Part 1: The end and the beginning.

Sep 21, 2015 10:34 pm
It's nearly half past six in the evening when each of you arrive at St. Mary's hospital in central Arkham, the gothic spires of Miskantonic university rising impressively behind you. The sun setting, it is still nearly 72 degrees outside, making the beginning of fall feel a bit more like summer. An indian summer, perhaps. Each of you had received word that your dear friend, Rupert Merriweather, was near the end of his time on this Earth.
"Mr Lidstrom, I would strongly suggest you come this Sunday evening. I fear Rupert may only have days left. The cancer has spread." The nurse at St. Mary's had sounded very serious indeed as she phoned Steve Lidstrom a day earlier. A telegraph delivered to James Legatte at Cambridge University came a week earlier urging him to make the journey over the Atlantic as soon as he possibly could. Maxmillian Swift found out the earliest as he was across the way at the university working. "Did you hear that Rupert is not doing well?" Swift's colleague, a certain Edward Vitton, said one day sitting across from him at lunch. You all felt utterly compelled to visit the man in his final days.
"Third floor, room 313," the nurse at the front desk informed you motioning to the bank of elevators behind her. Arriving to the third floor you find Merriweather's room door open. Inside you see the bed-ridden man you have all know for a large portion of your lives. He is barely recognizable. His eyes are sunk deep into his excruciatingly thin face, a head totally lacking of hair. Brown splotches cover his face, the corners of his lips cracked and caked with blood. He figure he can't weigh more than 80 pounds at this point.
Sitting at a chair to his left you recognize his wife, Ester. She is weeping gently holding her husband's hand of some forty years. Across in the other corner of the room sits a young man roughly your own ages. He eyes you all suspiciously before returning his gaze to the dying man in the bed.
"Thank you," he rasps. "Thank you so much for coming." He stops to cough and spit out what you see to be blood into a tissue. "You all know Ester," he says, looking over at his wife. "This is my son, Charles." You can't help but notice a tone of indifference regarding the young man in Rupert's voice. After the pleasantries have been exchanged, Rupert asks his wife and son to leave so he may speak with his dear friends. His wife kisses him on the forehead and makes her way while Charles shoots a cold glare to each of you on the way out of the room. He motions for James to shut the door.
Sep 22, 2015 9:57 pm
"It's been too long, my friend. I just wish we were meeting under better circumstances." He gives a nod to the other two men in the room but will withhold introductions until they've had a chance to greet Rupert.
Sep 23, 2015 12:13 am
James bounds over to the door and shuts it. He turns and nods once at Rupert, but doesn't say anything. Though he would never admit it, being this close to death unnerves him. Since he took his hat off before entering the room, he instead finds himself fiddling with the contents of his pocket.
James looks toward Swift and gives him a small, half-hearted smile, "good evening Professor Swift".
Last edited September 23, 2015 12:13 am
Sep 23, 2015 12:38 am
"I couldn't agree more Steven, Rupert says with a smile. He coughs yet again and the smile disappears and is replaced with a look of pain and concern.
Sep 23, 2015 2:02 am
"James, my lad, so glad you came," Maximilian says. He forces a smile. "Rupert, old friend, there are better ways to get me to come across the pond to play golf with you. Besides, we were supposed to go to Scotland together." He reaches over and holds Rupert's hand. Fighting back a tear, he says, "what's on your mind?"
Maximilian has had enough of death in his time, and seeing his friend like this brings back unpleasant memories.
Last edited September 24, 2015 3:28 am
Sep 30, 2015 2:15 am
Rupert's face turns serious as he looks at you each in turn. "I'm afraid that my days are over," he says holding back another fit of coughing. "But before I go I need help. More help than I have ever needed in my life." In the days of his youth, the old man says, he and some fellow students became involved in what they believed to be an innocent exploration of the occult. Led by a slightly older man named Marion Allen, the six men purchased an old farmhouse a few miles west of Arkham near the village of Ross's Corners. There they could conduct their seances and other psychic research in privacy. The unexpected result of their last experiment, lead to the summoning of some evil force into this world. "I am still unsure as to what the true nature of this force is, but it is certainly malevolent," he adds, looking now out the window. "We were fools." he says in a voice louder and more firm than you have heard so far.

"lnstead of attempting to expel the thing, we abandoned the old house. confident that the magic which brought the evil to this would keep it confined to the vacant house. However, I learned later through painstaking research that the spell that binds the being to the house lasts only as long as the casters live." He shakes his head in disbelief and brings about another fit of coughing. "I.....I am the last one."

