The Haunting

July, 1921: O’Bannion crumbles the newspaper tossing it aside, “Kyern, get your crew in here! I sent O’Leary (Hammer) down to Boston to secure a safe-house for us but now I read about him gagged and floating in the ocean. I thought I’d coordinated with Zeke Crater and his mob; as long as we’re not selling. Get down there, check in with our accountant Mr. Keeting about the old house for sale, and confirm Crater had nuttn to do with Hammer’s death. Don’t need a gang war, but if he’s starting, I’ll finish it.”

Homer turns in his driver seat as Kyern and Victoria climb in, “So where to first? The accountant or the competition?” An hour later they pull up to the townhouse with Kyern ringing the doorbell, “Sarah, so nice to see you again. Is your brother Andrew in? We have some business to discuss.” Andrew Keeting appears, ushers them into his parlor, and closes the doors behind them. “I’ve researched the title to the house O’Leary was interested in. Title free and clear. Mr. Knot is the realtor so you’ll need to get with him for the keys if you want to inspect it. All I can tell you is it sat empty for a year after the last tenants left; Macario family vacated after the husband was committed to an asylum. Only one of two older houses (circa 1800s) left in that warehouse district.”

With business card in hand, they drive to Mr. Knot’s house in the suburbs. “Yes, the house is a little musty having been empty so long. But it comes furnished; what the last tenants left. Here’s the address and keys. You’ll find all in order; solid foundation. I’m sure you’ll find it to your likings.” Homer recognized the sweat on Knot’s brow as the tell-tale sign of someone…stretching the truth. Which has the crew splitting up to do some research on the house.

Homer drops Kyern off at the library, then Victoria at the Hall-Of-Records, before he drives on to the house. Kyern wisely seeks an elder librarian who points him to the proper bookshelves. “The Corbitt house? Oh my! What a history. Did you know the prior tenants were ALL committed. Roxbury sanitorium. Well, the kids were taken away…probably in foster care. House is cursed you know. Lot of stories of noises and bumps-in-the-night. A brother killing his own brother…right in that house! Other owners driven away over these last 50 years.”

Victoria found similar stories in her search. Except her research took longer (Library 98). First a check of the zoning laws to make sure the district wasn’t on the books for change that might end its residential status. Then a research of the house itself. Referenced as the Corbitt house. And that’s when the stray article caught her eye. Walter Corbitt’s 1866 will executed by a Reverend Michael Thomas, pastor of ‘The Chapel of Contemplation and Church of Lord Grantor of Secrets’. The church just up the street from Corbitt’s house, closed in 1912. Another article about the church but the middle pages torn from the records. Last person to checkout the records: Sgt Devlin.

Homer pulled up to the 2-story brick house set back from the road, thus falling into the shadows of the surrounding trees. Secluded; a nice touch for O’Bannion’s call for a safe-house. Homer is surprised to find 5 locks on the front door! Someone likes his security! As he opens the door he finds the shotgun-house design of a long hallway down the middle that ends at a window instead of backdoor. A cursory check of the doors and rooms, finding what he thinks to be the cellar door locked. No key that works. Upstairs bedrooms: one bedframe no mattress, another with 2 kiddy beds and abandoned toys, the third master bedroom FULL of crosses. 30 by his count!

They even left a rosary and prayer book! Homer dumped his Thompson machine-gun on the bed as if claiming it for the night, before locking the house to collect his allies.

They swing by Mr. Knots, “The cellar door must just be rusty. That 4^th key should work.”

Initial plans to find a hotel after listening to Homer’s description of the house are changed when growling stomachs suggest the diner. Purposeful loud conversation draws in the locals, “Are you talking about the Corbitt house near that blasphemous church? There was a 1912 police raid of the church founded by Mr. Corbitt. Pagan rituals I say but the police buried the reports after they burnt down the church. Police rounded up over 50 members wearing those yellow robes. Brought up strange charges against the reverend Thomas that sent him ‘up river’ for a 40 year sentence. Latest report he escaped.” More conversation, “The other house? Strange man lives there…names Tracer. A recluse; only comes out at night IF he comes out.”

