"The clock will strike, the devil will come."

--Doctor Faustus, Christopher Marlowe

This is a time travel adventure for 1-6 characters of normal power, but it is not intended for a campaign with a heavy time travel theme. Rather, it works best with a campaign based around paranormal phenomena, or an established campaign where the GM wants to change the game's focus significantly. GMs can allow magic, psionic, or other powers if they wish, but these will upset game balance in the PC's favor. The adventure can be easily adapted to most any system. [in fact it must be adapted as no system is provided here.]

In this adventure an occult novice is trying to unlock dark magicks by sacrificing a key NPC. It is the PC's job to see that this doesn't happen. This adventure takes place on Halloween, and is an excellent compliment to three part saga, "Day of the Dead... Rising" printed later in this issue. It has nothing to do with that adventure, but it's the thought that counts.

The Summons

The PCs receive a call from Professor Alistair Clement, curator of the Historical Society in White Pine Bay, Maine. He has a discovery that he urgently wishes to share. He may call the party because he's an academic contact, someone the party once rescued, or simply knows the PCs by reputation as adventurers or investigators. Clement's job doesn't pay much, so he can't afford financial incentives. He does assure the group it is a singular find, however, and he needs colleagues he can trust.

White Pine Bay

White Pine Bay is a small town on the northern end of Maine's Atlantic coast. It became a town proper around 1797, supporting itself with shipping and fishing. Through solidarity, the town has resisted many corporate and government efforts to exploit the area. It enjoys heavy tourism and many modern conveniences, but life goes on much as it ever did, and White Pine Bay retains its charm and appeal.

The town's population is approximately 4,500 people, with most people living in the hills surrounding the town. Downtown is active but friendly. Points of interest include Town Hall, White Pine Church, the docks, the quarry, the old Grummin Lighthouse, an observation point that juts into the bay, and Busby House, the only inn located in the middle of downtown. Art, craft and antique shops abound, as do restaurants and taverns.

And if that's not enough atmosphere, a storm is rolling in off the ocean as the PCs arrive in town.

The Historical Society's Anachronism

Once in town the party can go see Clement at the Historical Society. The Society maintains a small museum dedicated to Northeastern maritime history in general and White Pine Bay's history in particular. Located in a storehouse that dates back more than 120 years, it sits on a smooth, steep hill overlooking the town. It is two stories tall and has a full basement. Rooms are filled with files, old newspapers, antique weaponry and dress, sailing equipment, maps, and displays.

Professor Clement shows the party into his cramped offic on the second floor. It is littered with stacks of paper and antique knickknacks. A gaping hole stares out of the wall and an unhung picture lies on the desk next to a hammer. He gently picks up a bundle of journals held together by a worn leather strap and tells the party that he found them sealed in the wall when his hammer broke the wood. Alistair summarizes their rather unique contents; they were written in 1870 by a man who clearly had knowledge of the 20th century.

The journals contain details of life in the late 19th century as seen through the eyes of a modern man named Auburn Smith. Covering about six months' time, Smith's journals use modern slang and make comparisons to the history and technology of the 1990s. The accounts stop in late October, apparently because the there were no more pages in the book; it last pages filled. The professor indicates that the diaries were set in the building's framework, which is more than a century old. If these accounts are a joke, it is an extremely elaborate one.

In the journal, Smith recounts how he discovered a mysterious artifact that sent him back in time, though he gives no further details about it (see The Clock, below). He writes that he used his future knowledge to invest in local businesses, and this has afforded him a modest income to live off while trying to find a way home.

If anyone reads the back issues of the Bay Manifest, the town's oldest newspaper, they can find a report of Smith's death. According to Chief Constable Kelley Cabot, his body was found floating in a pool of water at the bottom of the quarry in mid-November, a victim of person or persons unknown. He had been severely beaten and his heart had been cut out. The mystery went unsolved and the paper's coverage ends quickly. Between Smith's last journal entry and the discovery of his body, there is a gap of exactly three weeks.

If the group checks into the storehouse's history they will find Smith owned the building during his stay. When he died the building reverted to the town. However, no one wanted anything to do with the place, so it remained in receivership until the early 20th century. It was used for town records until the advent of computers cleared enough space for the Historical Society's collection.

