It is a gray, rainy Thursday in the March of 1929, the kind of day where it seems almost pointless to come into the office. Evelyn, you watch out the second story, water streaked window; the cold spring rain water rushes through the culverts; big puddles form in the middle the street, a street that is nearly deserted. Arkham feels almost like a ghost town. You loose yourself in your thoughts as you wait for Fergus to come back from his run to the diner to grab you some lunch. As you wait, you see a figure making his way through the rain. It’s not Fergus. It’s a man dressed in a trenchcoat carrying an umbrella. From your angle the umbrella obscures his face; however he is headed for your building.
A couple minutes later you hear the sound of his footsteps coming up the creaky stairs that lead to your offices on the second floor. The door to your own office is closed, but you hear him step into the reception area. You can hear the muffled sounds of Rita greeting him.
Spoiler for Rita
As Evelyn watches the rain she thinks about how much it matches her mood. She still couldn't believe that Greg had left her. The rain seemed to match the loneliness inside of her. God! Why did things have to be so slow lately?! She didn't want all this time to think, needed something to keep her busy. At least Fergus was kind enough to go get them something to eat. She knew he saw straight through her and was just trying to help. The lone figure walking through the rain below catches her attention and makes her think, He's probably headed home to someone who he loves.......No....Wait....He's headed here! Could it be work? She looks up at the ceiling and through it, Thank you God! Becoming ever more curious she hovers on the other side of the door trying to make out what the stranger is saying to Rita. She puts some stray hair back into her bun with her fingers and tries to put on a brighter face. Don't want to chase away a potential client.
Evelyn through your office door you hear the man introducing himself to Rita.
"Not the nicest weather out there, is it mam? My name is Dr. Armitage, I understand that the people here might be able to help me out with a task that is of great personal importance to me."
Some might call it a miserable day, but Fergus liked the rain. Not too much of it mind you, but he knew that god's design for the universe required the nourishment of rain to make all things grow. Speaking of nourishment...
How those girls could eat so much and stay skinny. Everything he ate went right to his belly, which explains why the half sandwich, and cup of tomato soup was all his growling gut was going to get today, no matter how much it protested.
Preoccupied with his thoughts, Father Garrity thought he saw a furtive movement from the corner of his eye. Just for a moment he lost concentration and stumbled over a raised crack in the sidewalk. He caught himself with his hands just before his face hit the pavement; the food went flying into the drainage culvert, and he was soaked to the bone.
With a resigned sigh he headed back to the diner to order the same thing again, this time dripping wet."We'd better get some work soon" Fergus thought to himself. "buying two lunches a day doesn't help matters any". He felt into his overcoat pocket, as he ducked quickly into the alleyway between two buildings. A quick twist of the cap, a quick tilting of the flask, and everything would be OK. He stepped back into the street with a whistle and a smile, nodding his head at all he met. His second trip for food went much more smoothly, and by the time he got back to the office his good cheer had returned.
When he walked into the office juggling his umbrella, hat, the bagged lunches, and the doorknob, he almost bumped into the stranger standing in the reception area, saving the lunches from a fall once again.
The stranger looked vaguely familiar, though he couldn't place a name with the face. Placing the steaming lunches on the corner of the desk, he extended his hand with a friendly smile. "Fergus Garrity, investigations". "How can we assist you today"?
Rita eyes Dr Armitage cautiously from behind the type writer, takes in the mans mans clothes and appearance. Concluding that he's clearly not a time waster, she gets up, adjusts her hair self consciously, and smiles.
"Sure is wet out there. I'll get you some cawfee. Father, now I've told you about that walking in the rain again, you'll catch a chill.
Mr...Armitage is it. Can I take your coat ?" She smiles winningly.
She gives Fergus a slight nod as she walks over to the kettle - the accustomed signal to show that she thinks this ones ok.
Dr. Armitage offers his coat to Rita, and soon Evelyn, Fergus and Dr. Armitage are gathered in Evelyn's office (which for some reason is more tidy than Fergus's, and thus better for hosting clients). As usual, you leave the door open a little, so that Rita can listen in and add her thoughts later (or if you want her in the office that's fine, Rita can let me know).
