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Chaosium Digest Volume 30 Number 03
Chaosium Digest Volume 30, Number 3
Date: Sunday, January 16, 2000
Number: 4 of 5
------------------------------
In a Different Light (pt. 4)
Arkham Happenings
Three days after the slaying of Georgio Caruso on Walnut
Street, possibly while the Investigators are in Boston,
strange happenings return to the street. The events of this
evening make front page news in both Arkham and Boston the
next morning.
Bizarre Night on Walnut Street
Lurid headlines scream from the front page of the newspaper
proclaiming another murder in Arkham's "sleepy Southside."
Again the murder has taken place in Walnut Street. The facts
of the case, as reported in the large and sensational
articles beneath the headlines, are more involved than
before.
The victim, Polish immigrant Chris Przedworski, was found
murdered in his own home on Walnut Street. Police were
initially alerted by neighbors who heard wild almost bestial
shrieks coming from the small house. On arriving at the
scene the source of this clamor was found to be
Przedworski's brother Wojtek. By his hideous wailing it was
evident the man was out of his mind.
Beside him, on the floor of the small sitting room lay the
dead Przedworski, hideously dismembered and mutilated.
Although details haven't been made available to the public,
the mutilations inflicted upon the Pole are believed to be
very similar to those carried out upon the body of Georgio
Caruso.
Police escorted the brother to the Arkham Sanitarium, and
questioned the residents of nearby houses. Their enquiries
unearthed several interesting leads. Firstly, a number of
neighbors reported having heard the sound of a gun being
fired shortly before the screams of Wojtek disturbed the
silence of the street. Secondly, witnesses claim to have
seen a man wandering in the street about the time
Przedworski must have died. One witness is adamant that the
figure was pulp author and local resident Herbert Wade
Slocum. When police called to visit Slocum at his home he
was nowhere to be found.
The newspaper articles go on to admonish local residents to
be careful when traveling the streets at night. To this is
appended the typical reassurance from the Arkham Police
Department that Southsiders have nothing to fear, and that
the perpetrator of these gruesome crimes would very soon be
brought to justice.
The Scene of the Crime
Investigators visiting Walnut Street in the aftermath of
these horrific events find the general mood of the place
very brooding. Everybody goes about their business with a
scowl on their face, and nobody is much interested in
talking to strangers. Where once happy children played
cheerily in the street, the place is now devoid of
youngsters, no parent allowing their children out to play.
>From the door of the nearby Simpson Apartments a stony-faced
Mrs. Cilauro angrily shoos a tortoise shell cat out into the
street.
Searching the street itself yields two clues. Investigators
specifically checking the street lights, or other searchers
who succeed in a Spot Hidden Roll will notice that one of
the twelve lamps is broken. A small pile of broken glass
lies beneath the lamp post. Sharp eyed Investigators
searching the ground near the broken lamp (and succeeding in
a Spot Hidden) unearth a spent bullet casing from a pistol.
The house in which the deceased Mr. Przedworski and his
brother lived is locked up and empty. The police have
already performed the unenviable task of removing the
decapitated corpse and cleaning up.
Investigators interested in poking about in this house must
either be willing to obtain the keys to the house from the
police or break in.
In any event, searching the house reveals very little. The
place is Spartan, but quite neatly kept. From the stains on
the carpets it is possible to determine that the murder took
place in the front room of the house, a mere ten feet from
the street. This room is bare aside from an old piano and a
single overstuffed chair. The large threadbare carpet is
crisscrossed with many long, narrow wheel tracks,
possibly from a heavy wheelchair. If any Investigator opens
the curtain facing the street, they notice that a street
lamp lies directly across the street from the Przedworski
house.
Witnesses and Curious Tales
Although the residents of Walnut Street are dispirited and
untalkative, persistent Investigators can find locals with
interesting stories to tell. It may take some form of
persuasion to convince these witnesses to divulge what they
saw.
One witness claims to have seen a man on the street just
prior to the time that the screaming began. The witness says
that the main reason he was noticeable was that he seemed to
be avoiding the brightly lit portions of the road, lurking
for the most part in shadows. Because of this, it wasn't
possible to see the man's face. The witness was, however,
able to determine that the man wore a long coat
of some dark color.
