Chaosium Digest Volume 30, Number 1 Date: Sunday, January 16, 2000 Number: 2 of 5 ------------------------------ In a Different Light (pt. 2) Walnut Street Gossip Investigators wishing to question Southside locals about the recent happening have little difficulty finding talkative individuals; reticence seems not to be a problem with these folk. These neighbors have nothing more to add to the story of the previous night, besides additional scandalous comment on the fact that Farr was a divorcee. In conversation, however, one Southsider tells the Investigators I swear it's getting mighty hard to get a good night's sleep around here nowadays. What with the Star boy last night and the Milk deliverer a few nights back. If questioned further about this previous incident, the garrulous neighbor will say more. Three nights ago, the street was awakened in the early hours of the morning by the sounds of incoherent screaming from the street. The police were called then too, but by the time they found the howling man, who turned out to be the local milk deliverer, he was all right. Other Newspaper Clues If the Investigators search through the Newspapers previous days in search of this earlier happening, they find nothing. If they conduct a search of the Advertiser morgue (which only journalists or Persuasive others have access to), however, they soon discover that an article was written about the incident but never published. The article states that Milk deliverer Georgio Caruso reportedly had some form of hallucinatory fit or seizure three days prior to the Farr happening. The terrible cries he gave out as he ran screaming down Walnut Street caused many residents to contact the authorities. By the time police had arrived on the scene, Caruso, who was found cowering in a slim alleyway just off Walnut, had regained his senses. Though obviously shaken, he was given a clean bill of health. A small piece of paper is attached by paper clip to the morgue article. On it is written an address on S French Hill Street. The same information concerning the hallucinations of Georgio Caruso can be found in police records. These records are only available to Investigators who have either worked previously with the Arkham constabulary, or who succeed in a Law roll. The address on S French Hill Street is listed on these records as the home of Mr. Caruso. Investigators interested in checking Newspaper records in an attempt to locate unusual happenings on Walnut Street prior to the Caruso affair, discover the following: o Ten days ago the Advertiser carried a small article reporting the circulation of a pack of rabid dogs about the area of Walnut Street. Residents were warned to keep careful watch when walking that neighborhood at night. o A week ago, a cache of curiously mutilated animal carcasses, primarily cats and dogs, was discovered in a small alleyway just off Walnut. The article offers no definite explanation as to how these freshly killed creatures came to be piled in the alley, but uses this as another opportunity to condemn fraternity pranksters. Hunting Down Caruso It is possible for Investigators to interview the Milk deliveryman any time during the two days following the Farr incident. After that time, however, he is fated to become another victim of the awakening and his story will be lost. Visitors arriving at the S French Hill Street house before about 4 pm will run the risk of waking the delivery man and placing him in a foul mood. The man's story is simple and short: he was doing his delivery round, as he does each morning, when suddenly everything seemed to change. He could see weird transparent jelly things floating everywhere he looked. The bewildered Caruso watched them sliding into and out of solid objects, devouring one another and hovering in mid-air. He watched these strange hallucinations for a moment, but suddenly, from the corner of his eye he spied something else, a large thing which made him afraid. The next he remembers he was running down the middle of the street screaming, barely in control of himself. Acting on intuition he ran into an alleyway running off Walnut, and suddenly everything returned to normal. Death Stalks Walnut Again Two nights after the strange happenings that left Farr insane, sounds of madness once again shatter the peace in Walnut Street. In the early hours of the morning, screams from the street reach the ears of residents. Georgio Caruso in his first shift back on Walnut has been awakened once more to the sights of the outré incorporeal life that invisibly occupies all space. This time, however, his insane screeching is prematurely and suddenly cut short. The story of Caruso's death naturally makes front page news in Arkham. [ Man Hideously Murdered in Arkham Street Mutilated Corpse Found in Southside Street Bathed in Blood In the early hours of this morning, police were called to investigate an unholy shrieking and wailing heard by residents of Walnut Street in Arkham's sleepy Southside. The