Time of the

Serpent
 2

CREDITS
Written by
Michael Diamond

Edited By
Darius McCaskey and Michael Diamond

Cover Art by
Michael Diamond

Interior Art by
James Bunnell, Giovanni Fim, Patsy McDowell, Sabrina Haenze, and Joe Whiteaker

Cartography by
James Bunnell

Layout by
Randi Sparkman

Playtesters
Lonnie Harris, Heather Ashcraft, Jake Manning, James Bunnell, and Tiffanie McCaskey

Clear Credit
Images within were sourced from The New York Public Library digital collection,
The US Library of Congress, and Unsplash

Time of the Serpent is copyright ©2020 by Michael Diamond. All rights reserved

The names of public personalities, companies, entities, places, and events may be referred to, but any resemblance of a
scenario character to persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. All material is fictionalized and described through the
lens of the Cthulhu Mythos, and no offense to persons living or dead is intended.

Call of Cthulhu is a Trademark of Chaosium Inc. and is used with their permission via the OBS
Community Content program.
For more information please visit Chaosium’s website: www.chaosium.com
3
 4

Introduction
Time of The Serpent is a Call of Cthulhu scenario set in the vast urban setting of Chicago, Illinois in the mid-1920s. The
scenario is designed for one Keeper and up to five players but could be modified for larger groups. Players may choose
any investigator background (investigators with Lockpicking and Stealth are excellent choices): anything from laborers
to dilettantes would easily fit. This scenario utilizes the 7th Edition Call of Cthulhu rules by Chaosium Inc.

Background

Jonathan Swift is an upper-level manager at the Swift Meat Packing Company at the Chicago Stockyards. He is
ambitious, petty, devious, and cruel. He is a slave driver, keeping workers in horrid conditions to make sure they keep up
with the endless animal processing the Yards is so famous for.

In early 1921, a hand-written ritual tome arrived care of his corrupt family in Massachusetts. The tome calls upon one of
Yig’s many avatar names, Massasauga. Utilizing a professor in Native American languages, Swift spent the better part of
1921 deep in research, then against the professor’s dire warnings, built a foul shrine to the snake god below the Chicago
Stockyards. His goal – inspired by Yig’s whispers – was to infect his chosen and grow the Cult of Massasauga in Chicago.

Swift encountered a problem though. Several of the families living in the housing behind the Yards complained about
strange noises. A botched ritual and fire took his first altar. A second fire forced Swift to build a new shanty building near
the back and tunnel deep underground. Several firefighters were caught in the fire and trapped inside, costing the Swift
family both financial and political capital. The Swift family pulled strings to keep it all quiet, but one man kept speaking
out – Swift Meat Packing accountant, Stanley Holden.

Holden’s family lived on the south side of the Yard, near the end of the South spur of the Chicago River. Stanley worked
at the Yard after getting back from serving in the Great War. Happy to be home with his young son, Stanley did his best to
earn a living with his wife, Grace.

At first, Stanley Holden let the strange sounds go. When the noises continued, he investigated. Near the end of the
Stockyards he saw a fire had burned one of the buildings he’d never seen used. Holden searched as best he could, and to
his surprise, found more than drying meats in the secluded shack.

Inside the small building, a deep stairwell led down beneath the surface until it bottomed out into a series of larger
rooms. Throughout the rooms, the sounds of howls and screams clung to his ears. A series of red and brown pools in the
second room were spoiled by human remains. Overcome with panic, the desperate accountant fled, vowing to call the
authorities.

Call after call went unresolved. The voices continued each night, unnerving the Holden family. Stanley Holden
confronted his boss, but to no avail. Johnathan Swift fired Holden, calling him crazy. Swift began watching the Holdens.
At home, the unemployed accountant was distraught, weeping to his wife as they sat in financial ruin. He returned to Swift
and begged for his job, vowing to never speak of what he heard in the night.

Swift seized control of Stanley Holden, telling him he’d bought up all the property south of the Yards, including the
four-block radius where the Holden family lived. He also told his newly blackmailed worker, that unless he was willing to
be Swift’s servant, he’d force the Holden family out onto the street as debtors. Reluctantly, Holden agreed.

Over the next five months, Stanley Holden worked for a much smaller paycheck, forcing his son to work the Yards in a
vain attempt to make up the financial shortfalls. Everyone at the Holden house became involved, including Grace Holden,
 5
who took part in ghastly rituals in Swift’s underground
space. She became powerful at home, calling out to
unseen spirits at night.
Samuel Holden concentrated on a way to bring the
family back together. Swift put two new men in charge
of the Holden family, a long time Yards manager,
Patrick Willis, and a newcomer from out east, Terrance
Treanor.
It came to an end months later when Stanley Holden
found out his wife was taking part in Swift’s rituals.
The weary accountant wanted answers. When he
confronted Treanor about it, the man just laughed,
informing him that Massasuaga’s true power was
coming to Chicago, and Grace Holden would be the
first of many to wield it. Stanley Holden flew into a
rage and tried to kill Treanor, but to no avail. Willis
and Treanor fired the accountant again, then evicted
the Holden family for good.
They spent the following March wandering through
the soup kitchens and broken tenements of Chicago, as
Grace Holden fell to madness, ending up in Chicago
State Hospital at Dunning a broken soul. Stanley
Holden found his end in a “bar fight” soon after,
leaving Samuel Holden to drift before seeking justice
at an underground speakeasy, The Kiss, months later.
Keeper Information
Chicago is everything the papers talk about and
more. Less glitz and glamour than New York City,
the city’s windy streets are filled with people on the
move and ready to work. Spring in the Midwest can
be fickle, and this one is no different: Chilly sunny
days with marked patterns of rain near Lake Michigan
which can turn side streets outside of downtown into a
muddy mess. During the day, no US city works harder,
and few cities party harder after the sun goes down.
Many industries have helped Chicago boom during the
early 1900s, but none is more physically evident than
the massive Union Stock Yards and the web of rail that
runs all manner of animals into its maw.
The Stockyards are a massive area south of
downtown Chicago with well over 1.52 km squared
in space for administrative buildings, animals, pens,
and processing facilities. The “Yards” are a world unto
itself, with multiple businesses working in the same
location. The businesses keep over 20,000 people
working on the endless trains of slaughter, ensuring
the Yards process more meat than anywhere else in
the world. Any sections of play which take place
there should add the sights, sounds, and scents of the
massive collection of animals on the move to their
gruesome end inside one of the many kill rooms.
The cornerstone of this scenario is that Jonathan
Swift made a terrible mistake and over promised
his abilities to his own family. The lessons and
occult teachings he had as a child have been boiled
away by cheap booze, late night orgies, and terrible
organization. He managed to draw the Dread in the
Dark up from the depths of the Earth by sheer ability,
but hasn’t been able to commune with it, which he
fears will show a lack of dedication. The Holden
family were at one point perfect for him - but it ended
badly when Grace Holden was able to commune with
the Dread and shut Swift out.
The truth of the Union Stockyard and Swift’s
involvement with the Holden family is meant to
bring you, the Keeper, to the understanding that they
are beyond salvation. Grace Holden has fallen to
near madness, Swift teeters on the edge himself, and
there is no defeating the Dread in the Dark should
they find it deep below the Yards. The investigators
aren’t here to save anyone, except themselves. As the
events of the opening chapter reveal, the investigators
are framed for a double murder. The best outcome
they can hope for is to clear their names and find the
truth behind the killing - with an added bump in their
Cthulhu Mythos lore.
 6

Time of the Serpent Timeline

• In 1823, Andrew Swift left his boyhood home of Allentown, New York and traveled to Youngstown,
Ohio where he invested money into pork processing and feed farms.
• While traveling one night in 1828, Andrew Swift was bit by what he called a snake near a river camp.
He suffered from a near-death fever until being restored to health days later. He reportedly told a farmer that he’d
been marked by the snake for life.
• Upon returning to Youngstown, Swift sold his stock in pork, then returned to Allentown where he took
time to recover. His family said of him “Travel has quieted Andrew into an unsettling man who collects rare
snakes.”
• In 1834, Andrew’s father called a doctor out of fear a madness had taken his son. When the doctor
arrived to check on him, several of Andrew’s pet snakes rose up and killed the doctor and his father. No charges
were ever pressed.
• Andrew Swift takes a wife, Milley Burns, in 1845. They have five children who are indoctrinated into the
Cult of Massasauga. They are called the First Clutch in family whispers.
• After sending his children out across the US, Andrew Swift dies in 1899. His son, Harold Swift,
becomes a powerful transportation magnate, investing from Salem to Cleveland, and even Chicago. Harold
Swift’s grandson is born Jonathan Otto Swift.
• In 1922, Jonathan Swift, director of the Swift Meat Packing Company in Chicago, tries to cover up a
monstrous creature dedicated to Yig through the Cult of Massasauga. Several innocent workers were affected by
the horror including Grace Holden, the wife of Stanley Holden.
• Grace Holden falls to madness soon after. Stanley Holden does his best to cope and explain to their son.
She is taken to Dunning Asylum where she is watched by the Cult of Massasauga.
• After failing to please his family, Swift is given one last chance to find a host for the snake god’s power.
When his failures continue to mount, Swift calls for help from his family and they send Terrance Treanor from
Salem, Massachusetts.
• Treanor arrives in Chicago and steps up the experiments, pulling stage girls in from the local jazz clubs,
and men from the Stockyards to avert any punishment from the cult. A few are successful and all appears well.
• The Holden’s son Samuel Holden, distraught that his father is missing and his mother is raving mad,
fights back. As the curtain opens, he slips into a notorious Chicago jazz bar, The Kiss, and shoots Terrence and
his partner, Patrick Willis. In the ensuing commotion and police raid, several of the investigators are blamed for
the deaths, then arrested.
 
 7

Where there’s Snakes & Mud, there’ll be Stakes & Blood

“Tell me again why we should trust you?”

Gripping the black telephone receiver, Jonathan applied just enough force to the silver table lighter to provoke a snap
and flame. It wasn’t good enough, he thought, inhaling a fresh mouthful of smoke. Nothing the family asked was remotely
possible on the timeline they’d given him, but that didn’t matter either. He was expected to perform. Dance among the
mud and muck of the Swift Meat Packing slaughterhouses all while making their dreams come true.

“We put our trust in you, Jonathan. We placed you above all others here. We chose to elevate you,” the gravel disguised
as voice replied. “Now, you must tell us why, after yet another failure, the family should trust you with a resource as
precious as time.”

Ripping the white cigarette out of his mouth, Jonathan fired back. “It isn’t like some mail order bookshelf, you get that?
I gotta find the right people and get them prepared for the process. It takes time.”

“We have almost had enough of your excuses. Almost. The task you were sent to accomplish is too important to simply
be lost. Take what lessons you can from the truths we sent you and make Massasauga proud.”

Jonathan felt his chest muscles tighten at the thought of the Dread in the Dark. It wasn’t enough the family moved him
from the relative ease of his Cleveland life; now they asked for the impossible. The strange tome held many secrets he still
didn’t understand, but his instructions were clear: Keep searching for a worthy speaker at all reasonable costs.

“I know what you want. I know what the family wants -”

“Not wants, Jonathan. Requires. We require you to play your part in all this. Do Massasauga well and he will reward
you. We even sent you help.”
 8

Jonathan took another long draw from his cigarette

and tried not to think about what would happen if
he failed again. They’d already sent one of the cult’s
enforcers, Treanor, to monitor his progress. A loathsome
man with a talent for clearing rooms with his sour
demeanor and musky odor. The man had proved to be a
solid digger, so Jonathan had him focus his talents there
rather than stinking up the main office.

“We have lost so much time, my son. Remember that

when you pick the next one. Remember your failure
with the Holdens.”

“The Holden family was almost perfect.”

“Until they nearly destroyed all our plans because of

your personal choices,” the voice countered.

Grace and Stanley would have made the perfect

addition to the growing Cult of Massasauga here
in Chicago. Even young Samuel could have been
groomed into service, given his desire for the charms
of a wealthy life. In the end, it was the boy’s father
who proved to be the most difficult to bring under the
gaze of the Dread in the Dark. A simple accountant had
proven too willful for Jonathan to coax into service. It
was no wonder his family thought him a joke.

“A family is a natural clutch. That’s what I was

taught. Find a family and entice them with a future they
couldn’t possibly imagine.”

“Yet you forget the rest of that lesson,” came the

hissed response. “When fostering a family to the Dread
in the Dark, all must attend. If one resists the call, all
must be removed.”
Jonathan stubbed the smoldering white end into his
ashtray. Betrayal - even perceived betrayal - was a death
sentence to those inside the family. For a potential initiate,
there was no telling what they might ask him to do. He’d
pushed Grace into Dunning Asylum rather than destroy
her, not that Stanley understood the favor he was doing
her. She still had potential.
“I understand. There will be no more mistakes.”
“Good,” the voice brightened. “I know the Dread in
the Dark looks forward to seeing you succeed. Clean up
any past mess you have laying around before finding new
initiates.”
“Thank you, father. I promise our Chicago ventures will
be a shining jewel in Massasauga’s crown.”
“Just follow the instructions I’ve sent. Or be prepared
for the family to carry out theirs.”
 9

The Kiss
A speakeasy near downtown is hopping, thanks to a
Canadian bootlegger’s recent delivery. In the heavy
smoke and stage lights, The Kiss isn’t like any other
club. It’s seemingly bullet proof from raids and has
everything a tired Chicago worker or partygoer might
want. Whether it’s a closed eye from city hall or the
proper payoffs, patrons aren’t asking why the cops
never shut this place down. The three-floor converted
row house is the center of vice in the notorious
Levee District.

The front door on the corner of Archer and

Dearborn to the club is protected by bouncers,
with two other points of entry (a back door off
Cullerton on the south side of the building, and a
corner “store” that serves as a secret entrance).
The site also contains a fourth (rooftop) and
fifth (underground tunnel that leads to a nearby
automotive garage) exit known only to staff.

A long oak bar is the main floor attraction,

with seating for over fifteen, but tables near
the stairs shelter groups up to five. The
lights overhead are a classy brass, warming
the room just enough for patrons to flag
down servers. Regulars are professional
scofflaws. Through the thick cigar smoke,
bright smiles greet guests and welcome
them deeper into this den of vice.

Major staff members include Burt Richardson (who runs the bar,)
Patrick Mallory (who serves as head bouncer,) and Jane Tiller - Miss Jane (the soon-
to-be revealed undercover Prohibition Agent, madame of the third-floor pleasure den).

On the night our story begins, a prominent speakeasy act rolls into town for a two-night jazz
playbill. The main entertainer, Memphis Owens, gets the crowd jumping and toes tapping with his
saxophone. More than that - he keeps people drinking and playing cards on the club’s second floor.

As the curtain opens, we place our players here or near The Kiss. Perhaps some work near The
Kiss or are rich music lovers out for an evening. It doesn’t matter what their background is. It only
matters that they find themselves in the club that night and in line to be blamed for the gruesome
events which are about to take place. This “respectable” club doesn’t allow weapons, so inform the
 10

players they will have to

pass a Slight of Hand or
Fast Talk the bouncer to
get any guns or blades
inside.

Inciting Events

Any of the following

events could be used to
prompt investigators to
interact with one another
or could be fun on their
own.

