Lost Souls On the Trail of Jack the Ripper.pdf

Po!uif!Usbjm!

pg!Kbdl!uif!Sjqqfs

pg!Kbdl!uif!Sjqqfs!

An Adventure for Lost Souls

By Joe Williams & Kathleen Williams

Email me at: freeRPGs@comcast.net

Po!uif!Usbjm

pg!Kbdl!uif!Sjqqfs

On the Trail

of Jack the Ripper

Background

London Times proclaims “Fourth Victim Found

Slashed!” To read the story, the characters will

have to unfold the paper. The story continues

inside the paper:

The fourth victim of the so-called “London

Slasher” was found early this morning in Russell

Square. The 23 year old student was attacked from

behind while walking home late last night. She was

hideously slashed and her throat cut. Although the

area is heavily patrolled, no alarm was raised and

no one noticed anything unusual. The victim’s

name has not been released pending notification of

next of kin. Her Majesty expressed dismay and

concern for the victim’s family and friends.

The player characters are relaxing in Limbo

when their Mentor enters the waiting room. He

looks worried, an expression the characters are

unaccustomed to seeing on his wizened features.

“An evil spirit has been haunting the earth for over

100 years. He’s been killing five women a year,

each year in a different country. Now he is back in

the city where it started. I fear he is on the

threshold of his greatest evil. You must stop him

before it is too late.”

If asked who it is, the Mentor says, “Even I

don’t know his true identity. That is what you must

discover. What you learn may help you destroy

him.”

The players must take ghostly vows before

their Mentor can return them to earth. Possible

vows include “I will not rest until I discover the

identity of the killer,” or “I will not rest until I stop

the killer.”

Once their vows are made, the Mentor opens a

tunnel of light. By passing through the tunnel, they

arrive at . . .

Uif!Upvs!Cfhjot!

A crowd of about twenty people stands near

the Roman wall. After a few minutes, a stout man

walks briskly around the corner. In one hand he

holds a duffle bag and in the other a fistful of

brochures. This is Malcolm Atkins, a thirty-five

year old man with a mop of curly brown hair and a

brisk, theatrical manner. In a booming voice ripe

with a London accent he calls out, “Alright, who’s

here for the ‘Jack the Ripper Tour by Night?’’ Step

right up, only £4.00!” The crowd surges forward.

Tower Hill Station,

London

Nbmdpmn!Buljot!

It is about 7:00 p.m. on a warm autumn

evening. In the background is the Tower of

London; directly ahead is a statue of Julius Caesar

in front of an old Roman Wall. Behind the lost souls

is the entrance to the underground where a

magazine vendor sells his wares. The headlines

Type: Material Human

Defense: Passable

Appearance: A stout man, walks briskly, mop

of curly brown hair. In one hand he holds a duffle

bag and in the other a fistful of brochures. The bag

contains two dozen copies of the book on Jack the

Ripper that Malcolm wrote five years ago, and a

! ! !

On the Trail of Jack the Ripper

billy club he uses in case his tour group is accosted

by ruffians.

Personality: Theatrical, brisk. Voice booms

with London accent.

Motivation: To sell books and entertain his

tour.

brighter with drink. It was here that they used to

ply their trade, hoping to find a gentleman who

would see them through the night. Now follow me

as our search for Jack the Ripper takes us to what

may be the scene of his first crime.”

Combat: Malcolm cannot see or interact with

lost souls.

Uif!Dpotubcmf!

Uif!Dspxe!

The characters hear the clip-clop of hooves on

cobblestones. They catch a glimpse of a carriage

disappearing into an alley, but when they go to

take a closer look, they find the alley dead ends in a

brick wall, and the carriage is gone.

Just then, a ghostly street urchin tears out of

the mist. “Help! Help!” the boy shouts, “the coppers

is after me!” He hides behind the party as a ghostly

bobby, dressed as 19 th century constable, appears

from the darkness. “Have you seen a little boy

come this way?” he asks sternly. If they answer no,

the patrolman will warn them, “Well, if you do, be

forewarned, he’s a thief.” If they answer yes, the

patrolman will drag Timmy away unless the

players stop him.

The group is made up of tourists of all

nationalities. There is an American family

consisting of a husband, wife and three teen-aged

daughters; two Japanese businessmen with

cameras; three German students (one female);

three couples (British and American); two lone

men (a white American in his forties and a

handsome black Englishman in his early twenties

named Steven Parker. He is a well dressed

University student with an amused expression.

