TEXT: The Once and Future King
  Author: Gareth Hanrahan
  Homepage: 
  System: Call of Cthulhu
  Type: Scenario
  Category: Horror
  Requirements: 
  An extremely well written and researched Call of Cthulhu scenario written for Warpcon 
  1998. As usual with Warpcon tournament games, this scenario is written in two parts. 
  Round 1 - The Ill-made Knight
  "O, yet methought I saw the Holy Grail 
  All palled in crimson samite, and around 
  Great angels, awful shapes, and wings and eyes" 
  - Tennyson
  "All men must face death at some point in their lives. Most face it when their bodies rot, 
  locking them in fleshy coffins of withered skin and brittle bone. I faced it on the 
  battlefield, in 1915. I remember quite clearly the bullet striking my head, the sudden 
  flash of red light. I died, my life snuffed out in an instant. 
  But I was sent back. He took my soul and returned it to my form. I saw Him in a vision, 
  the Great Redeemer, rising up from the ocean to cleanse the world. He is asleep now, but 
  His dreams are the reality of mortal men. Poised between life and death, I descended 
  through His dreams to His realm. There I saw the holy Chalice carved by Him, the Holy 
  Grail. The Grail holds Immortality with the Great Redeemer, Mighty Cthulhu! I died 
  once, and was sent back. Now, by grace of Cthulhu and through the Grail, I shall never 
  die again." 
  The Quest of the Grail is based around the premise that the medieval Christian legends 
  of the Holy Grail were based on earlier Celtic legends of a cup or cauldron. This cup 
  provided limitless feasts, could heal wounds, and even grant immortality. The cup came 
  
  from a mysterious otherworld, and was created by inhuman, immortal powers. The cup, 
  like the Grail, is now said to be kept in a magical castle, and protected from outsiders. A 
  drink from the cup grants immortality. 
  Like many legends, these Celtic myths have a grain of truth at the core. This truth is the 
  Chalice of Cthulhu. This cup was crafted by Deep Ones from stone dragged up from 
  sunken R’yleh. Like the Grail, it can heal and provide sustenance. It also grants 
  immortality to any human that drinks from it - immortality as an undying Deep One. The 
  cup has other powers beyond this transformation, but only powerful servants of Great 
  Cthulhu can make use of them. In the 5th Century, the warlord Artorius learned of the 
  Cthulhu Cult, led by his son Mordred. The Quest of the Grail was not an attempt to find 
  the Grail, but to destroy it. Artorius build a castle to hold the Grail and hide it away for 
  all time. 
  "That is not dead which can Eternal Lie 
  And with Strange Aeons even Death may die" 
  The famous couplet does not apply only to the Great Old Ones. The mysterious Elder 
  Things, who maintain an outpost beneath England, guided Artorius. They opposed the 
  Rise of R’lyeh for their own reasons. They gave Arthur the weapons he needed to defeat 
  the cult. They also imprinted the genetic code of the Knights into the human gene pool, 
  to ensure the Cult would be defeated should it rise again. Now, he ancient warriors who 
  are remembered as the Knights of the Round Table have been reborn. Most have fallen 
  to the Cthulhu cult already. Only a few are left, and they are victims of the passions that 
  destroyed the Round Table fifteen centuries ago. 
  The Characters: In keeping with the Arthurian theme, the PCs mirror characters from 
  the Arthurian Myths. Their motivations are based on those of their literary ancedents. 
  Lord Thomas Ursanore: Age 45, a decorated military hero. Lord Tom commanded a 
  division in WWI in France, and was knighted for his achievements there. Since returning 
  to England, he has taken over the extensive family estates and married a young lady of 
  good breeding. Lord Tom is a very British hero. However, he is dying of cancer, and this 
  illness triggers the scenario (see below). Based on King Arthur 
  Lady Jennifer Anston Ursanore: Age 25, Lord Tom’s beautiful young wife. She is the 
  daughter of an Earl, and is well known in society. It was her father’s wish that she marry 
  Ursanore, and she obeyed willingly. Although she is a dutiful wife, she has become very 
  attracted to young Lionel Etang. Based on Guenevere. 
  
  Captain Lionel Etang: Age 26. Lionel is a dashing young captain in the French army. 
  He was Lord Thomas’ assistant in WWI, and the two have maintained a correspondence 
  since the war, and are firm friends. Lionel came immediately when he heard of Thomas’ 
  illness. Lionel is unmarried, but is powerfully attracted to Lady Jennifer. Based on 
  Lancelot. 
  Dr. Simon Talisin: Age 74. Lord Thomas attended Oxford, gaining a degree in History. 
  Talisin was his tutor there, and is a friend of the Ursanore family. He specialised in 
  mythforms and the occult. Based on Merlin. 
  Kenneth Bailson: Age 35. Kenneth is a civil servant who was assigned to work with 
  Lord Thomas, as Thomas has a title and a seat in the House of Lords. Kenneth also 
  served under Thomas in France. He respects Thomas utterly, and is very loyal to him. 
  Based on Sir Kay. 
  Martin Decatur: Age 20, Martin is Lord Thomas’ illegitimate son by a mistress. He 
  was brought to the gathering by Kenneth Bailson, as Martin is the heir to the Ursanore 
  title if Thomas dies childless. Unknown to himself, Martin is not entirely human. He is a 
  fosterling of Cthulhu, a human altered by the dreams of the Great Old One. As the 
  adventure progresses, he becomes more and more inhuman, until he metamorphoses into 
  a monster at the end of round 1. Based on Sir Mordred. 
  Lord Thomas’ illness: Ursanore’s sickness should be emphasised throughout the 
  adventure. As well as having low statistics, he becomes winded easily, gets dizzy when 
  he stands, has migraines etc. Remind the player of his mortality whenever possible. 
  Make him realise that he is dying. 
  The inheritance of Martin Decatur: To the Cthulhu cult, Decatur is the prophesied 
  Dark Son whose coming signals the Rightness of the Stars. The occult killings are part of 
  the preparations for his arrival. Martin Decatur has been having strange dreams, and his 
  POW is abnormally high. At the climax of the first round, he becomes a servant of 
  Cthulhu. 
  Events in the Scenario: 
  The Characters become aware of the Grail from a letter sent to them. 
  Several people are ritually killed in London. All are Arthurian scholars, and mirror 
  Knights of the Round Table. Through investigating these deaths, the characters discover 
  
