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Jornada Del Muerto
A scenario for Ghostories
Contributor: Precis Intermedia *Created: Oct 16, 2012Modified: Jan 14, 2019System: Ghostories

This scenario involves a secret cult in a small town determined to maintain its power at any costs through a tome of forbidden lore. This scenario works well with a newly established cabal or one known to investigate the supernatural. No special skills or gimmicks are required, but the legends skill and any number of connection gimmicks could come in handy. The potential for those characters who are innocent to become tainted is high in this scenario. Advice is given later for gamemasters wishing to avoid this. Introduction
The story begins with the cabal contacted by George Parsons, a retired community college professor who is known to have an interest in ancient books. His curiosity has recently been piqued by a flier for an old-fashioned circus that is coming to town. Amongst the many attractions listed is a copy of the long lost “Jornada Del Muerto” or “Journey of the Dead.” Professor Parsons has come across the name of this book while performing various research projects, but has never been able to confirm its actual existence, much less see a copy of it. He knows that at least one of the cabal members shares his interest, and invites the cabal to join him on a trip to the carnival. The cabal arrives two days before the carnival does and heads to George Parsons’ house. The house has been ransacked and there is no sign of George. Background
The “Jornada Del Muerto” is a heretical book that contains the confessions of those tortured by the Grand Inquisitor Torquemada. Although many of the confessions were stories made up by falsely-accused prisoners, the Inquisition did manage to round up a few people with actual knowledge of the Unholy Arts. The book was also imbibed with the negative psychic energy of those tortured, making it very dangerous indeed. In 1680, a young monk was tasked with the job of bringing this book to the New World and forever hiding it from mortal eyes. Given very strict orders not to open the book at any costs, the monk accidentally viewed its contents when the wheel of his cart broke and the book spilled out of its locked crate. Consumed by its contents, the monk and the book vanished from history. That is, until 1865 when a young man exploring the caverns in Southern New Mexico discovered the skeletal remains of the monk, still clutching the dreaded book in its arms. Devlin St. Croix was the name of the young man. A traveling circus owner from Louisiana, St. Croix liked to explore areas where the circus visited. He found the book during one of his many exploration trips. Having grown up exposed to Hoodoo, St. Croix realized there was power in the book even if he did not recognize the dangers of it. Rather than hiding it, he decided to use it as an attraction in his ever-growing Circus of Oddities. The book proved to be a hit, with its strange “skin-like” (actually human skin) cover that always seemed warm and horrific drawings. St. Croix never used the book himself, but did place a long-forgotten magical spell on it that ensures it being returned to him or his heirs. St. Croix’s circus stopped at the town in which this takes place back in 1872. The sheriff, mayor, priest, and a few members of the town council belonged to an evil cabal steeped in the Unholy Arts. They recognized the book for what it was and raided the circus as it set up outside of town. The evil cabal murdered every single person on the circus grounds. The descendants of that dark cabal have used the book to maintain their power and positions in this small town. Two years ago, the book vanished. The dark cabal members have been quietly but frantically searching for it ever since. They were quite surprised to see it in an advertisement recently run in the local paper for a circus coming to town. Upon learning that the book would be in his town, George Parsons started looking into the history and lore of it in earnest. During his research, he came across hints of the truth about what happened that night in 1872. Not knowing the full story, he revealed what he knew to his friend, Sheriff Burrows. This turned out to be a mistake, as Burrows is a member of the dark cabal. Burrows alerted his cabal. They abducted Parsons to keep him silent and see if he had any knowledge concerning the book’s disappearance. Searching the Parsons Place
The house is in complete disarray. Furniture is flipped, papers are strewn about, and there are even a few holes in the walls. Parsons’ computer is smashed. A casual search reveals nothing of importance, but there are plenty of clues laying about that could help point the characters in the right direction. A complex hidden clue reveals that the hard drive is still located in the computer, and appears to be intact. If removed, the hard drive can be placed into another computer or external enclosure to access its contents. Characters skilled in computers can accomplish this with a routine task. Others can take the computer to a local repair shop. An additional complex hidden clue brings up Parsons’ research on the town and book. Inside of Parsons’ fireplace, there are remains of several burnt pages and what looks like an old notebook. A complex hidden clue reveals the letters “RBHL” inscribed on a few of the semi-intact pages. These initials stand for “Roland, Burrows, Hawthorne, and Leeds.” Characters who decide to research this find the information as a complex cryptic clue at the local library. This research leads them down the same path Parsons took and reveals hints about what happened in 1872. The names associated with the initials are the surnames of the mayor, sheriff, priest, and one of the town council members. These are all descendants of the original dark cabal that slaughtered the circus members. There are no descendants of the other town council members present that night. In a Supernatural as Reality story, these individuals might even be the original members of the dark cabal rather than their descendants. Other than what is on the computer, there are no clues left on the premises as to the exact nature of the “Jornada Del Muerto.” The character who was contacted by Parsons simply knows that it is a purported tome of forbidden lore. Many connection gimmicks could be used to find more information on the book. The important things to pass along are that the book can supposedly bring power and that it is dangerous to read. If using the Supernatural as Reality option, a further bit of information is that spells in the book can extend life. Attracting Attention
