Masks of Nyarlathotep - Chapter 1: New York City

"So your looking into the matter? Good! I hope someone can come to the bottom of all this. Jackson was a good friend and colleague. Personally, I think it was either some old enemies at last caught up with him or his new project was even more important and dangerous that he himself believed. Here come into my office and I will tell you what I know. Mrs. Baxter, could you get me Mr. Elias' correspondence file for me please." Mr. Kensington leads you into his office. His secretary enters a minute later with a thick folder and give it to Mr. Kensington.

"Could I interest you gentlemen in some coffee?" asks Jonah and he motions for Mrs. Baxter to bring some. "Jackson was working on a project for the past several months. It had to do with the Carlyle Expedition what was lost in Africa. Here is a letter I recieved from him in August a year and a half ago."

August 8, 1924
Nairobi

Dear Jonah,
Big news! There is a possibility that not all of the members of the Carlyle Expedition died. I have a lead. Though the authorities here deny the cult angle, the natives sing a different tune. You wouldn't believe the stories! Some juicy notes coming your way!

This one may make us all rich!

Blood and kisses,
J.

P.S. I'll need advance money to follow this one up. More later.


"With the letter he send a package with some of his notes." He hands Professor Carter the notes to read.

The Nairobi Notes:
GENERAL IMPRESSIONS: the notes are adequately organized and seem in many ways complete, yet are remarkable for the absence of conclusions, connections, names, suspicions, and clearly-deftned themes. The handwriting is strong and bold.


SET ONE : sets forth the offices, officials, and tribes which Elias visited, searching for material concerning cults and cult rituals. Nothing conclusive, though Elias afterwards completely discounts the official version of the Carlyle massacre.

SET TWO:describes his trip to the massacre site. He notes particularly that the earth there is barren, and that all the tribes of the region avoid the place, saying it is cursed by the god of the black winds, whose home is some mountaintop.

SET THREE:an interview with a Johnstone Kenyatta, who says that the Carlyle murders were performed by the cult of the Bloody Tongue. He says that the cult's home is in the mountains, and that its high priestess is part of the mountain of the black winds. Elias is politely skeptical.

SET FOUR: follows up on the Kenyatta interview. Elias confirms from several minor sources that the Bloody Tongue exists, though he can find no first-hand evidence nor locate any members. The tales include children being stolen for sacrifice. Creatures are said to come down from the mountain of the black winds to carry off people. The cult seems to worship a god unknown to folklorists, one which fits no traditional African pattern.

SET FIVE: a single sheet reminding Elias that the Egyptian portion of the Carlyle itinerary must be retraced carefully. He believes that Carlyle's trip to Kenya was prompted by something or someone in Egypt.

SET SIX: a long interview with Lt. Mark Selkirk, leader of the men who actually found the remains of the Carlyle expedition, and a Kenya hand since the Great War. Importantly, Selkirk says that the bodies were remarkably undecayed for the length of time they were in the open - "almost as if the germs themselves wouldn't come near the place." Secondly, the bearers had been torn apart, as if by animals, though what sort of animal it could have been he could not compre- hend. "Unimaginable," he said. Selkirk agrees that the Nandis may have had something to do with the episode, but suspects that the charges against the ringleaders were trumped-up. "It wouldn't be the first time," he says cynically. Finally, Selkirk confirms that no Caucasians were found among the dead - only the corpses of the Kenyan bearers were scattered across the barren field.

SET SEVEN: a single sheet. Elias ran into Nails Nelson at the Victoria Bar in Nairobi (Nelson had been doing some mercenary work for the Italians and escaped into Kenya after double-crossing his employers). Nelson claimed to have seen Jack Brady alive (March of 1923) in Hong Kong. Brady was friendly, though guarded and not talkative, and Nelson didn't press the conversation. By this Elias thought that other members of the expedition might still live.

SET EIGHT: discusses a possible structure for the Carlyle book, but is mostly featureless, with entries like "then tell what happened" and "explain why."

"I did not hear from Jackson until the middle of last month. He wired me from London. Here is the telegram."


TO: JONAH KENSINGTON

BEEN TO CHINA AND AFRICA OF COURSE AND LONDON FOR A FEW DAYS STOP DUG UP LOTS OF STUFF STOP SEEN THINGS YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE STOP CONSPIRACY AT WORK STOP WORLD WIDE PROPORTIONS STOP THERE IS A TIMETABLE STOP NEED TO FIND SOME MISSING PEICES FIRST STOP BOARDING PHALAROPE TOMORROW STOP ARRIVE NEW YORK JANUARY 15 STOP

SIGNED JACKSON ELIAS


"His ship arrived two days ago and he dropped by a set of notes and was off again. He seems excited and worried at the same time. When I read these noted, I began to worry about Jackson's sanity. Here you can see for your self."

