*** Session 10 - Scene 6 (of 7) ***

Le Doux shows back at the office sometime later in the cab Deveneux called him. When he gets inside, Hawk wants to know how much they got paid for recovering the money. Le Doux reminds him the payment was getting to live.

Hawk asks him what the next case is. Le Doux says they need to pick back up on the Martin case, since it's the only one paying them.

Le Doux starts going through what they know – Martin disappeared, he had a girl named Jerboa, she was dragged off one time by nuns or someone dressed similarly, wore a porcupine necklace of some type, and probably came from the bayou. Hawk notes there are a lot of bayous around. Le Doux also recalls the Orpheum, Lee Ho Fook's, and the Bali Hai as Martin's favorite haunts. He agrees the Bali Hai and the bayou seem like the two strongest leads.

Hawk suggests they look at a map of the city and plot out the locations Martin went. The closest bayou to all of them is the Lakeview Bayou area adjacent to City Park, though it is not a large area and not known for anyone living inside it.

Le Doux suggests they split up. He wants to keep an eye on the Bali Hai while Hawk and Nibbons check out the Lakeview area. They drive over to the Bali Hai and Hawk and Nibbons take a trolley back down to Lakeview while Le Doux stays watching over the juice bar in his car.

The Lakeview area is in the process of being reclaimed with new bungalow homes being put up on the edges. The surrounding neighborhoods aren't too interesting, but the large cemeteries in Navarre give Hawk an idea he tells Nibbons they should start there.

Hawk and Nibbons go to the first cemetery they come across, St. Patrick's Cemetery #2. According to the plaque at the gates, it is a Catholic cemetery established in 1841 for the victims of the Yellow Fever epidemic.

They talk to the caretaker, a man named Holt, about looking for a crypt for the family name of Jerboa. Holt can't locate any records of a family with that name, and suggests it is likely some kind of Christian name.

Hawk asks if he's ever heard the name before, hoping perhaps she was named after an ancestor. Unfortunately, Holt isn't familiar with it in any of the St. Patrick cemeteries.

Holt asks if the family is around here. Hawk briefly explains about Donny Martin and the strange girl. Holt asks why Hawk thinks the girl is from around here. Hawk gives his theory on thinking the girl lived within walking distance of the locations she and Martin visited. Holt, however, suggests it could be one of the more remote bayous, such as the Irish Bayou or the Segnette Bayou, since there are a lot of people who live out in those.

Hawk recalls the porcupine necklace. Holt says that sounds like some kind of Indian thing. Nibbons agrees that's what they think. Holt says he wouldn't know anything about that; they'd have to talk to someone who knows about that sort of thing. Hawk asks if he knows anyone who might, but Holt just says he's "never been one for your books and such."

Nibbons, however, recalls they do know someone – Dr. Harry Beckmeyer, the anthropologist specializing in Indian studies over at the Louisiana State History Museum. He suggests they go there.

*** Session 10 - Scene 7 (of 7) ***

Nibbons and Hawk make their way over to the museum via trolley cars and ask to speak with Dr. Beckmeyer. When the secretary asks for a name, Nibbons forgets Le Doux used a false name last time and gives his actual name.

After a minute, they are shown back to see the doctor. He greets Nibbons as "Mr. Round" and assumes Hawk is "Mr. Nibbons", who must be Mr. Round's assistant. Hawk and Nibbons decide to roll with it.

Nibbons explains they are looking for some information. Beckmeyer is intrigued, asking if "Dr. Jones" had any success in his investigation into the snake men myths. Nibbons, only vaguely recalling the particulars of their previous cover story during the lizard man case, decides to be conservative and just say "yes" to avoid saying the wrong thing.

Beckmeyer asks what he can help them with today. Nibbons says they are looking for some people. Beckmeyer notes that as an anthropologist and archeologist, he isn't typically asked about that. He asks what sort of people Nibbons is looking for.

Nibbons struggles to explain what he looking for in a way that would make sense without revealing what they are up to. He mentions Jerboa's name. Beckmeyer is confused why Nibbons is asking him about that.

Hawk tries to salvage the situation by half-explaining he works for a private investigator and the reason they wanted to talk to Beckmeyer was about a strange necklace they heard about the girl wearing. Nibbons describes the dyed blue porcupine needles.

Beckmeyer thinks that sounds familiar. Looking through his notes, he finds that the necklace was likely something created by the Atakapa tribe.