Main Floor - A fight

breaks out near one or
multiple characters.
35% chance someone
accidentally hits one of
the characters. Mallory
comes to break it up, and
depending on how the investigators react, Mallory
may get them a drink for their trouble.
Second Floor - In the back of the room, Owens
plays the jazz sax with serious talent, but it’s the
steady stream of people losing at the nearby poker
tables that grabs some attention. A young man drinks
and beats whoever sits down at the table, gathering
a big pile of money and a string of frustrated faces.
Should the investigator(s) decide to sit down and play,
table ante is a nickel per hand, with a limit of $50 (the
entire pot). The man has rigged the game to operate
in his favor. Any player trying to figure out why must
make a Hard Spot Hidden roll and Hard Sleight
of Hand roll. If both succeed, they realize that
two of the other players at the table are helping the
young man. If the investigators catch the man, he’ll
introduce himself as Reggie Fulton, and opt to buy
them drinks instead of being turned in. He explains
the club doesn’t have a problem with it as long they
get their cut. After being exposed as a cheat, Fulton
dips quietly outside.
taken. The prices here are considered high ($3 - $5
depending on what a customer wants). Drinks and the
room cost extra.
The Main Event
Samuel “Sammy” Holden is a young man in
search of justice. The two men he stares at from the
back of the club (Patrick Willis and Terrance Treanor)
are responsible for destroying the Holden family.
After Grace Holden was committed to Chicago State
Hospital at Dunning, the Holden family ended up on
the streets after being evicted, until Samuel Holden‘s
father died in a strange bar fight.
Holden went underground, seeking out petty
theft and snitch work to pay for food. He bided his
time until he found the men outside the Yards and
shadowed them here for the past few days. Holden
sold off what he could for a stolen gun. He came to
The Kiss tonight for revenge.

Third Floor - With the club hopping downstairs, the At ten o’clock, he stands up from a back table and
skin floor is hot. Of the eight available rooms, six are moves near one or two of the investigators. Once
 11
he’s sure no one is watching, he fires two shots from a
concealed pistol and kills two men at a front table who
are watching Owens play. People scream, scatter, and
make life for anyone on the lower floors a pain. Holden
bolts from his position and runs a short distance to the
stairway and goes up. The two men are immediately dead
and there is no way for the investigators to save them.
For characters on the second floor listening to music,
the shots are discernible, and Owens is one of the first
behind the stage for safety. Card games fold up, with
people scrambling for money. The bouncers move
to protect the stairway leading to the third floor. Any
character on the third floor is hustled out of their room
(clothes in hand) and down the stairs.
Remember, the investigators that are enjoying Owens’
music will face SAN loss when two people are killed in
front of them.
Holden makes his way up to a south facing third
floor window and hits the fire escape. Should any of the
characters follow him, or try to impede his progress, he
will brandish his pistol or boot knife. He won’t fight to
the death, but he is willing to kill in order to escape. His
plan works like clockwork, and no matter how fast or
intelligent the investigators are, he gets away into the
foggy Chicago night.
Just before entering the Kiss, Samuel Holden
placed a call to the Chicago Police and
told them someone
inside the club
that “never gets
raided” will be
shot and they’d
better get
there soon.
As soon as
Holden put
the phone
down, he
knew his time was
short.
After the shooting, the Kiss
empties out quick - but not quick
enough. Once outside, the characters are met by a trove
of Chicago police officers (thanks to Holden’s call) who
are more than happy to scoop them up and bring them
downtown. It’ll take an Extreme Fast Talk to get free of
a new set of metal bracelets and a trip to the city lock up.
Picking up the Pieces
If the characters choose to get involved, roll with the
theme that The Kiss is protected and the cops are on the
way. If any of the players are police officers, they’re
going to get questions about why they were here. No one
gets away clean when a raid happens.
Should the characters flee - the streets are crazy with cars,
people moving around and general downtown Chicago
ambiance. Remember which investigators have had drinks,
and if they’ve had more than a few, make them pass a CON
roll or suffer from dizziness if they’ve done any running
when they talk to the cops outside.
If the characters stay to investigate the bodies, little
identification is found, except for one man who has a
business card (Serpent Handout 1: Terrance Treanor’s
Business Card) and a loaded .45 caliber revolver. (Treanor
and Holden both used a payoff to the front doorman to get
their weapons in.) Sadly, any time spent examining the
bodies further implicates any potential witnesses against the
investigators and makes it more likely they’ll end up with
Chicago Police catching them red-handed.
A Note About Speakeasies
The 1920s were a time of revelry and great passions.
With the Volstead Act in full effect by the time of these
events, men and women are drinking together in smoke-
filled bars and jazz clubs. These interactions between
the sexes should not be overlooked, but they should feel
uncommon. It is also key to not overlook the well-known
drag balls, masquerade events, and stage performers
which included female impersonators (especially in
Chicago’s resurgent Levee District where The Kiss
sits). Every type of person, with every imaginable
predilection, can be found attempting to ascertain what
this new golden age means.
 12

The Kiss Map Key

1. Kiss front door - guarded by a single armed man on the inside 2. Staging area with mirrors. 2a.
Coat check 3. Main bar and tables - seating for around fifty. 4. Stairs to the second floor jazz stage

5. Second floor stage door manned by Patrick Mallory 6. Treanor and Willis’ table 7. Sammy’s
table 8. Stairs up to the third floor

9. Third Floor door guarded by a bouncer 10. Ms. Jane’s private room 11. Various Pleasure
rooms 12. Washroom 13. Row of larger windows
13

Police
Blotter
A grisly Friday night double murder inside
one of Chicago’s notorious speakeasies sits
like a lump in the throat of every police
detective. Crime inside of jazz clubs has been
rare to date and there isn’t a detective on the
force who wants to get between the various
active gangs and stick their nose where it
doesn’t belong when the darkness walking the
streets leaves crimes even they won’t whisper
in their whiskey bottles about.

Except Detective William Belmont.

Struck by a robber’s bullet, Belmont’s father

died when he was 15, forcing the younger
Belmont to take up for his mother. Belmont
spent five years walking the downtown
beat before he made detective. Twenty-five
years later, Belmont has seen Chicago grow
into a monstrous, gangster-fueled town.
He’s no angel, but when lives are lost, he is
determined to find out what happened.

Belmont isn’t without his own

complications though. He’s a man who
struggles with the bottle and has been known
to take orders from shadowy political figures
inside City Hall. Depending on how the
players deal with the storm he’s about to
bring, he could turn into an ally rather than a
foil.

As soon as the tip comes in for The Kiss,

Belmont ensures he is the first to seize upon
anyone coming in for questioning. The watch
commander and patrol officers give him a
wide berth, rather than end up on one of his
secret lists. The station house’s faded tile
and worn wood rails are a fitting frame to
the booze-fueled reprobates who sit on the
series of long, dark benches as they await
questioning. It is this stinking and chaotic
 14
world the investigators enter (either directly from The
Kiss or after being prompted by a visit from Belmont).
Seeing that one or more of the investigators was nearby
when the killing happened, Belmont plans to push the
envelope and determine if one of them had a hand in it.
After reading through the evidence and listening to the
investigator’s testimony, he’ll know they aren’t to blame
for it, but it’s up to the Keeper to decide if he chooses to
pin it on one of them for sake of convenience. No matter
the circumstances or the method the characters meet him,
Belmont will be over their shoulder for the length of the
scenario. The only way to avoid this would be to admit
(lie) about the murders - at which point the investigator
would end up in jail!
Inciting Events
Several paths may lead the investigators to the lair of
Detective Belmont in the bowels of District Four’s police
precinct. Below are two potential methods, but the Keeper
may use other options to capture their prey.
The investigators are seized at The Kiss - Soon after the
shots are fired, the investigators may be swept up in a police
raid that tries to keep a handle on many of the partygoers.
Provided they choose not to resist, the investigators are taken
by wagon to the precinct house where men are separated
from women, until they get called up to a room where
Belmont has the chance to interrogate them. His line of
questioning is methodical and a bit playful until he hammers
them with either a fact they can’t defend (being illegally
armed at the club) or having literal blood on their hands. He
can prove they were present at the time of the murders, and
he’s willing to search for the rest of the evidence if need be.
The investigators get away - Over the next few days,
Detective Belmont pays visits to each one, choosing to
embarrass them at work or in public. Belmont uses any means
within his powers to find them, including uniformed officers.
He states he has “credible” evidence to implicate them in the
murders at the club. It’s enough to pull them in for an interview
and potentially have serious social ramifications.
No matter how Belmont gets to them, he finds a way to
place them in the interrogation room where he can play
his version of Twenty Questions with each one for the
record.
The Main Event
District Four’s station house is cramped and dimly lit.
Belmont sits down across from the investigators one by
one and interrogates them. He won’t offer them a phone
call or a lawyer until after he’s finished. Investigators who
work in the legal field are told to comply or go back to the
group cell until they’re ready to.
The key points Belmont will try to establish are:
• Why each character was at The Kiss
• Who they saw shoot the men
• Where they went afterward (if they made it out)
• How they’ll live with the deaths of these men
for the rest of their lives (for investigators he chooses to
finger for the murders)
• What they saw and heard right before the shooting
• How much they’d had to drink that night when
the shooting started
The questions Belmont could ask are numerous.
Keepers could watch and read a few police procedurals
to get a feel for an interrogation scene before playing
through this portion of the scenario.
In truth, the investigators had nothing to do with the
killings and little chance to change the course of events
that played out Friday night. The Keeper should expect
them to be anywhere from frustrated to furious about
being put through this process.
Cops & Crooks in 1920s Chicago
When people think or talk about the Windy City during
the Roaring Twenties, the figure most often referenced is
Al Capone, and with good reason. Capone was - and still
is - the most famous criminal the city has ever produced.
But it’s important to remember that Capone isn’t a product
of Chicago: he was from New York, and came to Chicago
for the same reason so many did during the era - jobs.
Employment opportunities, brought on by massive
growth in the Union Stockyards, gave people something
to hope for. The Great Migration (where rural southern
African American workers came north because of a
downturn in the economy and horrific racial subjugation)
brought workers of every skill level into the city’s
boundaries, but this posed a problem for the Chicago
Police.
 15

The Chicago Police department numbers

couldn’t keep up with the pressure of the
growing population. The City Council, under
Mayor Bill “Bull” Thompson didn’t do them
any favors by not extending the Chicago
Police Reserves. Uniformed officers are non-
union, and likely vulnerable to corruption
and payoffs from criminal organizations. This
is by no means to say that all police were
corrupt, but Prohibition swells the ranks of
gangster culture faster than the application
lines at Police Headquarters. At a time when
lawlessness and the height of gangster warfare
was on the horizon, Chicago had just grown
to over 2.6 million people. Meanwhile the city
had less than 6,000 police officers to tackle
every call and tip they might receive.

Picking up the Pieces

This scene serves as an important foundation

for the investigator’s motivation for the rest
of the scenario, but the investigators should
leave the station house whiplashed. There’s
a mystery (including two dead bodies) here,
and the blame has come down on them.
Belmont puts up a solid verbal fight with
the investigators who are spoiling for it, but
he doesn’t use any of the common physical
intimidation tactics that were present during
the times. He might choose to press the bloody
crime scene photos as a method of putting an
investigator off their game. If any investigator
wavers in their speech or tries to Charm, Fast
Talk, or Persuade and fails, they will gain
the detective’s direct ire. Should any player critically fail such a roll, Belmont will ask the watch commander
to have their investigator held overnight for further questioning. These questions are far more physically aggressive as
Belmont believes he has his killer.

After questioning all the investigators, Belmont lets them walk. He doesn’t have enough evidence to hold them over
the weekend and if it’s still the night of the shooting, the cells of District Four are swollen with a fair number of criminals
already.

Detective Belmont does inform them that they are not to leave the city. He provides them with his card in case they
remember any other details about the shooting.

It’s from this point in the story that Belmont and his fellow Chicago Police can appear at any moment, perhaps even
tailing the characters to make sure they don’t try to leave the city. This could also lead to one or more chase scenes with
the players keen on outrunning the police to keep the investigation going. Keepers should use this to pump up the pressure
on investigators when they start digging into the Stockyards or Holden House.
 16

Quid Pro Quo

Hours or days after the killings at The Kiss, the investigators are approached through a messenger who’s been paid to
give them a plain white card with an address on it. The back of the note says - “You’re in trouble and I can help. Meet me
here.” The child has been paid by Miss Jane Teller, a.k.a Juliana Martinez, the madame they may have met on the third
floor of The Kiss before the shooting. The child knows nothing other than a woman (not fitting Juliana’s exact description)
handed him a note and a dollar bill, before sending him on his way. She’s heard about the investigator(s) being fingered
for the double murder and she has some important, possibly shocking, news.

Juliana has hidden a secret for years since coming to Chicago - she’s a federal agent with the U.S. Treasury Department
working on locating the alcohol trafficking sources coming into Chicago. Burt runs the day-to-day operations at The Kiss’
and has long enjoyed connections to organized crime in the Windy City. Juliana’s mission has been to get close to Burt and
gather enough evidence to arrest him when he reveals his bootlegging suppliers.

The meeting spot she chooses should be off a main street, probably in an abandoned warehouse somewhere near the
downtown area. Juliana doesn’t have the ability or time to travel away from her spot, mostly because she must keep up

appearances. She plays a vital role in bringing in money
to The Kiss, a role which she distastes immensely. For
Juliana, the end goal of getting booze off the streets
and shutting down places like The Kiss serve her moral
compass better. While not a tea-totaller, she does refrain
from drinking unless pressed.
Sadly, the events at The Kiss have thrown her world
into disarray and Juliana is concerned that the Chicago
P.D. may expose the bootlegging, and either cover it up
or choose to shut The Kiss down before the Treasury
Department gets what they need. Her new mission,
straight from Washington, is to use any means at her
disposal and preserve the opportunity to bust some high-
profile bootleggers.
17
Now, she’ll just need the investigators to play along.
Inciting Events
Her first objective is to assess the investigators
trustworthiness. She’s not about to out herself if she can’t
trust them, so she’ll give them some questions about what
the cops asked them during the previous scene. Juliana has
copies of all of Belmont’s notes (thanks to a handy mole)
and if the investigators are honest, she’ll tell them she can
help them clear their names.
If the investigators choose to lie, Juliana cuts straight
to the point that she knows what they said to the cops and
“liars don’t go far in life.” While not a staunchly religious
woman, Juliana does have certain moral guardrails (no
matter how battered her undercover work may have made
them) and she’s only willing to help the investigators if
they are honest. Should they continue to lie, she’ll look for
a single target to connect with, perhaps anyone along a law
enforcement or private investigator background.
The Main Event
Once she’s comfortable with the investigators, her
goals during the encounter are going to be clear. She’ll
ask them to head back to The Kiss and speak with Patrick
Mallory and Burt Richardson, to find out what they know
about the men who were killed. Her reason is simple and
direct - she must keep the cops from doing any long-
term snooping. She explains that The Kiss enjoys bought
and paid for police protection, so it won’t stay closed for
long. In fact, it might re-open the next night after a quick
clean up because of the mobsters who want their money.
If they can determine who killed the two men and why, it
might give her enough time to finish her investigation. In
exchange, she’s willing to push enough fake leads Detective
Belmont’s way to get him sniffing in the wrong direction.
She doesn’t believe the investigators had anything to do
with the murder (this is especially true if some of them
came up to her floor before the murders happened) and if
they help catch the killer, she can ensure the murderer is
prosecuted for it.
 18
Historical Note
Georgia Hopley - Journalist,
suffragette, temperance movement
advocate. Georgia Hopley (born
Georgianna) was the first female
reporter in Columbus, Ohio and
served as an editor of several
publications over her eighty-six years.
Her life would lead her in many
different directions, including acting
as a host of the Republican National
Convention in Chicago during the
election of 1920 (one Warren Harding
would win).
Georgia also held the honor of
being the first female Prohibition
agent hired by the Bureau of Internal
Revenue in early 1922. Her hiring
was not done in secret, but well-
published in newspapers all over
the country. While some might say
her role was that of a more feminine
connection for the government to
reach out the women for the support
of the Volstead Act, her full-throated
support for dry laws in the United
States never wavered. Hopley is one
example of female prohibition agents
actively working in the field.
If asked why she can’t accomplish this on
her own, she makes it clear that she still has
her own work to do and ensuring the safety of
her prostitutes at The Kiss hasn’t lightened that
weight. Juliana’s most important task is to get
the investigators to agree to return to The Kiss
and get on the killer’s trail. If asked about the
killer who fled, or the two dead men, she has a
few bits of information:
“Both men were regulars, but of the two,
only Willis kept any social graces with the
people at the bar. Treanor was cold, almost
disinterested with anything going on at The
Kiss other than booze and music.”
“Let me be clear - my bosses don’t want
the place shut down. The killings are bad for
everyone, which is why I’m going to help you
clear your names. Once the local cops get back
to business as usual, you’ll be able to forget all
this mess and move on with your lives.”
“Whoever the gunman was, he was new
around here. I heard the shots and told the
girls upstairs to hide. I grabbed my gun, but he
made it out the window before I could line up
a shot.”
Picking up the Pieces
Potential complications could come if
the players are completely disinterested in
assisting her, or they don’t believe she can
deliver on her promise of keeping them out of
jail. Juliana is an accomplished Treasury agent
and more than capable of keeping Belmont off
their trail for a few days. She won’t be willing
to meet with them again until they can confirm
who killed the two men and why. To that end,
she tells them to mark a mailbox down the
street from The Kiss with white chalk. Once
it’s marked, she’ll contact them again by
messenger.
 19

Investigating the Kiss

In the light of day, The Kiss appears little more than a three-story brick building set on a bustling street amid the south
side of Chicago. Its reputation for vice and salaciousness captured workers heading off to nearby plants and factories,
with many passing by offering their eyes and fantasies to those who normally fill the windows of the third floor. These
windows are cold now, bereft of the lace and skin so many are used to. The killings have spooked Chicagoans, and now
the once inviting doorways are empty. On the dingy streets below the gilded windows, daily traffic moves up and down
the busy street, either unwilling or afraid to inquire while the sun shines as to what became of The Kiss’ main attractions.

