TEXT: TOMES OF TERROR 
  A Quest For Forbidden Knowledge 
  K.E.BRENNAN 
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   2 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  CREDITS 
   
  Author 
   
  K. E. Brennan 
   
  Artist 
   
  Florian Hӓckh  
   
  Additional artwork, illustrations and effects provided, with gratitude, by: 
   
  Clint “Zero_Mostel” Warlick 
  Bashcorpo @ www.deviantart.com 
  KYghost @ www.deviantart.com 
  Orangedotgreen @ www.deviantart.com 
  StressedJenny  @ www.deviantart.com  
   
  Play tested  at High Wycombe Gaming Group - https://tomes-of-terror.obsidianportal.com/ 
   
  Tomes of Terror © 2018 K.E.Brennan 
   
  Call of Cthulhu is a Trademark of Chaosium Inc. and is used with their permission via the OBS Community Content program.  
  For more information please visit Chaosium’s website: www.chaosium.com 
  The Miskatonic Repository Logo is used under license. 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
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  TABLE OF 
  CONTENTS 
   
   
  INTRODUCTION .......................................................4 
  CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW ........................................................ 4 
  KEY CHARACTERS ................................................................ 5 
  CHAPTER OVERVIEWS ......................................................... 5 
  THE MYTHOS IN THE EARLY 21ST CENTURY .................... 6 
  PLAYING THE GAME..............................................................7 
  PLAYING THE SCENARIOS AS STAND ALONES ............... 8 
  BASEMENTS ........................................................................... 9 
  ALL THE INVESTIGATORS ARE DEAD!  ............................. 9 
  CONSEQUENCES OF READING A MYTHOS TOME ..........10 
  GAME TIME ...........................................................................10 
  CTHULHU 101 ......................................................... 12 
  OVERDUE .............................................................. 30 
  MANUSCRIPTS DON’T BURN .................................. 43 
  RARE FINDS ........................................................... 54 
  THE CALLING ......................................................... 62                                                                                 
  ENDING THE CAMPAIGN…………………………………….73 
  KEEPER AIDS & PLAYER HANDOUTS.………………….75 
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   4 
   
   
  By K.E. Brennan 
    
  INTRODUCTION 
   
  Welcome to Tomes of Terror, a campaign for Call of Cthulhu set 
  in contemporary times. This campaign is designed to last at least 
  four sessions and to provide a team of players, numbering 
  between four and eight, with maximum freedom in movement 
  and the use of modern technologies when solving a crime and 
  battling the forces of darkness. It’s a whodunnit populated with 
  a large cast of NPCs, and the players will have to navigate their 
  way past several red herrings to identify the multiple culprits 
  and stop several deadly plans from coming to fruition. The 
  campaign can be played as a standalone or can be tailored to be 
  a continuance to an existing campaign should a Keeper desire it.    
   
  The campaign consists of an over-arching “hub” scenario 
  which places the players at the Miskatonic University (Cthulhu 
  101) to investigate the theft of four rare and valuable occult 
  tomes from the Restricted Section of the Jeremiah Orne library; 
  the players have the dean’s permission to carry out an 
  investigation on campus. The players’ enquiries should lead 
  them into the four interlinked scenarios, all set in the Arkham 
  environs. Keepers are advised to read and familiarize 
  themselves with all five scenarios first as they share many of the 
  same characters and events. It will be wholly possible for the 
  players to traverse across all the scenarios and even intertwine 
  the separate plot strands, so it is vitally important that Keepers 
  anticipate any such occurrences and understand the probable 
  outcomes. Due to the criticality of time in the different scenario 
  plot streams a time line has been provided at the back of this 
  book to aid Keepers in keeping track of protagonists and 
  antagonists alike. 
   
  From this point onwards, only Keepers should read the 
  following pages lest player’s spoil the surprises that await them. 
  CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW 
  This campaign consists of five interlinked scenarios. The 
  premise of the plot is that one of the Miskatonic University 
  lecturers, Professor Fairbanks (English Lit), has been avoiding 
  his own mounting domestic problems by burying himself in his 
  work. He has been conducting research for a planned book 
  covering the topic of banned books and has been using the 
  contents of the Forbidden Section of the Orne Library as his 
  source material. He has come into casual contact with the dread 
  Necronomicon too many times and has fallen foul of its 
  malignant influence. The professor speaks eagerly of his new 
  interest in the occult to his classes, one of which contains a 
  certain Eve Williams, who is an aspiring witch and a distant 
  relative of the Dunwich Whateleys. 
  Eve’s aspirations go as far as organising her own coven, 
  populated by unwitting and co-opted emo and goth friends. She 
  eagerly seeks access to the Forbidden Section herself as she 
  wishes to use its resources to resurrect Noah Whateley. 
  Providentially she is approached by an Arkham bookseller, 
  Ebden Burns, who for his own reasons also wants to gain access 
  to a specific book held in the Forbidden Section. The antiquarian 
  formulates a plan with Eve to commit a burglary and the 
  erstwhile witch uses her charms to convince her boyfriend and 
  fellow student, the respectable sports-scholarship, Chris 
  Henson, to assist them. 
  The university authorities shortly discover that the Forbidden 
  Section has been broken into and four valuable and rare books 
  have been stolen, including a priceless Latin edition of the 
  Necronomicon. The dean, Arthur Clements, is unconvinced that 
  the Arkham PD will get to the bottom of things in a timely 
  manner, so he opts to contact a well renowned and discrete 
  Boston-based detective agency, Eagle Bond, to recover the 
  missing books. 
  The players are Eagle Bond investigators and are briefed by 
  their knowing boss and one-time Arkham resident, Ed O’Brian, 
  to recover the books at all cost. Their investigation starts at the 
  scene of the crime...... 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
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  KEY CHARACTERS 
   
  The campaign contains a large number of NPCs since it is set 
  on the campus of a university in the middle of a city. But not all 
  NPCs are created equal. Amongst the throng of students, 
  lecturers and citizens are the following noteworthy characters: 
   
   
   
  • 
  Ed O’Brian – the investigator’s immediate boss at Eagle 
  Bond, a veteran Private Investigator, who sends the 
  players to Arkham to visit the dean. 
   
  • 
  Dean Henry Clements – the current dean of 
  Miskatonic University who hires the players to 
  investigate the theft of rare occult tomes from the Orne 
  Library. 
   
  • 
  Professor Gregory Fairbanks – English Professor at 
  Miskatonic University. He discovered and reported the 
  theft. He also has an unhealthy relationship with the 
  Necronomicon and used the discovery as an opportunity 
  to steal the book for himself. He is the single biggest 
  threat to Arkham. 
    
  • 
  Ebden Burns – Owner of Burns Books who solicits Eve 
  and Chris into helping steal occult books from the 
  university library. 
   
  • 
  Eve Williams – Naïve student with an interest in the 
  occult. Is talked into stealing three books from the 
  university library. 
   
  • 
  Chris Henson – Eve’s jock boyfriend who assists in the 
  theft of the occult books from Miskatonic University. 
   
  • 
  Mother Willow – Reclusive witch who dwells in the 
  wilderness of the Miskatonic Valley, and who has big 
  plans for summoning a fearsome entity. 
  CHAPTER OVERVIEWS 
  Cthulhu 101: The investigation begins. A briefing from the 
  boss reveals the investigators’ mission to them. They have the 
  option to go undercover around the campus or can mount an 
  overt investigation – the choice is theirs. After an initial meeting 
  with the client, Dean Clements, they will meet and learn of all 
  the suspects and will learn of the rumours concerning Professor 
  Fairbank’s recent interest in the occult. They will have free range 
  of the campus and its residents to locate the clues that will 
  inevitably point them in the direction of Eve Williams, who 
  appears to be trying to recruit people on campus into a coven. 
  Will the investigators pick up the correct trail or will they be 
  side-tracked by the various red herrings that inhabit the halls of 
  the Miskatonic University? 
  Overdue: Eve is keen to run her own coven, resurrect Noah 
  Whateley (whom she has heard great and terrible stories about 
  since she was a little girl) and become a true Arkham witch of 
  well re-known. To assist her in her plans she has sought out the 
  aid of a local witch of ill-repute, Mother Willow. Unfortunately 
  for Eve she has chosen the wrong partner. Mother Willow is 
  truly an acolyte of evil, and disciple of the Black Goat of the 
  Woods, who uses her lifetime of accumulated Mythos knowledge 
  to her own advantage. She casts a Mind Transfer spell and 
  assumes possession of Eve’s body and then masquerades as the 
  young student. When the investigators come a-calling to Eve’s 
  suburban sorority house they will find a coven under the control 
  of the powerful witch who will use the stolen copy of Cultes des 
  Ghouls in her possession to mount her defence. The 
  investigators will have to deal with the witch, survive her dark 
  magicks, wrestle the book from her control and survive the 
  subsequent pursuit of fanatical cultists.  
  Manuscripts Don’t Burn: The leads to Eve should also 
  implicate Chris Henson in the theft of the books. If investigators 
  take a trip to his house they will find it under siege by a couple 
  of Dark Young who have been despatched by Mother Willow. 
  Chris is holding them at bay with a protective spell that has 
  created an invisible barrier around his abode. The first issue for 
  the investigators will be gaining access to the house while 
  avoiding the unearthly attackers. Chris is under the influence 
  and guidance of Eibon, an ancient Hyperborean mage and 
  author of the Book of Eibon. The sorcerer speaks to Chris across 
  time and space and manipulates him into creating gates for both 
  himself and his patron, the Great Old One, Tsathoggua, 
  principally so that the former can escape his persecutors in 
  Hyperborea. If the investigators have managed to survive 
  gaining entrance to Chris’ home their next task will be to retrieve 
  the book from him. Additionally, will they will have to choose 
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
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  whether or not to destroy Tsathoggua’s trans-dimensional gates, 
  which is protected by a formless spawn guardian, or simply 
  ignore it?  
  Rare Finds: The evidence found at both Eve’s and Chris’ 
  residences should point the investigators to the origins of the 
  theft and its mastermind, Ebden Burns, who owns a bookshop 
  in Arkham. Upon visiting the bookshop, the investigators will 
  find it seemingly deserted, but a search of the antiquarian’s 
  abode will unearth the evidence that conclusively proves how 
  Ebden managed to break into the Forbidden Section of the Orne 
  library. Since after successfully executing the theft, Ebden 
  became acutely interested in the target for his illegal act, a copy 
  of the Revelations of Glaaki. He then made the mistake of 
  enacting one of its incantations, and summoned forth the Great 
  Old One, Eihort. If the investigators go down into the bookshop 
  basement they will find themselves in a labyrinth that leads to 
  Ebden, who has been driven insane, and Eihort, who will 
  attempt to force his bargain onto the trespassers. The 
  investigators will need to retrieve the stolen book from Ebden, 
  avoid being impregnated or squashed by Eihort, and find their 
  way out of the labyrinth and back to safety and freedom above. 
  The Calling: The investigators, if they are still alive, will be 
  aware that they are still missing the most precious book of all, 
  the Necronomicon. Yet on the surface there are no further clues 
  to follow and they have arrived at a natural dead end. They will 
  probably either return to their office to report back to Ed O’Brian 
  or will re-visit the campus hoping to turn up further leads. 
  Events however will soon put them back on the right track. They 
  will be notified that Professor Fairbanks has suddenly gone 
  missing. An abundance of clues at his home will reveal the extent 
  of the professor’s dark deviancy and personal issues. These clues 
  will lead them to the fact that he has driven out to the woods 
  with the missing Necronomicon, intent on fulfilling a dark 
  purpose. The Professor has headed deep into the local woods to 
  an abandoned mill where, if permitted, he will summon forth 
  several Star Spawn of Cthulhu. The investigators face the 
  ultimate challenge of a confrontation with the troubled 
  Professor, relieving him of the stolen Necronomicon, and 
  avoiding the titans he has unleashed upon the dark, desolate 
  woods. Can the investigators survive the challenge and complete 
  their mission, or will they finally succumb to the dark forces 
  pitted against them?  
  THE MYTHOS IN THE EARLY 21st CENTURY 
   
  Since the campaign is set in contemporary times there could 
  be any number of potential stumbling blocks or unknowns 
  thrown up by players at any point in the game, so it is advisable 
  for Keepers to consider in advance how the mythos interacts 
  with the modern human world and its advancing technology. 
  The following text is guidance on setting the campaign in the 
  contemporary world as well as some hints and tips on running  
  the game sessions.  
   
  The stars are not right; at least not yet. Great Cthulhu still 
  lies dreaming in R’lyeh and will continue doing so well into the 
  22nd century. The forces that support and give praise to the Great 
  Old Ones continue to exist in the quiet and dark corners of the 
  Earth – namely in the wildernesses and harsh unforgiving 
  terrains such as mountain ranges, deserts and deep canyons; 
  and off course, beneath the surface - down the deepest mines, 
  caves and pot holes. The servitors and alien races shun humanity 
  and seek to go about their insidious business without alerting 
  the increasingly populous and sophisticated human race that 
  now holds sway over so much of the planet – it’s not that they 
  couldn’t deal with humanity, they could, but they are loathe to 
  waste the time and effort deviating from their inhuman 
  objectives. As for the gods themselves, they are immortal and 
  timeless, so much so that humans have evolved from their ape 
  forefathers in the mere blink of a Great Old One’s eye. They are 
  yet to fully perceive humanity as anything other than a seething 
  mobile semi-conscious organic mass akin to termites – they 
  have yet to crush us because we are as nothing to them. 
  Oceanographers and low orbiting geo-mapping satellites have 
  yet to reveal Cthulhu’s South Pacific residence; R’lyeh 
  fortunately lies several feet beneath the ocean floor, covered in 
  rock, coral and dust. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Yet people do have a habit of getting around, keenly exploring 
  every nook and cranny of the planet and the reach of global 
  communications and the pervasiveness of mobile media would 
  surely mean that the dark creatures and minions of the mythos 
  have been filmed and posted on the internet for all to see, right? 
  Absolutely. There’s the 1998 clip of a National Geographic 
  expedition in the Peruvian Andes being pursued by something 
  resembling a Hunting Horror; then there’s the 2003 found 
  footage from a Vermont forest with what seems to be a Mi-Go 
  hovering in the distance; and who can forget the terrible 2009  
   
  
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  YouTube footage of Russian teenagers being attacked by a 
  couple of Shan? The problem (or blessing, depending on your 
  outlook) is that the internet is brimming with bizarre and 
  shockingly extreme clips from all across the globe concerning 
  real or imagined horrors such as pandemics, industrial 
  accidents, massacres, terrorist atrocities, the discovery of 
  animals long thought extinct, serial killers, big foot, alien 
  autopsies and alien abductions – everyone knows that a great 
  percentage of all the material that finds itself out there is faked 
  for fun or part of an elaborate hoax. Online mythos sightings 
  account for approximately 2% of all the available bizarre 
  footage; in a word, it is lost in the blurred lines of online reality. 
    
  The other problem is that those who are unlucky enough to 
  actually witness and/or film mythos entities tend to either die as 
  a result of the encounter or else are so shaken by what they have 
  seen and its sociological and religious implications that they 
  suffer severe PTSD and will usually only get around to talking 
  about what they witnessed many years after the fact; in fact a 
  good many witnesses refuse to believe what they really saw and 
  have created much more comforting false memories instead. 
  This is how the mythos remains a secret to the vast majority of 
  human societies in the modern era. 
   
  Lovecraft’s home town of the sinister and macabre continues 
  to this day in much the same way it always has. Arkham is a 
  historical and darkly beautiful old Massachusetts town that has 
  sprawled out into a modern small city complete with strip malls, 
  advertising hoardings, commercial enterprises and mobile 
  homes. Downtown is still pretty and has retained much of its 
  original architecture while the districts of Northside, East-town, 
  French Hill and Rivertown have experienced different levels of 
  modernization. Overall Arkham still retains a small town feel 
  and vibe about it and the locals like it that way. Things have been 
  relatively quiet over the last few decades and while people know 
  not to go poking around old abandoned buildings or peer into 
  dark corners most folks are more concerned about the increase 
  in street crime around Rivertown than things that go bump into 
  the night; until now perhaps.... 
   
  Miskatonic University is still a respected academic institute 
  that attracts students and lecturers from across the country. All 
  modern subjects are taught, and various contemporary degrees 
  are on offer. The campus is today alive and well thanks to its 
  healthy and young student body and the lively japes of its 
  fraternities. 
   
  Keepers are free to create modern Arkham as they see fit or 
  they can utilize the 2010 publication Arkham Now, a Call of 
  Cthulhu supplement by Brian Courtemanche and Matt Sanborn, 
  which provides quite granular detail of the populace and locales 
  throughout the city. Arkham Now also details the modern 
  Miskatonic University and its students and staff; additionally, 
  the excellent 1920s set Miskatonic University supplement by  
  Sam Johnson provides a significant amount of historical 
  background and building layouts that prove equally useful in 
  formulating a contemporary campaign. 
  PLAYING THE GAME  
   
  The campaign uses the construct of the Eagle Bond private 
  investigation agency throughout. This construct provides a clear 
  focus and a solid reason for the players characters being 
  involved in an investigation into the theft of rare occult tomes in 
  Arkham. Keepers are welcome to use their own mechanisms for 
  bringing the player characters into the game and should be able 
  to tailor the scenarios to accommodate the changes in 
  circumstances with only the smallest effort and alterations. 
   
  Most of the game play is centered on a linear time scale 
  following the initial crime. The four antagonists are each 
  following their own progressive plans in the service of various 
  mythos forces and as days turn into weeks which may in turn 
  become months, the power and magnitude of the threat 
  increases as their plans become more developed and more 
  established. The culprits are hidden amongst a large crowd of 
  NPCs but can be discerned through diligent and skillful 
  questioning. The more time that passes the more plentiful and 
  obvious the clues will become so that even the most novice 
  player will have clear leads to follow. Yet it is in the investigators’ 
  best interest to start the case on the right path early and center 
  in on each of the antagonists in turn as quickly as possible as 
  their task of stopping events and retrieving the books will 
  become increasingly difficult the more things progress. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Since untimely investigator deaths are always an ever-present 
  danger, even an expectation, in a Call of Cthulhu game, there are 
  planned contingencies for continuing play after the player 
  characters meet grisly ends (see the next section). Keepers are 
  therefore encouraged to be utterly merciless with unsuccessful 
  roles during the first monster encounters to keep the tension 
  and drama going until the very end of the campaign. 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   8 
  The authorities have a horrible tendency to become involved 
  in most Call of Cthulhu campaigns and scenarios, often with 
  disastrous results for the investigators. In Tomes of Terror the 
  Arkham PD are aware that the city is liable to periodically 
  experience sudden strange and mysterious spikes in bizarre 
  murders and disappearances – which can be bad for law 
  enforcement careers; which is why the senior officials, including 
  the mayor, have developed their own local pragmatic approach 
  to dealing with the mythos: just pretend it doesn’t exist and 
  hopefully it’ll go away of its own accord.  
   
  This approach does often work – mythos monsters tend to 
  make short work of pesky investigators and witnesses until only 
  distant family members and work colleagues are left to complain 
  about the dead and the missing and official lies and threats are 
  normally sufficient to quieten them down. The higher up the 
  official food-chain any investigation or incident goes the less 
  assistance and the more of a cover up the investigators will 
  experience. By far the best means of effectively involving local 
  law enforcement in an investigation is to mislead them! (but 
  don’t tell the players this!): 
   
  911 Police Dispatcher: “Please tell me what you can see, 
  sir?” 
  Investigator watching a Dark Young smashing its 
  way into a house: “I think I can see a burglar sneaking into 
  the open window of a house. You need to get some officers 
  down here fast!” 
  911 Police Dispatcher: “They’re on their way, sir.” 
   
  If players do manage to obtain help from the Arkham PD the 
  latter will want to keep the matter under wraps and will be 
  resistant in going any further than dealing with the immediate 
  emergency at hand – damage limitation and plausible 
  deniability will be high on their agenda. Of course, the likes of a 
  cynical and jaded investigator like John Stubbs will happily 
  disregard the instructions of his superiors and assist however he 
  can if won over by the investigators but a fresh officer like Dale 
  Duggan will not disobey the instructions of his superiors to let 
  things be. 
   
  Another key element to consider is modern technology. 
  Webcams, body cams, and internet enabled cell phones are all 
  easily available to the investigators which means that it will be 
  possible to film and post any proceedings online; however, it 
  won’t be that simple. Magic effects film, whether digital or 
  celluloid – magic generates powerful particle waves that disrupt 
  all signals in the electro-magnetic spectrum which means that if 
  the investigators film one of Mother Willow’s or Professor 
  Fairbanks’ ceremonies the resultant footage will be so horribly 
  distorted and obscured that it will not be possible to see 
  anything fantastic or anything that breaks the laws of known 
  physics (phoning for help on a cell phone will also be something 
  of a technical issue). So, it will be possible to successfully film  
  the preparation and initial assembly of a mythos ceremony but 
  once a spell is begun it will then be impossible to produce a 
  sufficiently clear digital or audio stream or file or even a Polaroid 
  photo (there should of course be just the merest hints of 
  something strange and weird like a shadowy horn or claw!).  
   
  Mythos creatures and servitors will only be slightly easier to 
  film and digitally document – these beings will probably have 
  been summoned via a ceremony or have travelled into the world 
  via a portal which means they too will emit a magical resonance 
  that interferes with cameras and recorders of all types, it just 
  won’t be as much. The rule should be that the closer an 
  investigator is to a mythos entity the blurrier and more distorted 
  the image and conversely the more distant the less interference 
  (but less clarity because it’s at a distance!). And just because a 
  still image or filmed footage is obtained of something ghastly 
  and alien doesn’t mean that it’ll be accepted and believed – most 
  sane people will more readily believe the investigators are trying 
  to fool them with elaborate Photoshop edits rather than believe 
  that monstrous entities actually exist in the real world. Posting 
  footage online will result in disbelief and ridicule from the vast 
  majority of individuals and organisations with the exception of 
  those who have encountered the mythos for themselves (but 
  they are so very small in number). If the footage depicts a killing 
  or murder, then the investigators themselves will probably find 
  themselves under investigation by either the Arkham PD or even 
  the FBI. 
  PLAYING THE SCENARIOS AS STAND ALONES 
   
  Tomes of Terror has been designed as an interlinked multi-
  scenario campaign, but each scenario can easily be modified to 
  enable a Keeper to run it as a standalone short session game or 
  incorporate sections of it into a homebrew campaign. One 
  suggested method is to alter the introduction so that only one 
  book has been taken (the one appropriate to the scenario being 
  played). Another method would be to start the scenario with the 
  investigators being called by one of the worried students who is 
  concerned about a friend or tutor who has been acting strange 
  over the last few days/weeks. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   9 
  BASEMENTS 
   
  If this campaign was to have an alternative title, it would most 
  assuredly be “Basements of Death”, accompanied with the 
  tagline “Screw basements!”. The play testers of this campaign 
  quickly learnt that nothing good is ever to be found in a 
  basement and approximately 75% of all player character deaths 
  occurred beneath ground level. This was excellent for creating a 
  very real Lovecraftian paranoia of exploring down cellar steps 
  and fermenting a sense of dread. Keeper’s should consider in 
  advance if they want all the action to occur below ground and 
  may want to re-organize the locations of portals and ceremonies 
  in order to develop player phobias focused around attics instead. 
  ALL THE INVESTIGATORS ARE DEAD! 
   
  We’ve all been there – you’re the Keeper and you’re running a 
  well thought out campaign with an elaborate plot with a suitably 
  hideous monster at its center and then before the first session 
  has even finished all the investigators have managed to get 
  themselves arrested/committed by the authorities, or critically 
  wounded/invalided or just plain killed. It’s either a frustratingly 
  untimely finish to something that never got going or else it’s a 
  pain-staking reboot with player admonishments. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Provided a Keeper isn’t prepared to consistently fudge rolls in 
  the players’ favor, Tomes of Terror is very likely to result in the 
  deaths of all the investigators; hopefully not too early but almost 
  certainly before all the books have been found and retrieved. But 
  death is not the end. Not in this campaign. With strange aeons 
  even death may die! Provided the players have played in the 
  spirit of the game and its rules and have made an honest attempt 
  at achieving their objectives then the Keeper should not end the 
  game mid-play with a TPK but should instead re-spawn the 
  players – but not as their original characters (because that would 
  be boring!). There are three devices (or more if the Keeper so 
  devises!) that can be used separately or combined, depending on 
  player numbers, if the investigators have met a horrible end or 
  an unfortunate incarceration has halted the proceedings. These 
  devices will keep the game continuity going and will hopefully 
  inject elements of depth and fun: 
  Insurance Scam – so all, or some, of the Eagle Bond 
  investigators have met a strange and unfortunate end; but life 
  goes on and while Dean Clements was hoping to retrieve the 
  books before they could be used by misguided hands he now has 
  to move on to Plan B, which is the far more mundane insurance 
  claim – because after all, the stolen books were worth a lot of 
  money and were insured by the Stein & Midway Insurance 
  company for the princely sum of $500,000. Stein & Midway 
  however, would never simply pay out on such a large claim 
  without thoroughly investigating it first as they must ensure that 
  no scam is being committed against them. A couple of the 
  deceased players are now resurrected as Stein & Midway 
  insurance investigators who are briefed to determine how the 
  thefts occurred, by whom and what has happened to the stolen 
  books. Dean Clements will brief the new investigators up in a 
  very similar fashion as he did for Eagle Bond and will even 
  mention what happened to the previous investigators if he 
  knows. 
   
  Hold the Press – the editor of the Arkham Advertiser wants to 
  get a front-page scoop on what he believes is a sensational story 
  - the theft of multiple rare books from the MU Campus. He sends 
  the player characters, who are either newly hired or freelance 
  reporters/investigative journalists/photographers (probably all 
  of whom are from out of town), to obtain the facts and if 
  possible, identify the culprits. He has a source on the MU 
  campus who can get the players started and point them in the 
  right direction (n.b. Keeper’s choice, but Didier Melville would 
  be a superb option).  
   
  Go Delta Green! – Ed O’Brian deeply regrets sending his 
  investigators into something he knew wasn’t right, and now they 
  are all dead or missing. He decides he’s going to do what he 
  should have done in the beginning and give an old contact in law 
  enforcement a call. Three or four of the investigators are now 
  law enforcement agents in various agencies (DEA, ATF, FBI etc.) 
  who have each had a previous brief mythos encounter in their 
  lives and have recently been inducted into an elite covert cross-
  agency organization which specializes in dealing with occult and 
  strange occurrences – Delta Green. Unknown to all the 
  investigators, Delta Green is actually a disavowed and illegal 
  organization which is why it operates in small anonymous cells 
  and its operatives utilize cover names (all cell members have 
  names beginning with the same letter of the alphabet e.g. Eric, 
  Evelyn and Edward).  
   
  The investigators receive a call from their shadowy boss, 
  “Bernard”, who briefly explains that they have been activated 
  and are to assemble in a Boston diner to receive the case 
  briefing. At the diner Bernard introduces Ed O’Brian to the 
  group, who provides them with the same briefing he gave his 
  Eagle Bond investigators plus any information concerning their 
  fate (if he knows of it).  
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   10 
  The Delta Green team’s task is a simple one – to seek and 
  destroy. They are to locate any hostile forces in the Arkham area 
  and eliminate them; if they find the stolen books they are to 
  destroy them to prevent them falling into the wrong hands 
  again. The Delta Green team will arrive in Arkham in a non-
  descript van with a secret compartment containing 3x fully 
  automatic AR15s, 1x SAW, 2x frag grenades, 4x white 
  phosphorus grenades, 1x flame thrower and 1x LAW. The group 
  will all have received limited weapons training from an ex-
  USMC instructor via a recent Delta Green field training package. 
  Will the Delta Green team successfully complete their mission, 
  or will they merely succeed in blowing themselves up, become 
  monster munch or be taken out by the Arkham PD and their 
  SWAT reinforcements? Only time will tell. 
   
  Of course, some players can become overly protective or 
  attached to their characters and may be loathe to lose them and 
  proceed with a new set of characters; this is something for the 
  Keeper to consider before gameplay begins. How will his players 
  react to the death of their characters midway through? Will they 
  take it in their stride with good grace or will they be disappointed 
  and disgruntled with the loss and at having to design new 
  characters? If it’s likely to be the latter than it is recommended 
  the Keeper does some or all of the following: 
   
  • 
  Suggest Know roles at dangerous locations and hint at 
  extreme caution 
   
  • 
  Reduce the number of attackers/creatures at any given 
  location 
   
  • 
  Fudge rolls in the player’s favor when their Hit Points are 
  critically low 
   
  • 
  Use the Pulp Cthulhu games system  
  CONSEQUENCES OF READING A MYTHOS TOME 
   
  The campaign is centered on the theft of notorious mythos 
  tomes, so it’s important that their effects and significance are 
  established for the fun and amusement of all: A good number of 
  the books, parchments, manuscripts and tablet fragments held 
  in the Restricted Section of the Jeremiah Orne library, including 
  all four of the stolen books, are enchanted with powerful 
  magicks. The literature is more than simple instructions in how 
  to perform unholy and forbidden rites, they hold within them 
  some of the mystical essence of their (inhuman?) authors and 
  their times.  
   
  Merely browsing a mythos tome is unlikely to impart any 
  significant knowledge to the reader so they will in most cases 
  only feel an odd or disquieting sensation from holding the item 
  which will also be accompanied by strange and vivid dreams the 
  next time they sleep. But to actually read and understand the 
  context of what is written in a mythos tome is to permanently 
  alter one’s brain chemistry and perceptions; the more of the 
  mythos that is learned the greater the effects upon the reader’s 
  conscious and subconscious. Someone reading a good portion of 
  a book as powerful as the Necronomicon can kiss goodbye to 
  ever sleeping soundly again. During waking hours, the reader 
  will suffer from visual and auditory hallucinations akin to 
  schizophrenia – they will hear indistinguishable sinister voices 
  unheard by others and see odd fleeting shadows in the corner of 
  their eyes; they will perceive disturbing patterns in simple 
  everyday items and fabrics where there are none. To read and 
  understand a mythos tome is to see and hear beyond the 
  ordinary realm of reality – it is to see a tear or a frayed corner in 
  space-time and to perceive the unknown terrors and living 
  nightmares beyond. The investigators’ task is to retrieve and 
  return the stolen volumes, not to read them – if any transgress 
  this rule then the Keeper is obliged to make things very 
  interesting for them! 
  GAME TIME 
   
  Time is an integral part of this campaign; the theft of the 
  mythos tomes is the lighting of a fuse and it’s the players’ 
  challenge to extinguish it before dire events occur. Different Call 
  of Cthulhu campaigns and scenarios play out over varying 
  degrees of game time; the superb Tatters of the King campaign 
  is played over the course of a year of the investigators’ game time 
  while the excellent scenarios of Mansions of Madness all occur 
  within a period of a few days or a couple of weeks at most. Tomes 
  of Terror is designed to primarily occur over a six-week period – 
  but there is flexibility for all four books to be retrieved in as little 
  as a week of game time if the players are suitably skilled and 
  adept. 
   
