Book Two: Archer's Trail of Vengeance

[Grognardsw]

Archer looks over the crowd. It seems to be the typical jazz club crowd, predominantly black with a mix of caucasian and some more swarthy fellows.

The Hepcats singer steps forward to the mild applause. "Thank you all, its good to be back in Baltimore."

[Inferno]

Sam Archer ignores the skirt and watches what happens next, on stage and off.

Knowing the cult's M.O. of mind control, and Jimenez's love of 'magic words,' he has the homemade earplugs in his pocket just in case mass hypnosis through music is in the cards tonight.

A few minutes into the first number, while the audience is distracted by the performance, Archer will quietly slip away and try to find his way backstage without attracting attention.

[Grognardsw]

The band opens with an instrumental piece that to Archer's ears sounds typical of jazz.

Archer looks for the backstage entrance. As far as he can tell, there is one door that must be it. There is a man sitting in a stool next to it. The only other doors Archer sees is the bathroom doors, and a kitchen swing door.

[Inferno]

Sam Archer leaves the club, walks around back and loiters by the backstage door, innocently smoking a cigarette in the alley. He checks the door and, if locked, waits around for someone to open it.

He won't wait long enough for the Hepcats to finish their set, though.

[Grognardsw]

The ex-gumshoe smokes a fag in the back alley. After about five minutes, the locked backstage opens as a worker brings out two trash bags.

[Inferno]

Thanking his luck, Archer quietly slips through the door, his hand stump in his coat pocket.

As usual with this sort of thing, his expression and demeanor indicate a man who is exactly where he's supposed to be. He moves calmly and with purpose, looking for the dressing room of the Hepcats of Ulthar.

If he sees flowers, a wine bottle or anything else that looks like a gift, unattended, he'll casually pick it up as if it belongs to him and continue on.

[Grognardsw]

The back of the club is a dump. Archer makes his way to the door of what must qualify as the dressing room.

A black man with a mop and bucket rounds the corner. "What you want?" he inquires.

Archer bump into club worker? 1-50% [1d100] = 18

[Inferno]

"I'm with the Hepcats, boy," Archer said idly. Then he continued with surety and quiet confidence into the dressing room and shut the door behind him.

[Grognardsw]

Let's have a Persuade/Fast Talk roll.

[Inferno]

Persuade/Fast Talk: (45%): [1d100] = 26

Phew!

[Grognardsw]

"I'm with the Hepcats, boy," Archer said idly. Then he continued with surety and quiet confidence into the dressing room and shut the door behind him.

"Yes suh," the busboy says.

Archer opens the door and steps into the room. It is a small 10'x15' room with bedraggled couch, chairs, a side table. It reeks of cigarette and marijuana smoke. There are full ash trays and empty glasses and plates with remnants of food. The band's instrument cases are littered about. The walls are covered with tacked-up promotional flyers for different bands that have played at the club.

[Inferno]

Archer quietly locks the door behind him and scans for windows, other doors and potential hiding spots.

Then he quickly looks for paperwork that belongs to the Hepcats of Ulthar. Archer will search their cases and their bags.
He's looking for further connections to Carcosa; for any evidence to help him decide whether he should spare these men or murder them tonight in cold blood.

[Grognardsw]

Archer finds a tour schedule that shows the jazz band traveling south to various cities, ending up at a Voodoo Harry's in New Orleans in three weeks time. Other than that, there is no appreciable personal information.

[Inferno]

Archer put the schedule in his jacket's breast pocket.

Chertovski, Joissant and others had damning evidence in their letters to Carcosa that clearly incriminated them. The Hepcats did not. Like that bloodless writer, Lovecraft, and some of Mulder's consultants, they might just be dupes and dabblers at the edge of things occult, and uninvolved in the cult's murders.

If the ex-detective lived long enough, he would go to New Orleans in three weeks and shadow the Hepcats, hoping Carcosa would come see them in his current locale. Archer would need them alive if he wanted them to bring him Carcosa.

He unlocked the dressing room door and walked out with surety and purpose to the club's backdoor and the alley beyond.

[Grognardsw]

Archer walks back to his flop hotel.

He knows what's next.

[Inferno]

Sam Archer grimly, silently made preparations in his rundown room. Guns, ammos, flares, matches, gasoline, map. It was all there.

There was nothing else for it.

He wound his alarm clock to wake himself for his one man pre-dawn raid on the carnival. He looked at the clockface and then he realized Joissant and his men might have gone to see the Hepcats of Ulthar. It made sense that they would.

What time does the carnival shut for the night?
When will the Hepcats performance end tonight? Thanks.

[Grognardsw]

What time does the carnival shut for the night?
When will the Hepcats performance end tonight? Thanks.

- 12:00
- By 1:00 am

[Inferno]

Archer wanted to make sure Joissant was back at the carnival for the main event.

He set his alarm clock, got a few hours' shut eye, and woke up in the middle of the night. He threw water on his face and caught a glimpse of his reflection in the dingy mirror. He looked into his haggard eyes. Then he turned away.

Archer got dressed, loaded his pockets and the car, and drove out to the carnival. He took half his cash with him, leaving the rest with his wallet at the flophouse.

He parked the car out of sight a half mile away and approached the carnival on foot, wanting to reach it 90 minutes before dawn. He carried two containers of gasoline and the rest of his worldly possessions. Archer tucked the gas cans behind a tree 200 yards from the outer edge of the property, in a spot he could easily locate later.

He approached low, alert and wary, expecting to encounter guards. He smiled wolfishly until he realized it and made himself stop.

[Grognardsw]

The field of overgrown wild grass and scrubby bushes stretches 600 yards from the road to the back of the Dark Pharaoh's Freak Show & Carnivale. In the pre-dawn darkness Archer can make out only the outlines of the half-circle of trucks and trailers. Beyond that, the big tent and line of smaller tents to each side. A few lights from within trailers can be seen; the rest are dark.

Archer stops 200 yards out, peering for guards. He sees none. The ex-gumshoe continues on, crouching low.

Picturing a horseshoe shape of trucks and trailers, where does Archer approach?

[Inferno]

With the seeming absence of guards, Archer retreats back to his hidden gas cans. He collects them and then, wary, quiet and low, he sets out for the largest tent in the circus.

He sticks to the treeline as much as possible to avoid being silhouetted against the gaping sky.