Mysteries of the Inverse Spring Part I

**Mysteries of the Inverse Spring Part I** is the first part of the sixth Mystery in the Saint Mary Vincent Campaign.

## CONCEPT

### The Inverse Spring:

The roots of the last known Pure Armillaria that exceeds the size and power of the Corrupted Armillaria can be found inside the Inverse Spring. There are still Cultists attempting to reach it to attempt to connect the two in the hopes that the Corrupted Armillaria will take over. Unbeknownst to them, the magic of the spring imbues the Pure Armillaria with enough power that it will always overtake the other, and it is what allows the magic to seep through the Inverse Spring and out into St. Mary Vincent proper.

It was the cultists who were responsible for breaking the damn that was holding back the Inverse Spring, and they are still lurking around the forest attempting to get to it.

#### Void Dimension:

The hunters must travel through a void land, surrounded by things that want to hurt them, things that want to eat them, and a lot of things that want to make a deal with them. All of their senses are turned upside down.

The Void Creatures complain of the frequency lately with which a rash of “weak chaos creatures” (humans) have been approaching them with offers to make a deal to use the void as a means of travelling from one dimension to the next, but they lack the power to both enter the void and exit it once again alone, let alone with a void creature in tow. These humans find themselves prey to the terrors of the void dimension, and even if one can be found, they will not be coherent.

Because the hunters carry a sheen of pure, raw magical power from having passed through Inverse Spring, the void creatures easily mistake them for beings more powerful than they are. If a hunter decides to make a contract with a void creature, they may be in for some trouble.

Magic doesn’t work in a typical way in the void dimension, but it does have a significant effect on the borders of the void

#### Hazard House ‘Tranquil Power Healing Earth 21-Day Transformational Wellness Retreat lead by Nash Quatermain’:

A group of New Age Spiritualists attending a metaphysical retreat designed to help them become closer to the Earth. They spend their days on nature walks, attending lectures on foraging and survivalism, and meditating in the forest. They spend their evenings at Hazard House sharing their spiritual journeys. They have (some aware/some not) located a large spread of Pure Armillaria in the forest. Keith Juniper, an elder member of the retreat group is a conduit of the Corrupted Armillaria and plans to die during a yoga session, spreading the corruption so that it will eventually infect the Pure Armillaria. Jarsten Kimblew is already a conduit for the Corrupted Armillaria.

The Hazard kids have been ‘abandoned’ by their parents and are renting out the retreat to the spiritualists for $3,000 a month, and are all living packed into the Carriage House. The older kids work at the bike shop and make some extra money as forest guides for the few tourists.

#### Florida 1968, Earth Village Infinity:

A hippie commune has come under the influence of the Corrupted Armillaria, who in this iteration is primarily concerned with spreading the infected network. He shows his followers only the most absurd visions, so that they will not be taken too seriously by others (lizard people, flat Earth, hollow Earth, mermaids, Bigfoot, Nazi's in Antarctica). The cultists want to advance the reach of the Corrupted Armillaria. The conduits agree to participate in a sacrificial ritual, and the new conduits will spread out from there to begin their own communes and repeat the ritual until the majority of the country is overtaken.

This is the iteration of the cult that Delia Lovejoy’s parents were in.

## HOOK

The hunters are about to undertake the exploration of the Inverse Spring cavern, and the seven caves within, which they discovered after defeating La Lechuza.

## COUNTDOWN

**RESULT:** The creature terrorizes people in a way not yet known, becoming the next mystery
 **Shadows** | SMV 2012 – Connie Yaruga connects to the “source”, along with the hunters themselves. The burst of new Armillaria growth that connects to the Inverse Spring begins the magical leak into SMV
**RESULT:** Ronnie is rescued, but Yaruga survives and escapes, Jarsten is an unwilling pawn
 **Sunset** | FLORIDA 1968 – 8 cultists are ritually sacrificed, 8 others become “conduits”
**RESULT:** Remnants of this group later form the cult that Delia’s parents join

**If the mystery requires multiple ascents & descents, every additional time after the first will cause temporal disturbances to those on the surface. Only those with the hunters at the time of their descent will fully experience this (ex. 5 year time loop, frozen time, warps, etc.) One per each additional descent.**

## THREATS

### Monsters

* **Armillaria**

**Description:** A large, spreading underground fungus. If consumed, one can make a mental connection with all other being under the influence of the fungus at that time.

