Cannich Part Two: March 20, 1926 (Evening)

Seamus MacRae

The Search for the Wee Baby Seamus

Constable MacNeil acquires a baby blanket from the MacRae residence. Pushok gets a good sniff and takes off through the hills, with the constable, Robbie MacLaren, and Mikhail hot on his heels. They follow Pushok westward for about an hour when Pushok seems to lose the scent. Mikhail tries the blanket again, but Pushok makes no further progress.

The area is a small gully between hills, waterlogged and strewn with gravel. The three humans turn up no further evidence at the scene. However, Mikhail is extremely disturbed to note that someone standing on a far-off mountaintop seems to be watching their progress.

Dinnertime at the Slaters Arms

Maggie MacNair, the Waitress at the Slaters Arms

The rest of the crew settles in at the inn after making their tours of the town. Ron, having bought some more “local-appearing” clothes from the general store, dresses up in them and now looks slightly less out of place. He relaxes at the bar and cases the joint, while Judge Putnam plies Wully MacMurdo with drink and attempts to get more stories out of him.

Mikhail comes back, footsore and muddy, with a very happy Pushok beside him.

The dinnertime rush starts coming in. Several members of the group notice that Maggie, the waitress, seems to be having fly-by conversations with a blond woman they saw in the crowd outside earlier. They also note that the older man, who they first saw having lunch, hasn’t moved from his spot and appears to be drinking tea and reading a book about Picts.

Fergus MacInnes announces that dinner will be served, and those that would like a quieter dining experience may head over to the dining room. Most of the group goes to the dining room, seats themselves around an eight-person table, and talk to Maggie about ordering dinner.

During dinner, Constable MacNeil enters the Slaters Arms and informs everyone that he has contacted the police in Inverness, who will be sending down men bright and early tomorrow morning. The men, he explains, will be searching the hills for Baby MacRae, and Constable MacNeil invites the rest of the town to join in the search. He also praises Mikhail and Pushok for giving him “a good lead” on where to start looking.

Ron, who is still in the bar area after dinner starts and the constable leaves, watches as the older man gets up and walks into the dining room. Ron, sensing an opportunity, goes over to investigate the man’s table, and finds a crumpled-up envelope underneath a chair. Ron takes the envelope into the bathroom, removes a letter from inside of it, and begins reading. Despite keeping himself steadfastly out of the “weird shit” that’s going on, he knows enough to be very concerned about the letter’s contents.

The Letter Ron Found

Meanwhile, in the dining room, the older man politely introduces himself as Dr. Andrew Kennedy, from Inverness, and asks if he might speak with them about a personal matter. The group invites him to the table.

Dr. Andrew Kennedy

Dr. Kennedy’s Story

Dr. Kennedy explains that he is the colleague of a Henry Montague Hancock, a big-game hunter and explorer who currently lives in Cannich. Recently, Hancock wrote to Dr. Kennedy that he and his business partner, Dr. Chisholm, had made a significant archaeological study in the area. Hancock informed Kennedy that he would “soon need your expertise in early British cultures,” and says that he will contact him later about coming to see the dig site, once things are more stabilized.

Dr. Kennedy goes on to say that he has heard no further word from Henry, but has received three letters from Hancock’s nephew. He tells the group that the contents of the letters are quite distressing to him, and that he is concerned that something untoward has happened to Hancock and Dr. Chisholm.

At about this time, Ron approaches the table with his letter, which he hands to a consternated Dr. Kennedy. Once Dr. Kennedy is reassured that no one but Ron has seen the contents of the letter, he carefully hands them around to the group. The group discovers that the three letters are from Henry to his nephew, with annotations written on the bottom of each letter from the nephew to Dr. Kennedy. Two letters are written in a kind of code, warning about cults, mysterious activities, Henry having hidden something, and Henry trying to acquire multiple, “star-shaped stones.” Dr. Black assumes that these stones are Elder Signs.

Another of the Hancock Letters

The last letter is deemed a forgery, not only by Hancock’s nephew, but also by Kennedy and the group. It is clear that someone sent the third letter to dissuade anyone from looking into Hancock’s disappearance.

The group decides to finish dinner, leave the Slaters Arms, and find a quiet place where they can plan and speak more freely.

The Forged Hancock Letter

Nighttime on the River Cannich

The group, with Dr. Kennedy included, all go to the spot on the riverbank that Johnny and Judge Putnam discovered earlier. Dr. Kennedy explains that he came to Cannich to search for signs of Hancock, only to be told that Hancock and Chisholm had both left abruptly for Africa.

Kennedy remarks that, considering the content of the letters, this is most suspicious, and he fears that one or several people in the town are lying about what happened to Hancock and Chisholm. He also said that he wanted to conduct his own investigations, but he didn’t think he could trust anyone in Cannich to help him. He decided to approach the group because they seemed like (mostly) upstanding citizens, but also outsiders with no ties to the community.

