Palladium Fantasy Role Playing 1e - Evil Campaign

***Mature themes***

I played PF 1e back in the day but never GM'd it. We game regularly now, and I wanted to have a pickup game ready in case one or two players were not able to attend the session and thought now would be a good time to try Palladium out. I encouraged everyone to make evil characters and see how it goes. 

With the ability to parry and having classes like the Diabolist, for me, Palladium Fantasy has a bit more of a Conan feel to it than D&D, so I wanted to have the themes and plots be reminiscent of that kind of story.

Because there may only be two or three players sitting at the table in our sessions, stats are pretty high, as I wanted the characters to be tough.

Fleshfeast

Troll, Lev: 1, Mercenary Fighter, Aberrant 

PS:23, PP: 16, PE: 21, PB:5

Origin Land: Baalor Wastelands, Cannibal

HtH: Mercenary, Battle Axe, Pole Arms, Short swords, Lg. Shields, (giant size weapons)

Unknown artist who did the drawing and inking.

Tigris Verso

Wolfen, Lev: 1, Warlock (Fire/ Earth), Aberrant 

IQ: 18, ME: 20, PS: 16, PE: 18

Origin Land: Great Norther Wilderness, Cannibal

HtH: Non-Men of Arms, Battle Axe, Sml. Shield, (giant size weapons)

Xanathos

Changeling, Lev: 1, Diabolist, Anarchist

IQ: 22, ME: 22, MA: 20

Origin Land: Western Empire

Personal Hostility: Wolfen

  HtH: Non-Men of Arms, Blunt: Hercules Club

Frazetta

                                                             Drax the Death Dealer

                                      Orc, Lev: 1, Agent (Priest) of Darkness, Aberrant 

                                                          God: Modeus, Lord of Hades 

                                                           MA:16, PS:18, PP: 17, PE:17

                                     Land Origin: The Great Northern Wilderness, Cannibal

                                      HtH: Soldier, Battle Axe, L.g. Shields, Horsemanship

     

Frazetta

******************************

The only session we've played so far starred Fleshfeast and Drax. 

Our game takes place where the Northern Wilderness meets the Eastern Territory, with the Bruu-Ga-Belimar mountains being just south. I'm using Adventures in the Northern Wilderness and "Further" Adventures in the Northern Wilderness as guides. 

                                                              ***************************

We begin with Drax and Fleshfeast arriving in Golmira, a town full of beggars and pickpockets. It's not a pretty sight here, with all the poverty and filthy streets. Many inhabitants were displaced from the never ending border wars between humans and wolfen. Also, towns that refused to assimilate into the Wolfen Empire were left in ruins, sending the population fleeing for their lives.

Drax and Fleshfeast make their way to the Medusa's Head tavern. As tough as this tavern is, everyone averts their gaze when they see an 11.5 foot tall troll walking in. The players each grab a drink and rent two rooms; one in the back and one space in the stables.

After retiring, each PC is attacked by a mix of goblins, orcs and humans. The rogues quickly learn that it's a mistake to mess with a sleeping troll and are soon killed. Then, the PCs (player characters) hear a woman scream outside and move to investigate. In a nearby alleyway, a young, red-haired woman is being attacked by human thugs. Try as she does to fight back, she is no match for them. Drax and Fleshfeast arrive and make quick work of the villains, leaving one alive for questioning. 

With some "proper motivation," the remaining thug discloses that he works for a man named Ramek. His job is to rob and kidnap visitors, bringing them to Ramek's base. Ramek either sells these captives into slavery or sells the meat to the starving population. The thug says Ramek has a Grimbor called Grong who guards him. These are the last words the thug utters.

They learn the woman, Zabrina, was kicked out of her home by her lover, who she believes was drugged and not in his right mind. She says Toto Ramek is responsible and wants her for himself and will do anything to have her. She has money hidden and will pay to have Ramek killed. She has been to Ramek's home estate and tells the players the location. 

Zabrina 

Wanting to introduce themselves to Ramek, Drax and Fleshfeast make their way to his base in the city's center, which has a wooden border wall around it. When they arrive, Drax charms his way into the base proper using a Charismatic Aura spell. The two then kill anyone who cross their path as they stealth their way in. 

