Scenario I Curtain Call

Scenario I: Curtain Call

You awaken with a start, as though shaken by an unseen force. You must have  slept for quite some time, for there are only a few other patrons in the audience, and no performers on stage. The lights are dimmed, and the stage curtains are tattered and ripped, though you do not remember that being the case during the first act. You wait a moment before you are sure this isn’t part of the performance. As you wait, a foul but unrecognizable smell permeates the air. How long have you been asleep? Shaking off your drowsiness, you walk toward one of the seated patrons and ask for the time, but he does not respond. It is then that you realize you are speaking to a corpse.

 

Setup

• Gather all cards from the following encounter sets: Curtain Call, Evil Portents, Delusions, Hauntings, Cult of the Yellow Sign, Striking Fear, Rats. These sets are indicated by the following icons:
  
• Set the following cards aside, out of play: The Man in the Pallid Mask, Royal Emissary, each copy of Lobby Doorway, and each copy of Backstage Doorway.
• Put the Theatre, Lobby, Balcony, and Backstage locations into play. Each investigator begins play at the Theatre.
  • If Lola Hayes was chosen as an investigator for this campaign, she begins play at Backstage, instead.
• Shuffle the remainder of the encounter cards to build the encounter deck.

 

DO NOT READ until the end of the scenario

 

If no resolution was reached (each investigator was defeated):

Once again you are startled awake, this time by the cold, clammy fingers of a hand on your shoulder. “Are you alright?” an elderly man asks, helping you to your feet. Your mind is a flurry of memories. Last you remember, the Ward Theatre had become a place of nightmares, filled with dangerous fanatics and strange terrors. Worried, you glance at your surroundings, only to find yourself on the rain-slicked curb outside the theatre. Despite the events from earlier, the city seems normal to your eyes—or at least, what passes as normal for Arkham. The bright glare of headlights drills into your eyes as cars pass on the street, splashing dirty rainwater onto the sidewalk beside you. The old man wears an expression of concern, noting the terror in your eyes. “Were you mugged?

Damn those trouble boys!” he exclaims. “Dry‑gulching folk on a night out to the the-a-tre! Not a single street those hooligans haven’t staked a claim on, I tell you.”

You stand and walk over to the front window of the Ward Theatre to tentatively peer through, but it is too dark to see anything inside. The elderly man eyes you curiously for a moment, then shrugs and continues walking. “Well, I’d best be on my way. I would do the same, if I were you,” he says, rounding the street corner. You quickly follow, hoping to warn him to stay away from the theatre. But when you turn the corner, it is not the elderly man you see, but the familiar sight of the Stranger in his featureless, pallid mask. His unwavering gaze bears down upon you. “Who are you?” you call out. The Stranger does not respond, but instead turns and disppears into the alleyway behind the theatre. You give chase, hoping for answers, but by the time you reach the alleyway, it is empty— save for a notice on the wall near the theatre’s employee entrance. “Don’t be a wet blanket! Come to The King in Yellow cast party. 8pm, at the home of Constance Dumaine, 1452 Atlantic Avenue. Formal dress only.” You tear the notice from the wall and take it with you, frustrated and lost.

 

• ÆÆIn your Campaign Log, record that the Stranger is on to you. Add The Man in the Pallid Mask weakness to the lead investigator’s deck (does not count towards deck size). For the remainder of this campaign, any time the bearer of The Man in the Pallid Mask leaves the campaign for any reason, choose a new investigator to become the bearer of The Man in the Pallid Mask weakness, and add it to that investigator’s deck.
• ÆÆIn your Campaign Log, under “Chasing the Stranger,” place one tally mark for each time The Man in the Pallid Mask was defeated during this scenario. For the remainder of the campaign, keep a running tally of the number of times The Man in the Pallid Mask is defeated during a game. Each tally will bring you one step closer to the truth.
• ÆÆEach investigator earns experience equal to the Victory X value of each card in the victory display.

