Shades of Fear [CoC d20]

[Phibes]

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age. -- H. P. Lovecraft

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown--H.P. Lovecraft


Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago
Thursday October 6th, 1926

It was early October and the icy wind outside cuts like a knife. The Field Museum is packed today. Several bus loads of eager wide-eyed school children roamed the exhibits like flocks of noisy birds. Harried teachers try to keep the groups together and moving while keeping an eye out for stragglers.

Daniels, an elderly guard leaned against a pillar and watched the children pass. His hand unconsciously reached up and stroked his bushy white mustache as he thought about how the day might go. Most likely spent chasing down lost children he thought.

A young blonde headed boy with a red runny nose walked up and stares at Daniels. "Mister, what’s down there?" The boy points down the roped off hallway that leads to the new American Indian exhibit that would be opening in a few weeks. Daniels looked first down the hallway where Mr. Warren the painter could be seen working on a fresco and then back to the boy. "Sorry son, but that area is under construction. You had better hurry along, your class is headed to the Dinosaur Exhibit." With that the boy lets out a squeal of glee and ran after his group.

Down the stairway to his left, Daniels sees Professor Green holding a brown paper bag with a dark stain on the bottom. Professor Green was a good egg but for the life of him Daniels couldn't understand how the Professor could work with all those weird things like a two headed snake or a three legged pig. It was like working in a freak show. It just creeped him out to think about it. Looking down at his watch, Daneils remembered that Professor Green usually had lunch with his friend Mr. Warren about this time every day. The closed exhibit was a good enough place as any to have a few minutes of quiet to enjoy lunch.

Professor Green walked up to Daniels with a smile........

 

[Phibes]

Tasha Velmont felt deep statifaction as she walked away from David Charles Davies', the Director of the Field Musesum, office. The matter of the stolen gem stones from the geology exhibit was finally resolved. For weeks it was thought that they had been stolen but with some hard work and alittle thought, Tasha had found them in a box in a janitor's closet. They had just been lost in the move to the west wing.

Suddenly something caught Tasha's eye. A middle aged woman holding a cardboard box and looking lost and confused.

"Well I better see what's the matter." thought Tasha.

 

[ShortAssassin]

Dan walked the stairs, thinking of the repercussions of the morning's tragic orange vs book accident. He lifted his bagged lunch up higher to make sure that the orange juice had not completely seeped through the bag yet, and seeing that it had not, sighed in relief.

As he finished the stairs, he looked up and saw Daniels, a veteran guard of the Field musuem. He slowed his stride and flashed Daniels a smile.

"Good day Daniels. Have a mind that you watch were you set heavy things when oranges are about. The effects can be terrible."

With that piece of advice, he turned and walked towards the roped off hallway, eager to liberate the rest of his lunch from the juicy insides of his lunch bag.