The Bringham Society (A Lovecraftian Horror Quest)
- Location
- iTALY
He was taling about Expedition, I think.
The other option don't have a slot for a second person.
- Location
- Rapidly approaching your location.
- Pronouns
- Any/Morb
We'll be fine, the power of
- Location
- Dreiländereck
[X] Plan I'm Bad At Names
-[X] Mammon Place
-[X] There is a former German prince attempting to sell occult artifacts to high society. How did he get his hands on them? (Hearsay)
--[X] Lady Le'Blanc
-[X] The Travel Diary of Robert Enoch says his journey began in the tomb of a pharaoh no history acknowledges. It gives a general location for this tomb. You could start searching. (-2 Wealth) (Finished next turn)
--[X] Mr. Yasir
-[X] The catacombs beneath the university are truly cavernous. Who knows what secrets lie buried in this sleepy hamlet?
--[X] Mr. Birch
--[X] Mr. Stephanos
-[X] A Man On The Inside
-[X] Mammon Place
-[X] There is a former German prince attempting to sell occult artifacts to high society. How did he get his hands on them? (Hearsay)
--[X] Lady Le'Blanc
-[X] The Travel Diary of Robert Enoch says his journey began in the tomb of a pharaoh no history acknowledges. It gives a general location for this tomb. You could start searching. (-2 Wealth) (Finished next turn)
--[X] Mr. Yasir
-[X] The catacombs beneath the university are truly cavernous. Who knows what secrets lie buried in this sleepy hamlet?
--[X] Mr. Birch
--[X] Mr. Stephanos
-[X] A Man On The Inside
InquiQual
Emanator of Mythus, the Enigmata
- Location
- The Astral Express
[X] Plan I'm Bad At Names
I like this plan a lot, but I really hope we get a chance to dig deeper into the LeBlanc family mystery a bit later into the game. It seems super interesting, and I'd love to see how it affects Isadora as a character.
I like this plan a lot, but I really hope we get a chance to dig deeper into the LeBlanc family mystery a bit later into the game. It seems super interesting, and I'd love to see how it affects Isadora as a character.
- Location
- Reno
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] Plan I'm Bad At Names
NuclearConsensus
Herald of the Thorned One
- Location
- the Philippines
[X] Plan I'm Bad At Names
[X] Occult Clubhouse
I like the appeal of a lost continent.
I like the appeal of a lost continent.
Turn 2: May, 1923
- Location
- Texas
May, 1923
An excerpt from the Expeditionary Report of Gabriel Birch:
What follows is a true and honest accounting of what myself and the magician Stephanos found in the warrens beneath the university, what we saw, and what we recovered -- as I remember it, and to the best of my ability. Indeed, though it has been some days, my mind is still fresh with what I witnessed in those abysmal tunnels, those...crawling caves.
It was a cold day for April when we set out. My breath misted in front of me, so I dressed warmly. I regretted it the moment we entered the tunnels, for the first thing we noticed was the unbearable heat. That heat was certainly unnatural, for as I have mentioned, it was deeply cold just a few meters aboveground. The darkness was pervasive and thick, and though we both had flashlights, Stephanos and I could barely see each other despite being mere feet away.
The expedition started well, despite all this. The first stretch of the tunnels have been used for generations by the University and it's students, and we found much evidence of past passers-by. The stone around us was the same brickwork as the university above, and the walls had been scrawled on by previous visitors. These quickly vanished as we moved further on, however, and after perhaps an hour or two had passed, we saw the last of the graffiti. Maybe two hours after that, the walls began to change to an older stone, from before the university's rebuilding in the last half-century. We found bones shortly after, but a close examination revealed them to be nothing untoward -- the bones of those slaves who hid in the tunnels escaping recapture. Not all of them escaped, it seems.
I believe it was about a day in when the stone began to disappear. I am no archaeologist, but I did not think it should have been possible. We were already several miles belowground, well past the time of the university's first construction in 1698. It would be difficult to build tunnels this deep today, but hundreds and hundreds of years ago? It puzzled me.
I only became truly fascinated when the stone began to reappear later that day. It was a different sort of stone, of a different make and a different material, glossy and black. We attempted to take scrapings, but our tools shattered. Stephanos suggested returning to retrieve better ones, but we decided to press on. There was something of the otherworld about these tunnels now -- stygian brick and inky darkness and an oppressive, blistering heat that by now had grown almost unbearable. I had stripped out of my thicker clothes now, and wore only a shirt and pants. Anything else was stifling.
We bore onwards, well aware that we were deeper now than any human hands could ever have dug. The first worms appeared some time after. Horrid sightless little things they were, white and squirming and blind. They were only a few at first, but some hours after we had encountered the first one, they lay thick from wall to wall, squishing abominably under our shoes. They hissed to feel the light of our flashlights upon them, and writhed over one another to escape from them. They did not seem to have any means of sustenance, or indeed any biological drive or purpose beyond writhing on the stone. Stephanos abhorred them, but they only served to increase my curiosity. From whence had they come? How did they survive down here? What was their purpose?
I do not know exactly how long we walked after that. Hour began to bleed into hour. Stephanos and I struggled to hold some conversation, but the dank atmosphere of those tunnels made even talking an impossible task. I only remember when we found the first shard. It sat shimmering among the worms, glinting brightly even in darkness. It was long and curved, as if from a lamp, and the wriggling things had made a space for it, as if its light still burned them. We found the rest of the lamp further in, scattered in pieces every few feet, like it had been flung with great force from a mighty height. We collected as many pieces as we could for study, for the lamp-bits shone almost as bright as our own flashlights the moment light fell upon them, as if better tuned to conduct light than any regular glass could be.