  A timeline has been provided at the back of this book which 
  will enable Keepers to keep track of each scenario’s plot 
  progression at an easy glance. Determining the passage of a 
  single day or a succession of days however can be quite 
  challenging once game play has commenced. The following is a 
  suggested guideline for gauging player actions and the passage 
  of time: 
   
  • 
  Driving from one part of Arkham to the other – 30  
  minutes 
  • 
  Talking briefly to a NPC – 15 minutes 
  • 
  Talking in depth to a NPC – 30 minutes 
  • 
  Interrogating an NPC – 1 hour 
  • 
  Debriefing Ed O’Brian – 30 minutes 
  • 
  Composing a very short e-mail – 10 minutes 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   11 
  • 
  Composing an average e-mail – 20 minutes 
  • 
  E-mailing someone for the first time – 30 minutes 
  • 
  Posting a file online – 30 minutes 
  • 
  Searching the internet for a single fact – 10 minutes 
  • 
  Conducting light research on a single topic – 1 hour 
  • 
  Conducting deep research on a single topic – 4 hours 
  • 
  Holding a group planning session – 30 minutes  
  minimum  
  • 
  Physically locating a place or person for the first time –  
  20-40 minutes 
  • 
  Eating a light meal – 15 minutes 
  • 
  Eating a standard meal – 30 minutes 
  • 
  Being arrested (not including subsequent legal issues)  
  – 6 hours minimum 
  • 
  Receiving light medical treatment – 3 hours 
  • 
  Receiving medium medical treatment – 6 hours 
  • 
  Undergoing emergency surgery (including  
  recuperation period) – 3 days minimum 
   
  Investigators should be able to stay up without sleep for the 
  first 48 hours with ease but after this period a minimum of 6 
  hours sleep will be required lest a penalty be affixed to all 
  subsequent rolls. Similarly, Keepers should ensure that 
  investigators assign periods to eating, admin and washing or 
  else suffer % roll penalties – in the case of the latter any NPCs 
  will respond negatively to any player character who neglects 
  their appearance/cleanliness! 
   
  CONVERTING TO A 1920s SETTING 
   
  Although this campaign has been set in modern times, in 
  order to allow players to take full advantage of modern 
  technology and information sources, only a small amount of 
  tweaking is required to turn it into a traditional 1920s game. 
  Keepers will need to change all evidence and handouts to 
  analogue equivalents – so an email would become a handwritten 
  or typed letter. Investigators will no longer be able search the 
  internet but will instead have to conduct their enquiries in 
  Arkham City Hall or the library. In several instances students 
  will be studying different subjects, and the time taken to conduct 
  some activities, such as travelling, will be much longer. The cost 
  of goods will also alter and should be alternatively sourced. 
  Keepers are advised to swap all handout images of NPCs to 
  period images obtained via the internet browsers and sites, such 
  as Google Images. Alternative 1920s based faculty members, 
  students and Arkham locals are also available from a number of 
  Chaosium publications. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
       
   
   
  Arkham Views 
   
  Top Right: Marsh Street 
  Middle: French Hill Street 
  Bottom Right: East College Street 
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   12 
   
   
  In which the investigators find themselves in academia with the 
  task of unravelling the truth from the lies and finding the 
  strands that will lead them to the recovery of the stolen books. 
   
  KEEPER’S INFORMATION 
   
  An Arkham book dealer, Ebden Burns, has been seeking 
  Volume 4 of the Revelations of Glaaki for his client, Ralph 
  Meyers. Burns managed to learn that a copy of the book was held 
  in the Restricted Section of the Jeremiah Orne Library on the 
  Miskatonic University campus. After unsuccessfully attempting 
  to gain access to the book he encountered Eve Williams, an 
  assistant librarian, who for her own reasons also wanted access 
  to a rare tome held within the Restricted Section. After striking 
  up a quick understanding and partnership they both concoct a 
  plan to steal the books, and with the help of an additional 
  accomplice, Eve’s boyfriend, Chris Henson, they execute the 
  deed perfectly. Chris, agreeing so long as he too is given a 
  particular book, carried out the initial step of the plan by 
  obtaining an impression of Dean Clement’s Restricted Section 
  key; Ebden then had a key cut from the impression. Eve was able 
  to provide the exact date and time when the library was least 
  manned (during a routine library staff meeting) as well as the 
  location of the few security cameras monitoring the campus, 
  which enabled Ebden to walk through the library and steal the 
  required three books from the Restricted Section virtually 
  undetected. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Later that same day Professor Fairbanks visited the Restricted 
  Section to access the Necronomicon, which he regularly does, 
  and discovered the theft. Rather than immediately reporting the 
  break in the Professor decided to use the incident to his own 
  advantage and smuggled the Necronomicon out of the library in 
  his satchel and stashed it in the boot of his car. He then quickly 
  returned to the library and reported the original theft to the head 
  librarian. The police were promptly called, and Professor 
  Fairbanks and the library staff were all interviewed. Later that 
  evening the Professor drove home and hid the Necronomicon 
  under the summerhouse in his garden. 
  THE INVESTIGATORS’ BRIEF 
   
  On a Monday morning the investigators are brought into the 
  senior investigator’s office in the Eagle Bond private detective 
  agency headquarters in Boston. Ed O’Brian is a stoic, large-
  framed man in his 50s. He is the organization’s most senior 
  investigator and an ex-cop. He has seen many things during the 
  30+ years he has been involved in law enforcement and 
  investigations including some strange and inexplicable things; 
  most of these strange things occurred in Arkham during the late 
  1980s and they have stayed with him ever since. He asks the 
  investigators to sit and then informs them of the basic 
  information and facts concerning the new case: 
   
  “Last Tuesday several rare and valuable books were stolen 
  from the Jeremiah Orne Library on the Miskatonic University 
  campus. The books were all antique and very rare volumes 
  worth a lot of money and were all held in a restricted part of 
  library; there were no obvious signs of a break in. The theft was 
  discovered by a Professor Fairbanks, who regularly accesses 
  the restricted section as part of his work. The Arkham police 
  department was called in and forensic evidence and witness 
  statements taken. The limited evidence from the scene seems to 
  indicate an inside job as the restricted area’s door was accessed 
  with a key and not forced; additionally, all the finger prints 
  found belonged to staff and students who had legitimate access 
  to the area. There are three keys for the restricted section and 
  all three parties have valid and confirmed alibis. Since the 
  crime is of a low priority and there are no actionable leads it is 
  believed that the police will not act further unless new evidence 
  comes to light.” 
   
  The Dean of Administration, Arthur Clements, called the 
  senior detective yesterday and asked for the agency’s help. It is 
  estimated that the four stolen books have a value believed to be 
  in the region of $500,000 (the exact figure isn’t knowable to 
  anyone due to their rarity but this is the figure that they have 
  been insured for); importantly, the dean also earnestly believes 
  that the books may inspire further crimes if they fall into the 
  wrong hands (if asked about this O’Brian will say that he believes 
  the some of the books contain instructions on ritual human 
  sacrifice).  The dean does not want to wait for any additional 
  clues or evidence to surface as he feels that time is of the essence; 
  he wants an active investigation into the theft, with the books 
  recovered and the thief or thieves identified. 
   
  The senior investigator tells the investigators that he wants 
  them to go to Miskatonic University and commence with the 
  investigation in any manner they see fit, meaning that they can 
  go fully or partially undercover or else conduct a fully overt 
  investigation – the choice is theirs. O’Brian expects the case to 
  take a fortnight and he wants the team to report back to him (via 
  phone or e-mail) every other day to inform him of their progress. 
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   13 
  The investigators will be accommodated at a non-descript 
  motel in the French Hill area, a few miles from the university 
  campus. All Eagle Bond investigators have a company car, a cell 
  phone and a laptop with Wi-Fi and VPN access to the company 
  network. They also have a concealed carry firearms license and 
  Glock 9mm pistols complete with shoulder holster (one 
  magazine - 17 rounds in total) for their own personal protection. 
  Eagle Bond has several law enforcement contacts as well as its 
  own highly developed GIS database. It is possible to check on 
  any US citizen’s social security and criminal record or a non-US 
  citizen’s immigration status (it typically takes 2 hours to return 
  these results). Financial records can also be traced but take 
  longer (typically 2 working days to get a full credit history). 
  Public record searches conducted by agency staff normally take 
  1-2 working days and will reveal any US citizen’s registered 
  businesses, properties and immediate relatives (living or dead).  
   
  The investigators are given Dean Clement’s telephone number 
  and are told to contact him in the first instance to receive a more 
  detailed brief and to liaise with him in their investigations. 
   
  Keeper’s Note: Eagle Bond normally assigns two investigators 
  to a case – an Idea roll should be made by all the players to 
  realize this fact. Should the investigators ask Ed why such a large 
  group of them is being dispatched on a simple theft case he will 
  only reply with the following, refusing to elaborate further for 
  fear of ridicule: 
   
  “A good question - well observed. Simply put, I’ve seen a lot 
  during my time, but there are a few things that I’ve witnessed 
  that have been........well, let’s just say that Arkham is a strange 
  place where lots of strange things can happen. There’s safety in 
  numbers. I want you all to be cautious when you’re down there, 
  and I want you all to keep your minds and eyes open......to the 
  unordinary.” 
  MEETING THE DEAN 
   
  The location of where the meeting occurs will depend on the 
  investigators’ actions, but it could either be at his pleasantly 
  furnished office in the Hoyt Administration Building on campus 
  or it could be at his home, a large townhouse, located nearby on 
  West High Street. The Dean is a middle-aged African-American, 
  tall and thin, with glasses and receding hair. He is always 
  thoughtful and measured in his speech. He will be firm and 
  polite when he meets the investigators and will willingly agree 
  to any plan to go undercover (he will make all the necessary 
  administrative arrangements to introduce the investigators as 
  new students or staff). 
   
   
   
  Dean Clements can provide the following information to the 
  investigators: 
   
  A list of the books that have been stolen and elaboration of their 
  nature:  
   
  • 
  The Necronomicon – in Latin (the dean will stress that  
  this is the most dangerous/important book) 
  • 
  Cultes Des Gouls – in French 
  • 
  The Book of Eibon – in Latin 
  • 
  The Revelations of Glaaki (Volume IV) – in English 
   
  The identity of all three Restricted Section key holders – 
   
  • 
  Himself – the key is always kept locked in his desk, in  
  his office. 
  • 
  Professor Gregory Fairbanks – a temporary loan for six  
  months, he always keeps the key about his person. 
  • 
  Gus Sanderson (Head of Maintenance) – the key is  
  always kept in the key press in his office in the Physical 
  Plant building. 
   
  His own theory of the thefts – 
   
  He is not sure himself, but if asked he will say that it could well 
  be Professor Fairbanks as he had one of the few keys and other 
  members of staff have reported a change in the respected 
  academic’s appearance and demeanor over the last few months; 
  but equally, he’ll say that he wouldn’t be surprised if it was one 
  of his more wayward students as there has been plenty of gossip 
  recently about the Professor’s “lively” classes. If asked about Gus 
  Sanderson he will resolutely shake his head and state that the 
  head of maintenance is an honest fellow in good standing with 
  both the dean and the university.    
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   14 
  He will stress gravely that he is worried about the books falling 
  into the wrong hands with dreadful consequences. Arthur 
  Clements has no direct experience of the mythos, but he has 
  lived in Arkham for over 20 years and has heard many strange 
  local stories over that period. He also knows that on every 
  occasion he has been alone in the Restricted Section a strange 
  and eerie sensation has befallen him and that on the two 
  occasions when he handled books stored there he was troubled 
  by alarming and vivid dreams that same night. He doesn’t know 
  why exactly, greatly resenting the fact that he, an eminent 
  member of a fine academic institute, should feel so 
  superstitious, but he could feel the threat that the books 
  represent, and his instinct tells him that they must be recovered 
  at all cost; If one of the investigators can pass a persuade roll 
  then he will tell them as much. 
   
  Several days before the theft of the books Chris Henson paid 
  the dean a visit in his office and was briefly left alone when the 
  dean was called out to deal with an incident (which happened to 
  be a disruptive vagrant, paid by Ebden Burns). The vagrant had 
  managed to bypass campus security and had walked all the way 
  up to the administrative offices where he had then demanded to 
  see the dean – he then told the dean that he wanted to study for 
  free at the university; after several minutes of conversation he 
  had left with a few choice insults. While left alone in the office 
  for eight minutes Chris rifled through the desk drawers and 
  located the Restricted Section key and took an impression of it 
  using putty. The dean has not linked the incident of the 
  disruptive stranger causing a commotion in the administrative 
  offices to the thefts. The dean will only be able to reveal the 
  connection if an investigator asks if anything strange or unusual 
  happened on campus prior to the theft: 
   
  “Nothing out of ordinary has happened. In fact, things have 
  been very quiet and steady these last couple months; apart 
  from a week ago when a street person somehow found his way 
  into my offices and caused a commotion!” 
  ARKHAM CITY 
   
  Welcome to Arkham, a classic and darkly beautiful 
  Massachusetts city with a small-town feel. Built centuries ago by 
  traders and merchants, this city has a close affinity to the sea due 
  to the times when old Yankee clippers and schooners would put 
  to sail a short distance away down the Miskatonic river. 
   
  These days most residents believe that the only horror lurking 
  in this legendary haunted town is the urban sprawl that they fear 
  is slowly corroding Arkham's old New England beauty.  Almost 
  no one has the time to notice the more disturbing, underlying 
  qualities of the city - the grotesque vegetation sprouting in some 
  places, the sometimes-odd tasting water from the nearby 
  reservoir, or the disturbing high rate of birth defects and the far 
  too frequent child abductions. 
  Arkham is 40 minutes’ drive north-east of Boston along state 
  Route 1-A, itself an exit off highway Route 128. Route 128 is 
  synonymous with industrial and commercial growth, as well as 
  the occasional traffic gridlock. 
   
  The main newspaper is the Arkham Advertiser which captures 
  the bizarre comings and goings around town as well as being 
  host to private ads. The newspaper archives are an excellent 
  source for local enquiries. 
   
  Arkham consists of several distinct districts that each have 
  their own history, culture and feel. They are: 
   
  Northside, which features many prominent historical, 
  commercial and fine residential buildings. It is known for its 
  many mansions and large family homes of the well to do. 
   
  Downtown, is where daily government and law and order takes 
  place; the city library, police department and courthouse are all 
  located here as is City Hall as well as the wonderful 
  Independence Square and its park benches and monuments. 
   
  Merchant Section, is south of the river and has seen better 
  days. Despite its name it is no longer the commercial center of 
  the city and is in need of urban renewal. A scattering of a few 
  trendy shops offers some hope for the future. 
   
  Rivertown, is a diverse district and home to the many waves of 
  immigrants that have come to the city over the years. You will 
  hear many languages spoken on its streets, but don't loiter after 
  dark as street crime is rampant here. 
   
  Miskatonic University Campus, sits right in the middle of 
  town, taking up several blocks, south of the river. In many ways 
  it is the beating heart of the city. 
   
  French Hill, is where you can find some of Arkham's oldest 
  buildings. Trendy, upwardly mobile young professionals live 
  here and often commute daily to Boston. Keziah Mason's 
  notorious Witch House was located in this area. 
   
  Uptown, is the highest priced and most exclusive area of 
  Arkham. The streets and sidewalks of this neighborhood are 
  noticeably better than the rest of town. Most people who live 
  here don't have any idea who their neighbors are. 
   
  Lower Southside, where twisting streets are riddled with 
  potholes and many street lamps are out. Just like Rivertown, 
  crime is on the rise here and the warren of winding passageways 
  make it the ideal place to be mugged. 
   
  Keepers can create their own version of modern Arkham, but an 
  excellent reference tool is Arkham Now which intricately details 
  all the districts and their populace. 
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   15 
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   16 
  MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY 
   
  This ivy-league university sits at the very center of Arkham, 
  south of the Miskatonic River; the Copely Memorial Bell Tower 
  is the most prominent landmark on the city skyline. MU has over 
  7000 students and several different academic schools. The 
  campus is split into four connected sites: 
   
   
   
   
  West Campus, which includes the oldest buildings such as the 
  stadium and Athletics house, the Engineering school, as well as 
  the theatre and Music departments; the medical department is 
  located at the southern part of this section. 
   
  Campus Centre, which features a pleasant grassy square, the 
  student union building, several fresher dorms and the famed 
  Jeremiah Orne Library in the east. 
   
  East Campus, is home to the Business and Law schools as well 
  as a few independent shops, many of which cater to student 
  needs, that are not owned by MU. 
   
  South Campus, is just across College street from the other 
  three campus sites and is home to the Sciences and several 
  administrative buildings. 
   
  Many of MU's student body live off campus in various 
  lodgings, often close to the campus; Arkham has a lucrative 
  student rental market that helps the city's commerce keep afloat. 
  The freshmen tend to be placed in the campus dormitories, the 
  main ones being Antunes Hall, Derby Hall, Herber Hall, 
  Patterson Hall and Taverner Row. 
   
  The main places for students to hang out is the Johnson 
  Student Union building and the Halsey Club, the latter being a 
  social gathering point where cut-price quality cakes and 
  sundries are available as well as comedy and cinema nights. 
   
  The Miskatonic Crier is a student newspaper that often likes 
  to push the boundaries of taste and sensationalism in order to 
  boost its meagre circulation; it also has an extensive back issue 
  archive stretching back through the years, chronicling the odd 
  events that occur far too frequently in Arkham. 
   
  The year student book is called The Schooner, named after the 
  sailing ships that were instrumental in founding Arkham. 
  Looking for someone? Then check the pages of this annual tome 
  and you just might find what you're looking for. 
   
  Keepers can devise their own schools and campus buildings if 
  they so desire or equally, use the in-depth site layouts and detail 
  provided in the Arkham Now and Miskatonic University 
  supplements. Both publications provide a wealth of background 
  that will provide quick and easy reference for Keepers dealing 
  with any roving investigators. 
  THE CRIME SCENE 
   
  The Restricted Section is in the far north-west corner of the 
  third floor of the Jeremiah Orne Library; it is a small office 
  contained within the larger Rare Books & Miscellaneous section 
  and has its own door requiring a key to unlock. Since the crime 
  security has been increased – a campus security guard now 
  patrols the library and checks the Restricted Section every 30 
  minutes (the Dean will shortly be replacing the existing door 
  with a biometric lock, but it will take a couple months to raise 
  the required funds and get the necessary approvals).  
   
  The crime scene itself will offer only limited assistance to the 
  investigators, but what they should be able to deduce is that the 
  absence of physical damage and the centrality of the room’s 
  location support the Arkham PD’s theory that the theft was an 
  inside job. If the investigators ask to be shown the crime scene 
  they will probably be taken there by Dean Clements himself who 
  will unlock the door with his own key; the head of security, Max 
  Fallon, will also be there to answer any questions. The head 
  librarian, Mrs. Adele Parks, will suddenly appear midway 
  through the visit when she spots people entering the secure 
  wing. The Dean will explain the situation to Mrs. Parks, who will 
  in turn be happy to reveal anything she knows to the 
  investigators. If asked suitably crafted questions she will be able 
  to reveal that one of her assistants does now recall a local book 
  dealer, a semi regular visitor to the library, having asked about 
  one of the stolen books a few weeks ago (the Dean will be 
  shocked at this new revelation and will ask if the fact has been 
  reported to the police – which it hasn’t since the assistant 
  librarian only recalled and relayed it late on the Friday).  
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   17 
  The head librarian will not initially be able to provide much 
  additional information but will offer to take the investigators to 
  speak to the assistant, Miss Shaqeela Roberts. Miss Roberts will 
  be able describe the middle-aged book dealer and will recall that 
  he was enquiring about an odd sounding book with the name 
  “Revelations” in its title. She will recall checking the library 
  computer and discovering that the book was held in the 
  Restricted Section and therefore unavailable to ordinary library 
  members. The name of the visitor escapes her, but she knows 
  that he does visit every so often and has occasionally sold rare 
  books to the library; she will offer to check the library computer 
  as she is sure she’ll be able to turn up the name. If the 
  investigators revisit Shaqeela Roberts after 24hrs she will be 
  able to tell them that the book dealer’s name is Ebden Burns and 
  that he has a shop, Burn’s Books, on South Sentinel Street in the 
  Rivertown district (she is able to provide the exact address from 
  the library computer system). 
   
  The Restricted Section room itself has 7ft book shelves 
  running the length of three walls and a freestanding double-
  sided book cabinet in the middle of the room (this was where all 
  four of the stolen books were held). There will still be evidence 
  of the police investigation there – fingerprint powder covers the 
  glass and wood work of the central cabinet and the door. 
   
  Investigators will find all manner of texts, manuscripts and 
  bound books still stored in the room. Different editions and 
  translations of the stolen books can be found here which will 
  enable the investigators to determine the exact nature of them if 
  they translate them. For a full list of all the material stored 
  within the Restricted Section the Keeper should consult 
  Miskatonic University by Sam Johnson or Arkham Now by 
  Brian Courtemanche and Matt Sanborn. 
   
   
   
   
  PROFESSOR FAIRBANKS’ CLASSES 
   
  Professor Gregory Fairbanks teaches four distinct English 
  Literature classes a term for the freshmen, junior, third year and 
  final year students respectively. Traditionally the Professor’s 
  teaching style and lectures have been very sedate affairs where 
  he would matter-of-factly discuss the virtues and themes of 
  Dickens, Bronte, Kippling et al; but since coming into contact 
  with the Necronomicon a significant change has slowly come 
  about him. He became more animated in his classes and kept 
  drawing discussions back to philosophical debates concerning 
  what was and wasn’t permissible in society and how each society 
  reacted to illicit or heretical texts. Classes and lectures often 
  turned into long and excited ad-hoc debating sessions which 
  some of the students (such as Eve and Maylene) found very 
  exciting and lively while a minority simply found it tiresome and 
  of little relevance to the course. The Professor’s lectures often 
  deviated heavily into banned texts and their links to the occult. 
  Spurred on by some of his students (primarily Eve) he has even 
  taken a couple of the classes on repeated visits into the 
  Restricted Section of the Orne library on the context of them 
  writing assignments on the topic of restricted and band books. 
   
  Several of his students have themselves become entranced 
  and seduced by handling the dark forbidden texts held within. 
  Eve’s imagination ran away from her and she dreamed of 
  establishing her own coven and becoming a powerful witch; and 
  ultimately resurrecting a distant relative - Noah Whateley. The 
  excited and popular junior managed to talk some of her class 
  mates into joining her coven and had even partaken in 
  amateurish ceremonies before the theft of the books. Chris, 
  meanwhile had little interest in joining his girlfriend’s occult 
  club, but he did find the subject of forbidden texts intriguing. 
  Spurred on by his professor, Chris handled and looked through 
  several of the books in the Restricted Section, but it was the Book 
  of Eibon that came to speak to him in his dreams at night. 
   
  Investigators will probably hear about Professor Fairbanks’ 
  radical new teaching style and classes very quickly simply from 
  talking to students and faculty alike. They may even come into 
  direct contact with Eve and Chris during the first week of the 
  investigation. Professor Fairbanks himself will enjoy discussing 
  the subject matter of his classes with anyone, including the 
  investigators. Initially the Professor will simply appear affable 
  and a little tired, but should the investigators persevere and ask 
  questions centered on the occult then Fairbanks will start to talk 
  in grandiose terms about powers that hide behind the veil of the 
  mundane world, but he will stop short of naming any mythos 
  creatures or deities. A successful Psychology roll with reveal that 
  the lecturer is somewhat unhinged in his demeanor. 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   18 
  If the investigators attend any of Fairbanks’ lectures they will 
  find that the content is less extreme or controversial than 
  reported by previous accounts. Fairbanks is getting ready to 
  perform a serious summoning ceremony and, in the days, and 
  weeks prior to its execution he will be more morose and 
  philosophical than usual. He will generally seem disinterested 
  and disengaged from his own lecture but can be provoked, by 
  some well-placed questions, into talking of the transitory nature 
  of time and the passing of species, as one race supersedes the 
  previous in power and magnitude. 
   
  After the second week Eve and Chris will both stop attending 
  their university lectures as they will both have fallen victim to 
  the influence of dark forces. Several of their friends and fellow 
  students will appear frightened and withdrawn as they too are 
  subjected to the power of the mythos. Professor Fairbanks will 
  keep attending his classes intermittently but will appear steadily 
  disheveled and unhealthy – by the last week of the investigation 
  he will look unkempt with wild hair and red ringed eyes; if 
  challenged he will respond that things have been difficult at 
  home lately. 
  PROMINENT STUDENTS 
   
  There are thousands of students on campus and the 
  investigators cannot be expected to speak to them all. Instead 
  the Keeper should create a general hub-bub of people in classes, 
  halls and cafeterias and when called to elaborate should draw 
  the attention of the investigators to the following personalities: 
   
   
   
  Lisa Xu – of Chinese descent, Lisa is a freshman student of 
  Mathematics and can be found in any corridor, hall or dorm. She 
  is friendly and bright. She knows 1D4 of the rumors currently 
  going around the campus. She also knows Didier Melville and  
  will introduce the investigators to him if they state that they are 
  trying to get to the bottom of things or are looking for clues. Lisa 
  will say that she knows a very smart guy who reckons he has his 
  finger on the pulse concerning all things secret and illicit. 
  Member of: Math Club, The International Club. 
   
   
  Darvis Philips – An African American final year student 
  reading History. Tall and handsome, this athletic, well dressed 
  young man will tell the investigators that he has been shocked 
  by the library theft. Darvis knows 1D3 campus rumors. If asked 
  about any odd characters or suspicious behavior then he will 
  mention Luke Dewer and Eve Williams as being involved in 
  shady witchcraft activities, although he doesn’t know any 
  details. Member of: The Historical Society. 
   
   
   
  Alexis Young – a demure and confident young woman with 
  brown locks and startling grey eyes. She is studying Economics. 
  She knows 1D4 campus rumors and if asked about seeing 
  anything suspicious or out of place she will alert the 
  investigators to Carl Munk, who seems to be a weird and sinister 
  individual (and who happens to be stalking her, although she is 
  unaware of this). 
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   19 
   
   
  Steven Woodman – short with black spiky hair and a 
  permanent grin, this English Lit student is in Eve Williams’ 
  class. He knows of Eve’s wannabe coven and her fellow 
  “witches”. He is also friends with Chris. It’s up to the Keeper how 
  much or how little he knows. Steven will initially talk of the 
  coven in terms of amusement since he finds the whole idea silly; 
  but as the weeks go on his attitude will change and he will see 
  the coven as something unhealthy and decidedly dangerous – he 
  will also be concerned about Chris’ disappearance from classes. 
   
   
   
  Rita Osicka – a dark-haired student of Politics, she is an 
  unrepentant geek. Very intelligent and alert, Rita knows 1D6 of 
  the campus rumors. She is a very good friend of Didier Melville 
  and will speak often of him in conversation and there is a 60% 
  chance that Didier will be with her on the second occasion an 
  investigator encounters her. Member of: MUCK (computer 
  club), Armchair Adventurers Society (roleplaying), Film Club. 
   
   
   
  Noonan Powell – a second year student studying Computer 
  Science. He is often found in libraries, cafeterias and science 
  labs. He knows 1D4 campus rumors and will mention both Luke 
  Dewer and Carl Munk if asked if there are any suspicious people 
  on campus or if he has seen anything out of the ordinary. 
  Member of: The Medieval Society.  
   
   
   
  Kamran Singh – Originally from Pittsburgh, he is a well-
  groomed young man with a polite manner and a good sense of 
  humor and is studying Philosophy. Kamran can often be found 
  in halls, studying on greens or parks, or in gyms. He knows 1D3 
  campus rumors and mentions Luke Dewer and Didier Melville 
  in casual conversation – finding the former odd in his 
  association with the occult and the latter a constant pain during 
  any debates and discussions. 
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   20 
   
   
  Felix Guzman – a well-built student of Physics originally from 
  Corpus Christi who is often seen on campus going about his 
  business. He is a cautious and street wise character who makes 
  it his business to know what is going on around him. He knows 
  1D6 campus rumors and will mention the new accountant, Julia 
  Hood (Charlotte Spinks), in conversation, saying that while she 
  is very attractive there is something that doesn’t seem quite right 
  about her. Member of: Debate Club. 
   
   
   
  Fariah Mahmood – a quiet and studious young woman in her 
  final year who is very diligent in her studies. She is taking 
  Chemistry and is from Rawalpindi, Pakistan. She is often 
  encountered in a class, lab or library. She knows 1D3 campus 
  rumors and will be eager to help the investigators if she can. She 
  will readily mention Luke Dewer, Eve Williams and Carl Munk 
  if asked about any persons behaving strangely or similar. 
   
   
   
  Vanessa Lamont – a cheerful and self-deprecating Junior 
  from Kansas City, who is also in the same English Lit class as 
  Eve and Chris. Vanessa is a very grounded individual who is 
  perplexed and slightly annoyed at Professor Fairbanks’ recent 
  interest in the occult; she doesn’t see the value and would much 
  rather the lectures follow more trusted and traditional material. 
  She will give the investigators a true and accurate account of all 
  that has occurred in the classes. She also knows 1D3 campus 
  rumors.   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   21 
   
  THE FACULTY 
   
  Keepers can devise their own lecturers and members of staff 
  if it pleases them to do so, but for convenience it may be 
  beneficial to use the Arkham Now campaign guide which 
  contains a full breakdown of the faculty and their locations at 
  Miskatonic University as of 2010. For the purpose of this 
  campaign it should be noted that Professor Fairbanks’ 
  predecessor, Sharon Cooperson, left for a tenure at another 
  university in 2013; in fact, it was some of her Wiccan and occult 
  books, inadvertently left behind in her office, that first inspired 
  Fairbanks into an interest in outré publications. 
   
