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[Call of Cthulhu + Gangbusters] Cthulhubusters

Started by jgants, August 09, 2012, 06:05:35 PM

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jgants

Session 9 - Scene 4 (of 13)

When Father Mulroney arrives at Bloomfield County Hospital, he is surprised to find Rover's bed empty. He grabs a nearby nurse and asks her what happened to the patient Chris Sharrock.

The nurse checks a clipboard then tells the father she is sorry, but Chris passed away last night. Father Mulroney can't believe it.

Reading the notes, the nurse does mention that the whole business is a bit strange. According to the charts, he was declared dead by a Dr. Cooper and immediately picked up by staff for a funeral home named Destiny Memorial. She doesn't recognize the name Cooper and finds it unusual that the body was moved out so quickly.

Father Mulroney, however, does recognize the name Cooper; it's the name Krasnik said when he saw the black disk, just before he died. He asks the nurse how he can get in touch with Dr. Cooper and she suggests going down to the business office.

At the business office, the clerk is able to find a file on a Dr. Ephraim Cooper. The clerk notes, however, that Dr. Cooper retired back in 1898.

Mulroney is surprised by that twist of information and asks if they have the doctor's last known address on file. The clerk gives it as "Ravenscry Manor", with a rural route listing it as somewhere out in rural Jasper County.
Now Prepping: One-shot adventures for Coriolis, RuneQuest (classic), Numenera, 7th Sea 2nd edition, and Adventures in Middle-Earth.

Recently Ended: Palladium Fantasy - Warlords of the Wastelands: A fantasy campaign beginning in the Baalgor Wastelands, where characters emerge from the oppressive kingdom of the giants. Read about it here.

jgants

Session 9 - Scene 5 (of 13)

By the time Father Mulroney gets back to the warehouse, Shoes has everyone moving at a frantic pace. The priest asks him how things are going, and Shoes responds he is trying to get production back up.

Mulroney isn't pleased to hear that production is down. Shoes explains the kids have been complaining about the declining workforce. The priest threatens to cut their wages, though Shoes suggests cutting more than that.

Calling out to the boys, Mulroney tells them that since they have half the normal man-power, he expects them to work twice as hard. He then tells them he has more bad news, Rover is dead. When the boys ask how, he explains that Rover died in the middle of the night last night at the hospital.

Shoes is skeptical, noting that Rover didn't hit his head that hard when he collapsed. Mulroney agrees that Rover seemed OK to him, but wonders if it was the result of him touching the black disk.

Taking Mulroney off to the side, Shoes tells him about Gem's necklace idea. Father Mulroney is more supportive, noting that they could always try to move it out of town.

Shoes, however, is more concerned about what would happen if Gem was caught. Mulroney says they could always pop him if things don't go well. Shoes asks if he means Morgan, but Mulroney clarifies he meant Gem. Shoes cautions that the lad would likely squeal right away so they may not have the chance and suggests cutting his tongue out before he goes.

Abandoning the necklace theft idea for the moment, Mulroney explains to Shoes about the mysterious Dr. Cooper. They discuss paying a late night visit to Ravenscry Manor to see what's going on with the doctor.

Mulroney then tells Shoes to call Biggins. Shoes agrees to do so, but makes it clear he's not sure involving Biggins is a great idea.

When Biggins answers the phone, he asks Shoes about his knee. Shoes explains his knee is fine and asks the alderman if he's heard anything new.

Biggins goes on to tell Shoes about the strange invitation he got to the party at David Morgan's house. Biggins being Biggins, he mixes up some of the facts and says that he and Burns were invited by Morgan himself, making no mention of the senator.

Shoes is surprised Biggins is being invited to a party by the guy he tried to rob. He asks the alderman if he plans to go. Biggins is very clear that he definitely will not be attending. Shoes explains about one of the boys being a valet and asks if Biggins can give him a ride, but the alderman is adamant he wants nothing to do with it.

Putting the phone to his chest for a minute, Shoes asks Mulroney if he wants to tell Biggins about the trip to Ravenscry Manor. Mulroney tells him yes, noting that having Biggins along could be helpful.

Shoes gets back on the phone and asks the alderman about taking a trip out to see an old doctor that evening. Biggins warns he could still be under surveillance.  Shoes explains how he can go to a nearby speakeasy and slip out the back; being at night, it should be fine. He cautions the alderman, however, not to go asking about any more anarchists.

Biggins expresses some concern about Shoes doing activities with his knee. Shoes explains it is completely fixed by a shot, noting that he knew the hospital was crazy for trying to make him stay there longer. Biggins finds the story about the shot very strange.

