After a few month life-induced hiatus we resumed the Down Darker Trails: Bag of Nails campaign in September. Due to the current story arc still in progress but not all players being able to show, Nightmare Town was a “flashback issue” whose repercussions would echo into the current game.
Scenario: Nightmare Town
Flashback Scenarios
Playing a session that takes place in the character’s history is a two-edged sword. On one hand, it gives the opportunity for a quick one-shot when the other players aren’t around and possibly impart new information or details. On the other, there’s a feeling of safety because the characters have already survived. The stakes almost have to be lower. I rarely run flashback sessions and usually run a non-campaign one-shot when in a situation where the primary campaign has to be paused for a session.
Though I rarely run these types of scenarios, it had been three months since the last session and running a session that took place in the characters’ pasts seemed like a right idea. This would allow players to remind themselves of their characters and allow me to get back into the groove of Call of Cthulhu. Any effects of the game would carry over. If a character died (unlikely) it would be their follow-up character or the actions of other player characters that happened instead. I doubted such a thing would occur, but wanted the warning in place, just in case.
I didn’t need a big setting plan, just a simple conflict to get the game rolling and would riff from there. The flashback would take place after Ceremoanial but before the Investigators left Virginia City for Bag of Nails Issue 7: A Commissioned Odyssey. I tentatively titled it “Waking Nightmares,” but renamed it to “Nightmare Town” during this write-up.
Waking Nightmares
Following their recent escapades in the the Dreamlands, the Investigators would still be plagued with nightmares that felt all too real. Unchecked, these would develop into waking hallucinations where it would be very difficult to distinguish reality from dream. This would potentially allow me to use some of my untouched ideas from Issue #5: Siesta, Forever. In addition, depending on player actions, the scenario could provide portents about the future, including: the growing evil of Ben Lewes (the child rescued from the Nirumbee in Issue #1: Baby Back Ribs and impetus behind the shoolhouse massacre in Issue #4: Little Problems), the true nature of the Church of the New Lord, the corruption of Reverend Joseph White, and/or the impending doom of Alder Gulch.
Session Recap
The session’s Investigators consisted of Ellis Gentry, Levi Richmond, and Red Dove. Following their harrowing experience in the Dreamlands each of them were plagued by nightmares that felt close to their daily life. Ellis would dream of luck so rotten at the table that it wiped his finances completely. In his nightmares, Levi would find more of the serpent-men’s gemstone-like scales in the river, only for them to burrow into his skin. For Red Dove, she would find herself in town suddenly triggered into a violent rage, slaughtering the populace.
Put off from their normal routines by the nightmares, the Investigators tried to alter their daily activities. Their nightmares would then shift to reflect both their prior tasks and the new tasks set for themselves. Clearly, something had to be done to resolve their problems so that they could not only enjoy the simple pleasures of their life, but do so feeling rested.
The three met and were somewhat, but not overly surprised that their sleep had all been affected&mddash;they’d been through quite a bit over the past few months. However, it did seem unusual that such vivid nightmares all relating to their most common activities were happening to all three of them at the same time. Red Dove suggested a possible remedy: a vision quest. With no better ideas, Ellis and Levi agreed. That evening, the three would meet up outside of town and set up a camp to take the Native American’s concoction.
The brew of unique herbs and mushrooms didn’t seem to take long to take effect on the white people. Shortly after his first drink, Ellis fell over from his seat, completely asleep. Shortly after Levi chuckled at the “lightweight,” he too slunk down from his perch on a log, sliding into a deep slumber. Red Dove watched them and waited for the “tea” to affect her, but didn’t seem to be hit as immediate. Her head rested on her chest shortly before dawn in what seemed to be a natural sleep.
When the Investigators woke, they woke feeling more refreshed than they may have ever felt in their adult lives. Everything simply felt good. The water from the nearby stream tasted clear and extremely refreshing. Nothing seemed unnatural, simply better; more alive and focused. Red Dove didn’t seem quite as impacted by the tea, but she did feel better than she had. Ellis even ruminated over possibly having the tea on a somewhat regular basis, just to feel as sharp as he did on that morning. The three began to pack their belongings to return to town.
