conversations.from: system
conversations.value: In April of 1919, an expedition led by the fabulously wealthy playboy Roger Carlyle set out from New York with ambitions to explore tombs in Egypt. By October of that same year, the expedition was feared missing; in the following year, the site of their massacre was uncovered, albeit with many lingering questions--and bodies unaccounted for.
  
  Now it is January of 1925. Your good friend Jackson Elias, a noted investigative writer on the occult--particularly obscure death cults--has called on you and others to meet with him in New York.  
  
  He tells you it's about the Carlyle Expedition.
  
  He tells you he needs reliable help--your help--to aid his investigation.
  
  ---
  
  This story is a long adventure that will focus on investigating a mystery, foiling a world-spanning, malevolent plan, and confronting cosmic and existential horror. It is long, it is involved, and it is likely to get hopelessly dark at times.
  
  This story is also an experiment in translating a well-known Call of Cthulhu roleplaying campaign into the Storium model. You don't require any familiarity with the RPG itself to participate. There will be no dice rolls, no character sheets; the objective is to use Storium to provide a more narrative experience for this well-loved adventure. In fact, I would like to avoid players who are already familiar with the campaign if at all possible. 
  
  What *will* help is familiarity with H.P. Lovecraft or the Cthulhu Mythos generally. Lovecraftian Horror, while it often contains elements of traditional horror and psychological horror, also delves into cosmic horror--the terror of coping with mankind's insignificance in a vast, incomprehensible universe in which humans are a tiny, negligible part.
  
  But there is hope there. This is not intended to be a story of never-ending darkness and failure. It is a struggle in the face of overwhelming odds in a desperate bid to stem the tide of vile, corrupt powers.
  
  Though failure, too, is a possible result.
  
  ---
  
  ##The Story So Far
  
  **Chapter 1** - Eight individuals find themselves called or drawn to the hotel room of Jackson Elias, world-traveling author of occult volumes detailing the horrific exploits of death cults. Known for skepticism and in depth research, the man now sounds desperate and fearful and in need of their help to research events of the Carlyle Expedition, a doomed journey undertaken by rich playboy Roger Carlyle, with several others, which led to a massacre of all members in the Kenyan uplands. 
  
  But at the prescribed meeting, the investigators instead discover the author, for many their *friend,* killed in ritualistic fashion. They kill or drive off the murderers, and find scattered around the room numerous clues as to what Elias was involved in. It is agreed by all that they must take up the investigation he meant for them and, if possible, avenge his death. Armed with little more than fragmentary references to New York, London, Egypt, Kenya, Shanghai, and even Polynesia, the investigation begins.
  
  **Chapter 2** - The investigators begin pursuing leads from Elias's hotel room, first venturing to Harvard and Arkham, but emerging with little to show for it. They then look closer to home at Emerson Imports and the files of Dr. Huston, of the Carlyle Expedition. It soon becomes clear that Elias was interested in a place called Ju-Ju House, which Emerson handles imports for.
  
  **Chapter 3** - The investigators narrow their focus to the Ju-Ju House, a store of authentic African tribal items buried in the back alleys of Harlem. After a cursory investigation, they opt to break-in at night in full force, discovering rather more than they bargained for: a death cult, unearthly creatures, unnatural abominations, and prisoners meant for something hideous. It becomes apparent that the mystery Elias was onto involved more than they ever could have guessed, almost beyond belief itself.
  
  After their liberation, Dean Chang and Alice Early join the investigators in their search for answers.
  
  **Chapter 4** - The cult broken up, the murders solved--at least on the surface--the investigators have a brief moment of respite. All clues lead outside of the country, now, and so it is agreed that they will start with London--nearest, and Elias's last visit before New York.
  
  Lizzie, Andrew, and Ruth leave the group, the toll of the dark mystery proving too much. The others bid a final farewell to Elias at his funeral, where they meet Elias's publisher, who entrusts them with Elias's notes from Kenya. Some also peruse the remains of the Ju-Ju House, but there is little left to discover there except the haunting memory of the thing in the basement.
  
