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Chaosium Digest Volume 29 Number 05
Chaosium Digest Volume 29, Number 5
Date: Wednesday, December 15, 1999
Number: 3 of 4
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"Sweet Child of Mine"
This is an adventure I ran in my current Coc Campaign. I
only have 2 players who have characters who are married with
each other. I decided that with such a small number of
players I needed a more intimate, personal horror campaign
and not the normal investigative affair. This is reflected
in this adventure.
Setting
This is a short, intimate adventure of personal horror
appropriate for a small group off investigators. It is set
in a small, conservative village near a medium-sized town.
Joanna Lloyd was always a sad, lonely child, craving for the
affection she didn't had. Middle child of a big locally
reputed and powerful family of conservative values, she
never found the love she desired among her brothers and
sisters. When she grow up, she looked for love outside the
household. She Found Frank Webster, a former navy officer
who had been discharged for laziness and overall bad
behavior. He sensed her an easy prey and seduced her. They
married. Frank set himself for a comfortable married life
amidst a well-off family and started to ignore Joanna's
demands for attention. Joanna was alone and unhappy again,
until she became pregnant. She started idealizing de not-yet
born child, thinking about the love that she would give him
or her, and how such love would finally be reattributed the
way she wanted. This idea gained deep roots inside her mind.
And she prepared joyfully for the birth day. It was a
miscarriage. With her heart broken Joanna tried again,
became pregnant again and miscarried, again. She would have
tried again but Frank was growing tired of her constant
demands and started distancing himself form her and
rejecting her requests.
Then something snapped inside Joanna's mind. She knew she
had to have child, whoever the father was. She began to
seduce each and every man she met. Seriously embarrassing
her family who were now aware that she wasn't well, but they
refused to give her proper psychiatric help, fearing the
social consequences. They simply tried to restrain her and
ignore the problem.
Until a bright early morning, when the family where having
breakfast and she declared with shining eyes that she was
pregnant again.
Starting the Adventure
The adventure should start when the Lloyds ask an
investigator who is a close relative of the family to come
by and provide some help. The other investigators should
either be relatives of the family or friends.
The House
The Lloyds leave in a farm near Saint Charles, a small
interior town. They are a wealthy, respected and well-known
family. This is a conservative, old-fashioned area where
illegitimate sons and adultery are still frowned upon.
The House where they live is a large manor where cattle are
raised. The manor is currently nearly empty since the Lloyds
have discharged almost all employees and servants to avoid
the danger of gossiping. The Old Dee is the sole servant
still working in the house.
The Family
This is an adventure based in role-playing therefore it is
important to develop the main characters of the action. Here
is presented the main core of the family.
George Lloyd (70 years)
George is the father of the family. He is a sturdy, strong
man for his age. He is mostly a peaceful character whose
favorite hobby is to ride alone in the prairies and wood of
St. Charles. However if crossed or taken to the edge of
humiliation he is capable of terrifying fits of rage. He is
a simple, independent, country man who prefers to solve his
problems by his own hands. Having to suffer passively
through this situation unnerves him deeply. He has long
become weary of the constant nagging of his wife, Mary Jane,
and hardly talks anymore with anyone. He only becomes a
little more talkative in intimate situations with one or two
people he likes or trusts, and about subjects he likes, such
as horses or hunting.
Mary Jane Lloyd (65 Y)
She is the wife of George and Mother of Joanna. A small but
energetic woman, she is pretty much the boss around the
house since George only cares about his horses and cattle.
She is a nagging and complaining person. She has long been
aware of Joanna's problems but was unable to help or decide
her internment. Although she is unable of showing deep
compassion or sentiment, she doesn't lack sensitivity, and
all this problem has affected her more than she wants to
admit and has awakened superstitions that have long lain
asleep in her subconscious. Lately she has been having a
recurring nightmare about the unborn child. Nothing
supernatural, just her inner fears breaking loose and the
stress.
Joanna Lloyd (34)
Joanna is currently the happiest member of the family. Happy
in a detached, childish way. Any investigator with a good
skill in psychology can tell that she has already gone
across the threshold of sanity. All she cares to talk about
is about the coming baby, his/her name, clothes, room, etc..
When questioned about who the father of the child is, she
will giggle and talk mysteriously and just drop some hints
about where she met him, how he isn't completely normal, how
he lives apart with other people like him, etc. If pushed
for exact description, and name, she will became distressed
and will start crying and yelling and will run away. If the
investigators try to discover the reasons of this behavior
they will know that Mary Jane has verbally assaulted her for
an hour trying to discover who the father was and ended up
only upsetting Joanna. The investigator will never have a
precise address and description from Joanna. If Frank is
mentioned to her she will become disgusted and tell all
kinds of ugly/embarrassing stories about him. Some
completely true, others not exactly.
Adam Lloyd (23)
Adam is the youngest son of the family. He is a lazy
indolent young man, still undecided about his future. He has
done a bit of everything and always end up bored. A bit of a
dilettante, actually. He is tired of Mary Jane's sarcastic
remarks and insults about his laziness, but hasn't made up
his mind about leaving the house. This situation has
provided more frustration for him since Mary Jane has
forbidden him to meet his friends, and he has to hang all
day around the house. His only distraction is going around
the farm shooting birds and other animals.
Dee (72)
Dee is a black woman, daughter of slaves. She is the longest
running servant in the house of the Lloyds, indeed she is
already part of the family. She was raised with George,
helped give birth to all the children of the family, and
loves them all like if they were their own. Because of that
she was the only servant who wasn't dismissed and knows what
is going on.
Other family members
These are the core members of the family, at least in what
concerns the adventure, there are other brothers and sisters
but you can assume they are away or don't want to get
involved. You can, if you want, add a few more of your
liking or use those provided in here. Bear in mind though
that this is an intimate adventure of strong role-playing,
having to gamemaster several NPCs simultaneously will make
it more difficult to portray consistent, tridimensional
human beings. The conflict becomes more acute in a
restricted circle than in a larger one.
Other NPCs
Frank Webster
Frank can be described like an aspiring crook, but a
likeable, charming crook. He seduced Joanna to marry her and
have access to a comfortable living but never abused her or
beat her. He got tired of her constant demands for affection
and attention, then for her obsession with having a child.
He had stopped making love to her for a long time and felt
amazed (and cheated) when she announced she was pregnant. He
took advantage of the situation to threaten the Lloyds with
spreading the scandal unless they provided him with a golden
divorce, a big sum to keep away and quiet. George and Mary
Jane would love to get rid of him, but aren't willing to pay
the money. Still, they can't afford to let the word spread
about the situation. They are stalling, trying to come up
with a way out. Meanwhile, Frank, who is himself a little
curious about discovering who the father of the child is,
(question of masculine pride) has hired a private detective
to find that out and to provide him with a little protection
against the gun-toting, trigger-happy Lloyds.
Oscar O'Sullivan
Oscar O'Sullivan is a private detective who thinks he as
seen it all, cool and polite, he hardly ever loses his grip.
This self-assurance can be quite unnerving to others and he
uses it to his own advantage. He is now functioning has a
bodyguard to Frank and, simultaneously, trying to find what
the Lloyds are up to and who is the father of the child.
What is actually going on
The mysterious father of the child is none other than a
ghoul called Wrershk. A considerable number of them have
been living in an underground cave complex near the farm.
They feed on the corpses of dead cows and other animals, and
only occasionally, fearing to reveal their presence, do they
feed on humans.
Objectives of the adventure
In the adventure, the investigators should get rid of the
ghouls and decide the fate of the newborn.
Starting the adventure
The investigators may arrive to St. Charles by car or train.
If they arrive by train, Adam will pick them up at the
station and will take them by car to the farm. The farm is
well maintained and sober, without displaying signs of
wealth or poverty. In the center of the farm is built a big
manor house, of simple and elegant architecture, displaying
signs of wealth, good taste and old-fashion. The
investigators will be received with more or less familiarity
according to their relation to the family. Individual
bedrooms will be given to each investigator. The family has
meals at regular times and Mary Jane dislikes having to
change them.
The Atmosphere
It is quite important to convey the correct atmosphere
during the adventure. Most people in the house display a
depressed or bored mood (except for Joanna). Most don't
leave the farm. Likewise at the beginning, while the
characters are trying to figure out what is going on and who
is who and does what they will be around the house or the
farm, talking to people or with each other. Investigators
can help at the farm, ride horses, or go around shooting
animals for a bit of entertainment, but otherwise their days
at the farm should be tedious and frustrating. They may go
on a few walks to town, to shop or research in the small
local library. The inhabitants, while polite and friendly,
will be asking lots of questions, some of them quite
insidious, about what is going on in the farm, since the
recent reclusiveness of the Lloyds has caused quite a lot of
speculation. And, unless an investigator bluntly tells the
truth to the locals and spreads the scandal, therefore
making the investigators quite unwelcome to stay at Lloyds
(Mary Jane will tell them bluntly and harshly), they will
feel quite bad about it, and will start avoiding the town.
In contrast the night should be eventful and all centered
about the farm so to let the investigators feel insecure
about the safety of the farm. Overall the investigators
should feel like they are sleeping over a time bomb and
can't do anything about it.
Events
In this section I describe 8 events that should occur at
various times during the adventure.
- Nightmares (Night)
Once, investigators will be suddenly awakened by a soft
crying. If they go around the house trying to find where it
comes from they will hear it coming from Mary Jane and
George's bedroom. Success in a Listen roll will inform
investigators of steps upstairs in the attic. If they
investigate they will find George walking around in the
attic. If questioned he will reply that Mary Jane has been
having nightmare that prevents him from sleeping. If the
investigators later question Mary Jane about this, she will
look quite shaken but will refuse to reply.
