Masks of Nyarlathotep (Inactive)

Game Master Aubster

Masks of Nyarlathotep is a Lovecraftian exercise in horror and mystery.


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Male Human Bennies 4/2

Kwan also joins the others on the winch, though he is tempted to gather his magnificent daggers first.

1d8 ⇒ 2 STR Check
1d6 ⇒ 6 WD Total of 8 Success with a raise.
1d6 ⇒ 2 XD

Dark Archive

Father Murphy sees three men moving to the mechanism, so he feels free to see to the bodies.

For the four poor, deranged, tortured, brain-washed humans (for of course they could not have been zombies. But Lord knows how much morphine must have been pumped in to them) he arranges them in some semblance of repose and gives them last rites.

He does the same with Mukunga, closing his eyes. And searching his body for clues.


Male Human | 3/3 Bennies | Parry 6, Toughness 9 (2) | Wounds 0 | Pace 5, Charisma 0

Unsure of what else to do, Spencer wipes off his rapier's blade on one of the corpses, sheathes it, and takes out his notebook to begin writing down notes on the scene. He seems a little dazed, but in a decent state of mind.


Fr. Murphy wrote:

Father Murphy sees three men moving to the mechanism, so he feels free to see to the bodies.

For the four poor, deranged, tortured, brain-washed humans (for of course they could not have been zombies. But Lord knows how much morphine must have been pumped in to them) he arranges them in some semblance of repose and gives them last rites.

He does the same with Mukunga, closing his eyes. And searching his body for clues.

Searching Mukunga you find: the ceremonial feathered shawl; claws from a lion fixed to glove-like garments so that they may be worn, one for each hand. The construction is sturdy enough that these items might be used as weapon; and, an African devil mask apparently carved of wood.


The handle of the winch cranks slowly forward and for each quarter of a turn, the ratcheting mechanism grabs the chains to keep them from slipping back down. Each quarter of a turn, raises the slab a few more inches. Once the slab is about 6 inches up, the lights from the lanterns are able to penetrate into the pit under the slab. Immediately, the cries and moans increase in intensity dramatically. In fact, you know don't hear just one voice or a few voices, instead you hear dozens of different voices crying or moaning or shrieking.


AG d10 SM d6 SP d6 ST d6 VI d6, Char - Pace 6 Parry 5 Tough 5 Bennies 3/3
Skills:
Driving d6, Fighting d8, Engineering d6, Notice d6+2, Pilot d6, Repair d6, Shooting d8, Throwing d6

Hank takes a moment to look down into the pit (assuming he can do so without the slab falling down again).

Who's down there? Quiet down so we can help you!


Hank Please Read:
Please make a spirit roll - don't forgot your Wild Die


AG d10 SM d6 SP d6 ST d6 VI d6, Char - Pace 6 Parry 5 Tough 5 Bennies 3/3
Skills:
Driving d6, Fighting d8, Engineering d6, Notice d6+2, Pilot d6, Repair d6, Shooting d8, Throwing d6

Spirit: 1d6 ⇒ 5
Wild: 1d6 ⇒ 5

Don't tell me...I don't want to know...it's not...a Disco party, is it???


Male Human Investigative Journalist

To steady his nerves, Wilson engages in activity normal to him - he snoops around. While Father Murphy checks out the dead and Hank, Jake, and Kwan Ho wrangle the winch, Wilson looks about other nooks and crannies in the cellar - particularly behind the curtain near the winch.

Notice: 1d8 - 1 ⇒ (7) - 1 = 6
Wild Notice: 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (2) - 1 = 1

And if I need a spirit roll to recover from being shaken:
Spirit: 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (5) - 1 = 4
Wild Spirit: 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (5) - 1 = 4


Guthrie Wilson wrote:

To steady his nerves, Wilson engages in activity normal to him - he snoops around. While Father Murphy checks out the dead and Hank, Jake, and Kwan Ho wrangle the winch, Wilson looks about other nooks and crannies in the cellar - particularly behind the curtain near the winch.

[dice=Notice]1d8-1
[dice=Wild Notice]1d6-1

And if I need a spirit roll to recover from being shaken:
[dice=Spirit]1d6-1
[dice=Wild Spirit]1d6-1

Pulling aside the curtain reveals a small nook that has a shelf and a few clothes hooks. Hanging on the hooks are an ordinary set of workman's clothing (likely Mukunga's street clothes). There are a few items placed on the shelves:

A Book - AFRICA’S DARK SECTS: the book is the stamped property of the trustees of Harvard University.

