Session 18 - Cast of Characters

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

Colin "Gem" Archer - Mulroney's newly-promoted lieutenant for his bootlegging operations; sidelines as a jewel thief


And introducing...

Detective Cletus VanDamme - Police detective with a heavy dose of flexible morality

Session 18 - Scene 1 (of 12)

Detective Cletus VanDamme was engaged in his usual activities for the night – shaking down hopheads, running protection for bootleggers, and getting some free action at the bordello – when one of the uniform cars spotted him and gave him a message that Captain Deakins wanted to see him.

Cletus doesn't know what Deakins wants, but he's sure it can't be anything good. For the most part, Deakins lets him operate on "detached assignment" as long as the general peace is kept. Lately, though, the streets have been anything but peaceful so he knows the captain will have a high priority assignment for him. He takes his time making his way back to the precinct.

Captain Deakins gives his usual growl about what took Cletus so long when he finally arrives. The detective gives his excuse as "some leads I was following up on". The captain ignores him and tells the detective he has a new assignment for him. VanDamme asks if it's another heroin dealer that Deakins wants him to run out of the neighborhood (before the Genna Brothers get cleaver-happy), but the captain tells him no. He says the new assignment is a strange one.

The captain goes on to explain that it involves Alderman Jethro Biggins, which VanDamme remembers from his anti-crime speeches. Deakins explains that Biggins was going to be very good for them, but something happened and Biggins went insane; he's now locked up in Dunning.

What Deakins wants, he explains, is for VanDamme to figure out what happened and take retribution out on anyone who caused the problems. Cletus always suspected Deakins had some kind of scheme going with Biggins, and clearly he's on the warpath now; he tells the captain there will be no problem resolving the case.

Deakins begins laying out the information he knows to VanDamme. He tells the detective that Biggins was asking about some strange things lately: a couple of companies called Destiny Memorial Funeral Home and The Marduk Institute, and a man named Antoine Prendergast that they were both tied to.

The really strange thing, Deakins continues, is that the only thing he could find on Prendergast was to a cold case from last year involving a missing person. VanDamme agrees that would be the place to start. The captain hands him over the file.

Session 18 - Scene 2 (of 12)

*** Missing Persons Report ***

Case Number: 23-84

Name: Jebediah Coltrane Shottum

Aliases: "J.C."

Date of Birth: September 17, 1873

Height: 5'9

Weight: 150

Eyes: Brown

Hair: Brown

Case Notes: Mr. Shottum was reported missing on October 2, 1923 by Hilda Grawthorne, secretary of the Bloomfield County Historical Society. Her boss, J.C. Shottum, had not been seen or heard from in several days.

Mr. Shottum's appointment book lists his appointments for the day as being with Edward Merriwether, a clerk in the County Assessor's office, Alderman Henry Snow, and a Dr. Antoine Prendergast.

Both Merriwether and Snow report Shottum arrived to their meetings, but Prendergast said Shottum never showed up. The last person to see him was Alderman Snow at approximately 8:00 that evening.

Prendergast's address puts him inside Chinatown, and it is likely Shottum was the victim of a crime on his way to see him. Suggest additional patrols to be on the lookout for the body.

Disposition: Open

Session 18 - Scene 3 (of 12)

As Cletus reviews the report, Deakins voices his disapproval that the detective on the case didn't put much effort into finding Shottum. VanDamme asks who that was, but isn't surprised when Deakins identifies Billings as the detective (who Deakins refers to as not being "worth a shit").

Captain Deakins gives his theory that Prendergast either kidnapped or was otherwise involved in Shottum's disappearance. He suggests that VanDamme rework the missing persons case from the beginning, starting with the Bloomfield County Historical Society, where Shottum worked.

The captain also lets VanDamme know that Biggins was a connected guy with the Mulroney crew. Cletus is familiar with the priest, who died a couple of weeks ago. VanDamme tries to get clarification on exactly how Biggins and Mulroney were in bed together, but the captain admits he isn't sure what their full arrangement was.

Continuing on, Captain Deakins explains that Alderman Biggins' connection to the gang is what led to his being shot recently. The captain explains that the police commander of the precinct over in the 3rd Ward, Captain Danny Ross, is connected to Tolino and Mulroney was connected to O'Conner so it was a sensitive issue.

According to Deakins, the only member of Mulroney's gang that is left, and now working with O'Conner, is small-time jewel thief Colin "Gem" Archer. He suggests tracking Gem down for any additional insight on what Biggins was up to. Last the captain heard, Gem was hanging out at the old abandoned church.

