Straight Outta Crompton

> "The governments of the world is shark infested
> They heavy on weaponry like Charlton Heston"
>
> – the Coup

## Introduction

Delta Green needs agents who are willing and able to deal with Mythos threats. It is important though for the conspiracy to weed out those agents who, to borrow an expression from medicine, hear hoof beats and always expect zebras.

## Game Master’s Information

Colin Greene in the early 1990s was a rapper performing under the stage name Black Pharaoh in the early 1990s. Espousing an idiosyncratic version of Five Percent Nation ideology, Greene based his persona on a blend of Black Nationalism, NGE philosophy, braggadocio, and some spottily sourced references to an otherwise forgotten Egyptian leader – the Black Pharaoh aka Nephren-Ka.

When Delta Green investigated they were able to determine that Greene knew nothing of the Mythos. The agent in charge of the investigation decided, out of equal parts caution and racism, to frame him on a variety of charges, including sexual assault, weapons, and narcotics. Greene spent several years in prison, until he was finally proven innocent by new DNA evidence.

In the years since his release A-Cell has made the practice of periodically assigning newly recruited cells to review Greene’s case as a means of testing their ability to sort real Mythos threats from suspicious but otherwise mundane activity. Because Colin Greene, now going by the nom de plume Kivuli Shujaa (“Shadow Hero” in Swahili), is an unabashed paranoid, his claims of intrusive government spying are universally ignored by the authorities.

## The Assignment

The agents are contacted by the conspiracy (by whatever means the game master desires) and are provided a dossier on Mr. Greene (see below) with the instructions to covertly investigate and determine if he poses a threat to Delta Green or society at large.

## The Dossier

The case file for Colin Greene is about 60 pages long and presents, dryly, a summary of Delta Green’s investigation and frame-up of Greene, followed by his prison term, release, and post-release nervous breakdown; it is presented as Handout 1. These documents are mostly FBI files on Greene along with some pencil annotations. The dossier omits any references to other investigations of Greene however, though it does caution against his paranoia and likelihood of being armed.

### Greene

There is little to be learned beyond the dossier, though they can confirm he has been ostensibly law abiding in the years since his term in prison. He is a registered gun owner.

### The Black Pharaoh

His three album discography is freely listed online and easily obtained:

- PHARO-25 (1989)

- Know Justice / Apocalypse 90 (1990)

- In the Name of ALLAH (1992)

None of them have any Mythos content; he is regarded as an adequate performer, more technical than lyrical.

### Nephren-Ka

Beyond the brief synopsis provided in the dossier, finding additional information about the Black Pharaoh requires a Library Use roll. See Worlds of Cthulhu #5 for more information.

## ‘Police are gonna have to come and get me’

The agents should have no difficulty finding their target: Greene works as a manager at Maarifa Books in depressed section of a large city. He lives in an apartment several blocks away from work, a one bedroom fourth-floor walkup. When not at work he spends time in his apartment with occasional visits to the public library, a few local restaurants, and, rarely, social visits. He is active on social media under a variety of pseudonyms, generally devoting his time to conspiracy theories, especially claims that the American government is suppressing evidence that would support the various beliefs of the Five-Percent Nation, especially the divinity of African peoples.

### Maarifa Books

Greene’s place of work is a bookstore supported in large part from subsidies of the local Nation of Islam branch. The overwhelming majority of the clientele is African-American, many of whom are regulars. Visitors, especially those flashing federal ID, will be closely watched and asked to leave if they begin questioning the customers or staff. Greene, known to everyone here as Kivuli, is well liked and only the staff and a few customers know of his past life.

The books sold here all reflect the ideology of the Nation of Islam, with a mix of other Black Nationalist groups mixed in. There is nothing of Mythos interest here, though Agents failing an Occult roll might mistake some of the claims presented as containing some Mythos hints.

Security for the store is appropriate for the neighborhood and includes camera, locking shutters, and a modern alarm system. Their online presence is minimally secured. Neither contains any incriminating evidence.

## Greene’s apartment

Though in a poorly maintained building, Greene’s apartment is extremely secure for a private residence; high quality locks, motion sensors, exterior cameras, window bars anchored in the brick exterior, a top-quality private alarm system. He is fully (and correctly) convinced that the United States government is monitoring him and his home and so he takes extraordinary precautions to look out for their activities. Greene is immediately alerted to any disruption to his home security system via his cell phone.