  **Chapter 5** - The investigators arrives in London in order to ascertain the activities of Jackson Elias while there. They interview one of his old friends and Edward Gavigan, director of the Penhew Foundation (whose namesake, Sir Aubrey Penhew, was killed in the Carlyle Expedition massacre). It appears another string of ritualistic murders is underway here--still unsolved--that Jackson had a keen interest in, believing it to be the work of a death cult.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: An aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifacts, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts.
conversations.prefix: Antiquarian:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Often self-absorbed with their own visions, but blessed with a talent for expression. 
conversations.prefix: Artist:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The author uses words to define and explore the conditions of human life, and especially the range of human emotions.
conversations.prefix: Author:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The dilettante has so much money that specialists are needed to take care of it. They are well-educated, though not systematically educated or necessarily accomplished. Frequently charming and sophisticated.
conversations.prefix: Dilettante:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Whether a general practitioner, a surgeon, some other specialist, or merely an independent researcher. Apart from personal goals, three aims generally prevail: helping patients, gaining money and prestige, and promoting a more rational and wiser society.
conversations.prefix: Doctor of Medicine:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: As opposed to someone poverty-stricken, the drifter's wandering life is chosen. They take jobs, sometimes for months, but often turn to mobility as an answer to problems. The drifter prefers the road to roots.
conversations.prefix: Drifter:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Whether dancer, musician, singer, juggler, actor, or anyone else who earns a living by performing for an audience. The entertainer enjoys being seen, demonstrating their talents, and the consequent applause.
conversations.prefix: Entertainer:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: More focused than the broad label of 'author,' the journalist reports on and investigates incidents of the day. The best of them report, but keep themselves independent of the corruption and self-serving they witness.
conversations.prefix: Journalist:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A student of the paranormal and psychic phenomena. Prestigious universities grant no degrees in this field, leaving standards to be entirely based on personal reputation. They are usually skeptics, interested in serious observation and investigation--not mere occultism or mysticism.
conversations.prefix: Parapsychologist:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Whether police or private eye, this investigator gather information and evidence of criminal wrongdoing, tracks down fleeing suspects, and supports execution of the law. 
conversations.prefix: Detective:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Qualified to teach and perform competent research in their chosen field, with a discernible academic reputation. They may be a complete idiot in other areas, of course.
conversations.prefix: Professor:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Former or current, tied to a nation or mercenary, this person is trained in war and armed conflict. The Great War has left many such people in its wake.
conversations.prefix: Soldier:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Whether hunter, survivalist, tracker, guide, or otherwise, your expertise is in traversing the wilder parts of the world. You may be uncouth in society, but you're invaluable beyond its protection.
conversations.prefix: Outdoorsman:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: One who studies occult practices, such as magic, alchemy, extra-sensory perception, astrology, spiritualism, religion, and divination. Unlike the parapsychologist, this pursuit is one of faith, not scientific exploration.
conversations.prefix: Occultist:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You work outside the law. Perhaps you're profiting from prohibition, or engaging in other illicit activities. Whatever the case, you're a professional--but that doesn't mean you're without morals. 
conversations.prefix: Criminal:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: It’s not enough to get things done; they must be done *correctly.* You excel at problems that require a precise, controlled touch.
conversations.prefix: Careful:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You use ingenuity and intelligence to overcome obstacles, whether it be hard-won knowledge or an inventive use of whatever's in front of you.
conversations.prefix: Clever:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Whatever you do, you do it with style. You may not be the best, brightest, or brawniest, but you are the most memorable. 
conversations.prefix: Flashy:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Sometimes there’s just no replacement for raw strength, toughness, and tenacity—whether physical or otherwise.
conversations.prefix: Forceful:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Speed is on your side. Whether it's because you're fleet of foot, quick-witted, fast on the draw, or all of the above, you make good use of being swift.
conversations.prefix: Quick:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You specialize in going unnoticed--sneaking, spying, eavesdropping, skulking, and hiding. On a good day, nobody detects you unless you want them to.
conversations.prefix: Stealthy:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You're not as capable as you think you are.
conversations.prefix: Overconfident:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You're just not as confident and assertive as others, prone to giving up, giving in, and backing down.
conversations.prefix: Weakwilled:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A bit impatient, a bit inattentive, prone to sudden fits of inspiration and personal-indulgence. You don't always stop to think when you really ought to.
conversations.prefix: Foolish:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: When push comes to shove, you're looking out for number 1. You get what *you* want, first and foremost.
conversations.prefix: Selfish:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Whether it's a code of honor, or simply a set of personal principles you adhere to, you are uncompromising and unflinching about following them--even in the face of really good reasons not to.
conversations.prefix: Stubborn:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Just the idea of action, combat, and new experiences in strange locales gets your blood pumping. Turning down the opportunity for something fresh and exciting, just to stay at home and “play it safe”, is like admitting your whole life is meaningless.
conversations.prefix: Adventure:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Researching the past is the only place you feel alive. Discovering some small truth to an older world, wandering around in old and beautiful places, or handling ancient items is the only purpose for living.
conversations.prefix: Antiquarianism:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You are already acutely aware of the supernatural quality of the world; it is what you attempt to capture in your work. You must follow your Muse wherever she leads, and nothing can stop you from your need for inspiration.
conversations.prefix: Artistic Sensitivity:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You’re always in the wrong place at the wrong time. These sorts of things just seem to happen to you.
conversations.prefix: Bad Luck:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: When presented with a mystery you can’t help but investigate. There’s something going on here and you’re going to figure it out! If you don’t, it will drive you crazy just worrying about it.
conversations.prefix: Curiosity:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You know it’s dangerous, but someone has to do it. If you don’t take care of the problem, who is? The police officer biding his time and counting down the days for his pension? Don’t be ridiculous.
conversations.prefix: Duty:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Maybe you had one experience you’ll never get again, or you’ve read about such things in novels. You’ve tried almost everything else, and nothing else matters. So what if it kills you? At least it will be different and exciting.
conversations.prefix: Ennui:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Let it be known that this wasn’t your idea. Someone else – someone important to you – went down into that crypt and you’d better go after them to make sure they are safe.
conversations.prefix: Follower:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You’re not sure why you continue to pore over ancient texts, or wander around decaying graveyards. Eccentric behavior tends to run in the family. Outsiders just wouldn’t understand.
conversations.prefix: In the Blood:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Something out there hurt you, or someone you care about. It must be destroyed, burned out, exposed…Whatever it takes. Whatever it costs. Any trail that leads to your vengeance is a trail you have to follow to the end.
conversations.prefix: Revenge:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Uncovering the truth about the world is what true scholars do. Whether you’re seeking tenure, the acclaim of your friends, or the satisfaction of expanding human knowledge, you investigate in order to find out the underlying pattern.
conversations.prefix: Scholarship:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You have to learn the secrets of the world. This isn’t a namby pamby scholarship, it’s a quest for truth. You don’t want to advance human knowledge – the herd doesn’t deserve to know what lies beyond the walls of the world. Only you, and perhaps several close friends, truly deserve such secrets, and you are the only ones willing to do what it takes to obtain them.
conversations.prefix: Thirst for Knowledge:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Everyone’s heard of Roger Carlyle, but you know something more about the man. At least, you think you do.
  
  [Strong Result] Roger was an infamous debauch, treated early for alcoholism and kicked out of a succession of prestigious universities. But there were rumors that his proclivities got worse--much worse--when he fell into the acquaintance of an East African poetess who went by the name Nichonka Bunay.
conversations.prefix: Info: Roger Carlyle:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A wealthy and beautiful heiress to the Masters fortune. But you remember something more about her…
  
  [Strong Result] Though she had casual liaisons with Carlyle in the past, society rumors held that Hypatia had fallen into a passionate and ill-advised affair with a Catholic Marxist, not of the high society culture. Something must have happened to cause Hypatia to abruptly leave on the Expedition without her lover.
conversations.prefix: Info: Hypatia Masters:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Penhew is well-known in relation to Egyptology, making his role on the Expedition obvious. You know more...
  
  [Strong Result] Sir Aubrey made many important discoveries himself, particularly at Dhashur, and built an excellent reputation and considerable wealth for himself. But curiously, the man was a bachelor, without heirs or other family--strange for a man who could trace his noble lineage back to the time of William the Conqueror. 
  
conversations.prefix: Info: Sir Aubrey:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You have some inkling why a high society psychoanalyst might be on the Expedition. 
  &nbsp;
  [Strong Result] Huston, it was said, had actually treated Roger Carlyle (and his sister, Erica)--and his records may not have been destroyed. Some also suggest that Huston convinced Carlyle to undertake the expedition, or that Carlyle pressured Huston somehow.
conversations.prefix: Info: Dr. Robert Huston:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Carlyle’s bodyguard and companion for many years. He was a Marine sergeant in the Great War. Why work for Roger?
  
  [Strong Result] Brady’s association with Carlyle began when Roger rescued him from what looked like an open-and-shut murder trial. The two men were rarely separated after that. Rougher circles also say that Brady has been a mercenary and suffered through some of the closest calls. "He’s one impossibly lucky son of a bitch."
conversations.prefix: Info: Jack “Brass” Brady:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: 26 years old, and the sole heir to the Carlyle fortune and interests. Business has flourished under her. But Roger...
  
  [Strong Result] It’s no secret that Erica fought with her brother, usually over money, but she also seems to have cared about him. It was by her recommendation that Roger started seeing a psychoanalyst--her own, in fact.
conversations.prefix: Info: Erica Carlyle:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You've heard that Dr. Huston's files haven't been destroyed. After he was declared dead, they were probably turned over to the Medical Affairs Board of New York. They're confidential, of course, but could reveal important information about Roger and Erica Carlyle, and Huston himself.
conversations.prefix: Clue: Huston's Files:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Enough of getting acquainted. It's high time you met with Jackson Elias.
  
  Play a subplot here to advance the story.
conversations.prefix: Move: Room 410:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: It’s a door, and it’s in the way of your meeting. Well, it’s probably not the door’s fault, but it’s certainly a problem.
conversations.prefix: Door to 410:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Two knife-wielding maniacs in ritual headpieces.  They’ve just killed Elias. They might kill you, too. But it looks like they’re more interested in leaving.
conversations.prefix: Two Ritual Murderers:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Did I say two? Actually, there’s a third. He was lying in wait for possible intruders (you).
  
  [Ultimate fate of this third man matches the outcome of the other challenge.]
conversations.prefix: ...And One Behind the Door:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Whether he was your friend or not, it’s a grisly, ritualistic murder, testing even hardened individuals. 
  
