June 7th, 1900: Classes have concluded for the day. The world outside your window is dreary and wet. You have secluded yourself in your office, staring at the huge stack of ungraded essays on your desk. The pile before you promises a long night of grading. What do you do?

I spend the next few hours grading. Reading through the mediocre B.S. that my students wrote. I know they think Im a crazed bat, but Im waiting for the day when one of them, just one of them understands and acknowledges my beliefs. Then they will see the dangers we are all in. After five hours of these thoughts, I grab my cane and walk down to the pub for supper and a drink.

The bell over the door jingles as you walk into the pub. A couple of gruff looking customers are slumped over in their stools, drinking one stiff shot after another. A group of scottish Gypsies sit huddled around a table, talking animatedly among themselves. In the corner, a lone man sits smoking a cigar, going through a handful of papers. The barkeep turns to you as you walk in. "Oy, Sivana! The usual?" What do you do? (And what is the usual?)

The usual is earl grey tea and several buttered biscuits. I take them and gravitate toward the lone man at the table. I then ask him if he would enjoy a spot of company. Ive never seen him before, but he looks like the type that would be interested in my theories.

The man looks up from his papers. A single tear rolls down his shaven face, and drips onto the photograph in his hand. Something about him seems familiar, you swear you've seen it somewhere before. "Hello good sir. Normally I wouldn't turn down an offer of educated company, but tonight I'm rather preoccupied... You see, I've recently lost someone very dear to me." He looks down as he says this, shuffling through his papers once more. [perception success] Under his voice you hear him mutter "I WILL find you, Watson..."

"Waston, John Watson...the good doctor??" I inquire. "What has happened to him??

"You know of Dr. Watson? He has vanished, kidnapped I presume. When he failed to show up at my office yesterday, I went to his apartment... This is what I found." He hands you two items. The first is a photograph of a well-appointed apartment. On the carpet is a large dark stain, which you assume to be blood. The second item is a scrap of parchment, with a strange symbol inscribed upon it in what appears to be blood. [make an Occultim roll. 3d6, put your result in a box like this. Also, see below.]

[12]

[Occultism Success] Based on your past experience with cult symbology, you deduce that this is an occult symbol for Mars.

"Good sir, where did you happen across this symbol?" I ask slightly alarmed.