NationStates Jolt Archive


The Mystery Man [OPEN PMT/FT]

Sirens of Titan
22-05-2005, 20:05
OOC information

OOC: This is an open character RP about smuggling, the local underground in a nameless city and murder. An unknown crimelord (referred to as The Mystery Man) has started to make a fortune a few months ago out of nowhere with all sorts of small smuggling operations, but is expanding greatly at the expense of the smaller criminals with hits, drugtrade and other illegal operations. Nobody knows who the Mystery Man is, and he lives in the Lowe Manor House, a place where nothing is what it seems to be. Also never seen by the staff, he leaves his orders around on notes scattered through the manor. The police of the city know The Mystery Man is a criminal, but they don’t dare to go near his house. The only thing the city folk know the paintings whisper, and his limitless wealth turns the most friendly and compassionate people in the most greedy and ruthless industrials. One day, a group of men (you!) is contacted by an emissary coming from Lowe Manor House with an assignment. The assignment bit is roleplayed by me, and several people may join, around 8 or so including me to fulfil the missions given to you by The Mystery Man. In the end you will find out who The Mystery Man is. All necessary information can be found IC, and if you don’t know something don’t be afraid to telegram me for further information.

The time setting in this RP isn't set in stone, it's a brutal combination of MT architecture and many FT things like temporal technology, nanomachines and laser energy weapons. Imagine this city as Gotham City, art deco 1920 style with a film noir atmosphere blended in. In such RP’s I may use characters I have used in different nations, but I don’t think anybody has objections to that. Please supply your characteristics in the following format.

Character description:
Name: Guillespeak, Charles
Age: 37
Gender: male
Skills: knife throwing, forgery, and blackmail.
Weaknesses: suffers from epileptic seizures, addicted to his anti-seizure medication, which is taking its toll on his overall fitness.
Preferred weapon: .357 Magnum and throwing knives
Other information: Charles Guillespeak is haunted by his own past, he lost his family in a traincrash outside the city, and lives along with gangs on and off the streets since then. He made money stealing it from his crime bosses, blackmailed the rich and he lived well for a few years until he met the crimelord Jack Napier, who opposed Charles in his business. Charles swore revenge, and killed Napier’s family by pumping their heads full of .357 bullets. Napier wanted to get even, and bribed the police commissioner for about 4 million to stalk, intimidate and make Charles' life a living hell for the rest of his sad days. If Charles did things the right way, he’d be a rich man now without the trouble of being chased by the police whenever he’s the *prime* suspect.
Charles Guillespeak’s name has been mentioned quite a few times in the McClure streetgang murder case, an infamous liquidation of several gangleaders. Charles Guillespeak was behind this, but proving it is difficult. Except the last bit, this all known ICly.

For those interested, this RP is loosely based on the Thief: The Dark Project and a fanmission of T1 named "The Mystery Man".

Thank you, and have a great time!

IC:
The Mystery Man

Rain keeps falling down the crowded streets packed with men and women running around looking for shelter even though they are all wearing raincoats. The neon lights scream out their messages loud into the public, begging you to look at them – and convince yourself you really need the product and or services the commercial signs want you to buy. Hardly anyone pays attention to those wastes of electric energy, and Mr Charles Guillespeak isn’t an exception. Reading his newspaper for about four hours now, with a small break in-between to order a gin tonic or a Scotch on the rocks, he enjoyed his drinks and he takes his time to empty the glass. Sometimes he goes to the toilet, and returns to his table. Looking outside he hears the rain lashing the glass ceiling above him, drops making streams of water, running off the roof into the drainpipe, into the gutter. It’s strange how he can hear such detailed sounds, while it’s very busy inside. Waiters are taking orders, bringing drinks and food, the noise from the kitchen, the traffic on the street. Every now and then a police officer comes in, orders coffee with a drip of brandy and goes back to his watchstation.

