Chaosium Digest Volume 7, Number 10 Date: Sunday, October 2, 1994 Number: 2 of 3 Contents: The Jonty Scenerio, Part One (Alligator Descartes) CALL OF CTHULHU -------------------- From: Alligator Descartes Subject: The Jonty Scenerio, Part One System: Call of Cthulhu THE JONTY SCENERIO PART ONE Time Zone: 1920 - 1930 Setting: Southern England. Midway between Glastonbury and London. Manor in the countryside with small village nearby. Rough Sketch: "Lurker at the Threshhold" meets Crowley's "Moonchild". ** TABLE OF CONTENTS Dramatis Personae V7.10 +35 Player Breakdown V7.10 +102 Area Map V7.10 +124 House Plan (Ground Floor) V7.10 +198 House Plan (Upper Floor) V7.10 +326 House Plan (Attic) V7.10 +453 House Plan (Basement) V7.10 +490 Basic Plot Outline V7.11 +20 Timeline V7.11 +76 ** DRAMATIS PERSONAE Jonty Ffarquar-Smythe, The Lord of the Manor (34) Sees the world through glassy eyes. Nothing really seems to register at all. A bit of a secret drinker (through the day). Takes a 'hunting, shooting, fishing' attitude to everything, and firmly believes things will go away if he ignores them long enough. This last note applies to Henry, his wife. A bit of a drip, really. Henry (Henrietta) Ffarquar-Smythe, his Debutante Wife (29) American woman who married Jonty believing he was titled. Instead, he's just landed. She was a bit peeved to find this one out. She and Jonty now live in separate rooms and tend to lead separate lives. Henry starts drinking heavily early in the evening and can usually be found in the drawing room early in the morning by Thompson in a state of complete oblivion. Henry tends to wear sunglasses quite often, and doesn't eat much. Thompson, the Butler (63) Solid and dependable, has been in this family for over 40 years &c. Knows *everything* (within reason) that has gone on, also. The proverbial mine of information. Thompson is trying to use the villagers as sacrifices for his Gods, the Old Ones, and to do this, must firstly eliminate the Ffarquar-Smythes. Once he has done this, he will inherit the Manor, titles, and all the land in the area, including the village. He then may act as he pleases, without fear of repurcussions from anyone. Cook, the Cook (58) Cook has been in the family since the day she was born, her mother being the Cook before her. She knows 'young Esther' (see PLAYERS, below) since they are related, Esther's mother being Cook's sister. The stereotypical cheery, plump Cook. Knows a lot about the village nearby, but savours keeping information from people. Old Man Ffarquar-Smythe, Jonty's late father (deceased) The Late Old Man Ffarquar-Smythe died two years before the start of the adventure. Leah, the servant-girl (deceased) Leah was a servant-girl hired by the Old Man primarily for his sexual rites in the pursuit of his occult studies. Leah was actually Thompson's illegitimate daughter by a gypsy woman that camps at an old tower near the village regularly. The woman has a reputation for being a powerful witch around the village, and they tend to consult her for 'remedies'. These generally involve newts... Thompson's Lover, a Gypsy Woman (47) This attractive red-haired woman met Thompson over twenty years ago when she was encamped in the area with her gypsy family. After an on-off relationship of a few years, she became pregnant with Leah. A few years after that, she and Thompson became embroiled with an old 'witch-woman' that had joined the gypsies, and began learning about the Old Ones and their Lore. Over the course of the years, Thompson and this woman have become ardent devotees of the Old Ones, especially of Nyarlathotep. ** PLAYER BREAKDOWN/SUGGESTED PLAYING TIPS Ideally, Professor Windsor and Esther Leigh should both be players. If more players are needed, most any type should be appropriate. All players are driven by curiosity to seek out what's happening since they all believe it to be part of their sphere of knowledge. The GM should assign player 'occupation' duly. Professor Windsor, professor of Antiquities, from London (50) Stuffy and pedantic, Professor Windsor picks up on small points and drones. Similar to Sean Connery in 'Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade' but not quite as batty. Wears three piece suits and looks continuously at his fob watch. Grey hair, short clipped moustache. Esther Leigh, Religious Student, from Glastonbury (22) Professional virgin. Member of the Order of the Inner Light run by Dion Fortune at Glastonbury. A bit naive about life as we know it. Picks up on small bits of information and trys to make