He asks Hawk and Nibbons if they are familiar with the Atakapa tribe. They admit they are not. Beckmeyer explains the Atakapas were a tribe known for ritual cannibalism and rivals to the Choctaw people in the Gulf Coast area. According to the doctor, they were documented by Alexandre De Batz in 1735, but little was written about them after the 1760's. Beckmeyer also notes they were largely decimated by epidemics and the tribe dissolved by the early 19th century.

The doctor gets more animated as he continues to read through his notes. According to his previous research, there is a local legend regarding a porcupine quill necklace. He asks Nibbons if he is familiar with the Bowles clan. Nibbons says he is not.

Beckmeyer goes on to explain the Bowles clan first arrived in the Segnette Bayou area in 1762, one of the first Acadian settlers in the area. Apparently they were known for being recluses and largely trading only with the Atakapa tribe in the area. He says most of the discussion among locals about the family concerned the belief they have been in-breeding for the past hundred and fifty years. He notes he doesn't know anything about the current family – they'd have to head out to the bayou and ask around.

Getting back to the subject of the necklace, it was apparently traded to the Bowles sometime before the tribe died off. According to the stories, one of the family was bitten by a rabid wolf and the necklace was given to the family as the Atakapas said it had healing magic in it that was able to save the man's life. Beckmeyer surmises the necklace was likely passed down through generations and Jerboa is one of the Bowles clan.

Hawk notes this means they need to head down to Segnette and look for the Bowles clan. Beckmeyer agrees that is the most likely scenario, saying if they get a chance to ask the Bowles, he'd love to have the necklace at the museum for a short while so he could study and document it properly. Hawk isn't so sure they'd be receptive to that but says he'll do what he can.

His imagination going wild, Hawk muses about being concerned about a werewolf legend and going on about how you hear about things like werewolves and zombis. Beckmeyer points out he didn't actually ention anything about a werewolf, however it is true the werewolf legends of France (called the loup garou) are believed to originate with bites from rabid wolves.

Dr. Beckmeyer continues on about werewolf legends, saying the loup garou stories were often tied back to stories of cannibalism and witchcraft in the 16th and 17th centuries. He goes on to mention the various treatises written from 1595 to 1615, the trial of Giles Garner in Dole in 1573, the Anjou sightings of 1598, and the Bordeaux conviction in 1603. He also mentions famous Saint-Claude judge Henry Boguet and how he wrote a couple of occult books on witchcraft that mentioned werewolves in 1602 and 1619.

Hawk, however, is more interested in zombis. Beckmeyer is less familiar with those, but identifies them as "Haitian mythology" and powders that could bring the dead back to life. His theory is the "zombi dust" is merely something like curare mixed with hallucinogens that simply cause victims to believe they died and have risen under a spell.

Nibbons doesn't want the case getting too off track so he suggests they proceed with investigating the Bowles clan to find Jerboa and Donny Martin. They thank the doctor and take their leave.

*** Interlude: The Shape of Things to Come - Part 1 ***

Lakefront City, IL
December 15, 1925

It is a busy day at the law offices of Kirkland & Tharrington, with people busily moving up and down the halls. In the corner office, attorney Morgan S. Tharrington works with his client to prepare the various papers required for the large real estate transaction. One of the secretaries, Joan, sticks her head in to let him know that the other party and his counsel have arrived. He tells Joan to show them in.

When they walk in, Morgan is surprised to see the corporation has a female as a lead attorney. She introduces herself as Claire Maddox and her client representative as Curtiss Jackson, Vice President of Acquisitions. Tharrington completes the introductions by giving the names of himself and his client.

Everyone sits down at a small conference table in the office to get the papers signed. Tharrington notes the final selling price Jackson has offered is most generous. He responds he likes to make sure the deal is sealed quickly on new acquisitions, noting the company has several operations it is anxious to get moving on. Maddox shoots him a look to remind him not to say too much until everything is signed.

It doesn't take long for the paperwork to be completed, the check handed over, and everyone to shake hands on a deal well done. Just as she is leaving, the seller stops to ask Jackson if he really thinks there could be oil on her father's island. Jackson responds, "No, Ms. Hill, we think we will find something even more valuable..."

*** Session 10 & Interlude Part 1 - Session Notes ***

I meant to put the interlude before the session 10 notes but forgot. It was originally an email I sent out to the group prior to this session to generate some excitement (they have been theorizing about a connection between this campaign and the Lakefront City campaign for some time).