Once he's off the phone, Shoes explains to Mulroney that Biggins is in for the trip to Ravenscry Manor. He also tells the priest about Biggins' invitation to Morgan's house and how he tried to get him to take Gem there, but didn't have any luck. Shoes notes that Biggins was "oddly smart for once" about the situation.

Mulroney wonders what Biggins is afraid of. Shoes explains that the alderman is worried that Morgan might be on to him, noting that the police did have a sketch of him. The priest isn't so sure, saying that staying away could be even more conspicuous. Shoes suggests perhaps the priest can change the alderman's mind.
Now Prepping: One-shot adventures for Coriolis, RuneQuest (classic), Numenera, 7th Sea 2nd edition, and Adventures in Middle-Earth.

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jgants

Session 9 - Scene 6 (of 13)

Later that afternoon, things are in full swing at the warehouse when a call comes in. It's O'Conner. Shoes gives it over to the father to handle.

O'Conner explains that Mulroney will need to come in for another sit-down. When the priest asks what it is about, Deanie says that it is not him calling for it this time – it's Merlo.

According to O'Conner, Merlo is organizing a big sit-down with everybody who's anybody in town. Except, O'Conner notes, for the guys from Bronzeville and Chinatown; they aren't invited for obvious reasons.

Deanie goes on to explain that Mulroney will get another call tomorrow right before the meet giving out the place. He cautions Mulroney that he's only allowed to bring one guy this time since it is such a big meet. As he hangs up the phone, Mulroney wonders what Merlo has in mind by bringing in all the gangsters in town together.
Now Prepping: One-shot adventures for Coriolis, RuneQuest (classic), Numenera, 7th Sea 2nd edition, and Adventures in Middle-Earth.

Recently Ended: Palladium Fantasy - Warlords of the Wastelands: A fantasy campaign beginning in the Baalgor Wastelands, where characters emerge from the oppressive kingdom of the giants. Read about it here.

jgants

Session 9 - Scene 7 (of 13)

While Mulroney and Shoes spend the day bootlegging, Biggins spends his day out campaigning. He spends most of the day outside the office, heading around to various union bosses and other important people in the neighborhood. Throughout the day, he does notice there is still a tail car on him.

By late afternoon, he gets back to the office but finds his secretary looking uncharacteristically shook up. He asks Cheryl what is wrong, and she explains a big Irish guy named Dion came by with a couple of other guys looking for the alderman. When he wasn't there, Dion got really angry.

Cheryl is clearly disturbed by the incident. She tells the alderman she could tell the men meant business. She asks if he wants her to call the cops but Biggins tells her he thinks it will be OK for now.

After hours, Biggins makes his way over to the nearby speakeasy. Luckily for him, whoever's tailing him doesn't seem interested in busting him for violating the Volstead Act.
Now Prepping: One-shot adventures for Coriolis, RuneQuest (classic), Numenera, 7th Sea 2nd edition, and Adventures in Middle-Earth.

Recently Ended: Palladium Fantasy - Warlords of the Wastelands: A fantasy campaign beginning in the Baalgor Wastelands, where characters emerge from the oppressive kingdom of the giants. Read about it here.

jgants

Session 9 - Scene 8 (of 13)

Meanwhile, Shoes and Father Mulroney head out in their car to go pick up Biggins. Mulroney keeps an eye out for tails but doesn't spot any.

Shoes, however, think they should cut some corners just in case. Mulroney agrees it couldn't hurt.

But Shoes cuts one of the corners a little too much, smashing over a curb. A cloud of steam begins pouring out of the engine and a loud rattling noise can be heard. After a few seconds, the car slows to a halt.

Shoes tells the father he thinks the car is dead. Mulroney suggests they look under the hood. However, neither man is much of a mechanic and don't spot the blown radiator hose. Instead, Shoes suggests it could be a problem with "the Johnson rod", but Mulroney isn't so sure such a thing even exists.

A few minutes go by before a kindly old lady pulls up in her Model T. She asks the father is he is having car trouble.

Aside, Shoes tells the father he doesn't like the looks of her. He cautions the priest about the last incident they had with an old lady in a car. Mulroney mockingly responds that he won't get beat up by an old lady this time since he is with him this time.

To the elderly lady, Father Mulroney explains their car appears to have overheated. Shoes adds that he believes the Johnson rod broke in half.

The lady tells the two to get in and she'll drive them. They find out very quickly the old lady is a remarkably slow driver.

While driving, she begins talking about how she doesn't understand cars very well. According to her, her deceased husband, Herman, was the car expert but he passed on a couple of years back. She explains that she personally preferred the days of the horse and buggy.

Annoyed by both the slow driving and the mindless droning of the old woman, Father Mulroney begins looking around to see if anyone is watching. He notices there are relatively few people out and none close by. He rationalizes that they do need a car.

