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Chaosium Digest Volume 09 Number 10
Chaosium Digest Volume 9, Number 10
Date: Sunday, February 26, 1995
Number: 2 of 3
Contents:
The Past is Doomed, Part Two (Geoff Gillan) CALL OF CTHULHU
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From: Geoff Gillan
Subject: The Past is Doomed, Part Two
System: Call of Cthulhu
The Past Is Doomed, Part Two
Copyright (c) 1995 Geoff Gillan
THE BOOKSHOPS
Among the indicated places on the map of Arkham in Zabrich's
possession were the Arkham bookstores. Most yield only vague
remembrances from the staff that Zabrich had been there and looked
around. Otherwise he had not made himself conspicuous in any way. The
exception is Hal's Esoterica, detailed below.
Bookshops can also be a source of Doctor Zabrich's earlier books.
Hal's has them all, and Keepers may spread around the earlier titles
as they see fit, though only Hal's will stock Dark Probability.
For description of the books see Libraries section below.
Hal's Esoterica
Hal's is a new store in Arkham located in -. His shop has been open
three months. Hal caters to the outre and the strange, and specializes
in occult books, though he also has a burgeoning New Age section and a
cabinet groaning under the weight of crystals.
Hal is currently dead, curled up in a meat locker in the back room
with a few days frost congealing around him. He was killed by the man
who has now taken his place in the shop, Doctor Ernst Zabrich.
Hal was working with the film director Hammerman, helping him get
background books for his screenplay. He had come under the sway of
Glenda and Hammerman, and when Hal recognized Zabrich and attempted to
forcibly detain him, Zabrich fought for his life. Hal was knocked down
a flight of stairs at the back of the shop and his neck snapped. At
once, Zabrich saw a chance to turn this to his advantage.
Making up a story about Hal visiting suppliers in Washington, Zabrich
has posed as Hal's cousin Wilbur. This masquerade has been aided by a
false beard made from Hal's hair - which Zabrich shaved off - shaved
eyebrows redrawn with eyeliner, and heavy lipstick and a bushy wig.
This grotesque appearance Zabrich has accentuated, theorizing that the
best way of hiding is to be obvious. He speaks in a shrill voice
without a trace of his native Hungarian accent and grimaces
meaningfully at customers. Doubtless, he is destroying Hal's business,
but so far the disguise has worked, including with Hammerman and
Glenda, who are awaiting Hal's return.
Clues to Hal's real identity are at other avenues of investigation.
The real Hal can only be uncovered by investigators making an active
search of the premises, something Zabrich would be keen to avoid, to
the point of threatening violence. Zabrich under no circumstances
voluntarily reveals himself to the investigators. He is certain his
life is in grave danger and is skeptical about anyone's chances to
help him. Later in the piece, he may decide to intervene and if the
investigators seem at all concerned about him or knowledgeable about
the Mythos, then he may send them oblique hints. This depends however,
on how impressive they are. (See People, under the Day to Day
chronology, below).
LIBRARIES
In the libraries a successful Library Use roll will find Zabrich's
books. They are all in Miskatonic, even the later, weirder ones. Three
rolls are necessary to find all the books, since they are in different
categories in the Libraries. Only the Miskatonic has Dark Probability
and no library holds Chronicles of a World Gone Mad.
The Books
Zabrich's earlier books are dry sociology texts. There are fifteen of
them, and they require an EDU over 15 to understand the terminology
used and to have the persistence to wade through them. (This presumes
familiarity with unreadable academic tomes).
The latter books, mentioned on the flyleaf are more popularist, and
can be enjoyed by most. The books in this section, not including Dark
Probability, are remarkable most for their contrast with that later
work (and with Chronicles of a World Gone Mad). The books are rational
and well thought out, betraying none of the paranoia or strangeness of
the later works.
Dark Probability itself is a strange work. For the most part it is a
look at the major societies of the western nations and how a fixation
on darkness and evil has affected them, after a section on late
twentieth century, the themes of the later book can be seen in rougher
form here. The idea is implicit here, that there are evil guiding
forces beyond the world of humankind, forces which are manipulating
those things which we have put down to decay of standards and society.
