Masks of Nyarlathotep 24
It’s been a few months, but we’re finally back to our Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign for Call of Cthulhu. At the end of our previous session, we had reached Mombasa in the newly named Colony and Protectorate of Kenya. This is the fourth segment of the campaign, having been to New York, London and Egypt. We’re hoping to find out what the Carlyle Expedition was doing down here, though we believe it was up to no good. Despite all stories to the contrary, they are also possibly still alive.
This session we are down one player due to last minute illness. There is a lot of off-topic chatter during this session, possibly because it’s been a while since we last met up, and without all the players present, we didn’t want to get too far ahead.
As before, this is the journal of Mrs Evelyn Wooldridge.
Tuesday, 7th April 1925
The lush green coast of Africa, and the white walls of Fort Jesus in Mombasa, are before us. Why are we here?
This is where the Carlyle Expedition was allegedly torn apart by tribesmen. Jackson Elias was here interviewing a lot of people, so maybe we need to follow up on those interviews. There was talk of the Bloody Tongue and the Mountain of the Black Wind.
There is an exporter who was providing items to the Ju Ju House based here, Ahja Singh. There won’t be many African leaders based here, since Mombasa was set up by Arab slave traders originally, so the culture here is Arab rather than native.
Places for us to visit:
- Fort Jesus, now used as a prison.
- Treasury Square, colonial administration
- Fish Markets
- The Docks (where we arrived)
- The Castle Hotel, where we have been booked in.
Apparently I am going to a local newspapers, to do some research. Lefty goes with me as bodyguard. My colleagues head off to listen to gossip and investigate the warehouse of Ajah Singh.
Going to the Library, they don’t have many newspaper copies. The Nairobi Star, which is an English newspaper, is the best place to find records. Mrs Smythe Forbes is the proprietor, and is based in Nairobi. However, they have a few clippings, and spending some time investigating, I do find a reference to the expedition.
When interviewed, Dr Huston said that “a religious figure from early dynastic Egypt was rumoured to have migrated southward with his people – possibly to this region”. The group lodged at the Hampton House Hotel, run by Reginald Baines.
Dr Starret in Nairobi would be a person to talk to if I have questions about local customs.
When I get back to the hotel, I find out that Monty had a bit more of an active day.
He had planned to find a tea ship near the warehouse, so that he could observe it. Whilst on his way there, he discovered that he was being followed by an Asian man. He found a suitable tea shop, and sat down to watch what the man did. Monty’s made it obvious that he knew the man was following him, which caused the local to become agitated. Eventually, he run into the Singh Emporium.
Shortly thereafter, he comes out with a couple of other men – another south Asian man and an Arab with an eye patch. They approach Monty’s table, whereupon Monty invites them to join him for tea and dates. This surprises and agitates the man, but amuses his two comrades. The latter happily join Monty at the table, and are quite amenable to conversation.
It turns out that the original man was a nephew of Ajah Singh, and that the others are guards of his warehouse. The nephew refuses to explain why he was following Monty, and the others begin to make fun of him until he gets up storms off.
Further conversation uncovers that he has an aunt named Tankaur, who isn’t a great follower of Gurū Nānak, which may mean that she’s some form of cultist. She spoils him a lot, and apparently he is quite taken by her ways, also straying from his original religion.
Wednesday 8th April
The following day, we go back to talk to the warehouse guards, to ask about the Aunt and her change of religion. We ask about ankhs and other symbols that the guards may have seen, and they mention that the minions of M’weru, the woman who was part of the Carlyle Expedition, have been seen wearing such signs. They deal with the Emporium, buying incense from India and having it shipped up to Nairobi.
The aunt is also in Nairobi – along with pretty much everyone else that we want to talk to. So it looks like we are going to be catching the train to head up that way next.
