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Chaosium Digest Volume 27 Number 03
Chaosium Digest Volume 27, Number 3
Date: Tuesday, December 29, 1998
Number: 3 of 4
Contents:
Shadows of Yesterday, Part Two (Paul Williams) CALL OF CTHULHU
--------------------
From: Paul Williams <paulw@betanet.co.uk>
Subject: Shadows of Yesterday, Part Two
System: Call of Cthulhu
SCENE 17: THE SCENE OF THE CRIME
By the time the Investigators arrive in Marseilles the police have
cleaned up the crime scene and have thoroughly photographed it. Since
they are convinced that the death of Doctor White was suicide they saw
no reason in delaying the hotel from cleaning the room at the earliest
possible opportunity. Investigators going to inspect the room find no
clues, no matter how hard they look.
The police photographs tell a different story altogether. However, the
police are not going to let just anyone look at the photos and a
successful Credit Rating or Persuade roll is required to gain access
to them. There are also several other facts which might trouble the
Investigators. Every Investigator may make an Idea roll to gain one of
the clues given below.
* The photographs show no means by which the Doctor could possibly
have hung himself. There are no stools nearby, and the table and bed
are too far away to have aided the Doctor in his suicide
attempt. The police have no comment on how the Doctor could have
hung himself, saying only that he managed it somehow.
* The police have not find a suicide note from the Doctor explaining
his actions. It is unusual for a person committing suicide not to
leave a note for their friends and loved ones.
* Why would the Doctor go all the way to Marseilles to kill himself,
especially as he had telegraphed the Investigators to come and visit
him?
* The Doctor's diary (assuming that it has been found) mentions that
he believed that he was being stalked by someone or something. Could
whoever was following him have murdered him?
* The Doctor's diary lists the archaeological finds recovered from the
church, but there was no sign of any of the finds at the Doctor's
house, nor did his diary mention that he had hidden them
anywhere. Were the finds so valuable that someone murdered the
Doctor to acquire them?
Unless the Investigators can come up with concrete evidence that
foul-play was involved the police have no desire to change their
conclusion that Doctor White committed suicide.
SCENE 18: THE DOCTOR'S BODY
The body of Doctor White is being kept in the police morgue at
Marseilles until someone can legally identify the corpse. If the
Investigators wish to inspect the body, rather than merely identify
it, they must make a successful Credit Rating or Persuade roll the
Investigators to convince the police.
* The most noticeable feature about the Doctor's body is the massive
bruising around the ribcage. The police report states that the
bruising is from the body falling on the ground when the belt by
which it was hung was cut from the ceiling. A successful Medicine
roll determines that the bruising is more like that of something
being wrapped around the chest and squeezing very hard.
* There is very little bruising around the neck where the belt was
tied. A successful Medicine roll allows the inspecting Investigator
to deduce that Doctor White may have been dead before he was hung!
Anyone who knew the Doctor can easily identify the corpse as that of
Doctor Emil White. Those viewing the corpse must make a SAN check or
lose 1 Sanity point.
Doctor White was in fact killed by a nightgaunt summoned by the local
cultists, who feared that the Doctor was too close to the truth. The
Doctor was snatched from his villa shortly after sending the telegram
to the Investigators and carried him to Marseilles where cultists
staged his suicide.
SCENE 19: THE BLANCHEFORT FAMILY CHURCH
The church where Doctor White was working is situated roughly three
miles from the town of Arques, further up the mountainside. Reaching
it takes around an hour on foot and slightly less on donkey.
Automobiles have no chance of making the climb!
The church is partially ruined, with two walls missing and much of the
roof gone as well. Signs in English and French dot the area and
declare that the area is an archaeological dig under the supervision
of Doctor Emil White. A small wooden hut contains the excavators'
digging tools. Opening the wooden door is easy and it only takes a few
moments of brute force to cause it to swing open.
