[Horror/Monster Hunters] American Small Town Mystery

[Shostak]

This looks like a fun scenario! Sorry for having missed the earlier posts. If you still want some research material on Maine culture, accents, etc. you could try the TV show North Woods Law a "reality" show featuring Game Wardens. For accurate accents, no TV or movies will do. But this archive project of Maine Public Broadcasting could be useful: http://mainepublic.org/maine-dialect-project#stream/0 Your characters Victor and Abel might sound more French-Canadian if they had names like Normand, Luc, Raymond, Guy, or Marcel. Consider calling Fr. Jerome Prudhomme "Father Jerry" -- that will sound completely authentic.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Shostak

This looks like a fun scenario! Sorry for having missed the earlier posts. If you still want some research material on Maine culture, accents, etc. you could try the TV show North Woods Law a "reality" show featuring Game Wardens. For accurate accents, no TV or movies will do. But this archive project of Maine Public Broadcasting could be useful: http://mainepublic.org/maine-dialect-project#stream/0

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Shostak

Your characters Victor and Abel might sound more French-Canadian if they had names like Normand, Luc, Raymond, Guy, or Marcel. Consider calling Fr. Jerome Prudhomme "Father Jerry" -- that will sound completely authentic.

They aren't French-Canadian at all and aren't really French, they just have an Acadian French ancestor a few generations back, like many people in the St. John Valley. By now they are no more French than a quintessential New Yorker like cartoonist Garry Trudeau or an all-American man's man like Robert Duvall. Abel's mon was a Sinclair and Victor's mon (Abel's wife) was an Allen, both Scots-Irish, as are most people in the tiny village of Allagash specifically (though the wider St. John Valley is still home to comparatively many people with Acadian French roots).

Father Jerome Prudhomme is actually French-Canadian, yes. His flock is English speaking, for the most part, but there are still old folks around in the St. John Valley who speak Acadian French at home.

[Icelander]

The PCs have made an arrest!

Unfortunately, it's an arrest of a known felon from Montréal, Canada, one Jean-Jacques LaFleur, a.k.a. Jackie Flowers, and the crimes he's suspected in are illegally entering the US without a visa, assault and battery on a victim that won't press charges (one Rickie Sommiers, Esq.) and resisting arrest. They might even throw in a charge for assaulting a federal officer, for the vicious elbow strike to Special Agent Corelli's solar plexus that he's working hard at pretending didn't hurt him at all.

Even so, that's not really of much material interest to three FBI agents who are skating on very thin ice procedurally because they believe that an accomplice to the serial killer Victor Dufresne may be holding a missing girl on the premises of an isolated hunting cabin during a storm.

[Icelander]

The PCs have shot and killed an unarmed seventy-year-old man, one Henri Sinclair, reportedly mentally retarded. The suspect worked as a janitor at the local school.

Sinclair did have a knife, actually, but had dropped it by the time the three FBI agents shot him. They discharged 46 shots from four firearms, hitting the suspect with 31 bullets, 28 of which were 9x19mm (Federal Hydra-Shok 124 grain and Winchester Silvertip 115 grain) and three of which were Winchester Silvertips 145 grain .357 Magnum bullets. All of the shots hit the target in the rear, with stray shots impacting the upper thighs, pelvis, lower back and left arm, but the majority of the bullet strikes were around the center mass area, with fully 15 rounds in a rough triangle in the upper back around the heart, aorta and lungs.

The last three shots were fired from a distance of just over one yard and hit the back of the head. These three rounds were all from the same 9x19mm gun (124 grain Federal Hydra-Shok) and are grouped closely enough to indicate an aimed three-round burst or triple-tap at a stationary target. From the position of the wound, the shooter was standing slightly behind and over a prone suspect at the time.

[Icelander]

Maria Lucia de la Guerra Estevez (PC) has Wild Talent with some modifiers, including Emergencies Only, Focused (Magical), Retention and Wild Ability. She also has Magery 0 and some minor new age mumbo-jumbo as a Dabbler, but no real knowledge of supernatural things.

