The Whisperer 05

Opening the WaY Editorial by MikeMason

You in YourSmallCorner

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CthulhuNowscenario by AndyBennison $ave the Last Bullet forYourself! LegionPartll The FrenchForeign by AdamCrossingham lnvitationto the Dance daYscenario Twenties/Modern by JeffMoeller The Mandragora Project realityfor CthulhuNow/Delta An alternative by Rik Kershaw-Moore They Who Wait of Gaia TheChildren by DavidPerrY To MakeYour Aquaintance GeorgePrice by KearyBirch The Return of Doctor Moreau scenario Twenties by DavidConYers l n si d e Ou t NowstorYseed Cthulhu by Liz Mason Crossed Lines Scenarioseed by KearYBirch CryptograPhYof Cthulhu thecode Breaking by Rik Kershaw-Moore Aquaintances & Abodes TheTenement by AndyBennison Items of Mutual Interest Reviews Acknowledgements& Thanks co'uk www.starrYwisdom'

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ag "Chdc is noc dead uhich can eceena([ie, And iuich srRdnge aeons even deach nrag die" The Call of Cthulhu.H P Lovecraft

speaking)sincethe last the old gent has it right. lt's beena while(euphemistically Sometimes and issueof TW and my thanksto those of you who haveofferedwordsof encouragement This issuesee TW reborn;with morepages,morecontentand a colourcover(at last!). support. you As ever,TW's missionis to continueto striveto bringyou,dearreader,more'Cthulhu'than canshakea shoggoth at. I hopeyou'llfindthisissuenotwanting. on thisissueandgetyourinputintofutureissuesand We'dliketo hearyourviewsandcomments publications. www.yog-sothoth.com thenit'stimeto do so,as the lf you'venot alreadydiscovered placefor newsand other great forum for The Whisperer, as well as a siteis hometo the official Cthulhoid madness. It'sbeenfiveyearssinceTW issue1 was unleashed uponthe world. At thattimesupportand or withjust the occasional Chaosium material for the Callof Cthulhugamewas prettyminimal, plethora press product was to speak of the of PaganPublishing beingreleased.There no small 'golden fanzinesseen in the days' of the eightieswere long gone. The web was only just vacuumI decidedthatenoughwas enough beginning to showsignsof promise.In thisrelative I wantedto read,I'd betterdo it myself! andif nobodyelsewasgoingto producethe magazine Five years on the situationhas changed;The BlackSeal, publishedby TW 'old boy' Adam issue,Chaosium is publishing morebooksthan is soonto reachit'sthirdawesome Crossingham, great sitesfocusingon Cthulhoidmattersand dark everand the web is spawningall mannerof horrorroleplaying- yog-sothoth.com, shoggoth.net anddemonground.org to namebutthree.Not greatgamesto a convention near onlythat,butin the US the guysof RogueCthulhuarebringing you(l recentlyplayedin oneof RogueCthulhu's'Shubby Sunday'scenarios and it wasa blastliterally!). Whilstin the UK,a hardenedcadreof Keeperstravelfromall overto writeand run CoC games(if you haven'tyet playedin a 'CthulhuNational'gameyou'remlssrngout - come to the in 2404.JI couldgo on.." www.continuum.uk.net and www.eurolog.org conventians So whatnext?Wellit'sreallyquitesimple.lf you'renotyet involvedin the Cthulhoidnewwaveit's or The BlackSeal, timeto jumpin andget involved; whetherit'swritingan articleforTheWhisperer 'Masks you've been to Chaosium, startingthatwebsite submitting of Nyarlathotep' the next nearyouor simplyturningup to a meaning to do,or havinga go at runningCoCat a convention convention to play. lt couldbe as easyas gatheringa fewfriendstogetherin orderto startplayingCoCregularlyagain.Whateverit is,just do it andjointhe restof us madfoolsridingthe wave fromR'leyh. TillthemStarscomeRight! MikeMason Editor www.starrywisdom. co.uk

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You in

Your Sraall Cornerr o. by Andy Bennison

Jesus bid.s us shine lvith a cool clear lightt Like a little cand,le burnlng in the night. In this lvorld of darkness so lve must shinet You in your small corner and. I in mine. 01d Sunday School

The Premise CatherineYoungdisappearedthreedaysago aftera row with her husband.This morning she walked into Greenbank House,a mentalasylumand askedto be admitted.In just a few hours her conditionhas rapidlydeclined.The playeris either a concernedfriend, a private investigatorhired by Catherine'sfamily or a reportereager for a story. The scenariois set in the presentday duringthe winter. Sources of lnformation Gatherine'sFamily Catherine'shusband,Frank,is too distraughtto see anyone. He blames himselffor what has happened.Their six-year marriage has always been stormy, however,they always managedto patch things up. Anyone wantingto speak to Frankwill haveto get past his brother-in-law, MichaelHarris, who has broughthis pet Alsatiandog aroundto the houseto deter callers.Frankand Michaelare old schoolmates.more like brothersthan friends. Michael does not hold Frank responsiblefor what has happened.His sister always had a short fuse, but he is understandably concernedaboutCatherine'swelfare.Aftera Debate roll,Michaelwill revealthat Catherineleft successful after rowing with Frank about how to set up the timer on the video recorder.Frankhas been to see Catherine,but she did not recognisenor respondto him. Catherine'sbelongings have been handedover to Frank:so far he has not examined them.

Hynn

happyto gossipabout their constantrows and fights.They willspareno detailsand evenmakesome up to impresstheir audience."They'vehad rows in the streetand she'sleft him moretimesthan I can count- then againwhat do you expect when you marrya loud mouthedlout like'im,"Mrs Elliotwill tellto anyonepreparedto listen. lf Mrs Elliotis not interviewedshe will certainlyarriveon the sceneto offerher "help",but reallyshe just wantsto find out what her neighbourshavebeen up to this time. lf other residentsare questioned,it will become clear that there has been a long-standing feud going on betweenthe Youngs and the Elliots.First there was a dispute about parking,then there were problemsabout the trees that Mr Elliotplantedcloseto the Young'sfence.The situationcame to a head when FrankYoungallegedlyreportedthe Elliot's son, Joey,to the policefor receivingstolengoods.Joey was releasedfrom prisontwo weeksago and is currentlystaying with his mum and dad. The Young'sother neighbours,John Watkins and Fiona Keogh,are a youngcouplewith a baby daughter.Fionais in most of the time but she does not want to get involved.lf pressed,she will confirmthat the Youngsdo have frequent rows, but then again the Elliotsare just as bad. Their son oftenhas his friendscallinground,makingnoisetill the early hours.(lt was actuallyJohnWatkinswho anonymouslycalled the policeaboutJoey Elliot.)

Greenbank House Catherinesits in a catatonictrance in the centre of her Three clues can be found in Catherine'shandbag.Each paddedcell.Occasionally she sings the first verseof an old requires a SPOT HIDDEN roll to discover.There is an hymnshe learntas a child.Attemptsto moveher will be met unfamiliar key, a till receipt dated yesterday for 13.50 with a violentreaction.AnyoneseeingCatherinewho failsa stamped"Emily's"and a slip of paper on which (Catherine) Sanity Roll will lose 1d2 sanity points. This loss is has scrawled: automaticfor anvonewho knew her well. "AH 46. MuseumPress50. Belmont63. Panther75" FatherDominicis a young Roman Catholicpriestwho acts as chaplainfor the residents.The hospitalstaff tend to avoid NeitherFranknor Michaelrecogniseany of these items. him as he comesacrossas very intenseand serious.He has taken a special interest in Catherine'scase, as he was The houseis full of booksand clutter.Catherinewas always present when Catherinemarched into the receptionand trying out new hobbies - she would become wildly demanded to be lockedin a padded cell for her own protecenthusiasticabout a subjectand then after six monthsshe tion. Once inside she seemed very relieved,but quickly would drop it and start something else. Catherine's regressed to her currentstate.FatherDominicis familiarwith obsessions have included ornithology, aromatherapy, the verse that Catherinesings.He'striedto speakto the famamateur dramatics,photography,learning Spanish - she and support,but they don't seem to be ily to offer consolation was even involvedwith the local churchfor a few months.The interested. He will the investigatorsin any lawful way assist expense of all these whims was the cause of the he can. majorityof Frank and Catherine'sarguments.Her current hobby is metal detecting.(Shouldthe playersthink to look for The doctorsare vague about Catherine'scondition.They are her new metal detector,it will be missingtogetherwith a still carrying out tests and are unwillingto commit to a suitcaseand a few itemsof clothing.) diagnosisat this earlystage. The Neighbours The Young'sneighbours,Mr & Mrs Elliot,will be only too

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Only friends or investigatorshired by the family will be able to access this information.Reporterswill have to resort to

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Fast Talk or briberyon the less professionalmembersof staffat Greenbankto learnthe truth.

'Emily's' "Emily's"can easily be located in the local Yellow Pages telephonedirectory.lt's a tearoom on the sea front of a nearbyrun-downholidayresort.The tearoomcatersmainly for seniorcitizensand its young waitressesare less than helpful.No one remembers Catherine. Anyone visiting Emily'sand makingan IDEArollwill noticea hotelfourdoors away.lf theydon't noticeit, they will certainlyspot the police car parkedoutside. The Regal Hotel As it is now out of season,most of the hotelsand all guesthousesare closeduntilthe spring.The Regal is the largest hotelthat is stillopen for business.lt does not live up to it's name;it'statty,ram shackled,dirty and in desperateneedof refurbishment. lf the playersentertheywillwitnesstwo police officersinterviewingthe receptionist. They are lookingfor a man called Ron Parrish,who works part time as a night porter.He is currentlyon bailand shouldhavereportedin to the stationthis morning.They'vecheckedhis lodgings,but thereis no signof him.This is the only othercontactaddress thatthey havefor him.Apparently,he didn'tturn up for work lastnightand didn'tphonein. Thereare only a handfulof guests currentlystayingat the hotel.Shouldthe playerssneak a look at the guest book, theywill noticethe followingbookings: Room1: Mr & MrsWhittle. (Elderly couplecelebrating wedding anniversary) Room2: MissH Jamesion andMissV Jamesion (Elderly sisters, oneis convalescing.) Room10:Mr JohnHarman (Middle agedmanvisitingrelatives in town) Room14: MissC Harris (Catherine is stillsignedin underhermaidenname.) Room15:Mr H Napier Thereceptionist will recogniseCatherinefrom a photograph andconfirmthat she is still stayingat the hotel.None of the guestsrememberher with the exceptionof Harry Napier. Napier is a part time literature lecturer now in semi retirement.He is staying at the hotel for a fortnight to do somework on his latest book. He is over-enthusiastic and somewhateccentric.He tried to strike up a conversationone morningwith Catherine,but she gave him a politebrushoff. Nooneelsehas reallyspokento her much.To the hotelstaff, she'sjust anotherblandguest.

How muchCthulhuMythosknowledge- if any - that can be gainedfrom this book is left to the discretionof the Keeper. In the wastepaperbin in the bathroomis a screwedup piece of paper.lt is a page torn from a yellow pages telephone directory.The sectionon Bookshopshas been ringed.The addressesfor four local bookshopshave been underlined. (See Bookshopsheadingfor more information.) On a note pad by the phone is a local telephonenumber. Anyonecallingit will get throughto the town'spublicLibrary. The Public Library The librarywas builtin the late 1950sand hasn'tseen a lick of paintsince.The d6coris drab,the atmospheredulland the buildinghas the odour of stale air and disinfectant.lt is usually deserted except for a couple of pensionerswho comein to readthe free papersand keepwarm.The waspish librarian,PhilipManners,will rememberCatherine- she visited the librarytwo days ago and spentthe morninglooking throughthe card indexes.Mr Mannershates his job. He is perpetuallyboredand will speakto anyonewho comes into the library. Catherinespent some time looking through the thin SF, Fantasyand Horrorsection.One of the booksthat Manners remembersfindingfor her was "The PlanetBook of Who's Who in ScienceFiction"- a glossycoffeetable book about the pulps. She was looking for an author that Manners wasn't familiar with. He had a strange middle name. lf someone prompts him with Frank Belknap Long, he will rememberthat he was the authorCatherinewas interested in. Shouldthe playersexaminethe book,it will open halfway throughwhere the spine has been recentlybroken.On the facingpageis a shortbiographyof FrankBelknapLong.(See HANDOUTand mark accordingly.)The libraryhas no books by the author.Catherinehas markedThe Houndsof Tindalos in the bibliography. Mannersalso remembersthat Catherine checkedsomethingin the YellowPages.lf anyone looks in the library copy they will notice that the section coveringbookshopshas been torn out. (Anyonecheckinga completecopy of the directorywill discoverthe four local bookshopslistedbelow.) Local Bookshops Ernest Abbott and Sons An antiquarianbookshop* crampedand dusty.The book dealerwill rememberCatherineif shown a photograph.She was interestedin ScienceFictionbooks.Mr Abbott doesn't

Thekeyin Catherine'shandbagis for room 14.Her bed has notbeensleptin and the restof her belongingscan be found here.At the foot of the bed is a new metal detector.On the bedsidetable is a battered paperbackcopy of Talesof the CthulhuMythos Volume 1, edited by August Derleth.Inside is a stickerthat reads"AJ'sBookshop- e5".The storiesin the bookare: Call of Cthulhu(HowardPhillipsLovecraft) The Houndsof Tindalos(FrankBelknapLong) The SpaceEaters(FrankBelknapLong) The Returnof the Sorcerer(ClarkAshton Smith) (ClarkAshtonSmith) Ubbo-Sathla The BlackStone(RobertE Howard) The Dwellerin Darkness(AugustDerleth) Beyondthe Thresold(AugustDerleth) The Salem Horror(Henry Kuttner) The Haunterof the Graveyard(J.VernonShea)

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have much in the way of SF- just a couple of HG Wells editions and some overpriced Doctor Who paperbacksand annuals. AJ's Bookshop This dilapidatedshop is in the worst part of town. Most of the premises on the road are closed down or derelict. The grubbysign in the windowreads: SpecialAdult Books, Magazines and Videos American and Scandinavianlmports The sleazy Mr Jones charges extortionateprices for the filth he peddles. As well as the expected stock of magazines, books, videos and DVDs, there is a small stack of battered horror novels- mainly StephenKings and Pan anthologies, but there are a couple of Lovecrafts,a Conan book and an Arthur Machen's Novel of the Black Seal * all over priced. Jones will not volunteerany informationuntil the investigator buys something- spendingat least f10. He will remember Catherine- he doesn'tusuallyhavefemalecustomers- she was lookingfor a book,but he can't quite rememberthe title. A furtherpurchasewill cure his amnesia.She was lookingfor Frank Belknap Long's The Hounds of Tindalos. He will confirm that he couldn't help, but she was very satisfiedwith the book she did buy."lt had a funny title",he will remember "and a pictureof an octopus on the front." lf anyone asks Jones about other books, he will smile furtively and whisper that he can get a copy of The Necronomicon.He will admit that it is slightlydamaged,but he wont part with it for less than f75. Anyone stupid enough to hand over the cash will be presentedwith a copy of the 1977 H.R. Giger version - and serves them right tool (Mr Jones gives no refunds and has some very nasty and violent friends who just happen to be in the backroom enjoying a private screening of one Mr Jones's latest under the countervideos.)

LONG,FRANK BELKNAP (1e03- 1e94) Grandsonof the man who built the pedestalof the Statue of Liberty, FrankBelknapLong studiedat the NewYorkSchoolof Journalism. A stalwartpulp writer specializingin SF and Horror,he made his first sale 'DesertLich' in 1924 to WeirdTales magazine.He continuedto write throughouthis life.As the marketsfor Long'sfiction dried up he underwentseverefinancialhardshioand wrote romanticfictionundera pseuoonym. Winnerof the World FantasvLifetimeAchievementAward 1978 . Novels include:Space Station No. 1 (1957), Mars is my Destination (1962),The Horrorfrom the Hills (1963), lt was the Day of the Robot (1963), Lest Earth be Conquered (1966), This Strange Tomorrow (1966),Journeyinto Darkness(1967),The Androids(1969),The Three Facesof Time (1969),MonsterfromOut of Time (1970),SurvivalWorld (1971),The Nightof the wolf (1972). Short Story Collectionsinclude:The Hounds of Tindalos (1946),The Rim of the Unknown(1972),The Early Long (1975),Night Fear (1979). The Planet Wha's Who of SF

casket. The secret of its location was lost for millennia. Shouldany of the playershave accessto a copy of the Book of Eibon they can locatethe above quote with a successful Library Use or Gthulhu Mythos roll (whicheveris highest).

After she fell out with her husband, Catherine decided to spend a few days on her own to considerher marriage.She bookedinto The Regal and went on long walks, idling her time beechcombing.Earlyone morningshe discoveredan iron box with an inlaidstar like designon the lid. She took the box back to her room, opened it and discoveredThe Stone. After gazinginto it she beganto sufferheadachesand nightThe Bargain Book Basement mares in which she saw the demontrappedwithinthe stone, A cheap clearinghousefor remainderedpaperbacks.No one actuallya Houndof Tindalos. remembersCatherinepayingthem a visit. Next morning she rememberedstories that her late uncle Lemon-Tree Books to read to her from magazinesthat he used to collect. used This high street shop sells only new books - mainly best There was one called Weird Tales. She visited the local sellers,cookerybooks and life style titles.No one remembers libraryand founda book about SF authors.This jogged her Catherinevisitinghere either. memoryand she recalleda tale by FrankBelknapLong.She Background Notes - from The Book of Eibon then set off on a hunt for a copy of Long's The Hounds of "...and lo, Verdhisthe Black did imprison Rrhar'il in the Stone Tindalos.Tryingall the local bookshopsshe tracked down a of Jhrelth a being of great power. Evil and malevolent was copy of Talesof the Cthulhu MythosVol.1.After readingthe Rrhar'il for lt could scent out any man, woman or beast story (in the tearoom) she realised how to protect herself. through the power within lt. All who drd see the foulnesscould She had herself admitted to Greenbank, knowing that as not escape, even if they did hide in the deepest cave or flee long as she was in a paddedcell with no corners she would to the far shores of Mhu Thulan. Lo, Rrhar'il could track and be safe. However,her dreams were still haunted and she feast on their flesh and their minds and their fears and their soon lost her sanity.She constantlyrepeatsthe first verse of lusts. Through mighty spe//s dld Verdhis trap the soul of "Youin your small cornef'to remind herselfof the danger.In Rrhar'il within the Slone of Jhrelth and did use fhe demon to her haste.she left the Stone of Jhrelth in her hotel room. kill his enemies, smite his rivals and bring terror to the people Plot Developments of Mhu Thulan.....On the Night of The Bronze Ox, Yydwayof Ron Parrish,a dishonestdomesticat The Regal,stole the The Five did scale the walls of the Towerof Verdhis stole the stone from Catherine's room. This occurred on the first Sfone and did hide it from the face of men. The Mage's men That night Parrishwill look into morningof the investigation. did put Yydway to the torture for many months, but spoke he the stoneand sufferthe same nightmaresas Catherine.Next not and when the last drops of Yydway'slife was /osf, so hr's day he will sell the stone to his friend Joey Elliot. On the secret was /osl... Verdhis did call upon mighty magicks, but following morning, a milkman will discover Parrish's fhe Sfone did remain veiled unto his eyes and the power of mutilated body. Newspaper reports will mention Ron's Verdhis the Black did wane and his bones did turn unto dust criminalbackground,as well as his associates,including and still was the Sfone not found...." Joey Elliot.Joey will be the next person to suffer dreams of To completethe tale, Yydway hid the stone and buried it in a Rrhar'il.He will trv to sell the stone on. without anv luck.To

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garden. be on the safeside,he will bury it in his neighbour's Elliotwill be safe as long as the stone remainshiddenand lockedin the box. lf the stone is not found within one day, Michael's dog will dig it up. Joey will soon die, and Frank, Michaeland anyoneelse in the housewill be in danger.lf the policediscoverthe stone,then furtherdeathswill result.

the bookshopsotherthan AJ's.I've also fleshedout some of the locations,re-writtenthe book quote from the Book of Eibon and added a player handout biographyof Frank BelknapLong,which might be usefulto keepersunfamiliar with his work.Asidefromtheseamendments.the scenariois prettymuch as originallyprinted.

The Stone of Jhrelth The Stone is a many sided semi-transparentcrystal.A Geology roll will revealit to be of no known substance.lt weightsvery littleand is almostimpossibleto breakor chip. A strangecolourruns throughit, but the patternconstantly changesshape.Anyone closely examiningthe stone who failsa Luck roll will gaze into the stone and see Rrhar'il. (Sanity loss1d3/1d20)That night,the victimwilldreamabout the historyof the stone and glimpse the evil of Verdhis's Tower(1d211d6 sanity loss).After this, the dreamerwill be plaguedby a nightmare where they are chased and devouredby Rrhar'il. (1d211d6sanity loss). This will continueevery night until either the stone is destroyedor Rrhar'il slain.

The scenarioitselfcausedsome controversyin the Dagon letterspage.One personcalledit "childish",anothersaidthat it "misfiredhorribly." Thomas Ligottihowever,called it "very entertainingand instructivein the essentialsof horror"; I was quitegratifiedby his comments. understandably,

Thecrystalis housedin an iron box engravedwith the Elder Sign.lnsideis a thick velvet like materialthat mouldsitself aboutthe stoneholdingthe crystalin place.Rrhar'ilis bound to the stoneand will attackanyonewho looks upon him. lt mustfirstleavethe stonethroughany of the corners.While theboxis closed,everyoneis safe.lf the crystalis somehow Rrhar'ilwill be free. He will brieflyappearto all destroyed, presentand then returnto his own dimension.Anyonewho hasnot seen Rrahr'ilin a dream must make the necessarv SanityRoll. Destroying the stone will gain the investigators 2d6 sanity points.Findingsomewheresafe to hide the stone will gain 1d6 sanity points.However,at the end of the adventure, everyone mustmakea final Sanityrollwhenthey realisethat thereis nothingthat can be done to help CatherineYoung and save her from madness.This realizationcosts 1d3 Sanitypoints. Catherine will continuesingingand watchingfor Rrahr'ilfor therestof her days. RRHAR'IL,HOUND OF TINDALOS STR 17 16 CON 30 SIZ INT 18 POW 27 DEX 9 HP

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This was my first attemptat a modern day Call of Cthulhu scenario.lt raised a questionthat anyone running such campaigns must address:did Lovecraft and his friends actuallyexistin the campaignworld?In "Youand YourSmall Corner" I treated Talesof the Cthulhu Mythos like a lowgrademythostome,similarto Peopleof the Monolith.Some peoplethoughtthat this was too much. In a short paragraphof notes (deletedfrom this version)| describedthe scenario as a "no-win situation".This also causedsomepeopleproblems. One readersaidthatthe scenario didn'trewardgood roleplayingbecausethe situation seemedinsoluble.On reflectionI don't think it is. lt is a nowin situationin that Catherine's fate is sealed,but how many horrorstorieshavecompletelyhappyendings? CthulhuMythosstoriessometimesform the basisor inspiration for Call of Cthulhuscenarios.With "You in Your Small Corner",it turned out to be the other way around. I was flatteredand surprisedto read TheAlkahesfby LaurenceJ. Cornford in Chaosium'srecently published The Book of Eibon.The first half of the story is basicallyan expanded versionof the backgroundto this scenario.Verdhisgets a namechangeand becomesVerhadis,but the rest of the tale remainsintactwith Rrhar'il,The Stoneof JhrelthandYydway of The Five all appearing.Regrettably,the source isn't acknowledged in the book, but it's pleasingto think that l've addedmy own tiny contribution to the CthulhuMythos,even if it is by the back door. People either loved "You in Your Small Corner" or they detestedit - l'll leaveit for you to judge.Fifteenyears on, it seemshard to see what the fuss was about,

Editor's Note:

Attack: Paw 90% 1d6 + ichor+ damagebonus Tongue90% 1d3 powerdrain per round Armour: 2 point hide. Regenerates4 hit pointsper round. lmmune to normalweapons. Spells: lmplant Fear, Raise Night Fog and Create Gate. (CreateGate is only availableafter Rrhar'ilis freed from the stone.) SanityLoss: 1D311D20

Afterword....Fifteenyears on "You in Your Small Corner" was originallyfeatured in Dagon20 (November 1987).I don't usuallyrevisitold scenarios,but as Mike asked to reprintthis I couldn'thelp a little tinkering. I'veresistedthe temptationto makeany massivechangesto the original.The additionsthat I've made do not affectthe basicplot.Theinformation on the publiclibraryis new,as are

I've run many a session of this scenario at games conventions. Whilst Andy intended the $tory to be for a singleperson,givena littleadjustment,the scenariocan be run for group play too. My suggestionis to have the players take some or all of the followingroles: doctor - from GreenbankHause researchassistant- from GreenbankHouse psychiatricnurse - from GreenbankHouse police detectives (2) - local constabulary police officer - local constabulary The team is broughttogetherto look in to the recentpast and likely causes for Catherine's present situation, and to investiagatewhethera crime has actuallybeen committedby or to Catherine.Naturatly,with fewer players,the group could take the roles of either the police (called in by Greenbank House)or the Greenbankstaff themselves. I agree with Andy - it's a perfectno win scenario. Enjoy.


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SNW TIIE LA'T RALLETFOR TWRELF! Far FlungMilitaryunits for use with call of cthurhu by Adam Crossingham 'Save the LastBullet for Yourselfis a seriesof articlesdealingwith militaryunits that may be encounteredduringthe course of a Call of Cthulhuadventure.These unitshave been chosenbecauseof the placesin whichthey served,the potential of a mythosencounterin the regionswhere they mightbe encountered, coupledtogetherwith the air of mysteryand elitism that surroundfamousmilitaryunits. Last issuewe examinedthe historyand backgroundto the FrenchForeignLegion. In part two we look at life in the Legion, ideasfor runningLegionbasedadventuresand characterdevelooment.

Life in the Foreign Legion Joining the Legion 'l was a general,mon colonel,'- a recruit,c.1920 Joiningthe FrenchForeignLegionrequiresgettingto France. Any Gendarmestationor army garrisonwill be able to direct the volunteerto the nearestrecruitingcentre.The minimum age of enlistmentis 16, but boysof 14 havebluffedtheirway into the Legion successfully"Criminalconvictionswill not stop a man from joiningthe Legion'sranks,nor are political refugeesrefused.lt is customaryfor men to take a false name or even another nationalityas it allowsthe legionto deny knowledgeof a recruit.Before 1881, Frenchmenare obliged by law to sign up as foreigners;usually Swiss or Belgian,thoughonce in the Legion,a soldier'snationalidentity is an open secret.

Basictrainingat Mascarawas leftto seniorsous-officers and althoughharsh,was designedto instilrespectfor authority, disciplineand to keep the new l6gionnairealive in North Africa.All commandsin the Legion are given in French,a recruit havingto quicklypick up the rudimentsof Military Frenchin order to avoid being struck or receivesome other punishment.French,drill and marksmanshipare quickly pickedup.At the same time the new recruitsare constantly being put throughroute marchesof increasinglength and worseningterrain. Marchingbeginsin the firstweek with marchesof 24km. but the distancesare rapidly increasedover the weeks as staminais builtup.The finaltest is a marchof 50km carrying 45kg of kit across mountainsand bad roads. The time allowedfor this distanceis eight hours.L6gionnairesare not allowedto fall out and those who collapseare draggedby cart untilthey start to walk again.No man is allowedto fall out or be left behind,becauseif capturedby the Arabs he would be put to death.At the end of the route march the legionnaires haveto builda 'muraillesd'Afrique'(acampwith trenchesand defensivewalls) and then stand guard until dawn. This was a reflection of actual operating conditionsin NorthAfrica.

Recruitssign an initialcontractfor five years.Havingsigned the recruitmentpapers,the new recruitis sent under guard to Fort St. Jean in Marseilles.At Fort St. Jean the recruit's civilianclothesare taken and sold, and the regulationblue FrenchArmy uniformissued- hence 'les bleus',the Legion,s nicknamefor new recruits.When enough men have been musteredto createa draft,they are shippedunderguardto Oran. The recruitsare then directedto Sidi-bel-Abbesbv Aftersuccessfully completingbasictrainingthe 169ionnaire is routemarchor by train. postedto his new regiment,which is the one that has the At the Legion'sdepotthe new recruitsare examinedagainto most need for new bodies. see if they are unsuitablefor Legion service,ill or insane. Punishment Thosewho fail are returnedto Francebut not many men are Punishmentin the ForeignLegion is swift and harsh.The refused. The acceptable recruits are then marched to Legionis notoriousfor its discipline,but in a tough environMascarafor four monthsof basictrainino. ment, surroundedby hostile natives,the Foreign Legion needsto maintainorder,sometimeswith an iron hand.public Basic Training 'Here punishmentaccompaniedby insults,is commonly corporal we make soldiersout of scum tikeyou' meted out by NCOs,or if the incidentis seriousenoughby - Sergeant-majorLajaune the officers.The next stage is corporal punishmentsand - suchas sleepingin cells;deniedall withdrawalof privileges contactwith fellowl6gionnaires;orpack drill twice dailywith a 20 kg packof stones.The punishmentat this stagecan be ritualised and publiclyhumiliating enoughto'encouragethe others'.Some punishmentssuch as 'la crapaudine,and 'la pelote' are severe enough to be infamous outside the Legion.

u',r'

Time couldalso be spentin the Legionprison,or 'Totte',for offences.Such time spentin prisonis addedto the duration of the 169ionnaire's contract.One peculiarLegiontraditionis that imprisoned169ionnaires are inspected daily by an officer,but only an officer with the same medals.Thus a 169ionnaire with the Legiond'Honneurcan only be inspected by an officer with the same award.The Legion also has


Crueland Usual La crapaudine The most notoriousof Legion punishmentsinvolveslashing the victim'swrists and ankles behind his back whilst in a proneposition.Withinminutescrampwould set in and after a few hours would cause agony. Some men were placed in grainsilosand left for days in the dark withoutwater or being able to stand or lie straight.The crapaudinewas officially bannedin 1920and supposedlyreplacedby imprisonment in barrackcells,packdrillor both.The punishmentwas used in the Gaslightperiod and almost certainly continuedinto the mid-1920s. Le pelote ls a humiliating ritualin whichthe l6gionnaire is forcedto keep performingdrill and tricks for NCOs and officerswhilst carrying a sack of rockswired to his back. Hesitation,slownessor falteringis rewardedwith a beatingwith a wet, knottedrope. Le peloteends with the l6gionnairebeing made to crawl back to his barracksroom on his stomach.

l'1fi

#u

Legiongoes on campaignit takeswith it a number punishment camps where legionnairesare subjectto hard When the'followers'. of camp Some are canteen women who are labourand constantinspectionin the Saharansun. usually married to 169ionnaires, but the Legion also takes Theworst punishmentis a postingto one of lhe 'Battalions with it the officiallyapproved prostitutesin the form of the - FrenchArmy punishmentbattalionswhere life is 'Bordel d'Afrique' Militairede Campagne'.In Indo-China,the conglais hard,even for a l6gionnaire.A typical day might involve qualifyas unofficialcanteenwomen. havingto make a thousandmud bricks;failureto do results Every garrisonwill have it's own Legionbrothel,where the in foodbeingdeniedfor that day. prostitutesare medically checked by the Legion's own Althoughpunishmentwas harsh, a l6gionnairewho feels medicalofficers.Sidi-bel-Abbds was infamousfor it'sVillage victimised by an NCO can alwayschallengehis tormentorto Negre districtfull of approvedand non-approvedladies of an off-dutyprivatefight in order to settlethe matter.However, horizontalrefreshment. most NCOs are NCOs because they can fight. Only a confidentor experienced l6gionnaireshould consider Desertion Many men realisetheir mistakeof joiningthe Legionwhen challenging his bullyingsous-officier. confrontedwith the harshrealitiesof life,usuallyin desolate Sidi-bel-Abbds environments.Desertionis often the only way out of the The Legion'sworld-wideheadquartersand depot is located Legionshort of a bullet.Postingsin Oran and Algeria are in Algeria,60 miles south of Oran.'Bel-Abbes'(tothose in harder to desert from because of the landscape and the know)is a new town plannedand builtby Legionon the environment, but becauseof this opportunitiesfor desertion siteof an Arab villagenamedaftera localhermit.The town's are also greater.The Legiondoes not consideran escapee populationgrew to over 40,000 people serving the depot, l6gionnairea deserter until after six days as either the froman initialpopulationof only 500. desert,Legiontrackersor Arab bountyhunterswould usualMarriedl6gionnairescould live outside of the barraeks, ly claim the deserterbeforethe six days were up. knownas the QuartierVi6not.The Legiontook an activepart in runningthe civil side of Bel-Abbdsas well as the military, Dying in the desert or being caught by Legiontrackersare some soldiersserving as council officials.Ex-l6gionnaires the preferred options, as the Legion pays Arab bounty alsoset up businessesservingthe garrisonafter Liberation. hunters their reward regardlessof whether the deserter is dead or alive. Consequently,bounty hunters usually only Thereare also other attractionsin Sidi-bel-Abbds such as bring back the deserter'shead as proof for the reward.The the bars,brothelsand gamblingdens of the VillageNegre. Arab tribes will occasionallyaid deserters if they feign Sidi-bel-Abbds can also be a dangerousplace,especiallyon conversionto lslam or assist the desert tribes uprisingpay-dayas legionnairesattempt to drown their sorrows,get however this means court-martialand almost certain laidand to settleold scoreswith civiliansand soldiersalike executionif the Legion later capturesthem. in numerousfist and knifefights. Of course, new recruits have a different view of Sidi-belAbbds,it's where basictrainingtakes place and NCOs take pleasurein destroyingnew recruitsand rebuildingthem as l69ionnaires.