When the old woman asks the priest where she should take them, he gives the nod to Shoes. Shoes uses his brass knuckles to punch the old lady in the back of the head. She falls forward immediately into the horn.

The father grabs her head up and takes the wheel. He pulls the car over to a stop and they quickly throw her into the back seat. Checking for a pulse, Mulroney's lack of medical training causes him to declare the unconscious woman to be dead.

Mulroney wants to find some place to drop off the body, but Shoes notes they should go get Biggins first since they are behind schedule. The priest notes that the alderman wouldn't approve. Shoes suggests there could be a dumpster in the alley behind the speakeasy, allowing them to kill two birds with one stone, as it were.

Father Mulroney isn't convinced, but Shoes tells him that Biggins is going to leave soon if they don't get to him. Shoes reminds the priest that he is the one who wanted Biggins along; Shoes himself states he would feel safer taking the old woman as their accomplice.

The priest finally relents. Just to be safe, he suggests tying up the old lady and gagging her. Shoes dryly notes that he's all out of rope, but does shove a handkerchief into her mouth.

Mulroney switches out to have Shoes drive and gets into the back seat next to the old lady. They shove her down to the floor so her body can't be seen and drive over to meet the alderman.
Now Prepping: One-shot adventures for Coriolis, RuneQuest (classic), Numenera, 7th Sea 2nd edition, and Adventures in Middle-Earth.

Recently Ended: Palladium Fantasy - Warlords of the Wastelands: A fantasy campaign beginning in the Baalgor Wastelands, where characters emerge from the oppressive kingdom of the giants. Read about it here.

jgants

Session 9 - Scene 9 (of 13)

Waiting by the alley door of the speakeasy, Biggins spots a Model T coming up the alley. It's not Mulroney's car, but he doesn't recognize it as the car tailing him either. Looking closer, he sees that it is Shoes driving.

Alderman Biggins pays the bartender then heads out the alley door. Not spotting a tail around, he heads over to the car and asks Shoes if they have a new undercover car. Shoes tells him to get in. He does, failing to spot the old woman's body pushed down in the back seat area.

As they pull away, Mulroney asks after the alderman. Biggins starts to explain that Dion Carmody visited his office that day but is interrupted by Mulroney telling him to watch for a tail.

Just to be safe, Shoes decides to wind around some of the streets for a while. Concerned about their previous troubles, he takes it slow this time. Biggins has then wind around over towards his house first then start heading out of town. The alderman, however, does not notice the looming cloud of black smoke coming from the direction of his neighborhood.

It is a long, slow drive out into the country; particularly with Shoes trying to drive cautiously at night. However, no headlights follow them so they feel reasonably safe they aren't being tailed. About halfway to their destination, it occurs to Mulroney they've once again forgotten to get supplies before heading out.

The priest sighs and decides it is probably time to take care of the other matter. He directs Shoes to head towards a secluded area. Shoes asks if it is time to "take grandma home". Mulroney confirms as Biggins wonders what the two of them are talking about.

Shoes pulls the car over. Mulroney instructs him to "put one in the wagon, just to be sure". Shoes cautions it will cause a lot of noise, but Mulroney thinks they'll be OK with no one around. Biggins still isn't sure what's going on.

Biggins, however, is surprised to see Shoes get out and start dragging a body of an old lady out of the back of the car. He asks what's going on, and Mulroney tries to placate him by telling him not to worry about it.

The alderman remains quite agitated. He begins chastising Mulroney for always having dead bodies show up around him. Nearly yelling, he asks why they can't just move liquor without all the bloodshed.

Mulroney tries telling Biggins they simply found the old lady dead by the side of the road and are taking her out here to bury her. Biggins isn't buying it, and gets more upset when he recognizes the woman as old Mrs. Martha Marple, one of his better-known constituents. He wants to know what happened.

Once again trying to spin a tale, Mulroney explains that Mrs. Marple was on to him for the robbery. Biggins again indicates he knows the priest is lying and rhetorically asks what's wrong with him.

Just then, a shot rings out as Shoes puts one into Marple's head. Biggins exclaims "Jesus!" Mulroney, meanwhile, starts digging through the old woman's purse as an exasperated Biggins proclaims "Oh my God..."

Inside the purse, Mulroney finds the old lady's driver's license along with a matchbook, a pack of cigarettes, tissues, some hard candy, and a coin purse with about ten dollars' worth of nickels. He takes the matchbook.

When Shoes gets back over to the car, he looks at the alderman and tells him he looks pale. Biggins addresses Mulroney, telling him strongly that he has to promise him no more killings. Shoes claims it wasn't really a killing, claiming the old woman missed her husband and they were just re-uniting them. Mulroney, falsely poetic, declares it is almost romantic in a way.