                                                          Play accompanying music while reading 

With axes bloodied, Drax and Fleshfeast manage to get inside Toto Ramek's fort and make their way down a hallway. Standing in front of the double doors is the Grimbor, Grong and beside him, chained to the wall and laying unconscious, is a human female. 

Grong

With weapon drawn, Grong  can see these are invaders and shouts the only word in his vocabulary:  Kill!

The Grimbor slashes with its massive, sharpened bone weapon, causing a deep gash into the troll's chest but, Fleshfeast strikes back and hacks its arm off while Drax chops into its back, severing its spine.

The two then kick open the double doors and see Toto Ramek behind a wood desk in a large, dimly lit room. Ramek is alone but is calling for guards. Drax casts Cloud of Smoke outside the doors exit making it difficult for the guards to find their way in.

Toto Ramek: Infidels! I've killed all manner of men, women and children! Now, I will kill you for daring to enter my home . You've earned my wrath!

Drax:  Drax the Death Dealer is sending you to hell, DOG!

Ramek is tough, getting two attacks per round. He cuts deeply into both players and they are near death but Fleshfeast, towering above Ramek, lift his massive axe and brings it down hard, cutting through Ramek's armour and into his shoulder. Then Drax, with his soldier training and orc strength, savagely swings his axe, driving it deep into Ramek's neck and cutting his jugular. Blood sprays out across the room as Ramek flails around, eyes wide in disbelief at what just happened, then falls to the floor in a bloody heap.

The guards finally make it through the smoke, but take one look around and run off.

The two root through the place and grab a chest containing gold and potions and then set the dwelling ablaze. 

Afterwards, they meet Zabrina, who is true to her word. But, more payment is demanded of her! Out of desperation, Zabrina brings forth a ring and begs for that to be enough. Drax and Fleshfeast take the ring and Zabrina leaves quickly.

The game ends with Drax and Fleshfeast a bit richer as they head further south towards the Bruu-Ga-Belimar mountains.

Dungeons & Dragons 5e! Characters

 

We've already played a few games and are having a lot of fun with it. As different as it is from our usual AD&D, I'm happy to be playing the current version of the game and giving it a try. This page will be updated as our characters gain experience.

The characters:

Graylon Winterwind 

 Human, Paladin of Devotion, Lawful Good

Str: 14, Con: 17, Cha: 19

Weapons: Long Sword, Javelins

Background: Position of privilege (dispossessed).

Believes everyone is equal regardless of birth. Smooth talker.

Believes he deserves respect because of his lineage, but all people deserve to be treated with dignity.

He loves someone in another noble family, but the family hates him.

Flaw: Tends to behave in a manner the nobility find shameful.

All black and white character portraits are drawn by Chris

Sabrathan 

Aasimar (protector), Abjuration Wizard, Chaotic Good 

Int: 17, Wis: 15, Con:15 

Abilities: Darkvision, Celestial Radiance, Healing Hands, Light Bearer

Weapons: Quarter Staff 

Background: Shelter of the faithful

He seeks Omens in everything and finds common ground with everyone (good, evil, etc). 

Faith- He trusts his deity to guide his actions.

He would die to retrieve a powerful relic for his faith.

Flaw: Has blind trust in people professing to be of his faith.

Kaalut Kuzulhu

 Variant Human Warlock, Chaotic Evil

Dex: 16, Wiz: 16, Cha: 19

Patron: The Fathomless, Cthulhu 

Feat: Telepathic

Weapons: Whip (DM approved. No simple missile weap. prof. )

Background: Sage, Researcher: Astronomy

Reads everything in world's greatest libraries. He connects everything to a grand cosmic plan.

Power. Knowledge is a path to power and domination.

His life's work is a series of tomes related to eldritch lore

Flaw: Unlocking an ancient mystery is worth the price of a civilization.

I know what you're thinking. How the heck are two good characters going to team with a CE, Cthulhu worshiping, humanoid sacrificing Warlock?