Most attemptsat desertionare made when travellingto an overseasposting.Jumpingship at Suez is the most popular option but the deserterwill have the run the gauntlet of armed Frenchmarineswith ordersof shoot-to-kill.

Sexand the L6gionnaire The ForeignLegion maintainsthe liberal French attitude towardsex.A l6gionnairewho plays by the Legion'sruleswill findthat his requirementsof food, wine and women are taken care of. Food and wine rations are good whilst in barracks, but consist of only two basic meals whilst in the field.

Desertionwith a weapon is consideredmore seriousthan desertingwithout.Desertingcarries a standardsentenceof 40 days in jail in additionto the roughingup the deserterwill receivefrom his sous-officiers. Pay,Gontracts and Pensions


9

In the nineteenthcentury,a ldgionnairewas paid a sou a day. A l6gionnaireis not allowedto have a bank account,instead the Legion maintains a regimental account for him. The 169ionnaire contributespart of his pay into legionfunds which are used to pay for such as legioncelebrations,legionwhore housesand such like. Initiallya recruit signs on with the Legionfor five years and can choose to re-enlist in five-year engagements.Some sous-officierranks are only availableto men who re-enlist. L6gionnairescan retireand claim a pension,but only after 15 years of service. A larger pension is paid after 20 years service. 20 years is also the maximum officially permitted length of service. Career soldiers have to re-enlist under anothername in orderto continueserving. The GompagniesMont6e The MountedCompanies(CMs) were createdby Colonelde N6grier in 1BB1to counter nomadic Arab war bands by

The Mythos and the Foreign Legion Fifteen mythos connectionsfor a Legionnairecampaign:

combining mobility, endurance and firepower. Two men shared a mule which carried both men's equipment,rations for both the men and the mule,as well as one man riding. The other legionnairemarched beside the mule at double pace. Men and mule could march for up to 15 hours a day, the men swapping position every hour, and there were no knapsacksto carry or baggage wagons to slow down the column. The men selected to serve in the CMs were fit, mentally stable and only served for two years - the rationswere very basic (biscuitsand dried figs/dates),water was very scarce and the CMs operatedin a forbiddingand lonelywilderness, hundredsof kilometresfrom support.The range and martial prowesssoon made them an 6lite within the nascentelite of the Foreignlegion.

Leaving the Regiment

B. A presence in Djiboutigives France access to the Red Sea and the Arabianpeninsulahinterlandshouldit need it. lrem and the HiddenCity are just withinreach.

1. Cultistsof many gods and races can found in North Africa, Middle East and South East Asia. The most 9. The Tcho-Tchomay be encounteredin Indo-Chinaon the prevalent cults seem to be those dedicated to serving Laos-Cambodianborders. Cthulhu,Shub-Niggarath or Nyarlathotep. 10. Mi-Go may supposedly be found in the hills and 2. Sand Dwellerscan be found throughoutNorth Africa and mountainsof Cambodia.Their miningoperationsmay stray the Middle East. These creatures normally shy away from east in Indo-China.The over curious may find themselves contact with heavily armed humans such as l6gionnaires, on Plutoin a brain-case. but should a straggler become separated from the main column the last thing he might see is a Sand Dweller 11.The Tree-menof M'bwaservethe God of the Red Flux in CentralAfrica, somewherebeyondthe Mountainsof the stalkinghim. Moon. 3. Ghouls have a long history intertwinedwith humanity's and are found almostwhereverthe Legionis to be found,as 12. Nug and Yeb are worshippedby certain Druze sects in the Legion is found at the scene of death and conflict.Egypt Lebanon,abhorredeven by other Druze. and the Middle East have very well establishedwarrens. 13. Avatarsof Nyarlathotep- Ahtu is worshippedin Africa. Shugoran is worshippedin Africa and the hills of western 4. The Mediterraneanlies on top of what was once the Hyborian age's Stygian Empire.Remnantsof it's evil glory Indo-China.B'moth is worshipped by some of the more can be found along the shores of North Africa and the primitiveand superstitiousAfrican tribes.The SkinlessOne Middle East. Serpent People may occasionallybe found is still worshipped by former Ottoman remnants of the amongst the hordes in the ancient metropolisof the East Brotherhoodof the Skin in NorthernSyria. attractedby the climate,the prey,the coverand the Stygian 14.Somethinglivesin a desertedtemple in Cambodiasome artefacts. miles from the Indo-China border. lf too many 5. Deep Ones may be encounteredon the Mediterranean travellers on the border disappear, a Legion expedition coast of Morocco and Algeria, in the Indian Ocean, the might be despatchedto investigate,possiblyto suffer the South China Seas and the Pacific.Their practicesof mating same fate of Delta Green's Special Forces operation in with humans is the same and the threat is the same the 1969. world over. 15. Nyogtha, the Dweller in Darkness, who served by 6. Cthonianswere imprisonedbeneaththe pre-humancity ghouls, can be summoned to Earth's surface through a of G'harnein Mali.Do any Cthoniansremainin the vicinity? number of secret caverns and fissures, one of which is reputedlylocatedin Syria,This is guardedby a cannibalcult 7. ln T'gaori, Ghana, people summon the Gn'icht Tyaacht of humans and ghouls,the secret of which is guarded and handeddown from father to son. tree spiritsto do their bidding.Spiritsor Dark Young?

r0


At the end of his agreedperiodof service,a l6gionnaireis presentedwith an honourabledischargecertificatein a ceremony of Liberation. With this certificate the ex-l6gionnaire can applyfor Frenchresidencyor naturalisation,

Adventureseeds Heartof the Storm Whilstmanninga small isolated outpost the players are besiegedby Arab tribesmen.Over severalnights,the Arabs mount increasinglydangerous attacks on the outpost. Casualties are taken on both sides.Whilst the playersare waitingfor the final assault,a desertstorm descendson the areaand visibilitydrops to zero.In the storm do the players hearscreamsor the howlinggale? After severalhours,the stormabates,but where Arabs were there is now nothingnot even bodies.The next night guards think they see 'something'prowling perimeter the of the outpost. Cursed The playersoffenda 'waliy'or holy man whilst carryingout theirorders.He cursesthem.Not by wavinghis handsabout, notin a bad way, or by puttingthe evil eye on the soldiers. Insteadhe cursesthem with kindness.As strangeincidents increase, the playersbecomeawarethat theyare blessed,or actuallycursed, they will have to find someway of removing the curse.Which may be a problemif they shotthe waliywhen he got in their way.

NationalityTables Use thesetablesto randomlydeterminethe nationalityof a NPC l6gionnaireor country of birth of a player character.Use of the tables in character generation is optional. Gaslight: 1880 & 1890s

Nationality Alsace-Lorrainers German French Belgian Swiss Austrian Other(roll1d4) 1, 2 Spanr'sh 3 British 4 Turkish the gold for him and the rest of the company? Added complications includein whose territorythe treasury is located,potentialdiplomaticincidents,raids by the local tribesand finallywhatever,if anything,remainsto guardthe treasuryaftera millenniaor two.Thenthereis the problemof gettingthe gold home,..

ThreePharaohs One of the player charactersdiscoversa treasure map Roleplayingand the FrenchForeignLegion concealed on the personof a capturedBerber.The ancient A role playingadventureset in the ForeignLegionwill be in pieceof papyrusis disgusting,havingbeen too closeto the a strictmilitaryenvironment wherethe playerswill subjectto Berber,but is coveredin what lookslike lazy hieroglyphics. ordersand conditionsoutsidetheirabilityto control,this may Anybodywith a knowledgeof ancientEgyptianDemoticcan l e a d t o s i t u a t i o n s w h e r e K e e p e r s a r e c o n f r o n t i n g usually maverickand care-freeplayers.Keepersshouldnot OccupationTemplates be afraidof followingthroughall the consequencesof players'actions and responses.lf a playercharacteris insuborCompagniesMont6e L6gionnaire to superior officer,therewill be repercussions. lf a dinate a Skills: Bayonet, Military Science, Natural History, character is cowardly he may face least court-martial or at Navigate,Other Language:French,Ride, Rifle,Survival, the contemptof his comrades. andone skillto representa formerciviliantrade Must have a CON of 12 or better.anda POW of 11 or The Keeper may want to consider allowing one of the better. playersto be a juniorofficerand anotherto be an NCO,the remaining players playing 169ionnaires. lf some of your L6gionnaire playersare likelyto objectto beingorderedaroundby other Skills: Bayonet, Fist/Punch, Heavy Weapons or Machine-gunor Artillery,Knife, Military Science,Other players,make all the players humble l69ionnaires.Then during the adventureremovethe NPC leadershipthrough Language:French, Rifle, Survival, and one skill to combatcasualtiesor simpleseparationfrom the main legion represent a formerciviliantrade. group. Officer Skills: Credit Rating, History, Law, Military Science, Be preparedfor l6gionnairecharactersattemptingto desert on the firstgood opportunity- if it'ssuitablefor the plot allow Navigate, Pistol,Psychology,Ride,& Rifleor Sword. the escapeattempt.Rememberthat deserterscan alwaysbe Sous-Officier(NCO) capturedby native cultistsand show up later. Be equally Skills:Bayonet, Block, Fist/Punch,Heavy Weapons or preparedfor playersto fullyembracethe ethosof the Legion, Machine-gunor Artillery, Kick, Martial Arts or Knife, and to fight like lionsuntilthe deathand refusingNPC offers MilitaryScience,Other Language:French,Rifle,Survival, for their surrender.But the Keeoershouldalso bear in mind andone skillto representa formerciviliantrade. that the Legion'sArab, Chineseand Africanenemiesrarely gave quarterto soldiersthey capture- a wounded player readthe preciseinstructionson the locationof a Pharaonic characteris likelyto be a dead character,or a sacrifice,if treasurysomewherein the wastesof the Great SandySea, caughtby the enemy. between Sanussi Libya, British-controlledEgypt and One final piece of advice- always keep the commanding French-held Chad. officeran NPC or guestplayer.This allowsthe Keeperto Soonnews of the discoveryis known to all of the players' iiterallyorderthe playersaround,shouldthere be a need to. company. Do the playersdesertand attemptto get the gold


ll

Optional - Touched by Baraka Barakais an ancientLegionterm appliedto i€gionnaires who seem to be blessedwith the abilityto ignoreenemyfire and emerge unscathedfrom situationsthat would leaveothermen in pieces.Sometimesbarakastayswith the l6gionnaire who eventuallyand inexplicably reachesretirementage;sometimesit leadsthe foolishto his death;sometimesDeathwill ignorebaraka.ln Arabic, Barakameans'divineblessing'andis associatedwith holy men or women,eitheraliveor dead.Barakacan be transferred from one personto another,or from a materialitemto a person. In game terms a Keepershouldgrantbarakato a l6gionnaire characterwho callsfor a Luck rollto avoidalmostcertaindeath. The playermust cali for the Luckroll;barakashouldnot resultfrom a Luckrollawardedby the keeper.lf the player'sLuck roll is successfuland the resultis also equalor lessthan his currentPOW,the characteris touchedby barakafor a while.The Keeper shouldroll 1d20secretlyand recordthe result.This numberis the numberof timesthe charactercan escapebeinghurt by enemy fire.Normalhits shouldbe ignored.Criticalhits becomeflesh-wounds doing1 or 2 pointsof damageat worst.An 01 rollwill hit but will only do minimumdamage.The Keepershouldrecordthe numberof timesthe characterwould havebeen hit.When the character'sbarakahas been used up he may be hit as normal.Barakawill work againstcultistsusingweapons,but it does not protect againstminionsof the mythos.A characteriosesno SAN for beingtouchedby baraka. Role playingthe effectsof barakashouldbe subtle.The playershouldnot be awarethat his characterhas beentouched;this is somethingthat the characterlearnsfrom other169ionnaires and when new recruitsstartto whisper'baraka'when the character passesthem.L6gionnaires will not immediately see a comradeas blessedafterjust one escapefrom death,as war is full of similar incidents,but when it happensthreeor four timesthe old sweatsstarttalkingabout'baraka'andihe character. A foolishcharacterwilltest the limitsof his blessingand will soon use up the gift,allowingdeathto claimits prize.A characterwhobecomes cautiouson learninghe has beentouchedby barakashouidnot be allowedto keepthe gift barakatouchesthosewho have alreadybeen touched by death, but are fated for more, but will move on if wasted.

literallyorderthe playersaround,shouldthere be a needto. L6gionnaire'sSeryice Number The Ldgionnaire'sService Number is known as the 'Matricule'.Originally the matriculenumberwas 3 digitsand then around 1935 became four digits long. Randomly generatea matriculeby rolling3d10,or 4d10.The matricule may used in place of duplicatesurnameswithin a unit to avoidconfusion. Choosing a Regiment Depending on the time chosen for the adventure,only certainregimentswill be available.See the Brief Historyof the Legion published in TW3 for details of specific regimentaloperations.

Le cafard A cafardis a madnessbroughton by stress and canstantfear" The legionnaires manningfortsand outpostsin the'bled'cr wastelandsof North Africa were subjectto the cafard as hostile tribesmensurroundedthem. Officersand sous-officiers fearedthe cafardand fought it with constanttrivial duties.Where these failed they reliedon harsh legion punishment. A cafardis a small black beetleand the madnessi$ likenedto havingbeetlesrunningaround in the soldier'shead (or 'cafard en fefe). Le cafardis a deep suicidaldepressionand under it's influencel6gionnairesattackedcomrades,committedsuicideat their own hand or by chargingthe enemy,mutilatedthemselves ar fell into a cetalonicstupor.

1er R6gimentEtranger(1er RE) based in $idi-bel-Abbes, The Spanishare battlingwomanisers;at ease with women, quick to pick a fight in bar or barrackand brave enoughto Algeria. get themselvesin troubleon the battlefield. 2e R6gimentEtranger(2e RE) based in BOne,then Saida, The ltalians,the Polesand the Hungarianshavea reputation Algeria;later Morocco. for enjoyingthe Legion'sway of life and of soldiering,and are 1er RdgimentEtrangerde Cavalerie(1er REC)formed1921, particularlynoted for supportingthe women of the Legion's based Souse,Tunisia brothels. Autonomou$CompagnieMonteesfrom 1882

The Britishare known as good soldiers,but ones prone to insubordinationand desertion.However,those who haven't For ease of play,Keepersshould ensurethat charactersare been busted back to l6gionnaire2nd class or who have eitherfrom the same unit or experienceconditionsin which deserted,are oftenfoundsteppinginto the breach when the men from severaldifferentbattalionsor even regimentsmay sectionleadersare killedor incapacitated. end up servingtogether,such as a bataillonde marche.

Legion Stereotypes The Legionis a multinationalforce and it has beenobserved that each national grouping develops certain traits. These might be crude stereotypes,but like all stereotypeshave an elementof truth aboutthem.The traitsare also quite useful; allowing the Keeper to quickly characteriseNPCs and allowing players a quick template on which to base their publicpersonaon at least. 169ionnaire's

Weapons of the French Foreign Legion Mle 1866 Bayonet A 'yataghan-style sabre bayonetissued with the Chassepot and Gras rifles. Supersededby the Mle 1886 bayonet,but livedon in the ranks becauseof usefulnessas a tool.

Mle 1886 Bayonet The Lebel rifle's 6pee-style,triangular-sectionbayonetwas unpopularwith troops as it was 55 cm long, and too easy to break using it for the real jobs like opening tins, that The Swiss and Germans are good, well disciplined bayonetsare also used for other than stabbingpeople. l69ionnaires, though German sous-officiers have a reputationof brutalitywhich they often live up to. The $wiss are often fighting men lookingfor a war.

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Mle 1855 lnfantry Officer's Sabre lssued to Legion officers and warrant officers in the nineteenth and earlytwentiethcentury. 1lmm Mle 1873service revolver t-ength: 241 mm Operation:Doubleaction Weight:1.08kg Capacity: 6 chambers The Modele 1873 service revolverwas the first centrefire weaponadoptedby the FrenchArmy. Manufacturedat the St.Etiennearmoury,it is a solid,robustand heavydoubleactionrevolver. lt is side loadingwith a Colt-styleejectorrod. Half-cocking locksthe hammerand cylinderfor carriageand handling.Supposedlyreplaced by the Mle 1892 service revolver, the Mle 1873 was carriedby adjutantsuntil 1910, andNCOsafterthat. 8mm'Lebel'Mle 1892servicerevolver Length: 254 mm Operation:Doubleaction Weight:0.79 kg Capacity: 6 chambers '1892 The Moddle service revolveralso originatesfrom the St.Etiennearmouryand is popularlyknownas the Lebelor Modeld'Ordnance. Smallerand easierto handlethan the Mle1873,the Lebelhas a swingout cylinder(thefirstsuch revolveradopted in Europe)for quicker reloading,and no safety. Unfortunately the cylinderswingsto the right making reloading by righthandedusersharder.

French Foreign Legion Ranks (with equivalentUK ranks) TheKeeperdecidesrankof the playercharactersthroughconsultation with the players.Alternatively allowthe Keepermay allowthe playersto purchasetheir currentrank by using charactergenerationpoints.lf the characteris demotedthe playerdoes not get the pointsspenton the formerrank back,once they are spentthey are lost. Certainsous-officierranks are only availableto re-engag6eswhich meanscharacterwill be at least 25 years old, if not older. % Pointsrequired nla nla nla nla nla nla 200 100 80 7A 65 60 40 35 75 70 65 55 45 40 20 5 0

ForeignLegion

Mar6chalde France G6n6rald'Arm6e G6n6raldeCorpsd'Arm6e G6n6raldeDivision G6n6raldeBrigade Officierssup6rieurs Colonel Lieutenant-colonel Commandant Officierssubalternes Capitaine Abolished1890 CapitaineAdjutant-major Abolished1890 Capitainede tir Lieutenant Sous-Lieutenant Aspirant Sous-officiers Major Adjudant Sergent-major Sergent-chef Sergent * Hommesdu rang Caporal-chef Caporal Soldat(lt*gionnaire) de 1re classe Soldat (l6gionnaire)de 2e classe

Britishequivalent FieldMarshal General Lieutenant-General MajorGeneral Brigadier Colonel LieutenantColonel Major Captain

Lieutenant SecondLieutenant WarrantOfficer I WarrantOfficer ll Staff Sergeant Sergeant Corporal LanceCorporal Private

. Caporal-chefis a rank that is peculiarto Frenchforces,only achievedwith

at leasteightto ten years'service.lt is a unique rankas the l6gionnairecan't progressfurther.lf the l6gionnairelater decidesthat he wishes to progressfurther then he will revertback to the lower rank of Caporaland then re continue.


l3

WeaponsSummaryTable Name

Date in Skill Damage Base Service Range Bayonet M1866 1 8 6 6 B a Y o n e to r 1 d 8 + 1 + d b Touch or K n i fe 1d4+2+db

RoF

B a y o n e to r 1 d 8 + 1 + d b Touch or Knie f 1d6+1+db

Magazine

HP

N/a

IJ

N/a

10

N/a

20

6 6

10

Bayonet M1886

1886

Sabre

1822

Sword

Mle 1873 Lebel Mle 1892

18 7 3 18 9 2

Handgun Handgun

1 d1 0 1d8

10 15

Gras Lebel M 1 8 9 0& M 1 8 9 2

1874 1886 18 9 0

R i fl e R i fl e Rifle

2d6+5 2d6+3 2d6+3

80 100 70

1/3 112 1/2

112 8+1 3 or 5 clip

Berthier Hotchkiss

1902 1897

Rifle 2d6+3 M a c h i n e g u 2d6+3 n

100 110

1/2 burst

3or5clip 30 stripor 250 belt

75mm M1894

1894

500

1t4

1 d 8 + 1 + d b Touch

Artillery

1Od6/2y

I

M a l fu n c t i o n

0 0

IU

0 12 11

n n

12 12

n 99

40

99

11mm Mle 1874 Gras rifle L e n g t h 1: 0 1 6m m Operation:Bolt action Weight:3.4kg Capacity: 1

8mm Berthier Mle 1907'Colonial'rifle Length:1320mm Operation:Boltaction Weight:3.8kg Capacity: 3 clip

The Moddle 1874 Gras rifle replacedthe famous Mle 1866 Chassepot rifle, and is essentially a centrefire cartridge updateof the consumablecartridgeChassepot.The Gras is a single shot bolt-actionrifle. The Gras was progressively replacedby the Lebelin the mid-1890s.

This rifle was issued to colonial troops in the Arm6e d'Afrique.lt was developedfrom the Berthier carbine.When faced by weapon shortages during the Great War, the Berthier was also issued to metropolitantroops as it was quickerto reloadthan the Lebel.

8mm Mle 1886 Lebel & Mle 86/93 rifles Length:1295 mm Operation:Boltaction Weight:4.22k9 Capacity: 8 tubularmag

8mm Mle 1897& Mle 1904Hotchkiss heavy machine-gun Length:1270mm Operation:Gasoperated Weight:23.58 kg Capacity: 30 stripor belt

The Moddle 1886 Lebel rifle replaced the Gras in French service and continuedin servicein one variantor another untilthe SecondWorldWar.The Lebelriflewas the firstsmall bore militaryrifle in the world using smokelesspowder.The rifle used a similarbolt to the Gras and has an eight shot tubularmagazine.Singleroundscouldloaded,allowingquick top-ups, leaving the magazine as a reserve.However,the GreatWar demonstratedthat the tubularmagazinewas slow to reloadonce it was empty.The tubularmagazinealso distorted the rifle's balanceas shots were fired.The Lebel was modifiedin 1893 with no affecton game mechanics.

The standard French machine-gunfrom 1897 onwards. Reliablebut heavy,it's biggestdrawbackis the use of strips of cartridgesratherthan belts.These were in 24 or 30 round sizesand couldalso be linkedtogetherto form an unreliable belt.The tripodweighedanother20 kg.

8mm Mle 1890 & 1892 carbines Length:945mm Operation:Boltaction Weight:3.1kg Capacity: 3 clip lssuedto Frenchartilleryand cavalryin 1890 insteadof the longerLebelrifle.The carbinewas designedby Berthier,had a Lebel-stylebolt action and a permanentMannlicher-style box magazine,loaded using a chargerclip.The 1890 and 1892 models had a 3 round magazine.The carbinewas adopted by the mounted companies at the turn of the century.

14

75mm Mle 1897 Field Gun The Legion formed several artillery companies before and after the Great War, using the standard Moddle 1897 field gun in FrenchArmy service.The Mle 1897was the firstfield gun to solve the problem of recoil but was quickly supersededby other countries.In the hands of trained gunners the Puteaux could fire 10 rounds a minute.The ammunitionwas carried in a separatecaisson. Other weapons The ForeignLegiondid make use of other weaponsduring it's history.For the periodthat this article covers it should be noted that other field guns were also used by some Legion units,and that some unitsin lndo-Chinamay haveaccessto semi-automaticrifles. The stats for these are left to the interestedKeeper.

wwwstarrywisdom.co. uk r

Bibliography Ezell,EdwardClintoneditor;1983.SmallArms of the World: a basicmanualof smallarms,11thedition.Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, USA.ISBN0-8117-1558-2 Geraghty, Tony;1986.Marchor Die: Franceand the Foreign Legion. GraftonBooks,LondonUK. ISBN0-246^11975-6. Hunter,Robin; 1997. True Stories of the Foreign Legion. VirginBooks,London,UK. ISBN0-7535-0130-9, Parker,John; 1998. lnside the Fcreign Legion: the sensational story of the World'stoughestarmy.Judy Piaktus (Publishers) Ltd.,London,UK. ISBN0-7499-1856-X. Windrow,Martin; 1981. Uniformsof the French Foreign Legion1831- 1981.BlandfordPress,Poole,UK" ISBN 07137-1010-1. Young,John Robert;1984.The FrenchForeignLegionlthe insidestory of the world-famousfighting force. Guild Publishing, London,UK. ISBN0-5000-1342-X.

WargamesMiniatures lf you wish to use mini*turesto play combat between the ForeignLegionand the forcesof the Mythosthere are severalrangesavailablein 25-28 mm, the scale RAFM and GrenadierCthulhumonstersare made for. Dixon Miniaturesproducea Dahomeyrangefeaturing Ldgionnairesand French regulars as well as Dahomeanopponents. MatchlockMiniaturesalso produce l6gionnairesand colonialFrenchminiaturesin 25 mm suitablefor Tonkin and NorthAfrica. 'Sons Old Glory have a of the Desert'range which is suitable for the classic age of the pre-Great War Legion.The rangealso includesArab opponents. RedoubtEnterprisesproduce'Marchor Die',a similar range to Old Glory;featuringpre-WW1 ldgionnaires and Arabs. Be warned howeverthat Redoubt figures are more 30 mm than 25 mm and do not mix verv well with other ranges.

www.starrywi$dom. co.uk

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Lr..itation to the Dance By Jeff Moeller A twentiesor modernday scenarioconcerninggraveyards, witchesand the Dreamlands. lntroduction Invitationto the Danceis a short scenarioset in Bennington, Vermont,which can be stagedeitherin the 1920sor in the modern day and works best with a small number of investigators.lt must be stressed at the outset that the 'witch-riding', scenario deals with whereby New England witchesof legendwould have sexualrelationswith sleeping 'ride men and them'throughthe sky, in parallelto the Lilith legendscommonto Judaicfolklore.Althoughsuch relations betweenhumansand the forcesof the Mythosare a frequent elementof Mythostales and publishedscenarios,they are usuallypart of the back-story, or at leastoccur'off camera'. In this scenario,theyoccurvery much'on camera',and those who might be offendedby this may wish to run a less adult scenario. Caveat lector.

What's Going On, ln a Nutshell In the quiet churchyardof St. Peter'sChurchin Bennington, Vermont(VT), the headstonesof JeremiahMoon (d.1790), and ConstanceJeffries(d.1789),have mysteriouslymoved from one corner of the yard to the opposite end without apparent explanation.Why? Poor Jeremiah was buried too close to a plot of unconsecrated ground used to bury witches. One of these witches was Constance Jeffries, a notorioussorceress,who was executedin 1789.Constance would come upon sleepingmen, seizethem, and 'ridethem' through the sky.Constancewas a devoteeof the demoness Lilith, and is referenced (in certain occult works of that period)as a woman known to come to men in the night in response to their lustful dreams. When Constance was buried, mysticfortificationswere added to the churchyardto ensure that she did not continueto plaguethe men of the town, even after death. This was a wise precaution,as Constance'sspirit continuedto dwell in the Dreamlands, albeit unable to affect the Waking World thanks to the mystic precautions.

Unfortunately,the march of progress has disrupted the status quo. A road crew, working on widening and expandingUS Route 7, accidentallydamaged the wards sealingthe churchyarda few weeks ago. Constance'sspirit can now affect the Waking World to a limited extent. Her influence is limited to the graveyardand its immediate environs.However,withinthe graveyard,she has been able to break down the barriers between the Waking and Dreamingworld,particularlyat midnight. A midnighton the nightof the lastfull moon,her spiritleaked throughintothe graveyardand encounteredthat of Jeremiah Moon, one of her old victims.Delighted,the foul, decaying spirit of ConstanceJeffries'rode' that of Jeremiah Moon through the night skies, to his great torment. This hm manifesteditself in the Waking World by the tombstone of JeremiahMoon 'fleeing'to the other end of the churchyard, 'followed'by that of Constance Jeffries. The tombstone of JeremiahMoon ended lying name-upon the ground, with that of ConstanceJeffriesrestingupon it perpendicularly,in a reflectionof sexualactivity.Had the bodies been exhumed, the skeletonswould have been found in a similarpose.The gravestoneswill continue to move about periodically as

InvestigatorHandout1 Spooks at St. Peters'Churchyard Unknorvn r.andalsu.orking during the middle of the night desecratedtrvo graves at St. Peter's Churchyard in Bennington, VT, earlier this rlreek, mor"ing tr,r'ogravestonesfrom one corner of the yard to another. Sherilf Thomas Hudson reported no leads.The tombstonesbelongedto trvo personsrvho died in the late 18th century, Jeremiah Moon and Constance Jeffries. The stones,eacheasilyweighing over 100 pounds a piece, and having been in the earth for hundreds of years, rvere found neatly stacked on top of one another, one flat on the ground and the other standing atop it. Despite the churchyard's location in central Bennington, no one apparentlv u.itnessecl the incident, which must have taken the vandalssome time to complete due to the weight and age of the gravestones. Sheriff Hudson speculatedthat it must har.e been the work of school-agedpranksters.


Constancerenewsher tormentsof Jeremiah,comingto rest in a parodyof sexualactivityuntil someonedoes something aboutit.

GettingStarted One of the investigatorswill notice a lighfhearted article aboutthe initialmovementof the headstonesin the Sunday supplementof their local newspaper.See Investigator Handout 1. This could pique their curiositysufficientlyto particularlyif they have alreadycome acrossthe investigate, nameof ConstanceJeffries within occult texts prior to the adventure takingplace. Betweenthe time that the investigatorsread the article and the time that they manage to get to Bennington,the gravestones will have moved again in the night,unseenby anyone.This time they will have to come to rest in a semblanceof the missionaryposition.lf the investigators needfurther motivation,any journalistsor authors in the groupmay be sent by their editorsto write a humaninterest pieceaboutthe phenomenon.Privateinvestigators mightbe askedfor (or to return) a favour by a friend in their local diocese,or flat-out hired once the gravestoneshave moved the third or fourth time. Alternatively,one or more of the investigatorsmight simply decide to go for a weekend in Vermontand stumbleonto the situation. Constance can't actually affect too much, either in the churchyardor outsideof it, but that doesn'tmean she can't Bennington, VT mess with their heads.As soon as the investigatorsarrive, Benningtonis a town of a few thousand souls in extreme Constance will go out of her way to keep them busy. south-westernVermont, about 10 miles north of the Suggestions as to how to do this appear in the notes VermonVMassachusetts border.lt lies along US Route7, aka throughoutthe scenario. the 'Ethan Allen Highway', connecting Pittsfield,and Burlington. Settledin 1749,Benningtonwas the earliestcapi- Constance's powers in the Waking World consist of the tolofVermont.Between1920and 1925,Benningtonwas the following: factorysite for the MartinWasp, a luxury automobilein compursueand tormentthe spiritof Jeremiah petitionwith the Rolls Royce.The Wasp Six made its debut 1. Constancecan gravestonesto move instantaneously Moon, their causing in 1924,on a 144 inch chassisand pricedat around$7,000. about the churchyardin the WakingWorld.She will do this AnearliermodelWaspwas amongthe favouriteautomobiles nightlyat midnightin an effortto lure the investigatorsinto an of DouglasFairbanks.Wasps were elegantand distinctive, in-the-churchyard stakeout,where she can really have some witha loyalfollowing amongsttheirowners.(HemmingsAuto fun with them. Newscontinuesto be headquarteredin Bennington,which hostsa majorannualantiqueauto show in the fall today).In 2. Constance can cause people to fall asleep on a NorthBennington,BenningtonCollege opens its doors in successfulPOW vs. POW check, at a cost of 1 Magic Point 1932to a women's student body. 'Grandma Moses', aka per attempt.Once they are asleep,she can (and usuallywill) Anna Mary Robertson (1860-1961)has her studio in use her Send Dreams abilityto tormentthe dreamerwith Benningtonbetween 1927 and 1935. Later both Norman disturbing,eroticdreams. Rockwell,as well as, Robert Frost lived and worked here. Today, Benningtonis a sleepycollegetown, most noteworthy 3. Constancecan cause small, poltergeist-likeeffectsas far for the (now) co-educational and expensive Bennington as the inn. She is adept at makingthese eventsseem like College, as well as, SouthernVermontcollege,locatedin the accidentsor coincidences. castle-like mansion of a 19th-century 4. Constancecan, with a supreme effort (15 Magic Points) industrialist. hex a victim, with the result that they fumble their next Luck roll. TheBenningtonlnn The Bennington Inn is a very nice, three-story, late Investigationsin Bennington colonial-era inn with a restaurant,a bar (dependingon the There are severallines of backgroundinvestigationto year)and a helpful staff. The inn is able to accommodate in Bennington. undertake The investigators will probablytalk whateverreasonable room arrangements that they may police, to the locals the talk to Rev. Mckenzie, the church and desire- the investigatorswill probably want rooms with a grounds. rector, and the church Experienced survey goodview of the churchyard.