  Largely, staffing is as per Arkham Now, some of the current 
  faculty members are: 
   
   
   
  Dr. David Barthelemy, professor of Middle Eastern  
  Studies, age 44. Friendly and mild mannered, he will happily 
  assist the investigators where he can. 
   
  Otto Cockrell, Astrophysicist, age 63. Fusty and pre-occupied. 
  He won’t want to waste his valuable time answering investigator 
  questions. 
   
  Russ Dewerson, Psychology professor, age 45. He teaches 
  Patricia and Jordan, Eve’s friends and coven members. He will 
  be able to report on their changed behaviors over the following 
  weeks. 
   
  Professor David Kowitz, Physicist, age 47 (n.b. Resident  
  mad scientist). Will happily waste anybody’s time with his 
  ramblings and hair-brained experiments. 
   
  Frank Merrell, Geophysicist, age 38. An utterly boring 
  individual who likes to drone on about rocks and their 
  movements. 
   
  Claire O’Hanlon, History professor, age 36. She knows lots 
  about history, both local and international. 
   
   
   
  Adele Parks, Head Librarian, Age 47. Parkes will be a pivotal 
  NPC during the early stages of the investigation; how she 
  responds to the investigators will depend on how they speak to 
  her and their general attitude/behavior. She can offer as much 
  insights and local information as the Keeper deems fit. 
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   22 
  Dr. Ivan Riabov, professor of Modern Languages, age 33. 
  Slightly aloof and cautious, Riabov will initially be wary of the 
  investigators but can be persuaded to translate any material for 
  them if a Credit role is passed. 
   
  Will Richards, Athletics Director, age 44, As Chris Henson’s 
  degree is a sports degree, Richards knows the young man very 
  well and will be able to provide considerable insight into the 
  student if the investigators bother to ask him. 
   
   
   
  Jorge Torres, Biology professor, age 40. Relaxed and friendly, 
  Torres can be an invaluable source of campus rumors as well as 
  local Arkham folklore. A successful Credit or Persuade roll can 
  garner this academic’s support.  
  ARKHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT 
   
  The Police came onto the campus and controlled the crime 
  scene long enough to take photographs, log the missing items, 
  dust for fingerprints, swab for DNA traces, and to interview the 
  library staff and all three Restricted Section key holders. All of 
  this took two days to achieve and the results were inconclusive 
  – several students and key holders’ fingerprints and DNA were 
  found at the scene, but since they all had legitimate access this 
  was of little use; no unauthorized fingerprints or DNA was 
  detected (Ebden Burns wore gloves and was very careful in the 
  commission of the robbery); all key holders and library staff had 
  verifiable alibis for the time the offence was believed to have 
  occurred; none of those who were interviewed have given the 
  police any obvious cause for doubt. The investigation has quickly 
  stalled and can proceed no further until new lines of inquiry are  
   
   
   
   
  found; this primarily will require further incidents to occur or 
  additional evidence to be captured, which due to the 
  investigators’ actions may actually happen – in which case they 
  will probably encounter the following individuals: 
   
   
   
  Detective John Stubbs – Police detective/Jaded cynic 
   
  This seasoned detective has spent over 24 years in the police 
  force, much of it in Arkham. He has served in the Vice and 
  Homicide departments and has recently been sidelined into 
  Robbery and Burglaries due to his sour and unfriendly 
  demeanor. John Stubbs likes to paint in his spare time, and now 
  prefers his pastime to his day job, which merely irritates him; he 
  longs for the day he can retire (in another 2 years) and open up 
  an art studio in New Mexico. 
   
  Stubbs is the case officer for the Orne Library robbery and 
  conducted nearly all of the witness and suspect interviews – 
  despite the cost of the items stolen the case offers little interest 
  to the detective who himself has witnessed a few things out of 
  the ordinary during his time in Arkham. The case file currently 
  sits on top of a pile of other robbery cases and is awaiting burial 
  under the next case to cross Stubbs’ path. 
   
  If the investigators meet Stubbs he will probably be derisive 
  of them (seeing them as either amateurs or meddlers). A suitably 
  credit worthy or persuasive investigator can however win him 
  over, especially if they soften him up with a conversation 
  centered on painting and art. If caught in a candid mood Stubbs 
  will reveal that he’s convinced the robbery was an inside job and 
  that if he had to guess the culprit, then he would probably go for 
  Professor Fairbanks (Stubbs - “Something just seems off about 
  the guy. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but my instincts tell 
  me he’s the type to do it.”). He may also be persuaded to show 
  the investigators the case file and talk them through it (but he 
  will not let it leave his sight). 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   23 
  “What we do know is that the thief or thieves knew exactly 
  what they were looking for and knew precisely where to find it. 
  Only a small selection of the books were taken and not even the 
  most valuable ones – this means that there was probably 
  another motive besides money involved here. The room was not 
  broken into – it was apparently opened with a key, which once 
  again points to someone with knowledge of where the existing 
  keys were held, and by whom, or else they managed to get a 
  copy of a key. I’ve been doing this job a long time and I would 
  stake my reputation that this is most definitely an inside job.”  
   
  Sergeant Malcolm Owens –Police station front desk 
  officer 
   
  If the investigators find themselves visiting the police station 
  at any point, then the first person they will encounter will be this 
  veteran police officer. A calm and stern individual with greying 
  red hair and piercing blue eyes; Sgt Owens doesn’t suffer fools 
  gladly and likes to get to the point quickly. Investigators will be 
  required to pass Credit or Persuade rolls to get any assistance 
  from him and even then, he will be curt and taciturn – he can 
  however furnish them with any general fact or information 
  concerning Arkham such as key locations and personalities and 
  maybe even a little history. If the investigators mess up and find 
  themselves arrested at any point, then Sgt Owens will also 
  double up as the Custody Sgt to give them a hard time.       
   
  Officer Dale Duggan – Responding Officer 
   
  If any incidents of a criminal nature occur during the 
  investigation, then Officer Duggan will undoubtedly be the first 
  member of law enforcement to arrive on the scene. Provided he 
  is not required to arrest the investigators at any point he will be 
  initially polite and moderately friendly towards them. Officer 
  Duggan is a powerfully built young man who is not afraid to get 
  into the thick of the action (in fact he loves it!). He has served 
  only four years on the force and is still relatively keen and green, 
  especially by the standards of the Arkham Police Department. 
  Officer Duggan will not tolerate any transgression of the law in 
  his presence and will seek to affect the arrest of the offending 
  party; he will immediately call for back up if a suspect is armed 
  or if he feels endangered in any way. 
   
  Arkham Now can be referenced for further details concerning 
  the police department, including the building and the police 
  hierarchy. 
   
   
   
   
  RED HERRINGS 
   
  There are many colorful characters that frequent the 
  university campus that will hopefully lead the investigators on a 
  merry dance but can also be of use to them when they do happen 
  on legitimate lines of enquiry. The Keeper can decide to the 
  degree of the red herring’s involvement in the proceedings, but 
  it is not beyond the realm of possibility to utilize them as NPCs 
  that can either help or hinder the investigation. 
   
   
   
  Luke Dewer – Heavy Metal Fan/Sham Satanist 
   
  This young man is a 20-year-old Physics undergraduate who 
  dresses in dark sinister clothes and who some allege is in a 
  satanic cult (he’s not).  Luke comes from a very conventional 
  background (his father is a pastor and his mother is a teacher) 
  and it is this that he is rebelling against; he revels in his bad boy 
  image and enjoys shocking people. He tries to dress 
  outrageously and is often seen wearing a long leather trench 
  coat, torn charcoal jeans, a black death metal t-shirt along with 
  a long wild haircut, ear ring, mascara and black lipstick. 
   
  If engaged by the investigators (overtly or undercover) he will 
  hint that he is backed by “powerful forces” and that he can curse 
  people if he so wishes. He will act demure and will not deny any 
  involvement in the theft of the stolen tomes if it is suggested that 
  he is responsible. 
   
  There is nothing dark or satanic about Luke, and he has no 
  “backing” whatsoever. His dorm room in Antunes Hall is 
  adorned with typical black metal posters, CDs and DVDs, and a 
  variety of dodgy-looking nick-knacks he has bought in flea 
  markets and pawn shops including multiple items bearing 
  pentagrams (ash-trays, candle sticks, lighters etc.).  
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   24 
  Amongst all this cheap dross is one authentic mythos item of 
  power – a metal amulet with an engraving of an elder sign on it. 
  The amulet was the defense of one of Arkham’s many 
  unfortunate investigators who came to a sticky end in sewers of 
  the city during the 1940s. It was subsequently found by 
  maintenance workers during the late 50s and eventually found 
  its way into a junk shop to be bought by Luke. The item was 
  forged in the name of one of the gods of light and subsequently 
  blessed by one of its high priests; it can repel most mythos 
  creatures and will drain 1 point of Pow upon direct physical 
  contact with any entity and channel it to the wielder 
  permanently. 
   
  Luke can be easily persuaded to assist the investigators in 
  their enquiries should they mention any element of the 
  mysterious or occult in his presence. In fact, the missing occult 
  books themselves will serve as a big lure for Luke and he will 
  probably try to steal them for himself should he come in the 
  vicinity of them. It should be noted that despite his formidable 
  reputation that Luke is something of a coward and of a delicate 
  disposition; if he was to actually encounter anything mythos or 
  supernatural he would in all probability run away screaming. 
   
   
   
  Carl Munk – Young Deviant/Troubled Youth 
   
  This thin, wiry freshman is bound to attract the attention of 
  any investigator. Carl likes to lurk in the background, whether it 
  be in a class or in a crowd at the scene of an accident. He is often 
  seen lurking and staring with his intense and overly large brown 
  eyes and weasel-like features. He is extremely taciturn and 
  rarely says a word, often mumbling incomprehensibly if asked a 
  direct question. 
   
  Carl is highly intelligent, but he has had a disturbed 
  upbringing thanks to his peculiar mother (who has had many 
  psychological and criminal issues of her own) and his absent 
  father. He has had to endure the company of a string of violent  
  alcoholic step-fathers and casual boyfriends of his mother. The 
  socially awkward youth has had no clear guidance from 
  responsible parents, so he has been left to explore his own 
  sexuality in strange and illegal ways. Carl has taken to secretly 
  stalking several attractive female students and is also a rampant 
  peeping tom, skulking about the windows of nearby homes, 
  sorority houses and dorms. 
   
  If the investigators visit Carl’s apartment (which he shares 
  with a fellow student on West Pickman street) they will find the 
  abode extremely ill-kempt (half-filled food cartons and empty 
  bottles abound) and in his room they will find large quantities of 
  pornographic magazines and DVDs, an abundance of stolen 
  female underwear and a desktop computer (password protected 
  – but can be hacked with an investigator’s own laptop and a 
  successful Computer Use or other related technical Knowledge 
  roll and 1D3 hours to achieve) which contains even more 
  pornography as well as his stalking plans, which are minutely 
  detailed and catalogued  (Keepers are advised to make the latter 
  first appear to be something more sinister and mythos related). 
   
  Carl will not want to willingly help the investigators in any way 
  as he fears them (he knows he is breaking the law and lives in 
  fear of the consequences) but a successful Persuade or 
  Intimidate roll will make him talk and slowly reveal useful 
  information. Carl spends a lot of his time skulking the corners of 
  the campus and nearby environs late at night so could quite have 
  easily have seen things that he shouldn’t have such as someone 
  being murdered, a body being dumped or someone acting 
  suspiciously (all of which he would not utter to another living 
  soul for fear of his own illegal activities becoming known). Carl 
  can in fact know almost anything that the Keeper feels will be of 
  benefit in helping the investigators’ advance their case. If the 
  investigators conduct any sort of surveillance on the campus or 
  in the vicinity, then it is almost certain they will observe Carl 
  going about his usual illicit nocturnal ramblings – and the 
  Keeper should ensure that the activity looks as suspicious and 
  mythos related as possible.  
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   25 
   
   
  Julia Hood/Charlotte Spinks – 
  Fraudster/Blackmailer/Dangerous Criminal 
   
  Charlotte isn’t who she says she is. She currently works in the 
  University’s Finance department as a junior accountant, under 
  the assumed name of Julia Hood. She is in fact busy stealing a 
  considerable amount of money from MU and over the last five 
  months has managed to siphon $38,000 into her own bank 
  accounts. Her methods aren’t very sophisticated and either her 
  co-worker, Janice Long, or line manager, Chris Peach, will soon 
  notice the deficit in funds during a routine audit. Chris or Janice 
  will both suspect a simple error by the new employee and will 
  approach Charlotte to clear the matter up. Charlotte will 
  respond by threatening Janice with a gun or by blackmailing 
  Chris (who is married and with whom she has instigated a 
  deliberate affair). 
  Charlotte will make it clear to either party that she intends to 
  continue to steal funds and that the other person will help her or 
  else. Worse still, Charlotte has links to a biker gang that 
  frequents a rough Lower Southside bar – the bikers are happy to 
  act as her muscle in return for the cash she pays them. 
   
  The investigators have good reason to investigate both Dean 
  Clements and Professor Fairbanks during the case since they 
  both have keys to the Restricted Section. They should run full 
  background checks, including financial state, as a matter of 
  course. If they do, then this sets the clock running on the 
  Charlotte Spinks character. The checks will involve a third party 
  making a digital enquiry into the state of the university’s 
  finances which will inspire either Janice or Chris to conduct the 
  internal audit. Charlotte will threaten or blackmail the 
  individual three days after the investigators initiate the 
  background checks. 
   
  People on campus will notice a change in Janice or Chris’ 
  demeanor and word of this will get back to the investigators 
  should they still be asking students or faculty about any  
  observed strange or changed behavior. When Chris or Janice is 
  subsequently interviewed a successful Credit Rating or Persuade 
  roll is required to convince them to reveal what is troubling them 
  – namely Charlotte Spinks. 
   
  If the investigators approach Charlotte she will at first be 
  visibly alarmed, but upon learning that the investigators are not 
  true law enforcement she will instantly regain her composure. 
  She will try to appear honest and friendly (requiring a successful 
  Psychology roll to disprove this) and if pressed will claim that 
  she wants to talk freely about what has been going on, but they 
  must all go somewhere else to discuss it. Charlotte will suggest 
  The Tavern Inn bar near her motel apartment on East 
  Washington Street, Lower Southside. The investigators can 
  insist on an alternative location if they pass a Credit Rating or 
  Persuade roll. Either way, Charlotte will say that she must visit 
  the rest room prior to leaving; once inside she will text the 
  location of the meet and a variation of the following message to 
  one of her biker gang friends: 
   
  “Hi P, its Dana. I’ve got a big problem that needs your help 
  in solving asap. Will be at The Tavern Inn in next 20 mins with 
  company. Bring help. Ill owe you big time for this hon” 
   
  At The Tavern Inn or the alternative location, Charlotte will 
  stall any conversation by asking the investigators various 
  hypothetical questions. After 15 minutes (25 minutes if at an 
  alternative location) 5 burly bikers will enter the venue and greet 
  “Dana”, crowding around the investigators. Charlotte’s mood 
  will become instantly buoyant as she will gleefully introduce the 
  investigators as “wannabe cops who are sweating me”. She will 
  also allege that one of the investigators was fresh with her and 
  has touched her inappropriately; this will be the bikers’ queue to 
  beat the investigators senseless and rob them of all their 
  possessions (laptops, phones, IDs and guns). At the end of the 
  beating Charlotte will inform the investigators that if she sees 
  them around the university again they will be killed (This is a 
  bluff. She doesn’t care what they do so long as her fraud isn’t 
  disturbed). If Charlotte or her activity is further disturbed, then 
  she will pay the bikers to locate the investigators and hospitalize 
  them. 
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   26 
  Charlotte has the personality, morals and instincts of a sewer 
  rat. She thinks only of herself and is capable of great violence if 
  only mildly provoked. She lives in a motel apartment in the 
  rather rough Lower Southside district of Arkham. Should the 
  investigators visit her abode they will find extra ammunition for 
  her handgun, numerous different IDs (some are genuine 
  documents that have been doctored while others are outright 
  forgeries), small quantities of cocaine and crystal meth, and lots 
  of evidence concerning her research into various rich Arkham 
  individuals and institutes. Charlotte will be of no use to the 
  investigators in the pursuit of their case and she serves only as a 
  distraction and a hindrance. 
   
   
   
  Didier 
  Melville 
  – 
  Fantasist/Conspiracy 
  Theorist 
  Extraordinaire 
   
  This rotund and sanguine character is larger than life and 
  loves the sound of his own voice. Didier is an intelligent and odd 
  individual with permed ginger curls and an equally shocking 
  beard; he normally wears loose fitting baggy clothes, and quite 
  often very brash Hawaiian shirts (no matter the season or 
  climate). A classic über-geek, there are few subjects that Didier 
  can’t summon up random facts or nuggets of wisdom on. He is 
  very well read and has very good technical IT skills to match. He 
  does have some border-line mental issues however which have 
  been acerbated by his regular reading of the Fortean Times and 
  UFO related magazines and websites. He has come to believe in 
  a veritable melting pot of weird and wondrous (and often 
  conflicting) ideas and conspiracy theories.  
   
  He often freely talks about his ideas concerning ancient alien 
  astronauts, magic secret symbols that can bestow great power 
  on the wielder, alien human hybrids walking amongst us, the 
  Illuminati pulling global strings and coordinating all world 
  events, Atlantis fish folk dwelling at the bottom of the ocean and 
  Yug Sabbab, a powerful inter-dimensional entity responsible for 
  snatching people from all around the world(!). 
    
  If the investigators overtly approach Didier, he will be very 
  interested in their presence and will spend a lot of the time 
  asking them probing questions about their investigation and 
  about their jobs in general. He will ask some very banal 
  questions such as “How many people have you arrested?”, “Do 
  you have guns?”, “Can I see your gun?”, “Can I hold it?”, “Have 
  you ever shot anyone?” When asked about anything concerning 
  the investigation Didier will inevitably turn it to his favorite 
  subject: 
   
  Investigator: “Have you seen any suspicious activity or 
  anyone behaving differently over that last two weeks?” 
  Didier: “Oh sure, there’s little that gets past me. I see 
  everything!” 
  Investigator: “Like what?” 
  Didier: “I see the secret signs passed between some of the rich 
  kids in class. Those odd winks and nods at crucial moments, 
  y’know, just before things like the library break in occur. 
  They’re all in on it.” 
  Investigator: “In on what?” 
  Didier (whispering confidentially): “The Illuminati!”  
   
  If prompted with further questions he will then start to 
  elaborate further but will draw in ever increasingly unlikely and 
  bizarre factors such as odd lights in the sky, shadowy figures that 
  can only be seen in the corner of your eye, and evidence of mind 
  control. He will then declare it’s time for his medication and pop 
  some pills right in front of the investigators eyes: 
   
  Investigator: “What are those pills for?” 
  Didier: “Oh these?! They’re nothing. They just keep me 
  balanced out, is all. Nice and even, yup, nice and even.....” 
   
  If Didier doesn’t take his three types of medication three times 
  a day, then he will start to display bi-polar symptoms and will 
  wildly swing between ceaselessly talking about UFO abductions 
  and completely withdrawing from all conversation. 
   
  If an investigator runs into Didier while undercover then he 
  will become very suspicious of them and depending on how the 
  investigator reacts to him and what they say he may even declare 
  them a spy and out them as a member of the Secret Service, 
  stating that they are spying on American citizens to appease 
  their Illuminati overlords. Other students who witness this will 
  find the encounter highly amusing and will refer to the 
  investigator from that point on as “that spy”, “The Man” or 
  “Fed”. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   27 
  Interestingly Didier has encountered some real mythos 
  related information from talking to locals or reading personal 
  accounts posted online; but he has hopelessly muddled up the 
  mythos with UFO pop culture and urban legends so that all 
  pertinent information is related slightly wrong or confused (e.g. 
  Cthulhu will become Catuloo, the great sleeping cat under the 
  earth and the Mi-Go become the My-Lo, cute furry aliens who 
  are at war with the Greys on behalf of mankind).  
        
  Didier can be of use to the investigators in several ways. He is 
  a technical wizard and can jury-rig any number of devices 
  (setting up heat sensors around a room or even an infrared 
  triggered man-trap for instance) given the correct resources and 
  time. He is extremely adept at finding out information, online or 
  off, and delving through online archives in search of esoteric 
  facts. He will happily and actively assist the investigators if they 
  have approached him overtly and will shadow and follow them 
  mercilessly if they have encountered him undercover – no 
  matter how dangerous things become (Didier may very well be 
  killed by mythos forces very early on). Didier is the kind of 
  knowledgeable fool that may inadvertently save the day at the 
  crucial moment by physically blundering into a witch or 
  knocking over an altar at the pivotal point in a summoning spell. 
  Didier suffers half the effects of any Sanity point loss because he 
  already fully believes in the impossible and the bizarre. 
   
  If the investigators do manage to suffer through Didier’s dross 
  and continue to ask whether he has seen anyone acting strange, 
  then he will volunteer that he has long held suspicions about 
  Carl Munk. He will mention strange tales he has heard about a 
  place called Innsmouth and that he thinks Carl may have come 
  from there (n.b. He doesn’t; Carl is from Cleveland). 
  CAMPUS RUMOURS 
   
  The following is a list of the current rumors that are going 
  around the campus, some of which concern the stolen books. 
  The rumors are a mix of truths, half-truths, down-right lies and 
  utter fantasies; they will either serve as potential leads or as false 
  paths. The Keeper can select the desired rumors as per the 
  circumstances of current play or just select randomly: 
   
  1. 
  A mysterious hooded figure has been seen skulking in the 
  shadows across the campus in the middle of the night, 
  including outside of some student digs. Some suppose it is a 
  peeping tom while others say it may be a serial killer looking 
  for victims. Many of the female students are scared and 
  frightened about these incidents (several people have seen 
  the figure so far). Keeper’s Note: This is Carl Munk going 
  about his sordid nightly forays. The Keeper is advised to play 
  this rumor straight – portray it as just a supposed stalker, 
  and not a mythos cultist; hopefully this will wrong foot 
  investigators into suspecting it is the latter! 
   
  2. 
  Luke Dewer is a dangerous person who is involved in satanic 
  worship. He regularly performs animal sacrifices and prays 
  to dark forces. He is often armed with a knife and is not 
  afraid to use it. He’s crazy and it’s only a matter of time 
  before he kills someone. Keeper’s Note: The essence of this 
  rumor is all of Luke’s own doing. He has repeatedly bragged 
  and told outright lies about what he believes in and what he 
  does in his spare time; all in order to create an air of danger 
  and mystery about himself – as he finds this a useful tool in 
  attracting female freshmen! Most people relaying this rumor 
  will earnestly believe that Luke is the real deal and a 
  dangerous individual not to be trifled with.  
   
  3. 
  Eve Williams is a witch and runs a coven made up of fellow 
  students. She performs ceremonies worshipping the devil 
  and she believes that she can put curses on people she is 
  angry with. Keeper’s Note: What started out as childish play 
  and wish fulfilment has become a terrible reality. Anyone 
  relaying this rumor during the first week of the investigation 
  will say that they don’t really believe it and that it’s all just 
  immature attention seeking on Eve’s part. From the second 
  week onwards, anyone relaying this rumor will say that they 
  think there may be some truth to it since Eve now appears to 
  be having some sort of a mental breakdown and a lot of her 
  friends seem to be very scared of her. 
   
  4. 
  Dean Clements is a member of the Illuminati and runs a 
  secret cabal of the local elite, regularly performing 
  ceremonies on campus grounds in the middle of the night. 
  Keeper’s Note: This is Didier Melville’s nonsense. Anyone 
  relaying this rumor will say that they have absolutely no idea 
  how the story got started but everyone seems to be talking 
  about it so there must be something in it. 
   
  5. 
  There have been a number of abductions in Arkham, 
  including students. Mysterious forces are at work and the 
  powers that be are covering them up. The police are being 
  bribed or threatened to look the other way. Mysterious lights 
  have been spotted in the sky on the nights people have gone 
  missing. Keeper’s Note: This is Didier Melville’s nonsense 
  yet again. He has earnestly told fanciful stories to drunk 
  freshmen so often that some of his crazed fiction is now 
  being circulated as fact or as urban myth. People do go 
  missing in Arkham, for various reasons, including mythos 
  related incidents – but Didier has no proof or knowledge of 
  any specific cases. 
   
  6. 
  The Jeremiah Orne Library is haunted by the ghost of a 
  student who died there during the night under mysterious 
  circumstances back in the 1930s or 40s. Strange things 
  happen in the library at night and someone would have to be 
  a fool to spend the night there lest something terrible 
  happens to them. The strange forces there are also 
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   28 
  responsible for the recent disappearance of the valuable 
  occult books stored there. 
   
  7. 
  An extensive system of tunnels runs under Arkham, 
  including the campus. The tunnels are unsafe to venture into 
  and some people who have tried to explore them have gone 
  missing over the years (no one knows any specifics). It is also 
  possible to access the Orne Library from these tunnels and 
  that was how the missing books were stolen from under the 
  noses of the staff. Keeper’s Note: An extensive system of 
  tunnels does indeed exist, and they do enable access to the 
  Orne Library, although they have nothing to do with the theft 
  of the books. Anyone choosing to explore these tunnels may 
  well encounter the little people or ghouls that inhabit them. 
  Keepers who want further details concerning the tunnels 
  should consult Miskatonic University by Sam Johnson. 
   
  8. 
  “Saint Ward”, the prized bronze statue head of the late 
  Reverend Ward Philips, is once again in the possession of the 
  Sigma Phi fraternity. In keeping with this time honored 
  traditional game of stealing and keeping the head for the 
  longest period of time, The French Club and the Debate 
  Society are both drawing up intricate plans to recapture this 
  Arkham relic for themselves. Some even suppose that one of 
  these parties is also involved in the recent theft of the occult 
  books from the Orne Library as part of their elaborate plans 
  (See the Miskatonic University handbook for further 
  details). 
   
  9. 
  The Dean is having an affair with the new woman in accounts 
  – Julia Hood (Charlotte Spinks). The university’s accounts 
  are in a real mess and the pair conspired to steal the books 
  from the Orne Library to claim on the insurance money and 
  shore up the battered finances of the institute. Keeper’s 
  Note: This is a deliberate malicious rumor started by Luke 
  Dewer in revenge for recently being reprimanded by the 
  Dean over his rumored misconduct. Luke’s malicious 
  rumors have been readily seized and spread by some of his 
  female friends and exes. 
   
  10. Gus Sanderson, the head of maintenance, is regularly rolling 
  around his office drunk off his face. Keeper’s Note: Gus does 
  have a growing problem with drink and is a borderline 
  alcoholic. While the rumors of him being “drunk off his face” 
  are untrue, he does often exude the aroma of liquor, a result 
  of his previous night’s drinking. Gus will strongly deny any 
  allegations of negligence or drunkenness and will soon 
  become very angry indeed if any investigator pushes the 
  issue or suggests any impropriety. 
   
   
   
   
   
  ADJUSTING PLAY 
   
  A Keeper should always aim to deliver a balanced, fun and fair 
  campaign, but anything can happen once a scenario is in play – 
  seasoned investigators will be wise to the ways of the mythos and 
  the mechanisms of game play, so it may become necessary to 
  place obstacles in their way to prevent them from swiftly 
  uncovering one clue after another and concluding the campaign 
  by the numbers. Equally, the players may be so jaded by 
  previous scenarios and subsequent horrific character deaths 
  that they may now be averse to following obvious leads or 
  perhaps they have been hopelessly sidetracked by one of the red 
  herrings and now require some pointers to get them back on 
  track. Either way, here are a few suggested means for a Keeper 
  to help or hinder the progress of any investigation accordingly: 
   
  Delaying the pace 
   
  Testing the brakes 
   
  Janice Long is found murdered in one of the campus car 
  parks. She has been stabbed repeatedly in the back. Her boss, 
  Chris Peach, is visibly shocked by the news, but is being 
  comforted and consoled by Julia Hood (Charlotte Spinks) who 
  appears to be taking it in her stride. Keeper’s Note: Janice 
  learned of Charlotte’s fraud and made the mistake of letting the 
  hardened criminal become aware of it. Charlotte did not waste 
  any time, she followed Janice out to her car late in the evening 
  and struck while the opportunity presented itself (there were no 
  witnesses to the crime, nor any CCTV coverage in the car park). 
  Charlotte has then paid Chris a visit at his house that evening 
  and threatened him and his family with death if he lets anything 
  slip. Charlotte gave the murder weapon to one of her biker 
  friends that evening for disposal in the Miskatonic river.  
   
  A slight bump 
   
  While the investigators conduct their inquiries, Carl Munk 
  becomes aware of the new faces on campus and develops a 
  strong fascination and infatuation for one of the investigators 
  (roll a dice to determine who). Carl will begin to stalk the 
  character, stealing mementos (perhaps by breaking into an 
  investigator’s parked car) and taking long distance photos of 
  them. He will write bizarre cryptic letters and poems to the 
  investigator and will leave them where they can be easily found. 
  He will then start to pay nocturnal visits to peak at his new object 
  of lust while they are in the shower or while they are sleeping. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   29 
  Slamming the brakes 
   
  A death threat letter is pushed under the motel door of the 
  investigators while they are away. The letter is very badly written 
  with extremely poor spelling and warns them that unless they 
  stay away from the university they will be taken care of. The next 
  day Uncle Silas, Hazel Dean and a couple of the coven members 
  (see the Overdue scenario), traveling in a beat up pickup truck, 
  will follow the investigators back to the motel. There will be a 
  knock at the door and if opened Uncle Silas will immediately 
  open fire with his .22 revolver before ducking out of the way; this 
  will be the signal for the rest of the coven members to open fire 
  from across the parking lot with an array of shotguns and rifles. 
  The firing will continue for a couple of minutes before Uncle 
  Silas throws a pre-prepared Molotov cocktail through the open 
  door or through the window. The attackers will then flee the 
  scene, continuing to fire as they leave. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Getting the investigation back on track 
   
  A gentle nudge  
   
  During an evening update Ed O’Brian advises the 
  investigators to concentrate their efforts on the scene of the 
  crime and the Restricted Section key holders and to be prepared 
  to trail people if necessary. 
   
  A tap on the shoulder 
   
  Noonan Powell comes forward and tells the investigators that 
  he was in the library on the day of the theft and saw a middle-
  aged man enter and then leave the library with a full satchel (n.b. 
  This was Ebden Burns). He had seen the man in the library 
  before, talking to one of the librarians in a friendly manner so 
  thought nothing of it at the time. 
   
