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Chaosium Digest Volume 38 Number 03
Chaosium Digest Volume 38, Number 3
Date: Monday, November 17, 2003
Number: 2 of 2
Getting Started
The Laboratory
The laboratory is of the standard variety you find in a learned school of
education: scientific journals line the walls, posters, periodic tables, and
such tacked up, Bunsen burners, test tubes, bottles and flasks of chemicals.
There is no crime scene to investigate, however the characters may wish to
look at the meteorite, the soot/dust, and Bennings' notes.
The meteorite
The rock is fist-sized, and black in colour. Nothing much can be said about
it, other than it is hollow inside and you can jab a finger inside and
wiggle it about.
The box of soot/dust
Observation with the naked eye, the contents of the box does seem to be
nothing more than browny-gray/black soot, however scientists among the party
who take time to analyze it under a microscope and study it (and succeed a
BIOLOGY check) see that it isn't soot or dust. It's more like spores or fine
grains of pollen, like those you get out a puffball fungus - however at this
time the exact species of the pollen cannot be identified. The pollen/spores
are incidentally dead, and quite safe to be around.
Bennings' notes
Technical jargon aside, the notes are easy enough to read providing a R/W
ENGLISH check is made. Bennings starts his notes by describing how he gave
the meteorite a surface inspection with a magnifying glass, to see if there
were and peculiarities, or striations. He then weighed it and measured it,
and took some more photos. He speculates if it was part of the asteroid belt
that somehow became dislodged, or has it came from someplace beyond our
eight planets. (Remember, Pluto hasn't been discovered yet). He then relates
how he was chipping bits off, he struck his chisel a little harder than he
intended (or hit a weak point) and the rock exploded and covered him in
dust. It was then he made the discovery that it was hollow, which in itself
is unusual. He cleaned off the worst of the dust and swept it up for later
analysis. He then goes onto mention that he took the chipped off flakes and
burnt them or dissolved them in acid in order to discover more about its
chemical composition. That's when the notes get a little more scientific in
nature, and anybody who succeeds a CHEMISTRY check can understand them.
Nothing out of the ordinary jumps out. Later in his notes, he describes his
experiments with the soot, and under the microscope he was amazed to
discover that it wasn't soot. It looked more like pollen or spores. He
mentions he gave some to Professor Robert Angley for testing.... That's
where the notes end.
Professor Robert Angley, School of Biology
Angley is 29 years old, and opposed to the proposed Arkham water reservoir
project. He uses the argument of altering ecologies and endangering the
local wildlife, but nobody is taking him seriously. Angley is happy to talk
to the investigators about his findings. Angley does agree that, after
analysis, the soot/dust does appear to be minute grains of pollen-spores -
although as yet he cannot identify the exact species. Angley isn't at risk
from the spore-pollen because he was careful with the stuff, and not only
that - the spores are quite dead and harmless now. Angley has also seen the
plant in Bennings' bedroom, and has taken sample cuttings, and photographs.
He's had trouble identifying the plant too. He also states that he had
trouble trying to grow the cuttings in sunlight, but they seem to grow
better in dark conditions.
