The Circle of Seven: Session Twelve

Exit Craegen

Ada’s panicked shouting brings an early end to Father Wilk’s interrogation of Professor Craegen. With Dale’s help, the professor calls his manservant, Rolfe on the house phone. Rolfe comes to pick Professor Craegen up, leaving the investigators to discuss Ada’s latest horrifying find.

The footprint’s description reminds Father Wilk of a bit of folklore he once heard in seminary. Before the graveyards of Eastern Europe were sanctified by the Church, they were guarded by mythical guardians of a most fearsome aspect. These creatures killed and ate anyone who trespassed in the graveyards at night, especially to desecrate the bodies of the dead.

The investigators study Fresno’s journals to see if he ever had an encounter with such creatures. Sure enough, he does mention speaking to “the gravediggers” on several occasions. He provides a ritual to summon the gravediggers to parley, most of which is centered on the preparation of a large quantity of barely cooked and oddly seasoned meat.

Ada spots some marginalia in which Fresno writes, “be sure to bring enough for everyone!”

Exhausted, the investigators agree to go to bed. Martin, Father Wilk, and Ada watch the cellar in shifts in case anything should emerge into the basement. Nothing does.

Friday, November 21, 1924

Dr. Miller sets out early in the morning to buy pastries from a nearby bakery.

Over breakfast, the group decides (with misgivings) to perform Fresno’s “gravedigger” ritual. Ada studies the ritual while the others procure and prepare the meat, herbs, and spices.

Saul has no interest in going into the tunnels again. He hides in his bedroom and refuses to come out.

The rest of the investigators return to the tunnels and follow Fresno’s crude map to a crossroads. There they lay down their meat and perform the ritual. As Ada chants, the scent of the meat becomes ever more potent and stranger, until…

The Gravediggers

A large group of fanged, clawed, and disturbingly human-looking creatures emerge from the darkness. They fall upon the meat in a ravenous frenzy, fighting amongst themselves for the choicest morsels.

The sight of the creatures unnerves the investigators, with Martin becoming so badly frightened that he stares at the wall for the rest of the encounter.

Once the creatures have eaten everything—including the bones, they deign to answer the investigators’ questions. The investigators explain that Fresno has died and that they are his heirs. The creatures refer to them as “the Heirs of Fresno” for the rest of the conversation and tell the players:

• That they serve an elder being called the Shaper of Flesh.
• That they existed before humanity “came down from the trees”.
• That they are aware of the powers infiltrating Port Harbor (the Masks of Adaru, and so on).
• That Hylmunder and Tiovvoru are different beings.
• That there is another creature walking alone in the tunnels, who does not need light to see. Ada assumes this is one of Maude Collins’ masks. The creatures scoff at this, saying that the Masks are merely human. This other being was something more.
• The tunnels beneath Port Harbor connect to an even deeper complex of tunnels unknown to the surfacers. These tunnels ultimately lead to the Shaper of Flesh.
• Dr. Miller asks about Qiru Yawar, a being that has not previously been mentioned. The creatures say that Qiru Yawar is a primeval hunter deity who leads a pack of relentless hunting dogs.

A Gravedigger

Dale offers some pieces of jerky to the creatures. This causes a bloody scuffle between two of them. The winner eats the jerky, spits it out, and begins licking the ground. They curse Dale, saying that the meat is too dry and tastes wrong.

The meeting ends a short time later, with the creatures returning from whence they came. Before they leave, they say that they can be summoned again, but warn that the investigators must, “bring enough for everyone.”

The rattled investigators return to the surface and try to figure out just how many creatures were watching them in the dark. Martin is uncharacteristically quiet. Ada thinks it was anywhere from 6-10. Dale is pretty sure there were dozens—or hundreds—of creatures down there.

Later, Dr. Miller fills everyone in on the Shaper of Flesh. “It is said that the Shaper of Flesh came to Earth billions of years ago. he stalked the surface of the still cooling planet and was delighted by the colonies of protomatter that grew there. For a time, he busied himself by sculpting it into bizarre and horrifying lifeforms.”

Unexpected Visitors

Saul, who is hiding in his bedroom, hears two people talking in front of the house. He grabs a glass, places it on the wall, and listens in on their conversation.

From context clues, Saul realizes that the speakers are women who have been sent by the leaders of the Luminous Church to check on the house. They think the house looks all right but wonder if they ought to knock on the door to find out if everyone inside is okay.

As the women muster up their courage to knock, Saul flings open the front door. Standing on the porch are Sisters Ray and Penumbra, who had brought the welcome basket several days before. They are shocked at the state of the front hall (which is still damp and slightly charred) but are glad to hear from Saul that everyone is doing all right.