  A helping hand 
   
  Councilor Ashley Melson reports his concerns about Eve 
  Williams’ poor attendance and strange behavior to Dean 
  Clements, who in turn relays it back to the investigators. The 
  councilor has talked to several students and they have relayed 
  accounts of the coven members’ strange behavior and their 
  concerns that Eve is behaving very oddly. The councilor followed 
  this up by calling Eve in for an informal chat and was shocked at 
  the Junior’s apparent change in personality; he suspects that 
  some sort of mental ailment has befallen Eve and would like to 
  have her submitted for further psychological examination and 
  an evaluation. Keeper’s Note: This can only be used after the first 
  week of the investigation when Eve’s body has been possessed 
  by Mother Willow (see the Overdue scenario). 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   30 
   
   
  In which the investigators follow the campus clues that lead to 
  a wicked witch with personality issues, her unclean acolytes, 
  and an unwilling co-opted coven. 
   
  THE STORY SO FAR 
   
  This is the second story connected with the theft of the 
  forbidden tomes from Miskatonic University’s Orne Library and 
  is the first real challenge that the investigators will face. If clues 
  are missed and decisive action isn’t taken at key stages, then 
  things will probably escalate out of all proportions and Arkham 
  will be rocked by events that will live in infamy. Hopefully the 
  investigators have not taken the bait of any Miskatonic red 
  herrings and have decided to investigate the source of the many 
  campus rumors surrounding Eve Williams’ strange behavior 
  and the unseemly activities reportedly occurring at her sorority 
  house, Kappa Delta Phi. 
   
  KEEPERS INFORMATION 
   
  Ever since she was a child Eve Williams has been fed on 
  stories concerning her distant relatives, the unwholesome 
  Whateleys of Dunwich. Her parents told her exaggerated family 
  stories, half remembered, half made up, concerning the wizard, 
  Noah Whateley and his deals with the devil. These half-frivolous 
  bed-time stories took root in the young girl’s susceptible mind 
  and many years later as a young woman she still holds these 
  exotic imaginings dear to her heart. She has developed a keen 
  interest in all things occult and an overly romantic viewpoint 
  derived by reading Dark Fantasy novels and repeatedly watching 
  Twilight films. Eve’s desire and imagination was so powerful 
  that she began to half-believe in her non-existent magical 
  powers and in witchcraft. She gravitated towards similar goth 
  and emo students and managed to convince her closest three 
  new friends to form a coven with her; Eve naturally choosing to 
  act as their leader, the grand high witch. After many silly 
  “ceremonies” and much bragging in the town bars a local man 
  told Eve of a notorious powerful witch called Mother Willow 
  who lives outside one of the smaller hamlets in the Miskatonic 
  Valley.  
  Eve eagerly sought out the dark crone and finally managed to 
  locate her after a couple of weeks. Upon initially meeting the 
  strange old lady Eve quickly informed her new acquaintance of 
  her day-dream inspired wish of resurrecting her distant relative 
  Noah Whateley (never for a minute truly believing that such a 
  thing was actually possible). Mother Willow, a true practitioner 
  of evil and a high priestess of Shub-Niggurath; has long been 
  shunned by near enough everyone that knows of her. Her only 
  company are the dark unholy things she communes with and a 
  handful of equally disreputable hillbilly disciples. The evil crone 
  saw right through the young student and saw her for the foolish 
  and naive innocent she was. Mother Willow adopted the ruse of 
  pretending to be a guide to the younger woman and told her that 
  she could indeed summon Noah Whateley if she obtained one of 
  the great books of magic – either the Necronomicon or the Book 
  of Ghouls (Cultes Des Ghouls). 
   
   
   
   
   
  Eve subsequently planned the robbery of the Orne Library’s 
  forbidden section with Chris Henson and Ebden Burns. Prior to 
  the robbery it had been Eve’s intention to steal the 
  Necronomicon but, on the day itself, remembering Professor 
  Fairbanks’ fondness for it, she settled on the Book of Ghouls 
  instead. She then eagerly handed the book over to Mother 
  Willow on the Friday at the end of the first week of the Eagle 
  Bond investigation. Mother Willow instructed Eve to wait while 
  the old witch retired to her shack to check through the book’s 
  pages. Over the following hours the wily old magician learned 
  the desired spell and makes several animal sacrifices to her 
  deity. She then successfully performed the Mind Transfer spell 
  with Eve as the target. The older woman successfully traded her 
  mind with the younger woman and Eve was subsequently driven 
  temporarily insane upon finding herself transformed into an old 
  woman. Mother Willow is now the proud possessor of a much 
  younger and attractive body; she gave instructions to one of her 
  disciples, Billy Childs, to keep Eve captive in his hillside shack; 
  Mother Willow secretly fears that the spell she cast might only 
  prove temporary and therefore does not feel secure enough to 
  murder her victim as her instincts urge her to do. 
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   31 
  Finally free of her tired old frame and its associations, Mother 
  Willow takes two of her disciples, Uncle Silas and Hazel Dean 
  and travels to the Kappa Delta Phi sorority house on Boundary 
  street. Once there she sets about entrapping and controlling the 
  female students who live there. Mother Willow’s intention is to 
  establish a personal powerbase in the sorority house by co-
  opting all the living-in students into her coven. Once a coven is 
  created and firmly under the old witch’s control she will begin a 
  campaign to control Arkham’s social elite – the rich and the 
  powerful members of society such as the mayor and high-profile 
  businessmen. Mother Willow will use the power generated by 
  her unwilling witches to cast powerful enchantments or else to 
  summon terrible entities to destroy her enemies.  
   
   Of note is Mother Willow’s behavior itself. Despite her newly 
  improved physical appearance and ill-gotten youth she is still a 
  73-year-old woman at heart; she has received little formal 
  education and has spent much of her life leading a reclusive life 
  in the backwaters of Massachusetts. Mother Willow’s manner of 
  speech is rural and antiquated (her youth was during the 1940s) 
  and she is given to colloquial expressions and proverbs, often 
  quoting passages of the bible in a mocking tone. Anyone 
  encountering her, either as an old crone or in Eve’s stolen body, 
  will be repulsed by her creepy and unwholesome demeanor. 
  Mother Willow struggles to operate in the modern world and 
  needs the direct assistance of her three minions (Uncle Silas, 
  Hazel Dean and Billy Childs) as she cannot drive a car, nor 
  operate a cell phone or computer. For those individuals that 
  already know Eve Williams (such as her original coven 
  members) it appears as if she has become delusional or has 
  taken to method acting an aged clichéd witch to an excessive 
  degree. 
  Initially Mother Willow will spend the first week in Eve’s body 
  establishing control over the Kappa Delta Phi sorority house and 
  its occupants. The old witch will use a combination of 
  enchantments, curses and physical intimidation (either directly 
  herself or via one of her three minions) that prevents any of the 
  students from reporting her to the authorities or to the campus 
  administration. Three of the students (Cara Hensky, Sadie Heart 
  and Tylene Osha) leave the university at the end of the second 
  week and return home. They will not begin to tell stories to their 
  friends and relatives for at least a fortnight and any formal 
  allegations raised on their behalf prove fruitless after three 
  weeks have passed. The first girl who makes an accusation will 
  suffer a horrifically public manifestation of a dire ailment that 
  results in the unfortunate person being transported to hospital 
  where they quickly slip into a coma and die (this will be the 
  results of a curse generated by Mother Willow to silence her 
  enemy). The remainder continue their studies and, on the 
  surface, appear to be living their lives normally but they all now 
  prefer to stay away from the sorority house as much as possible, 
  returning only when commanded to do so by one of Mother 
  Willow’s minions. The students are forced to partake in a 
  ceremony two to three times a week, taking up all the evening 
  and night on those occasions. 
   
  At the end of her first week of residence at the sorority house 
  Mother Willow will target three local businessmen using a 
  combination of straightforward blackmail (an act of sexual 
  misconduct on the part of a married textile magnet), an 
  enchantment on a Fund Manager (a love spell no less!) and 
  physical threats and extortion by Uncle Silas of the chairman of 
  a manufacturing company. This pattern will continue on further 
  victims over the proceeding month until a loose network of 15 
  businessmen are under Mother Willow’s control or influence. 
   
  Mother Willow begins to experiment with summoning entities 
  at the beginning of the first week. She will successfully summons 
  up to five ghouls by the end of that week. The ghouls will inhabit 
  the basement of the sorority house and will flee to a hole that 
  leads down into the sewers below if they suffer any casualties. 
  Throughout the following weeks she will seek to commune with 
  and recruit additional ghouls located in and under Arkham’s 
  various cemeteries. At the end of the first week she is also 
  contacted by Chris Henson who quickly determines that she is 
  not Eve and promptly flees the sorority house.  Mother Willow, 
  fearing the threat that Chris represents to her plans summons 
  fourth three Dark Young. She dispatches two of them to kill 
  Chris at his house and retains the third as her body guard and 
  ultimate enforcer. 
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   32 
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   33 
  If Mother Willow is not stopped after one month she will have 
  leveraged her coven and network of corrupted and controlled 
  businessmen to make a move on city hall itself. She will start 
  with security guards, receptionists and aides and will work her 
  way up to the city mayor himself. During this period up to six 
  prominent businessmen (and some of their family members) 
  will have been murdered in many horrific and mysterious ways 
  – these will be those brave and foolish souls who directly 
  resisted all of Mother Willow’s attempts to control them. If the 
  mayor falls under Mother Willow’s control then she will use her 
  almost total official protection to conduct increasingly large 
  numbers of human sacrifices (a total of 50 which starts at first 
  with transients and criminals, but soon progresses to any 
  random person her now numerous minions can obtain) to 
  summon the loathsome Mother of Mould to obtain greater 
  personal powers from her deity and benefactor. 
   
  THE SORORITY HOUSE 
   
  What the investigators find awaiting them at Kappa Delta Phi 
  will depend on how soon they get there, the time of day or night 
  and whether Mother Willow and her cohorts are expecting them 
  or not. The best possible circumstances will be to visit the house 
  in daylight on the first week when Mother Willow isn’t in 
  Arkham yet. During the first week everything is normal but from 
  the second week it will become Mother Willow’s base of 
  operations. 
   
  During the day the house is quiet and locked up tight. Uncle 
  Silas is pretending to be the building’s caretaker and hangs 
  about keeping watch in a small office close to the front lobby and 
  will respond to any sounds of disturbance. Hazel Dean spends 
  most of her time in the kitchen preparing ingredients for spells 
  that will be performed during the night time ceremonies. 
  Mother Willow does not feel comfortable in an urban setting or 
  in human company in general and therefore keeps herself 
  secluded away in Eve’s room during daylight hours (she sleeps 
  lightly between the hours of 7am and 12pm). During the 
  afternoon she spends the time studying the Book of Ghouls and 
  preparing for the next spell that she intends to cast. The student 
  residents are generally absent from the building between the 
  hours of 8am and 5pm; when they are in they either remain in 
  their own rooms or cluster in the common room (they are all 
  utterly terrified of the new Eve and her hillbilly bodyguards). 
  During the night Mother Willow holds her ceremonies and the 
  female students are compelled to join her in the unholy rights. 
  Between the hours of 5pm and 10pm Hazel Dean will be coercing 
  many the students into assisting in the preparations and Uncle 
  Silas will be actively patrolling the lower corridor and lobby, 
  controlling all comings and goings through the main entrance. 
  Nearly all the ceremonies occur in the large basement where 
  various runes and sigils and drawn and carved into the floor and 
  walls. Mother Willow will start to perform her dark arts with her 
  coven at 10pm and will typically continue until 4am. The ghouls 
  will generally keep to the darkened corners of the basement 
  while the ceremonies are performed, silently observing. The 
  keeper can decide on the exact nature of the ceremony if the 
  investigators pay a night visit to Kappa Delta Phi – it could be a 
  simple curse or blessing, or equally Mother Willow might be 
  trying to summon something dire.  
   
   
   
  Uncle Silas keeps the front door locked at all times and does 
  not permit anyone to enter without prior notification. 
  Investigators seeking to gain access overtly will knock and buzz 
  fruitlessly and will need to be let in by a resident student from 
  the outside or have made a prior appointment to speak to one of 
  the students in the house (the student will have then informed 
  Uncle Silas). If overt entry is gained Uncle Silas will attempt to 
  hover unseen in the background and will eavesdrop on any 
  conversation the investigators have. If directly engaged by the 
  investigators Uncle Silas will claim to be the building caretaker. 
  If confronted or insulted in any fashion he will become violent 
  and will seek to eject the investigators from the building - if the 
  investigators successfully resist this he will resort to deadly 
  force. Hazel Dean will hear any commotion and will come to 
  Uncle Silas’ aid armed with a large kitchen knife. If Mother 
  Willow becomes aware of the disturbance, then she will keep her 
  distance and will flee out to the garden if the investigators 
  manage to deal with her two acolytes. 
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   34 
  If the investigators intend to gain entry to the building 
  covertly they will need to have obtained a key and the access 
  code for the front door from one of the female student residents, 
  otherwise they will have to break in. If the investigators are 
  breaking in between the hours of 10pm and 4am then they are 
  unlikely to be heard as all the residents will be down in the 
  basement participating in the ceremony. If a break in occurs 
  outside these times, then a listen role should be performed for 
  Uncle Silas or Hazel Dean with a suitable modifier dependent on 
  where the point of entry is located. If the two acolytes detect the 
  break in, then they will respond by raising the alarm and will 
  attack the investigators with deadly force. 
   
  If the investigators flee the house after a confrontation or ask 
  too many pointed questions during an overt visit, then Mother 
  Willow will dispatch her two acolytes (and a couple of the coven) 
  to hunt them down during the next night and kill them. It is 
  highly likely that they will use the ruse of having one of the 
  resident students arrange a meeting somewhere secluded so that 
  they can lure the investigators into an ambush. 
   
  Inside Eve’s room, on top of a desk, is her laptop which 
  contains her e-mail correspondence with Ebden Burns as well as 
  an e-mail to a close friend, Alex Lords (he is attending a 
  university in California). The email was sent on the first 
  Wednesday of the Eagle Bond investigation and tells of her 
  intent to visit Mother Willow out in the Miskatonic Valley to 
  show her something special that she has just acquired. A 
  successful Computer Use roll and 1D3 hours will be required to 
  break into the laptop. 
   
  THE SORORITY HOUSE GARDEN 
   
  There is an unusual resident hiding out in the garden. It is the 
  third Dark Young summoned by Mother Willow and appointed 
  as her body guard in times of dire emergency. It spends the 
  majority of its time amongst a dense copse at the back of the 
  large garden, pretending to be an oak tree (it is aware that it is 
  in a suburban setting and feels uncomfortable, longing to be in 
  the tantalizingly dense woods that border the city). During 
  daylight hours it is virtually dormant while during the night it is 
  alert and prepared to be active if required. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Anyone entering the garden will not be able to discern the 
  creature unless they directly investigate the copse, in which case 
  a spot hidden roll should be made. Unless the investigators have 
  already played the Manuscripts Don’t Burn scenario they won’t 
  know what they are looking at and the Keeper should inform 
  them that they see a slimy and ugly knolled tree that resembles 
  a diseased oak tree. If the investigators explore further during 
  daylight hours, then the Dark Young will silently suffer the 
  indignity of being climbed or prodded to maintain its cover. If 
  any investigator attempts to cause serious harm such as hacking 
  at it with an axe then the Dark Young will respond to the first 
  blow with a sonorous below of pain and rage (a sea of eyes and 
  mouths surfacing across its body) and will try to grab its attacker 
  with a tentacle, subsequently crushing them and flinging their 
  body into a neighboring backyard. A similar, but less deadly 
  response will be received if the investigators simply attempt to 
  explore the creature during the hours of darkness. If the creature 
  does respond to the investigators’ presence then a round later 
  Uncle Silas and Hazel Dean will appear in the back yard, armed, 
  ready to respond to the disturbance – this should provide the 
  investigators with the added incentive to flee the scene of what 
  could very well be a campaign ending encounter with a powerful 
  cosmic terror. 
   
  If a confrontation occurs in the sorority house and Mother 
  Willow flees into the garden it will be to seek the protection of 
  her Dark Young bodyguard. The creature will instantly spring to 
  life (regardless of the time of day) and will stand in front of its 
  mistress, ready to fight and die. 
   
  Should Mother Willow be killed inside the house then it will 
  remain in the garden until darkness falls and will then head 
  directly for the forest, at first stealthily creeping (maintaining its 
  tree-like composure) before finally ditching all pretense and 
  smashing through the final few backyards that block its way. 
   
  THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS 
   
  All the student residents will continue to attend their classes 
  and their studies, but as the weeks progress their demeanors and 
  academic performance will alter drastically. All the students will 
  appear withdrawn, tired, sullen, timid and scared; they will at 
  first resist any attempts by the investigators to question them 
  with vague, non-committal answers or even outright lies; they 
  will do this because they are terrified of any repercussions that 
  may be visited on them by the new Eve if they talk willingly to 
  the authorities. 
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   35 
  If the investigators are convincing and adept in their dealings 
  with the unwilling coven members, then they will slowly begin 
  to utter vague hints that things are not okay at the sorority house 
  and that Eve is watching them. They will not reveal any details 
  under any circumstances as they are equally frightened of the 
  consequences of doing so and feel intensely guilty for 
  participating in Eve’s unholy rites. If pressed they will resort to 
  lies or will simply say that Eve has changed and is truly evil and 
  that the investigators should get away while they still can 
  because she has killed people(!) – they will then simply break 
  into hysterical sobbing that lasts for over an hour (this cycle will 
  then resume if the investigators attempt another interrogation). 
  Eve herself will not be at university for the first two weeks 
  following her transformation. She writes a series of letters to the 
  university administration complaining of severe illness 
  (laryngitis) before being compelled by the university to either 
  resume her studies or defer (which would involve leaving the 
  sorority house). Mother Willow compels two of the coven 
  members who are attending the same classes to produce the 
  letters to the administration as well as completing Eve’s 
  coursework. She even begins to appear in person (in the guise of 
  Eve) at a few lectures (accompanied and silent at all times). If, 
  in the unlikely event the investigators do encounter Eve (Mother 
  Willow) at the university, they will find her uncommunicative 
  (she will be accompanied, and her assistant will inform the 
  investigators that Eve is recovering from laryngitis and unable 
  to talk) and will be struck by the queer look she gives them (a 
  catlike stare). If, in the unlikely event that the investigators have 
  already met the true Eve early on in their investigation then they 
  will be struck by the drastic change in demeanor, gait and 
  posture. Eve/Mother Willow will not engage in any violent acts 
  while at the university – if a confrontation does occur there then 
  she will flee back to the sorority house and if prevented from 
  doing so will even endure being arrested and detained by the 
  authorities (she will hope that her acolytes will duly break her 
  out). 
   
  BILLY CHILD’S CABIN 
   
  It is possible that skilled investigators will learn of Eve’s 
  dealings with Mother Willow and make the trip out to meet the 
  aged witch in person. If they do so they will find that most people 
  in the Miskatonic Valley know of Mother Willow and that the 
  closer the investigators get the more damning the people speak 
  of her. Eventually they should run into a Jonas McCabe, a small 
  holding farmer going about his business (transporting 
  vegetables to a nearby market).  
   
  Jonas will appear disturbed and even shocked that such well-
  healed city folk should be out so deep in the country seeking the 
  company of such an unholy and evil good-for-nothing as Mother 
  Willow. He will tell them that they should be able to find her in 
  her rundown hovel a couple of miles away next to a prominent 
  dead oak tree near a dense forest. He will even say that if she 
  isn’t in then they can try further up the trail, near the river, 
  where Mother Willow’s only friends and cohorts, the Childs and 
  Dean clans, have a settlement (consisting of four shacks). 
   
  Investigators will find Mother Willow’s shack empty and 
  devoid of anything except a grubby cooking area filled with 
  weird herbal concoctions (lots of preserve jars and mortars and 
  pestles), rudimentary furniture and several odd wood carvings 
  of satyrs and vaguely occult symbols. 
   
  At the Childs and Dean clan settlement they will find four 
  ramshackle wood huts arranged in a square with a communal 
  fire pit in the center. A grizzled old man will be sat near the 
  embers whittling wood. The old man is Billy Childs’ elderly 
  father, Cyrus Childs. The old man is half senile and will hoot and 
  holler nonsense if questioned; eventually the man’s noise will 
  prompt Billy Childs to poke his head out from the hut behind to 
  see what’s going on. Upon seeing the investigators Billy will 
  quickly disappear back inside the hut to fetch his shotgun which 
  he’ll then use to threaten them with. Billy will not be interested 
  in answering any questions and will become increasingly hostile 
  and then violent if the investigators do not leave the hamlet. Eve 
  (in Mother Willow’s haggard body) is being held captive inside 
  Billy Childs’ shack and will cry out for help if she hears the 
  investigators outside. 
   
  If the investigators manage to deal with Billy and enter his 
  cabin they will find a distressed elderly woman shackled to a bed 
  in the far corner. The old woman will identify herself as Eve 
  Williams and will recount her fantastical tail in a panicked, 
  breathless and rambling manner. Eve will be able to tell the 
  investigators anything that she knows – albeit in a disorganized 
  and confused fashion; she will beg them to locate Mother Willow 
  and get her body back. If Eve is left in Mother Willow’s body, she 
  will only live for another 18 months before her aged heart gives 
  out. Should the investigators bring Eve to the authorities’ 
  attention they will simply think that she is delusional (and the 
  investigators too if they vouch for her crazy story) and will seek 
  to institutionalize her. Eve can regain her body if she re-acquires 
  the Book of Ghouls, learns and performs the Mind Exchange 
  spell (it will prove permanent on the first attempt if performed 
  correctly) and if Mother Willow is still alive (in Eve’s body) to 
  enable the trade. There is also the far less attractive option of 
  utilising the Steal Life spell, but this raises the ethical question 
  of who the donor would be (investigators will lose 1D10 Sanity 
  points if they assist Eve in using this spell). 
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   36 
  ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 
   
  There is plenty of scope in this scenario for investigators to 
  either concentrate their efforts into getting to the bottom of the 
  mystery surrounding Eve Williams, recovering the stolen book 
  as quickly as possible or dipping in and out while pursuing other 
  investigative threads elsewhere. Some aspects will remain 
  constant such as the character’s demeanors and attitudes while 
  the length of time it takes the investigators to conclude the 
  situation (or not) will lead to a steady escalation and eventually 
  a catastrophe which will cost the lives of many innocents and 
  damage the reputation of Eagle Bond. 
   
  The primary clues that should lead the investigators to Mother 
  Willow and the Book of Ghouls will be the non-Kappa Delta Phi 
  students in Eve Williams’ classes. They will all have heard the 
  rumors concerning Eve’s interest in the occult and her bragging 
  about coming from a long heritage of witches and warlocks. 
  Many will even know of her earnest attempts at forming a coven 
  in her sorority house over the last couple of months. Eve will 
  stop attending university herself two weeks after the theft of the 
  books from the Orne Library as her body will have been stolen 
  by Mother Willow. Investigators will soon have trouble locating 
  Eve despite all the stories and rumors about her and all the 
  alleged members of her coven - Jordan, Maylene, Patricia and 
  Ruth will be oddly reluctant to talk and very nervous around the 
  investigators. 
   
  There are various victory states for this scenario, but a 
  successful play would result in Mother Willow and her minions 
  being dealt with and the Book of Ghouls being retrieved. For this 
  outcome players should be awarded 5 Sanity points and 1D8 
  Cthulhu Mythos points. If the investigators enable Eve to regain 
  her body, then they should receive 10 Sanity points and 1D10 
  Cthulhu Mythos points. 
   
   
   
   
  Mother Willow (in Eve Williams’ body), High Priestess 
  of Shub-Niggurath, age 73  
   
  The transformed witch will always try and cajole, flatter or 
  threaten a person before resorting to physical violence. If she 
  must resort to violence then she will almost certainly prefer to 
  cast a spell; failing that, she will finally choose to deploy her 
  personal weapon of choice, an enchanted sacrificial dagger 
  which she uses in her ceremonies. The weapon would prove very 
  useful to any investigator, should they acquire it, as it can harm 
  almost any mythos creature, including Dark Young and Star-
  Spawn of Cthulhu. 
   
  STR 40 
  CON 50 
  SIZ 47 
  DEX 50 
  INT 70  
  APP 70 
  POW 60 
  EDU 10 
  SAN 0  
  HP 9 
  DB: 1D3     Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 12 
  Luck: 68 
   
  Weapons:   Claw (hands) 30%, damage 1D3 
  Enchanted sacrificial dagger 45%, damage       1D6+1+DB (1D6 
  Pow transference from target to wielder + 1 San point loss per 
  strike to wielder)  
   
  Skills:  Astronomy 25%, Blackmail 33%, Herbal Preparations 
  67%, Intimidate 35%, Occult 43%, Organize Cult 73%, Poison 
  45%, Persuade 55%, Psychology 38%, Cthulhu Mythos 22% 
  Spells: Cloud Memory, Contact Ghouls, Contact Shub-
  Niggurath, Contact The Blessed, Curse of Azathoth, Implant 
  Fear, Mind Exchange, Mind Transfer, Summon Dark Young, 
  Summon The Mother of Mould, Voorish Sign 
   
   
   
  Uncle Silas, Disciple of Shub-Niggurath, age 44  
   
  This rough-looking handyman is a menacing character who is 
  quick to drink and violence. If he thinks he can win a fight easily 
  he’ll use his fists but if he encounters resistance or is enraged 
  he’ll use a weapon. He often carries a .22 revolver (8 rounds 
  chambered + 6 rounds in pocket) and also has a hatchet in his 
  truck cab. 
   
  STR 55 
  CON 62 
  SIZ 50 
  DEX 52 
  INT 57  
  APP 20 
  POW 40 
  EDU 10 
  SAN 0  
  HP 11 
  DB: +1D4   Build: 0      Move: 9     MP: 8 
  Luck: 47 
   
  Weapons:   Fist 60%, damage 1D3 +DB 
   
         Pistol 40% damage 1D6 
   
         Hatchet 45% damage 1D6+1+DB 
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   37 
         Rifle 47% 
           
   
   
  Skills: Brew Alcohol 80%, Burgle 33%, Intimidate 65%, Gamble 
  40%, Repair Vehicle 23%, Occult 20%, Steal 36%, Sucker Punch 
  60%, Track 56%, Wrestle 30%, Cthulhu Mythos 12%  
  Spells: Curse of Azathoth, Voorish Sign 
   
   
   
  Hazel Dean, Disciple of Shub-Niggurath, age 33  
   
  Thin, wiry, and wild eyed. The half-crazed cultist has spent her 
  life engaging in unwholesome activities and is wild and 
  unpredictable in behavior and a sadist. She is capable of savage 
  violence and murder with little provocation – a simple 
  command from Uncle Silas or Mother Willow will suffice. 
   
  STR 45 
  CON 60 
  SIZ 48 
  DEX 50 
  INT 54  
  APP 10 
  POW 40 
  EDU 10 
  SAN 0  
  HP 10 
  DB: +1D3   Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 8 
  Luck: 38 
   
  Weapons:   Fist 35%, damage 1D3 
   
       Knife 42% damage 1D6 +DB 
   
       Rifle 33% 
   
  Skills: Brew Alcohol 80%, Con 33%, Intimidate 43%, Cook 
  Crystal Meth 22%, Steal 43%, Occult 22%, Cthulhu Mythos 8% 
  Spells: Voorish Sign 
   
   
   
  Billy Childs, Disciple of Shub-Niggurath, age 26 
   
  Poorly educated and physically imposing, possessing limited life 
  chances and a bad social circle, Billy is a casual cohort of evil 
  who will do as he is told by his associates. He becomes a bragger 
  when drunk (which is often) and violent. Billy has a hatred of 
  city folk and takes delight in harming them. He owns a 12 gauge 
  double barreled shotgun and has 10 cartridges for it.  
   
  STR 60 
  CON 65 
  SIZ 65 
  DEX 30 
  INT 47  
  APP 15 
  POW 40 
  EDU 10 
  SAN 5  
  HP 13 
  DB: +1D4   Build: 1       Move: 8     MP: 8 
  Luck: 45 
   
  Weapons:   Fist 50%, damage 1D3 +DB 
   
       Shotgun 40% damage 4D6/2D6/1D6 
   
   
       Pistol 55% 
   
  Skills: Drive Automobile 58%, Intimidate 55%, Set Animal Trap 
  65%, Track 46%, Wrestle 37%, Cthulhu Mythos 5% 
   
   
   
  Eve Williams (In Mother Willow’s body), unfortunate 
  captive, age 21  
   
  Confused, disorientated, half-crazy, Eve’s recollection of recent 
  past events is shaky, and she is liable to moments of amnesia. 
  Her main motivation is to get her body back. She can offer little 
  in way of defense in her current frail state. 
   
  STR 10 
  CON 40 
  SIZ 44 
  DEX 15 
  INT 65  
  APP 10 
  POW 50 
  EDU 65 
  SAN 10  
  HP 8 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 7      MP: 10 
  Luck: 54 
   
  Skills: Debate 40%, English Literature 70%, French 42%, First 
  Aid 33%, Library Use 60%, Drive Automobile 60%, Persuade 
  55% 
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   38 
   
   
   
  Patricia Martin, Unwilling coven member, age 20 
   
  The young student is Eve’s best friend and usually has a ditzy 
  and sunny personality. Everyone who knows her will say that she 
  has become a shadow of her former self. Following her 
  participation in recent ceremonies at the sorority house she has 
  come to believe that her best friend has been possessed by a 
  demon.  
   
  STR 40 
  CON 55 
  SIZ 48 
  DEX 48 
  INT 65  
  APP 67 
  POW 45 
  EDU 65 
  SAN 25  
  HP 10 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 9 
  Luck: 62 
   
  Skills: English Literature 65%, Drive Automobile 50%, Library 
  Use 55%, Persuade 35% 
   
   
   
   
  Jordan Reyes, Unwilling coven member, age 21 
   
  Jordan is good friends with Maylene and took part in Eve’s 
  initial coven as a joke and a bit of excitement. She has no idea of 
  what’s really going on currently; All she knows is that she’s 
  terrified and unable to extricate herself from the situation. She 
  will be the most eager of the girls to get assistance from the 
  investigators but will be too scared to reveal anything, at least 
  initially. 
   