Once you are settled and Dr. Armitage is seated he begins. He sits straight in his chair with his satchel on his lap. He doesn't look like he's used to talking to people in this sort of style.
"Yes, well you probably don't know me, but I'm a professor at Miskatonic University. Actually I'm the head librarian. The reason I'm here is that I have a problem, and I'm not sure if this is the exactly the right place to come to get help with my problem, but I'm hoping you might be able to assist me. Of course, I'm willing to pay for your services.
Let's see where to start. I suppose I should begin with the incident that happened last summer. It was August 3rd I believe. You may recall some of this as it was in the papers. A man by the name of Wilbur Whateley tried to break into the library that evening. He was attacked and killed by the library's watchdog. These details are in the papers.
The Whateley family has quite a reputation in these parts. They're from a small village northwest of here called Dunwhich. It's not a well known village. It's very strange, very insular. The people who live there hardly ever travel far from home, and most live very simple and modest lives. The Whateley's are quite infamous in the village. They are probably one of the wealthiest families there and have been in Dunwich for many generations.
They are probably most known for the stories of Whateley gold. Several family members including Wilbur have tried to buy things with old gold coins that were thought to be minted back in the revolution era. There has been much speculation regarding the source of this gold.
But stories about the Whateley gold aren't really why I'm here. As I was saying, Wilbur Whateley came to see me many months earlier. He was looking for a very rare book in the collection, a book dealing with the occult. Wilbur was a strange fellow, and I sensed things about him that I did not like. I suspected that he wanted the book for purposes that were far from holy, and my gut told me not to let him have it. When I denied him he was visibly upset, but he left peacefully. I could see that he wouldn't give up so easily. The book is very rare, and only a few other copies are known to exist, and only in other universities around the world. I contacted all the libraries that are known to have a copy of the volume, and I shared my concerns regarding Wilbur. He must have wanted it bad because I found out that he tried to gain access to the volume in many of those locations. He finally gave up and came back to the United States. It was then that he decided to try to break into the library and steal the book.
A couple of weeks later there was an incident in Dunwich involving another Whateley named Noah Whateley. Some people speculate that Noah was Wilbur's father, but I have my doubts. He was known to be a caregiver for Wilbur or at least they shared a residence. He was also reputed to be a "wizard". I won't speak of the details of the incident, but several police officers were killed because of it, and the police ended up raiding the Whately homestead. There they found several diaries and books belonging to Wilbur. Most of them were incomprehensible and were entrusted into my custody. I've been trying to decipher much of what they have given me, and I can say that much of it is truly horrific. The Whateleys were evil and depraved individuals.
This leads me to my problem. A man by the name of Amos Whateley has put forth a lawsuite. The court has ordered me to turn the documents over to Amos. I don't really know his connection with rest of the Whateley's, but if he's anything like his relatives I don't want him to get his hands on any of it. I'd like you to investigate Amos. I want to you to find out as much as you can about him and see if you can learn what his intentions are for the materials.
Do you think you can help me?"
Rita sits unobtrusively in her accustomed seat at the back of the office. The big brown leather chair originally came with the office and is probably the most comfortable in the place. She adjusts her skirt as she sits, pulls out a pencil, and begins to scratch out shorthand.
She blinks a couple of times in surprise during Armitages' narrative, amd her eyes widen slightly at the mention of the Whateley gold. Mainly she just takes notes.
However, when the good Doctor mentions "Wizard" Whateley she frowns, rolls her eyes and circles her shorthand pencil by her temple in the old "lost his marbles" signal, behind his back, shrugs, returns to the shorthand.
However, as Armitage finishes his speech and looks around at her, she immediately switches into a charming 'I'm just an airhead' smile (which vanishes again as soon as he looks back to the others).
As you listen to Dr. Armitage, you easily see that he becomes more nervous and agitated as he speaks, and as he gets further into his tale. It is clear that none of the things he speaks of are things he feels particular comfortable talking about. It is also quite clear that although he speaks with conviction and some of it is likely true, he undoubtably knows much more than he is sharing, and some of the details may well not be entirely accurate.
