The Old Believer

SCENARIO TEXT

SUMMARY

The Center For the Missing Child is investigating the wreckage of Families Without Frontiers, a front for a Shub Niggurath castration cult Delta Green destroyed in the 1990s. The trail lead CMC Volunteers to a surviving cultist, who could tell them everything. Delta Green agents are not far behind, to silence the survivor.

BRIEFING

The Center For the Missing Child has reopened the case against Families Without Frontiers, after the remains of more than twenty children were discovered at their ruined orphanage in rural Maryland.

You’ve had a hell of a time tracking down anyone who will talk. But you’ve hit paydirt. The last living counselor, twenty years and two thousand miles away, in a trailer out in Death Valley.

He didn’t answer his phone. Time to pay a visit. Ask him who killed those children, how they did it, and why.

(Play begins with the Volunteers in Death Valley, driving to THE TRAILER).

CENTER FOR THE MISSING CHILD

This national nonprofit is dedicated to the cause of missing and exploited children. They offer resources to law enforcement including training; case officers who review and support investigations; physical, genetic, and technological forensic services; specialists to assist task forces and families; and educational and service programs.

(CMC is not aware of the Unnatural or Delta Green)

FAMILIES WITHOUT FRONTIERS

Founded in 1948 by Russian refugees fleeing Communism. Shuttered in the early 2000s after the staff perished in a disastrous fire at “The Cornucopia” - their orphanage in rural Maryland. Surviving kids were shuffled into foster care.

Rumors circulated for years afterward that FWF subjected children to extreme physical and sexual abuse. Surviving children (none of them over 18 when it burned) corroborated this to CMC investigators.

CPS records are slapdash, with multiple investigations abandoned halfway. Several investigators later died in accidents or committed suicide.

When CMC volunteers combed the ruined Cornucopia last year, they found partial remains of over twenty children, distributed throughout the woods around the property

• The bones were deposited haphazardly amid the soil and brush
• No more than a few were from any single victim, with most victims represented by a single bone
• Most victims were 18 - when they would have “aged out” of the orphanage
• The bones date back decades
• The bones had toothmarks and pitting from digestive acids, indicating scavenging

(FWF was a front for the Skoptsy, a castration cult posing as Orthodox Christians, secretly worshipping the Mother. They used it to recruit orphans into the cult. The corpses were the ones who refused. The bodies were fed to a Dark Young. The bones are what it regurgitated.

When Delta Green raided the farm, they removed the bodies of the staff [who were castrated mutant cultists], but didn’t sweep the forest for dead kids)

NICHOLAS NAVARINO

The only surviving counselor. He joined FWF a year before the fire. The name is an alias. He used it when he paid for the trailer in Death Valley though.

(Nicholas was a deep cover Delta Green agent. He underwent the transformations of the Skoptsy’s inner circle, severing his genitals and feeding himself to the Magna Mater, to be reborn as one of her Children. Delta Green couldn’t have destroyed the cult without his help.

He has a soft body and long limbs. His legs look like a goat’s, with hooves. His voice is beautiful. His genitals are a puckered scar. He’s not bitter about giving them up - he wasn’t that attached to them anyway.

Nicholas thinks about the Mother constantly. The final transformation is addictive, the supplicant immersed in the Goddess’ womb. He resists the temptation to summon her again by running in the desert, gardening, and consuming peyote.

He is tired of horrible secrets. Covering everything up is how FWF hurt all those kids for decades. He’s ready to talk.

He didn’t answer the CMC’s calls because his phone said “spam likely”.)

TRAILER

Nicholas lives in Death Valley, in a double wide trailer 50 miles from the nearest town. It’s got electricity, water from a well, and a makeshift greenhouse where he grows peyote. His Tahoe stays under a tarp to protect it from sand.

Beyond is a creek and dwarf forest. Beyond that: dunes, malpais and mountains.

