Brian Mc Cabe
United States
Arizona
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Zhar
Jacqueline
Marie
Roland
Jim
Always looking for ways to enable Marie to pass her personal story and delay any AOs awakening, all but Jim meet Uptown, Marie receiving $3 from Roland and an Ancient Tome from Jacqueline, which she immediately reads.
When information arrives that information can be had through the dark art of Blood Magic, Overhead, a MiGo can be seen soaring in the sky. Roland gives his King in Yellow Tome to Jacqueline; but, before he can act, a third major explosion rocks Arkham (doubles!) and the MiGo, now enhanced by it's Alien Technology, sweeps down on our three intrepid investigators. Jim is attacked by the just-appearing Hound of Tindalos just as he's about to travel to Unnameable and pick up enough information to seal one of the gates.
Jim expends the power of his Golden Trumpet and takes a stiff shot of whiskey just bought for him at Hibb's Roadhouse, casts Dread Curse of Abothoth (one of four the investigators started with) and destroys the Hound.
Jacqueline is forced to cast her own copy of Dread Curse to deal with the more powerful MiGo, defeats it and finds a scroll entitled Cultes de Goules and a Statue that seems to drain the user's sanity and strength when used.
Her success allows Roland to deal with Blood Magic, which brings him to his knees. He barely stays conscious, but gains the desired information, passing his personal story. Marie does the same, as she enters The Olde Magic Shoppe and buys another spell, bringing her total to five.
Again, before anyone can act, a monster surge floods Arkham, with a Dark Druid appearing at Unvisited Isle, which triggers his fellow denizens of The Abyss (hex) to move twice as far as normal. The Cthonian at Silver Twilight Lodge does no damage, and Roland survives.
Dark Young attack him and Jacqueline, though, at the Dark Druid's direction. Without enough sanity remaining to withstand the horror the beast generates and cast Dread Curse both, Jacqueline is driven insane and becomes addicted to the powerful drugs that were used to help restore her to health. (This reduces her clues to three -- lost seal #1) Bolstered by Jim's derringer, however, and adding the limited firepower of his own .45, Roland destroys the Dark Young bent on destroying him.
Yet more monsters pour out of the open gates and the Cthonian knocks out Roland (lost seal #2) and leaves him with Consumption. Now able to approach Unnameable with his plethora of information, Jim is accosted by a Warlock. With only his derringer, which had be returned after Roland's battle with the Dark Young, and geared to withstand sanity loss, Jim is forced to his acquired knowledge to evade the Warlock. He is successful, but must find more information (lost seal #3).
After materializing outside the Science Building with an Elder Sign, with, once again, enough information to seal, Roland is set upon, with the aid of the Dark Druid, by a Goat Spawn and a Nightgaunt. Without enough information to seal, in any event, Jim Dreadfully Curses the Goat Spawn, but is carried to Abyss at Unvisited Isle by the Nightgaunt. Marie then intervenes, takes the Elder Sign and Curses the Nightgaunt, allowin Roland to enter Abyss right behind Jim. Jacqueline also enters that Other World, though at the Black Cave.
Jim, now totally unaware of where he is or what he's been doing is driven insane by the darkness and is Lost in Time and Space, beginning a Downward Spiral. With the cultists performing their ceremony Rituals of Power, his being driven insane brings them closer to completing the ritual.
Subsequently, Roland is attacked by a physically resistant Vampire, and armed only with his .45 and his own resolve, he is knocked out and also Lost in Time and Space (loss of seal 4). The Rituals of Power are almost complete.
Of the three investigators who entered Abyss, only Jacqueline successfully traverses that world and seals a gate. She is almost immediately driven insane by Nightmarish Visions, which she had begun having as a result of the activation of her being a Jealous Guardian.
The Ritual completed, Zhar is stirring ever more restlessly in his sleep.
(Eight doom, five open gates and one seal). Shortly after defeating the Nightgaunt, Marie had evaded the Cthonian at Silver Twilight Lodge and entered City of the Great Race. Not long after, she stares into the face of Madness and is the third investigator Lost in Time and Space. (With an Elder Sign this is not yet a lost seal). When she returns to Arkham, it must be to Merchant District, where a Formless Spawn has blocked the path to Arkham Asylum, with Roland and Jim needing treatment, Roland having obtained enough information the The Woods when he returned to seal a gate.
Things go according to plan, as Marie defeats the Formless Spawn and the investigators do what they must do. Zhar is a relentless adversary, however, and all but Roland are drawn into the Dreamlands by a Strange Disorder that even has the Scientists Baffled. Jacqueline, Marie and Jim, all with a touch of Madness disappear and find themselves in Dreamlands. With six open gates and none to Dreamlands, it a foregone conclusion that either Arkham is doomed (the seventh open gate) or three more investigators will be Lost in Time & Space, which is what, in fact, occurs. (Six).
Roland, unnoticed, enters Plateau of Leng, where he blazes away at a cultist in blind panic, but succeeds in hitting it (one for nine).
More strange sightings bring the terror level to eight, more Nightmarish Visions drive Jacqueline insane and she now begins Hallucinating, as well. Strength of Flesh is activated, and Marie is driven insane, as well, causing her to become Delusional. Roland hangs on by a thread and seals Indendence Square.
Jacqueline and Marie, now fully healed, head for open gates. Marie now enters Abyss with her Elder Sign and Jacqueline opts for City of the Great Race. With his ability to collect clues as a result of his trustworthy approach, his plan is to collect information and then turn in his gate debris for the final knowledge he needs to seal another gate.
His only obstacle is a witch in the Miskatonic streets. He panics and again and, firing wildly, completely misses his target. The witch casts a debillitating spell and knocks him out (0-5), resulting in Double Vision. Unable to collect clues by searching for them, he can still follow his original plan, using his charm and natural wit to collect the desired information.
He enters the Science Building, helps a student pounding on a machine and closes two gates, banishing a byakee and the two Cthonians, after first gaining revenge and shooting the witch. Ruination further corrupts the investigator (leaving but a single red card). Jacqueline, having earlier failed her personal story, is corrupted for the sixth and final time. With six corruption cards, the sixth being Vesel of the Mythos, Jacqueline is devoured.
(At this point, I decide not to replace Jacqueline, since I play an investigator until they lose, and I don't want to waste one on a lost cause). Marie, on the other hand, did successfully seal the gate with the Elder Sign, for three seals.
The advantage to her devouring is that all of her corruption disappears from consideration. It's all moot, however, as Ruination succeeds in driving both Marie and Roland insane. Roland develops amnesia, limiting his informational capacity to four clues. With Jim also suffering from Amnesia, the investigators succumb to their predetermined fate and were're all dead.
This is only the second time in what is probably over a thousand solo games I've stopped. I guess I could have retired all three of them and started again with the doom track at 9/11; but, it just didn't seem like it was worth it.
Zhar has found some awfully bizarre ways to beat me (3-29 overall), but to lose four seals (Jacqueline was in an Other World when devoured) and have six investigators Lost in Time and Space was his crowning achievement.
Kudos, Zhar. I am not worthy.
Brian
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