If cooked before consuming, it’s just pretty tasty

If used in conjunction with certain other ingredients, Armillaria forms the basis of several “potions” that were lost to history during the witch hunts of the Middle Ages

Only earthly creatures are susceptible to the fungus

**Type:** Biohazard

**Motivation:** to infect, harm and spread

**Powers:**

**Ingestion:** When consumed, the subject it able to share their consciousness with any other intelligent being also under the influence of the fungus at that time. This experience will last anywhere from three hours to two days, depending on dosage.

A novice user will only be able to observe at random, and have very little conscious control of their own body. An experienced user will be able to physically function in a somewhat normal manner, and will have some control as to what they “tune in” to.

All communications are limited to the reach of that individual fungus network.

When two of these “networks” meet, the one that is more powerful will infiltrate and overtake the other as they merge.

**Inoculation:** Fungal Spores are released when the body of an inoculated individual dies, if the resultant fungus comes into contact with a mature network, it merges with it and begins to spread. The spores are released low to the ground, no higher than four inches.

If a living entity inhales the spores, they develop a permanent connection to the network and are considered “inoculated”. An inoculated individual can develop their abilities and learn to communicate with others under the influence, and with each other, becoming a Conduit.

The drawback to this, however, is that the spores in the body will grow over time, significantly shortening the inoculated user’s lifespan.

**Corruption:** Certain strains of Armillaria have been corrupted by the consciousness of an inoculated monk trapped within the deathless fae realm. Those who breathe in the spores of the fungus connected to the Fungus King are in constant contact with him. The Fungus King uses this to control them, or to bribe them into doing his bidding by revealing information to them that they would have no other way of knowing.

When a conduit dies, spores are released from their body, which can be inhaled by other living creatures, as well as into the earth, expanding the pathways connected to the Fungus King.

**Weaknesses: Antifungal Medications**

**Attacks:** More powerful Armillaria can consume and purify weaker strains. Magic imbued Armillaria is most powerful of all.

**Spore Release.** To avoid becoming inoculated, the hunter must Act under Pressure. On a 10+, they avoided the spore cloud, on a 7-9 they need to wait to find out, have them roll again after some time. Rinse, Repeat

**Armor:** 0

**Harm Capacity: 7000**

**Void Creature**

**Description:** Any creature from the void. A giant worm, a tall skeleton-like being with skin like draped crêpe paper, a sound with eyes, a glowing seven eyed pewter snowman, several connected paper dolls playing ring-around-the-rosy around a disembodied fist, a cube made out of burnt toast riding on the back of a sailboat made of snakes

**Type:** Beast

**Motivation:** to run wild, destroying and killing

**Powers:** Various

**Weaknesses:** Can only affect others when its presence is acknowledged (mentally, vocally, kinetically)

**Attacks:** Various 3-harm close

**Armor:**  None

**Harm Capacity: 14**

**Skarpasian Elephant**

**Description:** An elephant on the top of the vegetarian food chain, with modified trunk that works as arms; not necessarily an enemy

**Type:** Queen

**Motivation:** to possess and control

**Powers:** superior intelligence

**Weaknesses:** tranquilizer darts, bees

**Attacks:** Stomp, 3-6 harm; Strangle, 4 harm, close; Stampede, 6 harm

**Armor:** 2

**Harm Capacity:** 10

### MINIONS

**Spiritualists (SMV)**

**Description:** Attendees at the Metaphysical Retreat

**Type:** Cultist

**Motivation:** to save their own skin at any cost

**Powers:** normal human

**Weaknesses:** normal human

**Attacks:** various, 2-3 harm

**Armor:** 0

**Harm Capacity:** 5-10

**Cultist (Florida); Warden Tir (Scotland); Talamh Dei (England)**

**Description:** Members of the Earth Village Infinity Commune

**Type:** Plague/Scout

**Motivation:** to swarm and destroy/to stalk, watch and report

**Powers:** inoculation-the members are all connected through the Corrupted Armillaria and can communicate with each other and their leader at all times, and even see through each other’s eyes

**Weaknesses:** psychic disruption, internal antifungal medicines

**Attacks:** various, 2-4 harm

**Armor:** 0

**Harm Capacity:** 6-8

### **BYSTANDERS**

**Hazard, Nana**

**Fifteen-year-old Nana Hazard is considerably more surly and suspicious of strangers than her adult self, but that happens when a kid tries to take responsibility for their ten siblings. Her mom ran off with her boss a few years ago and her dad’s been missing for months. She will be wary of the hunters unless they tell her something convincing, but if they do, she’ll do what she can to help, and call Hugo and Veronica if it’s something beyond her capabilities.**

