The Red Box, part 1

Armitage Files Session 2

Our first tabletop session of the Armitage Files had three players present. Dr. Krombach and Glen Cameron from the short Google hangout session and a new investigator, Fredrick Perrin.

The action picked up right where the Google Hangout session ended. Dr. Krombach and Mr. Cameron had spent the night deciphering the cryptic letter left in the wake of the Fairweather thing's attack. They decided that they would attempt to contact Dr. Henry Armitage, whom they assumed the letter was addressed to and who Dr. Kromback knew through a a fellow alienist, Dr. Peaslee. They would also follow up on the Kittrell lead and Mr. Cameron called on one of his sources (as he often writes about high society scandals) - a wealthy collector of strange artifacts, Fredrick Perrin. Perrin immediately invited the two to his mansion just outside Arkham and was obviously intrigued by the strange tale brought to him, so much so that he invited himself to participate in further investigations.

It was a short drive to Arkham university and the three soon found themselves interviewing the venerable head librarian himself. Dr. Armitage was greatly disturbed by the letter and appeared to take it quite seriously. He allowed that the handwriting was quite like his own, though obviously quite wild. He did not have any significant knowledge concerning the names and other things mentioned in the letter, and he certainly had no recollection of writing it himself. He asked if he could have the letter examined by his associates and that the investigators return in two days discuss the results. The investigators agreed and left the University, but not before stopping by the office of Dr. Peaslee. Dr. Krombach asked his colleague a few questions regarding Dr. Armitage's health, to which a worried looking Peaslee answered that Armitage was quite robust for a man his age. Dr Peaslee was spied walking hastily towards the head librarian's office once the investigators had departed.

Don't open the Red Box! Don't open the Red Box!
 Aww never mind...

Having two days to wait, the trio decided to pay Austin Kittrell a visit in Boston. Kittrell was a known playboy with a reputation for acquiring questionable items for high society clientele and Mr. Perrin, being an avid collector of strange artifacts, had availed himself of Kittrell's services in the past. Mr. Perrin had called earlier and Kittrell had invited them up for the evening to his luxury apartments. On arrival the investigators were lead to Kittrell's large and fashionable den where they proceeded to fish for information. Kittrel was smoking foul smelling cigarettes that he retrieved from his desk, the ouder reminding the three of the dusty smell of the Armitage document (and when asked for a cigarette, Kittrell provided one from a different location). Despite their questioning nothing seemed to stick until the Red Box was mentioned. Dr. Krombach noticed that Kittrell was visibly shaken at the reference and they pressed for more detail. Admitting it was indeed unbelievable, Kittrell told that two nights before a red box appeared in what seemed, for all the world, like a circle of blue flame right on his desk. Perhaps just as unsettling was that a month previously a small, weasely man had contacted him and told him to be on the look out for a red box. "You'll know it if you see it" he'd said and informed him that his employer would pay well for it. Kittrell had contacted the man who would be coming by the next evening to pick it up. Asking to see the box, Kittrell presented them with an aged red box covered in Arabic script. It was worn and in an archaic form so Mr. Parrin, who knew Arabic took a rubbing to examine later.

The three then departed for the evening back to Mr. Perrin's mansion, but not before Kittrell gave some advice, "The guy whose buying this box, you don't want to get mixed up with him".

On the way they back, the theorizing began and it was felt that Diamond Walsh was the buyer, which could well mean a midnight visit from a few gangsters to warn them off. At the mansion, pistols and shotguns were prepared just in case.

But in the early hours something else came thumping on Mr. Cameron's second floor bedroom window. Mr. Cameron was horrified to find not a gangster but the figure of the Fairweather thing. Arms still ropey, and clothing quite torn and shredded, the thing seemed to be regrowing Fairweather's face, but scrambled and misshapen as though it were being extruded from the vacant hole. The terrified Mr. Cameron shot wild and the crouching thing dropped from the window and into the dark snowy night. A frantic race out the front door found footsteps in the snow leading to a small wood to the rear of the mansion. Deciding not to pursue, the three investigators retreated inside, arguing over the nature of the apparition.

The next morning the three went to check the snow covered footprints but were not very interested in following them into the wood. On the way back to the house though, Mr. Cameron heard an odd whisper; "come to me". His curiosity getting the better of him, he told the others that he would continue checking about. The other two headed indoors and began to discuss Mr. Cameron's mental state when Mr. Cameron happened to look out the window and spotted Mr. Cameron entering the wood, followed by a dark furtive figure. Picking up his shotgun, he and Dr. Krombach raced outside again.

In the wood Mr. Cameron was confronted by the Fairweather thing. The face still scrambled, it began asking questions "Where is this? Why have I been brought here?". Seemingly frustrated by Mr. Cameron's inability to answer (who seemed transfixed), the thing's face started to open and inky black tendrils began to flow out. Mr. Cameron suddenly came too and fired his revolver but missed. The thing ran and he gave chase, managing to hit it once before it escaped. The other two hearing the shots blundered in and found the shocked Mr. Cameron. Not sure what they were dealing with, the three regrouped at the house and decided it was time to  check in on Kittrell and confirm their suspicions that he was indeed selling the Red Box to the gangster Diamond Walsh.

Arriving in Boston the investigators staked out the street in front of Kittrell's apartments. Sure enough a roadster soon drove up and two obvious gangsters leapt out and opened the door for a smaller, weasel faced fellow who entered Kittrell's building. A few minutes later the weasel man returned to the car carrying a bag about the size and shape of the red box. The roadster drove off and though not entirely in agreement with this course of action, the investigators followed. It took about three blocks for the experienced gangsters to notice their tail and pull over. The two thugs got out and aggressively stared down the investigators' car, hands in coat pockets.

Mr. Cameron summoned his courage and approached the gangsters on foot. They laughed rudely when he asked to speak to their boss, but Mr. Cameron persisted and presented them with his card saying "Tell your boss that the box is very dangerous" and then returned to Perron's car. Slightly mystified the thugs conferred with the small man in the back seat. They then looked up and started running for the investigator's car. Mr. Perrin sensing imminent doom stomped on the gas and u-turned to drive off.

The gangsters did not pursue.