them significant through 'occult' reasoning. ** AREA MAP +-----+ |Manor| +-----+ | /----------- -> London | / | / +----+ /--------------------/ |Lake| / +----+ / | \----\ | +-----+ +-------+ | |Tower| |Village| | +-----+ +-------+ | / <- Glastonbury / -------------------------/ Manor See below for a full description of the Manor. Lake The lake is a scenic small natural lake in the middle of some woods. There is a small island in the middle of it. A grotty old rowing boat is tied to a rotten wooden pole at the side of the lake. There is nothing particularly interesting about this lake! It is, however, particularly well-noted for its newt population. Being a witch (of sorts), Thompson's lover occassionally visits this lake to get newts for her remedies that she sells to the slightly gullible villagers. Thompson meets her here, and the two may visit the island for a quick 'tryst'. Village The village is a small affair with around 200 people in it. It contains a Post Office, a doctor's office, a church (Church of England), a small chapel (Roman Catholic), a one-man Police Station and a lawyer's office. As with most small villages, gossiping is a much-indulged in pastime. They are particularly suspicious of the gypsies. Tower The tower is located near the village not far off the road. A small cart-track leads to the tower, where the gypsies can usually be found encamped in a field very nearby. The gypsies are fairly hostile to characters approaching them, and characters caught snooping are severely dealt with. What happens is up to the GM. The tower is constructed of smooth grey stone and stands about 2 storeys tall. There is a small stone archway at the foot of the tower which leads to a set of spiral stairs that leads up the inside of the tower to a small hole in the top level of the tower. The top is a platform upon which people can stand. There is a stone cuboid here about 6'x3'x3' in size. Players checking this exhaustively may spot dried blood stains on this altar. There are strange bas-relief carvings on all four sides of the altar. The top is perfectly smooth upon first glances, but on more close checking, a minute indentation in the shape of a human body can be seen. On the Full Moon, Thompson and the woman can always be found on the platform of the tower doing their rite to summon Nyarlathotep. ** HOUSE PLAN (GROUND FLOOR) +-----> <--------+----> <-----------+-------> <--------+ | | | | v | | | | Old Master's Study | v | | ^ +---------------->--<+ | Jonty's | Stairs Down | ^ | Study | +--->--<---+ | | | | |----------| | | v v |----------| | | ^ |--Stairs--| | v ^ | |----Up----| | Library | | |----------| v | ----------------+ |----------| ^ ^ | | +----------+ | | | | | | v | +---------------------+ | | | #1 v Entrance v Dining Room v Drawing Room ^ Hall ^ ^ ^ | | | | | | | +---> <----------------->-----<----------> <-----> <---+ Ground Floor Break Down Jonty's Study Jonty's Study is permanently locked. The windows are permanently drawn over with heavy black velvet curtains and are also locked with a snib on the inside, if the players look hard enough. The study contains a fairly vast collection of erotic artwork and paintings that adorn the walls and are strewn across the desk. Erotic sculpture is placed aesthetically about the room. The furniture is all made from heavy mahogany and plush black velvet that looks to be in impeccable keeping. The light comes from antique Arabesque lamps kept at a constant guttering low. Jonty holds the key to this room on a chain round his neck. He never takes this off, even in bed. Stairs Down The Stairs Down start at a small double door underneath and at the back of the main staircase. The doors are usually kept shut, and a sharp draught whistles up between them with a strange eerie noise. Good for putting candles out. Once opened, the doors lead down a small rock-hewn staircase to the Kitchen. Stairs Up The Main Staircase is a magnificent oak staircase that separates into two smaller staircases that lead to the upstairs of the house. A statue of Athene stands at the crux of the two smaller staircases on a mezzanine-level mini-landing. Drawing Room The Drawing Room is a fairly standard manor house drawing room. It contains a crackling fire on the West wall, with a drinks cabinet to the North and some bookcases to the South and East. One or two Gainsborough-esque portraits hangs on the West wall. In the North-East corner of the room sits a mahogany bureau. Entrance Hall The Entrance Hall is a fairly impressive foyer to the house. The walls, bar