After last session's disastrous results, I sent out an email suggesting that another session like that would threaten the campaign falling apart. I tried not to come across too forceful - saying there wasn't any activity that shouldn't be done at all but they need to tone down some of the more outlandish aspects. Specifically, I suggested thinking before they come up with too zany of a scheme that could get them killed, making sure they keep the rivalries between the PCs to the point where they will still talk to each other/actually work together, and be sure to remember the NPCs are often at least street smart. I also pointed out that trying to hire NPCs to do the dirty work most likely won't work out well for them.

It went over pretty well. The Eberhardt player kind of piggybacked on it with his own comments that were a little more specific and pointed about the kind of things he didn't like in the game. Outside of email, the Le Doux player and I came to the conclusion it probably wasn't going to work having both his son (who plays Fox) and the Hawk player in the game so we won't make more of an effort to include him.

It resulted in this session, which went really well and things seem to be back on track. They solved one case and got a good distance into the other. It is a bit shorter than normal, as we had some technical difficulties early on (Windows 10 updating whenever the hell it feels like it, like when you are in the middle of a Skype session, is a major pain in the ass), the Eberhardt player had to skip to take care of his sick kids, and the Nibbons player was half-asleep most of the session (strictly speaking, he wasn't actually present for the last half of the last scene as he fell asleep while on Skype).

Other notes about the interlude / session:
* Kirkland & Tharrington is partially named after the Chicago law firm, Tharrington Smith.

* Claire Maddox comes from the second season of the TV show, Damages.

* Curtiss Jackson comes from the Captain America comics (Power Broker, Inc.) and is not a 50 Cent reference; though I suppose it works both ways.

* Clearly the intent of the interlude is to suggest Valarie Hill is selling her father's island, where all of the cult activity happened, to a nefarious corporation that somehow knows something went on there.

* I had the session take place a couple of days later to give Le Doux at least nominal time to heal from his injury. Also, it helps explain away Fox and Eberhardt's absences.

* Nibbons is clearly having the same sort of dreams Fox had. What's the connection? Stay tuned for future developments.

* The list of open loose ends is actually from an email I sent prior to this session to remind the group of all the things currently in play. They often have a hard time remembering more than one plotline at a time.

* Hawk's idea of load his car up with materials for burning zombis will no doubt cause some kind of explosion in the future.

* I didn't originally plan to have someone watching Le Doux's office, but since Hawk brought it up...

* Le Doux thought Hawk's car ideas were absurd, hence the Beverly Hills Cop joke (I fleshed it out a bit more in the write-up along with Hawk's joke referencing the Silver & Cohn novelty song).

* No one remembered anything about the Taubert case because out of game, that was several months ago. We kept having to look things up in the session notes.

* The Hawk player didn't really understand the difference between a full time casino and a night club that has an illegal gambling racket at night.

* Le Doux finally figured out the Texas Tommy Contest reference was part of a passcode, though didn't get he'd need to use the name of the Maple Leaf Rag singer (Scott Joplin) to get by. To be fair, that would be impossible to just guess.

* I kept mentioning the drunk sailor to remind the PCs they never looked into him. In the end, I had to have the NPC suggest it just to keep the story moving (and had to remind the PCs they never did actually investigate him).

* Neither Cecil Jackson nor Allan Deveneux actually mentioned their names during the session. I had previously come up with Jackson's name but didn't have those notes with me during the session (I didn't expect them to ever go back to the Maple Leaf Room). And I never intended to give a name to the random thug who shot Le Doux, but it got to be too complicated in the write-up to keep calling him "the man". Deveneux is named after a character in the film, No Mercy.

* Similarly, William Criterion was also unnamed. His name is something of a joke as he is named after the New Orleans Harbor Master Criterium bike race.

* Nibbons getting Kerns' name wrong was a classic Biggins moment.

* During the session, I called the ship the White Star (more of a Titanic reference) but when I did the write-up I thought naming it after the band Whitestarr would be better and used the names of the band members Alex Orbison and Cisco Adler to pad out my NPC names.

* The part about the men not speaking English to investigators was taken straight from the similar plot from season 2 of The Wire.

* Mae Kennedy was a real female bootlegger in New Orleans, famously arrested after she offered prohibition agents alcohol when they showed up at her door.

* The "rose chipmunk" is a joke referring to the drink, pink squirrel (not invented until the 1960s).

* Mae was most definitely trying to slip Hawk a Mickey. She was also going to shoot him with a  derringer in the night stand drawer.

* Her line about "people are talking" was inspired by a scene during a season 5 episode of The Sopranos.