  (This challenge is optional, but will result in additional Goals or Assets). 
  
  **Special Neutral Result:** If you play a subplot on this challenge, you draw neither determination nor horror from what you see, but are driven instead by a need to understand more about it. You are driven to investigate.
conversations.prefix: Sanity: Elias's Death:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Sometimes you still see it when you close your eyes: his face, frozen in a silent scream; chest ripped open, ribs stretching into the air; even the choking stench of entrails and sickly sweet blood. 
  
  Play this card when the memory of Elias comes back to haunt you, disrupting your efforts (counts as a Weak).
conversations.prefix: Trauma: Memory of Elias:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Horrible as it was, the murder of Elias filled you with the need to know more. Who *were* these people? Why the headpieces? What does the symbol mean? What is all the ritual *for?* 
  
  Use this card when you are motivated by curiosity surrounding Elias’s murder.
conversations.prefix: Understand the Ritual Murder:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A business card, elegantly engraved. 
  
  35 Tottenham Court Road London, W. 1
  
  Edward Gavigan, Director
conversations.prefix: Clue: Penhew Foundation Card:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A letter, addressed to Roger Carlyle. The text is in a barely legible scrawl, but appears to be penned by one Faraz Najir of Cairo. He speaks of "singular curios" that Carlyle might be interested in obtaining.
  
  It directs Carlyle to send his agent to Najir's shop in the Street of Jackals in the Old Quarter.
  
  Dated Jan. 3, 1919.
conversations.prefix: Clue: Najir Letter:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A photograph--blurry and grainy. It shows a large steam- or diesel-powered yacht beyond some Chinese junks. Part of the name of the yacht is visible: the first three letters are DAR
conversations.prefix: Clue: Yacht Photograph:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Empty. It's for an establishment called the Stumbling Tiger Bar.
  
  "Shanghai Fun & Friends"
conversations.prefix: Clue: Matchbox:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A business card--printed on ordinary stock. The name "Silas N'Kwane" is written on the back in Elias's handwriting.
conversations.prefix: Clue: Emerson Imports Card:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A typewritten letter--without envelope, from Miriam Atwright, a Harvard University librarian. It is addressed to Elias in care of his publishers (Prospero House).
  
  Ms. Atwright reports that a book Elias was inquiring about (unnamed in the letter) is no longer in the Harvard collection.
  
  Dated Nov. 7, 1924
conversations.prefix: Clue: Atwright Letter:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A small sheet of paper, apparently a handbill meant to be posted publicly or passed out on the street. It advertises a lecture at Schuyler Hall by one Prof. Cowles of the University of Sydney (but presently at Miskatonic University).
  
  The subject? A cult in Polynesia and the Southwest Pacific. Right up Jackson's alley.
  
  The lecture was scheduled for tonight--8 p.m., in fact--but you've already missed it by now.
conversations.prefix: Clue: Lecture Handbill:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The symbol cut into Elias's forehead by his murderers. Surely it means something.
conversations.prefix: Clue: Symbol on Elias:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Some scraps of paper are easily spotted, but surely there are others tucked away in Elias’s things. 
  &nbsp;
  [Strong Result] The matchbox is empty, making its only value the place it’s from: The Stumbling Tiger Bar, in Shanghai. Why would Elias have an empty matchbox from another country in his possession?
  
conversations.prefix: Info: Search the Room:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: There seems to be a slip of paper inserted in a book on the writing desk. 
  &nbsp;
  &nbsp;
  [Strong Result] This is a handbill for a lecture--here, in New York, tonight! But too late to catch. What’s more, it’s about Elias’s favorite subject: cults. 
  
conversations.prefix: Info: Hidden in a Book:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: It’s a bit ghoulish, but Elias probably has some clues on his person about just what happened here.  
  &nbsp;
  [Strong Result] You find a business card for Emerson Imports, a New York City business. On the back is a name in Elias’s handwriting: Silas N’Kwane.
  
conversations.prefix: Info: Elias's Pockets:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A hardened veteran of the NYPD. He doesn't look like he wants to fuss around, and he no doubt wants some answers.
conversations.prefix: Lt. Martin Poole:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: What’s the next lead to chase? Play a Clue that you want to pursue (or a Subplot/Goal if you want to check into something not represented by a Clue).
conversations.prefix: Follow up on a Clue:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You’re left with a moment to consider your future course. What will you do? How will you proceed? What do you need?
conversations.prefix: Where do you go from here?:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Want to chase two leads at once? Play a Clue that you want to pursue (or a Subplot/Goal if you want to check into something not represented by a Clue).
conversations.prefix: Follow up on Another Clue:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A librarian at Harvard's Widener library, and previously quite helpful to Jackson Elias's research--while he was alive. 
conversations.prefix: Miriam Atwright:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A large, eccentric man with a vivid sense of wonder and a habit of rambling. Friendly, open, talkative, and an expert on the subject of Polynesian mythology, anthropology, archaeology, and more.
conversations.prefix: Prof. Cowles:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A beautiful, intelligent woman and devoted daughter. Studying abroad while her father teaches abroad.
conversations.prefix: Ewa Cowles:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You have an opportunity to learn something more with the Widener library available for research. What do you look into? 
conversations.prefix: Info: Harvard Research:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: It’s not hard to get the man talking, but it’s a challenge to keep it all straight. 
conversations.prefix: Info: Cowles’ Lecture Notes:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Cowles has a wealth of information about Polynesia, but nothing about Elias (except for reading some of his books) or the Carlyle Expedition. What else might you ask of him, though?
conversations.prefix: Follow-up Questions for Cowles:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Some close examination of the photograph might reap rewards. But can you make heads or tails of it?
  
  **[Strong result]** This photo was taken along the Whangpoo River in Shanghai.
conversations.prefix: Info: Yacht Location:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Maybe something close to home? 
  
  Play a Clue that you want to pursue (or a Subplot/Goal if you want to check into something not represented by a Clue).
conversations.prefix: Follow up on a Closer Clue:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Weary, hard-working, but open and communicative, Arthur Emerson seems to have nothing to hide.
conversations.prefix: Arthur Emerson:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Taciturn and unimpressed with visitors, and seemingly uncompromising about the rules. Or is he?
conversations.prefix: Adrian Ferris:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: New York’s finest have had a day of investigation, themselves. Can you find out what they’ve turned up?
  
  **[Strong Result]** 1. The police spoke to Arthur Emerson, and are looking into a place called ‘Ju-Ju House’ in Harlem. There are rumors of weird nighttime activity there. 2. The (stolen) car that fled the murder scene was later found abandoned. 3. The coroner’s report revealed nothing new, but you learn Elias's funeral is set for Sunday.
conversations.prefix: Info: So, how about that murder, huh?:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Stuck for direction? Wondering what information can possibly be pursued next? You have a sudden flash of insight…
conversations.prefix: Have an Idea:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Those people in the tenements have probably seen what happens here. Maybe they tell you a bit about the place. 
  