The Doctor spent much of his time digging through parts of the floor,
trying to find the supposed crypt of the Blanchefort family. A large
trapdoor has been installed in the floor where the Doctor managed to
dig through to the cellar below. Lifting the trapdoor is easy: is not
locked, only held in place by a large rock. This reveals a flight of
narrow steps descending into the inky darkness. A broken padlock lies
nearby and can be noticed on a successful Spot Hidden roll.
At the bottom of the steps is the Blanchefort family crypt. The area
is dotted with stone sarcophagi bearing the Blanchefort coat-of-arms
and giving the noble titles of those buried within. Investigators
trying to open the sarcophagi need to total their STR and compare it
on the Resistance Table to the lid's STR of 25. Inside the coffins are
the skeletal remains of the Blanchefort family member mentioned on the
outside. For each tomb opened by the Investigators roll a single
d6. On a result of 6 the tomb contains more than just a body.
Inside that particular coffin is the body of a member of the
Blanchefort family with a greatsword placed along their body. The
sword goes from the crown of their head right down to their feet and
with a successful Geology roll the Investigators can determine that it
is made from pure iron. The blade has been effected by a Bless Blade
spell and will harm creatures only damageable by magic weapons. This
sword can only be discovered once. After it has been found keep
rolling the dice, to keep the Investigators guessing, but ignore the
result.
On the opposite wall to the one the Investigators entered by, are a
set of murals and pictures. Closer investigation shows that they have
been badly damaged, and a successful Idea roll reveals that the damage
is extremely recent. On a successful Idea roll the Investigators
notice that the artwork is very similar to the pictures found at the
Doctor's villa.
SCENE 20: RESEARCHING THE CHURCH
Investigators may decide to research the history of the church by
finding the data in books or by asking the locals. The town has no
library, but Madame Edith is generally willing to let the
Investigators browse for as long as they want, assuming that they have
been polite to her in previous encounters. If she knows that Doctor
White is dead she will be even more eager to help the Investigators,
especially if they tell her that they are investigating his death. For
every four hours spent searching through the bookshop, each
Investigator may make a Library Use roll. Those who succeed learn a
fact from the selection below, assuming that they can read either
French or Latin--there are no books in English.
Investigators wishing to wheedle any information out of the locals
must make successful Persuade or Fast Talk rolls, as well as buy
several rounds of drinks at one of the inns. Each roll is assumed to
take four hours of such socializing. Of course, Investigators using
this method of gaining information must, of course, speak French!
* The church was built by the Blanchefort family, who were once
powerful nobles. The Blanchefort family lived in the area until the
late 1800's, when the last male died without issue. Rumors
surrounded the family's strange habits and they were often accused
of performing black masses and of witchcraft, although no formal
charges were ever brought against them.
* The church was built in the early 12th century and was used
exclusively by members of the Knights Templars. The Blanchefort
family were important Templars in this area and were once fabulously
wealthy.
* Many members of the Blanchefort family were buried in the crypt of
the church but no one has been able to find an entrance to the
crypt. Local superstition has it that the family have not decayed in
their coffins, but have remained as fresh as the day they died
through black magic. Some even believe that the family are vampires
that prey on local animals.
* The church fell into disuse some 45 years after the dissolution of
the Templars (roughly 1360AD). The locals shunned the church,
fearing that the Blanchefort's had defiled it with strange and
ungodly rituals. None of the locals was brave enough to order the
church knocked down for fear of supernatural retribution, and so it
gradually succumbed to the elements.
SCENE 21: THE SECRET TUNNEL
Investigators searching the church crypt may make Spot Hidden
checks. Those who succeed feel a draft blowing from part of one of the
walls. Closer examination reveals that wind is blowing through the
cracks from some sort of tunnel beyond. To remove the wall takes the
Investigators roughly three hours of hard digging and the work is not
quiet. Excavation tools can be found upstairs in the main dig site.
The tunnel slopes slowly upwards and an Investigator making a
successful Navigate roll can determine that the tunnel slope and
direction would cause it run almost directly underneath the tower
situated further up the mountain.
