(Read the previous letter here.)
Letter 4: Ceremony Of Scars
Background info:
Character: Scientist Eli Jones (Skill: Detailed +1 dice to a single Heart test)
Penmanship: Poor (1d)
Language: Average (2d)
Heart: Good (3d)
Profile: You have arrived in Arkham, Massachusetts to check on close friend Jemima Carter. Several months ago she traveled to Arkham in response to a request from one of her friends who had stumbled upon an item of great mystery. Knowing you are a man of science, Jemima has written to you several times for your advice concerning her friend’s deteriorating health, both physical and mental. It appears this decline is in response to a growing interest in the occult, an interest that has led to a neglect of general care (she is not eating much and wasting away) and physical harm to her own body, the specific details of which Jemima has not divulged to you. Then suddenly the letters stopped. Having your own concerns, you decided to pay a visit and check on Jemima yourself.
Goal: You must encourage Paul Washington, a friend from university and a journalist in Boston, to join you in your investigation, as you mean to set out into the woods to discover any clues about the cause of Jemima's death.
Rules of correspondence: Paul is fact-oriented and does not enjoy exaggeration. You have a -1 to Heart rolls.
Inkpot words will be printed in red, flourish in blue. The scores for each paragraph are listed after the letter.
* * * * *
Paul,
I arrived in Arkham a week ago and I’m sorry I haven’t written sooner. As you know from my previous correspondence, I had hoped that we might get together to catch up on our lives since school. However, things have grown a bit more severe and I fear I might require your assistance on another matter.
I told you my purpose for coming to Massachusetts was to check on a friend of mine who had apparently gotten involved in matters of the occult. Upon arrival in town, I immediately went to the residence where she was staying. The front door was ajar and no one answered when I knocked, so I decided to enter. I called out to no avail and I assumed no one was home. To be sure, however, I ascended the stairs and entered a bedroom where I encountered an awful scene. Lying in a pool of dried blood were two women, one of which was my friend. Their bodies were covered in cuts and scars that seemed intentional, as they resembled hieroglyphs. I was about to run and fetch the authorities, if for no other reason than to flee from the gory scene, when my attention was drawn to the walls of the room. They were covered in various writings, some in English, others in a language I could not read. I became so enthralled studying them that I nearly forgot about the bodies. The words spoke about “old ones,” and “elder gods.” using words such as “Shaggoth” and “Tengu”. The most intriguing, by far, were references to some kind of Star Man.
Eventually, I regained an awareness of my surroundings and fetched the police. After they took the bodies to the corner and cleared the house of any other documents they found, the authorities assured me they would begin a full investigation before dismissing the event as a ritual suicide. I will admit, my confidence in them is not that high. Besides, I know Jemima and I could not fathom her taking her own life. So I began my own investigation by asking questions around town. While the residents with whom I spoke could not tell me anything specific about what happened to my friend, it was clear that they believed there was some sort of occult activity afoot in Arkham. A common tale I heard revolved around rituals in the sycamore woods that bordered the outskirts of town. While no one claimed to have been personally involved, many had witnessed robed figures, cultists they believed, walking into the woods on certain nights of the month. Around midnight, music and chanting could be heard, an eerie, pulsating incandescence glowed above the trees. Sometimes, winged aberrations could be seen passing in front of the moon. These rituals, or whatever they were, would always end with a piercing scream.
As you know, Paul, I am not one to believe in spirit, ghosts, or the supernatural, but last night I saw something that gave me great pause. I was keeping an eye on the woods, hoping to witness one of these mysterious events for myself. Shortly after sunset, I saw three figures step off the road and head for the trees. Two were wearing hooded robes. I couldn’t tell if they were male or female. The third, who walked between them, was a woman with unkempt raven hair. I had this uncanny sense that some unholy, sinister plan was unfolding before me, so I gathered up my courage and approached. I lifted my lantern and called to them. The trio turned, startled, but not as startled as I, for the woman I saw before me was none other than my friend, Jemima. It was clearly her face, though she pale and held a blank expression. She did not look directly at me, but stared off into space. As further identification, her bare arms bore the scars I saw on her in that upstairs room. Before I could say another word, one of the robed figures grabbed her hand and hurried her away into the woods. I was rooted in place, fearful of what I might find if I followed. For the hand that grabbed Jemima’s was not human, but a scaly, sharp-pointed claw.
The next morning I was waiting for the local corner when he arrived at the morgue. I asked to see my friend’s corpse. Even though I was the one to discover her body, he told me that was not possible. He was only authorized to let family members and officials see the body. That was hogwash and I told him so. Still, he would not relent. Paul, there is something going on in this town, some kind of cover-up, and I’m going to get to the bottom of it. My desire is to first travel into the woods and see if I can find any remnant of activity there. However, I dare not go alone and I trust no one. That is why, my old friend, I am asking you to come to Arkham and assist me. Your help would be invaluable and there might even be a story in it for you.
Your friend in need,
Eli
P1 - Flourish: 3, 4 fail Inkpot: 1,3- inferior word Penmanship: 4 fail
Total Score: 0
P2 - Flourish: 3, 3 fail Inkpot: 3, 3- inferior word Penmanship: 3 fail
Total Score: 0
P3 - Flourish: 3, 6 success Inkpot: 2, 5 - superior word Penmanship: 3 fail Total score: 3
P4 - Flourish: 1, 5 Success Inkpot: 2, 5 - superior word Penmanship: 4 Total score: 3
P5 - Flourish: Pass Inkpot: 1, 5 - superior word Penmanship: 5 Success Total score: 2
Total Letter Score: 8
6-8 points
Paul writes back to let you know that he needs to be careful and was smart in asking for assistance. While he doubts there is anything truly supernatural going on, Paul is concerned that some other criminal activity might be going on, though what it has to do with meetings in the woods he does not know. Regardless, you should expect him the next day and together the two of you should be able to at least find out what is going on with the investigation into Jemima and Pauline’s deaths.
Actual text from the rules: Paul is concerned for your well-being and his tone has an air of disbelief about your story. However, he tells you to expect him tomorrow and he looks forward to seeing you. Gain 1 story point.
Total Story Points: 4
(Read the next letter here.)
No comments:
Post a Comment