* Hawk's plan to find Jerboa wasn't a bad one, it just isn't where her family was located. Again, for all his faults the Hawk player is the only one who seems overly familiar with crime fiction. So, I decided to use the cemetery caretaker to try and point him in the right direction.

* The necklace was another one of those things I mentioned a lot to hopefully prod the PCs to investigate that line. That one did eventually work.

* Holt's line about never being one for books is taken from a funny line I always liked in an episode of the TV show, Roseanne.

* It's kind of funny how often the other PCs try to have Nibbons do the interrogations with people. Since they know how bad he is at it, they see it as a form of comic relief.

* In my original plans, the Atakapa tribe was a bit more involved in occult activity. But as I mentioned before, I felt I already tapped that well dry so I switched it up a bit to focus on the inbred Bowles clan.

* Originally, I didn't anticipate anything about werewolves coming up; it was a bit of a random comment from the Hawk player. But since I knew it would come up at some point, I already had plenty of details to lay on them (again, all of it is true - including Boguet's books).

*** Interlude: The Shape of Things to Come - Timeline Clarification ***

A quick note about the timeline - part 1 of the Interlude incorrectly listed the date as December of 1925. That should have been December of 1924. The next interlude is meant to take place a couple of days later, not a year later; I didn't want to confuse anyone.

To further clarify, the interlude is intended to be a flashback of events that took place after the previous Cthulhubusters campaign in Lakefront City (which ended in November of 1924) and before the current Cthulhubusters campaign in Crescent City (which started in early July of 1925 and is up to late August in the current session).

*** Interlude - The Shape of Things to Come - Part 2 ***

Lake Michigan, IL
December 16, 1924

It is a quiet night on the cold lake with little moonlight shining down on the water. A small boat moves quietly to shore, carrying four men. All are wearing their old uniforms from the Great War and carrying Browning Assault Rifles.

The commander of the men is Charles L. Delazny Jr., who attained the rank of sergeant while fighting the Huns in Blanc Mont Ridge. He gestures to the pilot, Melvin Potter, to quietly glide the boat into the docks. As they approach, the sign posts near the docks read, "Danger – No Trespassing" and "Access Prohibited by the L.C.P.D."

Potter maneuvers the boat up against the docks and loosely ties in. Delazny deploys the other men, with Leopold Stryke taking point and Peter Van Zante taking the rear. Leaving Potter in the boat, they quickly head up the hill to the burnt remains of the old lake house that used to stand there.

Stryke checks out the remains of the car and house while Van Zante moves up to whisper to Delazny. He asks what happened there as it looks like a bomb of some kind went off. His commander reminds him they aren't being paid to know that. He follows up by reminding him to stay quiet and keep an eye out for hostiles.

A scream yells out from Stryke's position. Van Zante and Delazny move up to investigate, only to find Stryke's leg being chewed on by a child-sized creature with a bulbous head, glowing yellow eyes, sharp teeth, webbed hands with claws, and tentacles coming out of its back. Before Delazny can stop him, Van Zante opens fire on the strange humanoid, tearing it to pieces.

Delazny chides Van Zante for giving away their position. He has him bandage up Stryke's wound while he keeps watch.

Stryke indicates he can make it back to the boat but will be useless out in the field. Delazny tells him he can pilot the boat and to send Potter up. Van Zante asks Delazny why they won't just retreat. The commander tells him they still have a job to do, reminding him the doctor wants at least one live specimen...

*** Session 11 - Cast of Characters ***

Boudreaux "Boo" Le Doux: A Cajun and former swamp guide turned private eye who styles himself after hardboiled pulp detective novels.

Bruno Eberhardt: A 1st generation German immigrant and seasoned police officer. He does some work on the side for Le Doux and others to supplement his income.

*** Session 11 - Scene 1 (of 11) ***

Eberhardt suddenly finds himself in front of Le Doux's office, unaware of how he got there. In fact, the last thing he recalls he was heading into his service training class. He notices he has changed clothes from his training uniform back into his normal civilian clothes. The effect is very unsettling.

He decides to go ahead and head inside, finding Le Doux and Madge sitting around the office having their morning coffee. In his confused state, he asks Le Doux for the date. Le Doux tells him it is Tuesday the 25th. Eberhardt finds that very disconcerting – for he believes it is still Monday the 24th. Le Doux shows him the paper confirming the date – with headlines in the sports section about Mickey Walker fighting William "Sailor" Friedman to a no-decision in Lakefront City and Helen Willis Moody winning the 39th U.S. Women's National Championship against Kathleen McKane.