Here's the back story:

Kuzulhu was apprehended by the authorities before he could complete a ritual sacrifice. He was going to be sentenced to hard labour, but the Order (see below) recognized Kaalut's impressive understanding of Eldritch lore, and therefore had his initial sentence commuted into supervised work in the Order's research division.

For the past year, under the careful watch of Sabrathan the two have worked together doing research for the Order. Kuzulhu, being no fool, decided this was better than the alternative, so he's been behaving - when supervised - which is most of the time. Also, being given access to such an extensive library was hardly a punishment.

All this ended when complaints grew about Elditch cult activity around the city of Neverwinter and Sabrathan was made head of a temporary team to investigate. The team comprises of Kaalut Kuzulhu and a hired mercenary named Graylon Winterwind, tasked with keeping Sabrathan safe and Kaalut under control.

The Order 

The Order is a quasi-religious organization responsible for the protection of civilized regions of Toril from magical and monstrous threats. The group functions through a series of branches located in different parts of the world, each led by a commanding officer and two division heads. 

Oversight of the Order is provided by a council of high-level clerics from major good-aligned churches. This council only meets 4 times a year, however, leaving specific management of general operations to individual branch commanders. 

The headquarters of the largest branch of the Order is found on an island off the Sword Coast (near the city of Neverwinter) and is under the command of Sir Godric Hightower, an influential and wealthy warrior priest. 

There are two major divisions within the Order: research and martial.  

The research division studies and identifies dangerous magical beings and occurrences, as well as devises means of neutralizing them. They are also highly interested in the acquisition and safekeeping of powerful magical artifacts. Notably, the Order possesses one of the largest known collections of magical objects, distributed across a network of highly guarded vaults.  

The martial division of the Order is comprised of small teams of adventurers that directly deal with threats and acquire objects of interest. Each team is led by a ranking officer within the Order, while other members may be lower ranking Order soldiers or mercenaries. 

Icons: Issue #7 - The Midnight Men... Wanted!

Midnight Men #7
Pencil and ink by Chris

This issue starts with the Midnight Men sitting around Dr. Midnight's base of operations, eating KFC and washing it back with jugs of Mountain Dew. With face and piggies covered in grease, Dr. M is monitoring the area for activity and listens in on radio station WSKC where there's a program on "The Cleansing." It's a religious organization run by Dr. Bob Halyer, a recognized preacher who, the anchor states, emerged several decades ago in the south-western states' as a local phenomenon, pushing for a moral reconstruction of society with a Biblical basis for determining "truth". Gaining momentum, this movement has moved gradually north and east. His crusade has been about ensuring that super-powered individuals do not reappear anywhere in the world.

Dr. Bob Hayler

The anchor introduces Dr. Halyer and advises some audience members may find his points and arguments disturbing:

“My fellow Americans. The last twenty-eight years have seen the rebirth of a humanity declared by God, overseen by God, and blessed by God over the United States, and the world. Since the monster called Omega invaded and killed so many of our super-powered heretics, freeing the world of their corruption, we have lived in blessed unity.

But now, in Stark City, the evil has returned and they have taken the name 'The Midnight Men', and indeed ,their activities appear to be rooted in darkness. Their appearance has allowed and encouraged determined criminals, with similar abilities, to feel that they now have the right to use their powers to commit sins against God's people and take whatever they want, whenever they want it. We are witnessing a rising of the wicked! Their nature is disturbing; it is rumoured that one member, who is not a man but a monster , consumes the raw flesh of his victims. Another is aligned with Godless forces and summons up demonic spirits in order to subject his victims to unholy powers. Yet another dallies with technology and inventions that serve only his own gratification and desire for power in this world, rather than to serve God. One more is a disgraced member of law enforcement, and who now uses his skills and motivations to degrade the very profession he once stood for. 

I encourage you all to come to my rally tomorrow night in Stark City, where we will praise God and shine His cleansing light on those that blaspheme His name. Thank you, good night, and I hope to see everyone tomorrow at our rally. God bless you all.”

With a chicken leg in his hand and a face full of grease, Masked Justice looks at everyone and says "That doesn't sound good."

                                                  **************************************

The next morning, parents are at schools holding up signs reading : CHILDREN NEED NORMAL! and LOCKUP THE SUPERHEROES!