  STR 45 
  CON 60 
  SIZ 47 
  DEX 51 
  INT 65  
  APP 66 
  POW 50 
  EDU 65 
  SAN 27  
  HP 10 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 10 
  Luck: 58 
   
  Skills: Debate 46%, English Literature 68%, Drive Automobile 
  52%, Know Arkham 65%, Library Use 57%, Persuade 41% 
   
   
   
   
   
  Maylene Murphy, Unwilling coven member, age 20 
   
  Maylene is a typical Emo who is rarely seen dressed in anything 
  other than the colors black and purple. She always wears dark 
  eye shadow and purple lipstick; she has very pale skin. She was 
  eager to join Eve’s initial coven as she thought it super cool and 
  something really great to brag about and shock her peers. These 
  days though she won’t speak a word about it – because she is in 
  fear for her life. Hazel Dean has regularly threatened her with a 
  knife and has told her she will be killed if she tells anyone about 
  the ceremonies.   
   
  STR 38 
  CON 47 
  SIZ 44 
  DEX 60 
  INT 69  
  APP 55 
  POW 54 
  EDU 65 
  SAN 20  
  HP 9 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 10 
  Luck: 74 
   
  Skills: Debate 46c%, English Literature 78%, Drive Automobile 
  56%, Know Music 65%, Library Use 67%, Occult 18%, Play 
  Guitar 47%, Persuade 40% 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   39 
   
   
   
  Ruth Gray, Unwilling coven member, age 22 
   
  A shy and withdrawn girl at the best of times, Ruth is now in a 
  state of shock. She has witnessed shocking and terrible things 
  and is convinced that Eve is in league with the devil, and that the 
  ghouls in the basement are demons. If the investigators can 
  break her vow of silence concerning the coven then she will 
  deluge them with tales of satanic horror – half of which are from 
  the nightmares that are now regularly plaguing her. 
   
  STR 39 
  CON 60 
  SIZ 49 
  DEX 50 
  INT 67  
  APP 80 
  POW 45 
  EDU 65 
  SAN 30  
  HP 10 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 9 
  Luck: 68 
   
  Skills: English Literature 63%, Drive Automobile 65%, 
  Gymnastics 38%, Library Use 62%, Persuade 49% 
   
   
   
  Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath  
   
  These beings are enormous writhing masses, formed out of ropy 
  green/black tentacles. Here and there over the surfaces of the 
  things are great puckered mouths which drip green goo. Beneath 
  the creatures, tentacles end in black hooves, on which they 
  stamp. The monsters roughly resemble trees at a distance – the 
  trunks being short legs, and the tops of the trees represented by 
  the ropy, branching bodies. The whole mass of the thing smells 
  like an open grave. They stand 12 to 20 feet tall. 
   
  STR 220   CON 80   SIZ 220  INT 70  POW 85 
  DEX 80  Move 08  
   
    HP 30 
   
  Damage Bonus: +4D6 
  Weapons:    Tentacle 80%, damage db 
   
        Trample 40%, damage 2D6+db 
   
  Skills: Sneak 60%, Hide in Woods 80%. 
  Sanity Loss: 1D10 San points. 
   
   
   
  Ghouls x 5 
   
  These creatures are rubbery, loathsome humanoids with hoof-
  like feet, canine features, and claws. They speak in hushed 
  whispers of what sounds like gibberish to human ears and will 
  growl if threatened. They are often encrusted with grave mold 
  collected as they feed. 
   
  STR 80   CON 65   SIZ 65  INT 65  POW 65 
  DEX 65  Move 09  
                HP 13 
   
  Damage Bonus: +1D4 
  Weapons:      Bite 30%, damage 1D6 + automatic worry 
          Claws 30%, damage 1D6+DB 
   
  Skills: Burrow 75%, Climb 85%, Hide 60%, Jump 75%, Listen 
  70%. 
  Sanity Loss: 1D6 San loss 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   40 
   
   
  The Mother of Mould 
   
  Hopefully the investigators will never encounter this terror; if 
  they do then things have gone very wrong and will probably end 
  that way too! This creature appears as a shambling heap of black 
  and dark green mold, some 15 feet across, when summoned; yet 
  it can take any shape it wants, but often assumes a vaguely 
  humanoid figure of massive proportions which crawls across the 
  ground towards its target; it can easily ooze down a drain in its 
  viscous state and reform. To kill it usually smothers its victim 
  and may even transport their carcass some distance; if attacked 
  then it will generate pseudopods to club and infect its assailants. 
  Fire, flame-based weapons and solvents all cause distress and 
  damage to this creature and it will attempt to flee to a dark 
  corner, preferably underground. The creature will seek to 
  increase its size by consuming large mammals (humans and 
  above) at a rate of 2 a day which increases its size by a quarter; 
  there is no limit to the size that it can grow to. To avoid infection 
  a victim will need to scrub an affected area with solvents or flame 
  within 5 minutes of coming into contact with the creature. 
   
  STR 250   CON 200    SIZ 350  INT 50  POW 100 
  DEX 125  Move 08                                     HP 55 
   
  Damage Bonus: death within 1D20 hours. 
  Weapons:    Infect with mold, damage = DB 
   
        Pseudopod 40%, 1D8 + 33% chance of infection 
   
        Suffocate 40%, death within 3 rounds 
   
  Skills: Hide 60%, Sneak 60% 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Arkham Views 
   
  Top: Armitage Street 
  Middle: Garrison Street 
  Bottom: Sentinel Street 
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   41 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   42 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   43 
   
   
  In which the investigators encounter a disturbed young man, 
  an ancient sorcerer with troubles and the potential trip of a 
  life time.  
   
  KEEPERS’ INFORMATION  
   
  Chris Henson has been drawn into the world of the occult 
  by Professor Fairbanks’ classes and by his girlfriend, Eve 
  Williams, an aspiring witch. Tall and athletic, Chris is the 
  archetypical Jock at high school, but at university he managed 
  to turn into a mature young man who is looked up to by many 
  of his peers. It was during Professor Fairbanks’ lectures that a 
  trip to the Restricted Section to look at some real examples of 
  banned books was arranged, that the course of his life was 
  subsequently changed forever. Once inside the small locked 
  reading room Chris avoided the cluster of fellow students who 
  had gathered around the more infamous Necronomicon, 
  which was being showcased by the excited professor, and 
  instead found himself mysteriously and inexorably drawn to 
  what appeared to be a far older book left neglected on one of 
  the lower shelves. Inspecting the book, the young Athletics 
  scholarship student felt a strange sensation befall him. He 
  could not understand the Latin script of the old tome, but he 
  was attracted to the startling and wondrous illustrations that 
  foretold ancient and primeval sorcery. Later that same night 
  Chris had vivid dreams of a lost earth, eons ago in the planet’s 
  remote past when it was populated by powerful warring 
  wizards and their wild kingdoms; during the dream one of the 
  ancient sorcerers seemed to look up and actually “see” Chris’ 
  disembodied spirit. Over the following days Chris regularly 
  had access to the Restricted Section while the Professor 
  watched over them as they researched their new assignment. 
  Chris was drawn once again to the same strange tome, but this 
  time he seemed to know what the words said, although he 
  could not understand how such a thing could be possible. He 
  knew which passages of texts spoke of the ancient lost land of 
  Hyperborea and which spoke of long lost incantations to 
  control the elements or raise the dead. A subconscious voice 
  instructed him to look further and he found on nearby shelves 
  what appeared to be pre-historic stone tablets bearing crude 
  inscriptions, and once more instinctively knew that they were 
  the original fragments from which the aged Latin tome was 
  translated. 
  Each night Chris found himself transported to the weird 
  mystical land in his dreams; he would suddenly be standing in 
  the interior of an immense palace, surrounded by the most 
  ornate black stonework, conversing with the smiling, knowing 
  wizard he had seen on the first night of the strange dreams. He 
  could feel the wizard’s immense power and authority and could 
  also sense an underlying desperateness; the wizard was fearful 
  of something and needed Chris to help him. The Athletics 
  student woke each morning with only a vague recollection of the 
  previous night’s dream. He felt himself drawn to the same book, 
  the Liber Ivonis, or the Book of Eibon, and its surviving 
  fragments; and he found that he could now pick them up and 
  read them all as if they were written in plain English (although 
  perplexingly Chris could still not construct a single sentence of 
  Latin!). He learnt the words and incantations, the secret 
  symbols and the ritual ways to empower them – he felt 
  compelled to do so and felt an equal compunction to keep it all 
  a secret, even from his girlfriend, Eve, who was quite taken with 
  her beau’s sudden interest in the occult. 
   
   
   
  The ancient wizard of Chris’ dreams was of course Eibon 
  himself. The ancient mage could sense a distant spirit about him 
  and used his knowledge to make psychic contact with the 
  dreamer’s spirit. The sorcerer talked to the unguarded semi-
  aware dreamer and was intrigued by what he learned and 
  sensed; he became aware of a time in the Earth’s far future 
  where magic had been almost completely forgotten and instead 
  mankind had developed an impressive and bewildering ability 
  to manipulate knowledge and resources to create intricate social 
  systems, contraptions and machines. Eibon used his psychic 
  connection to Chris to scry the strange future world and was 
  shocked to find that the sleeper had access to ancient texts that 
  Eibon himself had only recently authored; he realized then that 
  he was able to exploit the circumstances and help himself out of 
  his current predicament with the other warring wizards who had 
  recently formed a powerful alliance against him. Eibon 
  implanted potent suggestions into Chris’ sleeping subconscious 
  and even passed the knowledge to read Hyperborean glyphs to 
  him. The mage’s plan was a simple one – get Chris to create a 
  dimensional gate that would allow Eibon to transport himself 
  into the future times, and from there transit to realms that were 
  still under the protection of his deity, the toad-god, Tsathoggua. 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   44 
  Once under the sorcerer’s will, everything that Chris knew, 
  Eibon would subsequently know once the dream-link was re-
  established. The mage learned of Ebden Burns and Eve 
  Williams’ request that Chris help them in stealing books of 
  power; and Eibon instructed the slumbering Chris to agree to it 
  and to use the opportunity to take the Liber Ivonis for himself. 
  Chris duly played his part in the thefts, ostensibly by stealing an 
  imprint of Dean Clement’s Restricted Section key and handing 
  it to Ebden to have a copy made. For reasons unknown to 
  himself, Chris agreed to Ebden and Eve’s plan under the 
  condition that they promised to take the copy of the Liber Ivonis 
  and give it to him, which they duly did. 
   
  During the first week of the investigation Chris can hold 
  himself together just enough to continue to go to lectures but he 
  is slowly coming under the total control of Eibon, who now 
  controls his sleeping body at will and even has the unconscious 
  athlete’s body drawing magical symbols and casting spells 
  throughout the nights. The physical and mental toll soon proves 
  too much for Chris and by the end of the second week he will 
  stop going to the university. His last truly self-conscious act is to 
  try and visit Eve at her sorority house at the end of the second 
  week of the investigation, where he discovers that she too has 
  fallen under the spell of a dark and malignant force (Mother 
  Willow’s possession). 
    
  Chris flees back to the safety of his home, which is a large 
  detached town house on West Derby street, Northside, in the 
  Arkham suburbs. The house belongs to his aged parents who are 
  currently in the middle of a round the world trip (they are 
  currently in New Delhi). With his reason and sanity badly 
  frayed, Chris obeys the sub-sonic voice in his mind that instructs 
  him to go down into his basement and build the dimensional 
  gate; he will complete this task on the Wednesday morning of 
  the third week.             
   
  THE HOUSE 
   
  The Henson family home is a generously proportioned 19th 
  century merchant’s house in the Colonial style. It has four large 
  bedrooms (two of which are ensuite), a bathroom, attic, parlor, 
  dining room, kitchen, study, cloakroom, basement and a large 
  secluded garden, bordered by bushes and trees to afford 
  maximum privacy. It is approached via a short private drive 
  which is lined by a small stone wall and bushes. The house was 
  bought 16 years ago by Chris’ father, who is a banking executive.  
  Most of the rooms will look perfectly normal in appearance 
  and state (albeit slightly dusty and neglected – no one has done 
  the cleaning or washing up for some time!) with exception of the 
  study and the basement; the latter of which has undergone some 
  dramatic home improvements thanks to Eibon.  
  The study belongs to Chris’ father, Walter Henson, and is 
  normally filled with his personal papers and his extensive stamp 
  collection. After coming under the influence of the Hyperborean 
  wizard Chris largely emptied the contents of the room into his 
  parent’s bedroom (this room is now an absolute mess. Chris has 
  dumped books and boxes onto the large double bed and 
  immediate floor space). The Study is now Chris’ base of 
  operations when he isn’t busy renovating the basement. Should 
  the investigators discover it they will find the Book of Eibon 
  sitting open on the desk next to a small heap of papers bearing 
  runes and sigils copied from the book in Chris’ own hand. There 
  are also glyphs and symbols scrawled on the floor, ceiling and 
  walls of the room (these are protection spells) and a strong 
  musty burnt smell mixed with the essence of exotic incense 
  pervades the room (the result of performing magic).  
   
   
   
   
  The basement is where all the action is happening, at least 
  from Chris’ and Eibon’s perspectives. Anyone seeing the 
  basement will find a small amount of newly bought wooden 
  planks, a vast array of hand tools and tool boxes, and a 
  pneumatic drill powered by a small electric generator (several 
  fuel canisters are piled up in the nearest corner. During the three 
  weeks following the theft of the books Chris was instructed by 
  the sorcerer to dig a large hole into the side of the east wall and 
  to then dig directly down (see the Rough-Hewn Cavern section 
  below for further details). At the beginning of the third week 
  Chris will have completed his task of locating Tsathoggua’s 
  Arkham portal and will commence constructing Eibon’s 
  Hyperboreal portal. In the furthest wall (the north wall) a large 
  amount of clay and plaster (there are large bags of these 
  materials nearby, both used and unused) has been used to create 
  what appears to be the front door of an ornate palace, almost 
  Mycenaean in design; there are two flat pillared columns that 
  lead to a lintel, which is crowned with a triangular pediment. All 
  the plaster has had Hyperoborean glyphs carved into them and 
  the pediment bears Eibon’s own personal seal which comprises 
  of an all-seeing eye within an equilateral triangle bisected by a 
  circle, contained within a larger circle. If the investigators are 
  seeing the portal before Wednesday morning, then inside the 
  “doorway” is the plain wall of the basement; if the investigators 
  are viewing the portal from Wednesday onwards they will find it 
  active – the “doorway” will resemble a shimmering luminous 
  violet sheet of glass. For a description of what happens should 
  an investigator touch or attempt to enter the doorway then see 
  the Eibon’s Portal section below. 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   45 
   
   
   
  If the investigators actively poke around the contents of the 
  basement, or attempt to damage the portal in any way, then they 
  will disturb the portal’s guardian, a solitary formless spawn of 
  Tsathoggua, which is at rest behind a pile of timber planks. 
  While stationary it resembles a simple pool of thick tar oil – once 
  active this creature will shoot into life, arching up and forming a 
  rudimentary head and thrashing whip-like limbs; it will become 
  very apparent to anyone witnessing this that they are dealing 
  with a sentient creature and this will cost them 1D10 San. The 
  spawn will attack the nearest player using a bite attack that 
  completely covers and incapacitates that character (as described 
  in the CoC source book); this will hopefully provide the other 
  investigators the opportunity to cause the creature significant 
  damage lest it succeed in killing them all. The spawn will defend 
  the portal with its life and will seek to kill anyone in the 
  basement (less Chris); it will not however, leave the confines of 
  the basement unless summoned by Chris, so the investigators 
  can easily flee it. 
    
  THE ROUGH-HEWN CAVERN 
   
  Investigators will find what looks like a roughhewn and very 
  unsafe looking cavern carved into the east wall of the basement, 
  and should they delve into it they will find that there is 
  rudimentary propping courtesy of one of Chris’ visits to the 
  hardware store. The cavern leads directly down into what 
  appears to be long disused sewage tunnels from the late 19th or 
  early 20th century – these tunnels are small and cramped, damp 
  and covered in slime. The tunnel runs south and north; if the 
  investigators head south they will turn a few corners before 
  finding their way blocked by an old stone wall (which will lead 
  into the modern sewage system if broken through). Should the 
  investigators head north they will twist and turn for a short 
  distance before coming to the remains of a recently broken wall 
  that would have originally prevented further passage through 
  the tunnel.  
  Beyond the broken wall is a modern sewage pipe (which is 
  much larger and is being intersected in the middle by the older 
  tunnel); investigators passing a Spot Hidden roll or making a 
  successful Track roll will observe that there is trail leading up 
  (west) in the gross sediment at the bottom of the pipe. Following 
  this trail for five minutes the investigators will be rewarded by 
  the sight of another demolished old brick wall in the side of the 
  new pipe – the wall has been knocked inwards and reveals 
  another older segment of the sewage system. Travelling another 
  five minutes down the old sewage tunnel will lead to a small 
  chamber in which an old rusted manhole cover has been pried 
  and cast aside to reveal a dark vertical hole; in this hole is a 
  modern ladder (also from the hardware store!). If the 
  investigators are brave enough to venture down they will find 
  themselves in a medium sized natural cave (complete with 
  stalactites and stalagmites); a hideous stench fills the chamber 
  and in the middle of the depressed floor of the cave is a 6ft 
  square luminous pool of green water, which is ringed by eroded 
  and now very faint carvings (remnants of the sigils of 
  Tsathoggua) – this pool is a portal to another world. For a 
  description of what happens should an investigator enter the 
  pool then see the Tsathoggua’s Portal section below.     
   
   
   
  THE BARRIER 
   
  If the investigators visit Chris at his house in the first two 
  weeks of the investigation they will be able to simply walk up to 
  the door and ring the doorbell. However, if they are visiting after 
  the end of the second week (Saturday onwards), then they will 
  find that they are unable to get closer than 10 yards of the house 
  in any direction. 
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   46 
  Following Chris’ last visit to his girlfriend Eve, he discovered 
  her under the influence of a malign spirit and fled from the 
  Kappa Delta Phi sorority house before Mother Willow’s minions 
  could stop him. Sensing another formidable presence, Mother 
  Willow performed her incantations that very night and 
  dispatched two Dark Young to hunt Chris down – their mission 
  is to kill him, no matter what tries to prevent them. The Dark 
  Young stealthily traverse the city in the middle of the night and 
  make their way to Chris’ town house. Fortunately for Chris, who 
  is under the full control of Eibon during the nocturnal hours, the 
  ancient sorcerer senses the approach of Shub-Niggurath’s 
  servitors and casts a barrier spell around the house to protect his 
  servant and the portals. 
   
  The barrier is an invisible dome that covers the entire house 
  and the Dark Young are unable to breach it, so they stand 
  waiting for an opportunity, one on either side of the house – 
  once more relying on their resemblance to diseased old oak trees 
  as camouflage. The Dark Young are reasonably intelligent, 
  which is just as well, as they have so far resisted the urge to snack 
  on the mailman or any other passing Arkham residents. The 
  Dark Young will not break their cover or respond to the 
  investigators unless directly interacted with or interfered with 
  (prodded, pruned or climbed etc.). 
   
  Investigators walking into the invisible barrier will suddenly 
  feel a glass-like impact to their face and body and have a 50% 
  chance of being knocked down. Discovering the barrier costs an 
  investigator 1D6 San loss. There are several ways in which the 
  barrier can be breached: 
   
  1. 
  Uttering the Hyperborean pass phrase (known only to 
  Chris and Eibon) – this allows a person to cross the threshold of 
  the barrier without breaking its integrity. 
   
  2. 
  Piercing it with an enchanted object such as a knife or 
  amulet (such as those owned by Mother Willow or Luke Dewer) 
  – this breaks the integrity of the entire barrier, making it 
  disappear. This will cost the user 1 San point and 3 Magic points. 
  The wielder will also gain 1 Mythos point for this achievement. 
   
  3. 
  Casting the Break Enchantment spell using any of the 
  major mythos tomes (Necronomicon, Cult des Gouls, Book of 
  Eibon etc.) – A player must either suggest this intention 
  themselves or else a Keeper can suggest it to a player if a 
  successful Idea roll is passed. This spell dispels the barrier and 
  must be successfully cast at a cost of 10 Magic points (n.b. If this 
  spell is cast in the presence of an investigator carrying an 
  enchanted item such as Luke Dewer’s amulet then that object 
  will be permanently divested of its power). Successfully casting 
  this spell gains the caster 1 Mythos point. 
   
   
  CHRIS’ ACTIONS 
   
  If encountered during daylight hours in the first two weeks 
  Chris will still be a nice guy who can be reasoned with. 
  Investigators passing Credit and Persuade rolls may well be able 
  to convince Chris to come clean about his involvement in the 
  theft of the books and the actions of his accomplices (n.b. The 
  investigators must have some proof of his involvement, even if 
  it is just hearsay or circumstantial, and then confront him with 
  it). Chris will not be able to fully articulate what is happening to 
  him – all he knows is that he dreams of a distant and exotic land 
  inhabited by a powerful wizard who lives in a tall five-sided black 
  tower overlooking a strange sea. He will also say that he wakes 
  up utterly exhausted every morning as if he has been running a 
  marathon in his sleep. He will also answer his cell and home 
  phone if called (but not at night). 
   
  If the investigators make contact with Chris from the third 
  week onwards they will find him a profoundly changed man. He 
  will look wild and unkempt (he no longer shaves or bothers to 
  change his clothes), with big red rings around his eyes. He will 
  not bother answering phones and can be found in the study 
  reading the Liber Ivonis intently; he will be suffering the effects 
  of both sleep deprivation and of paranoia (Chris will be 
  borderline insane at this point from having witnessed and 
  participated in powerful mythos related rites). He will simply 
  want the investigators to leave him alone and be gone and will 
  quickly become belligerent if they do not grant him his wish. 
   
   
   
  Encountered at night, Chris is effectively Eibon’s remote 
  controlled robot. The sorcerer sometimes gives simple tasks and 
  commands for him to carry out without active supervision, but 
  on other occasions, such as performing very difficult spells, 
  Eibon takes direct control of Chris’ body and has full use of his 
  senses. The ancient Hyperborean does not know what a private 
  investigator is or what the police are even as a concept – he will 
  simply try to ascertain if the person he is dealing with is a 
  potential ally, a threat or something to be ignored; once he has 
  made a determination as to what each player represents then he 
  will act accordingly. 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   47 
  Soon after raising the invisible barrier over the house Eibon 
  realized that he needed to furnish Chris with a means to protect 
  himself. The next day Chris followed a subconscious suggestion 
  to obtain a block of granite and a hammer and chisel set; that 
  night Eibon himself, via Chris’ body, fashioned a Hyperborean 
  flame flute – a 10-inch stone cone engraved with glyphs; it 
  resembles a slender wand. This weapon can generate a powerful 
  jet of flame reaching over 10ft long (n.b. normal flame weapon 
  damage rules apply) with the simple utterance of a Hyperborean 
  phrase and the expenditure of 3 Magic points per blast. Should 
  the invisible barrier be dispelled then Chris’ first action will be 
  to open a window of the house and incinerate the two Dark 
  Young before they can come crashing through the walls (seeing 
  the flame flute in action costs an initial 2 San points to witness; 
  seeing a Dark Young smash into the house will cost 1D6 San 
  points). 
   
   
   
   
   
  Chris will still be sane and human enough not to use the flame 
  flute on an investigator unless attacked first. Instead he will seek 
  to use Create Mist of R’lyeh (this will come jetting out from his 
  hands, quickly filling any room, obscuring an investigators’ 
  vision and making them feel temporarily ill) Cloud Memory and 
  Deflect Harm. If in mortal danger or after taking 25% wounds 
  Chris will call upon the formless spawn in the basement for 
  assistance; the creature will instantly come smashing through 
  the basement door and flick-flack up the stairs and enter the 
  study like a demented spider (n.b. Investigators will need to pass 
  a Pow test roll not to flee in abject terror at this terrifying sight). 
  Chris’ absolute last line of defense will be to flee into the 
  basement and through the Hyperborean portal, to seek the 
  protection of Eibon. 
   
  Finally, it is worth saying that Chris will not be prepared to 
  stand idly by should the investigators decide to torch the house 
  or the basement. He will probably hear the commotion from the 
  study and will promptly come down and threaten the 
  investigators with the flame flute if they refuse to leave the 
  premises. Chris will also fight to maintain possession of the 
  Book of Eibon (unless encountered within the first two weeks, in 
  which case he can be persuaded to relinquish it). 
   
  EIBON’S PORTAL 
   
  An investigator who touches the violet surface of the portal 
  will find themselves being pulled into it and will appear to walk 
  right through it. The investigator will experience a brief 
  sensation of rushing down and forward, followed by spinning, 
  before suddenly becoming aware that they are no longer in Chris 
  Henson’s basement. The investigator will find themselves 
  standing in a large dark chamber, in some sort of building. The 
  walls are made of black gneiss rock while the floors are made of 
  white marble; illumination is provided by periodic sconces 
  holding lit torches. Venturing beyond the room they will find an 
  internal courtyard with a wide spiral staircase leading upwards. 
  On the far side is the building’s foyer and main entrance, which 
  is an imposing levered stone doorway, and a 10ft statue of 
  Tsathoggua is sat squat in the middle of the floor space. Other 
  rooms radiating from the central chamber will consist of utility 
  rooms and servants’ quarters. The building is Eibon’s five 
  storied, five-sided tower; the sorcerer’s throne room is located 
  on the second floor, his extensive study (complete with newly 
  produced segments of the Book of Eibon) takes up much of the 
  third floor and his personal sleeping quarters are on the fourth 
  (an extensive dungeon and storeroom complex takes up two 
  floors below ground level). There are servants periodically 
  coming and going throughout the structure and golem guards 
  are posted at regular intervals; it is only a matter of time before 
  an investigator is detected and challenged. The golem guards 
  will take the investigator(s) to the throne room where Eibon will 
  interrogate them, seeking to learn as much as he can about his 
  guests and their world as he can (he will be very intrigued by 
  their dress and any items they carry about them). 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   48 
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   49 
  It is up to the Keeper how much he or she wants to make of 
  this encounter but much of the outcome should be determined 
  by the player’s actions. It is quite possible that the investigators 
  could convince the sorcerer that they can be of use to him and 
  that they mean him no harm; he could even become a potential 
  ally provided they do not seek anything that requires real effort 
  on his part (and provided they haven’t chased Chris into 
  Hyperborea). If in a congenial mood Eibon will joke that the 
  investigators are lucky to be in the safety of his tower as he’s sure 
  they’d soon be food for the local Voormis (Savage cave dwelling 
  native humanoids with three toes and covered in umber-colored 
  fur). If the sorcerer talks about himself he will mention that the 
  current times are not good to him and that Morghi, the chief 
  inquisitor, is conspiring to have him arrested; he will finish by 
  saying that he will not make it easy for his foes and that he has 
  many powerful magics to call upon. Eibon may simply let the 
  investigators leave and return through the portal but it is highly 
  likely he would want something in return (such as using the 
  investigators as assassins to murder Morghi). 
   
  If the investigators find themselves in Hyperborea by 
  following Chris or their conduct is offensive or threatening to 
  Eibon he will probably have them thrown into his dungeon for a 
  week before forcing them to carry out a task under the threat of 
  death; the task will once again probably be to seek out and 
  assassinate Morghi in Hyperborea’s ornate capital city, 
  Commoriom. Hyperborea is a vast island kingdom dissected my 
  large mountainous ranges (the Eiglophian mountains) and 
  covered by dense jungle. Eibon’s tower is on the coast of the Mhu 
  Thulan sea. 
   
  Regardless of the outcome, all investigators who travel to 
  Hyperborea will suffer 1D6 San loss, and another 1D6 for the 
  return trip if they stay longer than 10 minutes (n.b. it will be hard 
  for the investigators to adjust their minds to the fact that they 
  have travelled millions of years into the Earth’s past and have 
  returned back to their own time – they will keep wondering if it 
  was all just an hallucination even though they know at a 
  subconscious level that it was not!). Investigators can also 
  receive 1-8 Mythos points depending on what they learned of 
  Eibon and Hyperborea while there. 
   
  TSATHOGGUA’S PORTAL 
   
  Anyone placing their hand into the luminous green pool of 
  fetid liquid will find that they cannot touch the bottom of the 
  pool; stranger still, their hand will not feel like it is in water but 
  rather in air. If an investigator enters the pool or pokes their 
  head under the surface they will find themselves emerging from 
  the pool! Only the world on the other side of the pool is much 
  different. 
   The portal leads to an alien world (n.b. This is not N’Kai, but 
  another realm outside our own solar system which is under the 
  control of Tsathoggua) which is slightly larger than the Earth, so 
  investigators will feel a stronger gravity pulling them down (as 
  if someone was pushing down of their shoulders); the planet also 
  turns at a slower rate so days and nights are each 36 hours long 
  (the system’s white star is smaller but burning hotter than the 
  our own sun). If the investigators arrive they will find that it is 
  the middle of the night and lightening periodically flashes high 
  in the sky (both sheet and forked lightening), briefly 
  illuminating the landscape (n.b. Thick cloud cover obscures the 
  night sky); they are in a rocky plateau ringed by distant 
  mountains, thick patches of vegetation covers 40% of the 
  ground. The plants are large and leafy, colored in dark green and 
  purples, they all emit a low indigo bioluminescence that permits 
  a low level of vision for the investigators; more significantly and 
  fortunately for the investigators, these plants are also producing 
  oxygen which means the planet has a nitrogen/oxygen 
  atmosphere 1/3 thinner than the Earth’s. The climatic 
  conditions will mean that humans can survive for a prolonged 
  period on the surface, but it will be hard going (therefore all 
  player rolls will suffer a -10% penalty). Entering the alien world 
  costs a 1D6 San points loss. 
   
