TEXT: A Victim of the Art 
  ©2008 Dennis Detwiller
  (With help from Robert Parker)
  “A Victim of the Art” is a Delta Green scenario set in the fictional town of Glenridge, Long 
  Island. The investigators play Delta Green agents and/or friendlies brought in to solve a 
  series of grisly murders which have rocked the small, rich, seaside community.
  The killer is not human – but the perpetrator is.
  Background
  The first Glenridge-area murder in five years was a grisly one. The victim, later identified 
  through dental analysis and fingerprints as local dentist Carl Maretti, was found in a culvert 
  near the edge of the Great Peconic Bay, just inside the property of a small park. His body 
  had been extensively mutilated, and the exact cause of death could not be pinned down by 
  the medical examiner. Maretti’s spine had been forcibly removed from his torso and was 
  never recovered. The head was found a small distance from the scene missing its lower 
  jaw.
  Maretti was a family man with no enemies. Despite an extensive investigation the 
  Glenridge Police Department came up empty-handed.
  The second murder occurred twenty-two days later. This time the victim was a local 
  librarian at Glenridge High School, Vanessa Hatvan. Her body was discovered by 
  groundskeepers early one morning hanging from the branches of an oak tree at the school, 
  almost forty feet up. The mutilation resembled that of Dr. Maretti. Hatvan’s spine had been 
  removed, as had her head – this time, however, the head was not recovered. The Glenridge 
  P.D. did what they could to keep this murder from the press but soon it was public 
  knowledge that the killer had struck again. As the identical nature of the killings suggested 
  a serial offender the FBI was brought in to consult and all evidence was forwarded to them 
  by the Glenridge police. (In such a rich community there is no quaint dispute between local 
  and federal forces). Two FBI agents were sent to the scene to act in an advisory capacity in 
  the hopes that their presence would deter another murder.
  The evidence sent to the FBI was strange, to say the least. No typical samples of the 
  perpetrator’s hair, skin, blood, saliva, or bite indentations could be found on the victims. 
  Samples of tissue from underneath the fingernails revealed a pulpy grey organic substance 
  which defied analysis. The Quantico labs could only say that the substance was a complex 
  organic polymer not known to man. In addition, the huge wounds in the victim revealed 
  evidence of serrated marks reminiscent of heavy tree-cutting equipment. These wounds 
  were ragged, however, leading the FBI to believe that whatever the instrument was, it was 
  quite dull.
  In addition, the fact that one of the victim’s bodies was recovered forty feet up a tree 
  was another strange consideration for the FBI. It was clear that the body had not been 
  
  dragged up the tree; there was no evidence of blood or hair on the trunk beneath, and no 
  evidence of rigging in the trees. Further FBI research into the original murder revealed that 
  the Maretti body had suffered blunt trauma consistent with a fall from a great height, like 
  the Hatvan body. Soon the FBI began to consider the possibility that somehow the bodies 
  were being dumped at night from some sort of aircraft or helicopter.
  Meanwhile, Glenridge had become nationally famous due to the unusual nature of 
  the crimes. Both the New York Post and New York Daily News sent two correspondents 
  in town to keep tabs on the police and FBI investigation. Various new agencies from 
  around the U.S. reported from Glenridge on the “Glenridge Chiropractor,” as the killer had 
  become popularly known. In addition, Phenomen-X, the tabloid television program, took 
  interest.
  The next murder occurred fifteen days after that of Hatvan’s. Lauren Harrogate was 
  a popular seventeen-year-old cheerleader at Glenridge High School. She was snatched from 
  the second story of her house by an unknown assailant who burst through a French door 
  from a balcony off her room, setting off an alarm and alerting the police. Her mother, the 
  only witness to the incident, has since been completely catatonic, incapable of 
  communication of any sort. Mrs. Harrogate had suffered from depression before the 
  incident and it is believed that the trauma of the event has pushed her over the edge. She has 
  since been moved to Swansea Psychiatric Facility near Montauk, Long Island.
  Lauren Harrogate’s body was located early the next morning by police helicopters, 
  hanging sixty feet up on a large electrical tower near state highway 31 on the north end of 
  town. Again, the mutilations matched the other victims, and again, the strange gray polymer 
  was found beneath the fingernails. The case was given fully over to the FBI. It fell in the 
  lap of Assistant Special Agent in Charge Thomas Carson, a Delta Green friendly who has 
  had a few brushes with the supernatural. The bizarre M.O. of the killer led him to believe 
  that Delta Green might be required. He got in touch with his contact, Agent Marcus of Cell 
  M, and the two of them assembled a team to take charge of the investigation in Glenridge.
  So the agents find themselves in Glenridge under the guise of the FBI, tracking a 
  killer.
  The Perpetrator
  Thomas Dengler, a local teenager, has come into possession of an ancient Peruvian 
  religious artifact originally recovered by his grandfather, Derek Wheeler. This artifact links 
  the soul of the wearer to the soul of a “Silent One” or “Ai-Apa” – a supernatural creature 
  known otherwise as a byakhee. The possessor of the amulet can summon and control this 
  creature to do his bidding as long as a so-called “Victim of the Art” – a sacrifice – is 
  provided. If the command involves no sacrifice for the beast it will take one, and if none is 
  present save the caster then he is forfeit.
  Thomas, however, has no knowledge of the artifact’s power and he wears the 
  medallion as nothing more than a good-luck charm. The beast still submits to his wishes, 
  however. When Dengler dreams and his subconscious is loosed the creature acts, killing 
  sources of discomfort or pain in Thomas’s life. As with most teenagers, Thomas has no 
  