Evelyn is listening quite attentively but goes visibly excited at the mention of possible revolution era gold coins. When he continues with the mention of a very rare book she can barely contain herself. It is obvious that he has her hooked, her earlier sorrows all but forgotten. As soon as he finishes she quickly asks, "What was the title and year of this rare volume that he was so interested in?" Her eyes glittering with anticipation.
Dr. Armitage stares at you with a grave look on his face. He is silent for several seconds and obviously deep in thought.
"The title of the book? For now, I'd rather not say. If that information becomes absolutely relevant to the investigation then we shall speak on the matter."
A look of disappointment crosses her face. He was going to be one of these difficult clients she could tell already. The ones that only gave you what THEY felt was relevant to the case. They never learn that it's a private eyes JOB to find out this stuff and quite frequently we found out all we wanted to know whether they want their dirty laundry aired or not. She becomes quiet, defering to Fergus at this point while fixating on smoothing her dress.
Occult (1d100=28) (85%)
Does Father Garrity know anything about the Whateley's or this Dr. Armitage?
"Well first things first". Can you give us a place to start? Anything more you can tell us about this Amos Whately?
"Secondly, though the name of this book may seem irrelevant to you, sometimes the most minute details can make a difference between successfully solving a case, and failing". "And particularly in an investigation possibly involving the occult, it can mean the difference between living and dying". "I'm afraid you must be more cooperative, in order for us to be able to assist you in this case". "What more can you tell us"? "Where do we start"?
Persuade (1d100=58) (75%)
Dr. Armitage sighs.
"I'm not trying to be difficult or unhelpful I assure you. However, you are strangers to me, and I don't yet know how much I can trust you. You haven't seen the things I've seen or been through what I've been through, and if I told you, you probably would just think I'm crazy.
However if you must know, the name of the book that Wilbur Whateley had requested was called the Necronomicon, and if you have any real knowledge of the occult then you will understand why I was loath to let him get his hands on it."
"I don't know much about Amos Whateley except that he is somehow related to Wilbur Whateley- a cousin I believe. Like the rest of the Whateley's he's a Dunwich resident. The Whateley's had quite a collection of occult books and manuscripts, and the police turned it all over to Miscatonic U. One of the books includes a partially complete copy of the Necronomicon."
If you really wish the full story then you must steel your sanity and swear to me that what I'm about to tell you will not leave this room."
Father Garrity, you have certainly heard of Dr. Armitage, he is a respected man in the community and has held tenure at MU for several years. He is known to be a master linguist and specializes in ancient and dead languages. You recall a story in September about 5 missing police officers. They had been sent from Aylesbury to Dunwich to investigate the tragic death of a family in the area and the destruction of their farm. You recall something about the remains of the officers being found in the bottom of a ravine.
You also recall a bit in the paper about the death of Wilbur Whateley. The interesting thing about it was that when the coroner arrived on the scene there was nothing left of his body. Armitage and two of his colleagues Dr. Rice and Dr. Morgan both claimed that they saw the body of Wilbur self combust prior to the coroner's arrival. This rather outrageous claim was accepted, but reduced some of Armitage's credibility.
As for the Whateley's you've heard the name, and that they are a strange bunch that have been associated with occultism and unsavory breeding practices (ie. incest).
Rita contiunues scratching notes, circles 'Necronomicon' and 'Whateley'.
"That sounds like a cue for more coffee. If you'll hold on for a moment..."
Rita goes back into the reception of the office, puttle the kettle on again. While she's out there, she quickly leafs through the back files to see if there's any mention of either incident in the files.
I'm guessing thats a library use. Rolled 98 out of 100. Darn
Finding nothing, she returns with fresh coffee, and hands it round. As she hands coffee to the two PIs, she slips them a note with "nothing in our files".
Your files aren't fully up to date. You may have to consult some other sources.
If you really wish the full story then you must steel your sanity and swear to me that what I'm about to tell you will not leave this room."
Evelyn looks up at Armitage, "We are always discreet about our clients dealings. It goes with the trade but if you need something in writing. Rita would you be kind enough to bring a confidentiality document while your out? This is part of our standard paperwork and agreements. It sounds like the full story will definitely facilitate our ability to assist you in this case."
"No, no I don't need anything in writing. I should be a bit more trusting."
