My group continued their Call of Cthulhu campaign this past weekend, given the time gap between the Peru section and when Masks of Nyarlathotep picks up in earnest with the New York chapter, I decided to run a one-shot to bridge the gap.
There were a few one-shot scenarios I considered, but Dead Light looked like the easiest to run and a lot of fun, and it did not disappoint at all!!!
I started off the scenario on a bit of red herring, having the group head to Arkham to fetch some books for Jackson Elias, whom had just departed overseas (start of the Carlyle research), from the Miskatonic University with the intention of delivery to his attorney back in New York. A few roleplaying encounters to obtain the books and the group departed Arkham, and that's is where the actual scenario picks up.
An early summer storm moving in as night falls, pouring rain, visibility cut down to a few feet and suddenly a girl is comes into view on the view. A failed driving check later as the vehicle swerves barely clipping the poor girl. The group was pretty scared at this point and somewhat delayed upon helping the poor girl, but eventually took action to get her in the car and headed up the road to a local diner and gas station. The girl, Emilia, was in shock and not communicating at this point.
Arriving at the diner, the group of investigators discover a truck blocking the road, still running. The driver, also now in the diner, was being consoled by some of the others inside. He was claiming to have seen a "Dead Light" which frightened him off the road. There was some mild-brewing tension in the diner, as the waitress there, Mary, seemed on edge and stressed about something, having reacted to the group bringing in Emilia.
My group was still set upon getting on with their business at this point, deciding to move the truck blocking the road to clear the way. Doctor O'Connor volunteered to go park the truck out of the way and an elderly patron of the diner went to go assist. As the good doctor wheeled the truck into a parking place on the side of diner, a flash of light over by the old man startled him. Upon exiting the truck, all he discovers is the poor man's hand still holding the umbrella seemingly burnt off and no sign of the man. The curious doctor folder up the umbrella, hand still attached, for future study.
Delivering the news to his wife and informing the group that something wasn't quite right with the situation, the doctor was the first to be aware of the danger they were in. The PI of my group took this time to question Mary, the waitress, whom he had noticed was stressing about something. Some quick questioning quickly revealed some jealousy, anger and a sense of guilt towards Emelia, the lady, whom the group had taken in from the rain earlier.
Around this time, Emelia was coming around a bit and informed the group that two men had broken into her grandfather's home, attacking them with the intent of robbery and something had happened there, some creature had emerged from an old coffer her grandfather had kept at the house and that is when she had ran. With no where to go, the group steeled themselves and headed up the road to the cottage.
The rain had not let up, but the road up to the cottage was passable. Arriving the front door swinging open with the storm, muddy footprints fleeing the scene reveal that some others are not all accounted for just yet. Entering into the house, guns draw, the investigators discover a scene of horror. Emilia's grandfather lay dead, injured from an apparent shotgun wound, worse though an unknown man with his body seemingly consumed from the waste down by some means of fire?!?!? A smashed coffer, with a fine ashy substances is spilled between the two bodies, litters the floor his as well. The group wasn't able to fully understand what occurred, but they did discover a connection between the younger man and Mary, perhaps a boyfriend, now they are more suspicious of her.
The group split their search of the remaining house, discovering a journal with some instructions for containing the creature and dated entries of it's use on actual humans...creepy....a generator in the basement and bit of background information on Emilia, detailing some visits to the psyche ward. With enough information to be dangerous, the group decided to head back for the diner before whatever was out there could find them....about that....as the group hurried out the door, an unknown man come running out of the woods...."I'm so sorry..." his last words before the Dead Light emerges from is now consumed body...better run boys!
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