They swing by the police station hoping Sgt Devlin will open up about the church raid and missing pages of the court records. But he has the day shift; so, they swing by the house for Homer to collect his Tommy. As they pull into the driveway, Kyern spots a lone figure near the church looking in their direction. Focused in their direction. Which has Kyern sneaking (Hard-success) thru the trees to spy on the man. Who walks onto the church grounds, retrieves a paint can from bushes, paints something on a standing church wall before climbing into a nice car driving off into the moonless night.

With penlight in hand, Kyern searches the church ruins finding a freshly painted symbol. As he studies it, he rubs his tingling forehead for what feels like the start of a migraine. That subsides when he turns to leave. Meanwhile Homer and Tori enter the house. Homer climbing the stairs to retrieve his Tommy while Tori pulls out her lockpicks for the cellar door. “CLICK.” It definitely unlocked but fails to budge when she pushes the door inward. “Damn, that’s strange. Not like it’s barred on the inside.”

Kyern returns to the car describing his encounter to his partners. “I know it’s late, but let’s swing by the ‘Sailor Club’ to pay Mr. Crater a visit. Let him know we’re in town. Verify our mutual agreement.” It’s after midnight when Crater enters his club and invites the group to his office. Kyern notices he still has his Latin book out as he continues to learn the language. Enough words exchanged to confirm the reciprocity is still in order. Handshakes as they leave. And that’s when Homer hears Crater’s quietly mumbled remarks, “Send my regard to O’Leary.”

Morning breakfast before they return to the police station finding Devlin, who Kyern has already met in a prior assignment. Who avoids the topic of the church and any inquiries about the reverend. Till Kyern draws the image painted on the church wall…Devlin turns white as a sheet! “They practiced human sacrifice. Children. Decades of missing children in that neighborhood drove families away, houses abandoned, warehouses replacing them till only the last 2 houses remained. Such horror couldn’t be printed; that’s why I expunged the report. To protect my citizens from the gruesome cult activities. The cult we eradicated.”

They return to the church for more clues. The same faded symbol drawn on interior walls. Then the creak and crashing sound as the church floor gives way under Homer and Victoria. Tori jumping to safety but Homer falling backwards into the black abyss of a basement. Groans and dust billow from below before silence has Tori scrambling down to check on the injured and unconscious Homer. Kyern lowers a rope to then pull up Homer to attempt First-Aid.

“While you’re down there, check it out.” The dust finally settles allowing sunlight to peek thru. Tori find two prone skeletons dressed in faded yellow robes, “Cult members must have tried to hide from the raid and succumbed to the smoke.” A cabinet in the corner: a few robes hung within. But as Tori shuffles around the locker, she kicks something underneath it. She bends to retrieve a book and a journal. “In your occult studies, have you heard about a book titled ‘Liber Ivonis’? Here’s a journal entry, ‘In accordance with his wishes…buried in the basement.’ The journal is crumbling but I think it contains both Corbitt’s and the reverend’s entries. Which basement? The church or Corbitt’s house? What was buried?”

Tori drives to the hospital as Kyern keeps pressure on Homer’s wounds. Per the attending doctor, “We closed his wound but he’ll have to stay a few days recovering.” Which gives Tori and Kyern time to take the book to the Myskatonic University and Dr. Armitage, “Where did you find this?! Rare indeed. You’ll be richly rewarded for ‘donating it to us.’ It’ll takes weeks for us to translate it but I can warn you now it contains blasphemous worship rituals. Whomever had this book was practicing devil worship and human sacrifices.”

Over the next 2 days they checked in on Homer’s healing progress. At night they setup a stakeout near the church hoping to spot their ‘visitor’. Kyern nudges Tori awake, “We have company. Damn, I recognize that car now, it’s Crater’s! Look, he found Homer’s cave-in. Don’t he look pissed. Guess we beat him to finding something HE wanted.”