He looks towards Garrity
"I don't know if you remember Father Garrity, but my wife Martha used to be a member of your congregation. She didn't go to church all that often, so I'm not sure if you would recall her. She always spoke highly of you, and she said that your sermons were the best she'd ever heard. I've never been much of a church going man myself, but I did attend one of your services once, and I was impressed with how you spoke. I'm sure you're an honest man, though I had always wondered why you left the ministry. My wife was quite disappointed when you resigned."
He then gets up, takes several deep breaths, and starts pacing around a little. You see beads of sweat trickling down his face, and he seems deep in thought. He gags a couple of times and for a minute he looks like he's going to vomit. He nearly falls, but catches his chair and seats himself down again. He looks very pale.
"Sorry, I've been trying not to think about all that happened. These memories are a terrible burden."
“Most of what I’ve told you already is true. However there are some details I intentionally left out. First of all, Wilbur Whateley was far from an ordinary man. He was very ugly and had a sort of goatish look about him. He was probably over seven feet tall, certainly the tallest man I had seen. He exuded an odd scent- a bit like sweet corn, and though he was full grown, it was my understanding that by August of last year he was only fifteen years old. Later, when myself, Dr. Rice and Dr. Morgan ventured into the library after the break in, we discovered that he was not entirely human at all. You may have trouble believing this but the dog had torn away much of his clothing, and though his body was shaped like a man’s, his physiology was unlike anything any of us had ever seen. His lower body was covered with fur, and strange tentacles, sort of like something that might be found in the ocean were growing out of his stomach area. His corpse gave off a stench unlike anything any of us had ever smelled, and we all vomited. His remains didn’t last for long, even as we gazed on them we could see them dissolving. When the coroner got to the scene there was nothing left but a pile of slimy liquid. The coroner had no idea what to make of it, and we had to fabricate a story about the spontaneous combustion of the corpse to explain away what had happened.”
It was then I realized that Wilbur Whateley was probably an even greater danger than I had suspected. After his death the state police went to Dunwich and paid a visit to the homestead. Strange things had been going on there. Wilbur had moved out into the out buildings and there had been extensive renovations done to the main building, renovations that had been going on for years. The police said something about a terrible stench coming from the main building.
The villagers had reported that for many years old Noah Whateley had been buying up cattle with his gold coins, but his herds never seemed to be getting bigger. No one seemed to know where exactly the cows had been going, but the police figured that the Whateley’s had turned the house into some kind of barn. Because of the stench, and because of their general unease about the Whateley family, the police figured that there was no need to go into the main building, as it was probably now merely a barn or slaughterhouse. At least, I suppose that was the excuse they made up. At any rate, they did not search the house, and only explored the out buildings. There they found all the books and such that I mentioned, which were turned over to the library.
Among the materials that we received were several journals written by Wilbur. They were completely incomprehensible, but I soon discerned that he was writing in some sort of code that he had devised. I spent many days attempting to decipher them, for I wanted to know what Wilbur had been up to, and how he had come to be. It took me many, many days to break the code, but when I did the things I learned chilled me to the bone.
I mentioned early that there was an incident in Dunwich involving Noah Whateley. Well what I told you was not entirely true. Certainly, the entire event was precipitated by old Noah Whateley, but he was not actually at the incident, as he had in fact died several years before. It seems that old Whateley truly was a “wizard” of sorts, for in 1913 he briefly managed to contact or conjure some terrible entity from somewhere beyond the boundaries of the world as we know it, and that entity had impregnated his daughter, Lavinia Whateley. As a result of the union, she gave birth to two offspring. One of the beings was Wilbur, and he was far more human than his twin. The other being was entirely not human, and it was kept in the Whateley homestead. It was a voracious thing, and it was the reason why Noah had been buying up cattle. He used them to feed it. For years he fed it, and for years it grew. I later concluded that this was why Noah had been renovating his home over the years. He had to keep making it bigger to accommodate the creature’s ever increasing size.
According to Wilbur’s diary, once his brother reached maturity the creature would be used as a part of a ritual that would help to open a door between worlds, a door that would bring forth terrible otherworldly beings he referred to as the “Great Old Ones”. These entities would then scour the earth of all life and remake it as they saw fit. Normally, I would not have believed such nonsense, but after having seen the true form of Wilbur Whateley with my own eyes, I knew that there was truth to the writings.
