The Hum
| Type | |
| Status | Active |
| First Encountered | Reported Session 6; experienced directly Session 11 |
| Mystery | Mystery 5 — |
| Weakness | A loud enough noise — a gunshot in an enclosed space deafened both listeners and stopped the ongoing effects. Countermeasures named by the party: earplugs and a source of light |
Description
A hum that echoes through the brains of those who hear it and calls to them.
It has been reported at three separate points before the party met it: the Hatchetts heard a pulsating hum in the mine when Ms March's brother August vanished (Session 6); H.G. Farmswatter heard it at the cactus grove and described it as having "a pull, a pulse"; and Doctor Webb has a recurring nightmare of it in a dark cave tunnel. When the reanimated Farmswatter demonstrated the sound in Session 10, Doctor Webb recognised it as the same one and started sweating.
In Session 11, Cuthbert and Ms March encountered it directly in the dark place they misteleported into.
Combat Notes
| Stat / Ability | Detail |
|---|---|
| Size | |
| Armour | |
| Weakness | A loud enough noise to deafen the listener. A gunshot in the enclosed dark created ringing loud enough to stop any ongoing effects |
| Special | Calls to those who hear it, offering each listener what they most want. Imposes −1 ongoing for as long as it can be heard. Can take control of a listener's body |
Notes
- It offers each listener something different. Cuthbert sensed the hum could answer questions which the Order has been pondering for centuries. Ms March felt it could provide a sense of certainty and structure
- Hearing it imposes an ongoing penalty (−1 ongoing to rolls) for as long as it can be heard
- Its intensity expands in the being of those who hear it. It feels like their heads are growing; the noise goes through their heartbeat
- Under its influence, Cuthbert was pulled in a new direction and started walking deeper into the cave without knowing why — "a sound in his chest is pulling him somewhere." His hand went to the wall to guide him
- To someone in its grip, the hum stops being discordant and strange and becomes a symphony one would never be able to replicate
- It drove Cuthbert towards a narrow crevice he felt compelled to climb into. He tried to shimmy a shoulder into a gap that was too narrow for him
- He broke free when part of him registered that the hum sounded wrong — it no longer seemed beautiful. Even after resisting, he accidentally walked back to the crevice a second time
- Memories of the period under its influence are hazy
- Ms March broke its hold on both of them by firing her gun to deafen them
- The party's stated countermeasure: earplugs and a source of light
What is making the hum? It has been heard in the mine, at the cactus grove, and in Doctor Webb's dreams.
What is in the narrow crevice that the hum was steering Cuthbert into?
The hum knew what to offer each of them. How?
Session Appearances
| Session | What Happened |
|---|---|
| Session 6 | Reported by Merv Hatchett under interrogation — a pulsating hum in the mine, heard as the gang chased August March deeper in. August was never seen again |
| Session 10 | The reanimated H.G. Farmswatter described hearing it at the cactus grove — "It had a pull, a pulse" — and demonstrated it. Doctor Webb recognised it as the hum from his recurring nightmare |
| Session 11 | Encountered directly. It called to Cuthbert and Ms March in the dark, offering each of them what they most wanted. Cuthbert failed to resist twice, took −1 ongoing, lost control of his body, and was walked towards a narrow crevice. He broke free when it began to sound wrong. Ms March fired her gun to deafen them both, stopping the ongoing effects, and they teleported out |