C.M. Simpson's Blog, page 137

Babes in London: Act Three, Scene 2A (Part 3: Follow-up LN7—After the Conversation)

WHERE TO NEXT?


Once their conversation with Mark is over, PCs have the following options (if they have not already taken them):
try to find mythological references to red boars. Go to Act 3, Scene 3A – Follow-up (Library Investigation); Act 3, Scene 3B – Follow-up (University Investigation); OR Act 3, Scene 3C – Follow-up (Museum Investigation), whichever is appropriate. try to find out what the symbol on the disc and the Red Boars means – without going to Emblae or the Fae of Haverhill. Go to Act 3, Scene 3A – Follow-up (Library Investigation); Act 3, Scene 3B – Follow-up (University Investigation); OR Act 3, Scene 3C – Follow-up (Museum Investigation), whichever is appropriate. go to Emblae (if they have played The Fire Within) to find out what the symbol on the disc and the Red Boars means – in which case the faery identifies the creatures as the Red Boars of Set and gives them the information listed on pp. 36-37;go to the Fae of Haverhill (if they have played The Fire Within) to find out what the symbol on the disc and the Red Boars means in which case PCs receive the information on p. 37 contact the Gehenna Consortium if they wish to ignore Mark’s warning, go to Act 3, Scene 2B – Follow-up (Gehenna Consortium).
If PCs have completed the above options, or don’t wish to complete them, they may want to visit Tenson’s Place. In which case, go to Act 4, Scene 1 – Anika’s Refuge.

NOTE: This adventure is not sanctioned in any way, shape or form by Fantasy Flight. It is not an official product, and I am in no way affiliated with them or they with me. There is no relationship between us. This adventure is mine, for fun, and for you, because some of you asked me to finish it.

Also, if you like this adventure and want to play it, please go buy the official rulebooks from somewhere where the original creators and publisher of the setting will be paid. I got mine from a Melbourne game store, but I’ve found PDF versions of the Player's Handbook and the Gamemaster's Handbook are now available from DriveThruFiction. If you enjoy their world, this is the best way to thank them.

Babes in London: Act Three, Scene 2A (Part 2: Follow-up LN7—Ending the Conversation & Notes)

ONCE THE PCS HAVE TOLD ALL THEY’RE GOING TO TELL:
There is a moment of silence as Maria considers what you have told her. Finally, she leans forward and says: “Okay, up until now you’ve been on a kind of probation, but now we need you to find these girls and we need you to find them fast. And since they don’t know who you are – or who we are – there are a couple of things you really ought to know. About a year ago, a group of paedophiles tried a snatch on the pair in that park where you first met them. They failed. Two grown-ups from a particularly nasty background and they were found bailed up in the toilet block, petrified of two little girls. You need to be particularly careful when dealing with the pair; don’t frighten them and don’t make them feel the need to defend themselves. All those weird things that have been happening lately aren’t just rumour; some of them are real – and these two little girls, whether they realize it or not, are a part of it. We think there are other elements, incredibly nasty elements, of that weirdness after them, and we’d like to find them first. We think they can help us, once they’ve grown up, but we don’t think they’re going to get to grow up if we don’t help them first. And that includes protecting their family. You should also know that we think the girls are part of a group of about five children, but they’re the only two we’ve managed to identify, so if you find any more children that they seem to be friends with, bring them all in. And be careful. Those of us who can see such things have had visions. Something is after these kids and it isn’t very nice.”
IF THE PCS HAVE TOLD MARIA THAT THEY ARE REINCARNATED DRAGONS:
Add this section if the PCs have told Maria they are reincarnated dragons, and she believes them:
She takes a breath and nods as though coming to a decision: “You’re dragons, so you say.” She waves down your protest. “I believe you. And because you are what you are I am authorized to tell you that these girls are dragons too. We can’t tell what brood, but we think there are about five of them, and we don’t think they’ve found each other yet. That’s our job – one we may also need your help with, once we get the girls back and safe. As I said, something big is after them and you need to get to them first.”
NOTES ON THE DISCUSSION:
Mark will assure the PCs that his company has every intention of protecting the children’s families. He won’t reveal anything more of LN7 except that they’re responsible for protecting people from the ‘worst kinds of weirdness that’s happening’. He won’t put the PCs on the pay roll. He will, if asked, tell the PCs of other organizations who know of the ‘weirdness’ and will mention the Gehenna Consortium specifically, warning the PCs of his suspicions that the Consortium only wishes to utilize the weirdness for its own profit and that it doesn’t care for the safety of the community at large, which is the focus of his company. He says that the PCs shouldn’t have any dealings with the Consortium and that, if they do have any current dealings with them, LN7 will overlook it, but only if the PCs cease these dealings now. If the PCs continue to deal with the Consortium, he warns them LN7 will no longer be able to have any contact with them, and withdraws any help or privileges he has so far extended.

