Month: February 2025

Welcome back, dear readers, to another installment of our globetrotting Call of Cthulhu campaign, Shadows of the Jackal. In our previous session, the investigators continued their exploration of Cairo, gathering clues about the elusive Brotherhood and the tangled past of the Carlyle Expedition. This time around, they dove headfirst into chaotic encounters, brandished a few too many weapons for Cairo’s comfort, and nearly torched a tailor’s shop along the way. Let’s unravel the latest mystery together!

Key Characters Introduced

• Udi – A local cloth merchant running a fine fabrics shop on the Street of Scorpions.
• Warren Besart – A gaunt, disheveled foreigner once connected to the Carlyle Expedition.
• Three Unnamed Strangers – A trio of local men whose identities and intentions remain unclear.

• Udi – A local cloth merchant running a fine fabrics shop on the Street of Scorpions.
• Warren Besart – A gaunt, disheveled foreigner once connected to the Carlyle Expedition.
• Three Unnamed Strangers – A trio of local men whose identities and intentions remain unclear.

Key Events

• Exploring the Fabric Shop
  • Bessie, Virginia, Omar, and Alejandro enter a local fabrics store on the Street of Scorpions.
  • Omar accidentally drops cigar ash on delicate cloth, causing a minor fire scare.
  • Bessie negotiates for a custom dress design and investigates the shop’s back rooms.
• Discovery of Warren Besart
  • Bessie finds a disheveled stranger hiding in a storage room.
  • He appears anxious, gaunt, and heavily under the influence of various substances.
  • The group engages him in conversation to learn more about his background and possible connections.
• Outside Confrontation
  • Emerson stands guard and notices three suspicious individuals repeatedly passing by.
  • Tensions rise as the strangers attempt to enter the shop.
  • Alejandro and Bessie brandish firearms, prompting the trio to back away and leave.
• Regroup at the Hotel
  • The investigators reconvene at their lodgings with new information and renewed concerns.
  • Mahmoud, the streetwise youth helping them navigate Cairo, joins them for a meal.
  • Plans form to further investigate Warren Besart’s revelations and prepare for any local threats.

Standout Moments

• Omar – Accidentally dropped cigar ash on fine cloth, sparking a small fire that he hastily concealed.
• Bessie – Ventured beyond the main store area and discovered Warren Besart hidden in the back room.
• Virginia – Used her charm to keep the anxious Besart calm and prevent him from fleeing in panic.
• Alejandro – Brandished a weapon in the street to intimidate potential cultists into backing down, almost getting himself in trouble in the meantime.
• Emerson – Stayed alert outside, first stalling suspicious strangers with small talk, then assisting in defusing the confrontation.
• Ezekiel – Rushed in to help restrain Warren Besart when he tried to bolt, adding to the group’s overall effort to keep the situation under control.

With tension mounting in the labyrinthine streets of Cairo, the group ends Session 14 with more questions than answers. The shadow of the Brotherhood looms, and a traumatized informant provides only fragmented warnings. What happens next may draw the investigators even deeper into the dark heart of Egypt’s hidden horrors.

If you want to get Masks of Nyarlathotep, please click the links below. It helps the channel out if you buy from these links!

Investigators Handbook: https://amzn.to/4fHaRdi

Keeper Rulebook: https://amzn.to/4dilnpG

I use Fantasy Grounds for the automation and Virtual Table Top; please check them out here: http://affiliates.fantasygrounds.com/361781/15958

Our party returned this week to delve deeper into Cairo’s winding alleys and cryptic lore. In typical fashion, they stumbled upon street toughs, helpful children, suspicious shopkeepers, and half-whispered references to ancient cults..

