Call of Cthulhu - 1920s - Night Terrors of Joseph Pidulski
Call of Cthulhu - 1920s - Night Terrors of Joseph Pidulski
Call of Cthulhu - 1920s - Night Terrors of Joseph Pidulski
JOSEPH PILDULSKI
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The Night condemned Joseph’s grandmother
for witchcraft. A mob seized her
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that now sits in St. Hedwigs Joseph Pidulski is a young artiste
Catholic Church. working at the Toledo Museum of
Art. He was hired a few years ago
However, recent surveyors in the to develop the design and
area north of the growing installation of a new art room in
industrial town of Toledo, a the Museum: a Greek Peristyle.
wooded prairie known as the Oak But over the last few months he
Openings region, disturbed the has been having nightmares
stones. The witch has been slowly almost every night. He dreams of
awakening and drawing power a young woman with oak trees
sprouting out of her head in the
from the ooded prairie lands in
place of her hair. This strange
which she lies. As she slowly
woman leads him through a
awakens, she has infested the sparsely wooded grassland with
dreams of her grandson, Joseph knee-deep water towards a large
Pidulski in an attempt to pull him oak tree. Joseph awakes before he
to her. The investigators must nd can glimpse what is at the center
a way to stop her. of the woodland, but he knows
that it is some unspeakable horror.
Number of Players
This scenario is designed to be run Joseph has relayed his dreams to a
for four players, however any colleague and senior art director at
number from three to six should the Museum, Dr. Randolph Hyatt.
also work. Characters can be Dr. Hyatt at first thought the
created new or existing characters dreams a product of overwork and
of any level and ability may be exhaustion. He then reduced
used. The scenario is not heavy on Joseph’s workload but this did not
combat, but at least one character have any impact on the frequency
should be capable of fighting with or severity of the nightmares. Dr.
close-combat weapons or ranged Hyatt began to notice that Joseph
combat weapons. Investigative was doodling strange motifs into a
skills will be needed by at least sketchbook. These motifs
one character. included stylized drawings of
witches, oak trees, and stone
Background circles. When Dr. Hyatt asked
Joseph about the drawings, the
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minutes for the journey along lead the players to the young man,
Collingwood Blvd to reach the walking them through the
museum. Museum to the bottom floor.
Joseph works in a small room set
Dr. Hyatt’s office in on the second in the basement of the building
floor of the building. If the players and he is there at this time.
inquire at the front desk or ask
any employee they can find the Joseph is a young man in his early
office easily. When the thirties, slim of build with
investigators arrive, Dr. Hyatt is medium-length hair. He wears a
sitting behind a large wooden loose sweater over a buttoned
desk looking over some papers, a shirt. His manner is furtive and it
faint smell of tobacco smoke in is clear that he suffers from a lack
the air. He is a tall man in his late of sleep. Dr. Hyatt introduces the
forties. He has dark hair that is investigators to Joseph and
greying at the temples and his informs the young man that he has
clean shaven. He wears a a grey relayed what he knows about the
business suit. young man’s dreams, motifs, etc,
to the them.
When the players enter, Dr. Hyatt
rises to greet them and invites Joseph is reluctant to talk with
them to sit down. He calls for an anyone whom he does not know
assistant to offer the characters about his nightmares. The
coffee, tea, or water. Once that is investigators will need to succeed
done, he will explain why he has on a Persuade skill roll to get
called the investigators, relaying Joseph is talk. Use of Credit
the information contained in the Rating or any form of
Background section. Successful intimidation will not work and
Psychology skill rolls will detect instead will make Joseph even
no deception from Dr. Hyatt. more hesitant. If Joseph talks, he
relays the information that he
If the Investigators ask to see knows from the Background
Joseph, Dr. Hyatt will respond section. He will also explain that
that it can be arranged he has no idea who the strange
immediately as Joseph is on site woman is, where the location of
working today. He will agree to the dreams are taking place, or
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services. Joseph’s grandparents, that the Father was a true believer
Lucas and Agatha (nee in the Catholic religion.
Janikowski) Pidulski were some
of the first parishioners until the Reading the Journals
murder of Lucas in a drunken Investigators who read the
brawl at a pub. Agatha quit journals and make a successful
attending at that time. Library Use skill roll will learn
the following information: most of
Father Vincent Lewandowski: the journals are basic day-to-day
This was the original pastor at St. operations of St. Hedwigs and
Hedwigs. Immigrated from the contain excessive detail on the
old country and was well-liked by local community and the
the parishoners. Spoke fluent parishioners. However, a careful
Polish, German, English, and examination points to a separate
Latin. His journals are kept by St. journal in which more private
Hedwigs as a historical record of notes were scribed.
the time.