  shortage of enemies, real or imagined. All the victims are linked to Thomas in various 
  ways: Dr. Maretti recently performed a rather painful root canal on the unfortunate youth; 
  Vanessa Hatvan, the school librarian, cited Thomas for talking in study hall; and Lauren 
  Harrogate was the object of his adolescent lust.
  Thomas continues about his normal course like any teenager, listening to music, 
  watching TV, going to movies, and so forth. All the while his hormonal subconscious is 
  unwittingly selecting its next victim as a token for the silent one.
  Agent Marcus
  Marcus is the leader of Cell M and serves as Thomas Carson’s point of contact with the 
  conspiracy. He’s one of the new breed of Delta Green, a whole-hearted zealot for the 
  changes in policy since Fairfield died in 1994. This is mostly due to the fact that he lost 
  four people to a machete-wielding madman on the second mission he led and evidence 
  pointed to another conspiracy, something called Project CATALYST, as the cause of the 
  disaster. (Marcus also serves as the investigators’ contact in the scenario “Night Floors.” 
  The following information is repeated in that scenario.)
  Although Marcus is Carson’s contact he cannot get away from his day job for this 
  assignment. After consulting with Cell A he decided to bring in another cell altogether to 
  handle this op – the investigators, whom he contacts however the Keeper wishes.
  Marcus’s real name is Dr. Marvin Bloom, a bitter young man in his thirties who 
  chain-smokes Kool cigarettes and often laughs at inappropriate situations. He is a forensic 
  expert in the employ of the FBI office in New York. His specialty is the collection and 
  typing of bodily fluids.
  Since his induction into Delta Green in 1990 Marcus has been involved in fourteen 
  separate operations in the New York area. He first encountered Delta Green during a series 
  of bizarre murders in the Bronx in which the victims’ bodies would disappear from the 
  morgues they were stored in, never to be seen again, and the next murder victim in the 
  series would be covered in the prints of the most recently vanished corpse. This chain 
  continued until Marcus and a medical examiner sat up inside the morgue with one of the 
  bodies. He saw more than enough that evening to be inducted immediately into Delta 
  Green.
  Marcus will only rarely make a personal appearance to the investigators. If possible 
  all contact will be by encrypted email or phone. If they request a face-to-face meeting he 
  will dictate all of the arrangements. He is very paranoid and fears that a “counter-
  conspiracy” is hunting Delta Green members or is preparing to do so. He often asks 
  questions which seem unrelated to the case – are the investigators being followed, can they 
  account for all their waking hours, that sort of thing.
  If asked, he will usher questions up the chain of command or have simple tasks completed 
  for the investigators (such as retrieving a book from the Library of Congress, having a 
  DMV file checked out, etc.). Being an erratic individual, Marcus will only be available for a 
  given phone call if the investigator with the lowest POW score successfully makes a Luck 
  
  roll. He will never reveal his real name, and will insist that the investigators follow this rule 
  as well, so he “won’t know too much.”
  Although Marcus has no real connection to the case other than supervisory his 
  paranoia should be played up to keep the players on their toes. His fears of a counter-
  conspiracy and his nervous manner could both anger and unsettle the investigators, 
  cloaking the entire operation in a sense of insecurity that belies its true simplicity.
  [[BEGIN SIDEBAR]]
  Contacting Cell A
  Cell A has several files which might be of use to the investigators. Any questions have a 
  chance equal to the lowest Luck score in the group to receive a relevant response. Such 
  responses usually turn up 1D3 days after the question is ushered up the chain and may not 
  always be germane to the current op.
  The information given to the agents is up to the Keeper, but a few guidelines 
  follow. First of all, the information should be vague and may not be current. For example, a 
  question about a “flying creature” may bring back a half-dozen files from the 1950s and 
  ‘60s which involve all manner of Delta Green operations that sighted, killed, or were killed 
  by flying beasts. Some or none of them may be about the creature the agents are searching 
  for, so some or none of the information may be useful. Second, the information should be 
  sparse. Nothing too in-depth should be provided. At best, the information may lead to 
  other, more relevant, sources; at worst, it is useless or even misleading. There’s no chance 
  of getting a Bind Byakhee spell, in other words, but they might get a useful description of 
  such a beast; if so, the word “byakhee” will never be used.
  Marcus is responsible for processing mundane requests, such as law-enforcement 
  files or the like. If the agents go directly to Cell A with these requests – possibly out of 
  frustration with their rather erratic op supervisor – they are told to consult with Marcus and 
  reminded that the resources of Cell A are not to be wasted on such matters.
  [[END SIDEBAR]]
  [[BEGIN SIDEBAR]]
  Timeline of Events
  September 1: Thomas Dengler receives a trunk full of his grandfather Derek Wheeler’s 
  mementoes from his travels in South America. Dengler takes to wearing the Ai-Apa amulet 
  and unknowingly stirs the Ai-Apa from its interstellar rest.
  September 10-15: Thomas undergoes a series of painful surgeries at the hands of his 
  friendly dentist, Dr. Carl Maretti.
  September 15: Dr. Carl Maretti is found dead in a park only seven hours after Thomas 
  Dengler’s last dental appointment.
  
