Case Files

[gamedave]

The Amberson House Investigation[Pilot]

cold open

In the ballroom of a decrepit mansion, ghosts swirl angrily around five people.

[closeup]A young man in a tweed jacket [freeze frame] - [subtitle: "Henry Phillip LIvingston III - Miskatonic University Seeker] is focusing on his task - drawing a pentacle in chalk on the floor and laying out ritual items.

[closeup]Helping him is a teenage girl in a goth ouftit [freeze frame] - [subtitle: "Kati Lockheart - Rebellious Teen Witch Who Roams the City at Night], complete with black cat [freeze frame] - [subtitle: "Ebris - He Teaches Her Magic]. The girl is hastily throwing together ritual elements, while the cat looks on indifferently.

[closeup]A man with a haunted look on his face, in a crewcut and paramilitary gear [freeze frame] - [subtitle: "Cal Westin - Former Spook Turned Paranormal Investigator", spreads out a salt circle, which causes the swirling ghosts to hesitate.

[closeup]A young woman in rugged clothing [freeze frame] - [subtitle: "Sam Remington - Monster Hunter Out for Vengeance" loads a rocksalt shell into her shotgun, and blasts the ghosts, causing them to momentarily recoil.
A shaggy man in old hunting clothes [freeze frame] - [subtitle: "Wilhelm Balderich - Exiled Hunter with a Dark Curse" standing on the opposite side of the salt circle brandishes an antique-looking iron axe, causing the ghosts on that side to also recoil.

[closeup]A well-dressed gentleman with slicked back hair [freeze frame] - [subtitle: "Giovanni Valentino - Rakish Weirdness Magnet" points out that one of the ghosts, which floats apart form the others, and appears more defined.

[closeup]A transparent figure of a little girl in old-fashioned clothing looks on at the mayhem - and giggles, disturbingly amused by the fear and and horror.

[fade to black]

[voice-over, over a montage of scenes of a creepy old house]

It all started so small. We were investigating a "haunted house" in the Bluffs district. At first, everything seemed so mundane. But then something weird happened - one of the tourists went missing. That wasn't so bad, but then a high-pitched giggle cut through the night, and a pale little girl drifted by. At least now we knew what was going on - or at least we thought we did. We also figured out what we needed to do - put the girl to rest. So we started, but it really started to go sideways when the girl's brothers arrived, spoiling for a fight. Little did we know when we started this case, the "haunted house" was built on the burnt-out remains of a horrible orphanage. And now, here we are - deep in the $#!@!

[wide shot]

An intense action scene follows. Cal, Sam, Wilhelm, and Giovanni run interference with the swarming ghosts as Philip and Kati desperately try to finish the ritual that will put the ghost of the little girl, and all of her "brothers", to rest, once and for all. Cal uses his occult knowledge, salt, and mirrors to ward off the ghosts. Sam uses rocksalt-filled shotgun shells and sheer force of personality. Wilhelm wields an ancient cold iron, "ghost-touched" axe to great effect. Giovanni swings from a chandelier, shatters mirrors, and generally makes a spectacle of himself.

[fade to black]

[wide-shot]

The swarming ghosts become steadily more material, becoming clearly defined young boys, all of them with horrible injuries and burns. Their shrieking is unnerving, but as they become more material, they begin to grab, pummel, and, worst of all, burn the investigators. Some of the boys, it seems, are still on fire. All the while, the little girl giggles, a shrill sound that can shred souls.

Finally, Wilhelm dispatches the ghost of the little girl with his axe. Cal, Sam, and Giovanni barely manage to hold off the swarm of "brothers", who have almost fully materialized. Then - Phillip and Kati finish the ritual! The ghosts pause for a moment - a look of peace and acceptance coming over all of their faces. They turn and slowly walk away, fading into the ether.

[fade to black]

[epilogue]

The investigators reconvene in Wilhelm's base of operations - an abandoned mansion in the Bluffs which he is squatting in, among his huge collection of medieval and ancient weaponry. They recap the investigation, briefly discuss what could have triggered the ghosts to manifest, and then go their separate ways.

[montage]
Each of the investigators returns to their normal lives. Philip returns to the University to teach classes. Kati tags along, and rummages through Phillip's office while he's in class. Sam goes to a dive bar, and hangs out with the regulars - apparently also monster hunters. Giovanni and Wilhelm cruise the city in a fancy car Giovanni is "borrowing", discussing how weird their lives have become. Cal sits alone in his office, looking at a large map of the city hung on the wall, with clippings, notes, and photos pinned to it, colored strings connecting various pins. There almost seems to be a pattern...

Then the TV in the background catches his attention.

