Murder in Babbage - part eight

What an evening! Yesterday seems to be one of that days when no matter what you do, everything is wrong... I attended art cafe party at Loki's Absinthe house yesterday, I even showcased one smaller photography of the place itself. My first mistake was my dress, I choose an old gown in deep green, thought it would be good idea for “Absinthe evening”. Sure. I haven't realized the gown was a little too old, even for those most formal events in Caledon. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe and I looked like some big green thing from the deep (especially after I fell into the canals at one moment). Only tentacles was missing...


My second mistake was letting Eggberta, editor-in chief of New Babbage Cog, to publish excerpts from my diary in her newspapers. It would do no good for my searching, it has become too popular, people were reading it as an amusement story, and of course, it has attracted attention to me. I realized it fully when I met Prof Nishi, she apparently presumes Bow Street Police has closed her workshop according to my discovery there and I wasn't able to convince her it was closed before I even had written about it... Besides, she now thinks I work for the papers. And although she invited me to her laboratory, I'm sure her behavior towards me is several degrees below zero now... So it was great evening, when I messed whatever I could.
Victor Wunderlich, a boy whose name is also on the list, appeared on the event, only for the moment, and than vanished again. He was scared of “bad man”... could it be Jason Moriarty? Jason, sending death threads to mayor Sprocket, hiding somewhere in the Arcade shops (according to urchins),... and hanging a painting on the wall of Absinthe gallery!


Yes, there was a disturbing picture, painted by Jason Moriarty, hanging just next to my photography (what an irony)... And while Prof Nishi was talking about the mystical symbols on the canvas, I was wondering if anybody else has noticed it's actually painting of Prof Eliot's device, only as a part of some bigger machinery, and with human face in place of “Babbage mark 6” part. And finally, Miss Li discovered another note, on the back of the canvas, a letter from prof Elliot to Jason! He reasons him, kindly, to stop his experiments, and his letter is so warm-hearted that Loki pointed out Prof. Eliot probably cared more for this Jason than for his own grandson... I felt sorry for the boy...
“The thirteen” seems now as some society interested in science, and Prof Elliot was one of them, that's finally one clear thing from all this mess. Jason tried to sabotage their effort, and they wanted to prevent him from doing it, probably kill him. Prof Eliot tried to warn him... And there is something about Jason's affection to the destiny and old gods...
I'm tired, and maybe a little paranoid – I see clues everywhere, but don't know their meaning. There are drawings on the walls in the Opera house attic, with the same symbols that appeared on the Jason's painting, at least one seems to be made by the same hand – Jason's hand. There is another Elliot's device, locked in the Bow Street office – looks exactly like the one at Miss Nishi's table. And for a while, I found myself staring at Miss Li's feathered hat yesterday at the event, wondering what if poor Mr. Canning wasn't true Caledon contact...
I need some rest. For the next week, I'll be mostly traveling, and I don't know If I'll be able to return to Babbage soon and continue with my searchings... but I hope so.
(to be continued)

Murder in Babbage - part seven

I've met Loki Elliot finally, on the rooftops of Babbage, while he was building a plank walks above the roofs. The urchins are scared to walk the streets, so they'll be walking the roofs instead. Besides it's more fun I guess.
Loki didn't know his grandfather very well, he even had no idea the old man was hiding next door to him all the time... he described him as a mad scientist who didn't care about his family. Loki's father died in some accident in the distillery years ago (although Loki have never seen his body – interesting, maybe I should find more about this accident), so I understood Loki can be upset his grandfather was hiding even from him, and the boy thought he was completely alone... And, exactly as Myrtil told me, Loki have no idea of the part of the device he should be given to. He invited me to his party, which will be held in Absinthe house. Don't know if it's good idea, all urchins on one place, announced far in advance, they could be an easy target to whoever wants to harm them. I hope I'll manage to buy some firearm before the event, somehow I have the feeling going there with bare hands would be a mistake...

Later I was going through my notes again, and seems I was wrong about two things at least. First, it's not clear Prof. Elliot has actually given the part of the device to Loki. “The second part is with my grandson...” What exactly does it mean?
Second – I can't remember how did I get the idea Jason Moriarty was Prof. Eliot first assistant. From the note it's clear he was one of the volunteers, who has developed psychotic behavior and started his own experiments on urchins. And another thing – Prof. Elliot was hiding both from Van Greed society and from “The Thirteen”. Are they the same group of people?
Other I've learned from Loki: his grandfather owned not only small workshop under the attic, but whole opera house. And, no one of urchins has seen Ally Wunder for some time. Loki told me that Jason Moriarty, not a wolf, but human, was looking for him and for Ally on Sunrise...
(to be continued...)

