Rise of The Ophidian Empire: Part One
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Author: Mervyn Boyd
Homepage: http://
System: Call of Cthulhu
Type: Scenario
Category: Horror
Requirements:

Graphic: Country Manor
Graphic: Portal

CTHULHU 1887
RISE OF THE OPHIDIAN EMPIRE: PART ONE
by Mervyn Boyd - jack@ktana.freeserve.co.uk
178 Dickson Drive, Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, KA12 9HB

Foreword

This scenario is written for characters who have been around the block a few times. Should the scenario seem too easy or too hard for your old grizzled veterans or new fresh-out-the-packet players then it should be modified accordingly - the specifics being left to the keeper. No special skills or knowledge are required for its successful conclusion. A time frame is used, but this can be changed or ignored to allow new players of Call of Cthulhu time to adjust and settle in, though events should ultimately move along. The bad guys won’t sit around waiting for the players to get their act together. They’ve got important things to do. The scenario is intended to be set in London, England in the year 1887. Gaslights, cobblestones, horse-drawn cabs, good old Queen Vic and the mighty British empire. Hurrah! As the title implies it is only part of a larger campaign I have in mind.

Because I am not a great creative writer there will probably be many entries that are vague in content and description - or even missing - thus causing the adventure to appear disjointed. Don’t be put off by this. While provisions have been made for all places that the investigators are likely to visit, it is up to the keeper to improvise, and flesh out all other areas - as well as NPC personalities and reaction. Hopefully, in part II, these vague bits will be explained better.

For the most part, your players will be reacting to events, going from a to b to c and so on; always being swept along and not really having the time to settle in one place to investigate, ponder, or gather clues. It's a matter of being caught in the middle of something you barely know anything about, and that there's nothing they can do about it. "Clues" to find out what’s happening, are limited, if they exist at all. Everything is concealed and happening behind the scenes. How will players react? Will they take it in their stride, or will the become frustrated and impatient and try to force a confrontation of some kind? The end is unconventional in a way which means the players may, or may not play an active part in it unless they go off on one of their trademarked tangents.

Keepers Information

Noble and mighty. Powerful sorcerers and great scientists they were. The Serpent race created their first kingdom 275 million years ago, before even the time of the dinosaurs. But, through wars and plague their empire crumbled and the survivors retreated under ground forming small isolated pockets. Later, in human prehistory, the serpents re-emerged and built a second kingdom though by now much of their science and magic was lost - or forgotten. Both races flourished, each developing new (and rediscovered) technology. Both humans and serpents rushed to take control of as much territory as possible before the other side had a chance to. The humans, motivated more by their desire to expand their civilisations for the good of their overall societies; and the reptilians - possibly aided by humans traitors who had collaborated with them - were motivated largely through Imperialistic tendencies, which included the desire to establish god-like control over all creation without regard for universal law. War raged, and the serpent race were decimated and again they were driven under ground. It was unlikely that their numbers would ever recover. Man then, in his parasitical way, infested and colonised the world for himself and soon forgot about his old adversary…

Since their destruction, the serpent race has bred profusely and spread themselves throughout deep subterranean chambers in an attempt to regain their lost knowledge, but still they lack the numbers for an all out war. In order to reclaim the land that once belonged to them 275 million years ago, they propose to infiltrate society and subvert and replace key members of power, with the view of ultimately extending their influence through Parliament and even the Royal Household. Once they control the great British Empire, it will take but one small step to conquer the rest of the world. They, however, cannot do this alone and so have enlisted the help of the Mi-Go - the Fungi from Yuggoth. In return for their help the Serpent race has offered to share the world with them. Once the world has been subjugated and its population brought under control, the Serpent People will once again be free to live as they once did, without resorting to hiding and forming secret enclaves.

Originally the Serpent-men planned to abduct key people and swap brains but this was rejected because they would be discovered all to easy as they would not have the mannerisms or knowledge of the man they were replacing. On top of this, their experiments with straight brain swaps constantly failed - something about genetic compatibility degradation. So the idea was formed to contact the Mi-Go (who are known for their advanced knowledge of medical and surgical techniques) who would construct very authentic human-looking bodies - into which Serpent-men brains would be transplanted. Now instead of replacing actual people, the serpent men would simply insinuate themselves into society and be placed into key positions. To further ease their domination plans a renegade traitorous band of individuals from within the British Government have been enlisted into collusion with the Ophidian race. They’ve already accomplished several objectives and are now on phase two of their plans - to cause civil unrest and round up known and suspected “trouble makers”.

Character Creation, Personal Friends & Allies

The keeper is advised to constrain all the characters to one social level - preferably upper-middle or higher; for example: eminent explorers, retired colonels, chief physician, Member of Parliament, successful entrepreneurs, merchant bankers or contractors of businesses with long standing service to the empire. However, the keeper is free to have a party from the lower classes, or a mixed combination, but that’s for him/her to decide, and provisions must be made to reflect their social standing. Friends and allies can be introduced at any time to lend a helping hand, whether it is in obtaining a clue, turning the odds in combat, bailing somebody out of jail, or whatever. Of course, this help may come with a price - be it financial, future favour or anything else…Personal friends, no matter how good or loyal they are will require a reason, or incentive, before blindly helping out. Why should the Desk Sergeant of the local Metropolitan Police let the players in to view the corpse and its possessions without good reason. It doesn’t matter if they have been friends for 15 years and are good drinking buddies, or belong to the same club. It is possible, however, that the Sergeant will divulge titbits of information. It is suggested that the keeper moderate what is feasible when they are chosen. For example, it would be rather unlikely for a simple east-end chimney sweep to have Queen Victoria as a close personal friend or know Snotty-nose Gladstone (the Prime Minister), an old room-mate, from boarding school. It is further suggested that friends should be limited to within that of the character’s social level. It would be more likely that the chimney sweep to have as a friend, Bob the night watch-man of the local museum or perhaps PC Plod of the local constabulary. The availability of these potential allies is left to keeper discretion and player willingness to ask for, or accept, such help.

Recent News & Current Affairs

Life in England, and the rest of the UK is in turmoil. It’s been a long time in coming, but in recent weeks unemployment has exceeded two million. The standard of living has dropped slightly and inflation has nearly doubled prices. General strikes often bring industry to a halt. Disaffected youths and unemployed people are rallying to Socialist meetings. Marches and demonstrations protest against the unfairness towards workers’ rights; anarchists and dynamiters set fires, and plant bombs. Mobs riot. Many police have been injured and several have been killed in clashes. Racial tensions run high as several Jews, Blacks and Chinese have been killed. Many arrests of suspected ringleaders have been made. It is generally accepted that this is a Bolshevik ploy to undermine the British way off life. Not even Parliament is safe; constant bickering about whose fault it is, is unending. This coupled with widespread accusations about homosexuality, financial mismanagement and other subversions make sure the Prime Minister and his Cabinet are politically weak, and may force a vote of no confidence or resignation. On a lighter note though, everyone is gearing up for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee on 21st June. All this upheaval is a direct result of Ophidian desire. Backed with their human confederates it won’t be long before the government falls and with it the mighty British Empire.

Player Introduction
London, England. 10:15am Tuesday, May 3, 1887

A random player is approached by Debra Jo Barberton, the wife of Frank - a friend of his. She’s anxious and worried. The odour of cigarette smoke attests to her worry. Normally Debra Jo never smokes, and neither does Frank. Only when she is very upset does she smoke. She explains Frank disappeared several days ago, and after a brief police investigation she believes they are none too bothered about the whole thing. They seem more intent on believing that it’s all a misunderstanding - a family quarrel, and he’ll come back home when it suits him. Prior to his disappearance, she will admit that he became cold, distanced, and secretive, and went out more often than usual. These led to several arguments.

As a result she wishes to form her own investigation, but she’s at a loss as what to do. At first she won’t offer money but will appeal to their sense of honour and compassion as friends of her husband. If the players are truly mercenary she will offer a sum of money, though it won’t be much and relations between her and the characters will become lukewarm.

She also says she had strange visitations from several men asking stranger questions, such as: Do you know where your husband is?, Do you know where he might’ve gone?, Did he say anything to you before he disappeared?, Did he leave you / send you anything after his disappearance? She fears he may have fallen in with a bad crowd. The descriptions she gives for these men are unfortunately vague and nondescript - save for the ugly pasty-faced one who had a large scar on his left cheek. He never spoke much, always hovered in the background, looking menacing.

Then, today she came back from shopping and found that her house had been broken into and searched. Ransacked actually. She contacted the police again, and they came out and had a look about. Enquiries were made with the neighbours, but apparently no one seen or heard a thing. Notes were taken. Then Debra Jo was then told to fix the place up and see if anything was missing. If there were, she should contact the police, and until then there was nothing for them to do.

Going straight round to her house they see the mess. Drawers pulled out, their contents dumped on the floor; furniture moved away from the walls and upended. Pictures removed from the walls. Books pulled out from shelves. Emptied waste paper baskets. The players can search about for as long as they please but there is nothing for them to find. There is no wall safe. Money and jewellery seems to be untouched. Scattered but not stolen. Clearly robbery was not the main idea. Closely looking at the jewellery, those with an appropriate skill can determine them to be real, not paste or otherwise fake. Locked drawers have been busted open, splintering the wood around the lock. Debra Jo will be very grateful if the players offer to help her in tidying the place up. She won’t be pleased if they make more of a mess, by lifting the carpet, looking for loose floor boards, secret compartments, pulling pictures out their frames, slashing cushions or start rummaging through the loft or her private stuff. The character may even wish to investigate the gardens to see if anything has been disturbed, dug up or buried. A SPOT HIDDEN and/or IDEA check concludes nothing has been disturbed, dug up or buried.

Who exactly is Frank Barberton? Things the player will know.

