September 24, 1926

"Call me Frank." It takes a moment, then he remembers, "Please." He accepts the extended hand. He walks in, removes his hat, adjusts his collar. He nods gently when making eye contact, not expecting the other men in the room to shake hands with the help. Frank begins to take a seat, making an effort to remember where he is and refrain from relaxing too much into a more familiar recline. It's noticeable.

"I wonder a bit myself, why such a varied collection...must be something important though."

Eric turns in his chair towards Frank. Lowering his head a little and looking over to top of his glasses. "So Frank, I’m an Archaeologist and we have a Shamus and a Prof of Psychology. What skills are you bringing to the party?"

"Mr. Rynders here is... Well, perhaps I'd better just go ahead and explain."

Donald returns and passes out cups of hot coffee from a tray as McTavish settles in behind his desk, folding his hands.

"So, gentlemen. Here's the situation.

Just over four months ago, Dr. Henry Roades, an associate professor in this department, led a small expedition, mostly made up of graduate students, to a site just outside of Blackwater Creek, near Dunwich. Based on his research, he believed that the site was the location of Cade's Rest, which was apparently an early colonial settlement in the Miskatonic Valley that failed for unknown reasons, spawning a myriad of local legends. I myself know little of it - American colonial history isn't my area of research - but Roades hoped to find evidence of the settlement's true history.

A little over a month after they arrived in Blackwater Creek, the graduate students on the expedition returned safely to Arkham. They reported that Henry said he'd found a document in town proving that the Cade settlers had merely returned to Boston after their settlement faced difficulties, and there was no substance to the legends. He told the students to head back to the university while he wrapped a few matters up. That was over three months ago, near the end of June."

He reaches into a drawer and pulls out a folded piece of paper with writing scrawled on it and hands it to Caden, who's sitting nearest him.

"Not long after the students arrived back in Arkham, I received this. The… tone of the letter is a bit troubling, to say the least. And it's curious that Henry penned this letter himself - all prior correspondence with the university was handled by Abigail."

"We've attempted to contact Dr. Roades with increasing desperation, but have not received any communication in return. The official story is that Dr. Roades is on convalescent leave, but with the new academic year having begun, this is a matter the university would like to finally resolve. What we're asking of you is relatively straightforward. We'd like to head out to Blackwater Creek, make contact with Henry and Abigail, confirm their safety, and ensure their return to Arkham. Obviously, the university is hoping to avoid any potential scandals, or the loss of a valued faculty member, but on a more personal note… Well, Henry and Abigail are dear friends. Frankly, I'm extremely concerned for their well-being.

As for Mr. Ryn- excuse me, Frank's presence: as you can see in Henry's letter, it appears that they ran into some trouble with some of the rougher locals, who didn't appreciate their presence in town. The students returned with similar news, as well. Not sure what the full story there is, but we've hired Frank here to provide security for the rest of you. Of course, our hope is you'll be able to avoid that sort of trouble altogether, but we wanted to ensure some measure of safety for you.

For your troubles, the University can offer to pay you each $15 per day, plus a $20 bonus upon completion.

So, those are the circumstance we find ourselves in. I'm happy to answer any questions, or provide any assistance I'm able to before you head on your way."

"Excuse me Sir, but is there any form of transport that we can use to get there?"

"Certainly, the University is prepared to provide you with an automobile if necessary. Of course, if any of you have your own vehicles you'd like to take, there's nothing wrong with that either.

Any other questions?"

"Thank you Sir. Do you mind me asking what Dr. Roades personality is normally like? Is he a friendly and approachable man?"

"Do you have any of his other letters professor? "

"I can offer my Hudson Essex for our trip. It has plenty of room for 4 plus a little baggage if we need to take anything with us. It's only a couple of years old, just broken in. But I'm still curious about what would a psychologist add to the mix? Is there something going on with Dr. Roades and his wife that I don't know about yet?"

"That’s great Prof, I can help with the driving". Eric turns to the rest of the team "Do you think we wil need overnight gear?" However in the back of his mind Eric is thinking "We are an odd team to pick up a stray academic! Is Dr. McTavish holding something back."

"How many miles is it to Blackwater Creek, does anyone know?"

"Doctor, do you know anything else about those farmers out there? I'd like to know what I'm to know what I'm dealing with, here. Also, are the cops involved?" Frank squints when he says this. He doesn't mean to be menacing but it may come across that way.

Frank is right. We don't want to step on anyone's toes...

"Donald, do you mind if I have another cup of joe". Eric sits back looking at Caden & Frank with wide eyes, and emits a low whistle. "The thought of a fight with a bunch of hick farmers gives me the heebie-jeebies. I'm not bad in a fist fight I was a boxing blue, but I'm really not comfortable around heaters".