108: Head of the Beast

Synopsis

The investigators break back into Bernard Corbitt’s house during a thunderstorm, splitting up to search while Dom returns to the attic despite his earlier trauma there. Tallahassee searches the kitchen and finds a long burlap-wrapped package in the refrigerator, only to discover — after a fake-out “human head” label gag — that it contains merely a tree branch. Dom, meanwhile, climbs into the attic, pushes a listen roll by literally closing his eyes to “listen real hard,” and is immediately punished for this astonishing decision when the mysterious woman’s severed head drops onto him. The head has been transformed into a hideous spider-like creature with bony arm-legs protruding from the neck stump, and it attacks him on the stairs and in the hallway.

After a frantic scramble, Dom tears the thing off his scalp, Tallahassee rips it off Dom’s chest, and Dom finally obliterates it with a point-blank .38 shot, blasting black sludge and brains across the hallway. The scene produces several standout comic moments: the fridge gag, the argument over whether Dom should just shoot the creature off his own head, Mary Beth calmly interpreting the gunshot next door as thunder while serving tea to the Barbers, and Dom’s catchphrase after killing the monster: “Dutch, no way to get ahead in life.” In the aftermath, the group debates whether Dom deserves sanity back for killing the source of his terror, and the Keeper actually awards him some.

With the immediate threat gone, the group searches the upper floor more thoroughly. Dom spends a long, emotionally abandoned half-hour in the attic and eventually discovers only puncture marks on the walls and ceiling where the head-creature likely perched. Tallahassee explores Corbitt’s study and uncovers botany notes, occult books, a snakeskin-bound tome in an unreadable language, and a long run of black leather journals dating from 1911 to 1925. While Billie separately investigates Corbitt’s warehouse and learns little from the manager except that Corbitt missed work recently, Tallahassee begins reading the journals and finds devastating evidence: Corbitt has long served an entity called Ramasupva, murdered his own father, used rituals to impregnate his wife Lynn with a monstrous child, hid that child in the basement after her death, and later recruited Randolph Tomaszewski — “Mr. Tom” — to smuggle hospital body parts for grotesque experiments.

As the investigators keep reading, the journals connect Corbitt directly to the Miskatonic Mangler murders. Entries from March, April, and May 1925 describe the creature nearing maturity, Tom’s escalating instability, Corbitt dosing him with drugs, and explicit instructions to acquire fresh limbs and organs “by any means necessary.” The journals also mention a separate experimental creature entrusted years earlier to a man named Mordecai Shep in the coastal settlement of New Jerusalem, planting a nasty little hook for later. Bakersfield, inspired by references to the basement, re-searches the lower floor and finally discovers a concealed locked panel in the woodwork beside the stairs. The whole party converges, Dom narrowly beats Tallahassee to solving the problem with finesse instead of gunfire, and the episode ends with the hidden basement door finally clicking open.

Transcript

00:00 Welcome to the Arkham Files, a natural play Call of Cthulhu RPG podcast featuring Seth Morrison as Tallahassee Turner.
00:33 I think he's dying, but if he does, are you available?
00:35 Peter Morrison as Dominic John Card.
00:42 It was like I had a fair amount of spirits.
00:46 Donovan Ballard as Dr. Simeon.
00:50 I'm not a psychologist tonight.
00:52 Sam Morrison as Major Frederick Aloisius Bakersfield.
00:56 Still really into guns and ammo and… stuff.
01:02 Abel Morrison as Officer Billie McConnell.
01:05 We can't do anything drastically illegal.
01:08 I blow up his business.
01:10 And I'm your game master, the keeper of arcane lore, Alex Morrison.
01:14 Now grab some dice and your sanity.
01:17 Let's roll.
01:22 One by one you all climb up the ladder, making your way over the top of the fence and dropping down to the wet grass on the other side.
01:30 The rain is starting to come down in torrents.
01:36 Lightning flashes periodically overhead.
01:39 You hear the thunder following shortly after.
01:43 As you look up at what used to be just another house on the block, one that blended in with everything else on the street.
01:50 A house that was painfully ordinary and boring.
01:57 Now it takes on a sinister slant as you look up at it, knowing what things are hidden inside of it and what secrets are held within.
02:13 What do you do?
02:14 Secrets.
02:16 Let's go to the back door and open it.
02:19 Yeah, we go check the back door.
02:21 Let's see if it's unlocked first. If not then I'll try and kick it in.
02:24 You make your way to the back door. You try the handle and it is in fact locked.
02:29 Yeah sure. I hurry and run to the front and see if that's locked also.
02:32 No, I'm going to pick the lock.
02:33 Okay Dom, roll locksmith.
02:40 What's your skill on that?
02:41 50.
02:42 While he's picking I'm going to run around to the side of the house and check the windows.
02:45 Okay Dom, what's your roll?
02:54 13.
02:55 Alright. Tallahassee, as you're making your way to the side of the house you hear the door squeak open as Dom pops the lock after just a couple seconds and pushes the door open.
03:09 Are you going to keep going around or go back?
03:12 No, I go back.
03:14 Okay, you rush back.
03:15 Dom, you push the door open and it slowly squeaks open to the interior of the kitchen.
03:21 All the lights are off in the house.
03:24 With all the rain and heavy cloud cover overhead it is only dimly lit.
03:31 We go in. Split up.
03:34 We go in.
03:36 Dominic, why don't you head back upstairs where you were last time.
03:40 I'm going to check and see if there's a basement and go down there.
03:42 I'll just look on the regular floor.
03:53 You enter the kitchen, shutting the door behind you.
03:56 Dom, you're heading upstairs. The rest of you—where are you going?
04:04 I'll be on the main floor and just go room to room doing spot hidden to see if I notice anything out of the ordinary.
04:09 Bakersfield, are you going with Tallahassee or Dom?
04:15 I was going to go downstairs into the basement if he has one.
04:23 Looking around you don't see any door or anything leading down into a basement.
04:32 If I don't find a basement I'm going upstairs with Dom.
04:35 For now I'll stick with Tallahassee and look around.
04:47 Roll a spot hidden for me, Bakersfield.
04:54 Dom, you're heading straight upstairs.
04:57 Yep.
04:58 Dom heads around toward the front of the house and starts heading upstairs.
05:02 You hear his footsteps as he exits your vision.
05:09 Bakersfield, what did you get?
05:10 I failed. I rolled a 60 out of 45.
05:13 I'm going to do a spot hidden in the kitchen anyway.
05:16 Looking around you can't see any doors leading down into a basement.
05:22 Tallahassee, where are you looking first?
05:27 I'm going to start in the kitchen since that's where we came in.
05:31 Roll me a spot hidden.
05:42 Spot hidden 75. I rolled an 11.
05:44 Nice.
05:48 You search around the kitchen, looking in the pantry and cupboards.
05:52 You open the refrigerator.
05:56 Sitting on the top shelf is a round package labeled “Human Head.”
06:02 As you brush the frost off you realize it's actually a Simpsons reference.
06:25 But next to it is a burlap-wrapped package that is very long.
06:38 You open it up.
06:44 It is a branch from a tree.
06:55 Okay.
06:57 I keep looking around.
06:59 You search the rest of the kitchen but don't find anything else of interest.
07:07 Bakersfield, while he's doing this you are checking every door on the main floor.
07:11 Everything is as you saw before.
07:20 The cloakroom by the front door.
07:24 The guest room with the bathroom and closet.
07:28 The front room.
07:32 The stairs heading up.
07:37 You don't see anything that looks like it leads down to a basement.
07:42 Dom, you crest the top of the stairs.
07:49 The door to the master bedroom on your right is mostly open.
07:54 The hall runs left toward the back and front of the house.
08:08 I would like to check the attic.
08:11 Okay.
08:13 You walk toward the attic access.
08:15 Looking up you see the pull cord hanging from the trapdoor.
08:21 A sense of dread creeps over you as memories from the other night return.
08:33 Being forced up there against your will.
08:38 The face you saw in the attic.