Wilbur had needed lore contained in the Necronomicon to complete the ritual. Fortunately, he was killed, and thus his plans were foiled. However, I knew that his brother was still out there, and I knew the danger the creature posed. I continued my research for many days, and finally I found a spell among the lore that I thought might be able to send the creature back to the place where its father dwelt.
I called together Dr. Rice and Dr. Morgan, and I explained to them my findings. Having seen Wilbur Whateley, they knew what I said was not the ravings of a madman, though around that time my sanity was being tested to its breaking point. They agreed to help me, and together the three of us traveled to Dunwich. When we got there we found out that the creature had already abandoned the Whateley homestead and was loose on the countryside. The locals had not actually seen the thing, for it was invisible to the human eye, but signs of its passing were all around. Trees and vegetation had been trampled, and huge footprints, bigger than those of an elephant, were visible. The villagers had determined that the creature had gone down into a deep ravine, and they suspected it had made its lair there. There had been talk about going down to confront it, but no one among them was that brave.
We found out that a family called the Fryres had been killed in early hours of the morning we arrived by the beast when it trampled their farmstead. The Fryres lived near the ravine, and when we arrived at the Fryre farm we found a state police car by the road. There was no sign of any officers. It was later determined that five state troopers had ventured into the ravine, and that the creature had slaughtered them. Their remains had been found, but the true cause of their death was never revealed.
By this time the creature had been terrorizing Dunwich for a couple of days, though it had only been coming out at night. However, about when we got there it had taken to moving in the day, and it signs of it were sighted moving to a place called Sentinal Hill. Sentinal Hill was near the Whateley residence. It had some strange stone circles built on its top, as do many of the hills in the region. The origins of the stone circles are unknown, but they were believed to have been constructed by Indians long ago, and we were told that the ones on Sentinal Hill had long been used by the Whateleys to conduct various occult rituals. Morgan, Rice and I hiked to the top of Sentinal Hill. There we used a mystical powder that I had learned to create from the Necronomicon, and we sprayed the powder on the creature, which made it visible, and enabled us to perform the incantations necessary to send it from our world. I will not speak of the full details of that experience. I can’t even remember them clearly now, but I will say it was the most terrifying of my life.”
He then stops talking, as though the story had taken all his energy. For several moments he is silent.
Sanity Checks
Rita and Evelyn each loose 3 Sanity. Fergus manages to hold onto his. Everyone gains 1% of mythos knowledge.
With wide eyes Evelyn looks toward the others. Great! We are being hired by a raving lunatic. Still.....it was a job and probably that much easier since Armitage was likely to believe ANYTHING told to him if he believed a story like the one he just fed to them. Even so, it creeped her out just how much conviction seemed to be behind Armitage's words. There's no way that story could be real....could it? The chill traveling up her spine seemed to indicate differently. Her gaze stopped on Fergus who seemed fairly calm concidering what this madman had just told them. I hope he knows how to handle this situation, because I DON'T!
Rita goes very pale and looks at the others.
This guys completely nuts. Still, I'm guessing that his pay will be as good as anyone elses.
"Excuse me" she says, "I think I can hear the phone ringing" , and she steps outside the room. She walks over to the desk, takes the (non ringing) phone off the hook, and then re-enters the office.
"Evelyn, its for you" she says. "Can you spare a moment ?"
She turns a bright smile to Dr Armitage. "You must forgive us, this won't take but a moment."
Behind Armitage's back she makes head motions to encourage Evelyn to come outside.
Keep in mind that if you are losing sanity from his story, it would suggest that at some level you do believe him, and your mind is reeling from the implications. However, you may well be trying to suppress the fact that deep down inside you suspect that there might actually be truth to his words.
Though I like that you rping that you think the guy is off his rocker (maybe he is).
Keep in mind ...
She catches Rita's eyes and intent. Evelyn still a bit flustered says, "Please excuse me Mr. Armitage. I'll return as soon as possible." Walking out she carefully closes the door behind her and walks some distance away before speaking up. "Rita, what do think of all this?"
