Dates: ca. September 28, 1938
Location: San Francisco
Player Characters: Darcy Aisling, Chrismon Yarborough, The Silver Ghost
NPCs: Taylor Forest, Norman White, Marie Laval, Hemet
Synopsis
The Silver Ghost is summoned to the Rosicrucian Museum in San Jose by Taylor Forest, who was doing some research at the museum. The Silver Ghost calls in Chrismon and Darcy to help in the investigation. When they arrive, Taylor explains that about two weeks prior, the assistant curator of the museum disappeared, along with one of the mummies in the museum collection. Tonight, Taylor found the lead curator murdered and another mummy missing — but she was struck from behind before she could summon help. When she came to, she found the curator’s body gone and the assistant curator’s decomposing body in its place.
The trio investigate both curators’ offices and discover that the assistant curator had become obsessed with the worship of the ancient Egyptian god of evil, Set, and stole the first mummy, that of Hem-Sutekh, a high priest of Set. The curator, Norman White, had become suspicious of his assistant’s behavior and attempted to cancel an airline booking his assistant had made, from San Francisco to Cairo. They also discover that the second mummy which was stolen was Hem-Sutekh’s consort, Lady Sekh-tot. They go to the airport, where they find the dead — but somehow animated — body of Norman White trying to get the two stolen mummies — plus a drugged and sleeping sculptor named Sandra Lacy — onto an airplane. In the ensuing fight White’s body is destroyed, the Silver Ghost is injured, and the mummies and living person are rescued and returned to where they belong.
Late that evening, the investigators return to the museum, having learned from deciphered journals that Hem-Sutekh’s will had taken over the curators and that the evil high priest was attempting to bring both himself and his consort back to life by having new bodies created for them. The will of Hem-Sutekh first tries to possess Taylor, then succeeds in subverting Chrismon’s will. The investigators go to a warehouse elsewhere in San Jose, where the bodies of the pair are hidden. There they find a makeshift Egyptian temple, and are called upon by another sculptor, Marie Laval, who claims she was summoned here to sculpt a statue in marble. Soon after, another Egyptian named Hemet arrives, armed with knowledge of old ways and the Eye of Horus for protection. The Silver Ghost, Darcy and Hemet drive the spirit of Hem-Sutekh out of Chrismon’s mind and the warehouse. They then chase down the next body Hem-Sutekh possesses, and eventually drive the evil spirit on to his destiny in the next world.
GMs comments
It has been well over ten years since this adventure was played (in a series of instant message chat sessions), and I have read the transcript plenty of times since then. But it was only just now, reading it over to write the synopsis, that I realized I had created a major plot (or perhaps more accurately, continuity) hole! I had stated clearly that the bodies of Hem-Sutekh and his Lady Sekh-tot had been returned to the museum after being taken to San Francisco Airport. But then I said those same bodies had been hidden in a San Jose warehouse. Hmm….
Either the players never caught this, or they were too kind to question me and just rolled with it. I’m not sure I want to know which!