The place for all out-of-character discussion.

I wanted to provide an update for those interested in joining. I received quite a number of RTJs, all of them thoughtful and well written. I’m going to devote some time today to reading through the submissions and I intend to respond to each of you tomorrow. I greatly appreciate everyone’s interest in taking part.

Hey to all! Hope this will be great. I have put up my first crack at Jake's character sheet -- hope the Keeper will validate when he gets a chance.

Look forward to gaming with you all.

I'm still working on the character sheet portion, but just thought I'd say hello to the others.

While he lasts, I'll be playing an old professorial type. After that, who knows?

Sully Quinn, scribe for the Trib.

Howdy all, I'm playing Arthur Flatt, a photographer of some ability. :)

Welcome, everyone.

A question. I had ambitions about posting the game’s opening thread sometime this weekend. Would that be realistic for everyone in terms of getting your characters completed? If not, please don’t hesitate to speak up. I want to make certain that everyone has the time they need for character generation.

The weekend works for me. I'm very busy through tomorrow, but Thursday and Friday cool off a bit and I'll be able to pull this old professor together.

I should have the character finished well ahead of this weekend.

Ready when you are, boss.

Arthur Gordon Flatt is ready for play. I've yet to slot in the half and fifth values for all my skills, but everything else in there is good to go, Keeper.

Folks, my sincere apologies. Some issues have arisen with the game behind the scenes that are going to require me to review things to determine how, or if, I’m able to move things forward. So, I’m going to put things on hold for a few days to determine the best course of action. I’ll be certain to post an update after the weekend is done. I am truly sorry. Everyone here has done a tremendous job with their characters in their opening posts. My thanks to each of you.

Take your time, Keeper. I'm hopeful this game will be able to continue.

Echoing Mr. Flatt's supportive sentiments. Take your time and do what you need.

Thank you for the kind words and patience. I believe we’re all good to move ahead.

Question: Does anyone have further business in Miss Hargrave’s room? If not, are we good to move things ahead?

If we are moving along, I’ll need some input from each of you regarding your next destination.

I think all we need is the list of what the police removed from the room and contact information for Jennifer’s friends.

The Professor is quite old, and was thinking of having a quick snooze in the room but I suppose he can wait until later.

In the professor’s estimation, the canopy bed appears as if it would be extremely comfortable. However, he does suspect that snagging a nap on it might strain the welcome extended to him by his hosts.

Apologies. I should have mentioned this within the narrative. Yes, each of the investigators received an envelope from Parsons which contained the agreed upon advance just prior to departing the Hargrave mansion.

Would you open the thread for clues so we can post in it? Thanks

If you have information that you want added to the clues thread, drop me a PM and I’ll get it added as promptly as possible. I’ve gone ahead and updated the thread with some additional, recent clues.

That said, the clues thread does serve something of a dual purpose: If you don’t see certain pieces of information listed there, then the information in question is likely not important in terms of the ongoing investigation.

Just checking. It appears that Mr. Morris intends to speak with Cameron MacBrady, the detective in charge of the investigation into Jennifer’s death. Mr. Wells has indicated his intention to research deaths and disappearances within the area of Miss Hargrave’s murder, to determine if a pattern of such incidents exists.

What would the other investigators like to pursue? Once I have a sense of where everyone is headed, I’ll get individual threads set up ASAP.

Sully plans to check how the Tribune is covering the story and what we've published about it. He'll talk to whichever of his colleagues might have done the reporting on the story. He wants to know the locations where each victim was found and what's been dug up on the "escaped lunatic" angle.

Just for everyone’s information: My intention is to allow Sully to check with his fellow reporters at the Tribune regarding coverage of Jennifer Hargrave’s murder and let Arthur to make an afternoon field trip to photograph the site where Miss Hargrave’s body was found. Once they’re done with their individual errands, I’ll have them meet up to interview whichever of Miss Hargrave’s friends they consider a priority.

I should have individual threads posted tomorrow.

Excellent! Looking forward to it.

Just a brief update for everyone.

One of the investigators hasn’t signed in in almost a week. Normally, that would prompt me to NPC them, but as each of you are involved in your own individual errands related to the case, I obviously won’t proceed that way. Generally, in prior games I’ve run, when investigators have come back together following such efforts, I’ll open the threads up so others can read over the adventures their fellow players have had. When we reach that point here, if the player hasn’t returned, I’ll likely post a summary of what they discovered, after making a few discreet die rolls behind the scenes.

I haven’t received any recent notices of absence. Nonetheless, I remain hopeful that the player will return. If they don’t, once the investigators are on the cusp of regrouping, I’ll try to seek out a player who would be open to taking up the role. Should we reach that point, if any of you know of someone who might have an interest in joining in, please let me know.

Double checking: Once everyone has completed their individual errands, is the plan to meet at Professor Wells’ office at Columbia, to share what has been discovered, or do you have other destinations in mind?

Yes, I think his office is a good location still.

So, we reconvene at Professor Wells's office at Broadway and 116th Street on the Upper West Side? Sully having found out what he can from his sources at the Tribune. Jake having tapped his police contacts. Flatt having developed the photos of Jennifer and her friends. Professor Wells having researched the history of the area where the murders happened.

Or are we moving on to conduct other inquiries/investigations before we meet?

Ready to go

That works for me!

I am also looking forward to moving ahead here. :)

Just went back to review my thread with MacBrady and Jake did ask where the other killings had taken place. MacBrady's verbal response was to say they were within two miles of the cemetery -- is it reasonable to suppose there might have been more exact locations during the discussion?

Those locations could have been disclosed, though doing so might have made MacBrady wary. There’s no question that the deaths are interrelated, but MacBrady’s view is probably that Morris was hired to pick up a few details to satisfy a grieving family. Catching the murderer, at least in his mind, is entirely the purview of the police.

The locations of three of the prior murders have been identified in newspaper coverage, including the Tribune. The area where the homeless victim was discovered has not been disclosed to the press.

Should the investigators wish to visit the sites, I’ll assume that MacBrady shared the spot where the homeless victim was found with Morris and will provide each location to you. Keep in mind that after Jennifer Hargrave, the most recent of the crime scenes is two weeks old. Once the bodies were removed and city workers cleaned up, each location has been accessible to the public.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:33, Fri 29 Oct 2021.

Professor, none of us know what the groundskeeper said. Can you translate for us?

I was thinking of keeping it all to myself, but I suppose I could share....

Jk. Family life keeps me pretty tied up on weekends so it takes me a bit to post.

Sorry, just checking, as we seem to have gone quiet. Were any of you waiting on some additional input or information from me?

Ah, you're right, Sully. I don't consult any notes while I write posts, so I slip up on details occasionally.

Happy Thanksgiving! I am extending my holiday time off with a week's vacation and I will be out of touch until the second week in December. See you then.

Sorry to be slow! Returning from the holidays always trips up all my routines that keep me posting regularly. Just getting back to it!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year!

Does anyone else have any questions? I think we've gotten all there is to get from this individual for the moment; I had written up a post, but didn't want to speak out of turn in character in case anyone else wanted to weigh in.

No, I don't think I've got anything else.

Jake's good. He's anxious to head out and inspect/preserve his imprint of the key so they can come back later -- like, you know, midnight, and break into the creepy tomb with all the monsters. Yeah! That's the ticket!

:D

I’m certain that, even after nightfall, The Stanton Street Cemetery is perfectly safe.

Just as a brief reminder, because I know that the holidays have come and gone since this transpired, but the investigators were also planning to meet with the cemetery’s groundskeeper at around five in the afternoon at a nearby barbershop (the same shop where Arthur met his local tour guide).

Of course, it isn’t necessary for all of the investigators to be present for that meeting, if there are other lines of inquiry that some wish to pursue.

Yeah, I was going to go to that meeting next - anyone else that wishes to join if desired.

I know that Professor Wells and Sully will be headed to the meeting at the barber shop. Are Arthur and Jake accompanying them, or are they headed elsewhere?