Murder in Babbage - part six

I was in shock. The mysterious invention, separated into three parts, none of them could be find, the thing that already has caused two murders, was here, just lying on the table. What should I do? That would prove Prof. Nishi is involved into these murders, maybe she's even the killer herself! She has found the hidden part and somehow obtained second part from the Loki, and while Ally had given the last part to Mr. Cannings, she killed him... but why would she need the device? Is she in touch with “The Thirteen” or Van Greed society? She's scientist, so maybe she knows how to use the device... her name was on the list... But there seemed to be something wrong with this all. The device. It looked almost exactly like on Prof. Elliots drawing... except the small part named there as “Babbage Mark 6”. Although it's not very clear from the picture, it looks different. And whole device seemed to be too polished, too... new. But why would be Miss Nishi interested in making a new device? Does she try to repeat Elliot's experiment? I decided better not tell anyone for now, and speak with Miss Nishi first.

Walking the streets of Babbage, thinking about those mysteries, I've runned upon Mckay Beck, another urchin whose name appears on the list. Before I could talk to him, Prof Nishi appeared together with Miss Paine, and tried to learn something about those list of names from him, but he seemed to have no idea, same as Myrtil before. He apparently knows about Elliot's experiment, but told us he is not allowed to talk about it,... he was scared . But the one who seemed to be most scared was Miss Nishi. She too had no idea why her name is on the list. Later I talked to Myrtil again and I learned somebody has told Bow Street police and they discovered the device in Miss Nishi's lab and closed the place for further investigation.


I was trying to talk to Miss Nishi, but she is very distant and apparently doesn't believe anyone. No wonder. Too many people are already involved... But I'm still not sure which side she is standing on. I have to be careful...
Right now, the urchins seem to be the key to solve this mystery...
(to be continued)

Murder in Babbage - part five

I've met couple of urchins near the Babbage Townhall: Shay McDowwll, Gin Flow and finally Myrtil Igaly, a girl who was couple of days ago asking me about a man with feathered hat. Shay made some investigation himself, (seems more Babbage urchins are seeking some clues about what's happening here) but – same as me – he's come to the dead end. Myrtil had no idea why her name is on the list, and seemed to be quite scared of it – I believed her. There is still possibility (although I doubt about it) the list contains names of next victims... But what she told me was very interesting.


She met Jason Moriarty on Sunrise island couple of days before - and she described him as a werewolf! He attacked her and several her friends, than vanished, more beast than human. Could it be some result of his previous experiments?
Myrtil asked Loki already about part of the machinery in his possession, but seems the boy has forgotten his Grandfather gave him anything important or weird... so possibly the part of the device is lying in some trunk together with other old stuff or something like that. Possibly...


Finally, we spoke about Nareth E. Nishi, or Prof. Nishi, according to Myrtil. And it was then when Myrtil told us, with quiet voice, that maybe we should take a better look at the new building near the pirate store, the place where Prof. Nishi is “making stuff”. If we will sneak through the backdoor, we will be surprised...
At first I wasn't sure to do that, after all it's a private property, but thinking of all what happened in the last days I realized I had no choice. And so I soon found myself standing in the backyard of the house, first making myself sure nobody's around. I opened the door... and for the next several moments I just stood there breathless (until I've realized closing the door behind me wouldn't be such a bad idea).
On the Prof. Nishi's worktable, surrounded by papers and test-tubes, stood Prof. Elliot's Porta Terrarum Device!


(to be continued)

Murder in Babbage - part four

There was another note found near the body of Mr. Canning, a list of names. I've heard many guesses of what the list does mean, most people believe, it's a list of next victims... but it doesn't make sense to me. Mr. Vella came with interesting theory that those names are people somehow involved with the Porta Terrarum experiment, and that Mr. Canning came here to ask them if they knew something about Prof. Elliot's death. The name of the killer, according to Mr. Vella, could be on that list too, and has been asked incorrect question... which I don't quite believe.


On the list there are names of the urchins, Loki, Ally, Myrtil Igaly and Mckay Beck. But under the line there are two other names. First is Jason Moriarty – is he this mysterious Jason, the first assistant of Prof. Elliot, who made some research of his own and according to Prof. Elliot performed some dark experiments on Babbage street urchins? If so, there are several clues which points out he could be the killer... it even fits Mr. Vella's theory!
The second name is Nareth E. Nishi, a quite, pale, redhead lady I saw several times in Babbage. She is a scientist and will be opening a Palaezoic Museum in Babbage soon...


(to be continued)

Murder in Babbage - part three

I've returned to the Babbage together with Mr. Vella, and we searched for the missing part of Alexander Elliot's invention under the attic of Imperial Theater which I considered to be his workspace.