Inciting Events

With Belmont as a fresh foil who is eager to put someone in jail, it stands to reason some may want to investigate the
murder scene themselves (especially private investigators, police officers, or even ex-military) if only to gather credible
evidence to exonerate themselves.

The Kiss stays closed for three days after the murders. Richardson plays it cool in case the city or Chicago PD wants to
make his life any harder. With a closer look, it appears the club is only closed to customers.

The busy Chicago neighborhood gives the investigators ample choices when it comes to watching the evening hotspot,
and given they’re patient, they’ll catch Patrick Mallory or Burt Richardson slipping inside. The two men have a lot of
work to do when it comes to getting the club cleaned up before next weekend and there’s no time to lose when it comes to
the Chicago jazz scene.

The Kiss is quiet when the characters enter. There’s no guard or working girls here, just a few young men cleaning up
after the police raid. Patrick Mallory is overseeing the work and he’s willing to chat if asked. He may have seen some of
them taken away in handcuffs, or worse. If that’s the case, Mallory works to repair the social damage done and keep the
 20
club from being blamed for the raid.
The Main Event
Mallory acts as stop gap between the characters getting
to his boss, Burt Richardson, who’s carefully working to
keep his distance. The Kiss has some powerful gangster
backers and Mr. Richardson will do anything to keep those
benefactors from thinking that he’s
lost a handle on the club. No matter
how the investigators tug at talking
to “the boss”, Mallory tries to keep
interested parties at bay until he can
determine if they’re a danger to the
club’s manager.
Provided the investigators can
Charm, Intimidate, or Persuade the
right information out of him, Mallory
will help set up a meeting with
Richardson where the real information can begin
to filter out. Willis and Treanor came to The Kiss as
regulars, but before that,
Jonathan Swift did as well.
Richardson is aware of how
rich and powerful Swift Meat
Packing Company is, so he’s
not about to implicate himself
or the club if it could result in a
backlash.
Patrick Mallory - Bouncer,
Former Army and Ex-Irish
mobster
“Listen, he looked a little
crazy coming through the door. I watched him
last night, but The Kiss isn’t a slow place, ya know? He
had that gun up before I could make a move. Once the
shots started, I reached for him, but he was quicker than
my brother to the dinner table.”
“Sure, I’ve seen Willis and Treanor in here before.
Willis used to play in Mr. Richardson’s card game before
a few months ago, but he just stopped coming.” (Mallory
doesn’t know why)
“The boys didn’t just come into The Kiss. Sometimes
they’d also go to The Rex, a straight-forward nickelodeon
and soda shop on the north side of the Levee District”
“Listen, Mr. Richardson isn’t available right now. If you
leave me your name and a way
to contact you, I’ll give him the
message.”
Burt Richardson - Bar
Manager
“I’d never seen that kid in
here before the other night.
Seems he had some kinda
score to settle with Willis
and Treanor. Kept fidgeting with his beer
until they came in. Barely had two swallows of it before he
pulled the iron out.”
“I didn’t hear what the kid said when he pulled the gun,
but Willis called him Holden or something.”
“I’d seen the guy a couple of times with Willis. New
fella. Drank the higher end stuff we keep for special
guests. Willis was a local kid you understand. A good guy
by The Kiss.
“I’ll do what I can around The Kiss, but listen, I can’t
have you all back in there any time soon. Talent gets
scared after a shooting.”
Patrick Mallory spent time in his home country of
Ireland during the Great War, and after serving in France,
he came to Chicago with his family. The war put stains
on his mind that won’t go away, and the shooting doesn’t
help.
Mallory’s first objective when the investigators talk to
him is to determine if they’re involved with any of the
gangs in the city. If so, he’s likely to have a negative view
of their presence. Mr. Richardson took a chance on Patrick
when he first came to Chicago, so the war veteran treats
The Kiss like his home. Beyond that, rival gangs, and the
killings that go with them, are bad for business.
Depending on how the characters leave the situation
with Mallory will greatly determine how fast Richardson
contacts them. The better mannered they are, the more apt
he is to call on them quickly.
House Money
When Richardson does call on them, he does so through
an intermediary, making sure his direct hands are far away
from any prying eyes. Utilize a paperboy or messenger
who is paid to deliver the news.
 21
He chooses a local diner (one he has a relationship
with) and corrals them in a smoky back room. Burt is
direct with what he knows and what he doesn’t. He has
nothing to hide from the investigators outside of who his
benefactor is.
Richardson can drop a few gems to lead them along.
Information he will always impart during the
conversation:
Burt Richardson didn’t know Samuel Holden, but he
did have a solid friendship with Willis. The other man,
Terrance Treanor, had only come around for the past few
months, and never spoke more than a handful of words
to Richardson. Both men worked at the Chicago Union
Stockyards.
He never trusted Treanor, no matter how much Willis
said he was okay. Richardson had Mallory keep an eye on
him.
Information he may impart based on Charm/Fast Talk
rolls:
Willis and Treanor worked at the Union Stockyards
under Jonathan Swift, who manages the Swift Meat
Packing Company.
A month ago, Willis and Treanor stopped coming in on
account of a worker’s strike at the Yards. The night they
were murdered the men were celebrating a successful
break of that strike.
Information he may impart based on Hard Charm/Fast
Talk rolls:
Several months ago, there was a fire at the Yards. It
was downplayed in the newspapers, and Willis wouldn’t
say how it had started. Treanor appeared within weeks of
the incident and Richardson could tell Patrick Willis was
under more stress than usual.
Other information:
If the investigators mention Detective Belmont,
Richardson mentions he’s been a thorn in his side before.
He’s a dirty cop who takes his drinks and then busts
bootleggers and decent businessmen like Richardson.
He’ll readily suggest they find a way to get the sinister
detective off their back soon.
Other scenarios:
If the investigators decide to blow the lid off Agent
Martinez’s investigation by telling Richardson about
her undercover work at The Kiss, he may have several
different reactions. He could end the meeting cordially
and quickly, telling them “they’ve done a great service
to him and The Kiss.” Richardson has Mallory deal
with Martinez directly. The Chicago papers report her
body found two days later, having been fished out of the
Chicago River.
Another choice might have Richardson ask the
investigators play along with Agent Martinez and keep
him in the loop so he can make any moves before she
does. He’s willing to pay $100 per person if asked. This
second option still ends with Richardson planning to
kill Martinez, but it gives him the opportunity to set the
investigators up to be blamed for another murder!
Picking up the Pieces
This section of the scenario offers the investigators
time to do some research about The Kiss, its proprietor
Burt Richardson, or even Detective Belmont. Unless the
players are willing to sit around for the Chicago Police
department to come up with enough evidence to charge
them, they should be buzzing around town trying to
ascertain who the shooter was and what it all means.
Richardson’s plan is to give the players what information
he can and remind them they need to stay out of The Kiss
until the matter is resolved.
This scene could also include a chat with Agent
Martinez again, but under her guise as Miss Jane. If the
investigators want a moment with her, remember that
the club is closed, and Mallory would instruct them to
“wait until they re-open before looking to get their kicks”.
Should they press Mallory to see her – on account of
what she may have seen – he agrees to it, but only if he’s
there with her. Martinez gives them the same information
she did in their previous scene and plays up her role as a
protective madame during the night in question.
Given the different pieces of information investigators
might uncover in this scene, they may decide to head
to the Rex (A Penny and A Dime) and see what they
can turn up. Should the meeting with Burt go well, the
Stockyards (The Chicago Stockyards) may become
another target. Information on Swift Meat Packing Co.
is available at the library and other news outlets, but
all of this is above board and legal information. The
investigators will have to get beyond the gates and into
the mud and muck if they want to find out more.
 22

A Penny & A Dime

The investigators have been tipped off by Patrick Mallory or Burt Richardson that the two men killed spent their
afterhours at the nickel theater not too far from The Kiss. The Rex theater is a source of evening entertainment, including
picture shows, cabarets, and even the occasional singer. If the investigators go during the day, there isn’t much to show as
far as movies, but it does give them the opportunity to speak with the show manager, Tony Huntley, who could provide
them a new clue.

Huntley has run The Rex since it opened ten years ago. Sadly, times have been tough, and he’s ceded many of his
former patrons to the gin joints and swing bars which have grown up around the city. Having refused to get involved
with bootlegging, Huntley aims to keep his establishment on the level, in hopes of steering clear of Chicago’s growing
organized crime. He’s been forced in recent weeks to take on protection from some of the local neighborhood boys who
are interested in keeping “everyone safe” for a price.

Inciting Events

When the investigators arrive during the day, Huntley will be near the soda fountain (now that they can’t serve alcohol)
keeping the glasses clean. If they walk through the door during the evening, Huntley stays busy, running between the bar
area and the backroom talent. There is foot traffic (with thirsty folks coming in for soda or some small food goods they
sell) but they shouldn’t have much trouble bending Huntley’s ear with a Persuade roll to get what they need.
 23
Main Event
Once engaged, Tony Huntley is helpful,
leaning on his connection with Mallory to help
the characters where he can, and while not a
major font of information, he does let one key
fact drop about the two men who occasionally
dropped in after their trips to The Kiss. It had
become clear to Huntley that the two used Swift’s
Michigan Avenue luxury apartment as a final stop
on whatever “Night of Wickedness” they were
on at the time. Wickedness aside, the savvy show
manager knows the address (he might even offer
that he’d been invited up once but refused) and
happily gives it to them provided the investigators
are looking to solve the mystery of who killed the
two men. He won’t know much about the men’s
dealings outside of them playing the nickelodeons
to reminisce every now and again. Willis tipped
well, and Treanor saw fit to keep his words to
himself but did have a penchant for vanilla flavors.
He viewed the two men as business associates only
made friends provided there was some available
vice to emulsify their relationship together.
If he’s pressed about who else from the
Stockyards might have been seen with the two men,
a Hard Persuade roll will get a new story out of
him. He reveals that Patrick Willis used to stop in
with another man and his younger son who were
working at the Yards. It’s been a year or so since
he saw them all together, but they used to come
in after work all the time for food and something
from the soda fountain. Huntley describes the man
and his son, and while it won’t be relevant yet,
if the investigators locate the picture in Swift’s
office (The Chicago Stockyards) or
meet up with Samuel
Holden (Holden
House) they’ll be
able to confirm
one or the other.
He’ll mention
the young boy
talked about how
hard working in the
slaughterhouses had
been, and Huntley
recommends they might
still be working there. (The
Slaughterhouse).
A Spot of Trouble
This location does give the Keeper the
opportunity to play into the well- worn Chicago
gangster theme and introduce a few characters in
pinstripe suits who may overhear the investigators.
The reasons for them interjecting could be many
- perhaps a card game gone awry or maybe they
just don’t like the look on the investigator’s faces.
Any interjection is likely from a selfish perspective.
They’d love to know what the motley group
who just walked in wants, and why they’re very
interested in chatting with the show manager. 
A Keeper using the Pulp Cthulhu rules might
choose this little theater as a spot for two rival
Chicago gangs to seek their brand of justice
unaware of what the investigators are doing or
caring much about them at all. A shootout so soon
after the events at The Kiss could be deadly for a
standard game, as death by bullets (or even more
attention from Det. Belmont) is probably the last
thing they’re expecting!
Picking up the Pieces
While there isn’t much to The Rex or Huntley,
there is a chance for the investigators to pick up
a few other pieces of information they can’t get
anywhere else. Beyond the Michigan Avenue
address (Den of Wickedness), Huntley knows the
two men worked at the Yards and occasionally
hired strikebreakers for the slaughterhouses (The
Slaughterhouse) who fought low wages and bad
working conditions. Many of those workers come to
The Rex to wet their whistles and find respite from
the backbreaking work of the day.
 24

Den of Wickedness
Swift’s legend only grows as a reckless decadent high-rise luxury apartment awaits them. A premiere street, filled
with tall buildings framed by a long Lake Michigan lakefront, make this a perfect spot to wine and dine guests of all
predilections. Long before he was charged with the family’s mission of contacting Yig, Swift enjoyed a young executive’s
dream palace, with space for all his desires: drinks, intoxicants from the Far East, and pampered service from the
apartment building’s concierge service.

The hotel’s large exterior and opulent twenty-one floors are accented by frosted front main doors and a selection of large
lighting fixtures to make the wide overhang a bright focal point for hopeful buyers. A restaurant and ballroom are some
of the many well-appointed rooms found on the lower levels. Since being taken over by a railroad tycoon, the Whitestone
luxury hotel has been a magnet for the rich and powerful to massage their way into every must-attend party by sole use
of their address. Whitestone is all the commoner of Chicago needs to hear to know someone is wealthy, but for Swift, the
hotel is where his descent began.

Upon arriving in Chicago, Jonathan Swift set about making friends of the upper crust, using his youth and vigor to gain
acceptance in some social circles within the city’s tight merchant families. The powerful family in Massachusetts paved
his way by purchasing two hotel rooms at the Whitestone to show off their willingness to spend money in the Windy City.
Instead of using it to further his cover and build a base the family could use, Swift slowly spent all the social capital the
family had to spend engaged in debauchery until his family began to ration the funds in his account.

