A Midsummer Night's Night's Haunting Haunting
Written by Tyler Hudak (trevlix) Holiday Adventure Contest 2013 A Cthulhu Cthulhu Dark Senario All i!a"es are #ubli do!ain$
Three girls - Maddie, Christina, and Tonya - are college friends who dabble in witchcraft and th e paranormal. Spurned on by the portrayal of witches on TV, the movies, and in fiction, they have taken it upon themselves to form their own coven! and make contact with the spirit world. So far, they have been unsuccessful. This changed a few weeks ago when Christina stumbled across an old diary in a dusty bookstore outside of town. The group was ecstatic to learn that the diary was written by a witch in the "#$$s, and contained a number of spells to summon spirits. They decided to cast one of the spells on Midsummer%s &ve, when the spirits can more easily communicate with the &arthly world. The girls were correct that the diary was that of a witch, but they didn%t know the full story. 'n the early "#$$s, a coven of three witches was caught and e(ecuted by a local magistrate. )efore being burned at the stake, the witches vowed to return to seek vengeance on their captors and their kin. *ueled by their anger, their spirits have roamed the &arth since then, waiting for someone to perform a ritual that will allow them to return. This spell the girls planned to cast will do +ust this. n MidSummer%s &ve, the three girls traveled into the woods near an abandoned cabin they knew about. nce night fell, they built a bonfire and began casting the spell. fter the spell was completed, the bonfire turned green and shot high up into the sky. The spirits of the witches appeared, at first looking like beautiful women. The girls were over+oyed that they had finally been able to contact the spirit world. owever, things /uickly went sour as the spirits turned into hags and attacked the girls. Maddie and Tonya fled into the woods, while Christina fell down and was possessed by one of the spirits. 'n order for the witches to stay on &arth, they must possess the bodies of the three girls and perform a final ritual before sunrise. 'f they do, they will be able to walk the land and seek vengeance on the descendants of their former captors. 'f they fail, they will be forced back to the spirit world where they will reside until some poor, unfortunate souls release them once again.
A Note to the GM This scenario has been written to for Cthulhu 0a rk, but can easily be converted to any system. 1Ms should follow the normal rules for Cthulhu 0ark, with the e(ception of adding a new group die, called the 2ossession die. This die is described later in the scenario.
Getting the PCs Involved There are a number of ways the 2Cs could get involved. Some suggestions include3 •
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The 2Cs are on a camping trip nearby when one of the girls stumbles into their camp. She is hysterical, frightened, and begs the 2Cs to help her save her friends. The 2Cs have gotten lost on a back road in the woods when they see strange lights in the distance. t the same time, their car dies. Minutes later, one of the girls stumbles out onto the road in front of them, says elp us!, and passes out. The girls have invited the 2Cs to the woods. ne of the girls could be the girlfriend of one of the 2Cs, they could have invited them out to see evidence of the paranormal, or even +ust to party.
4hatever way the 2Cs get involved, one thing should be consistent3 they are stuck in the woods with
no way out until morning.
The Girls Maddie Casgrove 5 67 year old college student ma+oring in environmental studies. Maddie is the leader of the three girls, and the one who thought up the idea of going into the woods to cast the spell. She is strong-willed, but very self-centered. Maddie is hiding in the woods until midnight, when she will make her way back to the cabin. Christina Sharp 5 66 year old college student ma+oring in library sciences. Christina is a bibliophile, which the girls have found useful in trying to find occult books for their coven! . fter deciphering the diary, she suspected that there was danger in casting the spell, but Maddie and Tonya told her she was being paranoid. She will be possessed by one of the witches by the time the 2Cs arrive. Tonya 8effers 5 Tonya is the youngest of the girls at 6$. She +ust started college 9an undecided ma+or at this point: and made friends with the other two when she discovered that they had the same interests. Tonya will be the first girl the 2Cs find.
The Witches The spirits released by the girls are those of three witches that were e(ecuted in colonial times. Vowing revenge, they have waiting in spirit form until someone cast a spell to release them; the spell the three girls cast does +ust this. The three spirits are interlocked with each other, and in order for them to stay on &arth in physical form, they all must possess one of their summoners 9the girls: and cast a final binding spell. 'f they fail to do so before sunrise, they will return to the spirit realm. 'n spirit form, the witches glide above ground and glow with a pale blue light. They are dressed in colonial garb, and appear as beautiful women or horrid-looking hags. The spirits are unable to be dismissed or destroyed with the knowledge and e/u ipment the 2Cs have. ny 2C who sees a spirit, or sees one change from one form to another, must roll their insanity die. 4hen one of the girls is possessed by a witch, they appear as normal. The witch can speak and act as the girl normally did, and will do so to trick or confuse the 2Cs. owever, once the witch attempts to cast a spell or use one of their powers, the girl%s eyes will turn black and she will take on a menacing look. ny 2C viewing this must roll their insanity die. The witches are tied together, and are relatively weak in spirit form. owever, once they possess a body they gain strength and are able to affect and interact with the environment more. 4hile they are not omniscient, they can all see what the others see 5 even if they are not at the same location. The 2Cs are a threat to the witches and they know it. 'nitially, they are too weak to directly attack the 2Cs, so they will use illusions, spells, and guile against them. s they get stronger, the witches will use the forest, or even the animated dead, to directly attack the 2Cs and remove them from their path. Some of the abilities of the witches are listed below. The e(tent to which they can use the abilities depend on how many of the girls have been possessed.