These forces are bringing about as a plan to destroy humanity through
its own worst qualities. One section on the Atomic Bomb is especially
hysterical, suggesting it is through supernatural agencies that the
thing was put into the minds and hands of mankind. These passages of
the book are a precursor to the later, more hysterical, book
Chronicles.
AGENT AND PUBLISHER
Since these two are located in New York, it is unlikely that
investigators see them in person. They are just as happy to do
business on the phone, since much of their business is done that way
in any case, though the Investigator must somehow prove their
identity.
The Agent, Jerry Kindly of Spectrum Talent Agency
Kindly is a big bluff be-suited hotshot with a thick head of hair and
a pair of scalloped glasses. Zabrich's agent can throw little light on
the missing Doctor. He has already spoken to the police, and can only
reveal that he has not heard from Zabich for the past two months. This
is not surprising, since he knows Zabrich is researching a new book,
and does not expect to hear from him for a while longer.
Kindly has no copy of the missing book; Zabrich had insisted he keep
the only copy until it went to the publishers. After Kindly's work was
done in selling the piece, he needed no copy. Kindly views this new
direction of Zabrich's as being potentially lucrative. He views the
new occultist direction as putting Zabrich in the potential
best-seller market and is bitterly disappointed over the loss of the
book. He is currently hunting down a copy, and will pay 5,000 dollars
to anyone who recovers a copy or manuscript and brings it to him.
He is not suspicious of conspiracy, though may be prodded into
admitting a few doubts about rival publishers and the extremes they go
to sometimes...
The Publishers, Grommet and Dewflap
Paul Beaudecaire of Grommet and Dewflap is an Associate Editor and
handles any inquiries the investigators may make there. Beaudecaire
has edited the book and knows its contents quite well.
Beaudecaire verifies the Chronicles does contain conspiracy theories
of an occultist nature, but theories of a conspiracy so subtle as to
be almost intangible, and certainly difficult to prove.
He dismisses the book as one having `a certain market attraction' but
is undeniably nervous since his work on it and the subsequent
warehouse fire and theft. If investigators meet him in person, they
see a tall thin man with a penchant for turtle neck jumpers and
leather elbow patches on his jackets. He often jerks his head around,
looking for figures which may in pursuit of him and once or twice
grabs a magazine off newsstands with a cry of alarm, only to replace
them, hands shaking, mumbling "I must be mistaken.." He dismisses any
behaviour of this kind as being the result of strained nerves that he
has felt lately. He refuses to acknowledge that it might be something
he read in the book, preferring to rationalize it.
Beaudecaire is killed by Servitors the day following the
investigators' visit. His appointment book reveals the visit by the
investigators, so the police should look into it by a visit to one or
more of the party, in the next 1D3 days.
THE FILM PEOPLE
Currently the film people are staying at the - hotel. Where before
there were builders and set designers who had been at work on the set
for the past few weeks, these have now left Arkham. Only Hammerman
and Glenda, his assistant, remain. Also, there are security guards on
the set location west of Arkham. (See The Set and later Journey
Through the Past both below).
Hammerman
Hammerman is a motion picture director who specializes in the horror
genre. His last two films have been big-budget flops, and now he is
looking to get something sensational, or at least was. Then, he was
worked on by Glenda. Hammerman used to live for his films, but now he
is fixated on Glenda. She has seduced him more than he has fallen to
the power of the Mythos, and now he would gleefully die - or kill -
for her.
At forty nine, he makes an effort to look young, something which he
succeeds in on a good day. Tall, with long hair tied in a pony-tail
and a thin but nautilused frame, Hammerman gesticulates with long
expressive hands when he speaks, stopping only to fiddle with the
cigarettes he chain smokes.
Glenda
Glenda is in her early thirties and is a stunning brunette. She has a
slight European accent, but this is indefinable, and the product of
expensive private schools on the continent. In Europe, she fell in
with a decadent crowd and soon reached the end of her interest in the
mundanely grotesque. Introduced to the worship of Yog-Sothoth by a
lover, an older man, well placed with the royals of the Continent, she
has raised it beyond all expectations. Originally, she had hopes of
going to Hollywood to further enjoy herself, but began to get a sense
of the enormous power of the motion picture industry. Her experiments
in Arkham are precursors to her ultimate plan, to use the medium of
cinema to tap into the subconscious of the masses, and bring about the
rule of her master upon the earth. She hopes to be one of the favored
few who shall have unlimited sorcerous power when that time comes. She
is now quite insane, but also cold, manipulative and ruthless.