A BURNISHED COPPER BOWL: etched with unrecognizable runes and signs.

A CARVED SCEPTER: Carved of wood and inset with runes.

A HEADBAND OF GREY METAL: Runes are scratched in it.


As the stone is lifted a couple of feet clear of the pit, Hank gets down on his belly to peer into the pit. At first glance he see faces, glowing in the indirect lantern light, peering back at him. He calls out to them Who's down there? Quiet down so we can help you! Even as the last words leave his mouth, his brain finally realizes what he is looking at, faces, oh yes indeed faces, dozens of human faces set into a thickly cylindrical, worm-like mass of sickly, purple-veined muscle. The faces weep, shout, and cry out with great woeful feeling.

Mental Anguish: 1d8 + 1d8 ⇒ (3) + (2) = 5 Shaken

Hank truly must have been exposed to hellish sights in his life as somehow is mind is able to go somewhere else and avoids the madness that lurks within that horrid sight.


AG d10 SM d6 SP d6 ST d6 VI d6, Char - Pace 6 Parry 5 Tough 5 Bennies 3/3
Skills:
Driving d6, Fighting d8, Engineering d6, Notice d6+2, Pilot d6, Repair d6, Shooting d8, Throwing d6

Boy, if I had a nickel for every writhing, seething, weeping face-worm...

No, it can't be.

Hank the unshakeable seems genuinely shocked for a moment, then shrugs it off with a conscious effort of will.

It can't be. Such things don't exist.

He looks down, not into the abyss, but at the stone.

Close it up quick, boys. There's some sort of poison gas causing hallucinations in there.

Shaking off his torpor, his jumps up and wrestles for control of the crane rig.

I've heard the mari-ju-wanna is bad. They're not telling half the story!

@GM, is that damage that I took? I'm not sure where to mark it.


Male Human | 3/3 Bennies | Parry 6, Toughness 9 (2) | Wounds 0 | Pace 5, Charisma 0

"Sure it's not opium?" Spencer frowns down at the opening, put off by the moaning and weeping. "Some of that, and maybe some sort of underground wind from the sewers, mix together to make all.... all that?" He looks to Hank with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. Sounds like a concoction to me, but Fly Boy usually has pretty good judgment. The other poor folks we just fought must have been fried to the hat on something.


The wailing and crying reaches a new fevered pitch as Hank says to close the opening. You all can almost feel ancient words being spoken as an undertone amidst the horrific cacophony.

Everyone except for Hank needs to make a Spirit trait roll. Remember if you are wounded or have madness, your trait tests are made at -1 for each level of each you have.


Male Human Investigative Journalist

Wilson starts collecting the items out of the alcove when the screeching reaches a crescendo.
Spirit: 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (2) - 1 = 1
Wild: 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3
Looks like another failure for me. Am I shaken again?


Guthrie Wilson wrote:

Wilson starts collecting the items out of the alcove when the screeching reaches a crescendo.

Looks like another failure for me. Am I shaken again?

Mental Anguish: 1d8 + 1d8 ⇒ (2) + (2) = 4

Guthrie is able to ignore the wailing coming from the other room.

Mental anguish was less than your Sanity score


Male Human | 3/3 Bennies | Parry 6, Toughness 9 (2) | Wounds 0 | Pace 5, Charisma 0

Spirit: 1d6 ⇒ 6 Ace: 1d6 ⇒ 6 Ace?: 1d6 ⇒ 4
Wild: 1d6 ⇒ 5
Total 16.

Spencer shakes his head. "Good Lord, that's some powerful sewer gas. Fly Boy, help me close this up." The young writer continues to be relatively unfazed by their predicament, and moves to set the stone back in place.
And they said the pulps were corrupting the youth of the day...

Dark Archive

Spirit: 1d8 ⇒ 7
wild Spirit: 1d6 ⇒ 2

Father Murphy stays solid in his resolve. "Spencer, have you gotten a good look at these things, the claws and the mask, or should we take it with us?" Without thinking Connor takes the mask in his hand so he can study it later.

Opium? Gas? Yes, yes that...that would explain it. That would explain everything. "Confound it, man, lower that thing faster!" If there's space for him to help lower the stone, he'll lend a hand, otherwise he'll just shout at the people lowering it, telling them to lower it faster...because that always helps.


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Except for Kwan and Jake still potentially suffering madness from the thing under the stone, Session 1 is now completed. Congratulations!

