Keeper, please ignore the “Income” section on the back of the character sheets. Assume they have the funds to cover ordinary expenses.
A weapons PDF is included, as the Investigators will no doubt want some. Allow them to buy anything legal and reasonable, and possibly some dynamite of course.
The scenes in this scenario are not necessarily in order. They occur as per Investigator actions.
As with all scenarios, please read this two or three times before running it in order to familiarize yourself with it.
Tuesday, July 10th 2012
Chicago, Illinois
Keeper’s Background
Atlach-Nacha, with the aid of her Priestess Mary Witherspoon, nears the completion of her bridge of web which will then span the abyss between our waking world and the Dreamlands.
Abused in foster homes and failed by the system, Mary Witherspoon chose not to become a statistic. When she turned eighteen, she got two jobs and went to night school. Eventually, she moved on to Chicago University and received her PhD in Social Services.
With money she scrupulously saved during those difficult years, combined with salary she earned in social work, Mary has now opened her own all-female Youth Agency: Daughters of Hope, LLC. This was two years ago.
During her difficult youth, Mary met children experimenting with various drugs and the typical “Bloody Mary” type urban legends. At some point, however, she stumbled upon the cult of Atlach-Nacha. The group’s tutor in the ways of the Spider Queen was an elderly lady named Elizabeth Atherton who was bed-ridden in the Pleasant View nursing home.
Once Mary had her PhD in hand, she arranged to be Elizabeth’s social worker. Elizabeth died in the nursing home two years ago at age 88, prior to fulfilling her destiny of heralding the arrival of her Goddess, a privilege now passed to Mary.
Just prior to Elizabeth’s passing, she bit Mary on her left breast, passing on the venom and majesty of the Spider Queen. This bite leaves a scar known as “The Mark of the Spider” by priestesses and followers of Atlach Nacha. The scar appears much as any other–a pink wrinkly patch on the skin, about one inch across. However, this area also has several black spots, roughly half an inch wide and speckled with bright scarlet.
A woman thus marked becomes a Daughter of Atlach Nacha, and eventually undergoes a horrific transformation, shedding her human skin and changing into an enormous spider, though during this time her DEX and APP slowly increase.
Mary, however, is different in that she is to be the culmination of the efforts of her Goddess. Unless the Investigators stop it, Mary will split open, birthing Atlach-Nacha into the world, at 2:00 pm on Friday, July 13th.
Investigator Information
At 6:00 am, Detective Miller was called to a downtown alley to investigate a death. When (s)he arrived, accompanied by Patrick/Patricia Danvers, they found the man’s left abdomen had erupted, leaving a gaping hole about the size of a basketball. The man’s identification named him as Bertram Allen Meyers, aged 26.
Myron Hayes, a homeless man living in a tent in the same alley, was the only witness. He stated “I woke up because I heard a guy crying, really hard. I came out of my place to help him and he look bad, real bad. His side was all wet and slimy, and it was swollen like you wouldn’t believe. Then he started screaming, I mean really screaming. The swelling started squirming and then it just busted open, blood and guts everywhere. Then spiders came pouring out of him, hundreds of them, thousands, and they was all black widows–real tiny ones all the way to some with bodies the size of golf balls, shiny black with that red hourglass.”
Miller and Danvers accompanied the body to the Medical Examiner’s office, where Karl/Karla Wilson declared the cause of death to be severe physical trauma caused by the eruption of a massive infection and that the internal organs had been in a slow process of liquidation for several hours before death.
(S)he also noted Meyers’ ribs were torn loose and unhinged by the eruption and his spine had been slowly but severely bending to the right, causing gaps between the vertebrae.
When Detective Miller ran Meyers’ address, he recognized it as the same as Ronald/Ronnie’s, so he rounded him/her up as a potential source of street information. Miller also discovered Meyers was on ten years probation from a plea agreement on charges of sexually assaulting 15 year-old Trisha Ortiz two years ago.
Detective Miller and/or José/Jacinta can easily find a current address for Trisha Ortiz. She is under the Care of Mary Witherspoon at the Daughters of Hope, an all-female youth shelter. José/Jacinta discovers Mary Witherspoon had a difficult childhood and was in foster homes.
