Miscellaneous Stories
Campaign Concept - Arkham
"I just don't believe it." The man exclaimed as he followed the woman in the red dress behind some crates. His mind was still reeling from the tale she just told him, he couldn't believe it could be remotely true.
"Believe it or not Dr. Zimmerman, everything I have said is the truth."
The mysterious woman held up her hand motioning him to stay while she moved onward.
Zimmerman's eyes travelled from her hand down her body, and back up to the other hand where she held a small ivory handled pistol.
The woman looked at him, half in reproach, "I do not think now is the time for such thoughts Dr. Zimmerman."
"Please, call me Michael, after all, if what you say it is true and you can read my mind, why not just call each other by name, Miss…"
"Mrs. Albatross, and I think we shall stick to formal monikers if you don't mind Dr. Zimmerman."
"My apologies Mrs. Albatross," The doctor couldn't help his eyes though as she moved quickly to another set of crates on the crowded docks. There were numerous such crates strewn about and she was looking for something specifically.
He had no idea what of course. In fact he wasn't even sure how he got into this mess. A strange note scribbled half in English, have in some lettering he couldn't even begin to describe arrived by courier at the university. From what he could gather, he had to be here at a certain time. He didn't know why he followed the note's directions. The strange lettering seemed vaguely familiar but that was about it.
He had asked Mrs. Albatross about it, thought she didn't seem surprised by his presence she claimed complete ignorance as to the sender of the note as well as to the origin or even content of the abnormal writing.
And then there was the matter as to why she was here, in the middle of the night, on a cold, foggy night on the Boston docks. The story was a mix of fact, history and utter nonsense. Still something about her intrigued him, deeply. She claimed to be able to read his minds, which he was open to believe, being a professor and a scientist, at least a good one, meant having an open mind about such strange things.
What was he doing here? Had he gone nuts? Dr. Zimmerman was just about to just stand up and leave when Mrs. Albatross returned. He could tell by her expression that something was wrong.
"What's the matter?"
"It was as I feared, they're already here."
"Who?" Dr. Zimmerman asked, and as if answering his question, he heard a strange set of noises coming from somewhere on the docks. He peeked over the boxes as Mrs. Albatross loaded what looked like silver bullets into her gun. He saw several strange men in robes, their faces covered except for their eyes. He heard them speak to one another; at least what he guesses was speech. It was a series of very odd noises that he couldn't begin to guess from where. He didn't know why, but something about how they spoke made him think that was the same language as the strange writing in the note he received.
"Who are they?"
"Cultists of Nrrgal. They're here for the book too."
"What book?"
"One of Lovecraft's' personal journals, it said to hold very powerful secrets. I was hoping we'd find it before they got here."
"Lovecraft? H.P. Lovecraft? That author that died last year?"
"You've heard of him? I am shocked. Most people wouldn't know the his work, despite the truth in it."
"Of course I've heard of him, I am a Professor of Modern Literature, but what truth? His works were close to ramblings of madness, the fact that they had any coherence at all is a miracle, I teach his work as an example of fringe writing."
"Oh how mistaken you are Dr. Zimmerman. All that I have told you comes from the works of Dr. Lovecraft. He was a conduit for forbidden knowledge and he tried his best to warn the world. Now his secrets are spread out and we have to retrieve them before they do."
Dr. Zimmerman stared at the woman in disbelief. She honestly believed everything she was saying. Why did the stunning ones have to always be utterly crazy?!
"Crazy or not Dr. Zimmerman, I am right. And we have to get that book before they do."
"But I didn't…" he was cut off by the excited noises coming from the cultists.
"Curses, they found it. We have no choice, we have to retrieve that book now."
"What? What are you doing?"
"Here, aim for their head, and whatever you do don't let them bite you." Mrs. Albatross said as she handed him a pistol, and what looked like a flare gun.
"What's this for?"
"If something happens to me, use the flare and run. Hopefully the others are near enough to help you."
Without another word Mrs. Albatross stood up and began firing at the cultists. Dr. Zimmerman out of fear of being alone and some lost sense of chivalry followed her. There were more than he expected. He watched as she deftly fired at the cultists, so much so that he didn't see one approaching him. He turned in time to see the creature pull back its' mask and reveal a face filled with shark like teeth. He screamed and fired several times into the creature's chest.