Bennings' Home
Bennings maintains a home on Boundary Street, not too far from the First
Presbyterian Church. His garden is neat and tidy. Billings opens the front
door with a key and invites the investigators in. The accommodation is
spacious and clean. There is nothing of relevance to find in any of the
rooms except for Bennings' bedroom. Billing leads the investigators up
stairs to the room. The door is closed. He says: "Be prepared for something
very strange." If guns are immediately drawn, he has a puzzled and concerned
look at the characters. He reaches out his hand to turn the handle, pauses
momentarily, takes a breath, then opens the door to a darkened room. The
curtains are closed. "There it is. We don't know where it came from, or what
it is, or why it's on the bed. It's like nothing I've seen before, and it's
got larger since I last saw it." Sprouting from the bed, the investigators
see a massive (siz 24) bulbous plant. Tendrils and creepers snake up the
wall and across the ceiling. Others drop on to the floor and coil around
furniture. Some tendrils are pencil thin, while others are as thick as your
thumb. The unexpected sight causes the slight sanity loss of 0/1. In amongst
the plant's bulk, investigators who succeed a SPOT HIDDEN check, see what
appears to be fragments of pajamas. For dramatic effect, have a ceiling vine
detach and fall onto a random character should anyone get too close. This
causes 1/1d4 sanity loss. It's not an attack of any kind. It's just gravity
doing what it does. A secondary SPOT HIDDEN check spots a .38 revolver
peeking out from a leafy protrusion. It can easily be picked up, and still
has a tag on it for $25.00. Checking the cylinder, we find that it is loaded
with a single discharged shot. Behind the plant's bulky mass, at bed level,
characters can also find a bullet lodged in the wall surrounded by faint
spits of a reddy-brown substance. Possibly dried blood. Checking through
drawers and cabinets, and his roll top desk, characters find a 100-round box
of .38 ammunition - retailing for $2.07. One round is missing. There is also
a hand-written receipt for the same amounts. The rubber stamp mark on the
receipt bears the point of sale - Edward Parrington, a gunsmith on 433½ W
Main Street. There is also a diary to be found.
While in Bennings' bedroom, somebody might open the curtains for some light.
Out in the garden below they notice with a SPOT HIDDEN check a large drum of
gasoline. Upon closer inspection there is also a smaller jerry can behind
it - also full. Billing's comments that they weren't there before.
Note:
If anyone returns here later after a day or two, they notice that any plant
life that has been exposed to direct sunlight has wilted and largely died,
or has become stunted - while the rest remaining in shadow or indirect light
is as healthy as ever. A combined SPOT HIDDEN / BIOLOGY (or BOTANY) check
confirms this. Could this be a clue. If either one of these rolls fail the
clue is missed. If Angley returns later, he has an 80% chance in spotting
the change in condition.
E. Parrington, Gunsmith
Parrington acknowledges the sale of both items to Bennings a few days ago.
He makes the remark that Bennings said he wanted it for home protection. He
also noted that Bennings walked with a shuffling limp, and was kinda slow of
speech - like he was retarded, and had trouble with his right arm which he
kept hidden - and there was a woody plant-like smell too, like he had been
out in the woods to long. Parrington might note the investigators carrying
firearms (45% to spot the telltale bulge), and will be keen to sell some
ammunition to them, or indeed try to have them cleaned or fixed up. He might
even mention in passing when closing the sale about the time (a few months
back) when "some nut came in and ordered 20 solid silver bullets, then never
picked them up. He gave me the silver and paid up front too." The caliber of
round is .38 (or .45, keeper's choice) and Parrington is willing to sell the
20 rounds for 100 bucks. Anybody who successfully haggles with him can
reduce the price to $70.
While returning from Parrington's, Billings suddenly exclaims: "Look, it's
Bennings!". He's spotted close by and he turns on his heel and shuffles off.
He wears a hooded jacket and the hood is pulled up over his head. He is
easily caught up with and can be grappled and stopped. There is a sanity
roll for seeing him, with a loss of 1/1d4. As well as a crippled leg, and
badly deformed arm, Bennings has a bullet hole in his right temple, and a
larger exit wound on the left side of his head. An eye is missing leaving
behind an empty socket that has a caterpillar creeping about inside. His
skin is cracked and peeling - like a Silver Birch Tree, and he is blotchy.
Fibrous filaments sprout from him, and he's got a woody, pulpy smell. He
eyes the characters, and settles on Billings and in some faint, distant
glimmer of recognition he attempts to smile, and barely croaks out: "I'm not
Bennings". Even though he is, in fact the original Bennings from Kentucky,
the transformation he has gone through makes him more plant-thing than man.