The investigators found out that the world is not quite as straightforward as they had thought. You discovered that your friend had been murdered in a manner most foul. You deduced that a cult called the Bloody Tongue was responsible. You found information suggesting that a book that had disappeared from Harvard might be important. You also found information suggesting that Jackson had been in London and Kenya. You discovered that Jackson was working on a book about the Carlyle expedition and, that contrary to common believe, the members of the expedition may still be alive and may be tied into a monstrous conspiracy. You saved Jackson's publisher from the Bloody Tongue and gathered more information about what Jackson had found. You tracked the New York branch of the cult back to their lair and put an end to them avenging your friend. You learned that magic is real, the dead can walk again and sometimes things under the stone should be left alone. You found some interesting items that the cult leader had including the stolen book. You learned to work together as a team. You came through your trials with your minds and bodies mostly intact.

You have all earned 5XP which is enough for an advance. You may also change your skill selections. Please post what you want to do with your character in the discussion section.

Well Done!


AG d10 SM d6 SP d6 ST d6 VI d6, Char - Pace 6 Parry 5 Tough 5 Bennies 3/3
Skills:
Driving d6, Fighting d8, Engineering d6, Notice d6+2, Pilot d6, Repair d6, Shooting d8, Throwing d6
Aubster wrote:
You learned that magic is real, the dead can walk again and sometimes things under the stone should be left alone.

Nope. Didn't see it. Nope nope nope. Such things don't exist.

They say "ignorance is bliss". In this game, ignorance is also sanity.

Nicely done, GM, on an unfamiliar system (for most of us I think) in an unusual setting. Looking forward to not seeing more mind shatteringly insane interesting people and places!


Murphy can roll to try to remove Guthrie's wound...

The Healing skill can be used to treat any wound suffered within the last hour. Each attempt takes 10 minutes.
A character may only attempt to heal fresh wounds on a given patient once within the hour they were sustained. A different character may attempt a Healing roll, but once attempted, that healer has done all he can for that particular patient.
A success on a Healing roll removes one wound, and a raise removes two. Further raises have no effect.
► Modifiers: The healer must subtract the patient’s wound levels from his skill roll. A wounded character trying to heal his own injuries suffers from both effects (his wounds plus the wound penalty to the Healing roll).
Healing requires some basic supplies such as bandages and reasonably clean water. If these aren’t available, the healer suffers a –2 penalty to his roll.

Unfortunately for Murphy, no one has the Knowledge (Psychology) skill to help him with his level of madness.


Male Human Investigative Journalist

We definitely have some stuff to analyze. If nobody else is itching to read Africa's Dark Sects, Wilson will do so. He's pretty good with working through written materials.


Virile Male Western Movie Actor SAN 46(50) | HP 12(12) | Move:8 | Status: OK

Spirit: 1d6 ⇒ 4
Wild: 1d6 ⇒ 1


Male Human Bennies 4/2

1d6 ⇒ 2 Spirit
1d6 ⇒ 5 WD

And since bennies don't carry over, and they're getting ready to reset, I might as well use the last one, since I can choose whichever I want to keep.

1d6 ⇒ 4 Spiritb
1d6 ⇒ 6 WDb Total of 10
1d6 ⇒ 4 XD

Kwan will spend his time to carefully gather up all his daggers, paying particular heed to the obviously magnificent one he got from MuKunga after lowering the stone back into place.

He obviously expresses no interest in the book, since he can't read.


Guthrie Wilson wrote:
We definitely have some stuff to analyze. If nobody else is itching to read Africa's Dark Sects, Wilson will do so. He's pretty good with working through written materials.

Just a quick glance reveals that the prose is dense and convoluted. It likely will take several days of relative peace and quiet to make it through the book.


You all make plans to make your way home and to meet the next day to decide what to do next...


Okay guys, what's next?


Male Human Bennies 4/2

Kwan leaves the others with a smile and nod, and heads of to the nearest homeless shelter. He hopes to blend in and keep from drawing attention. As he finds a semi-warm spot, he uses his worn guitar case for a pillow, and sleeps till sunrise. He then wanders around a bit until it is time for their meeting.


AG d10 SM d6 SP d6 ST d6 VI d6, Char - Pace 6 Parry 5 Tough 5 Bennies 3/3
Skills:
Driving d6, Fighting d8, Engineering d6, Notice d6+2, Pilot d6, Repair d6, Shooting d8, Throwing d6

Well, guys, it looks like we stepped in it. We've got some sort of drug ring going, but we can't go to the police because we're implicated pretty deeply.

Hank sighs.

I think we need to follow this to its end, for Jackson's sake if not our own. If we can wrap it up ourselves, we may be able to clear our names.

He takes a sip of illicit whiskey.