08:45 Hours spent huddling in the dark unable to move or control your body.
08:53 You grab the pull cord.
09:00 Should I ready my flashlight or my gun?
09:06 Both?
09:10 How do I do that, do I have three arms?
09:14 Flashlight or gun.
09:21 I pull the cord with my flashlight hand and keep my .38 in the other.
09:31 The stairs squeak down as the trapdoor opens and the ladder unfolds.
09:48 The sections drop down one after the other.
09:56 You look up into the attic.
09:59 It's very dark up there.
10:02 You see rafters and some boxes along the edges.
10:21 I shine my flashlight up there.
10:31 I'll go up the stairs.
10:42 Each step creaks as you climb.
10:46 A strange sense of déjà vu creeps over you.
10:57 As your head reaches the top of the stairs roll a spot hidden.
11:12 I rolled a 55.
11:16 Out of 25.
11:38 You shine your flashlight around.
11:41 There are a few boxes and trunks.
11:44 Cobwebs in the corners.
11:48 You see the window Major Bakersfield photographed earlier.
11:55 It is empty.
12:01 Do you want to roll a listen check?
12:04 Sure.
12:12 I rolled a 64.
12:25 Pete is our resident Wil Wheaton.
12:30 Did you want to spend luck?
12:36 Or push the roll?
13:01 If you close your eyes you might hear better, but if you fail you'll be completely helpless.
13:25 I'll listen really hard.
13:48 Spend luck or push the roll?
13:55 I have 57 luck.
14:01 I'm going to push the roll and close my eyes.
14:27 I rolled a 95.
14:32 You're going to get eaten and it's going to be your fault.
15:00 Dom, as you close your eyes you are painfully reminded of the other night.
15:12 Being trapped in the pitch dark attic with something moving around.
15:26 The fear washes over you.
15:39 Suddenly a weight drops onto your head.
15:54 Jagged spikes dig into your scalp.
16:05 You open your eyes with a shout.
16:11 Something black is hanging in front of your eyes.
16:13 Something is scrambling across your head.
16:19 Take two damage.
16:26 Something sharp is clawing into your scalp.
16:32 You hear a sound like chittering.
16:37 You're screaming.
16:41 I run upstairs.
16:57 This happens while you are still searching downstairs.
17:10 Both of you make a listen roll.
17:15 Dom, make a dexterity roll.
17:36 I got a 64 out of 70.
17:44 Dex roll.
18:02 My dex is 65 and I rolled a 26.
18:10 You manage to catch yourself before falling down the attic stairs.
18:24 With all the noise downstairs you hear Dom shout.
18:29 You hear thumping from upstairs.
18:35 You rush upstairs.
18:40 Dom is in shock.
18:45 Something is clawing at your head.
18:54 What do you do?
19:06 Should I shoot it?
19:08 Yeah that's a good idea.
19:13 Just put your gun up to your head.
19:18 I run upstairs.
19:20 Bakersfield and Tallahassee rush up the stairs.
19:23 What is your guys' dex?
19:24 Yeah, I punch it in the spikes. Tallahassee, you guys are rushing up the stairs. What is your dex?
19:30 I frantically push at my head trying to get whatever it is off my head.
19:38 Tallahassee, what's your dex?
19:42 It's 60.
19:44 Okay. And yours is 65, Dom. What's your dex?
19:45 It's 60.
19:48 Okay. Alright, so are you trying to punch this thing or rip it off your head?
19:54 What are you doing?
19:56 Trying to rip it off my head.
20:02 Okay. I want you to roll fighting brawl for me.
20:08 My fighting brawl is 60.
20:11 21.
20:12 21?
20:13 Nice.
20:14 Excellent.
20:19 That's a hard success, right?
20:21 Yeah.
20:23 Okay, Dom, you reach your hands up and grab two handfuls of hair.
20:27 As you start wrestling with this thing, it's actually not that heavy. It doesn't feel like it has a lot of mass to it.
20:33 You manage to wrench it off your head as it leaves gouges on your scalp as you pull it, flinging it aside.
20:40 As it makes contact with the floor, you look down at it.
20:44 What you see is the woman's head that you saw the night before.
20:49 I knew it.
20:51 Knew it was just the head.
20:52 But instead of a body attached to it, coming out of the bottom of the neck appears to be what maybe once were arms.
20:59 You see flesh and sinew and tendons attached to it as it reaches down.
21:06 Bones hang out in some sort of mockery of spider legs coming out the end in shard-like jagged points of fingers.
21:15 It scrambles back upright and looks up at you.
21:18 You see that woman's face with the dead eyes and the slack open mouth as it glances up at you.
21:30 It lets out some sort of noise.
21:42 Kick it.
21:46 Open up its mouth. Kick it down the hole.
21:52 As I come running up the stairs, I pull my hatchet out and hatchet it in the face.
21:56 You guys are still making your way up the stairs.
22:01 It again rushes towards you, Dom.
22:06 Attempting with its strange bone spider legs — some combination of arms attached onto this thing, the skin and flesh stripped off the hands leaving them bare to the bone with just tendons attached —
22:26 sharpened down into points.
22:30 She rushes towards you and starts clawing into your legs, trying to knock you to the ground.
22:40 What do you want to do?
22:41 Fight back.
22:43 Yeah, I'm gonna fight back.
22:44 Okay.
22:47 Like a soccer ball. Right, roll.
22:52 What do I roll?
22:57 Roll your fighting brawl.
23:01 I rolled a 25, which is a hard success.
23:05 Okay.
23:06 Well, it actually got an extreme success.
23:09 I rolled a 3.
23:11 Whatever.
23:12 So as you reach down and try to kick it as it rushes toward you, it's too quick.
23:17 It dodges aside and starts climbing up your pant legs, jamming its weird disgusting bone fingers into you as it scales up your body.
23:28 You're going to take 1 damage from that.
23:36 It climbs up you, rushing toward your face with its mouth open, white teeth glinting in the light.
23:49 Did we make it up the stairs yet?
23:51 Dom's gonna get to go one more time as you guys reach the top of the stairs.
23:52 Dom, what do you do as this thing is climbing up?
23:55 Do you have a knife or anything on you?
23:58 Yeah, where's your knife?
24:00 Hit it with the flashlight.
24:04 Did you say this is just this head?
24:06 Also, yeah, hit it with the flashlight.
24:08 My God.
24:09 With arms coming out of the neck hole that come out so the hands are like claws, like spider legs that it walks on.
24:20 That's an insanity roll.
24:24 Yeah, I'm gonna need a sanity roll actually, real quick.
24:35 Okay.
24:40 29.
24:42 29, so a success.
24:48 Yeah, you're still gonna lose 1 sanity point as this horrible monster climbs toward you.
24:55 This spider-head is climbing up toward your face, its black hair streaming down behind it.
25:03 What do you do?
25:07 I grab it by the hair.
25:13 Okay. Roll brawl.
25:25 Son of a—
25:29 You missed?
25:33 Okay, it's fighting back, but it also misses.
25:35 So you swing down trying to grab it.
25:38 It snaps at your fingers as you're trying to grab at it.
25:40 So you jerk back, but it keeps scaling up your chest.
25:44 Oh, it's on my chest now.
25:45 Yeah, it's got to your stomach, getting up to your chest.
25:48 It's heading toward your face with its teeth snapping at you.
25:52 Major Bakersfield, Tallahassee, you guys both arrive at the top of the stairs.
25:55 Major Bakersfield, you are ahead of Tallahassee because you were down toward the front of the house checking for doors.
26:01 You come up to the top of the stairs just a second before Tallahassee does.
26:06 You turn the corner and look toward Dominic John Card.
26:08 You see the horrific spectacle of this disembodied head with strange bony arms protruding from the bottom as it scales up Dom's chest.
26:20 I need you to roll a sanity check.
26:24 Alright.
26:31 I rolled an 11 out of 46.
26:34 Okay, success. You only lose 1 sanity.
26:35 Tallahassee, I want you to roll for that real quick too as you also arrive at the top of the stairs.
