The Last Resort.Conclusion

Beginning of scenario: https://wjr5oakley.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-last-resortp1.html

Essie Vance [Whitney]: suffers from Ablutomania (compulsion to washing/cleanliness) and Taphephobia (fear of being buried alive or of cemeteries).

Peter Graves [Jordan]: suffers from Phasmo-Psychosis (loss of contact with reality in which the person cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is imagined. In this case: he sees his dead parents).

Phillip Vance [Aaron]: suffers from Arachnophobia (fear of spiders) and frayed nerves that require Liquid Courage (suffers penalties when his flask of alcohol runs dry). Then there is his Insane Vision (bonus die yet failure results in delusions).

Recap: A week’s vacation of the island of Marwicker (locally pronounced ‘Maa Weaka’) yet Essie tries to cram in all the touristy action in one day. Maybe it’s the ghost stories that intrigue her. Or the faulty electricity on the island.

May 12^th, Friday 3pm, Power Plant: Essie asked one more favor, “Please? It’s on the way out of town; can’t we at least check it out?” Peter looked at his watch, “Sunset is about 90 minutes away. As long as we get to the resort while the sun is still up.” Phillip approached the gate guard. Roger looked them over as he too looked at his watch, “Tour? Now? On a Friday near the end-of-day whistle?!” Essie tried her charm, but Roger only offered, “I’d step aside if I you before the workers run you over when that horn sounds. Thirsty bunch. Make it Monday and I’ll give you the tour myself.”

3:30pm: Powerlines paralleled the road out of town as they road their electric bikes to the resort. At least they had a map for directions. But the powerlines also a clue. They continued north thru the first intersection where the powerlines branched at a transformer substation to feed electricity to outlying homes. 

They continued northward and soon saw the majestic resort on the horizon. Multi-storied! Grand looking. But the roadside billboard naming the place was severely overgrown with brush and vines and sorely in need a fresh paint. “I hope the resort is in better repair.” Nope. As they got closer, they could see the peeling exterior paint. But most assaulting was the stench of burnt wood. “God. Fire 13 years ago and you can still smell its mark. What made Dr. Armitage think this place ready for visitors? I don’t see cars or signs of anyone around.”

They stepped into the lobby and sighed relief, “At least the interior looks like someone has been cleaning.” Peter rang the service bell at the registration desk. A receptionist appeared from the back room, “You must be the guests. I’m Jeremy Knight. Welcome to my resort. I will tend to your every need. Your rooms are ready, fresh towels for you to clean up. Your luggage is already in your rooms. Mr. Graves, I have you in room 208. Mr. and Mrs. Vance, I have you in room 207 across the hall. Not a bridal suite but it is one of my best rooms.” Essie corrected him, “Uh, you’re mistaken. Phillip is my brother-in-law.” Jeremy blushed, “My mistake. I hope that doesn’t spoil your vacation. The bar is open; give me a few minutes to have his luggage moved into room 206.”

Bar: No tender behind the bar, Peter reached over and grabbed a full bottle for himself, “What do you guys want? I wouldn’t recommend a glass…layered in dust. I don’t think they are really ready to open yet.” They sat at the bar a few minutes unwinding when Jeremy arrived in a bartender outfit with towel across his arm, “Oh dear, I forgot to clean the glasses. I’ll get right on it. Can I get you ice?” Peter kept his neat while Phillip asked for 3 cubes. Essie sipped her wine. Jeremy talked and cleaned glasses at the same time, “I’m here to serve your every need. Just ring the bell if you need anything. What time would you like dinner served?” Peter started to chuckle at Jeremy’s over-the-top effort with change of clothing till he realized the man the only staff… which meant him the cook too! Peter gagged on his drink. Phillip must have thought the same as he asked, “Have you thought of hiring more help?”