INTERVIEW

Music is audible behind the trailer. Nicholas is in a deck chair, feet in a kiddie pool of water, peyote pipe in his hand. His shorts do nothing to hide his goat legs.

He welcomes the Volunteers, and tells them he expected someone else. He accepts whatever explanation they offer for the visit. He’s happy to answer their questions. He warns them he’s expecting company in 30 minutes, and they should leave before then, for their own sake. He offers some peyote for the road.

He answers questions thus:

• Who killed the kids?
  • FWF killed any child who reached 18 without accepting the Mother.
• How did they kill them?
  • They shot them, then fed their remains to an animal.
• How did you survive the fire?
  • He set it, to kill the cultists (Lie. Delta Green did it)
• Why did you kill the cultists?
  • Because they mutilated and murdered children.
• Did you have help?
  • No. (Lie. Delta Green did the killing)
• What was FWF’s religion?
  • They fed their genitals to the Mother, who transformed them into her Children.
• Who is the Mother?
  • The creator of all life. An ocean of biological possibility.
• Why did you join FWF?
  • He felt lost, and they called to him. (Lie. He infiltrated them for Delta Green)
• Why do you have Goat Legs?
  • A gift from the Mother.
• Do you miss your genitals?
  • No.
• Why did FWF run the orphanage?
  • Because they couldn’t reproduce on their own.
• What animal ate the children’s corpses?
  • He asks if they really want to know. If they say yes, he calls the CHILD OF THE DESERT from the dunes. It looks like a saguaro cactus, Joshua tree, and bighorn sheep, stitched together in a towering monstrosity. He explains that they rise from the earth, wherever the Children of the Mother are found. Then he sends it away.
• Why do you smoke so much peyote?
  • To stop thinking about the Mother
• How does the Mother transform people?
  • It’s impossible to explain. If they really want to know, he writes coordinates to the GHOST TOWN, then draws an Orthodox Cross.
• Who’s coming in 30 minutes?
  • People who will kill anyone who knows the secret. The Volunteers should leave before then.
• Why are you telling us this?
  • Because it’ll happen again if he tries to cover it up.

Dr Scamp recognizes Nicholas’ puffy body and long limbs as signs of castration. His drug abuse suggests a man self medicating.

Dr Staberinde recognizes the castration as an echo of the Magna Mater, an ancient Phrygian Goddess whose priests gelded themselves. This was mirrored by the Russian skoptsy, a Christian cult whose members slashed and burned away their own sexual organs to eradicate their original sin.

The one thing Nicholas will not reveal is Delta Green’s secrets. If called on his lies, he flatly refuses to answer.

Nicholas can be arrested and dragged away. He warns the Volunteers that this puts them in danger. The CLEANERS will track them.

(Drag out the interview so the Volunteers use the full half hour)

CLEANERS

Delta Green was content to let Nicholas live in peace, until the FWF story broke. Now he’s a liability.

30 minutes after the interview begins, a white SUV rolls down the dirt road to the trailer. Inside the SUV are agents SLICK, SNEED and SIEVE. Their mission is to squeeze any last secrets out of Nicholas, then kill him.

On arrival, they break into the trailer and brutally interrogate him. He tells nothing about the Volunteers. The CHILD OF THE DESERT senses Nicholas is in danger, and comes to his aid. The agents shoot it with a rocket launcher. The stress and pain are too much for Nicholas - he calls the Mother for the first (and last) time in twenty years. The Goddess fills the trailer and slurps everyone up, to dwell forever in her womb.

If the Volunteers return, the SUV is crumpled, the CHILD blasted into petrified wood. The trailer is coated with a slimy substance like afterbirth. Nicholas and the agents are gone

If the Cleaners spot the Volunteers on the way in, they pull a U turn and chase them, attempting to force them off the road. If they catch them, SLICK is adamant that they be killed, staged so it looks like they shot each other.

GHOST TOWN

Nicholas’ coordinates lead to a ghost town near Furnace Creek. The Orthodox Cross hints where his package is buried: the tree in the cemetery, with wooden boards nailed at odd angles.

There’s a box amid the roots. Inside are the fabled BLACK ICONS.

RESOLUTION

End the scenario when the Volunteers die or escape. Whether they reveal the horrible truth they uncover is up to them. How it changes the world is up to you.

PREGENS

Addison and Alejandro are the most important pregens and should be given out first.

ADDISON VINLAND - The Survivor

STR 13, CON 11, DEX 11, INT 11, POW 13, CHA 13
HP 12, WP 13, SAN 52, BP 39, Claustrophobia
SKILLS: Alertness 50%, Athletics 70%, Bureaucracy 50%, Craft (Locksmithing) 40%, Criminology 60%, Dodge 60%, Drive 50%, Firearms 40%, Foreign Language (Russian) 40%, Law 40%, Melee Weapons 40%, Navigate 50%, Occult 30%, Persuade 50%, Stealth 50%, Unarmed Combat 70%
ATTACKS: Knuckledusters (70%, D4+1)
OTHER ITEMS: Recording Equipment
BONDS: Old Foster Parents 6
Therapist 5
Other Survivors 2
Choose a Volunteer 13
MOTIVATIONS: You were an orphan and you grew up at the cornucopia. They hit you, they starved you, they locked you inside, and yeah, sometimes they touched you. The day the place burned to the ground around you was the happiest day of your life. You’ve been with the CMC ever since you turned 18. You want to keep it from happening to anyone else.

You didn’t want anything to do with this case, at first. But you need to know. You need to know if it was real. You need to know if it was FUCKING REAL. What you saw when the barn burned. The thing with the legs.

ALEJANDRO HORTON - The Cop

STR 12, CON 12, DEX 12, INT 12, POW 12, CHA 12
HP 12, WP 12, SAN 59, BP 48
SKILLS: Alertness 60%, Athletics 50%, Bureaucracy 40%, Criminology 40%, Drive 50%, Firearms 40%, First Aid 30%, HUMINT 50%, Law 30%, Melee Weapons 50%, Navigate 60%, Persuade 40%, Ride 60%, Science: Meteorology 40%, Search 40%, SIGINT 40%, Survival 50%, Unarmed Combat 60%
ARMOR: 4 points of Reinforced Kevlar
ATTACKS: Glock .45 (40%, D10)
Stungun (60%, Stun)
Baton (50%, D6)
Ruger Mini 14 w/ ACOG in car (60%, D12, 3 AP)
OTHER ITEMS: Powerful Radio, Handcuffs, First Aid Kit, Recording Equipment
BONDS: Other Deputies 12
Church 9
Friend in the Bureau 8
Choose a Volunteer 6
MOTIVATIONS: You’re an active duty San Bernardino County deputy, helping the CMC as a favor to the Feds. You’re not here to arrest anyone, yet. If there’s evidence to be collected or statements to be taken, you’ll be there to ensure it all reaches the main investigation in Maryland. And there’s always the chance they need backup, in case the guy takes issue with a carload of “volunteers” showing up on his property unannounced, and pursues a ballistic solution.

Oh and don’t let him kill himself. They worked hard to get this far, and they need him alive.

MARIA BLOCK - The Lawyer

STR 10, CON 10, DEX 11, INT 14, POW 12, CHA 12
HP 10, WP 12, SAN 59, BP 48
SKILLS: Accounting 60%, Alertness 40%, Art (Creative Writing) 50%, Bureaucracy 60%, Computer Science 50%, Criminology 70%, Foreign Language (Spanish) 50%, History 40%, HUMINT 60%, Law 60%, Persuade 70%
OTHER ITEMS: Recording Equipment
BONDS: Law Professor and Mentor 10
Adopted Son 9
Partners at the Old Firm 8
Choose a Volunteer 6
MOTIVATIONS: You used to be a prosecutor, now you volunteer for the CMC. Frankly, this is a lot more fun - even if you don’t get to brawl in the courtroom anymore. And you feel like you’re doing some good, instead of just pushing through an endless grind.

You suspect there’s a coverup at work here. All the staff died or disappeared at the same time, even the ones who weren’t on the farm. The CPS investigation was nonexistent, the cops “lost” a bunch of evidence and closed the case, shuffling the surviving children into foster care. Hell, some of the kids said they heard gunshots on the day it went down.

DR ROBERTA SCAMP - The Profiler

STR 11, CON 13, DEX 13, INT 13, POW 11, CHA 11
HP 12, WP 11, SAN 53, BP 44
SKILLS: Alertness 40%, Bureaucracy 50%, First Aid 60%, Forensics 50%, HUMINT 80%, Law 40%, Medicine 60%, Occult 30%, Persuade 60%, Pharmacy 50%, Psychotherapy 60%, Science (Biology) 60%, Search 40%
OTHER ITEMS: Recording Equipment
BONDS: Husband 9
Old Friend at the Bureau 8
Current “Friend” at the Bureau 10
Choose a Volunteer 5
MOTIVATIONS: You used to be a profiler with the Bureau. You helped agents get inside the mind of creeps and killers. Now that you’re retired, you use your psychological insights to help the CMC.

This is an interesting case. The handful of surviving orphans described every form of abuse except penetrative sex. You have your suspicions about why. An obsession with transformation? Transcendence? Put it that way, and it all sounds very Silence of the Lambs. But no, it’s something else. You’ll get to the bottom of this.

DR TROY STABERINDE - The Anthropologist

STR 10, CON 15, DEX 10, INT 11, POW 11, CHA 15
HP 13, WP 11, SAN 54, BP 44
SKILLS: Anthropology 50%, Bureaucracy 40%, Foreign Language (Greek 50%, Latin 40%), History 60%, HUMINT 50%, Navigate 50%, Occult 80%, Persuade 60%, Search 60%, Survival 50%, Unarmed Combat 60%
OTHER ITEMS: Recording Equipment
BONDS: Faithful Graduate Student 13
Wife 12
Old Fraternity 6
Choose a Volunteer 8
MOTIVATIONS: You’re a tenured professor, renowned for your research on child sexual abuse within traditional religions. Usually, you help the CMC from behind your desk at the university, digging through citations to answer questions about cases. Today, you get to go on a field trip.

Families Without Frontiers was a religious venture. Some offshoot of Christianity. Orthodox iconography, with something else underneath. You know they recruited from the orphans. Like conversion therapy, but weirder. Some of the converts show up on the staff rolls later. None of them survived the fire. This interview might be your best shot at learning what was really going on.

NPCS

AGENT SLICK - CIA Political Action Group

STR 11, CON 11, DEX 12, INT 12, POW 13, CHA 10
HP 11, WP 13, SAN 56, Adapted to Violence
SKILLS: Alertness 50%, Bureaucracy 40%, Criminology 50%, Disguise 50%, Drive 40%, Firearms 40%, Foreign Language (Russian 50%, Turko Tatar 40%), HUMINT 60%, Persuade 60%, SIGINT 40%, Stealth 50%, Unarmed Combat 50%
ARMOR: 4 points of Reinforced Kevlar
ATTACKS: Civilian AK w/ Eotech (60%, D12, 3 AP)
P226 (40%, D10)

AGENT SNEED - Marine FORECON

STR 13, CON 13, DEX 13, INT 11, POW 11, CHA 11
HP 13, WP 11, SAN 52
SKILLS: Alertness 50%, Athletics 60%, Demolitions 40%, Firearms 60%, Heavy Weapons 50%, Melee Weapons 50%, Military Science (Land) 60%, Navigate 50%, Persuade 40%, Pilot (Small Boat) 40%, Stealth 50%, Survival 50%, Swim 50%, Unarmed Combat 60%
ARMOR: 6 points of Tactical Body Armor and Helmet
ATTACKS: SCAR L (60%, D12, 3 AP)
Tac .45 (60%, D10)
Fighting Knife (50%, D6+1, 3 AP)

