Special Delivery

## Keeper Summary

Delta Green recently took down an occult artifact company that was sending mythos-related items, and are now in the process of hunting down their last shipments. One of these items is a Russian Icon that is rumored to allow the owner to communicate with the spirit of Rasputin. In reality, the Icon contains an imprisoned Russian swamp demon known as a bolotianyk (bu-lo-shoy-nik).

The Icon was shipped to a cultist named Benjamin Hale, located in a city named Edmond near the PCs. Unbeknownst to the players, the Icon was stolen by a disgruntled postal worked named Harold Nixon. Nixon has been stealing packages as a way to get back at what he perceives as unfair treatment. Already teetering on edge of insanity, the demon has begun to manipulate Nixon's mind into attacking the post office and killing his co-workers so it can be released from it's prison.

## Russian Icon

The Russian Icon is a piece of polished wood about 9 inches by 1 foot. The front contains a painting of a disturbing, humanoid creature; this is the bolotianyk. A SAN check (1/1d4) is required when viewing it. The back is blank. The Icon was created when a Russian priest imprisoned the bolotianyk within it; the connection to Rasputin was fabricated as it was lost and found throughout the decades. The Icon cannot be destroyed outside of powerful rituals.

Anyone looking at the Icon for more than a few moments must make a POW vs POW 13 resistance roll (POW vs POW 15 if touched with bare hands). If the roll fails, the demon will control their mind and begin to manipulate them with effects similar to the Dominate spell.

For the bolotianyk to escape its prison and become whole again, the possessed person must kill three people using the Breath of the Swamp spell within three days. Before dying, the third victim will vomit swampy water. The water will begin to boil and the bolotianyk will rise from it (SAN 1/1d6), immediately attacking anyone in its vicinity.

If the possessed dies before three people are killed, the demon must start the process over.

## Player Introduction

The PCs are told that an occult artifact shop, masquerading as an antique store named Timeless Treasures, was recently taken down in a raid. A number of shipments were sent out before the raid, one of which went to a PO Box in a city near them. Their mission is to retrieve this shipment through any means necessary.

Other pieces of information given:

- The recipient's address was John Smith, PO Box 483, in Edmond. It is obviously a fake name.

- Payment was made through an anonymous online payment system that is untraceable.

- The item sent is a Russian Icon that can supposedly be used to contact the spirit of Rasputin. It is unknown if the artifact is legitimate.

- A general description of the Icon is given, but no photographs are known to exist.

## Post Office

The Edmond post office is a small, brick building. Upon entering, the agents see a flurry of activity with one worker, Mitchell, standing behind the counter helping customers, and another, office manager Susan Frekly, furiously working in the back. A successful Idea roll determines they are overworked.

- The agents must make a successful Fast Talk roll, produce a warrant, or prove they are part of the US Postal Inspection Service to obtain the PO Box information. Failure to do so may cause Susan to become suspicious and contact the USPIS.

- Susan Frekly will give them the registration card for the PO Box. This contains the name and address of Benjamin Hale.

- The PO Box delivery history shows a number of packages in the last few months. The last was 5 days ago, when a package from Timeless Treasures was marked as delivered and picked up.

- A successful Listen roll overhears Mitchell trying to placate a woman who is complaining that a package of hers is shown as bring delivered two weeks ago, but she never received it. (This is one of the packages stolen by Nixon.)

- If asked, Susan will say they are overworked as one of their coworkers, Harold Nixon, hasn't shown up for work in the last few days. A successful Psychology roll shows she is actually relieved, and if asked, that Nixon has been moody the last few months with frequent near-violent outbursts.

- If confronted with any evidence of theft, such as the voicemail message found in Hale's apartment, Susan will admit that she suspects Nixon was stealing packages and was about to fire him.

## Benjamin Hale

Hale lives in a third-floor apartment within Edmond. Independently wealthy, he rarely leaves his apartment and instead devotes his time to studying the occult. Benjamin is an insane minor cultist of Tsathoggua, and knows just enough to be dangerous.

Two words describe Hale: angry and paranoid. He is infuriated that his package is missing and is convinced someone, probably the government, has taken it. His suspicions are confirmed when the agents show up. He refuses to let anyone into his apartment, even if shown a search warrant. The only way in is for the PCs to force themselves in. Hale will fight to the death if this happens, preferring to strike first from behind his closed door; a successful Listen roll may hear him chanting or the click of a gun.

- Of interest in Hale's apartment are a few minor mythos-related books, a statue of Tsathoggua, and dozens of notebooks containing Hale's insane ramblings (2 weeks to read, SAN 1/1d3, +1d6 occult, +2 Cthulhu Mythos). A successful Luck roll, or a 2 hours of dedicated research, finds an entry that describes a translation of a Russian priest's diary which mentions the Icon. Hale believes the Icon holds a powerful being, and is not a way to contact Rasputin.

- Email on a laptop contains a receipt and tracking number from Timeless Treasures for his purchase. If researched, the tracking number shows that it was delivered to the PO Box 5 days prior and picked up that same day. A printout of the tracking data is also present, with the "delivered" notification circled in red with question marks surrounding it.