As his time in Chicago became more directed in the family’s goals of contacting Yig’s children, Swift used the
apartment sparingly, choosing to keep to the office and makeshift apartment he’d made above the Yard offices to be closer
to his goals. Installing a large statuary piece inside a secret ritual space, Swift took on a fresh charge, a dangerous and
deadly Eastern Brown snake in hopes gaining Yig’s favor. He did bring Grace Holden here several times (evidenced by the
clothing left here matching the clothes at the Holden House) during his failed courtship of her. Once he had her remanded
to Dunning, Swift barely paid the luxury hotel suite any attention, allowing Treanor and Willis to use it as they desired.
 25
Inciting Events
Investigators may come to this scene via the tip they
get from the bartender at The Rex or from the keychain
picked up after scouring Jonathan Swift’s office at the
Chicago Stockyards. Should the investigators come from
the offices, they’ll have Swift’s spare key from his desk. If
that key is shown to the doormen, they’ll be happy to give
the investigator a broad smile and welcome them up. The
Den holds several potential clues, and if they find Swift’s
hidden ritual space, a choice which could change the
course of the events in the final chapter for one or more of
the investigators.
The hotel suite is striking, with rich woods and leather
furniture. Whitestone has spared no expense in making
each detail and living quarters exactly how their guests
prefer it. Swift had them add onto the suite by gobbling
up space from another apartment, thus allowing him to
create a secret ritual space within his already large hotel
accommodation. Hidden by a carefully disguised false
wall, Willis and Treanor were never aware of its existence.
Gaining entry to the building is fairly easy provided
the investigators aren’t dressed poorly, as this apartment
employs two doormen who watch the lobby to prevent
vagrants. A standard suit and tie from the day will be
fine, but anyone dressing over and above that will be
seen as a potential guest. The doormen are strict and
allowed to deny access to the hotel for anyone, but they
are especially keen on not being bullied by gangster types.
The clientele of Whitestone pays good money not to be
 26
bothered by upstart bootleggers trying to climb Chicago’s
social ladder, and the doormen are willing to physically
remove anyone posing a threat to guests. Beyond that, the
investigators will need to make their way up the elevator
or stairs to room 818, located on the 18th floor.
Main Event
The door to the suite is locked but can be overcome
by a Hard Lockpicking or Strength roll, provided they
haven’t swiped the key from the Yards office. Once inside,
the investigators will find the main room in reasonable
shape, with a noticeable liquor cabinet and radio in the
corner, to serve as entertainment. The air inside is stuffy,
with the most recent newspaper dated from a few days
ago. The kitchen and party area are serviceable, and far
outside the normal hotel standards, with the pantry still
stocked with many canned goods. A recent delivery of
meat from Swift Meat Packing sits nearby, Yard Manager
Tom Haskell’s name written clearly on the wrapping.
Deeper in the suite, past the kitchen, the investigators
will come across the first of two bedrooms which appears
unused. Beyond the first awaits the master bedroom
where several items of note can be found. A successful
Spot Hidden roll reveals two tickets for the local opera
theater with a note attached which reads “Private Box,”
a nightstand with a small mirror, a book on geological
surveys of the Chicago River, and an accounting ledger
with notes from a man named Bob Creedy on “figures
which need revision.” In the nearby closet, a series of
fancy dresses and evening wear can be found, each one in
last season’s style for investigators with a discerning eye.
After inspecting the closet, a keen-eyed investigator
after a Hard Spot Hidden might notice the wallpaper on
the far wall appears slightly newer than the rest of the
walls, as if it has been redone recently. Once investigated,
a slight draft can be felt from the wallpaper seam at the
corner on the wall, confirming that part of the wall is
false. Moving the wall section can be done by finding the
foot lever near the bedside (this could also be revealed if
the investigators check under the bed thoroughly).
With the wall moved, the investigators make their first
shocking discovery. Jonathan Swift’s personal ritual
space is a small, but seemingly used ten-foot space where
a central altar has been erected with a massive twenty-
pound snake statue which dominates the room. Along
the floor, strange script has been furiously etched into the
hardwood floor here with white chalk. To decipher it, have
the investigators make an Occult roll. If successful, they
determine the room was used as some type of sanctuary
dedicated to a snake deity. Several common ritual items
lay around the room, including half used candles, more
white chalk, and bits of cast-off snakeskin. A successful
Natural World roll reveals it to be snakeskin, but a
mystery beyond that.
In addition to the altar, the investigators will also see a tall
wire cage with a series of tree branches inside. If they get
closer, a long brown snake is spotted inside the cage staring
back at them. Upon closer inspection, they notice a smaller
cage near the area with three mice moving around. Should
the investigators inspect the snake cage further, a successful
Hard Natural World roll will identify the snake as an
emaciated Eastern Brown Snake, one of the most poisonous
snakes in the world and native to Australia.
With the feeding mice so close, the investigators may
choose to open the cage and feed the snake, or simply
leave the reptile be and take their clues. Should they
choose the former path, the snake will make quick work
of the first mouse they put in the cage (it can only eat
so often), but the investigators who took part in feeding
the snake will be marked by Yig and shown favor by the
Dread in the Dark should they reach the final chapter.
Conversely, if they choose to kill the snake or destroy
the ritual space, Yig will command his children to treat
those investigators with malice, including the Dread in
the Dark, who will attack them without warning before
calming back down.
Picking up the Pieces
The Michigan Avenue apartment is a bevy of clues and
pitfalls. First, the clue trail here is heavy and it is possible
the investigators become overwhelmed with their first
foray into the occult shrine. Don’t let them miss the forest
from the trees, as the clues – chief among them the opera
house tickets and the ledger book which contains Bob
Creedy’s (The Curious Case of Bob Creedy) phone
number – are of high importance. The clues here should
give the investigators enough to move on to their next
location, the Chicago Opera House where Swift kept a
private box to entertain guests or potentially double back
and investigate Burt Richardson’s lead and check out The
 27

Chicago Stockyards.

The Opera House

Of the many requirements on Jonathan Swift’s social life, the downtown Chicago Opera House was a welcomed respite
from the dingy Stockyards. Even after his research into Yig deepened, Swift still spent time to listen to various music
and entertainers that might play here. Regular guests and opera house staff would recognize Swift by name and face but
wouldn’t be able to tell curious investigators more than surface information about him.

“He was a good man when I spoke with him. A real lover of the opera and Chicago.”
“I always saw him in good company. Well-spoken and generous with his donations.”
“He kept a private box and attended on Saturdays alone or with a single guest.”

Inciting Events

On its face, the opera doesn’t seem like much of a lead. They may have seen a playbill at the Swift offices (The
Chicago Stockyards), or possibly acquired tickets through their search of Swift’s luxury apartment at Whitestone (Den of
Wickedness). Either way - the investigators have much to find and much to potentially lose at the opera house when they
 28

arrive. investigators fail at being stealthy, they are gently

During daytime hours, the opera building is only
partially open, with the main doors closed to visitors and
a lone side door left open for deliveries and members
who’ve come to practice. During the nighttime hours, the
opera hums with activity of pre-performance and swaths
of upper crust society members eager to show off their
latest fashion with all of Chicago.
The Main Event
reminded that the opera house is currently closed, but they
are welcome to come back when a performance is taking
place. Should they produce tickets from Swift Whitestone
apartment, the opera house worker may notice they are
expired and ask them to leave.
In the evening hours, getting into the opera house
through the side door is harder (the difficulty on the rolls
are flipped) as opera house performers know their fellows,
but it’s easier to filter through a theater in a crowd without
being noticed.

Getting to the private box isn’t too difficult during the Once they arrive at Swift’s private box, they find it
day, where few people choose to lurk high above the concealed by a set of thick curtains. The wide and plush
stage. The lights are kept dim on the lower seating bowl, seat cushions provide ample seating for four in a crescent
keeping the upper boxes dark to performers on the stage. shape. From the box, one can see the stage with ease
and enjoy a thick, hand-carved wooden rail. The box
Skulking through the back stairs requires a Stealth has a second set of curtains which close it off from the
roll or choosing a more brash main staircase to travel stage view entirely (these curtains are closed when the
up, requires a Hard Stealth roll to not be discovered. investigators arrive).
There is the possibility that an investigator may want to
avoid sneaking altogether, at which point, they’ll have As they begin to search the private box, the opera
to convince one to two opera staff who aren’t preparing performers begin their singing. Through the curtains,
that they have a
right to be there.
A mix of Charm,
Fast Talk, or
Persuade could
be used, but
since the opera
is closed except
for specific dates,
the investigators
will need to make
sure they have a
feasible reason
as to why they
need to head up
to the private
box area. If the
investigators
choose to wait
until the opera is
open, they’ll need
to obtain tickets
(available at a
reasonable price)
then arrive there
at some point
during the show.

If the
 29

Cult of Massasauga reaches

out to curb their probing. If
this is the first time the cult is
making an appearance, they
may choose to threaten first,
rather than kill. Slipping out
from the shadows, several
cultists dressed in simple
working overalls and
tools gather near the top
of the balcony to watch
the investigators before
issuing their warning.
They tell the characters
to cease their
investigation if they
know what’s good for
them. The cultists are
willing to back this
up by showing off
their curved blades
and put them to use
in the opera if the
investigators rise to this
challenge. The Keeper should adjust the
number of cultists if they feel Swift has lost several
already.

If the investigators have already encountered them at

the house musical opening drifts up, and as the
timpani creates a low murmur through the building,
the investigators make their first Spot Hidden roll. If
successful, among the thick cushions of the crescent
shaped seat, a crumpled note with the Swift Meat Packing
Company letterhead is found. It reads:
“She never liked the opera. Do what needs to be done.”
An address listed below is for the Holden House. If the
investigators come to the opera after Holden House, the
address is immediately recognizable as the one-time home
of Stanley and Grace Holden.
Picking up the Pieces
When the investigators leave the opera, the watchful
Dunning or elsewhere and are double-checking loose
plot threads, the cult is prepared to kill and gives no
warning. An opposed Spot Hidden roll is required to
notice the cultists before they attack. The opera music
proves an excellent cover for the combat noises (save for
gunfire) for three full rounds or until the curtain blocking
performers on the stage is ripped down or pushed aside.
Once an altercation is seen, performers will flee and seek
to alert the staff or police.
Fallout from the Chicago Opera House could go in
several different directions. Should the investigators find
the note and steer clear of the cult in a first meeting, they
may choose to check out Holden House or The Chicago
Stockyards given the letterhead of the note, if they
have yet to investigate there. If the police get involved
after a cultist attack, Detective Belmont may darken the
investigators’ doorway, proving to be a thorn in their side
 30

once again.

The Curious
Case of Bob
Creedy
Depending upon what they uncover, the investigators
might feel a little lost. If so, Bob Creedy is an option for
the Keeper by introducing a new element into the story:
Stanley Holden’s best friend and former Swift Meat
Packing accountant, Bob Creedy.

Inciting Events

Bob Creedy is an unassuming man with a weak

chin. A slightly pensive man in his mid-forties, this
common accountant makes a living at counting numbers,
specifically those in Swift’s office at the Chicago Yards.
Ever since hearing about the shooting at The Kiss, he has
been hiding. He chose to lie to the office about being sick,
but he’s shocked and scared it happened. Bob Creedy also
knows too much for his own good. That’s why he’s perfect
for the investigators to meet up with. The investigators
could try and track him down after finding his name in the
accounting ledger (Den of Wickedness) or managed to
chat up Krystyna Athanas (The Slaughterhouse).
He approaches the investigators(s) who the cops have
fingered. He finds them at twilight, or later, maybe at a
diner. He tells them he’s got some info on the case and he
needs to share it with them.
Bob Creedy worked with Stanley Holden for years,
including the last few months as the foundation he relied
on crumbled into dust. Holden eventually confided in
him, but Creedy didn’t know what he could do to help the
situation. He started feeding Holden a few more swigs of
whiskey to help dull the pain.
Main Event
Creedy wants what he can’t have - for everything to go
back to normal. Deep down he knows he should have said
something to the police months ago, he just didn’t have
the guts to. He drinks most nights now, even offering the
investigators nips for strength.
His biggest play to the investigators comes from a
newspaper article from earlier this year (which the
characters may already have from Swift’s office). The
Daily Herald headline shows a reported fire and 1-million-
dollar loss of property at the Yards. Locals have heard of
this fire last year. Creedy’s story is this: the fire was a
cover for closing the buildings in the back of the Yards
and Bob knows because he’s been in the books.
He also details what happened to his friend, Stanley
Holden. He tells the investigators something wasn’t
right for the past few months before his disappearance.
He’d gone to his house several times, and after each
visit, Stanley Holden seemed stranger and more stressed.
Creedy mentions that even his wife, Grace Holden, was
acting funny. The Holden family broke up after Stanley
Holden went missing. He hasn’t heard from younger
Holden in some time and the boy’s mother was remanded
to the Dunning hospital two months ago after multiple
“incidents”.
 31
Creedy heard the argument between Swift and Stanley
Holden. He knows the shouting match concerned
Holden’s wife, but couldn’t tell what happened. That was
months ago and now his friend is gone, Grace Holden is
in Dunning hospital, and no one knows what happened to
the younger Holden. (Or perhaps he’s heard the boy was
killed/arrested/hurt, etc.)
The anxious accountant can provide them with the
address of the Holden House. He advises them it has
been up for rent for months with no interest. He gives the
investigators a key for Swift’s upstairs Yards office, noting
that Swift spent much of his time there. Creedy might
caution them against going to Dunning, simply out of the
asylum’s ghastly reputation. For added effect, he’ll tell
how school kids use the word instead of people going to
Hell. “Be careful or they’ll send you to Dunning…”
Picking up the Pieces
Creedy’s role in the scenario is potentially two-fold.
In his first role, he could act as a method of redirecting
or re-enforcing the story, but the key is to use him in
a soft fashion. Creedy isn’t a hammer; he’s a cup of
unsettling tea. His only method of absolution are the
players. In his second role, he could act as a double-check
on information the group already has... at least until
Creedy jumps on a train East, that is. Using Bob Creedy
is completely optional, and only adds another layer to
the overall story. He can point the investigators in a
number of directions, including Holden House, Chicago
State Hospital at Dunning, or back to The Chicago
Stockyards for a closer look at the Swift Meat Packing
office.
 32

The Chicago Stockyards

What makes the Stockyards a grisly place for investigators is the smell. There’s nothing like it in their world.
No crime scene, no wharf, no gangster deal gone bad. It’s as dirty as life gets. The kill count here is in the
millions. All manner of animal flesh and bone drift in on rattling cars, eager to find a place of solitude. Unable
to find respite, the animals who come to the Stockyards spend their final hours moving from pen to pen, until
a swift hammer blow is delivered by Chicago’s barrel-chested meat workers who are all too eager to earn their
next hours’ worth of pay. The Yards have grown into a terrifying engine that churns through the fuel countless
trains bring, consumes that feed in the squat, soot-covered buildings, before packaging it into edible chunks for
the masses who try to ignore the stench of bubbling offal in the nearby Chicago River.