  If the investigators set off to explore the new realm they will 
  discover that cenotes (sinkholes) periodically intersperse the 
  rocky ground between the vegetation; anyone looking down 
  these large holes will detect something moving on the floor 
  below – a successful Spot Hidden roll will reveal a vaguely 
  luminous amoeba-like mass with writhing tentacles, gaping 
  maws and multitudes of eyes – this is a dreaded Shoggoth, one 
  of many, traversing an underground passage (1D10 San loss for 
  initial sighting, and 1 San point loss for each subsequent 
  encounter thereafter). If the investigators are wise they will not 
  venture down into the underground system of cenotes and 
  passageways as the only thing they will encounter are more 
  Shoggoths. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   50 
  After a short while a Listen roll should be made by all players; 
  successful rolls will reveal a mass of wet slippery smacking 
  sounds and croaking in the near distance. Following the sounds 
  will reveal a vast mud pit teeming with toad-like creature ¼ the 
  size of a human – these are the spawn of Tsathoggua and 
  millions of them cover the planet (they are the dominant species 
  – their skin is toxic to most of the planet’s other life-forms). 
  Unlike the Children of Tsathoggua these creatures are relatively 
  harmless and benign to humans (they instantly recognize that 
  humans are significantly different from their food source which 
  are large dragon fly-like or beetle-like insects). The spawn of 
  Tsathoggua have heads and ears like their father’s but have very 
  large toad-like eyes of speckled gold and warty brown and deep 
  purple skin as well as webbed feet. One of the nearest creatures 
  will spot the investigators and will come bounding over towards 
  them to check them out; if unmolested it will simply lick the 
  nearest investigator, dragging them down to the ground with its 
  sticky 5ft tongue, before quickly deciding that humans don’t 
  taste very nice at all, releasing its victim and bounding back to 
  join its kin. The Keeper should give the players a chance to react 
  as the creature approaches; if they simply harm the creature it 
  will squeal in pain and flee; several of the nearest creatures will 
  follow suit and flee the apparent danger. If the investigators kill 
  the creature an awful long drawn cry will rent the air, coinciding 
  with a lightning flash – a successful Spot Hidden roll will reveal 
  a gargantuan toad-like silhouette sat amongst the distant 
  mountain range (n.b. It is apparently larger than the mountains 
  by a head!); it will be apparent to the investigators that this is 
  the source of the cry (1 San point loss). 
   
  The giant being sat amongst the mountains is mighty 
  Tsathoggua himself, who sensed a part of himself being 
  destroyed and voiced his anger. The investigators can, if they are 
  crazy enough, make their way over to the Great Old One – it will 
  take them six hours to reach their destination, during which the 
  only thing they see is the vast swathes of vegetation, more 
  cenotes, and vast expanses of mud pits teeming with thousands 
  of spawn. Upon the final approach they will be able to see the 
  great toad-god towering above them (he is a squat, pot-bellied, 
  cross between a toad, bat and sloth – 1D10 San loss to see), with 
  thousands of his spawn crawling over one another to crowd 
  around their father. Above his head flies numerous Children of 
  Tsathoggua, one of which will come swooping down to claim one 
  of the investigators in payment for the murdered child (Luck 
  rolls to determine who the unfortunate party is) – the terrified 
  investigator will be plucked up high into the air, crushed and 
  bitten and then dropped from a height of 100ft (2 San point loss 
  for all who witness this). Nothing further will happen unless the 
  investigators kill any more creatures associated with Tsathoggua 
  (n.b. There will not be any consequences for merely opening fire 
  or injuring).  
  The toad-god will to all appearances be in a semi-slumber and 
  entirely ignorant of the investigator’s presence (he is far above 
  caring about mortal creatures not of his making). Should the 
  investigators speak directly to Tsathoggua the most they will get 
  is one enormous lazy globular eye casually glancing down in 
  their direction before quickly determining that it is viewing 
  insignificant gnats; the only way to obtain any real interaction 
  will be to utter the being’s name in praise, and this can be 
  achieved by referencing the Book of Eibon or the Necronomicon. 
  Praising Tsathoggua directly will make him realize that he is in 
  the presence of worshippers, and this will greatly please him, 
  especially as the investigators appear to be creatures not of his 
  design or procreation. Tsathoggua, being in a good mood, will 
  deign to bless the investigators (even if they have already killed 
  some of his creatures) – Tsathoggua gives each investigator 
  permanent +5 Pow and +5 Magic points. Investigators are free 
  to leave at any point and will encounter no further issues so long 
  as they do not harm any creatures (the Children of Tsathoggua 
  will react instantly if they do). All investigators will receive 1D10 
  Mythos points for visiting the alien realm and encountering the 
  toad-god, whether he reacts to them or not. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  In the more likely event that the investigators decide to head 
  back to the portal after killing the harmless spawn of Tsathoggua 
  they will soon discover that 5 formless spawn are flick-flacking 
  their way towards them at high speed; this will be the start of a 
  deadly pursuit. The formless spawn will follow the investigators 
  through the portal, through the old and new sewage tunnels, 
  into the basement and all the way up to the threshold of Chris 
  Henson’s house, where they will finally stop. The formless 
  spawn will then remain at periodic spots between the portal and 
  the front door of the house. All investigators will receive +3 
  Mythos points for visiting the alien realm. 
   
  Regardless of what happens in the alien realm all investigators 
  will suffer from PTSD should they make it back to Earth. All the 
  investigators’ belief systems will have been hopelessly destroyed 
  by the experience and they will no longer know what is and what 
  isn’t possible and will begin to doubt reality itself. Everyone will 
  experience night sweats and night terrors as they relive the 
  horror of what they have seen; during daylight hours they will 
  find their thoughts regularly and randomly intruded upon as 
  they experience flashbacks of the alien realm. From this point 
  on all investigators will suffer a permanent -10% modifier to all 
  rolls apart from Sanity rolls (if the investigators were blessed by 
  Tsathoggua they will only suffer a -3% modifier and no modifier 
  to Pow, San or Magic rolls); investigators will only be able to 
  overcome the PTSD modifier if they undergo therapy (and this 
  will require a full year of treatment to be successful).      
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   51 
  CONSEQUENCES 
   
  For every action there is a reaction, or a cost, or maybe even a 
  reward. Keepers should consider awarding one or more of the 
  following benefits or penalties depending on the results 
  achieved: 
   
  Dealing with the Dark Young – if the Dark Young are no 
  more, then each investigator should receive 3 San points back, 
  but only 1 point if Chris dispatches them with the flame flute. 
  They also receive 1 Mythos point regardless of who achieves the 
  feat. 
   
  Leaving the Dark Young – the investigators keep finding 
  themselves wondering if the awful tree-like monsters are still 
  around or not and become increasingly paranoid whenever they 
  spot old and diseased trees, so much so that they lose 2 San 
  points! (n.b. This should only be applied if the investigators were 
  actually aware of the Dark Young’s presence). 
   
  Destroying the House – the house is no more; the den of dark 
  ancient magic has been reduced to rubble, so everyone can now 
  sleep a little bit easier. 5 San points are therefore returned to the 
  investigators.  
   
  Leaving the House intact - the den of dark ancient magic is 
  still in business; who knows what’s going on inside its evil walls? 
  Everyone has trouble sleeping at night; all investigators lose 2 
  San points (n.b. No penalty should be awarded if the 
  investigators managed to destroy both portals). 
   
  Destroying the portals - everyone feels much safer knowing 
  that hideous creatures and powerful sorcerers from the distant 
  past can’t just pop into the world; the very act of denying access 
  to the Earth has tremendous therapeutic value to everyone’s 
  psyche. All investigators receive 1D10 San points gain (n.b. A 
  single 1D6 reward if only one portal was destroyed, unless the 
  investigators were unaware of the existence of the other portal) 
  and 2 Mythos points.  
   
  Leaving both portals intact – investigates find themselves 
  regularly worrying about just what else might be coming 
  through the portals and into the world; they imagine all kinds of 
  horrors and can never feel truly safe again. All investigators 
  receive 1D10 San loss. 
   
  Stopping Chris before he completes Eibon’s plan – The 
  investigators know they have stopped a powerful force from 
  completing its plans and have safeguarded the integrity of 
  Arkham and the world at large. All investigators receive 1D10 
  San points back, +1 Pow and 2 Mythos points gain. 
   
  Not stopping Chris before he completes Eibon’s plan – 
  Investigators may or may not know the true extent of what they 
  have failed to stop but they do know that they have somehow 
  failed to achieve what was needed; they no longer feel entirely 
  confident about their abilities. All investigators lose 1D6 San and 
  -1 Pow. 
   
   
  Chris Henson, Pawn of Eibon, age 21 
   
  STR 57 
  CON 70 
  SIZ 65 
  DEX 60 
  INT 65  
  APP 68 
  POW 40 
  EDU 60 
  SAN 0  
  HP 13 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 8 
  Luck: 67 
   
  Weapons:   Fist 38%, damage 1D3 
   
       Kick 33%, damage 1D4         
                        Flame flute 50%, 1D6 
   
  Skills: Athletics 38%, Drive Automobile 68%, Karate 35%, Play 
  sports (any) 40%, Wrestle 43%, Cthulhu Mythos 8% 
   
  Spells: Create Mist of R’lyeh, Cloud Memory, Deflect Harm 
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   52 
   
   
  Eibon, Hyperborean Sorcerer, age 240  
   
  The wizard will be curious about any investigators from our time 
  and will only become hostile if he perceives them to be a threat 
  or if they refuse to answer his questions.  
   
  STR 40 
  CON 65 
  SIZ 51 
  DEX 50 
  INT 85  
  APP 33 
  POW 100 EDU 70 
  SAN 0  
  HP 11 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 8      MP:20 
  Luck: 74 
   
  Weapons:   Flame flute 45%, 1D6 
          
   
  Skills: Astronomy 87%, Credit Rating 47%, Intimidate 35%, 
  Persuade 42%, Perceive 65%, Cthulhu Mythos 46% 
   
  Spells: Any the Keeper chooses 
   
   
   
  Golem Guard, Eibon’s guardians 
   
  The guards will detain anyone who has not been granted access 
  to the Black Tower by their master, Eibon. They will fight back 
  if attacked but will seek to restrain the attacking party unless 
  they themselves are close to destruction. 
   
  STR 75   CON 90  SIZ 60  INT 40   POW 40 
  DEX 40  Move 8                                 HP 15 
  Damage Bonus: +D3 
  Weapons:   Mace 40%, 1D6 
   
       Fist 40%, 1D4         
   
  Armor: Made of stone, all weapons do only 1 point of damage. 
  Skills: Listen 40%, Spot Hidden 40%, Wrestle 40% 
  Sanity Loss: 1D6 San points. 
   
   
   
   
  Formless Spawn of Tsathoggua 
   
  STR 100   CON 50   SIZ 100  INT 65  POW 55 
  DEX 95    Move 8    
                    HP 15 
   
  Damage Bonus: +1D6 
  Weapons:    Whip 90%, damage 1D6 
                         Tentacle 60%, damage db 
   
         Bludgeon 20%, damage db 
   
         Bite 30%, damage special 
  Armor: Immune to all physical weapons and wounds will just 
  snap closed. Vulnerable to fire, chemicals or other forces 
  Sanity Loss: 1D10 San points. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   53 
   
   
  Children of Tsathoggua, Greater servitor race 
   
  STR 100   CON 80   SIZ 70  INT 65   POW 80 
  DEX 55    Move 7 crawling/10 flying HP 15 
   
  Damage Bonus: +2D6 
  Weapons:    2D6 Tentacles 45%, damage db 
   
        Trample 35%, damage 2D10+db 
   
        Bite 25%, damage 1D6 
  Sanity Loss: 1D10 San points 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Arkham Views 
   
  Top: East Saltonstall Street 
  Middle: Brown Street 
  Bottom: Parsonage Street 
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   54 
   
   
  In which the investigators follow the trail of clues to a little shop 
  of horrors and find themselves lost in the labyrinthine trap of a 
  Great Old One. 
   
  KEEPER’S INFORMATION 
   
  This is the third story connected with the theft of stolen tomes 
  from 
  Miskatonic 
  University’s 
  Jeremiah 
  Orne 
  Library. 
  Investigators may have already managed to survive encounters 
  with Eve Williams and Chris Henson and recovered two of the 
  missing books or maybe they have decided to begin their 
  investigation by visiting all of Arkham’s bookshops. If it’s the 
  former then the trail will hopefully have led the group to the 
  original party who master-minded and executed the theft - 
  Ebden Burns the antiquarian book dealer, and if it’s the latter 
  then the investigators will have struck early gold (provided they 
  survive!). Clues should have pointed the way to Ebden’s shop - 
  Burns’ Books, which is situated down a quiet Arkham side street 
  (South Sentinel street). Once the investigators enter Burns’ 
  bookshop they may find it considerably more difficult to leave. 
   
   
   
   
   
  Ralph Myers is the individual who has inadvertently set much 
  of the events surrounding the theft of the books from the Orne 
  Library into motion. Ironically, Ralph had no interest in the 
  occult, but he was very interested in trading in rare commodities 
  to make a fast buck. He recently came into receipt of a sizeable 
  personal library after the recent death of an elderly uncle who 
  lived on his own in a fine but slightly worn townhouse on Noyes 
  street (East-town). Ralph quickly set about inventorying the 
  collection of several thousand rare books in preparation of 
  selling them. Amongst the collection he found 8 slightly 
  mildewed and worn volumes of a non-descript nature, bearing 
  the unlikely title of “The Revelations of Glaaki”.  
  The original antiquarian Ralph brought in to evaluate the 
  library collection become visibly excited at the sight of these 
  strange books which were written in a rather archaic English. He 
  had offered to buy them from Ralph there and then for five 
  hundred dollars. Ralph refused – his knowledge of human 
  nature and an innate instinct for profit told him that the books 
  were worth far more than what he was being offered. He soon 
  confirmed this fact when he sought out the assistance of Ebden 
  Burns, having located him in an online search of local 
  antiquarians. Ralph brought several of the books to Ebden’s 
  small shop and after consulting his catalogues the old bookseller 
  was able to inform him that the books didn’t have a fixed price, 
  but they had been known to auction for tens of thousands of 
  dollars apiece and that a full set of all nine volumes could 
  possibly sell for well over a hundred thousand dollars. This 
  prompted Ralph to commission Ebden to locate and buy the 
  missing volume under the agreement that the bookseller would 
  use his knowledge and expertise to organize a subsequent 
  auction for which he would receive a 5% cut from the proceeds. 
   
   
   
  Ebden is in his fifties and has been in his line of business in 
  Arkham for decades. He has frequently visited the fine Jeremiah 
  Orne library to conduct research and to compare acquired 
  copies 
  of 
  rare 
  volumes 
  with 
  authenticated 
  originals. 
  Occasionally he has even sold the university some of his rarer 
  finds. Upon receiving his commission from Myers his first port 
  of call was a visit to the Orne Library with the intention of 
  speaking with one of the librarians to ascertain if they had a copy 
  of the missing volume. He was extremely surprised when one of 
  the librarians informed him that they did indeed have a copy but 
  unfortunately, she was unable to permit him to view it as it was 
  held in the Restricted Section. Ebden had previously flicked 
  through the editions Myer’s had brought to the shop without 
  bothering to involve himself with the contents themselves, 
  merely noting that they appeared to concern the occult in a 
  rather fanciful and anachronistic style of prose. The refusal 
  piqued his interest and he left with a nascent plan forming in his 
  mind. 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   55 
  The next day he returned to the library and approached an 
  assistant librarian, none other than Eve Williams. After a brief 
  conversation to test the waters Ebden tried his luck and 
  attempted to convince the young woman to grant him access to 
  the Restricted Section. To his surprise Eve proved eager to 
  conspire with him and revealed that she too wished to obtain a 
  book from within the Restricted Section, but unfortunately, she 
  did not have access to the keys. Ebden knew where one the keys 
  was kept. He had previously visited the library when the 
  Restricted Section had to be briefly opened to omit a new 
  deposit. He had been conversing with the head librarian at the 
  time and she had pointedly complained about having to retrieve 
  the key set from the Dean’s office on the other side of the 
  campus. They agreed to a subsequent meeting in a coffee shop 
  and soon quickly agreed to abet each other in a criminal 
  enterprise that would deliver them both what they wanted. 
  Devising their plan over the next few days they subsequently put 
  it into motion; Chris Henson was convinced at Eve’s behest into 
  making an impression of the key set while in the Dean’s office to 
  discuss the next student council meeting – Ebden arranged the 
  necessary distraction (the unexpected visit of a vagrant called 
  Benny Haskett – who can still be found loitering in Lower 
  Southside). The key was then handed over to Ebden who used it 
  in broad daylight while both Eve and most of the library staff 
  were at a team meeting, thus providing her with her alibi. Once 
  in the Restricted Section Ebden quickly located the missing 
  fourth volume he had been seeking and took the two books 
  requested by Eve and Chris. 
   
  Once off campus Ebden left the two volumes for Eve and Chris 
  in the agreed location – a train station locker downtown and 
  took his own ill-gotten gains home to his shop and hid it down 
  in the basement amongst several boxes of unsorted books. Over 
  the next couple of days after the theft Ebden’s curiosity got the 
  better of him and he repeatedly went down into his basement to 
  read passages from the book. Slowly but surely, he became 
  enthralled by the elaborate writing and quickly developed a new 
  and completely unexpected love for the rare volume and the 
  bizarre occult secrets it spoke of. His interest became so keen 
  that he decided that he would re-enact one of the ceremonies 
  described within the book purely to experience the thrill of 
  playing the role of a powerful warlock. He had absolutely no 
  expectation of anything actually happening – “Why would it? 
  It’s the real world after all!” Ebden had thought with 
  amusement. Ebden, both a realist and a perfectionist by nature, 
  fastidiously sought out all the listed ingredients from the craft 
  and occult stores scattered around town and then ironically, due 
  to his many learned years of studying rare Latin tomes, 
  performed the ceremony and incantations perfectly first time 
  around and unexpectedly summoned the Great Old One, Eihort, 
  into his small shop basement!  
   
   
       
  PART 1: BURNS’ BOOKS 
   
  The investigators may have pieced much of the information of 
  the theft from their subsequent adventures with Eve and Chris 
  or they may be in the initial stages of their investigation. They 
  may have already learned that Ebden Burns concocted the theft 
  of the books with Eve and will possibly also have identified him 
  as the original thief or else they are just following up the lead 
  that he was seen in the library on the day of the theft. A search 
  for Ebden’s name online or for antiquarian booksellers in the 
  Arkham area will reveal Burns’ Books as the second entry after 
  Arkham Antiquaries. The tired and dark double windowed 
  bookshop resides in the middle of a terraced row of town houses. 
  It appears closed and the lights are off when the investigators 
  visit it. They can easily gain entry by walking through the 
  unlocked front door or by forcing the lock of the rear door which 
  can be approached from the back alley at the bottom of the 
  street. Once inside the investigators will be confronted by wall 
  to wall 7ft high bookshelves fully populated with a vast array of 
  rare and in some cases, much worn, books. There are a few 
  display tables which are also filled with equally bland-looking 
  hard back volumes (there’s not a paperback in sight!). A small 
  wooden counter faces them and a curtained doorway behind it. 
  The shop is deathly silent. There will be no response to any hail. 
  Beyond the doorway is the back room which is filled to 
  brimming with boxes of books sitting upon a couple of stout and 
  dusty oak tables. The door to the alley lays ahead, and a door 
  leading to the basement is to the immediate right. To the left a 
  set of stairs lead up to the second-floor apartment where Ebden 
  lives. A search of the rooms upstairs will reveal the unkempt 
  chambers of Ebden Burns: a non-descript bedroom, a lounge 
  that overlooks the street outside and a small bathroom and a 
  small kitchenette. The decor is sparse, and it is clear to a viewer 
  that Ebden leads a rather spartan lifestyle. 
   
  Burns has a desktop computer in his lounge. The password is 
  “BurnsBooks” but it has been left unlocked. A preliminary 
  search of the hard drive will show over forty files connected with 
  the running of the shop and all its associated finances and stock 
  inventory. Ebden helpfully and foolishly saved all his e-mails to 
  file and a successful Computer Use and Spot Hidden roll with 
  uncover a file pertaining to Ebden’s correspondence with Ralph 
  Myers and Eve Williams revealing the planning for the robbery 
  of the Restricted Section (See RF Case Letters 1-6 in the 
  Handouts section at the rear of the campaign). A search of the 
  web-browser history will reveal Ebden’s research on the 
  Revelations of Glaaki and several auctions associated with it. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   56 
  PART 2: THE BASEMENT 
   
  The investigators should hopefully be thorough and search 
  the entire shop and living quarters, but the fun doesn’t start until 
  they venture down into the basement. The staircase leads to a 
  rather bare looking room containing nothing, but several boxes 
  of books stacked against the righthand wall, a door to the front 
  and a single solitary bloody handprint on the wall next to it. 
   
  The dimensions of the basement have been altered by Eihort. 
  What was once two small rooms is now a labyrinth of near 
  identical rooms and non-descript corridors. The Keeper should 
  design the maze himself and map it out in advance, making it as 
  elaborate as he wishes while keeping in mind the skill of his 
  investigators; they should have a reasonable chance of finding 
  their way back to the shop above and safety. An example map 
  has been included in the Handouts section. 
   
  The investigators will find a familiar pattern in each 
  subsequent room they enter. The rooms will always be sparsely 
  furnished and will always contain boxes of books. The first room 
  they entered had a bloody hand print on the wall with the door 
  to the left of it. The next will have a pool of blood and a door to 
  the right; the consecutive will have bloody drag marks and one 
  door to the left and another to the right. The pattern should 
  repeat itself numerous times with the doors and bloody marks 
  shifting to different positions. Know roles should be made and a 
  reward of 1D6 San loss for comprehending the distortion of 
  reality. 
   
  Finally, the investigators will find themselves in a long 
  corridor with outward sloping walls, floor and ceiling that lead 
  into a vast dark cavern; this is the original basement which has 
  been warped out of all proportions by the arrival of the resident 
  Great Old One. Bloody drag marks will lead to the smashed and 
  appallingly disfigured body of Ralph Myers; he made the 
  mistake of coming to the store to find out why Ebden wasn’t 
  returning his calls and e-mails after many days of no contact. 
  The further the investigators move into the chamber the darker 
  it will become. They will next encounter Ebden himself, who will 
  be kneeling on the floor in a summoning circle, covered in blood 
  and saliva. He will be rocking backwards and forwards clutching 
  the book, which he used to inadvertently summon Eihort, close 
  to his chest. Ebden became instantly insane as the thing-that-
  should-not-be warped the air and space around him and 
  materialized into its new home – which is just as well as it has 
  done something truly terrible to the bookseller. Investigators 
  may take the fourth volume book from him in a Strength vs 
  Strength contest. If the investigators should attempt to 
  communicate with Ebden the Keeper should roll a D6 to 
  determine his response: a roll of 1-2 will result in shrieks and an 
  attack, 3-4 will result in continued sobbing or catatonia while 5-
  6 will result in Ebden pointing to the far end of the chamber and 
  crying “It isn’t real!” over and over again. No matter what  
  response the investigators obtain from Ebden, if they move 
  forward of him they will encounter the Great Old One. 
   
  PART 3: EIHORT’S BARGAIN 
   
  In the gloom ahead the first thing the investigators will be able 
  to discern is a vast paleness that becomes steadily more intense 
  until they can see a vast wall of gelatinous white flesh, some 15ft 
  tall and 20ft across, supported on a multitude of spindly 
  chitinous legs. If the investigators approach within 10ft of the 
  monster they will also be able to discern a multitude of blinking 
  obsidian eyes floating amongst the white mass, fading in and out 
  of existence only to appear again somewhere else. The viewer of 
  such a reality-distorting and awful spectacle will lose 1D10 San 
  points. The next thing that will happen after the roll will be a 
  simultaneous psychic communication from the god to all the 
  investigators. The message, which will be felt as much as heard 
  inside each of the investigators’ heads, will be the following: 
   
  “Mortal, does your presence in my abode mark your desire 
  to join with me?” 
   
  The Keeper can use his own discretion as to how Eihort will 
  respond to anything negative or questioning said by the 
  investigators, but generally, regardless of the responses given 
  Eihort will next say a variation of the following: 
   
  “Show your obedience, allegiance and love to me and be 
  welcomed into my family. Accept my brood as your own and 
  foster them in your breast. They are of me and soon they will 
  be of you. Together we will complete the circle of the seventh 
  house and you will know the love and protection of the Lord of 
  the Labyrinth, forever. Do you accept my bargain?”  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   57 
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   58 
  The keeper should then demand an instant “yes/no” answer 
  from all the investigators. If any investigator attempts to stall, 
  then a battle of will (Pow vs Pow) with Eihort will commence. 
  Once all the answers have been given and any power struggles 
  resolved the response from the Great Old One will be one of two 
  options. All those who accepted Eihort’s bargain will suddenly 
  see pseudo-pods dart out from the gelatinous mammoth before 
  them. The pseudopods will attach themselves to them, one per 
  investigator (a Dodge roll may be made if instantly requested). 
  Once a pseudopod has attached itself to an investigator they will 
  be inseminated with 1D8+3 of the brood of Eihort. The brood 
  will infest the investigator (1D4 loss of San and a gain of 1D3 
  Cthulhu Mythos) and will cause them to experience within a day 
  vivid waking nightmares and hallucinations, draining 1 san 
  point a week, over the next D20 months until they are utterly 
  insane. After which the brood will hatch from inside the 
  investigator, killing them instantly. Anyone who witnesses this 
  subsequent unholy birth will lose 1D8 San points. Upon 
  insemination in the basement compliant investigators will be 
  under Eihort’s instant protection and will be permitted to leave 
  – the god may even deign to answer one question per infested 
  investigator. The Keeper can decide how far to take Eihort’s 
  protection of the doomed investigators for the duration of the 
  campaign and can certainly enjoy developing and elaborating on 
  the nightmares and hallucinations well into any subsequent 
  campaign until the player’s character meets a most unpleasant 
  end. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  PART 4: THE PURSUIT 
   
  For the braver/wiser investigators who either refuse Eihort’s 
  unfavorable bargain or who dodge his pseudopods, their fate is 
  less certain. Eihort will charge forward and attempt to crush the 
  blasphemous investigator with his mass of legs or will attempt 
  to absorb them direct into his body. Dodge rolls will have to be 
  made. If any investigator is foolish enough to attempt to fight 
  the god, they will almost certainly die a horrible death. The only 
  option outside of invoking magic or godly favors (of another 
  immortal!) is to flee the monstrous deity. The pursuit will be 
  slow, steady and relentless; a living carpet of his brood will 
  follow in Eihort’s wake. Any Investigator who trips up or who is 
  slow in getting through a door will have to make a successful 
  Dodge, Luck or Agility roll to survive. Eihort will pursue the 
  investigators through the basement labyrinth, warping the space 
  and dimensions as he does so (any observer will see the angles 
  of doors, walls and corners expand outwards at 33-degree angles 
  and will lose a San point).  The investigators will only be safe if 
  they manage to retrace their original route and get safely back 
  up to the shop above; Eihort will not leave the confines of the 
  basement – instead he will turn back and return to the center of 
  his basement kingdom and will remain there for the rest of the 
  campaign – at which point he will depart for dimensions 
  unknown, taking the impregnated Ebden Burns with him. The 
  basement labyrinth will collapse and condense until there is only 
  the one room again; Ralph Myers and any deceased 
  investigators’ corpses will also be left there. 
   
  Any investigator who makes it out of the shop alive should be 
  awarded 1D6 San points, 1 Luck point and 5 Mythos points. If 
  the investigators manage to leave the shop in possession of the 
  Orne library’s fourth volume of the Revelations of Glaaki then 
  they each receive 1 Pow point (but will not gain any 
  corresponding skill increase as a result). 
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   59 
  ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 
   
  As any experienced Keeper will already be aware, 
  investigators are free agents who often think outside the box and 
  move beyond the linear confines of a scenario. This section 
  details character motivations, their abodes, possessions and 
  surroundings as well as covering any other pertinent areas that 
  may be of use. 
   
  Ebden Burns – he is an antiquarian in his mid-fifties who has 
  made his living for the last 30 years by running his own 
  bookshop in Arkham. He specializes in locating and supplying 
  rare editions and out of print books. He makes a modest living 
  from his profession which also happens to be his hobby as well. 
  He lives alone above his shop in a small but comfortable 
  apartment. The Keeper should feel free to include any random 
  items (guns, fishing rods, maps, compass etc.) in the apartment 
  that may come in useful during a future scenario for an 
  investigator to “borrow”; any such items will probably be in a 
  used condition and will have originally been of moderate 
  expense when first bought. 
   
  When the investigators first encounter Ebden he is still alive 
  but has been driven quite mad. If he does not fight the players 
  and can be sufficiently controlled/coerced it is possible (but 
  highly unlikely given the subsequent chase) that he might be 
  rescued and brought outside his shop alive. If this does occur 
  Ebden will want to return to the safety and comfort of his shop 
  (the only place he truly feels comfortable). He will not be foolish 
  enough to venture back down into the cellar; instead he will set 
  about boarding up and barricading the basement entrance and 
  will then confine himself to his flat until social services arrive in 
  several days’ time when several neighbors report his repeated 
  bouts of mad screaming during the night (caused by nightmares 
  of Eihort, memories of the basement and the effects of the brood 
  now growing within him). Once he has been taken to the Mental 
  Health Centre (Arkham Sanatorium) his brood-wrought 
  hallucinations and madness will grow steadily worse until his 
  internal foster family emerge from him in 18 months’ time – 
  after which all his worries will be over. 
   
  If the investigators are foolish/callous enough to take Ebden 
  with them after escaping the shop, then the Keeper should 
  ensure that they adequately pay for their actions with 
  subsequent pandemonium and strife. Ebden will stay insane and 
  gibber nonsense throughout and will rarely say anything of any 
  use if questioned; he might even start to play up at inopportune 
  moments – such as trying to escape from a moving car or 
  suddenly running away down a street at full pelt whilst 
  screaming and attracting attention. Ebden does have a cell 
  phone on him, which is at half charge (the charger is in his 
  bedroom) – an inspection of this phone will reveal the numbers 
  of Ralph, Amy and Chris and a call log of multiple incoming and 
  outgoing calls regarding them. 
  If the Keeper is particularly keen to make play interesting he 
  might arrange for Ebden to summon Eihort again (because the 
  bookseller wants to make a futile bargain to get his life back).  
  Ebden has already rehearsed the spell several times before and 
  has memorized it – he needs only chalk or ink (for drawing the 
  summoning circle), assorted herbs (from a garden or health 
  store), a source of fire, blood (animal or human – either’s fine) 
  and 3D6 minutes to utter the incantations (Eihort will 
  materialize in 2D6 minutes after this). The investigators can 
  then enjoy finding themselves in another instant labyrinth and 
  fleeing for their lives once again!    
   
