The evils of television come to Unity.
guest starring Jim Broadbent as MrFlanagan
Cambridge Date |
20th/27th Apr 2011 |
Unity Date |
20th - 23rd Apr 1931 |
Participants |
Steve McIntyre(GM), CatherinePitt (RebeccaSwarovski), Neil McGovern(FillypSidorov), VivekDasmohapatra(BenitoTorelli), Simon McVittie(Stanley McCormick), HelenArmes(AmbroseThatcher) |
Monday, 20th April 1931
Television has come to Unity. Shop in town (The New Image) has a few units for sale at their grand opening, and they are inviting people to come and see. The picture is wonderful, and the show is the talk of the town. Lots of people turn up, and the shop are advertising demonstrations on Tuesday night in advance of their big launch on Thursday. TheCharacters resolve to take a look.
Tuesday, 21st April 1931
The TVs are expensive, but nonetheless they're getting a lot of interest from the townsfolk and a huge crowd has turned up for the demo. The man running the shop and the company making broadcasts (Simon Jones) claims to be a Unity native done good; he's returned to his birthplace to offer a good deal to people. As expensive as they are, the TVs are a tenth of the cost of what's on offer in New York.
Several of the richer people in town have already bought them. Demonstrations are showing live sport and live news broadcasts, wow! The dramas are even better - incredibly realistic and lifelike. The pictures are vivid and bright, and the colour is great.
(Yes, colour...! People probably don't realise there's a problem, as nobody knows any better.)
Jones convinces up many of the well-to-do; even Rebecca signs up. Due to the interest of the PCs, Jones arranges for a demonstration at 122 for Wednesday night.
Wednesday, 22nd April 1931
On Wednesday evening, a van from the shop turns up with a couple of handymen and one of the handsome young salesmen from the shop. The van includes a large antenna and a long reel of cable which is unwound into the tea room for the demonstration. All of TheCharacters watch, along with the Flanagans. Again, the picture is awesome and people are astounded by the quality.
Later that night, the characters all have horrific nightmares and sleep very badly as a result. The dreams are all very bright and detailed, almost as though they're being displayed on the new-fangled television.
- Rebecca: A large (pine-smelling) monster appears and attacks her; it steals her eyes, leaving her blind.
- Benny: Fails to save Lisa from a tragic death by fire, and has to deal with the consequences of Tony's wrath.
- Ambrose: An angry mob takes to the streets and heads to the UL, demanding that the books are evil and should be burnt. Ambrose is trapped inside the building as it's set alight.
- Stanley: Thugs come and attack him and his wife Marjorie in their own home. He's knocked out, trussed up and unable to help while they torture her and set fire to the house with him still in it.
- Fillyp: He's back in the Navy, on the ship he used to serve on. He knows from the date that the Germans are coming to sink the boat, but is sent below-decks to work. He is trapped when an attack happens and the ship starts to sink; he drowns.
Thursday, 23rd April 1931
Next morning, the Flanagans and the PCs are all utterly worn out and unable to focus on anything due to their nightmares and lost sleep. They head out to the radio station, find the TV studio and cameras but nothing stands out as wrong. Stanley looks up Jones in the register office at the town hall. Jones was born in Unity in 1889, but also died in 1893. Suspicious!
TheCharacters head to the shop again that night to find a massive crowd. Jones comes out and shows the TV. Amazing show, people are glued to it, transfixed, even Henry! Fillyp and Benny head up to the roof to try and disrupt the signal, but comedy ensues as they struggle to climb up. Benny is electrocuted when he tries to cut the aeriel lead. They break in from the roof and head downstairs.
Stanley and Rebecca head in to the shop via a back window, but make a lot of noise and are confronted by some goons. A fight ensues and a gun jams and explodes. This attracts the attention of Jones, who heads inside to sort things out (with Ambrose chasing). Jones is clearly doing something very evil, and starts bragging about how powerful he will be when his Master hows up. He's already clearly very powerful, with supernatural powers - he exerts mind control to get Benny to drop his gun.
Fillyp tries to shoot Jones, but does no damage - the bullets simply fall out of the air. Evil cackle. Jones makes all the PCs drop weapons. Fillyp distracts him, allowing Ambrose to attack the TV inside the shop and the others to escape. Jones exposition to Fillyp: the workers/worshippers in the TV store are holding rituals at night, calling their dark lord to come and take the town. They're giving him more power, and that's how the dreams are growing more intense.
The other PCs wake up people outside and move them with the help of ambulances. Benny and Stanley head to the airport for death from above. Other PCs get to see a demon coming out of the house, major smell of sulphur etc. Lit barrel of fuel hits, building burns down. No sign of Jones or the demon - are they dead? PCs spread a story of a noxious gas leak causing hallucinations, and also the explosion.
Rebecca develops some of her photos later, and can see that the demon is visible in the shots of the TV pictures...