Arthur will be headed there, as well.

What time of day is it? Close to 5 pm, I guess. And I recall this is July in New York, so it won't get dark for another 4 hours or so, right?

Enjoying the story, BTW. Thanks.

Yes, it will be right around five in the afternoon when the investigators arrive at the barber shop. As you mentioned, there will still be a couple of hours of daylight left. At the height of summer in New York, the heat can be oppressive, but in the late afternoon it the temperature is declining a touch.

Thanks! I really appreciate it!

Sorry for being a bit slow this week, it's been a bit crazy at work!

Just in the interest of keeping the narrative moving, I will probably go ahead and have the Professor’s conversation with the groundskeeper occur “off screen” and then have him join the other investigators inside the speakeasy. If he’s able to rejoin us, I’ll summarize the information for him so he can pass it along to the others. Otherwise, I’ll NPC him and post what he found out within the next couple of days.

I'm fine with the off screen conversation, that said, I have rejoined you - I posted last Wednesday with questions for the groundskeeper. I'm fine doing sort of a quicker implementation if that helps keep things moving though!

And I, as you probably inferred from my lack of IC response, totally overlooked Wells’ questions. My fault entirely. Sorry for the confusion.

I’ll still send you the bulk of the groundskeeper’s answer via a PM, so you’ll be able to review it as needed. Once I have it posted, please let me know if Wells has any additional queries.

No problem at all! I can't count the number of times I've done that exact thing as a GM :D

Getting used to PbP is a whole other beast. I thought I was a good GM...until I tried to run a PbP game and noticed that I was only good at running games in person or over voice.

I’ve run a few games in PbP, and while I’d like to think that many have proven successful, experience has certainly not made me immune to foul ups, like this most recent one. For myself, I’ve noticed that when there have been several posts in a row, or there’s a single thread with multiple activities/conversations, sometimes I’ll overlook a player character’s input.

This served as a good reminder for me to double check everything that’s been posted prior to updating anything.

You have run many immaculate games on here. It was bound to happen at some point :D

I haven't run PBP in awhile now, but when I did so quite heavily for about a decade on this site, this was one of the easiest things to miss honestly.

It would be cool if whenever they marked a thread new, they could also mark within that thread all new posts as new as well with some sort of highlight.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:29, Wed 19 Jan 2022.

Could be a decent improvement to the responsive site? :)

Since it appears that there is some discussion regarding a late night visit to the Stanton Street Cemetery, I wanted to bring up the following points:

1. Jake Morris will be able to obtain a copy of the key to the Tapley Crypt prior to the excursion.

2. At night, the gates to the cemetery are closed and locked. The surrounding iron fence is approximately twelve feet tall. Attempting to get through the main gate or one of the side gates would require a successful Locksmith roll. Getting over the fence would require the use of a ladder, which could be procured from any area hardware store. At night, the streets on the eastern and western sides of the graveyard are infrequently traveled and not well lit so it would be possible to utilize the ladder without being observed.

3. Aside from the Tapley Crypt, if the investigators wish to enter any of the other buildings on the grounds, such as the mortuary or mausoleum, the usual efforts involving entering a secured building would need to be employed. Entering any of the other crypts would likely be more involved, should the locks on the doors prove difficult to pick. Tools such as crowbars and hammers would probably be needed to force one of the structures open. The Greenberg Crypt is an exception. One of the stained glass windows could be broken and a smaller member of the group could squeeze through to enter.

4. I should have a map of the cemetery prepared this evening for everyone to refer to.

Jake will get the key made. As he recalls, Bishop took a single key out of a drawer to show them the model mausoleum.



Were there several keys in the drawer, or just the one? Jake has been operating on the assumption that this was a master key or sorts -- but maybe not.

He's also happy to try his Locksmith skills against the gate or the Greenberg tomb when it comes down to it.

I've uploaded a map of the Stanton Street Cemetery as the Main Game Map.


Jake would've have heard the clink of metal when Nathaniel Bishop reached into the drawer, informing him that there were several keys stored there. The key that the undertaker used for the Tapley Crypt is likely unique to that structure, not any manner of master/skeleton key.

Thanks for the map upload!

Some things are just impossible to visualize properly without one. :)

Question: I know that Arthur has suggested speaking with the shoeshine boy’s grandfather. (Note that the boy himself hasn’t been seen by any of the investigators since arriving at the barber shop.) Does the group as a whole want make such a visit, or does everyone want to jump forward to the return trip to the cemetery after dark?

If Arthur wants to try and find the elderly man while others are making preparations, I can certainly pass along what the gentleman tells him via PM.

How many hours have to pass to give us cover of darkness?

In reply to The Keeper (msg # 66):

I think a visit from the full group may be a bit much excitement for the shoe shine boys grandpa, so maybe that's something for Arthur to do on his own the way Wells did with Cortes - and then we can skip forward together.

But I'm good either way.

I think Arthur will head on to chat with the old man, inquiring after the shoeshine boy as well if anyone knows where he is.

Sunset should occur shortly after seven, so I’m thinking that the group would have full cover of darkness by 8 p.m. or so. Of course, the later the investigators wait, the less foot traffic will be in the area. That said, as already established, the streets surrounding the cemetery are not heavily traveled after dark.

I’ll probably start the new thread at around 10 p.m., though I can easily adjust that forward or backward if anyone has a strong preference.

So, about four hours have passed since Jake left to get his key and Arthur went in search of a shoeshine boy and his grandfather? Sully will just stay at the speakeasy, drink carefully, maybe play some cards (Gin Rummy?), and have a sandwich. Does the prof stay with him.

About nine o'clock, Sully is struck by a thought: We need a ladder! (maybe he wasn't quite as careful in his drinking as he intended?) Scouring the surrounding neighborhoods, he finds an eight-foot ladder leaning against a garage and casually hoists it onto his shoulder. He continues on his way to the cemetery.

[All this with Keeper approval, of course.]

I assume, Keeper, that I could share what Arthur heard as well?

I’m completely fine with everything you outlined, but just for the record, if this was a Savage Worlds game, I definitely would have awarded you a Bennie for the above. :)


Absolutely.

Jake, just to confirm, you’re correct, the Tapley Crypt is the one that Nathaniel Bishop allowed the group to enter. However, despite being the apparent resting place for a Manhattan family, some of the investigators had the unshakable sense that the tomb was sterile and unused.

That said, the Greenberg Crypt, by virtue of the unnerving account in the Pillar-Riposte, is assuredly also of interest.

Just to verify: Are the investigators headed to the Greenberg Crypt next?

I think that's a good idea, though have yet to gain assent from my fellow investigators.

This weekend, I will do my best to add a map to illustrate the progress of the investigators’ explorations.

I ran behind on delivery, but I have added a map of the group's explorations of the mortuary as the map for Group 0.

If I'm reading the map right, it looks like the door Jake is trying probably just goes outside anyway. Is that correct?

No. Sorry. That’s my poor map making skills at work. It leads into another interior location.

If anyone takes the time to look out at the loading area, they’ll determine that the locked door appears to lead into the garage.

Just checking: Was anyone waiting on some additional information from me? I want to make sure I didn’t overlook anything.

Going off grid this coming week. I will post when I get back.

Do we have to post in Initiative order, waiting for the posts of those ahead of us? Or can we post in any sequence and Keeper will resolve the action in order?

It really depends on what you prefer. If this is more of an “every man for himself” situation, then feel free to go ahead and post your actions and I can resolve them all in order. If the investigators want to coordinate some sort of mutual effort against their newfound adversaries, then you may want to stick with the initiative order and discuss your actions in advance. I’m honestly fine with either approach.

Speaking for myself, I’m really looking forward to Arthur developing his recent photographs.

I will do my best to update the Collected Clues thread within the next few days.

