“The Doctor Will See You Now.”

Essie Vance [Whitney], Peter Graves [Jordan], Phillip Vance [Aaron]

Intro: You have a chance to seek therapy. Meanwhile, Professor Avebury has coordinated your meeting with Dr. Henry Armitage. [H1.Armitage]


SELF-HELP and THERAPY

PETER

Saturday, April 22nd (Peter’s Self Help): [key connection- treasured possession]

Peter already had an independent Private Detective business, in an office space on the ground floor of the apartment where Peter lived. He relied on word of mouth and happenstance to find work as he considered advertising too expensive for his meager workload. Peter had connections in the organized crime underbelly. Mostly to keep information flowing, but also for the benefits of skirting the law. Most notably, a bootlegger stoolie named Francis (Frankie) Caruso he had enlisted back in his beat cop days.

But with a new partner, Phillip, maybe things should change. Which is why he entered the office today to tidy up before Phillip arrived. He spent the day packing up the conference room with all of his work on his parents’ murder: newspaper articles, photos, push pins and strings connecting them. He neatly packed the research away in a box, then returned to retrieve his grandfather's favorite scotch tucked away under a loose floorboard. 

Peter sat on the floor of the office holding his grandfather's silver pocket watch as he enjoyed his scotch. He pulled out his notepad and made entries detailing his latest adventures and terrors he'd experienced over the last few months, verbalizing the words as he wrote for his grandfather’s benefit. Holding the watch, Peter could almost hear the voice of his grandfather pushing through.

Peter paused to answer the door as the painter arrived, “Yeah, gold and black lettering on the outside glass: Graves and Vance Investigative Agency.” As Peter put the bottle away, he said his goodbyes, “Till next time grampa.” 

Peter’s Therapy

[Session1: 1d10=2, 1d8=6, 1d100=75, 1d100=26, +$13 for a weekly session on the Couch = Gain of 5 Sanity]

Dr. Turner stepped aside to let Peter enter his office, “Mr. Vance, if you’ll take a seat on the couch. Yes, lay down and get yourself comfortable. Sorry, I should have told you to take everything out of your pockets. Oh my, a gun. Well, I’ll just store that in the top desk drawer if you don’t mind. OK, now what seems to be troubling you?” Peter wasn’t sure where to begin as he checked his fly, “Yes mom, it’s secure. I’ll be fine. Let me do the talking.” Turner looked up from his notepad to see if the man serious. Turner had to look over his shoulder to see who Peter was looking at/talking to.” Peter apologized, “Sorry. That’s what I can to see you about. Mom and dad died years ago, but recently I’ve begun to see them.” Dr. Turner just nodded and let Peter continue. When the hour was over, “Well, I hope I helped you. See you next week. If it’s alright, maybe we’ll try some experimental therapy.”

[Session2: 1d10=4, 1d8=5, 1d100=38, 1d100=52, +$13 for a weekly session of Electroshock = Gain of 2 Sanity]

Peter was caught off-guard with an attendance in the room with he and Dr. Turner. Head explained, “Just a precaution in case you need to be restrained. No, no. It won’t hurt. Much.”

====================================================

PHILLIP

Wednesday, April 26th (Phillip’s Self Help): [key connection- Significant People: family]

Phillip slipped into the house and already had a drink in hand and plopped on the couch, lost in thought about all that had transpired. He didn’t even take note of the aromas wafting from the kitchen where Marina cooked supper. Maybe he thought he could drown his troubles. It wasn’t till he noticed his daughter Anna tugging at his pant legs that he unconsciously picked her up and began to play with her. Marina rushed to see what the commotion was about, and for the first time, saw Phillip lost in fun with his daughter. She turned the stove off and joined in the fun. By the time dinner was over and Peter arrived to pick him up for work, Phillip was a new man. At least to some small degree.

Phillip’s Therapy

[1st month: 1d10=7, 1d8=8, 1d100=28, 1d100=05, +$25 for a monthly session of Hypnosis = gain of 9 Sanity]

Phillip saw the article in the newspaper (“World’s Greatest Hypnotist”) and decided to give it a try. He scanned the ‘Yellow pages’ and found a Dr. Head listed on Hyde St. on the Northside of town. Phillip nervously sat in the reception area, sneaking a nip from his flask. “The doctor will see you now.”

Dr. Head stood to welcome Phillip, “From your phone call, I understand you want to go straight for hypnosis? No introductory couch session to open up and let me get a feeling of what we’re dealing with?” Phillip’s voice quivered, “Well, to be truthful, I don’t have much free time. And to beat around the bush with just talking… I can do that with my girlfriend.” Head laughed, “So, you tell her everything? But it’s your money. Now before we start, give me an idea what we are facing. Is this possibly guilt from cheating on your girlfriend, or from hurting someone? Did you experience some kind of trauma? OK, what exactly? Come now, you can tell me. Even if a crime has been committed, I’m sworn to protect my patients. You did pay already, right?”

The last Phillip remembered was watching the pocket-watch spinning on its chain as Dr. Head dangled it in from of him. Head snapped his fingers waking Phillip, “Well, if I say so myself, I think that was a VERY rewarding session. I must say you have a very vivid imagination. The stories you told, the visions you described. What kind of books do you read? Anyway, if you’ll see my receptionist on the way out to schedule your next session. I’ll see you in May Mr. Vance.”

