Masks of Nyarlathotep

[Greentitch]

Masks of Nyarlathotep will hopefully be full of action and adventure, meaning more fun for all involved. If you wish to play then you will need to create a character as described on this forum. You can join in at any time throughout the campaign, joining the party from wherever they are located. However it would be best if you created a character that the party is likely to meet at the current time (for example, if they are in Egypt they are unlikely to meet a British bus driver). The story starts on the US East Coast, New York to be exact.

If you are playing or intend to do so please do not search for information about the story on the Internet. It will ruin the fun for you and others. If you are not playing then please do not post in the topic.

[Greentitch]

Notable Characters
[html]
<table width=100%>
<tr><td width=50%><b>Dr. Henry Armitage</b> - Head librarian at Miskatonic University</td>
<td><b>Jonah Kensington</b> - Owner and chief editor for Prospero Press, a small New York firm. He is Jackson Elias' publisher.</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Jackson Elias</b> - A globe-trotting writer specialising in exposes of death cults and other strange organizations.</td>
<td><b>Silas N'Kwane</b> - The proprietor of Ju-Ju House, New York City.</td></tr>
</table>
[/html]

Notable Events
New York (Map)
The investigators arrive at Room 410 to meet Jackson Elias
The investigators receive some of Jackson's documents from the police
The investigators read Jackson Elias' notes

[Greentitch]

The following news articles provide some background to the story. They are included here as most people would have heard about the expedition and its fate. Also because I wanted to try out my sexy new formatting for newspaper articles in this game. If you have any serious formatting issues with this then please send me a PM or something

[html]<div class="coc-article">
<div class="coc-headline">BIG APPLE DATELINE</div>
<div class="coc-copy"><p>ROGER CARLYLE, the playboy whom everybody knows - or knows about - is quietly leaving New York tomorrow to check out the tombs of Egypt! You’ve seen the cuties ROGER has found in the nightspots. Who can doubt he’ll dig up someone - er, something - equally fabulous from the Egyptian sands?</p></div>
<div class="coc-source">NEW YORK PILLAR/RIPOSTE, April 4, 1919</div>
</div>

<div class="coc-article">
<div class="coc-headline">CARLYLE EXPEDITION EMBARKS FOR ENGLAND</div>
<div class="coc-copy coc-left-col">
<p>Led by the fabulously wealthy playboy Roger Carlyle, the Carlyle Expedition departed this morning for Southampton aboard the crack British steamship <i>Imperial Standard</i>.</p>
<p>Contrary to earlier reports, the expedition will perform researches in London under the auspices of the Penhew Foundation before continuing to Egypt next month.</p>
<p>Readers may recall the enormous party this Mr. Carlyle, now 24, gave at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel upon reaching his majority. Since then, scandals and indelicate behaviour have become Carlye’s trademark, but he never has become tarnished in the eyes of Manhattanites.</p>
<p>Members of the expedition have been reluctant to reveal their purpose in Egypt.</p>
</div>
<div class="coc-copy coc-right-col">
<p class="coc-subheading">OTHER EXPEDITION MEMBERS</p>
<p>Renowned Egypologist Sir Aubery Penhew is assistant leader of the team, and in charge of excavations.</p>
<p>Dr. Robert Huston, a fashionable ‘Freudian’ psychologist, accompanies the expedition to pursue parallel researches into ancient pictographs.</p>
<p>Miss Hypatia Masters, linked in the past to Carlyle, will act as photographer and archivist.</p>
<p>Mr. Jack Brady, intimate to Mr. Carlyle, accompanies the group as general factotum.</p>
<p>Additional members may be secured while in London.</p>
</div>
<div class="coc-source">NEW YORK PILLAR/RIPOSTE, April 5, 1919</div>
</div>

<div class="coc-article">
<div class="coc-headline">CARLYLE DEPARTS EGYPT</div>
<div class="coc-copy">
<p>CAIRO (AP) - Sir Aubrey Penhew, temporary spokesman for the Carlyle Expedition, indicated Monday that the leaders are taking ship to East Africa for a 'well-earned rest'.</p>
<p>Sir Aubery debunked rumors that the expedition had discovered clues to the legendary wealth of the lost mines of King Solomon, maintaining that the party was going on safari 'in respite from our sandy labors.'</p>
<p>Roger Carlyle, wealthy New York leader of the expedition, was unavailable for comment, still suffering from his recent sunstroke.</p>
<p>Discussing that unfortunate incident local experts declared Egypt entirely too hot for Anglo-Saxons at this time of year, and suggested that the young American had not been well served by his democratic enthusiasm, rumored to have led him to personally wield pick and shovel.</p>
</div>
<div class="coc-source">NEW YORK PILLAR/RIPOSTE, July 3, 1919</div>
</div>