26:49 Got a 20.
26:53 Out of 45.
27:04 So I got a hard success.
27:05 Okay, yeah, you only lose 1 sanity also.
27:09 You guys are so overcome with adrenaline right now that you're shocked, but it doesn't slow you down or incapacitate you in any way.
27:16 Major Bakersfield, what do you do?
27:18 As soon as I see Lady Head Beast, I holster my piece and pull out Old Reliable and just shock it directly on top of both of them.
27:22 Old Reliable? Your net?
27:27 You're gonna throw the net over me too?
27:30 I'm extremely skilled with a net. I can throw it in such a way that it will scoop up the head right off of you.
27:39 Okay, if you're trying to rush up and net the head off, are you going to throw it from across the room or get up to it and scoop it off with the net?
27:53 Alright, I didn't think this one through.
28:02 You kick the head and then he nets it.
28:05 I was thinking as soon as I get up I'll just throw my hatchet.
28:11 I have an idea: open the net and then grab it and throw the head into the net.
28:14 I have a hand on me. I could just grab it off him.
28:17 What if I kick it off?
28:18 Grab the hair from my head and rip it off.
28:22 I'll hold through my pants and hit it in the face.
28:24 I pat Old Reliable contemplatively and say, "You got a knife? Reach down, grab the hair, and rip it."
28:33 I reach down to grab the hair, pull my knife out, and attempt to stab it in the back.
28:39 Alright.
28:40 Roll fighting brawl for me as you grab its hair and try to rip it back and stab it.
28:56 60.
29:00 You guys are gonna get me killed.
29:06 Roll with a bonus die actually since you now have this thing outnumbered.
29:13 So instead of the 74, roll your tens die again and take the lower.
29:19 Rolled 70.
29:23 Alright, you rush up trying to get hold of the hair, but it's too quick. It's squirming around and you can't get a grasp on it.
29:32 It also snaps its teeth at you and you cringe back a little away from this horrible thing.
29:40 Tallahassee Turner, what do you do?
29:46 So where is it right now?
29:50 It's currently crawling up Dominic John Card's chest.
29:52 Oh, still? So Bakersfield tried to grab it and just—
29:53 Yeah, he was not able to pull it off.
29:57 Okay, I call him a dummy as I grab it in the hair with both hands.
30:02 That's all I'm doing, trying to rip it off.
30:04 Okay, you're trying to pull it off.
30:19 We gotta get it away from us a little bit before we start using weapons.
30:24 Okay, alright, roll a fighting brawl for me.
30:27 With a bonus die?
30:27 Yes.
30:30 My fighting brawl is 50.
30:31 6.
30:32 6?
30:34 Yes, 6.
30:35 Nice.
30:37 Yeah, that's an extreme success.
30:39 You run up, get two handfuls of hair, and rip it off his chest.
30:42 What are you doing with it? Just throwing it aside?
30:45 No, I'm gonna put it down on the ground, put my knee on top of it, and hold it down with both my hands.
30:52 Okay, so you're throwing it down on the ground and attempting to pin it.
31:03 As you're trying to put it down, it starts swinging its bony finger claws at you and snapping at your fingers.
31:15 Okay, I throw it. I get rid of it.
31:20 Roll a fighting brawl for me. Do you want to fight back or just throw it?
31:24 I'm gonna toss it across the room.
31:29 Okay, still make a fighting brawl roll for me then.
31:30 Out of 50.
31:32 39.
31:39 Okay, yeah, you beat it.
31:41 It tries to snap at your fingers and you chuck it across the room.
31:48 As it bumps to the floor, it attempts to right itself back up on its feet.
31:55 Now it's down the hall a little ways back toward the attic.
31:58 You are all standing apart from it, staring at it as it tries to scramble upright.
32:07 Now I draw my revolver.
32:10 What do you do?
32:12 This thing is scrambling around on the floor, its bones clicking on the hardwood as it's trying to get back upright, still making those weird gasping noises.
32:27 How far away is it?
32:30 Just a few feet. Maybe 3, 4, 5 feet.
32:35 I'm gonna shoot it.
32:36 Okay.
32:42 Also, I'm gonna shoot it with my .38.
32:45 I'll draw my cavalry saber, actually.
32:49 Okay, roll.
32:51 I'm doing handgun, right?
32:54 Yeah.
32:57 My handgun is 60.
33:00 And I am rolling a 4.
33:05 A 4?
33:06 I rolled a 4.
33:09 Jeez.
33:11 Yeah, that's an extreme success.
33:13 That's gonna impale.
33:17 Boom.
33:19 So with an impale, you get max damage and then roll another d10.
33:29 Okay, I'm rolling my other d10 right now.
33:33 I rolled a 6.
33:37 16 damage.
33:42 Excellent.
33:46 Tallahassee rushes up and rips this thing off you, tearing holes in your shirt as its claws come free.
33:50 He throws it to the ground ahead of you as it skitters across the hardwood floor.
33:53 It manages to get itself back up on its claws and looks up at you, its mouth dropping open, its eyes meeting yours.
34:04 You stare down the sights of your .38 as you line it up right between the eyes and pull the trigger.
34:13 The back of the head just explodes.
34:19 It goes careening down the hallway, blood spraying.
34:23 This weird dark black sludgy fluid sprays across the walls behind it.
34:31 It skitters and rolls into the corner and then sits lifeless.
34:53 Can I use my catchphrase?
34:54 Please do.
35:04 I'm gonna roll for catchphrase.
35:06 Alright, roll for catchphrase.
35:10 Next door, Mary Beth, while sitting on the sofa in the Barbers' living room, pours another cup of tea and hands them a cookie.
35:22 There's a gunshot from outside.
35:24 She looks over to the Barbers and goes, "Oh, that thunder is just getting crazy out there. What a storm, am I right?"
35:34 That's my girl.
35:37 And then we cut back to you guys inside the house.
35:41 So while he's doing catchphrase roll, I pull out my whip and whip it.
35:52 I rolled a 23, so it was a medium catchphrase.
35:57 And what does it sound like?
36:02 Dom looks down at it as it collapses into the corner in a horrible slimy mess and he says:
36:09 "Dutch, no way to get ahead in life."
36:18 There you go. That's a medium success on the catchphrase.
36:24 Okay, so there's now a dead horrible head-beast over in the corner.
36:30 As it lies there, you can see the whole backside of its head is just blown out.
36:35 Let's go upstairs.
36:41 I guess maybe we should start in the attic.
36:44 I think the attic is the best place.
36:48 What in the world is that thing?
36:51 Never seen anything like it.
36:56 I've seen a lot of stuff like— death.
37:01 I pull out my notebook and sketch a picture of this bloody blasted head-mess.
37:04 From a book.
37:05 Alright, so.
37:06 Except we've got something else for Dr. Shreen Portery.
37:09 I liked my head-beast like I liked my cheese: four toes.
37:14 (laughing)
37:16 Okay, so you guys are standing most of the way down the hall toward the front of the house.
37:18 The stairs to the attic are hanging down open.
37:24 There is a door to your right that is slightly ajar.
37:30 There's a door behind you to the right that is closed.
37:35 There's a door straight ahead of you at the front of the house that is closed.
37:41 Then the hall goes to the left.
37:41 Hey, so does Dom regain sanity for getting revenge?
37:46 Ooh, I like that.
37:48 On the thing that lost him sanity.
37:50 As a psychologist, that makes sense.
37:56 Because you can tell the fright he had the first time he saw the face really freaked him out.
38:02 After knowing that it can be killed.
38:04 Yeah, I actually like that.
38:08 Dom, roll me a d3.
38:16 Thank you, my good man. I rolled a 3.
38:20 Okay, cool, so take back 3 points of sanity.
38:25 As you look down, you have somehow brought some kind of order back to the world
38:34 as you've destroyed this horrible thing of your nightmare from the other night.
38:41 Alright, I run up into the attic.
38:46 You're going up into the attic, Tallahassee?
38:48 Yeah.
