What players should know about working for Sangraal, how the game works and more
- Character Discovery Summary Page (separate page with timeline of events, names, addresses, clues)
- Current Assignment: Theseus and the Minotaur Briefing (on this page, down there)
- NEW! Rogues Gallery!
- Character Profiles
- Body guards assigned : Trent (Elizabeth) and Troy (Jessica)
- London Sangraal Descriptions
- Locations of Worldwide Sangraal Offices
- Working Conditions
- NPCs - Personality Descriptions of the Board and Department Heads, Other NPC staff
- Tales and Whispers
- Other - Trains, Planes and Automobiles
How To Play - quick guide, requirements, examples
If you have nothing better to do - RPG Motivational Posters
London Sangraal - Building 'Map'
Seven story building with an underground parking garage - entry into the building from garage also requires the swipe card and 6 digit code. Aerial view of the Sangraal building which occupies the triangle of High Holborn, New Oxford and and Drury Lane.
Reception: London Sangraal Main Reception rotates between Tina Wellington, Gabriella Paddington, and Rene Dubois. All are youngish (early 20's), and quite pleasant on the eyes. There are also Security Guards flanking the entrance though they are in plain clothes and are discrete.
Entry to the various floors and office requires a 'swipe card' and entry of a 6 digit code onto a specialized console.
Departmental Offices & Staff Offices: 1st Floor
Conference rooms, offices, visiting offices - assigned to Sangraal personnel from other home offices for use while in London. Also, most of the outside business conducted by Sangraal takes place here so that non-Sangraal individuals don't have access to the upper levels.
Dr. Dallas Starkovich, Ian Stone, Jonah Jones, Jessica Gage
Records and Archives : 2nd Floor (Entire floor)
Archeological Preservation and Medical: 3rd Floor
Key Medical personnel: Dr. Palis and two technicians . It is set up to handle most emergencies - and have a rather extensive suite of medical diagnostic and treatment equipment.
Imaging/Cataloguing and staff offices: 4th Floor - New Employee lounge - Four Forward, Conference Room
Dr. Elizabeth Grant
ACU and Forensics: 5th Floor
The elevator rides up and the door opens into a reception area. There is a glass door in the center of the area, and a ID card/keypad to the right. The glass is security glass, allowing people inside to see out, but people can't see in. There is also a microphone and intercom near the keypad.
Key personnel: Michael Dagan (ACU station chief), Eric Millegan, Tom Thyne. All are amiable, laid back (to a degree!) employees who are quite cooperative and efficient.
Trevor Mitchell's office is also on this floor.
Other: 6th Floor
Zach Grant
Board Territory: 7th Floor
All board members have offices on the top floor.
PCs can begin and or have their character based in any of the following cities:
New York City
Washington DC
Seattle
Austin
London, England - overhead view, map
Frankfurt, Germany
Sydney, Australia
St. Petersburg, Russia
Capetown, South Africa
Cairo, Egypt
Tel Aviv, Israel
Tokyo, Japan
All locations, each and every one, have a room that is visited during orientation and any time thereafter an employee wishes to visit. It is a stark room with an inlaid floor bearing the Wingate coat of arms. The wall is filled with images, many in black and white of various people. Some have plaques describing who they are, others have no insignia or identification whatsoever. View Room
Working conditions at Sangraal -
New Employees - receive an extensive orientation by pleasant staff members. They are issued corporate credit cards (Amex and VISA), high end lap top computers, global cell phones, and a travel/clothing budget as well as access to whatever equipment they might need for a particular assignment. Sangraal has its own medical resources in each location and satellite facilities and or arrangements with local medical institutions in case an employee becomes sick or injured. Sangraal employees never have to worry about relying on 'local' medical help either on the job or for personal issues. There is also a comprehensive mental health plan that encourages 'wellness' visits, offers after assignment talk throughs and the like.
Other Employees - will have experienced all of the above and will have found the work satisfying if challenging at times. Regular and substantial raises and or promotions are fair and equitable, supervisors tend to be relatively strict, but laissez-faire in day to day operations - i.e..., employees enjoy a high degree of independence and the supervisors tend to have an 'open door' policy to resolve any issues. Some departments heads are a bit quirky, and some are definitely 'characters' in the sense they seem to hold a collection of behaviors that borders on compulsive or even slightly neurotic, but on the whole, once you get used to them they are good to work for.
Sounds almost too good to be true... eh? <cue eerie music>
In general, for a given assignment/task, the senior leadership (department heads) will pull together a team of Foundation staffers who have the best talent mix along with necessary support personal such as administrative assistants, cooks, medic, and the like.
