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Chaosium Digest Volume 30 Number 01
Chaosium Digest Volume 30, Number 1
Date: Sunday, January 16, 2000
Number: 2 of 5
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In a Different Light (pt. 2)
Walnut Street Gossip
Investigators wishing to question Southside locals about the
recent happening have little difficulty finding talkative
individuals; reticence seems not to be a problem with these
folk. These neighbors have nothing more to add to the story
of the previous night, besides additional scandalous comment
on the fact that Farr was a divorcee.
In conversation, however, one Southsider tells the
Investigators I swear it's getting mighty hard to get a
good night's sleep around here nowadays. What with the Star
boy last night and the Milk deliverer a few nights back. If
questioned further about this previous
incident, the garrulous neighbor will say more. Three nights
ago, the street was awakened in the early hours of the
morning by the sounds of incoherent screaming from the
street. The police were called
then too, but by the time they found the howling man, who
turned out to be the local milk deliverer, he was all right.
Other Newspaper Clues
If the Investigators search through the Newspapers previous
days in search of this earlier happening, they find nothing.
If they conduct a search of the Advertiser morgue (which
only journalists or Persuasive others have access to),
however, they soon discover that an article was written
about the incident but never published.
The article states that Milk deliverer Georgio Caruso
reportedly had some form of hallucinatory fit or seizure
three days prior to the Farr happening. The terrible cries
he gave out as he ran screaming down Walnut Street caused
many residents to contact the
authorities. By the time police had arrived on the scene,
Caruso, who was found cowering in a slim alleyway just off
Walnut, had regained his senses. Though obviously shaken, he
was given a clean bill of health. A small piece of paper is
attached by paper clip to the morgue article. On it is
written an address on S French Hill Street.
The same information concerning the hallucinations of
Georgio Caruso can be found in police records. These records
are only available to Investigators who have either worked
previously with the Arkham constabulary, or who succeed in a
Law roll. The address on S French Hill Street is listed on
these records as the home of Mr. Caruso.
Investigators interested in checking Newspaper records in an
attempt to locate unusual happenings on Walnut Street prior
to the Caruso affair, discover the following:
o Ten days ago the Advertiser carried a small article
reporting the circulation of a pack of rabid dogs about the
area of Walnut Street. Residents were warned to keep careful
watch when walking that neighborhood at night.
o A week ago, a cache of curiously mutilated animal
carcasses, primarily cats and dogs, was discovered in a
small alleyway just off Walnut. The article offers no
definite explanation as to how these freshly killed
creatures came to be piled in the alley, but uses this as
another opportunity to condemn fraternity pranksters.
Hunting Down Caruso
It is possible for Investigators to interview the Milk
deliveryman any time during the two days following the Farr
incident. After that time, however, he is fated to become
another victim of the awakening and his story will be lost.
Visitors arriving at the S French Hill Street house before
about 4 pm will run the risk of waking the delivery man and
placing him in a foul mood. The man's story is simple and
short: he was doing his delivery round, as he does each
morning, when suddenly everything seemed to change. He could
see weird transparent jelly things floating everywhere he
looked. The bewildered
Caruso watched them sliding into and out of solid objects,
devouring one another and hovering in mid-air. He watched
these strange hallucinations for a moment, but suddenly,
from the corner of his eye he spied something else, a large
thing which made him afraid. The next he remembers he was
running down the middle of the street screaming, barely in
control of himself. Acting on intuition he ran into an
alleyway running off Walnut, and suddenly everything
returned to normal.
Death Stalks Walnut Again
Two nights after the strange happenings that left Farr
insane, sounds of madness once again shatter the peace in
Walnut Street. In the early hours of the morning, screams
from the street reach the ears of residents. Georgio Caruso
in his first shift back on Walnut has been awakened once
more to the sights of the outré incorporeal life that
invisibly occupies all space. This time, however, his insane
screeching is prematurely and suddenly cut short. The story
of Caruso's death naturally makes front page news in Arkham.
[ Man Hideously Murdered in Arkham Street
Mutilated Corpse Found in Southside
Street Bathed in Blood
In the early hours of this morning, police were called to
investigate an unholy shrieking and wailing heard by
residents of Walnut Street in Arkham's sleepy Southside. The
racket apparently was coming from the street. But, by the
time the police had arrived on the scene the clamor had
ceased. Casual investigations lead them to discover the
horribly mutilated body of a man in his early forties.