AGENT SIEVE - ATF Special Agent

STR 12, CON 12, DEX 11, INT 12, POW 12, CHA 13
HP 12, WP 12, SAN 47, Addiction: Toxic Stress
SKILLS: Alertness 50%, Bureaucracy 40%, Criminology 50%, Drive 50%, Firearms 50%, Forensics 30%, Heavy Weapons 50%, HUMINT 60%, Law 30%, Occult 30%, Persuade 50%, Search 50%, Unarmed Combat 60%, Unnatural 11%
ARMOR: 5 points of Tactical Body Armor
ATTACKS: MP5 (50%, D10 or 10% Lethality)
1911 (50%, D10)
Miniman Disposable Rocket Launcher (70%, 20% Lethality, 20 AP)

CHILD OF THE DESERT - Plant and Animal, Risen From the Earth

STR 46, CON 22, DEX 16, INT 12, POW 16
HP 34, WP 16
ARMOR: See UNNATURAL FLESH
SKILLS: Alertness 40%, Stealth 60% (80% in the desert), Unnatural 70%.
ATTACKS: Trampling and crushing 40%, damage 6D6 (see TRAMPLING AND CRUSHING).
Grapple and feed 80%, damage special (see FEEDING).
FEEDING: The turn after grappling, the Child may suck blood from a pinned target with one of its horrible mouths. That reduces the victim’s STR by 2D6 and adds the same amount to the monster’s HP or WP, whichever it prefers.
NON-TERRENE: The Child is at home in nearly any environment. Radiation, pressure, cold, vacuum, and other inimical environments have no negative effects on it.
TRAMPLING AND CRUSHING: With a successful attack roll, the Child may divide its damage dice among up to six victims within reach. Each victim may attempt to Dodge the monster’s attack roll.
UNNATURAL FLESH: The The Child takes only 1 HP damage from any attack with a Lethality rating lower than 20%. It takes full damage from hypergeometry.
SAN LOSS: 1D4/1D10

NICHOLAS NAVARINO - FBI Agent Alexander Babbage, Delta Green Agent BOBIK

STR 11, CON 19, DEX 11, INT 12, POW 21, CHA 10
HP 15, WP 21, SAN 39, Addiction: Immersion in the Goddess’ Womb
SKILLS: Alertness 50%, Anthropology 60%, Athletics 80%, Bureaucracy 40%, Criminology 50%, Drive 50%, Firearms 50%, First Aid 50%, Foreign Language (Russian) 50%, Forensics 30%, HUMINT 60%, Law 30%, Occult 50%, Persuade 50%, Search 50%, Unarmed Combat 60%, Unnatural 29%
ATTACKS: Ruger Ranch Hand (50%, D12, 3 AP)
“Snake Slayer” Deringer (50%, D10)
Claws and Feet (60%, D6)
CHILD OF THE MOTHER: Nick regenerates D6 HP every round his HP is above zero, back to his maximum. He is immune to disease and does not age.
RITUALS: Call Magna Mater
SAN LOSS: 0/1D4

TOMES

THE BLACK ICONS

Study time hours. +1% History, +5% Occult, +2% Unnatural
These painted wooden illustrations tell a story in the style of medieval Orthodox religious icons.

• A priest proselytizes among the Kievan Rus
• Mongol warriors sack the town, slaughtering the villagers and crucifying the priest
• A black figure speaks to the priest, who tramples on the bible
• The priest amputates his own penis and testicles, feeding them to a huge faceless female figure
• The female figure embraces the priest

Rituals: By imitating the character in the illustrations, the reader can enact the ritual Call Magna Mater.

Credits

This was an entry to the 2020 shotgun scenario contest. Written by mellonbread.