The department head will appoint a team leader, give a report schedule and the like. Within the confines of the mission, the team leader has a lot of latitude to pursue issues as he/she sees fit. Rarely do the department heads exercise executive control over the group, recognizing that the team in the field has the best eyes on the situation.
At the end of a mission there will be a debriefing, and if issues related to team leadership are brought up, they will be addressed in future assignments. There have been a few cases of people being demoted or fired due to incompetence or other issues (fraud, etc).
Tales and Whispers from around the world -
The name Randolph Wingate is almost always spoken with some reverence - he is clearly the most important person at Sangraal though he disappeared long ago and has since been declared dead. The mystique surrounding him is due to more than being the Founder of Sangraal...
Randolph Wingate was the stereotypical American Entrepreneur with holdings that spanned the world before global markets became the order of the day. His fortunes were made in the railroad business, newspapers, buildings and the support network that kept it all running. He had a passionate interest in Archeology and devoted much of his life to finding and preserving finds.
His tale is a tragic one - he married young, a devoted and lovely lady by the name of Vivian. They had one daughter, Casper, who was disinherited for undisclosed reasons in 1942. It is whispered around Sangraal that during one of Randolph's quests for an archeological site, Vivian was kidnapped, he was tortured and left for dead... through amazing skill and sheer will to live, Randolph survived though Vivian was killed in the interim. This occurred on a trip to Egypt in 1922. He seemed to have 'lost it' for quite some time, managing his businesses haphazardly and ignoring most of the world, including his now orphaned daughter. His one true friend during this time was Jonah Weatherbee, skipper of Randolph's private yacht, the Pandora.
Randolph surfaced from his melancholy during 1942 and became reacquainted with his daughter, who was by now the very image of Vivian. In 1943 Randolph took the Pandora on several cruises though those that knew him remark that he was a changed man in the time from 42 to 43.
The Pandora is one of the vessels frequently used to take employees to locations where land access is difficult.
In 1997, Randolph again took off to parts unknown but was never heard from again. It was presumed he died on some adventure in a foreign land and he was declared officially dead in 2004. If Randolph died in 1997, he would have been 97 years old at the time.
More later...
The Board || The Department Heads || Other Staff (ACU, Reception, etc) || Others
Chairman: Stephen A Kovacs is probably the quirkiest of the lot - an intense and driven man, prone to staring off into space as his lips move as if speaking. He seems to purposely give the impression of being uninterested in what is going on, his comments are difficult to interpret but generally speaking, upon further reflection, tend to be quite profound. In many ways, he is bound by the past - preferring tailor made clothing that seems a bit out of place in the 21st Century. His manner hearkens back to the days of old in how he addresses people, how he treats women, how he dines - every facet of his life. He can be charming one moment, distracted and snippy the next, though a moment later will have forgotten his snippiness. He does not seem to have any romance in his life or hides it very well. His desk is groaning under the burden of various piles of papers, books, instruments and the like. He is apparently the only one that can actually find what he wants on it - much to the distress of his personal assistant, Harriett.
Senior Vice chairman: Adrian McLean has a well known reputation for speaking his mind on any subject, whether or not the listener is interested in what he has to say. He will often interrupt a meeting with a musical instrument (saxophone, piano, or drumming on the table-top) playing it as he stares off to consider the information or worse, sometimes singing his replies - operatic, rock, jazz... he's actually quite good, just very distracting. He is something of a ladies man, though apparently lacks enough commitment to remain in any enduring relationship.
Junior Vice chairman: J. Edwards Sinasac is probably the most normal of the lot. A soft spoken gentleman who is direct, but in a positive way. He is master of the 'honey draws more bees than vinegar' school of thought. He seems to have endless patience, is a very attentive listener and always acts very methodically and systematically. His movements are precise and exact, with no wasted effort or actions, his desk is always neat and has an exquisite collection of orchids and exotic plants. The walls of his office are a treat to those artistically inclined - featuring paintings (perhaps reproductions) by well known Masters of the Romantic era including Third of May by Francisco Goya, Wanderer above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich, Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix, The Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse, among others.
Recorder: Hans H.P.B. Sneedon is a rugged man with a rugged personality. His voice is loud and booming, jovial at times though when angry, is very soft spoken. He is known to be quite impatient with incompetence and makes no bones about pointing it out to the hapless victim. He doesn't rush, but always seems to be in motion, doing something. He is not a man prone to periods of inactivity and often makes others feel the impetus to be in motion, doing something productive. People have commented that they feel rather breathless and exhausted after meeting with him. His office is spartan and immaculate, not a single item out of place. His suits are always fresh looking, every hair in place no matter the circumstances. He takes great pride in his possessions - always making sure they are clean and orderly.