  September 16: Maretti’s body is remanded to Dr. Santorini, the Suffolk County Medical 
  Examiner, by Glenridge Police.
  October 6: Thomas is cited for speaking in study hall by Vanessa Hatvan, the high 
  school’s librarian. He endures an hour and half of detention after school, harassed by the 
  thuggish louts suffering the same fate.
  October 7: Vanessa Hatvan is found dead.
  October 8: The body of Ms. Hatvan is sent to the Suffolk County Medical Examiner. The 
  Glenridge police inform the New York field office of the FBI that a serial killer may be on 
  the loose in Glenridge.
  October 10: Two FBI analysts arrive in Glenridge in an advisory capacity.
  October 13: The first members of the New York press arrive in Glenridge and dub the 
  killer the “Glenridge Chiropractor.”
  October 21: Thomas Dengler calls Lauren Harrogate to ask her on a date; she turns him 
  down. Lauren Harrogate is subsequently kidnapped from her home and is found dead later 
  that night.
  October 22: The body of Ms. Harrogate is sent to the Suffolk County Medical Examiner. 
  The FBI takes over the Glenridge case with the full cooperation of the Glenridge police.
  October 24: The investigators arrive.
  [[END SIDEBAR]]
  Getting Started
  Arriving in Glenridge, the investigators will be posing as an FBI team. They’ll be greeted 
  by the two agents on the scene, Special Agent Delbert Coleridge and Behavioral Analyst 
  Sandra Lewis, and by the Glenridge Police Department’s Detective Andrew Gregson. This 
  trio will go over the facts of the case as they are known, answering the investigators’ 
  questions to the best of their ability. At that point control of the case is transferred to the 
  investigators. Coleridge and Lewis return to the New York office, with Lewis available for 
  consultation if requested.
  Checking into similarities in the backgrounds of the victims which could indicate a 
  motive for the killer will reveal little. Each victim led a seemingly mundane life with no 
  known enemies and enjoyed at least an upper-middle-class existence. Their family members 
  are as baffled as the police as to who could be responsible for such a horrible crime – with 
  the exception of Lauren Harrogate’s mother, who is confined to a psychiatric facility and 
  who has been unable to offer any testimony.
  Telephone records reveal that both Dr. Maretti’s office and the Harrogate family 
  received a call from the Dengler household on the day of their murders. To learn this the 
  investigators will need to request the phone records and then succeed in either a Spot 
  Hidden or Idea roll (Keeper’s choice) to note the common number; if they specifically state 
  that they are looking for common numbers they succeed automatically.
  Dr. Maretti’s secretary or his appointment book can quickly reveal that the call was 
  in reference to the Denglers’ son, Thomas, who came in that day for the last bit of surgery 
  
  on a difficult root-canal job. Mr. Dengler called that morning to re-confirm the appointment.
  The call to the Harrogates cannot be immediately explained, as the daughter is dead, 
  the mother is catatonic, and there are no other living family members. It was, in fact, 
  Thomas Dengler calling to tremblingly ask the young cheerleader on a date. She turned him 
  down.
  About the Grey Polymer
  As noted earlier the substance recovered from beneath the fingernails of all three victims 
  could not be clearly identified. The FBI came to the hesitant conclusion that the substance 
  was some kind of complex organic polymer previously unknown to science.
  The material is not alive. It is composed of chains of organic molecules layered and 
  interwoven much like Kevlar body armor. Microscopic examination of the mesh reveals 
  that surrounding the “openings” in the screen of polymer chains are accretions of small bits 
  of debris, much like sweat secretions surrounds the pores on microscopic samples of skin. 
  The debris on the grey polymer, however, is fluorine, with traces of chlorine and ammonia. 
  (This specific fact and this physical evidence have convinced Agent Marcus that whatever 
  is killing the people of Glenridge is, it is not human).
  The testing of this sample at federal facilities may attract the attention of 
  Majestic-12, but this is up to the Keeper to decide. See the boxed text above, “The 
  Majestic-12 Option,” for more details.
  [[BEGIN SIDEBAR]]
  The Majestic-12 Option
  It is possible that Majestic-12 may become alerted to the presence of an extraterrestrial 
  creature in Glenridge. There are several ways this could happen, if the Keeper decides that 
  it should happen at all.
  -A mole inside Delta Green. This could be a compelling lead into a series of adventures 
  where the Agents discover the source of the leak. Perhaps Agent Marcus has reason to be 
  paranoid?
  -The gray polymer. The FBI’s examination of the strange substance may trigger an alert to 
  Majestic-12 scientists.
  -Phenomen-X. The TV show that knows too much – but not enough to keep quiet about it – 
  could tip off Majestic-12, either through a broadcast story or through its contact at the 
  show, that things in Glenridge definitely have an extraterrestrial bend.
  Once Majestic-12 is alerted, within a few hours a BLUE FLY team (see Delta 
  Green, p. 79) will be dispatched to Glenridge to take control of the investigation from the 
  FBI. Their cover story is that they are with the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command, 
  on the trail of a former Army Special Forces operative who they believe to be responsible 
  
  for the killings. Assistant Special Agent in Charge Thomas Carson will be brusquely 
  informed of the change of command by his superiors and ordered to instruct his team to 
  hand over their evidence to the arriving CIC, brief the new team of their findings to date, 
  and then leave the investigation. Carson contacts Agent Marcus and urges him to comply.
  Marcus, his paranoia rampant, contacts the agents shortly before Majestic-12 
  arrives and fills them in. He instructs them to tell the CIC nothing about any supernatural 
  evidence they may have uncovered and to immediately photocopy and mail to him any 
  documents in their possession before turning them over to the CIC.
  Investigators who openly refuse to cooperate with the CIC are detained and 
  questioned at length. Anyone who mentions supernatural events or evidence may be 
  remanded to the OUTLOOK Group for interrogation.
  Needless to say, this option can bring about the quick end of the scenario. 
  However, if this option is activated during the climax it may provide for a terrific 
  conclusion – a race between DG and BLUE FLY to find the creature or stop its next 
  killing. Alternatively, if the investigators are getting nowhere and you’re looking for a 
  dramatic excuse to wrap things up, here’s your golden parachute.
  [[END SIDEBAR]]
  The Medical Examiner
  The medical examiner of Suffolk County is Dr. Stephen Santorini, and the murders in 
  Glenridge are the oddest he has even seen. In his fifteen years as the county medical 
  examiner he has worked in conjunction with numerous federal forces, including the Army, 
  Coast Guard, and FBI. Santorini has handled all three autopsies of the Glenridge murder 
  victims and is not above admitting that the oddities in the case outweigh any evidence the 
  post-mortems may have produced. He may become a rapid ally for any Delta Green agents 
  who can convince him to speak candidly, although (as with most people) his concerns are 
  with his family and his job. 
  Santorini collected a great number of samples of the gray polymer from beneath the 
  fingernails of the victims and still retains several small test tubes full of the stuff in a safe in 
  his office. (The rest was sent to the FBI laboratory.) His personal examinations of the 
  substance have confounded his extensive biological knowledge and he is not sure what to 
  think of the debris, except that it is certainly the oddest evidence on a body he has ever 
  found.
  The bodies revealed other evidence unique to the Glenridge killer. Each victim was 
  killed by severe wounds caused by a weapon which Santorini believes to be much like a 
  tree-limb cutter – a blunt yet strong cutting tool. Portions of the bodies were also marked by 
  what appeared to be large indentations from some sort of thin, serrated weapon, much like a 
  bear trap. All of these wounds match no known weapon or animal-bite pattern. Santorini 
  has consulted with colleagues as far away as Manhattan, even talking to experts on bite 
  marks at the American Museum of Natural History with no luck.
  The spines of each of the victims were removed violently from the base upwards to 
  
  the back of the neck. The brute strength required to perform such a removal would be 
  superhuman. Severe trauma in the hips, shoulders and ribcage have rendered the bodies 
  horrific to look at (1/1D3 SAN loss) – they are little more than a bashed and ripped bag of 
  severed muscles and shattered bones. The spines were never recovered. After considering 
  the location of the Hatvan and Harrogate bodies, it was Santorini who came to the 
  conclusion that the bodies had been dropped from a great height after death.
  Santorini will cooperate with the FBI and will allow them to peruse his files even 
  take charge of the bodies, which have been kept in a preservative solution to prevent decay 
  for further study. He will let the investigators join him for any future autopsies, and is 
  incredibly interested in who – or what – is committing these murders.
  [[BEGIN SIDEBAR]]
  The Phenomen-X Option
  Everybody’s favorite paranormal “news” program, Phenomen-X, can come to town 
  whenever the Keeper feels like it. They only have three days here to assemble a report and 
  get back to Los Angeles, so choose their arrival point carefully. If the case gets more 
  interesting – especially if they get any indication of a “monster” really being involved – 
  they’ll file an interim report and stay in town for a while longer. If the case seems to be 
  going nowhere, though, they’ll be called home; Phenomen-X doesn’t have the resources to 
  let a team cool its heels for very long. The team will consist of Sonja Dewey and Allen 
  Eddington (see p. 136 & 138 of Delta Green: Countdown). Ideally, Sonja & Allen will pop 
  up on the agents at the worst possible moment – when the creature does.
  [[END SIDEBAR]]
  Victim One: Carl Maretti
  Found dead on September 15, Dr. Carl Maretti (45) was reported missing by his wife 
  Caroline Maretti when he did not return home from work that evening. His body was 
  found in a culvert on the property of a small wooded park on the Great Peconic Bay by 
  Glenridge police officers at 11:47 P.M. after a jogger reported the remains.
  Maretti’s spine had been forcibly removed severing all major muscle groups in the 
  back and neck and shattering all his ribs and hip bones. His head was gone but was located 
  (lacking a jaw) when the crime scene was investigated by Glenridge police. Both eyes had 
  been gouged from the head. A strange gray polymer was removed from beneath the 
  doctor’s fingernails.
  The body was little more than a sack of broken bones and tissue. The damage 
  looked very much like some sort of large animal attack, but as there are no known large 
  predators on Long Island and no incidents of such an animal escaping this theory was 
  dismissed. A second autopsy ordered by the FBI revealed that Maretti’s body had suffered 
  trauma consistent with a fall from a great height.
  