Cletus is surprised to hear that the church is abandoned. Deakins explains it was sold to the Marduk Institute. The captain is convinced something nefarious is going down in the ward, and he doesn't like it. VanDamme gets the implication, realizing the captain believes Biggins' lapse of sanity is involved in something bigger going down.

The captain agrees, saying he wants to know what it is – especially with the governor in town for the election tonight. He's already sending some of his men to help out with security of the opera house downtown where the governor will be, but he needs VanDamme to make sure the Marduk Institute and/or Prendergast won't be causing any trouble.

Detective VanDamme says he will go investigate. He also notes to himself to go check on Biggins. Deakins tells him to report in when he has something, or pass it along to Officer Kerrigan. Cletus agrees, noting to himself that Kerrigan also had ties to the Mulroney mob.

Session 18 - Scene 4 (of 12)

The detective decides to check in on the alderman first, heading up to the Dunning Asylum. After using his credentials to get inside, he's taken to see Dr. Hugo Bronfenburgher – the doctor in charge of Biggins' care.

Dr. Bronfenburgher greets the detective, who explains he's there to check on the welfare of Jethro Biggins. Bronfenburgher describes the alderman's condition as "terrible" and explains he is suffering from an acute psychosis involving delusions, hallucinations, and a continual attempt to steal the doctor's pen.

VanDamme wants to see Biggins, but Bronfenburgher explains he is sedated at the moment. The detective still wants to check on him, and the doctor agrees to have Sven, the tall orderly, to show the detective to Biggins' cell.

Before he goes, VanDamme asks the doctor what happened to cause the psychosis. Dr. Bronfenburgher explains his theory, which he calls a "mass psychosis theory". According to Bronfenburgher, diseases of the mind can spread from person to person the same way that a disease of the body can.

In this case, Bronfenburgher explains, there has been a recent outbreak of people believing they have seen monsters. He describes the reported monsters as being big with large teeth, and very vaginal in nature; the doctor believes they represent repressed sexual urges towards the mother.

Dr. Bronfenburgher describes the first case as being a young Jewish girl. The second case he saw was a young orphan. The alderman, Bronfenburgher explains, is the third case and had contact with both of the previous cases so clearly the disease spread over a vector from the two to him.

Detective VanDamme tries to follow the doctor's ramblings as best he can. He still believes it is important to inspect the alderman. He also suspects drugs, and asks the doctor about any marks or other indications on the alderman's body.

The doctor describes the alderman as having a very strange physical appearance. While not completely sure, Bronfenburgher's theory is that Biggins' psychosis is so strong that it acts as a type of mass hypnosis – planting a post-hypnotic suggestion into the minds of people around him to see things on the alderman that aren't actually there. He gives an example of the alderman's missing eye appearing to him as a large, solid yellow eye now.

Bronfenburgher goes on to say that he dare not allow VanDamme to see Biggins, or else the mental disease could spread. VanDamme positions himself a little closer to the doctor, to check his breath for alcohol. He doesn't smell any. He also doesn't detect any pupil dilation; he believes the doctor's theory is crazy, but he doesn't appear to be on anything.

Detective VanDamme explains that regardless of the risk, he can't leave until he's seen Biggins, though he doesn't necessarily need to talk to him. Sven shows the detective over to the window in the door to the padded cell where Biggins is lying.

When he's finished verifying the alderman is indeed locked up here and appears to be OK, VanDamme goes back to the doctor to follow up with some more questions. He asks who found the alderman, and Bronfenburgher explains that Biggins was captured while breaking in to the asylum. The doctor describes it as a case of the man's "superego" gaining dominance over his "id" (which wants to act crazy and act out sexual fantasies with his mother) in order to seek help for his psychosis, but VanDamme doesn't really understand what he is talking about.

VanDamme then asks if Biggins had anything on him when he was taken in. He specifically wonders about drug paraphernalia. The doctor has Sven grab a drawer from the inventory room; it contains a wallet with $40 and a half-used city bus pass.

Dr. Bronfenburgher also confirms that Biggins was alone when captured. When asked about what Biggins has been saying or if he's had any visitors, the doctor explains that VanDamme is his first visitor. He does remark that the alderman has a wife and children, but that they are out of town because their house burned down (which the doctor considers a contributing factor to Biggins' illness).

