This material is based on a campeign I ran back in the early ninetys. I`m writing this largley from memory and so apploigise for any odditys.
The campeign starts with the players in the cradle of democracy and christian enlightenment, London, capital of the empire. The players have been out for a night on the town, in Whitchaple?, what vile pleasures of the weak and debauched they have indulged in is up to their own depraved minds. When (this will surprise you) they hear a womans scream!. The Players (should they wish to) will trace the scream to Charlotte Street, a collection of run down shops and rented houses/flats. In one corner they will see a huddled shape. upon investingation they find the horrobly mutilated body of a half naked woman of around 25, she has been killed in a very specific way, Jack's back. The players will of course be caught by a Peeler, who after some prefunctiry questioning will accept the players version of events and let them go about their business, if the players are obsturctive have them spend a night in the cells. for their own safety of course.
In the morning if the playes have not yet asked inform one of them that it only took 2 minutes to reach Charlotte Street, and that they should have caught the killer. when they arrive at the murder scean the police are there, and have sealed it off, the player with the social closest to 4 knows the detective in charge (if any player has a social of 5 or 6 there will be no problom with the police, they are toffs and no mistake), and will after a few minutes be given access. There will be no clues at the scean, altough they will be informed that this is the second killing, the mutilations are the same a a previous murder, they are also the same as those of 'Jack the knife'. If the players have not yet thought of it have the police inspector (DI Rogan) say,
"Wot I don undastant is ow dide git pas yah, ee musta climbdt da bleedin wall. But ee`s back an weal git im."
Upon examination of the wall nearest the body the players will find geart chunks os manonary have been liituraly smashed out of the wall, to make hand holds. Yet the players heard nothing, and there is very liitle rubble on thre floor. A succesful enginering roll (or jolly good idea) will reveal the fact that the brickwork has not been smashed, but crushed and compacted by enormous presure. A succesful biology roll will reveal animal tissue imbeded in the crushed brick, a sucesful medicine roll that it is probobly from a human hand.
The next day the players will be summond to DI Rogans office.
"naw den da killa as mootalatad all ov is victims inda same way" the DI will begin.
"ee cruses der neks, not strangles em mind ... cruses, ee den slits der frotes from lef tah rite. ee guts em like a fish, and removs certan unmenshanable female parts, gawd noes wot fer."
"er name ... Mary Stirde, a wumon of ill repute I`m afraid, Workded dis par oh Lonon so she did."
If the player talk with the police surgon, he will tell them this,
'What seems rum is our fellow appears to have some rude anotomical knowlage, perhaps a Jewish butcher or some other base type. The fiend, removed the victims ... ah ... uterous ... um ... ah and ... well to be crude the overies, I shudder to think what depths of depravity the swine has sunk to. Or the depraved use that he has for such ... ahm ... items. There is also some evidence of freezing between the legs.
He will then have a rant about the wages of sin and how this is a jugdement upon this modern babylon.
What the players do now is rather important, there will be 4 more murders one a week. it the players patrol the streets they will almost witness the fifth murder, and will find a clue.
Questioning the locals produce the following relevent facts (its up to you what red herrings to use, you know how to get your players going the best). The murderer is very tall. May (Stirdes nickname) was seen with a very pale man the night of her death. The first victim (Liz Edowes, AKA Short Liz) was seen in the company of a well dressed tall doctor,
"ee woz a sawbones so ee woz, ee ad a bag, like wot doctas carry, ee looked like a reel gent."
After the third killing (Cathrine Kelly, AKA Scotch Kate) a witness will tell the characters.
"ee spoke like a dead bloke, you now like dem new fangled phonywotsits."
.
The fourth victim is Mary Chappman.
Wintneses,
"I sar dis bloke in a weelchar, locked rite ol ee did, ee was foren, ee ask me if I seen any Doctas abart.".
They will fail to catch the killer after the fith murder(ann Nichols) for just as they round a corner as they will see him (the murder) scale a wall, litteraly pushing his hands into the brickwork to pull himself up. the players can try to follow but will lose him on the roff tops, his feats of leaping are superhuman. The murderers apperance is, around 6'9" wearing a black cloak and top hat. Upon examing the body one of the players should take a wound, he has been burnt by the cobbles next to the body that he leant on. Upon examintion by a doctor he will be told it is in fact a cold burn caused by sever and rapid freezing. The players however didinterupt the killer, and he was not able to mutilate the body.
The players by now should have defined a patern to the murders, all happen within a short distance of turner Street On the night of the last murder the players hopefully will have narrowed down the search area so much they will interupt (or if their being particulay thick, have them stumble on ) the killer in action and have a fight on their hands.
Should the players defeat the assailant, they will notice that he is deathly cold to the touch, and dealthly pale. He is 6'10" tall and wieghs around 20 St. a giant of a man, and heavly scared. If examined by a doctor the scaring is due to extensive surgey. He is dressed in an expensive suit, cloak and top hat. He has a doctors bag filled with medical instruments (the instrument case has he name Dr V Stien), and a strange metal box. If a player opens it he will take 1d6 wounds (if this kill him he passes out losses a hand and looses 1 point of dex, the arm litteraly turns to ice, though it will thaw out. The suit has a lable baring the same name as the instrument case.
If the players check they will find that Dr Stien is a highly respected society surgeon. He also runs a charity surgery, at 221 turner Street. His description matches that of the corpse.
If? the players decide to search the charity surgery they will find on the top (1st) floor a very well equipted biology labratory inluding a huge freezer, that is hyper cold, it only contains some empty jars, and some small dishes with mold on them. At one end of the lab are three large man sized containers made of glass and with some kind of sludge in them. On one of the lab tables the players will find some tissue remains, examintion indicates it is female, and unmentionable. The players will also find a coat with a recipt tab for the Cunard line. In a desk draw a letter form a Mrs E. Nistche, and another from a Her Hoffenhusser.
Checking with the Cunard offices the players find that the ticket was purchased in the name of DR N Franks and is for Fort Collinswood, on Venus. on board the liner RMES Galactica. It of course left just half an hour ago.
If by chance the players apprehend the ripper before the last murder, Dr Franks has a ticket for Paris via the Boat train from Huston. The players will miss the train by about 1/4 of an hour.
Rewards each player receives 1 renown point for service to the crown, each inventor should receive 1 die in Biology. Experiance, well thats up to you, I don`t want to be blamed.
Yes I know its prety corney but I enjoyed running it.
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© S. Slater MMI