A Study in Dust and Stone, Session 8: the Krarken's Lair

Scene setup

Story Direction Table Roll
I feel this roll is not required, since this is a direct continuation of the previous scene.

October 27th, 20:17 p.m. | The Golden Kraken basement

The stairs end in a dark, oppressive corridor. It is damp and extremely filthy, with thick grime coating the floor like a second skin.

Three doors line the right side, two line the left, and one stands sentinel at the far end.

Q: Do we hear the groaning noises?
Modificator: +60 (a certainty)
[D100 + 60]: [35 + 60] => Yes

Despite the thick walls, we hear the groaning noises again, unmistakable and closer now.

Lorenzo Listen skill check
[D100]: [60] => failure

Lorenzo: "Damn these walls, I can't pinpoint the source."
Remy: "Then we check them all. Start on the left."

Q: is there something of interest behind door 1?
[D100]: [79] => yes

Q: is it Hattie?
[D100]: [94] => yes

Q: is there somebody else with her?
[D100]: [57] => maybe

We ease open the first door. Behind it, Hattie LaRue is struggling against a dark shape—a man in a black robe trying to force her into a ceremonial garment.

Remy Stealth skill check
[D100]: [17] => hard success

Remy slips into the room like a ghost. He raises his revolver, aiming for the man’s temple.

Manouver attempt: knockout enemy
Modificator: advantage because caught by surprise.
Regular roll instead of opposed roll because opponent cannot defend when caught by surprise
Fighting (Brawl) skill check
[D100]: [99] => failure (wheee, almost a fumble!) => Remy spends 24 luck to get a regular success

The revolver connects with a sickening thump. The cultist collapses.

Remy: "Hattie, quiet! It’s us."
Hattie: "Mr. Fontenot? Thank God! These people are crazy, I tell you! Crazy!"

We usher her toward the rear exit, urging her to find the police. We have unfinished business.

We move quickly, checking the remaining rooms.

Q: Do w find something of interest in room 2?
[D100]: [84] => yes

Clue table roll:
[D100]: [14] => A ripped piece of clothing, bloodstained

The second room on the left is a preparation room. On a central table lies a ripped, bloodstained robe. I try not to imagine what happened to the person wearing it.

Q: do we find something of interest in room 3?
[D100]: [76] => yes

Clue table roll
[D100]: [70] => A bear or man trap spattered in blood
Makes no sense, rolling again
[D100]: [96] => A timepiece that runs backwards.

There's a wall-mounted clock. It ticks with a rhythmic metallic beat, but the second hand is running backward.

Q: do we find something of interest in room 4?
[D100]: [85] => yes

Clue table roll:
[D100]: [70] => Tracks leading away from this area

The dust on the floor in the second room on the right is disturbed by heavy tracks leading away from the room and further down the hall.

Q: do we find something of interest in room 5?
[D100]: [2] => no

The third roo on the right is empty. Just cold stone and shadows.
We reach the final door.

Listen skill check
[D100]: [38] => failure

The door is too thick to betray the secrets within. I grip my .45, nod to Remy, and kick it open.

The room is circular, centered around a large drainage grate. An ancient stone altar stands at the far end, carved with runes that seem to pulse in the dim light. Thibodeaux is there, draped in purple silk and brandishing a ritual dagger. He whirls around, his face twisting from shock to pure, unadulterated rage.

Thibodeaux: "YOU! What have you done? The ritual MUST be celebrated! Summanus awaits, you fools!"

Thibodeaux moves with a frantic, supernatural speed. He begins a guttural chant.

Combat - Thibodeaux's turn
Thibodeaux attacks first because the sight of the ceremonial room distracts us.
Action: Thibodeaux casts a spell
[D6]: 1-2=>Mindblast, 3-4=>Shriveling, 5-6=>Whiter limb
[D6]: [5] => Whiter limb
Target: [D4]: 1-2=>Lorenzo, 3-4=>Remy
[D4]: [2] => Lorenzo

Wither Limb
Cost: 8 magic points; 1D6 Sanity points
Casting time: Instantaneous
A terrifying spell designed to torment and cause permanent damage to a target.
The caster must be within 10 yards of the target. For the spell to take effect the caster must succeed in an opposed POW roll with the target. If successful, the caster nominates an arm or leg. The said appendage rapidly and painfully withers and shrivels, causing 1D8 hit points of damage and a permanent loss of 2D10 CON.
The victim and any witnesses lose 0/1D3 Sanity points each.

Opposed Power roll: Lorenzo vs. Thibodeaux
Lorenzo: [D100]: [37] < 70 => Regular success
Thibodeaux: [D100]: [54] < 100 => Regular success
Tie always go to the defender => Lorenzo wins

I feel a sudden, agonizing pressure on my mind—a foreign power trying to shrivel my very soul. I grit my teeth and shove the presence back, my willpower acting as a shield.
Lorenzo: "None of that nonsense!"

Lorenzo's turn
Action: ranged handgun attack
Firearms (Handgun) skill check
[D100]: [84] => failure

I level my revolver and fire, but my hand is shaking from the mental strain. The bullet splinter's a nearby table.