(Give Detective Miller Handout #1, give Professor Locke Handouts #2 and #3.)
Daughters of Hope LLC, female-only youth shelter: Mary Witherspoon PhD, owner, age 30, white, very attractive. Mary, with almost black eyes, is dressed in a black, form-fitting business suit which highlights her physical beauty, though with a high collar and sleeves to her wrists. Mary is also very quick and light on her feet. She speaks only enough to answer questions, seems distant and contemptuous and is very protective of the girls under her care.
One of the various items on her desk is a business card for La Duke Jones of Black Widow Karate.
Other people at Daughters of Hope.
Cassie Black, Case Worker, age 20, white, very attractive, will begin her junior year in Social Work at Chicago University in the Fall.
Carol Cardiff, age 17, black, very attractive.
Susan Tanner, age 16, white, very attractive.
Trisha Ortiz, age 17, Mexican American, very attractive.
(Give José/Jacinta Handout #4.)
Subsequent Visit: If the Investigators return to Daughters of Hope, possibly by Ronald/Ronnie “letting his/her self in” after hours, they will hear several female voices chanting in unison. Mary, Cassie, Carol, Susan and Trisha and an unidentified teenage (15) white girl, attractive, can be found in a room furnished very comfortably. The chant is as follows:
“As the Mother spins,
The bridge grows near completion,
And on that glorious day,
She and Her Daughters shall be free to walk the earth.”
If any are ever asked about this, they will say it is a daily affirmation which helps them “achieve and maintain clarity.”
(Give Ronald/Ronnie Handout #5.)
Ronald/Ronnie and The Daughters of Hope: If Ronald/Ronnie ask around about The Daughters of Hope, (s)he will end up in conversation with Amy Weaver. Amy will state they are a cult, all female and that Ronald/Ronnie should stay away from them.
(Give Ronald/Ronnie Handout #6.)
Encounter with Susan Tanner: On the evening of Wednesday July 11th, the Investigators will be walking along a sidewalk downtown when they hear a young female voice chanting in the alley. They see a teenage girl, arms open to the sky as if in invocation and chanting:
“As the Mother spins,
The bridge grows near completion,
And on that glorious day,
She and Her Daughters shall be free to walk the earth.”
At this point, the Investigators hear a man weeping, then screaming in pain. From the shadows and debris along the side of the alley rolls a man clutching his neck and begging for help.
The man is Peter Glass, the doctors at the hospital welcome the assistance of Professor Locke, and Mr. Glass will stabilize by morning–soon making a full recovery. (Not all who are bitten die.)
The bite, though made by a human mouth (Susan’s), contains black widow venom.
Since Susan is a minor, Detective Miller will have to return her to the custody of Mary Witherspoon. Remember “It is a daily affirmation which helps us achieve and maintain clarity.” Alternatively, Detective Miller, Karl/Karla Wilson, José/Jacinta or professor Locke can request Susan be kept at the hospital for observation. During this time, Dr. Andrea Pierce, black woman, age 57, will discover that Susan’s exceptionally sharp teeth are hollow but quite strong, and she has sacs of venom which feed into her teeth.
Doctor Pierce loses a few Sanity, contacts the Investigators, sedates Susan and places her in an isolation ward as an inpatient.
Black Widow Karate: La Duke Jones. owner, age 19, black.
Keeper only information: La Duke is Mary Witherspoon’s Cousin. He has a sealed youth court record for burglary and dealing marijuana when he was 16. Last year, Mary Witherspoon paid for him to open his martial arts studio and she incorporated it as an LLC. José/Jacinta will notice La Duke’s technique is not up to black belt standards.
(Give José/Jacinta Handout #7.)
La Duke will show a contemptuous attitude toward the Investigators, but neither Katrell nor Brian will.
La Duke is very fond and protective of his cousin but none of these three know anything about the cult. Likewise, Mary will not allow La Duke to come to any harm.
Katrell Harris, student, age 17, black, green belt.
Brian Henderson, student, age 17, black, orange belt.