The tunnel is roughly five feet to a side and walking along it
involves stooping slightly. The walls show signs of the tools that
created it, with pick marks visible along the walls. In total, the
tunnel is some three miles long and is pretty much straight. Thick,
inky darkness fills the tunnel to such a degree that even the
non-claustrophobic begin to feel edgy and the feeling of suffocating
is almost overwhelming.
The far end of the tunnel is blocked by a single large stone. Removing
the stone requires a STR roll against the block's STR of 20 on the
Resistance Table.
SCENE 22: THE TOWER
The tower which is visible from the villa and in the Mythos artwork is
actually part of a chateau. The chateau is an imposing structure and a
substantial part of the bailey wall and gateway are still intact. The
site is not easy to defend as it occupies only a gentle rise in the
landscape, and its massive walls were necessary substitutes for the
natural defenses enjoyed by fortresses commanding more important
positions.
The tower, which is intact except for the top twenty feet, is four
stories (almost 60 feet) high. Scaffolding surrounds the tower and a
sign next to it states, in French, that restoration work is being
performed on the top levels by Monsieur Hautpoul and Sons. It gives an
address in Arques at the bottom of the sign. An Investigator making a
successful History roll knows that the Hautpoul family were once
members of the Knights Templar and were very influential in the area
around Arques. The door to the tower is locked and a sign hanging from
it proclaims that it is dangerous to enter.
If the door can be forced open (it has an effective STR 20 for the
purposes of forcing it open) the Investigators find themselves at the
bottom of a large stairwell which winds up. A trapdoor in the floor
has been concreted over at some point in the past and it is impossible
for the Investigators to find it.
The tower has many rooms in it but all of them are empty and are
devoid of any clues that will prove useful to them in their
investigation. Once at the top levels of the tower the Investigators
have a commanding view of the area around Arques, including a
spectacular view of the town itself. Those wishing to reach the very
top must make a Climb roll, with failure causing the Investigator to
make a DEX x5 check or fall the four stories to the hard ground below
(6d6 damage). There is nothing at the very top, except a slightly
better view of the landscape.
SCENE 23: RESEARCHING THE TOWER
Investigators may decide to research the history of the tower by
finding the data in books or by asking the locals. The town has no
library, but Madame Edith is generally willing to let the
Investigators browse for as long as they want, assuming that they have
been polite to her in previous encounters. If she knows that Doctor
White is dead she will be even more eager to help the Investigators,
especially if they tell her that they are investigating his death. For
every four hours spent searching through the bookshop each
Investigator may make a Library Use roll. Those who succeed learn a
fact from the selection below, assuming that they can read either
French or Latin--there are no books in English.
Investigators wishing to wheedle any information out of the locals
must make successful Persuade or Fast Talk rolls, as well as buy
several rounds of drinks at one of the inns. Each roll is assumed to
take four hours of such socialising. Of course, Investigators using
this method of gaining information must, of course, speak French!
* The tower was built by the Blanchefort family, who were once
powerful nobles. The Blanchefort family lived in the area until the
late 1800's, when the last male died without issue. Rumours
surrounded the families strange habits and they were often accused
of performing black masses and of witchcraft, although no formal
charges were ever brought against them.
* The tower was built in the early 12th century and was used
exclusively by members of the Knights Templars. The Blanchefort
family were important Templars in this area and were once fabulously
wealthy. The tower was used by the Templars to watch over Arques and
the mountain passes that lead to it and it was kept garrisoned at
all times up until the Templars dissolution.
* After the Papal dissolution of the Knights Templars in 1316, the
forces of the Church descended upon the tower and tore it down
almost to its foundations. Members of the Blanchefort family rebuilt
the tower in the early 15th century, but during a thunderstorm a
lightning bolt removed the top twenty feet. Since then no attempt
has been made to rebuild the tower.
SCENE 24: THE TOWER CELLAR
The cellar of the tower is a roughly circular chamber, some forty feet
across. Aside from the entrance created by the Investigators there are
five more tunnels leading off into darkness. A small set of stairs
lead to an opening in the ceiling, over which is a layer of
concrete. The wooden door that once filled the hole lies on the floor,
smashed into pieces. The stench of death fills the room.
