Cannich Part One: March 13-20, 1926

Have You Seen This Man?

Departure

The group all arrives at New York Harbor, their luggage in tow, and waits to board the Eastern Star liner known as the Ceres. While there, several members of the group see an international police red notice pinned to an official bulletin board for “Belphegor,” the man mentioned on Look to the Future’s strange telegraph machine.

Ron learns that Bianco’s lawyer, Yacovangelo, is also going to be on the Ceres, but he is unable to determine how many people he’s got with him.

Giacomo Yacovangelo, the Bianco Attorney

After boarding the ship and stowing their luggage in their staterooms, the group has the run of the ship. Potafiori, Bernouse’s attorney, stays behind in his cabin to work on the upcoming deal with Dunne Distillery.

Ron and Vivian encounter Jimmy Russo and Jimmy Rizzo (aka “the Jimmies”), who appear to be Yacovangelo’s bodyguards. The mood is courteous, but strained. Russo admonishes Ron for allowing Vivian to be present when people are discussing, “the business.” Ron mentions that Vivian is actually here representing her father, which gives the Jimmies pause. They are summoned away by Yacovangelo a short time later, and do not interact with the group for the rest of the journey.

Two Jimmies that are Gonna Get Rustled

The players become aware of a Madame Zara, a fortuneteller in the employ of the cruise line. Judge Putnam stops by Madame Zara’s cabin for a private reading, and learns that his journey to Scotland is one that will be fraught with peril. He graciously pays Madame Zara for the reading and leaves.

The Séance

A little later on, the group learns that Madame Zara is going to be holding a séance on Wednesday to consult with the “spirits of the deep.” Most of the group decide to go, partly out of idle curiosity, partly to see if they can learn anything more about what awaits them in Scotland.

The séance is typical of those run by spiritualists at about that time. Madame Zara stirs up the crowd’s emotions by informing them that what they are about to do is exceptionally dangerous. She tells them that they must keep their hands on the table and not break the circle, otherwise they are done for. In the event that stronger spirits emerge, they must join hands. If the spirits persist, they must all grab onto the loop of chain that encircles the tabletop.

There is the usual knocking and table shaking. A trumpet—held aloft by glowing, disembodied hands—appears, plays a few notes, and vanishes. A being in a glowing veil appears and claims that they have a message from beyond for someone whose name begins with the letter “R.” Dr. Reese Black assumes this message is for him and Johnny “helpfully” shouts out that maybe the message is from Dr. Black’s dead mother (who is very much alive). The glowing spirit agrees, and relays the message that Dr. Black’s mother is safe, happy, and proud of him before it departs back into the spirit world.

Immediately thereafter, Madame Zara’s eyes begin to glow. She sits up rigidly in her chair and, with a voice not quite her own, proclaims the following:

“You go into a den of wolves and vipers. They come for the child. They come for the disc. A great treasure in gold, cloven in pieces by the ancient soldier, but still potent. If they find it, all will end. You must hurry.”

Moments after this proclamation, Madame Zara returns to her senses. Discomfited by what has occurred, she abruptly ends the séance and has everyone leave. Johnny asks Madame Zara (whose horribly racist accent has now slipped away entirely) if this has ever happened to her before. She tells him no.

Mikhail visits Madame Zara a little later and urges her to stare into his witch’s ball. Nothing happens, so Mikhail takes the ball back and departs.

March 20, 1926

Constable Sandy MacNeil--The Only Law in Town

The group arrives in Inverness, rents cars, and drives to Cannich. On the way, Judge Putnam briefs them on what they will find. He describes Cannich as a village of roughly 100 people, with very little in the way of infrastructure or industry. He also notes that there is a single constable on duty for the entire town.

Vivian also reminds the group about a letter that Johnny, Kane, and Mikhail found in the basement of the Silver Twilight Lodge. This letter was sent to Carl Stanford by a Duncan MacBain, of Scotland, and mentions several things that the group now retroactively recognizes from their previous adventures. Vivian decides to make it a priority to find information about MacBain once in Cannich.

Upon arrival, the group sees Constable MacNeil comforting Mr. and Mrs. MacRae. As the group drives to the Slaters Arms Inn, the MacRaes depart in a truck, with Constable MacNeil following behind on a moped.

The group parks at the Slater Arms, gathers their luggage, and enters the inn. On the way inside, they see a cluster of people nervously whispering a short distance away. Pausing to eavesdrop, the group hears that the people are discussing a terrible tragedy, and that they are very worried about the “poor baby.”

The Slater Arms

Your Friendly Bartender, Fergus MacInnes

Upon entering the inn, the players are warmly greeted by Fergus MacInnes, who seems to be both bartender and innkeeper. He welcomes them to Scotland with alcohol. As he pours, a local man at the bar named Wully MacMurdo asks if anyone in the group would like to pay a drink for him, as well. They do, and Wully MacMurdo triumphantly calls out for a glass of whisky. The group later learns that Fergus will only serve Wully if someone else pays for it.

Yacovangelo and the Jimmies soon join the group at the Slaters Arms. Fergus splits his time getting everyone checked in, handing out room keys, and departing into the back to look for Maggie MacNair, his waitress.

At about this time, the group learns that the reason for the crowd outside, as well as Cannich’s generally dour mood, is that the MacRaes’ infant son, Seamus, has apparently gone missing. Everyone in town hopes that Constable MacNeil will find Seamus safe and sound, but they’re also all very concerned.

While the rest of the group checks into their rooms, Kane plies Wully by buying him another drink and asks him about the local legends in the area. Wully spins some incoherent tales about the dangers of the morning fog, the lost places between hill and moor, and also the legends of werewolves stalking the mountains around Cannich. This last part is especially strange, as Wully also explicitly states that a local hero, Sir Ewan, is credited with killing the very last wolf in the region sometime in the 1700s.

Kane eventually takes his leave of Wully, and decides to explore the town.

Wully MacMurdo--Eternal Barfly

Wandering Around Cannich

Johnny and the Judge visit the combined post office/stationery store/telegraph station, which is in the building next door to the Slaters Arms. They meet the taciturn postmaster, who sends a pair of telegraphs on behalf of the judge. Johnny and the Judge also notice a local wanted poster for Belphegor, which advertises a £1250 reward.

Johnny and the Judge then go to watch the River Cannich for a while.

Kane goes to Our Lady and Saint Bean’s church and sees Father MacBride, the town’s priest, speaking to a man in a monk’s robe. Kane introduces himself to Father MacBride and asks him about the missing MacRae baby. To his slight consternation, Father MacBride seems calm and unconcerned about the baby’s disappearance, and reassures Kane that the baby will be found shortly. Kane takes his leave, but not before Father MacBride asks him to come to church bright and early the next morning.

Ron, Dr. Black, Vivian, and Luca also make their way up to the church, where Dr. Black recognizes the monk as Brother Theodore, his friend from Germany. Brother Theodore came to Cannich at Dr. Black’s request, and promises the doctor that he will be making his own inquires in the area. 

The Enigmatic Brother Theodore

Kane joins the trio, who, at Vivian’s insistence, is searching the church’s small graveyard for clues. They do find several headstones for various MacBains (but no Duncan), as well as a few for MacRae. Finding nothing else conclusive, they make their way back to the Slaters Arms, meeting up with Johnny and the Judge along the way.

Mikhail takes Pushok (who now has cute outfits for every occasion), and heads out of town in the direction that he saw the MacRaes and the constable go. A short distance out of town, he encounters Robbie MacLaren, a local hunter/trapper/poacher. Robbie is dismayed to hear that Seamus MacRae is missing, and so he agrees to accompany Mikhail and Pushok to the hamlet of Muchrachd, where the MacRaes live.

They arrive to find Constable MacNeil, who is looking somewhat defeated, getting ready to leave. Mikhail learns that the constable plans to go to his office and call Inverness, from whom he hopes to get enough men to effectively comb the mountains.

Mikhail offers Pushok’s services as a tracking dog. Constable MacNeil, reinvigorated by Mikail’s offer, gets ready to use Pushok to search the area again for Seamus MacRae.

Robbie MacLaren--Trapper (and Poacher)