Her player wanted to use her unknown affinity with the supernatural to keep a girl, Rebecca Danzig, from dying. Ms. Danzig was in a coma when the PCs found her, suffering from severe if not terminal hypothermia and there was reason to believe that her extremities were frostbitten and might start to mortify. She's also dehydrated and malnourished, perhaps even to the point of death.

Fantasy style healing magic will not be featured in the campaign, at least not magic that visibly regenerates injuries in seconds. Subtle succour is in genre, especially if the injuries being fixed are not visibly large-scale destruction, but more a matter of a minor adjustment to internal regulation of temperature.

Magic in the setting will probably use Path/Book or Ritual Path Magic without Ritual Adepts.* Earth is No Mane to Very Low Mana, with occasional exceptions related to special places, special times and special beings.

Now, the PCs are in such a special place at a special time, but the magical influences around them are heavily aspected toward winter, cold, hunger, darkness and something else, something that Special Agent Frank Corelli (PC) would probably call evil, outdated and reactionary as that term is in the eyes of 'modern' Californian people from the 1980s.

On the other hand, the PCs are carrying protective charms specifically designed to protect from the evil spirits that cause the cold and hunger, given to them by a wise Native American in some sort of spirit trance. Agent Estevez also has some of the mushroom paste that Joseph Greybear used to enter the trance.

All the PCs also wear crosses with personal significance to them, having all been raised Catholic, with at least one religious person close to them during childhood. Special Agent Rene Ledoux (PC) also takes care to throw down all the carefully posed ritual objects with creepy significance that were surrounding the girl when they found her.

Using these things as ritual focuses, as well as using the fierce protective need of Agent Corelli toward an innocent girl in danger, Agent Ledoux's hatred of the cold and love of warmth and Agent Estevez's own overflowing affection for her fellow creatures, Agent Estevez attempts to draw on the warmth and strength of the three FBI agents to help Rebecca Danzig to live and be healthy. She calls out to the spirit of Joseph Greybear to aid her, guide her and teach her how to let the golden light of their love bring Rebecca back to life, let her coma turn to healing sleep.

The player rolled well, for an effective success by 5 even with penalties, against any Path I might have ruled this required. So I didn't bother with precise calculation. But, since the PC has Retention and had some 20 unspent points lying around, I'll have to decide before the next session what ritual she was using and what Abilties and Spells she ought to be able to spend points on.

What Paths were involved and can she spend points on them all?

Did it require any Advantages that she didn't have, but used Wild Abilities to use for the attempt?
´
In the Path/Book system, she basically cast Succour. Maybe I'll just go with that, but it has the flaw that there is no system to create new rituals.

How would one write up the ritual she performed in Ritual Path Magic?

*More precisely, they'll exist under limited conditions and/or even outside normal reality. Meeting one will be the culmination of an adventure and probably a very hostile meeting.

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by Icelander

The PCs have shot and killed an unarmed seventy-year-old man, one Henri Sinclair, reportedly mentally retarded. The suspect worked as a janitor at the local school.

Sinclair did have a knife, actually, but had dropped it by the time the three FBI agents shot him. They discharged 46 shots from four firearms, hitting the suspect with 31 bullets, 28 of which were 9x19mm (Federal Hydra-Shok 124 grain and Winchester Silvertip 115 grain) and three of which were Winchester Silvertips 145 grain .357 Magnum bullets. All of the shots hit the target in the rear, with stray shots impacting the upper thighs, pelvis, lower back and left arm, but the majority of the bullet strikes were around the center mass area, with fully 15 rounds in a rough triangle in the upper back around the heart, aorta and lungs.

