Welcome to the Conundrum Society!
My name is Joe Klemann or "Citizen X." I've written published scenarios for horror RPG magazine Protodimension, created and run the world's only 24-hour Cyberpunk 2020 chat site at
http://unlimitedcyberpunk.lefora.com/ , co-created Auraboros Game Company and run games for going on 20 years now. I've started this page to share scenarios I've written with fans of investigative horror gaming, namely Gumshoe system.
If you're not an RPG fan, you're welcome to read these for the story, but for the hardcore gamers, I hope you find these useful to mine for ideas or use in your own tabletop games.
I've started getting into writing Investigative Scenarios for various Gumshoe systems. Most of these will be Trail of Cthulhu, although I've started branching out into Ashen Stars and Night's Black Agent more recently. I'll try to present them in a fashion that would be reminiscent of a published adventure. I'll use some play-test examples separately just to help with people who are trying to run it and provide some stories that resulted from actual play. If you have further questions about scenarios as they happened in play, feel free to comment and I'll try to answer timely.
My first scenario for Trail of Cthulhu is based around the King in Yellow Mythos and is designed to drive Investigator's insane and ruin their reputations rather than kill, though it is very dangerous at times. I have avoided using the name "The King in Yellow" whenever possible in favor of various play titles that add to the confusion of the investigation and surreal nature of the play itself. When I'm stating examples from actual play tests, I'll place them between /..../ and Italics for convenience. The setting is meant to be 1935 Arkham, with many allusions to Boston. Even though the scenario uses Arkham locations, it could be easily moved into Boston or another nearby East-Coast City in America. Several NPCs referenced in the scenario are from the Arkham source-book from Chaosium games, but the names can be changed as easily for a different setting. (
http://www.amazon.com/H-P-Lovecrafts-Arkham-Legend-Haunted-Roleplaying/dp/1568821654 ). Another source I frequently referenced throughout the course of the game was Thomas Ryng's "The King in Yellow" play (
http://www.amazon.com/The-King-Yellow-Thom-Ryng/dp/1411685768 )
And of course:
(Trail of Cthulhu by Pelgrane Press:
http://www.amazon.com/Trail-Cthulhu-Robin-Hite-Kenneth/dp/1934859079/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450372649&sr=1-1&keywords=Trail+of+Cthulhu )
Arkham Gazette Headline
The Sunflower Masquerade
Introduction:
The scenarios of the Sunflower Masquerade are sequential but should be run episodic and focus around the infamous play "The King in Yellow" and the Hastur-mythos. Each Act was easily accomplished in one session of around 4-5 hours of game play at a tabletop sitting with 3-4 players.
/In play, one of the Investigators was a Private Investigator and former member of the Boston Police, another was a Criminal with a background in the Irish Mafia whose brother had been one of the thieves of the book found dead. The last Investigator was a Professor at Miskatonic University who studied Art History and was an expert in lost languages and the Occult./
Background:
A wealthy dilettante from Arkham's elite has manipulated events to bring the cursed play to America and arrange for its theft to begin infection of Arkham. Neil Harwich, the son in a cursed line of settlers who've dwelt in Arkham since the 1700s, is cast in the role of our villain, but the Investigators are not likely to encounter him until the end of the scenario if at all. As a man of wealth who has traveled the world, his dream is to put on the cursed play his grandfather used to whisper about in the asylum. He prefers a theatrical approach obviously, hiring middle men and impoverished henchmen to do his deeds. In a sense he is writing a larger play and drawing the unwitting investigators into the story. The story starts on October 10th, 1935 (although Gamemasters are welcome to change dates to fit their own setting), on a dreary day in the Massachusetts town of Arkham.
Act 0: The Prologue
Investigation Hook:
The Investigators each receive a telegram or letter from a firm known as the Boston Antiques Society. Representing the interests of the firm is a Private Eye from Boston known as Jon Finnigan. Jon's main task was to assemble a team of investigators with the skills and qualities his employer in Boston is searching for. If the Investigator's agree to assist in finding the missing play "Le Rideau Final" which was stolen by two Irish second-story men from Boston, he will transfer the funds his employer has prepared for its safe return. Both men who were suspected thieves (One by the name of Tommy Cullen was a known associate of the Boston mafia and the other Aden Sloane, a master of disabling burglar alarms), were found dead at the train station late at night. Their deaths were highly unusual and has been a closed matter by the Arkham Police. The Boston Antiques Society believes that if the thieves died in Arkham, the missing play may be here as well.
