PULP FANTASY CORE
(c) Jerry Harris, 2012
Published here as Open Game Content.
Pulp Fantasy Core Index
Adventure Index
The Hook
The characters’ involvement comes about as one of the characters may have a specific archeology scholarship or the group may have a patron who does. Either way, this person received news of Digger’s find. The artifact sent was verified authentic. Subsequent follow up communications with Digger became progressively more paranoid, until they ceased. Then the artifact was stolen and the culprits were identified as being members of the so-called “Magic Mob,” a Mafioso gang with reputed ties to the supernatural. A colleague Egyptologist, who had also received an artifact, not only had it stolen, but was ruffed up and asked where it came from.
Fearing for Digger’s safety, the local sheriff in Carston was contacted. Another follow up wire, and it has been revealed that the sheriff is now missing, along with others, and strange events reported. With this, the group has been assembled. Their goal is to find Digger and find his claim. Whatever the Magic Mob’s involvement is, it needs to be thwarted. Unfortunately, all they currently know is the location of town.
Carston (1 XP)
The village does not have an airport, nor even a train station, so the characters will ultimately have to arrive by car. Carston is pretty much a Main Street and not much else. The Sheriff’s office is pretty easy to find. Deputy Bill is a friendly, if nervous, fellow. He will have talked to the group’s patron (or one of the members) and will be willing to talk. The Sheriff went missing looking for Digger. Since then there have been several more disappearances. Some people, who have some of the disappeared at night, have reappeared, wandering around like zombies, and attacking others. The Deputy is clearly in way over his head and has put out calls to higher authorities, but so far, none have shown up. (The Magic Mob has actually kept them from responding, until they’ve found the cave.)
Hopefully, somebody in the group looks reasonably respectable and competent and will offer to help. The Deputy will gladly accept and give them directions to Digger’s shack up in the hills. It’s the only lead he’s got. “Some other out-of-towners came by the other day came by looking for Digger, too.” The Deputy didn’t trust them and sent them on a wild goose chase.
Outside of the Sheriff’s office, speak of the devil, there’s Fritz and a couple of his normal henchmen with him (with violin cases holding their guns). If spoken to, he politely insists he has a business deal with Digger. He and his goons excuse themselves, “Hopefully we will see each other again, soon.”
Digger’s shack is five miles away up in the woods. There’s a general store if the group wants anything for the trip. Sitting outside the store is your classic cigar store Indian, in this case, Injun Joe. He’s an old alcoholic, and rather chatty, if given a drink. Essentially, what he knows is an old legend about an ancient Indian shaman finding a tomb up in the hills and unleashing a terrible evil.
Digger’s Shack (2 XP)
It’s a ramshackle, one room affair, as you might guess. With a DC 12 Find scouring, the group can find a hidden map to the cave. After they’ve found it, there’s a knock at the door. It’s Bluto. Fritz, there with his two Tommy gunner goons, standing well behind Bluto, calls to them to surrender whatever they’ve found and please leave.
If the players left a lookout, they will actually see the group coming before they get there. It’s up the players what to do next. They can conceivably find the cave without the map, though the gang will get there first. They can attempt to tail the gang to the cave. If they fight it out, the shotgun goon is behind the cabin ready to open fire. After the first death in the group, they will run off (or teleport off) and attempt to tail the characters again to the cave.
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