It would appear that we’ve come to something of a halt. There hasn’t been any additional input from anyone since Jake’s post last Thursday. I know that the Professor has some personal circumstances that have impacted his ability to participate for the moment, but I haven’t received a notice of absence from anyone else.

I will give things a few more days, in case some here still wish to push forward. If it remains quiet, I’ll open a discussion on the health of the game and potentially closing up shop.

Either way, my sincere thanks to everyone who’s taken part.

I'm still having fun here, and will go as long as you want to run the game. As I mentioned to you earlier, and I can share with the group here, I recently have a new baby in the house and as such may be a little less predictable with posting.

I am glad to continue, although recently I lack the time/energy to engage as often as I'd prefer to--for the most part, it's not absence, just exhaustion.

I'll be trying to work on that (especially letting everyone know when I don't have the energy to write a post), but this past week has just hit me much harder than I ever expected.

I’m sorry to hear about your event struggles, Arthur. I will assuredly keep that in mind going forward. Hope you’re feeling better soon.

In light of recent in character conversations, I feel that I may need to add the following, which may have been previously implied, but not explicitly stated.

Jake is correct that some police standards of evidence collection could slip in this era, especially in instances when a department was under pressure to resolve a publicly troublesome case.

However, the Bishop family isn’t one that is unknown in New York society, nor are they without resources. The Bishop Memorial Cemetery (now the Stanton Street Cemetery) is the oldest cemetery in New York City. Over the years since its inception, the Bishop family has amassed a considerable amount of wealth. Nathaniel Bishop’s statements about his family being founding members of the Gotham Funerary Board and never having had been found deficient by the Board of Public Health are not hyperbole. In the eyes of New York society, the Bishops hold a sterling reputation and are within the circle of the city’s longstanding wealthy families.

All to say that, should the police arrive with assertions of wrongdoing, Bishop possesses the standing and influence to force them to proceed in a strictly legal manner, and to hold them accountable for anything that has the appearance of tarnishing the family’s good name.

Those who have expressed interest in digging through Columbia University’s vast library stacks in search of occult knowledge, I will get you shifted over to Low Library shortly (after the information regarding Tawil At-U'mr is gleaned from the volume Sully located).

Jake, I wasn’t sure if a library search is the private detective’s style. If not, if you have another destination in mind, let me know and I’ll get a thread set up for you.

Sounds like a plan to me!

Deep under the weather. Got cough, headache, body aches, sneezing and coughing, great fatigue, and fever spiking 101f. Got a COVID test this morning. Seems a good chance I got it. Will post as I can.

Really sorry to hear it, Sully. Don’t worry about this. It’ll be here when you can get back to it. Take care and get well. Hope you’re better soon.

All the best with a safe and speedy recovery.

Hope you're well again soon, Sully!

Hey, Sully -- already wished you well as Bonner over in my game. But it can't hurt to say it again.

Get better, buddy. The game will still be here when you're ready.

This has turned out nicely. I was afraid Choffard was luring us to a quiet corner of the library for nefarious purposes and that the professor would be forced to brain him with a copy of Ludvig Prinn's De Vermis Mysteriis while Flatt pinned him down.

Hey, I mean, give it a moment, there's still time for us to brain Choffard with a big book. :)

It strikes me how different research has become in the era of internet searches.

Professor Wells and Arthur: Later today I’ll get with both of you via PM regarding the status of your sanity and its impact on whatever may be forthcoming. On the positive side, if you regard having psyche altering knowledge as positive, you’re both now the proud owners of 8 shiny new points of Cthulhu Mythos skill.

I also need to ask for a bit of clarification from the group as a whole: It seems that there’s a suggestion about returning to the Stanton Street Cemetery after dark. Is that correct? I just want to be clear about what the investigators’ intentions are before changing scenes.

Sully was actually preparing to go scout the cemetery before dark, while the Professor and Arthur kept studying. But then Jake got back and Sully was going back upstairs with him.

If Jake is willing to go with Sully and delay describing his investigations until they get back, it’s okay with Sully. Maybe his report was just to Sully as they went to the cemetery. That would give the bookworms more time to GO CRAZY!!

In short, I’m good either way.

Jake, if you’re open for a trip to scout the Stanton Street Cemetery with Sully, let me know and I’ll get a thread set up.

If Jake and Sully do take such a trip, I’ll want to make sure we know where and when you’ll meet up with your (possibly psychologically debilitated) fellow investigators later.

Sure. Let's go back to the place where the dead come to life and poke around some more. Let me fetch my dum dum bullets and my garlic.

Now, Jake. The Stanton Street Cemetery is a New York institution. More importantly, it’s totally safe.

C’mon, Jake, it’ll be fun. We’ll smoke some cigarettes and drink some rumpoke around and find Agatha’s grave..

C’moonnnn.

Or do you want a hang around and watch the Prof read?
This message was last edited by the player at 02:25, Tue 28 June 2022.

He's totally up for it. But he will fetch his hold out piece to carry along as well -- a S&W .38 M&P Special w/4" barrel along with a second clip for the Colt .45 1911 he carries in his shoulder holster. And a Dirt Harry switch blade while he's at it.

Yeah, the living dead guys seemed pretty safe to me. :)

Unable to pick from the many wonderful manias, I decided to roll 3d100 to try and narrow my list of choices:

14:54, Today: Anthony Wells rolled 159 using 3d100 ((14,56,89)).

14) Arithmomania: obsessive preoccupation
with numbers.
56) Ichthyomania: obsession with fish.
89) Scribbleomania: obsession with
scribbling/doodling.

I don't know that scribbling would be fun. I'm thinking I'm going for Arithomania, and have the Professor trying to find strange numerological coincidences that make no sense at all. And as a bonus, if I manage to get my hands on the Call Fish spell, I will voluntarily take on Ichthyomania and summon fish at every opportunity I get.

Duh! Sully, not Arthur. Don't even know where that came from. My apologies. Edited in original post

You could alternatively have played it off like a mania...that Jake can't tell people apart who aren't himself :D

I think Arthur got a post in the wrong thread.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:40, Mon 04 July 2022.

I believe I posted one update in VI and one update in VIB, which was what I intended to do. Keeper, did you delete my VIB post?

Yes. Sorry. Jake and Sully didn’t take Arthur with them to the cemetery. He’s still at Columbia University.

If the Professor and he want to meet up with the others there, they can. But at the moment, Wells and Flatt are still recovering from their encounter with Cultes des Goules.

Oops, I misinterpreted the situation--I was under the impression we'd be following them out after our research (just looked back and spotted the qualifier "after dark" in message #53 in VI, while VIB is taking place during the day still). My bad.

Apologies, I’ve been having to attend some training at my workplace that has slowed my posting schedule a bit. It ends tomorrow, so I should be back to entering more regular updates shortly thereafter. Truly sorry for the delay.

Ooh, professor. Looks like we've got some decisions to make here...

I'm going to take a day to think on this.

It's July so it will be staying pretty much daylight until eight o'clock in the evening. If Sully and Jake leave the cemetery before it gets dark -- say 7:30 pm just to be sure -- we should be back at the Professor's office around 8 pm. Will the others be drooling and mumbling at that point?

By that point, Arthur and Professor Wells will be sufficiently paranoid that any noise of someone approaching the office will likely prompt them to collect what improvised weapons they can scare up and ready themselves to beat the brains out of whatever horrors they anticipate coming through the door.

I’m kidding. Both investigators have inherited some new psychological issues as a result of their recent foray into Mythos literature, but they remain mentally clear overall and capable of discussing all that they have absorbed from Cultes des Gules.

Just checking: Does anyone need some suggestions on how to proceed? If need be, I can also ask for a round of INT (Idea) rolls from everyone, if strong hints are needed.

I think that, maybe, we should study...Call/Dismiss Nyogtha and Contact Ghoul.

Anything else you'd like to look into, Professor?

Sure...let's add Voorish Sign and Resurrection to the list.

