Arkham Lounge Turn 1: The Stage Magician and the Smokey Lounge (Patreon)

Our tale begins with a stage magician. Josiah Arkham. An entertainer and entrepreneur, his desire for fame and recognition would lead to him selling his soul. The cousin to Amadeus Arkham, growing up the two of them had been thick as thieves, their shared interest in the occult leading to them as boys pooling their resources and expertise to acquire many an arcane and obscure code of knowledge.

As time had gone by, however, and in the face of hardship their paths had begun to diverge. Josiah's aunt, Elizabeth, would come down with a terrible disease of the mind, one that would force her young son to devote more and more time and energy to caring for her: her husband having died some years before. The energy that had once been spent on decrypting grimoires obtained in musty libraries, performing and attending seances performed by all manner of charlatan and parlor psychic alike, and more would give way to hours spent minding his dear mother: making sure she remained fed, making sure she remained bathed, making sure she remained healthy in body even as he desperately tried to soothe the poor womans night terrors.

Unable to pursue his original passion, the troubles endured by his mother would inspire Amadeus to pursue a study of the mind, putting his experience gained from acting as her caregiver to obtain a job at the New Bethlehem Asylum, located deep in slaughter swamp, where he would study both medicine and the diseases of the soul.

But Josiah's life wasn't without hardship. While his cousin and he had once been more akin to brothers, Josiah's side of the family had never been particularly wealthy. As time went on, he had been forced to find more and more creative means to eke out money in order to help his long suffering mother, unfortunately crippled father, and three younger siblings. Proving adept at sleight of hand, the young occultist would initially get his daily bread by thievery, pickpocketing and performing all manner of burglary, driven primarily by desperation, though gaining a reputation of criminality and seeing many a damp night in jail.

It was during the preparation for one of these burglaries, intended to be performed upon Alexander Herrman's Theater of Magic, that he would learn of his propensity for an altogether different form of sleight of hand. While casing the facility, none other than Alexander Herrman himself, one of the most famous entertainers in the young city that was Gotham, would notice the young mans talents, taking him on as an assistant and apprentice: the enormity of this couldn't be understated. Overnight, he had gone from just another ne'erdowell to the right hand student of one of the foremost illusionists of the era. The first bit of luck in his life, it was followed by some of the gravest: less than a month after he had taken his position, his mother took ill. Tuberculosis.

It had not taken her long to pass, and on one sunny june afternoon, Annalise Arkham was dead, having passed on to the great lounge in the sky. Taking a loan from his boss to pay for her burial expenses, Josiah laid her to rest in the Gotham Cemetery, where she rests to this day, having left behind her husband and children.

Such a sad story, but ultimately inevitable: sure, nobody likes the fact, but if it isn't one thing, it's always gonna be another. If she hadn't been gotten by the tuberculosis bacteria, it would have been old age. Still, I gotta admit, if life had been a bit kinder, she probably could have gotten a good another few decades, but so it goes.

Still, life would go on, until eventually Josiah would graduate from an apprentice entertainer to running entire shows by himself. Sure, he was still the B act, the guy they put on stage whenever the boss didn't have the time and any of the other acts weren't looking so hot, but he still found a tasty niche sandwiched between the Invisible Puppeteer and the talking Tiger act, where he drew on his own knowledge of the occult and experience with the shadier side of Gotham to spice up his performance. Recalling the lessons taken from inveterate conmen and skilled blackmailers learned during idle conversation in jail cells, he would perform 'seances' calling upon all manner of obscure devil while using the minute tells of his audience to fool them into believing he could see into their very hearts and souls, or else using the knowledge obtained from serial arsonists and those with knowledge of bomb-making to create distractions and pyrotechnics capable of distracting guests long enough to pilfer some item of theirs for a teleporting bauble trick.

Slowly, he would pick up steam, drawing more of an audience. With increased recognition came better billing. He wasn't gonna upstage the old man, but there wasn't anyone at the theater who could. What he brought to things was a darker, more sinister edge for those looking to be thrilled by a brief (feigned) gaze into the strange twilight abyss that was dark magic.