Remy's turn
Action: ranged handgun attack
Firearms (Handgun) skill check
[D100]: [78] => failure

Remy fires as well, but his shot goes wide, burying itself in the wall.

Thibodeaux's turn
Action: Thibodeaux casts a spell
[D6]: 1-2=>Mindblast, 3-4=>Shriveling, 5-6=>Whiter limb
[D6]: [4] => Shriveling
Target: [D4]: 1-2=>Lorenzo, 3-4=>Remy
[D4]: [4] => Remy

Shrivelling
Cost: Variable magic points; Sanity points
Casting time: Instantaneous
A powerful offensive spell causing physical injury to a target. The caster invests as many magic points as desired and that number halved in Sanity points. For the spell to take effect the caster must succeed in an opposed POW roll with the target. If successful, the target is subjected to a sudden and terrifying blast of energy, causing flesh to blacken and wither. The target loses 1 hit point per magic point invested in the spell.
Thibodeaux uses [D6]: [5] magic points and 3 sanity points

Opposed Power roll: Remy vs. Thibodeaux
Remy: [D100]: [29] < 40 => regular success
Thibodeaux: [D100]: [44] < 100 => hard success
Thibodeaux wins
Remy takes 5 damage.

Remy is hit by a spell for the first time => Sanity check!
Sanity check roll
[D100]: [64] => failure
Remy loses [D4]: [2] sanity

Lorenzo witnesses a spell being cast for the first time => Sanity check!
Sanity check roll
[D100]: [17] => success
No sanity loss

Thibodeaux’s eyes glow with a feverish light. He turns his attention to Remy, shrieking a different, stridulous song.
A blast of crackling, dark energy erupts from Thibodeaux’s fingertips. It hits Remy square in the chest.
The smell of burnt flesh fills the air as Remy staggers, his mind reeling from the impossibility of what he just saw.
Lorenzo: "NO!"
I refocus, my resolution hardening into cold iron. I squeeze the trigger again.

Lorenzo's turn
Action: ranged handgun attack
Firearms (Handgun) skill check
[D100]: [44] => failure. Lorenzo spends 14 luck to make a regular success.
Thibodeaux takes 6 points of damage

Thibodeaux constitution check
[D100]: [80] => failure
Thibodeaux falls unconscious

The bullet catches Thibodeaux in the chest. The air leaves his lungs in a sharp gasp, and he crumples to the floor, unconscious.
I rush to Remy’s side. He is shaken, staring at the blackened fabric of his coat.

Remy: "Did you see that? That bolt of energy... what the hell was that?"
Lorenzo: "I have no idea, but we're getting out of here."
While waiting for the authorities, I scour the room.

Lorenzo Spot Hidden skill check
[D100]: [89] => success

Q: do we find Tuscan rituals?
Modifier: +60 almost certain
[D100 +60]: [82 + 60] => yes

Q: Do we find some kind of journal?
[D100]: [81] => yes

Q: what info is contained in the journal?
Verbs table roll
[D10 + D100]: [7 + 54] => overpower
[D10 + D100]: [9 + 26] => segregate
My interpretation: a description of the plan to kidnap Camille and keep her segregated here in the basement.

Beside the altar, I find the heavy, leather-bound "Tuscan Rituals," but it’s the smaller, handwritten journal next to it that holds the real answers. I flip through the pages, and the story of Thibodeaux’s descent begins to unfold.

It started with his daughter, Estelle. Two years ago, at just fourteen, she fell ill with a disease that modern medicine couldn't even name, let alone cure. The entries show a man losing his mind to grief. Thibodeaux never accepted her fate; he spent his fortune on respected luminaries, then his savings on suspected charlatans, and finally went deep into debt. When science failed him, he turned to the shadows.

He eventually came into contact with an Italian antique seller who claimed to know of an ancient 'ritual' that could restore Estelle’s health. But there was a catch: to perform the rite, one had to become a "true believer." That was the catalyst for Thibodeaux’s plunge into the madness of the Summanus cult.

His singular purpose was to perform the "Ritual of Pleading" to save his daughter. According to his frantic notes, Camille’s voice wasn't just beautiful—it was a vibrational requirement, a "key" needed to access a spiritual "labyrinth" that would lead him to the forbidden knowledge of the ritual. The journal even mentions other Summanus high priests right here in Louisiana, though he never names them. This is far bigger than one man’s desperation.

[This is from random tables I found in the excellent Cults of Cthulhu sourcebook by Chaosium]

Lorenzo: "He wasn't just looking for power, Remy. He was trying to buy back his daughter's life with Camille's soul. And it’s bigger than we thought. There are other Summanus priests in Louisiana."

When the police arrive, they find a kidnapping scene they can understand. We keep the details of the "energy blast" to ourselves; no one would believe us anyway. As we leave the station, Remy turns to me.

Remy: "Bring that book to the Professor. If I hadn't met you on that train, I don't want to think about what would have happened to my sister. I’m in your debt, Mr. Bartolini."
Lorenzo: "You're most welcome. And please... call me Lorenzo."

+3 Mythos points for deeply unsettling events.