The Armitage Files Session Log: Document #1 – Session #3 – Coming Out Party
Date At Start Of Game: September 6th, 1935
[Author’s Note: This is the log for the 3rd session. Note that the order of the events in this record may not be in the exact order that they occurred during play.]
Following Up On Leads In The Walsh Case
After discussing the clues that the group uncovered at the Walsh Estate the PC decide on their next course of action. Detective Keagan decides to follow up on the bodies that were dumped under a local bridge. On his visit to the coroner he meet Officer William Arnold and Officer Chad Gee. They are discussing the bodies in hushed voices when the Detective approaches. After a brief conversation he moves into the morgue to speak with the coroner, Dr Thomas. Dr Thomas shows the Detective two bodies. One is a 60 year old man and the other is a 20 year old man. Both bodies have been stripped of their clothes and personal effects. Their hands and feet are tied tightly with seaweed. On their chests is a pentagram with the star point facing the ground. Their throats have been slit from ear-to-ear and appear to have been drained of most of their blood. Based on the amount of bruising on the wrists the coroner is under the impression that they were bound then slain. The body of the older man is bloated much more than the younger man. Dr Thomas guesses that the old man has been under the bridge for about 2 weeks. The younger man has been there roughly 3 to 5 days.
While at the station Detective Keagan examines the police report on the death of Diamond Walsh’s last wife. Her maiden name was Amanda Bell. She is actually Walsh’s third wife. (Dora Smallridge is Diamond Walsh’s fourth wife.) The coroner’s report from Dr Thomas says that she died of an overdose of arsenic. She was being prescribed arsenic by her physician, Dr Peter Smoot, for nerves. Detective Stanley was the officer on the case. (Detective Keagan has strong verbal evidence that Detective Stanley is being paid off by Diamond Walsh.)
The rest of the PC go to the library and newspaper offices to research Dora and Elihu Smallridge. There is very little to find on Dora Smallridge in the library or newspaper. She is the only child of Elihu and Beatrice Smallridge. There are several newspaper articles on Elihu. For many years he has been involved with “cooking” books for various illegal operations. Although Elihu has never been convicted his ties to illegal business dealings are fairly well established. One newspaper article has a picture of the small balding man shielding his eyes from a camera behind Diamond Walsh as they emerge from a courtroom.
Dilettante Leads
At this point the PC decide to also start researching Austin Kittrell and the Hower’s. Austin Kittrell appears in many society papers. The articles claim that he is from a wealthy family in New Orleans.
The Hower’s recently moved into an Arkham estate that was previously owned by a railroad tycoon who has fallen on hard times. The patriarch of the family, Robert Hower, wanted to move to a place where he could be considered one of the elite in the area. The Hower fortune would not have been enough to merit attention in New York so he decided on Arkham.
Robert Hower is a banker who came into money through his father Perry McGill Hower. Under his leadership the Hower’s have nearly doubled their holdings. Other businessmen think Robert Hower has a knack for making investments in speculative areas at just the right times. People who know him personally say that he can be unforgiving to those that don’t perform. Robert Hower has a penchant for symbols of power or authority from various cultures. He has an entire room in his estate devoted to his collection. While digging in a set of archeological journals Dr Peaslee finds an article about a trip that Robert Hower took to Africa. During that trip he recovered what was reportedly an ancient box that was used by shaman of the Ticho-Ticho tribe. This tribe has woman shaman of great power that hold spiritually significant phallic talismans in these boxes. Reportedly anyone who opens the box that is not a Ticho-Ticho shaman will be rendered sterile. There is only one other of these boxes known to exist. (It is in a museum in Cape Town, South Africa.)
At this point the PC come up with a plan to get Oliver Gardiner out of his office so that they can break into his safe. Tredge creates a forged invitation then the PC send it to Oliver Gardiner. They want to make sure he will be in attendance. The plan is to have Cuttling and Archie break in and open the safe while the PC are with Oliver Gardiner at Elsa Hower’s coming out party.
The Coming Out Party
The night of the party the Hower Estate is decked out in all of its finery. There are banners across the four while marble pillars on the front steps and black tie waiters walking the event with champagne. At first the PC mingle with Robert Hower. (Elsa has not yet made her appearance.) Robert is holding court with other important men of Arkham. Robert Hower is a well built tall man with a blond handlebar mustache and a strong personality. He moves with care and efficiency suggesting to Detective Keagan that he has military training.
After a brief time Elsa Hower makes her entrance. She is a 16 year old blonde girl with a big smile. After meeting the PC they find her to be charming. Austin Kittrell appears to have captured her attention as she gravitates to him after meeting all of the party guests.
At this point Robert Hower invites the men to join him in his museum. He shows the PC and several others into a room full of glass cases. There they find a focused and deep collection of artifacts. Robert’s prized items are a set of 12th century samurai armor, a blade rumored to be owned by Richard The Lion Hearted, and a Spartan helmet. In a glass case along one side of the room he has a red box on display.
Dr Peaslee moves over to the box so that he can examine it in more details. The red box is roughly 12″ wide x 4″ high x 6″ deep. It is hinged on the short sides and parts in the middle. One the covers of the box are what appear to be African fertility symbols. It is in immaculate condition based on its age. Dr Peaslee suggests that it must be at least 600 years old. When Robert Hower notices Dr Peaslee looking at the box he approaches and comments that the Dr has good taste. He then explains the information that the PC already know about the Ticho-Ticho woman shaman.
At this point Oren Gardiner approaches Oliver and whispers in his ear. Oliver gives his drink to a waiter and the pair immediately head out of the party towards their car leaving the PC worried that Archie and Cuttling have run into trouble…
Date At End Of Game: September 9th, 1935