His journey to founding the lounge wouldn't begin until one sultry june night where, against the advice of his mentor, he would purchase the deed to an old, disrepaired steamboat casino. The St. Majeste. Repairing it, the Magician would open his own drinking lounge: a mobile, riverboat bar where guests could unwind with a nice whisky while serenaded by the handful of acts Arkham had managed to book and, occasionally, themselves. Legend would say that Josiah had made a deal, selling his soul to one of the infamous witches of Gotham folklore, Abigail Roth, the Slaughter Water Witch. In exchange, she would bless the St. Majeste: it would always serve as a nexus, drawing into its orbit some patrons.

It's here that our story begins.

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Josiah Arkham leaned against the bar, the lounges resident bartender uncorking a bottle of whiskey, pouring it into a glass for their boss, the crystal, skull shaped mug sitting upon a dark ebony counter, made from the finest imitation of mahogany the boats owner could afford. Beneath their shoes were wooden tiles and woven, black dyed carpets. The light was dark, a mere handful of lamps on the wall providing the dimly lit room illumination, which when combined with the light haze of tobaco smoke gave the place a sinister, shadowy atmosphere, contrasted with the brightness of the stage, upon which was performing a singer, Violet Hall, crooning a mournful dirge. The night was October 29nd. His boat had been open for a few months, drawing a modest crowd. So far, only the main lounge had been restored: the gaming hall was still in disrepair, and they hadn't fully restored the cabins.

"I must admit, I'm surprised. This is remarkably tasteful," Came a voice, and Josiah turned, seeing a familiar face, the stage magicians own splitting into a grin. His cousin, sporting a short, stubbly beard and dark bags under his eyes, his hair scarcely groomed, was dressed in a simple faded suit.

"Ah, Amadeus!" Josiah cried, the slightly younger Arkham happy to see the man. "Finally come to visit, I see! I thought my invitation got lost in the mail."

The shorter man snorted, moving to sit next to Josiah, ordering a small glass of spirits. "If only. No, cousin, the only reason I haven't responded more promptly is because this is the first evening I've been able to spare myself in the past few months. Between work, my studies at Gotham, and caring for mother, I haven't had a day to myself in a dogs age."

Josiah made a tsking sound, tweaking his handlebar mustache, a pang of sympathy going through him. "Why don't you hire a caretaker? You have the money for it and then some," the poorer Arkham queried, causing Amadeus to grunt as he took a swig of alcohol, his body shuddering, not used to the substance or its flavor no doubt.

"Mother would never tolerate a keeper," He said, slamming his glass down, voice tired. "She would find herself insensate with fury when cognizant, and would no doubt be little more pleasant when in her fits. But please, enough of my mother: I came to visit your newest entrepreneurial venture." He wrinkled his nose a bit, giving a wry grin. "And yet, despite the tales of terrible witchcraft and rumors of how you sold your soul to the devil, it appears far less sensational in person."

"Unfortunately, witches demand a far higher price than what I can afford to pay them: I find myself having to resort to hiring less disreputable sorts instead," Josiah joked, grin faltering for a moment, almost imperceptibly, a ghost of a memory passing through his mind, recalling a night shortly after the opening of the Lounge. Recalling a young woman he had met in the darkness of night near the gotham docks. Recalling a contract he had signed. Underneath his leather gloves, the scars marring the back of his hand itched.

"So, how exactly has business been faring?" Amadeus asked, and Josiah's grin faltered entirely for a brief span.

"We're...muddling along," He admitted, finishing off the rest of his crystal skull. "So far, we've received enough clients to keep the lamps lit, at least. It's precarious, though: if we can make it to next summer, we'll likely draw in enough people looking to escape the heat to balance our budget and then some."

"I gather from the tone that that's an uncertain if," Amadeus noted, voice beginning to slur, not used to imbibing intoxicants.

"Unfortunately, the man who sold me this boat embellished it's quality on certain fronts," Josiah growled, grip tightening on his crystal skull. "Namely, the degree to which it's condition was satisfactory. Most of it is in no state in which I can show it to the public. The theater, the cabins, the card halls..."