If any Investigators check public records, they will find that Black Widow Karate was registered last year and is incorporated under the name of Mary Witherspoon.
If the Investigators speak to La Duke or Mary about this, they will say Mary and La Duke are cousins and she was helping him get started in life.
If the Investigators mention La Duke’s juvenile criminal background, they will excuse it as “stuff kids do” and state she was helping him get a fresh start in life.
Encounter with La Duke Jones: At any time after the Investigators first visit Black Widow Karate, La Duke Jones will find José/Jacinta alone (if possible). La Duke will challenge him/her and attack.
La Duke Jones: Move 9 HP 13/
Martial Arts 40%
Fist 60%, damage 1D3
Grapple 25 %
Head 10%, damage 1D4
Kick 35%, damage 1D6
If La Duke is captured, or shot and survives, he will be arrested. If he escapes, he will move into a basement apartment at Mary’s house.
If the Investigators know Mary’s home address, which is easy to find in public records, they can talk to her neighbors, who will report they have seen a young man matching La Duke’s description/photo, going in and out of Mary’s house (since his encounter with José/Jacinta.)
Encounter with Katrell Harris: At any point after the Investigators first visit Black Widow Karate, Katrell Harris will seek out Detective Miller. Ronald/Ronnie will hear he has been asking around for the Detective and this is how contact will be made.
Katrell will inform Detective Miller “I’m kinda weirded out by La Duke’s cousin Mary and the girls at Daughters of Hope. Sometimes Mary, Cassie, Carol, Susan and Trisha all come in the dojo and just kind of stand there, staring at nothing. Then they nod at each other and walk out. Every time, La Duke keeps on with the lesson like nothing is happening. All of them really freak me out.”
Soon thereafter, Detective Miller will be contacted over his/her police radio to respond to a 911 call. At the scene, in an alley, is the body of Katrell Harris. He is absolutely covered in spider bites of various sizes.
The doctors at the hospital will welcome the assistance of Karl/Karla Wilson and Professor Locke. The bites prove to all be filled with black widow venom. Soon after the examination begins, the body will begin to decompose and liquify.
Give Patrick/Patricia the page entitled “Observations of Patrick/Patricia Danvers”
The Demise of Gary Penn: On the evening of Thursday the 12th Detective Miller will be contacted over his/her police radio to respond to a 911 call. A man named Gary Penn called from the corner of 32nd Street and Xavier, in the red light district, saying he had been bitten by many spiders and a young girl. While the detective is en route, the ambulance heads toward the hospital.
Soon thereafter, Detective Miller is told the ambulance called in to say there was “something wrong” with the patient and the dispatcher heard the EMT in the back of the vehicle shouting. Then the ambulance went radio silent.
Seconds later, the Detective is notified of several 911 calls about an ambulance crashing into a bank at the corner of 32nd Street and Stillwater. When the Investigators arrive, there is a second ambulance in which the crew of the first are being treated for minor injuries.
Bill Patterson, the crew member who rode in the back is clearly shaken (he’s lost a few Sanity). He reports that Mr Penn was covered head to toe in hundreds of bites of various sizes, including two on his neck that were caused by a human mouth with exceptionally sharp teeth. Soon after they left 32nd and Xavier Mr. Penn began shaking violently, flat lined and immediately began to liquify.
He further states “Mr. Penn said he was meeting with a Mexican girl who suddenly grabbed him with amazing strength, dragged him into an alley, and shouted ‘Come forth and feed!’”
He said then hundreds of spiders filled the alley and began biting him. The girl did too, twice on the neck.”
Though Trisha is Mexican-American, there is no evidence to tie her to this attack, If the Investigators speak to Mary Witherspoon, she will state “Trisha would do nothing of the sort, however I will speak to her.”
Centers For Disease Control and Prevention: At 8:00 pm on Thursday the 12th, the CDC will arrive in Chicago. They will set up specialized isolation wards in all the hospitals, begin running tests on all patients and staff and seeking volunteers from the general populace to be tested.
The news media will state the mayor is considering temporarily placing the city under quarantine but hasn’t yet mentioned involving the National Guard.