racket apparently was coming from the street. But, by the time the police had arrived on the scene the clamor had ceased. Casual investigations lead them to discover the horribly mutilated body of a man in his early forties. The man, respected Southsider Georgio Caruso, was found decapitated, with hundreds of deep slashes covering more than half his body. His skull had been cloven in two, surgical incisions made into the brain within. Walnut Street was bathed in his blood. The disgusting extent of the mutilations inflicted upon the corpse has lead police to suspect the involvement of some form of obscene cult. As yet, however, the police have not formally announced any suspicions as to the motive for the slaying. It is understood that they are awaiting the findings of an autopsy to be performed today. As yet no eye witnesses to the grisly murder have come forward. A local resident told this reporter that the prevalent mood among the community in Walnut Street is one of shock. "Peoples just don't want to believe that a monster of the type that could do this could be roaming our street." Readers of the Advertiser will recall that last week we reported the finding of mutilated animal carcasses in the neighborhood. Today's occurrence seems to cast an altogether more sinister light on this earlier discovery. While it is not our intention to panic residents of the area, we respectfully suggest that people take care when visiting the streets of Southside at night. ] Visiting the Scene On Walnut Street the atmosphere is notably more brooding than when last the Investigators visited. The residents are generally uninterested in talking to nosy visitors, even those they had previously been friendly towards. Everybody seems tense and irritable. A few sour looking children play in the street, teasing a tortoise shell cat and pulling its tail. Everybody avoids the site of the murder. Despite the chemicals laid down by police, the place still stinks of death. Passers-by look strangely at Investigators who prod around the murder scene. Furthermore, such analysis discovers nothing more than the newspaper article reported. The Autopsy Report The autopsy on the remains of Georgio Caruso is performed by Dr. Ephraim Sprague in the afternoon. The report produced from the findings of that autopsy is confidential police information, and unless the Investigators have contacts in the force they will be unable to view it. Persistent Investigators, however, can gain an account of the information contained in the report either from Dr. Sprague himself (a Medicine Roll is required to persuade him) or from a less-than-reputable police officer (large amounts of cash can help here). The report finds that the cause of death was a broken neck, and that the mutilations to Caruso's skull and brain occurred after death. The only other finding of interest was that a small portion of Mr. Caruso's brain, centered around his pineal gland, was apparently removed with some degree of surgical precision. [ Preventing Further Murders The direct cause of the Walnut Street Slaying lies in the curious street lamps which cast their unholy radiance across the street. Keepers should bear this in mind when fresh murders are described later in the scenario. If all twelve of the lamps are destroyed, no further slayings will take place. However, even in the instance that Investigators effectively halt the murders, it is still possible to stage the final awakening scene (outlined in the section entitled "Showdown at the Cave" below). The Keeper needs only provide some new motivation for the sudden actions of Professor Duncan described therein.] New Light, New Sight It is important that at some stage the course of the Investigators' studies turns toward the new lighting on Walnut Street. It is through an investigation of these matters that the remainder of the clues in this scenario will be unearthed. The discovery that there is more to these lamps than meets the eye can come about in several ways. This section lists several resources which Investigators might stumble upon. Keepers may need to introduce others if their Investigators stubbornly refuse to head off on the appropriate tangent. As a last resort, a halved Idea roll might tell thoroughly lost Investigators that the new public works they observe on Walnut Street are atypical of Southside: it is a district renowned for neglect and urban decay. Public Records Investigators scanning Newspaper files for references to Walnut Street are likely to discover the following article, dated approximately six months ago. [ Mayor Announces Public Works in Southside Mayor Peabody today announced a program of "radical upgrade" for public facilities in Arkham's Southside. This region of the city, says Peabody, is "sadly neglected - a situation we plan to remedy immediately." As the initial phase of the upgrade plan, Arkham's Council of Selectmen last night approved a small budget for a pilot plan to replace the street lights along a small