“Thanks doc. Yeah, we’ll keep his bandages clean and changed regularly.” Finally the trio returns to the Corbitt house. This time as Tori picks the cellar lock, the others put shoulders to the door pushing it open. “THUMP. Thump.” Noise from above. “You sure you locked the house the last time we were here?” They climb the stairs (weapons drawn) to investigate. “It came from the first bedroom.” Empty and silent. Till Kyern hears scratching from under the bed. Tori stoops to spot the source. And that’s when a waterfall from the ceiling drenches her. Homer gasps causing Tori to look closer. She too gasping at the realization she is drenched in blood that still drips from the ceiling. “Oh hell no!” She stands to leave the room when she hears scrapping…as the bed stands on end and slams her into the wall! Knocking the shotgun from her grip.

Kyern prompts all to the cellar, “Whatever bewitches this house is in the cellar. Caution as they stare at the stairs descending into the basement. A rope for support. Tori climbs down but both Homer and Kyern stumble (DEX check: 93 and 86), falling face first into the dirt floor.

Littered with trash: trashcan lid, scraps of boards, nails, etc. All likely objects that can be animated which has Tori grabbing a can-lib for her shield. Kyern is already sprinkling holy-water on the dirt floor. A coal chute to the side seems nailed shut. A likely place to bury/hide a body.

And that’s when Tori glimpses the butcher-knife flying at her; she tries to block it with the lid (96) but the rusty blade slices deep. Homer swings at the blade with a loose board knocking it across the room to the floor. Kyern rushes forward to step on the quivering blade. “Quick, a bucket or box.” He covers the blade to then weigh the box down subduing the weapon.

Homer takes another look at the board in hand and realizes, “Recent construction. That far wall is new. A false wall?” It doesn’t take much kicking to knock a hole in the wall.

Rats come pouring out! Penlights reveal more carvings on another inner wall. “Church of Contem…” Hiding something inside? More kicking and pulling opens the wall to reveal an inner sanctum. A pallet centered in the room with a mummified 6ft body resting atop it with a chain necklace.

As they enter the area, the corpse rises! Homer has seen enough and raises his Tommy (00) – “CLICK.” [misfire/jam]. Victoria triggers 3 rounds from her 38 scoring a hit (9 damage) that only seems to chip the mummy. Kyern rushes in to rip the necklace thinking it some kind of protective amulet. The corpse raises curled fingers at Tori who feels the POW challenge (extreme success) as she fights off the urge to turn her gun on her allies. In the same moment, the corpse rakes its claws across Kyern’s shoulder.

Desperate, and frightened, Homer pulls his 45 firing into melee, just missing Kyern. Tori waits for Kyern to act as he pushes away and fires at the corpse (7 damage). The bullet penetrating and creating an exit wound. Whatever armor this thing had, now gone. Tori takes advantage of the separation to fire another 3 rounds (2 hits: 4 and 7 damage). But the corpse has found a weaker target, over-POW-ering Homer, who turns his gun on Kyern, “BAMM.” (of all times to roll an Extreme…19 damage).

The corpse jumps at the injured Homer who manages to fight back with the butt of his gun, clubbing the corpse dead. “BAMM, bamm.” Tori ensures it’s dead. As they kneel next to their deceased partner, they feel at ease about the house. Whatever curse removed. Mr. Corbitt, or what WAS Corbitt, dead. Finally dead. Re-dead.

EPILOGUE

“Ring, ring.” “Hello, Mr. O’Bannion. Victoria here. We closed on the house. It’ll make a great safe-house. Secluded inside a treeline. And enough mystery and history to keep folks away. It’s safe now. Sad to say Kyern didn’t make it. But we also found out that Mr. Crater had something to do with Hammer’s death. And I’ll also blame Kyern’s death on him too. You want us to stick around and take care of loose ends? That is, once we get out of the hospital. Yeah, Homer and I both.”