NOTE: This adventure is not sanctioned in any way, shape or form by Fantasy Flight. It is not an official product, and I am in no way affiliated with them or they with me. There is no relationship between us. This adventure is mine, for fun, and for you, because some of you asked me to finish it.

Also, if you like this adventure and want to play it, please go buy the official rulebooks from somewhere where the original creators and publisher of the setting will be paid. I got mine from a Melbourne game store, but I’ve found PDF versions of the Player's Handbook and the Gamemaster's Handbook are now available from DriveThruFiction. If you enjoy their world, this is the best way to thank them.

Progress Report: Week 1, July 2017

This last week has been busy. On Monday, I finally finished the Print-on-Demand edit and format for Ellie Moonwater’s July release, The Contract.On Tuesday, I had The Contract up for pre-order on all my usual distribution channels. On Wednesday, I took some time out to spend time with my little one, and we went dinosaur-spotting in the Australian National Botanic Gardens, which was a lot of fun, but left me with only 10,000 words of editing to show for the day—it was worth it!
 






On Thursday, I caught up on social media, including a little blogging, and followed that with taking the podling for a short walk to a playground. On the way, I did a very quick check on my ability to join Pokemongo raids, and found I still couldn’t, so I blogged that on the way home. I wound the day up by starting the edits on Freeman’s Choice . On Friday, I did more editing, and on Saturday, I completed the cover in preparation for final formatting, which I started.Now, I have a better idea of what I can do during a week.

Week 1, July 2017: Progress
New words produced: 4,207Outlines and Notes: 1,444Works completed: 0Works edited: 1 ( Freeman’s Choice )Covers created: 1 ( Freeman’s Choice )Works published: 1 (Ellie Moonwater’s The Contract )Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 1,314University Prep and Assignments: N/A
Writing News
Last week saw the completion of the following priorities I set last week: the final format, edit, and upload of Ellie Moonwater’s The Contract, the final pre-format edit of Freeman’s Choice . I managed to start the CreateSpace format of Freeman’s Choice , but only reached the final layout for the fifth chapter. More editing occurred along the way, as the format process highlighted some words that needed smoothing. In addition, I remembered I needed to finish the Freeman’s Choice cover so I could put the artist credits in the front matter, so that ate a few more hours, but was finalised on Saturday.

 June-July Challenge: Babes in London
Last week saw me completely focussed on catching up the publishing schedule. I really need to get that in place before I go back to university—and then I’ll keep going with this.

Ingress Updates
Last week’s Ingress consisted of minimal hacking, while I focussed on getting my publishing in line—just out and back in ten- to twenty-minute walks, but it’s school holidays and I had a family trip to the Australian National Botanic Gardens to check out some dinosaurs, and did some incidental capture and deployment to bring down the number of items I had in store. Maintaining the Sojourner’s streak becomes very difficult when you bag is too full for you to hack—also when the temperatures hit sub-zero, or even just below a nice ten degrees C.

PokemonGo Updates
Last week’s PokemonGo consisted of the minimum spins and catches, due to the amount of editing I needed to do, but I did encounter an increased number of pikachu in the Botanic Gardens when I was there, which was fun, and helped a lot with the candy supply. I guess the little beggars will do anything for a thrill, and the idea of playing with velociraptors was a bit of a drawcard for them—because I didn’t see another one until the birthday event started, and those kids had back-to-front baseball caps on their heads.