  Ralph Myers – is very dead. The investigators will sadly never 
  get to meet this charming and witty salesman. He was 47 when 
  he met his untimely end under the spiny legs of Eihort. If his 
  cadaver is searched then a crushed cell phone will be found 
  along with a set of house keys and his wallet which contains $44, 
  3 credit cards and a Massachusetts driving license. The phone 
  will not work, but wily investigators can remove and examine 
  the SIM card at their leisure back at the office. The SIM card will 
  only contain Ebden’s cell number along with Myer’s family and 
  three girlfriends (!) – several text messages between Myers and 
  Ebden will reveal a general agreement to locate and auction a 
  rare set of books and a hunt for a missing fourth volume. 
  Examination of Myer’s family texts will show him to be a loving 
  son to his widowed elderly mother. Examination of his texts to 
  his girlfriends will reveal him to be a player! 
   
  If the investigators are very thorough they may opt to visit his 
  home which is a nicely turned out, moderately priced apartment 
  in a location of the Keeper’s choosing. The apartment may turn 
  up any sort of cheap or medium-priced article that is in keeping 
  with Myer’s inexpensive bargain-hunting character. The only 
  thing of value and note are the funeral papers and house keys to 
  Myer’s deceased uncle’s house in East Town. If the investigators 
  pay the uncle’s house a visit, then they will be in for a treat - they 
  will discover the (now abandoned) extensive personal library 
  and the eight volumes of the “Revelations of Glaaki” locked away 
  in a desk (requires Myer’s key set to open). For finding such a 
  treasure trove of Mythos lore and for displaying excellent 
  investigative form the players should each be awarded 1 Pow 
  point and 1 Luck point. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   60 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Ebden Burns, bookseller and antiquarian 
   
  Normally the epitome of a gentleman, but when the 
  investigators meet him down in the basement of his shop he will 
  be mentally unbalanced and will act according to the dice roll 
  detailed in the section above. 
   
  STR 40 
  CON 50 
  SIZ 45 
  DEX 45 
  INT 70  
  APP 50 
  POW 50 
  EDU 60 
  SAN 25  
  HP 9 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 8 
  Luck: 53 
   
  Weapons: Fist 40%, damage 1D3 
  Skills: Credit Rating 50%, Library Use 90%, Occult 30%, 
  Persuade 55% 
   
   
   
  Eihort, Great Old One 
   
  See next page for this Great Old One’s actions and intentions. 
   
  STR 220   CON 400   SIZ 250  INT 125  POW 150 
  DEX 60    Move 9                                        HP 65 
   
  Damage Bonus: +5D6 
   
  Weapons: Bite 70%, damage 5D3, Crush 85%, damage 5D6 to all 
  in 10-foot radius 
   
  Armor: none, all physical attacks do minimum damage. 
  Additionally, Eihort regenerates 3 hit points per combat round. 
  Brought to zero points, his remains ooze into the ground and he 
  regenerates somewhere far within the earth. 
   
  Spells: Cloud Memory, all Contact Deity spells, Create Gate, 
  Summon/Bind Chthonian, Summon/Bind Ghoul. 
  Sanity Loss: 1D6/1D20 +3 Sanity points to see Eihort. 
   
  The Brood 
   
  These creatures number in the thousands in the immediate 
  vicinity of their parent and master, Eihort. They are small white 
  fleshy balls, approximately the size of a satsuma, and propel 
  themselves along with small worm-like tendrils. Being devoid of 
  any bones or cartilage they are easily killed – any successfully 
  landed blow or stamp will kill these little critters instantly. Their 
  mode of attack is to swarm a victim and borrow into the victim’s 
  body using their amorphous and agile mouths which secrete a 
  powerful acid compound. A player will need a successful Agility 
  or Luck roll to determine if they are successful in brushing all 
  the brood off from their body. If any one of the brood manages 
  to stay on a player’s body for 2 rounds then it will have managed 
  to gain access, causing 1HP damage, and will not be removable 
  outside of immediate surgery. 
   
  The brood feed of their host and will after time emerge – killing 
  their hapless, insane host in the process. Once “born” these 
  creatures will slowly double in size each year until they reach 
  maturity and stand a third of the size of Eihort itself. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   61 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   62 
   
   
  In which the investigators finally learn what happened to the 
  Necronomicon and enter a race against time to prevent a 
  wayward academic from summoning forth horrors untold. 
   
  THE STORY SO FAR 
   
  Hopefully the investigators have uncovered the main party 
  responsible for the theft of the books and have dealt with them 
  and resolved the issues. All the books, less the Necronomicon 
  should have been recovered and returned to the university. The 
  fates of Eve Williams, Ebden Burns and Chris Henson should 
  have been decided and if the investigators have been very 
  skillful, then the mythos forces will also have been quelled or 
  contained. 
   
  They will have found no clues as to the whereabouts of the 
  Necronomicon and if they managed to speak to any of the book 
  thieves then the investigators will have been told that the group 
  never stole it. There is of course the possibility that the 
  investigators may have started the case by following Professor 
  Fairbanks, in which case, this is the first scenario they have 
  encountered; and it might very well be their last! 
   
  KEEPER’S INFORMATION 
   
  As revealed in the previous scenarios, Professor Fairbanks has 
  used the opportunity of the library thefts to his own advantage 
  and has made away with his favorite book – the dreaded 
  Necronomicon.  The Professor was going about his business, 
  namely his studies, and had popped into the Restricted Section 
  to pour over the ancient cursed tome that had been slowly 
  driving him mad over the past couple of months. He duly 
  discovered that the cabinets had been rifled through and a 
  preliminary check revealed to him that at least a couple of the 
  books had been removed; the Orne library’s policy was very 
  clear, no book was ever to be removed from the section, and 
  certainly not by anyone other than a member of the library staff.  
  Professor Fairbanks briefly felt fear for the safety of his 
  favorite book, and then, after thinking the situation through, 
  concluded that the event was a boon – he now had a chance of 
  taking the Necronomicon for himself, undetected. He carefully 
  placed the tome into his leather satchel and promptly left the 
  premises, headed for his car in a nearby campus car park. The 
  satchel was placed in the boot under the felt covering, over the 
  spare tire. The professor then returned and informed the head 
  librarian of the break-in. Later that day, after having given a 
  statement to the police, the Professor drove home and stashed 
  the stolen tome underneath his guesthouse in the garden. 
   
  Now that the Professor has his favorite book firmly in his 
  possession a number of things will happen over the proceeding 
  weeks, unless the investigators intervene. 
   
   
   
   
  THE FIRST WEEK 
   
  The Professor knows he must maintain his cover and stick to 
  his usual routine, attending all his lectures and meetings; in fact, 
  he will appear in a better mood than normal (he has appeared 
  somewhat disheveled and a little manic during the past few 
  weeks – he is still unkempt, but the mania has temporarily given 
  way to a mild euphoria because of the successful theft). If asked 
  about the theft from the Restricted Section, he will appear quite 
  genuinely perturbed and upset by the event (and as he half 
  believes this a successful psychology roll will not reveal his 
  deceit). The only thing that is different during the first week is 
  that he retrieves the book from its hiding place late at night and 
  takes it up to his study and begins to spend several hours at a 
  time reading passages from it. When he does sleep he has the 
  most vivid dreams of cyclopean cities, of the primordial earth, of 
  alien species and of terrible elder gods of gargantuan 
  proportions. His wife chides him for keeping late hours and for 
  spending too much time locked away in his study, but the 
  professor simply ignores her. 
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   63 
  THE SECOND WEEK 
    
  The Professor calls in sick for the first three days, claiming to 
  have the flu; in reality he craves nothing but to keep reading and 
  learning from the terrible tome in his possession. He is obsessed 
  by the book; all his joy and interest are solely focused on its 
  mysterious contents and the teacher finally feels as if he is truly 
  learning something worth knowing and that he is on the verge 
  of uncovering a great hidden truth, but only if he reads on, just 
  one more page, always one more page. Voices begin to speak to 
  him, at first, he doesn’t notice, mistaking them for his own inner 
  dialogue as they are ever so subtle; the voices urge him on, 
  guiding him to key passages and to the tale of great Cthulhu 
  slumbering in R’lyeh. One night he dreams of the Great Old One 
  and his resting place deep beneath the ocean; the unearthly 
  dreamer senses him and sends forth his mind-warping visions 
  of things that have been, things that are and things yet to be. 
  When the Professor turns up at the university on the Thursday 
  and Friday he appears off kilter, lost in his own internal world 
  and thoughts, unable to string coherent sentences together and 
  babbling about wondrous things; if challenged he will claim that 
  he is still suffering from the effects of the flu and perhaps should 
  return himself to his bed to rest. His wife is very disturbed by 
  her husband’s erratic and bizarre behavior and tries to talk to 
  him about it, but he resists all such attempts. 
   
  THE THIRD WEEK 
     
  The Professor turns up every day of this week as he strives to 
  maintain his grip on reality and continue maintaining his cover 
  (he knows he must act normal, for if he doesn’t someone may 
  find and take the book away from him and then all would be 
  lost). He does however leave much earlier than normal (he is so 
  terribly desperate to get back to his study and read some more 
  of the book!) and even cuts short a couple of his last lectures; in 
  fact, all the students notice how subdued he suddenly is in his 
  classes. He is no longer jumping around excitedly babbling 
  about the occult and special books – quite the opposite; he now 
  takes a back seat in all the lectures and encourages others to talk 
  while he simply sits and daydreams. On Wednesday night while 
  he sleeps a vision is sent to him, it is of a middle-aged man sitting 
  on a bench in Independence Square – when he wakes up in the 
  morning the voices whisper to him that he must find the man 
  because he is important. On Thursday lunchtime he drives over 
  to Independence Square and finds the man from his dreams 
  sitting on the very same bench; stranger still the man looks up 
  and recognizes the Professor from his own troubled recurring 
  dreams. 
   
  The mysterious man is Damon Drake, a 51-year-old man of 
  leisure and dilettante of the occult; he is the grandson of one 
  Aloysius Drake, a high priest of the Cult of Cthulhu who died 
  under mysterious circumstances in the 1960s. The Arkham 
  branch of the cult is all but gone, its priests and disciples all 
  sacrificed, murdered or driven mad over the decades of the 20th 
  century – no practicing members remain. Damon knows very 
  little of his terrible heritage save what his father, Peter Drake, 
  told him prior to his own suicide. The father had covertly 
  witnessed one of his father’s dire rites and had many 
  opportunities to casually speak to the cult members who 
  frequented the family abode, Lucerne House, a mansion on the 
  far end of High Lane. Peter grew into a morose young man who 
  was troubled by some of the things he had seen and heard, things 
  that just didn’t sit right with the way things were supposed to be. 
  Damon’s father would often wake in the middle of the night 
  screaming in terror, in the grips of hideous visions of demonic 
  figures and god-like monsters; he confided in his son a few times 
  before taking his own life – he told Damon that his grandfather 
  was a high priest of a dark cult that worshipped a monstrous and 
  terrible being called Cthulhu and that there was a dark hidden 
  world of the occult all about them. These words were burnt into 
  Damon’s subconscious. During recent nights sibilant voices 
  have spoken to Damon in his dreams and have shown him the 
  face of Professor Fairbanks and one other significant and potent 
  image. 
   
  After a brief and excited conversation, the men learn that they 
  are both travelers on the same mystical path and Damon duly 
  invites the Professor to visit Lucerne House. That evening 
  Damon reveals his secret family history to the Professor and tells 
  him that he has also been having dream visions of one of the old 
  willow trees at the bottom of the garden; he believes something 
  special is hidden there and something is telling him to dig it up 
  – this greatly excites the Professor who reveals that he has access 
  to a great and secret occult tome known as the Necronomicon, 
  which speaks a great deal about the god Cthulhu. The Professor 
  is also introduced to Elspeth Drake, Damon’s younger sister, a 
  live-in spinster, who is an extremely odd individual in her own 
  right. Elspeth is very excited about all the two men’s talk of 
  magic and she eagerly offers to involve herself in any 
  proceedings. 
   
  That weekend the Professor returns to Lucerne House and 
  helps the Drake siblings dig up a rotten wooden chest buried 
  three feet beneath an old willow tree at the bottom of the very 
  large garden. Inside the box is a wax coated sack which contains 
  several painted porcelain masks, tattered black robes bearing 
  runes, an amulet, a clay tablet bearing a depiction of Cthulhu 
  and R’lyeh, and a small jade statue of the Great Old One. 
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   64 
  THE FOURTH WEEK 
   
  This is a busy week for the professor. He turns up briefly on 
  the Monday and notifies all his classes by e-mail that all the 
  week’s lectures are cancelled and that students are to continue 
  working on their assignment concerning forbidden books 
  instead; he also attends a routine staff meeting on the 
  Wednesday before quickly disappearing again. For most of the 
  week he is effectively absentee and grossly negligent of his duties 
  as a member of the faculty – the Dean would be most 
  unimpressed and annoyed if he became aware of the Professor’s 
  unauthorized absence. 
   
  The Professor spends nearly the whole week at Lucerne House 
  with Damon and Elspeth; he now trusts them enough to show 
  them the Necronomicon (n.b. he is now so unbalanced that he is 
  frightened to leave the book out of his sight and keeps it 
  continually in his close proximity, whether that be the boot of 
  his car or in his satchel). Fairbanks has determined that it is his 
  manifest destiny to raise great Cthulhu and unleash him on an 
  impure world so that he might cleanse it. He has relayed his 
  intention to his two disciples and they eagerly wish to abet him, 
  sharing in his delusion. The Professor has located the required 
  spell in the Necronomicon but realizes that he must rehearse it 
  thoroughly as well as obtain the required ingredients; he 
  dispatches Elspeth out to various apothecaries, antique shops 
  and herbalists around Arkham to obtain the rare minerals and 
  herbs required to make the potent ceremonial incense. His wife 
  repeatedly tries to call him on his cell phone, but he ignores the 
  majority of them and is dismissive when he does bother to speak 
  to her; Alice Fairbanks confides in her best friend and neighbor, 
  Julia Brown, about her husband’s recent and increasingly 
  bizarre behavior. Anyone venturing into Lucerne House during 
  this week is likely to find the Professor practicing the 
  summoning spell in the lounge while Damon is busy coming and 
  going on his own errands to recruit some additional help from 
  some of Arkham’s darker corners. Elspeth will be regularly 
  driving between the grand old house and the town in her 
  battered Honda Civic. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  THE FIFTH WEEK  
   
  Word will finally have reached Dean Clements that Professor 
  Fairbanks’ attendance has been poor to non-existent; he makes 
  a call to Fairbanks and issues a stern rebuke. The Professor 
  apologizes profusely to the Dean and informs him that he is 
  having some marital issues and is having a hard time coping; the 
  Dean buys this excuse and grants Fairbanks a two week leave of 
  absence to straighten himself out (n.b. the Dean will casually 
  mention this to the investigators at the next subsequent meeting 
  or phone call). 
   
  Damon has managed to recruit Declarence Washburn, a 
  brutish 37-year-old local down-and-out, and Marshall Picenzo, 
  a vicious meth-addled thief from the Lower Southside district. 
  Damon, after much canvassing, has located two erstwhile 
  fellows with dark hearts and an eagerness to involve themselves 
  in nefarious activities (the promise of free bed and board at 
  Lucerne House has had much to do with it). Both men come 
  from families who have lived in Arkham for generations and 
  they have grown up hearing all the wild legends and rumors that 
  are common place for the town. 
   
  Elspeth spends several days concocting the ceremonial 
  incense in the kitchen – she has also bought herself a brand-new 
  handgun, a .38 snub-nosed revolver (collected on the Friday 
  after the cooling-off period). Fairbanks holds a couple of group 
  rehearsals in the garden on the Thursday and Friday evenings. 
  By Sunday everything is finally in place; it is time for the 
  Professor to enact his awful master plan. 
   
  THE SIXTH WEEK  
   
  At 6am on the Monday morning a battered VW camper van 
  and Honda Civic arrive outside Professor Fairbanks’ residence. 
  Alice awakes to find masked strangers around her bed while the 
  Professor is busy taking their two children, Luke and Samuel, 
  out of the house; in a matter of 10 minutes all three members of 
  Fairbanks’ own family are tied and gagged in the back of the 
  camper van. The group then break into Julia Brown’s house next 
  door and the husband, Mark Brown, is killed in the hallway by 
  the Professor, wielding an antique tomahawk he found at 
  Lucerne House. Julia Brown and her teenage daughter, Tabitha, 
  are also bundled into the camper van. The slaying of Mark 
  Brown and the abduction of his family will be reported on the 
  lunchtime news (one of the neighbors has informed police that 
  she saw a strange grey car and green van parked outside the 
  house that morning – but was unable to provide makes or 
  models). 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   65 
  The raiding party immediately hit the road having abducted 
  the two families and drive for the next 6 and a half hours deep 
  into the Adirondack Park. They disembark from the road at 1pm, 
  abandoning their vehicles, and trek into the woods for five miles, 
  passing a stream and the decrepit remnants of an old wood mill. 
  At 3pm they emerge into a small clearing ringed by eight ancient 
  moss-covered monoliths – this place has been shown to 
  Fairbanks in his dreams, and he knows it is the place where he 
  must perform the summoning.          
   
  TRACKING THE CULTISTS 
   
  If the investigators stop at any gas station enroute out of town 
  and enquire about the Professor and his party and can provide 
  an accurate description of the people and the vehicles, then the 
  staff will be able to confirm that they have passed that way and 
  that one of them bought a map of upstate New York and 
  mentioned the Adirondack park. 
   
  The Keeper should allow for a scattering of witnesses along 
  the route such as a convenience store owner or a local putting a 
  replacement tire on his pick-up truck. All parties will be able to 
  provide a general direction of the cultists’ route. 
   
  Investigators should come across the abandoned vehicles and 
  pursue on foot. Keepers should make the players take Track rolls 
  and if successful inform them of footprints and broken twigs 
  marking the groups’ passage through the forest. Be sure to 
  mention how eerily silent and forbidding it is, how utterly 
  isolated and alone they are, and that the low dying light that now 
  obscures their vision promises the coming of total darkness! At 
  the abandoned mill there will be a tissue dropped by one of the 
  hostages. A total of three Track rolls should be used to enable 
  the investigators to find the clearing. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  THE SUMMONING 
   
  It takes the group several hours to prepare for the ceremony. 
  By 7pm it is dusk, and all the cultists are dressed in black robes 
  and are donning animalistic (reptilian) masks (Fairbanks, 
  Damon and Elspeth wear the items found in the buried trunk. 
  Declarence and Marshall wear newly purchased items that are 
  close facsimiles). In the middle of the clearing the statue of 
  Cthulhu and the clay tablet are placed on the ground before the 
  group. The incense prepared by Elspeth, which resembles a 
  viscous black tar, is poured into a ceramic bowl and placed 10ft 
  behind the statue of Cthulhu. The captive members of the 
  Fairbanks and Brown families are lined up in a row 5ft from the 
  statue of Cthulhu; they are all bound and gagged and have 
  sacrificial symbols daubed on their foreheads. Declarence and 
  Marshall are stood at either end to control them; Professor 
  Fairbanks stands several feet behind the hostages, clutching the 
  Necronomicon, ready to begin the incantations. Behind the 
  professor are Damon and Elspeth, the former sat with tom-
  toms, and the latter standing with pan-pipes.  
   
  As the sun begins to set and sickly golden rays of the dying sun 
  filter through the tree tops Fairbanks determines that the time 
  is now right and gives the nod to Marshall to light the incense. 
  Shortly a steady plume of acrid pungent black smoke begins to 
  rise and hover in the center of the clearing. Damon begins a 
  gentle and steady rhythmic beat on the drums while Elspeth 
  plays a forlorn and haunting melody on the pipes. With 
  gesticulations and a sonorous voice Fairbanks begins a chant 
  that is repeated by Declarence and Marshall – “Ph’nglui 
  mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn!” Fairbanks 
  himself breaks from the chant every third repetition to utter the 
  other essential phrases of the spell. By the third cycle of recital 
  the incense will have formed a thick cloud of low hanging dense 
  smoke and a loud inhuman cry will be heard from afar. Minutes 
  later a black winged shape will suddenly swoop down from 
  nowhere, grab one of the unfortunate sacrifices and shoot 
  straight up in the air with them;  it will be gone in the blink of an 
  eye. Declarence and Marshall will quickly back away behind the 
  Professor but will keep chanting. A minute later another winged 
  black shape will snatch up another sacrifice, and another in a 
  minute from then until all sacrifices are gone (the black shapes 
  are Byahkee, sent to do great Cthulhu’s bidding. They will take 
  the unfortunate victims high up into the atmosphere until they 
  expire from hypoxia and then drop their lifeless bodies deep in 
  the forest many miles away from the ceremony site). 
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   66 
  Unknown to Professor Fairbanks is that the scale of the 
  ceremony is not correct – there must be more cultists (twenty-
  one) in attendance and more sacrifices (thirteen) offered; worse 
  still, even if all his preparations for the summoning ceremony 
  had been correct and the execution flawless, he still could not 
  achieve his aim of raising great Cthulhu from his slumber – 
  because the stars are not yet aligned. Hibernating Cthulhu’s 
  great unconsciousness never-the-less responds to the faithful 
  servant’s call by dispatching some of his servitors, who are 
  slumbering in R’lyeh alongside him, awaiting the coming of the 
  new times. 
   
  After all the sacrifices have been spirited away by the Byahkee 
  another round of chanting will be required before the air amidst 
  the cloud of black smoke begins to shimmer, and then 
  convulsively contracts and expands in ever powerful scales until 
  a Star-Spawn, as big as a two-story house, suddenly appears in 
  the middle of the clearing. The mighty creature has awakened 
  after eons of sleep – it stretches its mighty arms and wings with 
  a ground trembling roar before suddenly crouching down and 
  regarding the ecstatic Professor. At this moment the Professor 
  believes he has successfully summoned great Cthulhu himself. 
  The creature arches up suddenly and then stomps over to one of 
  the monoliths to the Professor’s confusion, but before he can 
  think or act further the air in the black smoke expands and 
  contracts for several pulses again and another Star-Spawn, 
  equally massive, appears. Another minute and the third and 
  final Star-Spawn makes its appearance. Now the clearing is filled 
  by three meandering and bellowing goliaths. At this point 
  Damon informs the Professor that he believes the creatures are 
  emissaries from Cthulhu and that they are designed in His 
  image. Confused, but taking command of the situation, the 
  Professor gives praise in the name of Cthulhu to the massive 
  creatures and they respond by spreading their arms and wings 
  and bellowing in unison before separating and disappearing into 
  the forest depths.    
       
  The Star-Spawn are intelligent creatures and know that they 
  must not betray their master’s residence on Earth until the time 
  is right. For the remainder of the time they will now inhabit this 
  area of the Adirondack forest, wandering within a radius of 
  twenty miles and will kill anything they encounter less cultists. 
  Professor Fairbanks will be able to make limited use of their 
  services and they will certainly be his perimeter guards for any 
  subsequent ceremonies held at the clearing. 
   
  Hopefully the investigators will have turned up at some stage 
  of the ceremony and attempted to disrupt it. Any break in the 
  proceedings such as cessation of the music or of chanting will 
  break the spell. The Byahkee are only on scene to collect the 
  sacrifices and will not actively fight the investigators if they 
  attempt to save the unfortunate victims. The Star-Spawn 
  however will seek to destroy the investigators, recognizing them 
  for the interlopers they are. The servitors of Cthulhu will pursue 
  the investigators for the length of the Adirondack park, laying 
  waste to any hamlets along route; they will not pursue beyond 
  the park or before any sizeable gathering of humans (100 or 
  more). 
   
  Investigators should receive the following levels of rewards: 
  Stopping the ceremony = +1 Pow and + 5 San points; Saving the 
  hostages = +2 San points per hostage; Retrieving the 
  Necronomicon = +1 Pow and +10 San points; Killing or arresting 
  all cultists = +1 Pow and +5 San points. If the ceremony is 
  stopped early then investigators will also receive +2 Mythos 
  points, if they stop it after the appearance of the Byahkee it 
  increases to +4 Mythos points and if they witness the ceremony 
  to its end then it will be +6 Mythos points. 
   
  Fallout 
   
  If the investigators fail to stop Professor Fairbanks from 
  conducting the ceremony, then the Cult of Cthulhu will once 
  more be firmly established in Arkham. 
   
  Professor Fairbanks and his fellow cultists will return to 
  Lucerne House elated but confused. They have failed to raise 
  great Cthulhu and bring about the end of humanity’s rule, but 
  they have however successfully executed powerful magicks and 
  have succeeded in summoning Cthulhu’s servants, so they know 
  they are on the right tracks. 
   
  The Professor is wanted by the police for questioning 
  following his own disappearance and that of his family and 
  neighbors; in the eyes of the police they are disturbed by what 
  they have found in his study but are keeping an open mind – 
  until found and questioned he is classified as a person of interest 
  and is equally believed to be a suspect or a victim. 
   
  Fairbanks spends the next few weeks holed up in Lucerne 
  House, pouring over the Necronomicon, trying to determine 
  where he went wrong. He will conclude that the scale wasn’t 
  sufficient and will send Declarence and Marshall out to locate 
  and abduct more sacrifices (who will be held captive in the wine 
  cellar), Damon is sent out to identify and recruit more members 
  for the cult, and Elspeth is tasked to brew up more incense. 
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   67 
  Four weeks after the first summoning ceremony Professor 
  Fairbanks will be able to make another attempt with 12 cultists 
  and 9 sacrifices. Lord Cthulhu will not wish to depopulate R’lyeh 
  any further, so subsequent Star-Spawn will be summoned from 
  a planet in the Aldebaran system at a rate of one per five 
  sacrifices. 
  After 
  this 
  diminished 
  effort 
  Fairbanks 
  will 
  concentrate on recruiting more cultists before attempting a third 
  ceremony two months after the initial one. 
   
  THE INVESTIGATORS’ CLUES 
   
  If possible, the Keeper should keep this scenario until last by 
  ensuring any rumors or gossip the investigators’ come across 
  points to either Eve Williams or Chris Henson. When the time is 
  right the primary method to alert the players to Professor 
  Fairbanks’ nefarious plans will be the relaying of rumors by his 
  students concerning his erratic attendance and changed 
  behavior. As the weeks progress more and more students will 
  negatively mention his behavior and their surprise that the Dean 
  hasn’t done something about it. By week five Dean Clements 
  himself will mention that he has had to give the Professor a leave 
  of absence because of his personal issues and poor performance. 
  The Dean will finally inform the investigators on the Monday 
  afternoon of the sixth week that the local news has announced 
  that there has been a murder and abduction on the Professor’s 
  street – and that the Dean has tried to get into contact with 
  Fairbanks himself but to no avail. 
   
  If the investigators make entry into Fairbanks’ house at any 
  time during the investigation they should come across his study 
  which will be covered in notes and papers with scrawls and 
  copies of passages from the Necronomicon. If Alice Fairbanks is 
  there she will be actively relieved to have someone to talk to 
  about her husband’s strange behavior and will readily show 
  them the study if investigators ask to see it. If questioned Alice 
  will state that he spends nearly all his time locked away in the 
  study until the early hours of the morning and that he has 
  recently been talking and crying out strange foreign-sounding 
  words in his sleep. If the investigators visit the study from 
  midway the third week onwards they will find a handwritten 
  note in the study – it will have the name “Damon Drake” and his 
  address (Damon wrote down his address for Fairbanks, so the 
  latter could arrange for some materials to be sent there). 
   
  Of course, sharp investigators may trail the Professor very 
  early on in the investigation and they might be rewarded by 
  seeing him retrieve the Necronomicon from its hiding place in 
  his back yard or by witnessing his coming and going to and from 
  Lucerne House.     
   
   
   
   
  LUCERNE HOUSE 
   
  The Drake’s were once a rich family by Arkham’s standards 
  and Damon’s great grandfather, Horace Drake, was a wealthy 
  merchant who traded in lumber. The successful and respected 
  businessman did what was the norm back in the 1880s which 
  was to use some of his amassed capital to build a grand house on 
  the outskirts of town. Lucerne House was constructed far up 
  High Lane on a vantage point that afforded a pleasant view of 
  Arkham, which lay below. Today Lucerne House is a sad and 
  dilapidated shadow of its former self – although still secluded 
  (all neighboring properties are grand houses or mansions sitting 
  on their own generous plots of land). It needs significant 
  upgrading and repairs and sits forlornly amongst a forest of elm 
  and pine trees, its white paint long faded and chipping off in ever 
  larger patches. 
   
  The interior is filled with over a century’s worth of bric-a-brac 
  collected in turn by Horace, Aloysius, Peter and now Damon and 
  Elspeth. The siblings have been living off the remnants of 
  Horace’s wealth which has made its way down to them. In order 
  to continue his frugal but idle life of relative comfort and no 
  employment Damon has had to sell off a large parcel of land and 
  some of the family heirlooms and antiques (very little of worth 
  is now left). The Drake’s haven’t had a maid for the best part of 
  three decades and aren’t very inclined to manual labor 
  themselves which means the house is dusty and, in some parts, 
  positively filthy. All the carpets and rugs are faded and moth 
  eaten, old newspapers, books and random objects lay discarded 
  on chairs and tables, Elspeth loves cats, and their litter trays are 
  in the corner of most of the ground floor rooms and generate 
  their own pervasive odor. The large back garden is also unkempt 
  and filled with tall grasses and weeds.    
   
  PROFESSOR FAIRBANKS’ ACTIONS 
   
  This friendly and charismatic academic will maintain his 
  cover till the last moment possible. He may be manic, 
  disheveled, excitable, absorbed or even a little panicked but he 
  will always strive to be jovial and disarm any critic with self-
  effacing humor. The Professor is very much a people person who 
  is used to orating before an eager audience – he is therefore 
  socially adept and a very convincing liar when called upon to be 
  so.  
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   68 
  In the first couple of weeks he will be friendly to the 
  investigators and worried about the thefts. On the fourth and 
  fifth week he’ll be preoccupied and too busy to engage with the 
  investigators for long. The Professor will deny any wrong doing 
  to the last and if confronted by irrefutable evidence will plead a 
  personal crisis caused by the break-up of his marriage (which 
  hasn’t in fact occurred yet!). If backed into a corner after 
  hooking up with Damon the Professor will attempt to flee to the 
  safety afforded to him by Lucerne House. The Professor will only 
  become violent if the investigators attempt to take the 
  Necronomicon from him and even then, he will only do as much 
  as it takes to retain possession and no more. 
   
  If encountered at Lucerne House, the Professor will more than 
  likely be well on his journey to becoming a priest and true 
  believer of Cthulhu and will even know a few spells to protect 
  himself with. At this stage he will not want his plans disrupted 
  by any intervention from the authorities and may well try to kill 
  or imprison the investigators; if he succeeds in the latter then 
  there will be no need to abduct his own family or the Browns as 
  he will already have the required sacrifices in his possession. 
   
