Play@YSDC

The weak winter sun is high overhead by the time the companions have awoken after a fitful sleep, plagued by visions of the horrors of the night before. But knowing that the horror has been vanquished is a great source of relief, even though the world as they know it has changed, and perhaps they have changed too.

After consuming some breakfast made up of yesterday’s supplies, they are thinking about what to do next.

"Are those...dead people still outside?" asks Alice. "What are we going to do about them?"

Balzac seems to have lost the power of speech along with his dinner. After rocking in a corner for most of the remaining night, the morning finds him chain-smoking a seemingly inexhaustible supply of Gauloises. He does not acknowledge or respond to Alice.

Isadora Carmichael

Isadora wakes up from a torturous, superficial sleep; coughing from the heavy cigarette smoke that fills the room. Her notebook is open on her laps. She takes a glance at it and quickly closes it, before anyone else sees the nightmarish (and all too real) sketches of the entity. She doesn't remember drawing them.

"I don't know what to do," she says bleakly. "The police won't believe anything we say, and will likely try to blame us for their deaths in some way."

"We can try to come up with a story, though... Leave out the part about the... thing. Say that we were stuck inside the house, with crazy things going on on the outside, screams and sounds of struggle."

"Yes, I think that's for the best," says Alice. "We haven't done anything to them or even touched them, so there's no evidence to the contrary. The only thing they could use to point to us is the fact that we were in the house overnight, but if we all stand together, they can't make anything stick. And what you said was true. We were trapped in here, and we didn't dare go outside until morning. There's no telephone here, so we couldn't have called for help. So it's important that we go to the sheriff at once. They'll be less suspicious if we report this to them."

Alice can't quite hear something.

OOC,Listen roll (55% skill) in the house: [dice]0[/dice]

Isadora Carmichael
Listen 25
[dice]0[/dice]

Alice,Alice can hear something in the distance, but she can’t discern anything specific.

Isadora,Isadora can clearly hear the sound of a car engine approaching through the still countryside. It must be coming up the driveway to the house. It will be there soon.

Henry Glynn

Henry hasn't heard anything.

"We should tidy up round here. Rituals don't look good when you're trying to look innocent."

Alice nods and gets to work cleaning up after the ritual, wiping out the pentagram and putting the components back in the box. "I heard something in the distance," she whispers. "Someone may be coming."

Everybody can all hear it clearly now. A car is approaching, and is sure to arrive in a couple of minutes at most!

Balzac stands up unsteadily and totters over to the windows. He's giggling a bit but also wiping tears from his cheeks. "A visitor, how nice," he giggles.

OOC,Are the dead people about the place?

Henry Glynn

"Bernard!" says Henry.

OOC:   Henry rifles through Balzac's medical bag to see if he can find something to keep the Doctor calm.

Henry,Rummaging through [b]Balzac's[/b] bag, [b]Henry[/b] finds a phial labelled 'Morphia'. There is also a syringe in a metal case. There are some pills but he can’t identify them. The morphia looks like the only suitable thing.

The car has pulled to a stop outside the front.

Henry Glynn

Henry thinks better of it. He puts the medical kit down and gives Balzac a cigarette instead.

"Have a seat Dr Balzac. Try not to get agitated. We'll speak to the visitors and then later we'll have a nice lunch."

Alice hurries to finish cleaning up before anyone arrives.

Balzac ambles around in little circles but manages to straighten his suit, tie, hair, hat and glasses to something approaching acceptable. He resumes smoking thereafter, absentmindedly mumbling a bit in French.

At this point, the companions hear a loud, whiny, objectionable voice outside the front door. It is unfortunately familiar – it is as Henry feared, Bernard Putnam.

“Who’s in there? Open the door! This is my property!”

He hammers on the door.

Henry Glynn

Henry rushes to open the door.

"Thank God you're here Mr Putnam ... Everyone, help has finally arrived!"

Bernard clearly doesn't remember Henry.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing on my property?" he demands arrogantly.

Henry Glynn

"I'm Mr Glynn. We met at the hospital. I think you know Miss Stanton? Your father asked us to look over the property but of course it belongs to you and we leave it in your care. Only you must be aware there have been terrible events. A lunatic has been on the loose. Probably escaped from Danvers I wouldn't be surprised. We've been holed up here all night too frightened to leave. Poor Dr Balzac has quite lost his mind.'

