A Lonely Thread (from No Time to Scream)

 So -  its been a while since I had a go at blogging - teaching during cuts, Covid, having a young son.... all meant I was never to have time.  Will have another go here.

I am currently finally successfully running a 5e Ptolus campaign  - woot - more on that another time.  However, 2 of the players fell ill on the day of play (online via Roll20) so - what to do?  I quickly did some searching online for a one shot Call of Cthulhu scenario  - and found the new shiny No Time to Scream collection from Chaosium.  I already had an Arkham Country sandbox mini-campaign going with pre-existing PCs on Roll20 (no need to create new PCs on Roll20 which is a bore).  I quickly bought and downloaded the pdf from Chaosium, and scanned it, fixing on to A Lonely Thread.  It was ideal - looked great fun, some roleplaying, investigation and a bit of combat. All wrapped up within 2 hours. Nice - so I printed it off and got reading, highlighting, and then uploading images and handouts onto Roll20 - I do like to make sure players get plenty of visual clues, as well as putting info dumps onto handouts.

No Time to Scream is another beautifully presented book from Chaosium.  Great cover art to start with:

Before the scenario, there is some information reminding Keepers of the key rules in CoC.  The scenario itself is well laid out - it is relatively easy finding information. One key advice is on timing - something I conveyed in the scenario by the use of a grandfather clock which the antagonist looks to increasingly, as well as engaging in delaying tactics.  Giving players the hint they are on a timer......

But I digress.  

A Lonely Thread assumes that the PCs all know Professor Joshua Thomas, who is a part-time Professor of Archaeology at Miskatonic University.  

This was easy to accomplish - since one of the PCs in the group is also a professor of Archaeology at MU - and through some dice rolls, we ascertained at the start that Prof Trey had already been to Prof Thomas' hunting lodge and they were moving from being acquaintances to friends.  We worked out that Trey would have already been sharing stories on the occult with Prof Thomas, since this is a mutual interest.  

Prof Trey:

Prof Thomas has decided to mentor younger investigators who are dealing with occult and in particular, Mythos threats.  And thus the invite to the party.

Private Investigator Jack Foster, from Trey's occult investigation group went too - here he is:

The PCs were informed they were going to see him for a weekend, to share stories of the occult and swap ideas and to see his latest discoveries.

As soon as the PCs arrive, they start to realise something is amiss.  The Prof is distant, he doesn't greet them with their names.  There is no sign of his housekeeper - even though her car is outside.  He can't remember her name..... He had talked of drinking whiskey together before their visit (the era of Prohibition) and yet he only offers water. He keeps on talking small talk - the weather, how their jobs are going, their journey, when they are going home.... delaying, unfriendly, not himself.... 

Poor Prof Thomas is being controlled by an alien parasite

This has come into this reality via the alien thread which Prof Thomas found in a dig in Egypt.  Thus by the time the PCs arrive at his home, the threads have multiplied into a parasite made of thousands of them, some of which have burrowed into Thomas' nervous system and were puppeting him. However, since the  thread parasite didn't have access to the professor’s memories, he was vague, didn't know their names, the name of his housekeeper, why the PCs were there etc..... making him seem strange.

The mystery and the timetable that the investigators are working against involve the fate of the professor’s housekeeper. In his puppet-like state, the Prof killed his housekeeper and placed her in a cocoon in the cellar under his workshop to mutate her into a more suitable, dangerous host body. If the PCs take too much time, she will fully metamorphosize into a form that would probably be way too powerful for the investigators to handle.  However, if they move fast enough, they may be able to save the professor if they can separate him from the parasite attached to his body..... 

So as I said, the PCs get something is wrong early on.  (We are all experienced CoC gamers and hell - it is a game of CoC and we only have 2 hours so everyone is sniffing for trouble.  They have packed guns in the boot of their car after all.  Guns and petrol - the Doorwood method is ready to go-go!)

Whilst Prof Trey small talked with Prof Thomas, PI Foster went outside to get bags & also scope out both parked vehicles outside.  He saw the housekeeper's notebook in the Model T Ford's passenger seat footwell - and then picked the lock (successful pushed roll) - got it, and her handgun.  Her notebook stated she should be here at Prof Thomas' today.  Foster saw the car was driven this morning - with wet mud on its tyres.  Where was Mrs Charnel?  On return he made an excuse to go to the toilet, and explored the house... finding the beds not made up, as well as finding blood in the Prof's room, and found and read his diary.... which gave hints of his research and reminded the PCs there was a workshop.....

Soon, Prof Thomas got agitated and attacked the PCs - which led to them quickly subduing him - but the alien attached to his spine escaped into the ceiling crack - which they witnessed (SAN check).  They successfully administered first aid to Prof Thomas who was shaking and trembling on the floor, groaning, and he whispered “Charnel… the cellar” before passing out. They decide to quickly make for the workshop in the hope of saving Mrs Charnel.

A quick scan of the workshop round the back allows them (successful Library Use) to realise the mess is actually in a form of organisation.

From their knowledge gained in Prof Thomas' diary, they quickly find his manuscripts on the alien artefact, as well as the weird alien wire itself.  They see how it undulated on occasion of its own accord (SAN check).

They soon find the trap door into the cellar.  Upon opening it, they are greeted with the reek of cloying musk, reminding them of something like stale laundry. It was pitch black down there - but fortunately PI Foster has a powerful torch he has been using and he leads the way down the stairs.  Straw seems to be all over the floor.....However... all is not as it seems

The investigators quickly realize it’s not straw on the floor but rather hairlike strands of pale, wriggling wire. A blanket of the stuff covered every inch of the floor and was clearly climbing up the walls too. It all seemed to be feeding into a giant, human-sized cocoon suspended from

the ceiling. This dangled just a few inches off the ground, held up by yet more of the weird wires.

A terrifying, ripping noise came from deep within the mass.  The cocoon shuddered, twisting, and then burst open! Something horrid slumped onto the floor, a hunched and hulking thing, like a human but thicker and unnaturally swollen. From its glistening flesh, strands of the wriggling wires poked out like tendrils, tasting the air like a thousand tiny tongues.  (SAN check needed here! Our brave investigators succeeded alas!)

The investigators, recovering from their shock, immediately retreat and try to cover the trapdoor with heavy items - filing cabinets, tables and the like.  Sadly, the Thing in the Cellar was incredibly strong and smashed aside the trapdoor and all the things on top of it like it was tinderwood....

They both shot at it with their guns - both using shotguns at this point. Prof Trey missed despite being at point blank range and retreated to the back of the workshop by the door, where he reloaded.  At this point he was assailed by the alien parasite which had crept along the grass from the house.  Fortunately for him, its attempt to face hug him failed, and it landed at his feet - where he promptly dispatched it.  In the meantime, PI Foster was up against The Thing - and fortunately they had been swift to the cellar, so it had not grown into a 10' tall juggernaut of death - a mere 7' in height of rippling muscle - but with no tough skin formed.  With an extreme success on his shotgun roll, he blew the critter's head right off and it collapsed to the ground...the wires inert, the corpse of Mrs Charnel exposed, minus her head.....

The PCs decide to torch the workshop (to destroy the remains of the creature/ wires and disguise what could be seen as a murder scene), but not before collecting all the Prof's notes and important artefacts and moving them to the house - and then phoning the fire brigade and driving him to hospital.

Great fun - lots of roleplaying, experiencing the weird situation and how to handle it was entertaining.  Great denouement too. Loved the pacing. Nothing too complicated - but a lovely little adventure to act as some fun 'filler' in-between main campaign arcs.  And doable in 2 hours! Nice.  

Four Elder Signs (out of 5)