Inciting Events

As the investigators pick things up here at the Yards, they’ll have a number of questions. The problem is the
two people they’ll want to talk to (Willis and Treanor) are dead. From here there are still a few leads to pull on.
 33
It’s key to remember that the Yards aren’t
wholly owned by any one company. There are
several meat packing companies that make their
home among the vastness of the Stockyards.
During daylight hours, the investigators will
need time to wind their way through the busy
Yards area until they end up at the Swift offices.
All night encounters are covered later in this
section.
During such travel, they may choose to
question people around them. Even through the
hustle and bustle of Stockyards life, it is possible
the investigators will find someone willing to talk.
The Main Event
Provided they get a few local workers around the Swift
Meat Packing Company to talk, they’ll have positive
things to say at first. Remember, no worker wants to lose
their job on account of saying the wrong thing to the
wrong person.
If the investigators ask around, they may come across
some of the following information:
• Office workers at the Swift Meat Company know
of the deaths. Losing a manager and a senior partner is a
big blow. Jonathan Swift is scrambling to figure out what
he can do to smooth things over until more help can be
hired. He’s blown up at the workers twice in the past day,
raving about the lack of discipline. After a call, he leaves
on an abrupt “vacation”.
• Yard workers are a chatty bunch. They’ve heard
about the killings too and are trying to keep their heads
down after a berating by Swift. Many believe it could be
foul play by Tom Haskell, the former senior Yard hand
turned temporary manager, to get a better position.
• Swift Meat Company workers know Jonathan
Swift kept long hours in the upstairs office recently. They
remember lights being on during late evening shifts.
The workers know little about Treanor, but some stand
by Willis: he’d been one of them before being promoted.
What they do know about Treanor is the odd hours he
kept. Out of the offices by 8am, walked the full Yard by
10. Back after 2pm to oversee shift change, and
then dinner nearby about 5ish. Some saw him in the Yards
as late as midnight, but they assumed he went home after
that. Others recount that he practically lived in the offices
above the main building for some reason.
If the characters head to the main building, they’ll
be greeted by a receptionist and a small group of paper
pushers who don’t know much about what’s going on
other than to push them in any direction other than Swift’s
office. They’ve been told under no circumstances is
anyone asking questions allowed upstairs where Swift’s
private apartment and office await.
In lieu of further information, the characters are directed
to Tom Haskell, the temporary Yard Manager. A burly
man who’s spent the better part of fifteen years in the kill
houses and slop yards, Haskell is a bought and paid for
company man. He looks at anyone who doesn’t come
from a labor background with a jaundiced eye and uses
his physical nature to bully those who do. Haskell is
instrumental in causing havoc with the union at the Yards,
crossing picket lines and cuffing the ears of those who
refuse.
When the characters look for Haskell, they’ll find him
out in the Yards, not in the office. The Keeper’s purpose
here is to put the investigators among the muck and
livestock. Make sure they get a feel for the unending
caravan of mammals devoted to human hunger. The
key thing to remember is, at any time, Haskell can have
the characters thrown out for being too demanding or
invasive. The Keeper may use the optional audio handouts

for Haskell as well.
If the investigators ask about Swift
“He’s on vacation. What can I help you with?”
If the investigators press on Swift -
“Like I said, he’s not here. What do you want?”
If the investigators ask about Treanor and Willis
“I worked with Willis for years. Good man. Worked hard.
Damn shame he’s gone. I can’t speak for the other. Never
seen him lift a tool or pull a steer in for killing.”
If the investigators press -
“Listen, the men here knew Willis. Treanor wasn’t a
local, he came from out East.”
“I’m not sure why you’re here, or what you’re looking
for, but if it isn’t meat, you need to move along.”
Yards by day takeaway - The big thing the investigators
should be feeling right now is confusion mixed with
uncertainty. Any investigator who’s been fingered in
the killing by the cops should be much more concerned
because they haven’t found any answers yet. There
are multiple forks in the road here, so prepare for the
investigation to go a couple of different directions. One
thing should be clear - something is going on at the Yards
and it doesn’t smell right.
The Yards by Night
The Yards are largely made up of livestock and the
pens to keep them in. The spaces between are made up of
massive processing plants and cutting floors, not to mention
the numerous rail lines used to move them to the site.
Moving through the area, except by the roads and pathways
provided, means jumping in and out of animal corrals,
which slows the investigation down.
Should the investigators collectively (or singly) decide to
make their way back to the Yards after their first venture,
use the guidelines below to frame what might happen.
The Yards are never empty. There are always workers
here cutting beef, pigs, or cleaning up from one of the
previous operations. Trains move stock in during the
morning and daytime hours, while other workers prep meat
and work on machines. This should deliver the idea that
they’ll never find the place empty. There should always be
34
the din of animal noise, the smell of excrement, and the
billowing smoke of the processing facilities nearby.
As far as key personnel changes - The office is closed
to visitors after 4pm, but that doesn’t mean it’s empty. A
history of union problems has Swift Meat Company extra
cautious. Two guards watch the main offices, choosing
to rove between the long chain of processing facilities
until they head to the guard shack for an hour. While not a
perfect security pattern, the lighting here is good enough to
make Stealth checks required.
The vastness of the Yards should come into play here
too. At night it should feel like an ocean of odd smells
and strange animal noises. This is an alien world to the
investigators, one which might bite or bay at them. Beyond
that, the characters will have to choose where they want to
go. The offices are locked; the packaging houses are open
and working.
Swift Meat Packing Co.
The Swift Meat Company’s main office - where the
characters were derailed earlier - is the most likely place
to start any serious investigation. It could hold the most
information on who Willis and Treanor were, not to
mention the reclusive Jonathan Swift.
Breaking in will require a Stealth roll (to avoid the
guard patrol) and a Locksmith or STR roll to defeat the
lock, with the latter making a break-in clear for anyone
investigating.
The main floor is easy to navigate, with small rooms
dedicated to reception, accounting, and department managers.
Each is filled with a collection of notebooks, ledgers, and the
like. A character with a Hard Accounting roll could discover
Swift has been cooking the books to pull money from the
company to pay for his quiet space in the back of the Yards.
While the ledger doesn’t give it a formal name directly, it is
marked as “Additional Housing”. This assessment takes at
least an hour of concentrated study to conclude.
A wide-ranging lower floor gives way to an upper floor
which seems to have been retrofitted into a suite. The upper
floor is simple. The door to the main room is locked, but
Locksmith or STR will do the trick if the investigators
haven’t met Bob Creedy (The Curious Case of Bob
Creedy) yet.
 35

Once inside, the main room appears

that it hasn’t been properly cleaned in
weeks, perhaps months. The rumors
were that Swift was living up here and it
sure does look and smell like that. Piles
of food, dirty laundry, and stale cups of
coffee greet the players.

Swift’s Office

A hallway ahead and to the left leads

to a series of closets and the stairs for the
downstairs garage. To the right lies an
open sitting area swamped with clothes,
empty coffee cups, and the odd sandwich
plate. A search of this area reveals little
more than a messy living space and an
icebox with beer inside. The two sitting
areas have stacks of market reports,
newspapers, and a few books on the
history of Chicago. Other successful Spot Hidden rolls reveal other
items.
In the office at the far end, the characters find a long
desk and rows of filing cabinets awaiting them. If the A series of keys on a small key ring found in the desk.
outer rooms were messy, this area feels like a minefield. These keys open a wide array of buildings including the
Papers, file folders, newspapers, and all sorts of things lay production facilities, office storage, and a red-tipped key
about. The devil here is in the details and a bit of sorting with the Whitestone logo on it.
will be needed to get the information they’re looking for.
A picture of Swift, Willis, and Treanor enjoying some
After a successful Spot Hidden roll, a newspaper drinks and cigars (Serpent Handout #3). Alongside the
clipping shows a report of the fires at the Yards. (Serpent photo is a loaded (but unused) .38 caliber revolver.
Handout #2)
Down the back stairs is a large garage. Currently only
January’s fire created new problems for Swift and the one car resides here, a black Dodge Model 30. The rest of
cult’s hiding place at the Yards, but the company’s family- the garage is a collection of oil stains and gasoline cans.
based management was willing to give its favored son one
last chance. A search of this area does find a few bottles of
homemade whiskey if the investigators are courageous
Among the files and folders in the office area, the enough to drink them.
investigators may also come across a letter written with a
furious hand. This handwritten letter comes from Stanley Searching the Yards
Holden. (Serpent Handout #4) It doesn’t hold back on
the damage Swift’s cult has done to his wife, nor what
Stanley Holden truly thought of his former boss. The The characters have some ability to walk the Yards,
letter is unsigned, but it should drive home the fact that but this has to be done by staying to the inner streets and
something horrible went on between Swift and the Holden worn pathways any normal visitor might go on. Should
family. While it’s not clear right now what Swift did in they decide to move off the beaten path, they’ll need to
response, it will become clear as the search continues. be careful not to be spotted. In general, there is a 50%
chance per 10 minutes spent roaming the Stockyards

someone may notice them as out of place guests.
If seen by a worker - there’s a 70% chance they look
the other way. Most workers are too busy to care who’s
wandering around the Yard. If the roll is above 70%, the
worker either stops the character or looks for a manager.
If seen by a manager - there’s a 70% chance they stop
the character(s) and demand to know what they are
doing. If it’s plain to see the character(s) are not workers,
they’ll tell them to leave. Any negative response will
lead to them calling the guards.
If seen by a Yard guard - They ask the characters to
identify themselves immediately. If the characters try to
Fast Talk the guards, they must provide a decent story
as to why they’re present after hours. If those guards
have seen the characters before (especially if they
were present during Tom Haskell telling them to leave)
they’re at disadvantage for the roll.
Beyond the dung, blood, and hay of the Yard, the real
value in coming to the Yards will be to speak with the
workers and get directed to Plant 3’s slaughterhouse
(The Slaughterhouse) where they’ll have a chance
to hear about what Willis did during his time as a line
butcher and how he trained a young Sammy Holden.
Nearby, the Back of the Yards neighborhood begins
- and once the characters know of the Holden House -
they’ll be able to see the same abandoned shack Stanley
Holden did over a year ago.
Picking up the Pieces
As sections of this scenario go, the Stockyards are by
far and wide the most critical. The adage, “All roads
lead to Rome” has never been truer of the Yards. It is
the foundation of everything Swift and the family in
Massachusetts have built. If the investigators play their
cards right, they’ll come away with a mass of clues
which will prove to lead in many directions. They’ll
have to get past Haskell, but you’ll want to give the
impression that he’s hiding something (which he is).
One way to do this would be to utilize the workers they
interview about Treanor and Willis, allowing them to
offer their help getting past the guards after the dark
because of the strikebreakers used against them. If the
Keeper uses this tactic, being found by a Yards Manager
(or Tom Haskell) could be disastrous.
36
Which Side Are You On?
The Chicago Union Stockyards eventually becomes a
beacon for unionized labor and workers’ rights in post-
Depression America. Tension was common between white
and African-American workers, many of whom only
recently joined the packing houses after migrating from the
South. The tension only increased during labor strikes, when
rich owners would hire African-American strikebreakers to
fight with white workers.
The tireless work of organizers, workers willing to
strike, and laws passed to support trade unions break the
stranglehold shipping and transportation magnates have on
the industry. This boosts wages for all workers and leads to
the boom that would come in future decades.
This story takes place before the workers have managed
to win those victories, and for the investigators searching
the mud and muck, that gives the Keeper several potential
options for adding depth to the overall story:
During one of the group’s forays into the Stockyard,
they notice a cluster of workers arguing with one of the
foremen. The argument leads to an altercation, and
the workers grumble about calling for a strike. The
investigators might consider encouraging the group to
strike and use the temporary Stockyards shutdown to
make their search easier.
Once they arrive to investigate the Swift offices, they find
it surrounded by Tom Haskell and his men. A group of
20 workers are angry about the working conditions. The
players could use the opportunity to gather support among
the workers for locating the elusive Jonathan Swift, so he
can answer for the disgusting conditions.
The office is a wide-ranging, multi-floor structure which
could be an excellent point for placing a few cultists to protect
the family’s investment if the characters have encountered
them before (possibly at Holden House) but skulking around
in the dark gives them an opportunity to snatch important
clues; namely Stanley Holden’s letter, a set of keys to the
Michigan Avenue apartment, and the photo of Swift, Treanor,
and Willis together. No matter what happens, ensure the
investigators find Holden’s letter; of all the clues they can find
it is the one they must find.
 37

Inciting
Events
When the
investigators
make their way
to the Yards,
they’ll have the
opportunity to
speak with a
group of workers
taking break
out front of the
slaughterhouse
area. During
their short
conversations,
the workers
respond
positively to
Willis’ name if
used. They’ll
mention he
deserved better
than to be gunned down
and show honest remorse. For Treanor,

The Slaughterhouse
the exact opposite is true. The workers
have no respect for a man who barely
spoke, and when he did, it came at the
expense of their hard work.
The massive Chicago Stockyards are made of several different types
of buildings, from the plentiful stock pens where animals await their Willis worked in Plant 3, the largest
final fate to the canning facilities where prepared meat is packaged of the long slaughterhouses. This multi-
before being sold to the hungry masses of Chicago and beyond. There floor structure sits in the southern section
is no darker place for workers than the long slaughterhouses where an of the Swift Meat Packing grounds, with
endless parade of animals are fed to the killers. The packing companies several other larger buildings nearby. It
pride themselves on moving cattle through the plants and into the serves as the first of a series of stopping
coolers within twenty-five minutes of killing to bolster trust in the points for animals and the first time the
freshness of the product. A speedy processing of meat means a near- investigators can put a name with the
constant butchering inside the long and humid spaces. shadowy assassin they encountered at
The Kiss.
Samuel Holden saw one path of salvation for his family - kill as many
as he could. Amid the mud and muck of the slaughterhouses, Samuel There is the possibility the
Holden learned the talents of carving meat and found camaraderie with investigators come straight to Plant
his fellow butchers. Of the workers he interacted with, the butchers and 3 based on what they’ve found in the
dressers came to know him the best, choosing to take the younger man Michigan Avenue apartment (this is
under their wing before men like Tom Haskell ground him up like so where the cooler meat came from)
much chuck. They might remember the fight he had with Haskell on the having not gone to the office yet. If so,
way out a few weeks ago, but are likely to keep their mouths shut. alter the workers’ story to include talk
of the Yards office as the source of the
workers’ problems.
 38
The Main Event
Upon entering the area of Plant 3, investigators will be
greeted by workers in bloodied aprons and long, button-
up coats. Provided the investigators can pass a Persuade
roll, they’ll have a chance to ask them some questions if
they’re willing to keep an eye out for Tom Haskell.
The story they share about Willis is fit for the pages
of a Greek tragedy, as they paint him as the backbone of
the workers in the Yards until he was poisoned by Swift’s
greed which controls the entire company. They talk in detail
about the union busting and beatings they’ve suffered in
the past month, but the worst part was watching a man like
Willis cross the strike line and head to work inside the main
offices.
Even as mad as they were about Willis’ defection, none
of his fellow butchers wanted him dead. As a lead in Plant
3, he trained many of the workers there, and stood as a
bulwark against Haskell and the money-hungry Swift who
was always desperate for more production.
Of the workers they speak with, none are willing to
name Samuel Holden. In fact, if asked about a young
man matching his description (The Kiss or A Penny
and A Dime) the workers flatly refuse to work with the
investigators on account they might create a problem for a
fellow union member. Depending on how the investigators
handle it, the workers may chase them from the site with
the tools of their trade. If it looks like the slaughterhouse
might become a dead end, a Hard Persuade or Hard
Intimidate roll will get the workers to point them in the
direction of Krystyna Athanas at the back of Plant 3.
A young Polish immigrant, Krystyna Athanas came to
Chicago five years ago, having left New York at the age of
eleven. Upon arrival on the South Side of Chicago, Athanas
found work alongside her father at Swift Meat Packing.
As a woman, she works twice as hard as any of her fellow
workers (as is evidenced by her not taking a break with the
rest) and has had to put up with daily badgering by Tom
Haskell about how she should be at home. In her time in
Plant 3, she met, trained, and kept a close eye on Samuel
Holden. She made sure he learned the cutting method
correctly and trained him on how to meet the demanding
labor schedule put on by Swift’s men. Through all her
personal struggles, she maintains a backbone of iron in a
world not ready for her fiery resolve.
Investigators who try to talk with Athanas will have
to do it while she works, as the young woman cannot
afford to fall behind on her tasks at the line. Surrounded
by the endless lines of suspended meat, she could impart
information provided investigators don’t try to bully her
(she ends any conversation immediately if Intimidate is
used) and instead act reasonably by using Persuade. The
Keeper may choose to use the optional audio handouts for
Krystyna Athanas.
Successful Persuade
“I know the man you speak of, but he’s not here. Hasn’t
been here for weeks. His name is Samuel Holden. It’s too
bad, because we could use his help.”
“He lives in the Back of the Yards, or at least used to.
I’m not his mother, so you’ll have to look for yourself. This
meat won’t cut itself.”
If the investigators mention the murders at The Kiss
“There’s no way he’d do anything like that. He’s a good
boy. You’ve got the wrong man.”
Hard Persuade
“I know he and Haskell had it out a few times, but who
doesn’t complain about the boss? The truth is, Haskell is
a disgusting man who pushed the boy too much. Everyone
loved it when he gave the boss a good smack on the way
out.”
“He told me once that his father said Mr. Swift was a
horrible man. That he’d done things he couldn’t repeat.
You’ll have to take it up with him though. I know his family
has a house in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, near
47th street and South Aberdeen.”
Picking up the Pieces
On its face, the scene in Plant 3 may seem direct, but it
acts as a guardrail against the investigators from falling off
into leftfield and can provide them critical information if
they’re willing to stay calm. The slaughterhouse workers
are likely to keep their eyes on the investigators if they
speak with Krystyna Athanas and will notify Haskell if they
get too pushy. This may be the first time the investigators
hear about the blight Swift is to the workers, and there is
the opportunity for them to recruit an ally on the inside of
Swift Meat Packing should they impress Krystyna Athanas.
As for the description of Samuel Holden, it does fit the
gunman at The Kiss that night, which could move them on
to Holden House, provided they can get Krystyna on their
side.
 39