OOC,Don't forget to try rolling if you think it will help!

Bernard acknowledges none of this as he pushes past Henry and enters the house. He grimaces as his nose catches the combined scent of mold and rot, burned chemicals, otherworldly monster acid slime and disgusting French cigarettes.

"Oh!" he cries, holding his handkerchief to his nose. "What is that stench? What on earth have you been doing?"

He sees Alice and his face becomes cold. "You have no right to be here! I warned you not to interfere with my Fathers estate. Get out or I will summon the police."

"We came here at the express final wish of your late father," says Alice. "He had never gotten around to cleaning this place up and making it presentable and safe, and he wanted us to take care of it before you or your mother had to lay eyes on it. There was a vagrant hiding in the basement when we arrived, and he injured two of my friends very badly. One of them almost died. Be glad it was them and not you who stumbled upon him. There was also a predator living in the attic. The remains of its prey can be found up there, and that is the cause of some of the stench. We've gotten rid of it, but there is a lot of work remaining to make this house clean. If you'd rather do it yourself, we'll be all too glad to leave."

OOC,Persuade roll (65% skill) talking to [b]Bernard[/b]: [dice]0[/dice]

OOC,Good story Mr. H! Sounds convincing.

Alice’s explanation seems to appease Bernard. He begins to walk around, appraising the property, wrinkling his nose in distaste. In his disdain, he ignores the companions.

“Well, you have a lot of work to do. You’d better get some cleaning materials, hadn’t you? Instead of playing house. People will talk.”

He considers for a moment.

“Well, if you really want to spend your time cleaning the place, go ahead. I'm sure none of you have anything better to do. Just don’t expect me to pay for it. This place is a dump, no doubt I will sell it.” He doesn’t seem to care about his mother’s wishes.

He suddenly turns to Henry. “What was that nonsense you were saying about lunatics? You found one here?”

Henry Glynn

"Yes, in the cellar as Miss Stanton said. I'd say he was a lunatic - he hit me with a lump of wood. And you'll have heard that a woman has gone missing round these parts. Also there were some terrible noises outside last night, the most horrible screams. We were all quite terrified - especially poor Dr Balzac. Speaking of Dr Balzac I think we need to break from our cleaning duties to take him home now."

Henry peers past Bernard to see if there are any remains of the reanimated dead.

OOC,Bernard won't see the bodies unless he goes out the back.

Bernard gives Balzac and Isadora disapproving looks.

"Yes, well I'm sure something must have attracted the lunatic."

Finished in the kitchen, he goes to open the back door.

Balzac nods absently but agreeably at Bernard and in a conversational tone swears profusely and obscenely at him in French (but only French).

Henry Glynn

Henry helps Balzac towards the car.

Unfortunately, Bernard doesn't understand French. He merely glances at Balzac in annoyance and continues to the back door. His hand reaches out for the handle.

"I wouldn't," warns Alice. "It's even worse behind the house."

Luckily, Bernard seems to hesitate.

OOC,Luck roll (65% stat) talking to [b]Bernard[/b]: [dice]0[/dice]

"Bernard my dear boy!" Balzac cries a little giddily. "I loved your dear father like a brother [sniff], and that means I love you like an - ah - uncle! Come and give your nephew a hug!" Balzac weaves towards Bernard with his arms out wide and a glazed smile on his rather sickly face.

Bernard hesitates, and then the sight of the ghastly-looking Balzac lumbering towards him is too much. He heads back to the front door.

"Whatever you're doing just get on with it and leave" he says over his shoulder. "l don't want to come back here and see any of you. Especially you, Alice."

He leaves, and with a collective sigh of relief, the heroes hear his car start, and he drives away.

"The feeling is mutual," says Alice after Bernard is thankfully gone. "We'd better report to the sheriff before anyone else shows up."

Henry Glynn

"I think your chances of becoming the next Mrs Putnam are in irreperable disrepair." nods Henry.

"Yes, best get to Pa Peters before anyone else does and put this business to rest .."

Under leaden skies the companions return to Ma Peter’s store in Ross’s Corners, bearing their sad tidings. Entering, they find the place contains not just Ma put her husband the Sheriff and a couple of other men. They are greeted warmly by Ma, who then raises her eyebrows at their exhausted appearance.

