The Mob War Part 1: June 5, 1926

Dinner at Judge Putnam’s

It has been two months since the London Group left the Nameless City. Some of the members of the group are finding that their time in the city has changed them very deeply, in ways that they are only now starting to recognize.

It has also been about a month since the group was together—the last time they met was at James Clark’s and Angie Hutchinson’s wedding in New Hampshire. Judge Putnam feels that it is more than time for the group to reconvene and enjoy a relaxing dinner together. He also has recently received a letter that he wishes to show them.

The late afternoon meal is thoroughly pleasant, at least at first. The group notes, with some mild discomfort, that Johnny is moving a bit more slowly than he normally does, and that he has covered his maimed and many-times surgically repaired arm with a black glove. In spite of that, he still performs all the household duties with his usual skill and businesslike aplomb.

Vivian, too, has also taken to wearing certain types of obscuring clothing and jewelry—long sleeves and anything large enough to hide the symbol of the Many-Faced God on her wrist. She also seems a bit more tentative when the judge suggests that the group take some air on the veranda. She remains in the doorway, glancing nervously at the slowly darkening evening sky.

Several members of the group also notice that Ron Deluca seems to be suffering from some undefined ailment. He is pale, drawn, and his suit seems to fit a touch more loosely than normal. Dr. Black examines him, and notes that there isn’t anything seriously amiss. He suggests that Ron try and eat more meat and get some more rest.

This comment prompts Kane and Judge Putnam to insist that their stakes be prepared as rare as possible. Johnny quips that he doesn’t mind cooking them rare, as it is less work for his damaged arm.

Ron’s exhausted appearance makes Vivian, Mikhail, and other members of the group suspicious that he’s gone off and done something reckless or dangerous again. Ron politely tells them to back the hell off.

The Cult

Apropos of nothing, Dr. Black proudly announces to the London Group that he is starting a cult. This draws quite a lot of censure from the rest of the group, especially from Johnny. Dr. Black insists that his reasons are noble, and his cause is just. He goes on to explain that he purchased some property up in Ossining, NY that has a barn on it. He plans to convert the barn into a temple of Nodens, and he plans to use that as a base of operations to start a sister cult to the one that Brother Theodore belongs to in Germany. 

Kane asks how much the property cost, and Dr. Black replies, quite happily, that he barely paid a song for it. He says that the property’s original owners mysteriously vanished forty years ago, and the land has run fallow and wild ever since. He was able to buy it very cheaply with the promise from the village of Ossining that he fully restore the property, thereby removing a blight that has long plagued the village. 

Johnny promises to dynamite the doctor’s new temple complex to kingdom come, and says that this should be the fate of all cults, including and especially the Silver Twilight Lodge.

You Won't Need Much Dynamite for This Cult...

The Phone Call

Luca calls Ron on the phone. He tells Ron that he has heard some strange news about Jimmy Rizzo (aka “Little Jimmy”), whom Ron had previously planted a gun on and transformed into an international criminal.

Luca says that Jimmy Rizzo was murdered that afternoon, in broad daylight, apparently shot in the back multiple times and tossed off of the Brooklyn Bridge. Vince was mad about this, of course, because he had given strict orders that none of his guys were to go after “Big Grin’s” guys. However, Luca later heard that it was apparently some of “Big Grin’s” own men that killed Little Jimmy, seemingly for no reason whatsoever.

Ron thanks Luca, hangs up the phone, and proceeds to relay the news of Little Jimmy’s untimely demise. The group is immediately suspicious of Ron, who insists that he didn’t kill Little Jimmy, swear to God.

Ron is saved from further grilling by the judge’s doorbell.

A Gentleman Caller

Hi, Everyone. Miss Me?

Kane, seeing that Johnny has his hands full clearing away the dinner plates, goes to answer the judge’s front door. Standing on the front steps is a thin, handsome, well-groomed man, nattily dressed and sporting a bright yellow silk tie. The gentleman, hat in hand, greets Kane warmly, apologizes for the interruption, and asks to speak to Ron Deluca, “for just a moment.”

