Eldritch Horror

[Tabs]

Rolling a 5 and then 6, lucky and excellent result!

Turn 6 Mythos Phase

Advance the Omen: blue constellation

; Doom advanced by 1 down to 10.
Monster Surge: Elder Thing, Spawn Effect -> Antarctica.

Spawn Clues: Clue spawned on Space 5.
Text Effect: Jim Culver gains Blessed Condition.


Who wants to be the Lead Investigator Turn 7? Jim will move to San Francisco and cast Shriveling, and then encounter the Wraith and Gate.

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,[b]Jim[/b] should definitely stay Lead Investigator. That way you can finish off the Wraith and lift the curse before I have my Encounter, giving me a decent chance. I probably won't be this lucky twice in a row! I hadn't realized that Shriveling takes an Action and is not used directly in combat, so you can't use both it and Poison Mist. Hopefully your blessing will be enough to finish it off, or I'm in for a world of hurt. Next turn you can go for the Clue in space 5. I can't get to London as fast as I had thought by way of Istanbul after all, since there's no sea connection there. I can't get from Istanbul to London in a single turn, which means that route would get me there on Turn 10 at the earliest (unless I go by way of India instead of Shanghai). The Antarctica route is faster, but the Elder Thing complicates things. I could easily fail to kill it in one turn. If I'm really unlucky, I could fail the Will roll and lose all of my Sanity. You do have the Install Bravery spell, however, so you could use that if I do. I could use my character's Action to turn Health into Sanity, but I'd rather get a Ship Ticket instead to speed up my departure from Antartica. With it, I could get to Buenos Aires the turn I leave and pick up a new Ship Ticket there. Then the next turn I can get a second Ship Ticket and go directly to London. If I fail to take down the Elder Thing, I can go for the Clue in the Sea space between Antarctica and Buenos Aires the next turn. If I succeed, I'm tempted to try for an Artifact. It will slow me down by a turn, putting me in London on Turn 10 at the soonest instead of Turn 9.

[Tabs]

Jim should definitely stay Lead Investigator.

Ooops, that was our plan, for Jim to destroy the Wraith--juggling several housekeeping jobs for the game means I forget simple stuff. How about if Lily kills the Elder Thing, (Jim'll cast Instill Bravery if needed), and has an expedition encounter; Turn 8 move to Buenos Aries; Turn 9 move to Arkham and team up with Jim, who'll have a Clue, he can trade it to Lily; Turn 10 she can move to London and solve the Mystery?

Jim Culver, Turn 7 Action Phase

Action 1: Move from Buenos Aires to San Francisco (spending his Ship Ticket).
Action 2: Cast Shriveling, Lore 3 + Blessed [dice]0[/dice]

[Tabs]

Jim has had an eventful stay in Buenos Aires, and now, before the gangplank of the S.S. Monterey, he hangs his head with exhaustion. He jumps when a hand rests upon his shoulder; it is the local priest.

"Have faith my child," he tells Jim. "Your good works have not gone unseen. Your brave acts are making a difference." Behind the priest is a nun who is holding a shepherdess's crook, she lowers it to above Jim's head like he is to be knighted, and then says a benediction. With a spring in his step Jim boards the ship.

He seeks out Willis, the cabin boy. "You okay?" Jim asks, when he finds him in the galley.

"Yes, Mr. Culver," says Willis happily, looking up from a mess of fishing net he is untangling.

~

The S.S. Monterey steams up the Pacific coast of South America, calls in at Panama, and then continues to San Francisco. As the ship puffs past Alcatraz Island Captain Burdock, in the wheelhouse, shouts down to Jim: "There's gonna be a bridge built here, right across the bay!"

"Hard to believe, sir," replies Jim, gazing overboard at the shoreline.

Shortly afterwards the S.S. Monterey berths in dock. A thick fog envelopes the ship and within moments Jim is drenched, so he goes hunting for a sou'wester. He climbs the ladder up to the wheelhouse. "Hey, Captain---" Jim's question is cut short, Burdock is lying on the deck jerking spasmodically, and atop him is a grotesque harridan plunging away as if she is making love; it is the most revolting spectacle Jim has ever witnessed. Her balding head turns to Jim and she snarls, revealing rancid gums and red, wet teeth. "Be gone," wards Jim, and proceeds to chant words that ol' Marty taught him back home in San Antonio. The Wraith is blasted by the magic spell, thrown against the bulkhead, one of its arms shrivels and curls like a burning twig. It is not destroyed however, and attempts to rise. . . .

OOC:   Two wounds dealt to the Wraith's Health, its Toughness reduced to 1.

Shrivelling card flipped, 0-1: The ritual echoes in your head until it becomes gibberish. Discard this card unless you lose 2 Sanity. Card kept but Whisky discarded.

[Mr. Handy]

Turn 7 Action Phase
Lily Chen books passage on a ship bound for South America and departs from Sydney Harbor.