  **[Strong result]** About once a week--tonight, actually--strange people and foreigners start going to the shop very late at night. Odd noises are occasionally heard at those times; they try not to think too hard about what they might be.
  
conversations.prefix: Info: Talk to Neighbors:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: That art in the window looks like it might be the real deal. Take a closer look and find out.
conversations.prefix: Info: African Tribal Art:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: That abandoned pawn shop could be a good place to lie low and watch the shop for a while, if you feel like it. Of course, you’ll need to bypass the locks currently bolting it up tight…
conversations.prefix: Vantage Point:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Play a subplot or goal here to indicate that the group is moving on to the interior of Ju-Ju House.
conversations.prefix: Move: Entering Ju-Ju House:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The proprietor of Ju-Ju House. A spry, old man with a perceptive air to him. Something seems off, though…
conversations.prefix: Silas N'Kwane:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Not all is as it seems here…
conversations.prefix: Hidden Ju-Ju:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Chief Editor and owner of Prospero House, Jackson Elias’s publisher. If anybody might have more information about what Jackson was pursuing, it’d probably be him.
conversations.prefix: Clue: Jonah Kensington:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: An enterprise like this requires some forethought... or does it?
   
  ‘Neutral’ outcome on reverse. 
  &nbsp;
  Neutral: [Individual] You take steps to prepare for your specific goal or interest, at the exclusion of some other vital element. What is it? 
conversations.prefix: Preparation:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Play a subplot or goal here to indicate that the group is waiting until something happens or more time passes.
conversations.prefix: Move: Don't Move:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The night is quiet and still, but the neighbors made it clear that *things* happen at Ju Ju House. They don’t seem to have started yet, though…
conversations.prefix: Time:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Breaking and entering always necessitates a certain amount of stealth. Then again, this is a bad part of town, and the locals are already expecting noises…
conversations.prefix: Stealth:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The sounds are coming from inside the crates! Play a goal or subplot to open them up and find out what’s inside.
conversations.prefix: Move: What's In The Box?!:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Play a goal or subplot to indicate that you are investigating behind the curtain.
conversations.prefix: Move: Behind the Curtain:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Play a goal or subplot to indicate that you are using the winch to lift the stone block.
  
conversations.prefix: Move: Under the Stone :
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You’re *sure* you heard noise back that way--that, or you’ve gotten cold feet. Play a goal or subplot to indicate that you are ‘investigating’ your way back up the stairs and into the shop.
conversations.prefix: Move: Up the Stairs:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Four of them, clearly victims of the ritual murders by the distinctive symbols cut into their foreheads. 
  
  Bullets are proving ineffective, serving merely to slow them down, but there must be some way to stop their implacable advance and hideous strength.
conversations.prefix: Zombies:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Draped in a feathered robe, bearing gloves with a lion's claws, and wielding some kind of scepter or club. He cuts an imposing, powerful figure.
conversations.prefix: Mukunga:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The dead walk! A mutilation of the body, torment to the soul. This could've been Elias's fate--and might yet be yours.
  
  (This challenge is optional, but will result in additional Goals or Assets). 
  
  **Special Neutral Result:** If you play a subplot on this challenge, you draw neither determination nor horror from what you see, but are driven instead by a need to understand more about it. You are driven to investigate.
conversations.prefix: Sanity: Zombies:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Reading is a way of life, and is one of the best ways to learn important information. You have much experience doing exactly that.
conversations.prefix: Researcher:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Uncovering the truth about the world is what true scholars do. In your quest to prove your theories correct, you investigate in order to find the underlying pattern.
conversations.prefix: Academic Satisfaction:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The darkness can never be destroyed. For is not light the invader in a universe that God Himself found dark? But it *can* be illuminated. Exposed. Laid bare before the eyes of man and God. And by the latter, you *will* do it. 
conversations.prefix: In Lucem:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: They say the devil is in the details, and that's true. But for you, the story is in the details, and you have a nose for stories. You notice when things are fishy, or if someone is lying, and clue trails are your bread and butter.
conversations.prefix: Perceptive:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: They say you're a gambler, but you know that's not true. You had a tip that the chestnut Arabian horse could not lose. And that night at the poker was pure bad luck. You simply like to take calculated risks... right?
conversations.prefix: Gambler:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You used to get the best scoops before anyone else. You were a legend in the world of journalism.
  
  You want to be a legend again.
conversations.prefix: Get That Story:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You're connected to the spirits of your ancestors.
conversations.prefix: Shaman:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Years spent in the outdoors has made you physically strong and healthy.
conversations.prefix: Hardy:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Because of your ancestry, few people take you seriously.
conversations.prefix: Marginalized:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Your people were cursed long before you were born; you're just paying your share of the cost.
conversations.prefix: Sins of the Fathers:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You know all kinds of people in all kinds of places. Some of 'em might even be willing to stick their necks out for ya.
conversations.prefix: Connected:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You generally say and do what you want, and don't bother yourself with other people's opinions about it.
conversations.prefix: Brash:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You travel far and wide, apparently only thinking of the excitement, the joy of discovery. But there is a purpose behind your journeying that few know.
conversations.prefix: Adventurer:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Once you have made up your mind to do something, you stay fixed on that purpose.
conversations.prefix: Driven:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Electrical measurements, magnetic disturbances, and the discovery of other unseen waves are your passion. You learn as you go, developing devices to aid your team.
  
  
  
  
  
conversations.prefix: Inventor:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You can see how the dots are connected even before the dots are there. And *let* them ask you for the odds, you'll have an answer at the ready.
conversations.prefix: Intelligent:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You'd drop your head if it weren't attached, and even though it is attached doesn't prevent you from smacking it  with whatever it is you have in hand.
  
  Oh, you'll drop the fine crystal too, and you'll stub your toe, or you'll spill your beer on the poor sap next to you. You'll do something bumbling - just wait and see.
conversations.prefix: Clumsy:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You are annoyingly curious, crass and overall just damn immature. Whats worse is that you consciously choose to behave in such a way.
conversations.prefix: Childish :
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your brain is stuffed with so much information you don't even want to know how such a thing is possible... actually you really do want to know. 
conversations.prefix: Knowledgeable :
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You're ensconced in the warm, smothering embrace of academia. You haven't decided your life's direction yet, either because you have several options, or because you have none worth pursuing. 
conversations.prefix: Student:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Whatever you do, it is with the careful precision of forethought. This holds true in both social and scientific realms.
conversations.prefix: Thoughtful:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You were always prone to hyper-focusing, now there is a thing, or two, haunting you. Intangible, and yet you sometimes abandon all reason to try and reach it. Or them.
conversations.prefix: Obsessed:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Something has gotten into you, your head. There's an answer, and now you need the question. And anyone to believe you.
conversations.prefix: In The Blood:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Uncovering the truth about the world is what true scholars do. The fact that it just might bring the most important person in your life back from the brink of insanity is just gravy.
conversations.prefix: Scholarship and Love:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Let it be known that this wasn’t your idea. Someone else – someone important to you – got caught up in all this, and you need to do whatever it takes to get them back.
conversations.prefix: Follower:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The more you know now, the less you need to figure out in the future.
conversations.prefix: Preperations:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You are faithful to those you call friends. You show support in word & deed and will throw yourself in harm's way to benefit those who have earned your loyalty.
conversations.prefix: Loyalty:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Sometimes you just have to let it all out.
conversations.prefix: Emotional:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Years of scientific research have taught you how to properly plan ahead and prepare for contingencies. If you're going to do something, do it right.
conversations.prefix: Prepared:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Not easily rattled, you take most things in your stride.
conversations.prefix: Composed:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Danger? Drama? Decisions? It doesn't matter. You're here to get things done. And, by goodness, you will.  Nothing will stand in your way to finish the task you started. 
conversations.prefix: Determined:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: As much as you pretend to hate your father, deep down you still have some shred of the respect you had for him growing up. 
  
