This game is notable for being the first one where I allowed
my players to write up between game actions (BGAs). This is a thing that I
stole from LARPing. It allows the players to conduct their own investigations
on their own time and to make the game world feel bigger and more lived in. It
also helped me to see what they were interested in and tailor the story
accordingly.
I will henceforth be including the BGAs my players wrote in
the comments at the end of each of these little recaps, for fun and for completeness’
sake.
October 3, 1925 (Continued)
The game starts with the Silver Twilight Lodge party finally
breaking up. Everyone has their own adventures as they head on home.
Ron
Asks to be dropped off quite a ways away from his new place
(actually, Gabriella’s place), so that he can walk home and clear his head. The
party at the Lodge made him feel deeply uncomfortable and insecure, and he got
way drunker on the Lodge’s illegal liquor than he was expecting.
He reaches the house, only to encounter his Darragh MacGowan,
one of New York’s finest, is waiting for him. Darragh has a quirk where he adopts
an Irish accent (even though he was born in the States), as a way of making
others feel more at ease around him. All it does is piss Ron off.
After mocking Ron, Darragh tells him that he stopped by to
warn him that Jimmy “Big Grin” Bianco, the new head of the Bonano Family, may
be out to get him. Ron refuses to listen and starts taking swings at Darragh.
Darragh playfully swats the first two away before he starts to get mad. Unfortunately
for him, the third punch hits him square on the chin, causing a major wound and
leaving Darragh laid out in the street.
Without a backward glance, Ron goes upstairs to go to bed.
Dr. Black and Mikhail
Doctor and patient have a nightcap at Mikhail’s apartment,
where they learn more about one another and where Dr. Black resets Mikhail’s
nose.
After the doctor leaves, Mikhail reaches into the pockets of
James’ coat and finds a many-times folded piece of legal notepad paper with the
words, “VLACTOS” and “TAWIL AT UTMIR” on it.
Kane
Visits his friend (and downstairs neighbor) Horus, a voodoo
priest, and tells him about the Order of the Silver Twilight. Horus agrees to tell
Kane what he knows, but he wants a bottle of wine first.
Judge Putnam and Johnny
Johnny feels pretty proud of himself after abandoning Dr. Black
at the Lodge (he was the doctor’s ride, but he also wanted to get the hell out
of there before the assault on Mikhail’s nose led to anything worse.
They drove to the carriage house, were we learn, for the
first time, that Johnny lives in the carriage house on the judge’s property.
Johnny helps the judge get ready for bed and then goes to sleep himself.
Judge Putnam falls asleep while reading the newspaper.
Vivian
After dropping Ron off, Vivian and her father go back to the
stately Bernouse residence. Vincenzo mentions that he wants nothing else to do
with the Lodge. Vivian is just glad the day is over. They both go to bed.
 |
| Ignore the date. |
October 4, 1925
It’s Sunday! Most everyone goes to church. Then the
intrigues resume.
Ron
Wakes up late, mostly ignores his new girlfriend, despite
her being very nice to him and cooking him a big breakfast.
Still bothered by last night, and by the visit from his
brother-in-law, Ron decides to call his old house to see if he can talk to Ron
Jr. about what’s going on. He is not at all pleased when ANOTHER MAN
answers the phone.
Ron, still in his shirtsleeves, drives over to the family brownstone
and forcibly introduces himself to Billy Young, his wife’s new boyfriend, who
is inexpertly trimming the hedges. An inevitable confrontation between the two
men (one of whom is holding gardening shears), is interrupted when Connie and
Ron Jr. come back from church. Connie humiliates Ron in front of the entire
neighborhood when she screams about his infidelity at the top of her lungs. Ashamed,
Ron flees the scene, but not before he tells Ron Jr. about what happened on the
previous evening with Darragh.
Dr. Black
Reads about James Clark’s disappearance in the newspaper.
Does some investigation into medical records regarding James Clark and John
Scott, but with little success. Has some tea. Helps Vivian locate Mikhail.
Judge Putnam and Johnny
The Judge also reads about Mr. Clark’s disappearance in the
newspaper. Johnny remembers the “kerfuffle” in front of the Auxiliary building
and links the two events. Shortly thereafter, the Judge gets a hand-delivered
letter from Mr. Scott, asking him to join the Order of Silver Twilight. The duo
then decides to head down to the police station for some target practice.