TheDance Sincesittingaroundan inn in SouthernVermontis probably the investigators' idea of a nice vacation,it's perhaps fortunate that Constance Goode'sperceptions extendas far as the inn and she will lookto havea littlefun with them.

investigators will probablylook throughthe recordsat St. Peter's,conducthistoricalresearchaboutBennington, and conductoccultresearchaboutthe town,the principals, and the church.They may also consult occult sources for information abouteitherConstance Jeffries,the town,or the phenomenon of movinggravestones in general.


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off by a new section of fence. The churchyard is full to capacity,with the earliestmarkerdatingfrom the 1750sand the latestdatingaround'1840. The plots were the moving headstoneswere originally locatedcan easilybe located.Constance's was in the corner closest to where the missing pillar was, with no graves nearbyand with a substantialzone of clearancearound it. JeremiahMoon'swas burieda short distanceaway,with a few gravesin between.There are no signs of digging,soil disturbance,fingerprintsor other signs of human activity around any of the gravesites.There are footprints,of course, as neitherthe sheriff nor Rev. McKenziehas closed the churchyard,but they are few and inconsistentin depth with movinga coupleof 1O0-poundplus headstones.While the investigatorsare satisfying themselves that there is no rational explanationfor the movement of the gravestones, Constancemight take the opportunityto mess with their headsin somesmallway,such as by feelingthem up and or unzippingtheirflies. The three remainingstone pillars at the corners of the churchyard are particularly noteworthy.They are granite blocks,abouttwo feet in diameterand eightfeet high,with a numberof small symbolscarved around the bases.To the trained eye, they appear to have occult significance.A Cthulhu Mythos roll suggeststhat they are some sort of ward.lf any of the investigators knowthe Banishmentof Yde Local Gossip Residentsof town are willing and able to talk about the Etad, they may recognisethe symbolsas similarto those ongoing'vandalism'at the churchyard.There have been no used to cast that particular spell. Alternatively, the witnessesto either incident.The gravestones, which easily investigatorsmay copy the symbols and consult with weigh 100 poundseach,werefoundon top of one anotherin appropriatetomes. The result of such an approach is disvariouspositions.This is somewhatsurprising,as the (fairly cussed below. limited) local constabularyand especiallythe staff at the church were trying to be vigilantafter the first incident.How Exhumation? the vandalsaccomplishedtheir work is the primarytopic of The investigatorsmay want to dig up the gravesin the hopes speculationin town.Reportedly,no signsof draggingor any of findinga clue.There is plentyto find, none of it pleasant. footprintswere found in the churchyard.The stonessimply Exhumationeffortscan play out in severaldifferentways. 'moved'. Firstly,the investigatorsmay try to secure permissionto exhumethe bodies.Rev.McKenzieand the local authorities At the keeper'soption, the investigatorsmay not be the should be expectedto resist this idea, perceivingit as only group in town interestedin the phenomenon. This unnecessary^ Resolutionof this debate with the Reverend adventurelends itselfto reappearanceof a historicrivalof and the localauthoritieswill haveto be playedout, perhaps the investigatorsputting in an appearancein an effort to resolved with the intercessionof a Persuade roll. With solve the mystery.In the modern-day,this is preciselythe permissionto exhumethe graves,they will find no bodiesor sort of thing that a tabloid televisionshow or magazine coffins where they belong, not even holes. Evidently the would take an interest in, and a camera crew may be in headstoneswere not placedwhere the bodieswere actually town trying to capturethe incidenton videotape. buried. The locals may be inducedto talk aboutthe other problem withthe church.St. Peter'sChurchhas a minorreputationfor havingsome odd acousticproperties.Localscan explainthat the church bells sound one way in most parts of town, but sound different(softer and more musical)from inside the churchyard.However,recently,this strange acoustic effect has ended.The locals are not sure why, althoughmost are aware that the change coincidedwith the roadwork in the area of the church, which ended a few weeks ago. No one has made the connection,however.

It is entirelypossiblethatthe investigators will stealout under cover of darkness and somehow try to do some covert exhumation. Rememberthat the churchyardis in downtown Bennington,with a rectoryadjacentand a sizeablehotel right acrossthe street. Peopledrive by and there is little cover.

A more enlightened tactic, which may occur to the investigators,is to dig where the gravestonesare. Politely phrased requeststo dig under the gravestones,lookingfor trace evidenceis unlikelyto draw a serious objectionfrom Rev.McKenzie;afterall,the deadwon'tbe disturbed.Directly and not very deep under the gravestones,of course, is Poking Around the Graveyard where the bodies are, locked in a skeletal,coital embrace The churchyardis about 500 squarefeet, surroundedby a 6 mimickingthe current positionof the gravestones.SAN loss foot high iron stake fence, with three stone pillars at the 1/1d3 for realisinghow impossiblethis is, not to mention corners.The fourthpillaris missingand the cornerhas been disgusting.No matter what the investigatorsdo with the roundedoff by a nice new segment of paved road, blocked remains, the next time that the gravestones move, the

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bodieswill be underthem, in a matchingposition.SAN loss The forthe secondtime wouldbe fairlyset as high as 111d6. bodyof the femaleskeletonbears a sickeninglybrokenneck, of Constance'shanging. indication

Tryingto'Observethe Dance',from Afar A stakeoutof the churchyardin an effortto catchthe vandals maybe attempted.Assumingthat the investigatorsare doing so from outsideof the confinesof the churchyarditself,they willfailto identifyany culprits,but may convincethemselves thatsomethingweird is goingon. No matterhow vigilantthe investigatorsare, they will not see the gravestonesmove as it happens instantaneously,A usefulpatternfor both mood and pace is to manipulatethe into nightly stakeouts,with the implausibilityof investigators missingthe eventquicklybecomingincreasinglyso. Minor SAN losses (0/1) should be handed out when the is distractedfor 15 secondsor so and missesthe investigator event.

St.Peter'sChurch Locatedin downtown Bennington, St. Peter's Church is a small,grey stone,colonialera structure,built by the Vermont Congregationalists around 1755 and presentlyin use by the EpiscopalChurch.There is a bell tower which chimesthe hour daily between 6am and 9pm (note that persons sleepingin the graveyardand fallingunder Constance'sspell willhear the bells chime midnightas well).lt is a one-level affair with a bell tower in the steeple with a separate, adjoiningrectory. AnyNew Englandtour guide or generalhistorysourcethat discusses Benningtonmay brieflymentionSt. Peter'sChurch as a quaint example of colonialarchitecture. The same sourcewill also mention that St. Peter's is noted for the unusualmusical propertiesof the churchbells,particularly whenheardfrom the churchyard.This phenomenonis due to the ward, which retains the sound. The bells at present, however,sound just like any other set of churchbells.

the Montague Summers school of theology, he does not believein witches,ghoulsand goblins.Of course,McKenzie likewise won't believe that the graves are moving themselves, so he might be persuaded to let the investigators"sift through the dirt for evidence"around the gravestones. McKenziewill happilydiscusswhat happenedto the missing corner post of the churchyard.His superiorsin the diocese are suing the State and the road crew for damagingchurch propertywithout authorisationor paymentof compensation. The road crew demolished it a few weeks ago when wideningthat segmentof road.

St. Peter'sGhurch,Old ChurchRecords The investigatorswill probablywant to go snoopingthrough the old church records at some point, heading straight for those aroundthe years 1789-90.This will bear fruit with a little bit of work. The old church records(LibraryUse check) are not in the best of order, but are complete and kept in chestsin the basementof the church. Unfortunately,the recordsfrom 1789-90look pretty normal. A broad look at the church recordsfrom 1789-90may reveal (LibraryUse at 1/2 or Spot Hidden)that certain records are inexplicably missing.One week'sworth of the rector'sdiary is missing,one older page of birth reportsand one sermon givenin 1789will not be where it belongs.Basically, all of the records pertainingto ConstanceJeffries have been pulled (ldea roll).A file containingall of the missinginformationhas been concealed behind a loose stone in front of which a largechestfull of files has been stationed.The readinglight is rather poor in the basement,so it is likely that the investigatorswill haul out the chest and take it upstairsfor better reading.A Spot Hidden notes the protrudingstone, whichis markedon closeinspectionwith markingssimilarto thoseon the cornerpostsin the yard.lnsideis a sheafof

ReverendMcKenzie ReverendNorbert McKenzie is the current rector of the churchand lives in a small rectoryon the property.McKenzie is a kind,friendly,podgy,unmarried60 yearold Episcopalian ministerwho knows littleof the occult.He has no idea what is goingon in the graveyard,but finds it disturbingfrom the perspectiveof someone who doesn't like having his church He has been having some disturbingdreams vandalised. lately, eroticin nature,and is unlikelyto mentionthem unless directlyquestioned.He will agree to requeststo look through churchrecordsif given a plausibleenough reason.He has seennothingsuggestingwho is vandalisingthe graveyard, up until now he has been content to let the police do their jobs.However,after the investigatorsarrive and the stones startmovingon a nightlybasis,he will pick a nightor two to try andcatchthe 'vandals'red-handed. He will haveaboutas whichis to say none.lt is posmuchluckas the investigators, siblethat he might be persuadedto camp out in the graveyardwith the investigatorsafter becomingfrustratedwith his ownunsuccessfulefforts.Whetherhe becomesConstance's target or whether this fate is given to an investigator depends upon the Keeper. McKenziewill not take kindly to requests to exhume the gravesof JeremiahMoon or ConstanceJeffries.Not beingof


The Road Crew

InvestigatorHandout 2 The box of documents includes:reports of services at which Jeremiah Moon behavedas though bewitched; diary excerptswherein JeremiahMoon confessesto the authoringreverendof beingvisitedin carnaldreamsby ConstanceJeffriesand "ridden"by her throughthe night skies over New England;several increasinglyimpassioned sermonsabout the continueddangersof witchcraft;and finally,the transcriptof a secretwitchtrial held againstConstanceJeffriesin 1789 by the town fathers. There is also a considerable amountof correspondence betweenthe town fathers and membersof the clergy in Bostonas to how one shouldhold a witchtrial. Summary of Information The churchfathersin Bostontook the positionthat the populaceof Benningtonhad taken leaveof its senses, however,there is a great deal of disturbingdetailin the lettersfrom Benningtonpleadingfor advice.These letters include numerous details about Jeremiah Moon being carnallytormentedby MistressJeffries,even in her (apparent)absence. Finally,in desperation,the people of Benningtonlook overseas for assistance and procured the services of one Zbigniew Czyzny, a reputed witch-hunterfrom Poland.Czyzny conductedthe witch trial. However,the trial did not go as anticipated. Czyznywritesin his transcript how ConstanceJeffriesscoffedat the allegations, scoffed at Czyzny, and sneered at Czyzny's religion. Worse,throughoutthe courseof the trial, Czyznyfinds himselffondledand caressedby unseenentitieswhile MistressJeffriescleaned her nails or whistleda tune. JeremiahMoon testifiedin graphicdetail and at length about the night-timevisitationsof Mistress Jeffries, which include"riding"him to the witches'sabbatsas far away as Boston. Mistress Jeffries was promptlyfound guilty.After a long debate,the consensussettledupon hangingas the form of execution.Followingthe execution, Czyzny elected to take "certain precautions"with the body,creatinga ward around the churchyardwhere Constancewas disposed of. Czyzny refers to the ward as the Banishmentof the Bells.Whileit is apparentfrom the correspondence that buryingher in a cornerof the churchyardwas a controversialdecision, Czyzny convinced the populacethat the sound of the bells would keep her spirit at bay.

Road crewsare a frequentsight in the New Englandof the '1916,Congressenactedthe FederalAidRoad mid-1920s.In Act, providinga large influxof federalfunds to states for the purposeof highwayconstruction.Roads in New England, wellsuitedto automobiletravel,soonexploded.The firstconcrete roads sprang up in large urban areas, but town-connectinghighways soon followed. By 1925, the highway system was so complex that the American Associationof State Highway Officialsformed and devised the nationalhighwaynumberingsystemout of necessity. The road crew currently in Benningtonare working on widening U.S, Route 7 a lew miles North of town. The foreman of the crew, John Phillips, is happy to talk to investigatorsaboutthe work in the area of St. Peter'sChurch. He is friendly but defensiveabout committingany error, insistingthat he'followedthe drawings'.Phillipswill acknowledge that his crew,as well as the projectengineer,is being sued by the churchdiocesefor strayingfrom the plans and damagingthe churchyard. The curb cut shown on his plans, whichhe willgladlyshowto the investigators, clearlycallsfor the demolitionof one of the cornerpillarsof the churchyard. The plansshowthatthe engineerwho plannedthe work was TonyTralha,employedby the State of Vermont.Astute players may recognise this name as an anagramof a familiarMythosfigure.Effortsto find Mr.Tralha fail utterlyas he does not actuallyexist. Phillipsdid not keep the wreckageof the stone cornerpost from the churchyard,but can confirmthat it was coveredwith similar'ornamental'carvingsas the other three.He can not describethem in any great detail, beyond that they were vaguelystar-shaped.

Occult Research The local libraryand other avenuesof researchmay yield usefulinformation; here organisedby topic.

Old New England Witch-riding and Transvection

Many occulttexts such as the MalleusMaleficariumor the CompendiumMaleficarum of Guazzocan relaythe following information on transvection. The abilityto fly was one of the fundamentalaspectscommonto all witches.Althoughmany people commonly associated witches with flying on broomsticks, this is only one mannerof flight.Oftenwitches were reportedto fly by ridingnaked men throughthe sky.Nor was there any doubleentendrein the notionof ridingnaked church records all pertainingto Constance Jeffries and/or menthroughthe nightsky,the inferencewas intended.There Jeremiah Moon. These are described in Investigator are many storiesof witchescomingto unwarymen or enemies in the night,seducingthem within their dreams,and Handout 2. then ridingthem throughthe air to the witches'sabbat. The trial transcript and related documents take JeremiahMoon approximately20 hours to study, and a successful Read Althoughthere is no specificmentionof JeremiahMoon in Englishroll.The readergains +3% Occult,+1% Cthulhu occulttomes,textssuch as Thaumaturgical Prodigiesin the Mytho, spell x5 multiplier (the single spell detailed is New EnglishCanaanwill mentiona Moon familyresidingin Banishmentof the Bells).The transcriptis quiteclearthatthe Western Massachusettsand Vermont as notorious and fourthpost is the most important,and mustbe circumscribed determinedwitch hunters. aboutits basewith any witch'smarksappearingon the body ChurchBells of the accused.The transcriptmentionsthat a witch'smark Church bells figure in two prominentwitch-relatedlegends, was found under the left breast of the accused, but sadly, one positiveand one negative.The first, which can be found does not clearlydescribeit. in just about every text that is devotedto witches, has to do

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withtheir efficacyat wardingoff witches.lt is widely reported thatthe ringingof a churchbell will forciblygrounda flying witch within earshot. Such reports can be found in the Malleus Maleficarum among many other sources. properlypreparedbells were rumouredto give Alternatively, sorcerersthe power to raise the dead if laid in a grave for sevendays.

Witch's Marks

Witch'smarks are discussedin any significanttreatiseon witchcraft.One of the reportedlyempiricalways of detecting a witch would be the discoveryof one or more witch's marks on his or her person.This was a mark on the witch'sskin, from which their familiar allegedly drew blood as nourishment.Witch's marks were typically found in concealedareas of the body,such as underthe tongue or The Carvings on the Cornerpost near the genitals.Witch's marks would not bleed when Examinationof the symbols and consultation with pricked.Noted New England witch hunter, Cotton Mather, appropriateoccult or Mythos texts reveal that the symbols was especiallyconvincedin the probativevalue of witch's aresimilartothose involvedin the Banishmentof Yde Etad. marksas evidenceof guilt. lf anyof the investigators knowthis spell,they shouldbe able They may be ableto surmisefrom this The Dreamlands to notethe similarities. that the ward is targeted against a particularbeing and Although there is little chance that the investigatorswill localisedin effect. researchoccurrencesin the Dreamlandsat first,shouldthey encounterConstancein the churchyardone night,they may wellturn to Dreamlandssourcesfor advice.Mythostomesof A New Spell comparativelyrecent vintage,particularlythose discussing interactionsbetween the Waking and Dream worlds, may Banishmentof the Bells havesome coverageof ConstanceJeffries,(eg.The Tomeof This spell secures a defined area against the power of the Masked One, from the scenario Nightcap in Pagan one particularsorcereror Mythos being. lf the sorcerer Publishing'sMortal Colls would be an example of such a or Mythosbeing (or their mortal remains) is physically book). Experienced dreamers may also travel to the presentwithin the area, they are trapped and powerless Dreamlandsand consultknowledgeable Dreamlandsfigures for the durationof the spell.The spell requiresa bell of for information. ln such an event.the followinoinformationis any size or tone, as well as four pillars carved with available: arcanesymbolsdetailedin the spell.The last pillarmust 1. Constance Jeffries is not known by name in the includeamongstits carvingsthe beings personalsigil Dreamlands. (eg.the witch's mark) of the target.Once the pillarsare erected,a total of 5 POW points, plus 1 POW for each 2. A storyabouta witchor sorceresswho pursuesmen and 100squarefeet to be warded, must be sacrificedby the ridesthem throughthe nightskiesis anothermatter.Such a caster(s).(Thus, 10 POW would haveto be sacrificedto sorceressis known to haunt the EnchantedWood, and is ward the churchyardusing the existingpillars).Each said to be devotedto the goddess Lilith. Men who have castermust know the spell.The caster(s)engagein the tarriedtoo long in the EnchantedWood have been known to specifiedchant for a number of hours equal to the be tormentedby disturbing,eroticvisionsupon occasion. amount of POW and the bell must be rung continuouslyduring the chanting.Once the spell is Trying to Observe the Dance, Midnight in the complete,the area continuously resonates, with the Graveyard soundof the bell,belowthe thresholdof humanhearing. Sooner or later, the investigatorswill probably opt for a Destroyingone or more of the pillars breaks the midnight stakeout in the graveyardin an effort to find out protectionof the spell, although they can be repaired what'sgoing on. Constancewill encouragethem to do this and reused in a subsequentcasting.SAN loss for each casteris 1d6. In Constance'scase, the fourth and last pillarincluded her witch's mark. As noted in the St. Pete/s Church records,her witch's mark is found under her left breast, but is not describedin the records. At the Keeper'soption,certainMythostomes may describe the Banishmentof the Bells spell in its entirety,although personalsigilwill not be included.Her personal Constance's sigilwillhaveto be obtainedthe hardway.

SpectralEvidence Lookinginto the phenomenon of moving gravestonesin particular, the investigatorswill find a few mentionsof such mattersin the forms of warningsagainstburyingthe victimof a witchtoo close to the unconsecratedground used to bury the witch herself.Numerouswitch trial transcriptsnote that the victimswould suffer at the hands of and be chased by unseen assailants 'in spirit form'. The unexplained movementof gravestoneswas sometimesattributedto the pursuitof the victim by the restlessspirit of the witch.

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only for conversation,during which time the man can identifyhimself as Jeremiah Moon and how he is being bewitchedby ConstanceJeffries.As far as he knows or is are concerned,he is alive,the year is 1790,the investigators dressedstrangely,and there'sa witchon his tail.

Slow Dancing in the Moonlight Constancewill shortlyappearwhereverher gravestonewas last located.Constanceis a foul sight, being an executed, dead and one-yearburiedwitch circa 1790.Her decaying, worm-infested head lollsat an impossibleangle.Her rotting, bodyhalf-oozesand half-sashays in a lewd, once-voluptuous suggestivefashiontowardthe nearestmale in the churchyard. She half-croaks,half-whisperssuggestive'littlenothings' and her grave-rottedclothing slips away in a fashionthat might be enticing,were she not an animated for the investigatoris or Moon,she also corpse.Unfortunately movessurprisingly fast. witch of the East CONSTANCEJEFFRIES,nymphomaniac I N T1 7 STR 25 D E X1 7 coN18 POW20 S I Z1 O EDU OO APP 04 SAN OO HP 14 DamageBonus: +1d6 Education: N/A Skilfs: Dance RevoltinglyB0%, Cackle 65%, Leer 47%, plusothersat the Keeper'sdiscretion. Languages:English90%. by tormenting them to the extent necessary.The last scheduledringingof the churchbellsoccurs at nine o'clock. The investigators in the graveyardwillfind it quitedisturbing, as a result,when at midnightthe churchbellsunexpectedly chime13 times.SAN loss0/1. The investigators'gear and personalbelongingswill remain unaffected,but they will at this point have been shifted into the Dreamlands.Anyonecampedoutsideof the churchyard will simply see that the investigatorswithin have quietly fallenasleep.lt will all be over by the time they can get inside the graveyardto try and awakenthe rest of the investigators, to as everythingin the graveyardhappensinstantaneously the outsideobserver.

combat skills: Grapple 80%' if constance successfully grapplesa victim'she fliesoff with him throughthe nightsky strippinghim of clothing,article by article,then subjecting him to her amorousattentionsover the rest of the evening, until she drops him naked and in shock at some embarrassing locale. SpecialAbilities: Fly,Constancecan fly at speedsof up to 100 mph with the aid of any numberof traditionalwitching devices,includinga broomstickand flyingointment.

Special Defences: Constance ignores damage from conventionalsources. Spells and enchanted weapons do normaldamage;fire also does normaldamage.The ringing of churchbellswill ground Constance,causing appropriate DreamBennington fallingdamage,and incapacitateher while they are ringing. Insidethe churchyard,thingsappearsubtlydifferent.Do not Constanceis essentiallya spirit,however,and killingher only advise the playersthat they are now in the Dreamlands, dispels her until the next midnight. Constance is not rather,state that a night mist has swirledup to the edges of the churchyardas the bells'tollthirteen,and the sky seems impressedby any displayof religiousartefacts. somehowdarker and stiller.No electriclights can be seen Spells: Blight Crops, lmplant Fear, Send Dreams, Call throughoutthe town, obscured as it is by the mist, and the gravestonesseem newer, less worn with age. Keep things Shub-Niggurath, Summon/Bind Dark Young of Summon/BindNightgaunt,ContactGhoul, ambiguousas long as possible.ExperiencedDreamersmay Shub-Niggurath, Contact the Horned Man. recognise that they are now in the Dreamlandsfrom the description;othenruise,they should be granted appropriate rolls when they find themselves abruptly awakened in the SAN loss: 1/1d8 for gazing upon her loveliness;more dependingon what she does to you. Churchyardafter things are all over. The gravestoneof Jeremiah Moon is nowhereto be found. Almost immediately,a thin, old man with sunken eyes and a harried look, dressed in a gown and a night cap, comes runningfor his lifefrom one cornerof the churchyard."Mercy, for the love of God," he cries.There will be a few moments

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Constance'splan is simple;graba man,fly off into the night sky, and subjecthim to her own special brand of tormentfor the balanceof the night.Describingthis sufficientlyto convey what has happenedwhilst avoidingstrayinginto the overtly lurid is an importantpart of the scenario.


SAN loss 111d3.Oddly,it is alwaysmidnightin Constance's and the moon is alwaysfull.The It takes Constance,in all likelihood,one round to grab a segmentof the Dreamlands, victim,a secondto get airborne,and anotherthree roundsto interiorof the churchis an odd mix of weatheredbonewalls, get completelyout of range. In the likely event that the twisted church trappingsand opulent luxuries.By way of investigatorsare unable to stop Constance, they awaken example,here is a statue which, on casual examination, shortlythereafterand suffer a 111d4SAN loss.The victim is inexplicablyfound naked, shivering, and locked in an appears to be a Madonna with child. Upon close embracewith the skeleton of Constance Jeffries. He may, examination,the Madonnabears an uncomfortableresemupon becoming lucid, be able to relate several hours of blanceto Constanceherself.while the child bears a facial inventive torment, courtesyof MistressJeffries,as she rode resemblanceto any captured investigators,othenruiseto himthroughthe nightsky. SAN loss of 3d6. JeremiahMoon.

DancingCheekto Cheek

Anyonewho is victimised by Constance Jeffries has a numberof thingsto contendwith, beyondwhat is likelyto be an incapacitating SAN loss.Firstly,their soul is Constance's playthingand trapped in the Dreamlands.Worse, the investigatorwill continue to suffer nightly visitations, no matterwhere he goes, resultingin a 1d3 SAN loss each night,untilthe end arrives.The end, in this case, would be the deliveryof the child of the investigatorand Constance Jeffries,'born' on the night when the investigator'sSAN finallyreaches0. The investigator will be kept up to date on thestatusof the pregnancyon a nightlybasis.

Solutions

Although Constance'sstatisticsare the same, here there is no SAN loss for viewingher. She appears as a beautiful, young woman, with a quick smile voluptuous,raven-haired and a readywit. She will not moveto attackthe investigators at first, insteadinquiringas to why they have come so far. lf forcedto fight,she can callupon 1d4+1ghoulsto do her dirty work for her.She prefersto lure the investigatorsinto a false sense of security,claimingthat she is innocent,that they have the wrong person, and that they are being frightfully rude by intrudinginto her sanctuary.lf the investigators tell Constancethattheywantto freetheircompanion,she invites them to go behindthe altarand get him,but he won'twantto leave.Dependingon how much time has passed,she may appear and/or act pregnant,which should provokea SAN checkof 111d4tt the investigators realisewhat this probably signifies"

Assuming that the investigators have done their homework, theywillhavefiguredout that they can renewthe ward in the graveyard,and since everythingwas fine before the road crewwreaked its havoc, restoring it should put an end to Constance.However,to restore the ward, the investigators will have to obtain a copy of Constance'switch-mark.The location, under her left breast,is describedin the transcript of her witch trial. Getting a look at it could be a bit of a Any 'captured'investigator will be foundchainedby the neck problem. (withdelicate,silverchains)to the parodyof an altar.They The investigators may try a more-or-lessdirect assaulton are consciousand coherent,but simplywon't want to leave. Constance. Here, the successof the scenariodependson It'spleasanthere,and besides,he wouldn'twantto abandon playing Constanceas a credibleopposition.Her perceptions "his family."The chainsare easy enoughto remove,taking do extend as far as the Inn, so any plans that the about 2 roundsto accomplish. Oncethe chainsare removed, investigators mightbe planningmightbe overheardand prethe investigator'sattituderevertspromptlyto normal. paredfor. The church bells are the investigators'greatest weapon. Ringing the churchbellsincapacitates Constanceboth in the wakingand dreamingworld.lf the investigators discusstheir plansonlywhilstthe bellsare ringing,Constancewon'tknow aboutthem.

Whilst the investigatorsdeal with their companion, Constancewill call forth her ghouls and attemptto add the rest of the investigatorsto her collection.lf killed in her sanctuary,Constanceis dead for good. Constancecannot leave her sanctuaryin pursuit of the investigatorsif the Oncethe investigatorshave incapacitatedConstancethey Banishmenthas been restored. havethe opportunityto look at her witch's mark, which resemblesa seven-pointedstar. ln Dream Bennington, Conclusionand Rewards 'killing'Constancewill dispel her until the next midnight, put the spiritof ConstanceJeffries however,this will allow the investigatorsto operate in the Shouldthe investigators then graveyarduninterruptedand unmolested,for to rest by any means, award each investigator1d10 Wakingworld suchpurposesas renewingthe Banishment. SAN. Shouldthe soulsof one or more investigators remain the eternal playthingsof Constance, charge the other TheDreamlands investigatorsa 1d10 SAN penalty each. The SAN of the Constance keepsa fairly low profilein the Dreamlands,but maintains a lair of sorts in the EnchantedWood - a dark, tormented investigatorwill take care of itself; as the twistedreflectionof the church and graveyardin Bennington. investigatorloses SAN at a rate of 1d3 per day, he will begin The churchand churchyardlook normal from a distance, to have dreams of Constance as an expectant mother, exceptfor the fact that the church has no bell tower, only a biddinghim to join her forever,with the dreamsleadingup to the investigator will haveno choice stubthat looksto have been left by a lightningstrike.As the an aMul birth.Ultimately, give pleas grey to in to for family as his sanityslipsaway. unity investigatorsapproach, the stone of the church but changesto weatheredhuman bones,closelyfitted together,


23

T r-Ig MAN DFUAtrIISFUAFNc:JTtrT By RikKershaw-Moore

rlfh, ffix',Lr-:K;#ilr':i:*',ffi That living mortals, hearing them, run mad." Romeo and JulietAct IV Sceneiii

seedfor DeltaGreen. realitycampaign An alternative In t h e Be g i n n i n g On 13thJune 1943,despitethe valianteffortsof a groupof time travellingDelta Green agents,Germanforces,lead by KarotechiaBischoffHans Kammlersuccessfullylauncheda 3 kilotonnucleardeviceagainstLondon,England. At precisely10.51amon thatfatefulday,the alteredV1 bomb detonatedover Hyde Park.This single action was to provide the turningpointof WorldWar ll. For whilstEnglandwas still reelingfrom the shock of loosingthe heart of it's empire,it's King and it's Prime Minister a simple message was broadcast: "UnconditionalSurrender or else. You have 24 hours to comply."

weren'tenough. That morning,40 of the new D1 nuclear flyingbombswere launchedfrom a speciallyadaptedflotilla of GermanU-Boats.Of the 40 launched,only 14 made it but within days the death-tollin New York city 1 million and rising. Then came another attack, this time on the Western Seaboardcities of Los Angeles and San Francisco. Worsl was yet to come, as a squadron of Ju-390s long range bombers managed to launch a similar attack against Washington DC. Luckily for the American seat of government,none of the D1s ever reachedtheir targets,but the pointwas well made.The United States had been shown as it once had thought. that it was not as invulnerable

After this final attack, a message was broadcast to the people: American The hastilyconvenedwar cabinetstruggledto come to terms with what had happened.Yet of one thing they were certain - this bomb was a sport. lt was all a tremendousbluffsince, "Capitulate. Youmay have your continent of North America, the rest belongs to the Axis." according to decrypted ULTRA messages from Bletchley Park, the German high command were as confused as It was a chillingmessage,but one in keepingwith the goals anyone. of both Germany and Japan. Germany wanted the When the deadlinepassed,and Englandfailedto surrender, Kammler let loose his second wave of nuclear devices. Within hours, the cities of Portsmouth,Southamptonand Bristol were targeted by wave after wave of V1 bombs, all armed with a lethal mixture of Amatol high explosiveand highlytoxic Thalliumand Zinc 95. Suddenly,the peoplein thesecitieswere fallingsickand dyingof radiationpoisoning. Clearly this was no empty threat the Germans were broadcasting.

Lebensraum(livingspace) of continentalEurope and Africa whilst Japan wanted to create a New Order for the Asian-pacific.Forthe Japanese,theirgrandschemehadtwo phases. In phase one, the Dutch,British,Portugueseand AmericanterritoriesincludingNew Zealand,Australia,and India(plusthe remainderof China)would be invaded. Once controlin thesenew conquestshad stabilised,then the conquest of South and Central America, the Yukon and finallyAlaskawouldbegin.

As America stood shocked, the Japanese pressed home their advantageas millionsof Yen were funnelledinto the Japanesenuclearprogrambased at Konanin Korea. Soon the massive cyclotron plants were converting the locally minedThoriumore into highly radioactivecompoundsthat to fight on as could be used to attack Japan's next targets, New Zealand at cowardice, vowed stunned Britain's America, the Germans had used and Australia. that whatever weapon they believed that the Roosevelt demanded a range. Franklin D. had limited Manhattanprojectbe accelerated.Clearlythe US could not By the time WashingtonDC had been attacked,Japan had already unleasheda assault against North lsland, New be left behindin this new nucleararms race. Zealand,that relied heavily on toxin nerve agents such as Germany Japan. in both and Tabum and Sarin as well as radioactiveStrontium. Events were moving fonruard provided the had strange Although the Kammler, who nuclearwarhead,had vanishedlikehe neverexistedthe wire Whilst this was happening, the United States was loop voice record he made and the details of the nuclear desperatelytryingto formulatesome kind of responseto this sudden and terriblehand that fate had dealt. Roosevelt,like weaponhe launchedstillexisted. so many others, believedthat America's only hope was to October was made 1943,America developa nuclearweapon, but even that hope was dashed On the morningof 18th painfullyaware of how the thousandsof miles of ocean just when the ManhattanProjectresearchcomplexwas raisedto

Finally,on the 15th June 1943 at 00.03 hours, Britain surrendersignalsto all of its units. transmittedunconditional As far as Germany was concerned the war in Europe had been won.