- Someone outside (Night)
Another night the investigators will be awakened by the
furious barking of farm dogs. If someone goes to the window
to take a look they will see a dark figure near the gates
moving away. (It is Oscar checking the farm)
- I'm not following you / Don't follow me (Day)
Once, when the Investigators go to town shopping they will
notice a man in a car is following them. It is Oscar. If
they stop him to question him, he will be ironic without
being provocative. He will try to pretend not to be
following them but doesn't try to be convincing. He won't be
intimidated by any threats. He knows his ground.
- Someone inside (Night)
Yet another night, the investigators may hear careful steps
around the house. If one or more investigate they will came
across a ghoul (Wrershk who comes to check on Joanna). He
will run as fast as possible and try to escape in any way he
can. Try to give him plenty of opportunity to escape but if
he is caught, don't let him be caught alive. If he manages
to escape, don't let the players have a clear perception of
him, just let slip the putrid stench, the not very human
features and little else.
- Lights in the night (Night)
After so many events taking place at night, it is very
likely that the investigators decide to keep someone awake
as a guard at night. In one such night, the awaken
investigator should see a bright light inspecting the house.
It is Oscar O'Sullivan checking the house with a potent
light, hoping to catch a glimpse of something unusual/of
interest. If PC's decide to investigate, as they are heading
towards the light they will notice that the light will stop
then suddenly vanish. If they are still able to find the
location of the light (luck or intelligence) they will come
across a creepy scene. Oscar O'Sullivan's corpse, half-eaten
and with a look of terror in his eyes, near a powerful
lantern connected to the battery of the car. If they are
unable to find the location they can read about it a few
days later in the newspaper after the corpse has been found
by a hunter. The explanation is that Oscar O'Sullivan chose
a place to examine the house very close to the ghoul's lair.
The ghouls' frightened by the proximity and by the fact that
he was surveying a house they knew had a ghoul to come,
decided to get rid of him.
- The birth (Night)
When you feel the time is right give birth to the child.
This will take place in a closed room of the house. Besides
Joanna, Dee and Mary Jane will help during the labor. Any
female investigator or males with medical knowledge can also
help. Everyone else will have to wait in a room apart. The
newborn will be a small monstrosity with a large oblong head
a protuberant face and deep, tiny eyes (imagine a dog's head
without the fur), small teeth and very weak limbs. Everyone
who assists the labor will lose sanity for watching it
(1/1d6), everyone else will lose smaller amounts (1/1d4).
Joanna will be delighted with the newborn and will hug and
kiss it apparently oblivious to his monstrous appearance.
The baby will cry all day and night, with a few moments of
pause to eat preventing nearly everyone from sleeping,
causing irritation and deeper nervousness among the family.
He will never sleep.
- The Agony (Night)
This scene is irrelevant for the adventure but it provides
great role-playing and confers more credibility to the
NPC's. You can pretty much ignore it if you want. A few
nights after the birth George will blow in rage. Unable to
sleep, seeing his family be tore apart and lost, he will
frenzy in a fit of rage against the "baby". He will go into
Joanna's bedroom and take it by force from her hers, decided
to throw it to the dogs. Joanna will react histerically and
will fight for the "baby" as hard as she can. The other
members of the family either watch terrified or try to
intervene. Role-play the NPCs to the hilt. It is very
likely, if the setting caught the players imagination they
will do the same for their characters. Either way, let the
behavior of the characters shape up the conclusion of the
happening. This event can lead to very interesting and
unexpected solutions. (e.g.: in my game, the investigators
were able to solve the situation in a way that ended killing
the newborn.) Either way, after this episode Joanna will
lock herself in her room and will not eat or talk with
anyone else.
- The Slaughter (Night)
This is the final event. By investigation or luck the
characters will end up finding the ghouls' lair. What
happens next is up to them. If they decide to leave the
ghouls alone they will continue their existence. The
investigators may even decide to return the "baby" to them
(if they are able to take it from Joanna's arms). They may
decide to get rid of the ghouls. In that case let them come
up with a plan then evaluate how good it is and how
successful it can be. This event should be tailored to your
players' characters and to the kind of CoC style do you
enjoy the most. You can use the lair to further or start a
full-fledged campaign. Either way this should be the climax
of the adventure. You can make it a full slaughter with the
PC's entering the cave and shooting everything that moves,
or they can decide to set it on fire or blow it up with
explosives, or they can decide that the ghouls are just a
community of different human beings and try to approach them
in a friendly way. Investigators' insanities can also take a
place here. The options are endless.
Wrapping it up
After all this, either everything is finished or there is
yet the monstrous "baby" problem. Joanna is definitely and
irrevocably insane and the only option is to place her in an
asylum. The only difficulty being convincing George and
Mary Jane, not to fond of letting be known that one of their
family is insane.
And the child? What to do with it? Again let the players
came up with a solution. They can decide to kill it in a
painless way, abandon it somewhere, give it to the ghouls
or... raise it themselves.
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