There is also one lone woman, about twenty-six

years old. Her name is Rhonda Kelly, and as the

players will learn she is the descendant of one of

Jack’s victims.

Ujnnz!

Train Bridge

Type: Neutral poltergeist (incorporeal)

Defense: Poor

WTL: 12

Appearance: Timmy is a ten year old boy with

an innocent expression. He wears ragged clothes, a

cap and no shoes.

Personality: Friendly and conniving

Motivation: To steal and have a good time.

Timmy doesn’t want to be reincarnated, or to go to

Limbo.

Combat: Timmy does (Defense vs Poor) x 1

damage with his pocket knife.

Powers: A character must make a Great

Empathy roll or else believe Timmy is incapable of

wrongdoing, despite any evidence to the contrary.

Timmy will steal one random object from any

character he touches. The theft will only be noticed

if the character makes a Good Alertness roll.

Timmy knows the Whitechapel district very well,

and can lead the players back to the tour if they get

separated. He knows nothing of the Ripper, having

been born after the murders ended.

As soon as Malcolm collects money from all

the participants, he begins the tour. “Jack the

Ripper is a name known round the world,” he says.

“Yet to this day we know very little about the man.

Wot we do know is this -- from August to

November 1888, he killed five prostitutes in

London’s notorious Whitechapel parish. He

mutilated them horribly and escaped into the

darkened streets, never to be captured or

identified. Who was he? Some say a mad doctor or

tanner. Some even think he was a Royal. Tonight,

I’ll be taking you on a tour along the very streets

Jack walked, and we’ll visit some of the sites of his

dastardly deeds. Perhaps the answer to his identify

lurks in these dark corners.” And with that he turns

and walks into the night. The crowd follows him.

A few blocks away, the tour stops underneath

a train bridge, and Malcolm takes up his narrative.

“The women who died at the hands of Jack were all

sad cases who tried to make their bleak lives a little

! ! !

On the Trail of Jack the Ripper

Dpotubcmf!Sfbsepo!

Gunthorpe Street

Type: Good haunt (incorporeal)

Defense: Passable

WTL: 23

Appearance: A bobby from the late 1800s.

Personality: Business-like and slightly

pompous.

Motivation: He’s been after Timmy for nearly a

hundred years, and once he catches him, Reardon

will finally be able to find peace.

Combat: Billy club for (Defense vs Passable)

damage.

Notes: If asked about Jack the Ripper, Reardon

will give the following information. “The question

you should ask is why did the killer stop after five

murders? A rational and workable theory, to my

way of thinking, is that the Ripper’s brain gave way

after the last ‘orrible crime and he committed

suicide. It’s no secret that Sir Melville Macnaghten,

Chief Constable of Scotland Yard, suspected the

killer was Montague Druitt, a schoolmaster from

Blackheath. From private information I have little

doubt but that his own family suspected him of

being the Whitechapel murderer.”

If pressed for more information, Reardon

explains. “Not long before the last murder, Druitt

was dismissed from his post at Blackheath for

misconduct with a male student. It was rumored

about that he was sexually insane. He disappeared

soon after, leaving a suicide note that said he

feared he was going mad like his mum. Said it

would be best for all concerned if he died. Not long

after his body was found floating in the Thames,

stones in his overcoat pockets. There were no

more murders after his death. If you’re lookin’ for

the Ripper, find Druitt. That’s the man who done

it.”

When the players catch up with Malcolm’s

tour, he is on a small street which parallels the

back of an apartment complex. Other than the tour

group, it’s a very dark and deserted area. “On

August 7, 1888, Martha Tabram was out drinking

with her good friend Pearly Poll. They picked up a

pair of soldiers, and went off separately into the

night to ply their trade. Only Martha never met up

with her friend afterwards. She had been killed

here, in what was once know as George Yard,

stabbed to death with a knife or bayonet. Many

students of the Ripper believe that Martha was

actually Jack’s first victim. Was Jack a soldier? We

will never know.”

Across the street is a tall wooden fence

surrounding a construction site. A short, stocky

woman stands against the fence. She has graying

brown hair and is dressed in ragged, bloody

clothes. She appears to be a bit tipsy. “Got any gin

for a poor old girl?” she questions loudly. The

people in the tour ignore her because they cannot

see her. This is the remnant of Martha Tabram.