OOC,Action 1: Prepare for Travel (Ship Ticket acquired) Action 2: Travel (Sydney->Antarctica->12[Ship Ticket]) I'd better not take a chance on Antarctica, just in case you don't defeat the Wraith this turn. The Elder Thing could drive me completely loopy if Instill Bravery fails, and even if it doesn't, I still might fail to kill it even without the curse. Nothing is guarding the Clue in Space 12. If I get it, I can then make Buenos Aires on Turn 8 and get a Ship Ticket, then get another on Turn 9 and go right to London. I think speed is of the essence here. That Doom track is ticking down, and there are only 16 Mythos cards in the deck. Best to complete the second Mystery and reveal the third as soon as possible.

[Tabs]

Nothing is guarding the Clue in Space 12

Good idea.

Jim Culver, Turn 7 Encounter Phase: San Francisco
Combat the Wraith --toughness is 1.

Will Test: Will 3 -1(Wraith) +1(ability) + Blessed [dice]0[/dice]

Strength Test: Strength 2 -1(Wraith) +1(ability) + Blessed +1(Lantern) [dice]1[/dice]

[Tabs]

Wraith's Horror is 2, Jim loses 1 Sanity--do I cast Instill Bravery? Um--er--um . . . Lore 3 + Blessed [dice]0[/dice]

[Tabs]

The Wraith is defeated. Lily Chen may discard her Cursed Condition.

Instill Bravey card flipped, 1+: Your incantation inspires courage in the face of madness, but at the cost of your own blood. Lose 1 Health.


The Dreamlands, protect fugitive: Strength Test 2 -2 [dice]0[/dice]

[Tabs]

Jim is Blessed so he passes the Test. Gate closed. He also becomes Delayed to improve Lore.

Turn 7 Encounter Phase

. . . he takes a pull at the Whiskey bottle, and then smashes it upon the ship's wheel. Jim Culver, the broken glass held out before him, advances on the Wraith, "You're gonna pay for what you done to the Cap'n!" The monster is truly hideous to behold; as he stumbles towards the repulsive thing he whispers an incantation to Instill Bravery, it works and Jim feels inspired with courage, but, at the same time blood trickles from his ear, staining his collar. Jabbing and tearing with the broken glass at the Wraith he succeeds in ripping apart its filthy rags, before gouging at the putrid flesh beneath until it ceases squirming. Jim rushes over to the prone Captain Burdock. Burdock's lips move but Jim cannot make out the words; one of the Captain's eyelids open, a fog upon the eye swirls, its colour yellow and green.

~

A suspicious-looking thug in a dark robe offers to help Jim stand up. "You are in Dylath-Leen, my friend." A stupefied Jim Culver surveys the lake and orange beach. The thug continues: "I am a fugitive being hunted by the prince's agents. Will you protect me?"

Assailants appear and begin wrestling with the thug. Jim grabs hold of the leg of one, repeatedly pummeling at its thigh until it squawks and flees, the other assailant runs away too, together, arms round each other's shoulders, they limp away . Jim is invited aboard a galley, the grateful thug tells him that he will be returned to the waking world. "I know of many forgotten truths," he says, offering to instruct Jim, and because Jim is fascinated by magic he agrees to listen for a while.

[Tabs]

[Mr. Handy]

Turn 7 Encounter Phase
Lily stands at the rail as the ship passes through the South Atlantic when one of the crewmen spots a derelict ship run aground on an island. The captain puts ashore to look for survivors, and Lily joins in the search. No survivors are found, but she does locate an old journal hidden in the other ship's captain's cabin that describes a creature that had been kept in the cargo hold that bore a startling resemblance to the goat-woman she had encountered in Istanbul. A cage in the cargo hold had its bars bent aside, and Lily was easily able to deduce what had happened. The goat creature they had been transporting had broken loose and eaten everyone. No bones were found, so they most likely had been consigned to the sea. Shivering, Lily returns to her own ship.

OOC,I'd completely forgotten to put the Cursed Condition on my character sheet in the first place, so I didn't even need to remove it. Observation roll [2 - 1 [Research Encounter] = 1 die], Turn 7. [dice]0[/dice] Yes! :D 2 Clues gained!

[Tabs]

Turn 7 Mythos Phase

Spawn Clues: Space 4.
Place Rumor Token: Space 11.
Place Eldritch Tokens: 8 on the Mythos card.

A nasty Rumor, but luckily there are not too many Gates so we have several turns before the Eldritch tokens run out. How about meeting up with Jim somewhere and trading him a Clue, and he'll solve the Rumor and Lily the Mystery? Also, if Lily has an encounter in Buenos Aires, she may get a Blessing of Isis Spell which Jim could cast on her?

And, who'll be the Lead Investigator?