When Kane agrees to go fetch Ron, the gentleman thanks him repeatedly, pressing a gold-embossed calling card into Kane’s hand.

Kane shuts the door, locks it, and reads the card, which announces the gentleman caller as none other than the oft-mentioned Nathan Torpley.

Kane brings Ron to the door to talk to Mr. Torpley, while Dr. Black sneaks closer and listens in on the following conversation.

Mr. Torpley tells Ron that he has fulfilled his side of the bargain, and that everything went absolutely swimmingly. He then tells Ron that he needs a favor from him, at which point he reaches into his upturned hat and plucks out a heavy leaden medallion from inside of it.

“You will bury this in the northwest corner of the barn on your friend Dr. Black’s new property,” commands Mr. Torpley. “And next month, we can do this again.”

Mr. Torpley toddles off, whistling to himself, as Ron and Kane close the door and return to the others.

Christopher Edwin’s Letter

Mr. Edwin Sends his Regards

The London Group is now sure, even though Ron refuses to explicitly say it, that Ron summoned Nathan Torpley with the Ouroboros Ring and asked him to do something to Little Jimmy. Ron, for his part, neither confirms nor denies this. Several members of the group suggest that leaving the state might not be remiss.

This causes Judge Putnam to remember the reason why he summoned the group together in the first place. He produces a letter sent to him by Christopher Edwin, his correspondent from Maine. Mr. Edwin has heard rumors that their shared adversary, the Order of Silver Twilight, is on the move again. Mr. Edwin has decided it is more than past time to deal the order a final, fatal blow. To that end, he invites the players to visit him at his house on Chebeague Island on June 18^th, where they will meet other members of his inner circle and formulate a plan of attack.

Knowing that Mr. Edwin’s information helped them to survive the Nameless City, the London Group agrees to pay him a visit. Several members of the group suggest visiting him early, hiding out at Mr. Edwin’s house until the current mob war in New York City cools down still further. Others express concern at driving through Boston on their way to Maine, considering how destabilized and unfriendly that city has become to Ron and Vivian.

Eventually, the group decides to let Mr. Edwin know that they will see him on June 18^th, and that they will prepare for that trip shortly.

Going Upstate

Before that, however, the London Group decides to go visit Dr. Black’s new property in Ossining, both to inspect it for any signs of nefarious activities and to discharge Ron’s debt to Nathan Torpley as soon as humanly possible.

The group travel in a two-car caravan and eventually reach the doctor’s property—three acres featuring a barn, an outhouse, and a farmhouse that overlooks the Hudson River. The group notes that there are already signs of construction underway, as workmen’s tools and materials are neatly stacked on the overgrown lawn.

Johnny remains in the car, while Mikhail takes Pushok to have a sniff around the property and Vivian ensconces herself on the farmhouse porch. Dr. Black gives Kane and Judge Putnam a tour of the farmhouse. Ron borrows a shovel from the workmen’s tools, enters the dilapidated and sagging barn, and begins to dig.

A short time later, the group becomes aware of three very large sedans driving up the hill toward the property. Fearing some kind of an attack, Mikhail hides in the front bushes with Pushok while Vivian blends into the shadows. Johnny, cursing that he only had two frigging months of peace and quiet, pulls his shotgun out from underneath the car’s front seat.

Six men in trench coats and hats get out of the cars and walk the rest of the way toward the property. As they get closer, their leader, whom the group recognizes as “Big Jimmy” Russo, steps forward and demands to speak to Ron Deluca.

"The Jimmies." Big Jimmy is on the Left.

“I don’t want to start nothing, I just want to talk to him.”

Kane, Dr. Black, and Judge Putnam all exit the house, while Mikhail draws his gun and remains in cover. Vivian enters the barn to tell Ron that Big Jimmy and some of “Big Grin’s” guys are here and want to talk to them.

Johnny, for his part, steps out of the car brandishing a shotgun. He demands to be allowed to search the mafia goons for weapons. Big Jimmy relents, and Johnny is relieved that they aren’t currently packing. He stands vigil the entire rest of the time, however, ready to plug one or more made guys if they try anything.