The last three shots were fired from a distance of just over one yard and hit the back of the head. These three rounds were all from the same 9x19mm gun (124 grain Federal Hydra-Shok) and are grouped closely enough to indicate an aimed three-round burst or triple-tap at a stationary target. From the position of the wound, the shooter was standing slightly behind and over a prone suspect at the time.

Okay, the fact that you've set this game in the past certainly helps, but the agents will still find the subsequent shooting investigation pretty brutal. The investigators will second-guess them in every possible way, and if it turns out the suspect really was developmentally disabled, they could face career-ending hearings that question their competence.

However, they probably won't face manslaughter charges, which they would have if you'd set the game in the modern day. The FBI could cover up its mistakes much more easily 30 years ago, than it can, today.

The local newspapers will likely print scathing editorials, and if the old fella was popular in the small rural community, the feds will find themselves effectively shunned. They'll need a warrant for just about everything, and while the local police will feel compelled to cooperate, any help they give will come reluctantly, at best.

Small towns are no place to be unpopular. The capacity for bitter resentment is truly amazing.

On the other hand, it will help that they have apparently saved a girl. That will thaw the locals, quite a bit. If they wind up catching the killer, the competence hearing will still be unpleasant, but will be perceived as a unfortunate incident during a difficult investigation in otherwise sterling careers.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by tshiggins

Okay, the fact that you've set this game in the past certainly helps, but the agents will still find the subsequent shooting investigation pretty brutal. The investigators will second-guess them in every possible way, and if it turns out the suspect really was developmentally disabled, they could face career-ending hearings that question their competence.

However, they probably won't face manslaughter charges, which they would have if you'd set the game in the modern day. The FBI could cover up its mistakes much more easily 30 years ago, than it can, today.

The local newspapers will likely print scathing editorials, and if the old fella was popular in the small rural community, the feds will find themselves effectively shunned. They'll need a warrant for just about everything, and while the local police will feel compelled to cooperate, any help they give will come reluctantly, at best.

Small towns are no place to be unpopular. The capacity for bitter resentment is truly amazing.

On the other hand, it will help that they have apparently saved a girl. That will thaw the locals, quite a bit. If they wind up catching the killer, the competence hearing will still be unpleasant, but will be perceived as a unfortunate incident during a difficult investigation in otherwise sterling careers.

For a few minutes after they shot what seemed to them a hairy, fearsome creature in a snowstorm during the night, but they then discovered to be Sinclair wearing furs, the players were certain that the FBI careers of their PCs were over. Ledoux, already considered unreliable after a questionable AAR at the conclusion of his last undercover assignment, and Corelli, viewed by the new breed of more civil right's sensitive prosecutors as a reactionary door-kicking dinosaur from Hoover's era, might even face criminal charges and certainly had no hope of emerging from an inquest with any reputation left.

What saved them is that the girl was found in Sinclair's old trapper shed. He had access to it and was apparently present there when the PCs affected entry. For that matter, her clothes were found wrapped in his shirt in a laundry basket he was responsible for emptying and once the PCs search the body, they'll find more evidence connecting him to her. They are also pretty confident that if she talks, she'll identify him and that technicians could find his prints and/or other evidence in the pit where she was kept. They also find a human skull, human finger bone and some meat they believe is human, probably from other victims.

Even today, the press, police top brass and even human rights organisations are remarkably little worried if the capture or killing of a serial killer is irregular in terms of procedure. In 1988 I doubt they'll face official censure, though Corelli might 'shade' the official report a little anyway, to put them in the clear.

It's an open question, however, whether the people of Allagash will buy Sinclair as the murderer and not an unfortunate shot by zealous outsiders, who were then forced to tell that fantastic story to save their careers. Or, perhaps more significantly for the PCs continued health and happiness, what the fifteen men in the hunting cabin, many of them relatives and acquintances of poor old Henri, will believe. They'll have heard the shooting in the snowstorm. And they have an arsenal of weapons.