We were still picking up the pieces when we found the corpse. It was desiccated and sunken, but flesh still remained upon the bones. It was dressed in the fashions of the last century, and a thin layer of dust had fallen over it. The musty smell of death choked our nostrils as if he had been dead for weeks, but from look alone, he had been dead forty years. The skeleton held the handle of a broken lamp clutched tight to his chest -- no doubt the selfsame lamp we had been collecting for the past hour. I moved closer to investigate, and found that a worn book lay next to him. I had picked up the book and was making as if to move closer, when I noticed something truly awful -- the worms were crawling within his corpse. They writhed in the eyeless sockets of his skull, and I could see them undulating and squirming beneath the paper-thin flesh of his throat. I gasped in horror and stepped back, and the light of my flashlight fell fully upon the wormy head.
And that hideous corpse turned it's head to look at me. In a single jerky movement, the skull moved to fix it's squirming eyes on my own. Behind me, Stephanos cursed. The jaw slid open, and worms tumbled out, white and squirming. And then it spoke, it's voice like stones grinding. I do not remember what happened after. When our memories returned, we stood at the entrance to the tunnel, clutching the lamppiece the skeleton had held, and the book he had guarded in death. We did not remember how we had made the day-long trek back to the surface, or what had transpired then. Our last memory was of the words the skeleton had spoken in that terrible grinding voice:
"Can you hear the Moths?"
The Society convenes for the second time amidst opulence and luxury. You seat in a ballroom which smells faintly of desire, underneath a chandelier of fat red jewels that gleam with dreadful succulence. The servants are dead-eyed and thin. No one speaks of the previous owners.
The Bringham Society is come to Mammon Place. Already, waves are being made among the elite of New York's upper crust. This building has a history, and a reputation. Those who know of it will no doubt interested in its' new occupants, and their own desires. Perhaps there is something to be gained here, amongst this gilded glory and shining decadence.
Gained 5 Influence.
Influence options unlocked.
The Lady Leblanc reports on her own endeavor first: the matter of the German prince and the occult artifacts. The German emperors had a certain interest in unearthly things, or so her contacts in the European nobility tell her. Their collection of occult treasures was mostly lost with their empire, but tales abound of a secret treasury somewhere deep in Old Prussia, maintained and curated by those loyal to the old Imperial family. They guard it jealously, but the collapse of their empire has brought them on hard times. The prince in question has since been silenced, but the reduced power and influence of the old Imperial family may make it possible to find the precise location of this place.
Mr. Yasir, after some mental preparation, has flipped through the travel diary, calling on his own knowledge of several ancient languages to decipher much of it and find the precise location of the tomb mentioned in several portions. If what he has seen has bothered him, he does not show it. His eyes, as always, are empty.
(Yasir: Horror increased by 4) (Expedition Unlocked: The Tombs of the Nameless Kings)
The Society's members have all made certain friends in certain places, and with a few questionable bribes and certain untoward promises, it has been easy enough to secure an informant, a man in the employ of the Morris Collection, one of the continent's more reputable occult bookstores. Much reaches his ears in his day-to-day work, and we pay him well for the risk he takes. His employers are a meticulous sort, and they do not take well to traitors.
Informant Gained: The Occult Librarian (The study time of all books is reduced by one turn) (Unlocks Miscellaneous Vote: A Visit To The Morris Collection) (-2 Wealth every five turns)
In a slightly shaken voice, Mr. Birch reports on the expedition he and Mr. Stephanos took into the tunnels beneath Bringham University, the unnatural things they found there, and what they returned with: a broken lamp, shattered into a thousand pieces that still shine with unnatural brightness, and a book which he has taken the liberty of looking at. It describes a group called the Lampsmen, a society numbering in the hundreds or thousands, all devoted to 'casting light' on the more terrible and unearthly things which crawl upon the skin of the world. It speaks in oblique terms of an 'Enemy' that threatened their very existence, and of the lamps they bore that, supposedly, provided them with some defense against this Enemy. In particular, it remarks with evasive horror upon the fate which should await a Lampsman if his lamp is ever destroyed.
Again, dryly, Mr. Stephanos indicates the broken lamp, and goes on to further say that neither he nor any of his contacts have ever heard of a group called the Lampsmen, or even of their existence. The rest of the Society affirms they have not ever heard of an occult group as widespread and pervasive as the book indicates the Lampsmen to have been. Either the book is a fabrication...or something happened to the Lampsmen. Birch suggests they lost their war with this nebulous Enemy and were wiped from the world as a result, while LeBlanc takes the tack that they may have gone into hiding to escape just such a fate. Further investigation and study of both the book and the lamp will be needed.
Birch also puts forward, in a cracking voice, that more help may be needed on future expeditions.
Artifact Gained: A Shattered Lamp: Once, this bore light. It still does, if looked at from the right angles. Cracked edges of glass gleam angrily like razors. They remember.
Artifact Gained: The Lampsmans' Guide: A set of rules and instructions for newly initiated members of a secret order known as the Lampsmen. Interestingly, it never describes in particular the great 'Enemy' they face, despite the struggle with this foe apparently being the central purpose of their order. Rather, the latter half of this book is devoted to increasingly dire warnings of what fates may befall a Lampsman should he allow his Lamp to go out or be destroyed.
Lore Encountered: The Lampsmen: You are not the first. Others have flung light into the darkness. They are no more, or so it seems, but they left something behind.
Lore Encountered: The Moths: If you walk into an old library, shut all the doors, and close your eyes, you may hear the buzzing of the Moths. The Society has encountered this lore, but has not studied it's mysteries.
Lore Encountered: The Worm-Fed: There are certain worms in the deep places which feed upon the dead. When they have fed enough, the dead may feed on them.
Unlocked Expedition Hires.