Each of the Midnight Men's Qualities are engaged, causing Trouble: Black Bolt (Q: Man or Monster?) is feared by the public and hunted by the police. Dr. M and GateKeeper (Q: Obsessive and Know the Unknowable, respectively) are too preoccupied doing research on Dr. Halyer and The Cleansing, to do damage control on public relations and Masked Justice (Q: Justice will be Served) questions his own vigilante methods.

At the rally, Dr. Halyer introduces his group of "Purifiers" to enact God's will and eliminate the Midnight Men. His natural charisma and words have a hypnotic quality that soon wins over the cheering crowd.

Purifier

Just then, the Midnight Men show up to the rally. But before they can introduce themselves to Dr. Halyer, his Purifiers ATTACK!

One Purifier flies at Masked Justice who takes off, initiating a high-speed chase. They speed towards a building and at the last second Masked Justice veers upward while the Purifier crashes through the concrete wall. The Purifier soon emerges, his powered armour cracked and smoking, but he is rammed by a sonic speeding Masked Justice, hammering him earthward and burying him deep into the ground.

The police see Black Bolt and immediately open fire while the crowd cheers "Kill the Monster!" Black Bolt staggers back from the onslaught of the entire police squad's gun fire, but does not fight back because the police are misguided in their actions, not evil, and Black Bolt's Quality: Sworn to Protect prevents him from hurting them. This goes on for two pages, which makes x2 Trouble for Black Bolt giving him 2 Determination points. 

GateKeeper puts up his magical shield just in time to block a Purifier's energy blast. GateKeeper then weaves a dark incantation and the Purifier's mind is flooded with nightmare  images pulled from the darkest corners of his mind. He screams then falls unconscious, his psyche unable to cope with the torrent of horror unleashed upon it.

Dr. Midnight squares off against two of the Purifiers. They move in on him but he flips over top and slaps power absorbers on their backs, draining their battery-powered suits. A few judo chops to the jaw and solar plexus with his power gloves and the Purifiers are french- kissing concrete. 

His Purifiers defeated, Dr. Bob Halyer jumps in his Cadillac and floors it to get away, but it's difficult for him to to see where he's going with the area blanketed in smoke and dust from the battle that transpired. As he blindly speeds away, his car heads straight for a massive, deformed giant that crackles and sparks with electric energy. Suddenly, there's a huge impact to the car's hood as two mammoth fists smash down, causing it to somersault through the air and land on its roof with a crash. Desperate with fear, Dr. Bob tries to open his door but it's stuck from the impact. Then, through the smoke he sees a dark, hulking figure walking towards him. It gets closer and closer with each beat of Bob's panic stricken heart. 

Black Bolt: I'm coming for you, Bob.

Dr. Hayler cries: No! No! Please...

Black Bolt: the Monster is coming to get you. To eat your flesh.

Suddenly, the car door is ripped off its hinges and Bob is pulled from the car and lifted up, bringing him face to face with the golems hideous visage. He screams in terror at the horrific sight.

Black Bolt: Remember this, Bob - The Monster wants to kill you, but the man is letting you live.

Black Bolt throws Dr. Halyer to the ground where he curls up into a ball, shaking and traumatized, then Black Bolt leaps away.

Dr. Midnight removes one of the Purifiers' helmets for further examination when the crowd turns on him, Gatekeeper and Masked Justice, calling for their arrest and even deaths, then erecting makeshift gallows. Realizing they are facing a crazed mob, GateKeeper creates a portal and they teleport away. 

The Midnight Men are now public enemy #1 and wanted for arrest by the Stark City P.D.  Placed all around the city and published on social media are wanted posters with headshots of the Midnight Men and underneath is marked "Extremely Dangerous."

Icons: Issue #6 - The Midnight Men... Invasion!

Pencil and ink

 by Chris.

We don't have a lot of info recorded for this issue. The Midnight Men went into outer space and force fed many five knuckle sandwiches in Zero-G. 

I'll add to this post if we can find the notes and game outline.

Who's Who (Icons) - Black Bolt!