Reporter: Brandon Larson-Leary fancies himself a man of elegance and dignity as if trying to compensate for his athletic beginnings and love of action films. He indulges his senses with the finest in food, luxuries of all kinds but is a generous soul - often holding meetings where the best pastries and appetizers are served on fine china, along with some bubbly and very fine wines. He is a man of drama, often 'acting' out particularly important elements of his message and coaxing others to express themselves in that way as well. He is a director at heart and carries this into his relationship with other Sangraal members. He is extremely fastidiuos and it could be deduced that he has an aversion to germs. He is never without his hand sanitizer and maintenance staff complain about having to do his office - he does white glove inspections every morning!
Treasurer: Alan S. Boyer is a soft-spoken man of few words. He tends to be an observer, taking in every little details as a hunter studies his prey. Some have commented that when he focuses his attention on someone, it can be quite unnerving. His eyes seem cold and expressionless and yet, very much alive. He is known to be an excellent card player and oddly enough enjoys dance type musicals - almost never missing a performance of such plays.
Master at arms: Jeremiah Hanes stands out in a crowd and he seems to like it that way. He is more drill instructor than board member in personality - always keeping conversation on track with insightful comments and despite his large size and background, is very adept at keeping meetings harmonious and positive. He is a very good judge of character and interpreting intent rather than what comes out in words. Many come to him to iron out issues between Sangraal employees. He is very approachable and always helpful in resolving conflict.
Director of Forensic Anthropology - Dr Robert E Quincy: A warm and caring man who is easy to work for. His approach is very hands-off, letting his staff gain valuable experience through both their successes and their failures. He is the type who believes that all should be involved - much like the crew of a ship. He finds the positive in every event and helps others make the best of any mishaps. He has never been heard to speak poorly of anyone whether peers or staff.
Director of Archeological Preservation - Dr. Reginald Dyer: Dyer can be a difficult man because he rarely tends to be 'in the present' so to speak. His 'context' focuses on eons rather than days or weeks. He is impatient with anything relating to modern day issues and fully expects everyone to know all that he does. Doesn't everyone know every little facet of history? Because of this, he tends to micro-manage his staff at times, as often he is disappointed in expecting too much of others. He has little sense of 'office hours' and often demands work in the evenings, weekend and holidays as a matter of course.
Director of Imaging and Cataloguing - Dr. Ian McCandless: An enigmatic man who comes off as a bit gruff though he's fairly easy to work for. He is demanding and exacting in his expectations, but also supportive though not in obvious ways. He is a great observer and will offer constructive and quite frank criticism. He has a habit of 'baiting' and 'testing' those in his department so everyone tries to keep up and prepare for such innocent sounding questions. The questions always (eventually) have a purpose that serves to illustrate some important concept related to their work. He comes off as quite paternal to both male and female employees, though somewhat aloof unless he's very impressed with something.
Director of the Cryptography and Language department, Dr. Grigori Dimitrivich Sokolov: Incredibly meticulous, precise, organized, and pays a great attention of detail to every facet of his life. He too sports something of a 'hands-off' attitude, but is always available to answer questions - which he does quite patiently if in a long winded fashion. He does require a strict protocol in his department - there is a dress code, manners are expected to be used at all times, he frowns upon foul language, and still uses 'old world' manners and mode of address. He is fastidiuos about proper record keeping and demands stict adherence to all procedures and protocols. Change or new ways of doing things don't come easy to him and he will resist any such attempts - though over time, he does accept change if it is truly demonstrated to be more effective than the old way of doign things.
Archeology Crime Unit - Harrison Marshall Maddock: Love him or hate him, there seems to be no middle ground with him. He can be quite acidic if crossed or if someone does not perform to expectations and frankly, as it could involve life or death, that is to be expected. He's gruff, somewhat irreverent, frank and demanding, but with few words. He hates long winded explanations but values results. He always seems to have a quote for an occasion - there are many memorable ones on neat plaques in the restrooms. Some include:
"The greater the technology, the greater need for invoking the mightiest
power of all - that of the brain. The brain is the only tool equally
available to every sentient being - and their only choice is whether or not to use it."
"Will Rogers said: Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run
over if you just sit there. I say, get your ass moving before I run you over!"
"Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain."
"Practice doesn't make perfect, nor is it supposed to. Practice is about
increasing your repertoire of ways to recover from your mistakes."