There's Africa. Anything else we can check first?

Dark Archive

We back at the Sweet Doomed Angel? I know I am! :p

Fr. Murphy mirrors Hank and sips his bourbon. "There's really nothing else for it, is there? I'm gonna check out some phrase books from a library that does -not- lose books to trans-dimensional holes, and then I'll be good to go. Where's Spencer? Last we heard he mumbled that he had some reading to catch up on and shuffled off. What language do they even speak in Kenya? Is Kenyan even a thing? Or was it Dutch?"


Virile Male Western Movie Actor SAN 46(50) | HP 12(12) | Move:8 | Status: OK

Jake seemed lost in thought, seemingly more serious than he had ever seemed in a movie.
Hearing discussion of going to africa, he looked up, startled.
"What? No, no, that is out of the question. We would be swallowed up without a trace as it is now."
He leaned forward.
"No, we need to visit that Miss Carlyle. You know, the sister of the Carlyle expedition leader and find out the real skinny as to this Expedition Jackson was so interested in. Remember? That note he sent to his publisher suggested not everyone on the expedition was killed, unlike what the papers said."


AG d10 SM d6 SP d6 ST d6 VI d6, Char - Pace 6 Parry 5 Tough 5 Bennies 3/3
Skills:
Driving d6, Fighting d8, Engineering d6, Notice d6+2, Pilot d6, Repair d6, Shooting d8, Throwing d6

You're right, Jake. So where do we find her?


Virile Male Western Movie Actor SAN 46(50) | HP 12(12) | Move:8 | Status: OK

Jakes face fell.
"Oh. Right. He just said she lived in this area, and guarded her privacy."
He stood up.
"But, perhaps a famous movie star could make a few phone calls to find out..." He said with a slow smile.


AG d10 SM d6 SP d6 ST d6 VI d6, Char - Pace 6 Parry 5 Tough 5 Bennies 3/3
Skills:
Driving d6, Fighting d8, Engineering d6, Notice d6+2, Pilot d6, Repair d6, Shooting d8, Throwing d6

Hank pantomimes looking everywhere but at Jake.

Yeah, if only we had a famous movie star here with us now.

Grinning broadly, he asks,

Do you know any, Jake?


Virile Male Western Movie Actor SAN 46(50) | HP 12(12) | Move:8 | Status: OK

"Hah!" Jake laughed at Hank's japery.
Picking up the phone, Jake dialed the Operator.
Investigation: 1d4 ⇒ 3
Wild: 1d6 ⇒ 2
"Yes Operator; I'd like to be connected to Miss Carlyle..."


AG d10 SM d6 SP d6 ST d6 VI d6, Char - Pace 6 Parry 5 Tough 5 Bennies 3/3
Skills:
Driving d6, Fighting d8, Engineering d6, Notice d6+2, Pilot d6, Repair d6, Shooting d8, Throwing d6

Forget not thy Wild Die, Jake.


Male Human Investigative Journalist

"I'd like to join you on any visit with Miss Carlyle, Jake. I want to ask her about Jack Brady. If he survived the disaster in Kenya, I want to know more about his relationship with Carlyle. Could he have double-crossed him? Managed to escape leaving Carlyle to his death? He's the only lead we have to any expedition member being alive."

Wilson also regards the various items taken from the Juju House cellar. "And maybe we should try to figure out what any of these things say or mean."


Jake Westfield wrote:

"Hah!" Jake laughed at Hank's japery.

Picking up the phone, Jake dialed the Operator.
[dice=Investigation]1d4
[dice=Wild]1d6
"Yes Operator; I'd like to be connected to Miss Carlyle..."

A bored sounding operator says, First name? after Jake's request. His response of Erica results in a few seconds of quiet then Connecting you now. Have a nice day.

Ring...Ring...

A man's voice is on the other end of the line...Carlyle residence, may I help you?


Guthrie Wilson wrote:
We definitely have some stuff to analyze. If nobody else is itching to read Africa's Dark Sects, Wilson will do so. He's pretty good with working through written materials.

Guthrie Dreams:
After reading for a few hours Africa's Dark Secrets you fall asleep and then wake during the middle of the night drenched in sweat. You know you had a dream, a horrible dream but you only remember unconnected bits of it eldritch scurrying fiend-born rats...grinning caverns at earth's centre... something horrible howling blindly...piping of mad flute players.

AG d10 SM d6 SP d6 ST d6 VI d6, Char - Pace 6 Parry 5 Tough 5 Bennies 3/3
Skills:
Driving d6, Fighting d8, Engineering d6, Notice d6+2, Pilot d6, Repair d6, Shooting d8, Throwing d6

I soooo wanna open that spoiler!