Professor Wells and Mr. Flatt: I’ll need each of you to specify which spells you’re specifically endeavoring to learn. I’m going to say that you each can learn the fundamentals of three spells apiece in advance of any further ventures in or around the Stanton Street Cemetery by the investigators.

I will need each of you to make an INT roll for each spell you’re attempting to master.

Also, is there any consensus on the investigators’ next move(s)?

12:18, Today: Anthony Wells rolled 192 using 3d100 with rolls of 88,87,17.  INT.

• Resurrection
• Summon/Bind Byakhee
• Voorish Sign

Trying to learn:

Call/Dismiss Nyogtha, Contact Ghoul.

OOC: "02:49, Today: Arthur G. Flatt rolled 48,16 using 1d100,1d100 with rolls of 48,16.  vs INT (85)."

Professor, you’ll have time, around the trip to and from the public works, to take another crack at one of those spells. If you want to select one and give me another INT roll, you may.

The Dice Roller knows this is Forbidden Knowledge:

10:04, Today: Anthony Wells rolled 81 using 1d100.  INT again.

@Arthur:

Eggs?!!?

In reply to Sullivan (Sully) Quinn (msg # 128):

I think I had breakfast on the mind when I wrote that post...

One can generally secure eggs at a diner most any time of day, as I understand it.

In reply to Arthur G. Flatt (msg # 129):

No, but CHICKEN eggs.

Yes, that's going to dawn on Arthur at the end of the meal, I think. :)

Ah yes, chicken eggs.

It’s hard for me to express just how much amusement I got out of these contributions. Well done, both of you! :)

I'm enjoying the story immensely. It makes it easier to include textured responses to NPC's and the setting in general. By the way, Thatch says "Pieces of eight!"

In full agreement with Jake on this one, boss.

Many thanks for the kind words!

With regard to the forthcoming procurement of weapons, I’m somewhat inclined to do that “off screen”, with each of you letting me know what specific firearms you’re going to be buying on the Jersey side. I can certainly field questions regarding what might be available if such queries are forthcoming. If everyone could, please note what you’re purchasing here in the OOC thread and make certain to add the relevant information on your character sheet.

Once those matters are settled, I’ll push the narrative ahead to the investigators’ meeting with Miss Surrette at the close of her workday.

The Prof is not really a weapons guy. He'd get something if Jake told him to, but otherwise wouldn't be able to hit the broad side of the barn (baseline skill only in handguns, and 40% with rifle/shotgun).

If acquiring a sawed-off is feasible in Jersey, I'm open to that course of action. Also, I'm open to going gunless and just being a scared old man!

Sully wants a shotgun, but is even less knowledgeable about firearms than the Prof. He'll accept anything the owner wants to "pawn off" on him unless Jake intervenes. He's also susceptible to being sold a small revolver (.32 caliber?) as a back up piece. He'll want a box of shells for each.

Probably he ends up with:

16 ga Shotgun double barrel  damage:2D6+2/1D6+1/1D4 range:10/20/50yards malf:99  $40
25 shells $26

.32 Revolver 6-shot  damage:1D8 range:15 yards malf 100  $15
50 cartridges $16

$97 overall

He may jave to stop by his bank or write a cheque.

We have now reached the point in the Call of Cthulhu scenario where everyone reaches for the largest weapon they can find.

Up next? Weeping and gnashing of teeth.

That's the most RPG thing ever lol

I’ll posit that Jake is well enough connected to know where a sawed off twelve gauge could be had in New Jersey, if the Professor really wants to obtain one. The weapon itself costs $40, the modification $10.

I think Arthur will probably pick up a sawed-off shotgun if given the chance, if only because it's harder to miss with. :)

Remind me not to stand in front of Arthur!

Jake, if you want the professor armed, I'll take your character's suggestion on choice of weapon. As noted above, that isn't quite this character's strength (Rifle/Shotgun 40%, Handgun 20%), but having something might be better than having nothing depending on the situation. Even we have to carry it in bag of some sort.

With a skill of 30%, if I recall correctly, you might be wise to ask for that reminder!

I lost a beloved pet earlier today, so I will probably be quiet here for a day or two.

So hard to lose any of our companions. My sympathies.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:40, Sun 28 Aug 2022.

I'm sorry to hear that, Keeper. It's hard losing a pet. Take as much time as you need.

Just so we're clear.

Pry bar (18" long):



Crowbar (36" long):

Oops. Fixed.

What does Sully know about Mr. Reina?

Sully and Jake would know that “Mr. Reina” likely refers to Gaetano “Tommy” Reina, head of the Reina Crime Family and a reported ally of one Joseph Masseria, rumored to be the most powerful crime boss in New York. Although much of Reina’s operation is centered in the Bronx, there have been rumors of him trying to expand into Manhattan for several months.

Unlike Masseria, Reina isn’t known for the extensive employment of violence. He’s gone to great pains in the past to keep his operation out of territorial disputes.

Joe the Boss!

Joe does have a habit of turning up in Call of Cthulhu scenarios from time to time, doesn’t he? :)

I have added a map of the underground as the Game Map for Group 1.

It is looking a bit like there might be something to see in those two other branches from the sewer line...I'll give it a moment to see if Sully mentions anything, but I'm definitely interested in covering all bases here.

The rough-hewn nature of the tunnels does link back to the excavations behind the burial niches in the crypt we investigated last night. Not many large burrowing creatures underneath the streets of Manhattan!

Can I get an idea of who is standing where in the room and what weapons are in evidence?

I'll start. Sully holds his shotgun and is standing in the doorway, if everyone else is in the room. If not, he is behind whoever has not yet entered the room.

Jake's just stepping into the room with his flashlight in his left hand and the heavy crowbar in his right -- taking a swipe at the closest pile of moldy clothes.

In that case, I think Arthur is just behind Jake, also toting a shotgun which he's trying very hard not to point at anybody.

Wells is fearfully walking in the back, his weapon down.

Oh, we’re a pretty crew of gunslingers. Yes, we are.

I take it that our only light source is still Jake’s flashlight. No light coming from any of the other passages.

Correct. There is no other source of illumination in the underground passageways.

Whether the dead require light to see is, at this point, a matter of speculation.

Seems like I've gone in the opposite direction as the only light, which on the bright side might mean that we'll find out whether the risen dead need light to see. :)

I have a wife in the hospital with sepsis and a major hurricane bearing down on me.

I'll be back as I can.

The hurricane took a fortuitous (for us) jog and our only damage was the loss of two refrigerator's worth of food when the poser was out for 30 hours.

My wife was in the hospital all through the storm but is home now and recovering.

I'll be back to regular posting soon.

I'm very glad to read that you and yours are fine, Sully!

The eye of the hurricane went right over our house in Port Charlotte. We weren't there, and fortunately not much damage, but we're dealing with the aftermath now. Every con artist in the world has come to SW Florida to pile misery on loss.

Good luck, Sully. You must be in Tampa.

Sounds like you're also well, Jake. I'm glad. Stay safe, y'all.

Glad you and yours were able to stay safe, Jake.

Thanks for the well wishes, guys. I feel a bit of a fraud. I'm not actually down there, just trying to deal with insurance guys and clean-up efforts remotely. We're snow birds planning to go down in a few weeks.

In reply to Jake Morris (msg # 172):

We're in Ocoee actually, near Lake Apopka, just a bit northwest of Orlando. Glad you came through so well, Port Charlotte and surrounding area was sort of ground zero from what I've seen.

Yes. Based on what the investigators know of their location, they can safely presume that they are currently in the basement of the Bishop residence.

academic=thief in this instance, eh, Professor?

In this instance? :D

No, no, in many more instances. It's a long tradition; anthropologists and archaeologists have been robbing other people for a long time. You can find their loot displayed in places that are called 'museums.'

I think archaeologists prefer the term “liberated”.

i.e. “We liberated the treasures from the pharaoh’s burial chamber so they could be appreciated by students of history around the world.”

I will, hopefully, update later today.