According to the women, Alpha Solaris had a premonition that the house might have come to harm. She dispatched them into town to warn the investigators or help them if something bad had happened. They also wanted to let the investigators know that the Alpha Solaris and Helios Rebecca want to apologize for the “misunderstanding” fro a few nights ago. The investigators are, of course, always welcome to visit the church.

Saul realizes that Ray and Penumbra are clueless flunkies, sent by Alpha Solaris to see if the death orb had done its work. He tries to subtly pump the women for information. Most notably, he learns Zebulon had an accident a few nights ago, and was taken to a hospital in Boston. He has just returned to the church and, while still recovering, is doing well.

Preparing for a Seance

While reading Fresno’s journals the previous evening, Ada discovered a ritual that allowed the participants to speak to souls that have passed on. She suggests performing this ritual to try to speak to Molly Scott. The ritual requires a “tunnel” made of fabric, stakes, and poles (symbolically connecting the physical and the spirit world), and a source of water (used to convey the whispered words of the dead).

Dale, eager to help, procures a washtub from the garage and starts filling it up in the living room. The others like his hustle but think that maybe the house is not the best place to summon the spirits of the dead. While Dale carefully empties the washtub, Martin suggests that they set up the ritual at the pond on the property of Crosstree Farms (where he boards Lincoln).

Ada wants to wait until after midnight to do the ritual, because that’s when spirits are most active, and because she doesn’t want anyone seeing what they’re doing.

The Second Ritual

Late at night, the investigators venture out into the freezing November weather to perform the seance. Ada, freezing and overwhelmed, laments the course that her life has taken. She has a promising career. And a professional reputation. And colleagues that respect her.

Her intrusive thoughts are interrupted by the others, who inform her that they have set up the fabric tunnel.

Dale produces the ruins of Molly Scott’s handbag. Using this as a focus, the investigators perform the ritual and whisper Molly’s name into the pond. The water becomes eerily flat, like the surface of a mirror. Dale gets down on all fours and puts his ear to the water, listening for a response.

But none comes.

As the investigators quietly whisper about what to do next, several of them see that a slender figure, wrapped in a dark cloak, has appeared at the far end of the tunnel. This is no spirit, but a physical being. The figure seems confused and frightened as it lifts its gaze to the investigators.

“Oh, thank god,” they say, in a hoarse whisper. “It’s you.”

The Summonee

Molly Scott

The figure is Molly Scott, who was compelled to appear thanks to the power of the ritual. She admits that she was afraid that the priestesses had tried to summon her. She also admits to calling them to warn them of the church’s impeding attack, and of following them around town the previous night.

“I wanted to make sure that you survived.”

Molly tells the investigators the following:

• Alpha Solaris and Helios Rebecca are false worshippers of Hylmunder, using his power without honoring him. She, however, is a true priestess of Hylmunder, and serves him with her entire being.
• She died from heatstroke and suffocation after being locked in one of the saunas for a purification ritual, which the priestesses claimed would allow her to ascend to the next level of the faith. When no one heard her cries or her knocking, she decided to give herself wholly to the being the church allegedly worshiped.
• She died shortly thereafter but rose again only to find herself buried and in darkness. She dug herself free, escaped, and has been quietly watching the church (and others) to find out what happened to her.
• The ritual room under the “silo” contains a true altar to Hylmumder, erected long before the priestesses came to the area. Molly says that there are plates of gold, inscribed with rituals of Hylmunder, hidden inside the altar.
• Molly says that she cannot do much for the investigators at present, but she does want to help them stop the Luminous Church and end the false worship of Hylmunder.

Dale tries to offer Molly what’s left of her purse. While she recognizes it as belonging to her, Molly says that she no longer has any need of it and says that Dale may either keep it or get rid of it, as he sees fit.

Dale, curious about the properties of the pond while it is under the effects of the ritual, immerses his hand in the water to see what will happen. Nothing does, but this disturbs the other investigators so much that Ada immediately ends the ritual and allows Molly to return from whence she came.

The Circle of Seven: Session Eleven

The Death Orb

The Fresno house fills with heat and light. Saul tuns into the attic and joins Val and Dale (and the raccoon, held by Val and wearing Val’s hat over its eyes) in the protective circle. Dale completes the spell and the temperature inside the circle drops dramatically. Dale also drops dramatically, into a fetal position.

Ada flees from the orb in a blind panic, running into the basement and escaping down the shaft to the tunnels beneath Port Harbor. As she flees, the orb grows hotter, brighter, and larger. Those that remain feel it siphoning away their life force.

In a desperate attempt to stop the orb, Martin grabs the basin of dirty dishwater from the sink and throws it. Upon impact, the water causes the orb to shoot out bolts of electricity and shrink in size. For a moment, it also dims.

Oh, Right. This Thing!

Dr. Miller realizes that this thing is a lesser servitor of Hylmunder and is made almost entirely of electrical energy. He urges the others to keep throwing water on it. Dr. Miller then grabs the coffee carafe off the kitchen counter, only to discover that no one refilled it after dinner. He grouses about this as he runs to the sink.

He, Martin, and Father Wilk (who has found a large crystal punch bowl), form a kind of bucket brigade at the sink, hastily filling their containers and water at the creature.

Father Wilk even goes so far as to bless the water in his punchbowl before dumping it on top of the orb. This anointing causes an explosion of electrical energy that shatters the punchbowl and hurls Father Wilk a fair distance down the hallway. Fortunately, he is otherwise unharmed.

The orb fades away to nothing, leaving the investigators to contemplate the slightly charred and soaked foyer.

Ada

Ada reaches the bottom of the ladder before realizing that she doesn’t know where she’s going and doesn’t have any way of illuminating the cavern around her.

She takes a moment to collect herself, but as she does, she hears someone chuckling in the darkness nearby. This inspires her to ascend the shaft at great speed, slam shut the metal trap door on top, and drag a crate full of bricks over the door for good measure.

Ada joins the other investigators upstairs. Dr. Miller is in the process of calling those who hid in the attic cowardly. Saul agrees with this and feels no shame about doing so. Dale, once he hears a description of the mysterious glowing orb, seems suddenly relaxed and relieved. He sags into the couch, somewhat more blissful than the experience warrants.

Still terrified, Ada yells that there is something in the tunnels beneath the house. The investigators have difficulty coming to a consensus. Some want to go into the tunnels and explore right now, while others want to get some rest. Martin promises to stand vigil, gun at the ready, should the others decide to sleep.

Eventually, the investigators agree that other than the crude map drawn by Nicholas Fresno, they don’t know anything about the tunnels. They decide to a little tidying up before visiting the Port Harbor Library.

Dale takes this opportunity to run to a nearby store and buy several garden hoses. He hooks two of them together, attaches them to the outside faucet, and runs it through one of the first-floor windows. Just in case.

Fresno's Letter and Tunnel Map

The Port Harbor Public Library

The library is still open. Dr. Miller shows Fresno’s map to one of the librarians and asks if she knows who might have drawn it. The librarian has no idea but does tell Dr. Miller that the local expert on the Port Harbor tunnels is Professor Craegen, curator of the Old Port Harbor Seaport and Whaling Museum. Dr. Miller gets the professor’s contact information and uses one of the library’s phone booths to make a call.

Meanwhile, Father Wilk and Ada find information on the tunnels and how they feature in Port Harbor’s history.

• Port Harbor was originally three settlements: the location known as “the Old Port”, the downtown area, and the area around the Thornhill Estate. They gradually grew together over the decades and centuries.
• The Old Port was known for whaling, but also for its foundry.
• The Thornhills made their money from a controlling interest in the foundry and in the local bauxite mining industry that was active through the mid-1800s.
• There are some natural caves and tunnels on the western shores of Port Harbor, due to its higher elevation. These caves were expanded by pilot bores and mine shafts. Most of these have been closed over due to safety concerns.
• A news article from the previous year describes a local farmer being startled by the sudden appearance of John “Leatherman” Hobbes, who emerged from a cave that the farmer did not know was on his property.
• Professor Craegan seems to have a particular interest in the Port Harbor caves and has even put together an exhibit at his museum.

Dr. Miller calls Professor Craegen’s house and speaks to the professor’s manservant, Rolfe. Rolfe explains that the professor will be out until late, but that he will be happy to take a message. Dr. Miller leaves his contact information.

The Old Port Harbor Museum

Dr. Miller insists on visiting the museum immediately. Several of the others, particularly Ada, say that the museum is probably closed, and that it would be weird for seven people to visit it at night. Dr. Miller is not dissuaded by this. Dale offers to pick the lock on the museum door if it is closed for the night. Ada feels a headache coming on.

