Call of Cthulhu Clues

In an attempt to follow up on a lead to find a way to neutralize the threat of the “cornerstone of night” you have travelled to the American West. Originally landing in Nevada, you followed the trail of a Nathaniel Higgins, who was in possession of two pillars you know were instrumental in the original breaking of the cornerstone by the Templar Knights. You discovered that Nathaniel was the overlord of some otherworldly “ghost” town, and managed to get the pillars from him, while losing the cornerstone. The pillars are still concealed where you left them (you believe) but Nathaniel took the cornerstone to the city of Phoenix, Arizona.

Following a carving in a chamber that was thousands of years old, you believe that Nathaniel was headed for the near-mythical “Lost Dutchman’s Mine” in the Superstition Mountains. You quickly followed to Phoenix.

Arriving in the city you found a thriving metropolis, not a sleepy western town as some imagined. The growth of Phoenix was driven by large-scale water reclamation projects – the most local of which was the damming of the nearby Apache River.

You quickly hired a guide and entered the mountains. You quickly discovered you were not alone – there seemed to be two different forces active in the mountains – Nathaniel and an unseen monstrosity that he seemed to control, and a force of insect-like beings, referred to as the “Outer Ones.” After a disastrous first attempt to find the mine, you returned to the city.

In Phoenix proper you discovered that many of the power players in the city were members of a Church that called itself “Starry Wisdom” a cult seemingly in partnership with, or serving, the Outer Ones. This Cult seems dedicated to preserving the status quo in the city. One of the “leaders” of this cult is Robert Muldoon, a nasty bit of work, who is a known rapist and murderer – but only to disturbers of the peace.

Starry Wisdom seems to meet in locations spread out all over the city, and is composed of all levels of society. The “preachers” are all scientists, and a meeting is like a prayer-revival crossed with a university lecture. The leader is not publically known, but you have discovered that it may be one or more of the city council. It is unknown how many on the City Council are in the cult, but it is suspected to be more than a few. Another known member of the Cult is Edward Lyman, the Superintendent of the Ridge Asylum in Phoenix.

Dr. Lyman’s star patient is one Llyod Wilson, PhD. You met Dr. Wilson through his son, Lionel who was trying to get work delayed on the Apache river dam project because of an archaeological find – originally discovered by his now-mad father. His find was indeed a great discovery, evidence of a very advanced human culture in the early America’s, possibly the ancestors of the Anasazi/Hopi. However, this find was eventually destroyed by the Outer Ones, they seeing it as some sort of danger. It is of some note that you have photographic evidence of the find before it was destroyed.

The Elder Dr. Wilson is kept under strict supervision in his cell, and draws with colored chalk on his walls. One side seems to be a permanent painting showing a desert scene (but not a local one) that seems to move if stared at too long. The other wall is normally kept clean – but on the last visit Malcolm, Karina and Blanche saw a drawn image of the city in ruins, being reclaimed by the desert. Wilson engaged Karina in verbal sparring, and she shrugged him off. On their departure Wilson told Malcolm that if he wanted to know what sort of people his new friends are, he should visit Chen’s Imports – but should go stealthy and should talk to the lady in blue if he wanted to really lean anything.

While you have been in the city, you know that Nathaniel is working in the mountains, on what, and to what end, you have no idea. You know that there is some sort of truce between Nathaniel and the Outer Ones, but you also know that each side would prefer the other eliminated. What keeps each from acting is unknown – but each side as contacted you to ally against the other. In the end, and at the barrel of a Thompson, you agreed to side with the Starry Wisdom against Nathaniel.

Through a vision you think you know where Nathaniel has meet with the Outer Ones (or will meet) and have learned the ability to create a gate to that location. What you will find there is unknown, but you suspect that it is near the famous lost mine, and will find him and/or the cornerstone there.

After you are up and around again, you can begin the process of clearing out the collapsed shaft. There are no other passages, nor air vents. It seems plain to you that the entire "mine" is really just a acess to this chamber. The only way out it up the way you came down. The pillars, while heavy, are fitted into the walls and can be easily removed.

The niches holding the pillars are carved in at a later date than the carving of the "map" the pillars are obivously a later addition to the tableau. The same can be said of the tunnels leading to the chamber - it was here, apparently sealed, before the access tunnels were dug.

The elevator and shaft seems to have suffered an explosion - you suspect that a little work would at least give you access to the vertical shaft - but it looks like there is likely nothing left of the elevator to help you ascend.

After the fight with the huge, tree-like creature, and you take the actions necessary to save the life of your companions, you are left trapped in a large cavern. Now that the creature is not trying to kill you, you have a moment to take in your surroundings.

Along one wall is a carved shrine, the edges to which are framed by two ornate carved pillars that you assume are the ones that you have been looking for. They are covered with inscribed writing that looks Greek. Both of the pillars have a hollow inset, which looks like it was used to hold or conceal something. These insets are about 5 inches long, and two wide. The pillars are both inset into the wall in such a way that makes removing them difficult, but not impossible.

In the area between the two pillars, in an obvious place of importance, is an abstract symbolic carving, that after a little bit of study looks like some sort of map. It shows a rugged mountain range, surrounded by desert. There are symbols that may act as some sort of directions running across the top (images depicting canyons, geologic features, etc). On the bottom is a small cavern depicted, this cavern is lined with strange geometric shapes that are inlaid with solid, pure, gold. This gold is the purest that you have ever seen.  

 The air in here seems stale, and the elevator shaft that you came down has collapsed – rather violently.

During an ambush by a group of sand encrusted beings in the abandoned ghost town of Aurora the group was aided by an old Lakota Indian, by the name of White Cloud. His clothing was old and worn, but his ’92 Winchester was in top shape. After defeating the group of creatures, White Cloud quickly gathered the players together and “went to ground” in an abandoned church. There he used a small “medicine bag” to help the injured players to regain 1D6 hit point with a successful medicine roll.

He speaks little of his past, but you know that he came west after “he put a bullet into Custer”. He relocated to the mining town of Thorn outside Aurora, and tells of what happened there.

He claims that the “White Buffalo Woman” talks to him in his dreams, and told him of the group’s distress. He does not stay in Aurora, but considers it haunted by “Bad Sprits that move within the Earth.” He considers Aurora haunted, but considers the town of Thorn cursed.