The man, respected Southsider Georgio Caruso, was found
decapitated, with hundreds of deep slashes covering more
than half his body. His skull had been cloven in two,
surgical incisions made into the brain within. Walnut Street
was bathed in his blood.
The disgusting extent of the mutilations inflicted upon the
corpse has lead police to suspect the involvement of some
form of obscene cult. As yet, however, the police have not
formally announced any suspicions as to the motive for the
slaying. It is understood that they are awaiting the
findings of an autopsy to be performed today. As yet no eye
witnesses to the grisly
murder have come forward.
A local resident told this reporter that the prevalent mood
among the community in Walnut Street is one of shock.
"Peoples just don't want to believe that a monster of the
type that could do this could be
roaming our street."
Readers of the Advertiser will recall that last week we
reported the finding of mutilated animal carcasses in the
neighborhood. Today's occurrence seems to cast an altogether
more sinister light on this earlier discovery.
While it is not our intention to panic residents of the
area, we respectfully suggest that people take care when
visiting the streets of Southside at night. ]
Visiting the Scene
On Walnut Street the atmosphere is notably more brooding
than when last the Investigators visited. The residents are
generally uninterested in talking to nosy visitors, even
those they had previously been friendly towards. Everybody
seems tense and irritable. A few sour looking children play
in the street, teasing a tortoise shell cat and pulling its
tail.
Everybody avoids the site of the murder. Despite the
chemicals laid down by police, the place still stinks of
death. Passers-by look strangely at Investigators who prod
around the murder scene. Furthermore, such analysis
discovers nothing more than the newspaper article reported.
The Autopsy Report
The autopsy on the remains of Georgio Caruso is performed by
Dr. Ephraim Sprague in the afternoon. The report produced
from the findings of that autopsy is confidential police
information, and unless the Investigators have contacts in
the force they will be unable to view it. Persistent
Investigators, however, can gain an account of the
information contained in the report either from Dr. Sprague
himself (a Medicine Roll is required to persuade him) or
from a less-than-reputable police officer (large amounts of
cash can help here).
The report finds that the cause of death was a broken neck,
and that the mutilations to Caruso's skull and brain
occurred after death. The only other finding of interest was
that a small portion of Mr. Caruso's brain, centered around
his pineal gland, was apparently removed with some degree of
surgical precision.
[ Preventing Further Murders
The direct cause of the Walnut Street Slaying lies in the
curious street lamps which cast their unholy radiance across
the street. Keepers should bear this in mind when fresh
murders are described later in the scenario. If all twelve
of the lamps are destroyed, no further slayings will take
place.
However, even in the instance that Investigators effectively
halt the murders, it is still possible to stage the final
awakening scene (outlined in the section entitled "Showdown
at the Cave" below). The Keeper needs only provide some new
motivation for the sudden actions of Professor Duncan
described therein.]
New Light, New Sight
It is important that at some stage the course of the
Investigators' studies turns toward the new lighting on
Walnut Street. It is through an investigation of these
matters that the remainder of the clues in this scenario
will be unearthed.
The discovery that there is more to these lamps than meets
the eye can come about in several ways. This section lists
several resources which Investigators might stumble upon.
Keepers may need to introduce others if their Investigators
stubbornly refuse to head off on the appropriate tangent. As
a last resort, a halved Idea roll might tell thoroughly lost
Investigators that the new public works they observe on
Walnut Street are atypical of Southside: it is a district
renowned for neglect and urban decay.
Public Records
Investigators scanning Newspaper files for references to
Walnut Street are likely to discover the following article,
dated approximately six months ago.
[ Mayor Announces Public Works in Southside
Mayor Peabody today announced a program of "radical upgrade"
for public facilities in Arkham's Southside. This region of
the city, says Peabody, is "sadly neglected - a situation we
plan to remedy immediately." As the initial phase of the
upgrade plan, Arkham's Council of Selectmen last night
approved a small budget for a pilot plan to replace the
street lights along a small stretch of Walnut Street. The
new lights will incorporate "the very latest in illuminating
technology" said City Engineer Basil Endicott.