Amadeus raised an eyebrow, remaining silent, causing Josiah to sigh. "There is, also, the fact that we've only managed to book a handful of entertainers. Mr. Hermann refuses to let me book any of his theaters troupe, and unfortunately everyone after that is of poorer quality."

"In fairness, you are rivals now in both craft and business, it would be rather naive to assume he'd lend you his stable of performers," Amadeus noted, and in response Josiah grunted, holding his crystal skull out to the bartender, who poured him another draught which the magician swigged down. "Though I do have a suggestion..."

Alright, we've came to our first junction. What does the psychiatrist to be suggest Josiah do to boost up patronage?

Every turn, you're gonna be presented with moments like this. Points where you'll be presented with some dilema or thought and tasked with coming up with a response: your choice will alter the fate of Gotham as a city, its inhabitants, or even just change the bars success: we call these Hotspots. Keep in mind, there are no wrong awnsers here. You might get to pick his suggestions, but you aren't playing as Amadeus, and he might be the guy in charge for now, but you aren't playing as Josiah either. No my friend, you're playing as that fickle force known as fate: don't be afraid to lead people down the wrong path, don't be afraid to make bad decisions, and remember that your first and only duty is keeping the bar open. Everything after that is ancillary.

Hotspot Options

[ ] Why not take a loan?: A cash injection might be what the Lounge needs: Josiah would be able to repair enough of the riversteamer to open a second attraction for the Lounge, improve the size of his staff, hire better entertainers. Plus, it would give the Lounge an immediate cash reserve they could use for other improvements.

[ ] Why not put out an ad?: Never underestimate the power of getting your name out there. Josiah was pretty damn popular even if he wasn't pulling the same numbers as his mentor. Spending some of the remaining capital on getting the Gotham Paper to put out an add for the great and mysterious Professor Arkhams new exclusive shows should draw in crowds.

[ ] Why not make a deal with Hermann?: If amends could be made and a deal struck, convincing Alexander Hermann to let his wayward student feature his troupe as entertainers in his bar would help draw people in. Of course, it would require Josiah swallow his pride and admit to his mentor he had made a mistake opening his own venture.

Of course, our friend Josiah isn't gonna remain idle when not following this advice. He's gonna work on his act, he's gonna work on the Lounge, and he's gonna get into trouble. Beyond the hotspot options, you'll also determine how exactly the Arkham Lounge is going to be ran. Remember, profit is a secondary factor: this isn't a game of win or lose, it's a game of affecting the world around you.

First, let's have a list of acts, facilities, and staff the place has:

Josiah Arkham: The owner circa Aug. 1900 - . A stage magician trained in burglary among other arts. Has sold his soul to Abigail Roth, who he encountered in a dingy bar while drunk, in exchange for his Bar having an assured stream of clientele, though not neccesarily enough to make ends meet.

Violet Hall: A singer Josiah had located while looking for entertainers: they had agreed to work using their voice, their pay a few dollars every day they worked.

Stout Beers: Stout Breweries were one of the lesser sources of alcohol in this town in terms of quality, but they were cheap, meaning that they served as the source of much of the alcohol served.

St. Majeste: An old riversteamer where the Arkham Lounge was located, it was a barely floating wreck that required significant repairs. So far, the only functional parts was the engine, the wheel, and the actual lounge itself.

Not a lot. A lot of great ventures start small. The good news is, you're sporting a blessing: you'll always attract at least some clientele. Problem is, this blessing isn't the kind that'll make your job a cakewalk: you still have to make sure you stay financially solvent. It isn't enough to put butts in chairs, you need to make enough revenue from each customer to keep the lights on.

First, let's go over your act. Our friend Josiah over here is a magician, a verifiable illusionist. Currently, that act is the only real draw you have: let's not kid ourselves, the booze isn't all that great. So long as he's the only entertainment, time that would otherwise be spent managing the bar has to be spent working on his own shows. Every turn that Josiah is in charge, you'll be asked two things: first, you'll want an actual act. Now, you don't have to get complex here: I just want a few sentences, something that would be suitably entertaining to write about and is theoretically within your ability to pull off: to be clear, I do not want nor need a wall of text or engineering dissertation and if your write in goes longer than a paragraph I'm probably going to skip it for the next one. The more interesting a trick, the more prestige you'll pull in. For now, try to come up with a few fun magic tricks or performances you'd love to see pulled off in person.

