Tales to Mystify - A Newbie Keepers Adventures into the Unknown

[Master Fwiffo]

"I'm going to try something Crazy" - Last Words of a New Character

 

Whats this?  An Original Tales to Mystify adventure!  Yes!  I'll summarize what happened here for Posterity, then go to the other thread (which has the still-tough draft of the full adventure in PDF form).

Ted Vincent and Harold Higglebotham were joined by David Carpenter, a religious zealot (Bruce Bannons player trying something new) and Simon Victors, World Famous Explorer (Ian MacMillain's player's new character).  They were joined by Edgar the Lawyer (making a brief appearance before having to leave) and Amy Laurent the female midget construction worker (who also had to leave far too soon).

When Professor Hyde was found murdered, it did not take long for the Investigators to converge on the case.  Despite the aloof Detective Klondike hampering their Investigation, they managed to get a look at the decapitated, slime-covered body and deduce that something most foul was definitely afoot.

They began the Investigative process, learning of two more deaths that happened in a similar they began research into those, tracking down the son of retired professor who's body had been found after his house had burned down, also decapitated.  They learned that other than their shared profession, the two victims had no relation.  The third took some more work, tracking down scant clues that eventually lead them to the war, where they learned he was a bum who had last been seen accepting some strange gold coins for payment, before his body had been found in the river - also headless.

But further investigation pulled up very little (and two of our Investigators had to leave), until a second body of a respected English Professor was found.  Fighting their way past the cops and the paparazzi,and with some good sneaking roles and distraction role playing, they managed to get past Detective Klondike, and find their first real clue - an Envelope with an address, bearing the name "Marcus Petrie".  

They raced to the address to find...  a flower shop, owned by a little old lady who was completely innocent.  But they soon realized she had seen a suspicious looking bum in a fur coat delivering a letter to the Public Mailbox right outside.  Further, she said he had flipped a strange gold coin as he had done so.

They began searching the area and found a Jewlry shop nearby - and it too had several of the coins.  The jeweler was reluctant at first to state where he had gotten them, but finally admitted they had been sold to him by two different bums - and also a respectable man in a grey suit.  He had kept the address of all wh sold to him, and after some brief convincing, they got the address - and they walked out just in time to see the bum in the fur coat, a letter in his hand.

 

At that point they grabbed him and forced him at knifepoint to take him to the warehouse.

The dark and atmospheric warehouse was waiting, water dripping in the cool, empt place.  As they headed toward the small office in the back, they could hear him murmering in a strange language, and the ominous hum of alien technology.  They burst in to find Marcus Petrie working diligently on a strange alien device.

They immediately demanded answers, to which Marcus brushed them off and continued working.  They pressed further and absentmindedly, Marcus related his whole tale - how he was actually the mind of an alien being from the distant past trapped in a human body after his original body (and Petries original mind) had been killed by the Hound of Tindalos now seeking him, and how the letters were "booby trapped" with his psychic scent, which would draw the hound out, forcing it to expend energy elsewhere and recuperate, buying him time to work on his Lightning Gun which he believed would kill it.

The Investigators struck a deal to help him kill the beast, collecting the remaining parts he needed, and help him with the fight.

Gun completed, they set their trap, using Higglebotham as bait as he read the letter, which drew the Hound out.  It appeared, and poor Higglebotham went mad, staring star-struck at the beast he knew he could not kill.  Petrie fired the lightning gun - and missed!  And the Hound quickly killed him, sending the alien weapon flying.  Ted and the Zealot Carpenter went for the gun, while World Famous Explorer Victors announced he was going to do something crazy - and leapt upon the Hounds back, driving his knife into it.  It did no damage, and the Hound Grabbed him and with a crushing bite, threw his body against the wall, where he soon expired (That player lost two characters in two weeks!  OUCH!).  But his sacrifice was not in vain, as the imbedded knife acted as a lightning rod for the gun, and the next shot grievously injured the hound.  But till it fought on, going after Carpenter with a vengeance - and missing twice on a 90%.  Finally the gun successfully went off again, incenerating the hound - but it was too much for the lightning gun to take, and it began to crackle and soon... explode, destroying the warehouse and any evidence...

 

It was pretty successful!  I leave some comments actually about the adventure in the other thread.

[Master Fwiffo]

Not much to say, other than preparing for Chaugnar Faugn's revenge!  A few new articles and a twist or two of my own will put my crew in the fight of their lives.  It's all or nothing against the Elephant God, and I fully intend to do my darnedest to make sure it's as hard as possible.  Deaths will be had!

Which is a good time to do it, because coming soon...

DUH DUH DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH

My first campaign awaits!  I'll have to spend the next week doing some in-depth reading and I'm unlikely to make too many custom props (instead using the handouts provided).  But I'm looking forward to some Mi-Go brain swapping!

[Master Fwiffo]

Wow, I totally forgot to do this.  In the middle of transitioning jobs, so I haven't had much time.  Fortunately, I'm on a two week-hiatus after the conclusion of Curse of Chaugnar Faugn while one of my players GM's a couple sessions of Delta Green - which he's been wanting to do, and unfortunately he's leaving for a few months after this week, so I thought it'd eb good to take a break and let him have some fun before running Time to Harvest.

ANYWAY, the Curse of Chaugnar Fagn....

The papers reported another Ripper murder, alerting the players to the fact that Chaugnar Fagn was back.  At the same time, one of the now npc characters reported that several of their mythos tomes had been stolen.  Suspcion immediately fell on Ted Vincent, our loyal PC who had been continuing relations with miss Violet Stauton.  Harold Higglebotham and Bruce Bannon went to pay Ted a visit - and found him missing completely.  Around the same time, one of Bannon's employees approached him, letting him know he had a call - it was the police station in New York - they had picked up Miss Stauton wandering incoherently in the streets, and she was asking for both him and Harold by name.  They went and approached her suspiciously, Bruce convinced she was behind everything.  He demanded to know what she had been doing.

And that's when Ted's player revealed his mind was in her body.

I have to say, the reaction at the table was one of my favorite things ever.

With Ted-now-Violet in tow, they picked up a Gypsy Mystic (Simon Victors/ Ed McMillians 3d try at a character, hoping to make it through the scenario this time: Spoiler, he doesn't). and did some sleuthing.  Bodies kept turning up around the Wharf, and an inspection of Stations house found bits of his journal, which revealed that Violets mind had been replaced by Professor Stations - but no hint from where he lived.  But finally a dream visit to the Gypsy from Chaugnar Fagn gave them the clue.  Meanwhile, Bruce mt up with Nikola Tesla for some diversions, but found the true treasure outside, the mostly insane Vladimir Trepoff, who had built a Time Space device they thought they could use to kill the Elephant GOd.

They went into CHaugnars hiding place, and found Professor Stuaton in Ted's body - now deformed hideously to look more like the God.  Ted-as-Violet snapped and attacked him, while Stauton summoned a Dimensional Shambler (from the texts he'd stolen) to attack the crew.  The Shambler was dispatched, when the Elephant God arrived.  They fled the warehouse, heading back toward Trepoff's device, while our Gypsy Mystic through a spell back at the God, angering him further, as the players got in a car and fled, the elephant God running close behind.  He caught up right near the warehouse and smashed the car as the players fled inside.  Trepoff snapped as soon as he saw the God and fled as Chaugnar Fagn marched in.  The weapon trained on him began to hurt and push him back as he pushed forward.  The Gypsy Mystic got behind him and tried to cast a spell, distracting him, but she was soon grabbed and hurled into the beam.  As the strange device wore down Chaugnar, it suddenly short circuited and began to hum (Critical fail 100!)  Ted attempted to fix it while everyone else fled - and then it exploded creating a bizzzare bubble, that, once dissipated, left only a patch of flowing grass, with Harold and Bruce staring dumbly in horror.  They quickly tracked down Stauton - and Harold murdered him in cold blood and rage....

 

Meanwhile, millions of years in the past, Ted-as-Violet and the Gypsy Mystic awoke in a strange lush forrest, the bellowing rages of the elephant god nearby.  Ted fled into the wilds - while the Gypsy Mystic approached the Elephant Got and bowed before him, pleading to serve her new master in penance for her sins, reverting to the cult beliefs she had left behind.  Meanwhile, Ted fled until he ran into a huge, connical being who seemed most surprised to see him there, and offered to take him back to the City of the Great Race for further study....

And thus Tales to Mystify had what I jokingly called its "Mid-Season finale".  When we pick up next week, well...

 

[Master Fwiffo]

It's RPG Appreciation Day at my local gaming store, which means it's time for another one off.  And I've got a special one - SPOILER ALERT!  I help kcikstart Goblin Globe Press's new work, COLD WARNING, and as it came in just a week or two ago this seems a perfect time to try it out!  So prepare for a few spoilers if you haven't gotten it yet!

 

 

Since it's a New Player draw, I've gone pretty extravagant again, with several extra props and one above and beyond the call of duty - a recording made by suicide victim Joseph Sutton who's death kickstarts this adventure into the cold.  (It's not very good but what can you do?).  I've also added an excerpt from Algernon Blackwoods The Wendigo (the Investigators can find a copy in the adventure), and as Wendigo feature prominently, I've also got hold of some "Sasquatch Recordings" - supposedly real recordings of strange yelps and cries in the forrest.  They're pretty creepy and should make an excellent addition to the atmosphere.  Now if only I can think of a way to make it really cold in the room....  

Pretty excited!  I'll post a summary after and let you all know how this new scenario went. (Both spoiler and non-spoiler).

[Master Fwiffo]

SPOILER ALERT!  
PLOT AND DETAILS FOR NEW SCENARIO COLD WARNING FOLLOW!   DO NOT READ UNLESS YOURE OK WITH SPOILERS

 

LAST WARNING

 

COLD WARNING

SPOILERS START HERE

Our crew today consisted of people from Doors to Darkness, and included Geraldine Thornhill, Journalist, Jacob Gibson, Custodian, David Wilcox, Magician,  Melissa Darvies, Scientist, and John Lucas, Doctor.

Doctor Lucas received a call fro Dr Trenton Harod, a psychologist, who was deeply concerned about the recent suicide of one of his patients, Joesph Sutton.  The Investigators gathered and arrived, and the Dr told them of Suttons strange nightmares involving the cold, and how his condition seemed to get better before he suddenly committed suicide, and how his pregnant wife Mary had been spirited away by his brother, Stuart Sutton, after the suicide to his privately owned Winter Lodge in Main.  The Investigators began to arrange travel to Main, check out the Police and Coronary reports (and quickly determined it couldn't be suicide), and interviewed the Tennant of the Suttons upper floors (who provide them some handwriting proving the suicide note was fake).  They prepared to head to the Winter Haven Lodge to confront Sutton, but that night a sudden blizzard stuck Arkham, and the next morning they received a panicked call from Harods secretary, who couldn't reach him.  They found his house covered in deep slow, and forcing their way in, they found Harrod's body - frozen instantaneously and blasted by chilled ice.  Wilcox, the Magician, went mad in the moment, and developed a fear of blizzards.

They then took the train and ended up in Winter Haven Lodge, where they met the indian housekeepers, likely mob boss Tony Morello and his Daughter Rose, and author and a Dr - and Stuart Sutton himself, who was cordial.  Wilcox and Dr Lucas attempted to sneak into Sutton private office as Geraldine distracted Sutton (01 on Charm!) and went for a walk, flirting with him and promising to meet him after dark in a place of his choosing.  Lucas went through his office and discovered his notebook - which revealed Sutton as a mad worshipper of something he called "the Master" and that the Pregnancy was likely his.

Meanwhile Wilcox attempted to break into Suttons personal quarters, but after failing a pushed roll, was confronted by Tony Morello, who became very suspicious of him.

Over dinner, howls of unknown creatures pierced the night, and Dr Lucas deliberately raised Sutton suspicions by describing the body of Dr Harrod.  Meanwhile, Geraldine took Rose aside (she had been flirting with Wilcox) and convinced her to dress in her clothes (to fool her father, she claimed) and meet "Wilcox" at the meeting place she'd arrange with Sutton.  She then informed Tony that his daughter was going to sneak out - and he grabbed his "violin case" he happened to be carrying.

That night, Gibson and Dr Lucas snuck out of the lodge, Lucas attempting to gain access to the private outside shelter where he suspected Mary Sutton was being held, while Gibson headed for Lucas's private quarters - which he got into and learned about "Wendigos".  Meanwhile, Geraldine tailed Rose and Tony - but got lost on a pushed roll.  Lucas too failed a pushed roll - which meant both were outside when the Wendigos appeared.  Lucas fled back to the lodge and got inside, barely escaping the creature, which began to pound on the walls of the lodge.  Geraldine, however, failed to outrun hers - and it took her arm.  But it stopped, and stared at the sky as a strange, unearthly scream came on the wind, and the sound of gunfire echoed through the forrest...

Geraldine, armless and half-dead, appeared at the lodge door the next morning, where Lucas stabilized her, and the housekeepers informed the remaining guests that Sutton was missing.  Wilcox attempted to get over his fear of the cold, while Melissa began preparing a tranquilizer - just in case.  Gibson went to Investigate the gunfire - and found the bodies of the Morellos utterly crushed by what appeared to be a giant foot - and went mad.

By the time he returned, wide eyed and raving, Geraldine was stabilized, and the group decided they had to get into the private shelter.  They knocked the door down, knocked out the nurse guarding Mary - and found the icy blue, grotesque, stained, filthy form of the pregnant woman.  Lucas took one look and decided they needed to perform an emergency C-Section, and then things got really weird.

The instant the human-looking child made it's first cry, Mary Sutton froze to death, turning into an icy shard of her former self, driving Wilcox mad again (THE SECOND TIME IVE WITNESSED THIS), and causing him to dive into the fire to warm himself.  Then, dozens of Wendigo appeared, attacking the shack, trying to get in as the group barricaded themselves inside, and debated wether or not the baby was actually demonspawn and had to die.

Then Sutton called out, telling them they would live if they "released Ithaqua's child."  When that call was made, Melissa stealthy injected the baby with tranquilizer - enough to kill it over time.

But using the baby as a hostage, the group walked out.  But when Sutton saw the child, he grew angry.  Expecting a demonchild and not a healthy looking baby boy, he cursed the sky and Ithaqua's name.

Immediately all the Wendigo backed away.  The Investigators tossed the baby and split - all except Geraldine, who began to stab the infant repeatedly.

Ithaqua manifested, the mere sound driving all the investigators insane.  He grabbed both Geraldine and Sutton, then attempted to breathe life into his offspring - who merely crumbled into powdery snow.  Then with a howl, he raced into the sky with both Geraldine and Sutton, and then threw them violently to the ground from hundreds of miles in the sky...

The next day, the surviving investigators wandered into down, dazed, fearing cold, and with no memory of anything that had happened the past few days.The lodge itself was found burned to the ground, the guests all missing - save for the crumpled bodies of Sutton and Geraldine, as the icy winds continued to howl...

 

And that was Cold Warning!  Back to the campaign next week!

I'd highly recommend picking this up from GoldenGoblin when they do a full release.  It was a ton of fun, well thought out and very creepy.