38:49 Flashlight burning and lit.
38:51 Alright, so Tallahassee heads up into the attic.
38:53 What are you guys doing?
38:55 I want to go up into the attic as well.
38:57 I think we're all going up into the attic.
38:59 Yeah, we're all going up into the attic.
39:01 Dude, I was the first one in the attic.
39:03 Well then I won't go into the attic. Fine, I'm going somewhere else.
39:08 Alright, Tallahassee heads halfway up the stairs and then out of spite goes back down.
39:11 Why are you guys all following me? I'm gonna go find somewhere else.
39:17 Okay, where do you want to go?
39:20 Dom and Bakersfield head up into the attic.
39:22 Tallahassee, where do you want to go?
39:24 I'm gonna go into the—
39:26 There's a door basically right next to you on what would be the west side of the house that is slightly ajar.
39:30 There's a door ahead of you towards the front of the house down the hall that is closed.
39:34 There's a door behind you, again on the west side of the house, that is closed.
39:38 Then the hall curves around to the left, which would be the east side of the house, and leads down to what looks like another couple of doors.
39:52 I'm gonna just go in the one right next to me.
39:54 The one to your right?
39:56 Yeah.
39:58 Okay, the one on the west side of the house, the one slightly ajar.
40:02 Which way am I facing?
40:03 So you guys are kind of coming down the hall facing the front of the house.
40:08 So if you're facing the front of the house, there's a door right to your right and then there's one ahead of you at the front of the house.
40:14 Okay, so the one to the right would be the master bedroom, right?
40:17 No, that's back behind you toward the back of the house.
40:20 So you push open the door on the right.
40:24 You look into what looks like a study or an office.
40:29 You see a desk over in the corner.
40:31 There's a bookshelf.
40:35 There's a comfortable-looking office chair pushed up against the desk in this room.
40:44 Maybe we can find some more secrets.
40:47 Major Bakersfield, you guys head up into the attic and start looking around.
40:49 Both of you guys roll spot hidden for me.
40:53 My spot hidden...
40:58 45.
41:03 I rolled a 96.
41:05 (laughing)
41:08 Okay, back to form, I see.
41:11 Bakersfield, what did you roll?
41:14 I rolled a 76 out of 45.
41:16 Okay, so you—
41:17 And I pushed the roll.
41:19 How would you push your roll?
41:22 So I'm going to pretend like I'm doing binoculars like this.
41:27 (laughter)
41:29 And how does this in some way put you at risk?
41:35 Well, it kind of gives me tunnel vision through both eyes.
41:37 Okay, and you're just going to start stomping around in the attic.
41:41 Turns off his flashlight so that he can just see in the dark.
41:45 I don't know.
41:47 Alright, never mind.
41:49 We just turn on our flashlights and hopefully that increases our chances of finding things.
42:14 Okay, Billie McConnell.
42:21 You made your way down to the Corbitt Imports warehouse.
42:24 You went in and demanded to speak to the manager, saying you had some questions to ask about where the owner was, Mr. Corbitt, in relation to some crimes recently.
42:38 They immediately said they'd call their boss really quick if you would just hold tight.
42:48 They went off to the back room to make some phone calls.
42:52 What do you do? Are you going to stay there and wait, or what do you want to do?
42:55 No, I'm going to start snooping around.
43:03 Just in the warehouse? You're kind of back in the manager's office area.
43:05 Yeah, I want to look around the manager's office area.
43:11 Corbitt's not there yet.
43:12 The manager's back on the phone.
43:15 Oh, he's in the back room?
43:16 Yeah, I'm going to snoop around in the manager's office.
43:19 Okay, roll a spot hidden for me.
43:29 54.
43:31 Out of 80, I think.
43:32 Yeah.
43:33 Success.
43:34 Okay, you're digging around, kind of searching through some stuff.
43:40 Nothing really looks suspicious or out of place.
43:45 Looking through some drawers, glancing through some folders, you see some papers on a desk.
43:52 Nothing that immediately looks suspicious or catches your eye.
43:56 It all just looks like business stuff relevant to the importing and exporting business he runs here.
44:03 Nothing necessarily out of order.
44:05 Some inventory forms laying aside what looks like things from recent shipments.
44:11 Some accounting books on the side.
44:19 There are some locked drawers on the filing cabinet off to the side of the desk.
44:28 Can I sneakily jimmy them open with my knife?
44:31 Okay, do you have a locksmith skill you'd like to use, or do you just want to break them open basically?
44:38 Zero locksmith.
44:39 I'm just going to jam in my knife and pop them.
44:42 Try and break it.
44:44 Alright, that is going to make a bit of noise, and I'm going to need you to make a strength roll to see if you can break these open.
44:50 I'm really loud when I snoop.
44:52 (laughing)
44:57 Yeah, strength check.
45:00 70 is my strength.
45:07 75.
45:09 75?
45:10 Okay.
45:12 So you jam your knife in there and try to work it open.
45:14 It's not budging.
45:17 It's wiggling back and forth, but you can't quite get it open.
45:20 It is making quite a bit of noise here.
45:26 As you're trying to work, the manager comes back from the back office and says,
45:30 Is everything okay?
45:33 I heard some noises. Is everything going alright back here?
45:37 Yeah, sorry, I tripped into the cabinet there.
45:42 Oh, yeah, no problem. Just be careful, watch your step.
45:46 I just spoke with Mr. Corbitt on the phone.
45:49 He said he'll be right down.
45:53 He's heading here right away and he'll be here in just a few minutes.
45:57 Can I ask you a few questions before I get to him?
46:02 I suppose. What is it you'd like to know?
46:07 I pull out the little vial and ask him if he's ever seen one of those.
46:11 Okay.
46:12 He looks at it puzzled.
46:15 He kind of goes, "May I take it? May I look at it?"
46:21 Oh, this is evidence.
46:23 Okay.
46:24 He just looks at it as you're holding it up and shakes his head.
46:27 No, I'm sorry, it doesn't look familiar.
46:31 It doesn't look like anything we've imported or anything like that recently.
46:33 It's not anything I'm familiar with.
46:37 Okay.
46:38 You can roll a psychology roll if you want to see if he's lying.
46:41 Yeah, I got good psychology.
46:43 That's to tell if people are lying or telling the truth.
46:45 Okay. 70.
46:50 Yeah, 53.
46:52 Okay, he looks like he's telling the truth.
46:55 He looks legitimately puzzled by it.
47:11 I'm sorry, I don't have any answers for you about that. I've never seen it.
47:16 Perhaps Mr. Corbitt could answer your questions a bit better when he gets here.
47:21 Have you noticed Mr. Corbitt being suspicious? Any kind of suspicious activity? Strange people coming around? That rat-face fella?
47:33 A rat-face fella?
47:36 Yeah, he's a thin tall rat.
47:43 Dark red hair.
47:45 Yeah.
47:46 Doesn't ring any bells. I'm sorry.
47:50 I don't recall seeing anybody that looks like that recently.
47:53 Mr. Corbitt, he—
47:55 I mean, he didn't come to work yesterday, which is out of the ordinary.
48:00 But he's been known to take a day here and there.
48:03 Typically he's here every day, nine to five, puts in the day's work.
48:06 I haven't noticed any odd behavior from him outside of that.
48:15 Okay, well here's my card. If anything comes to mind—
48:23 Oh, yes, yes, of course. I'll give you a call if I think of anything.
48:27 Are you going to just wait here for Corbitt?
48:31 Yeah, wait here.
48:34 In the office.
48:36 Okay, so you park yourself in the office to wait for the arrival of Bernard Corbitt.
48:53 Alright, back.
48:54 Major Bakersfield, Dominic John Card, you guys are in the attic searching around.
48:56 There's a fair amount of boxes kind of dug through.
49:00 It just looks like old clothes.
49:07 Nothing out of the ordinary.
49:09 A few knickknacks here and there that have been stored up here.
49:13 There are some trunks, like old steamer trunks.
49:18 When you open those up, again, you find old garments, some old coats and things that have been stored up here.