Beyond that, he'll also be tasked with working on improving your act. This one is a little less freeform: basically, since this is the tutorial, he has one AP to be spent working on his material, but as time goes on and you gain more reputation, resources, and prestige, he'll gain more, most likely. He can work on props to let him pull off bigger performances, he can practice his act to help nail it on the first try, he can try to learn a new skill you think would be handy.

Just remember you don't have infinite money: you need to try and keep things under budget. If the act you select for him fails to bring in more money than it costs, you'll find yourself running into the red pretty quickly. Speaking of, the Lounges current financial situation is ORANGE.

[ ] Alright champs, gimme a good write in for an act.

Josiah has one Performance AP!

[ ] Practice an Act: As a wise man will one day say, I don't fear the man who has learned a thousand kicks, but I do fear the man who has mastered one.

-[ ] Normally there'd be a write in here detailing your acts, but since we're on turn one, it'll just be whatever act you pick this turn.

[ ] Design a Prop: The audiences loved novelty, but unfortunately, novelty required a lot of time working with carpentry tools.

-[ ] Insert concept here. Keep in mind that Josiah, while a skilled magician, has no engineering skills.

[ ] Educate Thyself: Sometimes we need more mental tools at our disposal than what our surroundings and current experiences can provide.

-[ ] Insert thing you want to learn here. Note it has to be related to performance in some way, and learning more narrow or simple fields and skills is generally going to be quicker. For instance, instead of studying engineering, if you wanted to start including steam engines in your props, you might choose to study steam engine design.

[ ] Train Violet: Josiah would have to give her a cut of the nights revenue most likely, cutting into how much an act was likely to make, but training Violet in the arts of stage magic and employing her as an assistant would allow the magician to pull off somewhat more impressive illusions.

[ ] Write In.

Of course, he'll also be managing the bar. Hiring and training staff, renovating more of the St. Majeste, booking new talent, scouting out new booze. Turns, for the record, have no set length: they last as long as it would take to accomplish whatever goals you set out to perform would take. Months, weeks, years. Keep that in mind when embarking on particularly ambitious ideas. For the purpose of the tutorial, all the AP remaining AP is going to be allocated to business management actions: as time goes on and the priorities of Josiah changes, so will how his AP is allowed to be used on a turn to turn basis. For instance, next turn one of his 4 AP are going to be allocated to personal actions.

You have three action points.

[ ] Scout New Talent: Josiah probably wasn't going to find any good magic acts since Hermanns Theater existed, but Gotham had plenty of other forms of entertainment if you knew where to look. For instance, traveling carnivals, other lounges, etc.

-[ ] What kind of entertainment are you looking for? If you can think of a specific place to scout you can use it instead, but considering its turn 1 I don't imagine you'll have many ideas.

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[ ] Hire New Staff: Sure, you had a bartender, but you need more than just that to run a place. Janitors, delivery people, waiters, additional bartenders who can pick up more shifts.  Just keep in mind that the more people work for the Lounge, the higher its costs go.

-[ ] What kind of staff are you looking for?

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[ ] Diversify Spirits: Stout produced low quality, but cheap beers. They were in your budget, but unless you diversified, the drinks would likely never be a major draw.

-[ ] What kind of alcohol are you looking for? Just a few words is fine: 'expensive wines', 'inexpensive whiskeys', 'swamp bought moonshine'.

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[ ] Renovate the St. Majeste: Only part of the St. Majest was open to the public: the ship was still seaworthy inasmuch as any vessel of its class might be, but the prior owners had apparently been less than gentle with the vessels insides, meaning most of it required repair.

-[ ] Like prior options, what are you repairing? I'm not gonna list every possible space on the ship, especially since they'll probably be used for something different: instead, just specify a potential location that could conceivably exist on the ship and what you want to use it for. A gambling hall, another drink lounge, theaters, cabins people can pay to sleep in, etc.

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[ ] Write In.

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Alright, turn 1! There are more mechanics that I'll unveil during the tutorial, but overall this quest is going to be, much like FerretQuest, largely narrative.