  Dr. Maretti is survived by his wife, Caroline, and his two daughters, Cathy (8) and 
  Donna (10). Police investigation found no irregularities in his personal or professional life.
  Victim Two: Vanessa Hatvan
  Vanessa Hatvan (41) was found on October 7 suspended from a tree on the property of 
  Glenridge High School where she worked as a librarian. Her body was in much the same 
  state as that of Dr. Maretti, including the substance beneath her fingernails; however, her 
  head was not recovered. She was not married and had not dated anyone for a couple of 
  years; her parents live in Orlando, Florida. The school records reveal she signed Thomas’s 
  detention notice for talking during study hall.
  Victim Three: Lauren Harrogate
  On October 21 Lauren Harrogate (17) was forcibly kidnapped from her second-story 
  bedroom. The assailant gained entry by smashing through a French door on a balcony and 
  apparently exited the same way. Her mother entered the room during the kidnapping and 
  apparently witnessed the event, but due to psychiatric problems she has not been able to 
  offer any testimony. No evidence of a ladder, ropes, or other methods of access to the 
  balcony were discovered. The kidnapping triggered a burglar alarm, which summoned the 
  police.
  Harrogate’s body was located the next morning hanging from a large electrical 
  tower on state highway 31, almost sixty feet up. Her condition was similar to that of the 
  first two victims and her head was not found.
  Mrs. Sandra Harrogate
  Mrs. Harrogate was found by police on the night of her daughter’s kidnapping in a state of 
  catatonia. A widow, she was on several prescription medications for depression and 
  anxiety disorders associated with her husband’s death from lung cancer the previous year. 
  She had been seeing a psychiatrist for more than eight months before the kidnapping and it 
  is thought she suffered a breakdown when her daughter was taken.
  She has been remanded to state custody, at least until she recovers, at the 
  prestigious and forward-thinking Swansea Psychiatric Institute. There she remains, 
  unresponsive and silent, except for shrill bursts of screaming which she emits when 
  touched. She is unreachable by any means. Mrs. Harrogate’s condition is due to the 
  appearance of the byakhee, and her Sanity has dipped dangerously low.
  The Denglers
  The Denglers – Mark Dengler (45), Eloise Dengler (43), and their son Thomas Dengler 
  (16) – live in the northern portion of Glenridge in a three-story house which faces the Great 
  Peconic Bay. Mark Dengler is employed by Grumman as a components engineer for their 
  
  aerospace programs. Eloise transcribes medical dictation for local hospitals. Thomas 
  Dengler attends Glenridge High School. Their family life is pleasantly ordinary.
  Recently Eloise received a box of her father’s belongings from her sister in Eugene, 
  Oregon. Among the items in the box was the pendant of the Ai-Apa, which Eloise gave to 
  Thomas for his sixteenth birthday as a family heirloom. Thomas has since become 
  fascinated with archaeology and ancient Peruvian religions, as well as many investigations 
  of his grandfather. He has moved the entire contents of the trunk to his room where he has 
  begun writing a series of notes, ideas, and dreams in his day-book.
  On the nights of the murders Thomas was home.
  Thomas Dengler
  Thomas is an average teenage boy. He is not particularly handsome but he lacks the acne 
  which plagues many of his contemporaries. His small stature and lack of coordination has 
  led to his “loser” status at Glenridge High School; his love for books has not helped, either. 
  Tormented and picked on by the many members of the organized sports teams of Glenridge 
  High, Thomas has endured beatings, wedgies, and other indignities at the hands of the 
  school’s cool cliques. Thomas is currently recovering from a long and complicated root 
  canal surgery; his jaw is swollen and he is on prescription pain killers.
  Thomas lacked direction until his mother’s gift of the Ai-Apa pendant for his 
  sixteenth birthday. After searching through his grandfather’s assorted belongings and 
  reading his personal accounts of adventures in Peru, Thomas has become enamored with 
  the idea of becoming an archaeologist.
  He dreams sometimes of the Ai-Apa and its actions, although he does not 
  remember these dreams. On the night of the murder of Lauren Harrogate Thomas woke 
  screaming but the details of the nightmare faded in moments.
  Thus far he has no idea that he is involved in the killings. He remains a normal 
  teenager in all respects except one – his soul is linked to that of the inhuman creature 
  known as the Ai-Apa, who kills at his subconscious bidding.
  Thomas’s Amulet
  The amulet of the Ai-Apa is a sculpted clay artifact of the Chavin civilization (see the 
  Ancient Civilizations of Peru sidebar at the end of this adventure). It depicts two intertwined 
  figures: one human, one a beast with wings. It is easily identifiable as a Central American 
  or South American artifact (successful Archaeology or Anthropology roll), and a critical 
  success will reveal it to be a Chavin artifact. There is no writing on the amulet, as the 
  Chavin did not have a written language.
  The amulet weighs less than 6 oz. and is easily shattered. If broken, all power 
  imbibed in the artifact is lost and the link between the wearer and the amulet ceases. When 
  functioning, the amulet links the subconscious or conscious mind of the bearer to that of a 
  specific byakhee – the same byakhee has been responding to this amulet since ancient 
  times. If the wearer is conscious of the link he or she can order the creature to perform any 
  
  brief duty in exchange for a human sacrifice. The wearer need not do more than indicate a 
  person for the creature to feed on – the byakhee is quite capable of subduing its meal for 
  itself. 
  Thomas’s Grandfather
  Derek Wheeler was born in 1899 in Montgomery, Pennsylvania, and attended college at the 
  University of Pennsylvania from 1918 to 1923, majoring in Archaeology/Anthropology. In 
  the five years he spent working on his degree, Derek participated in several exploratory 
  trips abroad, including two expeditions up the Orinoco in South America to investigate the 
  rituals and beliefs of the many stone-age tribes in the area.
  Wheeler spent his last year in study abroad in Lima, Peru, compiling notes about the 
  many ruined ancient sites which dot the grasslands leading up into the mountains. During 
  this time Wheeler took to collecting local stories concerning the construction of the tiers of 
  stonework which dot the mountainsides and found an odd fact interlaced with the story of 
  their creation. Many of the locals spoke of creatures known as the “Ai-Apa” (Quechan for 
  “Silent Ones”) which served the warrior priests of the Moche, Chavin, Chimu, and Incas, 
  and which helped in great numbers to move the huge stones used to build the odd 
  structures. Quecha religion and language clearly separate creatures of nature from creatures 
  of fancy, so when this creature was described as a “real” beast, Wheeler became intrigued. 
  His obsessive pursuit of this odd fact led to his abandoning his thesis work, which in turn 
  brought about his dismissal from the university in 1923.
  Throughout most of the 1920s Wheeler traveled all over Peru investigating the Ai-
  Apa legend and in that time he collected a series of notes that were compiled by his lawyer 
  after Wheeler’s death in 1965. They now reside in a trunk in Thomas Dengler’s bedroom.
  In 1938 Wheeler married a clerk at the American Embassy in Lima, Angela Todd. 
  They lived in Peru until 1954. All the while, Wheeler pursued the mysterious Ai-Apa. He 
  collected Quecua “writings” of knotted colored rope, knick-knacks from various shamans, 
  and endless Spanish accounts of odd happenings dating back to the time of the 
  conquistadors, all of which seemed to corroborate the existence of the Ai-Apa. In 1954 
  Wheeler was seriously injured in a fall in the Andes and was forced to live the remainder of 
  his days in a wheelchair.
  Following the accident, the Wheelers relocated to Farmingdale, New York, where 
  Angela was born, and moved into a house her family owned and used as a summer home. 
  There they lived and raised a family of three children. Derek died in 1965 of throat cancer. 
  Angela lived on for almost twenty years in the house in Farmingdale until her death in 1985 
  at the age of 89.
  Of their three children, only Eloise Wheeler remained on the east coast, and she 
  married Stephen Dengler in 1971. They moved to Glenridge in 1978 and had their only 
  child, Thomas, a few years later.
  The Next Victims
  
  The victims of the Ai-Apa have been chosen for various reasons by Thomas’s 
  subconscious, but each has, in one way or another, caused Thomas pain. Dr. Maretti was 
  the unfortunate surgeon in the case of Thomas’ arduous root canal, Ms. Hatvan punished 
  Thomas for speaking during study hall, and Lauren Harrogate snubbed Thomas’s clumsy 
  advances.
  Future victims could include those who pick on Thomas at school, either of his 
  parents, or even the investigators, if they come across as threatening enough. Even a simple 
  questioning of Thomas by the team could put him in the right state of mind to send the Ai-
  Apa after them.
  In short, anyone threatening could become an unwitting target, and a crime as 
  simple as upsetting a sixteen-year-old boy could become a capital offense.
  The Silent One
  The “Ai-Apa” or “Silent One” is in fact a byakhee. This species is seemingly native to 
  interstellar space, and they rarely come to Earth or other terrestrial planets at their own 
  whim. Instead, much of this race is enslaved through the use of magics and must, when 
  called through proper methods, serves those who call it. Once the summons and command 
  is answered they are free to act on their own.
  In ancient times many humans manipulated the “science” of magic to allow more 
  useful applications of this species. In Peru the Chimu shamans used byakhee as slave labor 
  to cut and move the huge rocks of the structures in the Peruvian highlands. In exchange, a 
  deal was struck: the byakhee were fed a fresh human sacrifice each time they answered a 
  new summons from a specifically enchanted charm. What was once a master/slave 
  relationship instead became a mutually beneficial one.
  This byakhee is a devious and crafty member of its species. It enjoys the taste of 
  human flesh and has, over the past century or so, developed a taste for certain delicacies. 
  The Ai-Apa enjoys consuming only the crunchy bits of humans and especially craves the 
  human spine and its juicy contents. It also savors the human brain and skull.
  The Ai-Apa is a deadly foe who has dealt with humanity for centuries upon 
  centuries. It knows very little about the deadly modern achievements of human science, 
  since it has not been to Earth in over seventy years. It commonly attacks with stealth at 
  night, swooping down and snatching its victim from the ground in seconds.
  The Ai-Apa understands that Thomas, its new master, is not aware of its existence 
  and it wishes to maintain its anonymity. If Thomas realizes the power within his grasp the 
  Ai-Apa reasons that he will use it for much more difficult (and thus dangerous) tasks.
  Peruvian Research
  By far the greatest resource open to the investigators is the (relatively) nearby American 
  Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. Their extensive display on the American peoples 
  encompasses every major civilization and time period and they have elaborate displays of 
  artifacts, recreations of daily life, and videos of excavations for public perusal. In addition, 
  
