Death May Die

Conner Vass is a veteran of the U.S. Army Special forces, who acted as a friendly to Delta Green during the war in Iraq. Since then he's independently investigated phenomena and has supplied Delta Green with information and sometimes weapons.

Since his retirement from the army in 2016, his mental health has deteriorated significantly. He's become obsessed with not being weak and his rage issues have worsened. During a trip to visit distant relatives in Scotland in 2017 Vass came across a grimoire containing a spell to become invulnerable. He resisted the temptation to use it, until now. For the last few months Vass has prepared the spell and to finish it he needs worthy human sacrifice to die in a place he's dedicated for the spell. To this end, Vass has contacted Delta Green and claimed that he’s encountered something he can’t handle himself, and asked for operatives to meet him at his house in a remote part of the forested mountains of Idaho.

The investigators are told that Conner Vass is a credible army friendly who may have information about a mythos threat. They're to make contact with him, make an assessment of the situation, take action to thwart the threat if they deem it advisable. Since Vass has been in unsupervised contact with the unnatural they are asked cautiously and discreetly evaluate his mental state when they meet. The PCs get a cell phone number and street address for Vass and are told that he's asked to meet them at 19:00 tomorrow.

## Basic background check

* Conner Vass was born in 1980 (on Midsummer’s Day).
* Vass was a sniper with the U.S. Army Special Forces, until 2016 when he left after being wounded. He has a good service record. Since then he's worked as a part time private security consultant and semi professional hunter. He gets by because of his low costs of living.
* Five days ago Conner’s brother, Philip Vass, was reported missing by their mother Brenda. If investigators ask Conner he says it's related to what he wants to talk about and that the police are not taking it seriously. Philip has gone missing before on a drug binge in 2012, the police assume he doesn't want to be found.
* Vass has no social media presence at all.
* Vass will answer his phone, but not say much, citing security concerns.

## Deeper dig:

* In 2018 Vass was investigated for battery against his then girlfriend Madison Roberts (born 1998), but nothing came of it. The cops may share that it's a real "he says, she says"-type deal. They will also insinuate that Roberts is loose and immoral. The case file reveals that Roberts spoke with police claiming he beat her but later retracted her statement, claiming it was consensual BDSM play.
* Roberts can’t be reached, but is alive. In local BDSM circles Vass is known to be unsafe and is not welcome.
* Tomorrow is the Midsummer solstice.
* Vass' neighbours don't like him. They suspect he has booby traps on his property but can't prove anything.

When the investigators go to meet Vass he'll try to kill them. He'd prefer to kill them in or near the Living room because it's straight atop his ritual arrangement in the Crawl space. But he'll settle for killing them and dragging them in, if he does so within 15 minutes it still counts. Vass will use his Vantage Point as much as possible. With one hour left until midnight, or if he’s being counterspelled, he'll move into the house tactically.

The spell requires a blood sacrifice of someone worthless to hallow the ground, candles to be kept lit for a week and fresh blood to be painted on the corpse daily. This will make the caster unable to be killed on the day of the Midsummer solstice. Before midnight, there must be a blood sacrifice of worthy warriors to make the spell permanent.

To do the counterspell one needs to break the hallowed ground with a sacrifice of organs, strew the corpse with salt and say an exact prayer. The counterspell takes about 15 minutes to perform. Once it starts the original caster becomes intuitively aware.

If the investigators escape without killing Vass, he’ll go off the grid obsessed with vengeance. He will go after the investigators, starting with their families and allies, killing them with special forces tactics or sadistic ritual murder depending on circumstances.

## THE VASS PROPERTY

Vass' house is isolated. For several miles off the main road, the serpentine road climbs the forested hills. As the house becomes visible and the road is turning on itself to get the last way up the hill, there is a barely noticeable metal segment in the road. It's remote controlled road spikes that Vass will use to prevent the PCs from escaping by car.

