Galápagos Islands: Return to the Quiddity

24) Return to the Quiddity
Albemarle Island, July 1-2, 1845

Keeper Note: This encounter was written for “White Leviathan,” a Call of Cthulhu campaign set on a Kingsport whaling ship from 1844-1846.

A) Concluding Affairs
Once the Lowell Expedition has returned to Lowell’s cave, they should conclude their affairs and return to the Quiddity. Providing the Calibans have been defeated, the player characters are welcome to whatever spoils they desire. Of course, firearms must still be stored in the Captain’s cabin; even if Pynchon has bonded with any of the player characters during this experience, he’s not going to let anyone carry arms onboard the Quiddity! Before departing the cave, the Quids must deal with any surviving Calibans: should they be granted their freedom, delivered to Asilo de la Paz, enrolled as fellow crew members, or dispatched with a musket ball to the brain? And what about Rafael Castro? What’s to be done with him—surely the sailors would revolt if that lunatic was invited onboard! And Salvator R. Tarnmoor, is he in the mix?

Keeper Note: Whenever it promotes good roleplaying, player characters should make decisions regarding the surviving Calibans and castaways. Having said this, the Keeper may employ Pynchon to keep the game on track. For instance, if the Quiddity has lost some crewmen, he’s fine with enrolling Turrick, Peach, and Tarnmoor, but the other NPCs are too unstable to be trusted. Pynchon might permit Inez Apaza to serve as Rachel’s wetnurse—see Inez’s NPC profile for details on this scenario—but he would never allow Mary Roberts to remain onboard indefinitely. And Castro? Pynchon will shoot the Spaniard himself before he allows that wretched creature to threaten the voyage! Of course, the Keeper is free to remove these decisions from the characters through convenient turns of the narrative; maybe Castro was killed in battle, or simply runs away after Thal’n’lai? Perhaps he vanishes mysteriously, only to make an unexpected return at Abaddon?

B) Back to the Quiddity
The Keeper is encouraged to simply narrate the trip back to the Quiddity, allowing the characters to reflect on recent events and discuss matters amongst themselves. This isn’t the time for Hazard Rolls, freak thunderstorms, or celebrity tortoises. There’s a lot to unpack, and forcing the players to spend a day navigating terrain and dealing with random encounters is too much—just let them get back to the Quiddity in peace, with the only tensions emerging from their own interactions. (To wit: no one really enjoys “The Scouring of the Shire!”)

White Leviathan, Chapter 4—Galápagos Islands
[Back to Encounter 23, Turning the Tables | White Leviathan TOC | Forward to Encounter 25, Departing the Enchanted Isles]

Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 27 December 2023
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: Galápagos Islands:

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