 Black Bolt

 of the Midnight Men
Pencil and ink by Chris

 

Alien RPG

I picked this up and I'm really looking forward to playing it. A nice alternative to Call of Cthulhu in terms of a horror RPG. The way it's written, edited and presented makes it very easy to comprehend. It isn't overburdened by fluff writing with rules buried somewhere in superfluous text. The dark artwork evokes the deathly stillness and emptiness of space. It's a very grim look at humanities future so there are many avenues for conflict besides just chest-busting aliens and face-hugging horrors. 

To save money in the year 2183, one-hundred year old ships are still in use and even the newer ships can be outfitted with retro technology, like monitors, providing a rationale as to why the Nostromo appears so dated. Greed and corruption drive corporations, while humans and their needs are secondary considerations in these conglomerates' megalomanical pursuit of wealth, power and galactic territory.

Paranoia abounds as some players can be agents for these megacorps, and who are ready to sacrifice the entire crew for profit or the discovery of a new weapon. 

Characters here don't have Divine Strike and Eldritch Blast to save them. In Alien RPG, the heroes are mere truckers and grunts with perhaps nothing but a bit of human compassion (or androids with altruistic programming) to separate them from sociopathic CEOs and remorseless creatures spawned in the freezing depths of infinite space.

Long term survival for players is not expected and that makes for exciting play and an interesting game. 

Even though the lite rules are redundant, the Starter Set looks like a worthwhile buy. I'd get it for the scenario: "Chariots of the Gods", the big map, game markers, cards and dice. The other published adventures look good and I hope to pick them up as well.

We have a few other games going right now, so it may be a bit before we actually get to play Alien RPG, but it looks great. Really well done with no agendas derailing the theme. I've traded in or sold off some newer games I've bought in the past few years, but Alien RPG is a keeper.

Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign? Part I

The next scenario was taken, again, from the Chaosium publication, The Great Old Ones. It's titled "Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?

It is an awesome adventure. If you're looking for something to run for your group, I very much recommend it. Unlike the previous "Still Waters," I really didn't change anything -  it's great as written.

Once again, this is a summation of our game. Many details have been left out for the sake of brevity.

We left our players as they were traveling down to New Orleans in the hopes of trying to figure out why this mysterious yellow symbol they found in a spell book is being displayed on banners at the Mardi Gras celebration.

Soon after arriving in New Orleans our players discover, through a contact, that a reporter, Peter Gavvin, was found dead on the university grounds and clutching a piece of paper with the Yellow Sign on it. 

Yellow Sign

His death is deemed a suicide by the police, believing he jumped from the top of one of the buildings, but the players speak with a professor at the university who believes he landed too far away from the structure for it to be possible.

The city editor is an old army buddy of Gunner's and they are given the dead reporter's notes to go through. Apparently, he was writing about how some of the festival organizers were into the occult and were financed by the rich and influential in the city.

Two names that stand out are Denis Bouchard and Randall Fowler. Bouchard is a wealthy playboy, gambler, collector of antiquities and race car driver. Fowler is also wealthy, due to his family making money off the backs of indentured servants. Fowler lost his wife and child recently and after that he became obsessed with the occult, which is when he met a voodoo priest called Papa Screech.

The players go to Bouchard's favourite restaurant for dinner in the hopes of meeting him and they do. After introducing themselves, Bouchard is impressed with Hillary's name and wealth, so he invites Hillary and the others to the Masquerade Ball on Mardi Gras Day at Randall Fowler's home. Bouchard isn't very helpful in unraveling any clues regarding the reporter's death but by the end of the conversation, he and Hillary agree to a car race at the track the next day.

Denis Bouchard

After dinner, James and Dockery go to an old book store and with the store owner's help, find a copy of The King in Yellow. It has the slightly luminous Yellow Sign on the front cover which beckons them to read its foul and debased contents. Beguiled, they take it back to the hotel and sink into the otherworldly text. Written as an allegorical play, it describes The King in Yellow as an avatar of Hastur, a great Old One. Soon after reading it, James and Dockery both have a very similar and strange, fevered dream:

The next day is a busy one for our group: they meet at the race track where Hillary (having made a nice Credit Rating roll) pulls up in a Bugatti. With the wave of the green flag,  Hillary digs deep, hits the accelerator and in the end leaves Bouchard eating his dust as he speeds across the finish line. Bouchard is none-too-pleased and says his car was having problems. He doesn’t like to lose, especially in front of people in his home town who know him.