Which caused Jeremy to pause, “Are you saying I’m lacking in my service? I mean it’s just the three of you. Surely I can handle your needs. More guests? I guess I hadn’t thought about that… yes, maybe I should think about hiring. Are you asking for a job?” Peter jumped in to change subjects, “What can you tell us about the fire of 1909 and ghosts?” Jeremy puzzled, “Ghosts? Here? Where? Well, there were 4 staff killed in the 1909 fire, but I hadn’t heard anything about ghosts.” That peaked Essie’s concern as she silently pondered, “Everyone in town spoke about ghosts yet he doesn’t know. Or maybe doesn’t want to admit for fear of running us off?” Jeremy asked, “Unless I can get you anything else…”

Pause to Freshen Up: They drank alone as they compared notes. Peter more relaxed with Jeremy gone, “He’s going to give himself a heart attack if he doesn’t slow down.” But Essie had other things on her mind. [her cleanliness mania] “I need a shower to wash all that road grime out of my hair.” They had to step around Jeremy (in janitor overalls) in the hallway mopping the floors.

Peter checked his luggage to make sure everything in order: his sawed-off shotgun still there. He grabbed another pack of cigarettes and stepped into the hallway to wait for the others. Phillip entered his bathroom to splash water on his face, surprised when his phone rang. “Hello?” Silence till he heard a silent quake, “It’s so cold.” Phillip asked, “Hello? Who is this? Hello?” The phone went silent. “That was weird!”

Meanwhile, Essie got the shower running as she hung the towel on the rack and stepped under the hot water. A nice lather of soak and suds in her hair when she suddenly heard a whispered, “It’s SOOO Cold!” Essie let out a wailing scream as she fought to clear soap from her eyes. And that’s when the overhead light burst plunging her into darkness. She screamed louder. Peter easily heard her screams from the hallway and tried her door. Locked. He kicked it open and rushed to the bathroom, “You OK?!” More said as a warning he about to enter, so get decent. Glass crunched under his shoe. Essie called from the shower, “The bulb broke. Someone’s in here!!” Peter already had his pistol drawn as he searched, aided by light from the bedroom window. “He’s gone now.” Peter cleaned up the glass before he left Essie, “I’m just outside your door. I checked under your bed and in the closet. Unless he climbed out the window…”

They gathered in the hallway where Phillip pointed out Essie’s blouse inside out (she dressed in a rush). And that’s when Jeremy arrived, dressed in butler uniform, “Is everything alright? I heard screaming. Other guests? No, you are the only ones here. Someone on the phone? Someone in your bathroom?! Oh my!” Peter pointed out, “It had to be someone else. Look they kicked her door in.” Jeremy himself panicked, “Oh dear me. This is awful.” Essie asked, “Are you sure you don’t know anything about ghosts in your resort?” Jeremy was lost for words, “If you plan on being out and about, I’ll get right on it to replace the bathroom bulb and fix your door.”

The West Wing: With Jeremy in her room, they walked down the hallway to the stairwell where they found the door to the west wing boarded up. “Want to do a little ghost hunting?” Peter pried off the board so they could open the door. Where they looked out toward the western skyline with the sun just above the horizon, as the western wing collapsed from the fire. Maybe it was those final sunrays… “Do you see that? Glint of something in the rubble.” Peter made a poor effort to put the board back up before they rushed downstairs to access the west wing from the outside. As they stepped onto the front door veranda, they found Jeremy in painter overalls on a ladder with brush and paint bucket. He looked up, “Going for a walk? We do have spectacular sunsets. Enjoy yourselves. Oh, by the way, your door is fixed and bulb replaced.”

They stood beside the rubble where they envisioned the glint further in. Peter had Essie wait, “You just showered; no need to get dirty again.” Peter and Phillip inched across the burned boards, staying closer to the interior walls where they hoped more stable. Phillip got on his hands and knees to crawl to the spot to then return with a spyglass, “Brass with etchings I can’t make out. Has pink colored lens.” Peter looked thru it towards the sunset: a pinkish haze to the orange-colored sunset. He scanned inland and paused to ponder the horizontal green lines he saw at a distance. He continued to arch towards the resort, where he saw a crisscrossed tangle of horizontal and vertical green lines. “What the…” He angled upwards towards the top floor where he saw the green outline of a man standing in the penthouse. Peter quickly took the glass from his eye, “What the hell is that? I can see someone up in the penthouse!”

Thru Rose-Colored Glasses: When Phillip scoffed, Peter handed him the spyglass, “Look for yourself!” Phillip saw the same inland horizontal green line and the tangle of lines inside the resort. As for the penthouse, “There’s no one there. Wait. I see a green ball about the size of a tennis-ball. It’s moving… wait, it disappeared!” Phillip handed it to Essie. “Oh Hell No!” Peter tried to reason, “Lars mentioned aliens. Maybe its transport lines. Anyway, now that I’m all dirty, I think I need to clean up. I’ll catch up with you in the bar. Give me a few minutes.”