stretch of Walnut Street. The new lights will incorporate "the very latest in illuminating technology" said City Engineer Basil Endicott. Cynics might be forgiven for thinking that the Mayor's sudden announcement of proposed works is merely a promise to please the public. Reports from undisclosed sources suggest Mayor Peabody is highly nervous with regard the upcoming Mayoral election. This generous promise of reform long called for can only serve to boost the Mayor's popularity. ] Checking through public records of the Council meeting in which the Selectmen adopted the new lighting plan, or visiting the office of Basil Endicott will ascertain the following facts: o The plan for the pilot project on Walnut Street was proposed by the City Engineer as the result of an investigation into the matter requested by the Mayor. o The Engineer's report identified Walnut Street as the spot in Southside most in need of public upgrade. o To present an expert opinion on different options for the pilot project, Endicott asked Miskatonic University's Dr. Hamlin Hayes to make a short presentation to the Council. o Dr. Hayes presented three options, one of which was a very recently developed lighting technique. This newly invented technique was twice as efficient as traditional lighting methods. This new technology, said Dr. Hayes, "seems likely to be the way of the future." o After some consternation and a stirring speech by Councilor Ash Southcott, the Council voted to endorse the new and less expensive alternative advocated by Dr. Hayes. Walnut By Night Sooner or later Investigators are likely to want to check the operation of the lighting on Walnut Street first hand. Once they have been exposed to the non-electromagnetic radiation from the lamps, subtle changes will begin within their brains. The Keeper should keep careful track of just how long each character has been exposed to this radiation. Once a sufficient dosage has been absorbed, their latent pineal sense organ will begin functioning, as described in a nearby box. [ Strange Awakenings Once Investigators become exposed to the non-electromagnetic radiation from any of the revolutionary new light sources, the sensitive among them will have their pineal glands begin the process of awakening. There are three phases that the stirring sense organ progresses through during its return to proper function. In the first phase of the awakening, the brain receives random stimuli from the gland as it begins to resume its perceptual role. The brain interprets these stimuli as short random hallucinations. These weird visions could be of anything. Lovecraft's "From Beyond" has some excellent examples of such hallucinations, but creative Keepers should be able to think of equally evocative visions. At any rate, these images are witnessed only when in the presence of a pineal-stimulating light source, and normally only at random times (POW% chance each 10 minutes of exposure). However, individuals who concentrate on a pineal awakening light source receive such visions continuously. The second phase is characterized by the beginning of proper pineal function. That is, the brain will begin to receive consistent signals from the gland. These are the gland's perception of its surroundings. The individual will begin to see a completely different vista superimposed over normal sight. The most immediately noticeable aspect of this new vision is the ubiquitous floating semi-transparent creatures which occupy every space. At this phase, the new vision functions only in the presence of a pineal-stimulating light source, although it is fully functional the entire time such stimulation is present. The final stage that the pineal gland may progress to is permanent awakening. The gland's operation at this stage is identical to the previous phase, except the perceptual function of the organ is now permanent and operational regardless of external stimulation. That is, the brain receives perceptual impulses from the pineal at all times whether or not a stimulating light source is present. The potential for pineal sense awakening within an individual depends largely on how atrophied the individual's gland has become. The extent to which an individual's pineal can progress through this activation, and the rate at which such awakening occurs are governed in game terms by the POW statistic. Characters with high POW have the potential for full pineal awakening with a minimum of exposure. Others may find their gland may only proceed to an earlier phase, and do so at a slower pace. The furthest stage of awakening possible with a particular POW is summarized more precisely below. POW stat Max stage of awakening < 10 No awakening of the pineal gland can occur 10-12 Stage One: hallucinations 13-14 Stage Two: full function in presence of stimulus > 14 Stage Three: full function at all times Whenever an individual is exposed to pineal-stimulating radiation they accumulate "exposure points." From exposure to the street lights