Frank and the character have been friends for as long as the keeper desires. He works as a clerk for Hicksley, Forder & Williams - a small insurance agency found on Oxford Street. The players know he was content with his life, however he yearned for a life of adventure, blazing a trail across America, shooting large game in Africa… that sort of thing. He never got into trouble, wasn’t a great drinker - only on special occasions and never smoked - believing it was bad for your health. He wasn’t exactly the out going type - quiet and reserved He was excellent at playing cards and was often accused of dodgy deals, though no sign of cheating was discovered. He wasn’t part of any social clubs. The last time the character saw Frank was a couple of weeks ago at a poker game, and he didn’t say or do anything unusual to signify he was in trouble or having problems.

Assorted questions the players might ask:

PSYCHOLOGY checks may be had for each answer. All answers given are the truth. Answers to other questions the players ask must be made up by the keeper. As the interrogation proceeds, Debra Jo becomes more and more stressed out to the point where she breaks down into a sobbing heap.

Didn’t Frank say anything prior to his disappearance. He didn’t mention any names of people or places…?
No. When I tried to talk to him about such things, he became tight-lipped and wouldn’t say anything.

Do you have any inkling at all to what he may have been involved in?
None whatsoever, except that he may have fallen in with a bad crowd.

Like who?
I don’t know. Blackmailers. Gamblers. Somebody. I don’t know.

Why would anybody blackmail him?
I don’t know.

Did he keep a diary?
No, but I do.

Can we see it?
Debra Jo will ask if that’s really necessary. The players being adamant forces her to go look for it, but oddly enough it’s not there. It’s been stolen.

Did he bring home anybody (or anything) you never saw before or thought was suspicious?
I don’t think so. No. Nobody / nothing.

You’re not being helpful?
No. Sorry.

Has he sent you anything since he disappeared?
No.

Do you know where he might’ve gone? Friends? Relatives? A special place to you or him?
No. He could be anywhere. Getting names of friends and relatives is easily done and canvassing them takes all day, after which nothing comes of their investigation.

Questioning the neighbours

Neighbours, if they are treated with the respect they deserve will be forthcoming and helpful. They explain that they have already given statements to the police. Overall, they are of no help. No one saw or heard anything they thought suspicious. A successful PSYCHOLOGY check confirms this.

Hicksley, Forder, & Williams

The insurance company provides all kinds of insurance and was founded in the 1750’s. It premises are found on Oxford Street. The building itself is compact, brown, dreary and colourless. A young 20-something receptionist looks up when the players enter. ”Yes”, she asks “how can I help you?” After explaining who they are here and what they want she rises, glides over to a door, knocks then enters, closing the door behind her. A few moment later she reappears and tells the characters that they are to go right in. They are met by one of the current proprietors, Mr. Morris Williams Esq.. He’s in his late thirties, early forties and is a small weasel-faced guy with small beady eyes, long thin nose and pointy ears. He wears gold rimmed spectacles. He’s as slimy as he is smarmy - easy to take a disliking to and thoroughly corrupt, often overcharging policies to make large sums of money from gullible elderly people. Upon meeting Morris the players see (SPOT HIDDEN) that his is flushed, and a PSYCHOLOGY check reveals him to be a little flustered.

Enquiring about Frank Barberton, Morris will apologise and explain that he’s not in today, he’ll then complain that he is extremely unreliable of late, this is the fifth time in two weeks he’s been tardy; words will have to be had. That said, he’ll ask if there’s anything that he can do. He’ll genuinely be surprised to learn of his disappearance and knows nothing of how it may have happened. If the players are forthright and create a good impression, Morris will talk, though guarded. PSYCHOLOGY checks reveal his body language suggests that he is fishing for a bribe of some kind. If nobody notices this he’ll drop numerous hints. Only with a suitable cash donation (or violence) can the players search Frank’s work station, but there is nothing unusual to find.

Pointing out Morris’s agitation he says that, just moments ago, there was another gentleman here looking for Frank. He was extremely agitated and kept demanding to know where he was, then left rather abruptly. Asking for a description of this man Morris says that he was a tall, rather gaunt and sallow looking gentleman. Smart suit, bowler hat and carried an umbrella and spoke with an accent that seemed odd in some (indefinable) way. Perhaps he was foreign. The man did not leave a name, nor did he say why he wanted to see Frank, though he did want to search his office. Oh, and he had a scar on his face.

Going to the police

Unless the players have due reason for their interest in talking to the investigating officer who dealt with Debra Jo, they will be given the brush off. Only by forcing the issue (FAST TALK, not persuade, and if applicable CREDIT RATING) can they manage to talk to the investigating officer, who explains that he busy investigating other “more serious” crimes, and that Debra Jo’s predicament is only one of many and he can’t spare the men or the time in dealing with it at this time. PSYCHOLOGY checks reveals him to believe that it’s only a domestic dispute and things’ll sort themselves out. Other than this there is nothing else that he knows. He knows as much as the players.

What Now?

After their brief investigation the players find that their is nothing to go on, and should extend their apologies to Debra Jo and leave disheartened at not being able to help. But not all is lost. In two days time, May 5, Debra Jo receives a hand delivered letter (pushed through the letter box at any applicable time) from Frank (player handout 1)… she rushes round to her friend.

The letter briefly explains the reason behind his absence, which greatly unsettles Debra Jo, and throws up one tantalising thing in which the players can look into: The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The mention of the Bolshevik revolution is common knowledge and widely accepted by the masses, as is the fact that the Government is inept, though it is up to the players whether they believe the Bolshevik theory or not. Should the players be interested in look into things, here is what they can find:

Examining the letter

The letter, in Frank’s hand-writing is enclosed in a plain envelop, which simply has Debra Jo’s name written on it and nothing more. No stamp, no address. No secret messages written in lemon juice.

Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

The HOOTGD, or Stella Matutina is a new Society that has just recently opened its doors in London (17 Fitzroy Street) under the name Isis-Urania Mother Lodge. It doctrine is the study of magic and the occult, brought together by Kabbalistic cosmology, ritual magic, Egyptology, astrology, tarot, and various other magical and occult streams. Established by London coroner, and student of the Occult and Freemason, Dr. William Wynn Wescott. Not much can be said about the society since it is new, albeit it is drawing the curious, dabblers, and those learned in the Kabbalah. To gain membership it is necessary to demonstrate a sincere interest in the occult. Since the HOOTGD is a dead end and has nothing to do with the scenario, it is left to the keeper to make up what happens if the players take an interest in investigating the society - or even consider joining.

Harvey’s Pub

A small hatch opens and a pair of steely eyes appear looking out, examining each player in turn. “Yeah?” asks a gruff voice. Mentioning Broadsman at any time results in each character being closely scrutinised before the hatch is shut, several deadbolts being pulled back then the door opens. The characters and Debra Jo are admitted into a dingy back room of a pub with crates and boxes of supplies. A couple of crude and rugged men sit around playing cards. A SPOT HIDDEN check allows observant characters to notice a couple of police truncheons and knuckle dusters laying around. A trap door is opened and everyone is motioned to descend into the lantern lit cavern. Down in the cellar Debra Jo is met by a grubby man dressed in inexpensive clothes and cloth cap. He’s middle aged, portly and sports a big bushy beard. He introduces himself as Mark Thompson. He eyes the players suspiciously as Debra Jo introduces them before accepting them on her trust. She then asks to know what’s going on… At first Thompson is hesitant, thinking how best to put it then he speaks, launching into a rant…

A mechanical cranking clanking sound can be heard from some room close by. The players can find propaganda leaflets, a printing press, inks, and paraphernalia. The leaflets call for civil rights for the lower man. A better judicial system, the abolition of the social class system, and other such inequalities.

Your husband Frank, was recruited into our organisation because he had expressed an opinion which we advocate. We are a small group, but growing group of idealists, if you will, who wish nothing more than to see the end of the class-based regime where the rich get richer and the poorer get poorer. Where the working man is practically enslaved and bound in servitude for his working life for a pittance, where after working 45 years of toil you’ve got nothing to show for it. We work while “they” get rich at our expense… and should we dare to ask for better wages or better working conditions…. HA. We should be so lucky to be not fired on the spot for insolence. And should we try to better ourselves we are slapped down for trying to get above our station. Why shouldn’t we ask for more wages, when they command the highest selling price.

Should the players be upper-class gentry themselves, or run their own sweatshops, they, upon a successful PSYCHOLOGY check, find that a great deal of scorn, resentment, and accusation is directed their way. It is quite clear to all that Thompson passionately believes in what he’s saying.

There are those who wish to retain the status quo. This so called industrial revolution is only the beginning. There are those who would like nothing more than to see a one party state. An autocratic rulership, of two classes. The tiny minority who rule and those, us, the masses, who serve. Where we the underlings, the undesirables, are kept in our place, and if we should do anything about it we are labelled trouble makers, anarchists, or worse and are liable to arrest and imprisonment. As for Frank, he was probably arrested handing out leaflets or at one of our rallies, and is now being detained at Her Majesties pleasure somewhere for questioning. That is why provisions were made. If they begin to suspect you of subversive acts, you too will be arrested. That is why Franks wants you to leave.

Talking to Thompson about the current situation and asking him to elaborate on it, he’ll be at a loss. Somebody, somewhere is trying very hard to undermine his efforts. All this violence and strife is somebody else’s doing, they say its a Bolshevik ploy, they say this, they say that, but nobody really knows what’s going on. Mostly it appears to be rogue factions, and the criminal underground airing their grievances. It’s beginning to split families, on the one side are those who want reform, and on the other are those who view us as trouble makers or traitors, and sadly we are all lumped into the one pot.

Secret PSYCHOLOGY rolls at this point allows empathic characters to feel he’s troubled about something. Pressing the issue, Thompson explains its just an unshakeable feeling that all this is too coincidental to be going on at the same time, as though it’s an orchestrated coup d'état of some sort.

In any event, Debra Jo decides not to leave, and offers to help out if she may, offering some of her money in support. Mark declines trying to dissuade her, suggesting she take the advice of Frank. They debate the issue then finally he gives in to her, however, the players can interject and decide the matter one way or another. For all intents and purposes Debra Jo has no further part in the scenario.