Information:
[] There is a church where the preacher preaches in a tongue not spoken on Earth. The congregation does not seem to care. (Intelligence)
--[] Assign A Member
[] The Soviets say that they burned Rasputin. A source in Russia swears they did not -- could not. (Gossip)
--[] Assign A Member
[] A diver in Bombay has seen terrible things under the ocean. He is mad now, but they say he left a journal behind. (Hearsay)
--[] Assign A Member
[] There is a place in China where some do not die. (Hearsay)
--[] Assign A Member
[] Rumors abound -- two painters on different sides of the globe have painted the same painting of a city that does not belong under this sun. (Rumor)
--[] Assign A Member
Discovery:
[] Somewhere deep in the Prussian hinterlands, there is a place where the emperors kept their darkest treasures hidden from the world. (-3 Wealth) (Finished in 1 turn)
--[] Assign A Member
[] Yasir has had dreams of a city in the sands. The path to the city begins in the Andes, in a forgotten pass deep within the mountains. You could always pay a few scouts to see if his dreams have any truth to them (-5 Wealth) (Finished in 2 Turns)
--[] Assign A Member
Expedition:
[] The Crawling Caves: The catacombs beneath the university are truly cavernous. They run deeper than humans ever delved, and the worms feed on those who have gone too deep. There is something deeper still.
--[] Assign A Member
--[] Assign A Member (Optional)
--[] Take An Artifact (Optional) (Write-In Artifact)
--[] Hire Muscle: Big men who ask few questions. Ideal for situations like this. (Optional) (-5 Wealth)
--[] Hire An Occultist: Well-read and thin, their eyes wide with secrets. They may be of use. (Optional) (-10 Wealth)
[] There is another, darker place, in the shadow of the Valley of the Kings, where they buried those pharaohs whose names had been excised. They are nameless, certain histories suggest, because names have power, even after death.
--[] Assign A Member
--[] Assign A Member (Optional)
--[] Take An Artifact (Optional) (Write-In Artifact)
--[] Hire Muscle: Big men who ask few questions. Ideal for situations like this. (Optional) (-5 Wealth)
--[] Hire An Occultist: Well-read and thin, their eyes wide with secrets. They may be of use. (Optional) (-10 Wealth)
Study:
[] Study The Travel Diary of Ashley Enoch: Parts of this book were written before itself. There are passages that seem to forget how causality works. There are events referred to that never happened, or have yet to happen, and oblique references to places not found on any reputable map. It is quite possibly the worst travel diary ever written. And it is the secret to the history beneath the world. (Will take two turns to study)
--[] Assign A Member
[] Study A Cracked Lamp: This lamp is broken, most certainly. But the edges of it remember what they were, and their light is almost blinding.
-[] Assign A Member
[] Study The Lampsman's Guide: Like every secret society, the Lampsmen likely had codes and cyphers. There is something in this book not visible on the pages. Reading it for too long invites one to imagine a sound like the wingbeats of a moth -- or of many moths. (Will take 3 turns to study)
-[] Assign A Member
Miscellaneous (Pick One):
[] Buy Interesting Information: You reach out into the underworld and pay for the latest rumors of things which might interest the Society. It costs money to weed the wheat from the chaff, but it may be worth it. (-8 Wealth) (One piece of information is guaranteed Rumor level or higher next turn)
[] Hire Contractors: The core members of the Society are capable, but they can't do everything themselves. Sometimes you just need people to get stuff done. (+1 Miscellanous option a turn until cancelled, -1 Wealth a turn)
[] Reach Out: The Society needs wealthy patrons if it is to survive. Reach out and try to get some. (-1 Influence)
[] Entertain Libertines: There are people of wealth and power who flirt with the occult, with the idea of mystery and the thrill of the unknown. They will pay you a large sum for a look behind the veil. (Gain 1d10 Suspicion) (+15 Wealth) (Chance of gaining Influence)
[] Gain Leverage: It has been said that knowledge is power. For certain people, it is more. There are secrets men would die to keep secret. (-10 Wealth)(Chance of gaining 1d20 Influence and unlocking the Blackmail option)
[] Backdoor Channels: Getting stuff done is easier if you ignore the legality of certain things. (-5 Wealth) (All non-study actions take 1 less turn. Increases Suspicion)
[] Canvass Students: You search among the young and fresh-minded students of Bringham University for potential recruits to the Society. The University has a certain way of attracting people. (Low chance of discovering potential recruits)
[] Seduce Socialites: Wealthy, bored, and capable of magnificent cruelty. The scions of the wealthy prove a valuable breeding ground for occultists of all stripes -- men and women who, bored of the pleasures of regular life, seek out more exotic fancies. (Chance of discovering potential recruits) (-1 Influence) (+2 Suspicion)
[] Inside Connections: Everything is easier when you have people with their ear to the ground for you in the places you'd like. You've already got some, but more might be beneficial. (-10 Wealth)(Low chance of acquiring an Informant)
[] A Visit To The Morris Collection: There is a library whose halls are unnaturally silent, and whose shelves are filled with books of a different sort. It's owners are extremely particular. If you pay an exorbitant amount, they may allow you to enter. If you pay more still, they may let you leave with something. You must know what you are looking for -- they will not let you enter otherwise. (-12 Wealth) (Gain one random book artifact of a lore you already know)
The Bringham Society
- Society Ledger
- Society Roster
- Artefacts
- Lore
The sun has turned a color like velvet to those with eyes to see. The Dragonfly wakes. Madmen speak truth, and the moon shines with rage. The Red Season is upon us.
An excerpt from the Expeditionary Report of Gabriel Birch:
What follows is a true and honest accounting of what myself and the magician Stephanos found in the warrens beneath the university, what we saw, and what we recovered -- as I remember it, and to the best of my ability. Indeed, though it has been some days, my mind is still fresh with what I witnessed in those abysmal tunnels, those...crawling caves.