Phillip was amazed to find Essie’s door already repaired as Jeremy announced. And quality work. Peter laid out his cloths and laid his weapons in the bathroom as he thought about Essie’s intruder, “Bring it on you sick bastard.” A nice lather of soak and suds on his face, when he heard, “It’s So COLD!” Peter quickly finished as he’d concluded, “It’s the ghost of the original owner, Mr. Henry Knight who committed suicide.” But in his rush to get dressed, Peter saw movement outside: Jeremy in a bathing suit, sitting poolside in the lifeguard stand. How queer, the pool empty. [Psychology-pass…psychosis: his thought portrayed by his mother] “You know Petey my boy, that man isn’t like us.” Peter opened his window to call out, “Jeremy, what the hell are you doing out there?!” But Jeremy only shivered as he clutched his arms about her shoulders and looked upwards toward Peter, “It’s So COLD!” Peter recognized the voice in the shower! [Sanity- lost 6 pts, passed INT= BOM = Significant Person] Peter panicked when he saw his father drowning in the pool, “JEREMY! Don’t’ just sit there; SAVE him!!”

Meanwhile, at the bar, Essie and Phillip fixed their own drinks as they compared thoughts. Till the jukebox suddenly came alive with lights and music, “Is that Duke Ellington?” They were just enjoying it when the record changed to another song. Then changed again. Realization it running on its own. Essie wondered if there was a short in the power, especially when the lights began flashing, then the jukebox just stopped. And that’s when Jeremy the bartender showed up, “Can I get you anything else before dinner?” Essie asked, “We tried to get a tour of the Power Plant but were denied. Do you think you could arrange something this weekend?” They could hear him speaking to the operator but then no-one picked up the phone on the other end. The operator came on, “Sorry sir, no one is picking up.”

Essie heard pounding and thuds coming from the stairwell. She moved toward it and was almost knocked over by Peter bounding down the stairs and rushing past, completely ignoring her. Both Essie and Phillip saw the panicked look in his eyes and thus gave pursuit, “Wait for us. What’s going on?!”

Poolside: Phillip found Peter poolside holding a 10ft rescue pole stretched toward the middle of the pool yelling, “Grab on dad, I’ll save you. Grab it!” Essie arrived to witness the same and hear Peter cursing over his shoulder to no-one, “Damn it, Jeremy. Don’t just sit there, jump in and save him like a lifeguard is supposed to!” Phillip stepped to Peter’s side just in case the fool tried to jump into the empty pool himself and break his neck. Essie slapped Peter’s face, “Snap out of it Peter. There’s no one there.” Peter slowly came around and saw both his parents standing poolside looking toward the middle as they asked, “Son, who are you trying to rescue?” Peter finally snapped to, “Where’s that damn Jeremy?!” The trio compared stories and suddenly realized, “He couldn’t have been at the bar AND the pool at the same time!”

Idea/Freezer: Essie was the first to piece it together, “He kept saying ‘It’s so cold’. The only cold place I can think of would be the kitchen walk-in freezer.” They entered the kitchen and found cooking in preparation: vegetables cut up, oven on and a roast cooking inside, but no Jeremy in sight. Yet there was the expected freezer… iced over door. Peter filled pots of water to put on the stove, as Essie grabbed a rolling-pin to bash with. Phillip looked for rags to make a torch when he lucked upon a culinary blowtorch (used to make flambé). Soon they broke the ice seal and pried at the door with a fire axe.

The door opened to reveal a lighted freezer with racks of old/frozen vegetable bags, brown paper wrapped portions of meat, and other foods. A half-rack of cow hung from a meat hook. But further in the back of the freezer: they saw the glass cylinder on the back ledge. Gages and tubes decorated its exterior. 

And inside: a human brain! But most horrifying was the blue beam of light projecting from the cannister to the floor to reveal a Jeremy curled in a fetal position, shivering, flickering thru his various uniforms, while looking their way, “IT’S SOOO COOOLDD!!!”