Hammerman dislikes being harried and goes out of his way to be
unhelpful to the investigators unless one of them is from the press.
Even mad as he is, it is impossible for him to alienate reporters, and
to these he is at least civil, if not exactly forthcoming.
Hammerman explains the picture he is planning draws on Arkham's past.
It delves back to the time of the Salem witches, but focuses most on
the recent past. It is a time travel story, and bears no relation to
Dr Zabrich's work, which Hammerman claims he has never heard of. For
publicity reasons, the set is under close wraps, and security guards
have been brought over from L.A. to deal with it. He cannot give the
investigators passes or otherwise help them, since that would be
violating the deal he has made with the studio.
The Studio
Investigators who contact the studio, an independent named Magno
Pictures, find they are as close mouthed as their director. This is
deliberate - they are held to a contract that Hammerman insisted they
sign. It seemed little enough and he was willing to waive a
considerable amount of his fee for absolute security, so they were
happy to go along with it. They now cannot reveal a word about his
production until he gives them the go ahead. While it is a strange
deal, it is not unprecedented. They are a new company and eager to
attract big talent, even big talent on the slide.
The Suites of Hammerman and Glenda
Hammerman and Glenda occupy two suites on the top floor of the hotel.
The suites are joined through the lounge room, and both comprise a
wide sitting and entrance room, a lavish bedroom and ensuite, and
lounge/television room. Successful Spot Hidden rolls and active
searching reveal the following things in Glenda's and Hammerman's
rooms. A separate Spot Hidden must be made for each item.
Hammerman's Room
* Sketches for the set. There are seven diagrams in a sheaf of
paper on the small table in the sitting room. The first sketch is the
entire set, subdivided into six more sets within it. Each of the
following diagrams depicts another set. The details of the sketches
are bald and unhelpful, being simply block-like shapes arranged in
different ways. But, there are revealing notations against the six
stages following the sets. They are scribbles on the margins of each
diagram. "Presidential Suite; Shopping Mall; Jungle; Hearing Room;
Plaza; Vortex."
* Costume Sketches. These depict costumes of the forties through
to the eighties, including military and police uniforms.
Glenda's Suite
Exactly like Hammerman's in design, Glenda has only two things worth
finding in the room, and these are well hidden.
* Inside her mattress is the copy of Zabich's book, Chronicles of
A World Gone Mad. Investigators must be searching the bed before they
can find the book, which can be discovered by a small hard rectangle
under the surface of the mattress. The book cannot be found by simply
peering under the bed.
* Letters to Hal. In a small leather document case kept in the
top of the wardrobe is a sheaf of letters, bills and other paperwork.
Most of it is mundane, being a note of expenses incurred thus far and
a stack of receipts. Among them, though, are the Hal letters. This
correspondence to Hal reveals the man was aiding Glenda and Hammerman
and had been privy to some of their secrets: particularly, a letter
which remarks about Zabrich and instructs Hal to "detain" him should
Zabrich show up. The end paragraph runs:
"You will know him as an enemy, for his knowledge is too great for
both his and our good. Do not hesitate to do what you must."
The document case takes 1D20+10 minutes to go through and successful
Spot Hidden to find the letters to Hal.
SIDEBAR - CHRONICLES OF A WORLD GONE MAD
The book is a small hardback, surprisingly innocuous in appearance for
all the fuss which has been made over it. It has green boards and
ragged cut pages and is around 400 pages long.
The book functions as a Lesser Grimoire. The Sanity loss for reading
it is 1D4/1D8, it has a X 2 Spell Multiplier, and it grants +5 Mythos
skill.
The book traces Zabrich's philosophy that the past is doomed, through
actions by the creatures of the Mythos, who hope to destroy humankind,
not through any overt action, but by a persistent and covert wearing
away of our society's basic fabric. Through social upheaval, disease,
warfare and crime the toll taken on humanity is great, and the powers
that dwarf humankind look on with glee at the misery they can cause.
They are softening humanity up for the final blow, when they again
will rule upon the face of the earth.
Zabrich advocates vigilance and knowledge as the best defense against
this coming about. Those who would fight for the future should know
the enemy is everywhere and be prepared to root that enemy out from
its most obscure hiding places.
