The Case of Shanghai - History

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Synopsis

Calendar of Events

<eventCalendar> namespace = Event aspectratio = 1.3 defaultmonth = 1925-04-01 </eventCalendar>

Log of Events

Shanghai, China

April 17, 1925

The group of investigators arrives in Shanghai at the Shanghai North Railway Station around mid-morning. Jack Falcon feels that it would be difficult to know if we were being followed in the dense crowds in this town. Li Wen-cheng suggests the Astor House Hotel as a hotel befitting our group's needs. It has high security and we won't stand out as much as we would trying to stay at a cheaper place with our high credit rating folks. We ask Li Wen-cheng where the local library is (Shanghai Public Library and Royal Asiatic Society), where to find info about people passing through customs (high class - Shanghai Club, Stumbling Tiger might be a good place for lower class people), and where to find info on local hot spots (i.e. Stumbling Tiger). Li Wen-cheng lets us know that in mid-January 1925, Chang Tsung-chang (a behemoth known as the “Shantung Monster” or “Dogmeat General”) of the Fengtian Clique and Sun Chang-fang (aka “the Nanking Warlord”) of the Zhili Clique push Chi Shi-yan’s army out of Shanghai and begin joint rule. Sun is left in de jure control of the police and the amenities, but Chang is friendly with the criminal Green Gang, the biggest, meanest gang in town. Records are maybe not the best right now.

Jack heads to the port to check out info on The Ivory Wind and The Dark Princess. He learns from the harbormaster that The Dark Princess is frequently seen in Shanghai harbor, but The Ivory Wind hasn't been seen recently but tends to show up ever 3-4 months. It's been about 3 months since The Ivory Wind has been seen. Lars Torvak is known to captain The Ivory Wind. Jules Savoyard is known to captain The Dark Princess, and Alfred Penhurst is her registered owner. Jack gives him $5 and says there's another $5 in it for the harbormaster if he sends a runner to our hotel when either ship arrives. He then heads to the catholic church on personal business before heading back to the hotel.

Victor, Elise, and Father Quinn go to the Shanghai Public Library. Victor learns that Yig and Yog-Sothoth are Elder Gods[1]. Elise looks up Ho Fong Imports[1] and learns it is one of the largest shipping companies in Shanghai. The proprietor, Ho Fong is in his late 50s. He is very wealthy and involved in the Catholic church. Wei Ching-lai was Ho Fong's wife, an attractive, Western-educated, and politically-minded actress, as well as a poster-child for the revolution. She often used her fame to champion opposition to the corrupt Qing Dynasty. A blooming romance saw Ho and Wei marry in 1911 (just months before the collapse of the Qing Dynasty), with their daughter Tzu-hsi following a year later. She and her husband soon became a popular attendees at Shanghai’s swank high society functions. Unfortunately, she soon slipped into drug abuse and public tantrums which hit a high point by 1919. It was also during this time that Wei had several affairs, including with her personal driver, Pao Wu-kung. Wei Ching-lai tragically died of a drug overdose on December 31, 1923. Father Quinn looks up the Stumbling Tiger[1]. It's a dive bar. Articles mention many fights. It seems to be a place where shady stuff happens. Sounds like a hole-in-the-wall establishment. The purveyor is Fergus "McChu".

Everyone meets back up at the Astor House Hotel. We have dinner, then head to the Stumbling Tiger. The bar's sign is (unusually) written in English. There's a simple bar offering brown and clear drinks. This is a puzzle talk bar - a place where you can buy and sell information in addition to having a drink. Quinn asks the barkeep, Fergus "McChu", about Jack Brady. After some convincing[2], Fergus "McChu" says that he hasn't seen Brady in months and believes that he went to Nicaragua to run guns with Charlie West. Father Quinn fast talks[3] his way out of revealing too much info in exchange. When Jack mentions Jack Brady to a fisherman at the end of the bar, Fergus gets weird. Quinn catches it[4] and tries to get more info. Fergus slips him a note to meet at Noodle House at 12 Lantern Street. Quinn excuses himself and heads down the street, letting Elise know he's leaving. Elise waits outside to be in position to help if needed. In a few minutes, Fergus appears in the kitchen doorway of Noodle House and waves Quinn in. Fergus reveals that people are looking for Jack Brady, and that drawing the attention of those people is dangerous. It's dangerous for Fergus if he's connected. Quinn attempts to convince him that they're all on the same side, and Fergus says to meet tomorrow night, here in the kitchen of Noodle House, at 2am, and bring your friends if they can be discrete. Father Quinn has some noodles and rounds up the troops and they head back to the Astor House Hotel.

Back at the hotel, Elise discovers 3 people in her room looking to be of Chinese descent. A 4th behind the door grabs her when she screams. As we come running, the man sitting in between the 2 men with Thompson sub machine guns asks who we're working for. He's interested in what we're selling and wants a 30% cut for Mr. Du. They expect us to deliver a considerable payment to Hell's Kitchen nightclub by Monday. They depart; we dismiss Li Wen-cheng and discuss the events of the evening, and then retire to our separate rooms.

Skill Checks

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Library Use check
  2. ↑ Persuade check
  3. ↑ Fast Talk check
  4. ↑ Psychology check

April 18, 1925

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

  1. ↑ Law check
  2. ↑ Spot Hidden check
  3. ↑ Grapple check
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Psychology check
  5. ↑ Persuade check
  6. ↑ Cthulhu Mythos check
  7. ↑ Medicine check
  8. ↑ Luck check

Map

Shanghai1925.png

Locations of Interest

International Concession

French Concession

Chinese City

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