How far into the freezer are we? Would it be possible to just back out and slam the door in Mr. Frosty's face?

I realize we are leaving a trail of bloodthirsty zombies behind us as we move, but I have the sense we are in it in spades right now. If we can get to Bishop and settle his hash, the others will just drop like so much dead meat.

Of course, Jake is not the smartest guy in the room.

It remains possible at this juncture for the investigators to try and escape, but it would probably require a successful Fighting Maneuver to do so. One of the investigators would need to succeed with a Brawling or weapon attack, with the express intent of slowing the butler down somehow, such as pushing him off of his feet. Pulling it off would provide the opening to dash out of the freezer while Arthur or Professor Wells slammed the door shut and secured it. There is a chair at the kitchen counter that could be used to wedge the door closed.

I feel that Sully is the closest to Mr. Frost. Is he close enough (seven feet) to get a point blank bonus die?

He's definitely going to shoot this guy in the face. Both barrels.

Yes. The distance would definitely qualify as being at point blank range. Sully would be entitled to a bonus die on his Firearms roll.

Jake would likewise be entitled to the same bonus, were he to elect to use a firearm.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn't have my boy here pull your head off.”

-Gambol, The Dark Knight (2008)

Just for everyone’s information, one of our players, Jake Morris, hasn’t signed into the game in a little over a week. I haven’t received any communication from them, so I do not honestly know at this juncture whether they will be returning or not. I can NPC Jake in the meantime, but I don’t wish to do so in a way that will influence the investigator’s decisions regarding their current situation.

That said, I’m going to give the group a couple of more days to formulate a response to the walking dead man’s stupor, after which time I’ll presume that while everyone was frozen with indecision, he shook off the effect of the spell and returned to action. :)

Please don’t ask Sully to shoot any barns.

I'll post soon--the last week and a half have been a constant flurry of things on my end, between being very sick and serving as Bridesman at a wedding and all sorts of other obligations that crept up on me.

Hope Jake's player is well!

I completely understand. Sometimes, you don’t realize just how busy you are until you’re in the thick of things.

I hope Jake is well too. Hopefully, we’ll hear from him soon.

Now I'm imagining us all taking a formal vote. All in favor of shooting, say aye!

It seems we’ve gone quiet here. We’ve had quite a strong momentum for much of the game, but I know that especially within the world of play by post, sometimes interest can fade. That said, I’ve genuinely enjoyed the journey. Everyone here has done an admirable job with their chosen characters.

I’ll give this a day or two just to see if there’s any lingering desire to push forward and, if not, I’ll proceed to bring things to a close. I’ll assuredly leave things accessible long enough for everyone to collect their character sheets and any other material they’d like to retain.

Either way, thanks to each of you for taking part.

I'm very interested in continuing, but of course, the Holidays kill many PbP games--I know it's been busy for me for a few days now.

I was hoping Jake Morris would turn up, but I just checked the cast list, and seems to be NPC'd, so I'll go ahead and post as a sort of exhortation to my fellow remaining players. :)

You know I'm with you all the way, boss.

I think we lost some momentum when Jake ghosted, so let's get going again!

I appreciate everyone wanting to see this through to the end. As I said before, I’ve really enjoyed the game and the way each of you has portrayed your characters.

I completely understand how Jake’s disappearance took some of the wind from the game’s sails. Especially in this phase of the investigation, it made sense for him to be something of a leader, and when he stopped participating it left a significant void.

I’m giving thought to seeing if there’s a player who might be open to taking up the role, but given how far along the scenario is, there may not be. In that event, I’ll NPC Jake to the best of my ability, basing his forthcoming actions on the groundwork that his former player laid.

The comments on the holidays are absolutely correct. Slowdowns during this time of year are unavoidable.

Thanks again for everyone’s support. :)

Hello! New player drafted in from left field and just catching up on a few threads before leaping in to the great third act you guys have going here. I am not the Jake you are used to, but I shall do my very best to be the Jake you deserve!

Hi, Jake 2

Welcome to the game!

Welcome on in, Jake!

"I prepared Exploding Runes this morning"?

Just to be clear: The investigators are leaving Bishop House with the items they have collected and shortly afterward, Jake Morris is going to call the police with a “shots fired” alert at the Stanton Street Cemetery. Correct?

For my understanding, is the group departing back through the underground, or are they going to leave via one of the cemetery gates?

As I understand it, yes: although Jake would love to shoot I mean, arrest the hell out of Bishop, he reckons that with the zombie guards up and possibly tunnel people mentioning gunshots to Bishop after all the noise they made downstairs, he'll be coming back with more help than the gang can handle.

So we're just going to inconvienience him, steal all his stuff and run away, out of the front door then whichever gate isn't furthest from a lit area. Maybe even the front one if there's nobody about. It's not so much of a 'victory' plan as a 'staying alive' plan.

Jake might go damage the door they got into the house by so it's harder to hide, not decided yet. I think he might have touched a doorhandle barehanded, too, so if that's not too far down he might go back far enough to wipe that down, his (probably?) being the only prints the cops have on file.

Sully's ready to scamper out the front door and back to populated areas.

He's not worried about fingerprints and such. He can't imagine Bishop will allow a bunch of cops to snoop around his house.

Got pretty sick yesterday, thinking on this--I think the other house, which we explored previously, had a way out onto the road, right?

EDIT: Oh yeah, Arthur's good to move out. :D
This message was last edited by the player at 11:22, Fri 02 Dec 2022.

Sorry to outsource all the most sanity-offending tomes, but although Jake has a high EDU, according to his bio it's not in the right areas for more than entrance-exam Classical Latin. Wormy Mysteries does sound like a children's book with charming watercolour illustrations, though. Maybe that one's not so bad?

Oh, I don't expect any of us will be spared on the SAN... :)

Just a quick request for clarification, before any rolls are made and information doled out. Am I correct in assuming that initially, the investigators are skimming through the volumes they have selected, seeking a broad understanding of what each offers? Or are they earnestly reading through each of the tomes?

Jake's definitely skimming, since he has the random selection from the library in general to look at rather than the special collection stuff.

He also thinks the skull nubbins are goat horns added for Mysterious Anthropological Reasons rather than an indication of anything unusual, so with the Prof not having any particular ideas, he'll look out for indications of whether skulls or idols like the ones they have might be useful bargaining chips. That and any other clues to the identity of the unruly tunnel folk.

I think Arthur might go from skimming to dedicated reading pretty quickly, but he's certainly starting at skimming.

Sully is skimming the ‘diary.’ His first purpose is to get a sense of the time period it covers, followed by indications of who the authors might be, and finally some idea of the subject matter. Toward the latter parts of the volume, he’d look more closely for indications of why young girls might be slaughtered.

I think starting with Skimming is a good idea; if we get full read times on the tomes, that would probably help determine whether or which of us should read fully.

In reply to Sullivan (Sully) Quinn (msg # 210):

I don't think there's actually any strong gendered element: Jake's focus on the lady victims stems more from their mission and his general Marlowe/Eastwood character vibe. There may be some, of course, since younger women are conditioned to avoid unlit ways home 'or else', so the fairly even distribution of kills suggests a bias towards (less available) women...but then women also average smaller and socially trained to avoid violence (and more vagrant men can vanish without being specifically missed), so it's probably fair to characterise the murders as opportunistic predation in the most basic sense of the term.

Indeed, if more was eaten or there was any evidence of attempts to tree kills, we could call the killer some kind of shoddy apex predator. As it stands, he looks like a very sad bit of necromantic débris with jackal instincts jury-rigged into something with hands serving arcane and terrible purposes. Critter makes a mess (Bishop seems into that, though, given his scrapbook). Jake doesn't know that, though.

You had to say it! :D

I'm very glad that this game seems to be getting some feet back under it. :)

It's doing really well for an investigative game near The Season, I think - well done, everyone!