The Fixer:
Jon Finnigan serves as a handler for the Investigators and may be convinced to forward some money for expenses [Bargain 1-Pt. Spend], in which case Jon will transfer fees into an account that can be withdrawn for expenditures (Assume the characters receive a shared pool of Credit Rating, with 1 point for every 2 Investigators). As an alcoholic, Jon is more interested in the nightlife of Arkham while he is being handsomely paid, than assisting the investigators directly. If asked to intervene in something more than some paper pushing, Mr. Finnigan gives the characters a long winded "I'm too old for this shit" speech, citing how his cases in Boston sometimes ran afoul of local organized crime there. Convincing Jon to assist directly is possible, but requires some Reassurance [1-Pt. Spend] that he's not going to be in any physical danger. Jon will spend much of his time trying to seduce the young women of Arkham back to his small room at the Borden Arms Hotel. Jon Finnigan managed to bribe a local Arkham Police patrolman who arrived at the scene of the two dead thieves and was given a handbill that was found in one of their jackets. He'll impart the handbill or flyer to the most responsible looking Investigator or the one who seems most at ease with his drinking habit. The flyer is one of the first core clues of the investigation.
*Core Clue* [Languages: Sanskrit] The handbill lists an address in clear English, 213 River St., but the rest of the flyer is in Sanskrit and has an image of a multi-headed cobra in the background. The flyer, if translated, reveals that a new theater is being opened from a immigrant-owned Import-Export warehouse that primarily sells oriental rugs. The theater, being run only at night, will retell Hindu legends of the gods on stage and the name of the venue is "Yama's Gate".
/In play, the Investigator's didn't seem to care that Jon Finnigan was letting them do all the legwork while he sat at Borden Arms Hotel drinking whiskey throughout. After all, the Depression hit hard and they were just glad to have paying jobs.../
Jon Finnigan (Cowardly Private Eye)
Three Things: Always wearing a Fedora, frequently has a toothpick in his mouth when thinking, thick Irish-accent
Abilities: Athletics 4, Firearms 4, Scuffling 3, Health 5
Awareness Mod/Stealth Mod: +1/+2
Attacks: Unarmed (-2 damage)
.38 Revolver (+1 damage)
Father Glancy's Warning
[Floating Scene]
Father Toren Glancy is a Catholic priest from Boston who has been following Jon Finnigan and the story of the missing play. After leaving the Borden Arms Hotel, the Investigators may realize they're being followed [Sense Trouble Diff 3]. At the Keeper's option: Father Glancy may either be an agent of the Vatican's secret library trying to lock the banned play away or he may be an insane conspiracy theorist full of anxious warnings. If confronted for following them [Intimidation, Cop Talk, Bargain, Flattery], he will impart the Investigators a dire warning about the missing play. His clothes are likely to be in disrepair and he may appear to be quite mad, but he tells the Investigators that reading the play is dangerous, its contents are cancerous for the soul. He will warn them destroy the book if they find it.
/This scene is presented mostly to foreshadow what will occur later on Muskeget Isle, if the Keeper doesn't feel its necessary to warn them, this scene can be removed altogether, but if the Investigators get to know the mad priest - it makes the shock much more intense later on./
Strange Headlines of the Arkham Gazette:
At least one Investigator should have a chance to stumble upon Thursday's issue of the Arkham Gazette (which should be the same day as the Investigation begins), which will mention the theft of the Boston Museum's banned play, but also with other strange and maybe unrelated stories. The purpose of most of these headlines are to establish a creepy setting or fuel for Red Herrings that distract from the core investigation. Gamemasters are encouraged not to let Investigators take too long following leads that go nowhere, but penalize them in some fashion for wasting time - allow the villains of the story to move their plans along or use Antagonist Reaction scenes that will be presented throughout.
Strange Headlines for October 10th (* Core Clue Related, ^ Red Herring):
- *"Le Rideau Final" is stolen from the Boston Museum (see Newspaper Headline)
- ^The grave of a playwright named Vernon Harte in Boston was defiled.
- ^Three children playing hopscotch in a Boston West End playground were put into the hospital for stabbing each other with pencils.
- *A Ship of immigrants from India and Asia has arrived in Arkham and the river-side neighborhoods are becoming overcrowded and full of unemployed. Local xenophobes fear that recent disappearances and crime are on an increase due to these foreign elements.