We found nothing. I have a suspicion the missing part could be a giant cog, or some piece of the machinery which is turning and ticking under the attic floor, but it doesn't fit the drawing anyway... But still: what is purpose of the giant machinery in that room?


Later it occurred I had focused so much on finding the missing part of the invention than the really important things I seemed missed. I've met a young girl, one of the Babbage urchins, who wanted to speak with some policeman here and asked me whether I know someone in Caledon who wears feathered hat. According to her that man should be the “Caledon contact” to whom Ally Wunder should have passed the second piece of the invention. I didn't payed much attention to what she said, unfortunately, as it occurred later...
In the evening, I've recieved a note from Mr. Vella. Another murder. This time, the victim was Mr. Giles Canning. Again knife in his back with note stabbed to the body. And while the police was closing the area, I noticed the feather on the victim's hat...


There were a note, and a phonograph cylinder, with recording from the disaster on Sunrise Island. Mr. Canning is mentioned there as an assistant of Alexander Elliot. Now he is also dead. Which leads me to several questions: how many people was at the time of the experiment helping Prof. Elliot? Where are they now? Whose voice is it on the recording? Who are “The Thirteen”, signed under the note? They apparently desperately wants to stay secret. The note speak about Prof. Elliot's first assistant, while on the phonograph Mr. Canning was called “new” assistant... Was the first assistant Jason, mentioned in some previous note of Prof. Elliot? Seems so. The “13” wanted to warn Mr. Canning against “first assistant”, that's clear from the note...So is this Jason responsible for this murder? And if the victim really was the “Caledon contact”, has Ally found him before he was killed? Because if so, the second part of the invention is now in the possession of the killer.


“The Thirteen” wanted Mr. Canning to get rid of any evidence that could prove his connection with Sunrise experiment, and since the phonograph cylinder was found near the body, I presume he was trying to do so. But he was too late...
One thing from the phonograph recording was clear: seems on Sunrise Island Prof. Elliot probably found the way how to open the gate to another dimension...

The recording from Sunrise cylinder

(to be continued)

Murder in Babbage - part two

I've arrived to the island of Sunrise and met there Mr. Tintas Vella, a fellow explorer who has visited me recently in my house in Babbage. This island is home of Loki Elliot, a grandson of murdered Prof. Elliot, and his friends. Now I realized the whole complex of small islands is truly an atoll, which appeared to form it's topology only after the disaster.


But the inside lagoon seemed calm and peaceful, with nothing strange there, as far as I could tell from the beach. The whole place looked like perfect vacation spot, until a strange woman appeared and shouted something about zombies in the cave, than run away. Perhaps she was just mad, but what if this could be some result of Prof. Elliot's experiment? I decided explore this later, since meanwhile I've found Minehouse Laboratory on the hill, a place which was somewhere in the past occupied by Prof. Elliot.


And there, finally, I discovered a schematic of his invention, “Porta Terranum Device”.

Three parts, one in the possession of his grandson, one carried by Ally Wunder into the Caledon, one still hidden somewhere. But where? From the note on the desk I understood Alexander Elliot had a laboratory under the attic of the old Imperial theater in Babbage, the same occupied by urchins at the present time...
(to be continued)

Murder in Babbage!

Again, it has been long long time since my last journal entry. So many things has happened I'm not able to cover them all, not even briefly. Caledon in war with Neualtenburg, Werewolf hunting, several new sims, Allien attack, Steampunk expo, SLRFL events... I'll probabaly come to that again somewhere in the future. But early this month, in Babbage, happened something which led me to this journal again. I'll try to recollect here my notes, since it has been some days ago...


A murder. On the top floor above Loki Elliot Absinthe bar, a dead body was found, with knife in his back. The body was identified as Loki's grandfather, Alexander Elliot. I've visited this place, the body still there, with notes cluterred all over the floor. While reading them a strange story was arising, and as I red further and further, I found myself more and more involved in that mystery...


It seems Alexander Elliot was working on some great and dangerous invention. He was performing experiments on the Sunrise Island, and probably discovered forces such strong that failure of the last experiment has blown up the whole island and left only circle of atolls around the crater.


Anyway, after this catastrophe Alexander Elliot apparently stopped the experiments and destroyed his invention. Well, not really destroyed, he divided it into three parts, one he gave to his grandson Loki, the other to some urchin named Ally Wunder with instructions to pass it to some contact in Caledon. The last part he hid somewhere... There was also a note about someone called Jason, probably his assistant, who begun some experiments of his own – Prof. Elliot disagreed with his behaviour. And mysterious Van Greed Society, which he seemed to be scared of... Maybe it was them who killed him? But who are they?
The first step seemed to be explore the place of the disaster, the Sunrise Island, a little more...
(to be continued)