As for what Biggins has been saying, Dr. Bronfenburgher describes the alderman's ramblings about seeing and hearing things, fire, the devil, and someone named Prendergast. Cletus tries to dig in to the Prendergast comments, which the doctor says are not referring to a relative but to someone connected to something called the Marduk Institute that Biggins also talks about.

Bronfenburgher goes on to say that he has heard of the institute before, but can't recall when. He believes it might have been mentioned by one of the consulting doctors they used to have come in, someone named Krasnik.

VanDamme asks for more information about Krasnik. Bronfenburgher describes Dr. Krasnik as the consulting doctor from the prison. The doctor goes on to say that Krasnik disappeared one night a couple of months ago while driving back from the prison. Bronfenburgher says that Krasnik's daughter, Karina, came looking for him at the asylum after which is how he heard the story.

Cletus gives Dr. Bronfenburgher one of his cards. He wants to be called if Krasnik ever shows back up or if he hears anything more about Prendergast or other strange rantings.

The doctor makes an off-hand comment that the only other thing strange that Biggins talks about is "the monster at the warehouse". VanDamme asks some follow-up questions about that, which the doctor dismisses as just another part of his delusions.

Bronfenburgher is able to find some notes from Biggins that give the address of the warehouse. Cletus recognizes it as one of Deanie O'Conner's bootlegging warehouses.

VanDamme thanks the doctor for his help and prepares to leave. As he does so, the doctor tries to get him to attend a seminar at the local university discussing his theories of the male sexual repression of urges towards their mothers. Cletus politely agrees he would be interested, but notes that his schedule is usually full.

Session 18 - Scene 5 (of 12)

From Dunning, Cletus heads down to the museum district and stops at the Bloomfield County Historical Society. He talks to the secretary, Hilda Grawthorne about following up on the disappearance of Shottum.

Hilda explains that J.C. disappeared over a year ago. She describes him as a good man, but he'd gotten very involved with some old papers found inside the walls of a post-great fire tenement house being remodeled.

VanDamme asks more about the papers. Hilda explains they concerned a family named Prendergast. Apparently Shottum spent the last couple of days before he disappeared at the library and county register's office doing research on that family; though she herself didn't know why he found that family in particular so interesting.

Cletus is interested about the genealogy study that Shottum was doing. Hilda explains that is most of what the historical society does – research the founding families and settlers of the area. According to Hilda, Shottum never actually met Prendergast in person; the meeting he didn't make it to was supposed to be their first.

Hilda then offers to show J.C.'s notes to the detective. He has her make a photostatic copy of them to take. She gives him the notes, and explains that it appears to be something tracking the male descendants of the family only, which is very strange. She also notes that it only shows their activities for around a thirty year period each, which is also strange.

VanDamme asks more questions about J.C. himself. Hilda explains J.C. was a confirmed bachelor, and had no living family. But she is able to give him the names of a couple of Shottum's friends – such as Sir Archibald and other scientists at the museum, people at the historical society, and some of the older families in town such as the Morgans. She claims he had no enemies, as the historical society is not a controversial job.

Cletus thanks Hilda for the information and gives her one of his cards. As he heads back to the station, he reviews Shottum's notes. They don't mean much of anything to him.

Session 18 - Scene 6 (of 12)

*** Notes Taken by J.C. Shottum ***

Asa Pender, born 1606 in Suffolk in the hamlet of Groton to Eli and Martha Pender (ne Coper)

Emigrated with family to Cape Ann colony in 1621

Father, Eli, died in 1624

Befriended captured Barbary pirate, Aruj er Rasuli, in 1638

Presumed lost at sea, 1662


Silas Prender, Sugar Plantation Owner, Bridgetown, Barbados 1662-1690

William Pendergrist, Professor at Harvard, Cambridge, MA 1690-1692

Samuel Copper, country doctor, near Burlington, NJ 1692-1717

Elijah Pendergast, preacher, Providence, ME 1717-1745

George Kupfer, librarian, Harrisburg, PA 1746-1779

Edward Cooperman, spiritualist, Cleveland, OH 1779-1820

Enoch Prendergast, medicine salesman, St. Louis, MO 1820-1850

Jeremiah Prendergast, archeologist, Lakefront City 1850-1871

Ephraim Cooper, doctor, Lakefront City, 1871-1901

Antoine Prendergast, biologist, Lakefront City, 1901-present

Session 18 - Scene 7 (of 12)

Captain Deakins is surprised to see Cletus back at the station so quickly. The detective explains he still has some follow-up tasks but wanted to check in with what he found so far. He goes on to say that his preliminary investigation does appear to show the alderman and Shottum running in the same circles.