Shoes is a bit more crass about the matter. He tells Biggins he didn't have to hear her talking and insists they did the old broad a favor, noting that old ladies shouldn't live that long anyway. A disgusted Biggins tells the two that the least they could do is leave him out of it in the future.
Now Prepping: One-shot adventures for Coriolis, RuneQuest (classic), Numenera, 7th Sea 2nd edition, and Adventures in Middle-Earth.

Recently Ended: Palladium Fantasy - Warlords of the Wastelands: A fantasy campaign beginning in the Baalgor Wastelands, where characters emerge from the oppressive kingdom of the giants. Read about it here.

jgants

Session 9 - Scene 10 (of 13)

The trio head back out again. Wanting to change the subject, Biggins starts talking about Carmody's visit again.

Father Mulroney is concerned, asking what Carmody wanted. Biggins responds that he doesn't know, but he certainly upset his secretary. Shoes cautions Biggins to stay away from Carmody, as he's clearly gone crazy after Flynn died.

Mulroney tells Biggins he heard he had another interesting thing happen that day, and asks about the party invite. Biggins confirms he got the invite but isn't planning to go. When Mulroney asks him why, Biggins notes that he's a Republican so going to the party could kill his political career.

The priest wants to know more though. He asks if Morgan explained why Biggins was invited. When Biggins responds that he did not, Mulroney suggests it would be a good idea to find out.

Biggins, however, doesn't want to go anywhere near Morgan's house. He thinks maybe Morgan is on to him for the bank job and it could be some kind of trap. Mulroney wonders what they would plan to do to Biggins, but the alderman doesn't think it would be just trying to get him to switch parties.

After another hour or so, Shoes spots a sign post indicating the road up to Ravenscry Manor. As they head up the winding road through thick trees, they spot a large, overgrown hedge and a tall iron fence and gate blocking the road. The house is still far up ahead, and not visible in the darkness.

Shoes notes the gate is chained and has a large padlock on it that appears to be old and rusted. He takes the tire iron out of the car's trunk and smashes the lock until it releases. The old gate creaks loudly in the still night as Shoes opens it.

Back in the car, Shoes drives up the road to the manor. It is a large, Georgian-style mansion. Shoes notices it appears to be originally built as a Tudor-style mansion then remodeled. The front façade of the building has started to wear and the turret is half-collapsed and partially burned. The roof appears to be in bad shape and most of the windows are either broken or boarded up.

Biggins tells Shoes he is surprised the youth knows anything about architecture. The youth dryly responds that he is full of surprises.

The men get out of the car and look around. The house is dark and it doesn't appear anyone lives there. They know they'll need some kind of light source.

Mulroney has Shoes tear off some of the wood siding of the mansion to use as torches. He then starts looking around for something to wrap around them. Shoes notes they should have taken the old lady's clothes, but the priest does manage to find a blanket of hers in the trunk and they tear it into strips and light the torches up.

Trying the front door, Father Mulroney finds it locked. Shoes gives him his .25 pistol and takes out his own .38. He then hands the tire iron to Biggins and prepares to head inside one of the broken windows to the left of the main doors.
Now Prepping: One-shot adventures for Coriolis, RuneQuest (classic), Numenera, 7th Sea 2nd edition, and Adventures in Middle-Earth.

Recently Ended: Palladium Fantasy - Warlords of the Wastelands: A fantasy campaign beginning in the Baalgor Wastelands, where characters emerge from the oppressive kingdom of the giants. Read about it here.

jgants

Session 9 - Scene 11 (of 13)

Shoes manages to get inside without injuring himself. He sees he is in an old drawing room. There is little of interest in the room except for some broken old furniture and a fireplace. He smashes up the furniture and gets a fire going.

Outside, Mulroney and Biggins see the glowing, flickering light emerge from inside. They wonder what is taking Shoes so long. Mulroney yells in the direction of the window for Shoes to hurry up and open the door.

Shoes heads out the door of the drawing room that is in the direction of the main doors. It goes into an old salon. The salon has several old, unremarkable paintings along the walls and the wallpaper is peeling. He unlocks the doors and lets everyone inside.

Father Mulroney gruffly asks Shoes what took him so long and looks around at the salon. He sees that there is some kind of mural painted on the wall underneath the wallpaper. He hands his torch to Biggins and has Shoes help him peel the paper off.

With all of the paper down, they see a large mural. It is of a primordial jungle filled with dinosaurs. In the middle is a strange, alien city. Shoes and Father Mulroney are entranced and disturbed by the image, while Biggins simply looks away.

