Los Padres Spur Incident - Sun, Nov 25, 2018

• The Handler recapped that MASTICATE was sitting in a Westlake Village Denny’s at 3:00 a.m., reviewing intel recovered from Anton Gulley’s basement before a fire forced them out.
• A handwritten journal recovered from the basement bore the name Franklin Dyer and a phrase translated from German: “The Worms from Beyond.”
• McCarter pulled up photos from the basement on his phone.
  • The waitress leaned over and saw an image of a dead woman strapped to a rack and commented, “That’s nasty,” without much shock.
  • McCarter bluffed that they were “makeup tests for a new television show,” which the waitress dismissed with the attitude that “Nothing in L.A. is real anyway.”
• The recovered photos showed:
  • Bodies in extra-large kennels.
  • An unidentified woman on a cruciform rack who “wasn’t part of the family.”
• Frank and Justin tried to get more clarity from the photos but the images were “too dark,” “too rushed,” and “too blurry.”
• Philomena examined the images longer and noticed important details:
  • A head restraint meant to keep the woman from moving, now loose.
  • Needle marks partially hidden by rot.
  • An Amazon messenger bag in the corner, which she concluded was connected to the scene.
• The group investigated the bag and identified Hannah Huffman, described as a part-time delivery driver who vanished the previous March.
  • There were “no suspects” and “no urgency” in her case.
  • Jay confirmed the kennel bodies had been dead close to a year, and Hannah had lasted months before her neck was broken—signs of someone experimenting.
• The Handler recapped that a call to John Marlin ended that long night with a demand:
  • “Bring us Anton Gulley, and we back off.”
• The Handler then added a detail he said he had left out of his write-up:
  • A time was set to return to Denny’s later in the morning.
  • On the drive to Thousand Oaks, a sheriff’s cruiser followed them closely; the group tested it and it stayed on them.
  • Booth tried calling Marlin but couldn’t get through.
  • A traffic stop came “fast and loud,” with deputies taking cover and barking orders through a speaker.
  • Philomena floored it instead of stopping; they lost the deputies “clean,” but the scanner confirmed they were now flagged as armed and dangerous suspects.
  • The team ditched the car, burned another identity, and went to the Denny’s anyway.
• At the Denny’s:
  • Marlin arrived with a crisp uniform and an easy smile.
  • He said a sergeant was missing and claimed Gulley was fine, back at the station.
  • McCarter noticed a scent on Marlin and had to physically stop himself from lunging across the table to strangle him.
  • When McCarter showed the basement torture photos, Marlin “finally believed, or at least acquiesced.”
  • Marlin said he couldn’t bring Gulley there, but he could get him moving and asked for 24 hours.
  • Marlin left $10 on the table and warned the earlier traffic stop was likely only the start:
    • Deputies were turning over every lead and following anonymous tips trying to find those responsible for Freddie Sutton’s disappearance.
  • MASTICATE waited, knowing every hour gave the wrong people time.

Present time / location

• The Handler set the current time as late morning on Tuesday, November 27.
• The team was still at the Westlake Village Denny’s, described as right near the northern edge of Los Angeles County, close to the county line.

Justin’s idea: surveillance / “wiretap” discussion

• Justin asked whether they could get some sort of phone tap on Marlin to verify whether he would actually deliver Gulley or warn him to disappear.

• The group discussed that:

  • Doing it “officially” would require law enforcement processes; the group preferred it “on the down low.”
  • The Handler noted that with modern (2018-era) cell phones, snooping without the right equipment is difficult compared to older, unencrypted systems.
  • The Handler said law enforcement typically goes through the phone company and needs an order.

• Justin confirmed his SIGINT skill was 40.

• They discussed the practical hurdles:

  • They would likely need to forge a court order and figure out which provider Marlin uses.
  • Creating a fake order might be better suited to other skills (the table mentioned possibilities like law/bureaucracy).

• The group noted Marlin’s 24-hour timeline and debated whether to trust him; skepticism remained, but they also recognized they’d made “solid” human checks suggesting Marlin had shifted after seeing the basement evidence.