Fergus searches his memory to see if he remembers the Armitages from his congregation. Idea (70%) (1d100=47)
"Hmm...Oh! of course I remember Martha". "She always spoke kindly of you, and I knew you looked familiar when you came in". "And thank you for the kind words about my sermons". "I wish I could take credit, but it's easy to inspire passion, when you are speaking the words of the Lord". "I'm merely repeating them".
"As to my leaving the church, perhaps that is a story for another day". "Lets just say there are countless ways to serve god, and I have a feeling that you are playing your part as well...thought the path is not always clear".
"Your story is disturbing indeed". "I have heard of this family - the Whateleys - and I can assure you it was nothing good or holy". "Perhaps we can be of some assistance".
"Perhaps one of you should go to the University Library to research any information on the Amos Whateley". "Contacting his Lawyer might be a good idea as well". "Then we could travel to Dunwich to get a better feel for what we're up against". "If there are no objections I'll travel on ahead to make housing arrangements, and call upon any members of the Clergy there whom might have any further insight". "Then you guys could meet me there in the morning to continue our research". "We can call the temporary service to cover the office for the couple of days we might be gone".
Then turning to Dr. Armitage, "Normal fees would apply hear Dr. Armitage, plus expenses of course".
Dr. Armitage musters a smile.
"Thank you Father for your help.
I've already checked the library records for any information on Amos, but found nothing, and trust me I know my library. If there was anything to find on him there I would have found it.
I doubt you'll find many men of the cloth in Dunwich. It's not that kind of place, for the most part, and the religion many of the locals tend to practice is much more pagan than what you find around most of this country. I'd also strongly suggest not going up to Dunwich on your own. It's a queer part of country with poorly maintained roads, and strange folk.
I can give you the name of Amos's lawyer as well as the names of a few other folk you could contact in Dunwich. I can right you a letter of introduction. I did earn the respect of some of the locals, and it might help give you a better reception."
"Rita, what do think of all this?"
"Boss, this guys crazier than a loon if you ask me. Still ,his money must be good, right?
Mabbe if we were able to go down to this place he mentioned and prove its all not real, we could persuade him to get some help, see one of those wass-names....head doctors. Alienists, whatever.I useda have a friend called Shirley back in New Yoik who was an alcaholic, and she alla's used to say that recognising you hadda problem was da first step to getting cuired.
Its all nonsense after all, right ?"
Rita smiled, but something about it looked forced. Its not real, She thought. It can't be real... but there's something about the way he says it.... She shivered.
Dr. Armitage takes a sheet of paper out of his satchel and then borrows a pen.
He writes you a list of names:
Contacts in Aylesbury:
The Aylesbury Transcript- Editor Carver Daniels, reference
State Police Post- Ask for Capt. Miller
Whateley’s Attorney- Peter Markovitch
Contacts in Dunwich :
Squire Whateley- head of village
Joe Osborn- owner of general store
The following people were witness to events involving
myself, Dr. Morgan, and Professor Rice:
Wesley Corey
Will Hutchins
Henry Wheeler
Earl Sawyer Whateley
George Corey
Curtis Whateley
Sam Hutchins
Fred Farr
Places that may be of Interest:
Osborn's General Store
The Frye Ruins
Cold Spring Glen
The Bishop Ruins
The Whateley Ruins
Sentinel Hill
He also pulls out a letter and hands it to you.
"This is a letter of introduction. I doubt it will get you far in Aylesbury, but it might help you in Dunwich, especially if you introduce yourself to Squire Whateley. He seems like a decent enough fellow. I believe he's from the branch of the family that has not fallen into degeneracy. Of course Amos Whateley lives in Dunwich as well, but I doubt he'll be wanting to talk with you folks, especially if he finds out that you are trying to investigate him.
Is there anything else you need from me at the moment?"
"Oh wait, one more thing. I realize how crazy my story probably sounds to you. Perhaps these documents will add a little bit of credibility to it."
Armitage digs into his satchel and produces a pair of documents. One is a report to the federal draft board dated 1917. The other is a newspaper article from the Arkham Advertiser, also dated 1917.