The investigators visit the museum, only to find that it is indeed closed for the day. After searching around the perimeter, Dale finds a window that offers a reasonably good view of the professor’s tunnel exhibit. With a bit of careful positioning and a good deal of squinting, the investigators learn the following:  

• Some caves on the shores of the Abbanaset River were used for smuggling and as stops on the Underground Railroad. Erosion and other issues with the shoreline have sealed the holes, and no one seems to know the location or condition of the caves.
• A cavern called “Candle Cave”, which is decorated with hundreds of candles, was a favorite hangout spot for miners back in the day. It is likely located somewhere beneath Altergarten (the district where the Fresno House is).
  
• Sieben Haus, a local landmark, is reputedly built over one of the pilot holes.

Several of the investigators notice a gaunt figure in a dark, concealing garment, is watching them from behind the pumps of a nearby gas station. Dr. Miller, Dale, and Father Wilk run over to intercept the figure, but they disappear without a trace. The trio call out to the figure and receive no response.

They rejoin the others just as a police car pulls into the museum parking lot. The two policemen in the car ask the investigators what they’re doing loitering in front of the museum at night. They harass the investigators, but eventually let them go.

The Tunnels

The investigators return to the Fresno House and continue bickering about what to do about the tunnels. This comes to a head when Martin stomps down into the basement, moves the crate of bricks, throws open the trap door, and all but orders the others to go down and have a look.

In the stunned silence that follows, Father Wilk is certain that he hears someone calling faintly for help.

This galvanizes most of the investigators to get down into the tunnels. Ada hands out flashlights and everyone but Val and Saul descend. They reach a small, natural cavern at the base of the ladder and spot two tunnels heading off at roughly a 90-degree angle to one another. Father Wilk calls out and receives a reply from the righthand tunnel.

As the investigators travel down the tunnel, they notice it is dangerously unstable in places. They soon come to an area where the ceiling ahead of them has collapsed, imprisoning and half-burying an older gentleman with an impressive, fluffy white beard.

This man, it turns out, is none other than Professor Eric Craegen.

The

 

It seems that the professor was out exploring the Port Harbor tunnels when the floor gave way. He fell, became trapped, and feared that he had reached the end of his road, both metaphorically and literally. He is extremely grateful to the investigators for coming to his rescue.

The players quickly unearth Professor Craegen and offer to escort him back to the Fresno House. The professor accepts and is astonished that there was another tunnel beneath the tunnels he was exploring. “And it leads to the Fresno House! Extraordinary!”  

The professor proves to be very amiable and chatty, if a bit eccentric. Dr. Miller notes his almost blithe recovery from his predicament and begins to worry that the professor is a dangerous, insane maniac. He is also concerned by a discrepancy between something the professor told him and what Rolfe, the manservant, told him over the phone. Dr. Miller warns Martin, who vows to stick by Professor Craegen, just in case.

The investigators return to the cave beneath the Fresno House and ascend to the basement. Father Wilk goes first, followed by Dale, Professor Craegen, Martin, Dr. Miller, and Ada.

The moment the professor reaches the basement, Father Wilk grabs him by the lapels, shoves him against a wall, and demands to know the truth. Professor Craegen is quite taken aback and tries to reason with Father Wilk as the rest of the investigators climb up after them.

Again, Ada

Val hears the commotion above and, fearing the worst, makes ready to climb up to the basement to intervene. She shines her flashlight around as a final precaution and happens to see a four-toed, clawed footprint near the bottom of the ladder.

Ada earns an Olympic medal in ladder climbing, interrupting Father Wilk’s interrogation of Professor Craegen by shouting, “There is a two-legged, humanoid, clawed…THING…roaming around the tunnels!”

The Circle of Seven: Session Ten

Al’s Apartment

The investigators discuss their options over breakfast and decide to investigate “Al,” Maude Collins’ crony who happens to live in Wilton MacKnight’s apartment building. All of them go on this mission apart from Father Wilk, who stays back at the house.

The plan is as follows: Val will dress to the nines and try and sweet talk Al out of his apartment to go on a date. While he’s out, Saul, Ada, and Dr. Miller will sneak into the apartment building and do some poking around. Dale and Martin will park the car near the building and keep an eye out for trouble.

The plan goes surprisingly well, at least at first. Val successfully gets Al to leave the apartment. He briefly makes a call to someone and tells them that he is borrowing the car before driving Val to a nearby restaurant for lunch. Val tries her best to get information out of Al, but he is taciturn and monosyllabic, so this does not pan out.

Dr. Miller, Ada, and Saul enter the apartment. This is facilitated by Val, who was able to tape over the locking mechanism on the front door without Al noticing. The apartment is barely furnished and has no personal touches at all. While this is weird, it does make the apartment easy to search. They find the following:

• Three bottles of liquid barbiturates, one of which is only partially full.
• Sets of new clothing and shoes in various sizes and styles.
• A photo album containing pictures of people that don’t seem to be related to Al. One of these photos is of the fancy woman that the investigators spotted earlier in the week.

