CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

SCENE THREE A: INVESTIGATING ANIKA’S HOME: SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY: There is a long, low cabinet lining one wall. The telephone sits atop it underneath a picture of a white horse carved into a hill. There is also a picture of a forest-framed stream and waterfall, but nothing else. Nothing appears to have been disturbed here and the china in the cabinet is all in one piece. There are five doors leading off from this corridor and a set of steps leading down to the rest of the house. (NOTES: There are no clues in this room.) PARENT’S ROOM: This room is a mess. The bed clothes are flung back, and one of the bedside tables has been knocked over. A lamp and a pair of reading glasses lie on the floor near the bedroom window. Both are shattered. The curtains on the window are drawn. The mirror on the dressing table at the end of the bed is cracked, and a perfume bottle has been overturned. A jewellery box stands, apparently untouched, in the center of the dresser. You have just w...

SCENE THREE A: INVESTIGATING ANIKA’S HOME: Once PCs have gained entry to Anika’s house they can begin their investigation of the following rooms: FIRST FLOOR ENTRY HALL: This is just beyond the front door. A mirror and bureau of drawers stands opposite the door. A shoe rack sits on the floor on the right-hand side beside an umbrella stand and underneath a coat rack. There are two adult-sized mackintoshes on the coat rack but no child-sized one. Likewise, there is a set of men’s shoes and a set of sensible women’s work shoes on the shoe rack, but no child-sized shoes. Three sets of Wellington boots are also on the rack (two adult- and one child-sized set). There are two doors leading off from the entry hall: one on the left and one on the right. (NOTE: These details are important because they indicate that the parents were forcibly taken, and add to the clues that Anika left of her own accord. The door to the left leads to the lounge room and the door on the right leads ...

SCENE THREE A: INVESTIGATING ANIKA’S HOME: When PCs reach Anika’s home, read or paraphrase the following: Anika’s family lives in what looks like a small, two-story house with a tiny front lawn. You can see a policeman standing on the steps near the front door. He’s not knocking or trying to get in, but seems to be on guard. A squad car is pulled up out front, but there’s no one inside it. The policeman’s partner must either be in the house or around the back. General information: The policeman is under strict orders not to let anyone in without authorization. No one wants the Press snooping around and giving out information the police are not ready to release. The man’s partner is currently guarding the back door. All the windows, on both the upper and lower floors, have been locked, as has the entrance to the coal cellar, and the external doors. PCs facing the house can see there is a narrow pathway down the right-hand side of the house, but entrance to the back ...

SCENE TWO: AT THE PARK If the PCs go to the park, read (or paraphrase) the following: The park is not as empty as you might expect for this time of day. From the footpath across the street, you can see three main groups. The girl with the dog is there. She looks like she’s playing fetch with the monster, sitting on the edge of the round-a-bout and throwing a bright blue bone the size of your forearm. Whenever the dog grabs it, the bone gives out this ear-splitting shriek that’s got to be driving everyone in earshot crazy. The limo’s back, parked at the kerb on the opposite side of the park. The couple in it are drinking coffee and reading their papers. They occasionally look up, keeping tabs on what’s going on in the park. Investigating the People in the Limo: If the PCs have already met the Gehenna Consortium, this is where they can renew their contact. If they haven’t here is a chance for them to get involved. (i)         ...