Part 3 of
Arkham on Fire

Playing The Midnight Masks by Fantasy Flight Games.

Tools and supplements used:

  • Cthulhu Dark
  • Arkham Horror LCG
  • Trophy Solo
  • UNE: The Universal NPC Emulator
  • Silent Legions

9 minute read

Starting with a recap on our characters:

  • Carolyn Fern, psychologist
    • Knowledge of medicine, caring attitude, scientific mindset
    • Insight: 3
    • Shaken by the connection of Umôrdhoth to her prior psychological research
  • Lita Chantler, sorceress
    • Knowledge of magic, forceful attitude, fanatical mindset
    • Insight: 3
    • Shaken by a feeling of powerlessness in a deterministic world

We also have our ticking clock, which I only latterly realised is a perfect tool to keep track of the time. At the appointed hour the cult of Umôrdhoth will carry out some unspeakable rite in the woods. When the Doom count reaches 6 then they will have run out of time for further efforts and must go straight there.

Doom = 2

This mechanism is basically stolen wholesale from Arkham Horror the Card Game… along with the plot and characters, yes. Since the Insight and Doom counters are continuous I’ll keep incrementing the scene numbers from where we left off, until the end of this scenario.

We last left Carolyn and Lita discussing where to go next, but I don’t want to influence things too much.

Next Step: (1) Mortuary (2) University? 1

Scene 5. Hospital Mortuary

Altered Scene? (2) No

“Hello, Doctor Turner?” Carolyn and Lita had followed the signs through the hospital towards the mortuary. There were no bustling nurses, no coughing invalids, no police officers taking statements from patched up brawlers. This end of the hospital was very quiet.

“There’s nobody here. We should move on,” said Lita. Carolyn had noticed a strange fatalism to Lita’s attitude. Or maybe she was just pushing to hurry up to the woods.

“We need to find out more about what we’re dealing with. Who we’re dealing with. Drew gave us a deadline but nothing to guide us.”

“Can I help you?” It was Dr Turner, her bag and coat on her arm, a set of keys in her hand. She looked haunted, anxiously looking at Carolyn, then at Lita, then at the corridor beyond them to the exit.

“We’re looking for some information, about some deaths that may have occurred recently. I’m not sure how to say this—” said Carolyn, until Lita interrupted:

“Cannibalism. You’re going to tell us about those bodies. If anyone knows about them it’s you.” Lita stepped closer to Dr Turner.

UNE:
- Dr Turner is guarded
- knowing - account - PC's weapons

Dr Turner’s eyes went wide. “Y-you can’t hurt me.” She clutched her bag to her chest and held up her keys like a weapon. “I don’t know anything about that.”

Carolyn pulled Lita away and turned her round. “Lita, you’re not helping” she hissed. “If this conspiracy is as deep you say they’ll have threatened Dr Turner to stay quiet. We need to win her round.”

She turned away from Lita, trying to get between her and the doctor to separate them. “My name is Dr Carolyn Fern, I am a psychologist. Please, don’t be frightened. We only want to talk. I’m sorry for my friend’s actions, it has been a stressful night and it’s not over yet.”

Does she relax her guard? (6, 3) Yes

“Is there somewhere we can sit down? In fact, let’s go to Velma’s.”

Scene 6. Velma’s Diner

Altered Scene? (2) No.

How busy is it? (1: empty, 6: full) 6

The place was full: loners staring into their black coffees at the bar, families enjoying an end-of-week meal, couples and groups of friends. They were lucky to get seated but luck was clearly on their side. They were at a corner booth — to one side a young boy was loudly slurping his milkshake with his parents, and over the other side an elderly couple held hands and complained about the noise. Carolyn didn’t fear being overheard.

This is where Agnes Baker works when she’s not dabbling in her own sorcery. I’m not going to force anything to happen, but she’ll be waitressing and at an appropriate point I’ll see if the oracle or other mechanism says that a connection will be made.

UNE:
- Dr Turner's mood: helpful
- inquisitive - investigation - PC's friends

By PC's friends she means?
(1-2) Dr Forster (3-4) Carolyn's friend (5-6) Lita's friend = (5)

Who is Lita's friend?
UNE:
- An Inept Adept, slightly weaker than the party
- record purity, defile myths, work patience

It looks like they’re discussing the librarian (“record purity”, “work patience”) Daisy Walker which I had not been expecting. She has read some forbidden tomes but is not officially a sorceress. At some point in the lore she takes over from Dr Armitage when he retires, so we’ll just assume she’s been his apprentice in both librarianship and occult studies.

Dr Ruth Turner stirred her coffee, put down the spoon, picked it up and stirred again. “If you want to know about… unwholesome religion you should speak to Miss Walker at the university. The marks on the bodies meant nothing to me, except that they were deliberately carved.”

“Daisy is next on our list” said Lita, leaning forward. “But we don’t have anything concrete to go on except… that name,” she said, avoiding saying Umôrdhoth out loud more than necessary.

Carolyn read from her notes, summarising the conversation so far: “bodies recovered with sigils cut into their skin and bite marks, forced to falsify post mortem results by masked figures, who then took the bodies.” They sat in silence briefly, contemplating the situation. Dr Turner continued fidgeting, stirring her cup, picking it up to drink but not quite doing so, then putting it back down. The noise of the room seemed to quiet around their awkwardness.