[Sanity check: Peter was already insane per earlier BOM thus 1 point loss was enough to send him in a fit of Violence; Phillip lost 7 points and passed his INT thus suffered BOM = Flee; Essie lost 5 points but failed her INT thus no BOM]

Yet before anyone could act, the overhead bulb burst, sending glass shards as projectiles. Electricity sparked and extended from the socket, coalescing into an electrical human form before Jeremy’s projection. Electrical outlines of faces coalesced within the Voltaic Horror’s chest. [They didn’t know, but these the faces of the four staff killed in the 1909 fire.]

As if seeing the truth of Jeremy wasn’t enough… [Sanity check Peter and Phillip still under a BOM, Essie only lost 4 points and not 20% yet.] Phillip fled in panic, Essie took off on a mission, “There has to be a circuit breaker to shut off the power!” Peter unholstered his pistol and fired 3 rounds at the Voltaic Horror. The bullets passed thru it harmlessly but did ricochet off the back wall and break the brain cannister. Jeremy’s projection stopped. But that was of no concern for Peter as an arc of electricity just missed him and hit the freezer door behind him. “Bring it, you sparkless twerp!”

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7pm, Every Which Way: As if someone yelled “Break”, they all scattered.

Phillip ran thru the dining room and out the front door to then hop on a bike to get away. Except the battery dead! Fearful thoughts raced thru his mind as he envisioned the Horror actually inside the battery and ready to catch him by surprise. Phillip threw the bike down and stepped back onto the veranda. And slowly regained his senses, “Essie, Peter! God, how could I abandon them?!” Meanwhile,

Lights flickered throughout the resort as the Voltaic Horror (VH) syphoned the electricity as it grew stronger within the freezer. It lashed at Peter with another arc… except… [00] the splash from the broken brain cannister fluid temporarily shorted it out.

Peter aimed for the light fixture thinking if he destroyed it, the Horror would lose energy. “Bang!” He only exposed more wiring. And this time the VH hit Peter with an electric spark. Enough damage to leave a scar and knock sense into him (end of BOM violence rage). Peter backed out of the freezer and kicked the door shut with his boot. Temporary relaxation till he smelled the ozone and saw horizontal burn marks race toward an outlet where the VH emerged! [the VH surged through the wiring behind the wall paneling.] Peter ran with the idea to lead it to the pool to possibly short it with water. Meanwhile,

Essie found the cleaning closet (broom, cleaning fluids, rags, mop and bucket). She tried the next door in the kitchen: stairs leading down to the basement! The overhead flickering light gave some illumination as she descended to find the circuit breaker box. She didn’t so much hear the electric arcing as much as she saw the sparks dancing along the flooded basement floor (at least ankle deep). She saw the dangling wire that provided the charge! She shuddered at the realization she could have electrocuted herself had she stepped in it. But she also saw the circuit box on the wall, 4 feet away. “Can’t reach it. Maybe I can break it.” She returned to the kitchen to grab a meat tenderizer-hammer to throw. She missed. Meanwhile,

Phillip raced back inside for his friends. And almost ran over Peter exiting the dining room. Little time to talk as the Horror appeared in the doorway and lashed at both of them. They dodged. “Where’s Essie? No time to look; to the pool.” Meanwhile,

Essie: [Luck] Back to the kitchen where she found a fire-extinguisher, “Maybe I can short it out.” But when she aimed the hose… [99] nothing! “Damn it, it’s empty!” She threw it… [09] “BASH!” Total darkness! Essie collapsed onto the stairs and pulled in her knees as she silently sobbed [her Taphephobia: fear of being buried alive]. Long minutes before [Hard-POW] she remembered the flashlight in her purse. She rushed up the stairs and peeked into the freezer thinking the men still trapped inside. “PETER! PHILLIP! Where are you?!”

Lights Out: Peter and Phillip made it to the bar just as the lights went out. Only moonlight shone thru the windows. That and the light of the Voltaic Horror behind them! Enough instincts to dodge the sparks whipped at them. Realization the sparks not as strong nor the Horror as big as last seen with the resort power on. Peter was already out the door, heading for the pool, when Phillip perked up, [Listen-extreme] “Did you heard that?! It’s Essie!” Instead of the pool, they turned left to the west wing kitchen side door where they ran into Essie. “You did it! With the power off, it’s weakening.”