<div class="coc-article">
<div class="coc-headline">IMPORTANT VISITORS</div>
<div class="coc-copy">
<p>MOMBASA (Reuters) - Leading members of an American archaeological expedition arrived here on holiday from digs in Egypt’s Nile Valley.</p>
<p>Our Under-Secretary, Mr. Royston Whittingdon, held a welcoming dinner for them at Collingswood House, where the wit of Sir Aubrey Penhew, expedition co-leader, was much in evidence.</p>
<p>Accompanying Sir Aubrey are two Americans, youthful financier Roger Carlyle and medical doctor Robert Huston.</p>
<p>The Part leaves inland tomorrow, for Nairobi and hunting.</p>
</div>
<div class="coc-source">NEW YORK PILLAR/RIPOSTE, July 24, 1919</div>
</div>

<div class="coc-article">
<div class="coc-headline">CARLYLE EXPEDITION FEARED LOST</div>
<div class="coc-copy">
<p>MOMBASA (Reuters) - Uplands police representatives today asked for public assistance concerning the disappearance of the Carlyle Expedition. No word of the party has been received in nearly two months.</p>
<p>The group includes wealthy playboy Roger Carlyle and three other American citizens, as well as respected Egyptologist Sir Aubrey Penhew of the United Kingdom.</p>
<p>The expedition left Nairobi on August 3, ostensibly on camera safari, but rmor insisted that they actually were after legendary Biblical treasures.</p>
<p>Carlyle and his party reportedly intended to explore portions of the Great Rift Valley, to the northwest of Nairobi.</p>
</div>
<div class="coc-source">NEW YORK PILLAR/RIPOSTE, October 15, 1919</div>
</div>

<div class="coc-article">
<div class="coc-headline">ERICA CARLYLE ARRIVES IN AFRICA</div>
<div class="coc-copy">
<p>MOMBASA (Reuters) - In response to clues, Miss Erica Carlyle, sister to the American leader of the lost Carlyle Expedition, arrived in port today aboard the Egyptian vessel <i>Fount of Life</i>.</p>
<p>Several Kikuyu-villager reports recently have been received concerning the putative massacre of unnamed whites near Aberdare Forest.</p>
<p>Miss Carlyle declared her intention to find her brother, regardless of the effort needed. She brought with her the nucleus of a large expedition.</p>
<p>Detailing agents to coordinate supply and other activities with Colony representatives, Miss Carlyle and the remainder of her part depart for Nairobi tomorrow.</p>
<p>Her companion, Mrs. Victoria Post, indirectly emphasized Miss Carlyle’s purposefulness by recounting the rigors of the voyage aboard the Semite ship.</p>
</div>
<div class="coc-source">NEW YORK PILLAR/RIPOSTE, March 11, 1920</div>
</div>

<div class="coc-article">
<div class="coc-headline">CARLYLE MASSACRE CONFIRMED</div>
<div class="coc-copy">
<p>NAIROBI (Reuters) - The massacre of the long-missing Carlyle expedition was confirmed today by district police representatives.</p>
<p>Roger Carlyle, New York’s rollicking playboy, is counted among the missing.</p>
<p>Authorities blame hostile Nandi tribesmen for the shocking murders. Remains of at least two dozen expedition members and bearers are thought found in several concealed grave sites.</p>
<p>Erica Carlyle, Roger Carlyle’s sister and apparent heiress to the Carlyle family fortune, led the dangerous search for her brother and his party. She credited Kikuyu tribesmen for the discovery, though police actually found the site.</p>
<p>Among other expedition members believed lost are Sir Aubery Penhew, noted Egyptologist; New York socialite Hypatia Masters, and Dr. Robert Huston. Many bearers are also reported dead.</p>
</div>
<div class="coc-source">NEW YORK PILLAR/RIPOSTE, May 24, 1920</div>
</div>

<div class="coc-article">
<div class="coc-headline">MURDERERS HANGED</div>
<div class="coc-copy">
<p>NAIROBI (Reuters) - Five Nandi tribesmen, convicted ringleaders of the vicious Carlyle Expedition massacre, were executed this morning after a short, expertly-conducted trial.</p>
<p>To the end, the tribesmen steadfastly refused to reveal where they had hidden the bodies of the white leaders of the expedition. Mr. Harvis, acting for the Colong, cleverly implied throughout the trial that the massacre was racial in motivation, and that the fair-skinned victims were taken to a secret location, there to suffer the most savage treatment.</p>
<p>Miss Erica Carlyle, defeated in her efforts to rescue her brother, left several weeks ago, but is surely comforted now by the triumph of justice.</p>
</div>
<div class="coc-source">NEW YORK PILLAR/RIPOSTE, June 19, 1920</div>
</div>[/html]

[Greentitch]

Before we begin a few notes on this game.