Director of Records and Archives - Dr. Hermocrates Mourain is something of a mystery and he seems to enjoy making the most of it. He loves speaking in riddles or analogy. A direct question is never answered directly - most often he'll answer with a quote or passage from some obscure source, and then 'explain' his meaning with yet another quoted source - taking liberties with translations. He seems to have a sense of humor as he always seems to be smiling, and yet, it can be difficult to understand him. He delights in confounding people.
Director of Public Relations - Charlotte Weston is a very driven, highly anxious kind of woman. Her energy is amazing, always on the go. She interprets *everything* in terms of how it will affect the public image of Sangraal - something she takes very, very seriously. She's been known to harrangue department heads when their staff have come to the public eye in a negative way. In fact, it almost seems as if even the hardiest of the lot defer to her tantrums. She is however quite engaging and charming, though because of her role, that can be construed as simply acting to ensure things go smoothly.
London Sangraal Main Reception: Rotates between Tina Wellington, Gabriella Marshall. Both are youngish (early 20's), brunette and quite pleasant on the eyes.
London ACU: Michael Dagan (ACU station chief), Eric Millegan, Tom Thyne. All are amiable, laid back (to a degree!) employees who are quite cooperative and efficient.
Trains, Planes and Automobiles (and a yacht!) - takes you to another page.
The Sangraal Foundation prides itself on making the best of the best available to its investigators and mode of transportation is no exception. When commercial transit isn't enough, Sangraal has a fleet of autos, special train cars, private airplanes of various sizes and several ships, though The Pandora is the Foundation flagship. It is often underway taking a member of the board somewhere, but on occasion it is made available to staff for either transportation or special Foundation events. It is not to be missed! Captain Sisko runs a tight ship and there is a first class staff of chefs to keep everyone fed in gourmet fashion.
Current Assignment: Theseus and the Minotaur
Dr. Dyer's briefing in full:
"Greek mythology tells us that a hero, Theseus, the son of Aethra and
Poseidon, took his birthright as son of Aegeus of Athens. The
Athenian's had been vanquished in war by King Minos of Crete, who
demanded every nine years that Athena send seven young men and seven
young women who were destined to be sacrifices to the Minotaur, a
half-bull, half-man creature that lived in an inescapable labyrinth. "
"As the legend goes, with the help of Aradne, daughter of King Minos,
Theseus was able to kill the Minotaur, escape the labyrinth, and sail
home to Athens with the sacrificial victims. However, he did abandon
Aradne, and thus caused his father, Aegeus to commit suicide. "
"Legends are often the inspiration for artists, and this legend is no
exception. One of the greatest statues was by the French sculptor
Antoine-Louis Barye. His bronze can be seen in the Louvre, in Paris."
"What is not known, however, is that the Bronze was a test for the
real statute that Barye was commissioned to make. This one was of
gold, with precious gems. It was commissioned by Marcus Goodenough,
the 3rd Earl of Grimsby, as a gift to his wife, a student of ancient
Greece. This was passed down within the family as one of the great
treasures of the family's extensive art collection. Marcus's
grandson, Mark, was a man who loved the sea, and spent many months
sailing in the Mediterranean. This is where our story follows the
classic Greek tragedy. In the summer of 1932, Earl Grimsby's yacht
was attacked by a pirate, Zoltan the Magyar. This man killed
everyone on the yacht, except for the young daughter, Amy Goodenough,
who remained his prisoner for several years, finally escaping and
returning to England in 1936. She was unharmed, but became a
recluse. I will have more to say on her later."
"At the same time as this, there arose a man, 'Count Ugo of
Sardinia', a criminal art thief and fence, who sought to create a new
criminal empire that would stretch throughout all of Europe. He
named this organization the Millenaria. This name should be familiar
to those of you who have studied secret Italian societies. The
original Millenaria arose in the mid-15th century as a means to
restore the Roman empire to it's original greatness. Members were
marked with the double 'M' symbol. Of course, they were hunted down
and by 1602, the last bastion of Millenaria were arrested, tried and
executed, but I digress."
"Zoltan sold the statue of Thesis and the Minotaur to Ugo, as well as
the information he had obtained from Amy regarding the art collection
in England. This lead Ugo to send a group of criminals to steal this
extensive collection and return it to his possession. Working with
Zoltan and others, Ugo continued to send out groups of criminals to
steal artwork and other precious commodities around Europe. In 1934,
Ugo constructed his own town, called Carnifex. Here, in the Nuoro
province of Sardinia, near the town of Piras, he constructed a huge
dam to generate hydroelectric power for his now town."