It was a cold day for April when we set out. My breath misted in front of me, so I dressed warmly. I regretted it the moment we entered the tunnels, for the first thing we noticed was the unbearable heat. That heat was certainly unnatural, for as I have mentioned, it was deeply cold just a few meters aboveground. The darkness was pervasive and thick, and though we both had flashlights, Stephanos and I could barely see each other despite being mere feet away.
The expedition started well, despite all this. The first stretch of the tunnels have been used for generations by the University and it's students, and we found much evidence of past passers-by. The stone around us was the same brickwork as the university above, and the walls had been scrawled on by previous visitors. These quickly vanished as we moved further on, however, and after perhaps an hour or two had passed, we saw the last of the graffiti. Maybe two hours after that, the walls began to change to an older stone, from before the university's rebuilding in the last half-century. We found bones shortly after, but a close examination revealed them to be nothing untoward -- the bones of those slaves who hid in the tunnels escaping recapture. Not all of them escaped, it seems.
I believe it was about a day in when the stone began to disappear. I am no archaeologist, but I did not think it should have been possible. We were already several miles belowground, well past the time of the university's first construction in 1698. It would be difficult to build tunnels this deep today, but hundreds and hundreds of years ago? It puzzled me.
I only became truly fascinated when the stone began to reappear later that day. It was a different sort of stone, of a different make and a different material, glossy and black. We attempted to take scrapings, but our tools shattered. Stephanos suggested returning to retrieve better ones, but we decided to press on. There was something of the otherworld about these tunnels now -- stygian brick and inky darkness and an oppressive, blistering heat that by now had grown almost unbearable. I had stripped out of my thicker clothes now, and wore only a shirt and pants. Anything else was stifling.
We bore onwards, well aware that we were deeper now than any human hands could ever have dug. The first worms appeared some time after. Horrid sightless little things they were, white and squirming and blind. They were only a few at first, but some hours after we had encountered the first one, they lay thick from wall to wall, squishing abominably under our shoes. They hissed to feel the light of our flashlights upon them, and writhed over one another to escape from them. They did not seem to have any means of sustenance, or indeed any biological drive or purpose beyond writhing on the stone. Stephanos abhorred them, but they only served to increase my curiosity. From whence had they come? How did they survive down here? What was their purpose?
I do not know exactly how long we walked after that. Hour began to bleed into hour. Stephanos and I struggled to hold some conversation, but the dank atmosphere of those tunnels made even talking an impossible task. I only remember when we found the first shard. It sat shimmering among the worms, glinting brightly even in darkness. It was long and curved, as if from a lamp, and the wriggling things had made a space for it, as if its light still burned them. We found the rest of the lamp further in, scattered in pieces every few feet, like it had been flung with great force from a mighty height. We collected as many pieces as we could for study, for the lamp-bits shone almost as bright as our own flashlights the moment light fell upon them, as if better tuned to conduct light than any regular glass could be.
We were still picking up the pieces when we found the corpse. It was desiccated and sunken, but flesh still remained upon the bones. It was dressed in the fashions of the last century, and a thin layer of dust had fallen over it. The musty smell of death choked our nostrils as if he had been dead for weeks, but from look alone, he had been dead forty years. The skeleton held the handle of a broken lamp clutched tight to his chest -- no doubt the selfsame lamp we had been collecting for the past hour. I moved closer to investigate, and found that a worn book lay next to him. I had picked up the book and was making as if to move closer, when I noticed something truly awful -- the worms were crawling within his corpse. They writhed in the eyeless sockets of his skull, and I could see them undulating and squirming beneath the paper-thin flesh of his throat. I gasped in horror and stepped back, and the light of my flashlight fell fully upon the wormy head.
And that hideous corpse turned it's head to look at me. In a single jerky movement, the skull moved to fix it's squirming eyes on my own. Behind me, Stephanos cursed. The jaw slid open, and worms tumbled out, white and squirming. And then it spoke, it's voice like stones grinding. I do not remember what happened after. When our memories returned, we stood at the entrance to the tunnel, clutching the lamppiece the skeleton had held, and the book he had guarded in death. We did not remember how we had made the day-long trek back to the surface, or what had transpired then. Our last memory was of the words the skeleton had spoken in that terrible grinding voice:
"Can you hear the Moths?"
The Society convenes for the second time amidst opulence and luxury. You seat in a ballroom which smells faintly of desire, underneath a chandelier of fat red jewels that gleam with dreadful succulence. The servants are dead-eyed and thin. No one speaks of the previous owners.
The Bringham Society is come to Mammon Place. Already, waves are being made among the elite of New York's upper crust. This building has a history, and a reputation. Those who know of it will no doubt interested in its' new occupants, and their own desires. Perhaps there is something to be gained here, amongst this gilded glory and shining decadence.
Gained 5 Influence.
Influence options unlocked.
The Lady Leblanc reports on her own endeavor first: the matter of the German prince and the occult artifacts. The German emperors had a certain interest in unearthly things, or so her contacts in the European nobility tell her. Their collection of occult treasures was mostly lost with their empire, but tales abound of a secret treasury somewhere deep in Old Prussia, maintained and curated by those loyal to the old Imperial family. They guard it jealously, but the collapse of their empire has brought them on hard times. The prince in question has since been silenced, but the reduced power and influence of the old Imperial family may make it possible to find the precise location of this place.
Mr. Yasir, after some mental preparation, has flipped through the travel diary, calling on his own knowledge of several ancient languages to decipher much of it and find the precise location of the tomb mentioned in several portions. If what he has seen has bothered him, he does not show it. His eyes, as always, are empty.
(Yasir: Horror increased by 4) (Expedition Unlocked: The Tombs of the Nameless Kings)
The Society's members have all made certain friends in certain places, and with a few questionable bribes and certain untoward promises, it has been easy enough to secure an informant, a man in the employ of the Morris Collection, one of the continent's more reputable occult bookstores. Much reaches his ears in his day-to-day work, and we pay him well for the risk he takes. His employers are a meticulous sort, and they do not take well to traitors.