  And as much as you pretend to dismiss his work, you still paid attention to it,  even when it felt like no one else did. Someone needed to. 
  
  After all, he is still your father. 
conversations.prefix: Respect, If Not Admiration:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You are honest. Perhaps a bit too honest. Painfully, unavoidably, obliviously honest.
conversations.prefix: Honest:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: I've got places to be. So if this is gonna take much longer, I'll probably just see myself out. 
conversations.prefix: Impatient:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Over the years as a bachelor and a journalist, you've managed to build a somewhat rakish charm. It's completely superficial, but it's often good enough.
conversations.prefix: Charming:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Level-headed, calm, not easily ruffled--or so it appears from the outside, anyway.
conversations.prefix: Controlled:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: When confronted with a pretty face, your brain turns into mush.
conversations.prefix: Pretty Face Induced Stupidity:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Over the years as a bachelor and a journalist, you’ve managed to build a somewhat rakish charm. It’s completely superficial, but it’s often good enough.    
conversations.prefix: Charming:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You've developed a recent penchant for sudden mood swings, often of the morose variety - or, at the least, those make for the most unshakeable.
conversations.prefix: An Inconsistent Mood:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You have a lot of money. They say it can't buy happiness, but it can buy damn near everything else. 
conversations.prefix: Rich!:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: People have a tendency to work out you're not telling the truth. You don't know why. Don't you have an honest face?
conversations.prefix: Bad Liar:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You don't always need a gun to get what you want.
conversations.prefix: Charming:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: All this talk is getting in the way of ACTION. 
conversations.prefix: Impatient:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Seems like you're standing out in a crowd everywhere just now. And that's not a good thing.
conversations.prefix: Face Doesn't Fit:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: In the face of a situation you don't feel qualified or equipped to handle, you are prone to...well, handle it badly. 
conversations.prefix: Frustrated:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Prohibition. What had possessed the Congress to pass such a terrible law? 
  You do not partake in prohibition. The doctor prescribed you a daily amount of alcohol. Also, you're calling yourself the doctor now.
conversations.prefix: Prone to Get Primed:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Zealous, fearless, insane, and utterly certain that you are a heathen in need of destruction. 
conversations.prefix: Cultists:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: There’s nothing natural or normal about that sound. 
  
  (This challenge is optional, but will result in additional Goals or Assets). 
  
  **Special Neutral Result:** If you play a subplot on this challenge, you draw neither determination nor horror from what you see, but are driven instead by a need to understand more about it. You are driven to investigate.
conversations.prefix: Sanity: Screams from the Pit:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You know now that these things must be created by cult priests like this one. Surely this is what they had in store for Elias. But how do they command the dead to walk and fight for them? There must be an explanation, and you’re driven to find it. 
  
  Use this card when you’re motivated by curiosity about the living dead (counts as Neutral).
conversations.prefix: Understand the Walking Dead:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Death is not the end. Something more horrible might await, your body reanimated for another’s ends. The memory of those *things* is burned into your brain. You know now. You’ll never forget. 
  
  Play this card when the memory of the zombies comes back to haunt you, disrupting your efforts (counts as a Weak).
conversations.prefix: Trauma: The Dead Walk:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Nothing natural could sound so horrible. You know now that there are things in the darkest places of the world that are better left sealed; unknown. You know that the inhuman exists, and you cannot forget its wailing cries. 
  
  Play this card when the memory of the Ju Ju House screams comes back to haunt you, disrupting your efforts (counts as a Weak).
conversations.prefix: Trauma: Screams of the Pit:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You’ve endured the worst a death cult can throw at you, and it was just another kind of hell for you. Your resolve has taught you that these people thrive on causing fear and flaunting power--just like countless others without zombies or spooky pits. 
  
  Use this card to reveal helpful details about how cults and rituals *really* work (counts as a Strong).
conversations.prefix: Insight: Manmade Hell:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The things you saw and heard could’ve been hallucinations, perhaps *should* have been such, but they weren’t. The dead were real, the horrifying shrieking was real, and you confronted them in true reality. You are *not* mad. You are *not* slipping. You are not yet like them. 
  
  Use this card to reveal helpful details when you trust what your senses tell you, no matter how mad it may seem (counts as a Strong).
conversations.prefix: Insight: Trust Yourself:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The book is stamped property of the trustees of Harvard University, but they don't need it back *right away.* Maybe you'll learn something valuable. This *was* the book Elias sought, after all.
  
  Play this card only when given an express opportunity to do so.
conversations.prefix: Read Africa's Dark Sects:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: An African devil mask of unusual design, and made of an unidentifiable wood. Its style originates in the Congo, but there's something more to this artifact. The eyes of the mask are compelling...
  
  Play this card when investigating the mask itself--or putting it on.
conversations.prefix: Understand the Mask:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Inset with small runes and decipherable as a reference to Nyambe, the supreme god in some African lore. A portion also translates roughly as 'Your Power Mine.'
  
  There is a feeling of power when holding this object.
  
  If this card is played during supernatural events or encounters, the scepter may cause unexpected interactions. It is also serviceable as a bludgeoning implement.
conversations.prefix: Artifact: Scepter of Nyambe:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Play a subplot here to indicate that you are attempting to leave through the trapdoor--the only exit.
conversations.prefix: Move: Up the Stairs (again):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: This madman sprang from the crate like a caged animal, and immediately fought by your side with an unrestrained, wild tenacity. Figure out his story. 
  
  *Dean must play a subplot on this challenge.*
  
  *I will also allow an ‘Uncertain’ result to count as strong for this challenge.*
conversations.prefix: The Stranger:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: She’s understandably rattled from her experience, but she might have valuable information. How did she wind up here? What does she know about these people?
  
  *She must play a subplot on this challenge.* 
  
  *I will also allow an ‘Uncertain’ result to count as strong for this challenge.*
conversations.prefix: The Second Sacrifice:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: An intelligent and capable researcher living in New York. If it’s down to hours in a library and academic connections, she can probably help.
conversations.prefix: Ruth Bedford:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Andrew and Lizzie are headed back to London today. Given that at least one clue points there, perhaps it’d be wise to maintain good relations with someone there. Or maybe you just want to wish them well.
conversations.prefix: Bon Voyage:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: This is an opportunity to reflect on how things have changed since Jackson’s death. How has this changed you? What does it mean for your future? It may also provide a chance to pursue other objectives that have come up since you began.
  