If Investigators are thorough in their door-knocking of the
district they will eventually discover two or three other
residents who can verify this story.
A second witness, Ruth Macintosh, makes more unusual claims.
Between hay-fever-induced sneezing fits this woman relates
what she saw. About an hour before she first heard the
sounds of Wojtek's wailing, she saw the author Slocum
wandering the streets. This was, she says, not unusual for
him, he apparently preferred to stroll the streets after
dark. He seemed somehow distracted, although the woman
thought nothing of it at the time. As the witness was
watching Slocum, she saw a huge dark shadow fall across him.
His face twisted in fear as the darkness enveloped him. For
a moment there was a blot of impenetrable almost tangible
blackness there on the street. Then it lifted, fading into
nothingness, but where the author had been was just empty
street. He had disappeared.
No matter how many other people the Investigators talk to,
they can find nobody to corroborate this story. If they talk
of the woman and her tale to other locals they scoff and say
"she reads too much of
that pulp fiction."
Many other of the local residents the Investigators
interview express horror at the sudden and brutal death of
Chris Przedworski, who everyone holds to have been a good
man. They further wonder who will
now look after Chris' younger, blind and crippled brother.
Investigators who think to visit the surviving Przedworski
brother in the sanitarium are allowed to do so only if they
can convince the sanitarium director that their
investigations are important. Those successfully Persuading
the director are admitted to the cell where Wojtek now lies
slumped in his
wheelchair in a catatonic state. Without a successful
Psychoanalysis roll, the man makes no response to
Investigator questions.
Succeeding in such a roll brings Wojtek to a temporary state
of lucidity. In this state he gazes blindly around the ward
and waves his arms in distress as he verbally relives the
dismemberment of his brother. "Look out! Chris ... Lookout!
Behind you ... what is that smoke thing I see? See? What do
I mean see? I never see anything in my life. But yes, I can
see it .. a ... thing ... behind you, Chris! Behind you! My
God! Run Chris! Run! The thing has sharp things ... it will
attack you. No! Leave me ... save yourself! Run!" Wojtek
then falls into a state of hysteria, his screams eventually
bringing sanitarium staff.
Investigators who ignore the nurses' forceful suggestion
that they leave, and instead attempt a second Psychoanalysis
roll manage to get another few half-shouted sentences from
the man. "Leave him!
Leave him I say! What want you with him ... already you've
killed him ... leave him in peace. No! The rubber beast
stole a part of his head. Why? Why!" After this he descends
into a far worse state of
hysteria than before. Investigators should feel guilty that
they have caused a worsening of this man's condition.
Sanitarium staff will certainly not be too warm toward them
in future.
Checking with the medical records transferred to the
sanitarium by Wojtek's doctor, or asking around Walnut
Street confirms that he has been blind from birth.
What Really Happened?
Several distinct happenings combined to create the confusing
events reported last night. Firstly, the author Herbert Wade
Slocum, a regular late night stroller, had his evening walk
interrupted when
spontaneously his latent pineal sense awoke. For a short
time he gazed about taking in the weird and wonderful vistas
he perceived. His wonderment ceased abruptly however when,
from out of this curious
scene emerged a huge dark mass that sought to envelop him.
Despite a slight struggle, the thing easily managed to
enclose the author in its bulk and dissolve him, keeping his
precious pineal gland as
a trophy.
Later in the evening, a second figure wandered the street.
Professor Duncan had finally resolved to destroy his
creation to prevent further suffering. He deliberately chose
to slink about in the shadows to
avoid locals catching sight of him. His vision swam again
with the strange sights that had already driven him half
insane, but he forced himself on. No sooner had he destroyed
one lamp with a well-aimed bullet, than the evil rubbery
things he feared more than anything began to close in on
him. He fled in terror from the street.
Almost simultaneously, the unfortunate Przedworski brothers
both experienced their first glimpse of paranormal vistas.
For Wojtek it was the only sight he had ever experienced.
The same things that the
Professor's pineal attracted now hungered after those others
it could sense nearby. It took only a short time for the
Render to decapitate and dismember Chris Przedworski,
stealing his third eye to bring to
its master.
A Note From A Cryptic Ally
As the Investigators swarm around Walnut street trying
desperately to piece together the horrors that seems to have
rained here uninvited, they are themselves being
scrutinized.
>From a number of vantage points -- in a high apartment
window, behind a newspaper read on an anonymous bench, under
a rickety fire-escape -- a lone, unremarkable figure watches
them undetected. This shabby, ultra-cautious man is none
other than the elusive Professor, Graham Duncan. He watches
the Investigators with a keen interest: wondering all the
while whether these inquisitive people are working for or
against him.
Assuming the Investigators do nothing untoward during their
investigations, the good Professor will eventually come to
the reluctant conclusion that these strangers are indeed
allies. As such, the unstable man attempts to make contact.
Later in the day following the second happening at Walnut
Street, one of the Investigators has a strange letter arrive
at their home (or hotel). It bears no stamp, apparently
having been hand-delivered,
although neither the Investigator nor any servants recalls
having seen or heard signs of a delivery. Inside the coarse
envelope is a single sheet of crumpled paper; the confusing
message it bears is reproduced
nearby.
[ The Letter From Duncan
>From the Darkness, you follow the same Path. Can it be. Can
it be. Or have I been tricked again, I wonder. But oh, how
could I resist so great a light -- a different light, a
light of my invention. Now I
live forever in its hell.
But I digress, I ask for no forgiveness for mine own
weakness. Each man has his Grand Failure on the spiral path
downwards, I suppose. All that I wish is the chance to fix
what I have been tricked into
inflicting upon those innocents. Walnut Street, you suffer
so. Can I help you?
I write to you because I think that perchance we both desire
the same thing. That is the cessation of that influence
which I have brought here. I have a plan -- the mountain
must fall, and perhaps you can aid me. I will contact you
again soon to instruct you further.
In the meantime, I am yours in the cult of one
Lucifer.
PS: watch carefully around you. There are agents working for
them everywhere. Destroy this note once you have read it and
tell no-one of the secrets I have entrusted you. ]
Crawford's Rise
Just seven miles west of Arkham, beneath the shadow of the
hill locals term "Eye Bone Hill," lays the now-deserted
farming town of Crawford's Rise. Half a century ago this
tiny settlement thrived, its forty-
strong population all making a good living off the land. The
sudden abandonment of The Rise in the year 1880 is a mystery
which persists to this day. In the course of this scenario
its solution may be unearthed.
Library Researches
Investigators discovering either Professor Duncan's crude
map or the tale of Shepley Herber will most likely be
interested in learning more about the region west of Arkham.
Investigations in Miskatonic
University's library can reveal some of the more mysterious
aspects of this region.
Attempts to find the village of Crawford's Rise on any
recent map of the region will meet with failure. Older
regional maps drafted prior to 1880 clearly show its
location, however. Such maps show The Rise to lie
approximately two miles east of the larger town of Sudbury.
The terrain of this country is shown to be gently rolling
hills. None of the hills bear names on any map.
Investigators searching the Miskatonic University Library's
extensive folklore collection for bizarre happenings in the
region are rewarded. A half dozen or so books mention what
is usually termed the
"Sudbury Disappearance." The most comprehensive treatment is
offered in the thick volume "Mysteries of Essex County" in
which the following quotation opens the chapter on
mysterious disappearances.
"Perhaps the most startling tale of disappearance in Essex
County is that of the so-called 'Sudbury Disappearance'.
This tale concerns itself with the small farming community
of Crawford's Rise, not far
from Sudbury. The strange events that transpired in this
rustic farming village in the Spring of 1880 are for the
most part recorded only in the memories of Sudbury locals.
"Many tales and wild speculation have arisen, but all
stories agree on one fact -- that one night in April 1880
the entire population of Crawford's Rise disappeared.
Visitors to the village next morning were
greeted with empty houses, empty shops, and an empty town
common.
"No sign of any of the forty or so residents of Crawford's
Rise were ever unearthed. Their earthly possession all still
lay in empty houses, arranged as they would have been had
their owners still been
there to use them. Nothing was found missing or disturbed.
To this day, nobody has been able to give an explanation of
just what happened to the community of Crawford's Rise that
fateful night."
Additional tales of unusual goings on in the area about
Crawford's Rise may be found in a few volumes concerning
themselves with the legends of local Indian tribes. The
scholarly "Mythology and Religion
of Massachusetts Indians" (1912) reports the existence of a
small (and rapidly dwindling) tribe in the Sudbury region
who held a number of singular beliefs.
