Still Waters - Call of Cthulhu

This scenario was altered from its originally written format but still contains spoilers. The following is a summation of our gaming sessions.

The first adventure in our campaign was Still Waters, taken from the Chaosium publication called The Great Old Ones for the Call of Cthulhu RPG.

Arkham, Massachusetts. Spring- 1925

Our adventurous Professor of Archaeology and Ancient History - Arizona James - is approached by the aged Dr. Brodsky of Miskatonic U., and asked if he is interested in retrieving the Vishakhapatnam fragments, described as brass plates of unspeakable lore from Vajrayana and Buddhist origins. These ancient tablets are possessed by a Victor Davies and his daughter, living outside of New Orleans and have agreed to the sale of the fragments.

Victor is a historian who gravitated to the occult. He lives with his daughter, Philippa, who studied the history and practice of witchcraft. Both are regarded as bibliomaniacs.

Having met Philippa in the past, Arizona agrees to take on the task and asks his friends to join him. Hillary, Dockery and “Gunner” either have family down south or are in need of extra cash, so they all accept. Hopping on board a train to New Orleans, the players then take a bumpy bus ride to the remote town of Davies Landing.

After arriving, they are greeted by the inhabitants with unfriendly stares, while dogs froth and snarl and pull on thin, strained leashes as the players pass by. Davies Landing is a small port town and the inhabitants of this inbred, backwater community don’t like strangers. The weather is unusually hot and humid making conditions here almost unbearable. There is a strong feeling of isolation as there isn't another town within 20 miles. 

Our players find a ramshackle hotel and after getting settled, rent a barely-operating vehicle from the hotel's proprietor and head out to the Davies' residence as it starts to rain.

The players arrive at their destination, a framed house of two stories. To the side of the residence are two French doors left wide open that lead inside. It looks as though they were forced open.

Inside the house it is a shambles, having been ransacked by person(s) unknown. On the floor, the butler is found mutilated with a bent shot gun at his side and the Davies are nowhere to be found. The house is silent after the gruesome assault, the only sounds being the rain on the trees outside and the distant pounding of thunder.

The next day, police are contacted and the players are questioned and told not to leave town. The players, having searched the Davies' house, found a folder with some information leading them to investigate the nearby Rosethorn Mansion. They learn the last surviving Rosethorns, two daughters, are living at the mansion and are competitors of the Davies for rare books and written antiquities. The players believe the daughters broke into the Davies', killed the butler and stole the Vishakhapatnam fragments.

Our group of impetuous investigators drive at night to the Rosethorns and near the mansion they find a car hidden in bushes off the side of the road near the riverbank. A map and shotgun shells lay on the floor of the car. The players ditch their rented car and proceed on foot. 

The Rosethorn Mansion is old with a stone foundation and in disrepair. After scouting, the players break in and quietly search the mansion. They find two large blood stains on the living room floor and a shotgun which Gunner takes. More searching reveals a hollow space behind the stone fireplace leading to descending stairs. As they proceed down the secret passage, something below starts playing what sounds like an out-of-tune piano. Going down the stone steps they reach the cellar and here they see a large basement with a fifteen foot river running underneath the house, through the middle of the floor.

Along side the river, with one leg chained each to a huge stone are the - barely conscious and bleeding - Victor and Philippa Davies. Standing near them is a six-and-a-half foot tall Thrall of Cthulhu, reciting incomprehensibly from a leather-bound book. 

Art by Loïc Muzy Art

Nearby is the source of the maddening music, another thrall playing a piano, whose performance evokes sounds seemingly from another world that only the truly mad would appreciate.

Gunner and Dockery cover their ears, too disturbed by the music to act, but Hillary and James manage to both pull their revolvers and let loose on the thralls. Hillary suffers a few lacerations but the thralls are eventually taken down in a hail of bullets.

Then suddenly, bursting forth from the river and leaping onto the cellar floor, is a four-armed deep one who stands at least 12 feet tall. Final cries of pain are heard from Victor and Philippa as the multi-armed monster rips them apart and quickly swallows their eviscerated torsos. 

Players reaction:

As the giant deep one approaches, Gunner recovers his wits and opens up with his shotgun. Dockery soon follows, firing his revolver. James then pulls out his hunting knife and leaps at the creature's back but in mid air gets his abdomen ripped open by a huge clawed hand and is left bleeding to death on the floor. 

Hillary and the others continue their assault as black blood sprays across the room from the creature's massive, bullet-ridden body. Finally, it staggers back and falls to the floor, shaking the mansions' stone foundation. Its impact sprays blood onto Dockery's face and as he wipes away the thick, black ichor, his mind desperately tries to comprehend what they've just witnessed. They all stare blankly at the two tentacle faced females and the four armed monstrosity that now lay dead on the ground before them.

After stabilizing James, the players pick up the leather bound book. It's written in English and bookmarked at a section that seems to be a Calling ritual. Scanning the book, it is full of strange incantations with bizarre words and symbols. However, one symbol in the book has little description but looks familiar: the player's recall seeing it on some Mardi Gras festival signs when they recently stopped in New Orleans.

The players ask: Why is this symbol connected to these horrific creatures and why is it being openly displayed for all to see in the streets of a heavily populated city during Mardi Gras?

Our players mail the Vishakhapatnam fragments to Dr. Brodsky; cancel whatever future commitments they have; and make their way to New Orleans to try and unravel the mystery of this strange, yellow symbol.