RQG 40 - Wheels Within Wheels...

## Content Warnings

Alcohol consumption, discussion of death of one's (adult) child, implication of death of children's parent, discussion of mind control/compulsion

## Summary

Hamid, Zolf and Sasha find that Amélie Rose isn’t living in her flat. They head to her mother’s house, who gives the party Amélie's findings about the people on the list. All the leads point to the catacombs beneath Notre-Dame, so the party head there.

## Synopsis

The Rangers (minus Bertie) return to the hotel from the station. Hamid and Zolf wonder if there's some sort of mind control or memory altering going on with François Henri.

Prompted by something Oscar Wilde said, Hamid looks for news stories about his family, where he reads that there are problems with the al-Tahan branches in Cairo. Zolf finds a favourable article about Bertie. The storms have subsided in Dover, and there are more riots in Other London. The party wonder if other banks run by the Ordinateurs are affected.

They decide to go to Amélie Rose's flat, which turns out to be currently occupied by the Johnson family. When Hamid buzzes in, an ex-miner man from America comes out and gives them a forwarding address for Amélie, and gives Zolf a strong drink in the name of hospitality. The forwarding address is the same as Amélie's mother, and the party head in that direction.

They arrive at Amélie's mother's house in the country. Madame Rose says that they're not the first people asking after Amélie. Hamid explains that they're looking for Amélie in connection to the Ordinateurs and the bombing at Edison's House. Madame Rose invites them inside. She has had letters from Amélie, but suspects that they are being faked, and that she is really dead. Hamid explains that they suspect someone is modifying people's memories and affecting the banking system.

Zolf casts Zone of Truth on the party to show that they are trustworthy and Madame Rose gives them a box of paperwork with a list of details about Jean-Luc Bolieau, who contacted Amélie, then left for London and worked on developing Ordinateurs for London. Paulette Loup worked in the catacombs and then moved to a dig in the Russian wastes. Sélène Souchet was the grounds woman for Notre-Dame, who had an affair with Jacques Piaget, who was a delivery driver, and the two moved to India. Vivianne Messier works in hydraulics, and is now working in Japan on fluidic systems. François Henri is obsessive, and no one can get in contact with him, although Amélie was planning to confront him.

Madame Rose explains that a lot of work on the catacombs of Paris is being diverted, and people working on them have been given their dream jobs out of nowhere. Madame Rose gives Hamid a letter from Amélie, which says this is her last real letter: any other letters from her could be false.

> *“This is the last letter you will receive from me which is real. If I’m writing to you after this point, and I am not seeing you in person, it might be me, but it’s not me. I may as well be dead. I love you. If things go as I expect, you will be mailed what’s inside this box.”*
>
>

The party decides to head to an archaeological dig near Notre-Dame, and from there into the catacombs.

## Quotes

**Alex**: "Who are you playing?"
**Bryn**: "Heartbroken Hamid."
**Lydia**: "Flattened... but re-inflated Sasha."
**Ben**: "Oscar Wilde sucks!"
―Character introductions

"I know he can be difficult, but he’s been my friend for a long time, I’m… I wish he’d said goodbye, at least."
―**Hamid, about Bertie**

**Zolf**: "Right, yeah, let’s…good night’s sleep, things’ll look a bit brighter in the morning."
**Hamid**: "Always useful. Always… always useful."
**Sasha**: "Maybe he’ll have come back by the morning."
**Zolf**: "Yeah."
―Zolf and Sasha comfort Hamid after Bertie's departure.

**Hamid**: "We should probably hire a…"
**Sasha**: "A gyrocopter, yes. I was thinking the same thing."
**Zolf**: "Oh…"
**Sasha**: "We could, if we take a gyrocopter we can get there today."
**Hamid**: "We… we’ll get there today anyway, I mean, it’s not that far."
**Sasha**: "Sooner today!"
**Hamid**: "Yes, but none of us know how to… pilot a gyrocopter."
**Sasha**: "We can hire one."
**Hamid**: "That’s a really expensive…"
**Zolf**: "Can we put it on the hotel’s account… I dunno why I’m agreeing, I don’t even know."
―Sasha makes another plea for a gyrocopter.

**Mme Rose**: "It’s a dead-hand policy. I’ve used them myself, it’s very good insurance. I’d recommend all of you preparing something like this."
**Sasha**: "Who would you send yours to, Zolf?"
**Zolf**: "I wouldn’t bother."
**Sasha**: "Probably send mine to you. Maybe Hamid. And… Brock. Don’t know where he lives."
―The party discusses a dead-hand policy.

## Dice rolls and Mechanics

Everyone makes a perception check to read the paper: Zolf gets 9, Hamid gets 20, Sasha gets 28

Hamid casts Message on Sasha

Hamid makes a Diplomacy check on Mme Rose: 20

Zolf casts Zone of Truth. Sasha is the only one able to lie.

Zolf makes a perception check on Mme Rose: 18