- ^Hundreds of seagulls have been washing onto beaches along the East Coast, the phenomenon is occurring in Arkham and Boston. Miskatonic University scientists claim that it could be an indicator for a mass extinction event.
- ^The Federal Bureau of Investigation has dispatched agents to Arkham, keeping an eye out for foreign influence from Communist sympathizers, labor union fanatics and anarchists.
Avenues of Investigation:
/Some of these examples are presented from actual play but have been added in for simplicity/
Researching the Play - The Investigator's may try to go to the Miskatonic University Library and research "Le Rideau Final" itself. [Primary Investigative Skills Need: Library Use, Art History]
Researching their Employer - The Investigators may be paranoid enough to try and verify who is really paying them to find the play. Those Investigators with academic skills and contacts are best suited to this. [Primary Investigative Skills Needed: Accounting, Art History, History]
Investigating the Dead Thieves - Going to the Arkham Police station may not work for every character, but current or ex-Police, Private Investigators or others who can work within the law may be in luck. [Primary Investigative Skills Needed: Cop Talk, Law]
Investigating Yama's Gate Theater - Physically visiting the Yama's Gate theater is a lead in the right direction towards finding the play. [Primary Investigative Skills Needed: Reassurance, Occult, Assess Honesty]
Researching the Play:
If the Investigators go to the Miskatonic Library or a similar source of knowledge, they can search for articles and books relating to "The Final Curtain." [Library Use, Art History] Investigation reveals that the original play had no title and was banned by the Vatican in 1829 after being performed only once by its presumed author in Paris, a man named Jean Marseilles. The play's performance had sparked a riot and a theater fire that killed dozens. All known copies were believed to have been destroyed by the Church, but somehow the version that has arrived in Boston survived, meaning that as the last play of its kind it is very valuable. If the Investigators search this avenue but lack the appropriate skills to gain information, the Keeper may introduce Professor Armitage as a NPC guide of the Library, who is willing to help them find the information they seek, but also quietly keeping tabs on what they're researching into. A friendly Armitage may give the Investigators a stern warning about seeking forbidden books.
Researching the Employer:
If the Investigators suspect something fishy about their employer who is seeking the lost play, they may want to inquire via phone-calls, telegrams or other means of contact for their firm in Boston. [Accounting, Art History, History] Investigators with academic backgrounds or appropriate skills have little trouble contacting Dr. Peter Willer of the Boston Historical Society who contributes heavily to the Boston Antiques Firm and helps coordinate donations to the Museum's collection. He's the one who is seeking to reclaim the lost Museum piece and is distraught that after being recently donated, someone would steal it. He will mention that a number of other items were stolen, including some Egyptian jewelry, but that they had been pawned in Boston by the thieves and recovered by the police. If the Investigators really push for more expense account funding from Dr. Willer, he may be willing to transfer additional money to the accounts [Bargain 1-Pt Spend, Investigator's now get twice the amount of shared Credit Rating pool].
/During the playtest, the Investigator's called to make sure that there wasn't a shadowy figure at the other end of the phone paying their bills. They seemed satisfied simply to find that the man had a name and seemed to be a respectable academic rather than a evil cultist./
Investigating the Dead Thieves:
The bodies of the dead thieves from Boston are being kept in the morgue at the Arkham Police Station. Their names are Tommy Cullen and Aden Sloane, identified from records of the Boston Police. Detective Mickey Harrigan has been assigned the case and may be willing to let Investigators view the bodies, the Arkham Police currently list the deaths of the two men as a "animal attack," though the circumstances are strange. [Cop Talk 1-Pt spend] allows the Investigators access to the bodies. (Investigators who have the Criminal occupation or who have 0 Credit Rating may not be allowed a spend, while Investigator's with the Police Detective occupation may not be required to spend a point as long as they justify it as part of their investigation.) Viewing the two bodies in the morgue is a gruesome and unnerving sight, both men have been lacerated severely over most of their bodies and their throats torn out and flesh drained of blood [Stability Test Difficulty 2].