Detective VanDamme goes on to say how he checked in on Biggins and talked to his doctor. He describes Dr. Bronfenburgher as "as crazy as anyone there". Deakins chuckles, remarking that alienists are bizarre. VanDamme goes on to complain about some of Bronfenburgher's specific theories relating to vaginal monsters, but Deakins stops him – telling him he doesn't want that kind of filthy talk in his office.

When VanDamme explains that Biggins broke into the asylum, Deakins suggests the man must have cracked under the pressure from the election. Cletus confirms there were no signs of drug use or anything.

Deakins then asks how Biggins ties in to Prendergast and J.C. Shottum. VanDamme notes that Prendergast, and the Marduk Institute, are mentioned by the alderman in his ramblings.

The detective also mentions the connection between the Marduk Institute and Dr. Krasnik, and how Krasnik went missing. Deakins recalls the case of the missing doctor, noting that the Bloomfield County Sheriff's department is looking into his disappearance. He also mentions the sheriff's deputies finding Krasnik's abandoned car hidden in some bushes out in the county.

When VanDamme mentions Krasnik's daughter was looking for him, Deakins cautions him that Karina Krasnik is a known associate of Vassily Ulnovsky (dating him, in fact). He also explains that Biggins had a connection to Ulnovsky, which is what put him under investigation in the first place.

Deakins goes on to mention the recent bombing that Ulnovsky and Krasnik were killed in, which tied back to Biggins' car. He also discusses how Ross' men rousted Biggins on the docks looking for Ulnovsky. The captain notes that the alderman appears to be in the middle of a lot of things, and that the whole situation is very strange. He does call the alderman a nice guy and suggests that the alderman wasn't intentionally in the middle of everything, as he was "not the sharpest guy".

Captain Deakins then clarifies for Cletus that he wants him to keep digging in. He says there have been too many deaths and disappearances, and wants to know how Biggins, Ulnovsky, Prendergast, Shottum, and Mulroney all tie together. Cletus agrees something big is definitely going down.

Cletus also mentions the warehouse Biggins mentioned, and Deakins suggests he check it out – noting that it could be tied to Mulroney. The captain tells him to be careful and watch his back; until they put together the puzzle of what's going on, he won't know who to trust.

Session 18 - Scene 8 (of 12)

Deciding to wait on heading to check out the warehouse, Cletus makes a few calls around to see what other information he can find. He first tries city hall to find information on the Marduk Institute, but the clerk tells him it could be a couple of weeks before they can get him anything.

Next, Cletus heads down to the Lakefront City Public Library Central building downtown. He asks around with the library staff about J.C. Shottum, but no one seems to recall him being there. Several of the staff, including Chief Librarian Henry Legler, do recognize the name but don’t particularly recall what Shottum was doing at the library a year ago.

VanDamme then asks about genealogy records, but one of the clerks informs him that those types of records are typically kept at the Bloomfield County Historical Society. However, there are some books on the founding of the city and some of the initial families in the area in the library archives.

Venturing into the basement, the detective talks with the chief archivist, Carl Roden. Roden shows VanDamme into the archives and leaves him to look around. Cletus digs through the collection but finds little of interest except for some basic information on the founding of the city such as the Hopwell and Potawotami Indian Tribes who lived in the area, the initial exploration and settlement of the area by French/Haitian explorers Jean  Baptiste du Sable and Henri Joutel, and rail baron Rowland Brown who established one of the first large homes in the area called Ravenscry Manor.

Finding the trip to the library unhelpful, VanDamme heads out on the street and finds a snitch to shake down for information about the warehouse. The snitch, a three-letter street hustler named Val Bruhn, tells him that the warehouse was given to Mulroney’s gang by O’Conner after they allied themselves with him instead of Tolino.

Bruhn also says the warehouse is still occupied after Mulroney’s death, with at least pretty boy “Gem” Archer hanging out there. According to Val, O’Conner took over the old Carmody and Mulroney gangs in the area, so it’s probably O’Conner having Gem getting the place back up and running for bootlegging again.

Once he’s done with the Danish dilly boy, VanDamme finds Kerrigan walking his beat and passes along some of the information he’s found. After that, he decides to head home for the evening, planning to pick up the investigation tomorrow.