Cynics might be forgiven for thinking that the Mayor's
sudden announcement of proposed works is merely a promise to
please the public. Reports from undisclosed sources suggest
Mayor Peabody is highly nervous with regard the upcoming
Mayoral election. This generous promise of reform long
called for can only serve to boost the Mayor's popularity. ]
Checking through public records of the Council meeting in
which the Selectmen adopted the new lighting plan, or
visiting the office of Basil Endicott will ascertain the
following facts:
o The plan for the pilot project on Walnut Street was
proposed by the City Engineer as the result of an
investigation into the matter requested by the Mayor.
o The Engineer's report identified Walnut Street as the spot
in Southside most in need of public upgrade.
o To present an expert opinion on different options for the
pilot project, Endicott asked Miskatonic University's Dr.
Hamlin Hayes to make a short presentation to the Council.
o Dr. Hayes presented three options, one of which was a very
recently developed lighting technique. This newly invented
technique was twice as efficient as traditional lighting
methods. This new technology, said Dr. Hayes, "seems likely
to be the way of the future."
o After some consternation and a stirring speech by
Councilor Ash Southcott, the Council voted to endorse the
new and less expensive alternative advocated by Dr. Hayes.
Walnut By Night
Sooner or later Investigators are likely to want to check
the operation of the lighting on Walnut Street first hand.
Once they have been exposed to the non-electromagnetic
radiation from the lamps, subtle changes will begin within
their brains. The Keeper should keep careful track of just
how long each character has been exposed to this radiation.
Once a sufficient dosage has been absorbed, their
latent pineal sense organ will begin functioning, as
described in a nearby
box.
[ Strange Awakenings
Once Investigators become exposed to the non-electromagnetic
radiation from any of the revolutionary new light sources,
the sensitive among them will have their pineal glands begin
the process of awakening. There are three phases that the
stirring sense organ progresses through during its return to
proper function.
In the first phase of the awakening, the brain receives
random stimuli from the gland as it begins to resume its
perceptual role. The brain interprets these stimuli as short
random hallucinations. These weird visions could be of
anything. Lovecraft's "From Beyond" has some excellent
examples of such hallucinations, but creative Keepers should
be able to think of equally evocative visions. At any rate,
these images are witnessed only when in the presence of a
pineal-stimulating light source, and normally only at random
times (POW% chance each 10 minutes of exposure). However,
individuals who concentrate on a pineal awakening light
source receive such visions continuously.
The second phase is characterized by the beginning of proper
pineal function. That is, the brain will begin to receive
consistent signals from the gland. These are the gland's
perception of its surroundings.
The individual will begin to see a completely different
vista superimposed over normal sight. The most immediately
noticeable aspect of this new vision is the ubiquitous
floating semi-transparent creatures which occupy every
space. At this phase, the new vision functions only in the
presence of a pineal-stimulating light source, although it
is fully functional the entire time such stimulation is
present.
The final stage that the pineal gland may progress to is
permanent awakening. The gland's operation at this stage is
identical to the previous phase, except the perceptual
function of the organ is now
permanent and operational regardless of external
stimulation. That is, the brain receives perceptual impulses
from the pineal at all times whether or not a stimulating
light source is present.
The potential for pineal sense awakening within an
individual depends largely on how atrophied the individual's
gland has become. The extent to which an individual's pineal
can progress through this
activation, and the rate at which such awakening occurs are
governed in game terms by the POW statistic. Characters with
high POW have the potential for full pineal awakening with a
minimum of exposure. Others may find their gland may only
proceed to an earlier phase, and do so at a slower pace. The
furthest stage of awakening possible with a particular POW
is summarized more precisely below.
POW stat Max stage of awakening
< 10 No awakening of the pineal gland can occur
10-12 Stage One: hallucinations
13-14 Stage Two: full function in presence of
stimulus
> 14 Stage Three: full function at all times
Whenever an individual is exposed to pineal-stimulating
radiation they accumulate "exposure points." From exposure
to the street lights in Walnut street individuals gain their
POW in exposure points
every hour. Venturing into the cave near Crawford's Rise
with a light source will accumulate POW x 5 per hour. If the
hillside explodes at the conclusion of this scenario, all
present will accumulate POW x 2 per
minute.
Exposure points are lost very slowly through lack of pineal
stimulation; the rate is sufficiently slow that it does not
affect this scenario. For campaign play a loss rate of one
point per week might be considered.
Once an individual's accumulated exposure points have
reached 70 they enter phase one of the awakening process
(assuming POW >10). Reaching 100 point causes the pineal to
enter stage two (if POW >12). An accumulated total of 150 is
sufficient to permanently awaken the perceptions of the
gland (if POW >14).]
Night visitors to the street will notice immediately that
there is something unusual about the light given off by the
street lamps. Unlike the standard arc lamps which illuminate
most of Arkham, the radiance emitted by these lamps has a
vague tinge of green about it. Its illumination is also
possessed of a curiously opalescent aspect.
Despite the recent happenings, quite a few folk may still be
found on the streets at night. These residents and wanderers
are, however, atypically dour and will refuse to answer all
but the simplest
questions. No animals can be found on the street.
If one or more of the Investigators visiting Walnut after
dark is possessed of an active pineal gland, the scene they
will witness is less mundane. In addition to the ubiquitous
jelly things, vague intimations of larger shadowy entities
can be seen in the distance. Perceptive Investigators
viewing this scene (and who succeed in an Idea Roll) will
note that the concentration of the jelly creatures is
greatest about people wandering the street.
The shadowy forms lurking on the edge of vision are Renders
and Dissolvers (described in a nearby box). Any Investigator
with an activated pineal sense who tarries about the street
for more than a
minute or so, invites attention from these beings. A single
Render will approach and attack. Less perceptive
Investigators will see nothing until the creature makes
itself corporeal. By then, of course,
it may be too late to help their perceptive companions.
[ Denizens of the Spaces Between
The world as we normally perceive it is a hospitable place
populated by countless different forms of life, each
possessed of perceptual faculties roughly similar to our
own. However, those faculties do not
reveal the fullness of the reality in which we live. Indeed,
whole races of beings exist that are totally invisible to
our five senses. In this scenario a latent human sense is
awakened in some, allowing a
rare glimpse of a precious few of these normally
imperceptible creatures.
Jelly Things.
Most of what we normally term empty space is not truly
empty, but occupied by gelid creatures not unlike jellyfish.
These beings are seemingly non-intelligent, spending the
majority of their time floating mindlessly in mid-air or
melding into one another. The jelly things appear semi-fluid
and constantly change shape. They continually devour each
other and slither effortlessly through normally solid
things. They are totally incorporeal. Their concentrated
presence, however, has a subtle negative effect on the
emotions of mundane creatures and humans. Sanity loss to
view a world full of Jelly Things is 1/1D4.
Renders.
More intelligent than the jelly creatures which occupy most
of our world, the Renders are also more inimicable to
humans. This minor servitor race exists for the sole purpose
of capturing the curious food that sleeping Great Old Ones
require to exist. Ultimately through a combination of such
sustenance and propitious stellar cycles, the slumbering
things will awaken. Unfortunately for humanity, many of the
substances required for this sustenance and revival are
found within the awakened human pineal. Hence individuals
possessing such a gland are natural prey for Renders.
Renders appear as smoky rubbery cloud-like things, ever
changing shape. Although their form is normally completely
incorporeal, they can manifest up to five corporeal
tentacles. Each has razor-sharp
bone-like protuberances in two lines along its length. These
tentacles attack independently in a round. Once a being has
been struck, the tentacle wraps around it inflicting 1D6
damage per round until freed.
To escape this hideous entrapment the captive must overcome
the creature's STR on the Resistance Table. Alternatively, a
tentacle may be severed by inflicting 10 points of damage to
it.
characteristics rolls averages
STR 7+2D6 14
CON 7+2D6 14
SIZ 30+1D20 40-41
INT 2D6 7
POW 1D6 3-4
DEX 4D6 14
Move 10
HP 27 Av.
Av. Damage Bonus +2D6
Weapons: Tentacle (x5) 45%, Damage 1D10 + db + target held
Armor: When incorporeal, Renders take no damage from
physical attacks. When corporeal their tentacles have 3
points of armor.
Spells: None
Sanity Loss: 1/1D6
Dissolvers
Another servitor race of the Great Old Ones, Dissolvers
exist for similar purposes to Renders. These creatures are,
however, significantly more powerful and crave human flesh
as much as they hunger for their masters' sustenance.
