Eustace & Hitomi and the Case of the Rambler's Inn

The "Origin Story" of Eustace and Hitomi Delmont. The first story arc of the Eustace & Hitomi campaign.

Summer 1996. Amy Patel is missing. She was last seen staying at the Rambler's Inn, an overly large and overly complex resort in Maidenstead, Alabama. There are lots of ghost stories and other rumors about the place.

Enter Eustace Delmont. Mid-20s. Geeky. Overweight. Trying out a beard because a woman in college said he looked good in one. They were not dating. Eustace is not good at dating.

Eustace is good at old electronics and watching Doctor Who. When his friends, members of an amateur astronomy club and Dungeon & Dragons group, call upon him to help fix a technical glitch, he agrees. Here he meets the woman who might jusbe the love of his life. He just has to help save her dog first.

Hitomi is in Maidenstead after a couple of years driving around with her sister, her sister's boyfriend, and an audio-visual geek (also, her dog). They have been producing low-budget ghost hunting videos and offering them up via subscription service. In several ways, it is ahead of its time.

I do not have to tell you that Frank, Daphne, Vernon, Hitomi, and Libby travel in a van for you to understand they are quite legally distinct from Scooby Doo.

Shady dog catchers, sexy times, poor decisions, hot cops, chainsmoking alt girls, and Betamax tapes with horrible secrets await in Maidenstead.

There is also the Final Thoughts, Recap, and Debrief for the story arc where I go into more details about some of the ideas and themes behind the series.

And a "Preview" of the most likely next chapter: Eustace & Hitomi and the Case of the Empty Promises.

Credits and Resources Used in "...and the Rambler's Inn"

The game engine behind the Eustace & Hitomi series was originally Tricube Tales, Tricube Tales Solo, and Maidenstead Mysteries, all by Richard Woolcock. It eventually migrated (in chapter 3) to Mythic by Tana Pigeon for the oracle with the original pieces used to generate information and characters.

Other oracle systems mainly including, but not limited to:

Random Realities by Cesar Capacle
Book of Random Tables: 1980s -1990s, BORT: Modern, and BORT: Eldritch by Matt & Erin Davids
Table Fables: Modern by Madeline Hale

Originally some AI was used but this has been retired though one piece made for something outisde of this series was kept. Like an easter egg.

Characters (largely spoiler free)

My campaigns tend to have a lot of characters and locations. This one tends to have more characters than average, with more details per character.

Main Cast

Eustace Delmont is 25, 6'4", fat, bearded, and dresses plainly. Caucasian and fairly cis-male who is worried about sticking out too much (at least, for now, later he seems to change this). Has a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science from the Univerity of Alabama in Huntsville. Spends his time tinkering with old electronics, being a general handyman for folks, working at Ralph Harley's Harley's Electronics, watching Doctor Who, and playing Dungeons & Dragons. The kind of guy that tries to do good constantly and ends up getting blamed for a lot of the problems around town after being used as free labor. Is in a lull in his life where he has gotten so used to helping other people that he cannot quite make out what to do for himself. In game terms, Eustace is a Brainy Tech Nerd with Many Friends and a Lateral Thinker but Prone to Daydreaming.

We currently know nothing about Eustace's parents besides he lives with them. He does have a younger sister named Milly Delmont he complains about here or there but mostly because he loves her a lot and is afraid he is disappointing her.
We know from 2027 Eustace's autobiography that he "saved the town of Yarsburg from a a flood of negative spiritual energy" at some point but no precise details are known.
From the same source, we know he eventually becomes friends with Jack Fall.

Hitomi Meyer is 20, 5'11", skinny, dresses in oversized t-shirts and jeans, and smokes constantly. She is a slightly tomboy-ish Japanese-British woman who has moved to the United States. She is dealing with depression and a sense of not quite knowing who she is. Received Libby the Lab — a shorter-than-average, fatter-than-normal chocolate lab — as her 19th-birthday-present and has spent the past two years traveling around the American South East as part of Frank Deacon's — Daphne Meyer's boyfriend — failed scheme to launch a VHS-subscription service for ghost hunting. Much like Eustace, she has an issue where people are prone to expect things of her without really giving her the space to be herself. In game terms, Hitomi Meyer is an Alert Amateur Detective who is Determined but Chainsmokes.