Fr. Murphy wrote:

We back at the Sweet Doomed Angel? I know I am! :p

Fr. Murphy mirrors Hank and sips his bourbon. "There's really nothing else for it, is there? I'm gonna check out some phrase books from a library that does -not- lose books to trans-dimensional holes, and then I'll be good to go. Where's Spencer? Last we heard he mumbled that he had some reading to catch up on and shuffled off. What language do they even speak in Kenya? Is Kenyan even a thing? Or was it Dutch?"

Murphy Dreams:
Back in your room after leaving the horror found in Harlem behind you, you ead your Bible and spend time in prayer. Sleep is slow to come but when it finally does you have an unusual dream. In your dream you see a swarthy, slender, and somehow sinister man, always buying strange instruments of glass and metal and combining them into instruments yet stranger. He spoke much of the sciences – of electricity and psychology –and gave exhibitions of power which sent his spectators away speechless, yet which swelled his fame to exceeding magnitude. Your dream ended with the man gone and in his place only an empty landscape rent with sounds of screams of terror.

Hank "The Stank" Harrison wrote:
I soooo wanna open that spoiler!

Spoilers ;)


Virile Male Western Movie Actor SAN 46(50) | HP 12(12) | Move:8 | Status: OK

"Yes, this is Jake Westfield!" Said Jake cheerily on the phone.
"I am producing and starring in a movie based on the works of Jackson Elias. It has to do with his investigation into the Carlyle expedition, and I was hoping to speak to Erica Carlyle about her brother and how the expedition formed.
"Is she available?"

Persuasion: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Wild: 1d6 ⇒ 5


Don't forget that your modifiers also apply to the Wild Die roll

The man on the other end of the line seems a bit nonplussed by the request but then falls to the charms of Jake. Please hold for Miss Carlyle. The line goes silent for a long moment and then a young woman's voice is heard. This is Erica Carlyle. She listens as Jake repeats his request. I was not aware of any on-going investigations into my brother's death. Perhaps you should come by my city home this afternoon to discuss this matter. I should let you know though that I will not be pleased about my brother's memory being besmirched and have the resources to cause a great deal of unhappiness to someone who casts negative aspersions on the Carlyle name. With that said she gives you the address of a brownstone on the upper west side across from Central Park and hangs up.


AG d10 SM d6 SP d6 ST d6 VI d6, Char - Pace 6 Parry 5 Tough 5 Bennies 3/3
Skills:
Driving d6, Fighting d8, Engineering d6, Notice d6+2, Pilot d6, Repair d6, Shooting d8, Throwing d6

"Not a problem! We're trying to clear his name."

-Posted with Wayfinder


You've all been invited to present yourselfs at the Carlyle home. Is everyone going? Is there anything you want to do befor you go?


Male Human | 3/3 Bennies | Parry 6, Toughness 9 (2) | Wounds 0 | Pace 5, Charisma 0

Spencer brushes into the Sweet Doomed Angel, stomping at the ground and briskly rubbing his arms. He looks like he hasn't gotten much sleep or a shave in a few days, but he's also grinning and looks more alive than he's been since the discovery of Jackson's death.

"Sorry I'm late everyone, the maid didn't give me the message and I was working on a manuscript..." He orders a whiskey and downs it in a shot, coughs, and sits down. "So--what have we got now? Heading to the dark heart of Africa to wipe out the den of evil?"


AG d10 SM d6 SP d6 ST d6 VI d6, Char - Pace 6 Parry 5 Tough 5 Bennies 3/3
Skills:
Driving d6, Fighting d8, Engineering d6, Notice d6+2, Pilot d6, Repair d6, Shooting d8, Throwing d6

More the the dark heart of the Upper West Side. Just as dangerous, for some of us.

Shall we go?


Virile Male Western Movie Actor SAN 46(50) | HP 12(12) | Move:8 | Status: OK

Jake tightens the knot on his tie and grins.
"We have a date with a lady this afternoon gents."
He casts a critical eye over the rest of his companions.
"Are you, ah, going to wear that over there?" He said to all of them.


AG d10 SM d6 SP d6 ST d6 VI d6, Char - Pace 6 Parry 5 Tough 5 Bennies 3/3
Skills:
Driving d6, Fighting d8, Engineering d6, Notice d6+2, Pilot d6, Repair d6, Shooting d8, Throwing d6

Well played, Jake.

Hank dusts off his stained dungarees and battered leather jacket.

What?

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