Informant Gained: The Occult Librarian (The study time of all books is reduced by one turn) (Unlocks Miscellaneous Vote: A Visit To The Morris Collection) (-2 Wealth every five turns)
In a slightly shaken voice, Mr. Birch reports on the expedition he and Mr. Stephanos took into the tunnels beneath Bringham University, the unnatural things they found there, and what they returned with: a broken lamp, shattered into a thousand pieces that still shine with unnatural brightness, and a book which he has taken the liberty of looking at. It describes a group called the Lampsmen, a society numbering in the hundreds or thousands, all devoted to 'casting light' on the more terrible and unearthly things which crawl upon the skin of the world. It speaks in oblique terms of an 'Enemy' that threatened their very existence, and of the lamps they bore that, supposedly, provided them with some defense against this Enemy. In particular, it remarks with evasive horror upon the fate which should await a Lampsman if his lamp is ever destroyed.
Again, dryly, Mr. Stephanos indicates the broken lamp, and goes on to further say that neither he nor any of his contacts have ever heard of a group called the Lampsmen, or even of their existence. The rest of the Society affirms they have not ever heard of an occult group as widespread and pervasive as the book indicates the Lampsmen to have been. Either the book is a fabrication...or something happened to the Lampsmen. Birch suggests they lost their war with this nebulous Enemy and were wiped from the world as a result, while LeBlanc takes the tack that they may have gone into hiding to escape just such a fate. Further investigation and study of both the book and the lamp will be needed.
Birch also puts forward, in a cracking voice, that more help may be needed on future expeditions.
Artifact Gained: A Shattered Lamp: Once, this bore light. It still does, if looked at from the right angles. Cracked edges of glass gleam angrily like razors. They remember.
Artifact Gained: The Lampsmans' Guide: A set of rules and instructions for newly initiated members of a secret order known as the Lampsmen. Interestingly, it never describes in particular the great 'Enemy' they face, despite the struggle with this foe apparently being the central purpose of their order. Rather, the latter half of this book is devoted to increasingly dire warnings of what fates may befall a Lampsman should he allow his Lamp to go out or be destroyed.
Lore Encountered: The Lampsmen: You are not the first. Others have flung light into the darkness. They are no more, or so it seems, but they left something behind.
Lore Encountered: The Moths: If you walk into an old library, shut all the doors, and close your eyes, you may hear the buzzing of the Moths. The Society has encountered this lore, but has not studied it's mysteries.
Lore Encountered: The Worm-Fed: There are certain worms in the deep places which feed upon the dead. When they have fed enough, the dead may feed on them.
Unlocked Expedition Hires.
Information:
[] There is a church where the preacher preaches in a tongue not spoken on Earth. The congregation does not seem to care. (Intelligence)
--[] Assign A Member
[] The Soviets say that they burned Rasputin. A source in Russia swears they did not -- could not. (Gossip)
--[] Assign A Member
[] A diver in Bombay has seen terrible things under the ocean. He is mad now, but they say he left a journal behind. (Hearsay)
--[] Assign A Member
[] There is a place in China where some do not die. (Hearsay)
--[] Assign A Member
[] Rumors abound -- two painters on different sides of the globe have painted the same painting of a city that does not belong under this sun. (Rumor)
--[] Assign A Member
Discovery:
[] Somewhere deep in the Prussian hinterlands, there is a place where the emperors kept their darkest treasures hidden from the world. (-3 Wealth) (Finished in 1 turn)
--[] Assign A Member
[] Yasir has had dreams of a city in the sands. The path to the city begins in the Andes, in a forgotten pass deep within the mountains. You could always pay a few scouts to see if his dreams have any truth to them (-5 Wealth) (Finished in 2 Turns)
--[] Assign A Member
Expedition:
[] The Crawling Caves: The catacombs beneath the university are truly cavernous. They run deeper than humans ever delved, and the worms feed on those who have gone too deep. There is something deeper still.
--[] Assign A Member
--[] Assign A Member (Optional)
--[] Take An Artifact (Optional) (Write-In Artifact)
--[] Hire Muscle: Big men who ask few questions. Ideal for situations like this. (Optional) (-5 Wealth)
--[] Hire An Occultist: Well-read and thin, their eyes wide with secrets. They may be of use. (Optional) (-10 Wealth)
[] There is another, darker place, in the shadow of the Valley of the Kings, where they buried those pharaohs whose names had been excised. They are nameless, certain histories suggest, because names have power, even after death.
--[] Assign A Member
--[] Assign A Member (Optional)
--[] Take An Artifact (Optional) (Write-In Artifact)
--[] Hire Muscle: Big men who ask few questions. Ideal for situations like this. (Optional) (-5 Wealth)
--[] Hire An Occultist: Well-read and thin, their eyes wide with secrets. They may be of use. (Optional) (-10 Wealth)
Study:
[] Study The Travel Diary of Ashley Enoch: Parts of this book were written before itself. There are passages that seem to forget how causality works. There are events referred to that never happened, or have yet to happen, and oblique references to places not found on any reputable map. It is quite possibly the worst travel diary ever written. And it is the secret to the history beneath the world. (Will take two turns to study)
--[] Assign A Member
[] Study A Cracked Lamp: This lamp is broken, most certainly. But the edges of it remember what they were, and their light is almost blinding.