Those three words are about all he can say. He reaches into his coat pocket
with difficulty and pulls out a loaded flare gun, and holds it out. A
successful PSYCHOLOGY check can see an immensity of pain behind the
remaining eye. He looks forlornly in the direction of his home and points,
hoarsely whispering: "Burn me."
Billings of course, will greatly object to setting his colleague on fire.
He'll try to reason with the characters that Bennings belongs in a hospital.
Billings doesn't comprehend what's happening. Billings can be PSYCHOANALYZED
into believing this is the best thing to do.
Shooting Bennings has no effect. It's just makes him even more horrific to
look at. Burning him is the only way, and doing so causes 1/1d3 sanity loss.
As Bennings burns in the flames, everyone present sees him twist, writhe
with very little sound - then his upper torso splits across his waist and it
begins to drag itself out (with a movement rate of 1). If left alone, it
crawls about 15 - 20 feet before finally slumping over - dead and still
flaming. Players may want to burn the remains again just to be sure. The
bonfire may attract the curious interest of neighbours. If they realize a
human is being burnt, they are sure to call the police who will have some
questions that need answering.
Extracts of Bennings' Diary
The diary takes a few hours to read, or 30-45 minutes to skim through in its
entirety. At first it's nothing more than the usual diatribe people write in
these things. Blah, blah, blah. He then talks about getting permission from
Billings to do an in-depth examination of the space rock. There was an
accident. Covered in soot. Now coming down with the cold. I don't think this
is a meteorite after all. The soot isn't soot or dust. Looks like pollen or
something. Could this in fact be a seed pod??? Will give some to Prof.
Angley to look at. Cold getting worse, maybe it's the flu. Blah, blah, blah.
Mostly what is written is mundane. Then, as the character turns the page,
things get a little more interesting...
At times I feel a great numbing of my brain, and great weariness. Doc
Waldron has given me a course of tablets to oxygenate the blood, but they
seem at times to be of little, or no help at all. I have funny tingling
sensations in his limbs, a sickening feeling in his stomach, loose bowel
movements. I often wander about dazed and lethargic for most of the day.
This flu is terrible. Last night I hallucinated for six hours roughly. It
felt so real, so vivid. I could smells odors, touch things, and taste. But,
I cannot, for the life of me remember anything about it. I'm going to
quarantine my self for a few days. This flu is knocking seven bells out of
me. It's very virulent. I can barely hold this pen.
At times I found myself waking up in the streets far from my home. It's
curious. I have never sleepwalked before. On several occasions I woke up at
the pump house and water tank. Other times I woke up in some caves in
Belington's Woods not too far from Jamison Road on the Salisbury Pike. I
never knew those caves existed previously. One time I found myself wandering
the sewers. I emerged in Walnut Street, close to Saint Stainless Church.
It's 03:16 in the morning. I woke about five minutes ago. I have taken a
tablet, but my head is still spinning, and my heart is thumping. My vision
was slightly blurred but it seems fine now, but me eyes are a little sore
and sensitive to the light. Those dreams are more lucid and visual now. I
remember more. My insides are literally fizzing and churning. Just nerves
and stress, I guess. I dreamt that I was standing on a high rocky plateau on
a dark foreboding world that's bathed in eternal twilight. I looked about
and I saw jungle and plant life. There was absolutely no animal life
anywhere. Were it not for the wind blowing through the leaves, there would
be absolutely no sound whatsoever.
I know now that the meteorite was in fact no meteorite, but is a seed pod
from some alien planet - but not one from this solar system, but from one
way out beyond in the inky coldness of interstellar space. I have seen
similar seed pods from my dream-visions. I don't think there is any way I
can reveal this to my colleagues. They'll think me mad. Hell, I think I'm
mad.
I feel terrible, I can barely see what I'm doing. The light hurts my eyes.
My nose is running and my skin is dry and flaking. My head feels as though
it's going to explode. I have psychic connection to other life-forms on
another planet, although I cannot understand them., but it's a continual
stream of whispering. I have stuff sprouting from me now. There is no way
I'm stepping out of this house now.