none, are oak-panelled and a magnificent staircase sweeps up away in front of you as you stand at the maindoor. Two small passages lead away beside the staircase into the gloom. Dining Room The Dining Room is dominated by a huge oak table with 13 chairs round it, six on each side, and a larger chair at the head. In the North-East corner of the room, a dumb waiter can be found in the wall. At the west of the room lies the tables containing plates, cutlery &c. At the east, there are some tables upon which the food is delivered. A large fusty stuffed stag's head can be seen on the north wall. Jonty can't stop talking about this head when he's in here. Old Man's Study: The study has one door made of *heavy* oak studded closely with iron. The window is dirty and badly locked. It will prove a swine to open, though, there seemingly being some sort of 'force' holding it shut. Looking through the window gives the players no ideas as to what's in it. It has been hung with suprisingly dense white net curtains. The room contains a complex magic circle painted in blue, yellow, red and white. It looks not unlike that on the cover of Simon's Necronomicon. Similarly, invent something. Just make it complex and arcane-looking. Thompson holds the key for this room, but, when asked, will deny all knowledge of it, and say Master Jonty has it. He will never swerve from this statement. Library This room is huge and quite ancient. On entering the room, two huge lead-latticed windows can be noticed in the left wall (North). In between these sits a heavily-framed portrait of a sixty-ish year old man in slightly archaic-looking clothes. His face is twisted into a knowing sneer, and the eyes are positively hypnotic. Esther Leigh is terrified by this picture. Players locking eyes with it will feel images of unearthly architectures flood into their minds, unnerving them. The best description to give the player is of Vigo out of Ghostbusters II! Make him a little more cold though. The other books are lined up in vertical cases along the other three walls. There are two tables in the room, at diagonals with each other. One is to the North-West, the other to the South-East. Another lead-latticed window is present in the East wall. The overall feeling in this room is of coldness, brooding terror and unearthly presence. Players don't like it. Particularly stuffy ones won't notice. ** HOUSE PLAN (UPPER FLOOR) +--> <---+---> <---+--> <-----> <-+--->---<---+ | Spare | Spare | Games Room | Bathroom | | Room | Room | | | | | | | | +--->--<--+--->-<--------->---<-------+--->-<-----+----> <--+ | v| | | | | | | +-+-+-+ Stairs Down +-+-+-+ ^| | | | | | Stairs up | | | | |-----------------| | | | +----------+ | +-+-+-+-----------------+-+-+-+ | EL's v | | | v Room | +-----------Banister----------+ ^ ^ | | v +---><---+-->-<----------+ +---->-<----+---><---+ | Jonty | Old Man's | | Henry's | Windsor| ^ | Room | Room | | Room | Room | | | | | | | +--------+ | | | | | | +--> < +------+--------+ +-> <-> <-+---> <---> <- -+ | Spare | | | Room v | | ^ | | +-----+ | | +--> <----> <--+ Spare Rooms These rooms are all scantly furnished. They contain the bare minimum to be comfortable: a bed, bureau, washbasin, chamber pot, chair and small dresser. The quality of the furniture is in keeping with the rest of the house, ie, heavy, dark and solid. All the doors are lockable with a key given to the owner of the room, and the bureau has a separate key. The windows are snibbable from the inside. Games Room The Games Room is a fairly well equipped room with billiards table, dart-board, small drink cabinet and a deer's head stuffed on the wall. There are also one or two pictures of the rustic landscape variety on the walls. It would appear to the studious observer that this room is the most used in the house, and let's just say, it's not feminine. Bathroom The bathroom is fairly large. It contains a plumbed bath, washbasin, large mirrors, bathroom cabinet above the sink and a pair of scales. Not to mention the ubiquitous toilet itself! Curious players may note there are no toiletries lying about in this room, nor are there any items in the cabinet. Stairs Up This small set of stairs is hidden behind a wooden panel in the wall. They lead up to the servants quarters. Only players either stumbling on someone coming out, or looking quite hard will be able to spot this one. Stairs Down They just lead down that beautiful staircase towards Athene. EL's Room/Windsor's Room These two rooms can be treated as Spare Rooms above. Henry's Room Henry's Room is a slightly