Charles looked outside at the dark clouds drifting about overhead, throwing down rain, pushing fresh green leaves into the air from the trees on the opposite side of the street. The headlines of the newspaper aren’t what you call “a good read”. Nothing but bad news, stock options and more personal agony. All the drivel printed in the newspaper can be summed up as bullshit. Plain old bullshit, nothing more nothing less. I folded the paper in a perfect pack of paper, edges straight on top of each other and pushed it down and laid it on the metal rim of the oak table. It was a robust, yet stylish piece of furniture. Ah as a matter of fact, this whole cafe is a stylish place. Art Noveau ornaments on the central ceiling near the small glass-in-lead dome, the vine like woodcarvings and the polished black and white tiles of the dancing floor where a man was playing a piano. The voices of men and women chatting too loudly, showing their pompous golden pocket watches, smoking expensive cigars and sipping from Cognac Very Special, bottled in good year’s long gone. This cafe is my own freehold, no thug big or small dares to enter this place, even with an army of goons standing besides him. This is my place, my house if you please. Not much is happening, it’s rush hour, and people are still running to wherever they need to go. Again I find myself looking at the men and women in the cafe. There’s this big man, a bit overweighed smoking a Cuban cigar while laughing too loud, talking too loud. I can clearly hear every word he says, he has the annoying habit of starting every sentence of his monologue, whenever someone tries to respond, with: “Let me talk” or “This is how I look at it”. In a polite manner, but that doesn’t change it’s a nice way of saying ‘shut up’. Speaks for itself it’s very annoying for those who participate in the ‘conversation’.
“John knows what’s good for you….”
“Let John look at the Wine Chart, he knows about French wines…”
“I have this friend, a truly great guy who has helped me out numerous times who lives in the Autumnfire Hills, not a big secret…”
Damn, what a terrible human product. An empty life, but a filled wallet. You can almost see the money pouring from his pockets when he walks or moves. A genuine fool, waste of life no good to anyone. Once again I was sinking away in my own thoughts when a waiter walked by and spoke to me, softly almost if nobody was allowed to know he talked to me, or seen each other at this moment.
“Mr Guillespeak, I have this letter for you, an emissary from the Lowe Manor has told me to give you this. He said it is of great importance.”
“Hmmm? What is it?” The waiter nodded in a way he couldn’t possibly know, dropped the letter and acted like I ordered another drink. Making sure the surrounding tables could certainly hear it, he said
“Ah my good sir, that wine is indeed an excellent choice!” The now enthusiastic waiter walked off to the bar and immediately returned with a glass of fine wine. I thanked him, gave him a most generous tip and I couldn’t resist reading the letter right now. This was written, in a chic handwriting:

My dear Mr Charles Guillespeak,

It has came to my attention that your services may prove very valuable to me in the near future. A man of extraordinary talent you posses doesn’t go unnoticed by a person in my position. Your true employer has not written this letter, but I am acting as a negotiator between you and him. I, the undersigned, hereby offer you and your colleagues (you will need them) the sum of $750,000 in gold bonds or gold sovereigns whichever you and your associates prefer. The assignment is a difficult one, requires your wits and your body to pull it off without casualties – on our side. A few weeks ago a most precious book known as the Codex Borbonicus (Codex of Predictions) has been smuggled into town by an unsavoury character known as Jack Napier, unfortunately I could have done this myself if the local police chief Bogan could be bribed to hand over the book. Now, Bogan has sent it to the National City Treasury, Trust & Banking Corporation, the wealthiest and most closely guarded piece of real estate in the city. I want you and your associates to steal it.

I can’t wait to hear who my colleagues will be, my friends or adversaries?
Sirens of Titan
23-05-2005, 16:32
Goddamnit, this assignment might be the most profitable job I ever had, it certainly ain’t the easiest I did in my long past of electronical theft, fraud and embezzlement. But this is different, since I have never actually entered a vault and the bank where I must get this item isn’t exactly the first bank around the corner. Luckily my most resourceful employer has given me all the details I need and the stuff I must have to do this, but I cannot do this alone. I definitely need help on this one. I really don’t like saying this, but I might get in touch with Gerard Fishkill again. I walked over to my private phone booth in the back of the cafe with permission of the boss to talk to my old friend. I explained it all, but he wasn’t convinced from what I gathered. Yes, when I told him all the plans were with the letter as well as maps, timetables of the guards, placement of security systems and such he seemed interested in helping me out. When he wanted to know who was behind all this I distracted his attention with the promise of 50,000 Sovereigns when done, yet he wasn’t convinced. Luckily I have made a few very good investments in illegal gambling dens ran by a certain fellow named Lorgan Vimes, a vague but pretty influential figure. His name pops up several times in police records, but he’s not dangerous. Not to me at least, one of the last few friends I have in this city. Thankfully I can count on Fishkill, but it comes at a cost I can barely afford… Perhaps it isn’t smart what I’m doing, I really need to rethink all of this when I’m sober.