Task planning for the day

• Philomena’s plan: focus on Franklin Dyer’s journal (“The Worms from Beyond”) to learn what it meant and how it might connect to what Gulley was doing.
• Frank Booth’s stated priority: he was “more interested in the journal” than tracking down Marlin and expressed the impression Marlin didn’t want trouble and wasn’t likely to cover for someone who could make him take the fall.
• Justin’s plan: attempt to fish members of the police force (starting with LinkedIn) to gain access to their accounts/systems, with the goal of getting close enough to Marlin’s information; he joked about “fishing the fish.”
• Matthew McCarter’s plan: he asked whether he could assist Philomena in research on the journal; the group agreed the two could sit together, take notes, and discuss.
• Matthew also wanted police radio on in the background while reading to see if police communications suggested they were being discussed.

Photocopy / dissemination discussion about the journal

• Philomena proposed going to a local copy shop to make copies so multiple people could review it.
• Frank Booth objected, stating they should not be photocopying the book.
• Philomena responded that she had already taken pictures of each page and (as stated in the conversation) uploaded them for later analysis, with jokes at the table about it being “on iCloud” and beyond Frank’s control.
• Frank replied that it would then be “completely in my control now.”

Philomena’s call regarding De Vermis Mysteries

• Philomena wanted to contact Miskatonic University to confirm whether Franklin Dyer actually had access to De Vermis Mysteries and whether Miskatonic had a copy.

• The Handler framed it as a short call to Miskatonic special collections:

  • They confirmed they had a copy of De Vermis Mysteries and that it was not loaned out, but could be viewed in special collections with the proper appointments/introductions.

• The group discussed whether special collections could scan a rare book safely; the Handler noted that in a world without suppression, it might just be online, but Delta Green–style suppression could keep it scarce.

• The Handler then stated that, in this setting, Miskatonic had a copy but that around 10 years ago it was stolen, and “the digital records were lost as well.”

Frank Booth contacts Antonia Pitzerelli

• Frank texted Antonia Pitzerelli with:

  • The name Franklin Dyer.
  • The name remembers being connected to the “worms” phrase and the book.
  • A request for any leads or information about either one.

• Pitzerelli replied: “Is it important?”

• Frank responded that they believed it was related and it might help determine whether what they were seeing was widespread or not.

• Pitzerelli said she would try to answer some questions and get information.

Reading Franklin Dyer’s journal: condition and structure

• The Handler described the journal physically:

  • A small leather-bound journal, old and worn, estimated around 20 years old, fitting the timeline the group associated with Dyer.

• The Handler said fully understanding it would take months of study, cross-referencing, and decoding:

  • Some text seemed coded.
  • Some content resembled medieval alchemy/chemistry requiring reference texts.
  • There were also many notes written in plain English revealing Dyer’s mental state and his goals.

Key revelations from Dyer’s journal

• Dyer appeared to have had a psychotic break in late 2013:

  • He began having dreams where he believed he was destined to become a “true magi” and speak to “alien gods.”
  • This period was when he tracked down the university’s copy of De Vermis Mysteries.

• The Handler described the journal content as including printed/pasted scans:

  • Dyer started printing and pasting scans from a German translation.
  • The Handler stated this suggested Miskatonic did not have an “original” at that point, but rather a translation (as presented in the journal materials).

• Each excerpt was surrounded by:

  • Handwritten marginalia.
  • Translation notes.
  • Ciphers.
  • Chemical formulas.

• Dyer became fixated on a numerological code he detected through portions of the text.

  • He believed it was a recipe for an alchemical formula mentioned only once: the Pledge Dram.

• Dyer decoded the formula:

  • From ciphers discovered on prime-numbered pages.
  • It took him years to perfect the concoction.

• The Pledge Dram was described as:

  • A poisonous concoction of heavy metals, herbs, and Dyer’s own ritually prepared bodily fluids.

• Dyer’s intended purpose:

  • The dram was supposed to turn a human into a doorway/vessel for one of the “worms from beyond.”
  • Dyer wanted to “commune” with such a worm, question it for secrets of the universe, and gather its wisdom.

• Dyer’s experimentation:

  • Once he believed the formula was ready, he began experimenting on human subjects by capturing and imprisoning them.
  • He wrote that upon dosing them, they would swiftly lose their minds and attempt self-destruction.
  • He kept them alive to see whether the effect would change over time.