Mark, then turns to the players and tells them there is a meeting later that night at 7.30pm if they are interested. He waits for a reply. Showing their interest the players are told the location (Warehouse 147a, St. Katherine’s Docks) before being shown to the door since Mark’s got to prepare for the evening.

Warehouse 147a, St. Katherine’s Docks

Impatient players may wish to scout out Warehouse 147a right away. The warehouse (nestles in a quiet area in amongst a group of disused warehouses, easily accessible via alleys. Each are rectangular, two story, buildings of concrete and iron sheeting some distance from the river. Litter blows through the cold alleyways and several rogue dogs run amok. A few homeless desolates are the only other living things seen.

There are no windows at ground level, but there are a couple on the second floor. Two large main doors appear to be the only ways in, and both are wise open. The main warehouse is open and largely empty, the concrete floor is stained, pitted and worn. The upper level of the building comprises a couple of 10’ by 8’ offices, with nothing of interest in either of them save for a couple of tables, filing cabinets and junk.

Around 6.30 that night Mark Thompson and a few aides arrive to set up a small podium, some lights, and see that things are to their liking. People begin to assemble at 7.15, and generally stand around talking amongst themselves waiting for the meeting proper, having been greeted by one of Mark’s aides. By 7.30, 35 disillusioned people have gathered in the warehouse then the doors are shut. A few women are so in attendance, one of whom may be Debra Jo. Mark descends from the second floor to his podium and gives profuse thanks to everyone who’s here. He welcomes a few old familiar faces and extends his welcome to include the new faces… nodding to the players.

Those mingling with the crowd beforehand may see two individuals who seem to be keeping to themselves. (The keeper should roll any SPOT HIDDEN checks). A further PSYCHOLOGY check (which the keeper should also roll) allows observant characters to notice that they seem fidgety. Any attempt to engage them in conversation elicits the response that this is their first such meeting and they don’t know what to expect. What happens if the police raid the joint? Further conversation is stilted. If anyone looks closely they may see (if they specifically ask for a spot hidden roll) bulges beneath the men’s jackets. Concealed guns??? Before the players get too surly or belligerent Mark makes his entrance.

Mark launches into a speech the players heard earlier today, largely word for word. Perhaps he was practising on them… though this time he includes the fact about income tax and how it was introduced by Pitt the Younger in 1798 as a temporary measure when he was fighting a Napoleon. That’s right temporary. And today parliament still votes every year on whether to abolish it. This is met with murmurs and grumbles, He then informs them of a plan to introduce an inheritance tax. The government plan to tax you when you earn your money, tax you when you spend your money, tax you when you save your money, and by god if they get their way they’ll tax you when you’re dead and gone. This does not go down well within the rank and file. As he progresses he is greeted with the occasional spontaneous clap or shout of support.

If left to run its course, the two fidgety men mentioned earlier make their way closer to the podium (seen on a spot hidden check - but only if they were seen earlier, otherwise they go unnoticed since Thompson’s aides are moving about). Once in place both men are close enough, both pull out two revolvers each. One man covers the crowd, ordering no one to move; the other blasts away at Thompson… The crowd scatters, shots are fired, gunman one panics, feeling threatened and begins to fire randomly into the crowd as the two men make their escape. (Each man has extra ammunition should anyone run out.) Characters are hit with a bullet for 1d10 damage should they fail a LUCK roll, lest they manage to scramble behind cover.

If the players intervene, and the two men manage to get outside, they will split up and try to make it back to a rendezvous. They’ll flee on foot, up alleys and side roads, giving covering fire if necessary. If one, or both of the gunmen are successfully captured for interrogation, they at first, will be surly and uncooperative, but with a little persuasion this is what can be learnt:

Both men are local boys (mid twenties, or older) and live somewhere in the slums and work as building site labourers, dock hands or whatever menial task is applicable. Both sport tattoos on their knuckles, and arms, though these are run of the mill back street scratchings and/or jailhouse tats of poor quality. They say they were approached by some guy in a pub. He paid us £10.00 each to come here and kill him. He didn’t say why and we didn’t ask questions. £10 these days is a lot of money. Players can get a description of the guy, though its pretty nondescript. The name of the pub can also be learnt (The Coach and Horses in Fulham Road), should the players be interested in checking it out. Searching both men the players find: their guns and any ammunition left. They also have two crisp five pound notes in their pockets. The notes are fake, perfect reproduction copies. Practically flawless, with the exception of the paper quality, and inking . The forgery isn’t easily noticed and would involve careful examination to spot, though bankers may spot the difference right away..

Thompson’s last gasp

By some grace of god, Thompson is barely alive despite being shot more than six times. He lingers, bleeding badly. With his last breath he delivers his deathbed word of warning to whoever will listen to him, PC or NPC, but if nobody is interested, he simply dies. The crowd has scattered, not willing to be associated with this. Only a few stunned individuals and friends of Thompson remain.

He says:

Listen. I’m done for <gasp>. They killed me. It was only a matter of time. This is only the beginning . I was onto something. Something big. That’s why I was targeted. This wasn’t just some random hit. Go go to my home. Find my records and continue our work. It’s in the bottom drawer. There’s a traitor within the government. Be wary, or you will suffer the same fate as me……

Searching Thompson, the players find: two keys, one of which is a house key, the other looks as though it could fit a padlock; a wallet containing £1, Seven shillings and sixpence; and some prompt cards outlining points of topic for tonight’s meeting. Fortunately, one of those concerned people who are still hanging around is a friend of Thompson and can provide his home address (13 Hackney Road).

13 Hackney Road

Gaining entrance is easy if they use their key. Proving they are not acting suspiciously they will not draw undue attention. Thompson’s home is a modest affair, though a little untidy. One room in particular draws their attention - a small back room converted into a small workspace, where rough workings of speeches and topics are found, as well as bundles of propaganda leaflets. A typewriter sits on a desk, with a blank piece of paper loaded. A wastepaper basket has a few crumpled discarded bits of paper. Nothing that’ll interest the players. Searching the bottom drawer the players draw a blank. The ledgers that Thompson spoke of are not to be found where he said they would be. There’s mostly junk in the drawer. The ledgers, in fact, are to be found beneath the bottom drawer.

Allow 10-15 minutes of rummaging about before they are interrupted. SPOT HIDDEN and/or LISTEN (as appropriate) alert characters to two police carriages stopping on the cobbles outside and 8 burly officers emerge Foot falls coming up the path, then the door being splintered off its hinges. These police are raiding Thompson’s home for seditious material, which includes one diary the players are looking for. They’ve been sent from somebody from within the government.

Perhaps the police are likewise alerted to the presence of the players. Is there a carriage outside waiting, was somebody seen through a window, is the front door slightly ajar. Each policeman is armed with a truncheon and a set of handcuffs. This, anyway is what they can find in the limited time available: a note book with entries (player handout 2), 1d10 pounds, 1d20 shillings and 1d12 pennies. Other stuff is left for the keeper to throw in.

Providing the players are quick they can get out and away without further confrontation. Legging it out the nearest window is easily done, though those on the second floor require a JUMP roll to land safely. Failure results in 1d6 damage. A six, results in a twisted ankle which reduced the players movement by 1 for 24-PC’s CON in hours. Those staying for a confrontation are truly brave or stupid, or both. Characters who are overpowered are arrested and taken for questioning, and may be later released on bail - or not.

The Coach & Horses

The pub on Fulham Road is a rough place. Spit bowls and sawdust. A wretched hive of cutthroats and vagabonds, where anything can be bought - for a price. Fist fights, stabbings and broken glasses rammed into the face is a common occurrence. Occasionally, bodies are usually carted off to the docks and thrown into the Thames for the tide to deal with.

The pub is a dead end, nobody’s going to talk (no matter what attempts are made, or bribes offered), and if the players are not careful they will attract the wrong kind of attention. Interested parties will take note if the players are wearing flashy clothes, or give the appearance of carrying a lot of money. The code of the underworld is strong here. The players are treated with suspicion as soon as they step inside. Unless they have business to attend to it would be best if they do not stay too long. Perhaps a drunkard takes an extreme disliking to a character and spoils for a fight. Any dapper gent with a pretty-boy appearance of 15 or more is a prime target. Woman are welcomed with whistles, crude sexual innuendoes and the occasional touch-up

Queen Victoria Railway Station

The 3.30 train bound from Gravesend is on time. The platform is busy with people who are here to greet loved ones, friends, family. Hansom cabs line the street outside with cabbies waiting patiently or grouped together having a smoke and conversation.

As the characters watch the mass of dismounting passengers they see a few, who for whatever reason, stand out from the rest of the crowd: A mother and son, who’ve come back early from a day trip somewhere. The three year old is throwing a tantrum much to the annoyance of other passengers and the embarrassment of the mother whose wits are so much at their end that she wants to throttle him; A fat balding red-faced man struggling with too many cases being hen-pecked by his wife; An elderly man in a bath-chair is lifted from the carriage, who is then wheeled away by a young plain-looking attendant. Hidden in amongst the passengers a well dressed businessman who carries a walking stick, and a briefcase.

Three men suddenly appear out of a doorway, and approach him. Words are exchanged. As he transfers his walking stick to his other hand for a handshake the players see on a SPOT HIDDEN roll that his stick is topped with a silver serpents head. The characters do not recognise him. The man is then led to one of two separate, four wheeled cabs. He gets in as do the others then it departs. During this time another SPOT HIDDEN check should be made to spot a scruffy-looking man skulking around pretending that he is reading a newspaper. Following his gaze it seems that he too is interested in the briefcase carrying man.