I see in a different visual spectrum now. Everything glows in vibrant, reds,
greens and purples - like a neon sign. What's happening to me? I don't think
I'm Bennings anymore. I can't live like this. There is only one option left
open to me... May God have mercy on me.
The Pump-station and Water Tower
The pumping station draws water directly out Miskatonic River (though does
not purify it) and pumps it to a high storage tower nearby, and every
building in Arkham is supplied by it. The site is easily accessible, and
there is absolutely nothing to find in the pump house. Anyone who climbs the
60-odd foot water tower finds the lock to the maintenance hatch busted open.
Everything seems normal inside. It may perplex the characters why Bennings
would be here. It may occur to somebody (with an Index, or x3 check) that if
Bennings got infected with pollen then what would happen if the town's water
supply was contaminated. Every home in Arkham is supplied from this tower.
The water use to drink, bathe in, and cook with. There's no telling how many
people could be infected... holy crap, maybe the investigators themselves
are now infected. This may be a red herring; a seed sewn (if you will) to
instill a fear or paranoia of some kind. Do people suddenly sport a
different
mannerism, either real or imagined? Is that guy watching me? Was somebody in
my room going through my stuff? If they are all now one of those things,
wouldn't they kill me now? The keeper is free to run with this as he/she
sees fit.
Stop the bus!
As the characters return from the pump house (or whenever convenient), have
them make SPOT HIDDEN checks (or the keeper can roll secretly) when they
move into N West Street. If any roll is a success, the character catches a
glimpse of Dr. Bennings boarding a bus bound for Ipswich/Newburyport. An
successful IDEA or KNOW check means the character is sufficiently
quick-witted enough to make the identification, otherwise he/she merely sees
something but doesn't immediately take it in. Maybe the sudden realization
hits them later. The bus pulls away. The strange thing here is that, this
Bennings seemed normal. He also seemed to be carrying a package. If the
characters give chase and manage to stop the bus, the driver will be most
irate if he is forced to swerve and stop with no explanation. Bennings sits
about mid way up the bus, in an aisle seat on the right. He sits with his
package on his lap. The package, incidentally, are a dozen saplings or
off-cuts taken from the mother plant.
While he may look, sound, and have the knowledge of Bennings, it's not.
There is an otherworldly intelligence in residence. This is a drone, largely
without personality or emotion, bent on a plan to disseminate plantlings
across the country, in the hope of conforming the human race. Who knows,
maybe there are many, many more Bennings out there... and this should play
on the minds of the investigators. Despite being somewhat without
personality or emotion, it's not a witless zombie. He will resist being
manhandled, to the best of his ability. Other passengers on the bus may get
involved. If cut, it will "bleed" a milky white sap. If dissected, it would
appear to be a normal human being in every sense: lungs, heart, kidneys...
the only difference is it's not flesh or skin, or bone - it's a spongy
pithy, pulpy substance.
If it is successfully captured alive and questioned, it says: "We have
traveled through the stars for many millions of years, and have colonized
many a world. It is mere happenstance that we landed on this planet. We do
not know what planet this is, and nor do we care. We have the power to
reproduce ourselves in the exact likeness of any form of life. It is how we
propagate our species. We also replicate other life-forms cell for cell,
atom by atom. There is no pain. We absorb your minds and you are reborn into
an untroubled world free from anxiety, fear, hatred, war or hunger..." This
clone will burn very easily if set alight.
If the investigators inquire as to there being a "leader" plant or a
"mother" plant, the Bennings clone will say yes, and offers to take the
characters to see her, but only if they do not seek to destroy her. If this
occurs he will take the investigators out of town a little to a cave network
and take them inside. Obviously it is a trap, and as soon as the
investigators are in range the "mother plant" releases volumes of spores and
pollen in a cloud in the attempt to infect them also.