Federal Draft Report 1917
Numerous cases of close family members inbreeding may be blamed for the general decline in the health and strength of the population. Illiteracy is extremely high. A sense of decay seems to hang in the very air. Under the circumstances, it is impossible to establish the parentage of some individuals with any degree of certainty. Incest is frequent.
In several cases, the individual in question was discovered to have been dead for several years. Apparently no official records of these deaths exist.
In one case, a young boy named Wilbur Whateley, this nearly consistent pattern of degeneracy was extremely marked. A quick examination of this individual was made by our physician, Major Crombley, which left the doctor shaken by his findings. Apparently the internal organs of the Whateley child were so badly displaced that Major Crombley experienced great difficulty in even finding a heartbeat. When finally located, the pulse was so rapid and erratic that Dr. Crombley later expressed doubts that the boy would ever survive to adulthood. The examination was interrupted by the boy’s grandfather, an aged rustic who, along with the boy’s albino mother, ran us off the property.
In conclusion, it is in the opinion of this board that no attempt has been made on the part of Squire Sawyer Whateley or the rest of the local board to avoid its obligations to national service. In fact, they might nearly be accused of processing inductees of questionable fitness. After having personally witnessed the conditions in the township, I recommend that the local board be released from the obligation of its normal quota and be advised to henceforth process as many healthy draftees as possible under the circumstances that prevail.
Arkham Advertiser
… Our guide, Earl Sawyer, pointed out the way as our motor bounced along the two-track “road” that wound along the edge of a dark, forested vale called Cold Spring Glen. Once past the glen the road curved to the right and we suddenly felt as through we had been swallowed up by the strange domed hills looming on either side of us.
The Whateley house itself is a huge decaying edifice, over two centuries old and built into the very side of the hill. We stood and waited while Mr. Sawyer knocked at the door and called out. After a moment the door opened inward and we stood face to face with Old Noah Whateley, a man people hereabouts call a wizard.
And much like a wizard he looked, what with his long, stark white beard, and bearing his gnarled hand a wooden staff covered with strange signs and numbers. At first we were refused an interview with the man’s grandson but soon…
… aside from Wilbur’s astonishing growth rate (although there is reason to believe that he is somewhat older than stated) he showed marked signs of high intelligence, despite a visage some would describe as less than promising
"Boss, this guys crazier than a loon if you ask me. Still ,his money must be good, right?
Mabbe if we were able to go down to this place he mentioned and prove its all not real, we could persuade him to get some help, see one of those wass-names....head doctors. Alienists, whatever.
I useda have a friend called Shirley back in New Yoik who was an alcaholic, and she alla's used to say that recognising you hadda problem was da first step to getting cuired.
Its all nonsense after all, right ?"Rita smiled, but something about it looked forced. Its not real, She thought. It can't be real... but there's something about the way he says it.... She shivered.
Whispering back to Rita, "Sounds like he can use a psychiatrist either way. Looks like a pretty straightforward case. Just going to do a background search and canvas people on what they know about this guy to start off with. Birth records, employment records, and the like." Evelyn is secretly glad that she wasn't the only one creeped out by Armitage. Giving Rita a hug she steps back into the office.
"Perhaps one of you should go to the University Library to research any information on the Amos Whateley". "Contacting his Lawyer might be a good idea as well". "Then we could travel to Dunwich to get a better feel for what we're up against". "If there are no objections I'll travel on ahead to make housing arrangements, and call upon any members of the Clergy there whom might have any further insight". "Then you guys could meet me there in the morning to continue our research". "We can call the temporary service to cover the office for the couple of days we might be gone".
"I would save the contacting his lawyer until we have some background information about Amos. That way we know what we are looking for and what questions to ask. By the way Fergus, last time I checked neither Rita nor I qualified as a "guy"."
$10 a day plus expenses would be a reasonable wage for a PI in the 20s
Armitage gets to his feet.
"I hope that at least gives you enough to get started. He reaches into his wallet. He pulls out $60- a good sum of money for the 20s. I should think that this will be more than enough to get you started on the investigation. This is important, so I want to see results. If there is nothing else you need for now, then I must be going, as I have plenty of things to attend to back at the university. It was nice meeting you all. I hope my story hasn't made you think that I'm crazy. I realize it seems ridiculous, but assure you that it is all true."