[close up of TV screen showing a report on location, news crawl underneath]

"Another decapitated body has been found in the "Grinder." This is the third decapitated body that has been found recently, with no sign of the heads! Police refuse to comment, but sources inside the department speculate that a serial killer is at work, who they are calling "the Headhunter". Local residents are almost as reluctant to talk, and this reporter was not able to find anyone willing to speak on camera. However, off the record, several residents claim that the so-called "Headhunter" has claimed far more than three victims, but police and the media only seem interested when the victim is a "white boy from Uptown." The fear in the Grinder tonight is almost palpable. Who will be next to lose their head?"

fade to black

coming attractions

"Next time, on Filmed in Vancouver:

A Chase Scene!

A Sewer Scene!

Disembodied Heads!"

[gamedave]

The Haverty Investigation

As the episode opens, Cal Westin is in his office, contemplating his “board of weird”, and listening to reports about a new serial killer operating in the City, “the Headhunter.” Then, a young woman enters his office. She identifies herself as Kelly Haverty, and tells Cal she wants to hire him to find her younger brother, Chad, who recently went missing. Cal realizes her missing brother is actually the tourist who went missing during the Amberson Investigation. He gathers some information from Kelly Haverty, and she hands him a stained photograph of her brother. After she leaves the office, Chad walks in from a side room, and asks Cal if he has any food.

[fade to black]

As the action resumes, Giovanni Valentino is driving through Uptown in his “borrowed” car. He realizes he’s being tailed by a car full of nondescript goons. Gio attempts to lose the tail, and a high speed chase ensues. The goons shoot at Gio and attempt to run him off of the road, but through a series of flashy maneuvers, he runs them into some roadside construction, they crash spectacularly, and Gio escapes.

[fade to black]

We come back in to a meeting in progress, as Cal, Gio, Henry Livingstone, Kati Lockheart, Sam Remington, and Wilhelm Balderich discuss recent events. No one but Cal can see Chad, until Henry opens his third eye, and confirms that Chad is, in fact, a ghost. Cal carries his dead with him. The team decide their most pressing concern is finding out what exactly happened to Chad, and proceed to the old Amberson House.

Chad’s ghost’s memories of his last moments are vague, but he seems to recall going into the basement. The team discovers the basement is a wreck, with broken stairs leading down, and a gaping hole in one section leading into the sewer underneath. As the team splits up, falling into the sewer, jumping into the basement, or staying upstairs on the ground floor, Chad reveals himself to be a Hungry Ghost, out for the blood of those he blames for his death - Cal, in particular!

[fade to black]

A complex struggle ensues, with team members jumping and climbing in-between the sewer, basement, and ground floor. Chad’s ghost feeds on Cal’s blood. Wilhelm’s “ghost-touched” iron weapon is useless against this form of ghost. The team is at a loss until Chad’s body is finally located. Kati covers it with hastily concocted “magical thermite”, Sam sets it on fire, and with the destruction of his body, Chad’s ghost is apparently laid to rest.

Examining the “stained” photograph, Henry determines the “stains” actually conceal magical sigils. The photo was a mystical booby-trap! Cal also determines that “Kelly Haverty” is a concocted identity. Henry performs a magical ritual on the photo that gives him information on “Kelly” - she’s a necromancer! He doesn’t feel any personal animosity - it appears, from his divination, that she targeted Cal for impersonal reasons. Henry also tells the team that he can track her down through her connection to the photo. Unfortunately, the link works both ways…

As the team exits the Amberson House, they find a pair of Jamaican thugs ransacking Gio’s borrowed car!

[fade to black]

In the final segment, after a brief foot chase, the team catches one of the Jamaican thugs. He reveals that he and his partner had been sent by an Obeah priest, “Papa Louie”, to retrieve a talisman that was supposedly hidden in the car. He knew nothing else of this talisman, what it was, why Papa Louie thought it was in Gio’s car, or why Papa Louie wanted it.

As the team contemplates their next move, a new report reveals that the Headhunter has struck again!

[fade to black]

[coming attractions]

"Next Time on Filmed in Vancouver:

Kati-Less (?)!
Toga Party!
Big Brother!"

[gamedave]

The Talisman Investigation, Part I

As the episode opens, the party is discussing which leads to follow up on next. The “Headhunter” is stalking the Grinder. Henry Livingstone’s ritual will allow them to track down the mysterious necromancer who attached a hungry ghost to Cal Westin, but the ritual works both ways and she’ll know their coming. Gio’s “borrowed” car, which at least two occult factions appear to be after for some reason, is registered to a woman in the ‘Burbs. However, after a lengthy discussion, the party decides to follow up on their last lead, and pay a visit to the barber shop of Papa Louie, who sent a pair of thugs to ransack Gio’s car looking for a mysterious “talisman”.