Other News

In addition to everything else, I realised my limit on languages for the time being had to be three—and I had to go back to working German and Russian separately as I just don’t have the grammar to be able to switch between them. I can still translate both into Indonesian, though, so that language gets a bit of an extra workout when I can find the time to study them.
My fitness program was cut back to bare bones, as well, as the production schedule is in dire straits.

Priorities for Week 2, July 2017
This week’s priorities are as follows:
Prepare Freeman’s Choice for Print-on-Demand publication via CreateSpace;Prepare and deliver Freeman’s Choice to all ebook platforms for pre-order;Begin final edit and format for C.M. Simpson: Short Works from 2014, Volume 3 (Fantasy & Urban Fantasy).

Babes in London: Act Three, Scene 2A (Part 1: Follow-up LN7—Main Conversation)

SCENE 2A: FOLLOW-UP (LN7)


It takes an hour or so, but in the end you find them. The dolphin-shirt-wearing dog girl is in the same café as before, and this time she has given the dog something quieter to chew. Strangely enough, you notice that the café’s curtains are drawn shortly after you arrive, and the ‘OPEN’ sign flipped to ‘CLOSED’. “What is it you had to tell me?” she asks as the shop assistant disappears into the café’s kitchen, closing the door behind them.
We think Anika’s parents have been kidnapped:
The LN7 agent takes this seriously and has PCs describe their reasoning as fully as possible. They don’t know what is special about Anika, but they do know that she is – and don’t want anything upsetting her. Having to explain to her that her parents have disappeared could lead to difficulties in gaining the child’s cooperation that they would rather avoid. On the other hand… When the PCs have completed their explanation, Agent Maria Ambersides, tasks them with finding the girls’ parents as soon as possible and offers a bonus of £500 if they are able to retrieve Anika’s mum and dad alive.
Someone tried to kidnap Leyila’s parents:
This is another piece of news that LN7 did not want to hear, and for much the same reasons they did not want to hear that Anika’s parents were kidnapped. Again, the agent extracts as full a report as she can from PCs before tasking them with finding out as much as they can about the Setites. She is evasive on what their reward will be, telling PCs it depends on how important her organization considers the information. If the PCs push for a base-line price, she is willing to offer £100 for the investigation, and then additional depending on the value of the information.
Showing Anika’s Book of Law or Leyila’s Book of Songs:
Maria’s eyes light up and she mutters: ‘Are you seeing this?’ to himself. ‘May I?’ she asks, reaching towards the book, ‘I’d just like to look.’
If PCs allow her to look, she takes her time, turning the pages slowly, all her attention focused on the book in her hands. PCs have to speak to her twice in order to get her attention. She asks if they would be willing to donate the book to her organization’s library in exchange for access to the other books. (She will buy it if necessary for £1,000 and, in fact, makes the offer of purchase if PCs appear to be even the least bit hesitant.) If PCs agree to either donating or selling the book, they are granted Access to LN7’s Library Assistance.
Showing the disc:
“Well, I never.”
Maria has not encountered the Setites before, either as a recorded cult, or in the flesh, so to speak. She draws out all the information she can from the PCs encounters with the Setites and quickly comes to the conclusion that the Setites are another threat to add to LN7’s list.
Looking at the disk, she mutters: “And you say you have no idea who these people are?”
If PCs have not been to the library/museum or whatever, then Maria directs them to either the librarian or the archaeologist at the museum. She also obtains authorization to pay the PCs a £500 bonus for any further information they might find on the group behind the disk.
Setites are behind the kidnapping of the parents:
“Who?”
Neither Maria or LN7 have heard of the Setites, but both are very interested in finding out who this new possible threat might be. Maria gains authorization to offer the PCs a £500 bonus for any information they can glean on this group. There is an air of suppressed urgency behind her request, but only because the threat is unknown and she knows her LN7 masters will want to be up to speed as quickly as possible.
Revealing the PCs draconic heritage/incarnation:
“You’re sure?” Maria asks, her lips twitching. “You’re not related to werewolves?”
She is fishing for proof. Faced with the PCs’ indignation, wrath, or proof behind their claim, she restrains her anxiety and excitement and states the PCs’ heritage places them in a better position for finding the children. She is interested in this tidbit, however, and is sure LN7 is interested as well, so, after the children are found and brought to safety she would like to meet with the PCs again and discuss their unusual heritage. It’s possible the people she represents will be interested in employing people of the PCs’ rare talents.
Someone tried to kidnap the artist David Markovin:
“The fellow that paints the unicorns?”
This interests LN7 very much. They are aware of the supernatural influence behind David’s unicorn paintings, but not of what it might be. They would like more influence on the group behind the kidnap attempt so they can discover the reason behind the attempt. In the meantime, they put a watch on the artist (an unofficial protection team).
Setites are behind the kidnapping/kidnap attempt on the artist David Markovin:
“I haven’t heard of this group before. What can you tell me about them?”
With LN7 aware of the supernatural influence behind David’s unicorn paintings, Mark wants to find out everything she can about any group that would go to the length of kidnapping the artist. Such a group might prove a threat to LN7 and the populace of London in general. She gains authorization to offer the PCs a £500 bonus to find out more about the Setites.
Revealing what happened when PCs investigated the disc at the library, museum or university:
This interests Maria almost as much as hearing about the Setites as it alerts her to another resource that might not be in LN7’s libraries, as well as giving her another person on whose skills the group can call. She is authorized to offer further payments for any other information along these lines that they PCs are able to obtain. (£50 for all information with the possibility of bonuses depending on how its value might be perceived by the company at the time it is offered.)