Influence Environment The witches are able to control the forest and all creatures within it. ne 2ossessed3 'f only one witch has possessed a body, they will only be able to influence the atmosphere. &(amples of this include making the trees shake without any wind present, a mist rise from the ground, or an ill wind appear. Two 2ossessed3 ny plant-life in the forest may be controlled. The witches can use this ability to, for e(ample, have vines ensnare the 2Cs, or trees attack with their branches. Three 2ossessed3 nce all three girls have been possessed, the witches have complete control over the forest, including over all animal life. They will use this to have animals attack the 2Cs. Hallucinations The witches are able to affect the minds of the 2Cs and cause hallucinations. These can be anything from the landscape changing, to hands coming out of a tree hollow, to the 2Cs worst nightmares. *or more terrifying hallucinations, the 2Cs should be sub+ect to a insanity check. The 1M may also wish to assign a roll to disbelieving! the hallucination, if desired. ne 2ossessed3 The hallucinations are limited to affecting the scenery, such as making landmarks appear to change or move. Two 2ossessed3 The hallucinations are more detailed, a nd are no longer limited to the scenery. witch, for e(ample, could appear as a friend of a 2C, begging them to come closer. Three 2ossessed3 The 2C has their greatest fears app ear before their eyes. This hallucination will only affect one 2C, but will affect all five senses, even appe aring as if the 2C were in another location. &ach witch may only do this once through the night. Cast Spells number of spells are known by the witches. Specifics are not go ne into detail here, so the 1M can use them for any effect they wish. owever, if the spell affects the 2Cs in any way, they should be given some type of roll to lessen or prevent the effects. ne 2ossessed3 Spells are limited to minor effects, such as causing odd lights to appear or throwing voices. Two 2ossessed3 Spells are not limited to minor effects, but are unable to directly harm the 2Cs. Three 2ossessed3 Spells can be deadly, and may be able to directly harm the 2Cs. Animate !"ect 'f a spirit has not possessed one of the girls, they can animate an ob+ect, such as a tree or dead body. Through this method, the spirits will animate the body of the woman in the root cellar of the cabin to attack the 2Cs. 'f the thing animated in this fashion is destroyed, the spirit will leave it and will not be able to animate anything else in this fashion.
The witch%s abilities described above are meant to be as generic as possible, to allow the 1M the fle(ibility to do what they want, while still allowing the 2Cs a chance to survive. *eel free to add any ability desired, if it is not listed.
#ocations The $orest The entire scenario takes place in a large, thick forest. The canopy is dense and covers most of the sky, letting in little light from the stars. 2enalties should be applied if the 2Cs are traveling through the forest without a light source.
4ithin the forest are many ravines that appear to come out of nowhere. careless 2C, or one being tricked, could easily fall into one. There is one dirt road that leads to the abandoned cabin. owever, it is "$ miles from any type of civili=ation. There is no c ell phone signal in the forest. nce the 2Cs enter the forest, they will be unable to leave until sunrise. The spirits will use their powers to confuse anyone attempting to e(it the forest by making the landscape appear to change and having a thick mist rise and carpet the forest paths. The %onfire The girls started the bonfire in a field half a mile from the cabin. t any point in the night, the fire will be burning high with a greenish flame that causes everything in the surrounding area to have an unearthly glow. The 2Cs will be unable to put the bonfire o ut during the night.
The diary is in the field near the bonfire, having been dropped by the girls as they ran away. The 2Cs may use the diary to get the history on the spirits and information on what they are seeking. owever, since it is written in old &nglish, an ability roll will be re/uired. The A!andoned Ca!in Maddie stumbled across this cabin during one of her research trips in the forest and the girls have used it for their rituals ever since. The cabin is run down, has broken windows, and a front door hanging off its hinges. 'nside is a living room>kitchen, small bedroom and bathroom. Most of the furniture is moldy and rotten, although one or two intact pieces may still be found. small root cellar is accessible from a trap door under a rug in the living room. lantern is present on one of the tables, with enough fuel for 6 hours of light.