A History Lesson

Auburn Smith grew up in White Pine Bay, though there's not much recent information about him. After college he took to traveling New England in search of business, stopping only occasionally to see family just outside of town, so he doesn't keep a permanent residence. [if Clement weren't such a cloistered bookworm, he might recognize the name.]

On a recent trip back, Smith bought the estate of the late Lucius Townsend, owner of a small shipping line. He was cataloging items one stormy night and found the clock in Townsend's attic. Wind blew the attic doors open, and a flash of lightning nearly caused Smith to drop the mechanism over the small balcony. He and the clock slid down the roof...

... and fell onto the Townsend Lawn in 1870. There was still a storm, but the surroundings were strangely changed, so he stumbled to the church for shelter. He'd hoped to avoid notice, but Chief Constable Kelley Cabot saw his miraculous appearance - it was a revelation for him, but Cabot is an actor, a liar, and a student of the occult, he's no police officer. Chief constable is just another role - one he's grown very weary of. When he saw Smith fall from a hole of light, it was an answer to his dark prayer. Cabot became unbalanced through years of drug abuse and is convinced that he wields magicks in service to evil gods. While his powers are quite fictitious, the constable's sadism and hunger for real power are fact. Cabot believes that Smith is the key to his own advancement in the spiritual hierarchy.

The Trip Back

When the GM feels he has doled out enough teasers about the past, the storm intensifies, lightning flashes outside, and a dead oak tree crashes through the office wall. A shiny metal clock with an antique face and an open panel of digital counters gets dislodged and skitters across the floor to hit the desk. It glows slightly.

The GM can describe the time trip in as much detail as he likes. Give the PCs a couple of rounds to stumble about, energy flaring past, people and things disappearing at random. When the trip ends, a whistling wind will die away and it will be cold and dark. The party has traveled in time, but not space. They're still in the storehouse, but it's 1870 and there's no heat or light (though there is a stove, if they can find it).

Without light they'll have to stumble around looking for candles or lamps. The building remains much the same, but now contains crates, nets, rigging and other paraphernalia reminiscent of a fishing town. The group will find that some of the Historical Society's collection has come back too, and now sits where some stores once lay.

The GM may decide some of the party's modern equipment fails to make the trip, just to add a little challenge (then again, the idea of tooling around town on a motorcycle in 1870 has its own peculiar appeal). But the Society's collection (documents, currency, clothes) can prove invaluable. Some GMs may wish to force the PCs back in time before they can plan, thus leaving them without modern conveniences. GMs should remember the PCs don't yet necessarily know they've traveled in time; let them play it out.

All This Way and For What?

Once the PCs get a grip, they'll probably want to go home. Even though the clock's controls are pretty intuitive, it won't activate. The GM may allow some dice rolls to realize the clock isn't glowing any more. This is going to make things difficult.

While the PCs are examining the clock, Chief Constable Kelley Cabot and a few men come up to the storehouse to investigate the strange lights. If the party sees them approach, they can run out the back door past the baby oak tree. The party can also try the stealthy approach and hide while Cabot and his men search.

If they escape detection, Cabot may casually remark about his (Occult) plans. If they're found, he'll arrest them for trespassing. Ironically, Cabot will then summon his good friend Auburn Smith to see if he can identify the culprits. Smith will be happy to vouch for the party if they appear to be from the future.

If the PCs hurry from the scene, they can return to the storehouse when the police have gone or they can venture into town to get their bearings. A newspaper can establish the date - it's Friday, October 28th, 1870, four days after Smith's last journal entry (actually the PCs arrived a little after midnight). Smith is easy to find. The party can J . ust ask around, and they'll be directed to a small bungalow at the edge of town where "the eccentric new stranger" lives. Of course, the party will be more than obvious as strangers, and when Cabot hears of their arrival and he will come to introduce himself.

Guests of Honor

Cabot is no more a sorcerer than he is a police office . Nevertheless, his plan is simple - childishly so. Since Auburn Smith has the ability to appear from thin air, he is clearly the most powerful sacrifice the faux officer can offer to his dark master. His sacrifice is going to happen at midnight on Halloween.

The sensational view Cabot takes of the occult isn't going to produce any supernatural results, of course, but, that's cold comfort to Smith. If the PCs establish themselves as friends of Auburn Smith, Cabot will introduce himself and treat them well. However, he has no real use for the party. If they PCs appear to ally themselves with Auburn Smith, Cabot will cut them all down to get what he wants.