  Play only subplots or goals on this challenge.
conversations.prefix: Time to Yourself:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The police have cordoned off Ju-Ju House to wrap up their investigation. It affords an opportunity to learn just what happened there last night--if you can get past the uniforms watching it.
conversations.prefix: Return to Ju-Ju House:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A chance to say goodbye to the dead author, and perhaps learn something from Jonah Kensington, his friend and publisher.
conversations.prefix: Elias's Funeral:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Currently excavating in Giza under the funding and direction of the Penhew Foundation. Perhaps there is some connection to the Carlyle Expedition's activities there.
conversations.prefix: Clue: The Clive Expedition:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Lead investigator of the so-called ‘Egyptian Murders,’ and loose acquaintance of Lizzie and Andrew. His name came up in connection to Elias’s activities while in London.
conversations.prefix: Clue: Inspector Barrington:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Publisher of *The Scoop,* a weekly tabloid. Delights in printing stories about gory murders, sex scandals, and weird happenings. Known contact for Jackson Elias in the past.
conversations.prefix: Clue: Mickey Mahoney:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A voyage by ship takes time. How do you spend yours? Maybe you have a book you’re reading, or some other activity occupying your mind--or perhaps you simply spend it regrouping from the trauma and experiences you’ve endured. 
  
  This challenge is essentially meant for goals and subplots, to describe pursuing them over the intervening days, but I won’t discourage strong/weak plays.
conversations.prefix: How did you spend your time?:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: An intelligent and polished man in his fifties, superbly dressed, he epitomizes the highly successful Londoner. Gavigan is the director of the Penhew Foundation, which funds expeditions to Egypt and houses many artifacts in their private collection.
conversations.prefix: Edward Gavigan:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A cynical, tough, cigar-smoking, 43-year-old journalist. He publishes *The Scoop,* a weekly tabloid rife with gory murders, sex scandals, and weird happenings. Maybe a bit colorful, but Mickey knows what’s what, and can be mighty useful.
  
  
conversations.prefix: Mickey Mahoney:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A methodical man and lead investigator for the string of homicides known as the Egyptian Murders. He is calm, dogged, and extremely on point.
  
conversations.prefix: Inspector Barrington:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Barrington reveals the Elias spoke to him, claiming that the murders were actually ritual killings perpetrated by an Egyptian death cult he called ‘The Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh.’ The style of murder does not match that of the New York killings: Victims of the Egyptian murders are seemingly beaten by one or more assailants and then stabbed through the heart.
conversations.prefix: Barrington: Talk with Elias:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Though the investigation is ongoing and has yet to hit solid leads, there are some details Barrington is willing to impart. He mentions that many of the victims frequented the Blue Pyramid Club, a popular Egyptian nightspot, but that police stakeouts learned nothing.
conversations.prefix: Barrington: Investigation Leads:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: If pressed to speak about the *name* of the cult Elias suggested, the Inspector may speak more on the matter.
conversations.prefix: Barrington: The Black Pharaoh:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Gavigan recounts what he told Elias: Carlyle obtained information of a shadowy time in Egyptian history as the purpose for the dig, but it proved a hoax by a new acquaintance of Carlyle’s--who ran off with the Expedition’s funds. They went to the Kenyan Uplands to rejuvenate their spirits, only to meet ruin--as in the newspaper accounts. 
conversations.prefix: Gavigan: The Story:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Gavigan recounts what he told Elias: Carlyle obtained information of a shadowy time in Egyptian history as the purpose for the dig, but it proved a hoax by a new acquaintance of Carlyle’s--who ran off with the Expedition’s funds. They went to the Kenyan Uplands to rejuvenate their spirits, only to meet ruin--as in the newspaper accounts. 
conversations.prefix: Gavigan: The Story:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: If you pay close attention to Gavigan’s manner, there is more to learn here.
   
    **If Uncertain:** Both outcomes. You notice something off in Gavigan’s behavior, but only after you’ve let slip some detail of your investigation.
conversations.prefix: Gavigan: Chink in the Armour:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Aside from Elias and Sir Aubrey, the Clive Expedition--ongoing in Egypt right now--is another topic of conversation to broach with Director Gavigan.
conversations.prefix: Gavigan: Clive Expedition:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: According to Mickey, Elias promised him a story about an evil cult operating in London, possibly very well-connected. He never mentioned its name, and never followed through on the story, soon leaving London for unspecified reasons. But Elias did poke around *The Scoop*’s archives, noting some stories of interest to him.
conversations.prefix: Mahoney: Elias' Activities:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Asking after the behavior of a mutual friend--even deceased--can be dicey. But maybe Mickey remembers something important.
conversations.prefix: Mahoney: Elias' Behavior:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: According to Mickey, Elias promised him a story about an evil cult operating in London, possibly very well-connected. He never mentioned its name, and never followed through on the story, soon leaving London for unspecified reasons. But Elias did poke around *The Scoop*’s archives, noting some stories of interest to him.
conversations.prefix: Mahoney: Elias's Actions:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Asking after the behavior of a mutual friend--even deceased--can be dicey. But maybe Mickey remembers something important.
conversations.prefix: Mahoney: Elias's Behavior:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Daughter of Prof. Cowles, expert in Polynesian mythology and anthropology. She’s studying abroad in Arkham, Massachusetts right now, but Sydney, Australia is home for her--and she seems quite fond of Harry. A useful contact overseas, perhaps.
conversations.prefix: Contact: Ewa Cowles:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Professional researcher, sympathetic former friend of Elias, and witness to the supernatural. A useful contact in New York City for whatever might be needed there.
conversations.prefix: Contact: Ruth Bedford:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Parapsychologist and sometime-consultant for Scotland Yard. She can be useful for legwork, booking passage, telegrams… more importantly, she has seen the same horrible things you have.
conversations.prefix: Contact: Lizzie Yin-Chadwick:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Publisher of *The Scoop,* and old friend of Elias’s. Now your friend! He can help navigate London, perhaps find the ‘right people’ for a job, and has offered money for information on the Egyptian Murders. 
conversations.prefix: Contact: Mickey Mahoney:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The distinguished Egyptologist seems quite interested in Shane--or his father’s legacy, at least. He’s offered to stay in touch. Perhaps he can be called upon in a pinch.
conversations.prefix: Contact: Edward Gavigan:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Gavigan gave the official story about the Carlyle Expedition, and seems to dismiss all talk of Egyptian death cults and Elias’s belief in the Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh. But is it worth taking a closer look at the man and the Penhew Foundation?
  
conversations.prefix: Clue: Edward Gavigan:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: An unusual number of victims of the Egyptian Murders spent time at this popular nightspot. The police didn’t mention it, but maybe it’s worth checking out.
conversations.prefix: Clue: The Blue Pyramid Club:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: “Perhaps Carlyle’s sister knows something more, if anyone,” Gavigan said, and maybe he had a point. Erica Carlyle in New York inherited all Carlyle’s holdings and business, and according to the papers, she personally went to Africa in search of him following the Expedition’s disappearance. 
conversations.prefix: Clue: Erica Carlyle:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: An opportunity presents itself: Edward Gavigan has left his office and is heading… somewhere. Perhaps something can be learned if you tail him.
  
conversations.prefix: Penhew: Investigate the Man:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: As business hours end, the Foundation goes quiet--aside from a bit of night security. If ever there were a time to quietly break in and see if there’s more to uncover on the premises, this would be it.
conversations.prefix: Penhew: Investigate the Building:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Though you stand out a bit, the club is boisterous and busy; you should be able to make some inquiries about the Egyptian Murders without arousing too much suspicion.
conversations.prefix: Blue: Casual Questions:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: While asking around, one of you takes note of someone watching you. Maybe it’s just that you’re a bit ill-fitting for this place, but maybe it’s something else…
  
conversations.prefix: Blue: Casual Perception:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Skulking around the Foundation, you discover you aren’t alone. A cleaning lady is also making her rounds through the building, and is proving more difficult to avoid than you anticipated.
conversations.prefix: Clean Sweep (Dean):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: There’s no good reason for a late night delivery. Whatever they’re doing, it’s probably something you want to know about. 
conversations.prefix: The Lorry (Alice, Goldie):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: If you hope to protect your informant--not to mention yourselves--you’ll need to do something about the men watching you.
conversations.prefix: Blue: Shake the Tail:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A dizzying array of monstrosities and alien vistas that defy earthly classification. They would not be so terrifying if you weren’t certain that every single one of them exists somewhere out there. 
  
