The characters in this Call of Cthulhu scenario were all high school students who were being flown out to stage their production of The Tempest as part of the Alberta Shakespeare Festival. On the way, their plane went down over the Canadian Rockies. The players' characters survived the crash, but perhaps it would have been better if they hadn't...
Characters
Kyle Paquette, the Nerd
Brendan Donner, the Jock
Johnny Quint, the Delinquent
Gary Brown, the Redneck
Annabeth McMasters, the Artist
Jane Beerbaum, the Weirdo
Events
The survivors' first order of business was to scavenge the wreckage of their flight looking for food, clothing, and any items that would help them last in woods until their rescue. (Most noteworthy: each of them found a stout stick to arm themselves with "just in case.") Unfortunately, this also meant having to encounter the mangled corpses of their fellow students, teachers, and the flight crew--such as a pilot they found impaled on the steering apparatus in the cockpit. They also tried to get the lay of the land: heavy boot prints were found heading north from their location, Kyle and Annabeth foraged for berries in the south and found a "rock obelisk," and Jane climbed a tree and spotted a clearing in the distance dotted with strange "mounds."
They spent the night in a section of the plane, but were awoken by the sound of glass breaking in the cockpit. When they investigated, they discovered that someone had broken the glass at the front of the plane (!!!) and dragged the pilot's body away into the trees. They hoped this was the work of an animal, like a bear, but the bloody fingerprint they found was very clearly human.
In the morning, they decided to try to find water, so they headed west. They spotted an area where the trees thinned; beyond that, they could see metal structures that proved to be an abandoned training ground for the 1988 Winter Olympics. They traversed the rusty buildings and found a fast-running stream--unfortunately, the stream was choked with dead fish and the water was blood red.
As if that wasn't bad enough, they also encountered an old man wearing overalls (and no shirt underneath) who called himself Prospero. Prospero also wore a star-shaped stone amulet on a leather cord and had found a copy of their play in the wreckage of the plane. He was not exactly helpful and did not exactly seem sane. He was prone to quoting lines from The Tempest to them--lines that hinted that he had had something to do with their plane falling from the sky. In fact, his bizarre banter caused them to suddenly break away and run for the road leading south.
After a distance, the broken asphalt of the road grew overgrown with woods again and the group found themselves lost among the thick threes. They encountered the "rock obelisk" again, but now it was audibly humming. A rock was thrown at it--and when struck it made a metallic ping sound. It wasn't a rock obelisk at all; rather, it was made of metal disguised to look like rock. They then got badly off course and emerged at the rocky outcroppings at the foot of a mountain. However, they did find the entrance to a cave. After fashioning some torches, they entered the darkness.
Within the cave system, they could hear running water, so they followed the sound. Their route took them into a cavern where what seemed to be a massive dead tree loomed against a cave wall. Although the group really did not want to approach this "tree," they eventually did examine it--and they discovered that instead of roots the tree was perched upon three massive hooves. Bypassing the "tree" (it wasn't a tree), they found a ratty, filthy sleeping bag (and another star-shaped stone amulet), as well as a freshwater spring and were able to fill a number of plastic bottles.
They explored another tunnel and found some wooden cages (complete with fingernail scrape marks from whoever was inside trying to escape) and a list of places where the human residents had disappeared or had to leave (Great Zimbabwe, Tikal, Roanoke, Pripyat, Cahokia). Unfortunately, they again encountered Old Man Prospero, but this time he had a revolver. Panicked at the thought that he meant them harm, Gary shot at the old man with the flare gun he had found in the airplane's cockpit--but he missed. The man returned fire and killed Kyle outright. His mind pushed to the limit, Johnny became catatonic. The rest of the group descended on Prospero with their heavy sticks and bashed his brains in.
It was with heavy hearts that they continued to explore the cave system. They found what they assumed to be a section used as a "graveyard" for infants and a rifle. After leaving the caves, they found another clearing with ornately carved stakes pounded into the ground (that they did NOT examine), as well as a number of rotten sleeping bags and used condoms.
They next ventured to the clearing that Jane had spotted the day before. The "mounds" proved to be huts surrounding a well. As they investigated the well, five tongueless and eyeless humans, clad in an amalgamation of torn clothing and furs, emerged from the huts and began to crawl toward them. Already spooked, the group opened fire on the people, killing most of them easily. Brendan's sanity momentarily snapped and he beat one of them to death with his bare hands--and he kept punching even after it was dead. One of them managed to latch onto Johnny's arm, dealing him a grievous wound.
They then searched the huts and found a Lisa Frank journal with an entry that ranted about "the Dark Mother" and her "Thousand Young." They also found a key card with a magnetic strip. It was otherwise not labeled. However, they figured it must have something to do with the not-stone obelisk, so they returned to that clearing.
Annabeth was able to discover the hidden slot in the obelisk that the key card could be fitted to. It caused an opening into the obelisk to appear in an unnatural way. The group then heard something massive coming through the trees into the clearing. Gary pushed everyone out of the way and entered the obelisk; it shut closed behind him and could not be opened again. The rest of the group stood there in horror as a monster--with a thick, fleshy trunk, three legs that ended in massive hooves, and a number of thick, muscular tentacles--charged into the clearing. The monster grabbed Brendan with its tentacles and tore him in half. Johnny fell to the ground, weeping and rocking manically. He was, nevertheless, spared from destruction because he was wearing a stone star amulet. Jane and Annabeth were not so lucky; they were trampled underfoot by the Dark Young.
Did the now-insane Johnny survive? What happened to Gary within the mysterious obelisk? Perhaps there will be hints as to their fates as this season of Halloween horror rpgs continues throughout October.