Plans for the Future

The party's objectives should be obvious: figure out how the clock works and go home (preferably taking Smith with them). When they've felt the wormhole sweep by once, they'll probably trip to the fact that the clock has to be activated at a particular time and place. Smith can warn them that the phenomenon will occur only three times, then stop. [When he first came here, Smith was too confused to pick up on the pattern soon enough, but with the arrival of the party they have another chance.]

The trick is getting everyone together when it's time to go, and Cabot isn't going to make that easy. Smith is very trusting, so Cabot only needs to lure him away from the adventurers. He'll he an almost constant presence while they're in the past. Although the party may not want Cabot around, Smith considers him a friend and won't be convinced of ill words spoken of him.

Three Days and Nights

Cabot wants to measure the party's strength and assess what threat they pose to his plans. During the next three days, he'll try to get in befriend them (as he did Smith). He'll offer to show them around town, invite them to meet some of the town council over dinner at the boarding house, and take them hunting in the hills nearby. He'll be careful at first, sizing them up and looking for weaknesses. Then he'll try to arrange stumbling blocks for them. When he isn't giving them a subtle grilling about their backgrounds, he'll be trying to bait them into doing something dangerous or going somewhere isolated.

Smith doesn't see Cabot for what he is, but the PCs shouldn't be fooled. They may not realize the town's chief constable will be responsible for Smith's murder, but it's clear he isn't stable. If they ditch the constable, Cabot will still pry into their activities. He'll question any townsfolk the party comes in contact with; they'll gladly tell him anything the group said or did. The lawman will also visit the storehouse taking a closer look. 'The equipment that the PCs traveled back with is hard to hide. All it takes is for Kelley Cabot to see Smith's journals or a newspaper with a date from only days into the future...

Tricks up His Sleeve

Smith is too important to kill until the appointed time. However, no one will miss the PCs if they meet with untimely ends, especially when the chief constable produces "proof" that they were involved in one shady dealing or another. The party will soon find themselves the victims of various schemes by Cabot and those townfolk loyal to him (whether they know about his schemes or not).

An accident won't arouse good buddy Smith's suspicion, so Cabot will try that first. Characters may be run down by horses, or carriages or they could fall into a well. At the docks the PCs could drown, have a crate dropped on them, or be choked by a taut rope.

Cabot will then use his authority. The party could be arrested for possession of "stolen" goods or livestock, and in extreme cases group members may be framed for murdering a blackmail victim who have decided to stop playing ball with Cabot.

If a party member's arrest can't be made to appear legitimate, they will be kidnapped and held prisoner, probably aboard a ship. The constable will have to bribe the crew since he and his usual gang of thugs don't own a ship. At the GM's discretion the PC may be kept in port, taken out to sea with the crew, or killed as the night of the ceremony draws near.

The closer All Hallow's Eve gets, the more brazen Cabot's efforts will become. He's convinced he will be too powerful for any Earthly force to resist after the ceremony, so he'll eventually dispense with subtlety and just try to kill the time travelers.

Getting the PCs into Trouble...

If they're smart, the PCs will stay together; this is no time for sightseeing, and there's a murderer on the loose. If the PCs aren't getting themselves into enough trouble for the GM's taste, Kelley Cabot can help. The constable will try to keep the party off-balance using divide and conquer tactics. Anything more direct and he risks alienating Auburn Smith; anything stronger and the targets wilt likely flee, taking Smith with them.

The easiest way to separate the party members is to play on their sympathies. Cabot may create diversions in two places at once, say Smith's bungalow and his storehouse, forcing the adventurers to split up and deal with the trouble. Ruffians may kidnap someone lagging behind on the docks and hide them in a barrel or crate; then the chief constable can send one of his agents to the remainder of the party and feed them false information about the hostage's whereabouts. If the party has not yet begun to suspect Cabot, they may even seek the assistance of the police in retrieving their friend.. *

Cabot's men can do a lot to vex the group. A "dip" could pick the pocket of a White Pine citizen, then plant the goods on a time traveler. Faced with evidence of theft, Smith may question who his friends are, and Cabot will delight in any opportunity to make the PCs look bad. A fire may break out at a farm, and when the heroes turn out to help douse the flames, the officer can frame them for arson. With a few PCs in jail, the constable can only hope the rest of the group tries to break their friends out.