The couple who built the cabin in the "?#$s used it as a hunting cabin. owever, after drinking too much one fateful night, the husband shot his wife during an argument. e buried her body in a shallow grave in the root cellar and never returned to the cabin. The spirits will use the wife%s decayed body to attack the 2Cs if they decide to hole up in the cabin. The girl%s car is parked +ust outside the cabin, but like the 2C%s car, will not work. 'nside the car is a notebook from Christina containing her notes from deciphering the diary. The notes contain details on the summoning ritual, along with a warning on the dangers of summoning the spirits. The car also contains a flashlight.
Events Traveling in the $orest 4hen the 2Cs attempt to travel from location to location, they must travel through the forest. 0oing so in groups will be dangerous 5 even more so if a 2C travels alone. The spirits will use their tricks to make travel difficult by causing paths to appear to shift, landmarks to move, and a thick mist to blanket the forest floor.
2Cs should make a roll when traveling through the forest. *ailing the roll means the 2Cs get lost, circle back to their original location, or get tricked into going deeper into the forest 9perhaps to fall in a ravine, etc.:. 1Ms should make any travel in the forest creepy for the players; movement occurs +ust out of the corner of their eyes, sounds are heard in the distance. The stronger the witches bec ome, the more
terrifying travel through the forest should become, including attacks b y plants and animals. The Possession of the Girls& and the Possession 'ie 'n order to perform the final ritual and permanently stay on &arth, the spirits must possess the three girls. The spirits may attempt to possess one of the girls by making d irect contact with her. 4hen one does, the players should roll the possession die.
The possession die is a d@ that represents the spirit%s attempt to possess one of the girls. 4hen this happens, the die is rolled and compared to the group%s 2ossession level. 'f the die is higher than the current 2ossession level, the girl becomes possessed. The group%s 2ossession level starts at A and is decreased to 6 when the second girl is possessed. 2C may help prevent possession of a girl by risking their insanity to add their 'nsanity die to the roll. The lower die of the two is used to determine if the girl becomes possessed, but the insanity rules for rolling the 2Cs insanity die still apply. nly one 2C may help during any possession roll, and that 2C must be present when the possession attempt takes place. The 2C should role play how they help prevent the possession. The spirits may only attempt to possess someone once each hour. nce a girl is possessed, her body may be wounded or killed. owever, as long as a witch possesses the body, it will be animated. 'n other words, destroying the body of one who is possessed will not destroy the witch or force the spirit out. dditionally, an insanity roll is re/uired for any 2C that kills one of the girls. The $inal (itual The final ritual will take place once the spirits have possessed all three girls. They will return to the bonfire and begin chanting, swaying back and forth as they do so. 4ith every round of chanting, one of the girls will +ump through the fire. s she does, the fire flares up but she is unharmed. 4hen she lands on the other side, the spirit of the witch is permanently resident in the girl%s body. nce all three girls have +umped through the fire the ritual is over and the girls, now witches, will leave.
'f the 2Cs are able to prevent the witches from completing this ceremony before sunrise, by sufficiently interrupting the ritual or preventing them from +umping through the bonfire, then the witches will be torn out of the girl%s bodies and forced back into the spirit world. Time #ine Since this game takes place in one night, timing is important. &vents will happen by specific times, regardless of whether the 2Cs are there to e(perience them. The 1M should feel free to move the time line around to suit their scenario.
?37$2M 5 The sun has set and the girls begin their ritual. "$3$$2M 5 The ritual is complete and the witches have been summoned. Christina is possessed, while the other two run off into the woods. "$37$2M 5 The 2Cs find Tonya, who in a harried state tells them what happ ened.
Midnight 5 'f she has not been found yet, Maddie arrives at the cabin and is attacked by the animated corpse. 63$$M 5 'f Maddie has not yet been possessed, the spirits attack and attempt to possess her. A3$$M 5 'f Tonya has not yet been possessed, the spirits attack and attempt to possess her. @3$$M 5 The sun begins to rise. 'f the witches hav e not yet completed their ritual, they are banished back to the spirit world until some other poor souls summon them.
End Game There are two ways the scenario can end3 the 2Cs are able to successfully prevent witches from returning to &arth 9through either preventing all three possessions or the final ritual:, or they are not. 'f the 2Cs are successful, the witches are ripped b ack into the spirit realm and the world is safe o nce more. ny girl who was possessed, returns to normal physically, unless she was mortally wounded o r killed. Mentally, any possessed girl will be shaken and re/uire therapy. 'f the 2Cs are not successful, the witches return to the &arth and will seek out vengeance on the ancestors of those that burned them at the stake. This could be an e(cellent beginning to another scenario for the 2Cs.