• You won't be able to quote any html posts I make for board security reasons. I suggest you copy and paste the text if you want to quote something from a letter or other formatted post. Html is only enabled for my account.
• Try to stick together. This is for your own safety and the enjoyment of all. Missing out on something because you are elsewhere is a bit disappointing.
• The very start of the game is only going to involve those who played the first investigation. This is because we need to get those people to New York, while our new players are already based there. I hope this will go quickly and we can convince them to drive down there asap.
• If you are having trouble reading any of the handwritten letters then you can copy and paste the text, they aren't images. If you paste it into notepad then it'll be easy to read. I think the handwriting fonts make things feel a bit more realistic though.

[Greentitch]

After the challenges of the farmhouse outside Boston, William, James and Evelyn return to their lives seemingly without incident. Time passes and autumn turns into winter. Christmas arrives and with it a letter to each of you.

[html]<div class="coc-letter coc-hand-henry_armitage">
<div class="coc-letter-header">Miskatonic University Library<br>Arkham, MA<br>Dec. 23, 1923</div>
<div class="coc-letter-body">
<p>Dear Mr. Jennings, </p>
<p>I wish you a Merry Christmas and hope that I find you in good health. Unfortunately I must send you a grave warning in this time of joy.</p>
<p>I have come to learn that some unsavoury men have been asking questions about the incident in Ross's Corners. Shortly after this, the offices of Mr Saltonstall were broken into and the documents relating to the farmhouse were stolen. I fear that these documents contained your contact details and your lives may now be in danger. Assuming that this indicent is related to the <i>Bloody Tongue</i> murders that we briefly spoke about, I would strongly urge you to leave your places of residence for the time being.</p>
<p>I have spoken to my contact in New York, Mr Jonah Kensigton, and he believes that a writer and explorer that he works with may have some information on the killings and, just as interestingly, the object that you possess. The man's name is Jackson Elias and he arrives back in New York on January 15. Mr Kensington has extended an offer for you to visit him in New York and meet with Mr Elias. I can vouch for Mr Kensington and assure you that he is a trustworthy man. The Prospero House Publishers are located on Lexington Avenue, New York.</p>
<p>Yours sincerely,</p>
<p>Dr. Henry Armitage</p>
</div>
</div>[/html]

The letter above is addressed to Mr Jennings but each of you receives a similar one. The date of the meeting is about three weeks away, so you have plenty of time to prepare. However for the sake of progress in the game and the other players who are already in New York, I would suggest that you do this preparation relatively quickly in real time. Over the next couple of weeks you each notice a large black man lurking outside your houses or appearing to follow you to work.

[Septih]

Having spent his holidays meeting friends of his parents over in australia, James Attlee is sporting a rather glowing tan and has resorted to wearing slightly more casual items of clothing to avoid an embarrassing clash with his best suits. He has been living in New York since last summer and only just received the letter from his previous flat which he has let out to some friends in Boston.

I would like to know whether the man in black outside "my" house has worked out that i've moved and is following me or if they think that one of my friends is me. Let's assume that one of my friends looks vaguely similar to me.

If they have caught up with me here, I'd like to try and have one of my assistants pretend to be me one afternoon and see if they follow. Just for fun.

[Greentitch]

Your friends let you know that there is a suspicious man lurking around your old flat, but you've not noticed anything like that yet in New York.

[Commando]

William reads the letter with a growing sense of dread. He was the one who found the original newspaper reports of the Bloody Tongue murders and the description of the fate of Mr Allen was not a pleasant one. Though he initially feels reassured by the fact that he gave his brother's address and not his own to the attorney and Dr Armitage, when he notices the large man following him to work he realises that the subterfuge wasn't particularly successful.

Unfortunately the fact remains that he has a career in Boston, and a sudden and prolonged trip to New York is not something that would likely go down too well with his employers. Admittedly, since the events at Ross' Corners, he has been feeling somewhat dissatisfied with his job as a bank manager but the bills need paying regardless. On his first day back at work after the Christmas holidays he makes an appointment to see Mr Davis, the senior executive who intially sent him to see Rupert Merriweather and started William's involvement in the events at Arkham.

Without going into too much detail about what happened in Arkham, William explains to Mr Davis that he has been sent some information that relates to Rupert Merriweather and the task he was entrusted with a few months ago. He tells the man that following up on this information may help uncover the details behind the death of one of Mr Merriweather's friends and may even have something to do with the death of Mr Merriweather himself. He then tells Mr Davis that the information points to New York and that he would very much like to follow it up but that it may take a few weeks.

