A Residence at the Bay 05: The Albatross

### Players

Joseph Chance as Dr. Henry Carrig-Muir, Dan Wheeler as Rev. Peregrine McCutcheon, Dominic Allen as Lady Helen Marjorie Bjalmier Potts

### Podcast Link

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-cqp3t-12da669

## Synopsis (Spoiler Warning)

Robert Thomson and Reverend James Blackwell chat playfully in front of the fire. Robert inquires about where James is from: Christchurch College in Oxford, but originally (after some playful interrogation), Wedmore (near Cheddar). Light-hearted mocking of Somerset accents ensue along with praise for Cheddar cheese, and James is surprised that Robert picked up on his real accent beneath the affected one as it only comes out rarely. Robert thinks it’s charming (he "wants to know everything he can about James"). Robert also seems to be rather fascinated by and fixated on some unusual fossils with many swirls, and hasn’t been sleeping well. James is concerned he is still staying with the Crowes as they are ‘not godly’. He offers Robert to stay with him, which results in the other man remarking on ‘how Reverend’ he is. They drink tea and discuss the cryptographic codes Robert used in college with Latin, Greek, or Norse, before he brings up the huge, strange things at Boggle Hole, but is interrupted by a mysterious banging which is revealed to have been caused by nothing. He treats this playfully but James is spooked and talks about the figures who walk at night. Robert dismisses him and valiantly offers to protect him. The men abandon their tea.

The intro plays. Lady Marjorie interrogates the Reverend about the coded postcards. He apologizes and explains he feared interception and that he learnt the codes from Robert; she then questions if he is a real vicar, and why they would pay somebody to traipse all the way out here. Bangalore and Edward Caister are mentioned and ~~Ned Caister appears from the grave~~ Pip has to gather himself. James explains Robert's obsessions and shows them his journal; he seems to be scared of the figures on the hill, so they all head into the rectory. Thanks to a theology roll, Peregrine learns that the owl figures in the church are unusual as grotesques and not a notable biblical reference (and that actually owls are not wise but, in Danann's words, ‘fucking thick as shit’). They all have tea and inspect the journal. Lady Marjorie continues to brusquely interrogate Rev Blackwell before snatching the journal from Dr Henry while Peregrine attempts a psychology roll on Rev Blackwell to see if him and Robert ‘dug up any bones together' (that *is* a euphemism) but fails, learning nothing. The characters are told that Robert became obsessed and frantic over his paleontological and geological finds, but still found time for some ‘quiet moments’ with James. Lady Marjorie examines Robert's journal, using (the incredibly useful) English Literature skill to determine his mental state as he was writing. The players determine that Dom should get a bonus die for the whole game to counteract the blatant misogyny which is putting Lady Marjorie at a huge disadvantage. The journal is filled with scribbled notes, drawings of six-necked dinosaurs and a gradually descends into being completely frantic, until the 24th January. They find out that Robert traveled to Denmark last year and repeatedly encounter words such as 'Beowulf', 'helm', 'Reverend', and 'sinkholes'; various plants and fossils are also mentioned as it becomes more chaotic, and eventually the last decipherable phrases on the 23rd and 24th of January read: ‘And someone upstairs. Have key. Son missing. Look upstairs’. Lady Marjorie thinks on Beowulf and believes he may think he’s found Beowulf’s armor. She recalls a scene with Grendel’s mother and people sinking unnaturally to sleep at the sight of a hand.

Robert gifted a fossil to James, who is reluctant to give it up as it is a dear souvenir to him. Dr Henry inspects it and sees it is an unsettling and strange ammonite with many fractal spirals combining, as if many were pressed together. They glance once more at the journal and see the phrase ‘it is a fiction’ repeated along with many diagrams of skeletons with partial fractal copies. They chat with James and speak to him about the recent behavior of Robert- he gets a bit defensive and snappy but says he did not encourage him to look into the Crowe’s house further. Lady Marjorie’s successful psychology roll reveals him to be desperate and ashamed. She shares that she has experience with young boys and therefore will be able to tell if he is lying, at which point James drops his mug as he shares the story of the last three weeks: him and Robert hadn't initially spoken, but they did lay together. Lady Marjorie is shocked, Dr Henry shares a similar story from Sudan (not that he is familiar with such things) and Peregrine encourages James to go and pray.

The characters discuss whether they trust Reverend Blackwell or not- the consensus seems to be that they do. They are not concerned about his theological scandal- Dr Henry mistakes Lady Marjorie’s awkwardness around the topic with an affection for her own sex instead of her jealousy because of her former relationship with Robert. They then plan to retrace Robert’s steps and catch each other up regarding the events of the Inn; Peregrine and Lady Marjorie's burning hand is discussed, and Dr Henry wonders whether or not the chained-up scarecrow was in fact Robert. The conversation is interrupted by half an earth worm hitting the window: a critical success from Peregrine shows him the small boy who they'd encountered in Robin Hood's Bay, and him and Lady Marjorie head outside as they both ‘have experience with young boys’. The nine year old boy introduces himself as Samuel, and reveals that he's allegedly waiting to see "the weird men" walk- as he waits he's also cutting earthworms in half with gardening shears. Lady Marjorie threatens him with violence and Peregrine confiscates his shears. Samuel defends his actions by saying that after getting cut in half, the worms then live again "many times as you like", and then tells them the story of the death of Billy Crowe, who commandeered a vessel to impress two traveling player girls whilst drunk, and caused them to all drown. He explains that the men always come in with the fog, but *he* is safe inside the church yard. The players at this point start having some doubts about whether he is actually nine or a secretly wizened old man (or even a ghoul wearing a child’s skin). In response, Samuel just runs away and calls Lady Marjorie ‘big boobs’ releasing a tirade of violent threats from her.

As the Lady and the Reverend look up the hill to confirm if they can see the men, waves of fog roll in once more. As players, they have also given the Reverend just enough time to hang himself by now, so they really ought to head back into the church. Dr Henry has some ‘Survival: Coastal’ skill points because he’s an East coast lad, and uses them to determine that the local "pincer movement" of sea mist is highly unusual. The trio hurry into the church and find the Reverend kneeling in front of the altar praying; Peregrine tries to get his attention as the fog rolls rapidly in.

## Important NPCs

* Reverend James Blackwell
* Robert Thomson (mentioned)
* Young Samuel

## Quotes

* "A misogyny bonus die." (Danann) "That'll re-balance things!" (Dom) "Yes, darling, why don't you just have a bonus die for the whole game, since you're playing at such a significant disadvantage." (Dan)
* "And in fact, as you're thinking those darker thoughts, 'Is he nine years old?', he goes 'Nine I am!'" (Danann, also as Samuel)