I hope he doesn’t do anything stupid or unexpectable.

Gerard Fishkill’s Residence

There are many, many things that can go wrong on this job. For once I don’t know who else is asked to be on the team nor do I know how Jack Napier got involved in this whole mess. Knowing that Police Chief Bogan is on the case, I suspect he’s neck-deep in this whole affair. Probably his own fault, but perhaps… I don’t know for sure but maybe this Mystery Man works together…
Gerard was biting his lip while pondering about all the things that can go wrong, but fifty thousand is one hell of a pile of gold. From what Charles told me, the schematics and other plans needed for the job add up and don’t indicate this is a scam to frame us. Hell, I’ve seen this before but still… Maybe I should do a little snooping around in the house of this Mystery Man, see if I can dig up some useful information on him and his operations. I’ve heard strange things about this guy, nobody has ever seen him or heard him… This is will be an interesting challenge.

The next day…

The fires of the steel smelters were burning bright through the haze of a new morning. The thick black smoke from the greasy black brick smokestacks was filling the already lead gray sky around the heavily forested hills. This was the only dense industrial area on Christmas Island, along the shuttle service travelling to the homeplanet Christmas of the Sirens of Titan Containment Commission. Gerard looked at the massive structure decorated with the banner of the Commission while walking to the small foreman’s shack. If he wanted information on the latest happenings in town, he had to be with the workers. They hear everything, all of them have connections with the underworld and aren’t associated with Jack Napier – only with the unions. The unions don’t cause me grief, Jack does. My prime concern was this: how could a vulture, a leech like Jack Napier loose something like the Codex my employer wants? I know he’s a smart guy, but losing it to the cops isn’t his style. Charles told me what he knows about the Codex, and judging from him, it’s a priceless artefact but very difficult to get rid of, even with the right fence.

Jack has connections to sell it quick and clean, without a trace leading back to him or his henchmen, I know he owns many warehouses the police never dares to get near or even start a file on them. Why did he loose it to a straightforward cop like Bogan? Maybe someone tipped him off or a bribe just to piss good ol’ Jack off? No. Bogan is probably one of the last officers who’s really untouched and untouchable by the criminal society of the city, so a bribe is impossible. Strange thing is, a seasoned criminal like Jack would somehow try to get even with the police by burning down the office of the commissioner or a small car bomb, but nothing like that this time. Perhaps Jack didn't realise what he possessed until it was gone.
I don’t know what’s going on, and I don’t like that. How did Guillespeak get fifty thousand all of a sudden? I am very certain he made some investments, he told me myself. Oddly enough, he’s not into gold or stock trading or real estate business; only illegal gambling and some minor smuggling operations with the local thugs in the docks. Maybe he runs some businesses I have never seen or heard about – or he not being fair with me. It’s a shame I owe him one, if we were square I’d have said no for sure, even with the fifty thousand in the back of my head.

I continued walking to the shack but I shook my head and returned. What I want to ask is sensitive and I don’t like Charles getting a slight feeling I don’t fully trust him. I must do the break-in alone, but not tonight.
Maniaca
23-05-2005, 23:46
OOC:

name: Marv O'Morley
age: 25
gender: Male
skills: A great shot, is fast, and has good reflexes
weaknesses: Too much of a risk taker, not quite as experienced as others in the business
preferred weapon: Glock 19
other information: Right out of college, he couldn't find a job in his preferred field, piloting. He was a great shot, and was discovered by a crime lord at, of all places, a paintball game. He was recruited into the syndicate, and worked in it for over a year, but the crime became too hardcore for him, stealing and killing regular people. Marv wasn't really about that. He only wanted to steal from the criminals until he could find a regular job.