“Dear Lord, what happened to you folks? You all look like you’ve seen a ghost!” she exclaims.

"We had a terrible experience staying at the farmhouse last night!" says Alice. "There were all these horrifying noises outside starting around midnight, and there was banging on the back door. It sounded like that vagrant was trying to get back inside! The noises stopped after a couple of hours, but we were too afraid to go outside until morning, and there was no telephone, so we couldn't call for help."

Henry Glynn

"Horrifying noises" echoes Henry for emphasis.

"Our friend Dr Balzac was particularly impressed so we must quickly remove him to a place where his agitations can be calmed."

Balzac giggles in a sickly manner.

“That darn hobo must be batshit crazy!” exclaims one of the men, turning red when he realizes the inappropriateness of his comments.

“Do you know where the hobo went?” asks Pa.

"I'm sorry, I've no idea," says Alice. "I was too afraid to even look outside."

Pa

“Well, we’d better get out to the farmhouse and take a look. Maybe we can pick up his trail. Are you folks still staying on?”

Henry Glynn

"No, it's now in the care of Professor Putnam's son Bernard. We're planning to return to Arkham with Dr Balzac (poor fellow)."

OOC,The luck rolls are insurance against a possible outcome...

The investigators return to Arkham and their regular lives, and in the days that follow try to make sense of what they witnessed. It is a difficult time, and nightmares are a regular occurrence. The sight of the creature, its inhuman voice and the memory of mutilated corpses of its victims, who so easily could have been them, are sufficient to leave our heroes frightened and paranoid. The creature is gone though, and in time they will be able to rest easily.

But the next week, they begin to receive visitors, beginning with Alice. The Massachusetts State Police, at the request of Pa Peters, are seeking information about the bodies discovered at the farmhouse.

From autopsies it is obvious that the cause of death is massive tissue damage, resulting from what seems to be an animal bite, but pathologists and naturalists alike are confounded as to what kind of animal could have inflicted such wounds.

Although the investigators are not therefore believed to be behind the killings, they need to answer questions about what happened that night.

OOC:   Did you all prepare for this eventuality? The police want to know what you know. There are a lot of strange things that went on,and if you can't give a convincing enough explanation, you might find yourselves in trouble.

Each investigator gets the same question; "What happened that night?"

OOC:   Would you all like to roleplay your police interviews? You're welcome to, but if it's too bothersome you can just provide a summary of why your character was there and what they think happened outside. The police will want to determine exactly what your role in all this is.

Mr. Handy wrote:

OOC,We'll need to get our stories straight and make sure they are consistent. We can say that the noises we heard could very well have been animal noises, though none of us saw anything. This would confirm what the police believe. The way we can make it appear is that the hobo was trying to get inside the house because the animal was chasing him, but we were too frightened to let him inside because he attacked us earlier, and we thought he was trying to get in to do us further harm. Unable to get inside, he was slaughtered by the animal, as was the missing woman. That makes us look a little bad, as we effectively left him to die, though it's quite understandable with the limited information we had. However, by admitting to this, we give it the ring of truth and prevent the police from suspecting something more sinister.

OOC:   Sounds like a plan! I think the investigators gathered to agree upon the story before the police visit. Let's take it to a logical conclusion. I hope Isadora won't attract more attention because of her former problems with the law...

"She must have been, if you found her there," says Alice. "Maybe she ran off with him, or maybe he kidnapped her. I guess we'll never know. They both must have been fleeing from that beast."

This is not the most satisfying of answers, however lacking any physical evidence which incriminates the companions, there is little the police can do.

There is another question though. Isadora and Alice, being female and therefore the 'weaker' sex, are not expected to be able to answer, and Balzac has been confirmed by his psychiatrists as suffering from acute stress (which actually counts in his favour somewhat). But it is a question Henry is expected to answer.

“Why, when you were armed with a rifle and a shotgun, did you not go outside to offer any help or assistance?”

Henry Glynn

"The weapons belong to Dr Balzac. I barely know how to use the things. I'm an author not a hunter Sir."

The detectives have no further questions. Although they feel that there is more to the companion's involvement than they state, there is no physical evidence to connect them. The heroes are free from arrest, although Balzac and Henry are unlikely to forget the stinging criticism regarding their courage and manhood, regarding their failure to come to the victims aid, and which luckily is not a criminal offense.