Eberhardt asks if Le Doux saw him the previous day. He tells him he hasn't seen him in a couple of days and asks the man if he's been drinking. Bruno says it is always a possibility but he has been known to do so, but Le Doux notes he does not look disheveled. Boo asks about the last thing he remembers and the two agree he should probably not ask around about it at the station.

While Le Doux checks out his shoes, Eberhardt asks him about Nibbons. Le Doux says he must be running late. But he says Eberhardt is just in time since he has a lead on Jerboa they can track down. Eberhardt says they need to find the Taubert money first but Boo explains he and Hawk took care of that yesterday.

He goes on to explain how the drunk sailor, who Eberhardt let go, had the money all along and they did all the work while he was away. Eberhardt takes offense to Le Doux's criticism, saying not everyone can live in Le Doux's fairy tale world where no one has a job and can run off on all kinds of wild goose chases. Eberhardt offers to assist in the Jerboa lead, but wants his fee. Le Doux agrees, but wants Eberhardt to drive his car.

Le Doux has Madge try to call Nibbons but she gets no answer. Boo tells Eberhardt they can't wait around all day as they need to get out to the Segnette Bayou for that lead on Jerboa. Eberhardt asks about Hawk, but Le Doux explains Hawk already left him a message that morning that he had to take the day off to help his sister dry out from another of her benders on her favorite bourdon, Wild Duck. Eberhardt notes Le Doux is running low on friends these days.

*** Session 11 - Scene 2 (of 11) ***

Before heading over to the ferry, they stop by a hardware store for a couple of flashlights, a shovel, and a length of rope. They manage to make the 10:30 ferry across the Mississippi and are shortly on their way through rural Jefferson Parish.

The drive doesn't take too long and is quite scenic as they pass by the old plantation lands and through the small towns of Harvey and Merrero. They eventually reach the rural outskirts of the bayou area, with little around except for the road leading to the small town of Westwego where the Pentex Chemical Company's oil refinery is located.

As they near the edge of the bayou area, they spot a sign for a nearby campground called Audrey's. They decide to head in to see if they can find some information on the Bowles clan.

The campground appears to have a series of six or so small cabins along with a main building. As they pull in to park, they both notice there aren't any campers around so much as several scantily-clad women. Eberhardt tells Le Doux he likes this campground. Le Doux says they will need to get to know Audrey better, though he's pretty sure the "campground" is really a front for a hillbilly-style brothel.

Le Doux parks the car and they start to approach one of the girls; the one Le Doux feels is the most attractive. As he starts walking that way, a couple of large men come out of the main building – a White man and a Mexican. The White man asks if they can help them.

When Le Doux explains he wants to ask the girl some questions, the man tells Le Doux he can ask her anything he likes for twenty dollars. Le Doux feels the amount is a little steep, but the man explains that includes the "scenic cabin fee." Le Doux asks if the cabin is private. The man explains it is unless he wants the "extra company" option, which will cost another fifteen dollars.

Le Doux agrees to pay the twenty. He tells the girl, who he calls Darlene, to show Le Doux to "Cabin A". As for Eberhardt, the man notes he'll have to pay too if he wants to go to the cabin as well. Eberhardt, not wanting to be that intimately acquainted with Le Doux, declines. The man says they can show him back to the bar to wait.

Eberhardt follows the two men back to the bar while Le Doux heads back to the cabin with Darlene. She starts undressing and asks what he likes. He tells her, "the works" and proceeds to sodomize her in every depraved way imaginable.

*** Session 11 - Scene 3 (of 11) ***

Meanwhile, back at the main building, Eberhardt orders a beer from the rough-looking, bearded bartender named Wade. He wants a warm German beer, but the best the bartender can offer is one that has been sitting out a while.

Eberhardt tries making conversation about Audrey. Wade tells him there hasn't been an Audrey there in years. Leaning in, he says in a quieter voice that it would be best not to go asking around about who the owner is.

Taking a different track, he says he'd like to find some information on someone who lives in the area. Wade says he might remember something, hinting he wants some money. Eberhardt throws him a few dollars and mentions the name of Jerboa. Wade isn't familiar with the name.

Bruno then uses the family name Le Doux told him about, asking about the Bowles family. Across the room, the man who met them in the parking lot seems to perk up. He and the Mexican get up from their table, asking if Eberhardt is connected to the Bowles family. Eberhardt can tell the Mexican is moving his hand towards the machete he has on his belt.

Eberhardt tries to get the men to calm down. The man tells Eberhardt they don't take kindly to the Bowles family around there. Eberhardt says he doesn't take kindly to them either, saying he believes they kidnapped a friend of his. This calms the men down considerably.