 

Resolution 1:

Fleeing from the theatre, you head straight to the police station in Easttown. Bursting through the door, to the stares of onlookers and police officers alike, you demand to see Sheriff Engle, stressing the importance of your visit. The desk sergeant, who is lazily working through a stack of paperwork, shakes his head and raises a finger in silence, then points to a nearby chair. The wait is excruciating. Every moment is an eternity. The hands of the nearby clock crawl. You drum your fingers on the desk. You tap your feet. You constantly peer over your shoulder to make sure the pallid mask of the Stranger is not watching you through the front window. Finally, the desk sergeant puts his pen down and sits up, beckoning you. “Alright, what’s so important now?” You are only halfway through your explanation of the night’s events when he sighs and shakes his head. “Look, if this is some kind of joke, it ain’t funny,” he says. “We had officers downtown all night. Don’t try to feed me some hooey straight to my face.” You insist, but the desk sergeant rises to his feet and opens the door, motioning for you to leave. He raises his voice. “What, you think we’re not busy enough or something? Beat it!” He mumbles about “blind birds” behind your back as he escorts you out of the station.

You know what you saw earlier that night. Frustrated, you head back to the Ward Theatre to find some kind of proof you can take to the police. You are surprised to find that the front door of the theatre is locked. You are about to decide whether or not to break down the door when you see a notice on the wall near the entrance. “Don’t be a wet blanket! Come to The King in Yellow cast party. 8pm, at the home of Constance Dumaine, 1452 Atlantic Avenue. Formal dress only.” You tear the notice from the wall and fold it into your coat pocket, hoping it will lead you to the answers you seek.

 

• Did you really think the police would help you?
• In your Campaign Log, record that you tried to warn the police. Mark one Conviction in your Campaign Log.
• If you “stole from the box office,” record in your Campaign Log that the police are suspicious of you.
• In your Campaign Log, record that the Stranger is on to you. Add The Man in the Pallid Mask weakness to the lead investigator’s deck (does not count towards deck size). For the remainder of this campaign, any time the bearer of The Man in the Pallid Mask leaves the campaign for any reason, choose a new investigator to become the bearer of The Man in the Pallid Mask weakness, and add it to that investigator’s deck.
• In your Campaign Log, under “Chasing the Stranger,” place two tally marks. For the remainder of the campaign, keep a running tally of the number of times The Man in the Pallid Mask is defeated during a game. Each tally will bring you one step closer to the truth.
• Each investigator earns experience equal to the Victory X value of each card in the victory display.

 

Resolution 2:

You think about going to the police, but considering the horrors in the theatre, they’re more likely to think you’re mad than to believe your story. A small part of you wonders if this is still some kind of prank, but that can’t be the case—it was all too real, too terrifying to forget. Wondering what course of action to take, you find yourself backtracking over your escape route, returning to the theatre with cautious steps. The bright glare of headlights drills into your eyes as cars pass on the street, splashing dirty rainwater onto the sidewalk beside you. Soon the Ward Theatre comes into sight, its bright lights dominating the streets of Downtown. You expected the theatre to be in ruins, but its exterior looks the same as it did when you arrived to see The King in Yellow earlier that night. You walk to the front window of the Ward Theatre and tentatively peer through, but it is too dark to see anything inside.

Just then, a chill brushes the nape of your neck, and you feel that you are being watched. You turn, and spot a shadow fleeing around the corner. A swarm of roaches skitters across the sidewalk, following in the shadow’s wake. Your muscles tense with uncertainty, and you round the corner in pursuit.

Standing unconcerned on the sidewalk is a familiar-looking man in a featureless pallid mask.

His unwavering gaze bears down upon you. “Who are you?” you call out. The Stranger does not respond, and instead turns and disappears into the alleyway behind the theatre. You give chase, hoping for answers, but by the time you reach the alleyway, it is empty—save for a notice on the wall near the theatre’s employee entrance. “Don’t be a wet blanket!

Come to The King in Yellow cast party. 8pm, at the home of Constance Dumaine, 1452 Atlantic Avenue. Formal dress only.” You tear the notice from the wall and take it with you, hoping it will lead you to the answers you seek.

 

• Do you think it was wise not to warn anyone?
• In your Campaign Log, record that you chose not to go to the police. Mark one Doubt in your Campaign Log.
• In your Campaign Log, record that the Stranger is on to you. Add The Man in the Pallid Mask weakness to the lead investigator’s deck (does not count towards deck size). For the remainder of this campaign, any time the bearer of The Man in the Pallid Mask leaves the campaign for any reason, choose a new investigator to become the bearer of The Man in the Pallid Mask weakness, and add it to that investigator’s deck.
• In your Campaign Log, under “Chasing the Stranger,” place two tally marks. For the remainder of the campaign, keep a running tally of the number of times The Man in the Pallid Mask is defeated during a game. Each tally will bring you one step closer to the truth.
• Each investigator earns experience equal to the Victory X value of each card in the victory display.