[COC7e] S10 | That is a Hairy Man

August 9, 2020
GM: Michael Mirth

Anti-Nemesi
Nik 'Cigarette' Ivanovich from Russia
Derek 'Clueless' Moriarty from Arkham
Virginia Elizabeth Fitzgerald from Providence

Also (NPCs or PCs without their Ps)
Gregori Rasputin, Doc Holiday, Adrian Stimson, Sir Gerald Duckworth, Frankie Fingers

People at Observatory
Roslyn Rosebud and Martha (Ginger's maid)

***

Diary of Derek Moriarty (Entry 10 - May 19, 1927)
Initial thoughts: Healing from King Kuranus; I have this alien whorl gun; save Blakely? Steal/Buy paintings. It is one day until he dies. Warning that meeting ourselves may induce homicidal mania.

We discuss saving Blakely. Nik is against it and I'm for it. Ginger has the deciding vote and I convince her the educational merits of trying. It's less that I think we can change events and more that I want to see what happens when we try although I am aware it may be us who is held responsible. We do not want to be there when the police arrive!

We discuss the "Time Machine" and what to do about the paintings. Blakely received a letter from non-believer Baldridge (painting #2 - New York at Dusk) about a month ago. Ginger's family runs in the same circles as the Biggs (painting #4 - Elder Yoggoth). I have heard of the millionaire playboy Reggie (painting #3 - Fate) who was killed several months ago in a questionable motorcycle accident. I have a gut feeling that we want to leave Evelyn Bancroft until last. Something about her doesn't sit right in my mind.

Elder Yoggoth
We go to Mr. & Mrs. Biggs house first with only Ginger going to the door. This is her time to shine in the spotlight. She finds out that the Biggs like to help starving artists with the hope that their work will increase in value. The painting unsettled her husband and was sold to the art dealer Gilgamesh. Ginger came back flushed trying not to tell us why but eventually blurting out that they're sadomasochists and she interrupted a scene.
-Gilgamesh

New York at Dusk
We head to Roger Baldridge's place. He's a middle class artist who's friends with Blakely. He doesn't believe the lunacy about lucid dreaming but has a nice centrepiece called Ionic Revival (headless bust) that looks valuable. We get to see the painting he bought from Blakely which shows a ghoul's graveyard in the forefront and a pattern of houses in the background. It hits me like a right hook and I take some time to stare at the ground to clear my head over what I saw. Nik seems to still be looking it over but I pull a staring Ginger away and she makes a sucking noise for a few beats.
Ginger buys the painting at cost.
Obtained!

We hit up a payphone and I give the judge a call about Reggie. I learn that he lived in a penthouse with a family butler at 86 Fisherman's Wharf. We head to that address.

Fate
Ginger plays the damsel in distress and finds out the artwork was donated to Boston Commons Museum which is in an old ionic building. The police suspect Reggie had been drinking when he crashed at Old Knobb hill but the case is still open. The butler confides that Reggie had terrible trouble sleeping.
-local museum

R'leh at Dawn
Off to see Evelyn Bancroft (leaving Stimson behind as not to upset her). It feels like the calm before the storm, like something bad is about to happen and my body is tensed and ready. She's tall and thin with silver hair in an updo; probably early fifties. A little gathering is taking place as her maid Shiela is also there with Sonny, Karim Salim and Prof. Zues in a room with the sign of Solomon on the floor. She says this is a little occult club and is willing to show us the painting. Nik heads toward it and stumbles raising his hand to his face while his whole body shakes. Ginger and I look at it, shoulder to shoulder and feel the aura of it but remain unaffected.

Evelyn knows Gilgamesh and her whole group are dreamers since acquiring this painting. Apparently they've been travelling in the Underworld and she uses terms like Summon and Bind. The longer this goes, the more I just want to kill them all. This is all wrong. Nik is stuttering in conversation and lights a cigarette while Ginger also engages in conversation. We need to tell her less. Stop talking guys. This is bad. Nik mentions Stimson and I grab him trying to stop him from saying more but it's too late. Evelyn rises like a devil and shouts us out of her house. As she does this, the others in her club stand slowly while staring at us; as though enthralled. Fuck. Screw it. I pull my gun and shoot her but she dodges as if she knew that I was going to do it before I did. From the kitchen a man strides out while turning into a werewolf (this furry gentlemen is Jerry). Fuck fuck fuck I say to myself as I turn and flee toward our ride just as Gregori steps out of it and starts chanting. I turn my head relieved to see Ginger and Nik behind me when the werewolf bursts through the doorway, slamming into an invisible wall as Greg jerks back but continues his chanting. At that moment I realize Ginger has told Evelyn where every single painting is. We escape with a werewolf chasing us down the street. Egads, Evelyn must either be telepathic or able to see into the immediate future.
-Fuck... Just fuck.

Elder Yoggoth 2
It's 7pm. The museum is closed so we head to the art store of Gilgamesh. It's barred but the back door isn't. I pull out my trusty lockpicks and, crap. I snapped off the tension wrench while raking (critical fail - 98). Dangit. I got too cocky. I look it up and down, make some notes, look at everyone like I have this all handled and kick the door down. The painting is not here.

Ginger thinks to look at the store receipts to find the painting has been peddled to the Iliad Bookstore for $75.

To the bookstore. This time I look at the lock and pick a smaller tension wrench. With the half diamond (type of lockpick) I make short work of it. Tada!
**[Game Note: Critical success 02; Derek will automatically pick the next 6 locks of this level or lower]**
The store is owned by Hashemotep aka Enkidu but the painting was sold to Jacob for $50. No surname or address.
-Dead end.