"Unfortunately, he was not such a good engineers, and in 1936, the
dam was destroyed and the village of Carnifex, Ugo, and the
Millenaria were destroyed, along with several hundred million pounds
worth of artwork. To this day, no one has been able to gain access to
the ruins, because they are fiercely protected by the locals, who run
off any foreigners, including members of the Italian police. "
Dr. Dyer paused, while an image of a statue of filled your
screens. "Three weeks ago this statue appeared on the market. As
you can imagine, we obtained it and performed an analysis of it. It
was, of course, a forgery, a very clever and well done forgery. Our
analysis indicates that it was done from the original using the
lost-wax method. This of course, means someone has access to an
original. Since the original bronze is in the Louvre, the only other
option is the Goodenough golden statue. "
"This suggests that someone may have had access to the ruins at
Carnifex. This also suggests as has been rumored that Ugo had a
special chamber built to secure and store his ill-gotten gains. We
do not know the full extent of what may be there."
"There is an interesting side-bar, and that is Amy Goodenough
herself. After returning to England, she lived her days alone. We
have a report from her maid that she is a diarist, filling volumes of
information that no one has seen. Three days after we purchased the
forgery, a lawyer representing Miss Goodenough demanded we return it
to her. We have claimed ownership for historical preservation, and
have tied this up in court, which has given us more
time. Researchers are trying to determine where this forgery was made. "
"You are charged with recovering the original golden Theseus and the
Minotaur statue, as well as identify where Ugo's final treasure
resting place is. Ideally, you'd get a preliminary survey of these
treasures."
"The fence that sold us the statue is in London, which means you can
also visit Miss Goodenough and see if you can gain access to her
diaries. Our psychological division suggests that there is a lot of
useful information about Ugo's criminal enterprise. The same
division suggests that Ugo has several as yet undiscovered locations
where he stored ill gotten gains."
Other Information:
Those who have worked with Dr. Dyer before will realize that this is an incredibly brief briefing for him - almost rushed if that were at all possible for Dr. Dyer. Normally, he would have elaborated greatly on the myth portion but for once gave credit to his staff that they knew to what exactly he referred. Quite unusual for him indeed.
Answers to questions posed during the briefing:
> 'Is there any contemporary evidence that this mans organisation survived?' asks Felice, "could it not be related to an expansion of the Neapolitan mafia's or even the Cosa Nostra itself?
Dyer looks down at some notes, "Miss de Winter, is it. Yes, anyway, the organization was based around the Ugo. According to our information the original organization was eliminated before it really began. More to the point, we have no information to suggest that the Millenaria is alive and active."
>"Did Amy escape before of after the destruction of Carnifex?"
"That is a good question, Mr. Stone," Dyer said. "We do not know the
complete timeline, and no one has ever established one. The timing
is equivocal, and that is why there is interest in her diary, to
learn what she really knows of Carnifex. The fact that her captor
returned to and worked with Ugo suggests she may know a great deal
about Carnifex, and especially the stolen artwork."
>Building a dam seems an extraordinary way to generate electricity
>for one small town. How big was it and is it likely the electricity
>generated from such a project would have been big enough to use for
>other things
"Evidence suggests that the dam would have been sufficient to power
Carnifex several dozen times over. There were no power lines strung
away from Carnifex, suggesting either there was a demand for that
power, or Ugo wished to plan for growth," Dyer replied.
>Its not clear but i assume the statue was on the boat. Do we know
>why the earl went sailing with a great big statue on board. In fact
>do we know anything about the purpose of the voyage and what he did
>Do we know about what happened with that voyage purely by amy's later
>account . Is there any independent account of her escape or could it
>equally be true that she merely moved operations and remained close to zoltan.
"Again, we know nothing about the motives of the Earl. At that time,
however, it was the custom for the nobility to show off their
collections, a sort of counting coop among other nobles," Dyer
replied, "It would not have been considered strange for him to carry
it on the yacht. As for Ms. Goodenough's account, that is all we
have, again this speaks to the interest in the diary by several parties."
>I am slightly confused about the carnifex site. It is not an
>archaeological dig and the main item is not historical. Why is
>sangraal involved.
"Ah, Mr. Stone, the foundations interests are wide. While I agree
this is not an archeological expedition, the piece being relatively
recent, this find is the first indicator of the possibility of a
greater store of lost and stolen artwork. Since the Foundation does
not have a formal antiquities department to date, this research falls
to my department. There are rumors, of course, that the Chairman and
Board of Directors is considering formally establishing an
Antiquities department to handle cases of this nature on the future. "
More as it happens...