Detective Mickey Harrigan
Three Things: Honest cop, Disarmingly friendly smile, athletic build
Abilities: Athletics 8, Scuffling 5, Weapons 6, Firearms 6
Hit Threshold: 4
Alertness/Stealth: +1/+0
Attacks: .45 Revolver (+1 damage)
Nightstick (+0 damage)
Unarmed (-2 damage)
Examining the Dead
Anyone skilled at examining dead bodies [Forensics] can determine that the bodies look as if they were attacked by crows or the talons of other carrion birds over most of their arms and torsos, the Police believe these were post-mortem from scavengers. The killing stroke for each man was a bite to the throat by something that may have been a wild dog. It is strange that both bodies would be completely drained of blood and this was nothing something done during the autopsy. Detective Mickey Harrigan will explain that the site of the crime was relatively bloodless. Both men were found or dragged, to an area next to the train station, their screams were heard by other passengers disembarking at night and they were found in the early hours of the morning by Police at the train station. [Forensics 1-Pt Spend] By examining the bodies more thoroughly, it appears that the talons made by what appears to be a large bird of some sort, were not post-mortem but are more indicative of defensive wounds on the hands and chest. The throat looks like something more akin to attack by a long snout of a crocodile than a dog. There is an unnatural smelling organic substance in the wounds, akin to saliva, it smells vaguely of almonds and seems inexplicable. [Stability Test Difficulty 3]. Anyone searching the pockets or clothing of the dead thieves may also discover something notable, aside from the pocket money and personal effects that are easy to find [Evidence Collection], one of the dead men has a gold ring of Egyptian make that can be identified as missing from the Boston Museum collection.
Investigating Yama's Gate Theater:
River Street in Arkham in the 1930s is a warren for the unemployed or underemployed immigrant laborers from Ireland, Poland, Eastern Europe and even India and China. Much of the area is impoverished and overpopulated apartment blocks, as well as dock warehouses along the Miskatonic River. Investigators with Credit Rating 3+ who linger among the wrong elements of River Street may expose themselves to pick-pocketing, mugging or worse [Sense Trouble Difficulty 4]. The Yama's Gate Theater is known as Kapur Imports during the day, they primarily sell oriental style rugs and furniture from the far East which is usually sold wholesale to department stores in Arkham and Boston. In the day only a few Indian nationals working as laborers and the owner, Shekhar Kapur, are present. Shekhar is a friendly figure and a reasonable businessman, easy enough to approach by Investigators and an innocent fellow in more sinister affairs [Reassurance, Bargain, Cop Talk]. He honestly knows nothing about any theft or a strange play [Assess Honesty], yet he can shed light on Yama's Gate Theater. At night he opens his warehouse to the Indian laborers whom live on River Street, allowing them to rearrange the warehouse to perform plays retelling the stories of the old gods and heroes of India. He assures Investigators that this keeps the morale of his workforce and helps establish a bit of his home country in a foreign land. Savitri Nair is a playwrite and the organizer of Yama's Gate Theater, she doesn't usually come by until after business hours to set up the stage.
Meeting Savitri Nair:
Coming to River Street at night is a dangerous journey for all but those who seem to fit in, Investigators with Occupations in Private Investigator, Criminal or Hobo have no trouble at all. Other occupations may be subjected to a surprise mugging [Sense Trouble Diff 5 at night]. Savitri Nair is a beautiful woman who wears traditional dress from her homeland, she is well educated and speaks English very well. She will act too busy to answer questions unless the Investigators are friendly to her [Flattery, Reassurance]. She'd be happy to have the Investigators watch her play performances, which are mostly adapted from Hindu epics. She recognizes the flyer as an advertisement she disperses among the local Indian communities and is glad that one of them had reached Boston if its mentioned. [Assess Honesty 1-Pt spend] Savitri is hiding something and does not appear comfortable if the Investigator's line of inquiry continues about strange plays or direct questions about the stolen play. She will not be intimidated if their questioning becomes too uncomfortable and several of her actors happen to be muscular men wearing traditional Indian dress and carrying knives, these trained assassins have no qualms about quietly dispatching nosy Americans and sending their bodies into the river (there should be at least three Cult of Yama Assassins for each Investigator). If an Investigator analyzes the tattoos and body paint of some of the actors and actresses they may recognize the symbols [Anthropology, History or Occult 1-Pt Spend], revealing that many of the theater group belong to a religious cult of the Hindu god of death known as Yama. Savitri will show the Investigators about the warehouse if it puts them at ease, including her bookshelf of Indian epics, primarily written in Hindi and Sanskrit (no sign of the stolen play which would be in French).