Naturally, this only makes the people of Chicago more nervous and afraid. The Keeper should feel free to sprinkle a little looting, small riots etc. If they feel the need to seek shelter Ronald/Ronnie can turn to his street contacts.
(Give Ronald/Ronnie Handout #8.)
Jeannie Ross, Another Bite Victim: At 1:00 am on Friday the 13th, one of Ronald’s/Ronnie’s street contacts approaches him/her when Detective Miller is not around. This is Samuel “Sammy” Franklin–Japanese American, age 19.
Sammy tells Ronald/Ronnie one of the people he hangs with is in trouble. Jeannie Ross, age 15, white “has been bitten by a huge spider. She’s in the hospital.” He further states he stepped on the spider, killing it, and hands Ronald/Ronnie a zip-lock bag containing a gooey, flattened black widow spider with a body the size of a golf ball.
Professor Locke and Doctor Wilson may examine the dead spider. Other than its enormous size is a normal black widow.
Assuming the Investigators inquire at the hospital, they discover Jeannie (age 15, white, attractive) it is unconscious but is responding well to treatment.
(If any Investigators witnessed “Subsequent Visit” on page #, give them Handout #9.)
Looking beneath her bandage shows a bite made by a human mouth with exceptionally sharp teeth. Within hours, her body will have all but completely rid itself of the venom, which is virtually impossible.
Within a couple of hours, Detective Miller receives a call on his cell phone from Officer Ron Kowalski. Kowalski informs the Detective that Peter and Dorothy Ross, Jeannie’s parents were just involved in a one-vehicle automobile accident.
Eyewitnesses report the vehicle was approaching the Michigan Avenue drawbridge as it was rising, suddenly accelerated and began weaving. It then jumped the gap, impacting the face of the opposite side, got hung up and caught fire. Within about twenty seconds it tore loose, plunging into the river.
A quick check of records by Detective Miller and/or José/Jacinta, or conversation by Ronald/Ronnie with his/her street contacts, reveal that Jeannie has a juvenile record for petty theft and marijuana use. She is currently a resident of Daughters of Hope LLC.
If the Investigators approach Mary Witherspoon regarding Jeannie, she will state the records of the girls in her care are sealed and she would not divulge anything without a court order.
Mary’s Physical Beauty: It is now Friday the 13th and Mary’s physical beauty is now transcendent. Her graceful movements are mesmerizing. Attempting any action other than speech in her presence requires a POWX2, and the chance of success is halved. While in Mary’s presence the Investigators are unaware of this effect. It will occur to them once they are away from her, as will that her eyes were larger than before and were entirely glossy black, speckled with bright scarlet.
Court Order: Detective Miller can easily get a court order at this point. (S)he will find the following information.
(Give Detective Miller Handout #10.)
Cassie Black: Parents Michael and Patricia Black died two years ago. They fell from a cliff on a camping trip.
Carol Cardiff: Parents Harold and Francine Cardiff died two years ago. They were stabbed during an apparent home invasion. The house was then set ablaze with a large amount of accelerant.
Susan Tanner: Parents Andreas and Kathy Tanner died two years ago. Their bodies were found in an alley, stabbed to death. Her purse, his wallet and all their valuables were missing.
Trisha Ortiz: Parents Luis and Anna Ortiz died two years ago. Their bodies were found washed up along the Chicago River.
The Arrival of The Spider Queen: This will occur in a major intersection downtown at 2:00 pm on Friday the 13th. If the Investigators are not initially present they will immediately be informed by police radio, cell phone, Ronald’s/Ronnie’s street contacts etc. and will arrive just in time for the event.
Remember, Mary’s physical beauty is now transcendent and her graceful movements are mesmerizing. Attempting any action other than speech in her presence requires a POWX2, and the chance of success is halved. While in Mary’s presence the Investigators are unaware of this effect. It will occur to them once they are away from her, as will that her eyes were larger than before and were entirely glossy black, speckled with bright scarlet. This effect is about to end.
The intersection is cordoned off with barriers and Police tape. Dozens of onlookers, including the media, are pressed against it. Within are several police officers, Mary Witherspoon and any of the girls–Cassie, Carol, Susan, Trisha and Jeannie Ross–who are alive and free.
