Using standard and atypical (arcane) techniques I have now probed Radshaw’s mind for altered memories, hidden external imperatives et. al. While it is clear that he has issues with authority, a repressed fear of women, and an inability to take corrective advice he does not seem to have been the subject of Psionic Surgery or similar. Domination or a short-life Charm magic are the two most likely explanations for his willing paralysis whilst a mysterious stranger carved him up. Most curious is the dual effect that the assault appears to have had on the subject, who was simultaneously unable to move (paralysis?) and rendered so that he did not wish to move. He appears to have been rendered unconscious before being transferred into the care of the Royal Mail.

Revell recalls his assailant as being of middle height, dressed in slightly-out-of-date walking tweeds. He wielded his briar in his left hand.

Revell has wondered about Radshaw’s resistance to psionics and magic. My judgement is that as the least-tutored in arcane matters of the current team – his is, at heart, basically a brawler with some tendency to science – he would be less likely to resist magics than the majority of the current membership, who are trained in resisting such things. However, his is quite bright in his own way, and I believe he would be a comparatively difficult subject for psionic domination compared to, say, Albrecht Arnheim or Emmanuelle LeClair.

Radshaw himself appears to be recovering his physical robustness after the earlier ministrations of our healers. He and Tanzania Quilp have spent a happy evening cutting up and poring over the mailbox, although preliminary examination suggests that it has not been tampered with nor altered in any way that metallurgy, electroscopy, thaumaturgy, alchemy, nor swearing can determine. The most interesting discovery has been a loose sheet of perforated penny stamps found amongst the letters in the box. This is enough postage for a very large parcel.

Meanwhile Ms LeClair and her ever-present shadow Lt Redvers-Ainderbury have been seeking witnesses who might have seen something unusual in the vicinity of either the post-box or the site where Radshaw stopped his car. Whilst a poll of shopkeepers beside the location of the pillar box has proved fruitless, and Flaxton’s reconstruction of the scene of Radshaw’s recovery has only confirmed testimony so far, there is negative evidence in that it seems clear that the post-box would have been under constant sight of someone and the activity of inserting a human into it would reasonably have been noticed by someone had anything resembling normal means been used. No local farmer on Radshaw’s route noticed the vehicle nor any man matching the description of the assailant.

[Here Aveyard includes an interesting side-note to remind himself to further investigate Redvers-Ainderbury’s seeming sensitivity to danger.]

Flaxton and Revell have retraced Radshaw’s journey and located the exact spot where the vehicle broke down, as evidenced by tyre tracks on the muddy country road. This is a route that Radshaw regularly uses on his way to the Library. The tyre tracks stop abruptly where Radshaw halted his ailing vehicle. There is no indication of how it might have left the scene. Radshaw’s initial diagnosis of his car’s mechanical fault was that the engine both ceased to work and the gearing ceased to operate, so that the vehicle effectively free wheeled to a stop. At Emmanuelle’s suggestion a search for a place where the man with the walking stick may have concealed himself has turned up a vantage point by a roadside oak tree where a pair of size 8 footprints from walking boots and a ferrule indentation indicate somebody remained for a significant length of time. Other traces of these boots are evident on the road by the tyre marks. A four foot by three foot square of crushed crops in an adjacent field behind the oak tree bears traces of engine oil. Radshaw reports that there is no nearby power line or other source of anomalous electromagnetic activity.

Attempts to locate the missing vehicle by trying to track the "Donovan" technology – the radiocommunications equipment in what Radshaw so colonially calls the "trunk – have proved unsuccessful, and a check of local car dealers both official and unofficial has proved in vain. Magda has used a scrying technique available to witches and has gained a sense of dark, muddy water. She hopes to pinpoint a more exact location after a nude all-night vigil in the Greenhouse. I must write a paper on the psychological need of some occult practicioners to expose themselves at every opportunity.

Attempts to match the handwriting on Radshaw’s index card have been likewise frustrating. An initial check does not associate the handwriting with any of the villains’ scripts we have on file. The style of handwriting is rather old but different experts have varied in their interpretation. The fact this has been written in blood with a walking-cane ferrule makes interpretation harder.