- A message on his voicemail (Computer Use to access) is from Susan Frekly at the post office. She states that she left a message for the postal employee, Harold Nixon, who marked his missing package as delivered and will let him know when Harold responds.

## Harold Nixon

Five days ago, Harold Nixon stole Hale's package and marked it as delivered. Thinking it would be an easy sale, he took it home and opened it. Already on the precipice of insanity, the bolotianyk easily took hold of his mind. Since then, it has been feeding murderous thoughts to Nixon and imparting how to cast the Breath of the Swamp spell.

Nixon plans on attacking the post office and killing Mitchell and Susan with the spell. Anyone else will be killed with his shotgun. Once they are dead, the bolotianyk will force Nixon to cast it on himself, thus becoming the third victim and releasing the demon. He will have the Icon on him at all times.

The timing of the attack depends on how quickly the PCs are moving; it will either occur shortly before the post office closes the day the PCs arrive, or right after it opens the next morning. When the attack starts, they receive a frantic call from Susan Frekly screaming about Nixon attacking the post office. She then begins to choke as the PCs hear her lungs fill with water (SAN 1/1d4). Mitchell will be killed soon after, unless the PCs arrive in time.

Nixon's address is unlisted, but the PCs can get it from the post office records. He lives in a small brick house about 15 minutes away from the post office and will be gone when the PCs arrive. Inside, the PCs will find:

- A number of opened mail packages containing a variety of items.

- Printed sales receipts from eBay for a number of other expensive items, dating back 6 months, are found in a desk drawer.

- Photos of Mitchell and Susan from the post office, their faces blacked out.

- An empty gun safe in the back of his closet, with an empty box of shotgun slugs.

Researching Nixon online finds a number of postings on anti-government forums where he complains about his harsh work environment and horrible coworkers. The last post is dated 3 days prior, where he says his "pathetic and despicable problems at work" will soon be taken care of.

Breath of the Swamp - This spells works the same as Breath of the Sea, located in the rulebook. However, instead of salt water, the victim's lungs fill with fetid swamp water.

## Statistics

### *Bolotianyk*

**STR** 14 **CON** 18 **SIZ** 16 **INT** 12

**POW** 13 **DEX** 17 **HP** 18

**Move** 12 **Damage Bonus** +1d4

**Weapons**: Claws 75% 1d8+db, Grapple 50% 1d6+db

**Armor**: Normal weapons do half damage, Special (see below)

**Spells**: Breath of the Swamp plus 1-3 additional spells

**Sanity Loss**: 1d4/1d8

Bolotianyk are Russian demons who delight in attacking and drowning travelers in swamps. Their form may vary, but the bolotianyk imprisoned within the Icon is 9 feet tall with elongated arms and legs that can reach up to 4 feet away and end in sharp talons. Its skin is mottled grey and drips a foul smelling, slimy ichor. Long stringy hair falls over its face, which hides milky eyes and a thin, lipless mouth.

When it reaches 0 HP, it collapses into a puddle of swampy water. If it was not killed with blessed or enchanted weapons, it will rise out of the puddle within 1d6 rounds, fully healed (SAN 1/1d6).

### *Benjamin Hale, Tsathoggua Cultist*

**STR** 10 **CON** 12 **SIZ** 10 **INT** 13

**POW** 15 **DEX** 12 **APP** 11 **EDU** 15

**SAN** 0 **HP** 12 **MP** 15

**Move** 8, **Damage Bonus** 0

**Weapons**: .38 Automatic 60% damage 1d10, Dagger 45% damage 1d4

**Skills**: Occult 55%, Cthulhu Mythos 10%, Sneak 20%, Listen 45%

**Spells**: Contact Formless Spawn (20% chance of success), Wrack, Deflect Harm

### *Harold Nixon, Insane and Possessed Postal Employee*

**STR** 14 **CON** 15 **SIZ** 15 **INT** 10

**POW** 15 **DEX** 11 **APP** 11 **EDU** 12

**SAN** 0 **HP** 15

**Move** 8, **Damage Bonus** +1d4

**Weapons**: 12-gauge pump shotgun 45% damage 4d6/2d6/1d6 (ammo: 10)

**Skills**: Listen 60%, Hide 45%, Spot Hidden 55%

**Spells**: Breath of the Swamp

**Sanity Loss:** When first seen, PCs should make a Spot Hidden. If they succeed, they briefly see the visage of the bolotianyk imposed over Nixon's face (SAN 1/1d4).

## Credits

Special Delivery was written by Tyler Hudak for the 2014  shotgun scenario contest.

Published by arrangement with the Delta Green Partnership. The intellectual property known as Delta Green is a trademark and copyright owned by the Delta Green Partnership, who has licensed its use here. The contents of this document are © Tyler Hudak, excepting those elements that are components of the Delta Green intellectual property.

Special Delivery is not available here under CC-BY-SA.