  their extensive library has many books on the Peruvian people, and on a successful Library 
  Use roll the boxed text “Ancient Civilizations of Peru” may be handed out to investigators 
  as a player aid.
  Dr. Wu
  Dr. Jensen Wu, a DG-friendly, heads up the AMNH D Stacks (see p. 170 of Delta Green: 
  Countdown) and may become involved in the case if the investigators begin to search the 
  museum for anomalous artifacts, or if Cell A is asked to put the investigators in touch with 
  a friendly at the museum. If this occurs Wu will only aid in research and collection of 
  information at the AMNH and will by no means accompany the investigators out to 
  Glenridge (unless the situation is dire enough or as the Keeper permits). Wu should be 
  used (if at all) as an entertaining and learned side character and should not steal the 
  investigators’ spotlight.
  Running This Scenario
  “A Victim of the Art” is very much a freeform scenario without any dictated scenes or pre-
  ordained climax. It will be up to the investigators to conduct their inquiry as best they can. 
  They have the resources of the Glenridge Police Department at their disposal, as well as the 
  unsteady assistance of Agent Marcus and, in some circumstances, Cell A.
  The key clue, of course, is the phone records of the first two victims, which reveal 
  that someone from the Dengler household called both victims on the dates of their deaths. If 
  the investigators miss this clue, however, they aren’t out of luck. Dr. Maretti’s records 
  show the root-canal surgery done on Thomas Dengler the day of the dentist’s death, and 
  the second and third victims attend the same high school as Thomas. If additional murders 
  occur they will likewise have some connection to the boy that the investigators should 
  notice; Thomas will freely admit to knowing the victims since he doesn’t have any reason 
  to believe he’s involved. (At your discretion, Thomas could finally make the link, probably 
  as a result of his dreams; if so, he might consciously use the amulet to wreak havoc on the 
  entire school.) If the investigators are at a dead end, G.P.D. Detective Gregson can put 
  together the phone records clue for them – but give them every chance to figure this out on 
  their own before doing their work for them.
  Resolving this op is pretty simple, but it may not seem so to the investigators. The 
  easiest solution is destroying the amulet. With the link broken, the byakhee returns to the 
  stars. But the investigators may not ask the right questions and simply decide that Thomas 
  is somehow committing these crimes. If so, they may end up arresting the boy, or worse. 
  Should they kill Thomas, the murders stop – but whoever takes the amulet may unwittingly 
  start them up again.
  If the investigators destroy the amulet you may want to trigger a more-exciting 
  climax. The byakhee could be angered by its destruction, or simply be feeling spiteful, and 
  come to kill Thomas immediately.
  Of course, the investigators may be afraid that destroying the amulet will not drive 
  
  off the beast. If so, they may stage a trap for the byakhee, convincing Thomas to focus on 
  summoning the thing. Taking this opportunity to get Phenomen-X and/or Majestic-12 
  involved could make things very, very interesting.
  NPCs
  Ai-Apa (The Silent One)
  Ageless Byakhee
  STR   25   CON   14   SIZ   21   INT   14
  POW 13   DEX    17   HP   18
  Damage Bonus: +2D6
  Attacks:
  Claw 55%, 1D6+2D6
  Bite 60%, 1D6+blood drain and lift (drains 1D6 STR points per round until death)
  Armor: 2 Points of fur and hide
  Spells: None
  SAN Loss: 1/1D6
  Physical Description: The Ai-Apa is a hulking black shape with three large foldable 
  wings (over forty feet in total length), four forward-reaching talons which end in serrated 
  hooks, and a glistening blue-black face in which a half-dozen eyes glitter above and below 
  a huge, hooked maw. It looks slow and cumbersome on the ground, but in truth it is 
  lightning fast.
  It killed, the Ai-Apa congeals into a puddle of volatile chemicals and rapidly 
  produces a cloud of noxious gases which can cause sickness or death in human victims. 
  This POT 20 cloud lasts 1D10+4 minutes and causes incapacitation followed often by 
  rapid death – a CONx5 roll is appropriate to help the Keeper determine the results. An 
  examination of the remnants of the creature will reveal little but chlorine and other terrestrial 
  base chemicals.
  Notes: The Ai-Apa commonly attacks suddenly from above. After it latches on with its 
  beak (a bite attack), it lifts its victim in the air. Usually it kills by dropping the victim from a 
  great height (as per the rulebook’s falling rules), or it uses its vampiric attack to drain the 
  victim of all blood. It will return to feast on a corpse after it has dealt with all threats.
  Thomas Peter Dengler
  Unwitting Teenage Murderer, age 16
  Race: Caucasian
  STR   10   CON   10   SIZ   10   INT   13   POW 12   
  DEX  11   APP     13  EDU 10   SAN  60   HP   10
  Damage Bonus: none
  Education: 11th grade
  Occupation: High-school student
  