The man tells Eberhardt the Bowles family is causing some problems for them as well. Eberhardt says perhaps they can help each other. The man goes on to explain that due to the increased security in the city, they've had to look into alternate routes for the goods his friend Elvis (apparently the name of the Mexican) brings up from the "South country."

Eberhardt asks what the Bowles have to do with it. The man explains they don't seem to like their boat coming through their land. Eberhardt notes that makes sense, since they live out in the remote bayou area.

The man says they need to pass that way since there are less eyes out on the bayou. Eberhardt sympathizes, saying he can understand them wanting to stay out of the sight of the police. The man quickly notes he didn't say anything about the police; he describes himself as a businessman just needing a way to ship "all-natural Mexican goods" without any "naval entanglements".

Eberhardt tries to feel out how he can help. The man explains someone needs to deliver the message to the Bowles to stay out of their way. He tells Eberhardt if he can deliver the message, he and his friend (meaning Le Doux) can get coupons for five years' worth of free visits to the campground.

Bruno agrees, but says he will need to be pointed in the right direction. The man says his brother Danny can help draw him a map. He calls into the back to get Danny to come out. While he does so, he explains the clan lives in a large cabin near the river, just after a bridge along one of the paths. He says the cabin has a name they've given it, "Flow"; the man believes it refers to the water nearby.

Eberhardt tries to get an idea on how many people live there. The man says he isn't sure, noting they are ignorant folk not like them. The only one he's had a run in with is the patriarch of the family, a man named Thylo. He warns Eberhardt to be careful, saying the Bowles are not as hospitable as him.

*** Session 11 - Scene 4 (of 11) ***

Back in the cabin, Le Doux is relaxing while Darlene is lighting a cigarette. He tells her that it was an interesting experience. Darlene complains she is so sore won't be able to use the outhouse right for a week.

Le Doux turns the conversation away from the prostitute's possible prolapse and back towards his real purpose for being there – looking for the Bowles clan. Darlene says she's heard Dilly talking about them. Le Doux asks who Dilly is and the whore explains he is the man who met them outside.

Boo asks if the Bowles are friends of Dilly. Darlene says no, that Dilly is looking to mess Bowles up for interfering with Elvis' shipments of "that funny Mexican tobacco."

After clarifying Darlene herself has no knowledge of the Bowles, he heads over to the main building after promising to visit her again. Inside, he finds Eberhardt talking with Dilly, Elvis, and Danny at a table.

Eberhardt looks up at Le Doux, commenting he looks rather sweaty. He asks what they have been doing to him. Le Doux responds "good things" and blissfully says it is the best twenty dollars he's spent in years. Eberhardt jokes that stands to reason, since usually he spends his money on Hawk and Nibbons.

Le Doux starts to talk to Dilly about the Bowles and Dilly explains he's already worked out a good deal with Eberhardt about that. After Le Doux is caught up, he asks for some explosives he could use to send the message. Dilly has Wade grab them a couple of sticks out the back.

Since the Bowles house is just off of the river, Le Doux says he'd rather not come in on the path but wants to borrow their pirogue. Dilly is reluctant, since they already lost one of them to Thylo. Eventually, Le Doux convinces him to let him borrow their remaining boat with a hundred dollar deposit.

Le Doux doesn't want to head in during the day when Thylo is likely to spot them. They decide to take the risk and head in at night.

*** Session 11 - Scene 5 (of 11) ***

As night falls, Le Doux and Eberhardt head into the bayou in their pirogue.  As a former riverboat guide of the bayou, Le Doux pilots the boat.

Heading further in, the trees and clouds start to crowd out most of the moonlight. They can also smell the strong scent of chemicals in the water. Le Doux figures it is from the Pentex plant upstream in Westwego.

Unfortunately, the darkness prevents Le Doux from seeing the low-lying bridge over the water until they are right up to it. With little time to react, he is hit in the head and falls overboard. He does manage to keep ahold of the oar, though.

Eberhardt gets enough time to duck as the boat passes under the bridge. He tries to hand paddle the boat towards Le Doux but falls in just as Le Doux gets to the boat. Le Doux uses the oar to get Eberhardt out of the water before any alligators find him.

By the time they are both back in the boat, Le Doux realizes they are already passing by the cabin. He takes the boat over to the nearest shore, beaching it under a large, ominous dead tree. Looking at the tree, Le Doux spots four large claw marks on it at man height.