in Walnut street individuals gain their POW in exposure points every hour. Venturing into the cave near Crawford's Rise with a light source will accumulate POW x 5 per hour. If the hillside explodes at the conclusion of this scenario, all present will accumulate POW x 2 per minute. Exposure points are lost very slowly through lack of pineal stimulation; the rate is sufficiently slow that it does not affect this scenario. For campaign play a loss rate of one point per week might be considered. Once an individual's accumulated exposure points have reached 70 they enter phase one of the awakening process (assuming POW >10). Reaching 100 point causes the pineal to enter stage two (if POW >12). An accumulated total of 150 is sufficient to permanently awaken the perceptions of the gland (if POW >14).] Night visitors to the street will notice immediately that there is something unusual about the light given off by the street lamps. Unlike the standard arc lamps which illuminate most of Arkham, the radiance emitted by these lamps has a vague tinge of green about it. Its illumination is also possessed of a curiously opalescent aspect. Despite the recent happenings, quite a few folk may still be found on the streets at night. These residents and wanderers are, however, atypically dour and will refuse to answer all but the simplest questions. No animals can be found on the street. If one or more of the Investigators visiting Walnut after dark is possessed of an active pineal gland, the scene they will witness is less mundane. In addition to the ubiquitous jelly things, vague intimations of larger shadowy entities can be seen in the distance. Perceptive Investigators viewing this scene (and who succeed in an Idea Roll) will note that the concentration of the jelly creatures is greatest about people wandering the street. The shadowy forms lurking on the edge of vision are Renders and Dissolvers (described in a nearby box). Any Investigator with an activated pineal sense who tarries about the street for more than a minute or so, invites attention from these beings. A single Render will approach and attack. Less perceptive Investigators will see nothing until the creature makes itself corporeal. By then, of course, it may be too late to help their perceptive companions. [ Denizens of the Spaces Between The world as we normally perceive it is a hospitable place populated by countless different forms of life, each possessed of perceptual faculties roughly similar to our own. However, those faculties do not reveal the fullness of the reality in which we live. Indeed, whole races of beings exist that are totally invisible to our five senses. In this scenario a latent human sense is awakened in some, allowing a rare glimpse of a precious few of these normally imperceptible creatures. Jelly Things. Most of what we normally term empty space is not truly empty, but occupied by gelid creatures not unlike jellyfish. These beings are seemingly non-intelligent, spending the majority of their time floating mindlessly in mid-air or melding into one another. The jelly things appear semi-fluid and constantly change shape. They continually devour each other and slither effortlessly through normally solid things. They are totally incorporeal. Their concentrated presence, however, has a subtle negative effect on the emotions of mundane creatures and humans. Sanity loss to view a world full of Jelly Things is 1/1D4. Renders. More intelligent than the jelly creatures which occupy most of our world, the Renders are also more inimicable to humans. This minor servitor race exists for the sole purpose of capturing the curious food that sleeping Great Old Ones require to exist. Ultimately through a combination of such sustenance and propitious stellar cycles, the slumbering things will awaken. Unfortunately for humanity, many of the substances required for this sustenance and revival are found within the awakened human pineal. Hence individuals possessing such a gland are natural prey for Renders. Renders appear as smoky rubbery cloud-like things, ever changing shape. Although their form is normally completely incorporeal, they can manifest up to five corporeal tentacles. Each has razor-sharp bone-like protuberances in two lines along its length. These tentacles attack independently in a round. Once a being has been struck, the tentacle wraps around it inflicting 1D6 damage per round until freed. To escape this hideous entrapment the captive must overcome the creature's STR on the Resistance Table. Alternatively, a tentacle may be severed by inflicting 10 points of damage to it. characteristics rolls averages STR 7+2D6 14 CON 7+2D6 14 SIZ 30+1D20 40-41 INT 2D6 7 POW 1D6 3-4 DEX 4D6 14 Move 10 HP 27 Av. Av. Damage Bonus +2D6 Weapons: Tentacle (x5) 45%, Damage 1D10 + db + target held Armor: When incorporeal, Renders take no damage from physical attacks. When corporeal their tentacles have 3 points of armor. Spells: None Sanity Loss: 1/1D6 Dissolvers Another servitor