Vivian
Gets a call from Deborah, who is with Angie. Angie is sober
enough to remember what she did and wants to apologize to Mikhail. Vivian does
some phone sleuthing, tracks down Mikhail, and arranges for him and the three
ladies to meet at a public café. Mikhail, who looks a little worse for wear,
decides to go, hoping that Angie is now alert enough to answer his questions.
 |
| Deb Walsh |
Kane
Also receives a hand-delivered letter from Mr. Scott to join
the Order of Silver Twilight (waiving the usual membership fee). The letter is
very much backhandedly complimentary. Kane acquires wine and visits Horus, who
explains that the Order, for whatever reason, doesn’t much differentiate
between foreigners/people of color from their WASPy members, which is unique in
these sorts of groups. He also explains that the Order may be related to the
Knights of Silver Twilight, a Teutonic order similar to the Knights Templar,
who were known to traffic with demons and the occult.
Vivian and Mikhail
The meeting and apology session goes adequately. It is at
this point we learn that the reason Ange’s purse broke Mikhail’s nose is
because it’s where Ange stores her fully loaded .45 automatic.
Mikhail suspects that Deborah is up to something, and offers
to walk Angie home (an apartment house nearby) to get her alone and get more
information. He does so, with middling success. He confirms his suspicions:
James had been ditching Angie for unspecified reasons before disappearing
completely. He later learns that Deborah and Vivian followed him at a safe
distance. Deborah leaves to go check on Angie. Vivian decides that she wants to
get some more answers from Mikhail, and so invites him back to stately Bernouse
Manor.
 |
| Angelica "Angie" "Ange" Hutchinson |
Judge Putnam and Johnny
Johnny demonstrates that he has lost none of his wartime weapon proficiency at the rage, while Judge Putnam fails to hit anything and also jams his gun. The judge questions the duty sergeant about James Clark’s disappearance, and asks to be kept in the loop regarding the case. Johnny convinces the judge that he needs to use the restroom, then bribes the duty sergeant to get some additional details about the case.
Vivian, Mikhail, and Ron
Ron shows up at the Bernouse place, dressed up, but
unshaven. He invites himself to a meeting between Vivian and Mikhail, in which
the details of James Clark’s disappearance, and Mikhail’s relationship to them,
are discussed. Mikhail shows off the paper that he found in James’ coat. The
trio suspect that some of the words might be Persian or Arabic, and decide to
head to the library to do some research.
Judge Putnam and Johnny
Realizing that various games are afoot, the Judge has Johnny
hand-deliver a letter (explaining his intentions to, and conditions for,
joining the Order) to the Lodge. Johnny goes to the Lodge and finds it
seemingly empty. Uncomfortable with dropping off the letter, he waits for an
hour in the car. An hour later, Carl Stanford arrives on the scene. The two
have a pleasant chat, during which Johnny is encouraged to join the Order. Johnny
drops off the letter and leaves. Meanwhile, Judge Putnam calls Dr. Black and
arranges for “the group” to meet at his house tomorrow, Monday, October
6th.
Vivian, Mikhail, and Ron
At the library, they learn a few things. Thanks to Ron’s
keen eye and his ability to read, they learn that symbol of the Order is tied
to numerous occult groups and “New England witches.” Vivian reads up on the
Knights of Argent Twilight, an excommunicated order of crusader knights known
for blasphemy and demon worship. They find nothing on the word “VLACTOS,” but
“TAWIL AT UTMIR” is similar to a reference on “’Umr At-Tawil,” an Arabic word
inscribed on the gate of a lost city in the Sahara Desert. The phrase roughly
translates to, “The Most Ancient and Prolonged of Life.”
Mikhail happens to discover a book on New York witches,
which contains a newspaper clipping that discusses the death of one Johannes
Scott, accused necromancer and warlock, at the hands of an angry mob in 1721.
The group soon learns that Scott’s house was located in Rananchqua, the old
Native American name for the region that now encompasses the Bronx. Mikhail is
all set to do more investigating, but Vivian, badly spooked by what they have
discovered, excuses herself and swiftly exits the library.
 |
| The article Mikhail found |
Johnny's BGA
ReplyDeleteI'll be writing a letter to my old war buddy Junior to keep him appraised of the events of my life, and I'll buy a somewhat nicer suit to wear to Lodge meetings. I'll also buy a cheap .38, like a S&W Model 10, to wear under my coat, because there's definitely fishy shit going on and my shotgun is too big to carry around everywhere.
I'm a bit at a loss for valuable investigative things. Maybe I could hang around the missing dude's apartment and see if anything happens.