Regardless of what path the cabal follows, they eventually draw the attention of the dark cabal. This may happen sooner, rather than later, if one of the characters suggests that the police should be called to investigate Parsons’ disappearance. If all else fails, the cabal could be seen leaving the Parsons place. This being a small town, they would not be recognized by the neighbors, so the police would be called. The group’s initial contact with the dark cabal should be with Sheriff Burrows. If the cabal decided to call the police in order to alert them to Parsons’ disappearance, Burrows should come across as helpful, even sympathetic. He lets them know that he will do everything in his power to track down their friend. He also gently urges them to return home while he investigates. If they insist on staying, he recommends they stay at the Leeds Inn, which is owned by Councilman Jeff Leeds. Any further encounters should be as outlined below. In all other cases, the sheriff is not cordial. The cabal’s investigations and general snooping are seen as an attempt to locate the book and use the power for their own goals. The dark cabal will not let this happen. They may even be locked up for the night if seen leaving the Parsons place. The sheriff may go so far as to escort them to the edge of town with a warning not to return. If the cabal has not completed their investigations, they must be very careful in their comings and goings around town. The Circus Comes to Town
On the cabal’s second night in town, the circus arrives. As with the original circus, there is nothing sinister about this one. The owner, one Jacques St. Croix, is a direct descendent of Devlin St. Croix. Two years ago, he decided to retire from his job in marketing and start up “the ol’ family business.” He does not possess the “Jornada Del Muerto,” but saw an old flier and thought something like that would be a great attraction. He bought an old prop from a zombie movie to use as the book. Unbeknownst to the dark cabal and Jacques, the dreaded book is trying to make its way back to St. Croix as a result of Devlin’s spell. Where the book has been is left up to the gamemaster. Somebody could have stolen it at random from one of the dark cabal member’s houses, or it could simply have vanished as a result of the spell and St. Croix restarting the circus. His decision to resume the circus coincides with the disappearance of the book. Regardless of how it gets back to St. Croix, the book should find its way to him. Astonished at having reclaimed it, St. Croix replaces the movie prop with the real thing. Concluding the Story
By now, the cabal should know about the incident in 1872. If history repeats itself, the dark cabal attacks the circus in hopes of attaining the book. The characters’ investigations should lead them to conclude that the circus is in danger. If they were unable to investigate due to being run out of town or caught again by the sheriff, they should at least go to the circus in hopes of learning more about the book. The dark cabal attempts to steal the book or confront St. Croix as their ancestors did. If the characters are aware of the dark cabal’s connection, they can plan an ambush of their own in order to rescue Parsons and keep the dark cabal from the book. The dark cabal does everything they can to obtain the book and ensure that there are no witnesses. If successful in defeating the dark cabal, Parsons and St. Croix are very grateful. Either of them could be available to assist the characters with information in the future. A traveling circus would be a very good cover for the cabal in future investigations. As for the book, St. Croix does not want to get rid of it and insists it remain as an attraction. Parsons wants to study the book in-depth. The cabal may wish to leave it with one of these two (provided they keep it safe), or they may attempt to steal it for further study or to secure it from others with evil intent. If any of the cabal members attempt to read the book, they immediately become tainted and gain two grades of dementia. To avoid having characters become tainted, the gamemaster should rule that the cabal inadvertently grabbed St. Croix’s decoy book. This can be as a result of a botched attempt to steal the book or from the spell on the book. Sheriff Burrows
 fitness  awareness  creativity  reasoning  influence 
 3  4  1  3  2 
Skills: athletics 4, martial arts 4, driving 4, firearms 4, melee 3, stealth 2, interrogation 3, investigation 3, general knowledge 3, computers 2, streetwise 3, negotiation 3, street cred 3, legends 2
Gimmicks: legal authority, ancient order contacts, dark secret (part of dark cabal)
Items Carried: semi-automatic pistol, handcuffs, nightstick, flashlight, shotgun Jeff Leeds
 fitness  awareness  creativity  reasoning  influence 
 3  4  3  3  4 
Skills: athletics 3, brawling 3, driving 4, legends 4, performance 4, composure 5, ancient languages 3, general knowledge 3, computers 3
Gimmicks: ancient order contacts, dark secret (part of dark cabal), law enforcement contacts (Sheriff Burrows), wealth, local authority Written by Paul Bustamante

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