Session 18 - Scene 9 (of 12)

While Detective VanDamme spends the day investigating, Gem and Father Mulroney decide to lie low at the warehouse and wait for the night meeting with Fung Xian to sell off the heroin. Gem decides not to even go vote at the polls. Mulroney notes he is unable to vote as he is now legally dead, though Gem reminds him that such a condition tends not to be an issue in Lakefront City elections.

In preparation for the Chinese visit, Father Mulroney hides a little less than half of the heroin and keeps the rest out to sell to Fung. Mulroney worries about not having enough muscle, and wonders about bringing Kerrigan in. Gem isn't so sure that's a good idea and talks the priest out of it.

As the hour approaches, Gem gets into position in a hidden area in case there is trouble from Fung Xian's men. But at the appointed time, no one shows up. A lot of police sirens can be heard in the distance, towards downtown, as they continue to wait.

Once a half hour after the meet time goes by, Gem comes out of hiding and tells the priest they appear to have been stood up. Father Mulroney wonders what all of the commotion downtown is. Gem is uninterested, saying there is always something going on.

But the father feels they should go check it out. Gem cautions there will be a lot of cops around, but Mulroney tells him to not be such a coward.

Gem, still convinced the father is a ghost, suggest he turn invisible and fly over to investigate. The priest ignores his comment and reminds him he's the one who wasn't afraid to open fire in the middle of a large party.

Eventually, Mulroney gets Gem to drive their stolen car towards downtown. As they get closer, they see a scene of total chaos. Large crowds watch as a large fire is being taken care of and police are everywhere. Mulroney notes that the building they are working on is the opera house.

Session 18 - Scene 10 (of 12)

Working in the crowd amongst the other police is Detective Cletus VanDamme, who was called out an hour and a half ago along with the rest of the city's police force. Told Governor Small had been killed in an explosion at the opera house, VanDamme begins investigating.

So far, VanDamme has found some information. Among the dead are Governor Len Small, his chief of staff Scott Harris, gangster Spike O'Donnell and his brother Walter, Senator Joseph McCormick, and several aides of both the governor and senator.

Cletus canvassing the area has also turned up two people of interest, a Russian man and a woman. He notes the description of the woman sounds a lot like Karina Krasnik, which is strange since she was supposed to be killed in the Ulnovsky warehouse explosion.

Walking past the unknown detective, Father Mulroney and Gem spot Officer Kerrigan working crowd control. Mulroney tells Gem they need to go talk to him. As they head over, Gem tells the father he will keep an eye out for any Chinamen.

Kerrigan asks Mulroney what he is doing there, as he didn't want anyone to know he was still alive. Mulroney notes that he is in disguise, while Gem gives his theory that father, as a ghost, can only be seen by people he wants to see him. Kerrigan doesn't follow what Gem means.

Mulroney again ignores Gem and gets Kerrigan focused on telling them what is going on. Kerrigan explains about the deaths of Governor Small, Senator McCormick, and Spike O'Donnell. Mulroney asks for inside information, but Kerrigan explains he isn't a detective so doesn't know what they've been able to find so far.

Father Mulroney then asks Kerrigan for a detective in the area they could talk to. Kerrigan points out the nearby Detective VanDamme, saying the detective is amenable towards people who take care of him.

The priest also wants to know about Kerrigan's progress in convincing Captain Deakins to take down Leroy Brown. The cop explains that he was planning to talk to the captain that night about it, but that the explosion will cause a delay in the plan.

Mulroney and Gem then head over to VanDamme; the detective is so busy that they get all the way up to him before he spots them. Gem provides his theory that VanDamme can't see the father yet because he still needs to make himself visible to him.

Hearing his name called out from behind him, Detective VanDamme turns around to see two men. He doesn't recognize them.

Mulroney tells the detective he needs a word with him. He asks the detective if he knows who he is, and VanDamme responds in the negative. Mulroney gives the detective his name.

VanDamme is suspicious, as Mulroney is supposed to be dead. Mulroney goes on to explain that Kerrigan directed them to him. He also explains that the rumors of his death were not true. VanDamme makes a comment about hiding in plain sight.

After introducing Gem, Mulroney tells VanDamme what they've heard and asks for more information about the bombing. Cletus explains he has located a couple of people of interest. When Mulroney wants to know who they are, Cletus asks him what his interest is. Mulroney notes he's interested in everything going on in the city.

Cletus thinks quickly about the situation. He realizes Kerrigan is probably on the take from Mulroney, and that the priest is interested in the bombing due to something related to his criminal activities. He voices his suspicions to Mulroney, who confirms he has a passing association with the patrolman.