**Type: Official**

**Motivation: to be suspicious**

**Juniper, Keith**

**Inoculated. Knows that he is dying, and plans to expire in the Armillaria patch in the forest, in order to infect it and others.**

**Type: Minion/Renfield**

**Motivation: to push victims toward the monster**

**Kimblew, Sharrie**

**Inoculated. Spiritualist attending the retreat with her son, Jarsten. Has been following this group around the country and attending all of the retreats.**

**Type: Victim**

**Motivation: to put themselves in danger**

**Kimblew, Jarsten**

**Inoculated. Sharrie’s 8 year old son**

**Type: Innocent**

**Motivation: to do the right thing**

**Paxton, Hector**

**Sixteen-years-old and constantly agitated due to others picking fights with him. His body hasn’t yet caught up to his strength, so he is always convalescing from some injury or other. At least one limb is in a cast. Speaks to adults calmly and respectfully.**

**Type: Innocent**

**Motivation: to do the right thing**

**Paxton, Hugo**

**Even weirder at 14-years-old than he is as an adult. Already has a good head for (unnecessarily complex) strategies, and isn’t the least bit skeptical of the hunters. He and Nana seem to be having some sort of disagreement, but he is able to put that aside if she asks him for help.**

**Type: Detective**

**Motivation: to rule out explanations**

**Quatermain, Nash**

**Leader of the Spiritual Retreat. Does not realize there is an issue with his followers, and is only confused as to why certain people have become diehard adherents of his pretty mild, obviously money-grubbing retreat.**

**Type: Busybody**

**Motivation: to interfere in other people’s plans**

**Sterling, Veronica**

**At fourteen-years-old, Veronica is  a smart. Confident and outgoing young woman obsessed with learning, and her favorite thing to learn about is monsters. She will immediately be open to the hunters and looks forward to meeting them again in the future.**

**Type: Helper**

**Motivation: to join the hunt**

**Yaruga, Connie**

**First time attendee at the retreat. Finds all things supernatural fascinating, wants to become closer nature.**

**Type: Witness**

**Motivation: to reveal information**

**Hippie Names: Arlo Peterson, Harmony Dobbs, Karma Meadow, Dawn Wagner, Indigo Joy, Field Marley**

**1597 Scotland: Agnes Buchanan, Beigis Campbell, Gamelin Gordon, Hextilda Murray, Lamond Fraser. Odart Cunningham, Ulchel Donald, Ysenda Boyd, Forsy Ross, Finnola Stewart, Cannie Dunbar, Annabill Reid**

**1593 England: Hamo Fletcher, Etheldred Cook, Law Hatt, Meggy Feast, Tenney Beckett, Wilky Rolfe, Wybert Fischer, Hamo Ashdown, Aldith Hankin**

## LOCATIONS

**Location: VOID DIMENSION**

A place of nothing, where a thing does not exist until it is acknowledged to exist. Perhaps this is death?

**Type:** Maze

**Motivation:** to confuse and separate

**Special:** Magic doesn’t work in the typical ways in the void dimension, but it takes immense magical power to enter and exit the dimension

**Exit:** Through the mouth of a fat piano with the body of a chameleon

**Location: ST. MARY VINCENT 2012**

A quiet, declining tourist town that’s seen better days. It’s beautiful, but neglected.

**Type:** crossroads

**Motivation:** to bring people together

**Exit:** Through the last stall in the ladies room at the train station

**Location: THE EARTH VILLAGE INFINITY COMMUNE**

A commune in the middle of nowhere next to a swamp.

**Type:** Prison

**Motivation:** to constrain and prevent exit

**Special:** There are lots of traps set out to keep out intruders and alligators (and keep in reluctant members)

**Exit:** In a rotted out log

**Location: SKARPASIA**

A planet much like Earth, but where life developed differently. Elephants are the top species, plant life is amazing, and most carnivorous species are scavengers.

The “internet” of this world is completely organic and runs on the natural fungus

Humanoids are employed as fungus hunters, helping the elephants find new veins of the fungus to connect to the network.

**Type:** Hub

**Motivation:** to reveal information

**Exit:** Jumping off a cliff

**Location: FAERY REALM**

**Type:** Wilds

**Motivation:** to contain hidden things

**Special:** One cannot die in the faery realm

**Exit:** The cavern trap