Syria and the Movies Part Three: April 4-6, 1926

CW: Suicide is mentioned.

Late Evening, April 4^th

Mikhail returns to the hotel once all of the Ron-induced excitement dies down. He seems to have made several other purchases, including a crossbow and some bolts.

Everyone retires to their hotel rooms. Everyone, that is, except for Ron Deluca. Despite protestations from Vivian, he wanders downstairs to the reception desk and asks to use their phone. He makes a very expensive transatlantic call to Darragh’s house, to see how his wife and son are doing (Ron had Darragh move them and keep them safe in the face of what seems to be a fairly imminent mob war).

Ron is still stoned out on hashish and on laudanum. He also has a recently Johnny-inflicted head injury. As a result, he doesn’t realize that he should, by all rights, be on a ship right now and unable to call home. Connie immediately picks up on this. She suspects that Ron is tying one on at a speakeasy and calls him out on it. The conversation deteriorates rapidly from there. Ron hangs up the phone in disgust and charges the call to Judge Putnam’s account.

Darragh MacGowan, Ron's Brother-in-Law

Morning, April 5^th

The group meets to discuss their plan of action over breakfast. They all believe that they should prepare to travel to As Suwayda and investigate the strange goings on at the movie set. Several members also plan to go on individual errands. Vivian, Johnny, and Mikhail will visit the university library; Judge Putnam will contact the embassy and see if Turki Nazar will accompany them on their journey. Dr. Black visits Brother Theodore and shows him the shattered pieces of the gladius he recovered from Scotland. Kane checks out the vehicles. Ron relaxes at the hotel.

Well, Ron mostly relaxes. During breakfast, Ron becomes aware that several of the other hotel guests seem to be watching him as he eats. Ron, perhaps embarrassed of his behavior the night before, and angry that Connie is, once again, mad at him, leaves the table to go confront his oglers. This causes significant consternation from the rest of the group.

Ron goes over to a table where three couples, who are also French nationals, are engaged in quiet conversation. Ron is immediately threatening, but is handled rather gently by the oldest of the gentlemen at the table, notable for his dashing monocle. Ron invites Vivian to join the conversation, and Vivian does, hoping that she can help prevent any escalation.

The conflict, such as it is, resolves amicably, with the Frenchman purchasing a bottle of wine for Ron. As the waiter shows off the bottle to Ron and Vivian, the French couples beat a hasty retreat.

The Library

Vivian goes to the university library to look up more information on As Suwayda, the Druze, and As Safa. While at the library, she is confronted by a mysterious, elderly woman. The woman, apparently a librarian, has noticed that Vivian seems interested in certain types of rare and arcane information. She offers Vivian, and her friends, a chance to visit the library’s restricted book collection. Vivian, Mikhail, and Johnny all jump at the chance.

The restricted section is in the library’s basement, behind lock and key, and consists of several very large medieval texts, each of which are chained to shelves. Johnny gives the books a cursory inspection, planning to come back to study them more deeply later (possibly when no one else is there to stop him). Mikhail finds enough esoteric research and spellcraft materials to alter his Bless Blade spell and make it a Bless Ammunition spell. He also does some more research on the oft mentioned, but thankfully never seen, Hounds of Tindalos.

Vivian learns several bits of cultural and political importance from the upper library, as well as several pieces of interesting knowledge in the lower library. She discovers that As Safa is currently being used as a base by the Druze rebels and that it is the home to several strange archaeological features dating back to antiquity. Vivian also researches how to safely pass through the Umr at Tawil gateway, thereby reaching the Nameless City and avoiding the light emanating from it. She learns that this might require certain rituals, the blessing of the Keeper of the Key and the Gate, or similar.

Judge Putnam

The judge arranges to meet with Turki and offers him a contract if he will help the London Group on their trip to As Suwayda.  Turki agrees to the judge’s terms, but says that he will need some time to speak to his supervisors at the embassy and pack his things. He promises to return later on in the evening to accompany the group out of town.

While Judge Putnam is drawing up the contract for Turki, he is approached by a hotel manager and informed of Ron’s unpaid $100 (in 1926 dollars) phone bill. The Judge pays the bill, of course, but is privately livid at Ron. He also takes the opportunity to have the hotel manager call the sister hotel in As Suwayda and prepare rooms for their arrival.

Mikhail

When no one is looking, Mikhail sacrifices some of the chickens he bought the previous day and uses their blood to anoint six rounds of .45 caliber ammunition.

To As Suwayda

A Streetmap of As Suwayda

As night approaches and the desert cools, the London Group (along with Brother Theodore—now in civilian attire—and Turki Nazar) departs for the capital of Druze-controlled territory. Their trip is uneventful, and Turki is able to get them through the Druze checkpoint and into the city with little effort.

Driving into the city, the group spies battle damage caused by the ongoing conflict. They also note an Arabic phrase, which is whitewashed onto numerous buildings throughout the city. Johnny, unable to translate it with his fledgling Arabic, asks Turki what it means. Turki tells him it is, "Religion is for God, the fatherland is for all," which is the slogan of the Druze leader Sultan Pasha al-Atrash, who is much beloved and who is still directing the revolution after being forced to flee to the Transjordan. Certain turns of phrase he uses in describing al-Atrash, the rebels, and the revolution clue Vivian in that Turki is either a Druze or very sympathetic to their cause.

The London Group arrives at the hotel in As Suwayda and checks in. They rest and recuperate for the long day ahead of them.

April 6^th: Locating Palm Tree Studios

With the help of a hotel clerk and a walking map of As Suwayda, the group are able to locate the local office of Palm Tree Studios. Judge Putnam calls ahead to let Faram Tokamak know that they are in the area and on their way over. Faram is overjoyed at this.

The group, along with Brother Theodore and Turki, travel to the westernmost district of As Suwayda, where they find that the Hollywood studio has taken up residence in quite a few buildings in the area. While getting their bearings, they are approached by a very enthusiastic Liam, who greets Vivian loudly as he approaches the group.

Liam says that he likes Syria, but that he is kind of bored and restless and wants to go home. He says that Faram is trying to get checks cut for him and Archie Leech to go back to the States, but that there’s some “financial difficulty” that’s slowing down the whole process. Vivian informs Liam that if he wants to, he can talk to either her or Johnny about using a “special way” to be sent home. She does not elaborate, but she means the Gate Box Express. Liam thanks her.

A short time later, Liam realizes that Ron is with the group and is terrified. The group, especially Vivian, try to calm Liam down, with little success.

Liam directs the group over to Faram’s unimpressive office, where they meet the man himself and Marie, his cranky secretary who is very much over working for this ramshackle studio outfit. Marie is only just barely willing to follow Faram’s instructions, and rustles up several chairs, some stools, and a few packing cases for the group to seat themselves on. 

Departed Film Director Eric von Varnstein

Faram explains that he would very much like the London Group to investigate the issues plaguing the production of the film and Palm Tree Studios. He says that, due to financial constraints, he may not be able to pay them much, but he promises that he will pay them for their services. He also says that there are numerous Hollywood reporters sniffing around, trying to get any scoop at all on the troubled production, and requests that the group say nothing to these people. When the players agree, Faram gives them some details and answers their questions. Among them:

• The studio cannot seem to decide whether to pull up stakes and leave, or whether to keep shooting the movie. This is not helped by the fact that von Varnstein, the dead director, was an auteur and kept most of the details of the film tucked away in his head. The group asks if von Varnstein kept notes on the production. Faram says that he doesn’t know, but if von Varnstein did, and if they were found, they just might save the production.
• The film was coming in well under budget until problems began to plague the filming, including the death of von Varnstein. Faram says that the cost overruns now are due to housing and paying all the actors and production crew that aren’t working right now.
• The other troubles include several actors who quit abruptly and who had to be quickly (and expensively) replaced, as well as the mysterious death of an actress named Monika, who was apparently the picture’s female lead. Faram states that she jumped, or fell, from her third-floor balcony and died upon impact. Everyone initially suspected that this was an unfortunate accident. However, after discovering von Varnstein’s suicide, Faram is beginning to suspect that Monika may have killed herself as well.
• After Monika’s death, von Varnstein temporarily halted production and moved the cast and crew back to As Suwayda while he researched new methods to bring his vision to life. Faram doesn’t know what these new methods were, but suspects that the group could find evidence of his work in von Varnstein’s rooms.
• Faram confirms to the group that von Varnstein hung himself.
• Faram explains that the production site is very expensive and well made, consisting not only of sets, but also of dormitories for the cast and crew, a cafeteria, storage for equipment, and so on.
• As the meeting concludes, the group suggests that they visit von Varnstein’s rooms first. Faram presents them with a copy of a key to von Varnstein’s quarters and asks Liam to take the group over to where the cast and crew are staying in As Suwayda. Liam accepts.

The Mad Actor

It appears that the cast and crew of the production are staying in two adjacent buildings that are either former apartment buildings or hotels or similar. Liam leads toward the building that von Varnstein is staying at, rattling off facts about the cast, the crew, the city, the film, and similar.

Several members of the group notice a figure, clad in rags, crouching behind a nearby date palm. The figure leaps out at Liam as the young man passes by the tree, lunging at him with a sword. Judge Putnam deflects the sword blow with his cane, and the figure steps back, in stunned surprise.

Judge Putnam eventually recognizes this man as famed “swashbuckling” actor James Raven, though his current presentation—sunburned, wild-haired, filthy, dressed in rags—is a far cry from how the judge knows him from the silver screen.

James Raven, His Co-Star, and an Actress, In Better Times

Vivian notes that Raven’s sword is a movie prop, which would normally be blunted and buttoned for safety. She also notes that Raven has taken some time to sharpen this sword, turning it into a deadly weapon.

Raven raves at the group, telling them that he knows that they’re there to destroy his friends, and that he won’t let them do it. Realizing that he is confronted by superior numbers, however, he turns and runs for it rather than pressing his attack.

Ron pursues James Raven down an alley beside the cast and crew quarters, cornering him as Raven comes up against the alley’s dead end. Ron attempts to subdue Raven with a solid thump to the noggin, only to get stabbed in the leg in return.

As Ron steps back into a more defensive posture, Dr. Black and Mikhail come tearing into the alley.  Mikhail crosses blades with Raven, only to find that the mad actor’s dueling skills are far superior to his own. Mikhail fails back as Raven wounds him.

Dr. Black, desperately trying to deescalate the situation, Wracks Raven with a magical spell. Raven is immediately overcome and collapses in the alley, screaming. Ron picks up the convulsing actor and throws him over his shoulder as the rest of the group crowds into the alleyway.