Silence fills the room for minutes as each of you stare at your old friend. Suddently, as if remembering something, he gestures towards the table in the corner of the room near the window. "Take the box" he says pointing to an innocuous little box on table. "All the aid I can offer you lies within. Please, do this for me."
Sep 30, 2015 4:32 pm
Max looks around the room, where Rupert is pointing, then at each other guest. Then he looks back at Rupert. "Old friend, you are having a dream. Wake up, Rupert, your friends are here with you. You are safe."

Max looks at James. "Please fetch him a glass of water, James."
Last edited September 30, 2015 4:34 pm
Sep 30, 2015 10:18 pm
Sven gives the other two men, whom he has yet to meet, a inquisitive glance and heads over to the table and grabs the box. Without opening it he walks over to Max's side. Whispering to Max "Breaks my heart to see such an old friend in such a state. He'd be embarrassed if his rambling about spells and such got out. We must keep it amongst ourselves."
Oct 1, 2015 12:38 am
James goes to get some water as Doctor Swift had suggested. On his way there he picks up the box and examines it. Knowing the others were probably worried about Rupert, James looks through the box, while handing the water to Swift.
Oct 1, 2015 1:40 am
To Sven,
"I agree. I think he is delirious. By the way, I am Maximilian, friend and colleague of Rupert." He offers his hand to shake.
To James,
"Thanks, lad."
Max gives the water to Rupert.

(By the way, I think both other guys went for the box).
Last edited October 1, 2015 2:06 am
Oct 1, 2015 2:32 am
Shaking hands with Maximilian, Sven introduces himself. "Sven Lidstrom. Pity to meet under such circumstances. I've known Mr. Merriweather here since I was a child. He was a very close friend to my father."

Convinced that Rupert was simply suffering a bout of delirium when speaking of spells and such, Sven will wait until he's had a few sips of water before asking him to repeat what he said.

OOC: Let's assume I didn't actually pick up the box, just walked over and took a peek at it, but didn't touch it in any way.
Last edited October 1, 2015 2:32 am
Oct 2, 2015 6:39 pm
Rupert drinks the water with considerable effort, spilling a good deal of it on his shirt. He looks up at Sven. "Don't look at me like I'm crazy Sven. This is all frightfully real." He coughs again, harder and more violently than you have seen yet. Bright red pin-sized drops of blood splatter onto the bleached white hospital sheets.
Oct 4, 2015 4:09 am
James backs off looking nervously between the two older people in the room. "Uh... should we call the nurse?"
Last edited October 4, 2015 4:09 am
Oct 4, 2015 10:03 pm
To Rupert,
"Rupert, you're not well. But show us the box, by all means, if that's what you want. Do you want the nurse?"
Oct 7, 2015 12:46 am
No, no nurse," he gasps. "Just take the box!" He gestures for Sven to pick up the box. Just before he can open it, Rupert is hit by an incredibly violent spasm. The coughing continues for almost a minute straight, drops of blood shooting out of his mouth staining the sheets further. Rupert catches his breath and then lets out a horrific scream followed by a tremendous gout of blood and tissue. A chunk of lung tissue the size of a golf ball smacks into Max's shirt. He shakes with a force you have never seen before. Moments later the room is flooded by nurses and doctors. The three of you are quickly ushered out the room and around the corner to a small waiting lounge where Rupert's wife and son stand.

"What did you say to him?" his son asks in an accusing tone. You each think of an answer but it would have been missed as the sounds of Rupert's screaming and coughing become the only thing that anyone can focus on. It continues for well over twenty minutes before it comes to a sudden stop. Moments later a doctor, his pristine white lab coat now covered in splattered blood walks to the lounge with a crestfallen look upon his face. "I'm sorry, but we lost him."


OOC: Roll sanity for seeing Rupert cough up part of his lung. If you pass no loss, if you fail 1 point of sanity loss.
Oct 8, 2015 2:00 am
OOC:
Max rolling for SAN of 70.
Last edited October 8, 2015 2:03 am

Rolls

Sanity Roll - (1d100)

(2) = 2

Oct 8, 2015 2:05 am
OOC: The edits above were in trying to figure out how to roll - I of course only rolled once.
Last edited October 8, 2015 2:05 am
Oct 8, 2015 2:19 am
Even though Sven knew his friend was dying seeing the final moments unnerves him quite a bit.

Rolls

Sanity Check - (1d100)

(59) = 59

Oct 8, 2015 3:02 am
Jame's face pales as he watches this happen. Bile rushing to the inside of his mouth.
"Bloody hell... Bloody hell..." he mumbles under his breath as he stares, paralyzed.
Last edited October 8, 2015 5:45 am

Rolls

Sanity d100 - (1d100)

(64) = 64

Oct 9, 2015 10:16 pm
To no one in particular: "I cannot believe he's gone! Oh, Rupert, Rupert, even to your dying wish did you always amaze me."

To the others: "Shall we go somewhere private and look in this blasted box?"
Last edited October 9, 2015 10:19 pm
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