They leave their tools and the dynamite back in the boat and start heading towards the house. From here, Le Doux can see the house is not a small cabin but a rather large one. He also spots a well ahead; he tells Eberhardt to ready his service revolver while he checks it out. Eberhardt complains about it probably being water-logged but Le Doux insists it will still be useful for intimidation.

Le Doux grabs his sawed-off shotgun from the boat along with the flashlights. He hands one to Eberhardt while using the other to shine down in the well, careful not to let any light show outside the well. He finds nothing more than a normal well filled with regular water inside.

The two make their way towards the house, keeping their flashlights off. The house does appear to have some form of lights inside – likely kerosene lamps – but the curtains appear to be drawn. The front porch is just ahead, but Le Doux believes they should circumnavigate the cabin before heading inside. They split up, each heading around a different side.

*** Session 11 - Scene 6 (of 11) ***

Le Doux takes the West side. He is surprised the cabin extends back much further than he thought, and appears to be irregularly-shaped. Along the way, he listens at one of the windows but hears nothing inside.

As he nears the back, he notices the slopes in this area, eventually leading up to a large mound. Le Doux notices some of the dirt appears to be more recently disturbed. He prods at it a bit with his foot, but realizes he will need to go back to the boat for the shovel to find anything. He takes note of it for later.

Meanwhile, Eberhardt sneaks around the East side. As he heads back, he spots one up ahead with the curtains open. He listens carefully to make sure it sounds quiet inside the house before popping his head up to look inside.

From what he can make out, it appears to be a kitchen with a lamp dimly lit on the counter. Peering inside for a moment, he can see it is quite grimy inside. And even with the window closed, he can tell there is a putrid smell coming from inside. He opens the window and finds the smell is much stronger – he believes it is the smell of rotting meat.

Eberhardt pulls himself into the kitchen over the washbasin, hitting some pots and pans as he does so. The loud noises alert Le Doux in the back and he heads over to investigate. He passes by the back porch and sees that it has a path leading away from it into the trees.

Le Doux looks into the trees but doesn't spot any light that way. He decides to head back to the source of the noise, finding the open window with Eberhardt inside, pulling himself up from the grimy kitchen floor.

Inside, Eberhardt traces the smell back to the icebox, where he finds misshapen chunks of rotting meat inside. He isn't sure what they are, but notes they must be from a larger animal and appear to be more ripped out of the animal than cut by a butcher.

Eberhardt then opens the pantry door in the kitchen, finding nothing but an empty larder with signs of mice inside. From the window, Le Doux tries to get his attention without making any noise and directs him by pointing towards the direction of the front porch.

There is only one other door in the kitchen, leading in the opposite direction of the front of the cabin. Eberhardt decides to listen at it then exit through it, realizing the way back to the front door may be more round-about than he hopes.

The kitchen exits into a dusty old dining room. It has a small buffet on the side and Eberhardt checks it to find a beeswax candle. He lights it to give him some light in the dark room. The dining room has two doors in it, one heading towards the front of the house and one towards the back. Eberhardt takes the one towards the front.

That door leads into some kind of entry hall. It has a large rug and a couple of chairs. Outside of several photos along the walls in the room, Eberhardt sees nothing out of the ordinary.

Eberhardt proceeds to check both of the doors exiting this room, hearing nothing beyond in either of them. He tries the door he believes heads into the front porch, only to discover it leads into a master bedroom inside with a large bed, armoire, and a desk.

Confused by the irregular shape of the house, Eberhardt opens one of the windows to get his bearings. He can see the well outside, placing him just west of the front porch. He heads back to the entry hall and through the other door.

The room beyond is lit by a lit fire in the fireplace with an old hunting rifle above it. It appears to be a large trophy room, with the heads of various animal adorning the walls. Looking around, Eberhardt realizes a couple of the trophies on the walls are preserved human heads, terrifying him.

Erbhardt runs over and grabs the rifle. He inspects it and finds it is an old .35 Winchester in working order, though unloaded. He slings it over his shoulder and looks around the room for any shells, trying to avoid looking at the human heads on the walls again.

Finding nothing, he opens the door to the front porch. It contains some old and broken furniture and leaves along the walls, blown in by the wind. A large sign over the front door reads "FLOW."

*** Session 11 - Scene 7 (of 11) ***

Eberhardt lets Le Doux inside the porch. Le Doux checks out the sign over the door carefully, finding it odd but not realizing why. Behind the two men, in a reflection in the glass, the sign reads "WOLF."