• Dyer’s later frustration:

  • He repeatedly lamented that his formula was correct and could not understand why he could not bring one of the worms into the world to commune with it.

Occult rolls and the “factor of ten” translation error

• The Handler had Philomena and McCarter make Occult rolls:

  • Philomena succeeded.
  • McCarter failed.

• Philomena used tools like Google Translate to check portions of Dyer’s German:

  • She concluded Dyer’s German was not as strong as he believed.

• Philomena identified a critical error:

  • In Dyer’s dosage calculations, he mistranslated and was off by a factor of 10 on the “too much” side.
  • The dose outlined in the original text was a very small amount, “a drop or two.”
  • Dyer had been administering “a syringeful.”

• The group briefly discussed whether this meant they could dilute what he made:

  • The conclusion stated at the table was that the key change would be giving less, not necessarily diluting, and they expressed they did not want to try it.

SAN checks tied to the journal’s content

• The Handler called for SAN rolls for Philomena and McCarter while reading the journal’s depravity and metaphysical implications.
• Both Philomena and McCarter succeeded their SAN rolls.
• The Handler explained that treating it as an intellectual exercise and supporting each other allowed them to keep distance and avoid SAN loss in that moment.

Notable passage quoted from Dyer’s writing

• The Handler presented a “particularly telling passage” written in Dyer’s voice:

  • “The meat of man imagines itself a ghost haunting a house of bones…”
  • It described the soul as alchemy, reproducible and transferable; referenced ancient Persia and “true magi”; and framed the Pledge Dram as a means of attracting aeons to inhabit a human body, with a warning that the dram “owes no allegiance” and would rebuild flesh into a dwelling fit for gods.

Justin’s hacking attempt: LASD systems

• The Handler had Justin roll Computer Science.

  • Justin succeeded.

• Justin’s goals:

  • Gain access to LASD systems and specifically find information about Marlin’s relationship with Gulley (calendar, email, recent contact patterns).

• The Handler provided results from Justin’s access:

  • Justin learned that Gulley and Marlin served in the same tactical unit, meaning they likely saw each other in person frequently.

  • Shift patterns:

    • Gulley was scheduled to work nights pretty much the entire week.
    • Marlin tended to work day shifts.

  • Justin looked for anomalies (calling in sick, behavior changes) and found nothing obvious in personnel systems.

  • The Handler emphasized that there were many opportunities for Marlin and Gulley to exchange information and plan in ways that would not be traceable through these systems because they could simply meet in person.

Later that day: Marlin’s message and the first address

• The Handler advanced time to a little after 6:00 p.m.

• Frank kept the phone Marlin had given him accessible (out of the bag), anticipating contact.

• Frank received a text with an address in Boyle Heights (East L.A.).

  • When looked up, it was a liquor store: Ramirez Liquor Market.
  • A follow-up message indicated urgency: effectively “go there now.”

Approach to Ramirez Liquor Market

• The group drove to Boyle Heights and performed a cautious approach (“drive-by”).

• The Handler asked for alertness checks:

  • Frank failed (rolled very high).
  • Another roll was also a high failure.
  • McCarter succeeded with a low roll.

• Overall conclusion from the Handler:

  • No sheriff vehicles were visible nearby.
  • The area appeared normal, with cars in the lot and people going about their business.
  • No one seemed to be waiting or staking them out.

Inside Ramirez Liquor Market: the second phone

• The group went inside.

• The clerk was behind an enclosed/barricaded register area with what appeared to be bulletproof glass.

  • He made minimal eye contact, reached under the counter, and slid a paper envelope through the money exchange.

• Frank took the envelope:

  • Inside was another phone.

• When Frank turned it on:

  • It buzzed immediately with a text containing a second address.

Second address: Los Padres Aqueduct Access Spur

• The text directed them to a rural-route location north of Thousand Oaks:

  • Los Padres Aqueduct Access Spur, described as a site for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

• The message also included a meeting time:

  • 9:00 p.m.

• The group noted the timing pressure:

  • It was around 7:00–7:30 p.m. and they had time to make it, but not time to “mess around.”

Weapons and readiness before the meeting

• The group discussed limited armament:

  • Frank had a pistol.
  • Matthew did not initially have a gun on him, and Justin and Philomena did not have handguns.
  • Jay had a gun for Matthew and this became the moment to take it out of its locked box and hand it over.