They joy short lived when they heard arcing behind them. They turned to witness the Voltaic Horror syphoning electricity from the powerlines leading to the resort. “We need to kill the power at its source!” They ran thru the resort to the front door to make a run for it, till Peter reasoned, “It was as fast as Phillip and me. Which puts Essie at risk with her slower. We need to use the bikes!” But Phillip announced, “The batteries are dead. The bikes useless.” Till Essie chimed in, “Don’t you remember? Joshua said to use the clutch to disengage the battery and just pedal per normal bike.” It was if the Horror could read their minds as it gave chase.

THE CHASE

CON pass (+1 move)- Essie took off ahead of the men, which meant they the target of the Horror ‘flying’ overhead along the powerlines, aiming blasts of sparks at them.

Spot Hidden- Phillip and Essie happened to look when a bolt of electricity missed Peter but struck the pasture fence, killing cows standing too close to the metal fence. The cows fell over dead. [Sanity check] Shock (at the realization the Horror’s touch so deadly) caused a surge of adrenaline to speed Phillip faster. As for Essie, [failure- 20 % threshold = DOM= Psychosomatic Disability = Deafness] her senses shut down as she put all her energy and thoughts into one action, “To hell with this meandering road!” She took off cross-country, direct for the Power Plant! Peter and Phillip tried to warn her, “The terrain is too rough; you’ll fall.” But then they also realized she away from the power line and had a better chance of avoiding the electric horror.

Fallen Tree: Peter and Phillip pedaled as fast as their legs would pump until they rounded the curve and spotted the fallen tree crossing the road with deep drop-offs either side. No cross-country for them. But they also spied a crumbing rock wall beside the road as if bridge barrier. [Hard-DEX] Phillip was in the lead and went airborne as he used the rock-wall as a ramp. [fail] Peter wasn’t as coordinated: while he too went airborne, he landed awkward and tumbled on the road (4 damage). While the bike battery had been ejected, the bike was still ridable. And actually easier to ride without the useless weight of that battery.

They thought about shooting out the capacitors on the powerlines in hopes of weakening the Horror. But they realized with it so close, the Horror could just jump the dead zone to the next pole with a live wire.

They rounded the last curve before the town and spotted the Power Plant. They decided to avoid going thru town; and instead, went cross-country directly to the plant following the main lines.

Power Plant: Essie was nowhere in sight. And the Horror had to be close behind. Phillip thought about alerting the guard to let them in and shut off the power. Peter nixed that idea, “No time to explain to him. We need to do it ourselves.” Phillip scaled the fence and straddled the top to aid Peter’s climb. They stood in the interior yard filled with towers of huge transformersside-by-side. “Where’s the kill switch?”

And that’s when Essie showed up on the other side of the fence. She used her bullwhip to snare the top of the fence to aid her climb. “Don’t just stand there. Look for the switch!” Peter retorted, “You’re the electrician. You find it. I’ve other plans.” He pulled his pistol and shot at one of the huge transformers. Nice holes but nothing else obvious. And that’s when the Horror arrived, following the main line. It flared in size and voltage as it flowed inside the fence and began absorbing power from the huge transformers. Meanwhile,

[Spot, Electrical Repair, Mechanical Repair] Phillip and Essie entered the red-bricked building and searched for the main box. “Over here!” It took both of them to put their weight into pulling both levers. “ZZuuuhh” The plant went completely dark. In fact, the entire island went dark. Meanwhile,

Peter was at a loss what to do next as he faced the Horror. He was cornered. He yelled in defiance, “Just stick a fork in it why don’t you!” And that’s when the power went out. Instead of drawing power from the transformers, the Horror was drawn into the thing. Sucked right out of sight.

EPILOGUE

They rode their bikes back to the resort to gather their luggage. And sat at the bar for one final drink. Almost an hour before the streetlights came on. Them still in darkness considering Essie broke the circuit box. “I don’t know about you but it’s time to get the hell out of here.”

“Sit still!” Peter squirmed while Essie tried to bandage his wounds. “You sure you don’t want to go to the hospital? That’s a nasty lightning scar you have there. I wonder if our Healing spell will help remove it.” She studied her notes before chanting the proper words: she could feel some energy flow from her hands to warm Peter’s skin. But while his wounds seemed to heal, the scar remained. Phillip tried the same and actually had better success at healing although the scar remained. But he also noticed something, “Did you feel a drain upon yourself when you cast?”