Luckily these beings can only perceive prey that is bathed
in the non-electromagnetic radiation emitted by Duncan's
lights.
Dissolvers appear as great festering black masses the size
of a small house. Strange green-black bubbles float in the
oily sheen coating the things. These monstrous creatures can
make all or part of
their enormous mass corporeal at will. Its single mode of
attack is to envelop victims in its mass and attempt to
dissolve them in the oily green-black substance that oozes
from its pores. Once enveloped most normal matter, including
humans, can only withstand two rounds before it is utterly
dissolved.
characteristics rolls averages
STR 35+1D10 40-41
CON 30+1D10 35-36
SIZ 75+1D10 80-81
INT 2D6 7
POW 2D6 7
DEX 2D6 7
Move 8
HP 58 Av.
Av. Damage Bonus +7D6
Weapons: Envelop 100%, immediate damage is db. All
non-enchanted earthly material dissolved in two rounds.
Armor: Invulnerable to physical attack when incorporeal.
Otherwise 3 points. Also, impaling weapons do minimum
damage.
Regenerates 5 hp per round.
Spells: None
Sanity Loss: 1D3/1D10]
Investigators with activated pineal vision who cast their
eyes to the night sky may notice yet another curiosity.
Those succeeding in an Astronomy roll determine that a
completely new, bright yellowish star is now visible
overhead. This star is totally invisible to anybody not in
possession of 'enhanced' vision. Any Investigator who
chooses to examine this stellar object through a telescope
is in for a
nasty surprise. For the yellow object is not truly a star,
but an enormous living entity called Xoth. It is from this
'star' that Cthulhu and his brood descended to Earth aeons
ago.
Its putrid visage is horrible, even from millions of miles
away. The sickly yellow mass visibly heaves and pulses in
rhythms that seem to the viewer vaguely blasphemous and
unclean. Xoth shoots long thin
tendrils thousands of miles into space, seeming to slowly
pull itself along by these extremities. The most horrific
aspect of its appearance, however, and the one that drives
men mad, is the hideous gaping red maw which occupies a
third of the pulsing body of the thing. Sanity loss to view
the unclean thing is 1D6/1D20.
Visiting Dr. Hayes
Investigators interested in learning more about the new
technology used by the Walnut Street lights will want to pay
a visit to Dr. Hamlin Hayes at Miskatonic University. This
is easier said than done; with work proceeding on the Arkham
Advertiser wireless station atop Kingsport Head, Dr. Hayes
spends most of his time out of Arkham. Persistent
Investigators who think to organize an appointment to see
the electrical engineer, however, ultimately meet with
success. He is, after all, a gentleman.
Hayes will initially view the Investigator's intrusion into
his busy schedule as an annoyance. However, once they broach
the subject of the Walnut Street lights he becomes
significantly more interested. The
technology embodied in these lamp prototypes, he will tell
the Investigators, was designed by a professor at Boston
University by the name of Graham Duncan. Duncan has been an
academic in the
field of illumination engineering for many years, but until
now has produced nothing of any real importance. His
eagerness in his current endeavor has surprised many, who
thought the elderly professor too old to pursue something so
ground breaking. His experiments with this new lighting
method, all undertaken in a mere 12 months, have been
consolidated in an academic paper shortly to appear in a
leading journal.
Furthermore, the professor has made a point of presenting
the results of his work as seminars at almost all the major
seats of higher learning in New England. It was at such a
lecture that Hayes
first heard about the new technique.
Investigators with some expertise in the field may wish to
read Dr. Hayes' pre-publication copy of Duncan's paper. An
Electrical Repair roll is necessary just to grasp the
general gist of what Duncan is
explaining. In essence he describes the construction of a
spherical glass lamp with an incandescent filament in the
center. This is, of course, nothing new. What is unique
about Duncan's design is the
phosphorescent coating he applies to the inner surface of
the glass sphere. It is this coating that gives the new
lamps added luminescence. Hence less energy needs to be
consumed by the filament to achieve a particular level of
illumination.
Investigators who succeed critically in their Electrical
Repair (i.e., roll less than 20% of their skill) and also
succeed in an Idea roll note that while the paper is very
detailed in most regards, it is very sketchy when describing
the composition of the phosphorescent coating. This is
essentially the most important aspect of the design yet
Duncan seems to deliberately leave its description cursory.
--