Chicago State
Hospital at Dunning
The wide brick building of Chicago State Hospital at Dunning might remind some investigators of a school because
of its size and arched entrances. A general malaise floats between the budding spring trees here. Since the early years of
Dunning, the hospital dealt with difficulties, including fires, power problems, water issues, and even riots. Over the years
it has gained a reputation among the children of Chicago as a place you’d send your worst enemies.
 40
Inciting Events
Armed with the knowledge from Creedy or having
stopped at Holden House and found the fake medical
admission papers, the investigators may seek out Grace
Holden for answers they don’t have. Should they do so,
they will be up against one of the most malignant places
in the Chicagoland area, and one with built-in terror.
Visiting hours are from 10am-4pm, observed with an
iron fist among the orderlies here. The nurses who watch
over patients are quick to object to any loud voices or
antics by visitors, including pushing them out the front
door if need be. All visitors must sign in and state who
they want to see. All visits are done within the general
view of staff, but they won’t hover unless given a good
reason.
Getting in to see Grace Holden isn’t easy, as Dunning
won’t let just anyone in. The characters will need to
Charm, Fast Talk, or Persuade their way past the
orderly at the front desk. They aren’t family and thus will
need a good reason to see Mrs. Holden. This changes if
they’ve convinced Samuel Holden to accompany them
after meeting him. If so, the cultists at Dunning go on
full alert and plan to wipe the entire group out when the
opportunity arises. This changes if the investigators try
to bribe the orderly through some creative method, but if
they do, limit their time with her to less than five minutes.
Once past reception, the investigators will be led to
where Grace Holden spends most of her time. The cold
gallery room overlooks a wide-open field with sparse
vegetation and fewer sights. Grace Holden’s once-thick
brown hair has given way to white at the temples and top.
Her green eyes are distant, rarely contacting anyone who
asks her questions. A once-classic beauty has frayed with
stress and fright.
Grace Holden has been the center of Swift’s - and thus
his cult’s - attention over the past year. She’s been brought
into the fold, learned dark spells, and then left a shattered
person by her experiences with the Dread in the Dark.
After sending Grace Holden to Dunning, Swift had the
cult infiltrate the orderly staff at the hospital to keep her
under guard. While they present a serious hurdle to our
investigators, Grace Holden could become more of a
challenge depending on how she is approached.
As the characters dive into the questioning period, they
won’t be alone in the area. Nurses, orderlies, and other
patients of the sanitarium are present. Grace Holden is
kept in an all-female wing of the Dunning complex, but
the staff around them is mostly male, which gives the cult
a perfect cover. Once Grace Holden begins to fret over her
missing “family,” the cultists begin to assess whether the
investigators are a threat or not.
The Main Event
Grace receives a daily dose of medicine to keep
her from climbing the walls in her manic phases, and
laudanum when that won’t keep her subdued. When the
investigators approach her, there’s a 25% chance she
hasn’t had her medicine today. If so, then she may fly
off the handle as soon as the second or third question
gets asked. The Keeper should use the scene to turn up
the tension on the investigators with wild reactions and
strange stories that lead to nowhere.
As a broken human (SAN 5) Grace Holden has little
left to live for other than her next opportunity to see her
son Samuel Holden and the dim hope Stanley Holden
will return. When the investigators question her here, she
should slip in and out of reason. Make it more than just
a simple roll or two from the players. If the investigators
can offer her something worth lifting her hopes for, she
may brighten up and reveal more than they first expect.
One way they might do this would be to have caught
Samuel Holden (Holden House) and somehow convinced
him to tag along to see his mother. If the investigators
arrive with Stanley Holden’s letter AND Samuel Holden
when they come to see Grace Holden, the cultists panic
and attack.
 41
A Broken Mind
Grace Holden has a lot of secrets. She’s seen the face of
madness in Chicago, but she isn’t about to give up those
secrets easily.
She could give the investigators information about
Swift, the meat company, and the horrors inflicted on
her mind, but her focus is on her missing baby.
Swift preyed on Grace Holden after her mind
broke during her encounter with the Dread in the
Dark. He sold her on the story that she’d killed
Samuel Holden in a fit of rage. She doesn’t
believe it, but she wavers between being sure
and the shifting sands she calls a memory.
Grace Holden still feels her connection to the
Dread in the Dark. She is enticed by what she
saw and felt. Most nurses assume she is too
far gone to make common sense, but that’s not
the case. Mrs. Holden can accurately describe
the black scales and triple-eyed beast sitting far
below the surface, even alluding to its massive
size.
Grace Holden knows about the hidden
buildings at the Yards, having spent long hours
communing with the creature in the mud below
and learning the cult’s secretive spells. In her
addled state, it would be hard for her to talk
about them in detail other than “Swift’s special
place” or “Where the Darkness lives.”
She doesn’t know where her husband is. She
wishes he’d come for her, but she believes he’s
gone forever. She doesn’t know where Swift is,
but she makes it clear he was supposed to have
come back for her by now.
If asked about her son, Grace Holden will
refer to him as her big boy. He was a good
egg. She mentions how he went to work at the
Yards when the family needed him to. There
isn’t much more she says about him other than
he loved his mother (she speaks as if he’s dead,
which drastically changes if the investigators
turn up with him in tow).
A Pit of Snakes
When the investigators arrive at Dunning, they already
have the deck stacked against them. Five cultists work in
the fortified women’s ward where Grace Holden currently
resides. One of the reception clerks leads the group, but
another member covers the common area, one walks the
 42
outer hallways of the dorm, and two more stay within
listening distance of Grace Holden most of the day.
Placed here by Swift out of concern for his own well-
being, the cultists have a primary mission of protecting
Grace Holden from harm and outside influence. They see
her as something they hope to become - blessed by the
Dread in the Dark. Swift left strict orders that she was to
be kept sedated and restrained if need be. A simple story
of postpartum shock was all the hospital needed to admit
her; the cult has been left to do the rest.
The Cultists of Massasauga here in Chicago are
migrants from Massachusetts. They have no discernible
identification or family in the region, which is by
design. There are also a limited number of them at
Swift’s disposal, but the investigators have no way of
knowing that. Their orders come from the old Swift
family, not from Jonathan, and while they’ve been told
to listen, they know the family’s true goal - to draw the
Dread in the Dark out from its deep hole.
When the time draws close for them to strike, they’ll
have already been moving around the room. The
cultists don’t allow Grace to be moved from the main
room or have privacy with the investigators beyond
their sight. Any attempt to steal her away or remove
her from the dorm in any way triggers their lock
down procedure, which ends with them attacking the
investigators.
The fight itself could have several outcomes
• The investigators fight off the five cultists and
leave Dunning fast. Word gets to Jonathan Swift and
he sends the rest of the cultists against the characters
before heading to the Yards for final preparations.
• The investigators lose critical members
and have to heal up. This gives Swift the time and
reason to call for more resources from the family in
Massachusetts.
• Grace Holden leaves with the investigators and/
or they get her to safety. In a rare positive moment, the
players should be awarded +1D6 SAN.
• Grace Holden stays at Dunning, but the cultists
are defeated. Provided the investigators didn’t harm
her directly, she shares with them the secret location of
Swift’s special building.
• During the fighting, Grace Holden is harmed or
killed. If the investigators make it back to the Yards,
increase the aggression level of the Dread in the Dark -
(Den of Dread).
The Depths of Dunning
Dunning represents a turning point in the overall story.
It can also be a location fraught with pitfalls, both Mythos
and legal in nature. Keep in mind whatever excuse the
investigators use to get past the office workers evaporates
once Grace begins to have serious problems or the cultists
decide to strike.
The hospital isn’t a one floor structure, but three. The
map represents a rough layout of part of the first floor,
mainly the woman’s ward. It is left to the Keeper’s
discretion who else may be locked away by the Cult of
Massasauga on other floors or the spaces beyond the main
building, such as the pump house and incinerator.
Picking up the Pieces
Dunning is a creepy place even the daytime. The people
here should unsettle the investigators, Grace Holden
included. It is important to remember that many of the
people committed to asylums in this era were people who
did not have access to proper medical or psychological
care. One takeaway the investigators might come to is
to search at the Yards again and that Jonathan Swift may
have done something unspeakable on those blood-soaked
grounds.
The attack by the Cultists of Massasauga should turn the
investigators for a loop and give an all new level of fear
to the quickly unraveling story. This may prompt them
to consider calling the police, but that decision is fraught
with problems too. Ultimately, the Keeper will have to
let the chips fall where they may at the end of this scene.
Do they head to Agent Martinez and give her as much
information as they have? If they’ve gotten the location
of Swift’s secret place out of Grace Holden, do they
plan a final assault on the building? If they’re wounded
or suffering from sanity loss, it might be a good idea to
rest up for a day or two before making the next decision.
Either way, there are no easy roads away from Dunning
after meeting with Grace Holden.
 43

Holden House Map Key

2 Main room - One table

(small but probably for
dinners), three wooden chairs,
one broken wooden chair, one
sitting chair with end table
(used pipe and tobacco nearby),
one couch with nearby blankets
and pillows. A phonograph
with a strange record nearby.
3 Main bedroom - Made bed,
dresser (missing most clothes),
closet (Grace Holden’s nice
clothes).
4 Small bedroom - Unmade
bed, empty cigar box (contains
empty box of .38 shells), and
dirty rag (gun lubricants).
5 Bathroom - Empty
6 Kitchen - Empty cupboard,
no icebox, dingy water at the
sink, several smashed dishes.
On the table, a medical referral
for Grace Holden to be kept at
Dunning Hospital. (Serpent
Handout #5)

Holden House
The Holden house sits behind the Yards in the Town of Lake, a Chicago district sometimes called Back of the Yards.
Beyond the fancy name, the streets are narrow and quartered into sections of cheap housing for local Yards workers.
Stanley and Grace Holden’s house is no different. The roads are tight, the air is foul, and the urchins along the alleyways
look malnourished. The flat is a three-family upper unit book-ended by two other multi-family units that make up a dreary
collection of residences.

Inciting Events

If the characters come from the Slaughterhouse, it will be a short trip (less than a mile) before they end up outside
the house. If it happens during the day, they might catch sight of Samuel Holden trying to lay low through one of the
windows.

If the characters came to the Holden residence based on the tip from Bob Creedy, they’ll find the back door boarded up
 44

by a paranoid Samuel Holden. with the investigators at The Kiss. He has ended up back
here at his parents’ house to lay low. Once found, he’ll
If the characters have gone to Dunning (Chicago be relieved to tell the investigators what he knows about
State Hospital at Dunning) and survived the attack, the Swift, the company, and that nasty building in the back of
Holden House has cultists a block away armed with a the Yards.
tip from Swift that Samuel Holden is still inside. They
are to kill him and recoup any important evidence. If the • The specific location of Swift’s secret building
characters break down the front door, make a scene, or where he took Grace Holden at night.
begin to play the record they find on the phonograph, the • The reason he killed Terrance Treanor and Patrick
cult swoops in. Willis. The former because he brutally beat his father to
death outside a speakeasy weeks ago, the latter because
The Main Event Willis was there and watched it happen.
• The Swift Meat Packing Company is double
dealing on workers and hiring former strikebreakers as
The Holden “house” is little more than an apartment new hires when current workers won’t cross picket lines.
which boasts a wide living room window. Of all the
houses on this block, the Holden’s is in a reasonable state, Nevertheless, he does present the investigators with a
but that belies the interior, which has been left in disrepair way to clear their names should they convince or force
for months. him to go to the police. Samuel Holden doesn’t want
another fight; he just wants it to be over.
Getting inside is a slight challenge - the main door
is locked, and the back door has been The Holden House was once
barricaded. Investigators can choose a place of happiness, joy, and
between a STR roll on the back door to potential prosperity. Stanley
push the dresser over, or a Lockpicking and Grace Holden had the
roll to disable the lock on the front door. love of their son, but at some
point, that love was altered
Once inside, the investigators will or diminished irreparably.
have their hands full with a house left The broken home - and its
in shambles. The once-simple furniture subsequent pieces - was never
lays overturned, including a broken chair the same.
and smashed hutch. Two bedrooms, one
bathroom, and a small kitchen sit off this main Grace Holden’s clothes in
room. the closet are a clear sign
that something was far out
Perched in his father’s armchair, Samuel of balance in the house. The
Holden sits staring at a family photo. The long evening dresses and
frame is cracked, and the thin glass silk undergarments with
is shattered, but he does not stir embedded lace are
until the investigators move something far beyond
into the main room. When they her financial station.
do get his attention, his voice They should tip the
cracks from dehydration and investigators who haven’t
his eyes drift along with his been to Dunning that there’s
attention. A lone empty bottle of more going on than what
booze rests on the nearby end they currently know, and for
table. those who have, it’s a clear
indictment of Swift’s actions.
Samuel Holden The clear message is this -
remains alive after his Stanley Holden and his wife Grace
unfortunate encounter Holden came apart at the seams from
 45
what appears to be outside influence. The fancy clothes
coupled with the furious letter found in the Yards office
should be enough to draw some conclusions about what
went on.
If the cultists followed the investigators here from
Dunning or arrive on a tip from Swift, they wait until
the investigators are deep in the house before attacking,
unless they hear the record playing, which inspires them
to attack immediately.
A Dance Like None Other
Among the items the investigators will encounter in the
Holden house is the record player which holds a copy of a
strange unlabeled record. The area around the player has
some broken furniture and a spare whiskey bottle, but the
player itself seems in good working order.
If the investigators get curious about what was playing
last in the Holden House, they are in for a serious surprise.
The record is straight from the Swift family, made at
their recording studio in Cleveland. In a shadowy ritual
dedicated to Massasauga, the record has been pressed with
a prayer chant set to rhythmic tribal drumbeats. The chant
is in the Elder God Yig’s favored tongue and unintelligible
by anyone without the Cthulhu Mythos or Language:
Shawnee skill. Should any of the investigators succeed in
the roll, they are compelled to write the chant down.
Investigators who
understand the chant also
make a SAN roll 1/1D6
as their mind is filled with
the hissing and rattling of
snakes. The shellac record
is easy to break or snap if
handled without care. If the
investigators pass this record
by, there is another in Swift’s
Secret Place which has the
same song inscribed.
Picking up
the Pieces
The Holden House is
a potential minefield for
investigators looking to learn
more about the last days of the Holden family. There are
clues all over the shotgun-style house that could prompt
the investigators to move to Chicago State Hospital
at Dunning (if they haven’t been yet) or back to the
Swift Meat Company offices (The Stockyards) for
another round of questions. Samuel Holden has important
information available, but its mired in emotional outbursts
pushed out by a distressed young man who’s had to
become an adult without being prepared to take on adult
consequences.
If the investigators decide to turn him in to Agent
Martinez, she does so under her powers as a Prohibition
Agent, and after placing him in a fast car with a few men
in suits, the younger Holden is never seen again. If asked,
she informs the investigators that he’ll be questioned
in regard to what he knows at about the dealings at The
Kiss, then go to trial for the murders of the two men he
shot dead. While not a heroic ending for Samuel Holden,
he could be used to implicate the Swift family should the
Keeper decide to play an epilogue scene.
If the investigators instead choose to call Detective
Belmont and use Samuel Holden as a bargaining chip
for their own freedom, it is likely he’ll accept the boy
instead of them after the younger Holden confesses. This
does void any deal they made with Agent Martinez, as
Detective Belmont goes on a one-man rampage against
the Levee district, using the young killer as an example of
why it needs to be cleaned up again.
 46

Den of Dread
As Swift Meat Packing’s central point of murderous and Mythos work, the Den of Dread (Swift’s “Secret Place”) is
the final chapter of the Swift family’s legacy in Chicago. It is the summation of all the work they have done to gather
industrial power in the city, only to be left to rot by the failed scion, Jonathan Swift.