Anyone who goes insane from reading this tome, most certainly develops
the effects of paranoia, as they begin to see such conspiracies and
their effects everywhere.
Spells: Summon Servitors of the Doomed Past, Evoke Past.
SIDEBAR: NEW SPELLS
Summon Servitors of the Doomed Past
This works like other summoning / bind servitor spells, except that
the Bind spell is not located in the book. Zabich never learned how to
control these things, just to whistle them up.
Evoke Past
This spell is done with 8 magic points and 1D6 Sanity Point loss. The
caster lights a photograph or other representation of a past era and
chants. As the smoke arises from the burning item, the caster and
others with them can see a vivid depiction within the flame of those
things which the agencies of the Mythos have effected in the era under
question.
[Keeper's Note: This should be any crises of dangerous happening in
the era. Keepers may wish to overwhelm the caster and audience with
these visions, proving that nothing is out of the grasp of the talons
of the Mythos creatures.]
THE SET
At some point, the investigators are likely to want to take a look at
the set. Before the Journey through the past, the set is essentially
benign. Afterwards, it is quite different. (For the later section see
The Set Revisited below).
Exterior
The set is a large old building, set back in the woodland west of
Arkham. It has been refurbished by the set decorators and
construction crew from the film, in the first flush of enthusiasm by
Hammerman, before the influence of Glenda began to take its toll.
Thrown around the building is a wire fence. This is electrified.
Investigators foolhardy enough to try and climb it take 2D10 points of
damage from its generator. There are large DANGER signs posted at
regular intervals along the fence warning of the danger of
electrocution.
There are six security guards on duty day and night. They are armed
and have been hired out of L.A. by Hammerman. They will not shoot
anyone unless that person attacks them with firearms, since there are
strict laws which prohibit such use of force. They are not, however,
averse to employing their nightsticks and promptly hand any
trespassers over to the Arkham police.
INTERIOR
The set is subdivided into small sound stages. Each depicts a
different time period and location. The set dressing has been very
professionally done and the locations look quite authentic. Above the
sets are a tangled mess of cables and struts for lighting.
Each set corresponds with a certain time period. A successful History
roll for each set identifies the correct period.
Set One
The 80s. This depicts a shopping mall bedecked in eighties
paraphernalia and dripping with consumer goodies.
The mall set has an upper and lower level, joined by a massive working
escalator in the center.
Set Two
The 70s. The Oval Office of the White House during the Nixon
administration. Memos on the desk and photos on the wall, not to
mention the fake view out of phony windows of seventies autos parked
beyond the lawn, show the period.
Set Three
Mid-Seventies. A grimly realistic depiction of a South-East Asian
jungle. Combat gear is strewn about (none of this works, it is all
movie make-believe), but helps identify the period as the late Viet
Nam war. At the rear of the set is a network of tunnel entrances which
look as though they go miles underground, but are in fact only a few
feet above the studio floor.
Set Four
The 60s. Dealey Plaza. The exact location of the Kennedy assassination
given stunning recreation, focusing on the famous grassy knoll and the
street beyond.
Set Five
The 50s. A HUAC hearing. The House Un-American Committee room is stark
and ugly, with a massive main table for the questioners to sit behind
in a bunch, a little frontal area for the accused, and stalls at the
back for press and audience. Various items of the period are strewn
about, as are signs promoting the committee and its good work.
Set Six
The Empty Set. This is the focal point which the mad Glenda and
Hammerman intend to use to gain control over the future, and guarantee
the coming of the Elder Gods. Right now the set is empty, though a
complicated tracing exists on the floor, which when viewed from above,
requires a Sanity roll. On a failure, the Investigator perceives this
as a spiralling vortex roiling back into the past, from which glimpses
of the terrible events of the last few decades can be seen. (San loss
0/1D4).
This set is not used until after the night of Day Three on the
timetable given below.
INTERESTED PARTIES
Competition in the Investigation
There are two other interested parties looking for the missing
Zabrich. They have only just made it to Arkham and may be strewn
across the investigators' trail as the Keeper sees fit. Keepers may
use them as help, hindrance, or victims to alert the investigators of
danger by running foul of things to which the investigators themselves
may have fallen prey. They can be one jump ahead of the investigators
or ten jumps behind.