[fade to black]

We come back to the party entering a somewhat rundown storefront barbershop in the Little Jamaica section of the Chinatown District. Several individuals look up as the conspicuously melanin-deprived group of strangers enters. After a few tense moments, the party makes it clear they are here to talk to Papa Louie, and a door to the back of the shop opens, beckoning them beyond the threshold…

Henry Livingstone and Kati Lockheart both open their Third Eye to examine their surroundings. Most of the hangers-on at the barbershop appear to be mundane. However, the old man napping in the barber’s chair appears to their Third Eye to be ancient and in a deep slumber. Rip Van Winkle? The teenager at the “head shop” counter is overlaid with a power serpent - he’s hosting a powerful Spirit! And one of the kitschy, fake “shrunken heads” isn’t so fake - it opens its own Third Eye to gaze back at Henry Livingstone! And the threshold to the back of the store is pitch black, completely opaque to the Third Eye!

[fade to black...heh, heh]

As the party proceeds to the back, they find a typical stockroom area, and a not-so-typical Obeah shrine, at which is seated a dark-skinned man of indeterminate age, wearing dark sunglasses. Kati and Henry, their Third Eyes still open, see an opulent temple and a man dressed in rich priestly robes. The various Obeah idols, such as a Darth Vader action figure, are not mere idols - Darth Vader stands there menacingly!

With Gio taking the lead, the party holds a peaceful and productive parlay with Papa Louie. He assures them that he has no animosity towards them, and had no idea who owned the car he had his henchmen ransack. He had Seen a powerful talisman in the car, one that had been recently stolen from an occult auction in Mexico City. He tells Gio he just seeks the talisman, but is quite vague about what exactly it is and why exactly he wants it. He promises an unspecified reward if it is given to him. At Cal’s insistence, he throws in a “Sherlock Holmes”-style pipe from the headshop as a retainer. As the party exits the back room, he leaves them with a cryptic warning:

“Indrid Cold is coming.”

[fade to black]

Henry Livingstone is in his offices at the University, working on a magical ritual. He is attempting to shield himself from the necromancer, so he can use Chad Haverty’s photo to track her down without her being aware of him. His ritual preparations are successful, but he realizes that avoiding her attention will draw the attention of someone - or Some Thing - else, and fully working the ritual will take time.

Meanwhile, the rest of the party decides to visit the woman to whom Gio’s “borrowed” car is registered, in the ‘Burbs. They arrive at a non-descript house in a non-descript suburb to find a Toga Party in progress. After a false start, Gio and Cal talk their way in - having Kati, a pretty teenage girl with them, is, creepily but mundanely enough, the clincher in gaining access. Henry Livingstone arrives shortly afterwards, and also joins the party.

The party, the home, and the car’s owner all seem completely, frustratingly mundane. She does tell Gio that her nephew, Jimmy, borrowed the car for a trip to Mexico, but she hasn’t heard from him in days. “Coincidentally”, the party where Gio “borrowed” the car was also a few days ago…

Even with his Third Eye open, everything looks completely mundane to Henry...except for the ten foot tall man with golden skin in the corner. Sam Remington approaches him and engages him in conversation. Although she lacks a Third Eye, she is still able to See more than most - and she can clearly see He has a Presence that is more than human. Sam spends time flirting with this mysterious stranger, but he seems to have no relation to the case. He is, however, very attractive…

Henry finds a photo of “Jimmy”, but gets himself kicked out of the house for searching through the host’s private possessions. The rest of the party decides that they have found out as much as they can, and also leave.

Gio realizes that Jimmy must have been at the same party that he attended a few days ago. He also realizes that he doesn’t just have Jimmy’s car, but also his car keys. On the keyring is an ancient, faded coin. Possibly a talisman…

Armed with the photo of Jimmy that Henry found, Gio also scrolls through his cell phone photos from the night of the party to see if he can find any of Jimmy. He does, indeed, find Jimmy in the background of a photo, talking to an elegantly dressed man with dark hair and silver highlights. A man who turns to look at Gio. In a still photo. Gio swipes away, then opens the photo back up. The elegant man is now in the foreground of the photo, and getting closer. Big Brother is watching! Gio turns off his phone. It rings anyway.

[fade to black]

When Gio answers, a man with a vaguely fakish British accent demands the talisman. He gives no particular information on the talisman or why he considers it to be his, but he is quite insistent. The party, particulary Gio and Cal, converse with him, and attempt to bait him into revealing more information, but he remains cryptic. He does warn Gio that Gio should hope that he, the elegant man, finds Gio before “Indrid Cold” does…

When Gio hangs up again, the phone bricks. The party is by this time pulled over on the side of a street in the ‘Burbs trying to figure out what just happened and what to do next. Then, all of the streetlights go out. And then one comes back on - and standing in the middle of the light spilling from this single streetlight is the elegant man, holding a fancy cane, looking at Gio expectantly…

[fade to black]

“Next Time on Filmed in Vancouver:

Chainsaw & Cookies!
Sam-less (?) in Seattle!
Third Eye Blind!"