Moments after the man and his escort depart, the scruffy man folds his paper, hails a cab, gets in and leaves in the opposite direction. This suspicious type character, for all intents and purposes, is nobody important; he’s just being suspicious to invoke player curiosity, though he may be met later. Unless the players intervene, this action flows smoothly. Intervening can mean anything from accosting the briefcase carrying man for questioning, starting a firefight or staying in the background hoping to follow him to his final destination.

Accosting the man

The man becomes nervous when he sees the players coming for him. He’ll quicken his pace to reach his waiting cab. His escorts likewise become more alert giving questioning looks to one another. The players are an unnecessary complication for all concerned. The keeper shouldn’t allow the players to get close to the man. His bodyguards should see to that, though they won’t escalate the tension. They begin to take note of the characters, for ease of later identification. The man has no time to spare and any questions the players ask will remain unanswered. Once he reaches his cab he gets bundled in, a bodyguard takes a good look at a character, before getting in himself then leaving.

Aggravating the Situation

This situation can get well out of order unless properly handled. If for whatever reason guns are drawn and the threat of a firefight is perceived, the crowd of people scatter and the briefcase man will make a run to safety. His bodyguards likewise take cover and pull revolvers, and if necessary, return fire. Armed police arrive in 1d6+4 minutes having been alerted by a law abiding citizen.

In total there are seven bodyguards who will try to draw the players fire, giving the man much needed room to make a run to safety. Once in the cab, it clatters off over the cobblestones. For reasons of the plot, the man should live through this encounter, even if it means he dies more times than he’s able to. This can be explained away by him having a spell cast on him. Sanity rolls should be had in this case.

If the players manage to kill a bodyguard and search the body, they’ll find nothing of import. Characters arrested by the police will need a damn good lawyer - especially if they kill innocent people with their missed shots. Briefcase man has enough influence to ensure they are prosecuted to the fullest, imprisoned and/or even made to disappear.

Following the man

There is a chance of discovery if the players hop in a cab and give chase, as based upon a LUCK roll of the one who’s driving. Failing the roll results in a 50% chance of being spotted. Several opportunities of being spotted should be had, if the players are not too careful. If seen, a cab chase will likely ensue which may also end up in a firefight. The cab with the man will try to escape leaving the second cab to delay the players. Have some fun with this before having the players make a LUCK or DRIVE roll at a critical time. Failure results in them having a minor accident: perhaps a child dashes in front of their cab chasing a bright red ball, perhaps they are stopped by a policeman for reckless driving, perhaps a wheel breaks, or whatever. Perhaps in order to delay them, a carefully aimed shot rings out from a fleeing cab. They players won’t get far if one of their horses is crippled.

The keeper should, however, make sure that the players are not delayed too long so that the first cab escapes. That would mean that the scenario would effectively draw to a close. If they can't find the manor; they won't go through the gate and discover the plot... The end. Keep it on the verge of collapse - but not quite.

Successfully following the cabs without detection, the players are lead North, out of the city, into the countryside, and along a dirt track to a large two story manor and stable. The cabbie will make mention that its not common procedure to leave the city, but he can be bought off, if the incentive is there. Once in the countryside the gunmen will have no compunction about setting an ambush and killing, or capturing the characters.

If the players manage to commandeer the delaying cab and take at least one prisoner they'll likely ask: who’s the man, what’s he up to, where's he going, what else do you know? Hired hands brought in for a job are seldom told everything. Information is on a need to know basis. They're told where to go, who to meet, and what to do. All they know is that they were to "go pick up Mr. Collins at Victoria Railway Station at 3.30, and take him out to the country manor. We were just given a description of him. That's all we know" Beyond that, there's nothing nore that they know. Directions to the manor can be forced with physical violence. Anything else, such as, asking who's employ are they in. are left to the keeper - though that guy with the pasty face and scar would be a suitable candidate. Nobody knows his name though. Assorted PSYCHOLOGY checks reveal him to be telling the truth.

Country Manor

The cabs stop outside the front door and everyone get out and enter the house. Unless the players are careless there should be another chance of being spotted. Sneaking up to the manor is easily done. No guards are posted that the players can see. A successful LUCK roll is all that is required to get up to the manor in order to look in through a window or ease open a door. Failure results in somebody being spotted, which in tun alerts the guards into taking action. They converge, pulling weapons to see to the intruders.

Successfully sneaking up to a window and peering in, a player may be (un)lucky enough to spot a serpent man in his natural form and human pass by an open doorway (1/1d6 sanity loss). Roll the sanity loss first. Should 5 sanity be lost and the character fail an IDEA roll, the experience is blocked from the mind and he/she had no memory of it. Those losing four sanity or less, or succeeding their idea check see: Walking past on two legs, a tall man-sized, serpentine entity clad in cherry-coloured flowing robes, with gold braiding. Lithe and sinuous. Clawed hand cupped together, forked tongue flicking from its gently swaying head. A tail maintaining balance. It seems to be conversing with its human counterpart.

The front door is unlocked, same with the backdoor. Entering and stealthily moving around is hazardous. HIDE & SNEAK rolls should be had to keep the tension. The keeper should include such things like: approaching voices are heard just around the corner. The clack of a door handle behind them, etc.. Since the house is occupied by several people, the players can get away with making the odd unintentional noise. Coming face to face with one of its occupants is a different matter altogether. The guards are not stupid, they know everyone who should be here and cannot be bluffed. The alarm will be raised immediately.

If the players are discovered, a raging gunfight will most likely ensue, unless they wish to be taken prisoner. There should be at least twice as many guards as there are players. They will be armed with serpentine lightening guns. The guards are smart and won’t present themselves as targets by taking stupid risks in order to get the players. Use them smartly.

Capturing the Investigators

If the players are captured they are removed to the dank windowless cellar, which has been converted into an interrogation room, and chained to a wall. Then, each character, in turn, is taken, and questioned in plain view of everyone else. If the players seem to be resilient to their captors persuasive techniques, other ways of persuasion will be used, these being left to the sick perverted, and twisted minds of the individual keeper. It’s payback time. Their captors delight in physical and mental torture. Perhaps the players are just abused without any questions being asked. This could go on for weeks on end. Sanity loss will be great as will damage and physical deformity. Finally, a truth serum will be used if no head way is made. Once their captors are happy that they have extracted all the information the players know they will be beaten unconscious, taken away and executed, unless the keeper wishes to bind them into off-world slavery, hand them over to the Mi-Go for their insidious experiments, or wipe their memories clean… It’s a shame they don’t know anything.

If all the gunmen are killed or captured, the players can search the manor at their leisure. Captured gunmen who are left alone for any periods of time will try to escape and if possible secure a weapon for themselves - even if it’s nothing more than a steak knife. Questioning them will be a long and hard process. These men have been conditioned to withstand pain. No one knows anything anyway, though they have seen the odd serpent-man from time to time.. They’re just guards. Nothing more. A search of the house reveals the following:

The Living Room

A hidden wall safe in the study is found with a successful SPOT HIDDEN check. The combination to the safe is unknown to anyone and there are no obvious clues to its combination number. Cracking the safe requires the specialised SAFECRACKING skill, or FOUR CONSECUTIVE LISTEN AND DEXx2 rolls. The safe contains $2,000 in assorted donations, a half pound of a powdered form of Domination Serum, and a black leather suitcase. The case itself also has a three digit combination lock, and unless anyone can guess the combination (274) the locks will need to be forced. Inside are military secrets such as coastal defence diagrams, written information of British military positions and strengths (world-wide), naval charts, colour photographs of assorted people at rallies, and unsigned orders for specialised house-to-house searches and seizure training, as well as urban and mountain warfare tactics for soldiers. There are also orders for the extensive construction of thousands of miles of rail track, as well as hundreds of specially built freight train box-cars. Another order is a requisition for 3 million brand new shackles. Player handout 3, a 100-page document, can also be found which outlines a diabolical six-phase plan. No times or dates are supplied though.

An upstairs room

A small lab of chemicals and laboratory paraphernalia is set up. Some equipment, to those who are familiar with such accoutrements seems odd (of a likes never seen before). Perhaps its new and experimental. Whoever designed and constructed it is quite the scientist. A successful CHEMISTRY check cannot identify the chemicals, by visual inspection, smell or touch. A couple of stoppered test tubes are held in racks. They contain a colourless liquid with the faintest taste and odour of raspberries (POW x1 to detect). Anyone familiar with Serpentine technology who makes a successful MYTHOS check can identify it as being Domination Serum. A drug which makes those imbibing it very suggestible (but only to Serpent people), short of endangering his own life or that of others. Two strange-looking triangular metal plates inscribed with a cursive script can also be found. These are serpent-man books. Anyone who can read serpent-man discover them to contain complex formulae for the creation of powerful elixirs, toxins, drugs, and assorted compounds. Each book weighs a hefty two pounds each.

Another room

The room contains dozens of cages, in which rats, mice and other rodents are kept. Several hundred of the small furry critters are here. Why? Food for the occasional Serpentine guest, of course.

Yet another room

A large ornate mirror is directly embedded into the far wall. Its glassy sheen sparkles oddly and ripples periodically as though made from a viscous liquid. In fact this is no mirror and anyone attempting to break it will find that items thrown against it vanish beyond (san loss 1/1d2 - more if a body part is used - such as kicking it). A successful MYTHOS check identifies it as a Gate. To view what lies beyond the character has to completely step through the looking glass. Those brave enough to do so lose 5 magic points and 1d4 sanity, and appear through a similar shimmering portal. See Stepping through the portal.

The cellar / prison / dungeon

This door to the cellar is locked, and bolted. A SPOT HIDDEN roll can find the key somewhere, otherwise the players need to overcome the door’s strength of 12. A flight of wooden steps lead down into the darkness. Light sources are required. Manacled to a wall, the players come across a dishevelled human. Dirty, black and blue and mindless. He stares blankly around, totally unaware he has visitors. He drools. Five red needle marks are seen at the base of his skull, when FIRST AID is administered. Players, then realise something. They know him. Frank Barberton - their friend. There is nothing the players can do to help him. First Aid will only stabilise his condition, Psychoanalysis does nothing. He’s been subjected to total memory erasure, save for the most basic of instinctual responses, such as breathing, and eating. For all intents and purposes he has an INT value of 1. Just why this shell of a human is here is known only to his captors. Seven other sets of empty manacles hang loose from the wall.