The clearest chance the players will have to get to the building will be during the night, as thousands of workers and
animals are moving back and forth in the daytime. If the investigators attempt to involve the police or go during the day,
they’ll have a series of roadblocks from Tom Haskell to clear. Should the investigators choose to go public with what
they’ve found, the repercussions could be catastrophic.

Inciting Events

The Swift Meat Packing Company isn’t going to allow anyone to just run roughshod over their cattle or their production
plants. No matter what time of day they choose to make their final foray into the subterranean lair, there are some key
points to remember:

• What equipment are they carrying? Can it be hidden?

• Did they bring Grace or Samuel Holden along to see it through?
• Have they worked a deal with Agent Martinez, Detective Belmont, or some other law enforcement entity for
assistance?
• Have they been kicked out of the Yards by Tom Haskell before?
 47
• Is the cult chasing them from Dunning?
With a group of 4 or more, the Back of the Yards streets
(especially one near the Holden’s house) makes for a grisly
and muddy walk to the back-fence line, which is likely
to get them noticed by workers or Yard bosses. A Climb
roll places them within the Stockyards property and from
there it is a Stealth roll to get near the buildings. If the
investigators are located by workers, a group Luck roll
determines if some of them are from The Slaughterhouse,
possibly even Krystyna Athanas, for Keepers who need an
extra NPC if one of the investigators died during the cult
attack at Dunning.
A vehicle used for deliveries to the front gate could work
as cover for investigators. It might be possible for them to
“acquire” a nearby truck and Fast Talk their way past the
front guards with an urgent delivery.
The Main Event
When the investigators put the pieces together - it will
include a trip back to the Yards. During the time between,
any investigators who listened to the record at the Holden
House are going to be plagued by waking dreams. Relay
the following elements to the investigator with the highest
POW.
…A dark room with a swinging light on a chain...Rough
wood planks leave splinters across naked fingers…. Acrid
and caustic tones bathed in an almost-human copper...The
steady drumbeat of the butcher’s tool against fresh flesh…
Cries and moans of conveyor belts heavy with gifts from
below… A heavy rattle preludes a deep hiss and the world
delights in darkness...
Swift’s Secret Place
The building itself is little more than a series of collective
shacks built on top of one another to form a conglomerate
building. The external buildings are made of lumber,
but the inner and main sections are made of brick. The
doors and half buildings meld into one another, giving
investigators who examine it a Hard Spot Hidden roll
to see it appears to fit together like scales. The building
lacks any external lights - with the oil lamp in Area 6 the
only internal one - so if the investigators came without a
light source, apply disadvantage to further rolls as needed.
 48
Area 1
A thick outer door (complete with padlock to protect it)
hides a musty room which gives the investigators a punch
to the senses when they first enter. The walls here are a
collection of wood slats hastily hammered together. Clots of
mud and dirt pepper the ground near two rickety chairs. If
they never searched for (or didn’t find) the key to the lock in
Jonathan Swift’s office, they’ll need a Lockpicking or a STR
roll to enter this area. The lone exit out of this room is found
with a Spot Hidden roll, revealing loose boards on the back
wall.
Area 2
Once the makeshift bedroom of Jonathan Swift, this pre-
ritual space is complete with bed, end table, and lone chair. A
long trail of dried muddy steps score the area around the bed
and chair, with the room carrying a strong, acrid odor. This
room is the first of many which sit at strange angles, revealing
an erratic and hastily constructed hiding spot. A note on the
side table reads - “Another failure. This will not stand. The
Dread must rise.” A successful Library Use roll reveals this
as Jonathan Swift’s handwriting. His notes on failed attempts
sit nearby (Serpent Handout #6)
Area 3
Five fetid and damp barrels with a noxious solution inside.
To the left of the doorway, the room opens, revealing another
doorway to pass through. To the right of the door is a space
for the barrels and a collection of scrap wood. The five barrels
are leftovers of fermented snake scales and fatty remains of
chicken, per the ritual instructions Jonathan Swift had. The
solution is used to prepare subjects to speak with the Dread
in the Dark. While the solution is not drinkable, it may be
flammable should the Keeper decide.
Area 4
Another odd-angled room with a much heavier traffic of
boot prints near a doorway to the right, but this one holds
a surprise. A small record player sits on a makeshift stand
in one corner. On top of it rests a large shellac record with
the label “Stockyards Stomp” made by Kent Brothers in
Cleveland, Ohio. This is the original summoning record
provided by the Swift family. It has the same effect as the
one in Holden House if played - except that it will hasten the
Dread in the Dark to rise - requiring only 100 POW in the
space downstairs rather than 200.
Area 5
A small, cramped space which has been retrofitted into a
wash up area, complete with sink and table of meat packing
tools. The smell from the room with the barrels mixes with a
heavier sulfur stench here. The mud thickens here, collecting
around the sink and tools before leading deeper into the
building.
Area 6
A cold breeze whistles through the outer walls to greet
the investigators along with the dusty and empty red oil
lamp hanging near the entryway. This space is much
larger than the previous ones, requiring investigators
to move deeper in before noticing several sets of meat
hooks suspended from the ceiling. Jonathan Swift’s
hopefuls would be suspended here while the ritual space
below was prepared with the fatty fluid oil. It was here
his victims would feel the heat from the mud pit below
the surface. It was here they were subjected to the sulfur
smell and Massasauga chant music that draws the Dread
in the Dark up to communicate with those who are
considered worthy.
Area 7
As the darkness curls back, investigators are greeted
by a series of wooden planks serving as a trap door for
the lower excavation. Heavy iron hinges keep it firmly
in place, with a cold iron ring and chain to raise it. Once
lifted, a flood of coppery tainted air rolls up from beneath
the earth. Investigators within five feet of the opening
and must roll CON or suffer disadvantage on all Climb
rolls until the end of the scene due to coughing fits. The
pathway down into the root cellar is little more than
dugout steps where limestone blocks have been placed
for support. A careful investigation of the space will find
muddy (and now red) handprints on the underside of the
cellar door.
Root cellar
A warm and muddy stairway leads down deep into
the earth. Humid air and sulfur dulls the senses of the
investigators as they descend on the makeshift wooden
planks. The Earth threatens to swallow each of their steps
as a deeper darkness awaits below. The underside of
the trap door is stained with reddish brown handprints,
pointing to a dubious history. After a long series of steps
down, the investigators reach a widening tunnel.
The Ritual Space
The widening space narrows to a tight hallway before
dumping out into a circular room. Inside, a wooden
table awaits, stained with various fluids. At each corner
of the table, a tall wooden post stands with an iron ring.
Swift used this table to anoint his chosen victims before
offering them to the Dread in the Dark in the room
beyond this horrid space. The walls here are adorned
with a strange series of pictographic inscriptions, which
are hard to read in the dim light. A successful Cthulhu
Mythos roll reveals parts of the text to honor the Great
Old One, Yig. On the ritual bed, papers dictating a contact
spell (Serpent Handout #9: Contact Finger of Yig) can
be found here.
 49
The Dread in the Dark
At the end of the tunneled hallway, investigators find
an iron gate. The space beyond the gate is a wider cave
which goes deeper into the earth and is not lit. The only
way to see what lays at the end of the tunnel is to pass
through the iron gate and examine where it leads.
At the end of the long cave section about 35 meters,
the investigators find a detailed stone plate, one filled
with circular symbols and words indecipherable. On the
ground here the investigators can find molted skin and the
remnants of peeled scales. None match anything local,
but Science: Anthropology or Biology may determine a
snake of South American origin.
A Finger of Yig is over 30 meters in length and its wide,
spine-covered head measures between three to four meters
wide. Its main body is made of powerful muscle sheathed
in a hardened set of small, dark grey scales, over which
larger mottled brown plates sit to protect it and keep the
earth’s heat in. Down the length of the body, long rows of
short fins flow to sense tremors from larger creatures who
might prey on the creature as it delivers Yig’s messages
back and forth.
Inside the wide mouth sit two thick purple tongues, each
used as its primary method of ingesting sulfurous gases
present in the Earth’s crust. The gases serve as fuel for
the Finger’s vision induction and defensive gas spraying
as needed. The tongues also serve to communicate Yig’s
messages to his chosen targets by wrapping around the
intended’s body and projecting rapid and powerful visions
through skin contact.
This Finger (called The Dread in the Dark by
Jonathan Swift) has come to the surface three times to
commune with a member of the Swift family, only to
find that it cannot make a connection with its intended
target, Jonathan. His intentions are to finally make that
connection happen and eliminate the investigators and
anyone else standing in his way of doing so.
Unless the investigators have utilized the horrid spell
work from the previous ritual space, or started the musical
recording upstairs, the Dread in the Dark stays dormant
until 200 POW is in the chamber.
Choices made before the events of the final scene could
play a major role in how Jonathan Swift reacts to the
investigators and what - if any - room for course alteration
is available.
Should the investigators arrive alone, and refuse any
parlay with him, Swift releases the cultists to do their
worst. He has no interest in leaving them alive.
If the investigators arrive with Grace and/or Samuel
Holden, his tone softens, becoming almost ingratiating.
Swift wants a last opportunity to prove his madness right
and Grace Holden is the key to that. Grace Holden stands
on the threshold of madness herself, and if Swift can
convince her and the investigators that it must be seen
through to the end, he will find Holden a willing partner
in that scheme. Convincing her son to allow it is another
matter. Bringing Grace Holden along also comes with
another risk however (See: Loose Ends below).
The investigators may have gathered various elements
of law enforcement (either Agent Martinez or somehow
pulled Belmont into the truth) for this final showdown,
but in doing so, only sow the seeds of their own downfall.
With Swift watching who goes in the building, he’ll pass
out shotguns to his cultists and seek to intimidate the
group into becoming tribute for the Dread in the Dark.
If any of the investigators chose to set free or feed
the snake slowly dying of starvation from the Michigan
Avenue apartment (Den of Wickedness) the Finger
of Yig will go out of its way to shield and protect that
investigator(s).
Once the investigators are in position at the lower end
of the tunnel, Jonathan Swift and his cultists appear at the
iron gate, having shadowed them in secret. Should any
investigator stay behind, refuse to come downstairs, etc.
the cultists will push them forward until they breach the
doorway into the tunnel. Jonathan Swift has had enough
of the problematic investigators. He’s noticed them pick
through his office, violate his apartment, and heard they’d
talked with Grace Holden. Now that they’ve broken into
his sacred ritual space and he’s here to put an end to it all.
Climax
Four cultists are all Swift can muster, and they fan out
and attack or subdue the investigators depending on their
orders. Swift has his own blade and pistol if need be, but
his aim is to complete the spell and summon the Dread
to talk to someone. Unless the investigators clamp down
on Swift, he gets the spell off after two rounds and the
Dread arrives with a mighty rattle and hiss. If the spell
is completed, the Dread in the Dark breaks free from the
 50
stone plate at the end of the corridor (SAN 1D4/1D10).
If the cultists can subdue the players, they move forward
with selecting one (Yig whispers which one to choose) to
sacrifice. The tongues latch onto the body and attempt to
communicate (SAN 1D6/1D10).
If Jonathan Swift is stopped or heavily wounded during
the fight, the cultists may focus on the attacking character
in his defense.
If his spell is stopped and Swift is subdued (or killed)
the Dread in the Dark reacts badly, exploding out all the
collected sulfurous ichor it carries into a nasty soup. It
sprays 25’ into the room and does 1d6 damage before
evaporating into the air with a foul smell. The wall
disintegrates in front of those present with a horrendous
wail and hiss.
Finger of Yig, tunneling communication minion
char. roll average
STR:220 (12D6) x5 180
CON:175 (10D6+6) x5 150
SIZ:155 (8D6) x5 120
DEX:65 (3D6) x5 45
INT:100 (5D6) x5 75
POW:80 (4D6) x5 60
EDU:-
HP:33 27
SAN: -
Move:8
DB: +4D6 +3D6
Ichor Spray: When threatened or directed by Yig, a
Finger sprays a mixture of sulfur and stomach acid.
Fighting 45% (22/9), damage bite 1D10 + 4D6, or slam
1D8 + 4D6
Dodge 32% (16/6)
Armor: 3-point hardened scales
Sanity:1D3/1D10 to see a Finger of Yig
Spells: Commune with Yig, (Per Contact Deity: Yig)
The Dread isn’t interested in combat, as its purpose is
to commune with Yig. It resists attacking anyone with
its bite or slam unless harmed first, or unless one of the
investigators harmed the snake in the Michigan Avenue
apartment (Den of Wickedness). If it is attacked before
Jonathan Swift can speak with the creature, it mouths
attackers until it can wrap them up with its tongues. A
single investigator who has a high POW (80 or greater)
becomes a target for the creature to communicate with. An
opposed POW test between the two is all that’s needed. If
the investigator succeeds, the connection cannot be made,
and the Finger casts the player aside as useless. Should
the character fail, they lose 5 POW and are connected for
a flash of eldritch visions of Yig, then make a SAN check
(1D6/1D10) before falling onto the muddy cave floor.
Loose Ends
The Dread in the Dark and the maddening spell work
of Jonathan Swift offer the Keeper several potential
outcomes, not the least of which is no combat at all.
If the players choose to reason with Jonathan Swift
 51
through a series of earnest parlay attempts, he may break
down in the ritual room, failing the Cult of Massasauga
again. In the ensuing drama, he might confess and plead
for their help undoing what’s been done. While this
option puts him at much personal risk (given the cultists
around) he may see it as the only option if the players can
convince him, especially if the police are also there.
The investigators could bring Grace Holden to the Yards
in hopes she could show them exactly where the building
is (she does this with the last shreds of her sanity) and
they could strike a deal with Jonathan Swift. Such a deal
might include political protection from Belmont and his
investigation, with him demanding they assist in the next
ritual. Grace Holden still retains her connection to the
Finger of Yig, and Keepers may choose to have her betray
both Swift and the investigators in order to subsume
Swift’s cultists with a display of her power.
Another option would be to involve Belmont near the
end provided they have secured Sammy’s participation.
If so, Belmont might use the youth’s confession and
evidence to listen to the investigators and finally give
the Yards a hard look. It might be possible they team
up together (with the right Persuade rolls) and hit the
underground den with some serious backup. This voids
the deal made with Agent Martinez when she finds out
about it.
The bit players at The Kiss won’t be much help outside
of Burt Richardson. If the characters get Burt involved
(after a bit of research on his background) they might be
able to lobby him for a few gangsters who could provide
extra firepower for the final dive into the underground
space. This also voids the deal with Agent Martinez,
and she could decide to make them accessories to all the
criminal activity at The Kiss.
Picking up the Pieces
In the end, the investigators will have to decide if
Jonathan Swift is handed over to Agent Martinez, the
police, the Cult of Massasauga, or has some darker fate
of their choosing. No matter her part in the final act,
Grace Holden is lost with little hope of regaining what the
Finger of Yig took from her during their communications.
 52

The Chicago Police investigate until Belmont is
satisfied that the investigators didn’t have a hand in the
murder of Treanor and Willis. As the days roll forward,
Samuel Holden shows up (or is brought to Agent
Martinez) and confesses, unable to deal with the guilt of
knowing someone else might take the fall for what he did.
There is no apology from Belmont, but he could become
a contact within the department if the investigators
are willing to let what happened go and develop a
relationship.
Chicago (alive or dead) there’s little way they can resolve
the core of the plot and Jonathan Swift’s involvement in
it. Provided the investigators survive or flee from the cult,
they only do so long enough to get picked up by Detective
Belmont who has had enough time to gather handmade
“corroborating evidence” which puts the characters in jail
for a long time. Agent Martinez pays them a visit in jail to
scold them for throwing her case into the fireplace along
with their stupid decisions.