The Caves
Following the directions found in the diary, the investigators can tramp
around Belington's Woods until they find the caves. The search initially
takes 1d3+1 hours with no success, then for each additional hour spent
searching investigators receive a SPOT HIDDEN check to find an over grown
rocky bluff. A dark, easily missed, fissure leads in. People over the size
of 16 require a SIZx5 check to squeeze through. Any fumbled roll has the
character getting terribly stuck. He/she requires a STR v SIZ resistance
check to either pull out, or push in. Each failed roll results in a point of
damage being taken. Of course the same check must be made when the
character exits.
Once past the opening, the cave gets wider to maybe 6-7 feet across and a
little more than 6 high. It is very dark inside. Pitch black. A light source
is required. Even a lighter will do in a pinch. A tunnel leads off at the
back and descends deeper beneath Belington's Woods. There are no random
events to be had, and there is no chance of getting lost. As the characters
approach the last remaining quarter of the caves they come across the first
signs of plant life of filaments and mould. As they pass by, the growths get
more and more numerous, until vines and creepers that dangle from the
ceiling have to be pushed out the way. At some stages the investigators are
actually walking not on stone floor, but on a mass of creepers, tendrils,
papules and bulging tubers. Some are as thick as an elephant's leg. Sharp
barbed spines and barbs grow out on stalks, and scratch at exposed skin and
snag loose clothing. A failed LUCK roll incurs 1d3 damage. Ensnared within
the grasp of the barbs are some animals. It would seem the plant is feeding
on them. But that's not the sickening view - that would be the three humans
who have suffered the same fate as the animals. Anybody who tries to remove
a victim from the plant discovers the body to be pretty much dead. Any
pressure applied breaks bits off or crumbles it into something with the
consistency of tacky breadcrumbs.
Eventually the investigators see "it" - the greatest of abnormalities to the
plant kingdom, illuminated by their light as a multitude of blotchy hues of
yellows, purples, browns, reds, and green. Three leafy pods, the length of a
human, sprout from the main plant mass. Here the temperature is a balmy
70-odd degrees, and vapors or steam rise from the plant. The air here is
stagnant and putrescent.
Regardless of whether or not the investigators were brought here by the
drone, a cloud of spore pollen is released should anyone remain in close
proximity for ten rounds or more. The chance of pollen being breathed in
through either the mouth or nose is great, and pretty much unavoidable -
unless a filtering cloth is previously tied over the face as a precaution.
If breathed in or ingested, the characters run a failed CONx4 risk of
getting infected. On a successful check, nothing untoward occurs except for
a mild case of hay fever.
Anyone who looks closely at one of the human sized cabbage-like pods suffer
a slight sanity loss of 0/1, as it splits and begins to unfurl with a milky
fluid bubbling out, revealing a strange, corpse-like cadaver - an
unfinished, half-formed, skinless mannequin with an almost blank
facelessness. Anyone who succeeds an IDEA check realizes that it somehow
loosely resembles one of the corpses they passed on the way in.
Those who succeed a SPOT HIDDEN check see that a few vines and creepers have
pushed themselves into cracks and fissures within the rock ceiling.
Examination of the flora on the surface above the cave sees the same vines
and creepers emerge.
A successful MYTHOS check while looking at the plant doesn't exactly
identify it, although the character is reminded of either Zy'tl Q'ae, or a
Hell Plant. A secondary IDEA check (unless the character has dealt with them
before) reveals it to be a closer match to a Zy'tl Q'ae - a race of
intelligent plant-things that dominates the planet of Xiclotl. It demands
the other inhabitants the periodic sacrifice of a number of their race. The
Zy'tl Q'ae dwell in darkness, and thrive on the sustenance they derive from
living sacrifices and other prey that gets ensnared in their grasping
tendrils and snapping blossoms. These carnivorous horrors reproduce by
discharging hard, warty seeds about the size of a human skull. The force of
the seed discharge is strong enough to propel some into space, where they
drift until the gravity of another world pulls them in - where they fall to
the ground and germinate. Thus, spreading their species from planet to
planet. Whether this plant is, or is not - or is another variation of a
different sub-species of Zy'tl Q'ae remains to be seen. May be this is just
a plant that is very similar to the Zy'tl Q'ae, but has it's own unique and
distinct characteristics.