Looking closer, Father Mulroney spots that one of the buildings in the city is a temple of some kind. The top of it has a statue with a large, winded snake. And in the doorway of the temple is the shape of a humanoid figure with an ophidian-like head and a tail. A chill goes down Mulroney's spine.

The priest tries to get Shoes to look at it, but the youth refuses. Biggins, however, makes the mistake of looking at it. It has an unhinging effect on his mind.

Biggins wonders if this is related to the monster. Mulroney isn't sure; it is very strange, but the image on the mural and the creatures he saw were very different looking from each other.

Mulroney then explains to Biggins why they are at the manor, talking about Krasnik mentioning Cooper, Rover's death and the Dr. Cooper at the hospital, and that they are here because this is Cooper's last known address.

Biggins remarks that it has been a strange circle of events surrounding them. Father Mulroney agrees. Shoes, however, tires at the talk of monsters; he reminds them they are there to look for info about the doctor, not look at paintings.

Mulroney again tries to get Shoes to look at the mural closer, but he tells him he's seen enough. He sarcastically suggests the father get some of the boys at the church to repaint the chapel with a similar mural, joking that it couldn't drive any more people away than the father's homilies do.

The three men then decide to proceed with searching the rest of the house.
Now Prepping: One-shot adventures for Coriolis, RuneQuest (classic), Numenera, 7th Sea 2nd edition, and Adventures in Middle-Earth.

Recently Ended: Palladium Fantasy - Warlords of the Wastelands: A fantasy campaign beginning in the Baalgor Wastelands, where characters emerge from the oppressive kingdom of the giants. Read about it here.

jgants

Session 9 - Scene 12 (of 13)

They begin by heading back over to the drawing room and following one of the doors out of it. It leads to a library room. Father Mulroney wants everyone to search the room carefully, as he feels there could be something important there.

After combing over the room three times, the group finds little of interest except for the doctor's large collection of old books.

Deciding to move on, they find one of the doors out of the library leads into an enclosed hallway. Trying another door there leads to discovering the lavatory.

Assuming the bathroom isn't worth searching, they head back down the hallway and discover the large main hall at the front of the house, with two sets of stairs leading up to the mezzanine and the upper level. Wanting to stay on the first floor for now, they head back up the hallway and try another door.

What they find there is a second, smaller library. They search this room carefully as well and find a section of four books that appear out of place.

The first book appears to be in Arabic script and none of the trio can read even the title. The second is a Latin book by someone named Theodore Christoph Lilenthal called "Supernaturalem Quidem Esse Summi Numinis in Mente Humana Operationem, Neutiquam Tamen Impossibilem". Unfortunately, Father Mulroney's Latin knowledge again proves lacking and he is unable to translate any of it.

The third and fourth books appear to be in English. Both are Victorian era scientific books. The first is called "Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation" by Robert Chambers. Skimming the abstract, Mulroney sees it is an evolutionary biology and theological work discussing the creation of man through intelligent design and the transmutation of the species.

The fourth book is called "On the Nature of Limbs". It, too, is a scientific treatise on evolutionary biology. Father Mulroney can't really follow the whole point of the book, but can tell it has something to do with the biology of fish.

They decide to take the four books and continue on.
Now Prepping: One-shot adventures for Coriolis, RuneQuest (classic), Numenera, 7th Sea 2nd edition, and Adventures in Middle-Earth.

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jgants

Session 9 - Scene 13 (of 13)

The next room ahead is an old morning room, with little in it but a chair and side table.

They head back out and try another door from the hallway. This one leads outside to an enclosed courtyard in the middle of the mansion.

The men head out into the courtyard. Spotting an old shed, they decide to look inside. They find little but rusty old tools.

Father Mulroney looks around the courtyard carefully. There is a large garden with strange plants that has become overgrown. Looking closely, he sees the plants are not indigenous to the area, but appear to be rare plants typically found in Africa, India, and the Middle East.

Crossing the courtyard, they find another door on the opposite side that leads into another hallway. In the hallway is a section of stairs heading down. Mulroney instructs Shoes to head down to the basement.

The stairs heading down are dark and drafty. A breeze blows out Shoes' torch, but he manages to make his way down without injury. He can tell it is a dirt floor cellar.

After the others get down, they relight his torch. The basement is filled with rats that scurry at the light.

Digging around the cellar for a while, the men find little except for an old bottle of 1820's wine. Shoes suggests popping the cork, but Biggins grabs it to save for later. There is another set of stairs in the cellar, but they quickly find the stairs simply lead outside the house.