A small room adjoining the cellar has been converted into a torture room, and is segregated by a locked iron gate (STR 20 to bust open). It contains: a surgeon’s operating table, a tray containing an array of surgical implements of pain; a wooden chair, complete with restraining leather straps, and a metal cap of some kind, which would appear to fit the head. Attached to this via a couple of cables, the players see, sitting on a table in the corner of the room , a foot tall metal machine of some kind. Constructed of bronze plates, and surmounted with a luminescent yellow diamond-shaped gem or crystal. A dial is inset on the contraption and a lever pokes out - ready to be pulled. If pulled, the gem begins to glow brighter. A whine is emitted from inside the metal casing. Anyone who touches the metal skullcap is shocked (with accompanying jolt) for 1d6 damage on a successful LUCK roll. Failing the roll, or if the dial was disturbed, the character instead takes 1d10 damage (with violent muscle spasms) after which the damage is matched against his/her CON in a resistance roll. Failing the roll results in death by heart failure, otherwise he simply falls unconscious for 1d6 hours. Sanity loss for seeing this death is 1/1d6.

Sitting on a shelf, the players can also find a small, slim rectangular copper box covered with tiny indentations. From one side of the box, five one inch needles protrude. The Yithian constructed device is used to erase memories. Unless the players have read up on, or encountered Yithians and their technology before, there will be no way of identifying the box as a Tabula Rasa Device. The needles are inserted into the subject’s head at the base of the brain. 1d3 damage is done in the process. Once the device is inserted and activated, the subject is paralysed unless a POWx1 roll is made. Each round the machine is connected, it erases up to a year’s worth of memories, or permanently removes 1 point of INT, at the operators discretion. These memories can be stored in small removable data cubes and can be restored at a later date in a reversal of the process, or inserted into another living being. The mind wipe is not totally effective however, every year there is an INTx1 chance that some vague memory returns in a dream. If compared with the needle marks on Frank, the players see that the marks and needles are equidistant. A Possible match.

Stepping through the Portal

As the characters travel through the gate they feel themselves being pulled, crushed, twisted and stretched to no end, although no damage is taken. It takes practically no time at all to arrive on the other side. They emerge disorientated and nauseated into a room (1) that is quite unusual to say the least. The air is humid and smells of rotting cabbage. As the investigators move from place to place they see the walls, floor and ceiling all seem to be made of some kind of organic fungal substance. Ferns, brackens, moulds and spore-pods grow all over the place. Ulcer-like perforations spit a viscous mucus into the air which lands with a heavy splat. Other wall-sores have a continual disgorging gloopy stream of slime which form pools of mucus on the floor. Although similar to earthly plant-life, these alien growths are entirely different and cannot be identified. The plants range in colour from dark earthy browns up to bile-greens and sickly yellows. Some of them also have the ability of natural bioluminescence (to that of several candle power). Sanity loss for this strange vista is 1/1d4.

Occasionally, the characters hear strange twitters and buzzing sounds from things unseen. The occasional (human!?) scream or outcry of insufferable pain and anguish is also heard. Fortunately for the players they are limited to a small part of this alien world. Wandering off beyond their ken will only serve in getting them lost. If they lose it here they’ll be in a world that really hurts. Occasionally weird alien glyphs (Mi-go writing) are inscribed upon the walls. These are nothing more than sign posts alerting the Mi-go to where they are.

There are plenty of nooks and crannies and outgrowths available to hide behind when attempting to evade detection, however sooner or later they may be discovered. Unless otherwise noted the players will be mistaken for escaped prisoners and the Mi-go will attempt to recapture them and place them back in the holding pens (10, 11). If the players are proving to be too troublesome to capture, the Mi-go will simply kill them - plenty more from where they came from. If they are captured, those of superior quality (one or more statistics equal to, or greater than 16) will either be sent to the mines as slaves or sent for immediate dissection. Anyone else will languish in the cells until needed. Those who are deemed worthy may even be sacrificed to Shub-Niggurath.

Random Encounters

Although not necessary, the keeper should check for a random encounter, or event once or twice. These should be used sparingly - just enough to keep the players on edge for the safety of their characters. Examples of which could be:

A mass of maggots erupt from the ceiling which covers an unlucky character in a crawling horror, which causes 1/1d6 sanity loss.

Up ahead, the players discern the shapes of things moving about and echoing noises. What are they? Serpent-men, Mi-Go, something even worse? Have the players likewise been detected? Is whatever it is hungry?

As the players view the way ahead, their light source picks out an upside down human head with six or eight spider-like legs emerging from its crown and two eye stalks sprouting from its neck. Its mouth opens and closes as though trying to speak; a rasping gurgle coming from inside. The thing scurries past them causing 1/1d6 sanity loss. Six damage will kill it. This is an escaped Mi-Go experiment.

The players come across a bloated decaying body of a female which has been partially devoured. The undead human corpse is slowly dragging itself across the fungal floor, moaning in pain. It comprises only the head, neck, torso, left arm and half its right arm. This is another escaped Mi-Go experiment, which causes 1d3/1d6 sanity loss.

1. The Gate

Illuminating this room is a single, man’s head-sized pearl-like orb. It is just sitting in the middle of the floor. If anyone wishes to take it they may do so. It weighs six pounds. These orbs are scattered everywhere and afford ample light to see by. Other than that there are three exits.

2. Empty

Fungal re-growth is beginning to sprout in this lesser used chamber.

3. Recuperating Room

The recuperating room is used for those serpent-men who have undergone the brain swap operation. Whenever the players first enter the room there will be 2d4 human-looking men here apparently sleeping in cots or gazing blankly around their surroundings. These Serpent-men are recovering from their ordeal and are adjusting to their new bodies and so are not all that aware of who they are, or for that matter where they are. Characters can pass through this room without fear of being caught, however, if the players regularly pass through the room a snake man may, in time, recover his senses and raise the alarm.

4. Brain Transplant

This large cavernous chamber contains eight wide tables, of which 1d8 of them are in use. On those tables there lays a Serpent-man with a human laying beside. For each operation in progress there are two pinkish crab or lobster-like, and bat-winged entities about five feet in length, each possessing a multitude of articulate limbs, and oval-shaped brain-like head of changing hues, sometimes accompanied with a strange buzzing sound present . (Mi-go), performing the complex medical procedure required in removing the Serpent-man’s brain and placing it within the head of the human. (If all the tables are filled there will be 16 Mi-go in here.) Sanity rolls should be had with a loss of 1d4/1d10. The vast array of alien technology, bubbling gurgling tanks, tubes and utensils found here to bizarre in nature to describe, and too complex for the layman to use without proper study. Once the brain swap is complete the Snake-man bodies are taken into a nearby room for storage. The snake-men themselves are taken to a recuperating room where they wait and adjust to their new bodies.

5. Body Vault

This room is filled with approximately 170 Serpent-men bodies. Transparent tubes and other strange objects are inserted into various parts of their bodies and the characters see that a bluish-green liquid is either being sucked out or pumped in. These Serpent-men have already undergone the brain transplant procedure. Their bodies are being kept alive until their world domination plans have been accomplished then they can have their brains replaced into their old bodies. The tubes seem to disappear into a huge pulsating throbbing pustule growing from the ceiling forty feet above. From the space left in the room the players can assess (IDEA roll) that the room could easily hold 700 to 1000 bodies. In order to ‘kill’ the Serpent-men, all that is required is for the players to destroy the pustule. The pustule has 2 armour points and requires 20 damage to destroy it. Once destroyed the pustule explodes into a cloud-burst of vile-smelling goo which spatters every one in the cavern.

6. Gigantic Cavern And Maze Of Tunnels

This cavern is by far the most populated area with regards to fungal growth. The jungle-like fauna is a strange and eerie fog-laden purgatory. In some areas the bulbous fungi grow up to as much as 10 feet in diameter, or as towering stalks 20 feet in height. Here the characters need to filter their breathing through cloth otherwise they start to choke and suffocate upon the many millions of ultra fine spores that are carried upon the slightest breeze.

Gruesome calls and unnatural twitters permeate the supernatural biosphere. Weird alien life are seen flittering in the murky undergrowth. Branching from the main area are smaller tunnels that interweave to form a vast complex maze. No one knows where the tunnels lead - not even the Mi-go who live here. Several explorer parties have went in. None ever returned. As the players tentatively move through the entanglement of plant life, a ropy tendril uncoils itself above the players and attempts to grab an unfortunate character and hoist him aloft into the waiting slavering maw of a Venus flytrap-like plant where he will be slowly digested over a period of days equal to his SIZ. Check for surprise (POWx3) when the attack occurs, those able to act do so at ½DEX, those failing are stunned one round. Sanity loss for seeing the plant is 1/1d4. If the character is successfully grabbed, he has 3 rounds in which to free himself. His best bet is to cut or saw away at the tendril that has him or try to use brute strength to break free. Each round the character has been lifted into the air results in 1d6 damage for the possible drop he has to make - should he finally escape. Fortunately the ground beneath is not entirely solid and will absorb most of the impact. Should the character succeed a jump roll he may reduce the damage by 2d6 when landing, otherwise it will only be 1d6.

The Plant

STR	CON	SIZ	INT	POW	DEX		MOVE		HITS	
12	9	45	1	3	10		--		27	
	
WEAPON	ATTK %	DAMAGE		Armour:  3  point tough and fibrous 	
Grapple	75%	1d6 + grapple			
Mouth	99%	1 hp per hour and an additional 1 siz point each day due to 		

Note: Only 8 points of damage is required to sever the tendril holding the character. 27 damage kills the plant outright. digestive acids.