  **Neutral result:** You are driven to investigate this obscene artwork, and other forms of it wherever you find it. For in studying the unfathomable, it can be defeated. Or so you tell yourself.
conversations.prefix: Sanity: Horrific Artwork (Dean):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Things don’t look good for Dean. Maybe these thugs can be distracted to give him a chance to escape, though. Otherwise escape doesn’t look particularly likely…
conversations.prefix: A Clever Distraction (Alice or Goldie):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: An address found on a box in Gavigan’s possession, bound for Port Darwin, Australia. This Mr. Randolph was due to receive a strange, grotesque statue of unknown origin and design.
conversations.prefix: Clue: Randolph Shipping:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: An address found on a box in Gavigan’s possession, bound for Shanghai, China. This “honourable” Ho Fong is due to receive a large, heavy, grotesque idol of unknown origin and design.
conversations.prefix: Clue: Ho Fong Imports:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A number of valuable books and artifacts were found secreted away in a chamber beneath the Penhew Foundation: a bluestone idol of a squat, winged, tentacle-headed figure (within the small crate); fifteen ancient-seeming scrolls in Arabic, Latin, Medieval French, and Old English; three very old books titled *G’harne Fragments, Book of Dyzan,* and *Liber Ivonis*; and a peculiar stone jar with a sharply smelling powder within it.
  
  **There are far too many for Dean to grab them all. Please rewrite this card with the items he chose to retain, if any.**
conversations.prefix: Artifacts: Gavigan’s Stash:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You are driven to comprehend the horrible, unspeakable art pulled from Gavigan’s hidden chamber. To know them is to know the evil you seek to quash. How else can the unfathomable be conquered, but to be understood?
  
conversations.prefix: Understand the Artifacts:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: About once a month, a group of men leave the Blue Pyramid Club at about midnight. The dancer thinks they have something to do with the murders.
conversations.prefix: Clue: At Midnight :
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Gavigan appears to be shipping strange artifacts through a shipping company based in Limehouse. You don’t know exactly where it is, yet, but perhaps you can find it.
conversations.prefix: Clue: Limehouse Docks:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The dancer mentioned this man seems to lead the group departing the Blue Pyramid. She knows little more than his name, but thinks he owns a shop of some kind. Maybe someone else can reveal more.
conversations.prefix: Clue: Tewfik al-Sayed:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: There was a lot of time to prepare for this excursion. Did you do anything productive with that time?
conversations.prefix: Earlier That Day… (Optional):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The gate is deserted, but locked, and surrounded by a 6 foot stone wall--probably topped by something less than great. It’s still your best chance to get in, though.
conversations.prefix: Gated Community:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: An old manor house in poor repair, but not abandoned. Perhaps you should venture inside to see what this place is. Seems quiet enough right now…
conversations.prefix: Move: Into the Manor:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: There are distant noises coming from somewhere else, away from the house. Something is definitely going on, and it seems dark enough to creep up on whatever it is undetected.
conversations.prefix: Move: Into the Marsh:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Here before you are cultists murdering people, engaged in dark rites for some imagined god-figure. Jeremy is among their prisoners. You can’t bring yourself to just let it happen, no matter how bleak such resistance may seem right now. You take action. 
  
  **Warning: This will very likely lead to your character’s death.**
conversations.prefix: Do Something (Choice 1):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Yes, everything they are doing is reprehensible and wrong and evil, but you know you can’t stop it here and now. Acting will only put you at risk.
conversations.prefix: Do Nothing (Choice 2):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The music, the murders, the magic, and the warping of reality as literal monsters descended from the skies. Jeremy’s brutal death. This is more than you have ever been confronted with.
  **Neutral Outcome:** [Individual] Your curiosity is ignited by the terrible acts, and you find yourself obsessed with knowing more. Why? What does it drive you to pursue?
  
conversations.prefix: Sanity: The Brotherhood’s Rite:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Something is calling to him, and if left to his own devices, he will run into the ritual, no matter the consequences.
conversations.prefix: Stop Shane:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: There’s something about one of the priests that seems familiar… 
  
  (Read outcomes before flipping)
  
  &nbsp;
  
   
  One of the priests is Edward Gavigan.
  
conversations.prefix: Info: The Priests:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Monstrous or magical or whatever they call it, these things you’ve witnessed have all required careful control and orchestration. They *cannot* be used with impunity, and their masters are yet human. And humans can be fought.
  
  Play this card when your conviction and insight into how your enemies operate reinforces your efforts. Count as a strength.
conversations.prefix: Insight: They’re Only Tools:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The unknown horrors you’ve run from and struggled against have finally been seen up close. You feared this would break you--but it didn’t. You held firm in the face of all that you feared. 
   
  Play this card when your resolve in the face of overwhelming adversity holds firm and reinforces your efforts. Counts as a strength.
  
conversations.prefix: Insight: Stronger Than You Thought:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You always thought the cruelty in the world could be traced to something rational. Now you know better: there are horrors out there, true evil, and you’re crossing into their world. 
   
  Play this card when the memory of the Brotherhood’s Ritual and the creatures there rises up and overwhelms you, causing you to remember that there is true, unfathomable evil in the universe. Counts as a weakness.
  
conversations.prefix: Trauma: True Evil:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The evil you face is too powerful, too overwhelming to be confronted--and you know it firsthand. How can you strain in vain against something so mighty?
   
  Play this card when your experience with overwhelming evil becomes too much to suppress, and the memories come flooding back. Counts as a weakness.
  
conversations.prefix: Trauma: Drowning in the Dark:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You have seen what you face, and it has made you wish for a quick, sudden escape from the horror of life. Why did you ever begin looking? When will you learn to stop?
   
  Play this card when despair and self-destructive tendencies overwhelm you, and you succumb to the helplessness of your situation. Counts as a weakness.
  
conversations.prefix: Trauma: The End is Inevitable:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real. You saw it with your own eyes, but it just *can’t* be possible. Right? 
   
  Play this card when the memory of horror from beyond known reality returns, and makes you doubt what’s real and what’s imagined. Counts as a weakness.
conversations.prefix: Trauma: Dissociation:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The horror you witnessed is gone, but its echoes remain. Together, perhaps you can find your way through it.
conversations.prefix: In the Light of Day:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Your fellow investigators have been through a lot. Try to help someone through what’s happened.
conversations.prefix: Extend a Hand:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The more you learn, the more vast the forces against you seem to be. The Ju-Ju House cultists, the Brotherhood… who else lurks out there? How far does the conspiracy spread? Work with the other investigators to determine your next steps.
conversations.prefix: Find the Way Forward:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Sometimes to first step is openly admitting that you’re afraid. If you can’t trust these people, who can you trust?
conversations.prefix: Admit Your Fear:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You need something: transportation, weapons, money, information. Whatever it is, you need someone’s help to acquire it. 
  
  Play an appropriate Contact card to get what you need.
conversations.prefix: Resource Management:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: That’s where all the stuff moves through, and it’s the single best way to learn the full extent of the organization in London. It just makes sense to check it out, even if there are bound to be toughs watching the place.
conversations.prefix: The Warehouse:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Whether it’s investigating the captain or the ship itself (perhaps while its captain is off having a drink…), it’s likely safer than going right into the rat’s den. And if the ship’s been picking up cargo from anywhere else, you may get a better idea just what the Brotherhood is dealing in.
conversations.prefix: The Ship:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The streets are dark, the alleys narrow, and the hour late. It’s exactly the sort of conditions to go snooping around. Also the sort of conditions that get one knifed in the dark and dumped in the Thames. Best sneak in carefully.
conversations.prefix: Infiltrate the Warehouse:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: As Dean eloquently put it. The *Ivory Wind’s* crew are Chinese, but reputed to be pretty tight-lipped. This may not be so easy.
  
  &nbsp;
  **If Strong:** The crew doesn't know much about what they pick up, but they know enough not to ask questions, and so does their captain. He routinely falsifies manifest information, smuggling for wealthy, dangerous employers. Most of their cargo winds up in Shanghai, with Ho Fong Imports.
   
conversations.prefix: [Dean] Dogs Know Dogs:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Somewhere in this warehouse there’s information about what Gavigan’s been sending out--and to whom. Find it.
conversations.prefix: Info: Smuggling Operations:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Captain of the *Ivory Wind* and a drunk. Still, he plays a key role in whatever’s going on, shipping crates upon crates of something.
conversations.prefix: Lars Torvak:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Sure, you’re here for evidence about Gavigan’s activities, but there’s a ton of illegal goods here: weapons, drugs, explosives, stolen merchandise, etc. It’d be a simple thing to take something for yourself.
conversations.prefix: Something on the Side (Optional):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You aren't much with a gun. Never has been your area of expertise. 
conversations.prefix: Bad Shot:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Call it what they want, 'more in touch with your animal side' or whatever, but you lose yourself to man's baser instincts more readily than the average man.
conversations.prefix: Unleashed:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Consequences, schmonsequences.
conversations.prefix: Reckless:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You may do a good job hiding it, but you’re haunted.
conversations.prefix: Tormented:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You may run, and you may hide, but in the end, it's on your feet that they'll find you.
conversations.prefix: Resolve:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Look, there's a lot going on here, ok? You can't be expected to keep on top of every Tom, Dick, and Zombie to wander by. 
conversations.prefix: Distracted:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A specialist in study, highly educated and well-versed in negotiating the hallowed halls of academia. May be prone to fits of hyperconcentration and a tendency to ramble at length about preferred topics. 
conversations.prefix: Scholar:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Having dedicated your life to uncovering the truth has given you a vast repository of knowledge. It even comes in handy out in the field. 
conversations.prefix: Knowledgeable :
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: klkjjl
conversations.prefix: jjlkjl:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You have a strong sense of dignity and will not allow it to be threatened by circumstance or naysayer, even if it means your path is all the more difficult for it.
conversations.prefix: Prideful:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A gal's gotta be sensible about some things.
conversations.prefix: Pragmatic:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Zombies, eh? Well, if the intention was to scare him off, it hasn't worked. It's made him more determined to investigate, if anything.
conversations.prefix: Now It's Personal:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Keen-eyed and able to detect infinitesimal changes in variance.  
conversations.prefix: Perceptive:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: While you're comfortable busting heads, you can be quite the gentleman when you need to be.
conversations.prefix: Gentleman:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: What grabs you tends to sink its teeth into you. And its claws.
conversations.prefix: Obsessive:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Finally, a story big enough to write a book about. This has always been your dream.
  Now you just need a good beginning. "I walked into the..." No. "The blood..." That's terrible. Time to get a drink.
conversations.prefix: Write That Book:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Something out there hurt you, or someone you care about. It must be destroyed, burned out, exposed…Whatever it takes. Whatever it costs. Any trail that leads to your vengeance is a trail you have to follow to the end.
conversations.prefix: Revenge:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The cultists in NYC are dead, but that can't be all of them. Jackson Elias' death still weighs on your conscience and you will bring every last one of them justice.
conversations.prefix: Revenge:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You're good at cutting to the core of a matter.
conversations.prefix: Get to the point, man!:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: It's not the mask that fools, but the man under it.
conversations.prefix: Subtle:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Using insights from surroundings and people to put your best foot forward.
conversations.prefix: Perceptive:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Albert Callaghan may have been a crackpot, but he was a well-researched, prolific crackpot.
conversations.prefix: Your Father's Son:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You're newly out of academia and your research never involved much field time. Sneaking and other practical skills don't come naturally to you.
conversations.prefix: Sheltered:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You're used to being overlooked - sometimes it even works to your advantage. 
conversations.prefix: Unobtrusive:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: When needed, you can be anything. An angry cop, a frightened father, a courteous bellboy. 
  
  Occasionally, you even wonder if your real persona is an act.
conversations.prefix: Brings Down The House:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: An oilcloth sack containing Dean's spoils from a secret chamber beneath the Penhew Foundation: three very old books titled *G’harne Fragments, Book of Dyzan,* and *Liber Ivonis*, and a bluestone idol of a squat, winged, tentacle-headed figure.
conversations.prefix: Artifacts: Gavigan’s Stash:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You like to have a plan, even if you can't always stick to it.
conversations.prefix: Methodical:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You weren't prepared for any of this, and each step along the way draws you further out of your comfort zone.
conversations.prefix: In Over Your Head:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A single candle banishes the dark. But candles burn out.
  
  You need more. 
  
  And you need them to keep burning.
conversations.prefix: One of Many:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Working as a journalist taught you that there's no real "evil." Humans are greedy, and selfish and ignorant, and that's the reason for all that's wrong in the world.
  At least, that's what you thought.
conversations.prefix: Fragile Convictions:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Something deep inside you knows you are not finished yet. You must stay alive and sane enough to continue finding your father, or what's left of him. 
conversations.prefix: Will to Live:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Expectations of reality and what is before you are not matching.
conversations.prefix: Bewildered:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You've been in the life for a while, and know quite a bit about how to get around the law and other nosey parkers.
conversations.prefix: Tricks of the Trade:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The Girl Guides weren't your scene, but they taught you at least one thing - making reasonable preparations for situations not involving freakish extra-dimensional monsters.
conversations.prefix: Be Prepared:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: If there's one thing you know, it's how to search for things. Sure, you're more used to library stacks than ferreting out clues, but the principle remains the same.
conversations.prefix: Diligent:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You faced some truly nightmarish obstacles in your time together, but now it’s come to an end. Bid your fellow investigators farewell--or don’t--and then offer a glimpse at what’s ahead for you. Do you return home? Move on to a new enterprise? Do the sanity-shaking experiences finally become too much? Do you press on to Egypt or Kenya or China, unwilling to give up the fight?
conversations.prefix: Godspeed You:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Once you start something, you don't give up easily.
conversations.prefix: Tenacious:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild: