The Situation
Delta Green has not been a good Influence in Rocco's life. He became a Friendly 20 years ago when a Delta Green operation tore through his hometown. Officially, he remains in good standing and has assisted in several operations over the years. Off the books is another matter entirely as paranoia and conspiracy theories have consumed Rocco's life. Pizzagate, QAnon and a lizard illuminati don't seem that far fetched when you have literally seen the bodies of the alien creatures ripped out of your coworkers head.
Emboldened by Donald Trump's presidency and having spent far too much time on conspiracy websites, Rocco decided to do his part in making America great again. Lacking concrete leads, he chose to begin his fight in the Coachella Valley region of California, figuring it must be ripe with unnatural corruption considering its history of retired Hollywood stars and a notable Muslim population. In 2018, he packed his considerable arsenal of firearms and moved from his home in Arizona to a small rental property in the town of Mecca.
However, there is a difference between talking about conspiracy theories online and actually conducting investigations in the real world. With no solid plan, Rocco spent his time doing what had consumed his life thus far: looking into conspiracy theories on his computer.
Then in December 2018, a local news story caught his interest. Two visitors to the "Robolights" art exhibit in the nearby city of Palm Springs passed away on the same night. The news report mentioned mundane causes of death and that Police had found nothing suspicious. It was only when Rocco googled the artist, one Kenny Irwin Jr, that he hit paydirt.
Kenny is a white Muslim convert who discovered his faith through lucid dreams "spanning a timeline untold billions of years into the future, documenting alien civilizations primitive, advanced and epically diverse in infinite forms" (1) in which he discovered that
"Farsi, Pastu, Urdu, and Arabic (are) most comparable to otherworldly advanced languages." (1) His art exhibit looks positively otherworldly and is held annually during Christmas time, meaning Kenny was clearly part of a plot against Christian America.
Rocco immediately contacted Delta Green for backup. He now spends his time watching the Robolights property in person, gathering information on the staff and visitors (taking note of any who leave with an artistic souvenir). He has a large stash of firearms at hand and plans to go in loud as soon as Delta Green arrives. He is convinced he has all the proof he needs. Will your agents be as sure?
What's going on
While Robolights has had a rough holiday season, it is not due to any supernatural influence. Two visitors did indeed die at the exhibit on the same night but both were from entirely mundane causes (one had a heart attack caused by excess strain when walking around the exhibit and the other had an unfortunate relapse of childhood epilepsy while visiting an exotic art exhibit with lots of lights).
Although Robolights voluntarily shut down for the night after the second death, they were allowed to open up the next day, as police found nothing suspicious. The staff is still sensitive about that night and are trying to put it out of their minds by focusing on their work.
Robolights
Robolights has been the passion project of the artist Kenny Irwin Jr since he was 13. He claims to have a compulsion to make his art and that the designs come from his dreams. Over the last 30 odd years, he has turned the yard of his family's one acre suburban house into a sprawling art maze. Every inch of the yard is covered with art constructed out of recycled materials spray painted in lavish colors and slathered with Christmas lights. A 50 foot wooden Megatron looms over a surprisingly normal swimming pool. An alien Santa Claus rides a sleigh pulled by reindeer made from porcelain toilets. Pet carriers holding bone white spiders the size of dogs are heaped in a pile next to robots made from stacked microwaves. It is a surreal place to visit, even during the day when the lights are off.
Although people can visit year round, Robolights officially opens up during the holiday season. Thousands of people will visit for the light show held every night during the month of December. This influx of visitors causes parking chaos in the affluent suburban neighbourhood and several police officers will be in the area maintaining order. Kenny is always present at the event, dressed in his simple linen salwar kameez tunic, Kufi cap and long flowing beard.
In the off hours, anyone can visit the exhibit simply by calling Kenny's phone. He will let them in and allow them to wander around outside. Interested visitors can buy any of the art Kenny displays in his living room directly from him (mostly this art consists of random objects (E.G. coins, watches, feathers) stuffed inside transparent resin which is molded into various shapes (E.G. turtles, skulls, birds).
Kenny Irwin Jr
Kenny is a genuinely kind albeit eccentric artist. He is sincere regarding his dream inspired Sufi faith and views Robolights as an expression of that faith. He enjoys the sense of unquestioning acceptance he feels with the local Muslim community and his once a week trip to a nearby mosque is one of the few breaks he allows himself from his artistic commitment. The rest of the time he spends at his home eating, sleeping and creating art.
He is happy to talk to the agents about any aspect of his faith or his art, especially if they show interest in buying anything. These conversations can be almost as surreal as the art he creates. He genuinely believes that his dreams ‘provide explanations for events from long ago and those yet to come in the distant future” (1) and grant him “experience of our Galactic realm in perfect memorable detail." (1) He comes off as sincere and passionate when talking about these topics. He seems hesitant, polite and somewhat socially awkward when talking about most other subjects.
Kenny is still upset at the deaths that happened at the exhibit. He spent the next morning at the mosque dealing with it, which is not an indulgence he usually allows himself during the busy holiday season. If questioned about the deaths, he attempts to mask his grief with religious sentiments.
Notes to the Handler about Robolights
Robolights truly is an otherworldly experience that may be hard to convey in words. If you haven't been there in person, I highly recommend you spend some time googling it. Here are some good places to start:
- https://www.guernicamag.com/allah-guides-to-his-light-whomever-he-wishes/
- https://californiathroughmylens.com/robolights-palm-springs
- https://www.flickr.com/photos/kennyirwin/sets/72157604476547192/
Note to handlers about running this Operation
Be aware that this scenario breaks an unspoken rule in Delta Green. While there is nothing supernatural about Robolights, it certainly looks like there is and players may struggle to uncover evidence to the contrary. As such, it's a good idea to keep in mind your players’ expectations and mindset going in.
If your players are newer to Delta Green and/or tend not to question supernatural elements then here are some ways you may want to approach running the scenario:
- Keep things mundane and present Rocco as less trustworthy. While Delta Green officially trusts him, in person, Rocco comes off as paranoid, prejudiced and eager to commit violence. This puts more emphasis on trying to prove Kenny's innocence and possibly contain an asset gone psycho.
- Add genuinely supernatural elements. Suggestions include:
- The Robolights exhibit is a manifestation of Carcosa. Have you seen pictures of the place? It's as close as you can get to Carcosa in the real world. And it's expanding (Robolights takes up four plots of land as Kenny's father was a major land developer in Palm Springs).
- Kenny's claims about his dreams strongly hint at spending time in the dreamlands. Is he trying to recreate a version of them on earth?
- Kenny's compulsion to make art could easily be seen as him being a conduit for supernatural influence. Is he being compelled to create Robolights and, if so, what happens when he's finished? Why does almost every visitor leave with a piece of art?
If you think your players might enjoy the mundane twist or you simply wish to punish trigger happy agents, then present Rocco as trustworthy. He still comes across as a paranoid bigot, but he lives in a world where reptilian shapeshifters really have infiltrated society. Players with mythos knowledge can easily slot clues into a supernatural narrative. Your players may end up executing an innocent or even committing mass murder if they attack Robolights at night during the holiday season or attempt to contain the supernatural danger that visitors who left with art represent.
References
1. http://www.avam.org/our-visionaries/kenny-irwin-jr.shtml
Stat Blocks
Rocco Garcia - Paranoid Delta Green Friendly - 42 Years Old
Stats: STR 14, CON 16, DEX 10, INT 14, POW 12, CHA 6
HP 15, WP 12, SAN 36.
Skills: Alertness 50%, Demolitions 30%, Dodge 30%, Drive 40%, Firearms 50%, HUMINT 10%, Occult 60%, Persuade 10%, Unarmed 40%, Unnatural 3%.
Equipment: Trunk full of semi legal firearms and homemade explosives obtained in his former home state of Arizona. Details up to the handler but it should be enough to comfortably equip a Delta Green team for murder (I.E. mix of legal rifles, shotguns, and pistols along with homemade explosives and possibly illegal automatics).
Credits
This was an entry to the 2020 shotgun scenario contest. Written by Logan Jennyc