In the afternoon, Fowler is interviewed by the players at his lavish, but sparsely staffed, mansion. He admits to having spoken with the dead reporter and shows sympathy at his passing: “Too bad about the poor fellow; these atheists are an unstable lot.”  He says the Yellow Sign was Papa Screech’s idea and seems unconcerned about it. When asked about the King in Yellow, Fowler looks nervous and avoids answering. He says Papa Screech is helping him deal with the deaths of his family. “He’s opened my eyes to a world beyond, where my loved ones are always close by.”

Randall Fowler

At night while walking back to the hotel, a group of toughs try to rob and kill the players, paying special attention to Hillary. However, always welcoming a good fight, the players give the thugs a thorough beat down, with a few managing to run away, having met their match.

The next day our players visit the festival "Krewe" that is responsible for the display of the strange symbol. The warehouse is run by mostly illiterate swamp folk and the luminous Yellow Sign is on banners throughout. It is here they finally meet Papa Screech. While polite, there is something about Screech that is unnerving: he constantly smiles and has a contemptuous air about him.  He says the Yellow Sign came to him in a vision (which prompts James and Dockery to both look at each other with wide eyes). Screech says he has a shack near Nightmare Lake, with the other swamp folk, and extends an invitation for the players to visit anytime.

Papa Screech

That night, James (thanks to a random die roll) is bitten by a poisonous snake that somehow made its way into his hotel bed. He does not die, but the players are getting the feeling they are no longer welcome in New Orleans.

The next day, our brave investigators make their way out to the swamp where Papa Screech lives. Deep in its murky depths, they find a small island and after looking around they find large stones arranged in a pattern. There are also some huts (with the inhabitants presumably at the Krewe warehouse) and in one is a magical gateway that leads to a room in Fowler's home. They go through the gate and proceed to search Fowler's residence and find a shrine dedicated to his departed loved ones, a copy of The King in Yellow and a spell book with a Call/ Dismiss Hastur ritual. They also find a journal with an entry titled "Coronation of the King." Scanning the journal, they realize Papa Screech is grooming Fowler to become the vassal of the King in Yellow. The ritual is to take place tomorrow night in the swamp.

That night at the players' hotel, James (thanks to another random die roll) is ambushed in his room and stolen away into the night. He awakens on the roof of the Krewes warehouse surrounded by a few of the swamp folk, a byakee and Papa Screech. James tries to struggle free but Screech hypnotizes him into drinking a Space Mead potion, then James is placed on the back of the byakee and flown off to Carcosa, 68 lights years away.

Night flight – Byakhee artwork – Copyright 2010 Fantasy Flight Games

It only takes a few hours for the byakee to travel through space to the hideous twilight planet called Carcosa. James is dropped in the dark and terrifying, maze-like streets of the alien city with the Lake of Hali near by. Hastur is rumoured to reside beneath its depths and James knows this, having read The King in Yellow. As James wanders he hears unnerving wails off in the distance; sees winged creatures flying in the dark clouds above and horrific splashes in the foggy lake where a glowing Yellow Sign can be seen below. James's sanity is dwindling with each passing moment as he begins to lose all hope of ever seeing the Earth again. 

Black stars begin to rise while the black moons circles throughout the skies and as night descends on strange Carcosa, Clyde Arizona James falls to his knees and starts to scream.

Here is part II and the conclusion to "Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?"

Still Waters - Call of Cthulhu

This scenario was altered from its originally written format but still contains spoilers. The following is a summation of our gaming sessions.

The first adventure in our campaign was Still Waters, taken from the Chaosium publication called The Great Old Ones for the Call of Cthulhu RPG.