NOTE: This adventure is not sanctioned in any way, shape or form by Fantasy Flight. It is not an official product, and I am in no way affiliated with them or they with me. There is no relationship between us. This adventure is mine, for fun, and for you, because some of you asked me to finish it.

Also, if you like this adventure and want to play it, please go buy the official rulebooks from somewhere where the original creators and publisher of the setting will be paid. I got mine from a Melbourne game store, but I’ve found PDF versions of the Player's Handbook and the Gamemaster's Handbook are now available from DriveThruFiction. If you enjoy their world, this is the best way to thank them.

New Cover: Freeman's Choice

Okay, so this one makes me nervous, just because it's taken so long to get to this point. Here's the cover for my science-fiction-fantasy novel, Freeman's Choice , which is due for release in August.



When Lorellan Cartwright finds buying back the woman he loves an impossible task, he promptly steals her away, but escaping from the criminally minded third duke of Aristoc and reaching a place of safety are two very different things. And stealing from the duke embroils Lorellan and Megan in the politics of crime lords, long forgotten races of fantasy, aliens and interstellar law enforcement. Can they escape the tangled webs woven by others and find refuge? Or will they join the ranks of those who tried before and failed?

Babes in London: Act Three, Scene 1B (Part 2: Attack on the Artist—Aftermath)

