The investigators feel their sense of self wash away as they enter Larkin’s memories, taking on the personas of those that knew him in the past …

DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Barney William, Jr – occult studies student at Miskatonic University; Grew up in a religious household in Florida; Believer; wants to be a demonologist

Atticus Whitney – law student at Miskatonic University; Heir to the Whitney empire

Gregory Grekov – occult studies student at Miskatonic University

Thomas Parker – history student at Misaktonic University; star player on the university’s rugby team, on an athletic scholarship

DATELINE: Monday, 23 April 1900 – SCENE 01 – The Dining Hall at Miskatonic University is abuzz with activity as students and faculty file in for lunch. With limited time before the history class taught by Professor Morris, the students discuss the most interesting news at Miskatonic University: the May Day dance to be held Monday next, and the recipient of this year’s annual honor of being ‘burned’ during the mock witch trial held after the dance.

Sitting down with their friend, the brilliant history student, Augustus Larkin. The students at the table — whether Larkin’s tutoring student or academic rival, are friends, all.

When Evangeline Thompson, one of the prettiest of the limited number of female students at Miskatonic walks by, Larkin falls to pieces. Grekov goes to Evangeline’s table and puts in a good word for Larkin. Evangeline says perhaps she will buy a dance from Larkin at the May Day dance.

SCENE 02 – The students arrive at Professor Morris‘ history class just as two Arkham Police Officers are leaving. After the class ends, Larkin goes to Professor Morris, his mentor, to inquire about what the police were talking to him about. The professor tells Larkin that they were asking if he knew anything about who might have been involved in the grave robbery that took place last night at Christchurch Cemetery. Morris gives Larkin the day’s copy of the Arkham Advertiser. The police were asking Morris if he thought it could be some sort of History students’ fraternity prank.

SCENE 03 – The students meet up after class and review the article in the Advertiser. They reckon they can solve this mystery easily, and get the $100 reward. Larkin has a couple of connections at the AHS and offers to go with Grekov and JR. Whitney and Parker will go to Christchurch and see if that turns up anything.

SCENE 04 – Arriving at Christchurch Cemetery, Whitney and Parker head to the oldest section of the graveyard. They can see police tape attached to the withered, ancient trees surrounding several graves. Approaching the crime scene, they see an equally ancient caretaker leaning against a rake. The caretaker is obsequious towards Whitney, who is obviously a young gentleman of taste and distinction, and less charitable to Parker.

The caretaker tells the students that he saw a strange violet light from the area of the graves late last night and says that this is obviously the work of the ghost of Hesper Payne, “her that cursed Arkham and everyone in it.” Inquiring about whether any students have been by the grave sites, the caretaker says yes — history students from Miskatonic come here often to verify dates or take rubbings from the grave stones.

He said a young woman professing to be a student was here just a few days prior and he describes her appearance, but neither Whitney nor Parker recognize her by the description depicted.

With the caretaker’s permission, the students examine the graves. They find each grave to be empty with a pile of dirt next to each. Atop each pile of dirt are the previous occupant’s coffins. While Whitney notices that the coffins were pried open with some sort of pry bar, Parker sees something strange about the side walls of each grave.

Jumping down into the grave, Parker sees that there is a square tunnel cut into the side of each of the graves and then hastily covered over with grave dirt. Each tunnel looks like it can be traversed by someone on their hands an knees. He also sees small cloven hoof prints inside the tunnel’s soft floor.

SCENE 05 – Meanwhile, at the Arkham Historical Society, the students meet with Mrs Prynne, head of the Lady’s Auxiliary Historical Society. Mrs Prynne says that she thinks the grave desecration is the work of unscrupulous curio collectors from New York, selling the remains to depraved collectors.

The afternoon’s research only turns up one clue, an article from the Advertiser dated 17 April of this year:

When Parker and Whitney arrive, Larkin formulates a different theory, one not too far off from Mrs Prynne’s: He believes that the tunnels could very well have been dug by Revolutionary War era Templars or Freemasons to hide treasure.

The students decide to return to Christchurch Cemetary that night to explore the tunnels.