Session 25 – Terrifying Secrets Exposed Inside Ho Fang’s Forbidden Fortress

In Session 25 of our Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign, the investigators regroup after the brutal firefight at Ho Fang’s warehouse and begin piecing together the mysteries left behind. With Percy badly wounded, the team balances recovery with reconnaissance, uncovering strange artifacts, rocket parts, and troubling movements of the Dark Mistress along the river. As they probe deeper into Ho Fang’s world, they risk exposure, temptation, and dangerous entanglements with cult secrets hidden in Shanghai’s shadows.

Key Characters Introduced

• The Suspicious Foreigner: A non-Chinese man frequently seen entering and leaving Ho Fang’s house, standing out from the locals and drawing the investigators’ suspicion.

Key Events

1. Warehouse Escape: The team flees Ho Fang’s warehouse as police sirens approach, managing to load only one large crate and some expensive antiques before slipping away unseen.
2. Rocket Revelation: At the hotel, they examine the crate and determine it contains part of a massive rocket engine, far beyond anything known in the 1920s.
3. Percy’s Struggle: Percy grows dangerously ill from his wounds, forcing Bessie to secure antibiotics and the party to slow down for his recovery.
4. Tightened Security: Reconnaissance reveals the warehouse now crawling with guards and police, making another break-in nearly impossible.
5. Bronze Bowl: A strange artifact with handles resembling creatures from New York and Egypt sparks sanity-draining flashbacks.
6. Dark Mistress Sighting: The cult ship reappears on the Wangpoo River, confirming its ongoing operations in Shanghai.
7. Rumors at the Bar: Fergus shares whispers of insurance adjusters and stolen treasures, hinting at how deeply the warehouse heist shook Hofang.
8. Crucial Documents: Omar’s developed photos reveal addresses in Kenya, Australia, and London, along with Ho Fang’s personal residence.
9. House Surveillance: While watching Ho Fang’s home, the group notices a foreigner visiting regularly and learns that Monday nights are the least guarded.
10. Operation Honeypot: On June 8, Bessie charms the gate guard, securing entry into Hofang’s house while the others prepare alternative plans.
11. Inside the Walls: Bessie explores a pitch-black kitchen with only a match for light.
12. Failed Infiltration: Clumsy wall climbs injure party members as the break-in stalls, and Virginia’s botched charm attempt both leave the session on a cliffhanger mid-heist.

Standout Moments

• Omar: Tried to sell his bloated woman statue at a pawn shop, nearly undercutting the group’s efforts before backing down.
• Virginia: Attempted to charm her way into Ho Fang’s house but failed, forcing her to rethink her approach.
• Ezekiel: Attempted to climb the spiked wall at Ho Fang’s compound, only to fall and injure himself, highlighting the risks of infiltration.
• Emerson: Studied the mysterious bronze bowl, only to suffer sanity loss from vivid flashbacks of past creature encounters.
• Bessie: Successfully charmed the front guard at Ho Fang’s heavily guarded house, gaining entry while the rest of the party scrambled outside.
• Percy: Struggled through a serious fever and infection from his gunshot wound, eventually stabilizing with Bessie’s care, marking his survival as the session’s most critical turning point.

Session 25 closed on a razor’s edge. With Percy barely on the mend, the group pressed forward into Shanghai’s shadows, uncovering rocket parts, unsettling artifacts, and dangerous whispers that tied Ho Fang more tightly to the cult’s schemes. The sighting of the Dark Mistress and the rumors swirling around the warehouse only confirmed their fears that something far larger was in motion.

Now, as Bessie gains a precarious foothold inside Ho Fang’s fortified home while the others risk injury and exposure outside the walls, the stakes have never felt higher. The investigators stand divided at the threshold of danger, each choice threatening to tip them deeper into chaos. Their next move could reveal the cult’s darkest secrets—or cost them everything.

Will the investigators uncover what lies hidden within Ho Fang’s house, or will Shanghai’s shadows consume them first?

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

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