VanDamme then presses Mulroney about his affiliation with Alderman Biggins. Mulroney describes the alderman as being a close associate of his, as he is very active in his ward. The detective remarks to Mulroney that the priest may have some information he wants. The father suggests an exchange of information would be a fair deal.

Cletus agrees to the exchange. Mulroney wants his information about the explosion first. VanDamme explains he has two people of interest, which he identifies as Gina Krasnik and Vassily Ulnovsky.

Father Mulroney gives VanDamme a strange look at the mention of Krasnik. He recalled Dr. Krasnik having a daughter, but the name sounds wrong. He's also skeptical of Ulnovsky, as he's pretty sure the man died in an explosion (though, to be fair, he himself is also presumed dead).

Mulroney asks VanDamme if the two were the ones to cause the attacks. VanDamme notes they were only seen in the area. The priest wonders how good of a detective VanDamme is, and also questions his sanity.

Moving on, the father wants to know why VanDamme is asking about Biggins. The detective simply says he has been keeping tabs on the alderman. Mulroney wonders if VanDamme was Biggins' contact in the police, and asks the man why he was keeping an eye on the alderman, but Cletus says only that Biggins had a tendency to get into trouble.

Mulroney tries to press on to get why Biggins is so important to keep an eye on, but VanDamme interrupts his questioning to ask Mulroney when the last time he saw the alderman was. Mulroney explains he saw him the previous day. When Cletus asks how Biggins was, Gem interjects his opinion that the man was crazy.

The father feels Gem's description is a bit extreme, calling the alderman "confused". When Cletus asks about Biggins' activities that day, Gem again blurts out that Biggins was riding around on a bicycle "like a mad man" while wearing a hospital gown.

Mulroney again downplays Gem's contributions, saying the lad exaggerates a bit. He asks VanDamme if he has any news of the alderman, mentally noting they haven't heard back from him yet. VanDamme again ignores the question, saying only that he is trying to find information about what Biggins has been up to. When the father continues to ask what happened to the alderman, Detective VanDamme describes him as "a ward of the state" in "protective custody".

VanDamme does go on to say that the alderman is alive and he has checked on him that day. He then asks Gem to clarify about saying the man was crazy. Mulroney again insists the man was merely "confused" and explains he's suffered a recent run on bad luck.

Gem asks the detective if he saw his eyeball. VanDamme explains he didn't see the alderman up close, saying he was resting comfortably when he visited him. Mulroney makes a sarcastic comment about Biggins being a picture of health.

Father Mulroney then asks VanDamme what information he wants. VanDamme digs in a little further about Biggins' relationship to Mulroney. The priest says they worked together for years, as the alderman was a major proponent of the orphanage.

Deciding to trust Mulroney a little, Cletus mentions that Biggins has made statements about monsters and must have been involved with the wrong people. Mulroney dismisses the remarks, saying the alderman has an active imagination.

VanDamme then asks Mulroney if he knows of any Prendergast associated with Biggins. While they talk, Gem uses his sleight of hand skills to steal the handcuffs off of the detective's belt.

Mulroney asks the detective if he is referring to Antoine Prendergast. When VanDamme confirms he is, the priest remarks that is very interesting, as they are also looking into the man. He also mentions that Prendergast is associated with the institute that shut down the orphanage.

VanDamme plays dumb, getting Mulroney to mention the Marduk Institute by name. He tells the priest he hasn't uncovered any information about the institute or Prendergast yet; but, he says, he wants to learn more. He also mentions being interested in helping their mutual friend, Alderman Biggins.

Mulroney agrees, but voices his complaint that the exchange of information hasn't been very equitable so far as VanDamme hasn't given them much. When VanDamme asks what he wants, Mulroney asks about his connections in Chinatown. VanDamme notes he doesn't have any.

The father then offers a trade – a favor for a favor. Mulroney clarifies the favor he wants involves VanDamme making a contact in Chinatown, and how there is an individual who failed to meet with him as promised. The priest wants VanDamme to speak to the individual to voice his displeasure, and arrange another meeting. In exchange, Mulroney promises to give him a name that will help in his investigation.

After giving him the name of Fung Xian, Mulroney asks if he has any more information on the Marduk Institute. VanDamme says he might, but there would be a cost involved. Mulroney agrees, and gives him the warehouse address and a time later that evening to meet up.