I am laughing so hard at Jake's hard fail with the tamer stuff here. Just picturing a pan over the others being absolutely cool and level-headed about the cult/murder diaries of some necromantic ghoul hybrid sorcerers, the terrifying revelations of Wormy Mysteries and the dread Necronomicon, and there's Jake absolutely freaking out over Hot Pot Tips and the Liber Paginum Fulvarum...
This message was last edited by the player at 13:38, Sun 18 Dec 2022.

Yeah, this time of the year really messes with my schedule a bit.

In reply to Anthony Wells (msg # 216):

It does so for everyone, I think.

Every game grinds to a slow pace and maybe even dies out. Lots of games starting too, most of which don't go the distance, you know?

Just for everyone’s information: I’m working on the next in-game post, which may be a bit on the long side, in part because it provides individual information on each of the tomes that the investigators are studying, as well as some of the commonalities that the volumes share, which tie together with regard to the investigation of the Bishop family.

I should have it all together in the next day or so.

The hard work's appreciated, boss. That's got to be a lot of describing.

Yeah, take your time with it, we'll all be on hand. :)

with bated breath

Seasonal music?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_NYNuAdIv0

...well, thank you for all that describing, Keeper, and I hope Jake's was the longest you had to do, because gosh. Anyway...

*digs a tunnel from the sewers up into NY Harbour from below sea level, making the usual drain problems seem trivial and flushing extremely startled demihumans into the street along with miscellaneous marine débris* Happy New Year: ghouls and buoys! and anyone else washed blinking into the light, of course: the sea is a nonbine' harvester, after all.

</cryptkeeper>

No worries. I completely understand. I had an injury right around the new year that made the first week of 2023 slow going for me, but things have improved significantly since.

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you're mended soon.

Oh no! I'm glad things have gotten better, but an injury is never good news.

I have a few gaming friends who got ill in December as well, who are all now just getting back into the swing of things, albeit slowly.

I really appreciate the understanding. I’m mostly mended up, I’m happy to report. There were a few days of discomfort, which I passed with reading and pain medication,

Glad to hear that you're better!

Good that everyone's on the mend.

My apologies everyone. I’m in one of the areas of Texas that got smacked hard by the recent ice storm, so dealing with other necessities has put a pause on me getting things updated. My situation should be back to some semblance of normal this weekend.

That's more than reasonable! May your house be warmed and food easily available, and thanks for checking in.

Oof! That's pretty tough. Hope things turn up soon.

Sending warm thoughts, My Keeper.

Speaking strictly from the point of view of the Keeper, I think the amateur dispensation of explosives sounds like an extremely entertaining idea.

See, I was only going to collapse the junction of Sherriff St. & 2nd with high-pressure sewage/tidewater, but blowing the entire cemetery up sounds much more fun. :D

So...do we tell some demolition pro that we're going Aussie fishing for gophers, or what?

Sully, I think you're the voice of reason at this point.

Maybe to cover our tracks we should blow up a few other neighborhoods to, you know. To throw them off the scent.

I can say, with some degree of certainty, that were the investigators to, for instance, flatten the East Village or Tribeca, the police would be sufficiently distracted not to concern themselves with events at the Stanton Street Cemetery.

No, no, we need to bomb other cemeteries, then the police get distracted trying to work out our body count.

Voice of reason: No no no we mustn't bomb cemeteries.

Player: Bomb cemeteries? Coooool...

Dynamite is freely sold in most rural hardware stores but may be more difficult to obtain in Manhattan. Then again, Jake may know a yegg who brews his own nitro.

Arthur...? Tell me this isn't the best plan we've got.

In reply to Jake Morris (msg # 240):

I've been thinking and, honestly? I think the suggestion to flood them is probably a good one.

Granted, it probably won't kill all of them, but if we can get some of them it could cripple their ability to function for a while...

That, and we have got their creepy books, so we need to do something before they surface looking to settle scores with us. :)

Just to put it out there: This isn’t the safest option, either in terms of life and limb or sanity, but if the investigators were able to find evidence of one or more murders in the Bishop family’s underground lair, and Arthur was able to produce pictures of the same, that would be sufficient to compel officers of the NYPD to proceed into the sewers.

In reply to Arthur G. Flatt (msg # 241):

Make some indication of that IC along the lines of 'well, that sounds hard to explain without getting put on some special lists, why don't you make that call to Vicky', kind of thing? Jake's just about chewing the chair for want of something to get at; he jumped to explosives when Arthur brought up Bishop's tunnel entrances but hasn't really thought about it.

@Keeper: Feel free to correct me, but as presented, the "sic the cops on them" plan would seem to require that the Bishop clan be a) out when we burglarise them (again) to take pictures b) in when the cops arrive to arrest them and c) arrestible...for all his conflict with the actual law itself/due process Jake does have some remnant loyalty to lawmen, and won't get them killed if he can help it. Humiliated or knocked around, maybe, but we're talking an unknown number of unruly tunnel people, undead servants with any number of blades attached, and heart-exploding witches.

Jake also thinks even the least unruly tunnel folk are actual incarnations of evil, so if we could theoretically drug or gas them to sleep, he's going to want to poison them/violate the Geneva Protocol by that means...and that still leaves the undead, which he assumes Agatha is, and any "homunculi", which are an unknown quantity but possibly better at the whole heart-exploding thing, which is not ideal. Hmm.

In reply to Jake Morris (msg # 243):

At the same time, though, involving the police in that way would clear us of any wrongdoing, you know? That's just one additional factor to consider in this whole thing.

That, and taking care of this rather large problem is also technically in their wheelhouse and not ours.

You could advise them to exercise due caution, based on the notion that the Bishops are well-armed (true, although probably not in the way we might tell the cops that they are).

Obviously, there’s not going to be a guarantee that, were a group of NYPD officers to descend into the tunnels, that they would be able to locate Nathaniel Bishop and arrest him. The situation is certainly a fluid one. However, the evidence and research that the investigators have encountered this far suggests that the disappearances on Lower East Side stretch back for decades, likely as long as the family has made their home there. There is the possibility that evidence of their murderous activities exists within the lair they maintain underground. If said evidence came to light, it would prompt police action. Admittedly, such action would not be without risk, which is a factor the investigators would have to weigh, given what they suspect about the denizens below.

The good news, such as it is, is that law enforcement’s current involvement in the strange goings on at the Stanton Street Cemetery has imposed some difficult restrictions on Nathaniel Bishop’s movements, at least for the time being.

An additional consideration: The material which the investigators have reviewed, especially that which is contained within the Bishop family grimoire, indicates that at least some of the murders/disappearances have occurred in an effort to offer sacrifices to Nyogtha, some with the express intent of creating hybrid creatures: humans infused with Nyogtha’s essence. My point being that some of the victims have likely been brought underground for use in the family’s horrific rites. As such, there remains the possibility that some of them may still be in the tunnels below, not having as yet been subjected to whatever hideous fate the Bishop family has planned for them.

I hadn't picked up that there were any modern disappearances alongside the murders - if Jake is meant to know about them, just say he's temporarily forgotten on account of having his awareness of reality cut from under him. He'll storm the tunnels at once if someone reminds him. :D

I'll try to offer that suggestion in character.

I'd also like to say that while it may seem like a rational thing for our characters to just call the police, from a game perspective sitting around and letting the NPCs handle the rest of the scenario for us is anticlimactic.

I'd like to suggest instead of calling the police that we look for reasons why we have to be the ones to do the thing. The protagonists in these stories often tend to be driven, often by impulses that they can't understand, to know more about that which they shouldn't.

Jake's out of the room now, though...someone want to go catch him with the Prof's revelation, for drama?

I don't think it's so simple as all that to be worried about - we'd need some "sane" evidence for the police to act on, which was why the Keeper suggested we go down there and take pictures. I mean, we could tell them that there are demons and cannibal witches in the New York sewer system, but somehow I don't think that'd get them incarcerated.