  Skills: Archaeology 16%, Chemistry 13%, Physics 20%, Mathematics 10%, Earth Science 
  29%, History 30%, Drive Automobile 26%, Sneak 39%, Spot Hidden 44%
  Languages: English 55%, Italian 5%
  Attacks: none
  Physical Description: Thomas is a quiet-looking teenager who dresses in rather 
  conservative clothes for a high-school student (sweaters and slacks). He has an intelligent, 
  thin face which rarely fills with emotion. Underneath his shirt he wears the Ai-Apa amulet, 
  which he considers good luck.
  Dr. Stephen Santorini
  Inquisitive Medical Examiner, age 56
  Race: Caucasian
  STR   11   CON   12   SIZ   12   INT   15   POW 13   
  DEX  12   APP     13  EDU 22   SAN  65   HP   12
  Damage Bonus: none
  Education: M.D., Boston University
  Occupation: Suffolk County Medical Examiner
  Skills: Chemistry 41%, Surgery 47%, Medicine 50%, First Aid 39%, Forensics 60%, 
  Drive Automobile 49%, Pharmacy 31%, Photography 37%
  Languages: English 100%, Latin 55%, Greek 31%
  Attacks: none
  Physical Description: Santorini is a muddled-looking fellow with a wild shock of 
  improbable strawberry blond hair which is graying at the temples. He wears an old, cheap 
  pair of glasses on his head at all times, which he uses only when reading. He dresses in an 
  eclectic and often embarrassing array of out-of-date clothes, and some of his daily outfits 
  would make anyone with an ounce of taste blush. Outspoken and insistent, Santorini could 
  easily become a Delta Green friendly, or the next victim of Majestic-12.
  [[BEGIN SIDEBAR]]
  Ancient Civilizations of Peru
  Although the Inca are the most well-known ancient civilization of Peru, they are only the 
  last of a series of native South American civilizations originating in the Andes. These 
  civilizations often shared territory and peoples, and over the centuries moved, spread, and 
  absorbed each other, forming new civilizations which combined characteristics of previous 
  peoples.
  Derek Wheeler, in his investigation in Peru in the 1920s, knew nothing of the pre-
  Incan civilizations, and instead believed that all artifacts found in Peru were of Inca origin. 
  Today, it is known that at least seven civilizations pre-dated the Inca and that each was most 
  likely absorbed into the Inca Empire when they reached the height of their power in 1476 
  with the defeat of the Chimu. A short summary of each civilization follows, to aid in any 
  investigator research.
  
  The Chavin. The Chavin peoples first become evident in large numbers about 
  1200 B.C. in the central Andes. The name Chavin is from the archaeological site Chavin de 
  Huantar, which was discovered in the late 1970s, and which first gave archaeologists clues 
  to Peru’s first know native peoples. The Chavin are known for their large free-standing 
  stone structures and sculptures, as well as their huge temples with U-shaped plans and 
  sunken courts. They flourished until about 200 B.C., when they faded into the Paracas 
  culture.
  The Chavin spread throughout ancient Peru without violence, instead seemingly 
  absorbing large populations through a religious cult which apparently worshipped an odd 
  assortment of animals. Caymans, Jaguars, Snakes, Eagles, and other, stranger, creatures 
  seemed to be the center of adoration for the cult, of which little is know.
  An odd beast is prevalent throughout the many recovered Chavin artifacts, a 
  hunched creature with wings, curving talons, serpentine hair, and off-center pupils in its 
  eyes. This is the Ai-Apa.
  The Paracas. The Paracas culture began as a small group of artisans who slowly 
  rose to cultural prominence as the Chavin influence waned. The Paracas were known for 
  their exceptional needlework and their colorful cotton clothing. The influence of the Chavin 
  can be seen in the remnants of Chavin religion incorporated into Paracas culture. Many of 
  the beliefs of the Chavin remained in the Paracas pantheon.
  The Nazca. The Nazca rose to influence around 350 B.C., and are known for the 
  famous Nazca lines. These huge incisions in the earth sometimes cover miles of ground and 
  are still visible from the air today. Spiders, whales, monkeys, and other animals stand side 
  by side with polygons and immense straight lines which run for more than six miles. At the 
  same time the Nazca rose to power in southern Peru, the Moche people were developing an 
  extensive culture to the north.
  The Moche. The Moche people constructed some of the greatest buildings ancient 
  South America has ever known. The massive temple of the Sun at Moche, their capital, 
  measures 130 feet in height and over 1,150 feet in length. The Moche flourished through 
  the first 600 years A.D., expanding their territory through warfare and invasion. Roads, 
  bridges, and forts were built, as well as complex irrigation ditches which allowed the 
  cultivation of crops in areas never before farmed.
  The Tianhunaco and the Huari. These two cultures rose to power from about 
  500 to 1000 A.D. It is uncertain how these two powerful cultures related to one another or 
  the Moche, although it is evident from archaeological finds that they slowly engulfed 
  portions of the Moche empire over a period of many centuries. The Tianhunaco ruled a 
  large area of city-states near Lake Titicaca, while the Huari ruled further north.
  In about 800 A.D. the Huari capital of Huari was suddenly abandoned for no 
  known reason. Tianhunaco continued to flourish, but was soon overshadowed by the 
  Chimu culture that rose out of the city Chan Chan in the north.
  The Chimu. This culture, led by semi-divine kings, rose rapidly in northern Peru, 
  engulfing much of the former Huari culture in a short amount of time. At its height, their 
  empire stretched over 1,000 miles along the coast north and south of Chan Chan, the 
  Chimu capital.
  
  The Chimu are remembered for their immense and careful bureaucracy which 
  covered every aspect of daily life, without which the Incas would not have been able to 
  control what would become their immense empire after they defeated the Chimu kings in 
  1476.
  The Inca. This, the most famous civilization of ancient South America, rose to 
  power around 1476, engulfing all who came before it through military might. Led by the 
  Sapa Inca or Emperor, the Inca believed their leader to be a direct descendent of the Sun 
  God himself. The Sapa Inca’s power was absolute, disseminated through his many 
  councilors and administrators to the many provinces and city-states throughout Peru.
  The Incas took over the Chimu governmental structure and absorbed many of their 
  roads, irrigation methods, and buildings for their own uses. Many new roads and structures 
  were built, expanding on the glory of the Chimu in many ways. At its height the Inca 
  culture rivaled the greatest civilizations of the Americas, and until their defeat in 1532 at the 
  hands of Spain they stood unrivaled in South America.
  [[END SIDEBAR]]
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Delta Green [multi]/adventures/DG - Adv - A Victim of the Art.pdf