In the centre of the chamber is a 3 feet high marble pillar with the
words "Seat of the Head" engraved on the top in Latin. This is where
the Templars kept the brass head upon which is engraved the ritual of
summoning Yog-Sothoth.
Against the far wall, by the stairs, is a small wooden chest which
shows signs of great age. The lid is easily opened and inside is a
small, age-worn book (see 26, below), a robe bearing a red croix-patte
on the chest, and a small silver dagger, which is still razor sharp.
SCENE 25: THE LAST OF THE BLANCHEFORTS
Once the Investigators have had a chance to examine the finds in the
tower basement have each of them make Listen rolls. Those who succeed
hear distinct scraping sounds from several of the other
tunnels. Investigators who go to investigate the noises or who wait
for more than a few minutes will run into the last members of the
Blanchefort family.
>From the tunnels emerge a total of ten humanoid figures whose flesh
has a distinctive, almost rubbery look and who wear scraps of tattered
clothing. The stench of death emanates from their semi-decomposed
bodies. After centuries of dealing in black arts, the Blanchefort
family have devolved into flesh-eating ghouls.
None of the ghouls will listen to rhetoric from the Investigators,
instead being intent on devouring them or at least driving them from
their hunting grounds. The pack descends upon the hapless
Investigators, howling in hunger and rage, their claws and teeth bared
for combat.
Because of the number of ghouls present, anyone failing their Sanity
check loses 6 points of SAN automatically. Even those who succeed lose
1d2 points because of the number and the surroundings in which they
are encountered. Investigators driven insane are likely to suffer from
scotophobia.
One of the elder members of the family, Anne de Blanchefort, has a
limited knowledge of Mythos magic and attempts to use her powers
whenever possible. She only summons a nightgaunt as a last resort and
within the evocation gives the creature a description of the
Investigators. This is not foolproof, but the nightgaunt, if summoned,
has a 40% chance of being able to locate the Investigators the
following night. An Investigator with Mythos knowledge can attempt a
roll when he hears the spell being chanted. On a successful he knows
that the foul creature is casting as summoning spell of some sort.
Normally the nightgaunt can only be summoned at night, but this
version of this spell allows the spell to be cast at any time of day,
although the creature only arrives once it is dark. The stone engraved
with an Elder Sign is still required and can be found in Anne's
possession if she is killed. A successful Mythos roll can determine
that the stone is used in a summoning spell.
The ghouls will pursue the Investigators as long as they remain
underground, but will not venture into the sunlight for any reason. Of
course, if the Investigators have entered the tower basement at night
they can expect to be hounded by the ghouls until either they are all
dead, the ghouls have been killed or driven off, or the Investigators
reach the safety of the town, into which the ghouls do not enter.
SCENE 26: DIARY OF A MADMAN
The diary was written by one Raymond de Blanchefort, a member of the
Templars in the early-mid 13th century and a practitioner of black
magic. He became involved with the Mythos through documents brought
back from the Holy Land by other Templars. After the failed summoning,
Raymond's mind snapped and he ended his life by leaping from the tower
at Arques in an insane attempt to re-summon Yog-Sothoth through
self-sacrifice.
The diary gives a long and detailed description of the Templars' first
attempts to summon Yog-Sothoth. It lists in great detail the ritual
required to bring the dark god forth, gives the names of the knights
who partook in the ceremony, and ends with a graphic portrayal of what
happened when the ritual failed. The handwriting of the author is
consistent throughout the diary, which spans almost five months,
except for the last chapter in which the handwriting is shaky and
broken up by insane ramblings about "luminesce spheres" and "globes of
light." An Investigator making a successful Other Language (Latin)
roll can determine that the writing is that of the same man who wrote
the rest of the book.