Her dad is Pastor Maurice Meyer. Her mom is Tomoko Sato-Meyer. Dad runs a Church of Christ mega-church near Mobile, Alabama. Mom is a "somewhat renowned professor of economics" who teaches at Oxford. They were divorced when Hitomi was seven but stayed in touch.
Her dad is dead by 2027 (mom not mentioned) and his church shut down due to embezzlement from Auggie Williams.
Hitomi listens to a lot of music from the late-80s and early-90s via her Walkman cassette player.
We know from her future sight (which is a lot more detailed than Eu's) that she marries Eustace, they have a kid together in 2001 (as well as others), and that she has moved past her scrawny tomboy days to be a somewhat plump "sexy mother." Her new hobby is to read long-winded fantasy novels.
We also know that her and Eustace inherit Ralph's electronic shop and stay together in Maidenstead.
Despite everyone assuming she has tattoos, she only gets one sometime later at the prompting of Morgan Carter.

Supporting Cast (aka, The Irregulars)

Morgan Carter is a Charming Bank Teller who Knows Everyone but is Very Naive. 19-years-old. Short, red-headed, and plump. Endlessly cheerful and an immense people-watcher, she is in love with most of the men around Maidenstead and some of the women. What is often overlooked is that she is great at reading people and is immensely insightful as to what makes people tick. Sometimes she lets a bit of envy and resentment get in the way of her insights, though. She becomes Hitomi's best friend and their friendship does a lot to get Morgan out of her shell (and vice versa).

Morgan's mom is Tanya. She has an older sister named Sally that is the same age as Eustace. Her mom is divorced and prone to teasing Morgan about her weight while also being generally supportive — even encouraging — of her daughter to get out and take more risks. Her mom is a big fan of Hitomi.
Morgan is still best friends with Hitomi in 2027. She was the maid of honor at Eustace & Hitomi's wedding.
Morgan doesn't work on Fridays. This is likely due to a great reason and not because I forgot that she should be at work for a couple of chapters.

Daphne Meyer is a a Charming Film Star who Commands Attention but Doesn't Look Before She Leaps. 23-years-old. Gorgeous, blonde, curvy, and loud. Hitomi's adopted step-sister. She met Frank Deacon in college and hit it off. She personally asked Hitomi to join her and Frank (and Vern) on the ghost hunting business tour. The only person in the campaign who smokes the same amount as Hitomi, Daphne much prefers weed (but does not always gets what she wants). Has a number of "roles" she plays when dealing with other people, only tending to be herself when around Hitomi as long as Frank isn't also around. As is common in the characters, the real her gets a bit buried. Despite being the constant center of attention, she does try and shut up when Hitomi asks (and Hitomi usually asks loudly).

We know from Hitomi's future sight that Daphne eventually marries Frank and then divorces him. As of 2027, she is an Instagram influencer who takes photos of tourist traps (and is presumably somewhat successful with it).
Her mom is Julia Angstrom Meyer who met Maurice Meyer shortly after Pastor Maurice's divorce from Tomoko. Daphne was adopted formally by Maurice at the age of 11. We have no details about her biological dad.

Isabella "Elly" Lopez is a Brainy Engineer who is a Natural Leader but Handles Stress Poorly. 25-years-old. Short, slender, dark, and friendly. Eustace's long-term best friend and one of his chief defenders, Elly is in a relationship with Jenny Adams. She met Jenny while visiting home from college and eventually moved back to Maidenstead to be with Jenny. She is a natural manager and a tech genius who often makes many demands of Eustace whom she has traditionally considered sort of her right-hand man (she is noted for calling on Eustace even more than Jenny, a source of ire for Jenny). The main thing holding her back is she does not handle stress well and she often overcompensates taking care of other people.

We do not know much about Elly's family besides that they her parents are first generation Mexican immigrants. They are still close and she takes trips with them.
We know from Morgan that many people, despite Elly being in a relationship with Jenny for six-years now, assume that Elly and Eustace are some kind of couple because of the amount of time they spend together.

Jennifer "Jenny" Adams is an Alert Designer who is Exceptional at Crafts but Distrustful. Jenny had a trouble childhood and at the age of 17 was practically adopted by Aunt Elvis — a drag queen performer originally from the Maidenstead area — and raised in a more supportive environment. Elvis is the one who introduced her to Elly. They now live in Elvis's old apartment along with Tammy Callum — a divorcee in her 40s — though no one, especially Eustace, quite understands how that relationship works out. He refuses to ask. Jenny is 26, 5'11, and fairly stocky. She over-compensates by dressing in what she considers to be "extra girly" outfits — rainbow hair, bright clothing, and a whole series of headbands with animal ears and unicorn horns. She loves to make costumes for her favorite characters. While she is outright jealous of how much time Elly spends with Eustace, she later admits it has more to do with a fear that someone will hurt Elly like Jenny was hurt.