• They noted heavier weapons (like shotguns) were not available:

  • Any earlier long guns were left behind from prior operations and were not in California.

• Matthew confirmed he had Firearms 40 and some melee capability.

• The Handler (via Jay’s caution) emphasized that a firefight is different than target practice.

Travel to the aqueduct site

• The group drove north, crossing out of Los Angeles County through Santa Clarita, then out into more remote hills.

• The destination was described as:

  • A poorly marked frontage road leading to a concrete industrial location.
  • Fenced, but with no proper gate—just a bent cattle guard.
  • A faded “authorized personnel only” Department of Water and Power sign.
  • Overgrown, not apparently in active use.
  • A power pole with lights and a power drop to the structure.

On-site observations: the van

• The group spotted a dark van parked at the periphery of the light.

• Philomena positioned the SUV’s headlights to illuminate the van and checked for occupants.

  • No one was seen in the front seats.

• The van was described as:

  • Fairly old (possibly early 1990s).
  • Not abandoned-looking; likely operational.

• Frank checked the van:

  • Confirmed it was not locked.
  • Opened the sliding door and covered it with his gun.
  • Inside: a bench seat with boxes containing garbage bags, cleaning solutions, and several large bottles of bleach.
  • The registration was found and the van was registered to Mateo Lopez.

• The group did not identify the van as Marlin’s vehicle (Marlin had previously been seen in a cruiser).

The valve house door

• The concrete structure was a valve house (pipes and valves inside).

• The door had a heavy chain and padlock:

  • The padlock was unlocked and hanging.

• Frank pounded on the door; no response.

• Frank opened the door but stated he was not stepping inside—just opening and looking in.

Ambush: Anton Gulley attacks Frank

• The Handler called for an alertness check as Frank opened the door.

  • Frank failed (rolled very high).

• From a position just inside (around a corner/blind spot), Anton Gulley moved quickly into view and jabbed Frank with a syringe.

  • The Handler ruled Frank did not get to dodge due to the failed alertness check and the ambush.

• Frank experienced immediate perceptual distortion:

  • The space and walls of the room “shifted and twisted.”
  • He could see beyond the bunker’s walls into a space filled with something long, horrific, and worm-like.

• Frank’s SAN effects:

  • The Handler applied a fixed loss: Frank lost 5 SAN from the experience.
  • Frank used a projection onto Bond 3, reducing the effective SAN loss to 2 (and described being angry at a bond/contact as part of the projection).

• Frank perceived (with the new “vision”) that there was a worm in Gulley.

Combat begins: initial exchanges

• Initiative began after the ambush.

• McCarter’s action: he attempted to tackle/take down Gulley.

  • He rolled 100 on unarmed combat (a catastrophic failure).
  • He tripped and spilled to the floor past Frank, ending up near Gulley.

• Jay’s action: he moved in and fired point-blank at Gulley.

  • He hit (center mass).
  • Gulley staggered from the impact but did not meaningfully react and began bringing up his shotgun.

• Frank’s action: he attempted to shoot at the “confluence” of Gulley and the worm (treated like a head-area target).

  • There was confusion on the table about a displayed bonus, which was removed.
  • Final outcome: Frank missed.
  • The Handler described Frank’s perception of the worm/head location as unstable and distracting, contributing to the miss.

• The worm’s pressure intensified for Frank:

  • The Handler described the worm continuing to burrow into Frank.
  • Frank suffered additional SAN loss (the Handler applied 7 SAN loss at this stage).
  • Frank chose “fight” as his reaction.
  • The Handler narrated Frank’s body reacting with savage pain and panic, driving him to tear at his own face/arms.
  • Frank took 5 damage from the self-mutilation and became stunned (per the Handler’s rule call that losing half his HP causes stun).

Justin and Philomena react from near the vehicle

• The Handler noted that Justin and Philomena could hear/see the confrontation from their position (gunshots and movement at the doorway).

• Justin’s decision: he rushed in with the intent to restrain Frank and prevent further self-harm.

  • Justin brought his medication with him, debating whether to take it or intervene first.