Session 18 - Scene 11 (of 12)

Mulroney and Gem head back to the warehouse. Mulroney has Gem clean up the place a little, making sure to hide the papers they have on the Marduk Institute and Prendergast.

The father also explains his plan to offer the detective some heroin as payment. Gem isn’t so sure, but Mulroney reminds him the detective is dirty.

Meanwhile, Detective VanDamme makes a photostatic copy of the notes from the historical society. He also decides to leave the missing persons report at the precinct; he does not plan to share everything with Mulroney.

At midnight, Cletus arrives at the warehouse. He looks around carefully to make sure the place isn’t being monitored before heading in.

Mulroney greets him and asks what he has for him. Cletus hands him the copy of the Shottum notes. The priest reads the notes aloud to Gem. He asks Detective VanDamme what the paper indicates to him. VanDamme describes it as a partial family tree, but notes it is strange that it does not include the women in the family. Mulroney notes all the names are variations of the same two last names.

Gem also points out the dates are wrong; they are too short of periods to be birth and death dates and they never overlap. Mulroney agrees, saying the dates must refer to a person for a period of time. When Gem asks what the dates mean, Mulroney voices his idea that they are aliases of the same man and the dates are when the aliases were used.

The detective is confused, asking how the same man could still be living since “the Middle Ages”. Mulroney agrees the idea is far-fetched and drops the idea. He confirms that this is all the information the detective has.

In exchange, Father Mulroney gives the name of David Thomas Morgan to VanDamme. Cletus wonders what the richest man in the city has to do with anything. Mulroney says he doesn’t want to spoil all the surprises, but suggests that he approach Morgan about the Marduk Institute. He promising interesting results if the detective follows his advice.

Mulroney goes on to give some ampules of heroin to VanDamme. He tells the detective he won’t tell him what to do with it, but does note it has a high value on the street. Cletus voices his appreciation, and discusses his intentions to do something good with it.

Session 18 - Scene 12 (of 12)

After VanDamme leaves, Gem voices his concerns over how they are going to pay off Kerrigan after giving away part of the heroin. Mulroney dismisses the idea, noting they have a lot more yet.

Trying to keep Gem on his side, Mulroney hides his true intentions and instead explains how it is clear to him now that they must do whatever they can to rid the city of evil. He admits his past actions have done damage to the town, and it is time to pay it back.

Gem wonders what the priest has in mind. Mulroney explains they will need to take the "material" (referring to the green liquid) off of the street and take out the men involved in the conspiracy. The youth wonders how they will be able to do that, as it means going up against the most powerful men in the city.

Mulroney ponders how long Prendergast has been up to evil activities, and whether or not he's formed evil groups around the country. He tells Gem they can't allow such a nefarious plot to grow, telling the youth they need to think of the children.

Gem, overwhelmed by the priest's charisma and wanting to believe, voices his agreement. He asks the priests what is next.

Mulroney wants to get O'Conner involved in the conflict, as they could use his muscle. He also wants to get Kerrigan on their side. Then, he plots, they can take out the group one by one.

Gem is more concerned about Prendergast himself. He reasons that if the man has been around this long, he's probably not sharing all his secrets with the cabal. He feels that Prendergast is just using the cabal to fund his true operations. When Mulroney asks what is in it for the men then, the youth explains Prendergast probably has some kind of con running with them but it isn't his real agenda.

Mulroney agrees it makes sense, but he's not sure how they will be able to outsmart someone who has been around since 1606 without help. He says they will need to go to Deanie for help. Gem suggests Tolino as a possibility, but Mulroney reminds him that Tolino has not been the wisest choice in the past. Gem agrees Tolino has no love for the Irish.

In the short term, Mulroney wants to focus on resolving their cash problem so they can pay off Kerrigan. Gem wonders if they should rely on VanDamme to get the money out of Chinatown, or if it is time for a heist. Gem's eyes light up at the idea of another big heist.

Mulroney dismisses the heist idea, noting they don't have anything planned and it may not be a good time with all of the police activity.

The priest starts thinking about other options. He does note that one supposed member of the cabal, Joseph McCormick, is already dead and supposedly killed by Krasnik and Ulnovsky. He wonders if they should try and find them. Gem wonders if Ulnovsky got ahold of the same green liquid as Mulroney and that is how he is back from the dead.

Mulroney thinks maybe Ulnovsky could be another ally. They discuss that it is too bad Biggins is no longer active, as he had the closest connection to the Russian. Gem reminds him about the bar Biggins went to while looking for Ulnovsky, the Blue Parrot.