Ron has a conversation with Jimmy Russo that, effectively, goes nowhere. Jimmy demands to know if Ron had anything to do with Little Jimmy’s death. Ron denies any involvement. Jimmy asks him if he’s sure. Ron says that, yeah, he’s sure.

Unable to do much more than that while Johnny stands feet away with a loaded shotgun, Big Jimmy orders the rest of his group to leave. The London Group watches in silent relief as “Big Grin’s” boys get in their cars and drive away.

The group relaxes visibly once the three cars drive out of sight. They begin to rethink their plans about visiting Christopher Edwin, thinking that maybe an early trip to Maine might not be a bad idea after all.

Dr. Black suddenly realizes that the warding spell he cast around the hiding place of the shards of the Disc of R’lyeh has collapsed. His shout of fear and confusion puts an end to this conversation for now.

Atlantic City

Johnny mobilizes the group, ordering them to travel one by one through the Gate box on the judge’s car back to the carriage house garage on Staten Island.

The moment they arrive, Johnny unlocks and opens the larger steamer trunk Gate box that goes to his bolthole in Atlantic City. Johnny arms himself with one of the guns taken from Look to the Future before stepping into the second box.

The group reassembles in the back room of a darkened warehouse. Johnny opens the door leading into the warehouse proper, which he has carefully maintained and oiled so that it moves without making a sound.

Ahead of them, several men with flashlights prowl through the darkened warehouse, clearly looking for something. As the group creeps closer, they can hear snippets of conversation.

“I don’t see nuttin’.”

“Keep lookin’. The dame said it was here.”

“I don’t know why we’re takin’ orders from that broad anyways. She ain’t the boss.”

“She ain’t, but she said…hey, fellas, lookit this.”

“Some kinda weird rock. Oh, and I think this section of floor moves. Louis, help me with this, willya.”

Realizing that the disc pieces are about to be discovered, Vivian shouts, “Kill ‘em, Johnny! Kill ‘em all!”

Johnny opens fire with his future gun, practically vaporizing three of the intruders in as many seconds. The remaining four, seeing the killing power of Johnny’s gun, make a run for it, fleeing to an open warehouse window. Judge Putnam blasts one in the back, sending him sprawling unconscious into some shelves. Mikhail sics Pushok on another, and the loyal Great Dane easily brings down his prey. Dr. Black and Kane gun down another, while Vivian, in a fit of rage, sprints to the window, grabs the last fleeing man by his ankle, and pulls him bodily back into the warehouse.

Johnny pops back through the gate box to the carriage house, with plans to drive to Atlantic City to pick up the disc pieces and the bodies of the dead mafiosi.

Kane ties up the two survivors. Ron grabs a shovel and tries to make them both talk. Terrified for their lives, the two survivors spill the beans. They identify themselves as “Big Grin’s” men and say that their boss’ new girlfriend asked them to go to Atlantic City to pick something up from them.

Both men beg for their lives, saying that they thought this was a side job that had nothing to do with the mob war. They tell Ron that they didn’t know this warehouse belonged to him, as it was outside of the Bernouse Family’s jurisdiction. They promise they won’t say anything to anybody if Ron lets them live.

Dr. Black, in a heightened state of emotion, begins taunting the two trussed up gangsters. One of the gangsters, realizing that Dr. Black is just a civvy and not part of the mafia, tells him where to go. In a fit of rage, Dr. Black wounds him deeply with a surgical scalpel, leaving the man crying out in pain.

Ron, realizing that the whole interrogation has gone south, bludgeons the man to death. The other man screams at Ron, completely terrified, begging him to remember Omerta and the code. “We don’t do this, Ron! Jesus Christ! This isn’t the way.”

Kane Eastman calmly shoots him between the eyes.

In  the aftermath, Dr. Black starts mopping up the warehouse floor, while the group decide what to do with the bodies of seven dead men and the vehicles that they no doubt came in. Everyone is sobered and horrified at how quickly and ruthlessly they ended the lives of “Big Grin’s” agents. Even Ron.