Until convinced of his host's devious nature, Auburn Smith will continue to accept Cabot's social invitations, as he always has; this could separate him from the party or force some members to accompany him to dinner in the lion's den.

... and Getting Them Out Again

Once Cabot has the PCs on the defensive, it may be hard for them to make a comeback: the group has few friends here, and the townsfolk will follow the chief constable's lead. But the party isn't completely bereft of options if the GM needs to cut the party a break or even the odds.

The party has a technological advantage even if much of their equipment doesn't travel back with them. For example, anyone with lockpicking skill may find 19th century locks easy enough to open, and even one automatic weapon can have a devastating effect in this era. Knowledge of the sciences (and a little creative application) can give them a real hand up. Worst case scenario, the group can take Smith and retreat into the hills to hide. Their weapons may dissuade pursuers until the clock works again, but then again the citizens of White Pine know the countryside better, and roleplaying a standoff lacks tension. Furthermore, if they wander too far afield they might not be in range for the clock to work.

Many citizens believe Cabot's heavy-handed methods are less threatening than rampant crime, but some respect him only out of fear. A precious few may be convinced to look the other way rather than help the PCs. But, if it means getting out from under the constable's thumb, they might actively help. The townsfolk also lack discretion - gossip about the party will help Cabot, but a mouthy or drunken resident may spill some helpful clues to the adventurers as well.

The storehouse newspapers can give the heroes some foreknowledge about events. A seemingly small or insignificant item (such as stolen livestock) could work to the party's advantage - maybe it's Cabot's turn to be framed for petty crimes. It won't get him thrown in jail, but his star will begin to fall. Depending on how fast and loose the GM moderates time travel, the headlines and stories may actually change to reflect events. GMs should use caution though; this is a powerful yardstick by which the PCs gauge their success.

The one place Cabot won't be during this time is his own home; he uses the whole top floor of Mrs. Busby's boarding house, but he's too busy preparing (and trying to hunt the PCs down) to be there much. If the PCs break into his apartments and search, they'll find drugs, occult paraphernalia, and books with extensive scribblings in the margins.

All are in Cabot's hand, though some are harder to read than others because they were done in the throes of drug use. Should these items come to light, the town may turn against their chief constable - the heavy Christian influence won't take kindly to supernatural practitioners. The adventurers may just want someplace to hide, and this will be a good spot. However, Mrs. Busby, a supporter of Cabot's, will eventually come to clean the rooms, and she'll turn the party in. Breaking in would be easier if the PCs were staying at Busby House.

Cabot becomes more dangerous as the big night approaches, but also more careless. Remember, he's a paranoid schizophrenic with a habit; clever investigators can play on his fear, fanaticism, and separation from reality and eventually he'll lose control. It's debatable whether this is good for the PCs, but it does afford opportunities.

Note also that the town is a center for travel and trade. Not every soul is a citizen under Cabot's influence, and the roads surrounding White Pine will produce travelers who don't mind lending the PCs a hand. A few may even be hungry for company on their trips.

The Ceremony

When midnight of the 31st rolls around, Kelley Cabot will gather his "inner circle," those agents whom he trusts the most (coincidently there is one for every time traveler). They will follow Auburn Smith around all day, waiting for an opportunity to abduct him and do away with any remaining party members.

The cult will take the hapless businessman to a cave along the shore where a large rock serves as an altar. A pentagram has been painted on the rock in animal blood, and steel rings have been pounded into the stone's base so that Smith may be tied to it. Then at the stroke of midnight, Cabot will plunge a dagger into the man's chest and cut out his heart.

The GM should feel free to improvise the dark rites. Cabot's knowledge of the occult is laughable even if his performance isn't. It's really no more than a home-brewed mishmash of popular culture, dime novels, and a few real traditions thrown in.

Other than killing Smith, the ceremony won't produce any concrete results. The infuriated Cabot will beat the corpse in frustration, take it to the quarry, and sink it into the standing water. He then tells the cultists to go about their business and spends the next several days pretending to investigate the crime. If they're still alive, the PCs will make great patsies for the murder.