feminine affair, with a great four-poster bed dominating the room. Pastel shades abound. So does a heavy fragrance of incense used in an attempt to mask out the smell of musty alcohol. A locked bureau in one corner of the room can be easily broken into, yielding up letters of an intimate nature between Henry and someone called 'Giles'. Careful scrutiny of the letters will reveal that there is a meeting planned between the two in the next few days (see TIMELINE below). Jonty's Room Jonty's Room is a minimalistic "man's room". It has a functional bed, a functional washbasin and the functional usual other assorted things you'd expect him to have. A bureau sits in the corner. It contains some papers pertaining to the running of the house, and one or two other interesting ones penned by his late father. These contain invoices for books from outlandish libraries in Nepal and the like. They were *very* expensive. Old Man's Room The Old Man's Room, like his study, is firmly locked and the door, again, is studded oak. Players will be able to get into this, but only with extreme determination. Burning has no real effect on the wood, nor does an axe. The axe will blunt fairly quickly due to the studs in the door. The room is archaically decorated, with a black marble vesica set into the floor. Inside this is a white, red, blue and yellow sigil in the form of a magic circle. The room is musty, but still has a pervading sense of debauchery and evil in it. Under the huge, canopied four-poster bed are situated 2 small metal flasks. These are hermetically sealed and have no apparent seams, breaks or joins. There are two small holes on the side of each flask, however. Also underneath the bed are what look like audio speakers, although they are quite heavily disguised as chamber pots. There are no windows in this room. An old window frame can be seen in the South wall, but it has been hermetically sealed up with brick. Banister The Banister is an elaborately carved piece of oak and mahogany. Just near it, hanging from the ceiling, illuminating the statue of Athene, is a glorious chandelier. ** HOUSE PLAN (ATTIC) +--------------> <-----+------------+ | | | | | | | | || Stairs Down | Cook's v +--------->-<+ | Room ^ | | | | +--> <--+--->-<----+--->--<---+--><--+ | | |Store | | Thompson | Leah's | | | Room | Room | | +---><-----+---> <---+--> <-+ Cook's Room Cook's Room is a homely kind of room. It contains nothing more than an iron bed, a wardrobe, a dresser and a chair. Some knick-knacks lie littered about the area. A chamber pot can be discovered under the bed, if the players are so nosey! Thompson's Room Thompson's Room contains the same sort of furniture as above, but it tends towards a more spartan lifestyle. Leah's Room This room contains a small pallette for sleeping on, a mattress, and a small chest of drawers and a mirror. There is nothing else in this room. Thompson, if asked, will say the room has been idle for over a year since Leah moved in to tend the sick Old Master. Store The Store contains some old brooms, a bucket or two, a mop, and some other spare old utensils. ** HOUSE PLAN (BASEMENT) +----+ |----| Stairs Up |----| +-------------+----+-----+----------+ | | | | Kitchen | CoalStore| | v | | ^ | | | | +-------------+--->-<----+----->-<--+ | | | Scullery | | | +----------+ Kitchen The Kitchen contains kitcheny things, and, more often than not, Cook herself. Players mooching about will be given some work to do. Cook tends to gossip and prattle a lot in these occassions. A plentiful source of garlic and carving knives! The walls appear to be hewn from the rock and loosely dressed with a hard, black stone. The floor is covered with flags of the same sort of stone. It seems to 'pulse' under the player's hands and feet. Cook says it's to do with the homely atmosphere in her kitchen. Investigators are not so sure! The Dumb Waiter is present in the East/South Wall of the kitchen. Scullery The Scullery is a small stone room containing a wash-board, double sink and some mops. This room is freezing cold and has walls made of the same material as the Kitchen. Coal Cellar The Coal Cellar is partly full of coal. There is a small hatch set into the ceiling bolted on the outside. This hatch on the outside lies at point #1 on the GroundFloor map above. [continued in V7.11] -------------------- The Chaosium Digest is an unofficial discussion forum for Chaosium's Games. To submit an article, subscribe or unsubscribe, mail to: appel@erzo.berkeley.edu. 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