If questioned, she will grow cagey. “Sure, I’ll

tell you where Jack is and what he’s up to -- fer a

price. Five pounds!” As the players negotiate, a

ghostly soldier with a bayonet appears. “There you

are you wretch!” he cries as he attacks Martha. He

will reincarnate her in 3 turns unless the players

intervene.

Nbsuib!Ubcsbn!

Type: Remnant

Defense: Poor

WTL: 8

Appearance: A short, stocky woman

Personality: Tipsy

Motivation: To get a drink of gin.

Combat: In a pinch she can scratch for

(Defense vs Feeble) damage.

Uif!Dbssjbhf!Bhbjo!

As the players are finishing with Timmy and

Reardon, they will notice the ghostly carriage in

the distance. It has the royal coat of arms on the

side. If the players approach it, it will rumble off

into the darkness, fading from sight.

Tpmejfs!

Type: Wight

Defense: Good

! ! !

On the Trail of Jack the Ripper

Skills: 20

Appearance: A haggard man of about 25 years

of age, with short black hair and piercing blue eyes.

Wears the uniform of a guardsman.

Personality: Violent and angry.

Motivation: Destroy Martha Tabram and

retrieve his stolen pocket watch.

Combat: (Defense vs Good) x 2 damage. He

will attack Martha, but will turn his attacks on the

players if they interfere.

Powers: Slow (4) (Agility vs Passable) x 2

turns move or act every other turn.

Notes: He will reincarnate Martha in three

rounds unless stopped by the players, in which

case he will turn his attention to them.

BuckÔs Row

Malcolm escorts the tour group to a short

narrow street. He stops at a low brick wall fronting

a small parking lot. The wall is clearly the oldest

feature on the street, and must have been there

when Jack the Ripper prowled the streets.

Malcolm says, “The first confirmed victim of

the Ripper was Polly Nichols, who died here in

what used to be called Buck’s Row while trying to

earn enough money to rent a bed for the night. At

forty-three, she couldn’t be very careful about her

customers. That indiscretion may have cost her her

life.

Uif!Qpdlfu!Xbudi!

“Her body was found right here where we’re

standing, on the pavement in front of what used to

be a gated stable. She was mutilated about the

stomach and her throat was cut. Her blood must

have splashed this very wall. But as we shall see,

she got off easy.”

If she survives, Martha will tell the players

that the soldier is the ghost of her killer, and she

cannot rest until he is reincarnated. For his own

part, the soldier claims he killed Martha because

she stole the pocket watch his sweetheart had

given him, and he cannot rest until it is restored.

A violent carouser, the soldier was on 24 hour

leave when he met Martha. She stole his pocket

watch while they were otherwise engaged in her

trade. The soldier discovered the theft hours later

and went into a murderous rage. Although he

professes a sentimental need for the pocket watch,

he’s being disingenuous. He was actually afraid his

fiancé, the daughter of a well-off tradesman, would

learn the circumstances under which he lost the

pocket watch and call off their engagement. He

hunted Martha down and killed her when she

threatened to extort him, but fled before searching

her body thoroughly. He died later that same night

in a drunken bar fight.

Martha still has the watch, hidden in the cleft

of her bosom. If she can be convinced to return it to

the soldier, he will smile gratefully and vanish, and

once he is gone, Martha will also be able to find

peace. She will sheepishly admit she knows

nothing about Jack.

Uif!Njexjgf!

As the characters listen to Malcolm, they hear

the splash of water coming from inside the parking

lot, along with a low moaning. If they go to

investigate they see a powerful looking woman

dressed in bloody clothes wringing out a rag in a

small fountain. If the characters approach her, she

bellows, “Leave me alone! I’ve work to do here!”

Turning back to her labors, she mutters, “So many

little dears to take care of, so many women in pain.

Only I can end their suffering.” Blood swirls in the

barrel. “Tis the blood of life on my hands and

skirts,” she sighs. “And no one knows the sorrow I

have seen.” If disturbed the woman shrieks, “You’ll

not harm Emma Smith, you black hearted fiend!”

and she pushes past the characters. From about

her neck, a locket falls. As the woman breaks free,

she abruptly vanishes in a swirl of mist. Inside the

ectoplasmic locket is a picture of the woman as she

appeared in her prime.

! ! !

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: