Small's Paradise

[Ashuaps]

René Vézina
Sanity check vs SAN 59 [1d100]=56

René jumps out of the way of the undying Manusco and decides that while might have no qualm in search a dead body, searching a body that should be dead is a different matter.

"Mancuso?" he says aloud, wondering if the corpse retains intelligence despite the missing brain.

Thurston pauses only seconds for a response, then tries to escape the chaos by the back door.

"Come on Rene!"

René also waits for a moment to see if there's a reaction from Manusco and follow Thurston through the stage door.

"I've seen chickens run after having their head cut off but this is not normal...", he says as he gets through the door, "Please tell me it's an illusionist trick that you setup with Manusco and the bar staff and that if we go back, everyone is having a good laugh!", Rene adds in vain hope

[OGRE MAGE]

With the shooter already swept away towards the exit, Charles looks over the crazed crowd nearby, literally fighting and trampling each other to get through the front doors. He spots the mayors goons looking back towards the excitement as more people notice the carnage near the bar. He doesn't think he could fight the mass of bodies to get to the mayor, but sees a couple more of his fellow inside security men begin ushering the mayor and his people towards the back stage exit.

Calvin sees the obviously dead Manusco stir and sit up, his mind unable to comprehend what is actually happening at this moment. Sanity Check [1d100]=88 Sanity Loss [1d6]=4 This is why I prefer you make your own rolls when I ask for them.
He remains frozen in fear at the bar while everyone around him flees, his mouth hanging open and eyes bulged. All he can do is repeat the mantra "Dead Man Stomp" over and over again as he watches the zombie stand. (I will give you another San Check to snap out of it)

Thurston is both frightened and intrigued by the suddenly moving Manusco as the man rises from his chair, still swaying to the music. Initially thinking there might be some voodoo or other black magic at play here, the artist calls out the dead mans name loudly before suggesting they make their escape through the side door. Zombie Manusco suddenly flips the entire table over with unnatural strength, tossing it in the direction of the nearby wall. There is no indication that he heard his name being called, but the dead mans lips continue to mumble something that cant be heard over the panicking crowd. Listen Check, anyone?

Rene wisely backs away from the half headless zombie as it turns towards the fleeing crowd and starts shambling towards the exit with the other patrons. As the band on stage starts to notice the turmoil in the distance, a few of them stop playing their instruments. The businessman hopes this is some kind of trick from his magician friend, but the look on Thurston's grave face tells Rene that this is definitely no prank. Both men make their way around the flipped table, ready to flee through the side door into the dark hallway beyond.

Actions?

[Rex]

Charles

Seeing security dealing with the mayor snaps his attention back to the dead or was dead man. With no idea what to about the zombie he keeps his back to the bar so he is not swept away in the crowd and watches the zombie.

Listen (40) [1d100]=40

Occult (5) [1d100]=60

[Bluetongue]

Calvin Beauregard

Calvin Beauregard: Sanity check vs 70 wisdom [1d100]=33

Snaps out of it. Not sure if he wants to fight or flight. It is bizarre but something in the music keeps him interested. He wants to study if he can the way the zombie Manusco reacts to the playing.

He tries to follow the zombies attempts at speech. But the music is too loud.

Calvin Beauregard 'Listen skill check vs 40/20/8 [1d100]=82

[Grognardsw]

Thurston Listen [1d100]=13 Yes vs 20.

Thurston strains to hear the speech of the zombie and thinks he can make out its monstrous mouthings.

"I wish that this was all a trick!" Thruston replies to Rene as the pair run out to the back alley.

"Do you think there is any connection between the music and Mancuso becoming a zombie? Was he cursed? Did you find anything on him that is useful?"

"Let's circle around to the front and see if we can spot the murderer. We were the closest witnesses to see him."