SCENE 1B: ATTACK ON THE ARTIST


Aftermath

Once the Setites have been defeated or driven off, PCs can obtain directions from David Markovin to the mansion in the picture. It is known as Tenson’s Place. (Go to Act 4, Scene 1.) If either David Markovin or the PCs are captured the following modifications are needed:
If David is captured and taken away, but the PCs are able to fend off the Setites, then the Setites take the artist back to their temple and, after discovering the scene where the unicorn picture was painted, use his entrails as a source of divination. PCs do not get the ‘Modern Reward: Friend of the Artist David Markovin.’If David and the PCs are captured and taken away, go to Act 4, Scene 3: Seek & Ye Shall Find. You will need to modify the action in this scene to reflect that the PCs have been captured and have not found the cultists temple through their own investigations; a sidebar is provided.
PCs may wish to delay going to Tenson’s Place in favour of one, or more of the following options:
try to find mythological references to red boars. Go to Act 3, Scene 3A – Follow-up (Library Investigation); Act 3, Scene 3B – Follow-up (University Investigation); OR Act 3, Scene 3C – Follow-up (Museum Investigation), whichever is appropriate; try to find out what the symbol on the disc and the Red Boars means – without going to Emblae or the Fae of Haverhill. Go to Act 3, Scene 3A – Follow-up (Library Investigation); Act 3, Scene 3B – Follow-up (University Investigation); OR Act 3, Scene 3C – Follow-up (Museum Investigation), whichever is appropriate; go to Emblae (if they have played The Fire Within) to find out what the symbol on the disc and the Red Boars means – in which case the faery identifies the creatures as the Red Boars of Set and gives them the information listed on pp. 36-37; go to the Fae of Haverhill (if they have played The Fire Within) to find out what the symbol on the disc and the Red Boars means in which case PCs receive the information on p. 37 contact allies in LN7, go to Act 3, Scene 2A – Follow-up (LN7); contact the Gehenna Consortium, go to Act 3, Scene 2B – Follow-up (Gehenna Consortium).NOTE: This adventure is not sanctioned in any way, shape or form by Fantasy Flight. It is not an official product, and I am in no way affiliated with them or they with me. There is no relationship between us. This adventure is mine, for fun, and for you, because some of you asked me to finish it.

Also, if you like this adventure and want to play it, please go buy the official rulebooks from somewhere where the original creators and publisher of the setting will be paid. I got mine from a Melbourne game store, but I’ve found PDF versions of the Player's Handbook and the Gamemaster's Handbook are now available from DriveThruFiction. If you enjoy their world, this is the best way to thank them.


 

PokemonGo: Raid Woes Continue, but Niantic is Working on it

Last week, I said I couldn’t access raids at gyms. As of yesterday, I was stillhaving trouble, but I was still happy to discover that Niantic is onto the problem, so I’m hopeful the issues I’m having will be resolved over time. Yesterday’s experiment involved trying to join the raid towards the end of the time period, so I can now safely say that none of the following affect my ability to join raids:

Automatic time and date (already set);Staying in range of the Gym;Leaving the Gym, then moving out of the range of the Gym and then back into it, and rejoining the raid;Internet connection; (no problems with this at the time);Version of PokemonGo (the app is up to date);Uninstalling PokemonGo, and reinstalling the game from scratch (and turning off the phone in between);Closing and reopening PokemonGo, either by minimising it, or by turning the application off, and then opening it as a fresh instance;Trying a different raid location;Raiding alone;Raiding with a friend;Raiding at a different time of day.

I have noticed that each new raid has an option to ‘Rejoin’ the raid, even when I haven’t started participating yet, and that the annotation ‘Private Group’ still appears when I open the Gym and a raid is on. When I was trying raids with a friend, he noted that he could see me in the raid, for the nano-second or so it took for the red “Error” banner to appear, and then I was gone, again.
I’m thinking it’s just a matter of time before it’s resolved and I just need to wait it out.
If you, too, are encountering raid issues, you can find more information, and check out the Niantic team’s progress addressing this issue at the following links:
http://www.pokemongolive.com/en/post/raidshttps://support.pokemongo.nianticlabs.com/hc/en-us/articles/115009035507https://support.pokemongo.nianticlabs.com/hc/en-us/articles/221958208https://support.pokemongo.nianticlabs.com/hc/en-us/articles/115009035507
In the meantime, these are the screenshots from my latest attempt:




 

Babes in London: Act Three, Scene 1B (Part 1: Attack on the Artist—The Action)