/In actual play, the Investigators seemed to figure out something was amiss with the theater group but knew that direct confrontation with the cult would be suicide, they decided to leave and come back later to shadow Savitri Nair and the cult.../
Thugs of River Street
Three Things: Foreign accents, patchwork clothes, foul body odor
Abilities: Athletics 4, Scuffling 4, Weapons 3, Health 4
Awareness/Stealth: +0/+1
Attacks: Unarmed (-2 damage), Knives or Clubs (-1 damage)
Savitri Nair
Three Things: Beautiful and lithe, traditional dress, a sunflower in her hair
Abilities: Athletics 8, Scuffling 4, Health 6
Hit Threshold: 4
Awareness/Stealth: +1/+0
Attacks: Unarmed (-2 damage)
The Shadow of Yama
[Antagonist Reaction Scene]
If the Investigators are asking too many questions about stolen plays and the dead thieves from Boston, they may find themselves followed by Cult of Yama assassins. The men don't leave River Street, but will become their shadow as long as they stay within the poorer and less patroled neighborhoods. If the Assassins eavesdrop their true purpose, they may decide it is time to kill the Investigators and let the gods sort it out [Sense Trouble Diff 5]. There are two Assassins per Investigator and they strike from the shadows with their curved daggers.
Cult of Yama Assassins
Three Things: Tattoos of the God of Death, traditional Indian attire, muscular build.
Abilities: Athletics 6, Scuffling 4, Weapons 6, Health 4
Awareness/Stealth: +1/+1
Attacks: Unarmed (-2 damage), Traditional Dagger (-1 damage)
Direct Confrontation with the Yama Cult
If the Investigators make a show of using guns or dispatching the members of the Cult of Yama, Savitri attempts escape with some of her actors and actresses into a rowboat, while the remaining members of the Cult set fire to the theater using petrol and gas lanterns. The rowboat will head for the Island of Muskeget, but if it is being observed by Investigators, they see some winged indescribable horror swoop down from the dark clouds of the night sky and pluck Savitri from the boat into the sky. Her flesh is shredded by the part-vulture part-insectoid creature visible only during flashes of lightning and blood rains from the sky with her fading screams [Stability Diff 4]. The creature may also decide to pull her from the warehouse through a skylight if the Investigator's have her cornered, to much the same result. The beast flees into the sky unless killed. [For creature stats see Byakhee in the Trail of Cthulhu core book, pg. 127].
/A Note about using the Byakhee Servitor at this stage in the scenario, it should only appear as a winged black shadow with claws and teeth and perhaps only one observant Investigator should get to see it at all. Its appearance should always be obscured by clouds, darkness or showers of broken glass from a skylight, etc. Not knowing exactly what they are dealing with, the Investigators tend to react more fearfully to its presence./
Shadowing the Cult
If the Investigators are more discreet in their investigations, they can shadow the Cult of Yama's activities at night or disguise themselves to be more indiscreet [Shadowing or Disguise Difficulty 4]. The Cult's typical routine is to perform a play at night and then a volunteer from the crowd decides to go with two members of the Cult of Yama, whom take them via rowboat on the warehouse pier and begin paddling down the Miskatonic towards the sea. This volunteer is given two golden coins and allowed to smoke opium in a cellar hidden beneath a rug in the warehouse (Investigator's are unlikely to find this secret opium den otherwise unless they have access to an empty warehouse and spend 1-Pt in Architecture). They are told that they will make the great journey to meet Yama [Languages: Hindi to comprehend]. This type of sacrifice may only occur once per week or at holy days for Yama, but for the purpose of this scenario, the Investigators happen to be able to witness one of these moments (Keepers who wish to make the Cult's activities harder to determine, may not have this occur on the first night of observation). Following the rowboat is possible if the Investigators can quickly acquire a boat themselves
/In play, Investigators decided that stealing a boat from a nearby dock in the middle of the night wouldn't cause much trouble in such a poorly patrolled neighborhood and they could always return it before morning/. The boat continues its journey to Muskeget Island in the Nantucket Sound, where the Investigators may discover further horrors.
Alternative Ways to the Island
*Core Clue*
The Cultists of Yama take sacrifices to Muskeget Island in Nantucket Sound, this information could be learned by capturing and interrogating one of the Cult of Yama thugs themselves [Intimidation]. Alternatively, dead opium-addicts may occasionally be found in the waters near the island, a fact that could be imparted by the local Arkham Police [Cop Talk]. It could be that following a red herring from the headlines [Zoology or Library Search], such as the dead seagulls washing ashore, leads a breadcrumb trail back to the island.