The mention of the bar reminds Mulroney that they also need to follow up on the Bamboo Room, as a couple of the cabal members were spotted there. He tells Gem it is too high end for the youth to go to, so he suggests he himself check out the Bamboo Room while Gem cases the Blue Parrot. Gem agrees.

Session 18 - Session Notes

After Alderman Biggins became no longer viable as a PC last session, I discussed with the player about creating a new character that was a police detective. The idea was to introduce a PC that doesn't fully trust the other PCs, giving some more tension to the game. He liked the idea so I went ahead and put together the character for him. The name "Cletus VanDamme" is an homage to the alias used by Detective Vendril on The Shield.

This session was interesting in that it was almost exclusively about investigations and conversations. Not only was there not a lot of (direct) action, but it had relatively few die rolls used.

The hardest part was getting everyone together. I don't like to railroad, so I present opportunities for the PCs to get together and let nature take its course. I'm not sure if the Cletus player was missing my hints (I must have said something along the lines of, "so, where are you going now - maybe that warehouse?" a half dozen times during the early part of the session), or if he was deliberately trying to put off getting together with the others to get more investigation done first. In any event, we were a good hour into the session before the other PCs got to do anything.

Other notes from the session:
* I had to give a lot of exposition from Deakins as well as some pretty big arrows on where to go next. I think all of the players found it interesting to look at what was going on from a different POV.

* J.C. Shottum in the Cabinet of Curiosities novel (where I got the name) didn't give a first / middle name as I recall. I went with "Jebediah Coltrane" as a joke that because he had such an awful sounding name, he just went with JC.

* Detective Billings is another homage to The Shield.

* Originally, I had no idea Dr. Bronfenburgher would come up so much. If I had, I would have made his theories a little less over the top. I about reached the limit of psychobabble nonsense I could come up with when talking with VanDamme.

* We all got quite a laugh about how the $40 money clip and the bus pass kept moving from character to character.

* Dr. Krasnik has been largely forgotten about by the group. Needless to say, he played an important part in the conspiracy which may yet be explained.

* I hadn't actually sat down and came up with the list of aliases until before this session. My original idea was that they would all have the exact same last name, but then I figured in the older days he would need to change the last name more to avoid being connected with his previous identities. In modern times, enough people would be around that he could just keep showing up as a relative.

* During the session, I mistakingly referred to Krasnik's car as being found burned. I corrected it for the write-up. Since the group tends to torch things/places, I forgot about the one time they didn't.

* Henry Legler was the real librarian of the Chicago Public Library at the time. Carl Roden was the next chief librarian in Chicago, so I put him in charge of the archives.

* Similarly, the Potawotami Indians, Jean Baptiste du Sable, and Henri Joutel were all real people. I can't recall how I came up with the name of Rowland Brown, he got added to my notes when I put together the history of who owned Ravenscry Manor (papers that were in the house but not found by the PCs).

* Val Bruhn had no name or background during the session - Cletus just visited a generic snitch. I wanted to add some more color to the session notes so I gave him a name and background.

* I actually brought up the election during the game, and the comments about it were technically OOC jokes.

* Gem thinking the father is some kind of ghost made a great running joke.

* I foreshadowed the governor visit several times. The bombing of the opera house was planned for awhile. Originally the plot also involved Rocco Dillon's group more (an homage to the Naked Gun 33 1/3 plot) but I didn't want to overcomplicate it at this point. Plus, using the Russians directly gives the PCs a little more connection to it.

* Since Governor Small, Spike O'Donnell, Walter O'Donnell, and Senator McCormick are all real people, clearly the game has an alternate history.

* VanDamme assuming the Russian man with Krasnik was Ulnovsky was great. Only Maisie knew that Karina and Yulian Petranov escaped the warehouse bombing and she died before she could tell anyone.

*  Giving the name as "Gina Krasnik" was less great. Up until that point, VanDamme had been a lot less scatterbrained of a character than Biggins.

* I love that the PCs don't fully trust each other at this point and are holding back information. Very noir.

* Next session should be more action-packed with the three PCs splitting up and each heading somewhere dangerous.

Session 19 - Cast of Characters

Father Clink Mulroney - Irish Roman Catholic priest turned gangster, now transforming into a monster

Colin "Gem" Archer - Mulroney's only remaining gang member - a somewhat dim-witted jewel thief

Detective Cletus VanDamme - Police detective who likes shaking down junkies and is both allied with and investigating Mulroney