The thing fell backwards and went still, blackish liquid oozing where he had shot it. Dr. Zimmerman couldn't believe what he had just done. He killed, he would have said he killed someone, but this was some sort of monster. He killed a monster. Dr. Zimmerman leaned over the creature, curious to see the teeth in its mouth when suddenly it lurched up at him. The sound of a gunshot drowned out by his screams and the creature fell back, dead.
"I said shoot them in their head, otherwise these things get right back up."
Dr. Zimmerman looked at Mrs. Albatross as she put her weapon away. He saw that she had dealt with the rest of the cultists and had a small leather-bound booklet in her hands.
"Quickly, before others come, we must leave."
"What….what are these things? Who are you? What in the world is going on?!"
"I told you Dr. Zimmerman, these are Nrrgal Cultists, sea monsters. I am Dr. Laura Albatross, and what is going on is the beginning of the occult wars."
"The what? I don't understand, what is so important about this book?"
"Something is unfurling in the world besides the war in Europe. The most cursed and blessed prophet has died, and with it all his works are now open to be claimed. In it are all the secrets of the ancient ones. Unless we find each and everyone before their followers do, this world will slip into a state of madness and horror that all definitions of hell by every religion will pale in comparison. And if we don't get moving, more cultists are going to show up and I don't have that many bullets left. No on your feet Doctor and lets… ahhh!"
Dr. Zimmerman watched as a massive tentacle broke up through the docks and wrapped itself around Mrs. Albatross' leg, pulling her away from him. He leapt and grabbed her hand, trying to keep her from being pulled under.
"Don't let go Mrs. Albatross, I have you."
"There is no time Michael. Take the book, fire the flare and run! The journal must not fall into their hands, at any costs." With that she shoved the book at Dr. Zimmerman and let go, being pulled down into the depths of the dark waters.
"Laura!" Dr. Zimmerman cried, but it was too late. He looked for a second before grabbing the book and running.
He ran as fast and as far as he could, as the bright red flare light up the dark night sky.
Campaign Concept - Mad Science
It was like living in a science fiction movie. It was like a bad science fiction movie actually. The world was at war, but it wasn't country versus country, the war had gone to war with science, and the men who created it. They were call super geniuses, people who's IQ were so high it was incalculable by any standard. Human computers, only with imagination, the press dubbed them "Mad Scientists."
They weren't new to the world, we know that now. They had always been around, men like Tesla, Mengele and Oppenheimer, true mad scientists whose only limit was the technology around them. These men and women were few and relatively unnoticed, their potential untapped as they fumbled with wires and bulbs.
Technology however would soon catch up and science would see an explosion of growth. It was as if these Mad Scientists were merely waiting to wake up, waiting for the chance to truly take on reality as we know and bend it to their whim.
The events at first were few and far between, but that peace would not last long. Strange events that couldn't be explained, that science and government couldn't begin to understand. The Mad Scientists were beginning to wake up. More and more of them would experiment, more and more had the capacity to test out their theories on the world at large. They were addicted to science and discovery, and like fledgling gods they tested their new powers on the world at large.
What happened next was an era of chaos. Governments and citizens faced a new enemy, an unknown face with the power to change the very landscape they lived on and defy the very rules of nature. Various government agencies tried to bring some of these super geniuses to their side, but they were too smart for any bureaucracy to control. These were scientists without borders, without nationality, without any limitation, true free men and women of the world, and the greatest threat we have ever faced.
As their boldness grew, so did the need to stop them. Private groups, government agencies, radicals and citizen alike began to fight back. Some succeeded; many failed. Some were graced with the true rare gift of possessing a mad scientist whose moral compass had not been thrown aside for the sake of science.
Now we are at war, a war against man and machine, a war to keep the world together before it is torn apart for the sake of science.
Now is the Era of the Mad Scientist.
Alternate Ending:
As their boldness grew, so did the need to stop them. Private groups, government agencies, radicals and citizen alike began to fight back. Some succeeded; many failed. Some were graced with the true rare gift of possessing a mad scientist whose moral compass had not been thrown aside for the sake of science.
In the end, it didn't matter. Governments failed, chaos and science claimed the world and destruction ran rampant. We live with a choice, live under the protection of the Mad Scientist warlords, at the whim of their every command, or risk the wilds of the world, where failed experiments and even stranger science hide in the darkness.
Now we live in the ultimate experiment. Now we live at the end of mankind.
Now we live, in the Age of Science.