SCENE 1B: ATTACK ON THE ARTIST

“The sketches!” Markovin cries as he disappears back into the studio. Following him, you see him disappear through a door leading into a large office. A steel set of map drawers takes up one wall and you catch a glimpse of a desk and bookshelves along another and a window at one end. What really catches your attention, however, are the two dark figures going through a filing cabinet, while the third is pulling open a drawer labeled: ‘Unicorn Dreaming’. “What do you think you’re doing?” Markovin roars.
Have the PCs roll for initiative. If they beat the artist, they have time to grab him before he charges the Setite nearest the map drawer. The Setites, of course, attack.
Markovin’s Tactics: Short of stopping these dark-clad strangers from getting to his precious sketches, David hasn’t thought what he is going to do once he has their attention. He tries to grapple with opponent/s in order to push them away from the map drawers, and then out the door. He will, if the opportunity arises, pursue any intruder through the studio, throwing whatever comes to hand – paint brushes, palettes, water jars and so forth.
Setite Tactics: The Setites have come to discover where the unicorn painting was painted. They have not overheard the conversation with the PCs. Noticing that David was busy, they moved through the studio and into the office and tried to discover the painting’s history without disturbing the artist. They figure they can always come back and kidnap him, later, when he’s on his own. However, now that they have been disturbed, they attempt to grab the artist and flee with him. Any PC looking out the window notices the gate to the back garden is open, and a white mini-van stands beyond a gate in the tall wooden fence between the house and the street. On the second round, three more assassins enter the artist’s studio. At the sound of David’s cry, they come through into the office, and join the melee. The assassins only use deadly force if they have to, preferring to try and sneak up on the fight in the office and dart the PCs and David with tranquillizers. Unless they are keeping watch, PCs must make an opposed Air (Senses) TH4 test to catch sight of the Setites sneaking up.
Mischief and Malady: Mischief sneaks up the stairs to see what is going on and then back downstairs to call the police. Malady was having a long, hot soak and has come out in a bathrobe to see what the ruckus is about. She watches the battle until she is noticed by one of the Setites, when she attempts to flee back through the kitchen to her private quarters in the hope of locking them out while she calls the police. (One of the Setites pursues and attempt to subdue her with a tranquilizer dart.)

NOTE: This adventure is not sanctioned in any way, shape or form by Fantasy Flight. It is not an official product, and I am in no way affiliated with them or they with me. There is no relationship between us. This adventure is mine, for fun, and for you, because some of you asked me to finish it.

Also, if you like this adventure and want to play it, please go buy the official rulebooks from somewhere where the original creators and publisher of the setting will be paid. I got mine from a Melbourne game store, but I’ve found PDF versions of the Player's Handbook and the Gamemaster's Handbook are now available from DriveThruFiction. If you enjoy their world, this is the best way to thank them.

Progress Report: Week 5, June 2017

This report is later than it should be, but here you go, anyway. Last week, I continued to work on being more disciplined about my writing, and added walking back into the routine. I also tried to be a bit more pro-active about blogging, prepping a couple more Writing Life entries, writing two poems and two pieces of flash a day, and trying to work through the priority list without dropping the ball on my RPG project. It hasn’t been easy, I can tell you, and I’m afraid Babes suffered for it, but progress was still made.
 
Week 5 Progress
New words produced: 27,605Outlines and Notes: 0Works completed: 19 (7 poems, 12 flash fiction)Works edited: 1 (Ellie’s novella)Covers created: 0Works published: 0Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 880University Prep and Assignments: N/A
I looked back over June, which was a bit disjointed as I tried to get myself together, and this is what I found I’d managed:
 

Overall Progress for June 2017
New words produced: 73,277Outlines and Notes: 1,281Works completed: (1 YA novel, 30 poems, 17 flash fiction)Works edited: 0Covers created: 0Works published: 0Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 1,281University Prep and Assignments: N/A
Writing News
Last week saw the release of Just a Dinosaur, my dark urban fantasy, maybe science fiction, short story set in the Australian bush.