If the players are determined to go exploring themselves it will be up to the keeper to determine their outcome. Will they wander forever, eventually succumbing to whatever lives in there or will they emerge in some other part of the alien city. One thing is for sure however; the maze is extremely dark. Pitch black in fact. The deeper the players go the more complex the maze seemingly becomes. Cold winds occasionally gust through chilling investigators to the bone. Fine spider-like webs break across their faces. Mites irritatingly crawl on their skin, sometimes burrowing beneath it. At times they are forced to wade chest deep through slime. Maybe the lamp they carry flickers and dies - plunging everyone into darkness. Maybe they come across the remains of a lost Mi-go expedition with some salvageable equipment. Either way, fear and paranoia soon takes its toll causing 1d3/1d10 sanity loss. Each day spent wandering causes similar sanity loss.

7. Human Vivisection Lab

Stretched out on benches are 1d6+1 bodies of men, women and children. Black, White and Oriental people. They are in various states of vivisection; their skins pealed back, ribs cracked open and their internal organs scooped out and placed in a messy pile beside them, plucked eyes hang from sockets, and one or two have the tops of their heads removed exposing the brain. Pinned on the walls are various anatomical charts of the human body, showing skeletal structure and muscle configuration. Lining the walls are a vast array of glass-like cylinders which are filled with a yellowish-brown liquid. Floating within the cylinders and magnified by the distorting effects of the glass are body parts: heads, brains, eyes, limbs and parts there of... This is all very disturbing indeed and the smell of decomposition and preservative lends itself to the repugnance causing 1/1d6 sanity loss.

Three Serpent-men assist a Mi-go in its deranged examination. These beings are scientists and are not armed although they can pick up scalpels or throw flasks of acrid, burning preservative fluid or acids at the investigators. The Serpent-men will try to corner the investigators (unless they are outnumbered) as the Mi-go flits off to raise the alarm and bring reinforcements.

Poly-embryonic Chamber

Suspended, in clusters, from the ceiling are strange translucent pods. Contained within the cocoons in varying states of gestation, liquefaction, or digestion are humans. Hundreds of them. Sanity rolls are required with the loss of 1d3/1d6. Anyone taking a close look at one of the corpses receives a shock as its eyes suddenly snap open causing a further loss of 1/1d3 sanity. All corpses are covered in a white mucus-slime. While looking around the players might realise that the bodies are being grown - not dissolved. Then, if a LISTEN roll is succeeded, the players are alerted to a hissing, slithering, sound as two serpent-men come in wheeling a trolley. They bicker to each other. They slit open one or two of the pods, haul out the bodies and dump them on the table and wheel it away.

9. Pool

The main feature of this room is a pool of what appears to be water that measures roughly 30 feet in diameter. The pool is kept full by a continual seepage from the ceiling that constantly rains down. The pool over-spills the room and forms a small waterfall at another cave opening which overlooks the largest cavern the players will see.

Fungus grows in large quantities here affording plenty of hiding spaces from the dozens of Mi-go which frequent the pool to drink its contents. The keeper may wish to include several Mi-go here for effect, or leave the cavern empty. Players who taste the water find it to be pleasantly sugary tasting and warm, which does nothing for their thirst, but will replenish those sapped energy reserves.

10. Empty

11, 12. Prison cells

Imprisoned behind iron-like bars are some 30-odd poor wretches who have been abducted by the Mi-go and have been brought here to suffer one of two fates: work in the mines, or end up on a slab as an experiment. Some of these dirty underfed human beings cry out to their captors for mercy, but their pleas fall on deaf ears. When the characters appear (unless they are keeping to the shadows), the prisoners begin to plead with them for freedom. It will be up to the players themselves to make that choice, however leaving them to their fate will involve substantial sanity loss - as determined by the individual keeper. Guarding the captives is one elderly wingless Mi-go who carries a weapon of some kind. He, it, currently has its back to the characters and is not all that alert and can be easily overcome by swift and aggressive action. It carries a key which unlocks the cells. Unlocking the door to the cells causes those prisoners who are able to do so to madly rush out and make their escape into the unknown. Unless the players can somehow marshal them they will all be killed or recaptured, possibly with the investigators amongst them. Under careful direction, and all the time fighting and fleeing from pursuing Mi-go, 1d100 percent (keeper depending) of them will make it back to the gate to be transported back home. A successful rescue attempt incurs sanity gain - also left to the individual keeper.

Mi-go Guard

STR	CON	SIZ	INT	POW	DEX		MOVE		HITS	
7	9	11	10	12	9		7/9		10	
	
WEAPON	ATTK %	DAMAGE		Armour: All impaling weapons do minimum damage.	
Nipper	50%	1d6 + grapple		Sanity: 0/1d6	
Freeze Gun	70%	1d20 special 			

The Freeze Gun fires a blast of icy mist out to a range of 20 feet. Its damage is matched against the target’s current CON on the resistance table. If the victim is overcome he loses 1d20 CON. Providing he survives the experience he will be frozen stiff and unable to act until properly warmed up. Succeeding the roll, he simply loses 1 point of con. The contraption has a base chance of 20% for anyone using it. It has enough coolant for another 25 uses.

13. Migo city

This huge cavern is absolutely massive - measuring roughly several miles from side to side. Pin pricks of light are just barely visible. From what the characters can make out, they see that the cavern’s surface is peppered all over with other tunnel entrances - leading to who knows where. Dozens of Mi-go are seen flying about. The hugeness and complexity of the city prohibits any further description save for there being a Mi-go population of more than 250,000 (as a conservative estimation). The investigators will be in deadly danger if they proceed too far and will almost certainly not live to tell the tale... Welcome to Mi-go city. Please wipe your feet before entering.

The Meeting

As the investigators come nearer to the cave (marked X), LISTEN rolls detect a distinct a human voice, which gives the players time to react before walking in on the scene below. Sneaking closer to get a better view the players come across a meeting of 6 mi-go, 3 serpent-men and 3 humans. An IDEA roll allows investigators to recognise one of the humans as Jeremy Preston-Forbes, a lesser members of parliament, the other two are the man they followed from the railway station, and a tall, gaunt, pasty faced chap, complete with scar. This is what is overheard:

Forbes: ...is well in hand. Dissension among the people is rife. Strikes are bringing parts of the country to a standstill. Parliament is split and awash with accusations, and bicker amongst themselves. Soon, once Victoria is in our possession, she will have no option but to dissolve parliament and institute a new stronger regime. One who will bring order to the country. Your order.

Serpent-man: Excellent, you have done well my friend. Now tell me how the water treatment is progressing.

Human two: The domination serum is being mixed in several reservoirs as we speak. The populace, depending on their individual tolerance and rate of consumption of the serum should be ready for manipulation in as little as one week.

Serpent-man: Excellent. And the weapons?

Human three: The last shipment arrived at the warehouse on schedule, and are ready to be distributed amongst the various gangs.

Serpent-man: And what of the resistance who continue their struggle?

Forbes: Their small numbers make it very hard to keep track of them. However, I have assurances that we are close to discovering who they are. They will be eradicated in due time.

Serpent-man: Make sure of it. The way must be clear for our inevitable return.

Forbes: Yes, my master.

The serpent men and humans are then lifted by mi-go and taken for a tour of the city. This meeting should no doubt astound the players. One thing is however evident there are traitors within parliament who are willing to betray the British Empire. Save for rescuing the prisoners there is nothing else to see or learn here. Time to go home.

Who is Jeremy Preston-Forbes?

On the off chance the players are interested in knowing more about Forbes, the following information should be used as the keeper sees fit. Just how much is known, or can be dug up, through whatever sources is left for the for the keeper to determine.

What is widely known, is that he’s a relatively obscure back-bench MP (Member of Parliament representing West Tooting). He's a vicious outspoken troublemaker - a man of questionable policy and ideals and has always been so since an early age. Before his change of allegiance, Forbes was involved in real estate scams, money laundering, illegal weapon shipments, and drug deals from the Orient - though these activities are not known about in great detail, they have been alleged to by his opponents. Is it mere happenstance that anyone who delves into his life and affairs winds up having a fatal accident? He also openly professes ardent support for social engineering - whatever that means, and often gives elusively vague answers when questioned on such matters.

If the players do not go through the gate

If the players choose not to travel through the gate they will miss a vital meeting in which the serpents and their human collaborators discuss their plans. They won't know anything and the scenario will likely grind to a halt as they kick around waiting for something to occur. Life continues as normal with regards to anarchist activities, police raids, riots, etc.. After a few weeks of inactivity, the situation gets worse. Prime Minister Gladstone and his parliament is dissolved by Queen Victoria and General Sir Roderick Femm - a Serpentine agent - assumes power. Martial law is instituted. He exploits the Bolshevik problem to the fullest, an explanation readily accepted by the masses. Promising a strong Britain, jobs for all, and national glory, he attracts millions of supporters.

Once in power, however, Femm quickly establishes himself as a dictator. A subservient legislature is soon passed, enabling the "Valusian Act" which permits Femm's government to make laws without proper legislature. Femm uses the act to clean out and consolidate the bureaucracy and the judiciary, replace all labour unions with one party-controlled labour front, and bans all political parties except his own. The economy, the media, and all cultural activities are brought under similar authority by making an individual's livelihood dependent on his or her political loyalty. Thousands of protesters are rounded up and taken to concentration camps and all signs of dissent suppressed....

Unless the keeper can throw in hooks to keep the scenario going through to its proper conclusion, the players fail and the Serpentine Empire strengthens its grip. Although the players have failed here, the scenario in the grand scheme of things, is by no means over. Things are just getting interesting. The keeper should be able to create spin off scenarios in which the characters struggle against the might of the Ophidian Empire….