[Ashuaps]

René Vézina
glish
René tries to figure out if h can understand what Manusco is saying. Is this English, Italian or something else, hopefully Manusco has learnt French now that he is undead. Listen check vs 60/30/12 [1d100]=34

"The music, the bullet, the gun, the drinks, I'd like to understand" he answers to Thurston. "Let's se what's back there and if there's a way round then", he adds as he follow Thurston through the backstage door.

[OGRE MAGE]

Charles strains to hear the mumblings of the now monstrous Manusco, as do Thurston and René before they flee the scene. It seems to be repeating a single name over and over again. “Joeeeeey…..Joeeeeey……Joeeeeeey……”

Calvin and Charles watch the zombie walk towards the exit and get caught up in the mass of patrons rushing out of the building. Getting sucked into the mob, the walking dead Manusco is pulled along through the doors and out towards the steps. Calvin turns his attention to the band, but they have completely stopped playing by this point and are gathering their instruments together, prepared to flee backstage.

Charles sees Thurston and René leave the room through the side door, knowing it is against house rules for patrons to be back there. The pair rush down a long dark hallway with a few doors before getting to a corner. At the end of another long hall is a rear exit that several people are hurrying through from backstage. An old black man carrying a wet stringy mop in one hand is startled half to death as you nearly run him over when you round the corner. “Hey! Y’all ain’t supposed ta be back here! And just where the heck’s everyone running off to, anyway?”

Actions?

[Bluetongue]

Calvin Beauregard

Will follow the crowd out, not least to retrieve his camera case and will try to get a shot, using camera not gun, of the zombie Manusco and hopefully the mayor in the same frame.

[Rex]

Charles

Charles will follow Thurston and René. Trying to see where they are going.

[Ashuaps]

René Vézina

René stops to talk to the janitor knowing that these invisible people are often a great source of information

"Ah, sorry about that. I didn't mean to startle you. There's a general panic in the bar. A man came out of the backstage door and shot a patron, an Italian fellow named Manusco, maybe you knew of him? And now very weird things are happening and everyone is running scared." he tells the janitor looking for a reaction but judging it better not to be explicit about a dead man walking and mumbling, "Were you in here a few minutes ago? Did you see a nasty looking man with a heavy coat acting suspiciously?" he continues while keeping a look behind to make sure nothing scary is coming down the corridor that would require making a hasty exit.

[Grognardsw]

"Is there a guy by the name of Joey who works here?" Thurston asks the janitor on the way out.

[OGRE MAGE]

Calvin moves along with the gathering mob intent on leaving the club, hoping he can get to his camera to get a shot of the walking dead Manusco, and the mayor, if he is lucky. He watches as the zombified fat man continues being ushered along within the pack of fleeing patrons. When the monster gets to the stairs, his body is trampled to the ground a few times as the frightened people try to escape up the steps. When the hack reporter gets to the coat check, the cute young girl behind the counter who took his camera looks terrified. "What......what has happened in there? Why is everyone......AAAHHHHHH!!!! What the hell is THAT?" She sees the nearly headless form of Manusco getting kicked and dragged along, up the stairs towards the street outside.

Charles quickly catches up with Thurston and Rene at the corner in the back hallway. He sees the duo talking to the night janitor, a kind old man who the staff affectionately calls Hoover. The old black man answers Rene and Thurston as honestly as he can, knowing that security has arrived to take care of these back-room trespassers if they get out of hand. "No sirs! Dont know anyone workin here named Joey. Dont know nobody named Manusco either, but if someone was shot, I best go clean up the mess."

When Charles arrives, he appears somewhat relieved. "Oh, hey mister Harper. Good to see you. Yes, I did see a strange looking rat faced man with a heavy overcoat walking through here a short time ago. I asked him his business and he told me he was with the mayors security team. He didn't look like the politician type to me though, and when the mayor was rushed out the back way a few minutes ago, he weren't with that group."

"If there is nothin else, I best get to cleanin......hey, what'd you mean by weird things happening? What kinda weird things?" The white haired man reaches under his uniform shirt and rubs a small charm attached to a thin silver chain he wears around his neck. The last few folks from the mayors security team can be seen leaving through the back door at the end of the long hallway.