Arkham, Massachusetts. Spring- 1925

Our adventurous Professor of Archaeology and Ancient History - Arizona James - is approached by the aged Dr. Brodsky of Miskatonic U., and asked if he is interested in retrieving the Vishakhapatnam fragments, described as brass plates of unspeakable lore from Vajrayana and Buddhist origins. These ancient tablets are possessed by a Victor Davies and his daughter, living outside of New Orleans and have agreed to the sale of the fragments.

Victor is a historian who gravitated to the occult. He lives with his daughter, Philippa, who studied the history and practice of witchcraft. Both are regarded as bibliomaniacs.

Having met Philippa in the past, Arizona agrees to take on the task and asks his friends to join him. Hillary, Dockery and “Gunner” either have family down south or are in need of extra cash, so they all accept. Hopping on board a train to New Orleans, the players then take a bumpy bus ride to the remote town of Davies Landing.

After arriving, they are greeted by the inhabitants with unfriendly stares, while dogs froth and snarl and pull on thin, strained leashes as the players pass by. Davies Landing is a small port town and the inhabitants of this inbred, backwater community don’t like strangers. The weather is unusually hot and humid making conditions here almost unbearable. There is a strong feeling of isolation as there isn't another town within 20 miles. 

Our players find a ramshackle hotel and after getting settled, rent a barely-operating vehicle from the hotel's proprietor and head out to the Davies' residence as it starts to rain.

The players arrive at their destination, a framed house of two stories. To the side of the residence are two French doors left wide open that lead inside. It looks as though they were forced open.

Inside the house it is a shambles, having been ransacked by person(s) unknown. On the floor, the butler is found mutilated with a bent shot gun at his side and the Davies are nowhere to be found. The house is silent after the gruesome assault, the only sounds being the rain on the trees outside and the distant pounding of thunder.

The next day, police are contacted and the players are questioned and told not to leave town. The players, having searched the Davies' house, found a folder with some information leading them to investigate the nearby Rosethorn Mansion. They learn the last surviving Rosethorns, two daughters, are living at the mansion and are competitors of the Davies for rare books and written antiquities. The players believe the daughters broke into the Davies', killed the butler and stole the Vishakhapatnam fragments.

Our group of impetuous investigators drive at night to the Rosethorns and near the mansion they find a car hidden in bushes off the side of the road near the riverbank. A map and shotgun shells lay on the floor of the car. The players ditch their rented car and proceed on foot. 

The Rosethorn Mansion is old with a stone foundation and in disrepair. After scouting, the players break in and quietly search the mansion. They find two large blood stains on the living room floor and a shotgun which Gunner takes. More searching reveals a hollow space behind the stone fireplace leading to descending stairs. As they proceed down the secret passage, something below starts playing what sounds like an out-of-tune piano. Going down the stone steps they reach the cellar and here they see a large basement with a fifteen foot river running underneath the house, through the middle of the floor.

Along side the river, with one leg chained each to a huge stone are the - barely conscious and bleeding - Victor and Philippa Davies. Standing near them is a six-and-a-half foot tall Thrall of Cthulhu, reciting incomprehensibly from a leather-bound book. 

Art by Loïc Muzy Art

Nearby is the source of the maddening music, another thrall playing a piano, whose performance evokes sounds seemingly from another world that only the truly mad would appreciate.

Gunner and Dockery cover their ears, too disturbed by the music to act, but Hillary and James manage to both pull their revolvers and let loose on the thralls. Hillary suffers a few lacerations but the thralls are eventually taken down in a hail of bullets.

Then suddenly, bursting forth from the river and leaping onto the cellar floor, is a four-armed deep one who stands at least 12 feet tall. Final cries of pain are heard from Victor and Philippa as the multi-armed monster rips them apart and quickly swallows their eviscerated torsos. 

Players reaction:

As the giant deep one approaches, Gunner recovers his wits and opens up with his shotgun. Dockery soon follows, firing his revolver. James then pulls out his hunting knife and leaps at the creature's back but in mid air gets his abdomen ripped open by a huge clawed hand and is left bleeding to death on the floor. 