The folklore of this tribe placed great weight on the
periodic awakening of certain unclean spirits of light. At
the times of such awakenings, they believed, men and women
would begin to go missing -- taken by the spirits as food
for some greater entity. In time, once this greater being
had consumed enough, he would wake from his great slumber
and threaten the tribe. It was only through the ritual
chants handed down from the elders, and practiced each year,
that the tribe could be saved.
The author comments that he had witnessed the ritual in
question and found it to be unlike any religious observance
he had witnessed in any other Massachusetts tribe. He goes
on to mention that the chant that forms the major part of
this ceremony is made up entirely of nonsensical words or
sounds. He cites the word-sounds "M'bukthoo" and "Aybon" as
examples of this curious linguistic
phenomenon. In a footnote he mentions that the latter of
these words was the only part of the chant for which the
tribe knew any meaning -- Aybon was remembered as a great
savior of the tribe from many
generations past.
Clever Investigators may recognize the name Aybon as a
corruption of the name of the Hyperborean Mythos commentator
Eibon (generous Keepers might allow a halved Cthulhu Mythos
roll, others might leave the players to make the connection
themselves). Such insight provides a means of learning more
about the Indian chant. For the chant handed down by the
Indian tribe was originally taught to them by
the descendants of the Hyperborean colonists who chose
Arkham Country as their home. Through scanning the infamous
Liber Ivonis in either its Latin or French translation, the
appropriate incantation may be discovered:
M'buchthu yltol th'nalek-Xoth
Eibon p'gothoth N'kai chgollng ftagn
The book identifies this as "A Chant Whereby The Powerful
May Steal Sight From The Weak" and notes that the spell
(described in a nearby box) can only be cast at night, when
the "Mercifully Unseen
One" rises above the horizon.
Since this spell forms the most effective way of succeeding
at this scenario, Keepers should allow Investigators the
opportunity of learning it in shorter time than the Call of
Cthulhu rules would ordinarily allow. One way of handling
this situation is to allow a normal spell learning roll
after 40-INT hours intensive study of either Liber Ivonis or
Jamison's Notebook (see below). The multiplier used for this
roll depends on which volume is studied and whether the
remainder of the book has already been studied as per the
normal rules.
If an Investigator has previously completed a reading of
Liber Ivonis, he or she should receive the book's normal
multiplier for the roll. If, however, this volume has not
been absorbed, the multiplier should be x2 for Jamison's
notes and x1 for Eibon's book. Only one Investigator should
be permitted to study a
single volume at a time.
Once learned, the Investigator may teach the chant to as
many others as desired. Learning under these conditions
takes 30 minus the INT of the student in minutes.
Furthermore the student must succeed in an INT x 5 roll.
[ Steal Perception
Aeons before human civilization graced the planet, the great
Hyperborean sorcerer Eibon crafted many powerful magicks. Th
is spell is one such incantation. Its principal effect is to
temporarily steal the perception of another person or being.
That is, for the duration of the spell the target has no
input from any of its usual senses, those sensory impulses
it would normally receive are redirected to the caster.
The ritual chant which causes this state of perceptual theft
can be participated in by as many chanters as desired,
although only one person actually casts the spell. Once the
chant has been performed
continuously for a full hour, a fine net of translucent
energy becomes visible. The size of the net is determined
by the number and power of the casters. The maximum SIZ of
being which the net can
fully enshroud is equal to twice the caster's POW plus 4 for
each non-casting chanter. The caster can move this net of
magical energy at will provided it remains within 15 feet of
the caster; as long as the chanting continues it will remain
in existence.
If the net is guided in such a way as to entirely
encapsulate a being, the spell-caster may attempt to steal
the perceptions of that creature. Note that a being need not
be a physical manifestation, but could, for example, be a
non-corporeal creature. To attempt to steal the perceptions
of an enshrouded
creature, the caster must match his or her POW against the
target's POW on the resistance table.
For every non-casting chanter the caster may add 5 points to
his or her effective POW for the purposes of this roll.
Failing the roll causes the web to immediately dissipate.
The entire chanting ritual must be repeated to bring it into
existence again.
