Chapter 1b: A Request for Help (Alice & Henry)

[Mr. Handy]

After notifying Dr. Miller that she will be helping Dr. Winside, Alice helps Henry look through the journals, with better results.

Spoiler:

Library Use roll (55% skill) looking through the journals:

Mr. Handy rolled 1d100:
29

[HoneyDog]

Alice finally finds something of interest from 1919. It is titled "Atypical Ascocarp Structures in Subterranean Fungoids" by Cornelia Price of Smith College. It describes highly unusual spores with rare, perhaps unknown properties, found in the Dunwich area. The article's contents are largely intelligible to a lay reader though, and the nature of the properties is not discussed.

The time is now 11.30.

[innsmouth]

Henry Glynn

"That's interesting. I'm not sure how it helps us yet but we should make a note of it. Let's call Isadora now. We can always come back later and do more research."

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, let's call her," says Alice. "We might find more information in Albert's rooms, but I think Dunwich is most likely where he went, if that's where the fungi grow."

[HoneyDog]

Spoiler:

Would Alice like to call Cornelia Price now?

[Mr. Handy]

Spoiler:

Yes, that's a good idea.

[HoneyDog]

Alice and Henry return to the reception desk where Alice borrows the phone and requests the operator to connect her to Smith College. She asks to be put through to Cornelia Price.

Spoiler:

Roll Luck!

[Mr. Handy]

Alice is in luck.

Spoiler:

Luck roll (65% stat) calling Cornelia Price:

Mr. Handy rolled 1d100:
64

[HoneyDog]

Alice gets put through. The line rings, and a voice answers.

"Hello? This is Cornelia Price."

[Mr. Handy]

"Good morning," says Alice. "This is Alice Stanton. I'm the secretary of Dr. Miller at Miskatonic University, but right now I'm doing some work for Dr. Homer Winside, the botanist. I'd like to ask you some questions, if you don't mind, regarding a paper you wrote in 1919, 'Atypical Ascocarp Structures in Subterranean Fungoids.' Did you already happen to receive a call about this paper recently from a student named Albert Baumgartner, by any chance?"

[HoneyDog]

Ms. Price’s surprise is almost tangible.

“Why, yes” she says. “Dr. Winside, you say? Yes, I actually met Mr. Baumgartner about three weeks ago. He came to talk to me specifically about my paper. What is this about, Miss Stanton?”

[Mr. Handy]

"He went searching for fungal samples," explains Alice, "and he has not returned. We believe he was looking for the samples mentioned in your paper, in the Dunwich area."

[HoneyDog]

“Oh”. There is silence on the line for a moment. Alice begins to wonder if Ms. Price is still there, then her reply comes.

“The samples I wrote about came from an abandoned railroad tunnel under Chapochaug Mountain. It’s south-west of Dunwich, between Aylesbury and Dean’s Corners. I told Mr. Baumgartner about the location. Of course, it’s possible that other samples exist elsewhere; indeed Mr. Baumgartner thought that there might be other locations, but it’s Chapochaug that we talked about.”

She pauses again. “Oh, I do hope nothing has befallen him. He’s an earnest young man, if possessed by some odd ideas regarding that fungus. Chapochaug is an eerie place, I can’t say that I relish the memory of it.”

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you, what you've told me will be very helpful," says Alice. "Hopefully we can find him now that we know where he's gone. Out of curiosity, what were his odd ideas about the fungus?"

[HoneyDog]

“Well, the spores are very unusual. I’ve never seen anything like them, before or since. A unique cell structure. But Mr. Baumgartner ascribed possible attributes to them which were sheer conjecture, erm… he seemed to think that they might possess miraculous medical properties, including the ability to reanimate dead cells. I really can’t see how he could have come to that conclusion. Quite extraordinary! He seemed quite reserved up until he began talking about this idea.”

Alice can hear the astonishment in her voice.

“Well, the best of luck to you Miss Stanton. Please call me again if you or the police need my help. I hope you find him safe and sound.”

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you again," says Alice. "Goodbye, and have a nice day." After Alice finishes the call, she fills in Henry and then calls Isidora to let her know.