Le Doux does, however, manage to find some other strange carvings on the wall near the sign. He isn't sure what they are but knows they must be occult in nature. He shows them to Eberhardt, who also finds them disturbing.

Eberhardt recalls back on the Lizard Man case, after he talked to Kendi, when he was looking more into the "wyrm" Kendi mentioned. He identifies one of the symbols as that of the wyrm.

Le Doux finds the development disturbing. Eberhardt notes he shouldn't go inside the trophy room as there is something in there that could really bother him.

The two continue to talk about what to do next. Le Doux grabs the rope and dynamite from the pirogue. He hands one of the sticks to Eberhardt, who is careful to keep it away from the candle.

Both men put the sticks inside their belts to keep their hands free. Le Doux muses to himself that Darlene already thought he had a stick of dynamite in his pants earlier, chuckling to himself at the thought that an explosion certainly went off then.

Eberhardt wants to continue to search the house to look for rifle ammunition. Le Doux still wants to check out the mound in back. They decide to split up.

*** Session 11 - Scene 8 (of 11) ***

Eberhardt checks over the bedroom, finding the armoire to contain nothing but a collection of musty clothes. Over on the desk, he finds a sketch pad. Flipping through, he sees several pictures of nature drawings before coming across a particularly disturbing page.

After recovering from his initial shock, Eberhardt looks at the page in more detail. The top of the page appears to show some dots connected with lines – possibly a constellation of some kind. Next to it is written "Has Star?"

Another piece of writing next to it reads, "The Follower of the Seven Sisters" with something else below it written in Arabic. It has an arrow pointing to one of the larger dots.

Below the constellation drawing is a dot surrounded by three curved lines. A note below it identifies it as the "Yellow Sign."

The bottom of the page shows three drawings – apparently variations on some sort of fantastical flying monster that a note identifies as a "Byakhee."

Eberhardt checks under the bed. Finding it empty, he crawls under to hide.

Meanwhile, outside, Le Doux grabs the shovel and heads back to the mound. He starts digging, quickly uncovering a large pile of skeletal remains. His mind becomes further unhinged as he examines the bones and sees they are human and appear to have been chewed on.

Le Doux finds the teeth marks appear to be more animal in nature. Panicking, he starts running back towards the front of the house and runs inside, still carrying the shovel. He moves through the trophy room so fast he doesn't notice the heads.

Seeing the footprints in the dust, he heads into the bedroom. Inside, Eberhardt hears someone come into the room; the person sounds crazy and dangerous. He considers attacking the person but holds back long enough for Le Doux to call out for Eberhardt.

Eberhardt answers from under the bed. Le Doux asks what he is doing there but the German is unable to come up with a satisfactory lie so admits he was scared. Le Doux starts talking about finding the bones, which Eberhardt is not surprised about since he already found the likely heads.

Le Doux wants to get out of there quickly. He is in such a hurry he heads out the wrong door, heading into a back hall behind the bedroom. It follows around a corner.

Eberhardt follows slowly behind Le Doux, keeping a lookout. At the end of the hall, Le Doux opens one of the two door to find an indoor outhouse. He then opens the other door, finding another bedroom.

Le Doux spots a book and an open magazine on the bed. The book is a copy of The Lost Valley and Other Strange Stories by Algernon Blackwood. He starts flipping through it while handling the magazine over to Eberhardt.

The magazine is the March 1924 issue of Weird Tales. The cover shows a picture of Houdini and advertises the main story as "The Spirit Fakers of Hermannstadt", a true account written by Houdini. Despite the cover's promise of it being the most miraculous true story ever written, Eberhardt doubts it is worth the twenty-five cent cover price.

The magazine is open to a letters page. Glancing through it, Eberhardt notices one of the letters is from a Donny Martin of Crescent City. It reads, "Popular authors do not and apparently cannot appreciate the fact that true art is obtainable only by rejecting normality and conventionality in toto, and approaching a theme purged utterly of any usual or preconceived point of view... Take a werewolf story, for instance — whoever wrote a story from the point of view of the wolf, and sympathizing strongly with the devil to whom he has sold himself?"

Le Doux, for his part, finds one of the stories in the book is ear-marked, "The Wendigo." Skimming it, he sees it is a story about a hunting party in Canada stalked by an evil beast that takes the form of a man.

Finding nothing else in the book, Le Doux is ready to move on. He opens the only other door in the room, finding a large storage closet with all kinds of boxes and things in it. Eberhardt digs around and finds a box of ammunition for his rifle. They decide to make their way back to the rear of the house.