Before her and Eustace make peace, she makes him call her by her Dungeons & Dragons character name: "Firestorm."
Tammy seems to be closely involved with Jenny but, again, the exact how is unknown.

Officer Raymond Clark is a Charming Young Cop who Is Good at Keeping the Peace but Has a Past. 27. Blonde. Tall. Athletic. Very fit. Very gorgeous. He even talks handsomely. Met Eustace back in high school. Raymond would sneak in to steal school equipment because he was fascinated with learning. Eustace caught him but never turned him in which kicked off the friendship. Tends to pretend to play dumber than he is. Is overprotective of Eustace, and extremely comfortable with Eustace: Raymond expresses this as a teasing older brother. Prone to follow the law when other people are involved, Raymond definitely is fine with breaking it on his own behalf.

Raymond deals weed around Maidenstead but this seems to be in minor amounts.
Raymond gets along with the other cops because he is good at breaking up arguments.
Raymond is the kind of pretty that makes everyone, including animals, think he is pretty.
Despite this, he does not seem particularly interested in relationships besides friendly ones.

Other Cast and Background Characters

Alphabetical by last name where available.

Arnie used to work with Eustace at the IGA and Arnie still works there doing deliveries. Seems pretty immune to Eustace's antics and mostly just ignores them.
Frank Deacon: 24-year-old hunk and ex-collegiate football star. Best friends with Vern. Dating Daphne. Has a bad habit of dragging people along for his dreams and quickly acts betrayed if there is any pushback. Dad is an actual church deacon. [We know in the future he becomes an accountant after divorcing Daphne but not the exact timeline].
Sue Delphi: an old-timer at the Maidenstead Police Station.
Isaac Gibbs: Despite being quite rich, plays at being trailer trash. Runs a dog pound where he catches tourists' dogs and demands a steep fee to get them back.
Nancy Gibbs: Mother to Isaac and Elmer. Not a lot is known about her besides she overly spoils her younger son while making lots of demands of her older one.
Ralph Harley: Owns Harley's Electronics. Despite being a fussy grandpa figure, has a soft spot for Eustace — and under the guise of cracking down on an employee, tries to stop people from demanding so much of Eustace's free time — and for Hitomi. Rents out an apartment over his shop to Hitomi in part to make sure the two have a chance to talk. Has long standing issues with Chief Raylon.
Vernon "Vern" Majors: a 20-year-old audiovisual geek that met Frank in college (Vern entered a couple years early, Frank left a couple years late). They become really surprising friends and Vern is one of the only people that Frank does not argue with by default.
Amy Patel: Her missing persons case kicks off much of the adventure. Once Daphne's best friend, she is known for being calculating but part of the problem is that a lot of people just don't know her.
Ariel Patel: Amy's mom. A professor of genetics. Recently took a trip back to her native Hong Kong.
Roger Patel: Amy's older brother. A bit more openly vicious than Amy but fades into the background more.
Roman Patel: Amy's dad. A banker and real-estate investor. One of the richest men in Mobile, Alabama.
Chief Elmer Raylon: Long-serving Chief of Maidenstead police. Believes in a lot of conspiracy theories and thinks counter-culture is destroying the town. Secret son of Nancy Gibbs and therefore a hidden member of Maidenstead's "royalty". For reasons not quite reasonable, he really goes out of his way to try and trip up Eustace.
Martin Reed: The current owner of the Rambler and Gunther's nephew. Older, well-dressed man who comes off as a bit slimy. He is slimy, but he also gives off the vibe.
Tim Sprot: Works in the city morgue and does some forensics stuff.
Gunther Strange: Martin Reed's uncle and once part-time owner of the Rambler. Sold his shares and started working as Head of Security and general manager of the place.
Patrick Yost: Very junior member at H & L Smith's in Gulf Shores (though he lives currently in Maidenstead). He considers himself a bit better than the "natives". Works on a lot of business plans and knows a good bit of behind-the-scenes business transactions if youc an get past his personality. Shrill laugh. Convinced that they are controlling the weather.
Hayden Warren: Manager of the IGA and Eustace's ex-boss. Has a son named Thomas "Tommy" Warren.
Maisie Zable: Old reference librarian and archivist at the smallish Maidenstead Public Library. Knows city lore like Morgan knows people. Works half days on Thursdays.

Locations

This is a much shorter list. We basically just have...