Returning Home

Stepping back through the gate the players may have the novel idea of putting the manor to the torch. This is easily done, but there’s no guarantee that the entire manor will burn to the ground. Unless the players stick around and have a barbecue, they’ll just have to hope for the best as they make good their escape. What will they do now? They know of the traitorous faction within the government and their plans. Courses of action include:

Find out where Forbes lives and pay him a visit

Unless the characters have the ways and means to find out where MPs live, there is no easy way to gain that information. Addresses such as these are withheld from the public due to the possibility of robbery, murder, whatever. Resourceful characters can, however, discover that Forbes has three homes - two in the city, and one country manor (which they’ve just been to). Just how this can be learnt is left to the individual keeper. Perhaps a simple LIBRARY USE -25 check will suffice, or a favour from a personal friend called upon.

The two city homes are 217 Essex Road, Islington, and 36 Old Street, Clerkenwell. Although Forbes owns these properties, he rents the one in Islington to visiting dignitaries, which incidentally is currently occupied by a wealthy German industrialist and his wife who are over on unspecified purposes. There is nothing for the players to find at this abode, except for one extremely irate German if the players persist in harassing him.

36 Old Street, on the other hand is the residence of Forbes, who now, for the purposes of the plot will be very elusive, never returning home because of his many jobs and his obligations to his Ophidian masters. Breaking into his home will be risky. LUCK rolls should be had to avoid being spotted by a policeman walking his beat, or disturbing a neighbour. Forbes’ home is opulently furnished. Plush carpeting, sculptures, paintings (all original) and the gold trim and silver plated adornments attest to an exuberant lifestyle. Stealing stuff is easily done for the light-fingered player. Values are left to the keeper. Searching the house for evidence requires one or two SPOT HIDDEN rolls. Success results in the players finding a wall safe hidden behind a chest of drawers. Opening the safe requires the specialised SAFECRACKING skill, or FOUR CONSECUTIVE LISTEN and DEXx2 rolls. The safe contains $10,000 in assorted counterfeit donations (of the type seen before on the two men who shot Mark Thompson), several ledgers, and a rolled paper tube. Also, in a small cubby-hole beneath the stairs, which contains assorted cleaning utensils and boxes of odds and ends, the diligent investigator can find a trapdoor beneath a rug. Beyond which lies a crude set of wooden steps that lead down into a short dank tunnel then out into the sewers. If the players stake out the home in the hopes of netting their quarry, then eventually Forbes will return home for whatever purpose. If a shoot out occurs, the police will be called who come to the scene armed. Forbes will try to escape through the sewers. If he is killed the scenario will essentially be over, though not at an end. Other people can replace him to continue the serpentine plans. If they simply follow him, he will lead them, by cab, to 100 Hope Street for what will be the conclusion.

The ledgers contain the names of all the human collaborators on the serpentine payroll, whether active or awaiting orders. 170 such names, up and down the length and breadth of the UK, are logged along with their placement in society, funds allotted to them, and their current duty. Generally, these fifth columnists are drawn from the lower classes, however a solid dozen or so are grouped together under a different cover; these being contacts within: Customs House, Lloyd of London, New Scotland Yard, Buckingham Palace, Parliament, The Royal Mint, The Admiralty, The Bank of England, The Royal Arsenal, and several other lesser Government Office Buildings.

Unrolling the paper tube, the players discover a map… a map of Buckingham Palace, no less. Disconcertingly, additional features have been drawn on the map, such as an underground tunnel leading from nearby sewers to a cellar or storeroom. Finding their way to the exact junction in the sewers requires an IDEA roll and a fair bit of time wandering about the dank, rat infested smelly underworld. A sixteen foot tunnel offshoots from the main sewer, and assorted digging tools stand propped against the wall. Hanging around to see who turns up to dig is fruitless. For the next week and a half no further tunnelling is undertaken.

Forewarning the Government or another authoritative body of the traitors’ intentions

Presenting their evidence to someone the players think they can trust requires a LUCK roll (based upon whoever is presenting the evidence - keeper should roll this). Any failed roll results in this person - including personal friends - being a traitor or conspirator. Whoever they contact will listen to their story, take their evidence and look at it, mulling over the implications of it all, its worth and validity. The names and addresses of the characters will be taken for follow up questioning. They do not get their evidence back now it’s in ‘safe’ hands. If the contact is a traitor, there WILL be a midnight visitation to remove the meddling investigators. However this is done if left to the keeper. But, before callously dispatching them, the bad guys may undertake the following measures:

Watch the characters from afar, studying their every move, seeing what they’re up to; who they visit and who the talk to… Spot Hidden rolls may be had to spot these tails at any time - day or night.

Break in to the residence of the characters - wherever they may be - to search their belongings and confiscate illegal material - or plant incriminating evidence of their own, such as a cache of arms, drugs, child porn, or whatever… This’ll lead to their arrest later and the destruction of their social standing.

Lure the characters (as a group, or abduct them when alone) to a false meeting where they are ambushed and abducted for an extensive interrogation scene, as outlined elsewhere in this scenario, or killed outright. The precise arrangements of this ambush is left to the keeper to make up, but it should be underhanded and in the favour of the conspirators.

Should the friend or authoritative body not be part of the conspiracy, they will mull over what the players have to say, while examining the validity of their claim as before. Their evidence is passed up the chain of command and an investigation ensues. Over the course of the following week each character is brought in by the police and interviewed quite intensively about how they came into possession of such material. Check for inaccuracies in each account. Use these differences to pick holes in their statements. It'll be fairly obvious that they will be holding "stuff" back. Make them sweat. Delve deeper. If the players freely admit to breaking into Forbes' home without good reason, they will be arrested for that. Who's to say their "evidence" isn't some ploy to discredit an upstanding member of parliament.

Other "behind the scenes" investigations include the investigation of who the characters are should suspicions be aroused. This'll involve speaking to friends, neighbours, family, work colleagues, etc.. Anything that appears "untoward" or "out of place" will be brought up during an interview: "It appears, Mr Smith, that you were in Skegness three months ago on such and such a date. Are you aware that a series of murders occurred then. And you were seen doing something or other. Then you, again, were in Shellbourne where another spate of unaccounted murders took place... Just how do you account for the fact that wherever you go people end up dead?" If characters are long standing, their list of strange activities will be similarly long. If arrest warrants are out standing then now is the time to use them. A raid on their homes may drag up a few interesting "devil worship" paraphernalia. Use this information as you se fit.

If the characters ramble on about mirrors to strange other worlds, Serpent-men, and lobster-men, they will be looked upon as mad. A team of investigators are sent to the country manor to check it out however, as a matter of course in their investigation. One survivor comes back with an incredible tale, but that's another story…(and maybe a way into part II)

If the players can substantiate their claims beyond reasonable doubt, Forbes will be implicated and an arrest warrant issued. A surveillance operation is set up which culminates in a shootout at 100 Hope Street on a date chosen by the keeper. As for the scenario, that’s pretty much it. Game over, with the exception of loose ends. The characters will be thanked for the information, and possibly even rewarded.

Other things that the players can do

Investigating the death of the lesser known MP

Once the players learn of the death of the MP from reading Thompson's notes, they may wish to investigate further. Information won't be forthcoming even if personal friends are able to help. Reading the papers is of no help either. They only print the information they’re given. The report basically says:: "Alexander Buslowe, 43, an administrator for the Government, was found dead in his home last night having committed suicide by hanging. Preliminary investigation have failed to find a cause for his death, though it is suspected he committed suicide in a fit of drunken depression. Two empty bottles of alcohol were found close by, and no suicide note was found as is customary in such cases, which further suggests his death was on the spur of the moment.” Since this event occurred several weeks ago, the trail has gone cold. No further investigation ensued and the case was simply closed. Whether his death is suicide, or whether he was killed as suspected by Thompson is for the keeper to decide.

Investigate the water reservoirs

Whatever come of this is left to the keeper to decide upon. Without proper reason, the players will not be allowed to wander around. Explaining that somebody is drugging the water will be met with disbelief and bemusement. Without proper reason or evidence the players’ warning will go unheeded.

Check warehouses for weapons

London has far too many warehouses for the players to individually search. Even accounting for just the derelict or disused ones the players find that this’ll still be a daunting task. Far too many to realistically investigate - unless they wish to spend the next week doing nothing but this. Perhaps a personal friend, who’s part of the criminal underworld may have heard or seen something that’ll point the characters in the right direction.

Seek out the resistance cell

Without specific knowledge of who’s involved, where they are, or anything will make this task a little harder. In this instance personal friends are not part of the resistance, and nor can they direct them to their HQ.

100 Hope Street

This particular event is mainly resolved in one of two ways, both of which are outlined separately.

The players go in

There is a chance Forbes spots his tails as he leads them through to London’s East End. It doesn’t matter if he spots them or not, the only difference being he’ll be aware of them. He doesn’t want to draw undue attention to himself and so doesn’t bother to speed up or try to lose them by ducking down an alleyway. Once in Hope Street, he walks up the stone steps to the door, knocks on it and waits. The cab leaves. A curtain twitches, a face flashes momentarily at a window. The door opens and Forbes enters. If he is aware of the characters he informs his co-conspirators who wait there. Furtive glances out the window may similarly alert observant characters that their quarry are wary.

The house on Hope Street is a two storey building which is often used by the criminal underworld as a safe house. Currently six other conspirators, including two Serpent-men (in their natural form) are here. Their agenda - a secret meeting of affairs. An escape tunnel leads into the sewers, which, if the PCs think to look for, can easily find. If Forbes and his conspirators decide it is too risky to remain, they will use the tunnels to make their escape, otherwise their meeting goes as planned. For some reason, it has been decided to hold the meeting upstairs, well away from the escape tunnel. A decision the traitors may soon regret. Only the serpent-men are armed. They carry electrical lightening guns given to them by the Mi-Go, and daggers laced with carotid toxin.

