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Session 21

A Will, a Reporter & a Gentleman

Overview

Locations: Carlton Ramsey’s office, the New York Times, Arkham (Miskatonic University), and Abigail’s Estate.

Key Themes: Cult conspiracies, artefacts of power, and disturbing events in Harlem.

Focus Areas:

  • Unravelling the Bloody Tongue
  • The Carlyle Expedition
  • Medjay's ties to Bast and the Black Pharaoh

Key Events and Developments

Aftermath of Corpse Elias’s Attack

Jackson Elias’s gravestone reads “A good friend to all.” It is revealed that an usher locked the cemetery house doors, preventing escape during the attack.

A fight breaks out, and Jupiter Maximus is knocked unconscious, his left hand shattered. Imelda and Abigail finish the fight. Jupiter’s ring is fused to his finger and cannot be removed.

Police and firefighters arrive, led by Lt. Jaspers (103rd Precinct, Brooklyn). They apprehend the usher, revealed as Iregi Kipkemboi, one of the Bloody Tongue cultists who set fire to the hall. Detective Donald O’Donlenson (14th Precinct, Harlem) also arrives, showing a personal interest in Imelda and questioning her connection to Ellen Anderson.

Jackson’s Will Reading

The reading takes place at Carlton Ramsey’s office, conducted by Donald Peel, filling in for Carlton Ramsey after his recent death. Attendees include:

  • Sam and Libby Raleigh: Jackson’s step-brother and childhood friend, heading to Cairo for an expedition
  • Abigail, Imelda, and Jupiter

Will Contents:

  • Jackson left a large fortune, divided among the group, with a request to continue his investigations.
  • Items from Jackson’s safety deposit box:
    • A locket for Libby
    • A letter about land in Cairo for Imelda, Ellen, and Jacob, written by Warren Besart
    • A photo of an unknown city
    • A flyer for a presentation on The Cult of Darkness in Polynesia
    • A matchbox from the Stumbling Tiger (10 Lantern Street)

Ju-Ju House Connections

Dr. Mordecai Lemming’s claims of the Bloody Tongue cult rely heavily on information from Silas N’Kwane, who may have fobbed him off with incomplete truths.

The Harlem Precinct celebrates capturing Kipkemboi and Colm Doyle, a white man tied to Jackson’s murder. However, one suspect remains at large.

Investigations and Revelations

Rebecca Showsenberg at the New York Times

Imelda shares insights into Jackson’s death, the police framing, and cult connections. Rebecca provides a list of eight victims (1919–1920) linked to the African murders:

  • Journalists
  • Mechanics
  • Waitresses

The Carlyle Expedition

Roger Carlyle, a wealthy playboy with a tumultuous history, joined the expedition with an African American woman known as N’Chonka or Anastasia Bunay. The expedition has connections to Egypt and a potential land inheritance for the group.

Arkham Visit and Professor Anthony Cowles

Professor Cowles, an expert on cults, reveals:

  • Cults worldwide are working to awaken Cthulhu, a being sleeping beneath the waves that could end life.
  • Bast is a goddess tied to dreams, life, and death, associated with the Medjay, who opposed the Black Pharaoh.
  • The Ponape Scriptures, an arcane text, references Bast, the Black Pharaoh, and global cults.

Artefacts and Omens

A box from Germany (for Jacob) contains a figurine wrapped in black human skin, with pinned human eyeballs, a scored mouth and breasts, and the name Chamiyo (real name of Frau Gartner). Unwrapping reveals a clay figurine with a white stone, resembling components for the Mantle of Command.

Jacob’s psychometry on the Celtic coin reveals the coin passed through multiple hands, including a man in a brown suit and fedora, who placed it in Jacob’s food at the psych ward.

Disturbing Dreams and Escalations

Jacob has nightmares of ascending a pyramid alongside Jackson Elias (bearing an upside-down ankh). At the top, a colossal red entity looms, whispering: “Become with me a God.”

Imelda unsuccessfully attempts to heal Lt. Poole’s dream, encountering his Irish mother.

Riot in Harlem

News Headlines: “Riot in Harlem: Six Dead, 30 Arrested.”

The chaos stems from Lt. Martin Poole, who reportedly went on a rampage, shooting an unarmed citizen before being killed. Walter Robson takes charge, linking the incident to the Harlem Hellfighters.

Unfolding Mysteries

Carlyle Expedition and N’Chonka: Who is N’Chonka/Anastasia Bunay, and what role does she play in the Carlyle Expedition’s ties to Nyarlathotep?

Artefacts of Power: What is the true purpose of the figurine and the Celtic coin, and how do they relate to the cults’ arcane practices?

Cthulhu and Global Cults: How are the Bloody Tongue, Bast, and Cthulhu interconnected, and what does it mean for the group’s mission?

Handwriting?