seemed to be expecting more visitors together today. He seems to think that demons were coming to attack him and tried several things to detect or defeat demons on the investigators, always displeased that they weren't working. He has some coins that he can turn into a sword, which we find out when Victor reveals that he has no pulse. There is nearly a confrontation, and then they deescalate. Mister Lung does a few readings for them. They mention the cat, and Mister Lung can't get a sense of it looking at it out the window. Fearing this is a demon sent after him, they set up to ambush it, and let it in the house. It turns into an evil cat demon and combat ensues. Victor takes mortal wounds (again), but shrugs them off (again). Victor manages to take down the demon with Mister Lung's help. Mister Lung gives Elise his coin sword, which can harm demons.
We all meet back up at the Astor House Hotel and exchange information. Victor keeps his wound secret and spends time stitching himself back together. Then we head to Madam Gee's house. It's a house of ill repute, and we're taken back to her office. We slip her some cash and ask about the events of last evening. One of the other girls, Magenta Joy, actually saw it. She is currently in the hospital though. As we talk about recent events, we learn that Choi Mei-ling, one of the working girls, "ran off" or vanished 3 days before the attack. She was the regular girl for John or Jack Brady and presumably ran off with him. We talk to Quivering Jade, who was Choi Mei-ling's close friend. She tells us that Jack Brady and Choi Mei-ling used to use the room in which the attack took place. Choi Mei-ling has a birthmark on her left clavicle and was known at the house as Dancing Sapphire. As we're leaving Madam Gee's house, one of the girls, Falling Quartz, catches us and tells us that she thinks that Choi Mei-ling actually left for a different house, Madam Lin Yenyu on Yu-yuan Road in the Old City. Madam Lin's house is several steps above Madam Gee's and her girls are better protected. Madam Gee would be quite upset if she learned Choi Mei-ling left for another house.
We travel to Madam Lin Yenyu's house (which takes about an hour). It's an older, large, and very well maintained house. There are 2 hard-looking gentlemen outside who eye us suspiciously upon approach. Li Wen-cheng translates as Quinn says that he's looking to spend some time with someone who may be in Yenyu's employ. An English-speaking gentleman is brought out and escorts us in. Asking to see Choi Mei-ling, we're taking into an office to see Madam Lin Yenyu. Victor and Elise notice an occult book collection in her room. Turning on some charm[5], she tells us Choi Mei-ling declined her offer to work there, and believes that the girl ran afoul of The Order of the Bloated Woman. She tells us they're a very powerful and deadly group - they are devils we do not want to fight with. Another westerner came to call on Choi Mei-ling recently - he seemed very dangerous and, they had a short, tense conversation roughly 4 days to a week ago. Victor gets her to do an I Ching reading: p'i with 9 in the 5th place. She hands a slip of paper to Elise afterward. Victor notes that she's very interested in Elise[4]. Madam Lin Yenyu reveals that she's interested in acquiring more occult materials. Victor notices a set of 9 bronze bells that would aid in summoning something bad (a Byakhee) if he knew the order in which to ring them[6]. Victor also notices a very old Tibetan Thangka painting with tassels and cords made from leather from human skin[7] with a ghastly rendering of Azathoth among the occult collection. Upon leaving, she gifts Elise a very nice silver and ruby necklace saying that it would help bring out her beauty if she wore it. She tells us to beware The Order of the Bloated Woman and give a man named Carl Stanford a wide birth. Quinn remembers a conversation in his order regarding an exceptionally powerful wizard named Carl Stanford[8] - someone the order would normally seek out to bring down, but they deem him too powerful to approach. We leave.
We return to the Astor House Hotel. We eat dinner and take a rest.
Skill Checks