Key Characters Introduced

• Mahmoud – The quick-witted street urchin offering his services as a “Drago man” (guide). He has a knack for fading into Cairo’s crowded bazaars and reappearing exactly when needed—especially if a bit of money is involved.
• Faraz Najjir – A burned, wary shopkeeper once possessed important occult “curios.” Terrified of the Brotherhood, who scarred him, he initially fled at the mention of the Carlisle Expedition but later shared details of his dangerous past dealings.
• Uwayid (Nuri’s Son) – Scarred in the same attack that left Nuri speechless. Protective of his mother and initially wary of strangers, he ultimately allowed the group to see Nuri once she spoke again for the first time in months.
• Nuri – An elderly wise woman, catatonic after a vicious supernatural event. She briefly became lucid upon meeting Virginia, handing her a fragment from the Red Pyramid at Dahshur. Her sudden awareness vanished just as quickly.
• Omar Al-Shakti – Mentioned as a powerful local businessman tied to the Brotherhood. While not encountered face-to-face, his influence looms large.

Key Events

• Mahmoud, the Resourceful Street Guide
  • Early on, the group discovered they were being tailed by a mysterious figure who turned out to be a boy named Mahmud.
  • Though initially suspicious, the investigators decided his street smarts and knowledge of Cairo would be invaluable. Mahmoud quickly became a sort of guide—who demanded plenty of payment in exchange for his help and local intel.
• Encounter with Faraz Najjir
  • Determined to find Faraz Najjir, the investigators tracked him to a new location in the Street of Potters.
  • Their first attempt to chat about the doomed Carlisle Expedition ended badly—simply mentioning Carlisle triggered Najjir’s terror. He abruptly closed his shop and fled.
  • On a second approach, the more diplomatic members of the group managed to gain Najir’s trust. Faraz revealed that he once sold “singular curios” to Warren Bessart, acting on behalf of the Carlisle Expedition—an act he now gravely regrets.
  • He also warned the party about a cult known as the “Brotherhood,” who burned half of his face in retaliation for crossing them.
  • Najir spoke fearfully of relics tied to a mysterious figure called the Black Pharaoh. He believes these relics (including a crown inlaid with a large zircon) point to the legend of an ancient queen known as “Necrotis.”
  • Hints emerged about a stolen mummy from a major archaeological dig in Giza from the Clive Expedition. Najir seemed convinced that the Brotherhood orchestrated these thefts.
• Visiting Nuri, the “Wise Woman”
  • Seeking more information about Necrotis, the investigators paid a visit—by way of Mahmud’s guidance—to an old wise woman named Nuri in a quiet quarter of Cairo.
  • Nuri, apparently catatonic from a devastating supernatural attack, momentarily sprang to life at the sight of Virginia, calling her “the one.” She offered (in a brief moment of lucidity) a fragment of a pinkish limestone tablet said to be from the Red Pyramid at Dahshur.
  • Having done so, she relapsed into silence, leaving the group with more questions than answers.
• On the Trail of Warren Bessart
  • With Faraz Najir’s leads—and Mahmud’s sleuthing—the group set out to find Warren Bessart along the Street of Scorpions in Cairo.
  • Following winding directions past small clothing shops and local stalls, they ended in front of a bright red door. If their intel is correct, this is where Bessart can be found.
  • The session ended right as they stepped inside. What revelations, or perils, await behind that red door remain to be seen…

Standout Moments

• Virginia – Named by Nuri as “the one,” given a mysterious fragment that might hold great significance.
• Alejandro – Ever the Wild Card jokes about boxing a walking mummy and has a knack for making social situations…unpredictable.
• Bessie – Her medical background provided insight into unusual scars and relics—though her bedside manner can be a tad intense.
• Omar & Ezekiel – Quietly collecting every clue, steering the group, and handling the stealthier aspects of tailing or avoiding local cult watchers.

The Brotherhood’s influence grows more ominous daily, and the name “Necrotis” now hangs over the party like a dark cloud. Could these newly revealed relics be the key to returning an ancient power from the grave—or the only hope of stopping it?

Stay tuned for the next session to see what lies behind the red door of the Street of Scorpions and whether Warren Bessart can illuminate more of the Carlisle Expedition’s dark history before the Brotherhood tightens its grip on the group!

If you want to get Masks of Nyarlathotep, please click the links below. It helps the channel out if you buy from these links!

Investigators Handbook: https://amzn.to/4fHaRdi

Keeper Rulebook: https://amzn.to/4dilnpG

I use Fantasy Grounds for the automation and Virtual Table Top; please check them out here: http://affiliates.fantasygrounds.com/361781/15958