The pages are folded together to form a small quarto volume. Frequently a page or a dozen pages are blank. Sometimes a single word is repeated over and over for several pages. Most of the entries are written in such an agitated manner that they can't be read, though all of the material is undoubtably written by Elias. The following quotes are most of what can be gleaned from this text.

Many names, many forms, but all the same and toward one end ... Need Help.... Too big, too ghastly. These dreams .... dreams like Carlyle's? Check that psychoanalyst's files . . . .All of them survived! They'll open the gate. Why? ... so the power and the danger is real. They. . . . many threads beginning. . . . The books are in Carlyle's safe.... Coming for me. Will the ocean protect? Ho Ho no quitters now. Must tell and make readers Believe. Should I scream for them? Let's scream together ...
 
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Joe steps up to Lieutenant Poole. "Lieutenant, we are by no means trying to step on your toes here. We understand that this is a police matter but Elias was a friend or ours. I worked with him a few years back on a quite disturbing case." Joe stops talking and extends his hand, meaning to shake the officer's hand. "Oh, where are my manners. My name is Father Joe Savino. I'm a Catholic priest and conduct services down at St. Catherines in the village."

After shaking the officer's hand, Joe continues, "Anyway, we are not trying to disrupt your investigation at all. We are simply trying to learn who wanted our friend dead and why. In the course of any investigating that we do, if we discover anything useful, we'll make certain that you are informed. Is there no way that we can view the casefiles for the other people that were killed? You wouldn't need to give them to us, we'd just like to take a look at them here. I'm a priest, Lieutenant, I assure you that I have no ulterior motive other than interest because our friend was killed in the same manner as these other people."

OOC: Would like to make a Diplomacy (+7) roll if possible or applicable. Joe does have the trustworthy feat as well, which is already factored into the Diplomacy skill.
 
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"That seems ta be a lot of readin'," Hamish says, "But it kinda looks like the stuff you like Shorty. Anything good in it?"
 
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Lieutenant Poole's Office

Lt. Poole seems to think over the Fathers plea and he shakes his head. "I know your only trying to help Padre. I could lose my badge over this........but I guess I could let you look over the case files here." He goes over and closes his door and pulls a shade over a glass partion. Then he hands the files over to Father Joe. "You got 30 minutes to look this over. Thats all I can give ya."

As Thomas and Father Joe read over the files you are able to fine the following facts.

1. There seems to be no connection between the murder victims. Interviews with friend and family only discover that the departed had become involved with "strange" people.
2. A consultation with Dr. Mordecai Lemming, a noted and eccentric folklorist states that he believes it to be work of a Voodoo cult. A belief that is seconded by the police.
3. Interviews with several Haremites go badly as they refuse to speak about any cults, Voodoo, or the symbol that was carved in the victims heads.
4. The police assume that the murders are ritual slayings of people who somehow learned too much.
5. The two dead black men who where at the Elias murder scene have not been identified. The white man captured and who later committed suicide in his jail cell was identified as Robert Wells, a petty thief and cocaine addict.
 
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As Carter reads through the notes, his eyes widen in amazement and horror. He finishes looking through the pile, then pulls out the telegram again, reading one part over and over...

...CONSPIRACY AT WORK STOP WORLDWIDE PROPORTIONS STOP THERE IS A TIMETABLE...

The Bloody Tongue & the Carlyle Expedition? My God, what did Elias discover? What books are in Carlyle's safe? Carter puts the pages neatly back into the folder. "Jonah, do you think we can borrow these notes? If we are to follow Elias' trail these will be invaluable. I promise to return them to you, perhaps with some of my own. I'm sure together they'll make a manuscript that'll set you up for life. What do you say?"
 

Jonah Kensington's Office

Jonah looks up with a determined face. "If it would help find out what happened to Jackson then take them. Jackson was a dear friend and if you need any help in your investigations, I am more than willing to help you in anyway I can."
 
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"It is possible that we could trace Robert Wells, I'm sure. We could also try talking to the families of the other murder victims, starting with Frank Townsman, the last victim before Jackson Elias was killed. We could even look up this Mordecai Lemming. Anyone like him, who is familiar with ritual killing and cults would be a good source of information. I suggest we talk to Lemming first, assuming that he is in New York. Then we can look into this Robert Wells and then possibly family or friends of the other victims."
 

"Sound advice, Father, and I think we should stay in town until after Jackson's funeral. Otherwise, the priest performing the service might get awfully lonely, and I'd certainly like to pour him a drink of whisky on his coffin," says Thomas.
 

Yellow Sign said:
Jonah Kensington's Office

Jonah looks up with a determined face. "If it would help find out what happened to Jackson then take them. Jackson was a dear friend and if you need any help in your investigations, I am more than willing to help you in anyway I can."

"Thanks, Jonah. Any help will be greatly appreciated. For now, I think my two companions and I should be going." Carter looks to Hamish and Shorty. "We should be getting back to meet with the others. Where were er going to meet them again?"
 

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