The HOUSE is a free standing small cabin on a raised covered foundation. Vass' truck is in the driveway and the lights are on.

The PORCH steps led up to the front door. On the other side of a large window there's a table and some chairs. It's rustic but nice.

Looking in through the window you see the Living Room.

Underneath the table there’s a trapdoor to the Crawl Space. A shotgun is rigged to shoot anyone who tries to open it.

The FRONT DOOR is unlocked. The first investigator to enter will get a weird feeling. If they try to shut it out, nothing happens. Otherwise make a sanity check (1/1d6). On either result, they see themself on the floor bleeding to death with unspeakable terror in their eyes, and know instinctively that their blood is being used for evil.

The LIVING ROOM has a door to the Kitchen to the left, a door to the Bedroom to the right and a door to the Backyard straight though. It’s small but cozy. A deer hide lies between a small sofa and a fireplace. In front of a large window, opposite the one to the Porch, there is a table with two chairs.

On the table there’s a letter. If an investigator moves to read the letter, which is only a distraction, Vass shoots them with his rifle from the Vantage Point. A merciful keeper can let the investigator get wounded instead of killed.

In the fireplace Vass has burned some of his victims' belongings, investigators can find pieces of an ID card.

The KITCHEN is well equipped. It has a small window. Notably there is no freezer. In a closet there's equipment and instructions for candle making, but no candles.

The BEDROOM is small and spartan. It has a small window.

The bed has metal loops attached for rope bondage.

There is a sturdy, locked, bedside table. In it there is a box of sex toys, some extremly violent sadist pornography and a medium sized letherbound book.

The BOOK is in Middle Scots, an investigator who speaks Scots, is skilled in English, or in History can read it. It details the spell to become invulnerable and the counterspell.

The BACKYARD is neatly kept. There is a chopping block for firewood, a shed and a dry toilet. There is a small hatch to the crawl space.

The SHED is unlocked. It’s filled with tools and miscellaneous objects. In the corner there’s an old and flimsy shower. There are two big freezers filled with deer meat, blood and organs and other frozen foods. There are huge bags of salt, and canned and dried food.

Moving up to the Vantage Point investigators will run into a covered bear trap. If they don't look for it they will have a hard time spotting it.

The VANTAGE POINT overlooks the Backyard, The Living Room and the Road. There is also a partial view of the porch through the house. There's a hidden TUNNEL that leads to the Crawl Space, where a normal sized person can walk hunched.

The CRAWL SPACE stinks of death. Vass has covered all sides in construction plastic to limit the spell. 66 homemade candles are burning. The rotting, mutilated body of a backpacker Vass has kidnapped lies in the center, posed in a ritualistic stance. It's decorated and covered with fresh animal blood.

To the side, wrapped in construction plastic is the body of Philip Vass who tried to confront his brother when he realized something was going on.

Under some discarded plastic there's access to the Tunnel.

If the investigators try to perform the counterspell the caster needs 15 undisturbed minutes. After that they make a sanity check 1/1d6. If they become temporarily insane they become overcome with guilt for trying to stop this miraculous accent to the true nature of man; Shameless exercise of violent masculine power. If someone else is still trying to perform the counterspell they'll try to kill them. If there isn’t they’ll try to commit suicide by letting Vass kill them.

## STATBLOCK

### Conner Vass

Stats as fully equipped Army - 1st Special Forces Group (page 143 in Agent’s Handbook)

Vass uses a sniper rifle instead of a carbine, to terrorize his victims.

**SAN** 0

Can't be killed. Takes 1 damage from normal attacks and 2 from critical hits. Regenerates 1 HP in five minutes. If reduced to 0 HP he simply returns to life with 1 HP five minutes later.

## Credits

Death May Die was written by Frans Witting for the 2020  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 © Frans Witting, excepting those elements that are components of the Delta Green intellectual property.

Death May Die is not available here under CC-BY-SA.