“More coffee for you ladies?” said the waitress, cutting across the moment. Dr Turner flinched at the interruption, then shook her head, letting out a long breath. They waited in more silence for the waitress to leave.

“Tell us about these masks then, if you can’t describe the marks on the bodies.”

Lita asking blunt questions, how does she do? She can get an extra die for
her sorcery/occult knowledge.

Investigating with 2 normal and 0 insight dice. Highest roll is 5:
You learn everything there is. You may learn something more from a rumour.

Dr Turner closed her eyes and breathed slowly to calm herself. She reached into her work bag and pulled out something wrapped in cloth. She placed it on the table between them then picked up her coffee with both hands and began to gulp greedily.

Silent Legions, Magical Weapons p83:
What's uncanny about it? (4) It's made at least partially of some unnatural substance.

Lita:
You learn disturbing knowledge with Insight of 3.
Your Insight remains at 3.

Carolyn:
You learn disturbing knowledge with Insight of 3.
Your Insight remains at 3.

An animal skull, or something like one, wrapped in a dark velvet hood. The inside of the mask, which would lie against the wearers skin, felt slightly tacky to Lita’s fingers. She shivered at the thought of putting it on her face, even though something was compelling her. She resisted and Carolyn quickly covered it up to avoid prying eyes.

Did anyone else see it? (4, 2) Yes but won't mention it now.

“Let me top that up for you,” said the waitress leaning over to Dr Turner’s empty cup. “Is there anything else I can get you? Velma’s very fine apple pie? Okay well just let me know if you change your mind.”

Dr Turner stared at her refilled cup and related her tale. “They told me that I was one of theirs, now. That it wasn’t just threats they were offering, but promises of great things.” She looked up at Carolyn and Lita then looked away. “I couldn’t fight them when they threatened my family.”

Carolyn reached out to place a hand on Ruth Turner’s own fidgeting hand. “Go home to your family. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

Does Agnes catch them before they leave? (4, 5) Yes but she can't join them.
Did she know what the mask was? (6, 2) Yes
What will she say about it? (UNE) knowing - discourse - rewards

The waitress bustled back over when Dr Turner left. “Did you need anything else or can I just get you the check?” Leaning in to refill their cups she adds more quietly, “I have a good feeling about you so I’m going to warn you: what you’ve got there will get you nothing but trouble”.

Lita clutched the cloth-covered mask jealously. “What do you know about this?”

It was at this point that the script I’d been using for rolling dice etc started to produce wacky results. And since nothing derails a game like debugging javascript, I resorted to manual rolls to maintain the momentum.

Lita investigates (6 normal) and gets everything it's possible to get and more.

Silent Legions p167, Lovecraftian name generator: Za'Vogyog
One of (d6+3) 6 masks

“What Lita means to say is that we’re keen for any help we can get. Please sit down, I’m Carolyn.”

“Agnes.” She looked quickly around the busy diner then slides into the booth. “I don’t have long, so listen carefully. Where did you get that mask? It should not be used, no matter the cause. It is one of a set, bound together when they were created in the service of the Web of Za’Vogyog. Each wearer submits their consciousness to the strongest will in the group. They were all meant to be lost or destroyed long ago.”

“They are in possession of a group operating in Arkham, who we believe to be practising cannibalism. How many masks are there?”

“The records show at least six were made. Maybe more. Listen to me when I say, you must not put the mask on, no matter how it draws you to its power. You can never know whose mind you are opening yourself up to. You would become some kind of automaton, watching yourself carry out the whims of the spider at the centre of the Web of Za’Vogyog.”

Lita insight (currently 3): 5, so her Insight goes up to 4.

Silent Legions p173, Dark visions
- Touch. A physical sensation is the clue
- The truthfulness or deceit of a statement
- The PC is paralysed for one round

Lita listened to this warning while clutching the wrapped mask to her chest. One of her hands was unconsciously stroking the face of the mask inside its cloth. Her finger gently brushed the alien material that lined the mask and she was transported—

She saw a vision of Arkham, a web of minds in thrall to something vast and ancient. She could see herself and Carolyn and the waitress called Agnes. She could see Dr Turner hurrying through the streets with her eyes flitting from dark alleys to rooftops, like a hunted animal. She could see other things, beneath the streets of the town…

—and with a jolt she returned to herself, in the corner booth of Velma’s diner. Then she vomited.

Scene 7. The Streets of East Arkham

Outside, a light rain had started. The gas lamps reflected off wet cobbled streets. Carolyn pulled up her collar against the chill and regretted being quite so fast to burn down her house. Lita followed behind.

Altered Scene? (2) No.

“Look, I don’t know how many more times I can apologise to you.”

“It’s not me that had to end her shift early to go home for a change of clothes. I thought we might have had an ally there, but now I’m not even sure if we’ll be let back inside again. I never actually got my apple pie.”

Does Lita live nearby? (1, 4) Yes but isn't allowed visitors this late

“Neither of us are prepared for a walk in the woods. Let’s see if I can sneak you past my landlady. I should have something that will fit you. Come on, it’s not far.”