[Mr. Handy]

Turn 8 Action Phase
Lily Chen arrives in Buenos Aires and begins making inquiries. She hears rumors of an island of cannibals somewhere in the South Atlantic, north of where she had found the derelict ship. Feeling that this is connected to the weakening of the barriers between worlds, she books passage on a ship to take a closer look.

OOC,Action 1: Travel (12->Buenos Aires) Action 2: Prepare for Travel (Ship Ticket acquired) We don't have as much time as you might think. Two of the next three Mythos cards will be yellow, which will have both a Gate opening and Reckoning effects. Then four of the last six Mythos cards will be yellow. We can't afford to wait on this, and I'm best equipped to handle the Rumor. It's right next to Buenos Aires, and I have an extra Clue. We both have Observation 2, but I have the Lucky Rabbit's Foot that can give me a reroll. It will delay my arrival in London until Turn 11 at the earliest, but it can't be helped. I'll be the Lead Investigator. This turn I made it to Buenos Aires and picked up a Ship Ticket. Next turn I can get another and go to space 11. If I succeed there, I can then get to Rome on Turn 10 to deal with the Gate again and London on Turn 11 to solve the Mystery. In the meantime, I think you should collect the Clues in America, starting with the one in Space 5. If you get a Rail Ticket, you can go directly from space 4 to Arkham after you pick up that Clue. You could meet me in London on Turn 11. You can even reach London on Turn 10 with 2 Clues yourself if you get a Ship Ticket before leaving San Francisco this turn and a Rail Ticket in Space 5 (which seems to be Chicago) next turn before going to Space 4. Then you could get to London directly on Turn 10 and still have an extra action. You'd be hard pressed to beat a Goat Spawn yourself without a boost, however. That .45 automatic would sure help, and you might get it if you use Conjuration on Turn 10. EDIT: I'd forgotten that you have the Lantern, which gives you an extra die. In that case, maybe I should go on to London in Turn 9 as planned and wrap up the Mystery, and you can handle the Rumor. If you get a Ship Ticket and travel to 5, you can get the one Clue you need this turn. If you get it, on Turn 9 you can go to either San Francisco or Arkham and pick up another Ship Ticket, which will get you to Space 11 on Turn 10 and still leave you an extra Action (which you could use on this turn or the next instead and pick up the second Ship Ticket on Turn 10 as your first Action; this might be better, as your Blessing isn't guaranteed to stick around and will help with Conjuration). If you can't make it for some reason, I could still get to Space 11 on Turn 11 as long as nothing slows me down.

[Tabs]

Jim Culver, Turn 8 Action Phase
He is Delayed so skips this phase. --but he can still solve the Rumor in time; if we meet up in Panama Turn 9 and Lily trades him a Clue, he can got to Space 11 Turn 10? Re. Lily's encounter: in Buenos Aires she is likely to gain a duplicate of Jim's Spell, so do you want a General Encounter instead?

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,I'd forgotten about you being Delayed. I still want to try for a Spell, in case I get Blessing of Isis or something else I can use. I also still think I should go to London on Turn 9. Turn 11 should be soon enough to solve the Rumor, especially if I can close the Gate in Rome on Turn 10, but let's wait and see what the Mythos card does before we make a final decision. A Clue could be spawned on Panama or Buenos Aires.

[Tabs]

[Mr. Handy]

Turn 8 Encounter Phase
Before she leaves Buenos Aires, Lily pays a visit to the University to do some research. A former librarian tells her that he has a collection of parchments and scrolls and allows her to look through it. However, they only serve to confuse her further. One terrible set of runes is particularly disturbing.

OOC,Lore roll [2 - 1 [Buenos Aires Encounter] = 1 die], Turn 8. [dice]0[/dice] Reroll Lore roll using Lucky Rabbit's Foot, Turn 8. [dice]1[/dice] I didn't have any Spells, so nothing is lost.

[Tabs]

Turn 8 Encounter Phase



Jim pushes past the gaunt man calling himself "Surama" who offers to teach him the secrets of Atlantis. He has no wish to gain another condition by choice, especially not a Dark Pact. "Go home!" shouts Jim.

[Tabs]

Turn 8 Mythos Phase

Advance the Omen: red sun; Doom advances 1 down to 9.
Monster Surge: Deep One -> Rome.

Spawn Clues: Space 1.
Effect: Lily tests Influence. . . .

[Mr. Handy]

Turn 8 Mythos Phase
The professor tells Lily of some contacts he has who can assist her with further research. She follows his cryptic directions, but she does not have enough money to pay for the information she seeks. She will have to rely on her instincts instead.

OOC,Ah, nuts! If only you'd been Lead Investigator. Do you want that for next turn, or should I keep it? I still think I should go to London first. Either one of us can still make Space 11 with a Clue on Turn 11. I can also go to Rome on Turn 10 and try to take care of the Deep One and the Gate.