-[] Assign A Member
[] Study The Lampsman's Guide: Like every secret society, the Lampsmen likely had codes and cyphers. There is something in this book not visible on the pages. Reading it for too long invites one to imagine a sound like the wingbeats of a moth -- or of many moths. (Will take 3 turns to study)
-[] Assign A Member
Miscellaneous (Pick One):
[] Buy Interesting Information: You reach out into the underworld and pay for the latest rumors of things which might interest the Society. It costs money to weed the wheat from the chaff, but it may be worth it. (-8 Wealth) (One piece of information is guaranteed Rumor level or higher next turn)
[] Hire Contractors: The core members of the Society are capable, but they can't do everything themselves. Sometimes you just need people to get stuff done. (+1 Miscellanous option a turn until cancelled, -1 Wealth a turn)
[] Reach Out: The Society needs wealthy patrons if it is to survive. Reach out and try to get some. (-1 Influence)
[] Entertain Libertines: There are people of wealth and power who flirt with the occult, with the idea of mystery and the thrill of the unknown. They will pay you a large sum for a look behind the veil. (Gain 1d10 Suspicion) (+15 Wealth) (Chance of gaining Influence)
[] Gain Leverage: It has been said that knowledge is power. For certain people, it is more. There are secrets men would die to keep secret. (-10 Wealth)(Chance of gaining 1d20 Influence and unlocking the Blackmail option)
[] Backdoor Channels: Getting stuff done is easier if you ignore the legality of certain things. (-5 Wealth) (All non-study actions take 1 less turn. Increases Suspicion)
[] Canvass Students: You search among the young and fresh-minded students of Bringham University for potential recruits to the Society. The University has a certain way of attracting people. (Low chance of discovering potential recruits)
[] Seduce Socialites: Wealthy, bored, and capable of magnificent cruelty. The scions of the wealthy prove a valuable breeding ground for occultists of all stripes -- men and women who, bored of the pleasures of regular life, seek out more exotic fancies. (Chance of discovering potential recruits) (-1 Influence) (+2 Suspicion)
[] Inside Connections: Everything is easier when you have people with their ear to the ground for you in the places you'd like. You've already got some, but more might be beneficial. (-10 Wealth)(Low chance of acquiring an Informant)
[] A Visit To The Morris Collection: There is a library whose halls are unnaturally silent, and whose shelves are filled with books of a different sort. It's owners are extremely particular. If you pay an exorbitant amount, they may allow you to enter. If you pay more still, they may let you leave with something. You must know what you are looking for -- they will not let you enter otherwise. (-12 Wealth) (Gain one random book artifact of a lore you already know)
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- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Plan I'm Bad at Names Two: Electric Boogaloo
-[X] There is a church where the preacher preaches in a tongue not spoken on Earth. The congregation does not seem to care. (Intelligence)
--[X] Lady Le'Blanc
-[X] Somewhere deep in the Prussian hinterlands, there is a place where the emperors kept their darkest treasures hidden from the world. (-3 Wealth) (Finished in 1 turn)
--[X] Mr. Birch
-[X] Yasir has had dreams of a city in the sands. The path to the city begins in the Andes, in a forgotten pass deep within the mountains. You could always pay a few scouts to see if his dreams have any truth to them (-5 Wealth) (Finished in 2 Turns)
--[X] Mr. Yasir
-[X] Study A Cracked Lamp: This lamp is broken, most certainly. But the edges of it remember what they were, and their light is almost blinding.
--[X] Mr. Stephanos
-[X] Reach Out: The Society needs wealthy patrons if it is to survive. Reach out and try to get some. (-1 Influence)
Alright, that turn gave us a lot of options, and here's what I think we should go with. We'll keep Le'Blanc on info, have her go after that second highest level of info, and see what she finds. Then, I think we should have our two explorers poke the discovery options, let Yasir look into his forgotten city and have Birch check out the Prussians, possibly finding us a lower level expedition with some fancy treasures and artifacts as a reward. We'll leave the two Expeditions we have alone for now, so that we can get some more money in our coffers and be able to afford the optional stuff like the muscle and the occultist for the two expeditions. Next, I believe Stephanos should study the lamp, as it could possibly turn out to be a useful tool, or lead to us getting a useful tool, that could give us a buff in exploring The Crawling Caves, and of course, he's the one with experience with the Lampsmen, however little that may be, and should be the one to investigate the artifact. Lastly, we should of course take advantage of the reason we chose Mammon Place, and use our influence to find us some patrons, so we can later afford Hire Contractors, and get the extra Miscellaneous action without hurting our meager income too much, as well as afford the other expensive things like the expedition hires, blackmail, backdoor channels, etc.
-[X] There is a church where the preacher preaches in a tongue not spoken on Earth. The congregation does not seem to care. (Intelligence)
--[X] Lady Le'Blanc
-[X] Somewhere deep in the Prussian hinterlands, there is a place where the emperors kept their darkest treasures hidden from the world. (-3 Wealth) (Finished in 1 turn)
--[X] Mr. Birch
-[X] Yasir has had dreams of a city in the sands. The path to the city begins in the Andes, in a forgotten pass deep within the mountains. You could always pay a few scouts to see if his dreams have any truth to them (-5 Wealth) (Finished in 2 Turns)
--[X] Mr. Yasir
-[X] Study A Cracked Lamp: This lamp is broken, most certainly. But the edges of it remember what they were, and their light is almost blinding.
--[X] Mr. Stephanos
-[X] Reach Out: The Society needs wealthy patrons if it is to survive. Reach out and try to get some. (-1 Influence)
Alright, that turn gave us a lot of options, and here's what I think we should go with. We'll keep Le'Blanc on info, have her go after that second highest level of info, and see what she finds. Then, I think we should have our two explorers poke the discovery options, let Yasir look into his forgotten city and have Birch check out the Prussians, possibly finding us a lower level expedition with some fancy treasures and artifacts as a reward. We'll leave the two Expeditions we have alone for now, so that we can get some more money in our coffers and be able to afford the optional stuff like the muscle and the occultist for the two expeditions. Next, I believe Stephanos should study the lamp, as it could possibly turn out to be a useful tool, or lead to us getting a useful tool, that could give us a buff in exploring The Crawling Caves, and of course, he's the one with experience with the Lampsmen, however little that may be, and should be the one to investigate the artifact. Lastly, we should of course take advantage of the reason we chose Mammon Place, and use our influence to find us some patrons, so we can later afford Hire Contractors, and get the extra Miscellaneous action without hurting our meager income too much, as well as afford the other expensive things like the expedition hires, blackmail, backdoor channels, etc.