A couple of months after the murder, fearing that one of his servants will betray him, Cabot will steal away in the night and disappear.

Variables and Further Adventures

The professor may not make the trip, but what if he has an assistant at the Society who does? Upon arriving in the past, he panics, grabs the clock and ditches the team to try to make it on his own.

If the party gets stuck in the past, they have to decide what to do next. Is there another way to recharge the clock? Do they try to make a living here as Smith did? There are probably more mysteries to keep them busy, some unnatural, some historical.

Did the Townsend family have the clock in this time period? If so, it may provide a second chance. If not, perhaps the party can track it down. A big job, but they've got time

If Cabot checks out the storehouse again, he may come to realize how far out of his depth he really is and how powerful the party's device is. How might he use the historical records to his advantage? Can he accept the reality of time travel, And if he gets his hands on the clock, that's real trouble.

If the group makes it back, they can experiment with the clock. Suppose they can get it to work reliably; do they take off for other time periods? Or do they leave well enough alone? The next time a mission goes terribly wrong there's going to be an overwhelming temptation to use the clock to secure more favorable results.

The Clock

The clock is an artifact of unknown origin, though clearly the creators designed it with Earth in mind. 30 cm by 10 cm on its base and about 20 cm tall at the middle, it has a fancy clock face with Roman numerals and stylized hands at the top. The hands change to show the time of day in the area traveled to.

The bottom has digital displays showing the time and date of origin and the destination. The case is shiny stainless steel, unmarred by the years. Small buttons change the displays and the large center button activates the time warp. The clock is seamless; the catch that opens the control panel (and the panel itself, when closed) are not visible to the naked eye. Damaging the device seems nigh impossible.

The clock creates a wormhole connecting the time of origin to the destination. The hole is like a stationary satellite around Earth (though it remains at whatever altitude it was created), accessible every 24 hours when the planet rotates back into alignment. When the anomaly comes around, the clock glows, the large button tights up, and the hands turn visibly. There are also other effects such as changes in weather (especially a strong wind and sometimes lightning), electromagnetic fluctuations, and panicked animals. These effects are strongest at the location where the warp occurred, though the clock will work within a mile of that point.

If the device is activated when the wormhole passes by, the user returns to the point of origin. Time passes at an equal rate at either end of the wormhole: if a traveler spends 24 hours in the past, he'll return 24 hours after he left. The wormhole collapses after 72 hours, which means there are three windows of opportunity to return home.

Failure to use these windows means the device won't work until it recharges. The device is supposed to make use of the energy from the hole in the continuum, so without the wormhole recharge time is a little longer - about 50 years longer.

The warp effects can be unpredictable. Some materials, items and people (including the person activating it) may make the trip while others are left behind. The Townsend house, should the party pass it, will have a few "old" boards and shingles from Smith's trip back.

"That time may cease, and midnight never come."

-- Doctor Faustus, Christopher Marlowe

Time Travel

Auburn Smith has been careful to blend into history as best he can in an effort to preserve the world he knew. He'll question the party about "their" history to see if any major changes have occurred, and if they oblige, it seems no damage has been done. If the travelers find Smith, figure out the clock, and all return home, history will remain much as it ever was. Of course, White Pine Bay isn't too critical in the overall scheme of events, so it's easy to keep history on an even keel.

The GM is the ultimate authority on what effect time travel wilt have on history, but for playability it is suggested the answer be "not too much." The timeline presented here is fairly resilient, and only major foul-ups (like killing a lot of NPCs or setting fire to much of the town) should alter things noticeably. Changes will simply be drowned out by the "background noise" of history.

If the GM plans to somehow take the clock away from the PCs at adventure's end, their travels won't have changed the game much once they're home - though the GM can have fun allowing little changes to show up in subtle ways ("When did they name a street after me?").

If the PCs get to keep the artifact, its presence will alter the campaign significantly and the GM will be stuck playing by the same guidelines he established during this adventure. The easier it is to change history this time, the more problems the GM will have to handle later in the campaign. Again, a tough timeline is the most playable.

Should the party end up stranded in the past, any changes they make may well add up to a different future, especially if they venture out of White Pine and interact with the world at large. Then the GM will have to decide: will the adventurers find history playing out differently, or are changes to the timeline difficult to make? The second option may lack realism in this case.

The Characters