On their way back Levi experienced a strange feeling in his mouth. Reaching up to investigate, a tooth fell out of the prospector’s piehole. Seeing this, Ellis also felt like his teeth were slightly loose—perhaps this tea on a “semi-regular basis” might not be such a good idea.
The town itself was completely devoid of life. No people on the streets or in buildings. No horses in the stables or barns. Thinking back, there weren’t any signs of nature on their walk back, either. The three suspected they were in a dream state or perhaps the Dreamlands again, but couldn’t be sure. They tried to remember how they left the Dreamlands the last time; first they rang a bell in an alternate realm, then they drank from a chalice in the Dreamlands version of Virginia City’s capital square. As they were potentially in the the latter, they went to the capital square. No chalice was there to rescue them from their slumber and Levi was rapidly losing what few teeth he had left. Ellis’s own teeth were also slowly escaping their prison.
They each investigated their quarters and found somewhat twisted representations of who they were on each of their beds. Most notably, Ellis’s bed had a deck of cards, but instead of the normal playing cards he was used to, there was a deck of tarot cards. They tried reading fortunes for themselves, but interpretations were unclear. They took the items with them, but without a sense of what they might mean. Unsure of where to look next, the three decided to examine the beds of their fellow Investigators who were not with them on this strange journey. It was more of the same: objects that offered a not-quite representation of them.
Not yet ready to leave the town to investigate the Church of the New Lord, they made their way to the town’s schoolhouse. Inside sat a unpainted, statue-like version of Ben Lewes, sitting cross-legged in the same place the real Ben sat while they fought and defended themselves from bloodthirsty schoolchildren. Beneath the statue was a strange multi-star-like symbol in a circle. The sigil felt complete yet incomplete at the same time and none of the three could interpret what it meant. It seemed vaguely religious, but not Christian in the similar way the Church of the New Lord felt. The convent seemed like it would not only be their next stop in their investigation but their last.
The three made quick pace to the Church of the New Lord’s convent by nightfall. They were surprised to see movement and equally surprised when the figures moving from the kitchen to the underground chapel were serpent-men. Despite their real world encounters, the Naga seemed docile and ambivalent to the Investigators’ presence. The creatures seemed to have the never-ending task of taking food and drink on trays down to the basement and carrying empty dishware back up.
Not wanting to press their luck by interrupting or seeming too out of place, the Ellis, Levi, and Red Dove found acolyte robes and timed their traversal downstairs to avoid the snake people as much as possible. The chapel area seemed much larger than it had before and it felt like the entire town was there. They were all dancing and cavorting to a song unheard by the Investigators’ ears. Surveying the area they saw that in place of the reverend’s podium sat a wooden throne and upon the chair was a looming figure clad in yellow, hooded robes.
Upon seeing the party, Red Dove could not help herself and joined in the dancing. Ellis tried to remain inconspicuous by acting as if he was celebrating, only to find himself dancing along as well. To avoid dancing, Levi attempted to sample the buffet, only to find himself gorging on the food.
The party seemed to last an eternity, with the three unable to stop their actions. They were marionettes controlled by invisible strings. Would this be their final fate? The entity on the throne began to look up and its eyes shone with a blinding yellow light.
The three awoke in the camp they had made the night before, their emptied teacups of hallucinogens by their sides. Though they felt somewhat rested, there was no easiness in their steps and none of the false vigor they had felt before. As they packed up camp it was revealed that whatever vision quest they went on was shared. And it gave further credence to the idea that something foul was overtaking the town. All the more reason to leave. At least for now.
The vision quest had worked. That their more realistic nightmares were replaced by uneasy dreams was a mixed blessing and they would not soon forget some of the things they saw, but at least they would be able to sleep and somewhat enjoy their more normal activities again.
Keeper’s Thoughts
I loved how the players took the hook and ran with it. No suggestion by me required, just a “lets try a vision quest!” Players adding to the story induces one of the greatest feelings I, as a GM, can get. It spares me from feeling ham-fisted with any plot devices while also providing a sense of player agency.
My GMing style features a lot of improvisation and impromptu reactions, but normally I have at least an outline of a plan. For this session, I had no notes, just an idea. While there were a few stumbles in the game as we tried to remember past events, the session was a nice, easy way to re-ease myself into the GM chair and it felt so good to game again, from either side of the table.
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