Swift and concise action on the part of the players surprise the traitors who can be apprehended quite easily, though if the opportunity presents itself everyone will try to escape even if it means putting up a fight. They aren’t stupid however, and if outnumbered and outgunned they will simply give up. Summarily executing the humans results in sanity loss. Forbes attempts to keep everything low key, not wishing to escalate the situation. The serpent-men have other plans and aren’t too shy about letting loose with their toys at the earliest opportunity. Forbes is a coward and will try to flee rather than fight. Prolonged gunfire results in armed police rushing to the scene…

A Police Raid

Acting from the information given to them, the Government finally has the evidence it needs to act. Two dozen armed detectives storm the house on any day (day or night) - chosen by the keeper. The sight of serpent-men panics an officer or two who open fire. By the time the situation calms down four conspirators are killed, one of which is a serpent-man (whose body is taken away for examination), two are arrested, two escape (one human and a serpent-man), and Forbes has a 15% chance of escaping also. If not there is a 25% of him being killed, otherwise he is arrested.

Since only the Serpent-men are of any import here, only their stats are given. The keeper should make up Forbes and the other conspirators statistics should they be needed

Surra’axas'sa & Ssrax'ass

STR	CON	SIZ	INT	POW	DEX		MOVE		HITS	
11	11	11	17	13	14		8		11	
	
WEAPON	ATTK %	DAMAGE		Armour: 2 point scales	
Bite	50	1d8 + poison		Sanity Loss: 0/1d6	
Dagger	70	1d4+2 + toxin			
Electrical Gun	35	1d10 + special			

Poison Bite The potency of the toxin is 11. Carotid Toxin A strength potency 20 toxin which causes slow degradation of the carotid arteries. Failing the RR, the victim is doomed to agony as the toxin courses through his system (in CON days) causing massive internal bleeding and almost instant death. Succeeding the RR the victim becomes extremely sick 1d6 days after the toxin is administered. STR and CON drop to 3 and the PC is confined to bed utterly exhausted and hallucinating (1d6 sanity loss). No doctor can help. After CON days after administration the victim begins to recover 1d6 STR and CON per week, but permanently losing 1 from both STR and CON. Electrical Gun The lightening gun is a metallic orb that fires blue electrical bolts of lightening. The device delivers 1d10 damage which causes the recipient to jerk with violent muscle spasms which immobilises him for an amount of rounds equal to the damage inflicted. Finally the victim must match his / her HP against the damage done on a resistance roll - or die of heart failure.

To Be Continued…

What, that’s it? What an anticlimax. I want my money back. If all goes well, the Ophidian Race has been bested this time, though they have not been beaten - not by a long shot. The tip of the Serpentine conspiracy has been exposed. The truth, naturally, is kept from the public. Behind closed doors, a committee will by set up by the Government to take matters further. The characters may even be called upon (as civilian advisors) to head an investigation to learn more, which may even necessitate a return through the gate…There’s plenty more scope to launch further scenarios from here and wrap up those nasty loose ends…. or leave them dangling. As for life in general - it gradually resumes back to relative “normalcy”. The players may be rewarded with an invitation, no matter their social class to Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. Other rewards may befall them. If they did exceptionally well, a Knighthood may be in the offing...

Failing to prevent Parliament’s downfall has already been outlined under the heading: If the players do not go through the gate... Think of Nazi Germany when writing these continuation scenarios. Instead of Jews and Eastern Europeans being targeted for extermination - it’s the whole human race.

P L A Y E R H A N D O U T S

Player Handout 1.

My Beloved Debra Jo,

If you are reading this it means that I am now dead, fallen foul to enemy agents or have had to disappear. For some time now I have been living a double life and have safely protected you from the truth, but now you may also be in danger yourself, and so for your protection I must tell you the truth. I have become involved in a struggle to bring about the end of social oppression and see the formation of a more just and equal society. I know that over the past months I grew cold and pushed you away, putting a strain on our marriage - and for that I will be eternally sorry.

Things are afoot. Although I am a radical, some say anarchist, I must state that I have played no part in the bombings, arson attacks, killings and riots that are now plaguing society. Those are the acts of true anarchists bent on destroying our way of life, not to further it. They believe in anti-establishment of any kind and want nothing but chaos. Ours is a more peaceful way.

This is only the tip of the iceberg, however. Certain things have recently come to light to suggest something more sinister, like these problems are being purposefully orchestrated by persons unknown. Some say it’s foreign intervention by extremist Bolsheviks, which is very probable, others say it’s home grown and nothing more than the doings of an inept government (which I believe). I’ve even heard rumour and speculation that it may even be due to that pseudo-religious cult Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn who brainwash their followers, or some other secret cloak and dagger lunatic fringe cult. Conspiracy theories are as many and as varied as there are colours. Everybody has ventured an opinion on why the country is the way it is. Many of this is stuff and nonsense, and nothing more. However, whatever the cause, I’m sure it’ll get worse before something breaks one way or another. I pray to God that sanity and order are restored soon.

That said, I strongly urge you to pack up and leave. Get away. Anywhere. Just leave and tell no one. You’ve probably had some visitations already. Strange people asking all sort of peculiar questions. Maybe our home has been ransacked too. That is only the beginning. Should they suspect you of anything - they will be back… So, leave before you suffer the same fate as me. I wish I could come home and be with you. Trust No one.

Before you leave however, there is a man you must meet, he has some things I have provided for your safety - £350, and a false passport. Use them, before it’s too late. Go to the rear entrance of Harvey’s Pub on Mile End Road and ask for “Broadsman”. He should see you right.

I love you with all my heart and will do so for always.

Frank

Player handout 2

The diary

27th March

Today was strange, very strange indeed. I met a man who wishes to remain nameless at this time. He said he’d been following my “crusade” for equality, and said he supported my efforts. After the usual small talk he confided that he works within the Government as an administrator of some kind. Nothing of note was talked about, but he said he’d like to use me for some “leaks” that occur from time to time. Leaks that he though were in the publics best interests to know. Another meeting is scheduled for later.

29th March

Met X again today in Southwark Park. We spoke at length and he disclosed his suspicions that there are moves to subvert the people and replace our Government in a bloodless coup. He spoke of illegal spending, abuse of power and such like on a scale that is above what is ‘considered normal’… He also said he doesn’t have any solid proof yet but will do his best. He doesn’t know who to trust with this information, and so came to me because I am outspoken and feels as though he could trust me more than a trusted friend. He says you have no friends in Government, just people you work with who would just as soon step on your face and smear you to further their own political career. There is no interest in the common good… no civility, only politics. When pressed on the troubles of today, he said that they were the direct result of greedy, squabbling people, but there was something….elusive. He feels something isn’t quite right.

6th May

X has shown me some papers which appear to support his conjecture, but unfortunately they remain largely inconclusive. He fears he may get caught if he’s not careful, and is hesitant about continuing. He was nearly caught yesterday. He won’t say how, when, or what he was doing. I confided that he must do what he feels he must. If that means dropping this investigation, then so be it.

28th May

Its been 3 weeks since I last spoke to my contact, but today we spoke again, albeit briefly. He said it was necessary to stop his activities for a while. People were getting suspicious. He in fact was caught and detained for questioning, but fortunately he managed to bluff his way through. We discussed our work and how to proceed. He’s sure we are being watched.

1st June

X gave me scant details of a forthcoming meeting between those of whom he suspects to be involved. No other details are known other than one of them is going to arrive at the Queen Victoria Railway Station at 3.30pm on 6th June, and that he walks with a serpent headed cane, and will be carrying a briefcase.

3rd June

X didn’t show for a scheduled meeting today. It was only later that I had learned of his death. The paper reports he committed suicide by hanging. Was he murdered by the powers that be. I must be careful.

Player handout 3

Boiled down, the 100 page document basically states:

Stage 1 being the infiltration of serpent-men agents into society in general, who will determine the will of the people.

Stage 2 commences with key positions of power being consolidated. When a power base and a sphere of influence has been constructed, secret but active support for 'anarchists' to speak out publicly will begin, with the recruitment of ‘suitable fifth columnist' humans. Such 'anti-establishment' meetings are designed to inflame and polarise its listeners to spread dissension and destabilise the general infrastructure with strikes and riots. To curb this discord, the police will be furnished lists of names, particularly of those known as, or suspected of being 'Patriots', 'Anarchists' or 'Trouble Makers'. These particular people (and possibly their families too) are to be rounded up. Curious friends or neighbours will be told of their neighbours 'illegal activities'. Those who escape to the hills and mountains will be hunted down by "search and destroy" troops, specially trained for mountain and guerrilla warfare.

Stage 3. As these meetings gain favour amongst disillusioned youngsters, the lower classes, and the unemployed, agents posing as anarchists will set off incendiary bombs in and around London bringing about public support for measures of an increased police presence on the streets. Crime also rises. This brings in more police and the dissension escalates. Terrorist actions spread to other cities nation-wide in support. Other agents of the conspiracy, then open fire on the police or target the ethnic classes to provoke further contention. Gangs, and those targeted arm themselves. The door-to-door arrests and the gunning down of several 'leaders' bubbles over into riots. True anarchists and other gangs, now fully armed, join in the fray. The real police, vastly outnumbered, cannot handle the rioting and so call in the army to quash the riots and restore law and order. Again agents masquerading as gang members fire upon the army to bring the tensions to a head. The riots continue, but never exceed the brink of all out civil war. Parliament holds crisis talks in which all borders are closed, as well as seaports. No one is allowed to leave, or enter, the United Kingdom - Scotland, England, Wales & Northern Ireland.

Stage 4 calls for a well-planned 'crash' of the stock market. This event is planned to further weaken, destabilise, panic and confuse foreign nations, and to deter any intervention on their part.

Stage 5. The final phase sees a sizeable chunk of the demoralised population interred in concentration camps to await their final fate. Measures for limiting the population for ease of control are brought into effect. This includes birth control, sterilisation and life termination of certain undesirables, brainwashing as well as mass abduction for use as 'batch consignments' of human slaves.

Stage 6. Once Britain and her protectorate states have fallen, the new global order will take steps to subjugate the rest of the world, through fear, manipulation and warfare.