As we leave I notice something in the hedgerow and send everyone to the cab for it to circle the block while I sneak around the other side of the bushes. Something has been watching us. I stealthily work my way around and see something large in the shadows... Furry. I turn and run for the cab on the other side of the block. Freaken' Werewolf! It hears the cab stop to let me in and bounds after us.

Suddenly we all have a weird flash-forward deja-vu feeling of being in Gus' cab while fleeing the Hounds of Pindalos. Luckily after tonight's events this doesn't drive us off the deep end. We zig and zag to lose the werewolf and head to Blakely's residence.

9pm.

Blakely's anxiety is growing as he nears completion. "Just a few more trees." Ginger suddenly swings into a corner talking to herself. She had just looked at the painting and the new features struck a chord. I notice that Doc, Adrian and Greg have fallen asleep. That doesn't sit well with me so I wake up Doc. "The beach, everywhere I stepped, bones crunching underfoot..."

2:30am

Nik wakes up Gregori. We can't tell if we're just tired from staying up late or if something preternatural is causing slumber. I throw a pot of water out the window and make Sassafras tea.

4am.

Nik goes for coffee. I'm on a beach with translucent sideways walking crabs. The noise. Bones crushing underneath me with every movement. The smell of seawater.

5:45am - sunup.

Blakely steps back, "It's finished," and collapses. I try to wake him and Ginger takes over caring for Blakely mumbling something about the Biggs and deja-vu. Blakely seems to be drowning in Ginger's arms.

Doc and I take the 5' x 7' painting out and call Gus.

Nik comes bursting out of the building saying he's going to call the cops. I set the painting down and grab him. We do not want to deal with cops right now. The key is to get this centrepiece somewhere safe. It's far too dangerous to leave here. Ginger comes.

Gus takes us all to my place in Arkham. I store it in my shed with a lock not even I could pick on my best day, alone with some anti-bypass measures (no way to get leverage). I don't mention the lore of my place purposefully to avoid upsetting Ginger.

Gerald meets us at my place and we decide to sleep in front of New York at Dusk.

We awaken near a Ghoul encampment. They attack everyone except myself and Ginger. Gerald defends himself and I jump into the fray. Between the two of us we injure one of them. Ginger pulls out the bejeweled Ankh I bought her and the fight stops. "The Ankh is the sign."

Gerald persuades them to lead us to Pickman's lair. Apparently Pickman ordered them not to eat us but it's quite apparent they have trouble holding back. Perhaps the Ankhs are not magical here but purely part of Pickman's order and the other Ghouls do as he commands. I do not know for sure, but we are not being eaten.

The entrance to his lair is an arch held up by the tombstones of famous artists.

We learn that at the bottom of the lake in the centrepiece painting Ghadaman grows and festers and changes. Agents must have brought the seed to the Dreamlands. Through the protoplasm of Blakely it will manifest in the waking world. The agents protect it from within the lake. The Lich Epitaph (Juju woman from New Orleans) has a tomb nearby with a spellbook. If we acquire the spellbook we might find a way past the Agents. The entrance is two days travel North-East toward Ulthar, closer to the Cavern of Flame.

A Lich is a spellcaster who has kept themselves alive and the agents are also known as Deep Ones.

Gerald conspires a plan with us about using Gregori as a fake prisoner to distract the Lich (whom hates him) while others sneak into the tomb. We need to gather some Mummy Dust. Hmmmm... Lich... Mummy... So we need the Mummy Dust to sneak into the tomb where we can gather Mummy Dust. Are you my mommy?

Wait, the wrappings.... Maven has them in Ulthar!

So, we need to get Silas into an Asylum, get healed by King Kuranus, steal a spellbook from the tomb of a powerful sorceress who already has a hostile relationship with Gregori, get King Arthur's mummy wrappings from Maven, acquire more Ankhs (Nik wants a tattoo on his one good hand), learn the history of the town Moriarty, find a message in the asteroid book..... Anything else?

The spellbook may have a way for us to destroy the seed hidden in the lake from the painting without having to deal with the Deep ones guarding it.

Bubastus.

We awake in my home and quickly head to Providence and visit the shop, Esoterica. Papa Legva wants $500 for five doses of dream drug and we barter him down to $200 for ten doses. We now have eleven total doses. I also purchase an Ankh for everyone in our party (PCs and NPCs). Ginger wants to makes a couple quick stops. One with the judge to say hi and another to her parents to pick up her allowance.

We see a tall red haired man leaving the judge's office and I immediately slide up nonchalantly and pick his pocket. Smooth as silk. I have his wallet. He stops, turns around, "Nicely done grandson," and waves my Dream Dagger at me. Grandfather is using the alias Jonas Cain and gives me two tidbits of information to chew on. Don't trust McAvity and that he left me a message in the book. There is some mention of string theory but I can't recall how it relates. He looks at me with an affirming grin and tells me he's proud that I'm a closer and then turns to the group. You're all closers.

This reminds me that I know a guy in Montreal into Physics. Maybe he's a closer too. He gets together regularly with my friend who introduced me to A. Merritt.

The judge will take Silas off our hands and have him committed.

Bonuses
+2 Dream Lore
+2 Dreaming
+1 Cthulhu Mythos

Threshold Rolls (fail to raise)
0 Spot Hidden
0 Hand Gun
+5 Locks (yes, I failed my lockpicking AGAIN)
+5 Sleight of Hand