The legends hinted at some kind of dinosaur. Oliver hoped it was a new species, and he had Nate believing him. Together, they hope to circumvent the prohibitions of intruding on a sacred site, to prove the creature existed—and all without their boss, and Nate’s lover, finding out. What exactly lies behind the legends—and, more importantly, will they be able to reveal it to the world?
While I didn’t manage the two poems and two pieces of flash, early in the week, but worked it out about half-way through. I also increased the flash to three pieces a day in order to bring those projects back on track. The same went for work on Babes ; I struggled to fit it in until about Wednesday, when I caught on to doing these little bits and pieces first thing in the morning—otherwise I’d get my teeth into the bigger projects and just not get back to them.
You might have also noticed that I’ve started to put up blog pieces more regularly (and I don’t mean just the entries for Babes , which will stop when that project reaches its completion). It’s something I’ve been trying to do for a while, so I’ve added it into the bits ‘n/ bobs part of the day.In addition to that, I also managed to complete my 10,000 words, continue Babes , continue a daily walk habit, chase Ellie for her January novella, and write 2 pieces of flash and poetry a day.
June-July Challenge: Babes in London
Last week saw me get this project back on track in spite of the changes I’ve been making to my daily routine. This hasn’t worked so well, with July deadlines now past due, and August deadlines looming, but I started on Act 4 and realised I’d have to complete the Act by July 21 so I could add in the Preparation sections. This week I completed the first flashback scene, and the first modern day interaction scene, adding only about 2,000 words.





Ingress Updates
This week’s Ingress consisted of lots of walking as I focussed on getting back into walking, and writing some consistent hours. Many fields were cast in the early part of this week, and a number of Enlightened agents were kind enough to take them down, again, so I had something to do the next day… they did stop doing this for me, part-way during the week, though, so I was forced to go farther afield as the week progressed – and then I had to stop as Life happened, and the Enlightened really started taking back their ground. <sigh> Well, at least I have something to do for next week.
Here's a shot of the view at one of the locations I was able to visit last week. It's winter here in Oz, so the trees are a bit bare, and the sunshine's deceptive, but it was a beautiful day, nonetheless.

PokemonGo Updates
This week’s PokemonGo continued where last week had left off. I continued exploring the new systems Niantic had put in place, and found I quite liked them. I also discovered just how much fun it was to be able to hatch more than one pokemon at a time—thanks to the limited-use incubators you get when you hit Level 30. I’m wondering how many gyms I need to hold, and for how long, to keep myself in incubators. 10k eggs, and an extra incubator, notwithstanding, I did, however, run out of extra incubators by Thursday. It was a lot of fun while it lasted, though.
Medals earned this week include the bronze level of Berry Master, the silver level of Gym Defender, and the gold level of Johto, thanks to a newly evolved Ursaring.


This week's new addition to the Johto and Kanto pokedexes were both evolutions. Here they are:




















 

I was pretty disappointed, however, with not being able to participate in local raids, due to some kind of glitch, which I blogged about earlier. However, Niantic is aware of the problem, and is working on it, as can be found HERE.
Other News
In addition to everything else, I tried to get back into languages, but this is going to be a bit sporadic. I’ve started learning German, but I’m working through the activities in Indonesian, Russian, and French as I go, and this slows things down somewhat--although, it does allow me to consolidate the vocabulary across the four, and allows me to compare differences in grammar as I go.
Priorities for Week 1, July 2017
This week’s priorities are as follows:

Prepare Ellie’s novella, The Contract for Print-on-Demand via CreateSpace;Put Ellie’s novella, The Contract up for pre-order;Edit my science fiction-fantasy novel, Freeman’s Choice;Format the CreateSpace version for Freeman’s Choice;Publish Freeman’s Choice for pre-order, prior to its August release;Begin final edit and format for C.M. Simpson: Short Works from 2014 and 2015, Volume 3

Babes in London: Act Three, Scene 1A (Part 2: Meeting the Artist—Continued)