The Horror of Muskeget Island
Some of the history of this island has been fictionalized for this scenario. The Island used to once belong to a man named Abel Harwich in 1877, a simple farmer from England [History 2-Pt spend]. This information will not be relevant until later on and most of it should be misplaced from library and landowner records due to the influence of the modern Harwich family, otherwise Investigators only learn that it has been abandoned for decades and used to be a colonial farm [History 1-Pt spend]. The Island itself is mostly barren and has a single rotted wooden dock with a gravel path to service inland travel. Along the island's sandy hills are sparse trees and shrubs that provide some cover at night, but do little to mask a traveler's movements during daylight hours. The Cult of Yama brings "willing" sacrifices to the island at night via a rowboat and takes them to the barn at the farm located in the center of the island. Two members of the Cult of Yama escort the victim who seems to be drugged. [Pharmacy 1-Pt spend] identifies the victim as having been under the influence of opiates. The Cult members only walk on the island while swinging a brazier burning with incense and chanting in Hindi prayers to Yama. There is a central farm on the Island with two buildings, a cabin and a locked barn. Near the farm's cabin is a field of sunflowers that seems to dominate the surrounding area. These sunflowers grow unusually tall and vibrant [Botany]. There is also a rusted cargo truck from the early 1900s parked here as well. Investigators skilled with knowledge of architecture [Architecture] can trace the construction of the buildings to around the 1870s.
The Barn
The outside of the barn doors are locked with a length of chain and a padlock [Locksmith 1-Pt spend to open]. Alternatively, the Cult of Yama Assassins have the key to this lock and open it to bring their victim inside. Willing participants are brought to the center of the barn and their chins forced onto a dangling meat-hook from a rusted ceiling chain. The Cult members then perform a ritual bleeding of the victim with sacrificial knives and eventually place two gold coins on the eyes of the man after death. [Witnessing the ritual sacrifice is a Stability Test Difficulty 3, the test is Difficulty 5 if the Investigators witness the corpse being reawakened as a zombie - the eventual conclusion of the task]. The zombie will not attack the Cult of Yama as long as they kept their incense brazier burning and continue their protective chants. By investigating the Barn, certain clues can be ascertained. [Forensics] Searching the Barn discovers the floor is stained with layers of blood in a strange splash pattern that seems to have ritual meaning. [Occult] A twisting symbol made in yellow paint lays just beneath the layers of blood on the wooden beams of the barn floor, it appears to be a 3-pronged sun symbol or swastika. If it is a sun symbol, why are the cult's rituals being performed at night? [Evidence Collection] A barrel of old farming tools: shovels, pitchforks, hoes, etc. contain a blacksmith stamp dating to the year 1879 and bear the initials H.W., most likely the stamp of the owner or creator.
The Cabin
This moldering cabin was once an old farmhouse in the 1870s and most rooms are dust-ridden with rotting furniture. Broken windows and creaking doors allow access to the cabin with ease [Architecture]. There is numerous damage from animals that have made the house home over the years. Only one part of the house has eerily been repaired and maintained [Architecture], the upstairs bedroom, which is obscured with yellow curtains and accessed by the creaking staircase.
Clues in the House [Evidence Collection or Library Use] notes old books, portraits and papers identifying the home as having belonged to Abel Harwich in 1877. There is a painting depicting his Native American wife, the fading painting is titled "Sunflower." Abel Harwich was a farmer on the island colony who married a Native American wife, what is legible from the books paints a rather ordinary life of rural survival.
Accessing the Yellow Room
[Locksmith] Inside the locked upstairs room, the wall of the bedroom has been papered with the ancient yellowed pages of the stolen play "Le Rideau Final". Failing a [Stability Test Difficulty 5], Investigators who catch glimpse of the writing are forced to continue reading until the terrible play is finished. The sequence of the wall paper pages is set in order to the chapters and Investigators find that if they could not read French before, they seem to have no issue translating the bizarre document. This obsession fades if the Investigators are forcibly removed from the room or have finished reading the play [See the "King in Yellow" play and what it imparts to an Investigator for reading it, Trail of Cthulhu core book pg. 106]. The only other thing of note in the room is a wooden chair facing the window where a man remains seated. If the Investigators attempt to talk to the man, they get no response and instead find a dead man with his throat slit and two gold coins sitting on his eyes, with the leather cover of the stolen play sitting in his lap, missing the pages. [If the Investigators had met Father Glancy earlier, this is a great time for them to encounter him again only murdered by the cult. If the Keeper did not use Father Glancy, an appropriate NPC, such as a Source of Stability could be replaced instead. This is a Stability Test Difficulty 3, Difficulty 5 if they knew Father Glancy from before. Cruel Keepers may use this as a moment to have Father Glancy or a Source of Stability close to the Investigators reanimate as a Zombie and attack them.]
/In play, the only Investigator not effected to read the play, instead decided this was a good time to burn the pages and the yellow curtains of the room with his lighter, while the others were busy saving its pages most greedily to fulfill their task. This resulted in some intense drama between the Investigators who'd become obsessed with the book and those who had not./
The Servants of Yama
[Antagonist Reaction]
Unless the Investigators have [Language: Hindi] and are reciting the prayers of the cult while burning incense in a similar fashion, they expose themselves to attack by the Zombies of Muskeget Island as they traverse its sandy dunes. [Occult 1-Pt Spend] Identifies the ritual of the Yama Cult as more than mere ceremony, they are legitimately using it for protection during travel against the restless dead. Those living beings on the island not practicing this ritual expose themselves to attack by zombies animated by the Cult, the Keeper is encouraged to make this attack occur whenever it would be most dramatic. The Zombies are often buried in the sandy dunes or lay dormant and rotting in a field of sunflowers until they sense the life-force of intruders on the island. They awaken and make a straight forward attack at Investigators, heedless of their own safety [Sense Trouble Difficulty 3 during the day, Difficulty 4 at night]. There should be at least 1 Zombie per Investigator, more if the Investigators have allowed the Cult time to make further sacrifices. The zombies are in varying states of decay and condition, some have been picked at by sea gulls, but all have two gold coins where their eyes would be. An attack by a swarm of Zombies is a harrowing event [Stability Test Difficulty 4].
[For creature stats, see ToC book for Zombies pg. 159, note: these zombies are more akin to Voodoo zombies and do not have an infectious bite unless the Keeper feels particularly vicious]
/In play, Investigators were ambushed by the Zombies at night, but after deciding their firearms were relatively ineffective, decided to use the rusted truck on the island as a means of running them over. This required a very tense Mechanical Repair roll to get the vehicle functioning as other Investigators held the undead at bay/
The Horrid Flying Thing
[Antagonist Reaction]
This event should only occur at night and only if the Investigators trailed the Cultists to the Island after Savitri Nair's mysterious death. Whenever the Investigators are outside on the island at night, they may hear a strange piping sound as if from a piccolo and hear the distant flapping of membranous wings in the cloudy sky. If the Investigators are in a building, they may hear something land onto the roof of the barn or the cabin, the clicking of claws against the roofing. These scenes are designed only to frighten and the creature will not risk direct conflict with the Investigators at this time. The Byakhee Servant is merely spying on the Investigators' progress for its master. [Stability Test Difficulty 3].
/In play, the Investigators fled to the barn to avoid the flapping wings and then heard the bulk of the black insectoid thing land on the roof. They opened fire with their guns through the roof and managed to wound the creature, but only enough so that foul almond smelling ooze dripped through the holes in the roof before the Byakhee fled into the night sky once more./
Ending Act Zero
The Ending of Act Zero should be an introduction to the Investigators of the Play itself. Unknown to the Investigators, the original play was copied by the antagonist, Neil Harwich after being stolen. The original was left as a psychic boobytrap to anyone else seeking its missing pages. The Investigators should now be thoroughly drawn into the strange cancer of Carcosa. Allow time at the end of the scenario for Investigators to deal with their employer and Jon Finnigan. Encourage debate whether or not they return the play's pages if recovered instead of destroyed. Whether their reputations have been effected due to criminal acts or allow recovery by Sources of Stability.
/In play, the Investigators returned the play to the Boston museum and gained some wealth from the process and reputation, however, the Third Act had been destroyed by the fire started by the Private Investigator during his insanity./
The Reward: Returning the Play to Jon Finnigan or directly to his employers in Boston is worth an increase of +1 Credit Rating for all Investigators. But this will not be the end of our story...
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