• Philomena’s observation and quick deduction:

  • The Handler called for an INT×5 check for Philomena.
  • Philomena succeeded.
  • The Handler tied this success to their earlier study of Dyer’s journal: Philomena recalled a conjecture that a strong jolt of electricity might interrupt a worm trying to enter and replace a soul.
  • Philomena shouted for Justin to drag Frank back to the SUV so she could apply this idea.

Gulley uses the shotgun on Jay

• At the start of a round (after the handler re-established turn order), Gulley attempted to blast Jay at point-blank range.

• Jay attempted to stop it by grabbing the shotgun in melee.

  • Jay missed his melee attempt.
  • Gulley succeeded with firearms.

• Result:

  • Gulley did not shoulder the weapon cleanly, but jammed it into Jay and fired.
  • Jay was wounded, but the Handler described it as not a devastating, clean shot.

Justin restrains Frank and drags him away

• Justin reached Frank and attempted a restraining hold to keep Frank’s arms from tearing at his own body.

  • Justin rolled a critical success on unarmed combat.

• The Handler described:

  • Frank thrashing, kicking, and seizing.
  • Justin successfully locking Frank’s arms and controlling him.
  • Justin beginning to pull Frank away from the doorway toward the SUV.

McCarter continues trying to physically stop Gulley

• McCarter attempted another takedown/tackle on Gulley:

  • He failed again (high roll in the 90s).
  • The Handler narrated that McCarter regained his feet but couldn’t get the leverage; Gulley threw him off.

Philomena retrieves jumper cables

• Philomena ran to the back of the SUV to retrieve jumper cables.

  • The Handler allowed this without a luck roll for finding them (described as neatly stowed and easy to spot).

• Philomena’s plan was explicitly framed as using the cables to deliver a current to Frank, based on the journal insight.

Frank’s condition worsens: another SAN surge

• The Handler described the worm’s intrusion as overwhelming and metaphysically disproportionate.

• Frank rolled 1d10 SAN loss and lost 9 SAN.

  • Frank hit another breaking point / temporary insanity condition (as acknowledged at the table).

• The Handler described Justin having to physically manage Frank’s violent seizure:

  • Frank digging fingernails into his palms.
  • Blood trickling down.
  • Justin keeping Frank from doing further catastrophic damage.

Gulley’s transformation: “prismatic rays” and “rainbow ganglia”

• In the midst of the struggle:

  • Gulley let the shotgun drop to the ground.
  • Prismatic rays emanated from his eyes.
  • Rainbow-colored ganglia erupted from Gulley’s nostrils, mouth, ears, and eyes.
  • The ganglia whipped around as Gulley’s arms dropped to his sides.

• SAN checks triggered by witnessing this:

  • McCarter failed a SAN check (rolled 80) and lost 4 SAN.
  • McCarter projected onto a bond to reduce the SAN loss (reducing it to 2, with corresponding willpower reduction as stated at the table).
  • Jay also suffered SAN loss (stated by the Handler as 2).

The “Gulley thing” pursues Jay

• The Handler described the transformed entity (still associated with Gulley) chasing after the group.

• It targeted Jay:

  • A rainbow ganglion wrapped around Jay’s right arm.
  • Another attempt to grab was dodged.
  • Jay tried to pull his arm free but was not immediately successful consideration-wise in the narration.

McCarter fires while moving toward the dropped shotgun

• McCarter attempted to strafe/move and shoot with his handgun while trying to work toward the shotgun on the ground.

  • He missed (rolled 71).

• The Handler noted it would take several turns to reach the shotgun safely without running directly through the creature.

Philomena attempts the electrical intervention on Frank

• Philomena moved to the front of the SUV with jumper cables and popped the hood.

• As she turned back toward the scene, Philomena saw the rainbow ganglia creature clearly and had remember:

  • The Handler called for a SAN roll.
  • Philomena rolled 99 (critical failure) and lost 6 SAN.
  • Philomena then projected 3 onto a bond to reduce the SAN loss, reducing the net SAN loss and reducing her willpower and that bond accordingly (as worked out at the table).

• Philomena proceeded with the plan:

  • She clamped the jumper cables to the car battery (the Handler described her doing this in an unsafe order).
  • She stated she needed to run current through the brain and declared she would apply it temple-to-temple on Frank.

• Philomena made a luck roll for the attempt:

  • Luck roll: 95 (failure).