Immediate effects of successful theft of a being's
perceptions are as follows: the caster temporarily loses all
his or her own perceptual capabilities and gains those of
the target. The immediate sanity loss
for this sudden contact with the mind of another being is
1D4. If the creature's perceptual faculties are grossly
alien to those of the caster, the sense input the caster
receives may cause additional sanity loss. In the most
extreme case (e.g., when the caster is receiving sense data
from an utterly alien being such as a Great Old One), this
could be as much as a further 1D8 SAN.
The state of stolen perceptions lasts as long as the caster
wishes, assuming the chant is being kept up. However, for
each hour the target creature's perceptions remain the
caster's, the target gets another
POW versus POW roll with the same modifiers. If it succeeds,
the spell is broken and the web dissipated.
The spell costs the caster 12 magic points; each non-caster
loses 5 magic points. It may only be cast at nights when the
hideous invisible star of Xoth is above the horizon. This is
because, like many spells
designed by Eibon, the incantation draws power from the
"Evil Star Beyond Sight." At the time of this scenario, this
means that no successful casting may commence before 11 pm.]
Rustic Folktales
Investigators questioning residents of Sudbury find them
more than eager to discuss the 'Disappearance'. Although the
happenings in question occurred almost a half century ago,
they remain
vivid in the memories of old-timers, and still an occasional
topic of conversation.
[ Sudbury Locals
While pursuing the story of the 'Sudbury Disappearance',
Investigators will meet several Sudbury locals. The keeper
may use the characters below for whatever purpose desired.
Only one, Jed Ashcroft, has a
specific role to play.
Henry Kastelan
Short, balding and ruddy faced, Henry Kastelan cuts a
ridiculous figure as Mayor of Sudbury. Most locals regard
him as harmless, and are happy to have him continue in the
post he gained by default, as
long as he does nothing radical. Adding further to
Kastelan's whimsical appearance is the sad attempt at a
moustache that graces his face and the old and outdated
suits he insists upon wearing.
When talking with Investigators, the Mayor will try to
project an air of authority but will most likely come across
as self-important. The entire time he will clumsily fumble
with his gold-plated fountain pen, dropping it several
times.
Additionally, if the conversation takes place in a public
place, Kastelan will constantly be peering over his shoulder
looking for eavesdroppers. His paranoia in this regard stems
from the fact that several rumors have circulated town which
could only have started from "malicious overhearing" of his
conversations.
Thomas Carey
Middle aged and paunchy, Thomas Carey owns and runs the
town's General Store. Carey's wife Violet works alongside
him, and the two bicker constantly. Most of the time Carey
exudes an aura of tired
resignation, an outlook of futility and fatalism. However,
once away from his wife, the man seems to become a different
person. His worn features take on an unexpected vigor, and a
sparkle creeps into his eye.
Carey is particularly superstitious and will be firm in his
condemnation of the foul nature of the former residents of
Crawford's Rise. Of course, he himself was not even born at
the time of the disappearance, but has constructed his
strong feelings from the stories his father told him as a
boy. Therefore, his
views aren't particularly objective or useful.
Violet Carey
Garrulous and vain, Violet is perhaps an unlikely wife for
Thomas. She likes to think of herself as a glamour idol,
daydreaming that she is Lillian Gish or Clara Bow. This
attitude grates constantly on her
husbands down-to-earth sensibilities, and is the source of
many a domestic argument. Violet likes to ensure that such
altercations occur in public.
Getting Violet to talk will not be a problem the
Investigators suffer. Getting her to stop, however, may be.
Her favorite pastime is trading tidbits of gossip,
particularly about scandalous secrets of respected
Sudbury residents. Many such morsels of information come
from 'accidentally' overhearing conversations while working
on the town switchboard located in the store.
Jed Ashcroft
At 71, Jed Ashcroft is the oldest resident of Sudbury and
one of the few whose knowledge of the events of 1880 is
firsthand. In appearance, Jed is tall, lanky and quite fit
for a man his age. He lives alone on a farm just outside
town, still plying the family trade of bee-keeping. His skin
is leathery from long years of exposure to the sun. His
teeth are blackened and uneven from a lifetime of chewing
honeycomb.