He shudders and he starts to gather up his hat, coat and umbrella.
"Mr. Armitage. Excuse me, but what is the best way to contact you once we have information?"
"I'll generally either be at my home or at the university. You can send me a telegram if you wish or the operator should be able connect you. Just a warning though, the telephone system up in Dunwich isn't as good as what you might be used to around here. As I recall, the residents who have telephones share one line, and two sisters run the switchboard out of their home to connect for out of town calls."
Rita holds Dr Armitages coat for him as he puts it on.
"Doc, I'm sure it'll all work out. My bawsses will sort it for you, they're really good at this sort of stuff."
She smiles prettily.
"Sorry Evelyn". "No offense meant". "Growing up in Brooklyn, I forget that "guys" is not a generic term in some peoples vernacular". "I'll try to cut down on the slang".
"Do you guys...Whoops! would you and Rita like to drive up to Dunwich tomorrow first thing, to see what we can come up with"? "Might want to pack for a couple of days".
"And Dr. Armitage, thank you for the opportunity". "We'll get back to you with any developments".
Ritas stats are now up on the discussion thread, by the way
"Do you guys...Whoops! would you and Rita like to drive up to Dunwich tomorrow first thing, to see what we can come up with"? "Might want to pack for a couple of days".
She smiles at Fergus, "Ladies or even gals will do in a pinch but I don't wear these skirts to be called a guy. I'll gather my things but shouldn't we start with what we can find here in town? Newspaper stories about the area and the like. Possible estranged relatives here in town that can give us the skinny. Maybe getting ahold of the coroners report for Wilbert. Also, if the town is as insular as Armitage says we may not want to travel there together. Gives us more of a chance if someone takes a dislike to any of us. So maybe, one of us go and two stay here or two go and one stays here. Just some thoughts."
Don't worry, they're just delusions cauxsed by your temporary insanity..
or is it ? :evil:
"A trip - suire t'ing. Soudns great." Rita beams.
"O' couise, I'll have to pack sandwiches.... I know what you're like on a case, Father, you'll forget to eat otherwise."
Once you figure out if you're ready to go straight to Dunwich or whether you want to spend a bit of time doing some more investigation around Arkham I'll move forward.
If you want to split up it's not a huge deal- I can just post spoilers to keep you guys separated or even start a second thread.
Either way decide what you want to do, and then we'll proceed.
Tigger are you going to make an alias for Rita (Ideally I'd like to see one)?
Tigger are you going to make an alias for Rita (Ideally I'd like to see one)?
OK, will do, when I get a chance... big panic at work means I'm having the old work/life balance problem , hence why my posts are a bit short at present... it should calm down shortly ...
p.s. if anyones interested in what I sound like in real life, I've just put some audios of my home CoC campaign online http://www.yog-sothoth.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t =13884
[ooc] Ah! How's this ?![/occ]
"Well, youse guys are the boss. I mean, if you want me to sit nice and dry in a dusty and boring library while you are out having fun and getting shot at, who am I to argue ?"
She flutters her eyelids as assumes one of her patent "I'm just a dumb blonde" expressions, which they darn well know is false...
What's the plan?
"Well according to Dr. Armitage, he has already researched everything in the Library, and I'm sure he knows a lot more about that then we do". "I think our next step should be to continue our research in Dunwich". "We can always hire a temp to man the office while we're gone".
"Rita, would your cousin Thelma be interested in working a couple of days"? "We've used her before so she knows the routine".
If you are heading straight for Dunwich let me know how you plan to get there (ie whose car are you taking) and what you want to bring.
"Suire. I'll give Thelma a ring. Her leg's still in plaster since that incident with the car and the cops in that canyon out west, I know she'd welcome it ."
Rita hurries off to make the arrangements.
Evelyn nods at Fergus's decision. "Ok, I will get my things together. How are we getting out there?"
"Well my motorcycle might be a bit crowded for three and luggage". "How about I take the bike up and make arrangements, and you two take the train". "I'll meet you at the station and we can go to the rooms from there". "Either that or we could borrow a car perhaps"?
"By the way Rita, how did her friend Louise fare in that nasty accident"?