  On the sixth week the professor’s transformation into the high 
  priest of Cthulhu will be complete. He will feel empowered by 
  the blessings and revelations of the Great Old One who guides 
  him in his sleep and will not think twice about killing the 
  investigators in the name of his new god. The end times are nigh, 
  and the Professor is doing the holy bidding of the true gods – 
  nothing must stand in his way! He will attack without hesitation, 
  using the tomahawk he murdered Mark Brown with or magic. 
   
  Even before the theft of the books from the Orne Library the 
  Professor had already been reading large tracts of the 
  Necronomicon and so starts the campaign with 5% Mythos 
  points which increases by 5 points each subsequent week.  
   
  DAMON DRAKE’S ACTIONS 
   
  The middle-aged gentleman has spent a life of leisure slowly 
  degrading what was once a substantial family fortune. Damon is 
  not a natural leader of men, he is a work-shy recluse who has 
  spent much of his life in the shadow and awe of his grandfather’s 
  secret legacy. His life has been quiet, dull and markedly 
  uneventful – he has often felt that life has passed him by. The 
  sudden occurrence of vivid strange dreams was greatly 
  welcomed as a break from the tedium. He sees Professor 
  Fairbanks’ sudden arrival on the scene as a true blessing from 
  the powers that be. He realizes now that his life hasn’t been 
  wasted and that all the time he has been kept in reserve for the 
  moment the Professor would need help in executing a great 
  mystical and holy work – Damon Drake will do everything in his 
  power to help the Professor awaken great Cthulhu from his 
  slumber. 
   
  He likes to potter about the great old house, coming and going 
  with books or trays of coffee in his arms – investigators breaking 
  into Lucerne House are very likely to bump into him during 
  daylight hours (at night he sleeps alone and in a deep slumber 
  in the main bedroom). If investigators knock on his front door 
  he will be very inquisitive as to their presence (he never has 
  visitors), and will be polite yet cautious, answering any 
  questions in a guarded and even slightly embarrassed fashion. 
  Damon is a socially awkward gentleman of leisure who can 
  appear quite affable and apologetic if engaged in a non-
  confrontational manner. If he discovers himself in the presence 
  of the authorities or of anyone of influence he will clam up and 
  await the intervention of Elspeth or the Professor. At any rate, 
  Damon hasn’t had a fight in his life and the idea of physical 
  combat horrifies him – he may lie, wax lyrical, deceive or feign 
  illness, but he certainly won’t fight, no matter what’s occurring. 
  Damon just might have it in him to shoot someone if they are 
  charging at him (but he will do so with a flinch!). 
   
  ELSPETH DRAKE’S ACTIONS 
   
  Damon’s younger sister is as crazy as a March hare and is 
  prone to all sorts of sudden and spontaneous actions. She is 
  childlike in her manner, often giggles for no apparent reason 
  and has an obsession for cats (she keeps four at Lucerne House 
  – Mitzy, Campbell, Frederick and Lady). Elspeth is just as 
  socially awkward and reclusive as her older brother, but she is 
  drawn to action and drama like a moth to the flame. If 
  investigators break into Lucerne House and stumble across 
  Elspeth, or vice versa, she will probably scream in fright and call 
  upon Damon. If riled or ridiculed she can become instantly 
  vicious and has a black temper, screeching with venom and 
  flailing with her stick-like limbs. If the investigators knock on 
  the front door and make her acquaintance in a normal fashion 
  she will appear almost shy or coy and will only speak when 
  spoken too (she will stare and smile insanely for the entire 
  encounter). For every question she is asked she will think of her 
  own inane question to throw back after answering – she will be 
  genuinely interested and intrigued by any visitor. 
   
  On the day of the summoning ceremony she will be filled with 
  a sense of purpose and mission. She will be watchful and on her 
  guard at all moments. If the investigators attempt to intervene 
  she will at first appear as a bystander, but as soon as they turn 
  their backs on her Elspeth’s vicious nature will surface and she 
  will draw her brand-new handgun from her waistband and 
  attempt to murder the nearest player.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   69 
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   70 
  DECLARENCE WASHBURN’S ACTIONS 
   
  This tired old down-and-out has had a long love affair with 
  alcohol and has been in plenty of fist fights. He is a brute and a 
  bully and won’t think twice about solving problems with his fists. 
  Casually aligned to the forces of greed and evil Declarence will 
  believe his ticket has really come in with the coming of Damon 
  and an invitation to join the strange and powerful cult. 
   
  Declarence has set up residence at Lucerne House and will 
  eagerly defend his home against any uninvited intruders. When 
  and if investigators come a-calling he will at first automatically 
  perceive them as lawmen and will be fearful (he has served 
  several short prison sentences for assault and theft), but if he 
  learns that they are merely private eyes he will probably seek to 
  roughly evict them from the premises with some choice curses. 
   
  On the day of the summoning ceremony he will be alert and 
  quick to arms (fortunately for the investigators he is only armed 
  with a hunting knife) but will flee the scene if he receives a 
  serious injury. Declarence hasn’t ever killed anyone, and despite 
  his eagerness to beat someone down, will be reticent at 
  deliberately striking a fatal blow – he will however do so if urged 
  on by Professor Fairbanks.   
   
  MARSHALL PICENZO’S ACTIONS 
   
  The petty thief and addict is a natural born coward who’ll 
  happily flee from any confrontation rather than risk his own 
  neck. He has very few morals and little compunction about 
  taking advantage of a vulnerable victim. Picenzo immediately 
  feels at home in Lucerne House and relishes his part in a plan of 
  evil. Marshall will not front up to any investigators but if the 
  time is right he will strike at them quickly and viciously (he 
  particularly likes striking at prone targets). If investigators’ 
  break into Lucerne House and he discovers them, Marshall will 
  attack them half-heartedly with a very long WWI bayonet (this 
  has also come from Damon’s eclectic collection of militaria) and 
  will turn and run if successfully hit. 
   
  On the day of the summoning ceremony Marshall is enjoying 
  his new-found authority and power by keeping careful guard of 
  the sacrificial hostages. He will be unusually brave on this day as 
  he feels he is backed up by allies (a very unusual feeling for him) 
  and will attempt to ward off the investigators with the bayonet. 
   
   
   
  Professor Gregory Fairbanks, High Priest of Cthulhu, 
  age 42 
   
  Once a soulful and considerate individual who respected life and 
  order, Fairbanks has fallen under the influence of the 
  Necronomicon and its mind-warping powers. The path of dark 
  stars and machinations of great alien entities fill his waking and 
  sleeping mind with wondrous and terrible thoughts. The 
  wayward academic maintains a genteel and cultured veneer, but 
  it hides a dark soul in the grips of megalomania and a desire to 
  burn the world down – even his own family mean nothing to him 
  anymore. He is only concerned with carrying out his great plan 
  and has little concern for the welfare of others or the sanctity of 
  life; he won’t hesitate to destroy anything or anyone which 
  stands in his way. 
   
  STR 50 
  CON 60 
  SIZ 50 
  DEX 50 
  INT 75  
  APP 65 
  POW 60 
  EDU 70 
  SAN 0  
  HP 11 
  DB: 0 
       Build: 0        Move: 9       MP: 12 
  Luck: 76 
   
  Weapons:    Tomahawk 27%, damage 1D8 
    
  Skills:  Ancient Greek 32%, Arabic 28%, Astronomy 20%, Credit 
  Rating 38%, Cultured 43%, English Literature 87%, Persuade 
  69%, Psychology 42%, Cthulhu Mythos *variable 
  Spells: Brew Space-Mead, Create Gate, Call Cthulhu, Death 
  Spell, Mind Exchange, Mind Transfer, Summon/Bind Byakhee, 
  Summon/Bind Dimensional Shambler, Summon/Bind Star 
  Vampire, Voorish Sign   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   71 
   
   
  Damon Drake, Disciple of Cthulhu, age 51  
   
  This middle-aged man of refinement and leisure is not prone to 
  violence himself but will help commit almost any type of atrocity 
  that will further the aims of his family’s chosen god. If pushed 
  into it Damon will defend himself with a firearm but would 
  much rather flee. He is a diligent student of the occult and is 
  pivotal in assisting Professor Fairbanks in the execution of his 
  master plan.  
   
  STR 50 
  CON 50 
  SIZ 50 
  DEX 50 
  INT 60  
  APP 50 
  POW 50 
  EDU 60 
  SAN 20  
  HP 10 
  DB: 0 
       Build: 0        Move: 9       MP: 8 
  Luck: 63 
   
  Weapons:   Pistol 33% damage 1D6 
   
       Rifle 32% 
           
   
   
  Skills: Chemistry 27%, German 42%, Italian 46%, History 66%, 
  Law 26%, Library Use 68%, Persuade 32%, Pharmacy 29%, 
  Cthulhu Mythos 8%  
  Spells: Curse of Azathoth, Voorish Sign    
   
   
   
   
   
  Elspeth Drake, Disciple of Cthulhu, age 44  
   
  Damon’s scatty and excitable sibling is attracted to the 
  excitement of being in a cult, any cult. She is given to flights of 
  fancy and impulsive actions and will not think twice about 
  striking out at an opponent when the moment presents itself.  
   
  STR 40 
  CON 55 
  SIZ 47 
  DEX 54 
  INT 55  
  APP 55 
  POW 50 
  EDU 60 
  SAN 25  
  HP 10 
  DB: 0 
  Build: 0 
  Move: 9 
  MP: 8 
  Luck: 66 
   
  Weapons:   Claw 30%, damage 1D3 
   
                   
  Skills: Attract cats 72%, Befriend children 65%, Play piano 48%, 
  Latin 63%, French 68%, Cthulhu Mythos 5%   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   72 
   
  Declarence Washburn, Disciple of Cthulhu, age 37  
   
  Life has been hard for Declarence and he is used to fighting for 
  even the most meagre of comforts and necessities. Declarence 
  won’t give up without a fight and will have little to no empathy 
  for anyone standing in his way.  
   
  STR 60 
  CON 63 
  SIZ 53 
  DEX 50 
  INT 47  
  APP 30 
  POW 45 
  EDU 45 
  SAN 27  
  HP 11 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0         Move: 9       MP: 8 
  Luck: 38 
   
  Weapons:   Fist 64%, damage 1D4 
   
       Knife 48%, 1D6 
   
           
   
  Skills: Consume Alcohol 80%, Brawl 39%, Burgle 29%, 
  Intimidate 56%, Repair 27%, Steal 33%, Cthulhu Mythos 2%  
   
   
   
  Marshall Picenzo, Disciple of Cthulhu, age 29  
   
  A vicious and devious street thug and thief. He is an opportunist 
  and a coward who likes nothing more than to kick someone 
  while they’re down.  
   
  STR 50 
  CON 57 
  SIZ 49 
  DEX 50 
  INT 42  
  APP 25 
  POW 45 
  EDU 40 
  SAN 25  
  HP 10 
  DB: 0 
  Build: 0 
  Move: 9 
  MP: 8 
  Luck: 33 
   
  Weapons:   Fist 38%, damage 1D3 
   
       Knife 43%, damage 1D6 
   
           
   
  Skills: Consume Narcotics 70%, Burgle 69%, Intimidate 45%, 
  Steal 80%, Cthulhu Mythos 3%  
   
   
   
  Byahkee, the star steeds 
   
  STR 85   CON 55 SIZ 85  INT 55  POW 55 
  DEX 65  Move 5 crawl/20 flying  HP 14 
   
  Damage Bonus: +1D6 
  Weapons:   Claw 35%, damage 1D6 +DB 
   
       Bite 35% damage 1D6+blood drain 
  Armor: 2 points of fur and tough hide. 
  Skills: Listen 50%, Spot Hidden 50%.  
  Sanity Loss: 1/1D6 points. 
   
   
   
  Star-Spawn of Cthulhu 
   
  STR 350   CON 250 SIZ 450  INT 105  POW 105 
  DEX 55  Move 20 walk/20 flying          HP 70 
   
  Damage Bonus: +11D6 
  Weapons:   Tentacles 80%, damage 1/2DB 
   
       Claw 80% damage DB 
  Armor: 10 points hide and blubber, regenerates 3 hit points per 
  round. 
          
  Sanity Loss: 1D10 points. 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   73 
   
   
   
  A campaign needs a good ending just as much as it needs a 
  good beginning. Each scenario provides its own rewards for 
  playing well (or not) and states what happens if the players 
  succeed in stopping the minions of the mythos as well as what 
  happens if they do not. But what happens to Arkham and 
  Miskatonic University? What happens to the town and 
  university following the collective resolution or collective 
  fumbling of preventing mythos plans? It isn’t possible to provide 
  an answer for all the different combinations possible (it is 
  anticipated that a mixed result is the most likely outcome) but 
  here are samples of the best result, a mixed result and the worst-
  case scenario that Keepers can use for reference in providing a 
  suitable wrap-up speech at the end of the campaign: 
   
  LORDS OF LIGHT (AKA YOU RULE!) 
   
  Dean Clements congratulates all the investigators on the 
  excellent job they have done in retrieving all four of the stolen 
  books. Words can’t express what they have achieved in 
  preventing the books from being used in the pursuit of evil aims. 
  He has been impressed at the skill, guile and professionalism of 
  all the investigators, so much so that he is speaking to his 
  contacts on the City Council about presenting them with some 
  sort of civic award. Ed O’Brian is also brimming with 
  compliments for the sterling job the investigators have done for 
  Eagle Bond; there will surely be an evening of drinks to celebrate 
  the successful closure of a most challenging and dangerous case. 
  The Dean informs the investigators that lessons have been 
  learned and that work is already underway to upgrade the 
  Restricted Section with top of the range security and access 
  control devices that will prevent any future reoccurrence of the 
  thefts. Following the identification and removal of the bad 
  elements amongst the faculty and student bodies life at the 
  university can now return to normality and everyone can put 
  these recent bad incidents behind them. Order has once again 
  been restored in Arkham; dark things still slither silently by 
  during the night every so often and strange whisperings are 
  occasionally heard in various darkened corners, but this is 
  normal for night-haunted Arkham, and if its residents were 
  privy to recent events then they could certainly sleep a little 
  easier knowing that the forces of darkness had been successfully 
  held at bay by the erstwhile actions of the investigators. 
   
  ALL TOO HUMAN (AKA YOU…ERM….TRIED) 
   
  The Dean sighs and looks out his office window thoughtfully; 
  he thinks to himself that things certainly could have been a lot 
  worse - at least the investigators managed to retrieve some of the 
  books thus preventing things from really getting out of hand. But 
  bad things did happen, and the town and university are now in 
  a state of shock. Everyone now knows that all those stories told 
  about night-haunted Arkham were true and goodness knows 
  what will happen next. Still, both Dean Clements and Ed O’Brian 
  know that they can rely on decent ordinary people like the 
  investigators to combat the growing tide of evil that threatens 
  man’s place in the world. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  DARK SERVITORS (AKA YOU SUCK!) 
   
  It’s all gone horribly wrong and the forces of the mythos are 
  unleashed upon Arkham. Eibon and Tsathoggua’s portals aren’t 
  such a worry for the community or even the other mythos 
  factions since they are only transit points through space and 
  time for their owners – but for Chris Henson’s unfortunate 
  parents this will prove to be a seriously fatal turn of events when 
  they return home from their world cruise. Even Eihort’s new 
  residence in Ebden Burns’ bookshop isn’t too big a concern since 
  hardly anyone ever goes in there anyway – eventually some city 
  environmental workers and local youths will pay it a visit and 
  promptly go missing but if the authorities pay too much 
  attention to the site then the Great Old One will just move 
  himself and his brood to a new labyrinth somewhere else.  
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   74 
  Mother Willow’s and Professor Fairbanks’ plans however are 
  bad news for all concerned. The former’s schemes result in a 
  series of abductions and sacrifices throughout the city including 
  nearly all of city hall until the Mother of Mould is unleashed to 
  feed resulting in hundreds of innocent deaths. Meanwhile 
  Professor Fairbanks and the newly regenerated Cult of Cthulhu 
  also go about Arkham in a spree of their own abductions and 
  sacrificial murders culminating in a small contingent of Star-
  Spawn occupying vast sways of the nearby countryside. Pretty 
  soon things are out of control and ordinary citizens are aware 
  that something ghastly is afoot – too many people have 
  disappeared, and everyone knows at least one of the disappeared 
  personally. Arkham rapidly depopulates as people are either 
  spirited away or flee of their own accord. Since Mother Willow 
  has a firm grip of city hall and the police department the news 
  doesn’t make it to official channels from the necessary people 
  and no outside help arrives. The two cults are soon aware of each 
  other and by the end of the year a factional and covert cult war 
  is fought by the followers of Shub-Niggurath and their ghoul 
  allies against the followers of Cthulhu resulting in the 
  destruction of the Mother of Mould at a cost of five Star-Spawn. 
  Professor Fairbanks’ is ultimately victorious and Mother Willow 
  withdraws with her followers back to her Miskatonic Valley 
  stronghold. A little over a year after the theft of the books from 
  the Jeremiah Orne library things have finally settled down and 
  the veneer of normality once more restored; but almost a sixth 
  of the city’s populace are now cultists, as are all the officials. 
  Arkham is now a sinister town with a dark secret at its heart and 
  it is a very unsafe place for normal people to venture. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   75 
   
   
   
   
  KEEPER AIDS 
   & 
   PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS 
   
  
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   76 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   77 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  1.
  Jeremiah Orne Library 
   
   
  9. 
  Derby Hall 
  2.
  Hoyt Administration Building 
   
  10. 
  President’s House 
  3.
  Copely Memorial Bell Tower 
   
  11. 
  East Dormitory 
  4.
  Robert Carter Memorial Hall 
   
  12. 
  West Dormitory 
  5.
  Charles Tyner Science Annex 
   
  13. 
  St.Mary’s Teaching Hospital 
  6.
  Science Hall  
   
   
   
  14. 
  Axton Field House & Athletics Track 
  7.
  George Locksley Hall 
   
   
  15. 
  Jonathan Edwards Hall 
  8.
  Dorothy Upman Hall 
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   78 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Jeremiah Orne Library 
  First Floor 
  Second Floor 
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   79 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Third Floor 
  Jeremiah Orne Library  
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   80 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Kappa Delta Phi Sorority House  
  First Floor 
  Second Floor 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   81 
   
   
   
   
  Burns’ Books 
   
   
   
   
  First Floor 
  Second Floor 
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   82 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Chris Henson’s Family Home 
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   83 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Second Floor 
  First Floor 
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   84 
   
   
   
  Eihort 
  Ebden Burns 
  Ralph Myers 
  Basement Entrance 
  Rare Finds – Example Maze 
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   85 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Rare Finds Case Letters – Ebden’s Emails 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  From: Admin@BurnsBooks.com 
  To: RMyers1967@gmail.com  
  Sent: 04/21/15 
  Mr Myers, 
  I have some unbelievable news! I’ve left an answer-phone 
  message for you with all the details. Your strange books 
  are far more valuable than we originally thought. But 
  that’s nothing compared to the price if we can get a full set 
  of all 9 volumes to auction. We just need to find a copy of 
  Volume IV! Needless to say, I am phoning around all my 
  contacts. Someone must know where we can get one. I will 
  keep you updated of my progress. 
  Kind regards,  
  Ebden Burns                                                   RF Case Letter #1A 
   
   
  From: Admin@BurnsBooks.com 
  To: EWilliamsSTD189@MSKUNV.com 
  Sent: 05/05/15 
  Dear Eve, 
  As discussed. Convince Chris to pay the dean a visit and 
  secure an imprint of the key using the putty I gave you at 
  our last meeting. I have arranged a locker at the train 
  station – A344. I have sent you a copy of the key through 
  the post. Put the imprint into the locker and e-mail me. 
   
  Regards, 
  EB                                                                   RF Case Letter #2A 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   86 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Rare Finds Case Letters – Ebden’s Emails 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  From: EWilliamsSTD189@MSKUNV.com  
  To: Admin@BurnsBooks.com 
  Sent: 05/08/15 
   
  Yo Ebden its done! Chris has pulled it off 
  I left the imprint in the locker like you said 
   
  Eve 
                                                                          RF Case Letter #3A 
   
   
  From: Admin@BurnsBooks.com 
  To: EWilliamsSTD189@MSKUNV.com 
  Sent: 05/12/15 
  Eve Dearest, 
  I’ve got the copy made. We’re ready to go! I must admit 
  that i’m a bit nervous about it all – but needs must! What I 
  need you to do now is to ensure that yourself and Chris are 
  somewhere visible at around 10 o’clock tomorrow 
  morning. I will attempt it no sooner than quarter past the 
  hour just to be sure. If I am successful then you will find 
  both your books in the locker by the end of the day. Wish 
  me luck! 
  Regards, 
  EB                                                                   RF Case Letter #4A 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   87 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Rare Finds Case Letters – Ebden’s Emails 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  From: EWilliamsSTD189@MSKUNV.com  
  To: Admin@BurnsBooks.com 
  Sent: 05/15/15 
   
  Nicely done old man! I can’t believe we’ve pulled it off! 
  I shall be in touch. Thanks again. 
   
  Eve x 
                                                                          RF Case Letter #5A 
   
   
  From: RMyers1967@gmail.com  
  To: Admin@BurnsBooks.com 
  Sent: 05/19/15 
   
  Dear Ebden, is everything alright? I’ve not heard from you 
  for over a week now and I’ve tried calling the shop 
  numerous times  yesterday. Please give me a call or an e-
  mail when you get this. 
   
  Thanks,  
  Ralph M                                                           RF Case Letter #6A 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   88 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Rare Finds Case Letters – Ebden’s Emails 
   
  Alternatively, if the investigators are very good or it’s only the first week of the investigation it may be more prudent to let them 
  figure the details out themselves and use the following handouts instead of the ones above. 
   
   
   
   
   
  From: Admin@BurnsBooks.com 
  To: RMyers1967@gmail.com  
  Sent: 04/21/15 
  Mr Myers, 
  I have some unbelievable news! I’ve left an answer-phone 
  message for you with all the details. Your strange books 
  are far more valuable than we originally thought. But 
  that’s nothing compared to the price if we can get a full set 
  of all 9 volumes to auction. We just need to find a copy of 
  Volume IV! Needless to say, I am phoning around all my 
  contacts. Someone must know where we can get one. I will 
  keep you updated on my progress. 
  Kind regards,  
  Ebden Burns                                                   RF Case Letter #1B 
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   89 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Rare Finds Case Letters – Ebden’s Emails 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  From: Admin@BurnsBooks.com 
  To: RMyers1967@gmail.com  
  Sent: 05/09/15 
  Hi Ralph, 
  This is just a little update for you. As discussed previously, 
  obtaining this particular book on the open market is 
  almost impossible – but I’ve established that there’s  a copy 
  available here in Arkham! I have made a new 
  acquaintance at the university library who may be in a 
  position to help us out. I shall tell you more when we next 
  meet up. 
  All the best ,  
  Ebden Burns                                                   RF Case Letter #2B 
   
   
  From: RMyers1967@gmail.com  
  To: Admin@BurnsBooks.com 
  Sent: 05/19/15 
   
  Dear Ebden, is everything alright? I’ve not heard from you 
  for over a week now and I’ve tried calling the shop 
  numerous times  yesterday. Please give me a call or an e-
  mail when you get this. 
   
  Thanks,  
  Ralph                                                           RF Case Letter #3B 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   90 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   91 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   92 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   93 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   94 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Investigator Handout –Staff List (Sheet 1) 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   95 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Investigator Handout – Miskatonic University English Courses (Sheet 1) 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   96 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Investigator Handout – Miskatonic University English Courses (Sheet 2) 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   97 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Investigator Handout – Miskatonic University English Courses (Sheet 3) 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   98 
   
   
   
  Alexis Young 
   
  STR 39 
  CON 50 
  SIZ 47 
  DEX 50 
  INT 69  
  APP 68 
  POW 54 
  EDU 67 
  SAN 54  
  HP 9 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 10 
  Luck: 72 
   
  Skills: Economics 54%, Computer Use 52%, Drive Automobile 
  50%, Library Use 66% 
   
  Carl Munk 
   
  STR 45 
  CON 46 
  SIZ 49 
  DEX 57 
  INT 70  
  APP 40 
  POW 45 
  EDU 60 
  SAN 45  
  HP 10 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 9 
  Luck: 72 
   
  Skills: Biology 72%, Spot Hidden 63%, Computer Use 68%, 
  Sneak 67% 
   
  Darvis Philips 
   
  STR 52 
  CON 60 
  SIZ 54 
  DEX 57 
  INT 66  
  APP 71 
  POW 50 
  EDU 63 
  SAN 50  
  HP 11 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 10 
  Luck: 68 
   
  Skills: History 65%, Drive Automobile 50%, Library Use 55%, 
  Persuade 43% 
   
  Dean Clements 
   
  STR 53 
  CON 52 
  SIZ 50 
  DEX 50 
  INT 75  
  APP 71 
  POW 50 
  EDU 78 
  SAN 50  
  HP 10 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 10 
  Luck: 55 
   
  Skills: Teaching 81%, Library Use 74%, Persuade 57% 
   
  Didier Melville 
   
  STR 50 
  CON 50 
  SIZ 56 
  DEX 44 
  INT 73  
  APP 35 
  POW 60 
  EDU 68 
  SAN 60  
  HP 10 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 8      MP: 12 
  Luck: 85 
   
  Skills: Computer Use 86%, DIY 68%, Myths & Folklore 86%,  
  Library Use 87% 
   
  Fariah Mahmood 
   
  STR 43 
  CON 46 
  SIZ 46 
  DEX 51 
  INT 68  
  APP 73 
  POW 50 
  EDU 66 
  SAN 50  
  HP 9 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 10 
  Luck: 70 
   
  Skills: Chemistry 62%, Computer Use 67%, Library Use 58% 
   
   
   
  Felix Guzman 
   
  STR 56 
  CON 61 
  SIZ 53 
  DEX 47 
  INT 68  
  APP 59 
  POW 47 
  EDU 65 
  SAN 47  
  HP 11 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 9 
  Luck: 65 
   
  Skills: Physics 67%, Computer Use 64%, Library Use 61% 
   
  John Stubbs 
   
  STR 54 
  CON 53 
  SIZ 49 
  DEX 44 
  INT 66  
  APP 58 
  POW 48 
  EDU 55 
  SAN 48  
  HP 10 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 9 
  Luck: 60 
   
  Skills:  Handgun 67%, Fighting (Grapple) 61%, Spot Hidden 
  71%, Library Use 68%, Persuade 67% 
   
  Julia Hood/Charlotte Spinks 
   
  STR 49 
  CON 50 
  SIZ 48 
  DEX 54 
  INT 61  
  APP 66 
  POW 50 
  EDU 50 
  SAN 50  
  HP 9 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 10 
  Luck: 49 
   
  Skills: Lie 65%, Drive Automobile 50%, Counterfeit 45%, 
  Persuade 57% 
   
  Kamran Singh 
   
  STR 50 
  CON 56 
  SIZ 50 
  DEX 50 
  INT 64  
  APP 64 
  POW 50 
  EDU 67 
  SAN 50  
  HP 10 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 10 
  Luck: 65 
   
  Skills: Philosophy 67%, Drive Automobile 50%, Library Use 
  58%, Chess 47% 
   
  Lisa Xu 
   
  STR 38 
  CON 48 
  SIZ 47 
  DEX 54 
  INT 68  
  APP 67 
  POW 50 
  EDU 65 
  SAN 50  
  HP 9 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 10 
  Luck: 69 
   
  Skills: Computer Use 68%, Library Use 63%, Math 72% 
   
  Luke Dewer 
   
  STR 51 
  CON 57 
  SIZ 50 
  DEX 50 
  INT 60  
  APP 68 
  POW 50 
  EDU 60 
  SAN 50  
  HP 10 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 10 
  Luck: 53 
   
  Skills: Physics 53%, Play Guitar 56%, Persuade 38% 
   
   
   
   
   
  Additional NPC Stats 
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   99 
   
  Noonan Powell 
   
  STR 50 
  CON 50 
  SIZ 48 
  DEX 48 
  INT 72  
  APP 67 
  POW 60 
  EDU 65 
  SAN 60  
  HP 10 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 12 
  Luck: 81 
   
  Skills: Computer Use 75%, Drive Automobile 50%, Library Use 
  70%, Persuade 51% 
   
  Rita Osicka 
   
  STR 50 
  CON 60 
  SIZ 50 
  DEX 52 
  INT 70  
  APP 67 
  POW 50 
  EDU 65 
  SAN 50  
  HP 11 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 10 
  Luck: 78 
   
  Skills: International Relations 71%, Computer Use 68%, Library 
  Use 58%, Cake Baking 73% 
   
  Steven Woodman 
   
  STR 44 
  CON 51 
  SIZ 48 
  DEX 51 
  INT 67  
  APP 61 
  POW 45 
  EDU 65 
  SAN 45  
  HP 9 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 9 
  Luck: 65 
   
  Skills: English Literature 68%, Computer Use 66%, Library Use 
  72% 
   
  Vanessa Lamont 
   
  STR 47 
  CON 53 
  SIZ 52 
  DEX 51 
  INT 66  
  APP 63 
  POW 51 
  EDU 68 
  SAN 51  
  HP 10 
  DB: 0 
      Build: 0      Move: 9      MP: 10 
  Luck: 67 
   
  Skills: English Literature 68%, Drive Automobile 60%, Library 
  Use 70%, Persuade 48% 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   100 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Investigator Handout – Background Checks (Sheet 1) 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   101 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Investigator Handout – Background Checks (Sheet 2) 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   102 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Investigator Handout – Background Checks (Sheet 3) 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   103 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Investigator Handout – Background Checks (Sheet 4) 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   104 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Investigator Handout – Background Checks (Sheet 5) 
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   105 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   106 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Tomes of Terror 
   
   
   107 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  The lessons of Cthulhu 101 are long Overdue because 
  Manuscripts Don’t Burn and Rare Finds could 
  mean The Calling is at hand. 
   
  Four rare and dangerous occult tomes have been stolen from the Jeremiah Orne 
  Library on the Miskatonic University campus. Can the investigators retrieve the 
  books before powerful mythos forces can use them to summon horrors and unleash 
  hell on Arkham? 
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Call of Cthulhu/Misc/Miskatonic Repository/CoC - Miskatonic Repository - Modern Era - Tomes of Terror.pdf