Heading back inside to the hallway, the men continue exploring. They find little of interest as they walk through more halls, an empty storage closet, the servant's hall, the butler's room, the butler's pantry, a larder with long-mummified rotten food, the old kitchen, the scullery room, and finally back around towards the front of the house where they discover a muniment room next to the main hall.

The muniment room contains an old desk with many papers. Mulroney hopes there will be something of a clue there, but after searching around for a while they find little of interest except for old bills and receipts.

With the ground floor more or less explored, they begin heading up the stairs to the upper level...
Now Prepping: One-shot adventures for Coriolis, RuneQuest (classic), Numenera, 7th Sea 2nd edition, and Adventures in Middle-Earth.

Recently Ended: Palladium Fantasy - Warlords of the Wastelands: A fantasy campaign beginning in the Baalgor Wastelands, where characters emerge from the oppressive kingdom of the giants. Read about it here.

jgants

Session 9 - Session Notes

I thought this session was another great mix of gangster business and investigation. Quite a lot actually got discovered this session, though the players are still a ways off from really putting the pieces together.

* The session was originally going to have a much different bent, but a last minute cancellation took away my original surprise beginning.

* Shoes' knee being miraculously healed was anticipated by everyone. They also anticipate what's going to happen next with it. It's a nice bit, though, as it gives a way to get Shoes back into action.

* We weren't sure if taking heroin to combat morphine withdrawal would work that well, but it seemed like a decision the PC would make.

* Much of the info in Dr. Krasnik's papers is rephrased from last session, I just forgot to include some of it in the write-up. The write-up this time presents it in a way that makes a lot more sense, though, than how I originally explained it during the game.

* The Dr. Eugen Fischer mentioned in Krasnik's papers was a real scientist and responsible for a lot of really bad things (including the Nazi eugenics studies). In reality, he was the director of the anthropology and eugenics institute, but not until 1926 so I had him at the biology institute instead. There is one anachronism - he didn't study phenogenetics until later, but I claim dramatic license.

* The "Human Instrumentality Project" is taken from the anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion. So is the "Marduk Institute".

* Sen. Joseph McCormick is another real guy (as is Governor Small).

* I don't recall if I mentioned it before - Biggins' secretary is named after the character on the TV show Archer (but has a different personality).

* I'm bad at coming up with a lot of different personalities for the "background NPCs" but I tried to give Gem and Chaos some independent ideas this time.

* The Morgan necklace caper is something from the TSR product but I'm heavily adapting it here. I originally planned to introduce the subplot a different way, but it fit in nicely with the Biggins storyline.

* Rover being dead was something I thought up right before the session. Luckily, the info on Dr. Cooper was planned for quite a while.

* I found it odd Mulroney took Rover being dead (and mysteriously being carted off in the middle of the night by some unknown mortuary company) at face value. These are the kinds of things I always expect the PCs to dig into a little more.

* I've been waiting a while to introduce Dr. Cooper into the mix. He'll probably stay at the fringes of the action for a while longer yet.

* Merlo's big sit-down was part of the story for this session that got moved.

* I wanted to point out the racism hierarchy of the times by having O'Conner explicitly mention that the black and Chinese gangs weren't invited. Irish and Italians (along with other immigrants, like Slavs and Jews) were not considered "white" at that time. Yet, they are still higher on the pecking order than the Blacks or Chinese.

* Dion's visit is part of the escalating Ulnovsky plot. More on that next session.

* Car jacking the little old lady may well have been the moral event horizon for Mulroney and Shoes. I think they did it more for humor value than as part of a consistent characterization, but they certainly have been growing more violence-friendly over time.

* An old woman driving a car (and smoking) at that time was probably rather anachronistic of me. But it was there for humor value (I wanted the feel of the scene with the old couple picking up David Niven in the movie Midnight Madness).

* The cloud of black smoke coming from Biggins' neighborhood will be explained next session (it was not mentioned during the session to the PCs since there was a failed Notice roll involved).

* Ravenscry Manor was one of the first "set pieces" I planned for the mythos part of the campaign. It is explicitly designed to be an investigative location for clues and not some kind of dungeon crawl location.

* Ravenscry Manor uses the floorplan for the real Georgian manor, Redgrave Hall. I don't recall when I decided on the name.

* I thought it was hilarious the PCs once again forgot to get flashlights, etc, before heading out. They didn't think it was quite so funny so I took pity on them with having the blanket in the car.

* The hidden mural was one of my favorite mythos things - it's the clue you don't realize you didn't really want to find until it is too late (granted it is a very low SAN loss).

* The Latin book title is likely jibberish. It's been quite a long time since I put that one together and I don't think I put much effort into making it seem authentic.

* You may notice the vast majority of the house doesn't have much interesting in it. I felt clues existing in every room would be too far over the top - so there's just a few scattered around.