SCENE 1A: MEETING THE ARTIST

Give the PCs time to interact. Mischief returns to the downstairs gallery as soon as David thanks her, and they are left in private to talk. When they start asking questions about the painting, David guides them to a room at the rear of the second floor : “This way,” he says. “This is my break time and I need a cup of tea. Malady will be almost ready for us. She said I might have visitors today.” Before you can protest, or ask who Malady is, he leads you towards the back of the room and through a door to a cosy, if somewhat small, dining room. A tall woman, dressed incongruously in yellow, blue and green greets you with a small smile. “Ah, Malady,” David says. “You were correct. We have guests for tea.” Once she serves a traditional tea, Malady steps back and takes off her apron. “If it’s all the same with you, Mr Markovin,” she says, “I’m going off for a few hours. You can ring if you need me.” Her hand rests beside a silver bell mounted on the wall beside the kitchen door, and then she turns and walks back into what has to be the kitchen. “Now,” David says, turning to you, “What was it you wanted to know?”
Allow the PCs a short time to interact with David before the Setites attack. They are able to discover the following information:
Where did the idea for the painting come from?“It moves, you know. It was the first in the unicorn series. I painted it after weeks of trying to get the image out of my head. They came in my dreams, you know – the unicorn maid and her beast. Wouldn’t take no for an answer. Night after night after night” he seems almost in tears. “Some say I shouldn’t complain; it defined my career, but it still worries me. Once I had painted her, she never visited me again. Funny you should ask about that painting, though. You’ve got to be the third lot who’ve come through wanting more information.”
Who else has been asking about the painting?“Well, it’s been more about the print. Where did I sell it? Who did I sell the painting to? Where was it painted? You know, all the usual types of questions. Guys in suits – not the usual type of documentary makers at all… Brought a film crew and all, they did. Then there were the ‘men in black’ – I gave those creeps the brush off.”
Who bought the unicorn print:“Any one of two hundred and fifty people,” David replies. “It sold out within a week of production, and there’s been demand for it ever since, but I haven’t reprinted it – I never do. One painting, two hundred and fifty prints, and no more; it’s what keeps my work valuable.
Where was it painted?“There’s a mansion, you know? One of those places the public can visit. Beautiful gardens, absolutely lovely. Kept up by some private gardening supplier – I can’t remember his name but I guess he does it for the free advertising. Anyway, I knew of it from my student days. It’s got this oak tree, and a small stand of birch, and one of the best camellia gardens I’ve ever seen. I did the painting in early autumn, just as the leaves were turning. There’s a beautiful contrast in color then.
Can you tell us the name of the mansion?Tenson’s Place. It’s quite a way from here, more to the south although Heaven knows what it’s doing there. Maybe it was some sort of hospital or monastery. I’m not sure; I didn’t pay much attention to its history, I was just after the scenery.
Can you tell us the name of the gardening supplier?Not really. It was something strange. Something to do with hours. No! No. Minutes? No, wait a minute – Time. It was something to do with time and maybe sport. Half Time. That was it! Half Time something or other. Look it up in the yellow pages; I’m sure you’ll find it.
As the PCs talk, have them make Earth (Senses) TH4 tests. The Setite assassins have arrived and, after successfully sneaking past Mischief, have made their way upstairs to the studio. As soon as a PC/s succeed at a test, read or paraphrase, the following:
There it is again! At first you weren’t sure, but now… And again! There is definitely something, or someone, moving in the studio. The faint ripple of shadow across the wall visible from the doorway and the faint sound of what might be canvas being lifted signal that you’re not alone. It can’t be Malady; she’s disappeared back through the door leading to what has to be a tiny kitchenette and, presumably, her quarters beyond. At least, you think that’s what she meant when she said she was ‘going off’ for a couple of hours, because she certainly didn’t go down the stairs.
If the PCs mention seeing anything, David immediately leaps up and rushes through the door opposite the one leading to the studio. Go to Scene 1b: Attack on the Artist. If the PCs don’t mention seeing anything, or don’t notice the Setites, the distinctive rumble of a metal drawer sliding out is heard from the next room. Go to Scene 1b: Attack on the Artist.

NOTE: This adventure is not sanctioned in any way, shape or form by Fantasy Flight. It is not an official product, and I am in no way affiliated with them or they with me. There is no relationship between us. This adventure is mine, for fun, and for you, because some of you asked me to finish it.

Also, if you like this adventure and want to play it, please go buy the official rulebooks from somewhere where the original creators and publisher of the setting will be paid. I got mine from a Melbourne game store, but I’ve found PDF versions of the Player's Handbook and the Gamemaster's Handbook are now available from DriveThruFiction. If you enjoy their world, this is the best way to thank them.