Interesting. The closest approximation of the Lantern, Moth, and Winter Lores has made themselves known to us. And the Red Season, huh? That makes certain options slightly tricky. For those who forgot, the Red Season means that anything pertaining to magics becomes much more stronger. From beings to wards to curses, the powers gets amplified. I think it's best for us to stay away from those sort of things - that means not going on Expeditions - and for that reasoning, I put forward the following plan:
[X] Plan Mustering of Assets
-[X] There is a church where the preacher preaches in a tongue not spoken on Earth. The congregation does not seem to care. (Intelligence)
--[X] Abdul Al-Malik Ahmad ibn Yasir
-[X] Rumors abound -- two painters on different sides of the globe have painted the same painting of a city that does not belong under this sun. (Rumor)
--[X] Isadora LeBlanc
-[X] Somewhere deep in the Prussian hinterlands, there is a place where the emperors kept their darkest treasures hidden from the world. (-3 Wealth) (Finished in 1 turn)
--[X] Gabriel Birch
-[X] Study The Lampsman's Guide: Like every secret society, the Lampsmen likely had codes and cyphers. There is something in this book not visible on the pages. Reading it for too long invites one to imagine a sound like the wingbeats of a moth -- or of many moths. (Will take 3 turns to study)
--[X] Jon Stephanus
-[X] Hire Contractors: The core members of the Society are capable, but they can't do everything themselves. Sometimes you just need people to get stuff done. (+1 Miscellanous option a turn until cancelled, -1 Wealth a turn)
This plan hopes to achieve several things, mostly in terms of expanding out knowledges. The first of which is to consolidate the informations of two highest quality leads that we can find. Al-Malik and his knowledge of linguistics would serve the society well in the efforts to understand just what exactly transpired in that church. LeBlanc and her contacts would serve well in trying to pin down the locales of the paintings and their painters.
The second thing to do is to start cracking on the matter of the Lampsmen. Stephanus is now listed to have experience with regards to that particular lore. Therefore, he would be able to weather and absorb the blows of reading the guide on his mind. Lastly, we need to up our action economy. It is mere good sense that before anything else, we should ensure that we have extra actions. Once these preparations are done, we would be able to play the games of the high society and work on our income streams.
[X] Plan Mustering of Assets
-[X] There is a church where the preacher preaches in a tongue not spoken on Earth. The congregation does not seem to care. (Intelligence)
--[X] Abdul Al-Malik Ahmad ibn Yasir
-[X] Rumors abound -- two painters on different sides of the globe have painted the same painting of a city that does not belong under this sun. (Rumor)
--[X] Isadora LeBlanc
-[X] Somewhere deep in the Prussian hinterlands, there is a place where the emperors kept their darkest treasures hidden from the world. (-3 Wealth) (Finished in 1 turn)
--[X] Gabriel Birch
-[X] Study The Lampsman's Guide: Like every secret society, the Lampsmen likely had codes and cyphers. There is something in this book not visible on the pages. Reading it for too long invites one to imagine a sound like the wingbeats of a moth -- or of many moths. (Will take 3 turns to study)
--[X] Jon Stephanus
-[X] Hire Contractors: The core members of the Society are capable, but they can't do everything themselves. Sometimes you just need people to get stuff done. (+1 Miscellanous option a turn until cancelled, -1 Wealth a turn)
This plan hopes to achieve several things, mostly in terms of expanding out knowledges. The first of which is to consolidate the informations of two highest quality leads that we can find. Al-Malik and his knowledge of linguistics would serve the society well in the efforts to understand just what exactly transpired in that church. LeBlanc and her contacts would serve well in trying to pin down the locales of the paintings and their painters.
The second thing to do is to start cracking on the matter of the Lampsmen. Stephanus is now listed to have experience with regards to that particular lore. Therefore, he would be able to weather and absorb the blows of reading the guide on his mind. Lastly, we need to up our action economy. It is mere good sense that before anything else, we should ensure that we have extra actions. Once these preparations are done, we would be able to play the games of the high society and work on our income streams.
- Location
- United States
[X] Plan Mustering of Assets
- Location
- Rapidly approaching your location.
- Pronouns
- Any/Morb
Interesting that the Lampmen used lamps to keep away the darkness and Moths. Moths are attracted to light after all...
Those worms are clearly being used in a vain effort by the eldritch horrors that inhabit the Earth's inner layers to spook us. They defy the known laws of evolution, and unless there's a constant stream of idiots who take days to walk down into this tunnel, then it's just magical interference.
[X] Plan Mustering of Assets
I like putting LeBlanc around the globe. Mr. Yasir would be at home just talking in tongues. The other two do their things, some more clues are always good. Hopefully we can get some more money soon.
Those worms are clearly being used in a vain effort by the eldritch horrors that inhabit the Earth's inner layers to spook us. They defy the known laws of evolution, and unless there's a constant stream of idiots who take days to walk down into this tunnel, then it's just magical interference.
[X] Plan Mustering of Assets
I like putting LeBlanc around the globe. Mr. Yasir would be at home just talking in tongues. The other two do their things, some more clues are always good. Hopefully we can get some more money soon.
DeepWaters
No one will be the wiser.