* The PCs missed some clues in the muniment room due to some failed Notice checks, which they knew. They had the option to spend longer or try and box up all the papers, but decided to wait. The clues are side clues, however, and not central to moving the plot forward (I never force rolls for those kind of clues unless they are something that will show up later anyway and the roll is just to see if they find the clue earlier).

* There's still a room or two of interest upstairs, which we'll get to next session.
Now Prepping: One-shot adventures for Coriolis, RuneQuest (classic), Numenera, 7th Sea 2nd edition, and Adventures in Middle-Earth.

Recently Ended: Palladium Fantasy - Warlords of the Wastelands: A fantasy campaign beginning in the Baalgor Wastelands, where characters emerge from the oppressive kingdom of the giants. Read about it here.

jgants

Session 10 - Cast of Characters

Father Clink Mulroney - Irish Roman Catholic priest running a bootlegging operation out of his church

Alderman Jethro Biggins - Corrupt city alderman on the take from Mulroney

Francis "Shoes" McDougal - Young street criminal and former orphan acting as Mulroney's chief lieutenant / muscle

Maisie Brockovitz - A young Jewish dilettante who likes to slum around with gangsters.

Colin "Gem" Archer - Another of Mulroney's boys involved in his bootlegging operations; sidelines as a jewel thief
Now Prepping: One-shot adventures for Coriolis, RuneQuest (classic), Numenera, 7th Sea 2nd edition, and Adventures in Middle-Earth.

Recently Ended: Palladium Fantasy - Warlords of the Wastelands: A fantasy campaign beginning in the Baalgor Wastelands, where characters emerge from the oppressive kingdom of the giants. Read about it here.

jgants

#132
Session 10 - Scene 1 (of 7)

The night grows late at Ravenscry Manor, as Alderman Jethro Biggins, Francis “Shoes” McDougal, and Father Clink Mulroney ascend the stairs. Their makeshift torches are beginning to burn low and the father is getting concerned about how long it is taking.

As they reach the upper level, they see a long hallway filled with more doors. To save time, Father Mulroney suggests they split up. Shoes asks what they should be looking for. The priest describes their goal as “monsters, clues, things of that nature…”

Father Mulroney has the men spread out and each take a door a fair distance away from the other. The door he chooses leads into a hallway with yet another long set of doors. Going inside the first one, he finds an old bedroom.

After making sure there is nothing of interest in the room except more doors, he tries one of the doors to discover it connects into an adjacent, similarly furnished bedroom.

Meanwhile, Shoes discovers his door opens into a dressing room. The old closet areas are bare, and little remains except for a padded box footstool.

Checking out the footstool, Shoes discovers a hidden latch. Opening the latch, he discovers the top comes off of the footstool revealing a hidden compartment inside. There appears to be an old note at the bottom.

The note reads, “To whomever finds this note – a warning. The owner of this home, Dr. Antoine Prendergast, is not who he seems. I have discovered he is engaged in activities most foul. Do not trust him. I fear it is too late for me to escape my fate but write this in the hope of warning others.” It is signed, “J.C. Shottum”.

Over in the next room, Father Mulroney hears some noise from a door in the bedroom he is searching. He moves over to the door and knocks. Shoes’ voice calls out from behind the door, asking what he wants.

As Mulroney opens the door, Shoes pockets the note. Mulroney sees him handling the footstool and disparages him for playing around, telling the youth they are there to find clues. Shoes curtly remarks the stool was in his way.

Mulroney finds the youth’s behavior a bit strange. Spotting the top of the footstool on the ground, he points it out to Shoes. Shoes blithely responds that the stool is flimsy and the top broke right off.

Down the hall, Alderman Biggins isn’t having much luck in his search. The first door he opens goes into an old bedroom. Looking under the bed, he spots a rat. After kicking at it, the rat squeals and scurries off into a hole in the wall. Biggins starts searching around the mattress, but his poking and prodding only reveal another rat.

Taking one of the doors at the end of the room, he discovers another bedroom. Unlike the last one, this one has only a bed frame but no mattress.

Stopping for a second, Biggins hears murmuring voices from the next room. He creeps over to the door, catching the last part of a conversation where Mulroney asks, “I wonder what happened to Biggins?” Biggins opens the door quickly, yelling out “boo!”, but neither the priest nor Shoes is startled.
Now Prepping: One-shot adventures for Coriolis, RuneQuest (classic), Numenera, 7th Sea 2nd edition, and Adventures in Middle-Earth.