Businesses and Landmarks

Cupcake Boutique: A cupcake and coffee shop near Harley's off of Main Street.
Harley's Electronics: Ralph Harley's business where he sells mid-quality electronics and runs a basic ISP.
H & L Smith's: Real-estate evaluation company and Patrick Yost's employer. They have branches around the Gulf Coast with Patrick working at Gulf Shores.
The Rambler's Inn: Built post-Civil War and expanded into a labrynthine structure over the 20th century. The primary landmark of Maidenstead and where Amy (and Vern) disappeared.

Besides those we know there's an RV park slightly north of the Rambler at the edge of the town and a beach along the eastern side of Mobile Bay that is pretty small but a favored spot for young families and old folks who just like quiet and short walks.

Residences

Hitomi's apartment, above Ralph's store, off main street.
Elly and Jenny's apartment off of Jefferson Avenue.

Story Arc Background Origin

Eustace & Hitomi and the Case of the Rambler's Inn was originally sketched out as a possible successor to Gareth Hendrix and the Bunker Bigfoot on July 24, 2024.

At the time, there was a interest (by me) to form a kind of Avengers Assemble type collection of various people related to The Alabama Weird and so it was considered likely that Del Eustace from an unpublished Sinister Semester X playthrough would return. There was also an idea for Alexander "Alex the Dumbass" Dumas to be an earnest and talented, if not necessarily wise, ghost + mystery hunter in the Armitage, AL continuity. One of the few notes I had for Alex was that he stayed in the "most haunted hotel in central western Alabama for a whole three days." Some of these elements definitely figured into the creation of Eustace Delmont and into the Rambler Inn.

Eustace was originally set in 2024. The Scooby Doo game side-characters were less important (and mostly foils for Eustace) with the focus being on Dawson The Psychic Dog. Dawson had a Youtube channel where they drove around the country exploring haunted houses and spots of mysteries with Dawson getting credit. If anything, Eustace was meant to hit it off with the dog who might have been actually psychic. I have no notes if it was intended for Eustace to fall in love with Dawson's owner or not.

The original missing person was Michelle Jones. The original architect of the Rambler was Alphonse Balph (I have no idea where that name came from).

Eustace was a computer programmer who was obsessed with tokusatsu collectibles.

By the time the series was committed to the blog the next day, some elements had already been changed. Eustace was no longer a computer programmer but more a hardware person. The series was time shifted back to 1996 and in Lower Alabama. The time shift might have been my idea to avoid connecting Eustace to Gareth outright. It also allowed me to potentially forward shift Eustace back into the present where he would be more my actual age at the time. Eustace initially kept his toku obsession (later changed to Doctor Who for reasons mentioned below). Dawson was replaced by Libby the Lab. Michelle became Amy Patel. Balph was dropped along with definite "dark magic" elements.

The Youtube series was out, so instead the idea was shifted towards a VHS-by-Mail Subscription service.

The BIG change was that the campaign was going to be originally told in a this kind of overblown, late-Victorian style mystery novel prose with myself as a future editor who jumped in to fix Delmont's constant over-exaggerations and misconceptions. I got dropped from my own campaign really quickly and it swung to being Hitomi who, just as quickly, was disclosed to be Eustace's future wife.

The Great Rewrite of 2025

The series stalled out and went on hiatus in August 2024 (the month it was expected to be finished). It would take three to four months to get back into the swing of it. By then, so many things had changed from the original — the writing style, the character focus, lots of details about the hotel and surrounding area, parts of the mystery — that January 1st marked the start of "The Great Rewrite." This left the original style of the original post, as well as the original mechanical rolls, in place but tweaked some interactions between characters, shifted old details to match new details, toned down some observations and ideas, and otherwise retooled the early posts to be a bit more matching the longer story arc.

See, again, that original post above because its commentary talks about some of the big changes and gives you an idea of the kind of thing that showed up.

The two biggest changes were that Hitomi was hardwired into the first post (with Morgan foreshadowed) and that Eustace became a Doctor Who fan. This was partially because it was possible to actually get Doctor Who merch in Alabama in 1996 and partially because there was an unintended vibe of him being attracted to Hitomi because she Japanese-British (he now gets a British woman and a British show, something a lot less obvious at his first glance before he got to know her).

This does mean that the original versions of the first six posts — of which only the first two posts underwent "major" changes — are now gone. If I do such a thing in the future I might make some sort of "OG" version archive.

Taxonomy and Technical Data

World: Alabama Weird

Campaign: Eustace & Hitomi

Arc: ...and the Case of the Rambler's Inn

Other names includes:

Eustace Delmont and the Case of the Rambler's Inn
Eustace Delmont

Originally created on July 24, 2024. Originally played/posted on July 25, 2024.

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