Nice suit and cheap .38 acquired.
You spend a little while at James Clark’s apartment. It’s in a decent neighborhood. It’s locked up tight. You don’t see any signs of it being surveilled by anyone else during your time there.
You are just about to leave when Max Reed, Carl Stanford’s driver and manservant, arrives on the scene. He acts as if he belongs there, and trots up the outdoor staircase to the front door of Clark’s apartment. He fumbles at the door for a long enough moment for you to guess that he had to pick the lock.
He remains in the apartment for about twenty minutes before leaving, locking the door behind him (this time, he has a key). You can tell from his posture that he is frustrated—presumably he didn’t find what he was looking for.
Dr. Black's BGA
ReplyDeleteI'd like to look into the building permits for the building the silver twilight lodge is in currently.
Dr. Black knows they are renovating so I'd like to see the permits and blueprints of the original building and compare it to the house as it is after renovations when next he is invited in.
If questioned, he was invited to attend a meeting recently in that building and liked it so much, he'd like to look into building one similar for himself.
You search for information at the New York Public Library and at City Hall before being directed by a helpful clerk to check the old records at the New York Historical Society. You proceed to the Society’s headquarters on Central Park West and are introduced to Conrad Matthison, one of the curators who works there.
You spend some time with Mr. Matthison looking through the land deeds and property transfers for the Lodge. It appears as though a Joslyn Petersen is the current owner of the Lodge, having purchased the property in 1912.
You and Mr. Matthison steadily trace the ownership of the Lodge back through the years. Before it was a stately, three-story home, it was an unremarkable plot of land, identical to others in the area. You discover that, at some point in the mid-1800s, it, along with other land parcels, were hotly contested as part of a boundary dispute between several farmers. The property changed hands several times, the property lines were redrawn, and the issue settled.
Before that, it was part of a larger land parcel that had once been a farm, long abandoned since the middle of the 1700s. The City and State of New York had carved up the farm to distribute to various other farmers and builders in the region.
It takes you and Mr. Matthison the better part of an hour to track down any information on the original property-holder. To your surprise, and dismay, you eventually come upon an old surveyor’s map that contains the parcel. It is listed as, “Farmstead of Herr Scott, 1708.” The land in question appears to be in an area that once contained Herr Scott’s farmhouse…
Kane Eastman BGA
ReplyDeleteKane plans to see if he can get into the lodge with his band to check the acoustics, and space, etc. and use it as an opportunity to root around. He figures the members present will have a hard time keeping track of him with the other band members about, making noise, etc.
You and your band take a trip to the Lodge on Monday just after noon. The servants/guards are somewhat confused at your presence and are reluctant to admit you. They soon summon Mr. Scott, who seems quite pleased to see you. You explain that you would like to check the Lodge’s acoustics, and he welcomes you to come in and set up your instruments in the bar area.
You proceed to do so, while Mr. Scott returns to his “contemplations.” You are not alone, however. Several of the servants are stationed throughout the house, and seem to be watching you with some vigilance.
The band sets up and you do a few sound checks. The bar is adequate, but you ask to try the sound in a couple of other rooms, just to see if there isn’t any place where the acoustics would be better. The servants let you do this, though they are wary.
Between moving the band around, getting “confused” and going through the “wrong” door, and poking your head where it doesn’t belong, you manage to more or less map out the entire first floor.
Of note: Stairs next to the Pantry lead down to a basement. Stairs next to the Dining Room lead upward to the second floor.
Mikhail's BGA
ReplyDeleteVisit New York’s Masonic Lodge and look for information about the Order of the Silver Twilight and James Clark
You pay a visit to the Masonic Lodge and are welcomed as a Brother (because you are). The Lodge members are still quite excited and proud of the new Syrio-American Lodge that was established in Asia late last year. You try to steer the conversation in such a way that you can talk about the strange phrase you discovered and the ruins upon which it was written. Unfortunately, you are either too subtle or your fellows simply don’t know anything the subject.
Talking about the picturesque desert landscapes and stunning Arabian architecture does yield some interesting, if unrelated, information. It appears that there is a fellow Mason, Brother Von Varnstein, who is a fancy movie director from somewhere out West. He has used his Masonic contacts in Syria to get permission and access to shoot a “Biblical-themed picture—Babylon something-or-other” on location. This is quite the coup for Von Varnstein, who has always wanted to shoot an “historically accurate” picture. This should also strengthen the ties between the American and Syrian Lodges, which is good for the Masons in general.
You visit James’ station. On first blush, there isn’t much there out of the ordinary. You do keep digging however, and discover that what you had initially thought was just a Masonic ring was actually marked with a different symbol. The ring is silver, with a silver symbol set into a jet-black stone.
There isn’t anything else of note.
Before you depart, you requisition one of the numerous swords possessed by the Masonic Lodge. One of the good ones; not the props.
Ron Deluca BGA
ReplyDeleteSeek out Darragh at the station, or possibly his home. Find out more information about the Bianco situation. Is there anything to actually be worried about.
You head on down to the station. The people in the precinct, especially those who work closely with Darragh, are not happy to see you. They inform, with cold hostility, that Darragh is in the hospital. You manage to wrangle which hospital he’s in from the desk sergeant in exchange for leaving the premises and, “not showing your filthy [expletive] ass around here again.”
Going to the hospital triggers some memories of your recent beating and trash can occupation. You find Darragh resting comfortably in a room, his head and jaw swaddled with bandages. A uniformed officer is sitting at Darragh’s bedside when you come in. When he recognizes you, he jumps out of the chair, a snarl on his face.
“You! Get your hands against…”
“Shaddup,” says Darragh. “Siddown, Murphy.”
“He assaulted an officer of the law!” shouts Murphy. “I could toss his ass in Rikers.”
“I’m not pressing charges,” says Darragh. “Siddown or get out.”
Murphy pushes past you and out into the hallway, leaving you alone with Darragh.
The conversation that follows is fairly terse. Darragh is still loopy—from eating the sidewalk and from painkillers—and doesn’t have too much to say, anyway. You are relieved that he doesn’t seem to be talking with his phony Danny Boy accent.
He reiterates that he has heard that Bianco suspects you of murdering Bonano, though he also suspects you had help. From what Darragh has heard, Bianco can’t prove anything yet, but the dust up between you and one of his gunsels earlier that week made him real suspicious. Darragh says that Bianco can’t make a move without breaking the peace and bringing down the wrath of Papa Burnouse or the other families, but he’s also worried that not making a move will make him look weak.
Darragh says that there are several guys at his precinct who are on Bianco’s payroll, and that “Big Grin” is encouraging them to use department resources to look into Bonano’s murder. If there’s nothing to find, you might be in the clear. If there is, though, you might be in trouble.
Darragh also seems to know, somehow, that Vivian is your alibi. He mentions, obliquely, that If anyone ever had any reason to doubt her word or whereabouts, the mob war would start again, and a lot of people would die.
With that, he lapses into silence and you leave the hospital. Officer Murphy, who is standing in the hallway (and too close to Darragh’s room for comfort) shoots daggers at you as you leave.
Show up at the Bernouse residence with Gabriella (and his cat), with the intention of hopefully moving into the guest house.
Gabriella is confused at the sudden change of residence, but doesn’t question you. Vivian is fine with letting you move into the guest house. All is well, for now.
Judge Putnam BGA
ReplyDeleteI ask my secretary to dig up what he can on the silver twilight lodge, maybe there’s building permits they had to get for renovations or other members who went missing etc.
Your secretary gets to work on this matter for you. By the time you are ready to summon Giannis and have him drive you home at the end of the day, they present to you a small file folder of information they have acquired.
“It isn’t much,” they apologize, “and there are some pieces of related information that I discovered. Probably spurious, but I included them for completeness’ sake.”
Within the file are documents you expected to find: land and building permits, transfer of sale, etc. It appears as though a Joslyn Petersen is the current owner of the Lodge, having purchased the property in 1912.
Also included are a few items of interest regarding notable Carl Stanfords, including several newspaper articles. One is an ad from the Boston Globe, dated about a month ago, for something called “Look to the Future.” The other is from the New York Times—from the mid-1800’s. You should be able to view both of these documents on Roll20.
Vivian BGA
ReplyDeleteYou gave Mikhael the brush-off at the library yesterday, and you hope he takes the hint. This whole situation has gotten way too weird, way too fast, and you are pretty sure that you don’t really want to get involved.
You thought you had successfully compartmentalized the strange events surrounding Leroy Turner and his…magic horn…but memories from a month ago overwhelm you and all but force you to look at them. You decide to make a cup of tea, practice your violin, and forget.
It’s not easy, until Ronnie shows up asking to spend some time in the guest house. You figure his usual drama will make for an excellent distraction.
You become certain that he’s just the thing to take your mind off of all this awful stuff when you see who’s sitting quietly in his car…