- Location
- Land of Spiders and Shipping Charts
[X] Plan Mustering of Assets
- Location
- Texas
Indeed, Moths are attracted to light. The Lampsmen used their lamps to peer into the darkness -- but I ask you, when you go out into the night with a bright light, what happens?
Invariably, something will come towards the light.
[X] Plan Mustering of Assets
Well, that's worrisome. We're one turn into being a secret society and we find evidence of another one that's already dead. That's not a good sign. Let's hope we don't end like those guys might of, assuming they're dead and not in hiding. There really is a lot of secret history to this world and we've barely broken our nail scratching the surface of it. I wonder how much of a 'cosmic horror' kitchen sink this setting is. Just how many secret societies and unknowable horrors will we find lurking in the dark? Probably a lot. Shame knowing about them seems to drive you mind. It's like a 'Dark Forest' scenario, except on Earth itself. If you know something's out there it also knows you know and then eats your face, presumably....
There's also probably a few secret societies dedicated to covering up the secret history of the world. Otherwise this stuff would have gotten out at some point and become public knowledge. Sure the more outlandish claims would be dismissed but any evidence brought forward would shake the world. Naturalists used to think the platypus was a fake creature, until presented with a living specimen. It seems only reasonable to assume that there's a group of people, or multiple groups of people (or groups of inhuman people), that are deliberately preventing the intelligentsia from learning about Earth's more esoteric secrets. The fact that those secrets possibly eat people might also be a contributing factor.
If we send people back down those tunnels it might be a good idea to bring some fire power with them. I'd want a flame thrower but in an enclosed space that might be a bad idea, and could possibly attract these moths to the flames. I know it's usually against the trope to try to use weapons against eldritch horrors but for the more 'mundane' flesh and blood beasties it might be a good idea to stock up on surplus WW1 equipment. That'd cost money and require manpower to utilize properly, but something to consider if we ever establish a dig site. You never know when some cultists or inhuman monsters might take offense to us poking around in their homes. It won't protect us against the esoteric stuff, but at least there's less of a chance of our field team getting eaten.
The only issue I have with the plan is it seems like it'd make more sense to send Le Blanc to Germany, since she's a noble and that might have more pull with them. That's assuming being a noble outweighs the fact that she's French. Also, I'm glad that someone is actually looking at which season means what. We're doing occult stuff so that's damn important to keep in mind.
Well, that's worrisome. We're one turn into being a secret society and we find evidence of another one that's already dead. That's not a good sign. Let's hope we don't end like those guys might of, assuming they're dead and not in hiding. There really is a lot of secret history to this world and we've barely broken our nail scratching the surface of it. I wonder how much of a 'cosmic horror' kitchen sink this setting is. Just how many secret societies and unknowable horrors will we find lurking in the dark? Probably a lot. Shame knowing about them seems to drive you mind. It's like a 'Dark Forest' scenario, except on Earth itself. If you know something's out there it also knows you know and then eats your face, presumably....
There's also probably a few secret societies dedicated to covering up the secret history of the world. Otherwise this stuff would have gotten out at some point and become public knowledge. Sure the more outlandish claims would be dismissed but any evidence brought forward would shake the world. Naturalists used to think the platypus was a fake creature, until presented with a living specimen. It seems only reasonable to assume that there's a group of people, or multiple groups of people (or groups of inhuman people), that are deliberately preventing the intelligentsia from learning about Earth's more esoteric secrets. The fact that those secrets possibly eat people might also be a contributing factor.
If we send people back down those tunnels it might be a good idea to bring some fire power with them. I'd want a flame thrower but in an enclosed space that might be a bad idea, and could possibly attract these moths to the flames. I know it's usually against the trope to try to use weapons against eldritch horrors but for the more 'mundane' flesh and blood beasties it might be a good idea to stock up on surplus WW1 equipment. That'd cost money and require manpower to utilize properly, but something to consider if we ever establish a dig site. You never know when some cultists or inhuman monsters might take offense to us poking around in their homes. It won't protect us against the esoteric stuff, but at least there's less of a chance of our field team getting eaten.
The only issue I have with the plan is it seems like it'd make more sense to send Le Blanc to Germany, since she's a noble and that might have more pull with them. That's assuming being a noble outweighs the fact that she's French. Also, I'm glad that someone is actually looking at which season means what. We're doing occult stuff so that's damn important to keep in mind.
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Ah right, thank you for your quibble. I forgot to mention it in my justification but the reason Birch is the one who is sent pertains to the skillset. LeBlanc's good for the preliminary check of information but the exploration of the Hinterlands themselves should be relegated to the ones with Exploration skills, either Al-Malik or Birch. But the purple-ranked Info. Quality is a bit too tempting to pass up and Al-Malik's knowledge of Secret Histories is necessary to make headway at that.
Now, I am not saying that LeBlanc couldn't be the one who handles this bit of the job as well. Between Advanced Intelligence and Noble Connections, she's suited to work subtly through even this, even if she's indeed a blueblood from France. She even has Unnatural Strength in case things go awry due to that sort of complication. I agree that it makes sense for her to work on the Discovery Phase. But it would make more sense that Birch does it. Exploration is tailor-made for the Discovery Phase, for one. For two, Wealth makes some modicum of sense. The old loyal guards are noted to be strapped for cash, allowing for some degree of bribery if need be. And if there are complications? Lucky is a good trait to make things align to the young explorer's odds. The three reasons above is why I think Birch has the best tools needed for this.
That's all very true. I will admit I'd envisioned Le Blanc using her connections to possibly convince the right people to give her information. I hadn't considered the fact that she might have to find it herself, so I fully support sending Birch to deal with it. Hopefully she can make head way with the artists. If we're lucky this might not be the first time this painting of 'a city that does not belong beneath the sun' was created and she could open up some leads that. That is a bit of an assumption on my part.