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co.uk www.starrywisdom.

the ground in what was at first believed to be a reactor accidenl.However,this evaluationhad to be rapidlyrevised followingthe testimonyof an eyewitnesswho claimedthat shortlybeforethe explosionthe complex was surround by motesof lightbrighterthan the noon-daysun. This one event was to prove to be the straw that broke America's will. With the Axis powersbayingall around,the houndsof isolationnippingat his heals,and all of America's bestscientists dead, Rooseveltfelt he had littlechoicebutto accedeto the demandsof the Axis partners. On the 2nd March 1944, Roosevelt signed a none-aggression treaty with the representativesof the Germanand Japanesegovernmentsinsidethe Oval Office. As he walkedawayfrom that meetingthe Presidentsuffered a fatal cerebralhaemorrhageand died, leavingbehind a shocked and defeatednation. Thrswas as PresidentHarry S.Trumanlaterwrote - truly America'sblackesthour. In the aftermath of this twin shock, the White House launchedan investigationinto the eventssurroundingboth thePresident's deathand the Los Alamosincident"Included in theseinvestigative teams were CommanderMartinCook andMajorGeneralDonovan.The two men, rapidlycameto theconclusion that both eventswere precipitated by outside preternatural agencies. Armed with knowledge that Karotechiaagents, or Fifth Columnists were operatingwithin the bordersof the United States,it suddenlyseemedthat P-Divisionshouldgo on the offensive. They have not stopped since. ln early 1946 P-Divisionbegan to round up every cultistit couldfind,workingon the principlethat thosewho dabblein the black arts must by definition be working for the Karotechia.The capturedfanaticswere taken awayto a speciallyconstructed internmentasylumin the RockyMountains knownonly as Camp Sunshine. CampSunshinewas heavilyguardedand the prisonerswere keptunderheavysedationto preventthem causingtrouble. Therewere those in Congresswho argued that all these cultistsshould be killed to preserve National Security. Trumanfeltthat this would be a step too far, althoughhe did givetheorderto havethesecultistssterilisedto preventthem frombreeding. WithinP-Division, a vocal minoritybeganto suggestthat the USA should harness the researchesof these captured cultists, especiallysince it seemed that this was the only weapon that the UnitedStatescouldemploywith any means of success.Initiallyboth Cook and Donovanbelievedthat thiswas not the way. Their attitudewould change. Whilst Major General Donovan was reluctant to use P-Division's Mythos knowledgeas an offensiveweapon, he saw no reason not to use those who were sensitive to esotericvibrationssuch as psychicsand spiritualistsas a possibleearly warning system"So began a crash training coursethat took psychicvolunteersand trainedthem in the artsof detectingthe presenceof the Cthulhu Mythos,which Donovancalled Wafchers.

training it was discoveredthat certain psychics had the power to locate Mythos entities and artefacts rather than detectingincomingattackers. Thesepeoplewouldbe trained differentlyand they would eventuallybe known as Seekers. By usingthe separateWatcherand Seekerunits,Donovan was ableto pinpointthe locationof mostof thesesignals.To his great astonishment, most of these signalswere coming from undergroundlocations. Donovan realised that there must be Mythosentitieslivinginsidethe continentalUnited States. At a loss as to what to do, Donovan consulted WingatePeasleeof the MiskatonicUniversityto see if he could suggest a means by which this threat could be neutralised. Peaslee was only to willing to help, but somehow the Karotechiafound out about the meeting. When Donovan arrived,WingatePeasleewas nothingmore than shattered wreck of his former self. Somehow,the eminent professor had been drivenmad by somethinghe had been subjected to. With a heavy heart, Donovanhad Peasleecommittedto the SeftonAsylumfor the Insane.Vowingrevenge,the Major Generalthrew his lot in with those who wantedto use the creatures of the Mythos as a weapon. Cook, however, remainedunconvinced.

As soon as the Watcher network went live, Donovan was staggeredto learn that there were Mythos signature emanatingfrom within the United States as well as those In 1947 the peopleof occupiedBritain discoveredthe truth being broadcast from the rest of the world. During the behindthe Nazi'sfinal solution.The uprising that followed


25

was savagelyput down as wave after wave of German made atomic devicesfell on the British lsles. Withinthree days, most of Britainwas reducedto a nuclearwaste land, leaving approximately 90% of the population either dead or hideouslymaimedand countlessthousandsdying in Europe from the radioactivefallout. In January194BTrumansignedExecutiveOrder45-09-12C, after intense lobbyingfrom Major General Donovan,which gave P-Divisioncarte blanche to explore whatever means theyfelt fit to aid the Americanpublicin theirwar of survival. Donovan'sfirst idea was to release a being that had long been cagedbeneaththe Louisianaswamps. lf this organism could be bargained with, then it might prove to be a powerful alley. Things went badly wrong and the team he sent into the swampsnever returned. The creaturethey had released nearly decimated the region, infectingthose that lived there with a taint that left them psychotic.

threefates that the Greeks believedcontrolledthe destinvof mankind. On 17th March 1952,three of America'spreciousThresher Class submarinesslippedfrom their mooringsand began their long and perilousjourneys;journeys none of them wouldeverreturnfrom. The operationswhilst,beingsuicide missions,were highly successful. Lachesiscalled up the spiritof the undead EgyptiansorcererNephren-Ka. Using his sorceressways, the seventhousandyear old spirit soon amasseda mighty undeadarmy that almost succeededin throwingthe Germansout of Egypt. OperationClothotravelleddeep into the Black Forestwhere they opened the gateway and let the Black Goat of the Woods into our world. In Japan, OperationAtropos brought forth the BloatedWoman in the middle of Kvoto'sTeramachi District.

In the chaos that followed millions died, most of those innocents, but the message to the Axis powers was One of the lessonslearnedfrom this debaclewas that such clear- you are not invulnerable.You may hold the secretsof beings,when left to roam, causeda tremendousamountof the Atom, but we Americanshave power as well. So it went, chaos and damage, tying up men and resourcesthat might a cold war developedbetweenAmerica and the Axis powers. be best deployed elsewhere. Donovan realisedthat if the Thiswar had no battles,but stillpeopledied. One of the earliest casualtieswas MartinCook who was killedin the only beings that were caged within territory held by the Axis Karotechiareprisalraidto take placeon Americansoil. powerswere to be freed, this would take the pressureoff thB United States, providing a valuable breathing space. AmericaToday Reluctantly Cook agreed knowing full well that P-Division America in this world is a very differentplace to the one we was attemptingto do what they had so long battledagainst. know today. America is a strange mix of the near deserted remainsof citiesand rollingemptycountryside.lt is as if the populationhavevanished. Most of them have gone underground,livingin massivecitiesburiedbeneaththe earth,to a depth that should prove invulnerableto most atomic weapons.The design of these undergroundcities is more akinto the work of ErichKettelhut(set designerfor the 1926 SciFi masterpiece Metropolis), being grey warrens of square apartment blocks that rear up from the ground to The recruitswere initiallytrainedas spies,taughtfield craft terminateagainstthe top of the man-madecaverns. skills and the given languageand culture training before pipedfrom the being exposedto the full horrorsof the CthulhuMythos.This The citiesare lit by a mixtureof naturall(;ht, carefully generated from surface and artificiallight massive Sterling engines. training coursewas to last for three years,and by the end of it, a frightening60% of the recruitswere either dead or Travel between the cities is via a vast underground driven mad. By the end of the three years, twenty recruits had successfullycompletedthe course and were ready for the task in hand. Initially,P-Divisionaskedfor twentyvolunteerswho would be trained in the mind destroyingjob of freeing the Mythos beingsfrom their chains. Over three hundredpeoplefrom all walks of life volunteered,allowing Donovan and Cook to chose best fifty people. These were to be the first Locksmiths of the Mandragora Project, named after the Mandrakeroot.

Duringthe three years,the Axis powershad not been idle. In the June of 1949,Hawaiifell to the Japanese,then lessthan a year later Japan tested an large atomic device over the island of Revillagigedo,as a precursorto the invasionof Panama.Menawhilein Germany,1951sawthe launchof the world's first manned space capsule.Despite being a propaganda success,Germanyneverfollowedthis flightup. By 1952, everythingwas ready. The Watchersnetworkwas now fully established,the Seekers had already detected a number of possible candidates for realise, and the Locksmiths were fully trained. lt was time for Americato go back on the offensivewith a three'prongedattack(calledthe Lachesis, Clotho and Atropos, Operations)named for the

26


pneumaticrailway system that allows easy and efficient travelfor those who are allowed to do so. Access to the surface is provided by colossal lifts that can carry whole regimentsto the world above. Fromthe apartmentblocks,millionsof Americanswalk or ride to work in the huge undergroundfactories,farms and offices. The largestemployeris the government,employing approximatelyB5o/o of the population.The rest are employed by the few businesses not under-direct governmental control.

use transistortechnology,magneticcore memory and punch cardsfor both inputand output. There are no fast food restaurants, nor are there any hamburgersor pizza, The citizen'sfood is strictly rationed and controlledand is largely producedfrom soya proteinas most of the food producedgoes to feed the Army and Navy. Probablythe single most technologically advanceditem in any Americanhouseholdis the governmentsuppliedcable television unit known as the Telecaster,which acts as entertainment unit, video phone and electronic eavesdropper.

Most of the people the governmentemployswork either for centralgovernment,one of the branches of the armed Unsurprisingly it is in the field of weaponstechnologythat forces,or in the massiveundergroundfactoriesthat produce Americashines. Realisingthat stealth was the key factor to everythingfrom munitionsto food. long term survival, American scientists have spent years creating the world's quietest submarines.The size of Pacifistsare given a simple binary choice, leave Americaor America'ssubmarinefleetis trulygiganticrunningfrom small live above aground in one of the huge argro-communities2-mancraftrightup to mammothcargosubs largerthan any thathavebeen establishedin lowa,Kansas,Nebraska,Utah SuperTanker. and Oregon; areas that have traditionallygrown much of America'sproduceand are thoughtto be safe from attack. Strangely,America has remained a democracy, although therehavebeencertainchangesmadeto the legislative arm Also above ground is the chain of large and heavily of Government.The biggestsinglechangeis that the House defendedforts that stretch right around the sea and land of Representatives has beendisbandedand mostof the their boardersof North America. Inside these forts are the powersceded upwardsinto the Senate, Watchersof P-Division who stand ready to alert the publicto impendingattack. American TheAmericangovernmentis no longerbasedinWashin$onDC,but has been movedto a purposebuilt undergroundqty, called New Washin$on, in lGnsas,at the cenhemostpointof the UnitedStrates. All news and entertainmentthe American People receiveis carefullycontrolledby the Departmentof Informationthrough the AmericanPress Federation(APF) and the Government EntertainmentNetwork (GEN). The Department of lntelligence is also responsiblefor collatingand gathering intelligence on all Americancitizens.

Accessto this city is strictlymntrolled,and unlikeall tfe othercities, NaruWashington is an architecturalmanel,witha cenfe piecebeing the massivePresidentialpalaceknownas the Libefi Tcnruer whicfr stands at the very centre and dominatesthe Nery Washington cavem.

Technologicallysuperior in some ways, America, is nonethelessbackwardsin others.The privatelyowned motor car does not exist,neitherdoes the PC, the internet,email, or aircrafi(the American air force was disbandedin 1956). Whatcomputersthere are, are monolithicmainframeswhich

One final change was the realisationttat sinoe the world is seeminglyalliedagainstthem,the citizensof Americacannot,if they want to suMve, discriminate againsta significantproportion of p o p u l a t i o n g r o u n d so f s k i n c o l o u r . their on the


27

Running The MandragoraProject

Campaignldea: OperationGeryon

The most important points to consider when running Mandragora Project games is to get the atmosphere and settingright. This Americais a bleak place. A dark under' ground realm, where the citizensshuffle down ill lit grey concretestreets. They are down trodden, living in fear both from the evil waiting without and also from a Government that spies on their personal life via the Telecaster.To get some idea of the tone, it would help if Keepersread 1984by George Onvell,and watchedthe films Brazil,Metropolisand Things to Come, both for the statement they make about oppression and for their view of the future and its architecture.

Once long ago therewas a race of beingsthat came from the starsto Earth. On Earth they inhabitedthe bodiesof strange conicalcreatures"For many millionsof yearsthey existedin peaceuntilsuddenlyanotherraceappeared.This raceof flying polypswas only partiallyvisible,could fly even though they had no wings and they spoke in a strange piping language.

Keepers also need to stress to their players that the members of P-Division are siding with the forces of darkness. They shouldbe uneasyabout moral implications of the missionsthey are asked to carry out, and the effectsit will have not only on the innocentbut also on themselvesas they too becometaintedwith the evil of the CthulhuMythos. When writing adventures that revolve around freeing membersof the CthulhuMythos,it needsto be remembered that most of the membersof the Locksmithshave some kind of mental illnessor phobiato deal with. Party structureis also a consideration.Normallya releasemissionteam will compriseof membersfrom all three branchesof P-Division with the possibilityof a few normalsoldiersto roundout the party size.

These creaturesfed on the minds of the Great Race,who warredwith them, defeatingthem and banishingthe Flying Polypsto cavernsdeep belowground. Here the Polypsbuilt huge cities bidingtheir time until they could emerge once moreand strikedownthe GreatRace. The ironvof this is not loston those in P-Division. The plan is to open the doonruays to these cities,freeingthe Polypsfrom theirlong imprisonment.The hopeof thosewho have planned this is that the Polyps will wipe out the enemiesof America,leavinga planetthat will be readyto be re-colonisedby the victoriousAmericans.

i

OperationGeryon is brokendown into three Phases.

Phase One: The entrancesto the FlyingFolypcitiesmustbe identified. Thiswillrequiremuchin depthresearchbothinsidethe United Statesandelss&hereacrosstheworH,as the irvestigatorsfind leads and folloru-upclues that lead to the locationsof the twenty Fllng Folypcities.The Investigators will needto visitthe bombedout ruins to of London searchfor the remainsof the BritishLibrary as well as Keeperswill also need to considerthe travelsequencesthat penetnatirgsomeof the world'soldestLibrariesin occupiedFrance shouldbe playedout. Since most traveloutsidethe United and ltaly. Statesis via submarine,this is a goldenopportunityto throw PhaseTwo:Somemeansof destroyirqthe Folypsmustbe fourd, together every Submarinemovie clich6 ever devised.For for it is inconceivable that the Flying Polyps will example,the stress of travellingthrough undenvatermine simplyleareoncetheyhare wipedout rnostof humanity.Onceagain fields,being depth chargedand lying on the bottomof the this will irvolve researchand trarel as they try to locate the last ocean. Then there are the Mythos elements to these remainingGreat Race city. Finally,they must tnavelto Western journeys. How will a party of Deep Ones react to being Australiaand to the citythat lies buriedtherebeneaththe sard, to innocentlydepthchargedbecausea P-Divisionmini-sublies locatethe lightningguns the GreatRace usedto destroythe Ftying close by? Considerfilms like U-571 and Run Silent Run Folyps. Deep when executingthis stageof the scenario. PhaseThree:Oncethosetwo mnditionshanebeenmet,then a e Once the lnvestigators are'in country',then it is time to swap ordinatedeffortto open theFlyirg all Folypcitiessimultaneously must genres slightly and think about war films, speciallythose be launched. Here the irvest$ators compriseone of the twenty such as Where Eagles Dare or Operation Crossbovy. Here teamsthat hauebeen assignedto open a Flyirq Folypcitiy,located the investigatorsare working deep inside enemy territory, in the heartof Germany. maybe attempting to summon Hastur in the middle of downtownBerlin. They must stay clear of guard patrols,and As the campaignprogresses,perhapsthe irvestigators@in to quislingswho will turn them in to the authorities, especiallyif realisetheirtakingpartinthesemissbnsmayrnt onlyost themtheh this is in the heartof Germany. lives,butalsoit willhaneresounding nnral implications. Theywill,by theiractions, be condemningmost of the world's populationto Finallythere is the concept of how to get them out of it. death. There is a very good chance that once the Mythos being is releasedor summoned it will round on the investigators. CharacterTemplates Thereforeinvestigatorsmust be at least given some kind of fightingchanceto returnto the UnitedStates. Whilstit is assumedthat most of the investigatorscreatedfor the Mandragoraprojectwill be membersof P-Division, there Of course not all scenarios need to revolve around these is nothing to stop you writing scenarios that involve using release missions. P-Divisionteams are often called in to charactersfrom other branchesof Government.Most of the investigate Karotechia activities within the environs of Character Templates in Delta Green are valid with the continentalAmerica. Such missionscan give an interesting exception of the US Coast Guard, Space Command, change of pace, since these can be structuredlike a spy NationalReconnaissanceOffice and Departmentof the Air story. Perhapsthey are called in to root out the Karotechia Force. mole inside P-Divisionor something similar. For such scenarioslook to the works of people like John Le Carr6 for Watchers inspiration. Watchershave been trainedto sense the ethereal powerof Mythos Science. To start watching, the Watcher must roll

2A

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r

theirPOW x 5 or lesson a D100. lt costs 1 MagicPointper hourto keepthis watchup. ln this time,the Watchercannot be distractedsince this will break their concentrationand anotherPOW x 5 roll will be requiredto beginagain. Once somethinghas been detected,the Watcherwill be able to tell its approximate speed,directionand purpose.This is useful whendealingwith ariel creaturessuch as the FlyingPolyps.

rolls 97, a critical failure, and alerts the Cthonian to his presence. Ihe SAN loss required in such a case is 1D20. The Seeker rol/s, looses 14 points of SAN, and is left a screaming wreck by the experience. Skills Template: Cartography,Listen, Navigation/Land, Navigation/Sea & Air, Occult, Spot Hidden,Track + any 1 Language+anylother.

Shouldthe initialPOW x 5 roll be fumbled,then the Watcher looses1D10 SAN as they have channelledsome of the Spell Template: Either Create Barrier of Naach-Tithor powerof the attack directlytowardsthemselves,unlessthey SenseLife. havesuccessfully cast a CreateBarrierof Naach-TithSpell. Sample Character Skills Template: Cartography,Listen, Navigation/Land, LieutenantSusanWelsh,Age 23 Navigation/Sea & Air, Occult,Spot Hidden+ any 3 others. STR 9 DEX 7 INT 12 APP 11 CON 7 POW 15 SpellsTemplate: Either Create Barrier of Naach-Tithor SIZ 14 SAN 63 EDU 19 DeflectHarm. HP 11 15 MP DamageBonus:none SampleCharacter: Occupation:Seeker CorporalPaul Collins,Age 20. Skills:Cartography53%, Listen 56%, NavigationlLand42%, STR 12 DEX 12 INT 10 Navigation/Sea & Air 43%, Occult37o/o,Spot Hidden53%, CON 12 APP 15 POW 17 Track63% SIZ 13 SAN 72 EDU 14 Languages: English95%,Japanese61% HP 13 MP 17 Weapons:M3A1 SMG 640/o- 1D10+2DAM DamageBonus:+1D4 Spells:SenseLife Occuoation:Watcher Skills:Cartography35%, First Aid 51%, Hypnosis 38%, Locksmiths Listen56%, Navigation/Land32o/o,Navigation/Sea& Air Locksmithsare expertsin the CthulhuMythosand Mythos 32%,Occult28%, Spot Hidden62% magic.They are highlytrainedin the Mythosarts but tend to Languages: English70% be mentallyunstable. Weapons:Winchester M70 Rifle48% -2D6+4DMG Skills Template:CthulhuMythos,Demolitions,LibraryUse, Spells:CreateBarrierof Naach-Tith Occult,Spot Hidden,Track+ any 2 Other Languages+ any Seekers 1 weaponskill. Seekers are like Watchers, except that they have been trainedto seek out those who have been tainted by the Spefls Template: Voorish Sign, + any 2 CalllDismissDeity CthulhuMythosas well as CthulhuMythosbeingssuch as Spells+ Any 1 ContactSpells+ 1 Summon/Bindspell. DeepOnes,Cthonians,etc. The abilityhas been compared to that of RADAR. with the Seeker as the antenna that Sample Character: sweepsa givenarea. CaptainDavidBlackwood,Age 31 STR 8 DEX 10 INT 18 Tolocatea beingor object,the Seekerneedsto decidehow coN 7 APP 15 POW 1 8 far he wishesto extendthe searchradius,and then deduct SIZ 11 SAN 59 EDU 1 7 thereouirednumberof MaoicPoints" HP9 18 MP DamageBonus:none SearchRadius Magic Points Phobias:Dendrophobia 4 10 Metres Occupation: Locksmith 100Metres 2 Skills: Cthulhu Mythos38%, Demolitions48%, LibraryUse 1 Kilometre 4 62%, Occult 74%, Spot Hidden52o/o,Track41o/o 10 Kilometres 8 Languages: English 85%, Aklo 73Yo,German62% 100Kilometres 16 pons: Wnde# M1912 12 ga€e sh@m 54%- 10D1016D{UG Wea 1000Kilometres 32 Spells:Call Cthugha,ContactCthonian,DismissCthugha, Nextthe Seekermust roll undertheir POW x 5 on a D100to SummonFireVampire,VoorishSign. establish the sweep. lf anythingis detectedthen the Seeker willknowits exact geographiclocationand also a sanitised versionof what is there. Seekers are very much like the RemoteViewersof the CIA's Star Gate project.

Sources

Henshall, P. The Nuclear Axls - Germany,Japan and the Shouldthe Seek roll be fumbled.then the Seekerhas drawn Atom Bomb Race1939-45,SuttonPublishingLondon,2000. the attentionof the Mythos entity they were searchingfor. Meaning that the Seekerrollsthe SAN lossthai a failedSAN Williams,P & Wallace,D. UNIT 731. The JapaneseArmy's rollwouldusuallyrequire. SecrefofSecrefs, Hodderand Stoughton,London 1989. Forexample,a seeker tries to spot a adult Cthonianbelieved to be in the area. Ihe seeker's POW x 5 is 70. The Seeker


29

On the surface,'the Children'(asthey callthemselves) leaflets. Unwittingly,they stumbled upon a fertility appearto be a modestlysizedecologicalactiongroup, symbolthat was associatedwith Shub-Niggurath.The devotedto the protectionof the environmentand the group'sresearchbegan to follow a new direction,that prosecutingof industrialdespoilingof the natural of collatingmaterialabouttheirnew found'fertilitydeity' environment. leading members to become more and more enthralled. The definingmomentcamewhenthe group The Children are commonly known for organising successfully enacted a ceremony to summon protest marches and demonstrationsagainst major Shub-Niggurath. Fromthat momentthe cultwas born. corporationswho they feel are raping the natural resources of the planet. Other more mundane Repeatedcontactwith their dark god has drivenwhat activitiesinclude leaflet distribution,fly posting and sanity remains from the elite inner circle, who now lobbying. believethatShub-Niggurath is the'EarthMother'.They regardtheirfightfor the environment, their worshipand At the publiclevel,the organisationboastsaroundtwo sacrificesas all part of the struggleto save the planet. hundredmemberswho it can rely upon to turn up and activelyprotestand anotherfive hundredwho will sign The cult has access to all the money raised by the petitionsand donatemoney. Childrenof Gaia and has contactsin the media,as well as some useful friends in the police who are Unknownto the majorityof the membership, is a small sympathetic to their'public'cause. Whilstthe majority 'secondlevel'hard-coregroup of twentywho engagein of the Children's membershaveno combatexperience, a regime of 'monkey-wrenching'activities - the the twenty 'monkey-wrenchers'are familiar with deliberate sabotage of environmentallyharmful saboteur techniques and two have demolitions projects. experiencefrom militaryservice.Some membershave Until now the sabotage has always been done to recently begun to stockpile shotguns, pistols and propertyhowever,recently,these extremistshave been explosivesin the belief that outrightterrorismwill be aims. advocatingoutrightterrorismto bringwider attentionto essentialto furtherthe organisation's the movement'sgoals. graduallyin The Childrenof Gaiashouldbe introduced t o a c a m p a i g n , a l l o w i n g t h e i r t h r e a t to build The final layer of the organisationis known only to an and unconsciously.Investigators should innercircle,comprisingten individualsand theirleader. incrementally of the organisation through slowly become aware These eleven people constitute a cult worshipping Shub-Niggurath. The cult started when the original television, newspapers and slogans painted on founders of the Childrenof Gaia began researching underpasses. Perhaps the investigatorsbegin to symbolsthat could be used to promotetheir cause in shown concernat the use of Mythos relatedsymbols daubedin paint on the walls of factoriesand industrial plants. Another possibility exists. Player characters may actuallybe membersof the Children,activelyjoiningin demonstrationsand donatingmoney,unawareof the evilat the root. Scopeexistsfor such an investigator to be slowly drawn into some of the more questionable activitiesof the organisation,perhaps even to the extentthat they are unwittinglysupportingthe goals of the innercircle.


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Bv Kearv Birch Georgeis tall and thin with black lank hair and an odd lopsided expression. He wears a long brown woolen coat and large workmanlike boots. He lives alone. GeorgePrice lives in a large run down town housein the worst side of town. Every eveninghe comeshome from his job at the abattoir wherehe has spent the day disemboweling the deadbodies of large animals. No matter how much he washesthere is always the faint odourof blood about him, such that most animals shy away from him. He has a squint in his left eye where a bone shard from a mostly deadcow cut through the soft muscles on the outer edgeof his eyelid many years ago. After speakingwith Georgefor any length of time you becomeawarethat he never breathesthrough his nose, only through his mouth. Thisis a defencemechanismcreatedby his body againstthe constantspray of blood and bodily fluids that mist the air aroundhim when he is at work. Eachmorning George gets up at one hour to day break. He does this subconsciouslyas he does not own an alarm clock. He washes in a cold sink, puts on clean clothes and goesdown stairs. He breakfastsmost days on dry toastexcepton the frrst of eachmonth whenhe has a fry-up which includes black pudding, fresh from work (he says). He always drinks tea, black and hot. He never eatsany dairyproduce- well you wouldn't,if you did his job would you? Afterbreakfasthe puts on his work shoesand his long brown woolen coat and walks slowly to work. He always walks through he park, eventhough it is always dark when he does so. He has never had any problems. Georgetakesa packedlunch to work (to do otherwisewould arousesuspicion),wrappedin greaseproofpaper and tied up with butcher's stringwhich he gets from work. Georgegoes into the park at lunchtime and eatsalone. In the evening, after work he showers, although he makes sure that he works a little bit longer than the others so that the showersare empty, if a little cold, when he gets there. After leaving the abattoir he wandersback towards home, via the part of town where seedybookshopsstay open until way after dark. He browsesand places any books or magazinesthat he purchasesinto old carrier bags that he keepsin crumpled bags in his pockets. Georgehas a high First Aid skill and can be used by keepers to 'stabilise' the rescue any character that has been found in a distressed stateduring the hours of darkness. What is Georee? Does it matter? Who wants to know?

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The ilfloreilu Beturn ofiloctor Al$20s Call of{,thu hu$cenario lVritten hvDavid ConvorsilIaps by0avid Conyers lloum oilhin, IIirhthe llantlthal naliet "llitfuthe istlnllantlthal IIis irthslland thalnauntls,llis honlt," ||.fi.lhlls.thelilnnt otlortor ,llnrcaa Near the equator,on the easternedge of the PacificOcean lies Noble lsle. Volcanic,jungle-clad,home to numerous fumarolesand protectedby extensivecoral reefs, Noble lsle holds many secrets.Most notablyis the race of beast people created long ago by the infamousVictorianmedicalsurgeon Doctor Moreau.Even by the 1920sthe legacyof his research liveon, worshippingCthulhuin their basaltcaverns.But they are not the only inhabitantsof Noble's lsle for there is a new Moreau,aided by one of the CthulhuMythos'most advanced interstellarvisitors.Togetherthey are creatinga new species of animal abominations,for a greater purpose,or so the new Moreauhas been told. This scenariois based upon H. G. Wells'classic1896 tale The lsland of Doctor Moreau.lt is writtenas a continuationof that tale, and draws it into the world of the CthulhuMythos. Keepersare advised to read Wells' story before runningthe scenario. Keeper's Background Duringthe heightof the Victorianage,BritishsurgeonDoctor Moreau was hounded and misunderstoodby the medical communitydue to his unethicaltreatmentof animals in experimentation. In 1876to escapehis peershe retreatedto the small Pacificisland Noble'slsle, situatedfar off the coast of SouthAmericawhere his researchwouldnot be disturbed. His goal becamethe surgicalrebuildingof animalsthrough the processof vivisection,formingthem into humansor at least close approximations.To his creations,the hybrids,he tried to teach them the meaningof humanityfor he was attempting to create the perfect species, and in a sense becomea god.To controlhis hybrids,Moreautaughtthem a law which he formulated himself, one that strictly pronouncedthe instinctsof animalwere wrong,whilehuman behaviourswhere righteousand proper.AidingMoreauwas his drunkardassistantMontgomeryand the lumberingbeast servant M'ling and togetherthey maintainedpeace on the island.For a time the island'spopulationof sixty-oddhybrids remainedstable.

Confrontedby the hybrids, Prendickwas soon horrified by their mutation,scaring and unnaturalforms. After meeting their creatorand master - Doctor Moreau - it was explained to Prendickthat these creatureswere created through the process of grafting parts of different animals onto other animals while still conscious.Moreau was attemptingto createa form of life with no flaws, but all Prendickcould see was pain,miseryand deformity. Even though Moreau'slaws said it was wrong to eat meat, eventuallythe hybrids discoveredthat the humans were made of the same flesh and blood as their own and thus couldbe killedand fed upon.Withthis knowledgethe hybrids murderedMontgomeryand Moreau leaving Prendick alone withthe beastpeople.SomehowPrendicksurvivedamongst their number.He burnt Moreau'sand Montgomery'sbodies on a pyre of brushwoodand then lived as a savage amongst the hybrids.Over the followingmonths Prendickwatched as the hybridsslowlytransformedback into their animalforms, but not into to creatures known human science,ratherbizarremixturesof animalscomposedof their mixedbody parts.Then after almosta year on Noble'slsle, Prendickset sail on a raft to be rescueda few days later by a brig set for San Francisco. His part in this tale came to an end. Howeverthis would not be the end of Moreau'sinvolvement, for other parties were interested in the late Doctor's experimentation, notablythe Mi-go- the FungifromYuggoth. Duringthe late 1BB0sthe Mi-gowere regularlyscoutingthe Pacific Ocean since they had recently detected signs that Cthulhu'sgreatabodeR'lyehitselfwas rumbling,suggesting that could re-surfaceany day now. They saw that it was inevitablethat this would happen,that the starswould come right again and thus humanity would be destroyed as Cthulhuconqueredthe earth.The Mi-goweren'tpleasedfor they wishedto continuestudyinghumansfor some time yet and the returnof Cthulhuwouldput their researchto an end. Humans were of interest not just because of their strange illogicalthought patterns,but also becausethey held the potentialof becoming a viable servitor species,that was if 'taught' to they could be not behave in irrational and unpredictablepatterns.Moreau'sexperimentswere seen as a potentialanswerto this problemand so the Mi-godecided to restorelifeto the surgeonso he couldassistthem.

Then in February 1887 the ship Lady Vain was lost at sea after a collisionwith a derelict.Britishgentlemanand young diplomatEdward Prendickwas one of the few survivorswho escaped on a weathered lifeboat.When all seemed lost he was then rescued by the lpecacuanha.Montgomerywas on that ship and so nursedPrendickback to health.Returning to Noble's lsle with several caged animals collected from around the world, Montgomery convinced Not only horriblymutilatedby the hybridswhen he was killed, Prendickto join him when they arrived at his island, a Moreauhad also been burnton a pyre by Prendick.A simple resurrectionwas not possible,so the remains of Moreau's decisionPrendickwould later reqret.

