Holy Ground (Cthulhu City)

From the Guardian:

As they clamber up cathedral walls wearing vacuum cleaner backpacks, the researchers look more like ghostbusters than planetary scientists. But for the team at the University of Kent, the equipment is crucial for collecting cosmic dust that becomes stranded on the ancient roofs after falling to Earth from space …

All of which leads me to:

Stargazing

A peculiar group of masked investigators have been seen crawling over the rooftop of the Cathedral. After attracting comment, there was a press release in the Arkham Advertiser. The masked investigators are actually University professors, collecting cosmic dust from the rooftop in order to carry out their experiments. After becoming a nine-day’s wonder, speculation about the roof-crawling group dies. Until one of them takes a tumble from the roof and lands in a heap on the paving stones below. “I see them,” the broken man whispers, just before the medicos load him up in an ambulance and whisks him away.

Option 1:

The investigators are actually part of the Armitage Group, that notorious collection of radicals. The others involved in this experiment have fled to their safe houses, but the one who took the fall, student Morey Amsterdam (p90) was looking for materials to be used in paint pigments. According to Morey’s notes/diaries/friends the art student believed that the artists of old had a peculiar means of mixing cosmic dust with paint to create unearthly effects in their art. However, Morey’s gone missing, and the medicos are very, very anxious to find him or anyone who might know where he is.

Option 2:

The one who fell is a Stalwart Transport Police, Malone. It’s not clear who the others were; checking at the University reveals that the names given were aliases. The medicos refuse access to the patient and say he’s at death’s door, hanging by a thread. His family plead with whoever will listen: let us see Malone. At least, they do right up to the day when all of them mysteriously disappear, never to be seen again … As for Malone it’s not clear what he went up there to find but these days the roof of the Cathedral has a peculiar ambient glow. 

Option 3:

The investigation was actually sponsored by the Church of the Conciliator, who wanted to be kept at arm’s length from the whole affair. That’s why they hired academics from the University rather than go up themselves. The leader of this Stalwart group, Holly Kerr, was following up on Mythos clues that suggested the roof of the Cathedral was somehow coated with alien material. Kerr visited the unfortunate accident victim before he died and came away terrified by what he had to say. Meanwhile the other academics are back at the University planning their next jaunt on the Cathedral roof; what they saw up there has them hungry for knowledge.

What's on that roof?

Option 1:

Witch Keziah Mason is lost in space and time but that doesn't mean she's untraceable. Either her constituent parts or the trail of the things following on her heels can be found in the high places, where they won't be disturbed by people or vehicles. Those brave enough to scrape this dust from the high places can work out, approximately, where the witch is headed next, or going, or is. Problem being, people who get too much of this dust in their eyes start seeing things - hence the masks. But those masks don't provide perfect protection. Too much time up there and even the masks won't help ...

Option 2: 

The far-flung heavens contain secrets man ought not seek out, but by a strange mercy the low-hanging clouds over Cthulhu city protect the citizens from seeing what's really up there. The pilot of that light plane out in Dunwich (p100) might know more about it, but the average citizen can get a similar effect by climbing very high and waiting for a gap in the clouds. Even better if that average citizen has a good telescope. Of course, the adventurous might not like what they see ...

Option 3:

Residual pollution from the Gardner Company out in Westheath taints the rooftops of every tall building in Arkham City; it just so happens that the Cathedral's roof is better protected than the rest which means the pollutant Colour isn't disturbed. It lies thick on the slates. That allows those keen to know more about this strange substance, and who want to trace its origin, have their best chance of collecting it up there. It also means that those who go in seach of it on the Cathedral roof are most likely to be changed by their exposure to the dust ...

That's it for this week. Enjoy!