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by Icelander

For a few minutes after they shot what seemed to them a hairy, fearsome creature in a snowstorm during the night, but they then discovered to be Sinclair wearing furs, the players were certain that the FBI careers of their PCs were over. Ledoux, already considered unreliable after a questionable AAR at the conclusion of his last undercover assignment, and Corelli, viewed by the new breed of more civil right's sensitive prosecutors as a reactionary door-kicking dinosaur from Hoover's era, might even face criminal charges and certainly had no hope of emerging from an inquest with any reputation left.

What saved them is that the girl was found in Sinclair's old trapper shed. He had access to it and was apparently present there when the PCs affected entry. For that matter, her clothes were found wrapped in his shirt in a laundry basket he was responsible for emptying and once the PCs search the body, they'll find more evidence connecting him to her. They are also pretty confident that if she talks, she'll identify him and that technicians could find his prints and/or other evidence in the pit where she was kept. They also find a human skull, human finger bone and some meat they believe is human, probably from other victims.

Even today, the press, police top brass and even human rights organisations are remarkably little worried if the capture or killing of a serial killer is irregular in terms of procedure. In 1988 I doubt they'll face official censure, though Corelli might 'shade' the official report a little anyway, to put them in the clear.

It's an open question, however, whether the people of Allagash will buy Sinclair as the murderer and not an unfortunate shot by zealous outsiders, who were then forced to tell that fantastic story to save their careers. Or, perhaps more significantly for the PCs continued health and happiness, what the fifteen men in the hunting cabin, many of them relatives and acquintances of poor old Henri, will believe. They'll have heard the shooting in the snowstorm. And they have an arsenal of weapons.

Yep, saving an innocent earns a lot of forgiveness. At this point, they might face a review for possible misfeasance (doing the right job in the wrong way), but will probably come out of it with nothing more than a moderately painful chewing-out with associated finger-wagging.

Whether or not the hunting party lets them live long enough to get that far is another matter, entirely. :)

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by tshiggins

Yep, saving an innocent earns a lot of forgiveness. At this point, they might face a review for possible misfeasance (doing the right job in the wrong way), but will probably come out of it with nothing more than a moderately painful chewing-out with associated finger-wagging.

Whether or not the hunting party lets them live long enough to get that far is another matter, entirely. :)

Let's say that if the PCs manage to avoid massacring local bigwigs, bankers and politicians, they'll probably be fine.

Of course, given that the PCs have only two loaded pistols left on them at the moment and the locals, should they have misunderstood the PCs' benevolent motives in shooting poor old Henri to bits, have more than fifty longarms, the players would probably argue that no matter what happens, they are not to blame for any massacres that take place.

[Icelander]

A few notes.

The DR 1 granted by winter clothing is a lot more significant against 15-30 lbs. starving coyotes than against 60+ lbs. emaciated wolves.

Wolf jaws are scary, scary things on beasts hunting you in the dark. As Rene Ledoux (PC) found out, to his cost, when one ripped his left thigh to the bone. Not to mention Amos Burrel (NPC), whose throat was torn up by a ravenous wolf. As it was, he was thankful when Ledoux shot him in the shoulder and forearm, as one bullet hit the wolf in the head before he had torn the jugular open.

Bears are terrifying godless killing machines, but they are not the worst thing that lives in the dark. No, that would be 'a bear-like creature, with a larger head and jaws and longer claws'. Rougarou! Rougarou! Kill it with fire!

Technically, there is no way to determine whether Ledoux's rather panicked assessment of the creature is correct. It might as well be an ill-tempered Bigfoot/Sasquatsch or a Native American monster like the Chenoo or Wendigo, not to mention something like the ogre-like Kukwe or the vampiric/werewolvish Skadegamutc.

The PCs are pretty sure, however, that coyotes should not attack in hordes. And that wolves should not use tactics that appear to take firearms into account, flanking the human position where those firing from windows couldn't see them. And nothing natural should be more concerned with killing than staying alive.