Hillary and the others continue their assault as black blood sprays across the room from the creature's massive, bullet-ridden body. Finally, it staggers back and falls to the floor, shaking the mansions' stone foundation. Its impact sprays blood onto Dockery's face and as he wipes away the thick, black ichor, his mind desperately tries to comprehend what they've just witnessed. They all stare blankly at the two tentacle faced females and the four armed monstrosity that now lay dead on the ground before them.

After stabilizing James, the players pick up the leather bound book. It's written in English and bookmarked at a section that seems to be a Calling ritual. Scanning the book, it is full of strange incantations with bizarre words and symbols. However, one symbol in the book has little description but looks familiar: the player's recall seeing it on some Mardi Gras festival signs when they recently stopped in New Orleans.

The players ask: Why is this symbol connected to these horrific creatures and why is it being openly displayed for all to see in the streets of a heavily populated city during Mardi Gras?

Our players mail the Vishakhapatnam fragments to Dr. Brodsky; cancel whatever future commitments they have; and make their way to New Orleans to try and unravel the mystery of this strange, yellow symbol.

Call of Cthulhu Campaign - The Characters

I was running an AD&D game for almost 4 years, with the occasional Star Trek Adventures thrown in just to mix things up a bit. Then the pandemic hit. We chose to continue our gaming over zoom but I didn't want to run D&D or STA that way.

I thought about it and figured Call of Cthulhu (3E) would be a good fit: simple, rules-lite and mostly narrative play. 

The plan was to run a short campaign and I figured (or hoped) they'd end up dying horribly by a huge clawed monster or go insane and have to be locked away from society, permanently. I made a handful of pre-made characters for my players to pick from: I wanted some cohesion in why they would be working together and better skills than a new, starting character. Everyone picked their guy and were allowed to make a few changes here and there if they didn't like something I had allotted. 

So, after a bit of tweaking, here are the stars of our show (portraits and background chosen/ written by players):

Clyde Arizona James is a renowned Professor of Archaeology at Miskatonic University with a strong interest in the occult. Arizonia spends much of his time travelling abroad searching for relics from ancient cults and forgotten civilizations. He is also looking for his supervisor, Jim Idaho, who vanished while on an expedition in Central America, five years ago. Arizonia is a skilled mechanic and pilot. He loves animals (especially snakes).

Born August 29th, 1878, in Providence, Rhode Island, second of two sounds to Clive and Michelle Dockery. Became involved in writing about, and publishing, articles in local and state papers regarding civil corruptions and working class causes during high school. Graduated from Browns University, writing both journalism and fiction during and after graduation. Married Isabelle Chastain, 1903, Served as a lieutenant in WWI from 1917-18: got “Dear John” letter in Oct. 1918. Continues to write journalism and fiction from social justice causes.

Born in the United States of America (Innsmouth Massachusetts). Parents were German immigrants. Served with the American Expeditionary Forces during WWI, within the Tank Corps. Earned the nickname “Gunner,” for his natural aptitude for violence and track record for blowing s#@* up on the battlefield. Since retiring from the army, he has been taking contracts that require his special “skill set."

Born July 20th, 1885 Auckland. New Zealand Mountaineer and Antarctic explorer who was the first to reach the summit of Mount Logan (5,595 meters) and was also one of the first of four teams to explore and ascend Everest in 1924.

He never anticipated his mountain climbs or explorations to the Antarctic would claim the attention and following that would soon come. He was knighted in 1925, shortly after his expedition returned to London from Everest. From 1923-1925 he served as New Zealand’s high commissioner to India, Nepal. The Hillary family fortune enabled him to high levels of education and several homes abroad. This spawned his love for language, mountain climbing, race cars and flying. After his climb of Mt. Everest, one of his main interests was the welfare of the Himalayan peoples of Nepal, especially the Sherpas.

Edmund’s first expedition in 1902 was the first attempt to scale K2. It was led by English mountaineer Oscar Eckenstein and English occultist Aleister Crowley.

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I wanted to do something different this time for Call of Cthulhu. I wanted to have these players confront the worst horrors imaginable in the entire mythos, to come face to face with the monstrosities we only joked about meeting, and let their choices and the dice determine the outcomes. 

Death and insanity are usually inevitable in Call of Cthulhu. Going out as a hero is not.