====================================================

ESSIE

Wednesday, April 26th (Essie’s Self Help): [key connection- Treasured Possession: Locket]

The ground was wet from the morning dew as Essie sat in front of her deceased husband’s headstone. She traced her finger along his etched name while she handled the locket hung around her neck. “Richard, I remember when you gave this to me. Seems like yesterday.” Her thoughts of yesterday jarred her calmness as visions of those horrible beings played in her mind. She took pen and paper and began to compose those thoughts… bubbles, and jellyfish, and tentacles. After each entry she added “BEGONE!” She snipped a lock of hair and folded it inside the paper which she then set afire. “Begone. And leave me with happy thoughts. Richard, remember that Texas dig when you found…” Yes, she was comforted with fond memories of days gone bye.

Essie’s Therapy

[Session1: 1d10=5, 1d8=3, 1d100=08, 1d100=63, +$17 for a weekly session of Advanced Medicine = Gain of 3 Sanity]

Dr. Anakoff unlocked the medicine cabinet as Essie pulled up her blouse sleeve. As he swabbed her shoulder, “Just relax. It might sting a little at first, but in a few minutes you should feel more calm. No, it’s not truth serum. Just laudanum to help relax you. Then we can talk about what is troubling you.” But Essie never did quite stop fidgeting throughout the session. When the hour was up, Anakoff apologized, “Maybe next week we’ll try something stronger. You are just very tense. We need you to relax.”

[Session2: 1d10=8, 1d8=1, 1d100=27, 1d100=78, +$13 for another Advanced Medicine = Gain of 3 Sanity]

“Well hello Essie. I hope you are doing well. If you don’t mind, I thought today we’d try a different medication. It’s a psychotropic drug called Thorazine to help calm you and remove anxiety. It offers peace for you and safety for me and my staff. No need to restrain you. Wouldn’t want you to go tripping out on us like heroin might cause.”

Once the drug began to take effect, female assistants helped Essie undress and get into a Hydration tank. Anakoff explained, “The warm water will help the medication circulate easier throughout your body. Now just close your eyes and listen to the relaxing music.” This time, Peter was waiting in the lobby to drive her home.

====================================================

SPELLS- DR ARMITAGE

They were puzzled about another meeting with Dr. Armitage. It was just weeks ago he’d seen them to explain the meaning of Eibon and the ritual used to return The Old One back to its slumber under Eye-Bone Hill. But this time, Henry Armitage had a somber look about him as if he was debating what to say. Essie was bold enough to ask, “Is there something on your mind? Last we saw you, you said something about sharing aid against the mythos. Is that what you call the monstrosities we’ve seen?! I mean, we have been a lot of help to this city.” Peter jumped in, “You know, it wasn’t just this Sleeper we recently faced. November of last year, we encountered a Dead Light up the road near Bolton. I can show you my notes.”

Henry perked up at the news, “If you don’t mind.” He scanned Peter’s journal, “You mention a Binding spell. I gather you never did recapture the thing. You know spells can be dangerous in the wrong hands as they are notoriously unreliable. Hester Green, a former colleague, joined the Society for the Exploration of the Unexplained ­(SEU) decades ago and spent weeks pouring over some of the old tomes in the Foundation’s collection. Soon after, we were together in a life-threatening situation and, as I was preparing to flee, Hester shouted out, "I can handle this!" Yet as she began to cast, she then clutched her head, let out a piercing scream and, apparently having seriously miscast whatever spell she had attempted, she was encapsulated in a cocoon. By the time we got her out, she was dead; asphyxiated.”

It was as if Henry was trying to talk himself out of something, till he relented, “If you’ll follow me into the Restricted Collection, I have something for you to read.” They followed but Peter now seemed the hesitant one, suspicious the man was trying to extract something from them. He remained on edge.

The room behind the locked door was expansive! More a warehouse look that defied the expected dimensions. Dr. Armitage had them sit around a table, “Don’t touch anything. And only read what I offer. There is much mystery in the world. 

Some of your SEU colleagues retrieved artifacts which we store here for study and safe keeping.” He then strode to the rolling ladder and climbed to select a particular thick book which he placed before them on their table and flipped to the desired page. “Remember, only read these passages I point out. And don’t say the words out loud together. If you don’t understand a word or two, I can help.” Peter asked, “Do you mind if we take notes?”

Where Peter had questioned the man’s trustworthiness, he now realized Armitage was there to help. “Our Dead Light encounter. I have the chest and sealing wax recovered from Dr. Webb’s house. And his notes with the Binding spell needed to capture the thing. I can bring them to you later.” Essie thought about the protection necklace she had found that night but decided to remain silent about its existence. The trio read the open pages:

[I changed out each Spells’ cost and mechanics to fit our style of play: allowing Therapy to restore Sanity.]

FLESH WARD (1 minute to cast and lasts 24 hours): grants protection against physical attack. The spell costs 1D4 Sanity points and (4 magic points per lost Sanity. Excess MP is taken as HP wounds). Each Sanity-Point lost gives the caster (or the chosen target) 1D6 points of armor against nonmagical attacks. This protection wears off as it blocks damage. If a character had 12 points of Flesh Ward as armor, and was hit for 8 points of damage, his Flesh Ward would be reduced to 4 points, but he or she would take no damage. Once cast, the spell may not be reinforced nor recast until the old spell's protection has been used up.

HEALING (2 minutes to cast): Each cast costs 1D3 Sanity point and (4 magic points per lost Sanity). Once casting complete, immediately heal (1D4+2 hit points per Lost Sanity point) due to injury, disease, or poison. HP lost due to excess MP loss are not healed. The spell cannot bring back the dead.

NEXT SCENARIOhttps://wjr5oakley.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-last-resortp1.html

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Mind's Eye.P2

Armored Angels.P1

The 19th Hole.P1