I'm not sure how you'd like to insert me into the RP, but there's my guy, if you can do anything with him. Feel free to take control of him at the beginning to get him started.
Sirens of Titan
24-05-2005, 17:34
OOC: I’ll add your character in this post.

IC:
Finally after hours of climbing and falling down I managed to get over the wall and hedges around the manor owned by the Mystery Man. Everything said about Lowe manor is correct. It’s extremely well guarded a hedgemaze to the right, a driveway to the main entrance with several beautiful vintage cars from the fifties. Lots of dark corners, several torches lighting up the night sky. The house itself was a neo-classic building. Marble columns, ornaments above the doors and windows and the white stone used gives it a truly majestic impression to outsiders, perhaps intimidating. Every member of the house guard wore the same uniform: a black leather coat, dark blue trousers and a holstered gun and everybody had a kind of police cap on their head. Just walking their rounds without them noticing me. All is well, I climbed down the wall and ran as quickly as I could to the nearest hedge, immediately overlooking the situation. The front entrance is, as always, too well guarded to get past there. No open windows, the side doors are all locked – I don’t even need to check that, alarm buttons are on the outside of the building near the main entrance. Logical conclusion: they come at you from the inside. Okay, this is difficult. Climbing by a rope onto the roof may be my best bet by far, but I need to look out for mistakes made by housekeeping – or the guards. On the other hand, from what I’ve heard about them… They’re not the kind of people who tend to make mistakes easily.
I took out my block note and pencilled down my possible points of entry:

1) Toolshed; seems pretty out of the way, no guards (2, one walking around the shed the other standing in front of the double doors) I cannot take down with a tranquilliser bolt. Door is, as far as I can see, locked. Since I’m not in plain view I can pick that one. Even if I get inside I don’t know if there’s a way to the main building.
2) Maybe I can open a window left open by the maid or a butler. I don’t count on it, but it’s worth trying. But even if I get inside (which I doubt) there’s the possibility I stumble in a hallway – the chances are a guard or member of the staff notices me. And then I’m in deep shit.

Ok, I’ve set the facts straight and I’m ready to roll. First I’m gonna check out the toolshed and if that doesn’t work I have to test my little “open window” theory. I crawled in the most silent manner to the toolshed where I waited until both guards were within my crossbow range. I zoomed in, took aim and released by first bolt. The poor man went down gargling, alerting the other whom was also put to sleep for twelve hours with one shot in his neck. I took out my handy set of lock picks from my backpack and began working my way past the tumblers. A soft *click* told me the door is now open. As I looked inside there was nothing but a few buckets, spades, a lawnmower and… a trapdoor?

I moved around the heavy metal plate blocking my way down, pulling the handle and what the hell… it opened without budging for a sec. A ladder was leading down, it’s a long way down. I moved down step by step until I came in quite a wide corridor. Hardly lit by electrical lights but people have been here before not too long ago. The footsteps are fresh and the lightbulbs new. I slowly walked forward when I came in the central basement area. An underground compound of several chambers – probably the wine cellar or some kind of small armoury, workshops and more technological things. Nobody was patrolling, so I scouted around to see if there’s a stairway leading upwards. All of a sudden I heard two voices chatting while they were walking through the marble hallway illuminated by all the small electrical lights and the fireplace where some kind of waiting room is. I overlooked the whole situation again, and concluded I’m at a safe distance.
“Hey, you think anything will go wrong?”
“Of course not! The master has planned everything into absolute perfection. You can expect anything less from him can you?”
“Nay. I was just asking myself whether he hasn’t overlooked a minor detail. Omissions in his plans or the wrong cast of… employees? The fact Jack Napier got involved by order of the master troubles me or the fact he contacted Charles Guillespeak.”
“There is no need for troubled thoughts my friend. The master has written it, and so it shall happen. Thus nothing will go wrong. Just read the notes he leaves behind.”
“Ah ok. Well I have my doubts, but if you say so I have complete confidence in the mission at hand.”
“Now let us return to our duties, we have wasted enough time already.”

