Kingsport 1844: Valentine & Howell Gun Shop

38) Valentine & Howell Gun Shop
2½ Miles Towards Arkham. Est. 1832

Keeper’s Note: This gun shop is a location in “Kingsport 1844,” and was written for the White Leviathan campaign. However, it may be adapted for any nineteenth-century Call of Cthulhu scenario. It contains minor spoilers for anyone intending to play White Leviathan as a character.

A) Background
In 1831, Pluto Valentine and his partner Potiphar Howell purchased a mill along the Miskatonic River and converted it into a gun shop. Previously used to grind sawblades, the mill was situated near a small dam, and provides the armorers with enough water power to operate a trip hammer. Known for their expensive and beautiful Kentucky rifles, Valentine and Howell are considered the finest gunsmiths in the Miskatonic Valley. Although their shop is technically closer to Arkham than Kingsport, it’s the only location where characters may purchase or repair firearms.

Keeper Note: Sailors are not permitted to carry firearms onboard the Quiddity. Mr. Coffin would be expected to use the ship’s musket if needed, but Morgan, Dixon, Quakaloo, Beckett, and Redburn are forbidden to possess a firearm. Morgan and Dixon have the best chances of smuggling one onboard, as they are Quiddity veterans; however Mr. Whipple routinely searches the sailors’ sea-chests for contraband before sailing. This includes firearms, alcohol, and opium. Dr. Lowell may request a personal firearm during his meeting with Sleet, Baker & Blood; but approval requires a Persuade roll, and even then he must surrender it to Pynchon for lock-up. Being a stowaway, Rachel Ward may bring along a pistol, but she’d be wise to conceal it before making her presence known. Of course, there are ways around this restriction—hidden compartments, bribes to Whipple, sneaking onboard the Quiddity, etc. It’s recommended that the Keeper use discretion with player firearms, and not allow a lucky shot to kill Joab before reaching Abaddon!

B) Visiting the Gun Shop
It’s unlikely the player characters will visit Valentine & Howell; it requires an hour’s walk from Kingsport past the Old Powderhouse and Burnt Sawmill to the Arkham town limits. Nevertheless, it may provide a pleasant diversion, and renting a horse from a Kingsport livery cuts the time considerably. Gunpowder, ammunition, percussion caps, lead, and bullet molds may be acquired here for any firearm found in Chapter 1. Purchasing one of their Kentucky rifles costs $35-70, but a longarm is difficult to smuggle onboard the Quiddity. Old flintlock pistols may be purchased for $3-5, while caplock pistols sell for $7-10. They do not carry new-fangled Colt revolvers! Valentine and Howell are respectable businessmen with no ties to the Kingsport Cult, and reflexively dismiss any shady business.

White Leviathan > Chapter 1—Kingsport 1844
[Back to Encounter 37, The Burnt Sawmill | White Leviathan TOC | Forward to Encounter 39, The Old Gibbet/Fishermen’s Chapel]

Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 25 June 2023
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]

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