Equally luckily , although the Arkham Gazette picks up the story, the reporter is either too incompetent or disinterested to investigate the companions involvement, and so their reputations are unsullied. The deaths are declared to be the result of an animal attack, and the case is closed. The heroes had better stay away from Ross's Corners though.

What of the heroes though? Their courage and bravery undoubtedly stopped further deaths, and rid from this world a presence which we can only hope will never return. They kept their promise to their friend, and vindicated his faith in them. But will their lives ever be the same? Knowing that monsters and demons are real, can they go back to the familiar world of daily life? Only time will tell...

OOC,I think we're finished! Would you all like to write an epilogue for your characters? We can discuss their rewards in the ooc chat.

Isadora Carmichael - epilogue



The meeting with her loving husband is, if possible, even harder for Isadora than the police investigation. George Auden is worried to death, especially after this second "adventure". She believes Isadora's story, and is intrigued by it, but his curiosity is overshadowed by fear and worry. They argue, make up, start arguing again, until Isadora cannot take it anymore and faints. She spends two days in medication-induced deep sleep, hoping to restore her mental balance. In her dreams she is taken to bleak, illogical spaces, where dimensions slip and collide. She is pursued by an invisible beast through angular corridors, then there is a dead end. She screams, clawing on the walls, trying to form protective runes in the stone with her fingernails.

Isadora wakes up and sees George sitting next to her - he dozed off while guarding her. She wakes him up, and their friendship is restored: although, deep inside, George doesn't believe that Isadora won't pursue a new opportunity to delve into the supernatural...

Henry Glynn - epilogue

The events at Ross’s Corners have cured Henry of his writers block and he begins work on a new novel, the follow up to The Ghastly Chamber. The Curse of the Gold Sarcophagus has a strange and indefinable peculiarity not found in his previous work, although it has yet to be seen whether it will meet the approval of his Boston based publisher. Henry asks Alice Stanton for her assistance in typing up the manuscript using the excuse that his shoulder still hurts from the Hobo attack, but in truth he is slightly smitten with her and is looking for an excuse to enjoy her company. Henry visits Balzac when he can and even sends a lunch invitation to Artur Vivar.

He makes sure to call on Dr Armitage and drop off the copy of The Ghastly Chamber which he promised him.

innsmouth wrote:The Curse of the Gold Sarcophagus has a strange and indefinable peculiarity not found in his previous work, although it has yet to be seen whether it will meet the approval of his Boston based publisher.

If the publishing project gets underway, Henry would get an invitation to read a chapter at the Boston Theosophic Society's monthly literary meeting.

Balzac whiles away his days in the up-market asylum in a "medicated" haze. Initially, he is content to gaze out a big window at some pretty winter garden, smoke French cigarettes, and to know he has survived. Occasionally, he plays some jazz on his trumpet, badly. His botanical instincts gradually kick in and he starts mentally classifying the flora he sees, then in the bigger biological picture the winged or furry or insectoid animals he also spies.

Perhaps it is the morphine talking but an idea starts to form. Clearly, that creature at the farm belongs to a world still wholly unknown to science. What other such creatures exist? Maybe the legends told by the many Canadian and American indigenous peoples he had met on expeditions had deeper meaning than hitherto suspected? Perhaps the professor was on to something immense?

The scientist who was able to publicly prove the existence of this unknown world, to explain the rules that ordered it, would become justly famous. Maybe even Nobel prize winning.

And beyond fame, the rules that governed the existence of such creatures, once learnt, might lead to their being tamed and put to use for the good of society. Or perhaps if the good nations of the world could yoke such animals as weapons, there would be no danger of another ghastly Great War.

Balzac finds his enthusiasm renewed and starts to ponder where he can turn to first in his researches...

Alice is happy to help Henry by typing his manuscript for him, especially since she's currently out of work, and it also gives her the opportunity to read it. While he has allowed himself to be painted as a coward, she knows that he has true courage. She goes with him on his visits to Dr. Balzac at the sanitarium, and she stays in touch with the rest of the group who had gone to the farmhouse. They are the only ones she can talk to about what happened, the only ones who truly understand.