What the hell is this? Eavesdropping proves its worth again I reckon but when these creeps talk about Charles and Jack being involved in the same affair… This is not good news for him – or even more important, for me. And surprisingly, it’s true they don’t know their master or even know how he looks. Perhaps someone does, but it sure as hell ain’t those two. I must find my way back to the city without being chased by the cops or these rather unfriendly characters. I don’t really know, but somehow it seems getting caught by the cops is a lot less painful.

How I escaped doesn’t matter, but I made it back to my home without being followed and in one piece. As soon as I could I grabbed the phone, dialled Charles’ number and we needed to set the record straight about this mission.
“Guillespeak speaking.”
“Hi, this is Gerard. You know I’d…”
“Good to hear you, I have found companion in this little mission. His name is Marv O’Morley and it apt at pistol shooting and a new face in the gangster scene.
“Look Charles, about the heist. I don’t think I want to join.”
“Why? Is the money not enough or…?”
“It’s just, you have to take me off your list. Instead of four people you need, make it five. I’m out, but I’ll keep doing my research for you, as long as my name isn’t mentioned and my fifty thousand are paid.”
“Yeah sure Gerard if you…”

I hung up, there’s nothing more to discuss between me and him.
Theao
24-05-2005, 18:10
OOC:

Name: Joseph Velan, aka The Jammer, Daemon, Zero-Cool, Cyberdyne
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Skills: An excellent hacker as well as a whiz with technical and mechanical gadgetry.
Weaknesses: No combat skills, outside the computer
preferred weapon: Hand-built laptop.
other information: Was arrested at the age of ten for crashing a major financial market. Was again arrested at the age of fourteen for wiping out a large bank of goverment computers. Spent the next four years in a youth detention center and was released on his eighteenth birthday. Is officially on probation with zero access to computers but has managed to circumvent the ban and hacks into security firm and computer companies secure databases for entertainment.
Ravea
25-05-2005, 00:04
Name:Wes Blizard A.K.A. Scythe
Age:35
Gender:Male
Skills: Decent shot, Stealth and Information Gathering skills
Weakness:Age sometimes slows him down in combat
Preferred Weapon:Bizzare Scythe/Rifle cross breed
Other Information:A private detective for eight years until his family was murdered at the age of 27. Disgraced, he dropped out of the industry and became a part time mercanary and assassian. He acquired fabulous stealth skills, but he shows his age in gunfights. His weapon is a custom made, one of a kind scythe with an M-4 rifle build into the handle, serving as a close range and long range weapon.
Maniaca
25-05-2005, 23:23
Marv had just arrived in the city. Cash wasn't short, and he didn't feel like checking into some sleazy hotel for so long, so he managed to find himself an apartment and get it rented. He didn't have much stuff, so the small three-room pad would do fine.
-------------------
"Robbing a treasury...treasury...that's...uh...like a bank or something, where they keep money. Why a book? Codex of Predictions...maybe it can tell the future! Woah!" I thought this as I poured myself some soda. Soda was not easy to come by in the city. Most beverages were booze or drugs mixed with booze. I pondered having some ordered in wholesale before being awakened fully from my fatigue induced state. I wasn't really sure where to go, and I hadn't heard from this Fishkill character. I took a very big gulp of the soda, and put my worries to rest. They wouldn't just leave me hanging like this, I'd get a call. Bored, but not very tired anymore, excited in fact about the prospect of the heist, I took my Glock from my duffel bag. I took a laser pointer from my pocket(It already had a middle finger filter attached to it for comedic effect), clicked it on, and dropped it in the chamber I had welded to the barrel of the Glock. I inserted a bolt(also a custom feature) through the end of the hollow cylinder, locking the pointer into place. Now that I had laser sight, I could probably hit a can from one hundred yards. Well that was a stretch, but I was still in an odd state. Across the street from me was a hi-rise apartment complex. A rich guy, in an apartment on the same level but about five rooms down, looked like a snob the way he was acting, was about to raise a toast. I pointed the laser at his forehead, shining the bird to all of his guests. You could hear the gasp through his closed window and my open one. I averted the pointer, and dived from sight, leaving the guests to wonder. I peeked one eye in the window, and rested the Glock on the sill. I turned off the laser, using a special hole in the cylinder where I could press in on the pointer to turn it on or off. Time went slo motion, kind of, as I thought about the shot. I aimed down the side of the barrel, then the other side, looked hard at the raised wine glass the man was holding, and pulled the trigger. The sound snapped me out of the funk, I saw the glass shatter and a midair splash of alcohol spray on him and some of his guests. The bullet buried itself in a wall behind a large green plan, concealed. I ducked from sight, and kicked the wall hard causing the window to drop. I didn't draw the curtains, trying to create as little motion as possible. After five seconds I looked back through the window, to get the reaction. Several of the women had fainted, the host had disappeared from sight. There was a lot of commotion. I grinned.
Sirens of Titan
29-05-2005, 09:15
Sorry for the long wait, but I'm very busy with other things at the moment.
Maniaca
30-05-2005, 02:18
OOC: Hey no problem.
Lunatic Retard Robots
30-05-2005, 04:03
I think I will enter this RP too, if it suits well enough. My character will be named Jeremy Hollandia, a type of action man for Lunkwill & Fook concerned with keeping tabs on the crime lords and smugglers interrupting the Robotic Collective's legitimate business.