[Spell mechanics: Each time these cast a spell, they gain in Mythos knowledge which in turn lowers one’s Max-Sanity. The more spells they cast, more often, leads them closer and closer to insanity!]

9am, Saturday, May 13^th: They waited at the Mother of Pearl Diner for the ferry to arrive. Dolly poured them another cup of coffee while they listened for the ferry horn to blast its approach. Phillip had his face buried in another book he’d bought from the museum. Three more books waited their turn in his backpack. Essie chided him, “What’s with your sudden interest in witches?” [his new mania- Geotomania: obsession with witches and witchcraft] Dolly interrupted, “You guys just got here. Why leave so soon? Where were you when the lights went out? The taxi driver says he hasn’t seen hide nor hair of Jeremy Knight when he picked you guys up.”

Peter spoke first, “No idea about Mr. Knight. He never showed. We had to serve ourselves at the resort. Talk about a bummer. We thought about checking into another place here on the island, but then with your unstable power, we think it best if we just leave.” Essie followed suit, “Yes, lovely island but last night was a real downer.” She nudged Phillip to add to their excuses. “Huh? Sorry, I was too busy reading. What were you saying?”

Return to Arkham: Essie stormed into the Orne library to confront Dr. Henry Armitage, “You knew! You sent us there as a test you sick bastard!!” Peter tried to calm the girl while Phillip was caught flat-footed and silent (mainly because he thought the same). Henry adjusted his glasses as he looked up from a book, “What are you going on about? And why back so early? Didn’t you enjoy the resort?”

Soon Henry was aghast at the news of their encounter, “A brain inside a cannister?! Did you happen to encounter a winged creature like you did in Kizzah? Those were Migo, known to dabble with human brains for experimentations. Projections, yes. But you say this one actually physically able to interact with its surroundings?! A most surprising new development!” Dr. Armitage led them to the Restricted Collection where he opened a book to show them what a Migo and cannister looked like. As if they hadn’t seen. Not that they could forget!

“And you also encountered some kind of electrical creature? Perhaps we should call it a Voltaic Horror. Did you happen to find Mr. Knights notes or spell book on the matter? No? Let’s hope no-one else finds them and tries to repeat the  ritual. I’ll send a team there to deal with it while you rest.”

As they exited, Phillip thought about the Spyglass still in his backpack. A moment thought to maybe hand it over for the Restricted Collection. No, it might come in handy.

BACKGROUND

During Henry Knight’s travels to China, he found ritual books regarding Yog-Sothoth. He returned to his Ocean Empress Resort and began experiments to summon a Voltaic Horror into the world. Except he couldn’t bring himself to complete the human sacrificial requirements. Insane, but not that insane, he committed suicide by fork-in-an-outlet in 1887.

The Fire: It wasn’t till 1909 when Jeremy found his father’s notes and the summoning ritual. He had no such conscious and stepped in to complete his dad’s work. He gathered his loyal staff, had them link arms, and summoned the creature per their chants. Except he failed to properly bind it. The creature electrocuted Jeremy and caused a fire that burned down the west wing, killing the staff. The horror has been residing within the wiring of the resort ever since. But it gets better…

The Projection of Jeremy: Due to the influx of energy from the summoning, a Migo scientist arrived that night. The Migo recovered Jeremy’s burned body, extracted his brain, and placed it in a brain canister for experimentation and interrogation. It was this canister that was projecting Jeremy in different ‘staff’ forms around the resort, continuing the façade of an operable hotel. 13 years as a projection… Jeremy LONG ago completely insane and now devoted to the idea of service.

The Spyglass of Leng (a place in the Dreamlands): Henry Knight found the magic glass in Tibet decades ago. He realized it a means to see electrical energy. Peter’s vision of distant horizontal green lines: the powerlines along the road. The crisscross of vertical green lines inside the resort: electrical wiring. The green outline in the penthouse: the manifestation of the Voltaic Horror up in Henry Knight’s old room. Phillip’s view of the green tennis-ball: The Voltaic Horror collapsing back into the resort wiring to move about. They would have found scorch-marks on the outlet.

NEXT SCENARIO: https://wjr5oakley.blogspot.com/2023/01/therapyp2.html