An Investigator making a Critical History roll know the Raymond de
Blanchefort was a member of the Knights Templar who fought in the
Fourth Crusade and reportedly dabbled in pagan arts, the knowledge of
which he acquired from the Holy Land. Raymond met a tragic end,
according to history anyway, when he was killed after falling from a
guard tower into the valley below.
SCENE 27: A NIGHT TIME VISITOR
If the Investigators have encountered the ghouls of the Blanchefort
and been the focus of the nightgaunt summoning then the next night the
foul creature will come looking for them. As stated above, it has a
40% chance of actually being able to find them and this is through the
magical taint placed upon the Investigators by the magic of the
summoning spell (rather than by asking the locals).
If the creature cannot find the Investigators then it does not make a
return visit, the magic of the spell having worn off and released the
nightgaunt from its binding.
If the creature can find them, then it heralds its arrival by crashing
in on them through a window and trying to grab one before the others
get a chance to attack it. Once it has grabbed an Investigator, it
carries him into the air before dropping him from a great height. Once
it has killed a single Investigator or has been reduced to half hit
points or less the nightgaunt flees back to the realm it came from and
does not return.
SCENE 28: RESEARCHING THE HAUTPOULS
Investigators may decide to research the history of Monsieur Hautpoul
or his family by finding the data in books or by asking the
locals. The town has no library, but Madame Edith is generally willing
to let the Investigators browse for as long as they want, assuming
that they have been polite to her in previous encounters. If she knows
that Doctor White is dead she will be even more eager to help the
Investigators, especially if they tell her that they are investigating
his death. For every four hours spent searching through the bookshop
each Investigator may make a Library Use roll. Those who succeed learn
a fact from the selection below, assuming that they can read either
French or Latin--there are no books in English.
Investigators wishing to wheedle any information out of the locals
must make successful Persuade or Fast Talk rolls, as well as buy
several rounds of drinks at one of the inns. Each roll is assumed to
take four hours of such socialising. Of course, Investigators using
this method of gaining information must, of course, speak French!
* The Hautpoul family have lived in the area since the Middle Ages,
when they were a powerful Templar family.
* The Hautpouls and the Blanchefort family once ruled the area,
although the Blanchefort held more temporal power as they built the
church and the tower.
* The Hautpoul family were once thought to be dabbling in black
magic. Although weaker temporaly than the Blancheforts, they were
treated by the Blancheforts as if they were equals.
SCENE 29: VISITING THE HAUTPOULS
At some point the Investigators may wish to speak to Monsieur Hautpoul
about his restoration work at the tower. He can be found at his office
in Arques during the day and at his house during the night. Monsieur
Hautpoul is in fact a cultist who can trace his ancestry back to the
age of the Templars, when his family were involved in the Templar plot
to bring Yog-Sothoth to Earth. The cultists are once more trying to
bring forth the dark god and want to keep nosey intruders away from
the tower. The restoration work is merely a ruse as the tower is
already tall enough for the summoning ritual's purpose.
Although Monsieur Hautpoul is willing to talk to the Investigators, he
has very little to tell them. He relates that although the tower was
built by the Blanchefort family, the Hautpouls and the Blancheforts
have ties going back to the Middle Ages, when both families were
prominent members of the local Templar Prefectory. The tower was
disused for many years after the dissolution of the Templars, and only
in recent years did Monsieur Hautpoul decide that rebuilding the top
levels would pay homage to his once-prestigious ancestors.
During the meeting, observant Investigators may notice (through the
use of Spot Hidden) that a ring on Hautpoul's left index ring bears
the pattern of a conglomeration of spheres in no apparent pattern. Any
Investigator who mentions this is met with a brief moment of
silence. Followed by Hautpoul explaining that he picked it up in Paris
many years ago because he thought the design was unusual.
If the Investigators become pushy or accusing, Monsieur Hautpoul ends
their meeting, telling them that he has an important business meeting
elsewhere. Violent Investigators are answered by some of Hautpoul's
workers, armed with wooden clubs. Whilst they won't kill any of the
Investigators, they will give them a sound thrashing.
--