Theories of the arcane means of inserting a grown man into a metallic box which barely fits him abound. Given that Radshaw was apparently unconscious at the time, the question is how he was folded up into the only possible position that would fit him inside the cylinder. Teleport would only usually do this if he was in that position when he was shifted. Item, which makes a non-living objects smaller, or polymorphs or the like would not account for his folding, and would have simply resulted in him being crushed when he reverted to his proper size. A dispel magic would account for the lack of any dweomer worth investigating at either the pillar box or the place where the car faltered, but would leave no trace for us to demonstrate it had been done. We have no means of detecting psionics even as they are being done at the moment, let alone after the fact.

The Radshaw investigation has been somewhat hampered by Tanzania’s insistence on Speak with Toads, or more properly using the Speak with Animals arcane technique to communicate with the living specimen from King’s Dulcarnain. This was accomplished with the assistance of Qayrawun and Magda, via a spell purloined by Qayrawun’s gens. [Interesting side-note here speculating that the gens are externalised aspects of Qayrawun’s personality]. Toads are very stupid animals, but it did recall being taken from a green happy place, swimming down from the sky, and alighting on something hard and uncomfortable. Magda points out that although frogs have a very limited vocabulary of concepts they do usually distinguish between falling and swimming. My suggestions about empirical tests using toads and the roof of the Library were not adopted. The toad does not have any internal toadstone which is visible by X-ray.

Revell has now taken a team to look again at the Waterloo Chocolate Machine investigation, fearing that Radshaw and King’s Dulcarnain may be diversions. He wishes to do more analysis on the dispensing machine’s lock and other things. Susan Slade has announced her intention to visit Radshaw and check on his recuperation, so I will at least be able to observe some inept romantic social fumblings from two people who do not know their own minds on the subject.

We arrived on the Northern Line at King’s Lynn four and a half minutes late, but were able to get our equipment and luggage to the hired vehicle in time to arrive at King’s Dulcarnain by 5p.m. all the same. Albrecht had gone to the trouble of consulting some local maps, I think to find eating places, and so he was able to notice that a number of signposts to the village at lonely crossroads had somehow been turned to the wrong directions. Albrecht can be very annoying at times, but he is also very clever, which I suppose is why he can be so annoying. This time he did very well (memo: Commend Albrecht).

King’s Dulcarnain can hardly even be said to be a village any more. Seventeen houses line the main street which terminates in a new fence and a cliff edge. One of the houses is also the village shop and post office. There is also a Methodist chapel (which shares it’s minister with several other places) and the public house. Other dwellings, mostly farms, are scattered along the coast. The whole area is flat and bleak, terminating in low cliffs above a shingle shoreline. There seem to be a lot of seagulls.

I think we were right to come here. There is something wrong with the weather. It is not natural. Tomorrow I shall conduct some rituals to find out what is going on with it.

Having previously telephoned ahead to secure rooms at the George and Dragon Inn, we were welcomed by the proprietor Mr Bellnichol, a large man with a florid face. We have secured all three remaining guest rooms at his establishment. I am sharing a room with Genevieve. Crannog is with Albrecht. Selkirk is in with Meridian, since Albrecht says Selkirk probably won’t notice Meridian snoring. I dispatched a telegram when we got to the inn giving the usual codewords for a safe arrival.

Our first shock came as I used Detect Evil and Genevieve used Detect Magic as precautions upon arrival. Mr Bellnichol detects as mildly evil! Whilst I was pointing this out to the Monster Hunters, other locals came into the public house. All three farm labourers likewise detected as mildly evil. I do not think Mr Bellnichol liked me staring at him. he does not seem happy that we have come in response to Mr Mummer’s letter.

The Club were wondering about local traditional activity. Mr Bellnichol leads the Horned Men, the local competition-winning Morris team. When Magda arrives I will have her and Selkirk check the area for ley activity.

Crannog and I went down to see Mr Mummer this evening, but he was not in. His curtains were closed. I was somewhat concerned about this. I also used Detect Evil on a number of people I met. Two of the men I saw on the main street were also mildly evil. I do not like this place.