Aside from assorted faux-African bric-a-brac, against will be most interested in the following:

- Books – More than a thousand books, from Nation of Islam, Five-Percenter, and affiliated authors and focused on conspiracy theories and institutional oppression of African-Americans and African nations. One cluster of works about Egyptian history – annotated to highlight anomalies and possible omissions – contains a few vague mentions of Nephren-Ka, mostly dismissing it as a legend. One heavily highlighted book, “Britain’s Most Vile Criminals” (1933) includes several passages about one Montgomery Crompton, a 19th century artist and occultist who operated a work-house in which he is alleged to have murdered dozens of young men in accordance with a delusion that he was the reincarnation of ‘Neprin Ka’ the so-called Black Pharaoh of Egypt and alleged wizard. Marginal notes decry this description as “LIES!” At most, his notes demonstrate that there was an Egyptian Pharaoh who has been mostly expunged from the historical record but reveals no occult information.

- Computer – Greene mostly communicates with the wider world via his battered laptop. The entirety of his communication is focused on propagating his conspiracy theories; Greene is wholly convinced that the Federal government monitors all forms of communication and keeps his activities above board. Nevertheless, his security is excellent.

- Weapons – A good-quality gun cabinet contains five rifles, two shotguns, and nearly a dozen pistols of assorted calibers. All are owned legally and are in excellent condition.

## Greene’s Actions

Unfortunately for the agents, Greene is paranoid, dangerously so, convinced that the federal government is conspiring against him and the African-American community more generally. Complicating things further, Greene is well-armed and more than willing to die in a hail of bullets, should he wish. The game master should consider the following complications during an investigation:

- Greene is paranoid. He is expecting to be trailed, surveilled, and monitored by law enforcement. He is fully prepared and has taken precautions to protect himself. The typical methods employed by agents should fail, at least without careful planning.

- He is well aware of his legal rights and is unafraid to use them. He has contact with members of the legal team that exonerated them and can rely on their help.

- In the event of violence he is well armed and proficient in their use. He can call upon several fellow travelers and arm them if needed.

- He is willing to die to prove his claims about the government are true.

## Rewards/Penalties

Successfully conclude the investigation +1 San

## Statistics

### Colin “Kivuli” Greene aka Black Pharaoh, age 54

**STR** 11 **DEX** 10 **CON** 13 **SIZ** 14

**INT** 15 **POW** 13 **APP** 11 **EDU** 14

**Attacks**:

Fist 63%
Rifle 38%
Shotgun 45%
Pistol 56%
**Insanities**: Paranoia

**Skills**: Arabic 11%, Bargain 48%, Credit Rating 18%, Drop Science 41%, Fast Talk 38%, Flow 72%, History 43%, Law 55%, Swahili 20%

## Handouts

### Handout 1

The Colin Greene Dossier

Summary: Colin Greene performed under the stage name Black Pharaoh from 1988 to 1992, espousing a Black Nationalist ideology informed by the teachings of the Nation of Islam and the Five-Percent Nation. Delta. Greene’s stage name was in reference to an obscure Egyptian Pharaoh and sorcerer that later rulers attempted to expunge from the historical record due to his worship of certain supernatural entities. The group was unable to discern to what extent Greene was aware of the true history of Nephren-Ka; he was framed on charges of illegal firearms purchases, sexual assault, and drug possession. Greene was incarcerated in Federal Prison for a little over five years until his conviction was overturned due to exonerating DNA evidence and evidence of tampering. He was released and now works at a bookstore.

An addendum to the report includes quoted passages from an unidentified academic paper describing Nephren-Ka and his rule, including a description of him summoning up a black wind that sucked the life out of his enemies. Pencil annotation mark this section simply with ‘Abu Ballâs, 1955? A blotchy photocopy of a typewritten document labeled ‘Dee – 1597’ includes a highlighted passage:

Whist through ye nations spread ye awestruck worde That wilde beests follow’d him & lick’d his hands.

Beneath that in pen is written Egyptian hieroglyphics spelling out ‘Ny Har Rut Hotep’.

## Credits

Straight Outta Crompton was written by Bret Kramer for the 2014  shotgun scenario contest.