Plant From Space, Stats
STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX HP
20 50 130* 8 16 13 75
Weapon Attack Damage
SporeCloud 100 special
Tendril 45 grapple
Thorn Rake 35 1d6
Armour: Being a plant, it takes only minimum damage from all weapons. The
plant is flammable, barely - so fire does normal damage.
Sanity: 1/1d10
Spells: In an INTx5 roll, the plant is sentient (or mature) enough to know
1d3 spells of the keeper's choosing.
Notes
* Currently it is size 130. It is still growing. Each day it grows another
1% size point (including fractions).
75 hp represents the plant's over-surface bulk that can be chopped up.
Reducing it to zero hp does not kill the plant (all the characters have done
is trim it). The plant must be killed in its entirety - including the root.
Incinerating it causes it to burn with plumes of black, choking smoke. A
lethal concoction of industrial strength toxins and poisons will also help
to do the job, but several dozen gallons will be required.
In order to feed, the plant must first successfully grapple its victim, then
use its thorns to pierce the flesh. If a victim is held, the thorn rake
attack is automatically a success. A naturally occurring muscle relaxant is
injected with a potency of 3d6+10 and a CON resistance roll should be made.
If the roll is failed, all muscles cease to function and the character
cannot move and is essentially paralyzed. If the roll is a success, the
character temporarily loses 1d6 STR, but is still able to act. Roll per
round the character is ensnared until he/she breaks free or is rendered
unable to move through a cumulative loss of strength. To break free of the
plant's grasp, the character needs to overcome a typical gripping strength
of 3d6+3. Once paralyzed, the victim is then slowly digested from the inside
over a period of his SIZ in days. As this is done, a fully formed clone is
also grown.
The plant can attack its SIZ/10 in victims in any one go, however this is
reduced (by one) for each gestation pod it has growing (which is also
limited to its siz/10). Thus, our plant can sustain 13 gestation pods. If
three are used, it can only attack ten people - or in deed one person 10
times.
Wrapping things up
Killing the plant in Bennings' home is a fairly simple affair. Burning it
inside is a logical choice, but a little over the top. The plant can be
hacked to pieces and burned outside. If things get out of hand and the house
burns down, the investigators will be held accountable for damages.
If the original characters are in play, they may wish to visit the site
where they found the meteorite - just to make sure. For keepers who are
unfamiliar with prior events, it is also there, where the meteorite was
found that its finders had a run in with Levi Stone and his family. Levi was
a tyrannical patriarch, madman, and psychopath who worshipped some weird
Indian totem out in a swamp and sacrificed unwary people to it. Stone tried
to kill the meteorite's finders. The trip out to beyond Dunwich is
uneventful and nothing much has changed. The Stone residence is still there
in whatever manner the investigators left it. The swamp is still there with
all those half-submerged skeletons of Levi's past victims. A thorough
investigation (SPOT HIDDEN check) of the site doesn't show signs of any
weird alien plant growth.
Of course, if our characters are enveloped in a cloud of pollen, there is
the matter of them unwittingly transporting the pollen out of the cave when
they leave - only to spread it elsewhere, where it may take root.
Upon later realization that it was Bennings who got on the bus. The
characters can head off to Ipswich/Newburyport to conduct a search for him.
There may be yet time for them to catch up with him.
Effects of being infected
Once infected there is no known cure. There might be a magical spell to
counter it, but I doubt it. Scattered throughout this text are the symptoms
of being infected.
Conclusion
Burning the original Bennings +1d3
Burning the bus clone and his seedlings +1d4
Killing the mother plant +1d10
Taking extra care to ensure there is no more threat of more contamination
(including returning to the Stone homestead) +1d3
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