Keepers should try as much as possible to allow parties who include
officials and the like to gain more help from Rex Chase, while Douglas
Stoop will distrust these types, but may help the more rag-tag
investigative team.
Rex Chase, Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 28.
Tall with crew cut blonde hair and a face a male model would be proud
of, Rex has been sent to investigate the conspiracy theories of
Zabrich and see if they have any political reality that may have
distorted by the disturbed mind of Zabrich. As far as he is concerned,
it is a routine case. He is personally convinced Zabrich is a nut and
there is no substance to his claims. It is unlikely regardless what
evidence to the contrary turns up, that Rex ever considers that the
theories might be true. He lacks imagination, although he is brave and
solid.
Douglas Stoop, Sleazy Tabloid Reporter, 37
Stoop works for the tabloid newspaper The Questioner. He is desiccated
and unhealthy, his skin fish-belly white and his nose and eyes flaring
red. He wears his hair slicked back and likes to don jeans, t-shirt
and combat jacket. He drives a battered Oldsmobile.
Stoop is in search of Zabrich and is hot to get hold of him and his
theories. For him Zabrich represents the great white whale of
conspiracy stories. This one is rumored to have it all - everything
from JFK to Nuclear Weapons to Invaders from Another Planet. Stoop has
seen the book, but it was stolen from his car before he could do
anything other than glance through it. What he did see has cost him
sleep and a little of his already scarce stability. Stoop will
double-cross anyone, break any law, dive to any depth to get his
story. Nothing is sacred but his by-line. He has a kind of oily charm,
but is at heart base and disreputable.
PAST TENSE
During the investigative stage of the scenario, weird things begin to
happen. This is caused by the Servitors becoming aware of the
investigators and their activities. The mechanics of how the Servitors
affect investigators is discussed in the Servitor NPC description.
Below is a time-line for their increasing actions upon the
investigators, and the actions of the crucial NPCs, especially Glenda
and Hammerman, and Dr Zabrich.
While much of the action of the scenario depends upon the
investigators and what they discover, there are also set incidents
which are due to occur. These may happen early, due to investigators
prompting such an actions, or the investigators may be slow, in which
case they will be constantly reacting, rather than initiating.
DAY ONE
The People
Hammerman and Glenda are barely aware of the investigators and remain
so until the investigators visit them, or create sufficient stir to be
talked about. Regardless, Hammerman and Glenda are concerned with
empowering the Set, which they are due to do in three days time.
Hammerman spends most of the day and night out at the set, while
Glenda remains in town, fielding queries from the studies, press or
townspeople.
Zabrich does not act in any way other than to hide, until he becomes
aware of the investigators. Once he was met them, he begins to give
them anonymous leads, beginning day two.
The Servitors
The Servitors of the Doomed Past always appear in anachronistic dress.
They are currently haunting Arkham, waiting for the opportunity of
their power being released. For the first day, investigators see tall,
thin figures with wolf-like profiles, almost non-human, lurking on
street corners, on the edges of their peripheral vision, in the
distance.
These figures can be dressed in seventies flares or safari suits,
sixties hippie fassions, fifties suits, even forties military dress.
Always their clothes are anachronisms. They remain shadowy figures,
lurking on the edge of the investigators' awareness.
The Servitors also work on the environment of the investigators once
they have become aware of them. For the first day, this is in sneaky
and often subtle ways. The effect should be to unsettle their victims,
to soften them up for what is to come.
They do this through two main ways, besides shadowing, described
above.
* Television - Stories on any television in the investigators
proximity deal with the past, and always showing conflict and
violence. The stories are treated as though they have just happened.
If the investigators pay close attention the coda to the television
story is a contemporary newscaster explaining this as an anniversary
of the event, or some kind of retrospective. The anniversary dates
however, never tally, and the retrospectives are too frequent for
comfort.
* Newspaper stories - Investigators see their own photo on the
front of newspaper stories which deal with the past and always stories
of violence or social and political upheaval. On closer look, the
photo simply resembles the Investigator, though the resemblance is
usually barely recognizable close up. The Investigator is left
confused as to how they could have made the mistake in the first
place.
The above tactics continue through all the days the investigators deal
with the Servitors, once the strange happenings have begun.
[Continued in V9.11]
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