The group holds a quiet meeting out of earshot of Dr. Kennedy. They are in agreement to help him, but Kane is not convinced of Dr. Kennedy’s veracity, and warns the group against telling him too much about their own activities. The group agrees to this.

Dr. Kennedy is relieved to learn that he has acquired the group’s help. He tells them that he had been by Hancock’s house earlier in the day, but that it was locked up tight and he could find no way of getting inside. He proposes to lead the players to the house and start looking for clues there.

Hancock’s House

While the group attempts to pacify Mr. Potafiori, Ron climbs the front steps to Hancock’s front porch. He finds the front door lock, but easily shoulders it open, allowing access to the house.As they approach Hancock’s house, the group hears a terrified scream. Upon investigation, they discover Mr. Potafiori, panicked and babbling, sitting in the middle of the road outside of the Hancock house. The group attempts to calm him and manage, after much prodding, to determine that the Bernouse family lawyer was out for an after-dinner walk when he was assaulted by a ghost. When asked where the ghost came from, he gestures vaguely in the direction of the Hancock house.

The rest of the group eventually decides that Kane and Judge Putnam will escort Mr. Potafiore back to the Slaters Arms, where he can rest. Everyone else, including Pushok, venture into the house.

At first, their investigations turn up very little. They note the very masculine decorations, hunting trophies, and photos. The also note that there is a double gun rack over the fireplace in the living room, upon which is perched only one elephant gun. They also locate a closet filled with clothing monogramed with HMH, including a hunting vest whose 20 ammunition loops contain 18 elephant gun rounds between them.

In the front hallway, the group discovers a swagger stick standing in an umbrella stand. Dr. Kennedy informs the group that this belonged to Hancock, and that the man never went anywhere without it.

At some point, Pushok goes berserk and races through the house to stand at the front doorway. He then faces inside the house and starts barking his head off, refusing to stop when Mikhail commands him to. Concerned that Pushok has detected the ghost, Johnny produces some of the Power of Ibn-Ghazi that he had made before the trip. The dust reveals a ribbon of spectral energy vanishing upstairs, but no actual sign of the ghost.

The group splits in two, with Vivian, Dr. Kennedy, and Ron searching the rest of the first floor. Johnny, Mikhail, and Dr. Black climb to the second floor. There they find a bedroom that has had two very large holes blown both through its door and through the outer wall on the opposite side. It is clear that this damage was caused by an elephant gun, or a weapon of similar caliber.

The upstairs group does not have long to ponder their discoveries, because they are distracted by a piercing scream coming from downstairs. They rush into the kitchen, where they find Dr. Kennedy in the fetal position on the floor, Judge Putnam staring in disbelief, and Vivian screaming and thrashing at a nimbus of blue white light that has engulfed her. The light is also screaming.

Fortunately for Vivian, Johnny let Vivian borrow one of the group’s blessed blades a short time earlier. Vivian uses it to good effect to push the glowing protoplasm off of her. It retreats to the kitchen stove and hovers behind it, seemingly breaking off its attack for the time being.

Johnny casts another pinch of the Powder of Ibn-Ghazi. The glowing protoplasm takes on the shape of a battered man, his spectral form covered with bruises, burn marks, and cuts. They recognize the man from the numerous pictures around the house. Vivian has just been attacked by the ghost of Henry Montague Hancock.

Mikhail tries to talk consolingly to the ghost as the scene changes.

A Somewhat Livelier Henry Hancock

Kane and Judge Putnam

On their way back to the inn, Kane, Judge Putnam, and Mr. Potafiori pass by the town church. Seeing lights on inside, they decide to knock on the door. They are greeted by Brother Theodore, who informs them that Father MacBride has gone to bed for the night. Seeing that Mr. Potafiori is in great distress, Brother Theodore invites them in and offers to fetch the town doctor. Kane and the judge accept.

Kane takes the opportunity provided by Brother Theodore’s absence to search the church for clues, as he has been very suspicious of the town priest since meeting him earlier in the day. Kane finds nothing unusual in the church, but does find a handwritten letter in Father MacBride’s office that he takes for himself.

The Letter That Kane "Acquired"

A short time later, Brother Theodore returns with Cannich’s doctor, the elderly—yet still spritely—Dr. MacParlan. The good doctor treats Mr. Potafiori and says that, “though this is a quiet place, there are strange sights, sometimes.” He also says that he is glad that Mr. Potafiori didn’t go into the hills, were help is much farther away and things can get even more dangerous.

Dr. MacParlan recommends bedrest and provides Mr. Potafiori with a sedative. Judge Putnam and Kane thank the brother, bid him farewell, and return Mr. Potafiori to the Slaters Arms with Dr. MacParlan. Upon entering, they see that Luca is having a great deal of fun playing darts with some of the locals.

The Lovely Dr. MacParlan