Walton Weatherell

## Bio

Walton Weatherell is an American showman and businessman with a museum in New York whose main concern in life is money. Nevertheless, he has proven surprisingly useful on investigations thanks to his knowledge and wealth.

## History

### 1839 (*Robert Castillo*)

Marooned on a tropical island with Dr. McCorquodale and Alma Serrano, Weatherell took their predicament quite well. He proved quite resourceful, collecting fruits and shellfish as well as weaving a grass rope for the party. While he was out searching for food, he saw a shadowy figure on the lagoon that disappeared into the water. Weatherell believed it to be some kind of whale and was very excited at the prospect of an aquatic discovery.

When the party found remains of civilization, Weatherell became enthusiastic at the realization that the architecture was of a completely undiscovered culture and schemed to turn it into an attraction. As they ventured into the ruins, he noticed a statue of a toad-like humanoid with a face that was chipped away. Weatherell was pleased when Alma discovered buried treasure and took the greatest prize, an oddly-shaped tiara designed for a person with an elongated skull.

The party went into the temple and Weatherell understood the paneled wall they found to be a harvest calendar depicting what appeared to be human sacrifices. When they realized they were being watched, Weatherell attached a rock to his rope to use as a weapon. Once they caught up, he was happy to ask the man for food and shelter. When the man and his companion attacked the party, Weatherell's weapon did not fare well. Weatherell searched the companion's body and found some gold treasures as well as a stone with a star-like symbol.

After learning more about the need for a sacrifice, Weatherell agreed to offer Castillo (the man) as a sacrifice but was unsettled by the decision. As they approached the east side of the lagoon, he spotted several figures moving around. The creatures attacked but didn't approach Weatherell due to the stone he'd picked up earlier. Weatherell seemed to channel his willpower into the stone, helping to ward the creatures off further even as he offered them cushy lives as tourist attractions. The next morning, he was delighted to discover thousands of fish in the water as a result of the sacrifice and the group was later rescued by an American whaling vessel. Weatherell made a new attraction in his show made up of a plaster frog man and a jar of chum one of the creatures had vomited.

### 1843 (*The Mighty Lusca*)

Weatherell's museum was mentioned as the one to offer a thousand dollar reward for the carcass of the mysterious beast destroying ships.

### 1844 (*The Call of the Gold Bug*)

Weatherell came to Charleston after receiving a letter claiming to have found a miraculous discovery to show him. He brought Orlando Robicheaux and Corduroy Cavitts with him to meet Alan Edgar, the sender. Weatherell was presented with an unusual gold scarab with a skull-like pattern and eventually bought it despite his skepticism. He was given a leather parchment to wrap his new prize in and but was quickly targeted for theft by a mysterious man called Lafarge. Weatherell realized the bug must be valuable and fought to get it back, inciting local soldiers and passerby to help him.

Weatherell took his fellows to a tavern where he inspected his new purchase. He overheard some people disparaging Lafarge and got friendly with them, learning the man lived out on Sullivan's Island with a servant or slave. The group realized Edgar had mentioned finding the bug on that very island and discussed investigating. Weatherell bought several rounds for everyone and a drunken Orlando knocked a candle into the parchment, revealing a secret heat-activated code that was now partially destroyed. Weatherell realized it was a pirate code hidden with invisible ink. The code referred to a set of coordinates from a bishop's castle and devil's seat.

The group found a local, Perry, who told them Bishop's Castle was a high hill nearby, and Weatherell paid him $100 to accompany them. As they made their way to Bishop's Castle, Weatherell spotted both a throne at the top and figure near it. The figure was Lafarge accompanied by another man but the group mislead them and were able to get to the throne and locate the coordinates of the treasure. As Orlando investigated, Weatherell discovered his gold bug had come to life.

The group was attacked by Lafarge's companion, who was able to cast spells. Weatherell promised to share the treasure with him but the man believed the group to serve the Old Ones and that they were trying to free someone called Fawn. He convinced the man they were simply looking for treasure and was told that the map led to the body of warlock and pirate William Fawn. The group then noticed the bug burrowing into the ground.

The group allowed the bug to resurrect Fawn and destroyed his body with a boulder. Weatherell was delighted to find a chest full of treasure but noticed the gold bug fly away, Fawn's soul still out in the world.