A new psychotropic drug recently made its appearance on the streets of New York City. From the yuppies to the homeless, everyone is getting addicted to it (easiness of finding, cheapness, fashionable appealing). What the customers don't know is that this drug, aside from its chilling and tripping effects, is also a way to open up their minds and make them dream about R'lyeh in order to create a strong magical field upon all the city, from which the evil cultists (member of the above-mentioned international conspiracy, see previous posts) can barrow the amount of MPs necessary to complete a certain ritual (OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS) and contact (OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS). Three days ago the DEA Police planned a raid in the biggest reputed factory of this new drug, (SOMEWHERE, OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS). It ended up with six dead officers, and one dead drug dealer. (Actually an infiltrated; the police haven't still shared this information because they have two others, and they don't want the public opinion to know about this. So, it's up to the characters to find it out.)
In a public conference, they said the raid failed because of a tip, but really some of the DEA officers were also involved in the conspiracy, and shot the others in the back. The coroner has collected evidences that proof this, but is afraid to share them (most likely received some kind of pressure). She will try to contact the characters in order to receive some help, just because they appear to be out of the conspiracy (she doesn't trust any policeman in service). She will be probably killed at some point before she can reveal too much (who said Hounds of Tindalos? Ah!) so that the players will now they are on something.
On a side-note, think of the international conspiracy as some kind of reversed Delta Green. They can stop the characters bank accounts, make them appear as criminals, even delete all their records so that they officially "never existed".
The drug dosesn't make you dream of R'lyeh, it rather switch your mind to the same "frequency"/parallel reality where the Ancient Ones dwell. If enough minds are attuned to it, a whole place can be brought to the other reality.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, instead of trying to summon the Great Cthulhu with their ritual, the cultists are trying to bring the whole city TO R'lyeh.
You could track their progress in the process by slowly increasing the amount of "weirdness" the investigators will face, as reality starts to crumble around them
Now, this is one hell of an idea. Thanks!
DeleteRed Hook point (originally Roode Hoek) in Brooklyn has always been an isolated spot, originally settled by the Dutch the Rapelje clan before when the city was still New Amsterdam. During the Revolutionary war Fort Defiance was built in Red Hook,but it was overwhelmed by the British invasion of New York. With the growth of trade, the point's position in the harbor made it a focal point for Brooklyn docks, and attracted a large immigrant population from Italy and around the world as dock workers, sailors, etc. In 1925 HP Lovecraft (living in nearby Brooklyn Heights) wrote the Horror at Red hook, expressing his dislike of the neighborhood, and its inhabitants; in the story he warned of their strange rituals in the tunnels under the old streets and along the Gowanus Canal. The Once the shipping industry went away, became a tough slum full of abandoned warehouses. Eventually a low income housing project was built to address the poverty in the neighborhood. Today the Red Hook Houses are center of drugs and gang activity. However, the cheap real estate and amazing views of the harbor and the statue of liberty have drawn the developers and the hipsters. On the site of the old docks, they have built a giant IKEA store, and the city has added new bus lines into the hook to support the shoppers. Also right now many of the old warehouses becoming loft condos, and empty shops on van brunt st. are being turned into trendy coffee shops and boutiques.
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