However, Jake's 140lbs of non-military alcoholic dirtbag (affectionate) that thinks he's the Punisher: like I said, just point him the right direction and go 'SMITE' and you'll have to hold him back.

Jake, in his own mind:

That would put a whole different slant on this. I don't have anything like that in my notes either. Did I miss something important? Wouldn't be the first time.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:41, Wed 22 Feb 2023.

If anyone missed it, it’s entirely the fault of your Keeper for not making it plain. My apologies. The evidence the investigators have been privy to definitely suggests an ongoing pattern of disappearances, leading up to the present day. I’m afraid that I failed to emphasize that said vanishings were still taking place at present.

It will probably come as no surprise that many of the disappearances do not come to the immediate attention of the police, as some of those that vanish are without family and in circumstances in which they would not be missed. Even some workplaces in the Lower East Side have a fluid workforce of the sort that a worker not turning up isn’t going to prompt a supervisor to contact the authorities. Some that disappear don’t have anything to suggest that their sudden absence even has any tie to the Lower East Side.

Nonetheless, people have continued to vanish from the area.

My apologies for not making that a stronger narrative current.

Well, I suppose the thing to do is pretty obvious now: we should charge in and rescue any surviving disappeared people! :)

You get the grenades. I'll bring the Tommygun.

To the IC thread!

seriously, someone tell Jake.

Just to be clear: Despite all of the prior discussions, I remain supportive of the amateur demolitions plan.

Apologies for the double post. If there is any additional equipment that the investigators wish to gather prior to their second urban spelunking expedition, please let me know. I don’t think that the procurement of said supplies will need to be role played, but I do want to be certain of what the group is taking with them.

How much dynamite would be needed to ensure that nobody in a one block radius of the mortuary survives? Asking for a friend.

In all seriousness, I think dark clothing, gloves, and adequate light sources will be helpful. I know that in the last time, Jake procured us some firearms, so as long as the Prof has access to an additional shotgun (not that he was of much help...) that will be good. Also, he will take a backpack in case he finds more occult relics that he can liberate for the purposes of donation to the university's collection or a museum.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:00, Fri 24 Feb 2023.

Two words: Sewer gas.

One judiciously placed case of dynamite would likely be more than adequate to turn the Stanton Street Cemetery into the Stanton Street Chasm.


All easily obtainable prior to the next journey underground. I believe all of the investigators should still be in possession of the firearms they carried during the previous foray.

We need more than one case, then, for the other cemeteries. :D


*ahem*. Since he'll now have to wait for Vicky to call him back (if he hasn't direly offended her) Jake will consider staying still long enough once informed of the prospect of prisoners to think this out and get some equipment...

He'll want the torch, gun and crowbar, of course, and might as well take his lockpicks in case of shackles, will still grab the nearest stinky and/or caustic cleaning chemicals (maybe pausing to source tinfoil if there's Drano), and will advise Arthur to make sure he has spare flash equipment and everyone else in general to grab first aid stuff in case.

Sully certainly wants a lantern. Or better a carbide lamp to clip onto an old fedora or a hard hat of the type miners/sand hogs wear. Should be available in a hardware store.

None of the equipment requests are vaguely unreasonable. Go ahead and add your additions to your sheets, primarily so I don’t forget who has what. (I really appreciate how the 7th Edition makes the procurement of needed items a fairly simple matter).

Am I correct in presuming that the investigators will be entering the underground via the same access they do previously and acting under cover of darkness?

Waiting until they're mostly out foraging would be the sensible course, but Jake intends to go as soon as Vicky's called him back and been updated (presuming Sully's currently over at the desk to tell him about the hostages ASAP). Everyone else can hold onto him like sane men, though.

My apologies for being slow. I should have everything moving forward by tomorrow.

I feel like Jake would probably object to messing with a potential crime scene here, but I presume he's occupied with the manhole cover - is that a STR roll or anything?

I just want to double check, so I don’t end up moving the investigators somewhere they don’t wish to go (not that they want to be down in the sewers in the first place). Am I correct in understanding that Jake is leading the group into the southern cavern/passageway?

Doesn't the blood spatter trail go north, past the trolley? Maybe that needs a Spot to resolve...

Oops. Yes. I got north and south turned around. I meant, is Jake leading the group into the northern cavern?

Time for a bit more coffee…

Well, if you don't know which way up we are, no-one does...Jake is heading north, assuming the spatter looks like 'wounded and subsequently dragged away bleeding' rather than 'splash from injury on the spot'. Whether anyone wants to follow him is another matter...

My apologies for running behind with updates. My work last week was a non-stop challenge. I should have things back on track tomorrow.

Similar apologies for my long absence. I've been very sick lately, and then very busy, and getting back into things here has been a challenge.

Glad to be back into things, though. :)

Glad to have you back, Arthur! Hope your health is improving.

...his flesh to strip, his bones to crack?

and if we're slow, then to attack?

down in this maze without a track?

where heads are placed upon a rack?

and sanity we're soon to lack?

We should start a band when this is all over!

In reply to Anthony Wells (msg # 273):

:D



I choose to believe this is a Freudian slip, Sully.

Apologies for my recent slowness. Had a spike of busyness that was a little unexpected. I should be back to more regular updates now.

Can all of us hear the chanting from below? As I read it, just Sully so far.

Sully, in character, your sharing that information might help add a sense of urgency for the other PCs. Just a thought!

^ He told us! vewy vewy qwietly.

I get the feeling Jake is building up to doing something amazingly dumb here in the name of Justice-as-Vengeance...he really wants to hurt some unruly tunnel people right now.

I think anyone who is in the current room would be aware of some low level vocalizations coming from below, though Jake and the Professor haven’t heard the chanting as clearly as Sully and Arthur.

In reply to Jake Morris (msg # 277):

Ah, I see. For some reason I interpreted that as whispering to himself.

In reply to The Keeper (msg # 278):

Thanks for that! That solves the problem either way for me at least. Until the Prof goes raving mad in a bit here.

Mentioning OOC here that Sully's plan is objectively 100% better than Jake's, but Jake won't voluntarily allow the sacrifice to go through and is in crusader mode besides.

He's hoping the mobster might join him, but is fully aware that he's the only one of his party that's willing to shoot people as a matter of course and would rather the "civilians" got out of there unless one's super keen...I don't think he's quite insane enough to go down on his own, and will give up if it sounds like Grey Hair is dead, but he doesn't want to engage the enemy anywhere a missed one can go lurch off after the hostages/ notice they're missing at once.

In reply to Jake Morris (msg # 280):

My interpretation is that the large room with the pit from which the chant is issuing is separated from the corridor where we found the captives. Keeper?

Also, I think we heard the death cry of the sacrifice.

That would put an entirely different spin on the description of the sound (bolding mine)...



...but if he's enjoying himself, hell yeah, leave him to it.

No. My apologies if I’ve brought on any confusion. The investigators are in a single chamber. The captives were being held by iron manacles on the wall of the room. On the eastern side of the same room, there is an opening in the floor with iron rungs which can be used to access an area below. It is from this opening that the chanting voices can be heard.

Thanks for clarifying.

Can I have a quick review of who has what firearms. Sully has a shotgun and a revolver.

Got a Colt and got the crowbar. Not a firearm, but it's cool.

Got a scorch bomb for alternate area attacks, maybe, and Gangster Buddo has the drain cleaner in case bullets don't work.

The Professor has a shotgun but he isn't very good with it.

Arthur has also got a shotgun and is not necessarily super great with it!

Okay, I just want to verify that I’m understanding the investigators’ intentions, since there has been a spot of friendly debate regarding how to proceed. Is the group planning to proceed below? If so, is the recently rescued gangster going to be accompanying them? For the record, Jake’s erstwhile spirit guide will be following, whether asked to do so or not.

As I understand it, Jake, Arthur and the Prof are going down (and Miss M. will be invited if she answers that she can't get hurt by witches), and Sully and Gangster Buddy are getting the captives out of the way and the photographs out with a nice armed escort.

I think Sully might have been plotting some weapons-swapping if needed, but I don't think there's anything wrong with filling an enclosed space with buckshot what we have.

Apologies for being a tad slow. I’ve had to do a bit of planning to accommodate the branching directions of the investigators. I should have threads covering the divergent destinations up tomorrow.

I'll have to offer my own apologies as well--the last few weeks have been a disaster, between half-week long bus trips and broken technology.

I'm very lucky to have just survived a layoff at work, but had to take on a brand new portfolio of responsibilities, so it's been a little slow on my end.

The real world is conspiring against us all, but we will push through (to the insanity that surely awaits our characters)!

I'll be at the Origins Game Fair next Wed-Sun and busy until then polishing up the four events my daughter and I will run. We've been doing this for about 25 years now.

While at the con, running and playing Call of Cthulhu events will leave very little time for Rpol.

I'll check in as I can until Wednesday.

Best of luck at Origins, Sully! Hope all your games go well!

Ahoy, Keeper - does this chanting sound like we've got "a few minutes" to stare at goats triangles?

I was getting the impression from up top that they were about to do the thing in seconds and we were already probably too late (but had to try), but maybe they sound mid-incantation or something, so thought I'd check.

Yes. You’re hearing chanting that is rising in intensity, but not the tortured shrieks of some poor soul about to meet their doom.

Apologies, Keeper and comrades.

Got back from Origins with dreadful con crud/sinus infection (not helped by air travel). Partway through course of antibiotics and feeling like maybe I won't fall asleep/pass out every five minutes.

Will try to get caught up today and post by tomorrow latest.

No worries, Sully! Just focus on feeling better. This will assuredly be here whenever you’re ready to jump back in.

I do feel the need to mention, due to the prohibitive costs entailed with interdimensional travel, there is the possibility that the gate is limited on poofs. As in, one poof per customer.

Distressing, but Jake is following the Professor's superior knowledge here and basing his instructions on that, so...if it's one-way for humans/sacrifices, this could end badly. Note that Jake's first instinct was to shoot the gate up!

We could on the other hand, wait for any already insane villains to come back through the gate then ambush them.

I'm not entirely sure I like the idea of gate-drunk heart-exploding sorcerers on one side and those wandering ghouls we heard down the passage on the other...Jake's aggressive and protective by nature like an actual terrier, but he's still a New York cop at heart and will protect his comrades first and treat the public as a trolley problem: if he thinks something is pointlessly suicidal he won't encourage those with him into it.

We came down here to stop the ceremony and save Grey Hair: if neither are possible, locking the sorcerer types in their boardroom for a while so they have to use power gained by sacrifice on getting out (if they can!) rather than grander nefarious purposes seems more sensible to me than fighting them at almost the height of their effectiveness, even if we take all three known to be the worst threats out by surprise in the first round. That's just my take, though - if Arthur's still around I'd like to know what he thinks.

If it seems possible to save the sacrifice and not subsequently starve to death with him in an unknown pocket of Hell, Jake is certainly game to try.

In case it is lost in the subtext, I've been trying to gradually explain the Professor's willingness to go down these increasingly fraught pathways by an inexplicable curiosity, and a drive to know more, regardless of the cost - somewhat akin to perhaps a Lovecraftian character. So though it may make no sense for this egghead with no weapon skills to be going through a gateway with a shotgun, that's what is driving him.

So he'll probably go through regardless, but I'm just stating the options.

Oh, that's plenty clear, though I hadn't quite realised he was willing to sacrifice others to poke the weirdness. Jake may or may not feel a need to bonk him over the head, but I'll hold off on making dire decisions awhile in case Arthur comes back, since the Cast List says he looked in a week ago.

Keeper, do you have any opinion on how long it would be fair to wait? I don't want to exclude someone for being really busy for a bit or hold the game up right near the end when we've already spent something like a month over a few in-game minutes.

I'm not sure he's willing to sacrifice others to poke the weirdness part; if anything, he's trying to give other people an 'out' if they need one, or offering other options.

And likewise, Keeper, I'm also willing to wait on a busy player as we get deeper into things here.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:54, Wed 19 July 2023.

Well, Jake seems to have wound up sort-of in charge through sheer force of aggro a decision-making personality, and he's just reiterated that his motivation, leading, is to rescue someone he doesn't know at great personal risk; if someone he does know imperils himself, I think it  can be fairly easily predicted Jake will feel compelled to go after him into even more dangerous situations, possibly dragging Arthur along too.

That is, if Jake doesn't think he can one-man-army through a situation with a little more Luck than is common to expect, he's not going to just sit by and let anyone squishier attempt to do that. I mean, this lad is trying to protect the ghost, and she's not even stabbable.

Please don't take this as criticism or a request to tone down a cool character arc, by the way, just extra perspective: I'm quite game to die a terrible death if that's where we wind up, that's Call of Cthulhu.

First, let me thank everyone for their patience. As each of you can obviously sense, the game is drawing near to a conclusion. I greatly appreciate each of you sticking around.

Here’s my plan: I’m going to give Arthur another day or two to chime in. If I haven’t heard anything by Friday, I’ll roll things forward.


Aw, c’mon! Be positive! What could possibly be waiting on the other side of the gate?

I'm almost positive it is going to be a social encounter.

Is it cake?

I’m having a melanoma site on my shin scooped out today. Not sure what that will mean for sitting at the PC for a few days.

Just focus on getting better, Sully. This will be here. Praying that that procedure goes well!

Thanks.

Procedure came off without a hitch but a bit restricted and kind of fatigued when I do much.

Feeling hale and hearty by now, I hope? I was going to say I thought we'd lost the Prof. and as such intended to express the hope that we (the players) knew Sully'd got out, at least, but he seems to have been about last week, so...maybe our side still gets an ending? Probably not a good one, this remains an exeedingly stupid plan in terms of self-preservation, but still.

https://probablybadrpgideas.tu...py-someones-gotta-be

Please pardon the delays. I've had the craziest few months, literally doing the work of two people at work, and was on the road for five weeks with my family, capped by attending Gen Con (all the while being nagged not to attend Gen Con).

I checked in here, but somehow didn't realize it was my turn. But I'm here now, and I have taken a turn.

Glad to see you back! Alas, are you in quarantine now? I hope the con proved worth it.

Very interested to see what a critical failure in Anthropology looks like.

I tested negative for COVID thankfully, so no quarantine here. I preferred it last year when they required vaccination and masking, requirements that they dropped this year. I wore my mask whenever I was in mass crowds, but that's about it.

The con was definitely worth it. I saw friends, and played a lot of games.

Okay, just a quick check: Busyness has kept me from attending to this game as I should have. My sincerest apologies. However, if interest remains, I would  like to bring it to a conclusion for those still present. We’re actually quite close to a denouement, for good or ill.

If those still about could let me know if they want to finish things up, or simply proceed with closing up shop, I’ll proceed accordingly.

Either way, my thanks to everyone for taking part.

I'm totally down to play until the end especially with us this close.

What he said - we've struggled with the end, for sure, but  we're still here! We can wait.

I'd very much like to continue my thread and combat with the foe.

FYI: I seem to be suffering a run of bad luck (did I step on a spider?) that includes my faithful laptop abruptly ceasing to turn on, leaving me with only a slightly broken inherited iPad for home internet access.

So if this game updates and I'm mysteriously lagging for a while/making slightly rushed-seeming posts at lunch, that's why.

My apologies for the brief silence.

I moved into a new residence yesterday, so most of my personal belongings remain in boxes at the moment, a situation I’m slowly rectifying. :) As well, there was a hiccup with getting my internet set up, which required a tech to come in and install a new broadband jack, but all is well on that end now.

I should be able to get things moved forward later this evening.

Happy house-having! I hope you've got your bowls out and pictures up, Keeper.

Hey, Professor, did you hallucinate posting again? Saw you seemed to be about a moment there.