Ada suspects that the people in the photos are “masks” and that the clothing that seems to be for other people are to be used when Al changes form.

The Fancy Woman

An Unexpected Visitor

Out on the street, Dale and Martin spot Dr. John Brinkley—their acquaintance from the bank—walking up to the apartment building. Concerned that the doctor is going to foil their plans, Dale gets out of the car and slips into the apartment building by the back door.

Dale wanders up to the third floor, under the pretext of visiting Wilton MacKnight in his apartment. As he arrives, he sees Dr. Brinkly approaching Al’s door.

Dr. Brinkley knocks. The sound terrifies the trio investigating Al’s room. Ada and Saul quietly slip through a window and flee down the fire escape while Dr. Miller hides in the closet.

Dale also knocks on Wilton’s door, all while keeping an eye on Dr. Brinkly. No one answers. When Dr. Brinkley pulls some keys out of his pocket, Dale desperately hails him and draws him away from Al’s apartment.

The two men have an altered and stilted conversation as they leave the building. Dr. Brinkley confesses to not remembering Dale from the bank and seems embarrassed. Dale tells Dr. Brinkley that there was a robbery at the bank, and that the investigators’ safety deposit box was one of the ones robbed. He suggests that Dr. Brinkley contact the bank to make sure his valuables are all in order.

As they step outside, Dale notices Ada and Saul coming around the building. He gestures for them to get back while he makes sure Dr. Brinkley leaves the area.

As Dr. Brinkley departs, he tells Dale that he, “hopes you find your book.”

Dale realizes that he never mentioned the contents of the safety deposit box…

Coming Out of the Closet

Dr. Miller listens to Dale and Dr. Brinkley’s conversation in the hallway and waits, sweating, in the closet, for the two men to go downstairs. Once he can no longer hear their footfalls, he resumes his search.

He discovers an oval wooden picture frame hanging backward on a nail in the wall of the closet. He takes the frame off the wall and turns it over. It is a mirror, not a picture, and the wooden frame is engraved with several curious runes that Dr. Miller suspects are Mythos-adjacent.

He tucks the mirror under his coat and flees the apartment.

Another Worrying Phone Call

The investigators return to the Fresno House to regroup. Upon seeing the mirror, Ada posits that it might be magical, and that it might be what allows the “Masks of Adaru” to change forms.

The investigators do some digging on Dr. Brinkley. No one picks up when they call the number on his business card. He is also not listed in the yellow pages of the Port Harbor phone book.

Speaking of phones, the telephone rings. Dr. Miller answers it. The person on the other end has a soft, raspy, ragged voice and does not identify themselves. They say, “the priestes of the sun plan to kill you tonight. Be ready.” Then they hang up.

Upon hearing this warning, Dale flees upstairs. He searches Fresno’s journals for the ritual to empower the warding circle in the attic and immediately heads there to return the circle to full strength. Nothing anyone else says can convince him to abandon this pursuit. He is certain that the Luminous Church will try to destroy them with magical fire, and he will be ready, damnit.

Val stays in the attic with Dale for company and moral support. She brings the raccoon, who mostly behaves itself.

The rest of the investigators prepare as best as they can. Martin cleans and oils his gun. Saul makes dinner. The others go through the house and scavenge what weapons and supplies they can for the inevitable onslaught. Ada arms herself with a cricket bat that was too nice for the Detherages to take to the dump.

The Attack Begins

Shortly after sunset, Martin, who is keeping watch out of an upstairs window, spots a bright light coming down the street. At first, it looks like it might be a motorcycle headlamp, but Martin soon realizes that the light isn’t attached to anything and doesn’t seem to be produced by anything. It’s just a sphere of independently moving light, about a hand’s width across.

He shouts down a warning to the others as the light veers off the road and travels straight to the Fresno house.

The investigators have only moments to prepare before the light sphere phases through the front door. It glows with a soft, yellowish radiance, and hovers about three feet off the floor.

Ada runs up to the light sphere and takes a swing with her cricket bat. The bat passes through the light sphere seemingly without doing anything to it.

The light sphere’s radiance increases in brightness and intensity until it is blue-white and painful to look at. Ada, who is closest, feels as though she is standing next to a bonfire. Her clothes are hot. Her skin hurts. Behind the light sphere, Ada sees that the wallpaper in the front hall is beginning to smoke…