Recently Ended: Palladium Fantasy - Warlords of the Wastelands: A fantasy campaign beginning in the Baalgor Wastelands, where characters emerge from the oppressive kingdom of the giants. Read about it here.

jgants

#133
Session 10 - Scene 2 (of 7)

The next hour or so is spent as the men go around the circular hallways, checking each of the room. They find a long series of interconnected bedrooms and dressing rooms, none with any signs of recent use or anything of interest to them.

Eventually they make their way towards the back corner of the mansion, where another set of stairs leads up to the tower room.

Father Mulroney encourages Biggins to take the lead and has Shoes follow him. The stairs lead up to a small passage with two doors.

Biggins opens the first of the two to discover the ruined tower room. He spots a large hole in the side wall, and the ceiling and wall in that part of the room look half-collapsed. Near the hole are remains of an old workbench and some smashed glass, along with black scorch marks along the wall and floor.

The alderman relates the information back to the priest. Mulroney encourages Biggins to go over and check out the work bench.

As Biggins steps over, the floor under him collapses in a loud crash. He manages to grab onto the side of the rotten floor, hanging on for dear life.

Mulroney quickly tells Shoes to go save the alderman. Distracted by the sudden event, Shoes doesn’t have time to think and runs over to help. The floor can’t take the additional weight, and breaks; causing Biggins and Shoes to fall two stories down into the housekeeper’s room.

Rather than check on his friends, whom he figures it will take quite a while to get to, Mulroney carefully makes his way over to the work bench. He sees there is some sort of chemistry equipment on the desk. He grabs it.

At the end of the room is a set of stairs leading up to the turret. Mulroney, deciding he doesn’t want to crash through any floors himself, decides not to ascend into the turret and heads back out into the hallway.

Before heading downstairs, he decides to check out the other room. He opens it to discover an unfinished attic room with uneven floors. There are papers scattered all around and tacked to the falls are several papers, maps, and newspaper articles.

Father Mulroney tries to identify anything of interest in the room, but there is almost too much going on to really tell. He decides to read one of the newspaper articles. It is dated October 11, 1871 and titled, “Local Recluse Feared Dead”. The article describes an old recluse named Jeremiah Prendergast who is disappeared and presumed dead after his home burned in the great fire (which Mulroney recognizes as the Great Lakefront City Fire of 1871).

Not sure what to make of the article, Mulroney looks around some more. He finds an old poster rolled up on the floor. It appears to be a circa 1830’s medicine peddler’s poster for “Enoch Prendergast’s Snake Oil Liniment – 2 cents”.

Setting aside the poster, Father Mulroney looks at the maps. He can’t quite figure out what they are for – they appear to be county assessor maps of some kind. He decides to take the maps with him as he heads downstairs.
Now Prepping: One-shot adventures for Coriolis, RuneQuest (classic), Numenera, 7th Sea 2nd edition, and Adventures in Middle-Earth.

Recently Ended: Palladium Fantasy - Warlords of the Wastelands: A fantasy campaign beginning in the Baalgor Wastelands, where characters emerge from the oppressive kingdom of the giants. Read about it here.

jgants

#134
Session 10 - Scene 3 (of 7)

It takes quite some time for Mulroney to make his way down the stairs and through the corridor passages of the house back to the housekeeper’s room. By the time he gets there, his torch is burning quite low.

He finds Biggins still in the same position on the floor, moaning with dull pain. Shoes, however, is quite still.

Mulroney rushes over to Shoes to help, but finds no signs of life. The youth has no apparent breath or heartbeat, and is impaled on a piece of broken furniture. Father Mulroney tries slapping him awake, but the futility of the gesture finally dawns on him. He calls out a yell of grief for Shoes, asking God why He couldn’t have taken Biggins instead.

The alderman is clearly suffering from broken ribs and a concussion and makes no notice of the slight against him. Mulroney knows they need to get out of the home quickly.

The priest helps Biggins to his feet and helps walk him out to the car, letting Biggins carry the maps and books taken from the home.

Once the alderman is secured in the car, Mulroney heads back inside to use the remains of his torch to start the mansion on fire. As he drives away, the quickly burning tinderbox of the mansion glows in the background.

The trip back in the dark is a difficult one, and a bent wheel forces the men to abandon the stolen car. Mulroney uses the lighter to set that on fire as well as they start making their way back towards the city on foot.

Shortly after dawn breaks, they catch a lucky break as a friendly milk truck driver gives them a lift into town. After hailing a cab, they finally make their way back to the church.
Now Prepping: One-shot adventures for Coriolis, RuneQuest (classic), Numenera, 7th Sea 2nd edition, and Adventures in Middle-Earth.

Recently Ended: Palladium Fantasy - Warlords of the Wastelands: A fantasy campaign beginning in the Baalgor Wastelands, where characters emerge from the oppressive kingdom of the giants. Read about it here.