A Study in Dust and Stone, Session 7: Jazz night

Scene setup

Story Direction Table Roll
[D100 + 1]: [84 + 1] => Dice Roll

Dice Roll table roll
[D100]: [2] => You hear something

Auditory Effect table roll
[D100 + D100]: [23+ 1] => Groaning + Under floor/ground

Note: I used this scene to learn and experiment with Foundry VTT maps, tokens, lines of sight etc. Very powerful tools indeed.

I also used some of the excellent maps from LOVEMAPS Cthulhu

October 27th, 19:28 p.m. | The Golden Kraken

As darkness falls, we head for the Golden Kraken. We hop into a cab and hammer out a strategy during the short trip.

Lorenzo: "I suppose you know the place, Mr. Fontenot? Any suggestions on our approach?"
Remy: "I've been there a few times for... business meetings. I know the bar personnel well. What worries me is avoiding Thibodeaux. If he spots us, we're done. He usually stays near the stage, so we should be fine if we keep our heads down. We go in, look for anything suspicious. Also, take this."

He hands me a .45 revolver. I look at it anxiously—the cold steel feels heavy and wrong in my palm—but I tuck it into my pocket nonetheless.

The cab drops us in front of the Golden Kraken. A young Black receptionist greets us with a bright, practiced smile.

Receptionist: "Welcome to the Golden Kraken, esteemed customers! Please, enter and make yourselves comfortable. We have the best jazz in the city, and we can provide all kinds of beverages for your pleasure."

Remy smirks. We enter the main lounge—a cavernous room with a stage at the far end and tables scattered across the floor. To the left is the kitchen; to the right, the offices. We choose a table far from the stage, letting the dim, smoky ambiance swallow us.

I scan the room, my eyes searching for the rot beneath the glamour.

Lorenzo Spot Hidden skill check
[D100]: [17 < 90] => Extreme Success.

Q: Do we see anything cult-related?
[D100]: [39] => Maybe

Q: What do we see?
Verbs table roll
[D10 + D100]: [6 + 23] => examine
[D10 + D100]: [2 + 56] => beguile
[D10 + D100]: [2 + 77] => blurt

I spot Thibodeaux near the stage. He is leaning in close to a young woman in her twenties, resplendent in an evening dress. She looks like Camille’s replacement. Thibodeaux is being conniving, his voice a low, oily murmur as he tries to beguile her.

"Leave me alone! I am just here to sing, you old pervert!" she blurts out suddenly. She turns and bolts toward the backstage. A flash of pure rage alters Thibodeaux’s face, but he doesn't follow. Instead, he head for the bar.

Lorenzo: "Interesting. Is he just a depraved old man, or is there something cult-related at play?"
Remy: "We should talk to that girl. Let's slip backstage while he’s occupied."

Remy Stealth skill check
[D100]: [58] < [70] => success

We slip into the corridor behind the stage and find the dressing room. The girl is inside, dabbing at tears with a silk handkerchief.

Remy: "Hello, Miss. I'm Remy Fontenot, and this is my associate, Mr. Bartolini. Could we have a moment of your time?"
Girl: "This really isn't a good time."
Remy: "I understand. See, I’m Camille’s brother. The singer you’re replacing? She had to leave because of some... unpleasantness with Mr. Thibodeaux. We just wanted to warn you."
Girl: "Well, it’s a bit damn late for that, isn't it? I'm Hattie. Hattie LaRue. Did he ask her to sing for that thing too?"
Remy: "Well, it depends on what that thing is, I suppose?"
Hattie: "The old bastard wanted me to sing in some kind of 'celebration' or mass. It wasn't gospel, I'll tell you that. He wanted me in a strange robe, singing words in a language that made my skin crawl. It was creepy."
Remy: "Do you know when or where?"
Hattie: "Tonight! Right here! That's why he was so insistent. That’s it—I’m outta here!"

She bolts out of the room.

Lorenzo: "He needed Camille—or a replacement—for a ritual. Good thing she's safe. But with Hattie gone, his plans might be..."

I stop. A sound reaches my ears—a muffled, agonizing groan. It isn't coming from the hall. It's coming from underneath us. [This is from the roll on scene setup]

Lorenzo: "Do you hear that?"
Remy: "Yes! They must have taken Hattie!"
Lorenzo: "There must some passage to the basement around here. Let me see."

Lorenzo Spot Hidden skill roll
[D100]: [75] < 90 => success

Lorenzo: "There! Under that table! A trapdoor."

Stairs are hidden under the trapdoor.
We draw our weapons, and descend into darkness.