Angel's Embrace
The city is Richmond, Virginia. The setting is variable,
either 1920's or Present. The story is a murder mystery.
·
Scene 1: The PCs are called to a murder scene. A
woman is murdered, her eyes wide open, her pale skin cast in full moonlight.
◦
People in this scene:
▪
Officer Jon Tulasky, first on scene. He
describes another sad death, another girl dies alone. He hasn't had much of a
chance to interview the witness, of which he claims there is only one.
▪
Drunk Joe “Namath,” local hobo. He saw a guy
cloaked in shadow, carrying something. He'll spill all if a PC wets his
whistle, or if they manage to threaten him with something more potent than a
free night at the lockup. If they can get him to spill, he tells them the guy,
or gal, or whatever, was humming a strange tune, “sounded like nothin' I've
ever heard 'efore.”
▪
The secret witness, Margaret Shoemaker, Elderly
busybody. She saw the man in the trenchcoat kneeling in the alleyway. He moved,
and she could see the body of the woman. Girl was already dead, she thinks. She
shudders at recalling more, but can be pressed. If so, she says he moved the
body slightly, arranging it, almost. He was wearing gloves and a hat as well as
the coat.
◦
Available Evidence:
▪
A white, crystalline powder, which a medicine or
pharmacy roll will identify as the drug known as Angel's Embrace, a new
designer which only recently hit the market.
▪
The body, with prints on the sleeve that match
no listed records. Cause of death: nothing visible. After the coroner gets
there, cerebral hemorrhage, within the frontal lobe. Matches the other two
victims.
▪
A torn piece of clothing, like that of a khaki
coat.
▪
One muddy bootprint, placed as a red herring.
Size 10 hiking boots that can be found in a nearby dumpster.
·
Scene 2: Following the drug. The PCs can check
that local police are beginning an investigation into a nightclub called Silver
Heaven in the city with rumored connections to the substance. The drug is so
new, that's all there is on it.
◦
People in the scene:
▪
Party goers Jennifer Thompson and Alex Noth.
Both are very high on ecstasy and will say that they believe they overheard the
owner talking about some 'A' coming in.
▪
The manager, Henry Harrison. He is curt and
unfriendly, claiming to be very busy, especially if there are any cops. “Just
do your job and move on, I have a club to manage.”
·
If he's pressed sufficiently, or if the PCs find
means to secure a warrant, he'll fold and provide a client list, but all the
product is gone. Most recent buyers are William Botswain (our man) and Anya
Fenris (a student at VCU and dead end).
▪
This is the earliest opportunity to catch our
guy. If they case the joint with a description of William, they can follow him
home. He shows up in 2 days to snag some more A.
·
Scene 3: Following the evidence. The Coroner's
office and the lab. It is much easier to gain access if a PC has direct ties to
law enforcement.
◦
People in the scene: Annalese Blanche, the
coroner. She's an older woman, very matter of fact. She indicates that the
frontal lobe of the brain ruptured, but no bruising was visible due to heavy
application of coverup. The rupture is akin to an aneurysm, but it explosive,
as if a microchip exploded in her brain. There is no remnant of any explosive
or residue of any kind. Most unusual.
◦
The fingerprints don't pull up anyone on file,
but there's a partial match to an old man brought in 10 years ago for
trespassing in a condemned building and was found worthy of the asylum. His
name is Charles Botswain.
◦
The man is crazy to a serious fault, but will
babble out things like, “The hunger of the deep” and Glaaki, though these sound
like gurgles or hisses. “Don't go back... can't go home... too dangerous to go
home...”
◦
This can lead the protagonists to the ancestral
home of the Botswains, now cordoned off by condemned signs. If the PCs brave
it, they find a cellar door leading downward, and can even find William lurking
about if they're lucky.
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