Session One - 01/31/2021

(Back to Campaign Sessions)

Boston, Massachusetts

October 1920

Two friends, Delia Dorn and Ophelia Winkler, run a small shop in Central Boston called The Wish Doctors, dealing in occult goods and services. After opening the store one early October morning as usual, they are visited by their old friend and unofficial guardian angel, Detective Cormac McQuaid. McQuaid asks them if they've noticed anyone suspicious in the past few days. Delia mentions a bald fellow with a facial scar who purchased a book involving ancient ritualistic sacrifice. As they talk, McQuaid overhears Ophelia mention about a new book she recently got her hands on. McQuaid, knowing where some of her expertise sometimes leads her, asks how she actually acquired the book.

At this time, the shop door opens and in enters mechanic and former pilot Elijah Tanner. Elijah greets them and goes about browsing through their various wares, gravitating toward the books.

The door opens again and Monte Sterling rolls into the shop on a wheelchair, introducing himself as an antique dealer who used to know the shop's previous owner, Cecilia. Delia remarks that was her aunt's name. Monte mentions he used to frequent the store on his sales route and was sorry to see it closed a few years ago. Monte attempts to appraise the value of the spellbook, but is unable to provide anything exact. McQuaid decides to officially confiscate the book as evidence in his investigation.

After some conversation, the door opens a final time. In enters Steven Knott, a local landlord. He inquires to Delia and Ophelia about their experience with the occult, before asking them for a favor. He tells them he owns a property in North End, the Corbitt House. Over the years it has acquired a sinister reputation and has been connected to several official investigations in the area as well. He's only been able to rent it out to one family since he first bought the property, until unfortunate events befell them. He has not had any luck renting or selling it thanks to the stories, and requests an unofficial investigation so he can use the information to offload it entirely from his interests.

Delia and Ophelia accept his request, at which point Mr. Knott shares the story of the previous tenants, the Macario family. A month after they first moved in, the husband Vittorio ran out of the house, bloodied and screaming, swinging his fists wildly at anyone around him. He was subdued and admitted to Roxbury Sanitarium a few miles south of Boston. About a year later, the wife Gabriella also had a very public meltdown, and though less violent, she too was sent to Roxbury. The two children, Ignacio and Roberto, were taken in by relatives in Baltimore.

McQuaid offers his assistance at this point, both in order to keep the young investigators out of trouble and in looking through any case files down at Central Police Station that may be connected with the property. Monte offers his own experience with the the occult and dealing with people. Elijah, overhearing all of this, is intrigued and offers an additional hand in the investigation. Mr. Knott agrees and pays the group $25 up front, with an additional $25 each upon completion of the investigation in a timely manner. He provides the keys to the house, but cautions that the house may not be the best place to start. Since he's paying for a complete story, he offers up several leads for the group to look into first.

After Mr. Knott leaves, the group agrees to go along with his first lead, the old newspaper archives at The Boston Globe. The receptionist at the front desk of the Boston Globe tersely directs the group to speak with the editor Arty Wilmot, for permission to view the archives. Arty isn't particularly cooperative until he's reminded by Detective McQuaid that this is a police investigation. He shows the group to the archives and heads back to this office. The records keeper, Ruth Blake, keeps an eye on them as they rifle through the various files for the next few hours. The group eventually happens upon an unpublished story from 1918 detailing not only the events that befell the Macarios but also that of some of the previous owners and tenants. Ophelia decides to try some other files and random and happens across another article providing a much more detailed account of Vittorio Macario's violent outburst and subsequent committing to Roxbury.

Seeing how late its getting once they emerge from the archives, the group decides to end for the evening and start fresh in the morning at one of the other leads. McQuaid makes a quick stop at Central Station to log the spellbook into evidence. He is able to locate files pertaining to same area as the Corbitt House, specifically a police raid on The Chapel of Contemplation in 1912, the subsequent arrest of 54 members of the church and release of all but 8 of them, and the eventual escape from prison of Pastor Michael Thomas.

The next morning, the group reconvenes at the Wish Doctors and then heads to the Central Library. There they find several pertinent files and articles about the history of the Corbitt house, including that of the original builder, Henry Webber, and that of the house's namesake, Walter Corbitt. They find that Corbitt was not popular with the neighborhood and had several lawsuits brought against him "in consequence of his surious habits and unauspicious demeanor" and to prevent his internment in the basement of his house.

They then head to the Hall of Records. There they are able to locate civil court records showing that the executor of Walter Corbitt's will was Reverend Michael Thomas of the Chapel of Contemplation, and the closure of the Chapel in 1912. They discuss Michael Thomas being the link between the Church and the Corbitt house, along with potentially where to investigate next.