Despite the crowd, the Investigators have a clear view inside the barriers.
At this point, while the Investigators are struggling to get close, Mary raises her arms to the sky as if in praise and calls out:
“As the Mother spins,
The bridge grows near completion,
And on that glorious day,
She and Her Daughters shall be free to walk the earth!”
Immediately, two things simultaneously occur, the girls begin attacking the police and onlookers with knives and Mary transforms
Girls With Knives: Dodge 60%, Knife 45% damage 1D4, Move 10, HP 13/
Mary: Mary begins to shake violently and sweat profusely. Then, with a huge, very wet ripping sound she begins to split open from forehead to crotch. With a scream and facial expression clearly of both terrible agony and ecstatic joy, she reaches into the wound and begins tearing herself further apart, revealing the typical layer of fat but surprisingly little blood and no internal organs.
All within her, including the inner skin, then goes absolutely black and a cold breeze issues forth, accompanied by a gritty, earthy smell. Several points of glowing scarlet, incidentaly about the size of golf balls, shine forth: proving to be the eyes of an enormous spider a little bigger than a very large man and trailing streams of mucus as it emerges from the flesh sac which once was Mary Witherspoon.
The crowd breaks into a loud, chaotic panic–trampling one another, falling into the area inside the barriers, etc. The police, some of whom are now insane, try to control the crowd, as well as shoot the enormous spider, the crazed girls and one another.
The pistols the Police Officers carry have little effect on Atlach Nacha. Allow them a single collective attack at 75%. If they succeed, 1D6+1 Hit Points gets past her armor.
End of Scenario
ATLACH NACHA, Great Old One. Atlach Nacha is an enormous spider, sometimes worshiped as a Goddess. It externally spins a complex bridge-web in an abyss between the Waking World and the Dreamlands. It is said if she ever completes her web, the world will end.
ATTACKS: The Spider God can attack as below, with either web or bite. Its bite penetrates any armor, natural or man-made. If rescued, the victim’s STR returns at a rate of 1D4 points per game month of bed-rest. During this time the victim’s hit points can never exceed his or her STR.
STR 30 CON 75 SIZ 25 INT 15 POW 30
DEX 25 Move 15 HP 50/
Damage Bonus: +2D6
Weapons: Cast Web 80%, entanglement with STR 30 web
Bite 60%, POT 35 paralyzing poison & 1D6 STR drain per round
Armor: 12-point chitin and fur. At 0 HP, it flees across its complex web.
Spells: All Contact spells.
Sanity Loss: 2/1D20 due to both seeing her and witnessing her bursting out of Mary.
Insanity Results: Ignore Sanity result rules. Any Investigator who makes their Sanity roll is stunned for 2 turns. Any Investigator who fails their Sanity roll is stunned for a number of turns equal to their Sanity loss. While stunned an Investigator can neither move nor take any action, all they can do is defend.
Atlach Nacha finds herself in a target-rich environment. Therefore, while the Investigators are stunned, plus 1D3 turns They will only be attacked by the girls and maybe some onlookers.
Girls With Knives: Dodge 60%, Knife 45% damage 1D4, Move 10, HP 13/
Onlookers: Fist 50%, damage 1D3.
Attacks and Special Effects: Any who stumble into Atlach-Nacha’s web must match STR against the web’s STR 30 to escape. Friends may add their strengths to pull free the victim.
PDFS
My name is CthulhuBob Lovely, I live in my childhood hometown of Columbus, Ohio, and have a son and two daughters. I volunteer at MisCon, which occurs each year on Memorial Day Weekend in Missoula, Montana and help out at other shows.
In my younger years I had seen H.P. Lovecraft’s books in the collection of my older brother, Brian, who is also responsible for introducing me to Monty Python, Star Wars and many other things geek.
I began running and playing Dungeons and Dragons in 1977 at the age of 15, and Call of Cthulhu since its original publication in 1981.
I believe geekery and gaming can have positive effects on math, reading and writing, and social interaction skills, as well as family togetherness. I have three published stories online at
http://www.bewilderingstories.com/bios/lovely_bob_bio.html