Selkirk and Meridian went to see the Horne barn. Selkirk found the broken lintel from which the toad was meant to have come, and was able to verify that there was a hole within which was, quite literally, toad-shaped. Using both spells and microscope they were able to determine that the hole was neither carved nor natural. Their opinion is that the preternaturally smooth surfaces of the hole indicate a dimensional transfer of some kind. Selkirk and Meridian then searched and measured the barn, which has helpfully been cleaned and brushed out recently. All they found was an old mason’s mark on one door-post in the shape of a half-sun, with spiky points, and an empty bottle of German beer plugged up with a dirty linen rag. The bottle was under the pile of newly-fallen masonry where the end of the barn has been claimed by the sea.

Genevieve and Albrecht bravely remained at the inn and have gathered a number of interviews about the storm and the alleged rain of frogs. Mr Mummer’s statement appears to be an accurate description of the popular account. They have not yet found anyone who will admit to having actually seen the animals fall from the sky. Genevieve tried to discover a little about any possible smuggling activity, but was politely "warned off" by Mr Bellnichol. Albrecht found oldest inhabitant Walter Wode and tried plying him with drink to get him on the subject of toadstones and so on. Wode replied that he’d like a drop of Mr Bellnichol’s "special", but Bellnichol shut him up and said he’d had quite enough for one evening. Genevieve also met P.C. Cundy, who happily does not detect as evil.

[Note to players: If there are any special questions you think the Club should have put to Bellnichol, Wode, or Cundy on this evening tell me in your responses. Remember that Bellnichol and Wode are in a public place, and that Wode at least isn’t too happy about talking to strangers when he doesn’t get his "special"]

When I returned to the inn it was still light (after all, it’s just past the longest day) and I took a phone call from Angherad in London. We spoke in Latin since the call was routed through the local post-mistress. Angherad is gathering some background on the Horne family and other aspects of historical Kings’ Dulcarnain. Angherad is particularly keen to follow-up the occupancy of the graves which have been washed away, and of the Horne tomb in Chalfont Didbury. The MHC records do not indicate anyone we know of (such as a mage or occultist) living here. What is really annoying the Prof is that she can not find out which king gave his name to the village. Angherad hopes to have more information tomorrow when she hears back from enquiries she and Adele have set in motion.

I am now going to meet with the Operating Team and we are about to discuss precautions for spending the night here, given the proximity of people with dweomers of evil upon them, tampered weather, and a palpable atmosphere. I will be happier when the back-up team arrives tomorrow with the Operations Bus.

President

The Monster Hunters players are at liberty to wonder why the scenario is titled as it is. The characters are probably calling it the Case of the Two Frogs right now.

Other cases that the Club are investigating were outlined previously.

A whole range of villains could do something like what happened to Radshaw – certainly those with access to spells like wish. Why they would do it, or whether that is their "style" is another matter entirely.

Former psionic adversary Simon Repictorourke was finally destroyed by Stanley Donovan some time back and his destruction was confirmed by the Time Exile (read: Qualius the Lych). Repictorourke had no relations known to the Club, and certainly no friends. His allies were neutralised when he was.

I have noted Genevieve’s intention to discuss her similarity to Emmanuelle and will address this at the appropriate point.

People need to tell me how the three strands of investigation are to continue.

What do you want to say or do with the various people at King’s Dulcarnain? What overnight precautions are taken? What about Mummer? Who is willing to yomp over field and fence tomorrow on ley hunts? Who is in the back-up squad Dawn is expecting?

What measures do the Club want to take at Waterloo station given the most recent developments? Who is there?

Does anyone want to stay around in Harrogate at the Library to await the results of Magda’s scrying? Or do anything else at that end?

And what conclusions can be drawn from the evidence so far?

Chapter Four will cover the next few hours of the investigations. Expect a result from Magda, more research material from Angherad and Adele, and the opportunity to take some big damage if it all goes wrong.

Your responses and responses to responses are due by 7pm GMT on Thursday 1^st February. I hope to have a revised MHC fixtures list for you by then as well.