32


charred body were contained within a semi-organic robotic body, transferring him into a cyborg so that his fragilebody would hold together.Moreau agreedto help the Mi-go,since their technologyoffered him means beyondhis imaginationto create the perfect form, regardless of his deformities.They told him his experimentswould allow humansto becomea higherspecies,one which could join the Mi-goas equalsto conquerthe stars. Soon Chilean constructionworkers, human agents of the Mi-go,arrivedon the islandto rebuildthe facilities.Oncethe compoundwas completed,Moreau used the labourersas hisfirsttest subjects,creatinghis new breed of hybrids.Only one man was spared,Franz Boren who provedto be an able allyin controlling the hybridsand maintaining the compound. Fordecadesthe experimentations went well and the island's populationgrew to hundreds of hybrids.This time the creatures did not revertbackto theiranimalform.Polynesian islanders or survivors from the occasional Far East, Americanor European cruiser were often kidnappedand usedas test subjects.The only problemwas that no matter how many experimentsMoreau performed,he could never createa hybridthat could retain its intelligence,an important criteriato the Mi-go. Inthe meantime the hybridpopulationhad discovereda statue of Cthulhu,unearthedmillenniaago by Deep Ones,and nowworshippedit in theircave.By the 1910sthe hybridshad finallyconvincedthemselvesthat Moreauwas not the god he made himselfout to be, not a real god like Cthulhu,and rebelledagainsthim. The Mi-go,dissatisfiedwith Moreau's resultsabandoned the Doctor to the mercy of the hybrids and broughtin anotherscientist,Oxfordborn biologistDoctor MiltonMcGrathwho had for a shorttime becomeone of their willingagents.They found McGratheasy to manipulate,for she had her own that needs the Mi-gocould address.Born as a woman yet forced to dress and act as a man by her parents from an early age, she identifiedherselfas a male.Thus the Mi-go promisedher a male body if she succeeds in creatinga servitorspecies whichmet their specifications.

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By the time the investigatorsenter the story it is some time in the 1920sor 1930s.McGrathhas had some successwith hisexperiments,but still has a long way to go. Littleknownto McGrathand her staffis that Moreaustill lives,hidingon the islandplanning his revenge.The reanimatedcorpse has seenthroughthe Mi-go'splanto enslanehumansand hopes to cease their activitieson Noble's lsle. Investigatorswill soon become the pawns in the battle between these two scientistsand the Mi-go,most likelyas the next test subjects for hybridexperimentation.

laboratorywhere they begin the transforminginto hybrids. lf the investigators are seasonedCthulhoidhunters,then a strongerhook will be required.Investigators could read an article regarding a recently captured beast by Peruvian fisherman,a creaturenot known to science.Travellingto the Pacific port of Callao in Peru, the investigatorscould be duped by sailorsworkingfor Boren,kidnappedand takento McGrath again for experimentation. Alternatively investigators who haverecentlybeen investigating the Mi-go might also find themselvescaptured by the Fungi from Yuggothwho takethem to Noble'slslefor the same purpose. Detailson how the investigatorsreach Noble'slsle are left up to the Keeper. lt is advised however that the best opportunities to present the horror and nightmare of Moreau'slsland are when the investigatorsarrive on the island with the minimal number or absence of weapons. Negotiating with hybridswhetherthey will be on the menufor their next feast will be much more difficult for investigators withoutguns readilyat hand.But there are lots of hybrids on the island and against hordes of these creaturesbulletswill diminishquitequickly. Noble's lsle The island, which was of irregular outline and lay low upon the wide sea, had a total area, lsuppose, of sevenor eight square miles.lt was volcanic in origin, and was now fringed on three srdes by coral reefs; some fumaroles to the northward, and a hot spring, were the only vestiges of the forces that had long since originated it. Now and then a faint quiver of earthquake would be sensib/e,and sometimes lhe ascent of the spire of smoke would be rendered tumultuous by gusfs of steam;but that was all. -H. G. Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau Nobles lsle is a small, tropical Pacific island located at 4' S and 100'W, approximately1,200km(750 miles)south west of the Galapagoslslands.Officiallythe islandis owned by Ecuadorbut it has remaineduninhabitedby humansfor most of its history.Temperaturesrange between 20oC and 30oC (70oF to 90oF) and humidity is often at one hundred percent.lt rains heavily most days and tropical storms are not uncommon.

lntroducing Investigators The best option in presenting this scenario is as an introduction for new investigatorswho are yet to experience the horrorsof the Mythos. Like Prendickbefore them, they findthemselveslost at sea, driftingfor days on end, fearfulof the sharksencirclingtheir boat.The lack of fresh water and absenceof food will quicklyclaim them... That is untilthey see Noble'slsle on the horizon and so make for its shores. Alternatively,such investigatorscould be sailing the high Pacificseas in a cabin cruiser only to have their boat attackedby McGrath'sforeman Franz Boren and his hordes of hybrids.Captured investigatorsare taken to McGrath's


The Sunken Wreck A coupleof yearsago the 9m (30ft)Australiancabin cruiser The MidsummerNightdroppedanchorat Noble'slsle so the passengerscouldenjoya short,relaxingbreakon the beach. It did not take long for the hybrids to discover the visitors,and so led by Boren and the hybrid Sinbad they killed half the crew and captured the rest. Those that survivedended up as experimentalsubjectsin McGrath's Laboratoryand are now hybridsliving on the island,their Jungle trails criss-cross Noble's lsle. These are memories of the events now little more than disturbed predominately the creationof hybridstakingthe same path nightmares.$arah Lightfootwas the only still-human every day when out scroungingfor food. Tracksare quickly survivor,and she now lives in McGrath's House as a overgrown and are more commonly than not marked by mistressdescribedlater. scent only.Investigatorswill need to make Track or half Spot Hidden skill rolls every 100m (330ft)to ensurethat the trail Todaythe mast and the tip of the bridgeare stillvisiblein the is not lost. For full hybridsthe scent of the trail is easy ocean if observed from the south eastern corner of the enough to follow without requiring skill rolls. In time island. lt is possibleto swim to the wreck, some 300m investigatorstransforminginto beastswill detectthe passage (1000ft)on the edge of a coral reef where sharks patrol. lt requiresthree $wim skill rollsto get out there and three to of scents. get back,plus a successfulSwim and Sport Hidden to dive The beachesof the islandare of pristinewhite sand sporting down into the wreck to see if there is anythingsalvageable. coralfragments,starfishand numeroustropicalshellsin the Determine which swimming investigatorshave the lowest surf. A few cliffs up to 40m (130ft) are rnore common in the Luck score and get that investigatorto roll for the group to north. Investigatorsfleeing hybrids could jump off a cliff see if sharksattack"Re-rollevery2D10 minutes. safelyinto the ocean.Such a feat would requirea Jump roll to avoid 1D6 damagefrom landingbadly and a Luck rollto Amongst the wreckage investigatorsmight find a crate avoidthe craggyocean rocksfor 6D6 damage.The islandis (SlZ 5 with STR 10 padlock)of usableweapons, including surroundedon the most part by coral reefs that are home to six .45 revolvers,two .30-06 bollaction rifles and several numeroussea turtles and millionsof fish, but which other- knives.There are approximately50 roundsof ammunitionfor wise keep out larger marine predators. Beyond these the revolverand 40 rounds for the rifles. Investigatorswho protectedwaters hungry sharks are {ound in large numbers. have met Sarah Lightfoot might find her photograph in a brokenframe;with her arms around a man {her husband Most hybridsavoid the seawaterbecausethe choppywaves Martin). Showing her this photograph might help in scare them and the salt water seems alien. however,a few convincingher to join with investigators. will catch fish in shallowerwaters. For the most part brave investigatorswill find that the ocean can offer a temporary McGrath'sGompound Secure behind a 3m (10ft) high fence constructedfrom haven. woodenpoles and crossbeamssecuredwith barb wire, the To the northern end of the island are hot springs,some of compound is home to Doctor McGrath, Sarah Lightfoot, which are warm enough to swim in and othersthat cause Franz Boren and Boren'shybridcompanionCharleston.The heat and acidic burning.Investigatorsfalling into a toxic hot compoundconsistsof two buildings, the Main Houseand the spring loose 1DGhit pointsper round and will have all their Laboratory. Otherstructuresincludesa 3m by 3m by 2m (1Oft physicalskills halved afterwardsuntil healed.Fumarolesin by 1Oft by 7ft) high fresh water tank that catches the same parts as the springs are the other geothermal rainwaterrunningoff the roofsof the two buildings,a diesel danger, expunging large volumes of carbon dioxide, generatorand dozensof fuel drums identicalto the drums superheated water vapour, sulphur dioxide, hydrogen found by the Jetty.Tearingthe fence down will requireoversulphide and other noxious chemicals into the air. Use coming its STR of 50, somethingthe hybridshaven'tworked drowning rules for each round exposed to the gas. lf over- out how to do yet. A pair of wire cutterswould do the job in come an investigatorlooses 1D3 Hit Point per round until undera minute.Twogates lead out of the Compound,each free of the gas, or 1D6 if within enclosedspaces such ns with padlocksof STR 40. Only McGrathand Boren have keys natural caves. Some low-lyingland can trap these heavier to these padlocks. Palms and other tropical plants grow than air fumes, so while an investigatorcould safely walk throughoutthe compoundprovidingshadeand aesthetics. throughsuch regions,sittingdown, restingor sleepinghere Main House could provefatal. The main house is builtfrom stone and wood with a tiled roof Jetty reminiscentof a tropicalbungalow Rooms and windows are ln a small sheltered bay on the southeasternside of the large allowingair to circulatein the heat. All windows have island is a small, wooden jetty.This is the mooring point for supply ships and where Boren keeps his outboard motor- bars (STR 30) and many of the rooms can be locked both boat, capableof speeds up to S0kmph(30mph)and a range from insideand outside(STR 25). Furnitureis made from of 100km(160 miles).Two wooden huts 3m by 3m (10ft by bamboo and wood taken from rainforesttrees. The house 10ft) flank the shore. The first holds a couple of bunks for has running water and electricity and on the whole is visitingcrew who wish to sleep on dry land,while the second comfortableand pleasant. stores 12 barrels of engine fuel. lf detonated,each barrel explodesfor 6D10 damage,decreasingby 1D10 pointsper Veranda: Surroundsthe entirehouse.Charlestonand Velma 1m (3ft) from the blast centre.The shed can be locked(STR sleep underthe verandaat nights.Severalhammockshang 20 doors) and the tiny windows have bars acrossthem (STR betweenthe rafters. 35).

The majority of the island interior consists of a dense, tropicaljungleof coconutand bananapalms,breadfruitand cassowarytrees, lianas,stranglervines and tall emergent trees. In placesmangrovesgrow at the ocean'sedge.Most of the fauna has long ago been eaten by the hybrids, however, birds, rodents and flying foxes are still found in large numbers.Fresh water is easily obtainablefrom the numerousstreamsand poolsdottedacrossthe island.

34

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Dining Room: The main livingarea consistsof large cane chairsfor relaxingand a mahoganytable with straightback chairs where meals are served. Polynesian masks and paintingsof seascapesdecoratethe walls,manystolenfrom ships raidedby Boren.A drinkscabinetis well stockedwith hard liquorand some rare Frenchwines.McGrathlistensto classicalmusic on the room's gramophonewhenevershe stops here to relaxor read. Library: The room is covered in wallto-wall shelves filled with thousandsof books.Manytitlesseem out of place,as if there is no particular subject matters of interest (this is because most of these books were stolen from cabin cruisersraidedby Boren).One sectionwhichdoes standout is the collectionof books on biology,chemistry,surgeryand

Bathroom and Toilet: Functionaland practicalwith running water. Kitchen: All meals are preparedhere using a kiln oven. Velma,the house hybridpreparesmost of the meals under the supervisionof SarahLightfoot.Largeknivesare plentiful in this room. Fruit such as bananas,coconuts,pineapples and figs grow in abundanceacrossthe islandand a plentiful collectionis alwayskept in the kitchen. Pantry: Enough salted meat, tinned food and stable provisionssuch as flour, sugar and rice could last half a dozenpeoplesix months.

Sarah's Room: Sparsewith only a bed, a dresserand a small collectionof clothes.Sarah has concealeda knife (damage1D4) in her mattressrequiringa half Spot Hidden Sharks.Carcharodon Carcdarias Thesharkssurrounding Noble's lslemeasure 3m to 4m rollto find if her room is searched.Her only readingmatteris magazinesand newspapers,months or years out of date (1Oftto 13ft)in lengthand can swallowanythingup to taken fromvisitingsupplyshipsor from Boren'scaptives.The theirSIZ in a singlegulp.Theyoccasionally aftacksmall door to Sarah's room has an extra bolt on the outside rowboatsor patrolthe surf to snap prey at the ocean's increasing its STR to 35. edge. Superb hunters, they have high-speed

manoeuvrability and whilsttheirvisionis poorand lacksa senseof colour,they are highlysensitiveto lightand can detectpreyoverlongdistances. Becauseof their size very few of these sharks can penetratethe coral reefs protectingthe island.Yet every now and then after a tropicalstorm,an occasionalshark might find itself washedinto the coral enclosure.Such sharksare able to feed freelyon the abundanceof food within, includinginvestigatorsout for a casual swim. Assumeall sharkshavethe sameattributes. Sharks,OceanPredators STR22 CON18 SIZ20 P O W1 1 D E X1 3 H P1 9 Move(Swim):10 DamageBonus:+2D6 Armour:3-pointskin Attacks:Bite40%,DMG2D6+db Frenzy25%,ScentBloodB0%,SpotHidden Skills:Feeding 70o/o.Track 40o/o naturalism.Stashed amongst these books is a copy of The Ponape Scnpfures.Left discardedon the readingtable is a book on pathology with notes in the margin that refer to McGrath'stests on a drug calledFormulae-18and how this new drug might be more successful in retaining the intelligenceof test subjects.He concludesthat this 'should please my masters'but doesn't say who his mastersare. Store Room: This room is always left locked.lnside Boren and McGrath stash goods that they have nowhere else to keep.lnquisitiveinvestigatorsare likely to find typewriters, suitcases, old clothes, spare batteries, globes for torches,tool kits,old surgicaland medicalequipment,tents, campinggear, gardentools, platesand bowls,cutleryand so on. Investigators who spendan hoursearchingthe roomand who succeedin Spot Hidden find two 12-guageshotguns with 40 shells plus ammunitionfor almost every other gun found on the island(3D10 roundseach weapon).A second Spot Hidden uncovers1D3+2gas masks,which will protect investigatorsfrom the sulphurfumes in the north of the island for short periods(up to t hour), but will otherwisereduce perceptionbasedskillsby 20%.

36

McGrath's Room: Very much a man's room with hairnets, tobaccopipes,a wall mountedgun rack and a loungegown hangingfrom a coat rack. On the wall is a photographof a stern looking man and woman with a young boy between them (McGrath'sparentsand herself as a child).A Spot Hidden recognises the child as McGrath. British

The Ponape Scriptures Originally writtenin 1734by Kingsportsea captainAbner FzekielHoag,it is supposedto have taken information from translationsof Muviandocumentsand first hand accountsof Pacificlslanderswho worshippedand bred with Deep Ones. Referencesto Cthulhu and his star-spawnare numerous,as well as Cthulhu's"sons," Ghatanothoa andZoth-Ommog. lt alsocontainsa roughly sketchedmapof R'lyehanddiscusses thatsomedaysoon the starswill be rightand the citywill risefromthe waters of the OceanfreeingCthulhu.Investigators who haveseen the statueof Cthulhuin the HybridCavewill be able to identifythis GreatOld One from this text if they are not alreadyawareof thisdeity.Thisversionpublishedin 1794 on heavypaperand measuring10cmby 17cm(4" by 63/4'). Studyingthis book awardsskill checksto Anthropology and Occult.Sanityloss 1D4I1DB;CthulhuMythos+7 percentiles; average 16 weeks to study and comprehend/32 hoursto skim. investigatorswho succeed in a Know roll identify the building behind the three as part of Oxford University.A doctoratedegree from the same universityalso hangs upon the wall.Numerousscientifictextbooksare beside McGrath's bed, her late night reading.Everythingin this room is very neat and precisein its arrangement. Boren's Room: This room has a repulsiveodour matching that of the man who sleeps here. Everythingis in disarray.lt would take an hour to searchthis room to turn up nothingof interestexcepta collectionof old photographsof nude Latin Americanprostitutes. Spare Rooms: Emptyapart from a few beds and bedpansin each room. Like Sarah's room. each door has an extra bolt


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on the outsideincreasingits STR to 35. lnvestigators will be gruesomedetailcosts 1i1DOSanitypoints. kept here if they end up as McGrath'sguests,but only until she drugs them for experimentation, in which case they will Body Parts: Kept in crates and preserved in transparent, light-greenliquidnextto the Cold Cubeare limbs,ears,eyes, be movedto the cells. tongues,tusks,jaws, hands,feet, hooves,claws and other McGrath's Laberatory animal body parts which McGrath uses for her surgical Whilethe Main Housemighthave an air of peaceand quiet, experimentation. The organs are alive and they regularly the real horrorson the islandtake placeinsidethe McGrath's twitchcausing0/1D4Sanitypointsto observebut are otherLaboratory.Duringthe day McGrathlocks herselfwithinthe wise harmless.The green-liquidkeeps them alive. Body four walls. Agonizingscreams from test subjectscan be parts removedfrom the fluid quickly deteriorate,die and heard half way across the island as she cuts them open decompose. modifyingtheir shape and form. Here is the reason why DoctorMoreau'soriginalsurgerywas called'The Houseof Brain Cylinders: Left in one corner are four Mi-go brain Pain' - McGrath's laboratorv shares the same cylindersand one set of speech,visualand audiosensors. reputation. Gate to Yuggoth: On this wall are strange painted geometrical designscontainedwithin an irregularlypainted Like the main house,all the windowsare barred(STR 50) and the two doors are always locked with bolt latches and circle.Some of the symbolsare mathematicalin natureand padlocks(STR 45). The architecturalstyle of ihe laboratory a successfulPhysics or Mathematics skill roll determines matches that of the Main House. Windows are alwavs that these are calculationsspecific to multi-dimensional space.A Cthulhu Mythos skillroll revealsthe true natureof curtainedso it is impossibleto see in. the painting,for this is a gatewayto anotherworld.Stepping Some nights,McGrathlocks herselfin the Laboratoryand throughcosts I Magic Points,1 point of Sanity and takes speaks with visitingMi-go for hours on end discussingthe travellersstraightto Yuggothand outside the contextof this latest results and observations.lnvestigatorswho observe scenario. Keepers can alternatively have the gateway 'locked'so that it remains inaccessible. Mi-go arrive and from the outsidewill notice multicolouredlightsflashingin depart from the island through this gate, so destroyingit odd rhythmsfrom within. delaysany interference by the Fungifor 1D3 days until the Veranda: Surroundsthe entirehouse. gate can be repaired. Gupboards and Work Benches: Contains chemicals, drugs, syringes, swabs, bandages, operating tools, chloroform{POT 20 versus CON or unconsciousness for 1D3 hours),Bunsen burners,flasks,microscopes,stitches, acids (damage 1DG) and numerous other pieces of equipmentcommonto a laboratory.In one lockedcupboard (STR 10) are blood samplesof every experimentalsubject that ever passed throughthe operatingtable. lf investigators are transforminginto hybrids,their blood sampleswill be here and they will require these if they wish to create Formulae-86to reversethe process.Other blood samples include virtually every known species of mammal.

Moreau'sExperimentalNotes Writtenbetween1876and 1877in a large,leather-bound notebook.these hand-writtennotes recount Doctor Moreau'ssuccessesand failuresin experimentation on animals using vivisectionto transform them into approximaticns of humans.Within the notes Moreau's Laws are documente,includingnot going about on all fours,not eatingmeat and reveringMoreauas a god. Studyingthese notes awardsskills checksto Biology, Medicineand NaturalHistory.Sanity loss 1D3/1D6; CthulhuMythos+1 percentiles; average3 weeksto study andcomprehend/8 hoursto skim.

At leastthree-dozensamplesof Formulae-18 are keptin one cupboard. Other items stashed away are Moreau's 'spare McGrath'sExperimentalNotes parts'and the Mi-go ControlDevice,each item requiringa These noteswrittenby McGrathhave been typed on a Spot Hidden to find. Moreau'sand McGrath'sexperimental Remington Typewriter and boundtogetherby string.They notes are left discarded on one of the work benches. Surglcal Table: While transformationusing Formulae-18 works withoutthe use of surgeryand vivisection,McGrath still likes to experimentwith the knife - hoping to fix any 'abnormalities'that might appear during the process of change.Subjectsare restrainedon the table by STR 35 manacles and are kept alive and conscious while undergoingthe torturous cutting and slicing inflicted by McGrath.Witnessingsuch an operationcosts 1/1D6Sanity, but being the subject of such torture is worse, costing 1D411D20Sanity points and 1D6+1 Hit Points damage. Surgicalgowns and bed sheets are saturatedin blood after such experiments, and a recentlystainedsheetmightbe left for the investigatorsto discover. Preserved Specimens: Not all of McGrath's experiments are successful,in fact more often than not they go horribly wrong.ln largeglassjars alongthe backwall are body parts and dissectedorgans of hybrids and humans that didn't properly transform. Seeing these samples in all their

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continuouslyrefer to Moreau'sExperimentalNofes and expandon the ideaspresentedwithin.RecentlyMcGrath has developeda new drug called Formulae-18that supposedlyretainsintelligence in its subjects.$he also discusses Formulae-86 whichcanreversethe hybridisation process.The notesexplainhow to createbothdrugs,but to do so wouldrequireaccessto a fullystockedchemical laboratorysuch as this one or Moreau'scave.Creating eachdrug requires1D3daysand successful Biologyand Chemistryskill rolls.McGrathoften refersto her "Star Friends"in hernoteswho'veprovidedassistance withtheir "BrainCylinders" and "AlienTechniques." The notes containone spell, Speak with Star Friends {ContactMi-go}.Studyingthesenotesawardsskillschecks to Biology,Chemistry,ElectricalRepair and Medicine. Sanity loss 1D4l1D8; Cthulhu Mythos +3 percentiles;average 5 weeksto studyandcomprehend/16 hoursto skim.


Mi-go Technology Formulae-18 This is the latestdrug used by McGrathto transformhumansinto animal-humanhybrids.lf this thick-ambercoloureddrug is eitherswallowedor injectedinto a person,after a few hoursthey beginto transformtaking on the characteristicsof the animals whose cells (DNA) is mixed in with the sample. For example, pig and puma DNA mixed together and injectedinto an investigatorwould create a pig-puma-humanhybrid. Transformation usuallytakes weeks, there is no resistanceto this drug. STR is increasedby 2D6 points at 1 point per day,CON by 1D6 pointsat one point per day, SIZ by 3 pointsat 1 point per 5 days and DEX by 6 pointsat one point per day.INT reducesby 6 pointsat the rate of 1 pointevery3 days. lf a victim'sINT drops to 7 or less they forgettheir human pastand becomea Keepercontrolledcharacter.Knowledgeskills drop by 10o/o for each point of INT lost. Sanity loss is 1/1D6pointsper day as a victim becomesmore bestial.At the same time, they gain the use of claws,teeth, tusks, horns and other naturalanimal attacks.APP drops by 1 point per day until it reacheszero. The process is only reversible through the use of Formulae-86,but only if administered before the complete transformation to hybridoccurs,otherwisethe hybridisationprocessis irreversible. Transformationback to human occurs at the same rate as transformationinto a beast,but suchvictimswill alwayscarry some characteristicsof the animal DNA stillmixedwith their own.

Mi-go Cold Cube This small black cube is approximately1Ocm(4") along all lengthsand is extremelycold to the touch. Anyone touching the boxwith bare flesh will find that they loose 1D2-1(0 to 1 Hit Points)damagewhile releasingtheir grip, as skin frozen to the surface is torn away.Afterwardsthe cube quick dissolvesthe torn skin thus retaining its smooth, glass-like surface.Watchingdissolvingskin costs 0ll pointsof Sanity. The air up to a metre (3ft) from the cube remainsat -1OoC(1soF),thus McGrathuses it to freeze-preseryespecimens for later use. Little does McGrath know that the Cold Cube also acts as an observationtool, for Mi-go look through anothercube on Yuggothto watch McGrathat work throughthis cube. lf investigatorstake hold of this device,Mi-go will be ableto track them anywhere.

Mi-go Brain Cylinder Thesedevices are approximatelya third of a metre high (1ft) and somewhatless in diameter.They have three sockets withinan isoscelestriangleover the front of a convexsurface.Containedwithin each,floatingin a solutionof nutrientsis a humanbrain.Audio,visual and speech attachmentsfit into each of the three socketsallowingthe personwithin to see, hear and speak.Without the sensory attachments,the brain falls into a trance like state.The cylinderhas 12 points of armourand can absorb 20 pointsof damage beforeit and the brain insideare destroyed. Thereare four cylindersin this room, each containingbrainsof babblinghumansfrom aroundthe world. None make any senseand speak in French,MandarinChinese,Ancient Egyptianand Englishrespectively. Any investigatorwho spends time talking to one of the captive brains and succeeds in the appropriate language skill and a Psychology or Psychoanalysisskill roll determinesthat each brain is here for insertioninto a new body.What McGrathhasn't told the heads is that he is planning to transplantthese brains into bestial bodies as an alternativemethod of maintaining intelligencein the hybrids,but is yet to performthe operation.Investigatorscapturedby the Mi-go mightend up as a brain in a cylinderfor this very purpose.

SpareParts for Moreau This jumble of organic blue-green rods, pumps, wires, and pistons looks alien to investigatorseyes, but are in fact mechanicalbody parts for an artificialhuman, or robot. lt is kept stashed away in a cupboard.A half ldea roll, a Physicsskill or an ElectricalRepairskill roll identifiesthese dsrices as somethingakin to artificiallimbs.These are spare partsfor Doctor Moreau constructedby the Mi-go.The Mi-go Control Rod, if used properly,will allow these parts to cometo life.

Mi-go Control Rod Thisorganic,blue-greenrod approximately20cm (8") in length is kept in one of the cupboards.A red crystal is inserted on one end while organic-styledknobspopulatethe centreof the rod.Thereare no seams or any obviousmeansof openingthe device.Althoughit looks like the rod is livingand slimy,it actuallyfeels mechanical.A Cthulhu Mythos skill roll or an Electrical Repair and half ldea roll are required to work out its function. lf investigatorsget it working, they'll find that they can controlthe spare parts,causingmechanicalhandsto open and close, limbs to flex and body parts to shutdown or come backto life.lnvestigatorswho work out how to use the devicegain 1D10%skill pointor at a skill equal to their Operate Heavy Machineryin the new skill, OperateControlRod.This device can be used to controland possibly deactivateMoreau.lf McGrathdiscoversthat Moreau is still alive,she will take this device in an attemptto shut him downpermanently.

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39

ISLAND CAyEs The Return of f)octor MoreaLr

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Cells: In the second,windowlessroombehinda lockeddoor (STR45) are five cells.Each cell front is made of iron bars (STR40) and containonly of straw beddingand wooden buckets,one for drinking water and one for defecation. Unusablebody parts left over from surgery are thrown into cellsto feed captives.Used to hold humans and hybrids betweensurgicalsessionsor to restrainhuman captives broughtto the islandby Boren,there will be 1D3-1hybrids detainedin these cellsat anv one time.

armour and 20 Hit Pointsto destroy.

Throne: This crude rocky constructionis Hampstead's throne.He sits up herewhen he is commandingthe hybrids. Anyoneotherthan Hampsteadwho sits on this throneis put to death immediatelyand eaten. Not every hybrid on the islandfollowsHampsteadin his worshipof Great Cthulhu, but those that do are initiatedinto his 'cult'when he stands over them on his throne and pees over their body, thus marking these hybrids as is own. Smart investigatorswho The Hybrid's Cave smearthemselvesin Hampstead'surinewill not be touched Locatedon the western edge of the island at the base of a by his hybridsanywhereon the island,but gettingholdof this 30m (100ft)cliff is the undergroundlair of the hybrids.The bodyfluid wouldbe a challengein itself. caveis almostimpossibleto see sincejunglegrows rightto its mouth,but there is a trail that leads here and hybridsin Back Entrance: This narrowercave leads upwardstowards large numbers congregateto and from the cave day and the cliff but narrowsthe closer it gets to the surface,hence it night.At any one time there couldbe up to 30+3D10hybrids is rarely used except by the smaller hybrids. Anyone in or around the cave at any one time. Followinghybrids attemptingto escape through this exit must fal a SIZ x5 downwind(so they are not smelt) is one good way of finding rolled under D100, othenruisethe exit proves too small for that personand they might even get stuck if they don't fail the cave. anotherSIZ x5 roll. lnsidestinksof the half-animalsand their dung.Visibilityis Harem: One half of the cave contains1D6 of poorexceptfor a large hole in the roof of the cavern8m (26ft) Hampstead's the more 'attractive' female hybrids, kept here for highfrom which sunlightshinesdown. pleasure.The otherhalfof the caveis filledwith Hampstead's poolof fresh,cleanwaterfor drinkingand bathing.Anyone a lnvestigatorswho find the top entrance and fall into it take otherthan Hampsteadand his haremcaughtin this care are 4D6pointsof damage,reducedby 1D6 if a Jump skillroll is immediatelykilledand eaten. made.Water pools in places and drips like rain from the roof, particularly after a heavy downpour.Hybridssleep,eat and Ceremonies groom in every corner of the cave. Investigatorswho go Hampstead'shybrids have for a long time worshipped insanedown here are likely to develop Claustrophobia. Cthulhuand his star-spawn. McGrathbelievesthat this is just Hampstead, a lion-ramhybrid,rulesthe hybridsand spends a silly superstitionbased solely upon their find of their mostof his days in the cave. strange 'Polynesian' statue and the Mi-go have not MainEntrance: Concealingthemselvesin the jungle,there contradicted her belief. Moreau knows the truth and is arealways1D10 hybridsguardingthe entrance.Theywantto fearful of Hampstead'spotential power.However,as far as knowthe businessof any visitor,humanor hybridbeforethey Cthulhucult leadersgo, Hampsteadwould be consideredan allowaccess or beforetaking them to Hampstead.The path amateur. intothe cave leadsgentlyupwards. Ceremoniesusuallytake placeduringa full moon insidethe MainChamber: Dark and dank,this is the hometo manyof main cavern.At that time on clearnightsthe moonlightoften the island'shybrids.The entranceto the main chamberis a shines down through the hole in the roof illuminatingthe ledgeon the southwallthat descends5m (17ft)to the base statueof Cthulhu.Due to the natureof the moonlighton the of the cave. Painted on the wall in ochre are depictionsof rock,it sometimesseems as if the statueis ripplingand alive. humans,hybridsand fishlikehumanoidsworshippinga huge This effect is only noticeableon a failed ldea roll costing 1 tentacle-headed creaturewith bat-likewings risingfrom an pointof Sanityif the Sanitycheckis failed. ocean.A Gthulhu Mythos skill roll identifiesthis as a Hybridsdance, grunt, howl and chant to their god. Often depiction of the time whenthe starsare rightand Cthulhuwill ceremonies turn into orgies and many of the hybrids be set free to rule the earth again. A second Cthulhu procreate,the only time Hampsteadwill allowhis subjectsto Mythos skill roll identifiesthe fishlikehumanoidsare Deep act out theirsexualurgesin his presence.Hampsteadhopes Ones. that he can summonup Cthulhubut is unawarehe lacksthe Cthulhu Statue: When the sun reachesits middayheight, knowledgeto do so. Ceremoniesas a whole often end in the brilliantrays shine down throughthe hole into the roof violence and debauchery,even for hybrids.Occasionally directlyonto this 3 tonne statue of Cthulhu.The hybrids tempers flare and hybrids are killed. Such victims are foundit here long ago and startedworshippingthis GreatOld quicklydismemberedfeedingthe hybridsthat are starvedof One in place of Moreau.The rock is of an algae-likegreen- fresh meat. Watching or participatingin a ceremony costs colourrun throughwith streaksof paleyellowand feelsslimy 1/1D3pointsof Sanity. andorganicto the touch, even though it is dry.A Geology Moreau's Gave rolldeterminesthat this rock is not of this earth.Just looking Situationon the northeasternend of the islandoverlookinga '1D2 pointsif the roll is at the statuecausesa Sanityloss of 20m (65ft) cliff, Moreau'sCave is in the heart of the island's failed.Anyonewho sleepswithin3m (10ft)of the statuewill hot springs and noxiousfume-emittingfumaroles.The air have vague dreams of undenruatercities and fish people here is toxic, which is exactly the way Moreau likes it. (R'lyehand the Deep Ones) costing 1 point of Sanity if the Although few hybrids know about this cave, none can get rollis failed.Castingthe spells ContactCthulhuand Contact close without being overcome by the fumes. Moreau of Deep Ones have a +25% increase in their likelihood of murse no longer needs to breatheso can come and go as succeeding.The statue has the equivalentof 20 points of

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he pleases.