Investigators who look around the
Lewandowski’s Journals: The rectory and succeed on a Spot
journals are kept in the rectory. Hidden skill check find a set of
Father Gronyk will allow the books on a bookcase that appear
investigators to look at the fake. Examining the books reveals
journals provided that they do not that they are instead a wooden
leave the room with them and case with a lock on it. A
promise to make no marks. He successful Locksmith skill check
can provide graphite and paper if will unlock the box. Alternately, a
the investigators wish to make any successful Spot Hidden check
copies. The journals are mostly in finds the key in the back of a desk
English, with occasional use of drawer.
Latin phrases common to
Catholicism and some side notes Inside the box is a metal-bound
in Polish. Investigators who make journal with a metal cross on the
successful Language (Latin) or cover. Inside the book are strange
Language (Polish) skill rolls gain markings similar to the motifs
1 Sanity and gain the knowledge sketched by Joseph Pidulski.
Reading the journal requires a location of the oak tree and where
Sanity Check with 1/1D4 Sanity the stones had been. Give the
Loss. The journal details Father players the handout Night Terrors
Lewandowski’s knowledge of old #2.
Polish occult rituals, including the
Bind Witch ritual. It also contains Agatha’s Shack
details related to the hanging of The investigators should by now
Agatha Janikowski as contained in understand the circumstances
the Overview in this adventure. It around the hanging of Joseph’s
explains how Father grandmother, Agatha. Information
Lewandowski was the one who points to her residence as a shack
organized the mob to seize and on the edge of the Oak Openings
hang Agatha. Further, it contains region. Investigators can either
an address for Agatha’s abode, a rent a vehicle or take a cab to the
small shack on the western edge location on a successful Credit
of Toledo near an Oak woodlands Rating skill roll.
prairie.
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the character can take no actions for
1D4 rounds.
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Night Terrors #1 - Dr. Hyatt’s Invitation
Dear Friends,
I write you asking for your assistance. A colleague of mine at the Toledo
Museum of Art, Joseph Pidulski, has experience what he calls night terrors.
Normally, I would not bother you with such things, but this case is not just the
usual nightmares of a sensitive and overworked young artiste.
Joseph’s nightmares recur each night and are always the same. He sees a
woman with oak trees sprouting from her head as if it was her hair. This
strange being beckons him to join her in a woodlands. As he approaches her, he
is overcome with a feeling of dread and unspeakable horror from which he
awakens shaken.
These night terrors, as he calls them, are starting to interfere with his work. I
have him assigned to our new Greek Peristyle project. But when Joseph draws
up models, he ignores classical Greek motifs and instead is substituting alien
and foreign motifs which are disturbing haunting…and I daresay drawn from
his nightmares. I cannot make further progress on the project and I can only
delay informing the museum’s Board of Directors for so long.
I have spoken with Joseph and tried to nd him help to no avail. I now turn to
you for help. If possible, could you please come with all haste?
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- I must confess to liking my new land. America has many more opportunities
for me than Poland did. I do miss my family and my girlfriends though. I
also miss the games that Father Kazuwicz would teach us, the ones with all the
chanting and drawing of circles on the ground. The Father would always say
"I’m teaching you girls important things that you might need some day" my
girlfriends and I never listened to that nonsense.
- I met a man at St. Hedwigs, a handsome man named Lucas. He seems really
nice and I like him. I hope he likes me too.
- Lucas and I got married. What a wonderful day it was. Late autumn with
leaves falling and the smell of fires burning in stoves.
- I gave birth to our son Jacob. He appears to be a strong and healthy boy.
- Oh the horror! Drunk ruffians stabbed my husband to death as he walked
down LaGrange Street last night. The police say it was a random mugging
gone wrong.
- It’s been two weeks and the police have no subjects. I have a plan though to find
the men responsible. I will have to go back to Poland. I am putting Jacob in an
orphanage…it is best for him this way.
- Back in Poland. Learning the old rituals from Father Kazuwicz. I was so
stupid as a young girl. The Father’s rituals do indeed have power.They require
me to tattoo my body with strange symbols, but I will gladly scar myself. I
will learn them all and then return to Toledo. I will use them to find the men
responsible for killing my husband.
- I returned to Toledo and took up in a old shack on the outskirts of town. I’ve
prepared a number of rituals to help find the murderers. But one thing has
gone wrong. The priest at St. Hedwig’s, Father Lewandowski, saw my tattoos. I
could tell from his face that he understood what they are. I might have to be
more careful.
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Author’s Notes/Acknowledgments
This is my rst one-shot adventure for Call of Cthulhu. I hope you like
it! I would like to thank the Storyteller Collective Workshop for all its
help. I also would like to thank my wife and kids for allowing me to
take over the basement and turn it into my own personal of ce space.
Author Bio
Neal Jesse has been an avid table-top RPG fan since the late 1970s
when he and his brother bought Dungeons and Dragons at Arthur’s
Toy Store in Fresno, California. In his “real” life he is a Professor of
Political Science. He lives in Toledo, Ohio with his wife, kids, and cats.
Art Credits
Cover art “Daisies in Pink” by Neal G. Jesse.
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