Jed's outlook on the world is insular; he has lived alone on
the farm for more than three decades, and has never longed
for company. He finds his frequent visits to Sudbury to be
unpleasantly claustrophobic, with too many people in too
small a space. The few times he visited Arkham were like
nightmares. He has never been further afield. Most people
regard Jed as a hermit, an epithet he does
nothing to deny. ]
While the tales spun by the residents of Sudbury agree in
all factual details with the version presented in "Mysteries
of Essex County," they are significantly embellished with
speculation and superstition.
Most of the townsfolk questioned about the events of 1880,
piously believe the folk of Crawford's Rise were taken by
the Devil to become his servants. In support of this, the
rustics point to the 'Devil Lanterns' that the folk of The
Rise used regularly in the time just before they suddenly
departed. They further point to the way their neighbors in
Crawford's Rise changed completely in personality after
using these evil lamps. Where once the farmers were cheery
and amiable, they became irritable and suspicious, wanting
nothing to do with the good folk of Sudbury.
If the Investigators are particularly thorough in their
pursuit of rustic folktales surrounding the Sudbury
Disappearance, they will eventually be directed to speak to
"Old Jed." Septuagenarian Jed Ashcroft is the local
apiarist. Visiting his farm just north of Sudbury and
interrupting him from his bee-keeping rounds, interested
strangers can hear a different version of the
'Disappearance' tale. Sitting on the farm's ample porch,
chewing on some honeycomb with his blackened teeth, Old Jed
seems to almost fall into a trance as he tells his story.
"You know, back when the events you're a-asking me about
were taking place, I was just a young man. Twenty-three I
was. I had a brother then, a younger brother by the name of
Jeremiah. A fiery boy was
Jeremiah, always disobeying our Pa's orders and doin' what
he wanted. Anyhow, just a month or so before the
Disappearance, Jeremiah went and fell in love with one of
the Rise girls; Rose Macintosh she
was called.
"O'course Pa told him he didn't want no son of his having
aught to do with them folk after they'd suddenly turned
queer. But Jeremiah didn't take Pa's pronouncement to heart,
and often after everyone
was asleep he would sneak out of the farmhouse and go and
visit his Rose.
"Well, as it happened, this is just what Jeremiah was doing
on the night of the Disappearance, 'cept this time when he
got to Rose's window, he found she was nowhere to be seen.
So he poked around the house awhile, but there was nobody to
be found. The place was completely empty. It was then he
noticed the weird greenish light coming from the town
common. This light was part familiar to him: it reminded him
of the Devil Lanterns he'd seen other residents of The Rise
carry.
"I guess the lure of curiosity for this weird light got the
better of his sensibilities, or maybe he was just searching
for his Rose. Whatever the reason, Jeremiah walked to the
village common and saw ... well I'm not perfectly sure what.
"Pa and I were woken in the slim hours of the mornin' by the
sound of him scrabbling to get in through the door. All
desperate like he sounded. Pa was about ready to show him
the rough side of his belt,
but when we opened the door and saw the terror in his eyes
-.. well we sat him down and he shook and he mumbled things
we could barely make out.
"Anyway after a few hours of us consoling Jeremiah, he began
to gain his senses again and he spun us the tale I jus' told
you. When he came to tell about what he saw in the common,
his voice faltered a lot, and his words came out in a big
jumble. From what I could work out it seemed that the light
he had seen came from a huge bonfire that someone had lit in
the common, only it weren't no ordinary bonfire.
All around the place he saw broken glass lanterns -- Devil
Lanterns. Someone had thrown them all into the fire, and
somehow that had make the flames look queer.
"He could see dozens of people standing around the fire,
maybe the entire population of the place. A few of them were
chanting something ... my brother couldn't tell what, but he
noticed one man, ol' Edgar Jamison, was leading them. But
before Jeremiah could scan the crowd for his Rose, or learn
more about what was transpirin', somethin else happened.
"It's when telling this part of the tale that poor Jeremiah
just broke down in tears and screams, and refused to tell us
any more. We made him breakfast and comforted him awhile
more, but he still would not talk about whatever it was he
saw, cept to say the one thing over and over 'Twer the
mountain that ate them.'
"I never did find out what my brother meant by those words.
He's dead now ... not many days after he saw what he saw, he
took a shotgun out to do some hunting. Well that's what he
said, but ... well I
know he meant to use that shotgun on himself. Tweren't no
accident."
--