race of the Great Old Ones, Dissolvers exist for similar purposes to Renders. These creatures are, however, significantly more powerful and crave human flesh as much as they hunger for their masters' sustenance. Luckily these beings can only perceive prey that is bathed in the non-electromagnetic radiation emitted by Duncan's lights. Dissolvers appear as great festering black masses the size of a small house. Strange green-black bubbles float in the oily sheen coating the things. These monstrous creatures can make all or part of their enormous mass corporeal at will. Its single mode of attack is to envelop victims in its mass and attempt to dissolve them in the oily green-black substance that oozes from its pores. Once enveloped most normal matter, including humans, can only withstand two rounds before it is utterly dissolved. characteristics rolls averages STR 35+1D10 40-41 CON 30+1D10 35-36 SIZ 75+1D10 80-81 INT 2D6 7 POW 2D6 7 DEX 2D6 7 Move 8 HP 58 Av. Av. Damage Bonus +7D6 Weapons: Envelop 100%, immediate damage is db. All non-enchanted earthly material dissolved in two rounds. Armor: Invulnerable to physical attack when incorporeal. Otherwise 3 points. Also, impaling weapons do minimum damage. Regenerates 5 hp per round. Spells: None Sanity Loss: 1D3/1D10] Investigators with activated pineal vision who cast their eyes to the night sky may notice yet another curiosity. Those succeeding in an Astronomy roll determine that a completely new, bright yellowish star is now visible overhead. This star is totally invisible to anybody not in possession of 'enhanced' vision. Any Investigator who chooses to examine this stellar object through a telescope is in for a nasty surprise. For the yellow object is not truly a star, but an enormous living entity called Xoth. It is from this 'star' that Cthulhu and his brood descended to Earth aeons ago. Its putrid visage is horrible, even from millions of miles away. The sickly yellow mass visibly heaves and pulses in rhythms that seem to the viewer vaguely blasphemous and unclean. Xoth shoots long thin tendrils thousands of miles into space, seeming to slowly pull itself along by these extremities. The most horrific aspect of its appearance, however, and the one that drives men mad, is the hideous gaping red maw which occupies a third of the pulsing body of the thing. Sanity loss to view the unclean thing is 1D6/1D20. Visiting Dr. Hayes Investigators interested in learning more about the new technology used by the Walnut Street lights will want to pay a visit to Dr. Hamlin Hayes at Miskatonic University. This is easier said than done; with work proceeding on the Arkham Advertiser wireless station atop Kingsport Head, Dr. Hayes spends most of his time out of Arkham. Persistent Investigators who think to organize an appointment to see the electrical engineer, however, ultimately meet with success. He is, after all, a gentleman. Hayes will initially view the Investigator's intrusion into his busy schedule as an annoyance. However, once they broach the subject of the Walnut Street lights he becomes significantly more interested. The technology embodied in these lamp prototypes, he will tell the Investigators, was designed by a professor at Boston University by the name of Graham Duncan. Duncan has been an academic in the field of illumination engineering for many years, but until now has produced nothing of any real importance. His eagerness in his current endeavor has surprised many, who thought the elderly professor too old to pursue something so ground breaking. His experiments with this new lighting method, all undertaken in a mere 12 months, have been consolidated in an academic paper shortly to appear in a leading journal. Furthermore, the professor has made a point of presenting the results of his work as seminars at almost all the major seats of higher learning in New England. It was at such a lecture that Hayes first heard about the new technique. Investigators with some expertise in the field may wish to read Dr. Hayes' pre-publication copy of Duncan's paper. An Electrical Repair roll is necessary just to grasp the general gist of what Duncan is explaining. In essence he describes the construction of a spherical glass lamp with an incandescent filament in the center. This is, of course, nothing new. What is unique about Duncan's design is the phosphorescent coating he applies to the inner surface of the glass sphere. It is this coating that gives the new lamps added luminescence. Hence less energy needs to be consumed by the filament to achieve a particular level of illumination. Investigators who succeed critically in their Electrical Repair (i.e., roll less than 20% of their skill) and also succeed in an Idea roll note that while the paper is very detailed in most regards, it is very sketchy when describing the composition of the phosphorescent coating. This is essentially the most important aspect of the design yet Duncan seems to deliberately leave its description cursory. --