He is about 38, average stature, no clear racial type. He will probably use (to keep with the old-time feel) a Tommy Gun and Webley revolver. No shady trenchcoats or the like, but rather more or less generic merchant's costume.

I will post first thing tomorrow.
Sirens of Titan
05-06-2005, 13:22
Somewhere in Karnak, SoT CC on Christmas Island

Charles Guillespeak was pretty pissed at Gerard but damn, he can't really help it. I know a few good people to pull off this job and get the cash I need so bad but... Guillespeak sat in his cafe again, the sun was shining however and the bright light from the sun illuminated the hearts of the working class and the businessmen. A blinding reflection from the tarmac of the streets made everybody to wear sunglasses and it's pretty funny, but it looks like all of the pedestrians are secret agents. Maybe Gerard is forgetting to tell me something.

I honestly don’t know why Gerard took the risk of breaking in The Mystery Man’s manor. He didn’t took anything, all he knows is a vague reference to Jack Napier being linked with the codex, a truly complex situation and the idea of Jack being involved in the back of my head. Back of my head? I can’t let go of the thought that this man who has done more damage to reputation than I care to remember, who has persuaded everybody not to forget my past… Goddamn. Tonight I will contact my men; I must give them the details of the bank and such. Escape routes, points of entry. Maybe I’ll find a way to get even with Mr Napier somehow, somewhen. In the near future I sincerely hope, I can’t wait to see his face covered in blood because of me. I will let him feel only a tiny fraction of pain he caused.

I will do what I must to make him pay.

John Edgar’s Docking & Shipping Company Ltd.

“Mr Napier, it’s good to see you again. That little arrogant prick called The Mystery Man thinks he can send out Charles Guillespeak to recover the codex. I am clueless why he asks an incompetent moron like Charles to get it from the bank. ”
“…The hell? Mr Munroe don’t you remember The Mystery Man’s partners in crime stole it from us? Why the hell would be want to get it back from himself?”
“Insurance money perhaps?”
“No idea, but I know Charles is somehow involved, neck deep.”
“The lousy scoundrel, he may be after you Mr Napier.”
“Of course he is! But I want that codex back, no matter what the cost. I don’t like people taking stuff from us and using it for their own selfish desires.”
“Or if someone sells it with profit.”
“Well, I can live with that but this is obviously staged for either something much, much bigger or to kill or dismember the gang. My gang!”
Sirens of Titan
06-06-2005, 17:18
OOC: So far the following people have joined: Ravea, Theao, Maniaca and Lunatic Retard Robots, but he has to add a character. Not the seven I was hoping for, but this will do nicely. In the coming IC post I'll explain the whole idea of the heist, planning and preperation will be RPed by me. Should you have questions, comments what to say do telegram me. When the team enters the bank, everybody RPs their own bit.