Characters

Following are the main charactersthat appear in this scenario.Each entry notes what a Know roll would yield. lnsiderknowledgeincludesfacts, rumoursand storiesabout a character obtained through an appropriate skill roll or investigatorbackgroundthat might provide these insights. Plot denotes how the keeper can use the character to enhance the scenario.Appearanceis a descriptionof the Entrance:Yellowsulphuricacidflakesare depositedaround physicaltraitsand mannerisms. characters' the entrance.lt takes 1D6+3roundsto traversethe entrance to the cavernat a run, which leads graduallyupwards.The FranzBoren journey takes twice as long if walking. In that time each Know: Investigatorswho have spent time in the merchant person without appropriate breathing apparatus (such as navy or are of Chilean nationalitymay be aware that Franz wearing gas masks found in the Main House) must roll Boren is an old-sea hand who has spent his entire life on Drowningdamage or take 1D6+1 hit points damage from SouthAmericanregisteredtramp freighters. concentratedsulphur fumes. At this point the victim must make a CON x5 roll or pass out, after which they continueto Insider Knowledge: Boren was always consideredan outtake damage until rescued or die. Closer to the cavern, sider who never opened up to anyone and never had a natural vents allow for the flow of fresh air, enough to woman to call his own. He loved animals,especiallydogs comfortably sustain humans and hybrids for indefinite even though he treated his pets harshly.Boren does speak periods.Moreau can exit and enter the cavern in 4 rounds some English, but often pretends not to too avoid while carrying a human or hybrid thus minimisingtheir unnecessaryconversation. He is a habitualliar. chancesof inhalingdangerousgas. Plot: Franz Boren was hired to manage the construction Hot Springs: These thermal springs contain bubbling, crew who built Moreau'snew facility on Noble's lsle. He heatedwateraveragingaround70oC (160oF).Any hybridor stayedon afterwardsas part of the maintenancecrew and is human falling into these pools looses 1D3 Hit Points per now all the remains of that staff. He likes the hybrids, his round from burns" Moreau often bathes in these oools to favouriteis Charleston,a Jaguar hybridwho is always at his cleansehis alien roboticframe. side protectinghim like a faithfulhound.While Boren is fond of Moreau'sand McGrath'screations.he is not afraid to use Power Generator: Originally a diesel generator, Moreau strongforce againstthem or killingthem when they step out converted it so geothermalgases escapingfrom fumaroles of line.Todayhe believesthat Moreauis dead, and glad that would power it. He keeps it runningtwenty-fourhours a day he is because he always felt uneasy around that strange every day except for rare occasions when it requires living dead organism. Boren believes that the British maintenance.The power is used to light the cavern. governmentfunds the islandand that McGrathowns a secret Desk: Moreau has lots of notes and booksbut most of these radio,hiddenin her laboratorythroughwhich she speaksto are now illegiblesince the humidityand heat has caused her masters. pagesto sticktogetherand ink to run.Moreauhas foundthat with his new body his memorywas now photographic, thus Several years ago Boren was attacked by a hybrid and books and journals it seemed were now no longer horribly scarred. McGrath performed the operation that necessary. In the draws of the desks are numerous savedhis life,but in the processremovedhis left hand,which chemicals,test tubes, scalps, and other laboratoryand she laterattachedto the hybridChin-see.lf Borenlearnsthe surgicalequipment.Not as extensiveas the equipmentfound truth regardinghis mutilationhe won't act on his own to in McGrath's laboratory, Moreau's collection is still extract revenge, but could be convinced to join with the sizable,stolen over the years from McGrath'slaboratory. investigators to kill McGrath.However,he is a ruthlessman and won't think twice about acting against investigatorsif it SurgicalTable:This old surgicaltable is old, salvagedfrom purposes. suits his Moreau'sdays when he ran the experimentsfor the Mi-go. The interior of the cave is hot and humid but bearableto humansand hybridsif they get this far. Investigatorscan find this cave by trackingMoreau here,or allowingone of the few knowledgeablehybridsto show them the way. Moreau himself could forciblebring them here.

He still conductshis own experimentson hybrids,mostlyto learn what recent developmentsMcGrathhas includedon her latestexperimentalsubjects.

Boren knowsnothingof the Mi-go,or that they even exist.He has seen the strangelightsin McGrath'slaboratoryand the odd conversationsthat go on in there at night.Not following Holding Pen: A 3m (10ft) gap separatesthe holdingpen Englishall that well he has no idea what the conversations from Moreau's laboratory.The drop seems to go on forever are about. Boren knows of McGrath's sexual identitv into darkness,but in fact drops only 40m (130ft) costing confusionbut pretendsalongwith her. 13D6 Hit Points of damage if someone fell into it. The numerous noxious fumes down there would quickly over- Franz Boren, age 51, SweatyChileanForeman come anyone who fell anyway. Moreau can easily leap STR 14 S I Z1 5 INTO9 coN 10 acrossthe gap with ease carryingone personor hybridwith POW OB DEX1O APP 08 EDU 07 him as he does so. Anyone else requiresa Jump roll or SAN 08 HP 13 they'll fall to their death. The walls prove to be of fragile, DamageBonus:+1D4 sharprock,and such attemptsto Climb out are penalisedby Weapons:Fist40%, DMG 1D3+db 25Yo.Moreau keeps his experimentalsubjects or captured Knife60%,DMG 1D4+2+db investigatorsin here.So far no one has managedto escape HookedHand40%, DMG 1D6+db this naturallvoccurrinocell" .30-06Rifle70%. DMG 2D6+3 Skills:ElectricalRepair 60%, Listen40%, Locksmith50%,

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MechanicalRepair 60%, Navigation30%, Operate Heavy Machinery 50%, Pilot Boat 6A%, Sailing 40%, Sea Navigation 35%, Spot Hidden50%,Tiack30%. Languages: English30%, Portuguese15%, Spanish60%. Appearance:This middle-aged,rounded Hispanic has thinninghair, burnt skin and a wrinkledface. His body is coveredin white hair.Large livid scars acrosshis bellyand hismissinglefthand(replacedwith a hook)givehim a mean, grizzledlook. He wears dirty pants and dirty white shirts stainedyellow from sweat. He smells bad too, talks very littleand only understandsEnglishwhen it is convenientfor himto do so, Sarah Lightfoot Know: lnvestigatorshailingfrom Australiamight know that SarahLightfootwas the wife of a Sydneybasedindustrialist. Bothof them disappearedat sea nearthe Galapagoslslands severalyearsago and were presumeddrowned. lnsider Knowledge: Born Sarah McHollandof Melbourne, she was from a poor working class family but succeedin marryinginto moneywhen she capturedthe heartof Martin Always regardeda strong willed woman, Sarah Lightfoot. dedicatedthe rest of her lifeto supportingcharitiesand just CAUSES.

Plot: Sarah and her husband Martin were sailing from Sydneyto San Franciscoon their privatecabin cruiser,The MidsummerNlghf when they were attackedby Boren and a crewof bloodthirstyhybrids.Most of the crew were killed, while Martin, Sarah and the cruiser'scaptainwere taken prisoner. Withina few weeksthe two men were transformed intohybridsand Sarahwas kept on as McGrath'smistress. At first Sarah resistedMcGrath'sunnaturaladvances.She escapedthe compoundand went in searchof her husband, onlyto find him transformedinto a beast.lt was at this point shefinallysnappedand gave into McGrath'swishes,erasing herhusband'stransformation from her mind.McGrathfound her unconsciousin the jungle and was surprisedthat the hybridshadn'ttaken her. In truth Moreau had rescuedher, keepingher in his cave for a short period,nursingher back to health.Sarah'smemoriesof this eventare vague,but she recallsenough knows where he can be found. She has mentioned nothingto McGrathor Boren. Sarahis is far from being beaten.While she might appear submissiveand cold, she is still harbouringa plan to kill McGrathand Boren,and escapethe island.Both men trust her now,allowing her to swim every day in the ocean down bythejetty,but Sarahis doingthis to buildher strength.She enjoysswimmingin the shelteredcoral bays, it is the only placeshefeelssafe.Everynow and then shipspasscloseto Noble'slsle and one day she'sgoingto makea breakfor it.

husband,she looses 1D6+3Sanity,screamsthen falls into catatoniafor 1D6 hours.Afterwardsshe remembersnothing and refusesfrom then on to acknowledgethat Martin may stilllive. Sarah Lightfoot, age 29, CaptiveMistress C O N1 4 S T R1 1 S I Z1 1 I N T1 5 P O W1 7 D E X1 4 APP 17 E D U1 5 SAN 33 H P1 3 DamageBonus:+0 Skills:Cthulhu Mythos 03%, First Aid 40%, Hide 55%, LibraryUse 60%,Sneak55%,Spot Hidden70%, Swim60%. Languages:English80%, French15%,Spanish20%, Attacks:Fist 50%. DMG 1D3 Knife50%, none in possessionbut one underher bed Appearance: Sara is a tall, beautifulwoman with shoulder length blond hair that is roughlytrimmed since she cuts it herself.Physicallyshe is very fit with an athleticbody since she swimsfor two to threehoursa day in the ocean.McGrath hates the water and won't go near her while she is swimming.McGrathkeepsher clothingto a minimum,and insists she wear expensivedresseswhich are unpracticalfor the island.

Asfar as the investigators are concerned,she has seentheir kind come and go all too often in the past. However, Doctor Milton McGrath investigators who have some successagainstMcGrathwill Know: Milton McGrath obtained a Medical Degree and win her respect.Perhapsthen she'lljointhem if they havea Bachelor of Science, London University followed by a realisticplan to escape the island.lf a female investigator Doctorateat OxfordUniversity.He was consideredone of the 'cell knowlwithan APP of 15 or more startsto win McGrath'scharms, best biologistsof his era with radicaltheorieson Sarahwill feel threatened and feel forced to act straight edge' believingthat if the compositionof a cell could be away.She will either attemptto murder McGrathand Boren altered, an animal would transformfrom one species to andflee underseeminglyimpossibleodds,or try to convince another.McGrath'stheorieswere seen to align with Darwin's the investigatorsto help her achieve these ends. With a Theory of Evolution. However, McGrath disappeared substitutemistresson hand, McGrathwill not hesitateto do approximately a decade ago under mysterious away with Sarah, for she has often proved to be more circumstances. troublethan she is worth.


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Insider Knowledge: Biologists, British scientists or academic staff at Oxford University might know that McGrath's peers always consideredhim to be an outsider, whose experimentationalways skirted the edge of cruelty and the obscene.He used to performcruel experimentson monkeysand rats killingthem in the hundreds.There was alwayssomethingodd about McGrath'smannerisms,but no one couldever put a fingeron what that was. Plot: Born Emma McGrath,she was the only child of an academiccouple who always expectedher to follow in their footsteps.They were equallydisappointedin her because they believedshe would never make it in the world as a woman and so forced her to dress and behave as a man. From the first day at boys' school she was called Milton and forcedto dress as one of the boys.Teachersand school kids thought she was weird, but very few ever picked up that Miltonwas actuallya girl.Once a groupof boys strippedher nakedand threwher into a swimmingpool.No longerableto hide behind her confused sexual identity she quickly developeda morbidfear of water. Withdrawinginto her self, Miltonfelt the need to change her physicalappearanceso to align with her mentalstate.She studiedbiologypleasingher parentseventuallyobtaininga Doctorate from one of the world's most prestigious universities.Her experimentationswith animals were promisingbut ethicallyquestionable. Then one day a human agenl of the Mi-go, a Mr Noyes, contactedher and offered her'unconventional work'which showedpromisein the field of biology,the likes of which she'd never seen before.Mr. Noyes convincedher of the virtues of working for his alien mastersfor her scienceseemed promisingand could lead the way to designinga human species capableof space flight and the mental stamina to comprehendthe hidden worlds of the cosmos. Quickly convinced after meeting a Mi-go,she was transportedto Noble'slsle taking over the work of Doctor Moreau.When McGrathcreatesa hybridthat meets the specificationsof her masters,they promiseto provideher with a male body.

Skills:Biology80%, Chemistry70%, CthulhuMythos25%, First Aid 80%, Medicine B0%, Natural History 75%, Persuade20%, Spot Hidden40%. Languages:English 1O0Yo, French 50%, Latin 25%. Attacks:Fist 55%, DMG 1D3 Bullwhip75%,DMG 1D3-1or entangle .38 Revolver600/0, DMG 1D10 .30-06Rifle60%, DMG 2D6+3 Spells:ContactMi-go. Appearance: McGrathalwaysdresseslike a man wearing immaculately clean clothes,mostlywhite in colourincluding loose shirts and pants over riding boots. Outside she regularlywears a sunhatprotectedwith a mosquitonet and always carries a revolverand bullwhipattachedto her belt. McGrath'sskin is pale and her short-cropped hair is red.She burnseasily.McGrathmay be a woman,but her mannerisms are thoseof a man. lt takes a Spot Hiddenor a Psychology skill rollto see throughthis pretence.

DoctorMoreau "Ihese creatures of mine seemed strange and uncanny to yau so soon as you began to observe them; but to me, just after I make them, they seem to be indisputably human beings. lt's afterwards, as / observe them, that the persuasionfades.Firstone animaltrait,then another,creeps to the surface and sfares out at me. But I will conquer yet! Each time I dip a living creature into the bath of burning pain, I say, 'This time I will burn out all the animal;this time I will make a rational creature of my own!' After all, what is ten years? Men have been a hundredthousandin the making." - H. G. Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau Knowr Londonbased investigators or those with a medical backgroundmightrecallthename Moreaubeingattachedto an infamous London surgeon who performed horrific experimentson animalsin the early 1870s.He disappeared a few years later shortly after he was expelled.

lnsider Knowledge: London based historiansor medical practitioners may knowthat Moreau'sexperimentswhere so horrific and barbaric he was shunned by the scientific McGrathis motivatedby two things,the first is to continually community of his day. Through surgery he was always act in a mannerthat supportsher masculineidentitysuch as planning to create better, perfect specimens of earthly possessinga mistress like Sarah and the second is to creatures. create a super race of humans.In contradictingbehaviour she looks at other humans as either servants (Boren), Plot: Moreau'shistoryis describedin the introduction. When possessions(Sarahor female investigators with an APP of brought back to life and given his alien robotic body, at first 15 or more) or experimental subjects (the majority of he believedthat the Mi-go were an interstellarrace who investigators).Even if confrontedwith the truth that the Mi-go plannedto aid and assisthumansin becomingsuper-beings are only developingthe hybridsas their own servitorrace who would join their interstellarfriends and togetherthey and not for the benefitof humanityas they claim,McGrath would colonise the stars. The Mi-go wanted Moreau to will remainunwillingto believethis truth.She will act for her believethat, but after a while Moreaustartedto see the truth mastersto the death. that Mi-go only wanted humans for two purposes; as Cruel to the hybrids,she whips them into submissionand servantsand as experimentalsubjects. speaksto them as if they are dumb animals.She seesthese During his years of servitude Moreau came to see the creaturesas failures but instead of blaming herselffor their mistakes of his ways and began to reform despite his misfortune, she blames them for not becoming the best sanity shattering experiences and decidedly non-human speciesthat they could be. lt is their fault they are the way body.He saw himselfin the Mi-go,so hatingthem now as he they are, not hers. hates himself.Initiallyhe tried to modify the hybridsto fight Doctor Milton (Emma) McGrath, age 41, Mi-goAgent and againstthe Mi-gobut when the Fungisaw throughhis plans they attempted to kill him. They believe he is dead Biologist and are unaware that he lives in the north of the island, STR 10 coN11 SIZ 09 I N T1 B continuing his experiments on hybrids so that they will POW 09 DEX12 APP 08 E D U2 1 remain inclined to turn against their masters. Recently SAN OO HP 10 Moreau came to the conclusion that this task was DamageBonus:None

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impossible, for the Mi-go were too powerful,too intelligent Some,such as Hampsteadand Charleston,have important compared to humans,and so he gave up. rolesto play.Otherssuch as Chatterand Velmaoffer options, opportunities and evendangers.For otherhybridencounters Moreau's ultimategoal now is to die, but he is unableto do use the average characteristicsand choose one or two sobecausehis programmingdoes not allow him to act out attacksas providedunderNew Creature- Moreau'sHybrids thiswish.Moreau'sgoal is to obtainthe Mi-go ControlRod and then reuseas necessary. andthusdeactivatehis 'preservation' settings.Then he plans to killhimselfin the most destructivemeanspossible,and if Charleston,Jaguar-WolfHybrid thatmeanskillingMcGrathand Borenin the process,thenall Like a faithfulhound Charlestonis alwaysby Boren'sside, thebetter. ready to kill for his master.While Charlestonis a fierce creatureand one of the more powerfulhybridson the island, Of all the people on the island, Moreau is potentiallythe he is not very smartand can be easilyconvincedthat someinvestigators most helpful ally. He knows he started this thing is true when it is not. Boren treats Charleston mess,but eightyyearsof life and livingdeath have allowed appallingly, but investigators who show Charlestonkindness himto see the errorsof his way.He is also the most in-tune willfind that their effortsare in vain,for he is extremelyloyal characterto what is really behind the Mi-go schemes. to his brutishmaster. joiningsideswith Moreauwill requiresometruston However, both sides. lf Moreau believes he will be betrayed or STR 28 coN18 S I Z1 8 I N T7 enslavedto the investigators(particularly if they gain POW 9 DEX24 HP1B Move 12 possession of the ControlRod) he will killthem as quicklyas DamageBonus:+2D6 possible. Additionally,unless the investigatorshave the Weapons:Bite40%, DMG 1D6 appropriate scientificskills, Moreau offers the only viable Claws50%,DMG 1D6+db alternative to creating Formulae-86.After rescuingSarah Armour:1 pointof fur andfinallydoing some good, he now has a soft spotfor her Skills:Climb 50%,Hide40%,Jump80%,Scent80%, and her plight, so if she has joined with the Sneak40%,Spot Hidden40%,Track70% investigators Moreauwill be more inclinedto work with them. Languages: English20%, Spanish30% DoctorMoreau,age B0+,Living-DeadCyborg Chatter, Fox Hybrid STR35 coN 17 stz 25 INT 1 8 This diminutivecreatureis timid and mostly confused.He POW01 DEX16 A P P0 1 E D U 2 1 has some memoriesof his past as a Maori sailor,but those SAN05 HP21 memoriesbringpainfulthoughts so he avoidslookinginto his Damage Bonus:+3D6 past. Chatter was recently caught stealing food from Armour: 5 pointsof cyberneticcoverings.Only takes 1 point Hampstead'slair and so is now fair game to any hybridon ofdamagefrom impalingweapons. the island. lf investigatorsrescue or otherwise aid this Skills:Biology 90%, ChemistryB0%, Climb 65%, Cthulhu stutteringcreature,they'llfind an ally who can show them Mythos20%, ElectricalRepair 50%, Electronics25%, First most places on the island,includingthe lair of the 'Metal Aid85%, Hide 40%, Jump 65%, Listen50%, Mechanical Ghost'Moreau. Repair 40%, Medicine85%, NaturalHistory75%, Persuade 20%,SpotHidden40%. STR 12 coN10 stzT t N TI Languages: English90%, French65%, German 25%, Lalin P O W 1 O DEX19 Move9 HP 9 40%,Spanish25% DamageBonus:none Attacks:Pincher Hands65%, DMG 1D8+db Weapons:Bite 30%,DMG 1D4 Pincher Grapple65%, DMG special Claws30%,DMG 1Do SanityLoss: 1l1DBSanitypointsto see Moreaufor the first Armour:1 pointof fur time. Skills:Hide 50%,Scent40%,Sneak30%,SpotHidden30%, Track30% Appearance: All that is left of this man is a charredblacken Languages:English40o/0,Maori40o/o bodyreminiscentof a mummifiedcorpse with blackened bones and rib cagesshowingthroughwhat is leftof his skin, Chin-see,Baboon-WarthogHybrid muscle and fat.Wrappedalmostas if it were a stranglervine Formerlya Chinesesailor,Chin-seehas retainedmoreof his grownover his body are organic blue-greenrods, pumps, human featuresthan most hybrids even though his face wiresand pistons creating an artificial lattice-likeframe looks like a cross betweena baboonand a warthog and his providing Moreauwith life and mobility.Strangealienfluids body is coveredin thick hair.Chin-seeis one of the Cthulhu pumpthrough transparenttubes while audio, visual and worshippinghybridsloyalto Hampstead.The most striking speech devices,similarto thoseon the Mi-gobraincylinder, featureis his left hand, which is that of a human.A Spot replace his ears, eyes and mouth.Part-robot,parfzombie Hidden combinedwith an ldea roll will identifythe hand as andpart alien bug, Moreau is a horror in anyone'seyes. once belongingto Boren, a successfulgraft performedby Investigators who have seen the spare parts and the remote McGrath years ago. The right hand and feet are ineffective controlin McGrath'slaboratorywill make the immediate hooves. connection betweenthe two.When Moreauspeaks,his voice is modulatedand unnatural, expressing no emotion S T R 1 5 coN12 S I Z1 3 I N T1 0 whatsoever. POW 8 DEX16 MoveB HP 13 DamageBonus:+1D4 SampleHybrids Weapons:Fist40%,damage1D3+db Thefollowinglist is a sample of some of the hybridsthat Hoof30%, DMG 1D6+db investigators may encounterwhile exploringNoble's lsle. Tusk20%,DMG 1D8+db


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Armour:none Armour:3 pointsof hide Skills:Hide 30%, Scent30%, Spot Hidden60o/o,Track 40o/o Skills:Climb30%, Spot Hidden30%, Swim 20% (onlyout of Languages: English15%,MandarinChinese30% necessity). Languages:Spanish20% Hampstead,Lion-Ram Hybrid Hampsteadis the ruler of the Cthulhuworshippinghybrids. Tar-Shan,Gorilla-TapirHybrid lmposingboth physicallyand in personality, Hampsteadis a This large, ape-like monstrositywith the face of a tapir is brute of the highestorder who sees himselfas a kind of god Hampstead'sbodyguardand assassin.While at the hybrid to the hybrids.Those he doesn'tlike or who speak against cave he acts as 'The Gatekeeper'determiningwho is and him are killedand eaten.He spendsmost of his time in the who isn't allowedaccess into the dark confines.When he's hybridcave with his haremof femalehybridsand most of that out and abouton the islandhe is 'The Messenger'delivering time is spent sleeping.When he speaks,he refersto himself death to those who opposed Hampstead'sreign. Not very in the third person.The only way investigators might be of bright,nonetheless he is veryfaithfulto Hampstead,who has use to Hampsteadis if they can convincehim that they can allowed Tar-Shan his own femalecompanion. get hold of guns or other a viableweaponswith whichto kill McGrath.Hampsteadwill then likelykill anyonewho helped STR 26 coN 21 SIZ18 I N T6 him, for he doesn'twant anyonesmarterthan him challeng- POW 13 DEX16 Move8 HP 20 ing his leadershiplateron. DamageBonus:+1D6 Weapons:Fist45%, DMG 1D4+db STR30 CON 20 SIZ20 I N T1 1 Club25%,DMG 1D6+db P O W1 4 DEX 22 Move10 HP 20 Armour:1 pointof fur DamageBonus:+2D6 Weapons:Bite 40%, damage1D8 Skills:Climb 40%,Spot Hidden50%,Tiack60% Gore2Oo/o. DMG 1D6+db Languages;English20% Claws50%, DMG 1D6+db Velma, Gat-Llama Hybrid Armour:3 pointsof fur Skills:Cthulhu Mythos10%,Hide60%,Jump50%, One of the more human-appearingand the more Scent70%, Sneak B0%,Spot Hidden7}o/o,Track 600/o intelligentof the island'shybrids,Velma was adopted by Languages: English30%, Spanish10% McGrathand used in the Main Houseas a maid, performing Spells:ContactCthulhu all the house hold duties such as cooking and cleaning. McGrath tried to make her wear clothes, but she always Rumble, Pig-GiraffeHybrid Lookinglike a pig with the horns and the skin textureof a found ways of destroyingthem, tearingthem to shreds.She giraffe, this hybrid was once Sarah's husband Martin. sleepsunderthe houseat nightand is fearfulof Charleston Investigatorswho have seen Martin's photographon lhe who regularlyrapes her. Investigatorswho come to Velma's MidsummerNight and who succeed in a Spot Hidden and aid create a friend, but her memory is short and she forgets ldea roll identifyhim as such.As Rumble,this hybridremem- her loyaltiesafter a few hours.She knows about the strange bers nothing of his past, except that he knows he has lost lightsin McGrath'slaboratoryseen sometimeslate at night, somethingvery importantin his life,he wishesto find it but but is terrifiedof approachingtoo closely. cannotrememberwhere he lost it. Unalignedto Hampstead, Rumblelivesalonewanderingthe island.He will be friendly STR 14 CON16 S I Z1 1 I N T1 0 to investigators who do not harm them and can take them P O W 1 5 DEX 21 MoveI HP 14 aroundto the variouslocationson the islandif they offerhim DamageBonus:+1D4 food. lf Rumbleand Sarah meet, Rumblegoes into a rage Weapons:Bite 30%,DMG 1D3 and killseveryonehe can and then runsoff intothe jungleto Claws30%,DMG 1D4+db be aloneagain.He is a tragicfigure. Armour:none STR 26 Skills:Cleaning40%,ClimbB0%,Cooking40%, CON14 slz20 r N T7 P O W1 4 DEX13 Move8 HP 17 Scent70%, Spot Hidden80%,Track70% DamageBonus:+2D6 Languages; English50% Weapons:Bite 30%, DMG 1D4 Hoofs40%, DMG 1D6+db New Creature Armour:1 pointof fur Moreau'sHybrids, Lesser Servitor Race Skills:Hide80%, Navigate50%,Sneak40%, "The next most obvious deformity was in their faces, almost Spot Hidden4oo/o,Track40o/o all of which were prognathous, malformed about the ears, Languages: English40% with large and protuberant noses, very furry or very bristly hair, and often strangely-colouredor with strangely-placed Sinbad,Rhino Hybrid eyes. None could laugh, though the Ape-man had a This rhinoceros hybrid is not one of the Hampstead's chatteringtitter.Beyondthesegeneral characterstheir heads followers,ratherthe leaderof a group of bullieslocatedon had little in common;each preserved the quality of its particthe southernend of the island.They often work for Boren to ular species:the human mark distarted but did not hide the capture the crews and passengersof passing boats. ln leopard, the ox, or the sow, or other animal or animals, from return Sinbad and his team are allowedone or two of the which the creature had been moulded. The voices. too. crew as fresh meat. varied exceedingly.The hands were always malformed; and though some surprised me by their unexpected human STR20 coN 14 SIZ18 I N T9 appearance, almost all were deficient in the number of the POW,12 D E X1 1 MoveB HP 16 digits, clumsy about the fingernails, and lacking any tactile +1DG DamageBonus: sensibility." Weapons:Hoof 50%, DMG 1D6+db - H. G. Wells, The lsland of Doctor Moreau Horn20%, DMG 1D10+db

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Createdthroughthe scienceof surgery,vivisectionand later genetic engineering, Moreau's Hybrids are a mixture of animalstransformedinto a more human form, or humans whosegenetic coding has been altered to take on bestial aftributes.Almost always a transformationfrom human to animalresults in a permanentloss of reasoningability and deterioratinglong-term memory. Most hybrids are tragic figures,walking the line of succumbingto their animal instinctsand behaving as rational, emotional creatures. Manyhybridsin their confusionhaveturned to the worshipof Cthulhuand his minions.

can create a human servitorrace. This however is not what they told Moreau and then later McGrath.Insteadthey offeredtheir researchas a means of assistinghumansto reach their potentialin new and better bodies to better equip them to survive the rigors of space traveland the colonisationof interstellarworlds.Moreausaw throughthis argumentand turned againstthem, McGrathis blindedto the truth.

Z'ak'lus This Fungi is a scientistfrom Yuggothwho is responsiblefor assisting McGrath with her experiments.Z'ak'lus visits the Moreau'shybridsare found on Noble's lsland locatedfar off island every 2 to 3 days through the gate but who will not beyond the laboratory.Z'ak'lus can bring McGrath thecoastof South America in the PacificOcean.Othersmay venture most tools and services that she requires including more havebeen transportedto other parts of the world for further weaponswithin 1D2+1days.lf the situationon Noble'slsle experimentation and study. deterioratesand can no longer be controlled by McGrath, Z'ak'luswill send up to five Mi-goto deal with the problem. Knownhybridsare almostexclusivelymammalian,mixtures They may be sent to disposeof the investigators. of one to three animals in each creation. Species used includebaboon, bull, cat, cheetah, chimpanzee,dog, elephant, fox, giraffe,gorilla,horse,lion, llama,jaguar,pig, Z'ak'lus, Mi-go Scientist coN 14 SIZ10 INT16 ram,rhinoceros,tapir, sloth, warthog, wolf and many other STR12 POW 15 DEX 16 Move 7/9 flying HP 12 crossbreeds.

DamageBonus:none

Attacks:all Moreau Hybrids can attack in some form or another.Many will have special attacks based upon the animalor animalsfrom whichthev were bred. Moreau'sHybrids, Beast People Characteristic rolls averages STR 5D6 17-18 coN 4D6 14 SIZ 3D6+3 13-14 INT 2D6 7-8 POW 3D6 10-11 DEX 3D6+6 16-17 Move:8 H P :1 5 Av.DamageBonus:+1D6 (cat hybrid)35%, DMG 1D4 Weapons:Bite Bite(cheetah,lion & jaguar hybrids)40%, DMG 1D8 Bite(dog & wolf hybrids)40%, DMG 1Do Bite(horsehybrid)30%, DMG 1D4 Claw(cat, cheetah, lion, jaguar, dog, sloth & wolf h y b r i d s4) 0 % , D M G 1 D 6 + d b Club(baboon,chimpanzee & gorillal11brids) 2SYo,DMG1D6+db Fi$(baboon,cfrimparzee& gorillahbrtls) 45%,DMG 1Dl+db Gore(bullhybrid)35%, DMG 2D6+db Gore(ram hybrid)25%, DMGID6+65 l-lod(bull, ram, pig, horse, llama, tapir & giraffe hybrid) 2 0 % ,D M G 1 D 6 + d b Horn(rhinoceroshybrid)25%, DMG 1D1O+db Tusk20% (elephantand warthoghybrid),DMG 1D8+db Armor:0-3 points of hide dependingon species Spells:none SanityLoss:0/1DGSanity pointsto see a hybrid TheFungi FromYuggoth For a long time the Mi-go, or Fungi from Yuggoth, have wished to understand humanity. Now that humans are rapidlyadvancinginto a technologicallyadapted species it seemsthat Cthulhu and the Great Old Ones shall soon returnand destroythem once and for all as a species.In the meantimethe Mi-gowant to study and use humansas much as they can, and in the case of Moreau'sisland,see if they

Skills:Chemistry90%, CthulhuMythos80%, DistinguishInfrared35%, Dodge 35%, Earth Biology90%, Electronics95%, FungiBiology95%, Listen50%, Medicine95%. HumanLanguages:English50% Attacks:Nippers30%, DMG 1DO+ grapple Armour: none, but the extra-terrenebody cause all impaling weaponsto do minimumpossibledamage. Spells: Contact Mi-go, Create Gate, Shrivelling, Summon/BindDimensionalShambler. SanityLoss:0/1D6Sanitypointsto see a Mi-go.

Mi-goArmaments MistProjector Shapedlikea chaoticarrangement of metaltubes,a mist projectorexpelsa coneof icy mist in the form of a dense cloudof thickwhitefog3m (10ft)across.lt is intenselycold doing 1D10 pointsof damageper round of exposure. Victimswearingartic clothingor thickwarm winterwear can reducethe damageby 3 points.The mist can be sustained,normallyprojectedover a target until it kills them.Becausethe mistis muchslowerthan a bullet,it is possibleto usethe Dodgeskillto avoidthis attack. With a successfulldea roll an investigatorcan work out how to use this weapon.lt has a base chanceof 25o/o. Eachweaponhas20 shotswith eachshot lastingan entire combatround. Bio-Armour greenslimeare oftenworn Thesewebsof semi-luminous by mi-gowho bearsarms.The harnessprovidesI points of armouragainstbluntattacks,flame,cold and the like, butnot againstimpalingweapons.


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Five Armed Mi-go #1 #2 #4 #3 #5 sTR 16 12 13 10 15 coN 13 17 11 09 11 14 slz 12 10 08 12 12 INT 16 13 15 10 POW 15 10 09 12 11 DEX 19 21 10 14 15 HP 13 14 10 12 12 +1D4 +1D4 Dmg +1Move:7/9 flying Weapons:Nipper35%, DMG 1D6+db+grapple Mist Projector55o/o, DMG 1D10 Armour:bio-armourprotectsagainstordinarydamagefor 8 points but does not protectagainstimpales.All impalesdo minimumpossibledamageto these extra-terrene entities. Spells: Mi-go of POW 15 or higher know at least the followingspells:DreadCurseof Azathothand Shrivelling. Skills:DistinguishInfrared35%, Dodge35%, Listen50% SanityLoss:0/1D6 pointsfor seeinga Mi-go.