  • Despite the failed luck, the Handler resolved the attempt as delivering shock but with adverse results:

    • Frank took 4 damage from the electrocution.
    • Frank’s condition worsened to unconsciousness (noted as making it so he was no longer actively “fighting the worm”).

• Immediately after Frank went unconscious:

  • Jay fired multiple rounds point-blank into the creature’s chest.
  • The Handler described the creature as undeterred.

Frank’s SAN roll while unconscious

• The Handler continued to apply SAN effects from the worm intrusion even while Frank was unconscious.
• Frank rolled 1d10 SAN loss and rolled 1, losing 1 SAN.

The creature disintegrates Jay

• The creature’s ganglion around Jay’s arm glowed brightly.

• The Handler described Jay’s clothing and flesh beginning to unweave in concentric spirals, disappearing as fibers from the ganglia fractal out and consume him.

• Jay screamed.

• Everyone witnessing (except unconscious Frank) made SAN checks:

  • The Handler stated success meant 0 loss, failure meant 1d4 loss.
  • Philomena reported a success and took 0 SAN loss from this particular check.

• The creature continued:

  • Another ganglion wrapped around Jay’s midsection.
  • Jay’s arm was described as “mostly gone,” and the effect began burning through his torso.

Justin briefly loses hold, then Philomena shocks again

• Justin continued trying to restrain Frank, but at one point:

  • Justin rolled unarmed combat and failed (rolled 72), and the Handler said Frank’s arms came loose.

• Philomena attempted another shock:

  • Luck roll: 5 (success).

  • Result:

    • Frank’s muscle strength faded; he went limp.
    • For a moment, it looked like Frank might be dead, but the Handler described seeing his chest rise and fall with ragged breathing—he was alive.
    • Justin confirmed Frank was no longer fighting him physically.

Jay’s death

• Jay attempted to tear away the ganglia restraining him but failed (the Handler indicated the creature’s roll was higher).

• The creature’s effect progressed:

  • The Handler described Jay “burning across the midsection” and falling into two pieces.

• McCarter rolled SAN in response:

  • He rolled 01 (critical success).
  • The Handler ultimately said McCarter still lost 1 SAN in this case (despite the critical), as clarified during the exchange.
  • McCarter narrated his emotional distancing by framing it as Jay’s “hunt is over” and that Jay could “rest,” and also voiced that Jay knew too much.

Creature remains active after Jay’s death

• The Handler described the creature continuing to wrap ganglia around Jay’s remains, consuming further.

Justin medicates and initiates retreat

• With the situation deteriorating:

  • Justin decided to take his medication (“popping some pills”).
  • The Handler described a pre-prepared dose that Justin dry-swallowed quickly.
  • The Handler noted the drugs would not act instantaneously.

• Justin stated they should leave and began loading Frank into the back storage area of the SUV.

  • Justin dragged/placed Frank into the rear and shut the back.

McCarter and Philomena prepare to flee

• McCarter moved to the SUV:

  • He got into the vehicle and pulled the door closed behind him.
  • He stated he was not looking outside.

• Philomena got into the driver’s seat and prepared to move the vehicle.

• The Handler clarified positioning:

  • McCarter was in the back seat/bench behind the driver.
  • Frank was in the rear storage area.
  • Justin was outside behind the vehicle for a moment, completing loading and closing the rear.

Philomena runs down the creature with the SUV (cliffhanger moment)

• Philomena asked if she had a clear line to hit the creature with the SUV.

  • The Handler said she did.

• Philomena committed to running it down and made a Drive check:

  • She succeeded (rolled 16).

• The Handler resolved the impact:

  • Philomena accelerated quickly (without losing control) and covered the short distance.
  • She hit the creature while it was still disintegrating what remained of Jay.
  • The creature (in “Gulley’s form”) was lifted onto the hood and pinned against the concrete wall of the valve house.
  • Blood splashed across the hood and the wall.
  • The creature’s ganglia began wailing against the windshield.
  • The windshield cracked but did not break.

• The session ended at this moment, with:

  • Gulley’s transformed presence pinned against the wall by the SUV.
  • The ganglia still active at the windshield.
  • Frank alive but badly injured and recently unconscious from electrocution and the worm intrusion.
  • Jay destroyed and no longer participating.