Session 4 (Blackwell's Shadows)

Session 0 (Introductions):
The investigators meet each other. Fred Nadel explains his predicament.

Session 1 (Nadel's Dark Magic):
A third of the team research the clues; a third go to the Tenderloin; a third go into the Washington Square Arch.

Session 2 (Tensy's Nightmare):
Mark and Leticia get out of Arch tunnels, battered. The investigators save Tensy Hurit, for now.

Session 3 (Archway to the Underworld):
The team goes underneath the Washington Square Arch, ready to kick ass.

Session 4 (Blackwell's Shadows):
(Played on Oct. 15, 2009)

Dec. 16, 1913, Tues.
Agent Lawrence Landsburg continues to take notes on the machinery buried underground. He tells the others that the underground machine is sucking power from the city, and that all of the equipment is exceptionally new. It's all powering the circle machine that glowed black. He's not sure why the machine is using an electro-mechanical oscillator, and has no idea what the circle machine does. He points out that the equipment is both avant-garde and expensive, and that several of machines, such as the “Tesla coils” are rare. Also, he tells everyone that Tesla was working on the wireless transmission of power, but never, to his knowledge, successfully did so.

They go back up to a frigid dusk, surrounded by people going about their daily lives in Washington Square Park. They are bloodied and dirty and coming down off of their adrenaline rush. Eventually, they go back to Fred Nadel's house. The investigators wrap up Nadel's injured shoulder, and reset Kenneth Pakes' broken nose. Detective Ross Merrick takes a long bath – he has a pulled back and several cuts on his legs, but nothing major. Almost everyone is roughed up, but only Nadel was seriously injured. Leticia and Mark are still recovering from their injuries, so they replace their bandages, and Leticia returns to her boat while Mark and Boru, his dog, stake out the Arch. Lastly, Kenneth, Fred, and Dora Hurit take turns sleeping and watching over each other. Dora has horrible dreams and tosses and turns, but nothing bad happens, and eventually, Kenneth gets some sleep. Tensy Hurit doesn't sleep at all. She's been taking snuff (powdered tobacco), liquid cocaine (in sweet medicine drinks), and endless coffee. She's deathly afraid of falling asleep – she believes she will die if she falls asleep.

Maj. Haywrd and Agent Landsburg contact their superior, Col. Stuebbin. He is disturbed that there are actual monsters – monsters! – under Washington Square Park, in the middle of New York fucking City. He tells them he's sending the Beta Team to their location and that he will be there the following morning. He wants the location secured and wants to see what's down there – perhaps something that effects national security. Maj. Haywrd tells him that they need more time. If whoever is in charge down there finds out what is going on, they could remove all of the machinery through the same impossible means they used to get it down there. They argue, but Col. Stuebbin agrees to give Alpha Team two more days, but he will be there on the following morning. He also tells Maj. Haywrd that they still have no leads on Bufred Washington.

The investigators decide to spend the next day researching. Sen. Emerson stops by, tells them that he he does not believe that they have any paintings by Ambrosio Martinez. He also is excited about some moving picture actress that looks like Betsy. They spend the day investigating (see the following section on clues) and come back to Nadel's house to collate information. They realize that “It's Nice to Be Here” refers to Blackwell's Island. They rush around and grab various maps. They see that the circle that locates The Gate is near the Penitentiary and the Smallpox Hospital. Blackwell's Island is dominated by the closed Insane Asylum, the Penitentiary, the Smallpox Hospital, and the Alms House. It is run by the criminals and the corrupted cops who run them. They pull out the maps and plan on a way to get in.

Clues
The investigators realize that “It's Nice to Be Here” is the old Canarsie name for Blackwell's Island.

The investigators figure out that the circle that locates The Gate is near the Penitentiary and the Smallpox Hospital.

Millicent Massey finds no records of the subway tunnel under the Washington Square Arch, but does find allusions to it in other records, and realizes the original records have been either stolen or removed. She also finds concurrent newspaper articles stating that many people were killed while constructing the tunnel under the Arch, and the few survivors went insane. Meanwhile, Ross charmed the old lady at the counter and asked her to let them know if any related files turn up missing.

Antoinette Sturm and Kenneth Pakes research any related occult or cult activity. Antoinette reads about the ancient Lenape mythology about the “Bakaak,” the “dust witch,” and Mantantu. The Bakaak are flying-dead – people who have been summoned or who force their way back to life and who can run on walls and ceilings as if they were floors. The “dust witches” are similar to the Bakaak, but were powerful and sinful medicine men (or women) who can crawl through the earth. All are tied to Mantantu (“muh-tun-toh”), the Spirit of the Underworld and the Spirit of Violence.

The detectives, Ross and Mark, tell the others a little about New York history: The Washington Square Arch was built in 1889 by Stanford White, who was shot in the back of the head by a jealous husband in 1906; and the subway (built by IRT) under Washington Square would have been nearly finished in 1904.

Objects
Agent Landsburg figures out a way to determine if there are more machines in the city. He comes up with a current detector that is tuned to the frequency and voltage of the machine. He figures he'll have a working prototype operational in a few days.

Dora discovers that when she places The Crystal over The Scroll with the Map, the Map turns almost 3-D, and shows a level of detail that was not there before.

Locations
Fred Nadel's apartment on 18th and Park Av;

Washington Square Park Arch.;

various locations in NYC

Characters:
Antoinette Sturm, a strong willed anthropologist who is well known for two books detailing with violent cults in war torn societies.

Kenneth Pakes, a young, rich, and arrogant occult specialist who has spent most of his life debunking frauds in various newspapers, but who secretly wants proof that the occult exists.

Millicent Massey, a mousy, shy, and brilliant young archaeologist.

Agent Lawrence Landsburg, a nebbishy but physically tough former structural engineer and cryptologist. Until the Secret Service, he hasn't had a job that he throughly loves.

Maj. (ret.) Piers Haywrd, a well decorated career soldier who was brought into this Secret Service team because of his supernatural experiences in China.

Leticia Haythornthwaite, an extremely fiery and strong willed adventurer, pilot, and captain who is a bit down on her luck. She has worked with Maj. Haywrd several time in the past.

Ross Merrick, a charming and funny detective who is a well-known womanizer, and who is known as one of the best independent detectives in the city. He is partners with Mark.

Mark Learson, a family man who is one of the best detectives in the city, and who loves animals (esp. his dog Boru), is a vegetarian, and who dreams of opening up a school to teach his family's sword-fighting style. He is partners with Ross.