49:27 The typical types of things you might find in an attic.
49:32 Tallahassee.
49:35 As you enter into this room, you walk toward the desk.
49:40 There are a bunch of papers all over it.
49:45 Looking at the library use—
49:47 Yeah, there are shelves on the back of the desk going up in these cubby holes.
49:53 There are quite a few books lining the shelves.
49:58 Are you going over to take a look at the books?
50:02 Well, yeah, what about the papers on the desk?
50:08 There's just a bunch of papers sitting out on the desk, and then the books.
50:11 If you want to dig through the papers and look at them.
50:14 Oh, yeah.
50:15 I was going to do a quick look through the papers to see if anything weird exists.
50:20 Okay.
50:21 From what you're looking at, a lot of it looks like botany notes on his plants and things like that out in the back.
50:30 It's formulas on fertilizer or something.
50:37 Combinations of various things.
50:40 Just notes on his greenhouse and gardening.
50:45 Proceed to the bookshelf then.
50:47 Yeah, there are also a couple of drawers on the desk.
50:53 I will open those.
50:55 Yeah, there's a collection of books standing on a single shelf.
50:58 The most interesting things looking at it:
51:01 There looks like an Arabic copy of the Quran.
51:06 There's a copy of Twenty Experiments in the Occult by Dr. Arthur Turnley.
51:16 There is a large crudely fashioned book that looks to be bound in some kind of snakeskin.
51:23 The title is in a language that you can't read.
51:34 What languages do you know, actually?
51:36 Just English.
51:39 Okay.
51:40 The most prominent set of books on this shelf is a long line of black leather-bound volumes.
51:53 It looks like there are about 14 of them total.
51:59 Each of them is numbered with a four-digit number starting with 1911 and going up to 1925.
52:14 From the looks of it, they appear to be journals.
52:30 I'm going to do a few things for prep in case Corbitt comes back.
52:34 I'm going to grab the snakeskin book and the occult book.
52:38 Then I'm going to run down to the kitchen and put them in a garbage sack and put them outside the back door.
52:50 Then I'm going to get another garbage sack or two and run back up, bag the head in the garbage sack, and go put it out back.
52:58 They have garbage sacks?
53:02 I don't know. Some kind of container.
53:07 So that if he comes back and we've got a bucket, we'll be able to take the head and books with us.
53:12 Okay, you're going to do all this right now?
53:16 Yeah, it shouldn't take that long, right?
53:18 It'll take a few minutes to run up and down the stairs, grab bags and things, and bag everything up.
53:24 Do you want to look at the books? Or are you just throwing them in a bag?
53:28 Yeah, I'll open the 1925 black leather-bound book and the snakeskin book.
53:35 Okay, as you pull open the book that says 1925 on the back,
53:48 it definitely looks like a journal with dates going throughout the year 1925.
53:58 Skimming through it, it's all handwritten entries.
54:01 Are you going to read through it?
54:04 If you want to skim through it looking for anything pertinent, it'll probably take about 10 minutes.
54:11 In-depth reading will take a little longer.
54:18 No, I don't. I would rather maybe read one or two pages as I skim through.
54:25 I just want to see if it's—
54:26 Of the most recent one? The 1925?
54:29 Yeah, I'm going to read the most recent entry. I'm going to start from the back.
54:33 Okay.
54:35 You should have just gotten something on Roll20.
54:40 If you would like to read it, as you're skimming through, these are the most recent entries that you can find.
54:48 Yeah, do you want me to read them out loud?
54:52 Yeah, if you want, unless you want me to read it.
54:53 No, I can read it. I was just wondering if we want to read it in front of everybody else or if you want me to read it.
54:58 No, go ahead. Yeah, read it.
55:01 Alright, so. April 16.
55:04 Tom somehow in his degraded, broken-toothed mind has decided to take the worship of his master to the next stage.
55:10 At some point, I don't know when, he managed to steal one of my older tomes of rituals.
55:15 He then decided to enact these rites using the local pet population.
55:20 The police of course found him because he is an idiot of inestimable measure.
55:24 He was only brought in for questioning and then released, but this was enough for him to be fired from the hospital.
55:29 I discovered this from a story in the paper this morning.
55:34 I've contacted Tom since my previous entry and explained to him my current feelings.
55:38 He has been made to understand that under no circumstances is he released from his duties.
55:47 He must acquire parts my child requires by any means necessary.
55:52 That's all written in big bold letters.
55:55 Now it's May 25.
55:59 I suppose I should have known he would turn to this.
56:02 I was naive.
56:03 I've been deluding myself, believing that this could all be completed with—
56:09 My master's plans are proceeding on schedule.
56:23 Our child grows and is so very near maturity.
56:27 Thanks, sorry man, we just blew a hole in the head.
56:31 The blood is on my hands as much as his.
56:33 Maybe more.
56:35 I wash and wash them, but they never seem clean.
56:40 I wish that he would stop.
56:42 Do I?
56:44 Or do I wish I would stop being a coward and do it myself?
56:47 When my master comes, none of this will matter anymore.
56:51 All will be clean.
56:53 Nothing will matter anymore.
56:58 I'm taking these.
57:01 All 17 books.
57:03 That's just the most recent entry.
57:08 Yeah, that's enough to convince me to take it.
57:11 You're taking it? That's why I'm going to take that.
57:13 Are you looking through any more of it or are you done with that?
57:16 I don't know. Should I read more, or let's collect stuff and get out of the house before he comes back?
57:22 We can always read that back at Simeon's or one of our homes.
57:29 Let's definitely snoop.
57:32 I was going— okay, I want to grab the—
57:35 I was just going to say, even if Corbitt gets back while you guys are gone, there is a good chance he will notice if these things are missing.
57:43 Even if you do take them to read them later, you would be aware of the fact that if he finds a bunch of stuff missing, he is going to have an idea of what happened.
57:56 Isn't he gonna notice when his head-beast is gone anyway?
58:00 (laughing)
58:02 Bakersfield and Dominic John Card, you guys— he's been digging through these books for a few minutes.
58:06 Are you guys still looking around in the attic, or do you want to come back down?
58:11 Well, did we not find anything up there?
58:13 Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing that looks like it wouldn't be found in an attic.
58:21 Let's do one more spot hidden.
58:24 I'm just gonna keep rolling it until I get an extreme success.
58:28 If you guys want to spend a bunch more time up there, I'll let you roll again.
58:37 Alright, how much is a bunch more time?
58:40 Probably at least 30 minutes if you want to do a really thorough search.
58:48 Is there anything up here that we want to find?
58:52 Well, we found a head-beast.
58:55 Is there anything left up here that we want to find?
59:04 I'm assuming you're asking me.
59:11 Are there any rugs or anything on the floor?
59:15 No, the floor is just bare wood.
59:19 We don't notice any strange markings or anything anywhere? Drag markings?
59:24 No, I'm thinking more like pentagrams.
59:27 Oh, like occult symbols or anything? No, nothing like that.
59:31 Well, I'm convinced. Let's go.
59:34 I'm good.
59:38 Okay, so you head back down.
59:44 Are you gonna— where do you want to go from here? Do you want to search somewhere else in the house?
59:48 Yeah, what hasn't been searched on this current floor?
59:53 On this floor there was the door that's closer to the stairs on the west side of the house.
59:57 There's the door at the front of the house.
01:00:00 Then the hallway goes toward the front of the house and curves to the east side where there's another door right there.
01:00:06 And then another door to the left.
01:00:09 That doesn't make sense.
01:00:10 Alright, I'll check that first door to the left that you mentioned.
01:00:15 Okay, the one that's farther back in the house or the one toward the front?
01:00:24 Let's see, isn't the guest room and all that stuff toward the front of the house?
01:00:28 Yeah. So when you come down the stairs from the attic, you're facing the back of the house.
01:00:33 If you go to the left, there is a closed door.
01:00:38 Alright, I'm going to check that.
01:00:40 Okay. So you open that.
01:00:41 It looks completely empty.
01:00:44 It looks like maybe another bedroom that is just completely unused right now.
01:00:48 There's nothing in it.
01:00:50 It looks like maybe there's a closet to the right, but the rest of the room is completely empty.
01:00:56 Alright. I'll check the closet.
01:01:00 Alright. You look in the closet.
01:01:02 It's also just completely empty.
01:01:08 It appears to be like a spare room or something that is out of use.
01:01:15 Dom, what are you doing?
01:01:18 I kind of feel ditched in the attic.
01:01:22 Do you want to roll for sanity?
01:01:25 We're gonna do the what?
01:01:26 Do you want to roll for your sanity because of your emotional distress?
01:01:28 Do you love me?
01:01:29 No, no, I'm good.
01:01:30 I am gonna look around a little more though.
01:01:33 Okay, do you want to spend 30 minutes?
01:01:37 Sure.
01:01:38 Okay, alright. I'll get back to you and let you roll again.
01:01:43 Okay, Bakersfield, just kind of glancing around, did you want to go somewhere else from there?
01:01:50 Yeah, I want to just start checking every room and door that's on this floor.
01:01:56 Okay, so if you come out of there and start heading toward the front of the house, there is the door to the right where Tallahassee went, and then there's a door straight ahead that's closed.
01:02:05 So if you head up to that and pop it open, it looks like a linen closet up at the front of the house.
01:02:11 You see windows to the front of the house.
01:02:18 You just see sheets, towels, blankets piled up in here on shelves and things.
01:02:28 Hmm. Can I do a spot hidden?
01:02:31 Sure.
01:02:36 95 out of 45.
01:02:39 Okay, yeah, looks like a linen closet.
01:02:43 You actually don't even notice the linens.
01:02:48 This is a nice closet.
01:02:59 Okay, so if you come out, the hall goes to the left from here and goes down a little ways.
01:03:05 At the end of the hall there is a door, and then on the left side there's also another door.
01:03:09 Okay, I'll check the first door you mentioned.
01:03:12 Okay, the door straight ahead.
01:03:14 You open up the door and this actually looks like a nursery.
01:03:17 Looking around, there's a crib over in the corner.
01:03:21 There's a dresser up against the wall.
01:03:25 Glancing around though, everything is covered in dust.
01:03:30 Which is kind of remarkable considering the rest of the house is pretty spotlessly clean.
01:03:35 This room is just covered in dust.
01:03:37 You don't see any footprints or anything.
01:03:39 It doesn't look like anybody's been in this room in a long time.
01:03:46 Can I search around in this room?
01:03:48 Yeah.
01:03:52 As you go in, you look. There's another door on the right side.
01:03:57 Looks like it's probably a closet or something.
01:04:02 But for the most part, the room is empty aside from the crib and the dresser.
01:04:08 Alright.
01:04:09 I'm gonna look in the crib and kind of just stuff.
01:04:13 The crib is empty.
01:04:14 It's covered in dust.
01:04:20 A little mobile hangs above it with little circus ponies on it that are also old and dusty.
01:04:27 Alright, I'll check the door.
01:04:31 You open the door. It's an empty closet.
01:04:40 No, nothing hidden? No trap doors?
01:04:50 Roll a spot hidden.
01:04:54 I rolled a 4 out of 45.
01:05:03 Yeah, no trap doors.
01:05:06 You don't see anything.
01:05:08 I leave the dusty nursery and I go to that last door that you mentioned.
01:05:10 It's a bathroom.
01:05:12 Okay, I take a whiz.
01:05:13 Okay.
01:05:16 Tallahassee Turner, if you hear somebody taking a whiz down the hall while you are perusing these books—
01:05:19 And while I sell freaking— Bakersfield, you hear somebody, or Dom, shuffling around in the attic above you.
01:05:23 What do you want to do?
01:05:30 So yeah, during that whole time I would have been able to read a couple more pages, right?
01:05:38 Yeah. If you keep flipping back through that same journal, you find another entry, the one right before the last one that you just read.
01:05:50 Okay.
01:05:53 This guy's crazy.
01:05:56 March 19.
01:05:59 Mr. Tom says I'm asking too much of him and claims that he is having difficulties as planned with words.
01:06:04 But the creature is so close to maturity and its needs increase all the time.
01:06:09 I've boosted again the strength of the drug I gave the man, hoping that it will entice him to be more cooperative.
01:06:15 I fear, however, that the drug simply exacerbates his derangement.
01:06:19 I must admit, feeling guilt, aiding and abetting his false beliefs somehow seemed wrong.
01:06:25 However, to try and tell him the truth would, I'm afraid, serve only to further unhinge his mind.
01:06:30 I will continue the pretense of believing in his "master."
01:06:36 I value the services Mr. Tom renders too much to risk further damage to his grasp on reality.
01:06:42 Most of the creature's organs are now in place and a few limbs have been attached.
01:06:46 The grafts heal nicely.
01:06:48 My years of experimenting are paying off.
01:06:54 April 16.
01:06:56 Fool, fool, idiot, ass.
01:07:08 That raging incompetent fool of all fools has ruined everything.
01:07:14 We were so close, so close, and he has destroyed everything.
01:07:22 My master will make him wish that he had never been born.
01:07:28 Looking at this entry in the journal, the entry gets more and more unhinged.
01:07:38 The writing gets more intense.
01:07:40 There are ink blots all over the place, almost as if he was stabbing this page with his pen.
01:07:49 There is ink everywhere. There are words scratched out.
01:07:56 The writing looks like it was rushed and written in just a furious rage.
01:08:07 Yeah, it looks like he went crazy as he was writing it.
01:08:11 And if you recall, the entry just following this is the one where he talks about how he just learned Mr. Tom was fired from the hospital.
01:08:21 Right.
01:08:22 And he told him he still requires him to get his parts for his purposes by any means necessary.
01:08:30 Roll me an intelligence check, Tallahassee.
01:08:45 33.
01:08:48 Seems like probable cause.
01:08:53 Checking the dates on these journal entries—
01:08:58 April 16 on this.
01:09:03 And then the other one.
01:09:05 So actually the last two entries were both on April 16.
01:09:09 The one that's full of rage and then the next one that's written in big block letters where he says he needs him to get parts by any means necessary.
01:09:21 April 16 was right around the time of the first Miskatonic Mangler murder.
01:09:28 My solved case, y'all.
01:09:33 Remember the guy used to work with body parts? That's what he did at the hospital.
01:09:41 Okay, I'll take this.
01:09:47 Then from May 25, as you saw, that's a little more resigned in the writing.
01:10:01 Alright.
01:10:03 At this point Major Bakersfield wanders into the room.
01:10:08 As you find Tallahassee perusing through these books.
01:10:12 What'd you find out there?
01:10:16 All this is pretty crazy. These couple entries basically say that he definitely knows Tom,
01:10:20 and he knows about disposing of or collecting body parts
01:10:26 and forming some sort of beast.
01:10:31 It talks a little bit about blood being on his hands,
01:10:34 and it's dated right around when the murders started happening.
01:10:41 So this is pretty good incriminating evidence.
01:10:45 Dom, why don't you make me another spot hidden roll up in the attic since it's been about 30 minutes?
01:10:51 Alright, my spot hidden is 25.
01:10:57 I rolled a 15.
01:10:58 Oh snap.
01:11:01 Okay, searching around the attic, giving it a real thorough search, nothing else really jumps out at you.
01:11:05 You're digging through the boxes more, searching through the trunks.
01:11:07 You can't seem to find anything of much significance.
01:11:11 In the walls, you do notice a lot of these weird little puncture marks all over the wall and ceiling,
01:11:14 especially right above the stairs.
01:11:17 Where?
01:11:18 Probably from the head.
01:11:19 Perhaps where the weird spider-head beast was perched.
01:11:24 But other than that, you don't find anything else of significance up here.
01:11:28 Alright, I'm gonna leave.
01:11:30 You head back down the stairs.
01:11:31 You see Bakersfield and Tallahassee through the open doorway to your left as you come down the stairs.
01:11:39 You're going in to join them?
01:11:41 Yes.
01:11:42 We're going to join.
01:11:43 Okay, what do you guys want to do?
01:11:44 You're in this room. You found two other books that you thought were interesting: the snakeskin-wrapped one, the other one on occult experiments, and there are 13 more journals on the shelf.
01:12:00 Does Tallahassee have the head-beast in the bag?
01:12:03 No, I haven't done that yet.
01:12:05 Hey Dom, why don't you run bag that head-beast? You can take a look at this.
01:12:09 I run bag the head-beast in case he comes back, after Tallahassee tells me what's going on with the journals.
01:12:17 Okay, he gets you all up to speed.
01:12:20 I guess you go run bag the head-beast.
01:12:24 So while he's getting a bag to wrap up the head-beast, what are you two doing?
01:12:30 Our goal has got to be to get the police in here to read his journals somehow.
01:12:38 We need a reason.
01:12:40 Probable cause is what we're looking for.
01:12:43 Yeah, but how do we even do that?
01:12:47 Like with the house on fire.
01:12:51 That actually is not a bad idea.
01:12:54 I would suggest reading more journals.
01:12:57 You're not there, McConnell.
01:13:01 Wait, wait, let's read more journals.
01:13:05 Alright, why don't we split them up?
01:13:07 Yeah, let's keep scanning those.
01:13:08 Baker's Phil, why don't you search the desk, because I never got through to the—
01:13:12 Alright, I'm gonna search the rest.
01:13:13 And we'll read the—
01:13:15 Okay, it's gonna take about 10 minutes per journal to skim through it.
01:13:19 Okay, we're gonna start back to front again, but I'm definitely looking for secret places where he's doing his work
01:13:28 or weaknesses that he may have for us to be able to fight against him.
01:13:32 Okay.
01:13:33 Okay, Dom, you just got a handout that I sent you.
01:13:36 Major Bakersfield.
01:13:37 Oh, cool.
01:13:39 Yeah.
01:13:40 Did you roll a spot hidden?
01:13:42 I can.
01:13:43 Cool, right.
01:13:44 Corbett Journal 1. June 1, 1911.
01:13:47 I rolled 49 out of 45.
01:13:49 Do you want to spend luck?
01:13:51 Are you searching the desk?
01:13:52 Searching the desk.
01:13:55 Do you guys want me to read this?
01:13:58 Opening up the drawer, like the top drawer to the right, the first thing you immediately notice
01:14:02 is a loosely wrapped leather-bound binder with a lot of loose-leaf papers stuffed into it and kind of bound into it.
01:14:14 Yeah, I'm just opening it up and looking at it.
01:14:17 As you're looking at it, it looks like more botany notes,
01:14:22 a lot of stuff on his experiments with his plants.
01:14:27 It's pretty complicated. There's a lot of formulas and stuff.
01:14:32 Stuff that really kind of goes over your head.
01:14:38 Alright Dom, why don't you read what you found in the first journal?
01:14:48 September 10. Another embarrassing memory lapse today. This journal should help me deal with the problem.
01:14:55 September 13. I have had Mother sign the last of the legal papers that transfer ownership of Corbett Importers of America from her to myself.
01:15:01 She seems to be doing well with the new nursing home, and I hope they can give her the treatment and attention she needs.
01:15:11 I'm afraid her condition continues to decline rapidly.
01:15:13 The death of Father seems to have unhinged her mind.
01:15:16 If she knew my role in his death—although I don't in the least feel responsible—I'm sure it would kill her.
01:15:28 She would never understand the power of my new lord, Ramasupva.
01:15:36 Could she but have experienced those moments in the mountains, his terrible magnificence?
01:15:39 He spoke with me and left his mark upon my breast.
01:15:45 Then he took hold of my father, and the two became one with each other.
01:15:52 Before devouring him, Ramasupva tore my father's head from his shoulders.
01:15:58 October 29. Have met a charming young woman at a social gathering.
01:16:02 Her name is Lynn Myers.
01:16:04 I've arranged to take her to the pictures next week.
01:16:09 My lord, I think, would approve of her.
01:16:12 December 12. Spent 30 hours in ceremony. Have located Ramasupva.
01:16:18 He wants a bridge to the world and needs my help.
01:16:25 I have agreed.
01:16:26 My studies have shown that Ramasupva is an obscure Azura in East Indian demonology.
01:16:34 The Ashura are said to be older gods, the ones who ruled before the coming of Shiva.
01:16:46 Certain things spoken of in the Wense book lead me to believe there may be a link to a being called Yog-Sothoth.
01:17:00 That's pretty horrifying about the eating-the-head thing.
01:17:06 That's everything that you could find, Dom, in the first journal from 1911.
01:17:12 Okay.
01:17:14 Alright, I'll head out back and check out the backyard.
01:17:20 We've already seen the toolshed, but I'll take the head with me and throw it over the fence.
01:17:24 Alright, I take the head with me.
01:17:27 Toss it into Simeon's backyard.
01:17:30 I've got junk tea.
01:17:32 Alright, Bakersfield starts heading out to the backyard.
01:17:35 You finished searching the desk though, right?
01:17:37 Yeah, he just found that one kind of loose-leaf book with lots of more botany notes in it.
01:17:44 Major Bakersfield does. You were looking through it.
01:17:46 You saw a lot of formulas and things like that, stuff you didn't understand,
01:17:49 but you did understand something that referred to a substance he's calling soma.
01:17:56 That sounds like something he was making, possibly.
01:18:01 It's hard to tell what exactly. Again, you can't understand a lot of what it says,
01:18:03 but it has references in quite a few places and it's attached to some various formulas and references to different plants.
01:18:15 Would it take long for me to jot those down on another piece of paper?
01:18:21 It'll take a few minutes, yeah, if you want to do that real quick while they're looking through these books.
01:18:26 What do you guys think? Should I copy any of this?
01:18:30 Sure.
01:18:31 Do you want me to read this second journal?
01:18:38 If you want to read it.
01:18:39 Alright, while I read that I'll jot that down, and then when I'm done I'll run into the backyard.
01:18:45 Okay.
01:18:46 Alright. Corbett Journal 2, 1912, page 1.
01:18:52 January 10. I found myself wanting to make Lynn my wife and have sealed the thought by proposing to her.
01:19:01 She accepted and we have set the date of marriage for March 9 of this year.
01:19:06 Ramasupva assures me the time is right.
01:19:11 March 13. Every turn from our honeymoon, Lynn and I have decided to keep the family place as it is excellent for raising children.
01:19:16 In May, all being well, Lynn will accompany me on my trip to Ceylon for a new herbal tea supply.
01:19:28 This may be my last trip out of the country for a while. A man who plans a family must be willing to settle down a bit.
01:19:37 April 1. Had to send Lynn to visit her mother while I cast the ceremony.
01:19:46 I don't believe she is ready to understand yet.
01:19:53 Ramasupva has told me he wants a union of flesh.
01:19:57 He demands the union be made with my wife.
01:20:00 I am to await 13 days, cast another easier ceremony, and then wait.
01:20:09 Ramasupva is to take my place.
01:20:14 April 14. Cast the ceremony in the morning and Ramasupva came.
01:20:16 I waited in the basement while he visited Lynn for several hours.
01:20:20 She seems to suspect nothing.
01:20:27 July 19. Have told my wife to remain in bed throughout the day as she is taking ill from her pregnancy.
01:20:33 I took the day to contact Ramasupva.
01:20:39 I am to deliver the child myself at home.
01:20:43 My master has directed me to raise this child as if it were my own.
01:20:50 November 21. Horror of horrors. My life is ashes.
01:20:57 Lynn went into labor today and in the course of giving birth to the child she expired.
01:21:02 Despite all I did to save her, Nurse Dunlap blundered into the room at the wrong moment.
01:21:05 When she saw the child, she took leave of her senses.
01:21:11 In trying to take care of her, I may have neglected Lynn in a critical moment.
01:21:19 At any rate, she has gone, and I blame only myself.
01:21:19 Her second child was born dead.
01:21:23 I have turned both bodies over to the funeral home.
01:21:27 The child of Ramasupva I've hidden in the basement.
01:21:31 The thing is limbless and appears to have trouble breathing.
01:21:34 I don't think it can live for long.
01:21:36 Based.
01:21:39 Ah, Dom, there are a few more entries from that same journal as you flip ahead.
01:21:45 Oh cool.
01:21:46 Page 2.
01:21:48 November 25. The funeral of Lynn and the child was held.
01:21:53 Her parents were heartbroken and felt pity for me.
01:21:57 I later consoled them and promised to stay in touch.
01:22:02 November 26. The ceremony of Ramasupva brought him forth to explain the child.
01:22:09 He said the thing would live and that I am to spend the next ten years preparing for the time when it would need me.
01:22:16 When the time comes, I am to equip it for life on earth.
01:22:20 It will be given limbs and lungs.
01:22:23 I am not to contact Ramasupva until ten years and a day have elapsed.
01:22:28 December 14. I found someone to help me. A man named—
01:22:37 It's scratched out, but looking through the scratches it looks a bit like it says Randolph Tomaszewski.
01:22:45 I shall call him Mr. Tom.
01:22:52 Mr. Tom works at the local hospital and assures me that he can supply me with the parts necessary to the experiments I need to conduct over the next few years.
01:23:03 He is an unsavory type, but I need his help.
01:23:07 I have agreed to supply him with a small amount of the drugs he desires,
01:23:15 and he in return will try to fulfill my needs.
01:23:15 Perhaps through association with myself, he will find a way to better himself.
01:23:22 He seems a particularly irreligious and bitter man.
01:23:25 Next week I will make my first trip to the dump and see what my confederate has been able to find for me.
01:23:31 The experiments should prove a challenge, but I have every confidence that I can learn,
01:23:38 especially with my lord Ramasupva's guidance.
01:23:45 Do you guys want to keep moving through these journals?
01:23:51 Seth, you want to take the next one?
01:23:53 Yeah, we're number four.
01:23:55 It's a few years later.
01:23:57 Again, each one of these is taking a good 10 minutes.
01:24:13 Bakersfield, are you going to help them search through these journals or are you leaving to head out?
01:24:17 After I copied over the secret ingredient for soma, I'm going to head down to the greenhouse.
01:24:21 As you were writing that down, you finished writing it down, but you heard Dom Drenkard mention the basement in the last one.
01:24:31 I'm going to go downstairs and see if there are any rugs or furniture, anything I might be able to move.
01:24:36 I'm going to take a closer look.
01:24:40 I'll let you do another more in-depth search, especially now that you are aware that there's something down there.
01:24:48 So go make another spot hidden check, and I'll let you do it with a bonus die.
01:24:51 35.
01:24:56 45.
01:24:57 So I rolled a 75 and a 35 out of 45.
01:25:01 Okay.
01:25:02 So as you're digging around and looking around, you don't notice anything under the rugs on the floor.
01:25:08 You don't see any trap doors.
01:25:13 But as you're walking along the side of the stairs that are leading upstairs, the wall right here is all wood paneling.
01:25:20 As you're looking it over, you see that one section of the wood panels has a seam around it.
01:25:28 There's not a handle or anything, but there's actually just a lock placed into the side of it that leads into the side of the stairwell.
01:25:35 I knew there was a basement.
01:25:43 Tallahassee, this is the next journal.
01:25:46 Alright. January 31.
01:25:49 So one experiment in an extremely robust, powerful specimen I couldn't bring myself to dispose of.
01:25:54 I managed the incredible feat of integrating all sensory organs directly into the torso,
01:26:00 though maybe to grotesque proportions.
01:26:03 The enormous maw, not unlike that of a shark, is especially impressive.
01:26:09 Having no way to discreetly keep it nearby, due to its rapidly growing size and rather, let us say, fervent demeanor,
01:26:16 I've recalled my father telling me of an individual he would sometimes employ to retrieve and store some of our more sensitive imports,
01:26:22 located up the coast in a tight little backwater seemingly trapped in the last century known as New Jerusalem.
01:26:32 A man by the name of Mordecai Shep.
01:26:42 I have entrusted the creature to his care.
01:26:49 Though satisfactory containment and the dubious man's silence have proved especially costly,
01:26:55 I believe it shall be worth it though for what will be learned from the long-term observation and study.
01:27:07 What a crazy guy.
01:27:10 We need to go find Mordecai Shep and go up the coast and find this little New Jerusalem thing.
01:27:17 I'm taking notes of all these things in my notebook.
01:27:20 Okay.
01:27:21 There's a big stretch of journals that Dom is now digging through between 1915 and 1924
01:27:26 that doesn't seem to have anything really significant in it.
01:27:30 The only other thing you can find of interest is here in Journal 13, in 1924.
01:27:38 November 25. The child grows large and the time entered the ceremony with Ramasupva.
01:27:46 He told me that when spring has arrived that I am to search out fresh limbs and organs to be added to the creature.
01:27:52 The time of experimenting is over.
01:27:57 As the thing still seems to be an adolescent, I must be careful not to inhibit its development.
01:28:03 My experiments show that youthful parts adapt much better than older ones.
01:28:08 I am directed to feed unusable parts to the creature.
01:28:12 Ramasupva wants it to develop a taste for such things.
01:28:19 It says that it is now the time for much growing.
01:28:23 So it's attaching human body parts, and the ones that aren't good enough, it eats them.
01:28:30 Yeah.
01:28:30 It's kind of like what Dr. Shrimp Puerto Rico told us with that human humerus.
01:28:36 And this was 1924, so this would have been just last year.
01:28:42 And he said in the spring it's time to unleash the beast, and we're now in June.
01:28:46 So...
01:28:49 Is this the last one that's relevant?
01:28:50 That's the last thing you guys could find of significance.
01:28:54 That's creepy.
01:28:56 Major Bakersfield is down at the door to the basement.
01:29:01 Do we know he's down at some door to the basement?
01:29:03 Yes.
01:29:04 Alright, I shout up to him. I say, hey guys.
01:29:07 I found it. I found the basement.
01:29:10 Donald, let's go.
01:29:12 I'm in.
01:29:14 Okay, you guys all meet him down at the basement.
01:29:18 All there is is a key lock set into this panel.
01:29:21 There's no handle or anything.
01:29:23 Can I take my hatchet to it?
01:29:26 Can I pick the lock?
01:29:28 Oh yeah, yeah, roll locksmith. I've got lockpicking skills.
01:29:31 Alright, here we go.
01:29:34 I rolled a 75.
01:29:38 Okay, yeah, you've got your lock picks in there. You're trying to get it.
01:29:43 It's not quite coming right. You can't seem to get the pins into the right positions.
01:29:47 I shove him to the side and pull out my Colt .38 revolver.
01:29:49 Can I push the roll?
01:29:53 Alright, but Tallahassee just shoved you aside and pulled out his .38 revolver.
01:29:58 What are you gonna do? Shoot the door open?
01:30:00 Yep.
01:30:01 Then it doesn't matter if I break the lock with a push roll.
01:30:03 Let me push the roll.
01:30:04 Fine. Push the roll. Give me another minute.
01:30:07 Roll one more time.
01:30:12 Alright, here we go.
01:30:16 So that was a success.
01:30:18 Yeah, okay, you manage a regular success.
01:30:22 Digging in deeper and putting more pressure on your tension tool,
01:30:28 more than just to the edge of what you might feel like it can handle,
01:30:33 you finally manage to put the last pin in place,
01:30:36 and the lock twists and unlocks.
01:30:39 The door actually just pops open.
01:30:48 Thanks for listening to this episode of The Arkham Files.
01:30:50 If you like what you hear, show us your support by checking us out on patreon.com/thearkhamfiles and leaving us a 5-star review on iTunes.
01:30:57 Thanks again.
01:31:23 No psychologists were injured in the recording of this episode.