(I want to try and talk Mr Davis into giving me leave to go to New York, and maybe even help with travel costs.)

[Greentitch]

(I want to try and talk Mr Davis into giving me leave to go to New York, and maybe even help with travel costs.)

Mr Davis considers your proposal.
"Mr Merriweather was a dear friend of mine and I would very much like to know more about his death. He was an old man but if you believe there is more to it than natural causes then something should be done. However it would not look good for me to simply send a member of staff away on a personal errand. I am sure however that we can make this a business trip and that you can do whatever investigation you need after completing a little work at our New York branch. I will organise some meetings for you in Manhattan, perhaps some training of the clerks there or a review of their procedures. This should only take a couple of days, after which I will make it clear that you are in New York on sensitive bank business and you will have plenty of time to discover what you can."

[Orube]

Evelyn has been busy the past few months; the money she received from selling the farm (I'm assuming this happened) and the initial reward they received for exorcizing the malicious spirit were enough for her to finally further her career and she's making arrangements to continue studying. Unfortunately, her current employer remains as conversative as always and she'll be forced to apply elsewhere if she wants to climb up the career ladder. It's at this point that the letter arrives, and while Evelyn puts it in a desk drawer, it isn't long after that she realizes a shadow following her every step. She dismisses it as paranoia but when she notices this very man posting outside her apartment building she gets scared enough to temporarily move back in with her parents in Arkham. With the regretful demise of Bob the ginger Persian this isn't too much of a problem, in fact, it makes getting to and from work that much easier. Still, it has her spooked enough that, encouraged by her parents who are blissfully unaware of the events at Ross' Corners, to at least consider the suggestions made by Mr. Armitage.

I wonder if it is safe to assume that Evelyn, William and James exchanged contact details after the whole event at Ross' Corners. If so, she would use the telephone at the hospital to call James and ask him what he thinks. She'll also try to call William but lessee if James picks up first. I'm just gonna assume that a rich guy like him would definitely HAVE a phone.

[Greentitch]

I wonder if it is safe to assume that Evelyn, William and James exchanged contact details after the whole event at Ross' Corners. If so, she would use the telephone at the hospital to call James and ask him what he thinks. She'll also try to call William but lessee if James picks up first. I'm just gonna assume that a rich guy like him would definitely HAVE a phone.

You can assume that you are all able to contact each other by phone.

[Septih]

If so, she would use the telephone at the hospital to call James and ask him what he thinks. She'll also try to call William but lessee if James picks up first. I'm just gonna assume that a rich guy like him would definitely HAVE a phone.

James happens to just have returned from browsing the art collection of a man recently bankrupted and is joyous with some of his aquisitions. His assistant hands him the phone.

"Ah Evelyn. How nice of you to ring..."

[Commando]

William thanks Mr Davis and goes back to his department to arrange matters for his time in New York. At the end of the day he withdraws some cash from his bank account, then heads home to prepare for his journey.

When he arrives home he checks outside to see if anyone is watching his apartment. He sees nothing, but that doesn't particularly reassure him. He pulls out a large suitcase and starts packing clothes, toiletries and other items for his time in New York. In addition to a couple of notebooks, one of which contains the notes he made in Arkham, he decides to take with him the electric torches, bowie knife and the only unscorched baseball bat remaining from Ross' Corners, the two bats used for battling the undead woman having been disposed of months ago. The baseball bat goes in his suitcase while the bowie knife goes in a sheath which he straps around his waist, hidden by his jacket.

The money William received from the sale of the farm allowed him to trade in his Model T Ford for a second-hand 1916 Packard Twin Six Touring, a closed-top 5-seater car with a vastly superior engine to the Model T. Though never having driven anywhere as far away as New York, he feels comfortable with the 200-mile journey and confident that he'll find having the car useful when he arrives, if Arkham was anything to go by.

[Greentitch]

Is William taking the sarcophagus with him, or leaving it in Boston?

[Orube]

Evelyn nervously scrapes her throat; she hasn't exactly talked to James or any of the others since Mr. Merriweather's funeral and finds herself searching for words. After a stammered greeting, how-have-you-been and a bit more pointless chitchat she reluctantly gets to the point.
"So.. this letter, did you get one too?" Evelyn inquires, and adds "I was going to ask you if you were actually considering going to New York to meet with this Mister...Kensington but since you're already in NYC, all I'm curious to know is-- are you going to this meeting?"
She hesitates, wondering if she should tell him about the man she noticed following her. Even though she hasn't told even her family about the unnerving presence hovering near her apartment, the urge to tell the ones who she's been through something far stranger with is nearly unwithstanding. In the end however, she decides against it and merely waits for a response.