The Swift Meat Company goes through changes as well,

Conclusions & Rewards
pushing Tom Haskell into a management role to cover
if Jonathan Swift dies or comes up missing. The Swift Below is an example list of rewards (not including the
family has worked hard to develop the Chicago operation, other spells and knowledge in Swift’s tome) any surviving
and once a few weeks pass, they push money and political investigators could be awarded with.
pressure to squash any news reports, legal cases, or public • Agreeing to help Agent Martinez with her case:
outcry. Their purpose is to lay low and cover everything +1D6 Sanity points
up as quietly as possible. This doesn’t discount the idea • Helping the workers at the Yards break a strike:
that the investigators may fail, fall to insanity, or even lose +1D4 Sanity points
several battles with the Cult of Massasauga before the • Killing staff members (if by accident) at Dunning:
final curtain closes. One grim outcome could see a group -1D6 Sanity points
of investigators be hampered by a bout of madness - only • Examining and learning the spells contained in
to awake and find themselves in Dunning Asylum next to Swift’s tome: +1D6 Sanity
Grace Holden - where she tells them they’ll be safe with • Convincing Samuel Holden to turn himself in to
her “friends” watching over them. Agent Martinez: +1D6 Sanity points
• Saving Samuel Holden from the cult: +1D3
Investigator Win Conditions Sanity points
• Giving Samuel Holden to Swift or the cult in
exchange for safety: -1D10 Sanity points
If they have collected enough evidence,
meet and convince Holden to turn himself
in to the authorities (Agent Martinez), the
investigators might just make it out of
Chicago without seeing the inside of an iron
pen. Jonathan Swift may live or die, but
once his operation underground is exposed,
the Swift family finds out. The Dread in the
Dark – well protected from any potential
damage or spells the players might direct
at it, slinks back into the depths of the
limestone and mud below, either never to
been seen again, or with an all new target to
communicate with in the form of a chosen
investigator.

Swift’s Win Conditions

If the investigators have botched up

finding Grace, gotten captured or killed,
or even removed Samuel Holden from
 53

Dramatis Personae
Samuel Holden, Age 16,
Troubled Teen

STR 65 CON 55 SIZ 55 DEX 80 INT 65

APP 70 POW 60 EDU 50 SAN 25 HP 11
DB: - Build: - Move: 9 MP: 10
 
Brawl 55% (27/11), damage 1D3
Dodge 27% (17/7)
.38 revolver 50% (5/12). Damage 1d10

Skills: Climb 50%, Dodge 60%, Jump 50%, Stealth 50%

Samuel Holden’s goal in the opening chapter is clear; he’s there

to kill Willis and Treanor for whatthey’ve done to his family. He
holds the key to what Swift has been up to at the Yards, but he
won’t give that information up to anyone, even if he’s cornered.
He wants justice for his family.

Description: thin kid who has missed a few meals, eyes dart
back and forth while talking Traits: scared, but honest.
Roleplaying hooks: Sammy wants justice; could ally with the
investigators, but not without assurances.

Det. William Belmont, Age 39,

Conflicted Cop

STR 55 CON 60 SIZ 60 DEX 70 INT 75

APP 65 POW 65 EDU 75 SAN 40 HP 13
DB: - Build: - Move: 8 MP: 13 
 
Brawl 60% (30/15), damage 1D3
Dodge 35% (17/7)
.38 revolver 65% (32/13). Damage 1d10

Skills: Fast Talk 65%, Rifle/Shotgun 60%,

Law 70%, Persuade 60%, Psychology 40%.

Belmont is the face of Chicago PD the investigators interact

with. He puts evidence in front of them that appears to show
one (or more) of them had a hand in killing Willis and Treanor.
He doesn’t care if it isn’t true, he just wants to collar someone
for it so he can elevate himself among his fellow detectives.

Description: salt & pepper hair with thick mustache; gruff voice.
Traits: cold, surgical when interrogating, loves being right.
Roleplaying hooks: conflicted behind his demeanor; will need
overwhelming proof to change his mind.
 54

Grace Holden, Age 32,

Snake Speaker

STR 40 CON 55 SIZ 50 DEX 55 INT 55

APP 75 POW 75 EDU 60 SAN 5 HP 10
DB: - Build: - Move: 8 MP: 15 
 
Brawl 30% (15/7), damage 1D3
Dodge 35% (17/7)
Spells: Beguiling Tongue (per - Enthrall Victim)
Description: faded golden
Skills: Charm 50%, Cthulhu Mythos 15%, beauty; shaky voice and
Occult 40%, Spot Hidden 50%. physically weak.
Traits: wide-eyed,
Grace Holden sits at the edge of insanity. Having breathless chatter, and wide
spoken to the Dread in the Dark, she waits for him to smile.
consume those who would stop Massasauga’s plans. Roleplaying hooks: she
Massasauga has blessed her with his powerful speech stands on the edge of
so she may spread his news but has instructed her to insanity. Everything and
stay silent until called on. nothing makes sense.

Jonathan Swift, Age 33, Family Failure

STR 45 CON 50 SIZ 50 DEX 50 INT 75

APP 65 POW 70 EDU 75 SAN 20 HP 10
DB: - Build: - Move: 8 MP: 14
 
Brawl 30% (15/7), damage 1D3
Dodge 35% (17/7)  
Spells: Beguiling Tongue (per -Enthrall Victim), Bless Blade,
Contact Deity (Yig), Contact Finger of Yig
(per- Contact spells), Dominate

Skills: Accounting 60%, Cthulhu Mythos 30%, History 30%,

Natural World 50%, Law 55%, Occult 60%,
Spot Hidden 55%, Stealth 50%.
Equipment: .38 Pistol, Fang Blade, Swift Family Tome

Swift’s plans are on the rocks and only Grace can save him
from a dark fate, or so he thinks. He keeps his distance from the
investigators until he has no other choice but to intervene.

Description: slicked hair

T
and swollen eyes; fancy
ucked away on his person, Swift keeps a handwritten copy of his great grandfather’s notes on the Dread in the Dark clothes worn frayed at the
calling ritual. He’s also documented several different minor spells (Elder Sign and Bless Blade), and two more powerful edges.
incantations (Call Lesser Servitor of Yig - Finger of Yig, Dominate) The tome also gives full notes on the cleansing ritual
Traits: determined,
(mundane and rather sickly) before the Finger of Yig is called. In his furious studies, Swift tore pages out of the book
rather than keep them all together. Pages can be found at his personal office above the Stockyards offices and in Swift’s Secret Place, with
hateful, and desperate.
the majority found on his person. Roleplaying hooks:
All told, there is some general Mythos knowledge and actual spells, but the family limited the copy to only what they believed Jonathan confident, melodramatic,
needed to know. Sanity Loss 1D3/1D6; Cthulhu Mythos + 6 Percent, Occult +8 Percent. Average 4 weeks to study and comprehend. and secretly afraid he’s a
failure.
 55

Ms. Jane Teller (Juliana Martinez), Age 34,

Kiss Madame and undercover Prohibition Agent Juliana’s interaction with
investigators focused solely
STR 55 CON 65 SIZ50 DEX 7 INT 70 on finding out who really
APP 75 POW 60 EDU 60 SAN 50 HP 11 killed Treanor and Willis.
DB: - Build: - Move: 9 MP: 10 
  Description: inviting eyes,
Brawl 55% (27/11), damage 1D3 knowing smile, athletic figure
Dodge 27% (17/7)   Traits: pleasant, fair, and
.38 revolver 50% (5/12). Damage 1d10 protective.
Roleplaying hooks: friendly
Skills: Appraise 50%, Charm 75%, Fast Talk 65%, to investigators at a price;
Firearms (Handgun) 50%, First Aid 55%, Persuade willing to help provided it
70%, Sleight of Hand 65%, Stealth 70%. doesn’t endanger her mission
at The Kiss.

Patrick Mallory, Age 27, Kiss Bouncer

STR 70 CON 80 SIZ 60 DEX 65 INT 45

APP 55 POW 55 EDU 55 SAN 50 HP 14
DB: +1D4 Build: 1 Move: 9 MP: 10  Description: broad at
  the shoulders, strong
Brawl 65% (32/13), damage 1D3 +1D4 chin.
Dodge 32% (17/7)   Traits: fun-loving,
happy, and youthful.
Skills: Dodge 55%, Intimidate 75%, Roleplaying hooks: on
Listen 55%, Spot Hidden 65%. Throw 45%. guard after the killings
at The Kiss; takes his
A man willing to let a joke at his expense go, but not one orders from Burt and
against The Kiss or his boss, Patrick is loyal until the end. no one else.

Burt Richardson, Age 56, Kiss Manager

STR 50 CON 60 SIZ 55 DEX 55 INT 65

APP 65 POW 65 EDU 70 SAN 65 HP 10
DB: - Build: - Move: 8 MP: 13 
 
Brawl 40% (20/8), damage 1D3
Dodge 27% (17/7)  

Skills: Charm 60%, Fast Talk 60%, Listen 60%, Persuade 75%,
Psychology 40%.

Burt appears to be a straightforward bar manager, but this is a cover

he’s used for his real purpose. Years ago, Burt worked as a detective
in Cleveland, but fell out of favor with the higher ups. Burt moved
to Chicago and fell in with mobsters where he funnels payoffs to
the right local officers to keep The Kiss open - just as he’s been
instructed to by his contacts in Washington, D.C.
Description: overweight, well-dressed, balding.
Traits: flustered, concerned, and stringent.
Roleplaying hooks: willing to answer questions;
may need a payoff to grease his wheels.
 56

Bob Creedy, Age 49,

Former Yards Accountant

STR 40 CON 45 SIZ 50 DEX 55 INT 75

APP 55 POW 60 EDU 60 SAN 50 HP 11
DB: - Build: 0 Move: 9 MP: 14
 
Brawl 40% (20/8), damage 1D3
Dodge 27% (17/7)
Skills: Accounting 70%, History 50%, Law 55%, Spot Hidden 55%.

Bob’s last few months have been harrowing. Rather than stick to his work,
Stanley told Bob everything, and now Bob must deal with the consequences of
having knowledge he doesn’t want. His motivation is to give away as much of
the burden of knowledge as he can before leaving on a train to Cleveland.
Description: slight of build, combover hair, heavy smoker.
Traits: jittery, rapid speaker, and overeager.

Tom Haskell, Age 35,
Yards Manager
STR 50 CON 60 SIZ 75 DEX 55 INT 70
APP 60 POW 65 EDU 60 SAN 35 HP 13
DB: 1D4 Build: 1 Move: 7 MP: 14
 
Brawl 60% (30/12), damage 1D3 +1D4
Dodge 27% (17/7)
Skills: Drive Auto 50%, Firearm (Handgun) 55%,
Intimidate 70%, Listen 45%, Spot Hidden 50%.
Haskell’s one job is to keep the Swift Meat Packing Company
running smoothly until Jonathan resurfaces or the help the
family promised arrives. He’s happy to break up striking
workers or pay off reporters to make sure things stay quiet until
the boss gets back.
Description: hulking man; heavy breather with a stench
of booze on his breath.
Traits: surly, arrogant, and intolerant.
Roleplaying hooks: despicable to his core; more than
willing to strong arm and beat those who disagree with
him.

Krystyna Athanas, Age 23, Cultist of Massasauga, Age varies,

Slaughterhouse Worker Pure Fanatic

STR 55 CON 60 SIZ 45 DEX 75 NT 75 STR 40 CON 45 SIZ 50 DEX 55 INT 65

APP 70 POW 75 EDU 60 SAN 60 HP 10 APP 65 POW 60 EDU 60 SAN 00 HP 11
DB: - Build: - Move: 9 MP: 12 DB: - Build: - Move: 9 MP: 14 
   
Brawl 60% (30/12), damage 1D3 +1D4 Brawl 40% (20/8), damage 1D3
Dodge 27% (17/7) Fang Blade 65% (32/13), damage 1D6
.38 revolver 50% (5/12). Damage 1d10
Dodge 27% (17/7)  
Skills: Climb 40%, First Aid 60%, Listen 45%,
Natural World 50%, Persuade 45%, Spot Hidden 60%. Skills: Cthulhu Mythos 04%, Fast Talk 65%, First Aid 55%,
Firearms (Handgun) 55%, Intimidate 50%,
Krystyna Athanas contract of the day for Persuade 70%, Sleight of Hand 65%.
was Samuel Holden’s equality. Cultists serve the wishes of Description: sunken eyes,
teacher and what might Description: plump the Swift family, no matter raspy voice, brands on left
have passed as a friend cheeks, strong voice, who that might hurt. Under hand of crescent symbol.
during his time inside penetrating gaze. duress or interrogation, they Traits: skulking, quiet,
the slaughterhouses. Her Traits: guarded, helpful, refuse to reveal details of psychotic.
motivation is to do good and a backbone of iron. Swift’s location or his “Secret Roleplaying hooks: serves
work and stand up for Roleplaying hooks: Place”, but could reveal the Swift family’s orders with
her fellow workers. A friendly though protective other secrets (i.e. details of loving desire, believing they
fiery attitude, Krystyna is of her fellow workers; their numbers at Dunning, are assured a future when
quick to defend the weak, stands with her fellow the location of the Michigan Yig walks among them in
tossing off the social workers no matter what. Avenue apartment, etc.) Chicago.
 57

Time of
the Serpent
The following is a complete list of potentially findable clues during the player’s
investigation. The Keeper should adjust the delivery of clues as needed for the story or add
new ones should they desire.

The Kiss
• Terrence Treanor’s business card. It lists him working for the Swift Meat
Packing Company.
• A .38 revolver on Treanor’s body. It is loaded
Quid Pro Quo
• Investigate The Kiss, Talk to Mallory & Richardson
The Nickel Theater
• Swift’s Michigan Avenue Apartment Address
Michigan Avenue Apartment
• Opera Tickets, Fancy lady’s clothes, Secret shrine to Yig
The Opera House
• Swift’s Private Box, crumpled note with the Holden House address
The Yards Office
• Stanley Holden’s unsigned letter to Swift, written with an angry hand
• Keys (Michigan Avenue apt and keys to Swift’s secret Yards building)
• A photo of Swift, Willis, and Treanor in happier days
The Slaughterhouse
• Sammy Holden’s name and the Holden House address
Bob Creedy
• Newspaper Story (The fire at the Yards and the cover up)
• Holden House address (Back of the Yards)
Holden House
• Grace Holden’s missing clothes
• Vinyl record with strange gold etchings on it
• A notice of mental unfitness from Dunning hospital
• Empty box of .38 shells
Dunning Hospital
• Verbal notes from Grace - damning evidence if she’s to be believed
• Redacted paperwork that shows she wasn’t a self-admit (Treanor dropped her
off)
• Brands on the palms of cultists who attack the players
Abandoned building at the Yards
• Working notes on a desk left by Swift
• Medical tools
• A selection of powerful home brew liquor
• Spell work notes on a horrifying summoning ritual (Contact Finger of Yig)
 58

Serpent Handout
Group Photo - Serpent Handout #3

Business Card - Serpent Handout #1

Handwritten Letter - Serpent Handout #4

Newspaper Clip - Serpent Handout #2

 59

Medical Admittance - Serpent Handout #5

 60

1 2

3 4
Swift’s notecards - Serpent Handout #6

5
 61

Spell page - Serpent Handout #7

62
63
64