[Rex]

Charles

"Thanks Hoover, you best head upstairs and clean up." He files away the info for later. Turning to the other 2.

"Who are you and what were you doing with the Italian?"

[Grognardsw]

"I am Howard Thurston, stage magician," says Thurston quickly, handing Charles his business card. "Just visiting. I was introduced to Mancuso just tonight. I'll be right back."

He dashes off outside and to the front of the building to see if he can spot the gun-man who killed Mancuso. The memory of the man is imprinted on Thurston's brain. If he spots him, he'll follow. If not, he returns to the back of the club.

[Bluetongue]

Calvin Beauregard

Takes as many quick fire snaps as his camera kit allows, trying to focus on the now headless but still walking and stomping dead man.

Where is the head? Must get a picture of that.

[Ashuaps]

René Vézina

"Thanks for your help", René tells Hoover "You wouldn't have a cloth or a towel I can borrow to clean this mess up?" he asks pointing at his blood covered suit.

"Who are you and what were you doing with the Italian?"

"I am Howard Thurston, stage magician," says Thurston quickly, handing Charles his business card. "Just visiting. I was introduced to Mancuso just tonight. I'll be right back."

René turns towards the aggressive newcomer and says "Ben t'es qui toi et pourquoi c'est de tes affaires?" before following Thurston out of the door.

[OGRE MAGE]

With security now on the scene in the dimly lit back hallway, Hoover finally feels safe enough to get closer to the pair of intruders, suddenly noticing that they are both splattered in blood. “Lord have mercy! Would you look at that! Are either of you hurt?” He pulls a well used rag from his pocket and hands it to René before being dismissed by the security guard.

When Charles asks the men who they are, Thurston hands him a business card, while René returns the question in his native tongue. The pair take off towards the back exit where the last of the mayors entourage are jumping into long shiny black cars and driving out of the back alley in a hurry. Charles follows the pair, seeing his security manager just inside the door, ushering out members of the band next. “Charles! Are you alright, man? Did you see what happened in there? Who were those two men with you?”

Calvin finally urges his camera case back from the coat check girl and follows the lumbering crowd up the stairs. Once outside again, the reporter sees people scattering in every direction. Walking dead Manusco shambles out into the street, still mumbling the name “Joey” as he flails around aimlessly to the shrieks of anyone nearby. The corpse stumbles over the curb, lands face first in the street, and is subsequently run over by a passing car with a terrified driver. The dead form of Manusco doesn’t move again.

The bloodied duo in ruined suits rush to the front of the building just in time to see a short man they believe to have been the shooter hop into the back of a grey colored Packard that quickly accelerates up the crowded street away from the grisly scene. They notice a dead body laying face down in the street as Calvin stands over it taking photos with his giant camera. A distant siren can be barely be heard growing louder over the dissipating crowd.

Actions?

[Grognardsw]

Thurston looks at the retreating car's license plate and repeats the numbers until he gets a pen out and writes it down.

Looking at the chaos in the street, the confusion and lack of incriminating alcoholic evidence, Thurston decides it's safe to talk to the police.

"The trigger man dusted off in that car," says Thurston to Rene. "I have the license plate. Let's give it to the police, tell them what happened, and be done with this scene."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_r ... f_New_York
The U.S. state of New York was the first to require its residents to register their motor vehicles, in 1901. Registrants provided their own license plates for display, featuring their initials until 1903 and numbers thereafter, until the state began to issue plates in 1910.

[Rex]

Charlie

"Yes a good idea with the plates. I am Charlie, I work security here. Did you get a good look at the hit man?"

[Bluetongue]

Calvin Beauregard

Thinks it is probably best not to stick around. He looks around catching sight of his companions.

He will go to the back alley and see if the trumpeter is about, convinced that the musician will know more about the evening shenanigans if he can get him to talk.