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Runningthe Scenario The Return of Doctor Moreau is presentednot so much as an investigativestorylinebut rather a detaileddescriptionof everyhumanon the island.He mighteven lead an attackon an enclosed environmentin which the investigatorsfind the Compound. themselves.What, how and why they do what they do on Moreauis the biggestenigmaon the island.Eventhoughhe Noble'slsle is left open.Beforethe investigatorsarrivea form is an artificialcreationof the Mi-go,he has retainedenough of equilibriumhas settledover the inhabitants.lnvestigators of his humanityto know that he needs to right his many wrongs. Moreau is the best opportunity the investigators beingthe peoplethat they are will likelychangeall this. have to revert back to their human forms, but his assistance Boren is sly and uncommunicative and unconcernedabout will comeat a price,and that is to kill McGrathand Borenand the bigger picture. He may be the first inhabitantthe to destroyany possibilityof future experimentation.He also investigatorsmeet when he and his hordesof hybridsraid an wishes to end his own life, so there should be plenty of investigator'sboat to capture everyone. Normally Boren negotiationbetweenMoreauand the investigatorsbeforean pretendsto be adrift at sea in his outboard motor boat, his alliancemay be formed. hybridsled by Sinbadhidingundertarpaulinsuntilthey pull Lastly,there are the Fungi from Yuggoth who desperately alongside passingboats.Then they attackin swarms.Some wish to maintaincontrolon the island.They will not reveal deathsare requiredto pay off his Sinbadand his gang.The themselvesstraightaway,but when they do it will be to act rest are taken to McGrathfor experimentation,incarcerated swiftly, destroying perpetrators who bring chaos and immediatelyin the cells. destruction to their carefullv orchestrated scientific lf investigatorsarrive on the island of their own accord, experiment. McGrath will at first treat visiting investigatorscordially At the end of the adventure,investigatorswho began the askingfor news of the world and perhapsexplaina bit about transformationinto a hybrid yet manage to return to their the hybrids,but will soon drug and incarcerateher visitorsas human form are rewarded1D10 Sanity points.Additional the next round of experimental subjects. Perhaps the 1D2 points are rewarded for each of Boren, McGrath, investigatorsarrive unconscious,almost drowned on their Hampstead and Moreau if they are killed or othenvise ship and are alreadydruggedwith Formulae-18, or it is feed permanentlydisposedof. Helping Moreau bring about his to them in their meals.Until such time as they do take the own death provides 1D3 more points of Sanity while drug, McGrathknows it is in her interestto treat investigators destroyingthe laboratoriesand any possibilityof continuing with respectand appear as their ally. the experimentation rewardsanother1D3 points.The Mi-go Sarah at first will be cold and distant to the investigators are the other factor, if they are killed and the gateway to knowingthat their fate is sealed and they are doomed.Only Yuggothis permanentlydeactivatedaward an additional1D6 if they can win her trust and display strength and success Sanitypoints. against Boren and McGrath will she join with them. She Before the scenario comes to an end, an all out conflict is knowsof Moreauand may aid investigatorsto searchout the to be let loose on Noble'slsle. Can investigatorsstay about mysteriousabode of this man. alivethroughit all and retaintheirhumanityat the otherside? Amongst the Hybrids, Hampstead is likely to be the Only the keeperand the playerscan answerthat question. investigatorsswornfoe or untrustworthyally.He knowsof the likelihood of guns being present in the wreck ol The Good luck and enjoy! MidsummerNight and so may'mark'the investigatorsas his own property if they cooperatein obtainingthese weapons for him.With guns, Hampsteadwill becomebraveenoughto


INsideOUt Bu LirMasoo A storgseedlor Cth.'lh,' Notn'& Delta Greeo At the case conference,Dr. Justin Lloyd said, "ln my experiencepatientswho smear excreta always do so after havingcommittedan act of violence."He then sat back with a self-satisfiedsmile and closed his hands across his stomach.

balls of his feet, he tuckedhis chin tight in to his chest and concentrated.He was directinghis whole attention,his whole focus inwards,down deep in to his intestine,in to his bowel where They were.

Onthe ward,Simeonhuddledin his room. He was not aware of the world around him. He had not committedany acts of violenceand was probablynot capableof doing so. In fact he probably could not have said that he was on a psychiatricward or what time of day it was. He was so focusedon the task that he had to achievethat he did not evensense the room temperature,his thirst or hunger,He leanedin to the corner of the room and wedged his head in to the right angle betweenthe walls. Then, squattingon the

"l have to and you must help" he whispered, "they have summonedhim, the one from the stars and planted his seeds insideme."The temporarysanityseemedto fade from him, "he will grow and his is mightyand terrible."At the last moment Charge Nurse Mitchell'sfrustrationover took her and she did a very foolishthing;she let go of Simeonand as he sank to the floor, she walked out of the room.

Simeon's friend had told him that there were magic Sue Mitchell, the nurse responsiblefor the patient in mushroomsgrowingon the hill,so Simeonhad beenthereat question,also sat back from the table.She had her eyes half dawn to look. He had pickedone or two and was about to go closedand to the others around the table her smile was home when he suddenlyfound himselfin the middle of a enigmatic, Charge Nurse Mitchellwas very tired of Lloydand group of monks or suchlike. He had seen no sign of them prior to their appearence,they had completely,silently hisunjustifiedself-satisfaction. surroundedhim. They had half whisperedhis name, their The patient was called Simeon. He was a boy of about voicesmalign,sinister. Simeonknew instinctively that their nineteen. He had been found naked and mumblingto intentionstowardshim were evil, but he had no will to run or himselfon the top of nearby Beacon Hill. Dr. Lloyd had told to fight. Instead he watched the twist and sweep of the his colleaguesthat the boy was delusional,possibly monk's yellow robes as they walked round and round him, probablya manic depressiveand definitely listeningto the monotonousinsidiouswhispering.He began schizophenric, proneto obsessive-complusive tendencies.C.N. Mitchell to slip in to a state beyond dreamingwhere consciousand believedthat Simeon had witnessed a traumaticevent and unconsciousdistinctionshorriblyblurred. wassufferingfrom post traumaticstress. She was probably right. Dr. Lloyd was, unfortunatley,not a particularlygood Now he had but one task. The seeds within him must be psychiatrist. purged. His sole purpose to extinguishthe seeds of life growinginsidehim.His headtuckeddown and his eyeswide Althoughhe was an intelligentman, Lloydwas the productof open, he staredat his body tryingto see throughhis skin to his era. During training,his mentorshad been old school the centre of his being. He searchedwithin his mind and psychiatristswho still had a firm belief in Freud. Dr. Lloyd squeezedwith his musclesto expelthe seeds.At all costshe himselfcould see the powerfulattractionof Freud'stheories; had to push them out, but his will power was not enough. however, he trainedduringBritain'sThatcheryears,when all Reachingup with his fingersand then his hand, he grasped of societywas in a culturalturn that made Freud'stheories and grabbed. insupportable. Being torn between his mentors and the culturehe was livingin, had been incrediblyhardfor him and Sue Mitchell returned wearily from the case conference, the schism was to shape the whole of his latter life. To his resignedto her colleague'sincompetence. The young nurscolleagueshe was a source of fustration;he could never ing assistant assigned to observe her patient was decideon a diagnosisfor his patients,he couldneverchoose shakingoutsidethe patient'sbedroomdoor. whetherto be a clinicianor a manager.Worse still, he As Simeon'shand,then wrist and then arm disappearedup seemedto use Martyrs Cross to hide from reality. his own rectum,the nursingassistant's face grew paler."He's Simeon'snurse raisedthe issuethat has been botheringall doingit again,"he stammeredto Sue Mitchelland then vomofthe stafffor some time, "Simeonis smearingfaecesfour or ited. fivetimes a day. lf he continueslike this he is going to damDoing something that had never been done before in the agehis bowel." historyof MartyrsCrossHospital,C.N.Mitchellunlockedthe Lloydtutted, "Violence,"he said forcefullyand continuing bedroomdoor and walkeddecisivelyup to Simeon.Taking equallyforcefully,"stop the violence and you will stop the him in her arms,she rockedhim back and forth and begged smearingJ'With the last word he closed one fist over the him "pleasedon't do this, please."The force of her action other and then fearing he may be called upon again to somehow registeredwith the boy and he looked at her, his got up and abruptlyleft the case conference. contribute, eyeswide with suddenlucidity.

The young nursing assistant had recovered himself and


+9

Crossed l ines j'Til

By Keary Birch (or how to add depth and fun to any long-running game) A scenarioseed

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raised his eyebrow.Sue Mitchellansweredhis question, "there's nothing that can be done" she said, making no attempt to disguise her feelings. "He's just anothercrazy.Go find Dr.Lloyd,tell him he was rightand ask if the boy can be medicated."She sat down heavilyon the chair outsidethe bedroomand was surprisedto feel tears stinging the backs of her eyes. "l need a change of job" she muttered to herself, "and I need to rememberthat I am a psychiatric nurse and these are my patients." In a matterof minutesLloydappearedwith a syringeand a vial of chlorpromazine. He drew up 300m9 and passedthe chartto C.N.Mitchell to countersign.They enteredthe room. Simeon didn't registertheir presenceand he did not fight them off as they injectedhim. Lloydstartedto observethe effects of the drug and within forty five minutes they were able to lay Simeon on to his bed. He had a peacefuland benevolentsmilespreadingacrosshis face.

The charactershave just got back to the hotel that is currentlytheir home. No-one knows that they are stayingthere, or so they think. They settle down in one of their rooms when all of a sudden the phone rings. Surprisedthat they are gettinga call, one of them picksit up, expectingthe desk clerkto ask them some inanequestionabout checking-out. Take the playerout of the room away from the other players. Try to get them out of earshot of the others and then speakingin a low voice,explainthat there appearsto be a very cracklyline,and in the distance can just be made out a femalevoice" Quietly(make sure your voice is faint) the voice says "/"pause"
In his office Lloyd picked up the telephoneand said "lt's done."Therewas a briefsilenceand then the linewentdead. Returningthe handset,Dr.JustinLloydsat back in his chair, The linegoes dead. crossedhis handsover his stomacheand closedhis eves. Questions and Possibilities 1. Charge Nurse Mitchell may discoversomethingabout Simeonor Dr. Lloydand call in help to get to the root of the mystery. 2. Dr. Lloyd is not all he seems to be and may come to the attentionof the investigators throughexternalagencies. 3. Simeonescapesand a man hunt pursues. 4. What happenedto Simeon'sfriendwho told hirnaboutthe magicmushrooms? 5. Just what is insideSimeonif anythingat all?

Takethe playerback to the othersand don't answer any questions. Possibilities 1)The sharacterhas amnesiaand does not remember an importantpart of their life. 2) The Mi-Go have capturethe wife/girlfriendof the characterand placedtheirbrainin a brain-case.They have just discovereda way of communicatingbut have been discoveredby the Mi-Go. But why don't the charactersremember?

6. lf Simeon is successfulin expellingthe seeds {probably 3)TheYithianshavetradedplaceswith the futurewife causinghis death)what happensto the seeds?Will the cult of the character. She has retained some of their try again?And on who? timetravelcapabilities.This is a messagefrom the 7. How many other patientsat MartyrsCross Hospitalhave there been, over the years, suffering from similiar conditions? 8. Just who does Dr. Llovdcall?

50

future but can the characterswork this out. 4) An escaped lunatic has been following the charactersand has formed an obsessionabout one of them.

www.starrywisdom.co. uk L

The Cryptosraphyof Cthulhu By XOQ QKXYNGC.SUUXK (RikKershaw-Moore) Codes,ciphersand other hiddenwritingscan attractcertain Callof Cthulhuplayersand turn others right off.There is no doubtthat many Keeperswould love to have their cultists usingcodesand ciphersto keeptheir actionssecret,except of coursefor the problemof how the investigators are going to decodethe notesthey find.

as simpleas possible.For scenariosor campaignsthat run on beyonda singlesession,more complexcipherscan be employed.

TranspositionCiphers In a transpositioncipher,the letters of the message are simply rearrangedto make an anagram.Whilst this isn't a Beforegoing on, a coupleof simpledefinitionsare probably very secure means of encryptingshort messages,longer appropriate.A code is a method by which the messageis messagestend to be stronger. obscuredby replacingeach letter or word of the message withanotherletteror word, usuallytakenfrom a code-book Bear in mind that if the messageis rearrangedin a totally of some kind. A cipher is a meansof hidinga messageby randommannerit would be impossibleto decode so some replacingeach letter of the originalmessagewith another simple and repeatablemeans of scramblingthe message letter.The means of lockingand unlockingsuch ciphersis needs to be devised,and both partiesmade aware of this done via the use of a key. This article will concentrate method. mostlyon the use of ciphers. Noneof the basic charactersheets from Call of Cthulhu5.x makesany mentionof code breakingskills and it is only whenwe get to Pagan Publishingand Delta Green with it's Cryptography Skillthat anythingapproaching this kindof skill appears.So what is a Keeperto do? Well there are a few optionsopen:

There are a coupleof basictransposition techniqueswhich can be usedto hide a message.One methodis to scramble the messageby breakingthe lettersdown into letterpairsor digraphsand then swappingalternativedigraphs. For examplethe message: WE SUMMONHASTURAT MIDNIGHTTONIGHT

l.Write all notesin plaintext,this is probablythe simplest ls first splitintothe letterpairs: and easiestsolution all round. lf you favourthis solution simplystop readingnow and go and do somethingmoreuse- WE SU MM ON HA ST UR AT MI DN IG HT TO NI GH TX fulinstead. The trailingX is added to bring the last letter pair up to 2. Write all the notes in a languagethat is foreignto the strength.The letterpairs are then scrambledin this way to investigators, such as French, German, Latin and Aklo. give: Chancesare that one investigator will at leastbe ableto read MM ON WE SU UR AT HA ST IG HT MI DN GH TX TO NI oneof these languages.Perfectionist Keepersmay wish to producehandouts written in these languageswhich will This messageisn't terriblyhard to decode and should not requireat least some knowledge of the languages in give the averageplayerany significanttrouble. question.For the internet enabled amongst us, there is alwaysBabelFish (http://uk.altavista.comipos/babelf ish/trns) Anothermethodis to use the 'rail-fence'schemewhere the which can help to translate between a wide variety of messageis writtenwith alternativeletterson separateupper languages, but currentlyneitherLatinnor Aklo is supported. and lower lines.The sequencesare then fitted together,so the top rowwill becomethe frontpartof the messageand the 3,Graba copyof DeltaGreenand use the Cryptography Skill lowerrow makingup the last lineof the message. or alternatively try this method.An initialEDU x 5 roll or less on a D100 is requiredto identifywhat type of type of cipher For example,using a simplefence transpositioncipher,the was used to encode the message.lf the roll fails then the message: cipherremainsunknown.lf a criticalfailure is rolled,thenthe WE SUMMONHASTURAT MIDNIGHTTONIGHT cipher has been misidentified. With the cipher successfully identified,the Investigator must rolltheir INT or Wouldbe fencedas: lesson a D100 to successfullydecode the message.The WSMOHSUAMDIHTNGT timeit takes to decipherthe cipher can be determinedby EUMNATRTINGTOIH countingthe numberof lines in the messageand times by give 1D4 to a total in hours. For example,a message To givethe codedmessage: containing 3 lineswouldtake 3 x 1D4 hoursto crack. WSMOHSUAMDIHTNGT EUMNATRTINGTOIH 4. Use one of the followingciphersto producelhe codes required. The ciphershaveall been selectedso that they can D e c i p h e r i n gt h e m e s s a g e i s s i m p l y a m a t t e r o f be used by investigatorsfrom Victorian right through to r e v e r s i n gt h e p r o c e s s .T h i n g s c o u l d b e m a d e m o r e moderntimes. When consideringthese ciphers Keepers c o m p l i c a t e db y a d d i n g e x t r a f e n c e r a i l s .B u t o n t h e p a r t i c u l a r l ys e c u r e a n d s h o u l d needto bear in mind that if the playersare to crackthem in h o l e t h i s c i p h e r i s n ' t orove an easv taroet. a realtime gamingsituationthen it is bestto keepthe cipher Substitution'Ciphers


t-

5l

Substitution Ciphers Breakdown into: Substitutionciphersare some of the oldestin the world.In a Letter substitutioncipher the plain text letter is substitutedfor a R=T ciphertext letter.One recommendedmethodis to pair letters K=H of the alphabetat randomand then substituteeach letterin L=l the original message with its correspondingpair. For Y =M example,if we havethe followingletterpairs: Z=N Plaintext A B C D E F G H lJ KLM B=A Ciphertext U M T F I S O Y K D G E Z O=G Plaintext NO P O R S T UVWXYZ P=O Ciphertext L V N A H B R P W C J Q X U=S V=U Swappingthe plaintext lettersin the message: C=D F=E WE SUMMONHASTURAT MIDNIGHTTONIGHT H=R l=W Wouldgive the encipheredmessage:

Gount 5 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1

So a frequencyanalysisattackwhichblindlyreplacesthe top 9 most frequently used letters with ETAONRISH would Anothermethodis knownas the CaesarShiftCipher.ln this produce meaninglessrubbish. Therefore Keepers are cipher,the lettersare not chosen randomly,but are a shifted encouragedto use the same cipherfor messagesused by a alphabetby a set numberof lettersto either the left or right. cultistgroupso that the playerscan buildup a largeenough In the followingtable,the cipheralphabethas beenshiftedby statisticalsampleto analyse. 6 characters.so that it A = G. Routes Plaintext A B C D E F G H I J K L M Routes are a code system,which was createdduring the Ciphertext G H I J K L M N O P O R S AmericanCivilwar.They have a very basicstructure,which Plaintext N O P O R S T U V W X Y Z is designed more for speed of creation than total secrecy. Ciphertext TUVWXYZ A BCDEF plaintext arranged The Routecombinesword transposition, in columns,enoughnullsto confuseand a pre-setpatternby Thereforethe message: which to read the columns.The main issue is that the decodingRoute needs to be transmittedwith the message. WE SUMMONHASTURAT MIDNIGHTTONIGHT CI BPZZVLYUBRPHUR ZKFLKOYRRVLKOYR

For examplethe followingmessagehas been created:

Would be encipheredas:

TAPSE12 CONSTABLECHIEFROBE 42 MOON FULL FARM MEET 26 MIDNIGHT AT HIM SUMMON WE Once again both people must know the correct cipher MLqSONIC LODGE MESSENGERLOOK TO THE SUN TRAIN sequence.This might be somethingas simpleas a pieceof BOAT41 ARRIVESDOOMOF BRINGERPLESANCESTREET paper saying;forexampleA = G, or it could be a complete NOONBRINGSACRIFACE OVERLOOKGOATSWOOD copy of the cipher that the cultist has carelesslyleft lying aroundwaitingfor an investigator to find it with a successful Before a route can be started. a code word needs to be Spot Hiddenroll.Substitutionciphersare also open to what chosen.In the above examplethe code word of the Route is LAPSE.The code word tells the decoder the number of are calledfrequencyanalysisattacks. columnsin the messageand the order of those columns. Frequencyanalysisattackswork by countingthe numberof LAPSEhas 5 lettersso thereare five columnsand the order differenttypes of letters in a piece of ciphertext.The word of the columns is alphabetical.The first column is ETAONRISHis a favouritewith cryptanalystsas it is made up representedby the LetterA, the Secondby E and so on. from the most commonly used letters in the English language.The precise ordering of some of these letters However, the code word does not tell the decoder the tends to vary, but the letter E tends to top the count as the numberof words per column or the word order.The word by the numbers12,whilstthe numberof mostfrequentlyused followedby the remainingletters:T,A, orderis represented per words is the numberof charactersin the code column O, N, R, l, S, H. There are otherfrequencypattersthat can plus word 5, the number of characters in the word be analysedsuch as common letterpairs such as AN, EN, order 2, a total of 7. The column starts after the code word ER, ES, HE, lN, NT, RE and TH as well as repeatingsame the number 12. LASPE and lettergroupssuch as OO, EE or MM. CK YASSUTNGYZAX GZ SOJTOMNZZUTOMNZ

Such attacks only work when there is a large enough The word order is derived by the sequence of the two sampleto get a staticallymeaningfulresult. For examplethe numbers 1 and 2. Since the number 1 is first this indicates that the words in the first columnare printedin reverseorder, 31 lettersthat make up the encipheredmessage: whilstthe wordsin the secondcolumnare in theirrightorder, CI BPZZVLYUBRPHUR ZKFLKOYRRVLKOYR and so on. lf the message is too short then some kind of code word must also be used to tell the receiverthat the message has finished.In this case the word OVERLOOKhas been used. The messagecan thereforebe separatedinto columns:

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Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Column 5 PLESANCE CONSTABLE MASONIC TRAIN STREET CHIEF LODGE BOAT NOON ROBE MESSENGER 4 1 BRING 42 LOOK ARRIVES SACRIFICE MOON TO DOOM OVERLOOK FULL THE OF GOATSWOODFARM SUN BRINGER

become RF. 2. lf both lettersare in the same column,they are replaced by the lettersimmediatelybeneatheach other.GN would becomeNW. lf one letteris at the bottomof the column,then it is replacedby the letter at the top. WG becomesON.

3. lf the letterpair is neitherin the same row or column,then penultimateword in the Column 2 is the key word each is exchangedfor the letter found in its own row but in RLOOK,so ignoreeverythingbeyondit, includingitself. the column where the other letter appears.ThereforeTU the messagein columns1 and 2 only is: becomesRY" MEET26 MIDNIGHTAT HIM SUMMONWE PLESANCE STREETMIDNIGHTBRINGSACRIFICE stilldoesn'tmake any sense until the word order in 1 is reversed:

So applying these three rules the message can be encipheredas: yO MZ pU NL pG BN Ry AF RO KG OG HJ ll AW KH JF

Playfairis a fairly strong cipher,given the resourcesof the 1890sand 1920s,but is consideredweak in moderntimes. It is open to attack by looking for the most frequently routes use simple words and phrases they are fairly occurringdigraphsin the cipher text. These digraphscan to crack, but the red herrings they contain can lead then be comparedwith the most commondigraphsfound in to come up with an answers which may send a the Englishlanguage. spinningoff in a totallydifferentdirection. Realistically,it may take an averageplayer days to crack a Playerencipheredmessage,so this is anothercasewhere a cultist beingcarelesswith eitherthe key word or a complete Playfair cipher was one of the more impressive grid will pay off. Playfair of the 19thCentury.The eminentscientistCharles

WESUMMONHIM AT MIDNIGHT26 MEETPLESANCE STREETMIDNIGHTBRINGSACRIFACE

designedthe cipherfor his friend(and Speaker the House of Commons) Baron Lyon Playfair of Andrewsand was first unveiledat a dinner party for Prince in 1854.

ADFGX Cipher Col. Fritz Nebel createdthis cipher for the German army duringWorldWar One primarilyfor transmissionvia radioor telegram.ThelettersA, D, F,G, and X were chosenbecause ciphermade practicalsensefor use in wartime,sinceit the Morse code for these letters is very distinct and the jumblingthe encipheredmessageslim. extremely easy to use, requiresno complexchartsor chanceof and the key word can be quickly changed if The cipher uses a 5 x 5 grid mntaining 25 alphabetical red. lettersscatteredat rardomlythoroughthe griJ.The missingletterin cipherconsistsof a group of lettersplacedin a 5 x 5 grid is the letter Y becausethe Germm alphabethas no Y. For grid lookslikethis: lettersI and J count as 1). The key word, containingno example,an ADFGX

letters,is writtenhorizontally fromleftto right.The spacesbeingfilledby the restof the alphabet. For , the keyword in this case is LOVECRAFT,and the grid looks like: LOVEC RAFTB DGHIIJK MNPOS UWXYZ

ADFGX ANHFPK DGAIWE FOORBL GMJDXZ XTSVUC In the first step, the plain text letters of the message are substitutedfor pairsof lettersthat are createdby readingfirst from the side and then the top, so W would become DG.

encipher the cultists'message:

The plaintext phrase:

WESUMMONHASTURAT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT

WE SUMMONHASTURAT MIDNIGHTTONIGHT

messageis first split it into digraphs.lf a doubleletter Becomes: is found then the letterX is used to split them. For DG DX XD XG GA GA FA AD XD XA XG FF DD XA GA , MM would be splitto form MX M: DF GF AA DF DA AD XA XA FA AA DF DA AD XA SU MX MO NH AS TU RA TM ID NI GH TT ON IG HT y the letterpairs could be in the same column,the T h e l e t t e r p a i r s a r e f u r t h e r e n c i p h e r e d b y row or totally separate. Enciphering follows three p l a c i n g t h e l e t t e r s i n h o r i z o n t a l r o w s a c r o s s rules: a pre-set number of columns, say 15. Once all letters have been placed the numbers 1 .lf bothlettersare in the same row,they are replacedby the t o 1 5 a r e a d d e d i n a r a n d o m o r d e r a b o v e to their immediateright.For exampleAT would become t h e s e letters. These numbers are the lf one of the lettersis at the end of the row, it is replaced t r a n s p o s i t i o n k e y : the letter at the beginning of the row, thus BA would


53

DGDXXDXGGAGAFAA D XDX A X G F DFGFAADFDAADXAX A FA A A D F D

F A

D

D

A

X

D

X

A

G

A

Aquainfances andAbodes

A

Finally the message is written as groups of letters read in numericalcolumnorder: XXFA GXFF XA.AAGFFD XGDF GFDA DDGA AGA GDAD ADAA AAX DDDA FAXA DXAD AXDX

TheTenernert by Andytsennison

The biggestweaknessof this cipher is that requiresboth the senderand receiverhavingthe same ADFGXand numerical The tenement provides a base for the impoverished grid to encipherand deciphermessages. investigator.The tenement is designed to be a base for a group of characterswho were students at the Miskatonic The Solitaire Gipher Finallyone other worthy of mentionis the SolitaireCipher University.Details and occupants should be introduced createdby BruceSchneierand used by Neal Stephensonin gradually.Some of the residents may provide useful his book Cryptonomicon.The Solitairecipher uses a pack of information,leads or contacts. cards as the key.For more detailson the SolitairecipherconIn the worst part of town,the tenementstandsjust behindthe sult either a copy of Cryptonomiconor visit Bruce Schneier's railwayline on the edge of a run down industrialarea. lt's in Website:http:/iwww.counterpane.com. a particularlypoor state of repair, no thanks to Zeke the janitor.The landlord,Zeke'sUncleHabbakuk,is neverseen. with his UncleHabbakuklivesout of townand communicates Notes and Sources nephew by letter and the occasionalabruptlyshort phone call. Singh, S. Ihe Code Book, FourthEstate,London,1999 Ground Floor The receptionsets the tone for the rest of the building.lt's Stephenson,N. Cryptonomicon, shabby and in need of a lick of paint. The carpets are Arrow Books,London2000 threadbareand the lightingdim.There is a pervadingair of and stalecigarettesmoke.The only saving age, dilapidation Wrixon, F. B. Codes, Ciphersand Secret grace is that the rooms are relativelycheap. Languages, There is an old sofa againstone wall, the frequentresting HarrapBooks,London,1989 placefor the tenement'smost long standingoccupant,Mrs Horowitz.There is a noticeboard that hasn'tbeen updatedin years; displayingservicetimes for the local chapel,faded postcardsfor now bankruptbusinessesand out of date fire regulations. There is a poorly typed set of "House Rules" l which includes"No children,No Pets and No visitorsafter 10.00pm". I

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Thereis a smallhatch,usuallyopen,throughwhich you can see Zeke's disorganised office. A tatty "Please Ring for Attention"sign is peelingfrom the wall above an antique buzzer that doesn't work. The office itself is cramped and squalid.lt's amazingthat Zeke finds anythingin there.There are stacks of old newspapersand comics that go back over ten years.Zeke'sroom is evenworse. The laundryroom hasn'tbeen used properlyfor years.Only the sign on the door gives a clue to it's originaluse. Zeke uses it to store cleaningequipment,bits of junk and an old bicycle.Mrs Horowitz'sginger cat Jesse can often be found snoozingon some old sacksin the corner.

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The lift is in a poor state of repairand regularlybreaksdown. Most tenantsdon't botherto use it. (;

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The generatorroom is kept locked.Zeke is very protectiveof the clappedout piece of engineeringthat chugs, belches, groans and generally keeps everyone awake all night. Occasionally,it managesto keep the water on the right side of lukewarm.

Zeke, the janitor Zeke seems to spend his days sat in the office readingpulp magazineslike OrientalTales,Spicy-AdventureStories,The


and ThrillingMystery. Skipper He doesn't Heis tall, ungainlyand somewhatovenryeight. careabout his physicalappearance.His hair is an untidy mopand his chin usuallysports a few days growth.Zeke seemsto wear the same worn out and stainedpair of always His speech is ponderous.The caretakeralways Cungarees. seems to pause in mid sentenceas he tries to find the right word.Despite his appearance,Zeke is quite clever and greatoffenceif patronised.His revengehoweverwill be takes calculated and well planned.lts no coincidencethat Nicky Angel's flat is more prone to cockroachesthat anyoneelse's crthatold man Rasmussen'splumbingis alwaysbreaking Jown. Hedoteson old Mrs Horowitzand often deserts his post to runher errandsor make her a fresh pot of coffee. lhecaretakeris an opinionatedracist.He isn'timpressedby thenumberof what he calls 'dirtyforeigners'whoturn up at MrWarren's door.He can't understandit. MrWarrenis such aniceman. He's alwayscheerfuland polite.He also keeps stockedwith magazines,so he can't be all bad. Zeke

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WC Zeke'sRuom Generator Room IT ilffice

Io Zekethe tenementis a palace.He is very proud to be for Uncle Habbakukand to have sole responsibility rvorking forsucha wonderfulbuilding.

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Laundry

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FirstFloor 1A- SamMaddocks,a dockworker,his wife Sophieand their noisynewbornbaby live in cramped conditions.They will soonhave to leave the tenement,but Zeke is lettingthem stayuntilthey can find somewhereelse to stay. 18- Mr Ho is an immigrantelderlyChineseman. He speaks litile Englishand works as a washer-upper " " ""rruvili-i 1C- Wolf and Alfred Kahler are two middle-agedbrothers whoworkin a nearbycanningfactory.

iLift

of perceptionand the humanpsyche'His his radicaltheories accentis a hybridof American,Germanand Russianwith a hint of the Balticthrownin. When he speakshe often drops in German phrases and words without realising. He 'doctor of the mind' and will happily describeshimselfas a discusssuchtopicsas philosophyand psychologywith great authority.He is also a learnedoccultist.In his rooms he has a selectlibraryof occultbooks includinga batteredand badly Kulten damagedoriginalGermancopyof Unasuprechlichen that he was discoveredin an ancientmansionoverlooking the Rhineback in 1897.He is reluctantto.showthis book to anyone because of the dangers inherent in perilous knowledge....that's what he tellseveryoneanyway.

1D- Mrs Horowitzwalks with the aid of two sticks.She mostof her time in her room.On a good day she will spends hobbledown to the reception and sit chatting to Zeke, repeating the same conversations from one day to the next. Shelovesto reminisceabout how she emigratedfrom her Germanyas a youngwoman and of how she met and native lellinlovewith her longdead husband.She shouldbe in hospital,but she is much too stubborn.She has no family,but Zekelooksafterher as besthe can.Sometimesshe criesout 'Doctor' Mellingerhas neverleft America.His schoolingwas inthenight. limitedand his knowledgeof the occultis minimal.He'sjust SecondFloor a lonelyold manwho likesto dreamthat he is someoneelse. 2A- Mr Warrenis a small time businessman.He uses his lt's got to the stage now were he actuallybelieveshis own roomtwo or three nightsper week. His businesscard says fantasies.He does have a small library- most of the books 'lmporter'. He regularlychats to Zeke in order to find out are in German and Russian.Only a handfuldeal with the businessand to checkthat the authoritieshaven't occult.The only book of any worth is a copy of Darnley's everyone's beenpokingtheir noses in. Kulten is Maygar Folklore.His copy of Unasuprechlichen

sanchez isinherearry twenties. She,yg,k:,": 28-Monica 3"i:,1y#ffii::?::??'iH",iffiil ffi["ir*?"i??f:ii anusherette. Her boyfriendis in prison.She is a 'friend'of

a CthulhuMythosRatingof 1%.He is awareof a few mythos namesand placesand will drop them into the conversation he's ZC- Dr Mellingerhas lived in the tenementfor some twelve in orderto impresspeoplewith his knowledge.Basically, quite first impressions can be deceptive. harmless, but and rakethin, he is sprighilydespite fears.BeardeJ,OatOing years' He was a lecturerat the B.3rlinllstituje eighty-five 2D - Harry Moiloyis surrytwenty-threeyear otd rabourerwho [is h!,.h'd.?n disagreementwith tle u3v^]sity often has rowdyfriends visit untitthe earty hours. Fnlil .unspecified He then chose to emigrateto America to teach huthorities.

NickyAngel'

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Third Floor 34 - The Hadenfamily,a middleaged coupleand their son, live in particularlysqualid conditions.They just seem to spendall day arguingand listeningto a very loud radio.

---'i

Yard

38 - Nicky Angel is a small time hood. He fences stolen goods and organisesillegalgamblingrackets.He works for one of the smallercity gangs.He has an innocentcherubic faceand a gentlevoice.He also has a flickknife,a shorttemper and several very nasty friends. His some-time girlfriend,LorraineKramer,occasionally staysoverin his flat. The five-inchscar on her right arm wasn't caused by an accident.Nicky is also friendlywith MonicaSanchez.Nicky likes to talk big, throw his weight around and impressthe ladies.

RoomC

3C - Availablefor rent.The previousoccupantdied in the room a fortnightago.Some of his belongingshave not been removed.

Bathroom &WC

3D - Carl Schnabelis a thirtyyearold widowedtaxi driver.He works nightsand tends to get annoyedif there is too much noiseduringthe day.

RoomD

Fourth Floor 44 - MickeyBrook and Marion Heyserare a young eloped couple,pretendingto be married.Marionworks at the hotel in the kitchens with Mr Ho fromlB. He works as a deliveryman. 48 - An elderly couple,Mr and Mrs Logan constantlyrow. The police have been called to their flat on several occasions,but no chargeshaveever been brought. 3C - Don Gruberworks in a slaughterhouse. His wife, Eva, cleans officesand serves in the all night diner.They have Using the Tenement severe debt problemsand have borrowedheavilyfrom local The criminalactivitiesof NickyAngeland Mr Warrenprovide loan sharks. plenty of scope for subplotsand mini adventures.Should Warren discoverthat the playershave found any interesting 4D Ed Rassmussenis a retiredfailed businessman.He relics, then he will do his best to relievethem of their gains. often has drunkenbingesand aggressiveepisodes. Similarly,Nicky Angel will be interestedin anyone who suddenly comes into money. Hannah Felton has the Fifth Floor 5A - The roof leaks quite badly,makingthe room unusable. potential to become a useful NPC with links with the Togetherwith DoctorMellingerand Jim Garrison Zeke has tried to fix it, but has now given up. lts now full of university. clutter,brokenfurnitureand old boxes.In a cornerare some she couldbe a linkintofull scaleCthulhumythosadventures. suitcasesthat belongedto a previoustenantwho left without Some Questions paying. 58 - Hannah Felton is an impoverishedsemnd-year student of archaeology.Her parentsdo not approveof her decisionto study. Theywantedto marryher off to a dentist,so she left homeand hasn't spoken to them since. Hannah has to supportherself.She works part time in an all nightdelitwo blocks auay.Hannahusedto livein 2C, butthe noiseftom her neighbour provedtoo much for her.At night her rusty\paruriter can be heard datering amayand echoingabouttte upperfloor. 'Smiling' 5C Jim Ganison works as an attendantin the mortuaryat the local hospital.A i:vial and mild mannercdman he takes great pleasurein tendingto the departed.He'svery matterof hct abouthisjob and speaksof he deadwitr revercnceand respect. Cheerfuland friendly,Jim wouldhelpout any investigators with informationaboutthe hospitalor ifs staff.Houeler, he will not breakthe lar or breachany mnfidentiality. 5D - Arailaile for rent

56

1.What liesin the suitcasesin 5A and why did the occupants leave? 2. Who are Mr Warren'sassociates? 3. Who livedin 3C and how did they meet their death? 4. Just who is UncleHabbakuk?Does he reallyexist? Theseare all possiblemini scenariosopen for development. Followingis a table of other,more ordinaryoccurrenceswithin the tenement. Random Occurrences RollaD20 1) A large unmarkedcrate arrivesfor Mr Warren.Mr Warren is currentlyout of town. 2) NickyAngel gets a visit from rival mobsters. 3) Mrs Horowitzcollapses.


Oneof the tenantsis evictedby Zeke for non-payment. gets drunk and aggressive.He picksa fight Rasmuusen one of the playercharacters. Mr Ho is mugged. A large family want to move into the tenement. Zeke them accommodation and a fight ensues. Theelectricsshortout and the entireblockis plungedinto ESS.

Twobogus"healthinspectors"arrive. MarionHeyser'sfather tracks her down. 1) An occultist who has heard of his fabulous book visitsDoctorMellinger. LorraineKramerand MonicaSanchezaccidentallv meet NickyAngel'sflat. Loansharksvisitthe Grubers. ) A cards school in Room 2D gets out of control.A brawl out. A mysteriousstrangerarrivesand startsaskingawkward of Zeke. (lt's a customs official on the trail of Mr Mr and Mrs Loganrow with HannahFeltonand complain the noise of her typewriter.

7)Mobsters try to extortprotection moneyfromZeke. Some of Nicky'scronies beat up MickeyBrook.(They y suspecthim of snitchingon them to the police.) The lift breaksdown,trappingsome of the residents. A pairof evangelistspay visitthe blockand try to convert residents. in the tenementis neverouiet.Thereis alwavsnoiseand . Residentschangeat regularintervals.OnlyZeke,Mrs , Doctor Mellingerand air of dilapidationare con-

t. Enjoyyourstay.

cwAogturf tt\rTtftuK

CTHULHU YoUT00CAt\r Local supportfor conventionand tournamentorganisers, includingpromotionalmaterialfor prizes is availablefrom Alan Gloverat [email protected]. uk and ChaoisumUK Liaison,PO Box 459, CambridgeCBI 9QB. Pleaseincludean indicationof the size of the eventand detailsof which Chaoisumgame/swill be run.


s7

ITEMS OF MI.JTT]AL INTEREST NamelessCults - The CthulhuMythosFiction of Robert E. Howard Editedby RobertM. Price PublishedDecember2001 by Chaosium 353pp Softback$15.95 tsBN 1-56882-130-1 Much of Robert E. Howard'swritings typify the best and worst of pulp fiction. His stories are often fast paced action packed adventures. Unfortunately,they often include two dimensionalheroestogetherwith sexistand racistsupporting characters.NamelessCultsactuallycomes with it's own healthwarning:"The storieshereinare completeand unexpurgated.Some contain racist stereotypesand references. Readerscan judge them for themselves."Bob Priceis perfectlyrightto pointthis out. Some of these storiesare - and lets not mince words - racist.lt can be argued that these descriptionsand charactersare "of their time" - writtenfor the masses seventyyears ago. However,if you considerthe currentresurgenceof the xenophobicpoliciesof the far right acrossEuropeand beyond,the attitudesexpressedin some of these tales is no differentfrom the views of some sections of modern day society.

BitesBack". This neatlybringsup backto my initialquestion- shouldthis book have been published?This answerhas to be a "yes." Chaosiumare assemblingwhat is turningout to be the most comprehensive rangeof CthulhuMythosfictioneverattempted. You cannot have that withoutacknowledging the contributionor importanceof RobertE. Howard. As Bob Pricerightlysays- readerscanjudgefor themselves. Reviewedby Andy Bennison

St lves Ghost Walk St lves,Cornwall,Mondayand Tuesdayevenings Adultsf3 Childrenf2

Everbeentemptedto go on a ghostwalk?They can be found in many Britishcities and towns that rely on tourism.They tend to be organised by impoverished university studentsor amateurdramaticssocieties.You can usuallyrely on a cheap and cheesy night out being guidedaround the I don't want to turn this review into an essay about free streetson an unfamiliartown accompaniedby a couple of speech versus politicalcorrectness,but it is an issue we theatricaltypesdressedin top hats who tell you a mixtureof allegedlytrue and mostlyfabricatedtalesof scurrilousdeeds shouldnot ignore. and ghostlyencounters.For the kiddies,you may get people But what of the stories themselves?Nameless Cults is dressedup in sheetscreepingaboutin the distanceor for the somethingof a mixed bag, containinga broad range of adults,a selectionof trulyawfulpuns.Usually,the walk ends Howard'sfiction - sword and sorcery,horror,weird menace, up at a decentpub. adventure,posthumouscollaborationsand ends with the completeround-robinstory "The Challengefrom Beyond". lnterested Call of Cthulhu Keepers can usually pick up a The tales include his direct contributionsto the Cthulhu coupleof ideas for scenariosand encounters- particularly mythos, those whose ideas were incorporatedinto the for Cthulhu by Gaslight. mythosby otherwritersand somethat show the influenceof The St lves Ghost Walk is a little different.There are no Arthur Machen.Comparedto Baen's1987 Release"Cthulhu gimmicksor "leapers"who jump out at people and shout and other kindredhorrors",whichcoverssimilarground,this "Boo!"or anythingsilly likethat. collectionprovidesa wider mix of tales.The only relevant piecefrom the Baen book not presentin NamelessCults is The tourtakesyou around'ordinary'streetsand eventuallyto a singleverse poem entitled"Arkham". the cliffs overlookingon the beaches.There are tales of houses where no one will live, the ghosts of shipwreck You only need to compare "Worms of the Earth" or "The survivors- there's even the local branch of Woolworths is ShadowKingdom"to the bulk of the rest of the talesto see supposed to be haunted.All the stories are based on where Howard'sstrengthslie as a writer.Togetherwith "The researchcarriedout by lan (the guide)and his friends. BlackStone"they stand head and shouldersabovethe rest. The much-praised"Skull-Face"is dull, over-longand repeti- lan also runs ghost walks in Penzance and visits to tive. lt perfectlyillustratesHoward'slimitationsas a writer of PengersickCastle - reputedlythe most haunted place in detectivefiction.I would have preferredto see more posthu- Britain.Start times and further informationcan be found in mouscollaborations instead,particularlyRichardL. Tierney's Cornishtourist informationcentersor on website address "Templeof Abomination." www.ghosthunting.org. uk NamelessCultsdoes not show Howardat his consistentbest The tour was supposedto last just over an hour - after two - you get glimpses,but you have to balanceclassicslike hourslan was stillgoingstrong.He was more than happyto "Wormsof the Earth"with the racisttrite of "The BlackBear talk with peopleas we walkedfrom one point to the next.He

58


stayed on and chatted with four of us for another of an hour after evervone else had left and to talk some of the other stories that he didn't have time for. lancertainlyknows his subject- there was an enthusiasm told you he wasn'tjust doing the tour to make a little m0ney.

Bottled in Blonde.There is a serious treatment of current socialissues;childabuse,poverty,cults,prostitution and surprisingly enough considering Bottled in Blonde, alcoholism- and that's just in two stories! In his afterword Cave statesthat he regardedthese tales as some of his best work and you can see why.Officer Coffeyisn't a policeman. He's an AttendanceOfficerwho works with delinquentor in all,a pleasant- if ratherunsettlingevening.lf you live potentially delinquentyoungpeople.The storiestacklesocial Cornwallor intendto visit there on holiday,these ghost concernsthat you don'tusuallyassociatewith the pulps.The arecertainlyworth a try, especiallyif you'veneverbeen presentationis clear and functional.Appropriatelyenough, onebefore. the bookletis printedon what appearsto be recycledpaper. Caveonly wrotethree Coffeystoriesand two of them are feaby Andy Bennison tured here.The third and longest,Loose Loot gets a chapbook all of it's own, and comes frbm a different publisher,The SidecarPreservationSociety.ln Loose Loof, Officer Coffey is investigatinga spate of petty thefts by kids from libraries.This leads to something much more Bottledin Blonde dangerous.. .. Boththesebookletare producedon short print byHughB. Cave runs (250and 175copiesrespectively) and are quicklygoing Published 2000 by Fedogan and Bremer out of print,but thereare stillsome availablefrom speciSlist 241 pages $29 Hardback dealers. ISBN:1-878252-48 B lf you're lookingfor a social commentarythat reflectsthe concerns of the 1930's, then don't read Frosf. Wandrei's detective fiction output was greater than his horror and sciencefictionoutput combinedand this book collectsthe first eight tales from the pages of C/uesDetectiveSforles.

0fficer Coffey Sfones byHughB Cave Press 2000by Subterranean Published Paperback 48 pages$12 tsBN1-8292284-71-5

ProfessorL V Frost is Donald Wandrei'sserial detective;a sort of cross between Sherlock Holmes and Bruce Wayne (That'sthe Bob Kane version,not the AdamWest one.)This is true comic book action.These storieswould make great graphicnovels.The hero is an aloofdilettantescientist,more interestedin solving mysteries than taking care of his Frost physicalappearance.He drivesaround in the "Demon",his byDonaldWandrei bullet proof car and is assisted by his attractiveand lethal Published2000 by Fedogan and Bremer assistantJean Moray.With a hero like this,the villainshave 306 pages$29 Hardback to be largerthan lifetoo. Frostfinds himselfpittedagainstevil ISBN:1-878252-42-9 geniusesand cold calculatingmurderers.Eventhe plotsare Withthe increasedpublicationof pulp and Cthulhufiction, out of the ordinary.Where PeterKane solvescrimesof pasinterestin pulp writer's non-genre work is also on the sion and greed in seedy bars and down town docklands, 1997 saw the releaseof the excellentThe LastPin Proffesor Frost cases involve mute dwarfs, mad scientists increase. byHowardWandreiand there has recentlybeen a trickleof and bizarreincidents. pulp fictionby familiarnamesfrom the horrorfield. detective These four books show some of the range of the genre. HughB. Cave's Bottled in Blonde presents a more typical Hopefully,we'll see another Frost volume beforetoo long. to the genre and as such is of more interestto Call Don't Senda Boy, a secondHowardWandreianthologywill approach Cthulhu Keepers who want to run characterswho are hopefullysee print in the next year.Alternatively,try looking of private eyes.The storiesare tongue in cheek and cliched- in your local branch of discountedbooks, where if you're andthat'sfor the good. PeterKane is an alcoholic.Indeed, luckyyou mightstillbe ableto pickup remainderedcopiesof hespendsmost of the storiessmashedout of his skull or 100 Crooked Little Crime Sfories. lt contains half a dozen as well as fightinga raging hangover.These stories would not be Caveshorts(writtenundervariouspseudonyms), writtentoday.They are decidedlynot politicallycorrect.The stories by August Derleth, Henry S. Whitehead and E. herodriveshis car when he is clearlyover the limit.One of Hoffman Price.There's even Peter Cannon's mythos short, the supportingcharactersis a disabled bartendercalled The Lettersof Hatpin Chalmers. "Limpy". There'seven a dumb cop calledLieutenantMoroni. lf you'venever'triedany detectivepulp fiction,give it a go. Youcan tell Cave enjoyedwritingthesetales. Youdon'tknowwhat you'remissing. Kaneseems to blunder,or more accuratelystagger,into Reviewedby Andy Bennison trouble, as typifiedin the title storywhere Kane gets lentthe keysto a liqueurstore,only to find a dead body ratherthan his favourite bottle of whiskey.They are fast paced and a naivet6that movesthe actionalong.Enjoythese contain i storiesfor what they are - pure escapism.

loose Loot byHughB Cave Published July 2001by SidecarPreservationSociety Paperback 32 pages$7

Cave'sOfficerCoffeySforiesforms an interestingcontrastto


59

The FreeportTrilogy

which now includeshumansas well as SerpentPeople.As each scenario progresses,the party will learn more, includingthat membershipof the Brotherhoodof the Yellow Sign may go very high and may be linkedto the currentSea Lord's personal project - the construction of a giant lighthouseacross from Freeport,known as Milton'sFolly. Could this be part of a plan to summon the Unspeakable One once again?

Death in Freeport Writtenby Chris Pramas Publishedby Green Ronin ISBN:0970104812

Terrorin Freeport Written by Robert J. Toth Publishedby Green Ronin ISBN:0970104820

The Freeportis far from straightCall of Cthulhu.lt being a D&D adventure,it is far moreheroicin feeland tone,than the stark desperationof classic Call of Cthulhu.This is reflected in the differencein sanityrulesbetweenthe two games,central to one, peripheralto the other.And also in the climaxof the trilogy,whichis somethingof an anticlimaxin eitherstyle of game.

Madnessin Freeport Writtenby WilliamSimoni Publishedby Green Ronin ISBN:0970104839

So of what directuse is the Freeporttrilogyto the Keeper? None as such, but the adventureshas possibilities as a set of slightlymore heroicthan the norm adventuresthat can be When is Call of Cthulhu scenarionot a Call of Cthulhu? run as part of a Dreamlandscampaign.That is, if you want to When it's a Freeportscenariofrom Green RoninPublishing. include such D&D rercesas Elves, Dmarves,Gnomes, et al, withinyour game. This trilogy of adventures (comprising Death in Freeport, Terror in Freeport, and Madness rn Freeport)is designed As it is, these are still a worthy,Lovecraftianflavouredset of under the terms of Wizards of the Coast's Open Gaming scenarios which might just add a little sparkle to a Licensefor theird20 system.Morespecifically theseare sce- Dreamlands campaign. nariosfor the new Dungeons& DragonsThird Edition,which may put some peopleoff.Yet this seriesis worth a look,not Reviewedby Mathew Pook just for its Mythoselements,but also becausethey'redecent adventuresin themselves. A set of Third Edition Dungeons & Dragons scenarios by Chris Pramas,RobertJ. Toth& WilliamSimoni.

The setting is Freeport,a pirate city in the islands in the islands known as the Serpent'sTeeth.Ruled by a pirate captain known as the Sea Lord, the city has become a powerful force rivalling many nations (the setting is purposefullydesignedto be slottedinto any D&D campaign, as neither the name nor the nature of these nations is mentioned).Millenniaago, though, these islands were a continentruled by the Serpent People Empire of Valossa. Faithfulworshippersof Yig, Fatherof Serpents,the Serpent Peoplebecame advancedin the ways of both scienceand magic.Yet they were arrogantenoughto ignorethe rise of a new faith, the Brotherhoodof the YellowSign until it was too late and the Brotherhoodsummonedtheir own dark god, a Great old One known as the UnspeakableOne. This shattered both Empire and the continent into islands, scatteringthe SerpentPeople,allowingthe rise of humanity and other races.

Shadows Bend By DavidBarbourand RichardRaleigh PublishedOctober2000 by Ace Books 311pp.Softback. Price:$13.00 ISBN:0-441-00765 Have you heard the one about HP Lovecraft and the prostitute?lt soundslike a bad joke, and guess what? lt is. All thosemonsters,gods and ancientbooks- he didn'tmake them up. They're all true! Honest. Shadows Bend joins Pulptime,Lovecraft'sBook and countlessshort stories in the sub-genrethat featureHPL as a character. The story kicks off with a worried HPL travelling to see Robert E. Howardin Texas.Howardis the only person he reallytrusts.This stretchescredulitya littleand we'reonly on chapterone. HPL had lots of friends he knew and trusted more than Howard. Many of them lived a whole lot nearer. Lovecrafthas been sent a strange idol called a 'kachina'. Lovecraft's dreams are becoming more horrific and sometimesthe doll takes on the image of Cthulhu.HPL wants Howardto accompanyhim on a journeyto visit Clark Ashton Smith, who just happens to have a copy of the Necronomicon. On the way, the boys rescue a lady of ill repute,Glory McKenna,from a gang of thugs. She joins them on their travels.From here on our protagonistsseem to wander about, not quite sure where to go (rather like the plot.)There are strangerson their trail and HPL and REH turn theirthoughtsto theircompanion.

Enterthe players,who havetravelledto Freeportlookingfor work. The first adventure,Death in Freeport,which won the 2001 Origins Award for Best RoleplayingAdventure,is designed for a small party of first level characters,with the trilogyintendedto take them throughto approximately fourth and fifth levels.They are asked by a clericof the Brotherhood of Knowledge,BrotherEgil,to lookfor Lucius,a missingcolleague.This is not the firsttime that he has gone missing,as six years previously he had undergone a personality change, asking strange questions before When he returnedfour yearslater,he was his disappearing. old self.Shadesthen, of the mind transferringtime travelof the Great Race of Yith? By this time I had failedto care aboutwhat happenedto any the characters.While there is an excellentattemptto capture The path of the investigation leads into a conspiracyinside Lovecraft'smannerof speech,it is difficultto identifywith any the Brotherhood, and pointing towards a return of the of the characters.I can't imagineLovecraftwantingto spend Serpent People and the Brotherhoodof the Yellow Sign, any time in the companyof someonelikeGloryMcKenna,let

60


alonelaughingat one of herjokesthat has the word 'anus'in thepunchline.ClarkAshtonSmithfareseven lesswell.He's merelya device:someoneto find, someoneto conveniently havea copyof a bookthat resolvesthe plotand someonefor Gloryto sleepwith. lt's as if he's includedjust so all threeof WeirdTalesmost famous contributorsappear in the same story.

also provides a wealth of previously unpublished biographicalinformationand gives an informedinsightinto Blackwood'suniquecharacter.

Much of Algernon Blackwood'sfiction was based on his actualexperiences.One of the most interestingaspectsof StarlightMan is the way in which Ashley relates incidents from Blackwood'slife directlyinto the storieshe would later ShadowsBend reachesit nadir when it turns to Lovecraft's write.He also capturesBlackwood'sfascinationwith nature sexualfantasiesand then revealsthat his fatal intestinal and how this becamethe majortheme of the writer'soutput. cancerwas caused through the machinationsof Cthulhu. Blackwood'sawe of the world around him and his at times Thisis nothingshort of bad taste.lt's fortunatethat neither childlikewonderwas mirroredin his fiction.In a sense,his HPL or REH weren't survived by any close relatives.I personalityand philosophywere his fiction.To understand wouldn'tlike to read these sort of fictional'revelations'about one is to understandthe other. my family.Shadows Bend is offensive and disrespectful.lt workor wouldliketo know doesnothingto promotethe threeauthorsand just addsfuel lf you enjoyAlgernonBlackwood's more about this undeservedly neglected writer,do yourselfa to someof the distortedlies that surfacefrom time to time on goes favour it and buy this book before out of print.I haveno the internetor in the fan press. doubt that StarlightMan will become the definitiveAlgernon ShadowsBend is subtitled"a novelof the fantasticand the Blackwoodbiography. unspeakable". The descriptionis only half right. Reviewedby Andy Bennison Reviewedby Andy Bennison

S t a rlig h t M a n , T h e E xtra o rd i n a ry L ife of Algernon Blackwood By MikeAshley Published 2001 by Constable Hardback395ppf20 lsBN 1-84119-417-4 The other year saw the fiftieth anniversaryof the death AlgernonBlackwood,but rnformationabout him is still very scarce.There is Blackwood's autobiography,Episodes beforeThirty,but preciouslittleelse.I'm fortunateenoughto own of copy of Fpisodes and the book only covers the periodof Blackwood'slifebeforehe startedwriting.As many of the subjectswere still alive when the book was written, many of the names were changed. Blackwood also deliberately did not includehis involvementwith the occult. Therehave been occasionalarticlesover the years about Blackwood,but nothingelse substantial.StarlightMan is the first majorbiographyof AlgernonBlackwood. long-awaited

CthulhuMash By DavidM Niecikowski Published2003 by The Evil PolishBrothers Randontile & monstergeneratingboardgame Boxedgame $30.00 wwwjumpgate.com Cthulhu Mash is random tile generationgame, similiarin conceptto PaganPublishing'sThe Hill RiseWild. Insidethe boxyou find 16 map segments,loadsof monster,health,and item icons (all in full colour on good card stock), not forgetting4 charactertiles with plasticstands,dice and of course,a rulebook.

Boardsegmentsare laid out as you go (so the board is not revealeduntilyou movethrougha gate to a new segment). As your character(ArticExplorer,MarinerMerchant,Private Eye or Psychotherapist) moves into a new board segment you generatemonstersin random locations.All the usual suspects are here - Cultists, Elder Things, Mi Go, Gnoph-Keh,Leng Spidersand Moon Beasts. As you travel The stereotypedpictureof an author is of someonewho aroundand despatchnumerousmythosmonsters,you also writes about life rather than experiencingit. Algernon collect items which can help you and hinder the other Blackwoodturns this stereotype inside out - traveler, players. journalist,spy, supernaturalinvestigator,member of the GoldenDawn, socialite,playwright,radio performer- it's a The nicethingabout MonsterMash is that you can play it in wonderthat he ever found time to pen any supernatural four distinctways, includingco-operative(all playerswork together),death match (you alone againstthe other players storiesat all. and the monsters),capturethe flag (team play)and solo. Mike Ashley has spent over twenty years of writing and researchto achievehis dream of completingthis biography. All in all, CthulhuMashis greatfun. Takingfrom the tradtions 'Mash (as we He'scarriedout extensiveinterviewsand has had accessto of board,role-playand computergames,the picking it) call is well worth up. Whilst it's relatively easy to manypublishedlettersand manuscripts. is fan He a devoted of AlgernonBlackwood,but there is nothing'fannish'about pick up in the USA, UK resdientsmightwant to pestertheir this book. lt is a serious,detailed,objectiveand thorough local game store in order to get copies in. The game appreciation of Blackwood'slife and work.This is backedup certainlydeservesa wider audience. with copious notes and an excellent,althoughshortened, bibliography. There is an infectiouseagernessin the writing Reviewedbv Mike Mason to tell Blackwood'sstory and encouragethe readerto track downhis manv novelsand short storv collections. The book


6l

Si lent C h i l d r e n

Arkham'sMastersof Horror

By RamseyCampbell Hardback352pp Publish.ed 2000 by Forge$24.95 tsBN 0-312-87056-6 Softback375pp PublishedNov 2001 bv Tor $6.99 rsBN 0-812-56872-9

Editedby PeterRuber Published2000 by ArkhamHouse 444pp.Hardback.Price:$32.95 lsBN 0-87054-177-3

The contents of Arkham's Masters of Horror reads like a Weird Tales Who's Who. lt collects rare and unpublished work from 22 Arkham House authors.With one exception, LeslieAmes is comingto terms with her recentdivorceand none of the tales have previouslyappearedwithin Arkham the problemsshe is havingwith her teenageson, lan. lt's a House covers. This editorial decision leads to some fairlytypicalreal lifesituation,butwhen the buriedremainsof unexpectedchoices. a murderedchild are found under her house. a crime of which both Leslie and lan are totallv innocent, it has Robert E. Howard'sValleyof the Lost is a horror tale with a western setting. Donald Wandrei's contribution is in the nightmariihramifications thriller/mysteryvein, while the underatedCarl Jacobi'sDyak Familyrelationships are a key themein Campbell'sfiction.At Reward is a gruesome Borneo adventure.HP Lovecraft is the centre of the novel is a comparison of relationships represented by unpublished excerpts from his between lan and Jack and their respectiveparents.The correspondencewith August Derleth.(One letter even critinovelis aboutthe two families- how they communicate, what cisesone of the storiesfeaturedfurtheron in the book!)This they hide and how they feel about each other. The selection criteria means that the stronger stories tend to familiesalmost become charactersin their own right.As the come from those authors with only one or two Arkham novel progresses,the emphasisof the narrativemovesfrom volumesto their credit.This is only to be expected,as the one characterto the next with no singleone dominatingthe editorhad moreto choosefrom.(ClarkAshtonSmith'sstory story.This is one of the strengthsof SilentChildren. amountsto onlytwo pages.)PeterRuberbreakshis ruleonly once, with a reprintof Ray Bradbury'sThe SmallAssassrn. The supporting characters are similarly carefully crafted. This perfectlyillustratesthe point, as the story stands out RamseyCampbellonceagainshowshis skillforcatchingthe between "second choice" tales. Some of the tales do not pomposityof people who think they are important,be they representthe authors at their best, but a simple "Best of' journalists,neighbours,customersor teachers.Campbell anthologywould have defeatedthe point of the book. The must have had an awful time at school.Characterslike Mr preservationof rare pulp horror was the reason for Arkham Brandand Mr Cardiganonly appearin a coupleof chapters, House'sfoundingback in 1939. but they are so well observedits easy to think that they are aroundfor much longer.His snapshotof care in the commu- There are no Cthulhu mythos stories, but what's more nity is also sadly accurate.I've worked in care homes in the disappointingis an absenceof weird verse.There are many past,and I've come acrossplacesjust like Haven. poems by the likes of Howard or Frank Belknap Long that would havefitted into this book.Betterstill, I would have liked SifentChifdrendeals with contemporaryissues.ln The One incfusionof the DuaneRimel/HPLcollaboration The Dreams Safe Place, Campbellexaminedthe portrayaland effectsof of Yith. violence.In this book he sensitivelyhandlesthe topicof child killers.lt would be interestingto read Campbell'sviews of Peter Ruber introduceshis anthologywith a robust essay how recent real-world cases have been covered by the that firmly puts August Derleth'scriticsin their place.This media;particularlythe naming and shamingcampaignand book is as much about Derlethas Arkham House.In many the incident where one woman was harassed by ways August Derleth was Arkham House. Each tale is neighbours who didn't know the difference between a prefaced by a short biographyof the featured author. lt is paedophileand a paediatrician. here that the book truly comes into it's own and stands it apart from other horror collections.lt celebratesthe authors Like lhe One SafePlace,Silent Childrenis veryfast paced. themselves - their lives and sometimes their failed The final thirdof the booktakingplaceovera singleday.The aspirations.The most tantalisingsection covers the fraught speed of the narrativeadds a senseof urgencyand is made writing relationshipof August Derleth and Mark Schorer, all the more frustratingbecauseCampbellknowsjust when whereRuber'sfinalparagraphreads;" The quotationsI have to heighten the tension by switchinglocations.He also used about Schorerhave been severelytruncated.They are provesthat when it comes to horror,less is more.Seemingly but the tip of more devastatingrevelationswhich are best laid innocentstatementsor actionscan be more disturbingthan to rest in the Derleth archives- and forgotten." And that's 'gore. gratuitous Hector Woolie's attempts to cheer up where Ruber leavesit. Charlotteare truly grotesqueand unsettling. August Derleth was never a stranger to controversy,and At the end of SilentChildrenthereis a feelingof lifegoingon, thirtyyearsafter his death,he's stillat it! Arkham'sMasters of victims of crime trying to come to terms with their of Horror is a fitting tribute to his memory. Without his experiences - life goes on. You wont find real horror in loyalty and perseverance,many of the featured authors gothic castles. lt doesn't have fangs, tentacles or suckers. would not have had their work preservedand HP Lovecraft Real horroris the emotionaland physicalviolencethat one could well have been just anotherforgottenpulp writer. persondoes to anotherfor no reason.When it comes to real horror,RamseyCampbellis the governor. Reviewedby Andy Bennison Reviewedby Andy Bennison

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www.starrywisdom.co. uk .-\

Acknoutedgernslcs& Thanks The Whipserer,lssue5, Autumn2003,was broughtto you by the SevernValleyPress. The Whispererand SevernValleyPressare 02003 Mike Mason. and artworkare @2003their respectiveauthors& artists. All contents,includingillustrations Correspondence LeicsLE13 6TF. The Whisperer,c/o 7 WoodlandsClose,Wymeswold,Loughborugh, com Email; whisperer.starrywisdom@ntlworld. uk Web:www.starrywisdom.co. Legalese Call of Cthulhuis the registeredtrademarkof ChaosiumInc. ChaosiumInc.is the registerdtrademarkof ChaoisumInc. DeltaGreenis the registeredtrademarkof the DeltaGreenPartnership. Dedication This issue is respectfullydedicatedto ShaunApplebywho passedawayon 4th July 2002.Shaun'ssupportof articlesand artworkwill be greatlymissed. The Whispererthroughhis inspiriational is a smallerplacefor his loss. The worldof role-playing SpecialThanks Goes to KearyBirch,Andy Bennison,DaveAllsop,AndrewDouse,Rik Kershaw-Moore, Charlie,Fergieand Dustinat Chaosiumand John Tynes(forwordsof wisdom). Writer Credits Rik Kershaw-Moore, All articlesare @2003their respectiveauthors:AndyBennison,Jeoff Moeller,Adam Crossingham, David Perry,KearyBirch,DavidConyers,Liz Mason,MatthewPook,Mike Mason Artist Credits Douse,pages8, 9, 10, 13, 15 & 30 O2003MikeMason, Allsop, pages5,21 & 54 @2003Andrew Frontcover@2003Dave D Collins, Joyner,pages18 & 19 @2003James pages 16, 17, 22, 25,33,43, 48 & 57O2003Tim Donovan,back coverO2002Shiva. page 50 @2002Toren Atkinson,page 57 @2003Ward

t t{exTIE6AeeHgTIme6 Contributionssoughtfor an end Timgsthsmgdissug. Whathappenswhpnths6tartsflrs RiSht? - Jung2004 9gadlingfor submissions

ftlAt\tTgD tsRAtilts Articles,scenarios,reviewsand artwork submissionswelcomed.Plaintext,MS Word,jpeg and tiff formatspreferred.Free copy of TheWhispererfor submissionsprinted. .t;-(-

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