  the Cthulhu cult. 
  The cult is conducting an archaeological dig in Glastonbury. This dig culminates in an 
  arcane ritual, which transforms Martin Decatur into a Great Old One. This horror ends 
  round 1. 
  The character meet the Son of the Lake, an immortal who drank from the Grail. The Son 
  of the Lake reveals the location of the Grail - a castle in Scotland. The characters meet 
  the Lady of the Lake, and are granted Excalibur. 
  The characters travel to Scotland, and prevent the cult from awakening the Sleeper - 
  Great Cthulhu 
  The characters have the choice of drinking from the Grail or resisting Temptation. 
  The Cthulhu Cult: Evan Petersen was a relatively normal young man until he enlisted 
  in the British Army during World War I. He served with Lord Thomas Ursanore, Lionel 
  D’Etang and Kenneth Bailson. Then, in the winter of 1915 Petersen was shot in the head 
  by a German sniper. Petersen was in a coma for six months, and was sent back to 
  England. He awoke filled with occult knowledge. He had heard the Call of Cthulhu in 
  his dreams. Petersen spent the next five years studying and preparing. 
  In 1920, he met Henry Mallory, an English businessman. Mallory had lived a life of 
  crushing tedium livened only by an obsessive reading of Arthurian Myth. Petersen 
  offered Mallory a chance to reclaim the lost glory of the days of heroism. Enchanted, 
  Mallory agreed to help. The two founded a Gentleman’s club called the Chivalrous 
  Lodge. Using magics taught to him by Great Cthulhu, Petersen gained control of the 
  minds of the bored gentry who joined the Lodge. They became Cultists of Cthulhu. 
  In 1924, Petersen travelled north to Scotland, searching for the Temple of the Grail 
  where Arthur had buried the Holy Grail. He was unable to find it, but a tome he 
  discovered gave him a method for doing so. One of the original Knights still lived. 
  Petersen could use sympathetic magics to force the Knight to reveal the location of the 
  Temple. This magic, the Glastonbury Ritual, required the essences of other Knights. 
  Mallory embarked on a program to hunt down the reincarnated Knights and gather their 
  souls. 
  It is now 1926. Only a handful of Knights survive. The characters and four others are all 
  that still live. Soon the Glastonbury ritual will be performed and the resting place of the 
  
  Holy Grail will be revealed. Then it shall grant Life to the Dead who sleep in the cold 
  eerie depths of the ocean... 
  THE ADVENTURE STARTS HERE: 
  A Mournful Gathering: Ursanore Estate is the ancestral home of Lord Thomas. It lies in 
  Essex, about 20 miles from London. It consists of a few hundred acres of gardens, small 
  farms and woodland. The House at the centre of the estate is a large century mansion. It 
  has been well maintained by successive generations of Ursanores. 
  The characters are in the sitting room of Ursanore House. It is 10.30 AM, on the 
  afternoon of January 31st, 1926. They are waiting for Dr. Brown, Lord Thomas’ 
  physician. Allow the players to roleplay for a few minutes, then introduce Dr. Brown. He 
  will speak privately to Lord Thomas, revealing that the cancer is inoperable and will kill 
  within 3 months. The Doctor will not tell any other PCs (except Jennifer Ursanore) this 
  information unless told to by Lord Thomas. 
  The Doctor leaves after a few minutes. The butler then enters, bearing two letters, which 
  demand Lord Thomas’ attention. ( handout 1 ) 
  I DO NOT KNOW WHY I AM WRITING THIS TO YOU I CAN NOT REMEMBER 
  MY NAME I AM SORRY I HAVE HAD BAD DREAMS NIGHTMARES THEY ARE 
  KILLING AGAIN MY LORD IT IS ALL HAPPENING AGAIN AS IT DID AT 
  CAMLYN OH GOD NO GOD NOT AGAIN THEY ARE COMING FOR FR. 
  JEFFREY ALLEN BUT NOT HIM HE IS I CAN NOT REMEMBER HIS NAME HIS 
  REAL NAME YOU NAMED HIM LONG AGO NOT YOU BUT YOU AS YOU ARE 
  ONCE FUTURE WHY? I DO NOT KNOW WHY I SEE THINGS I DID LONG AGO 
  BUT NEVER DID I AM NOT WHO I WAS I AM WHO I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN. 
  CONFESSION EASES THE SOUL YOU TAUGHT US THAT WHERE IS YOUR 
  GOD? IN THE LAKE THE LAKE WHERE YOU ARE DEAD BUT NOT DEAD - 
  YOU CAN ETERNAL LIE. FR. ALLEN YES I WILL WRITE TO HIM AND 
  CONFESS THAT I AM NOT MAD I AM CLEAR SO VERY CLEAR HE IS OF MY 
  ORDER BUT HE DOES NOT YET REMEMBER. SOON I WILL KNOW IT ALL 
  AGAIN. 
  THEY WANT IT BACK AGAIN. WE BUILT AN ETERNAL PRISON BUT THEY 
  WILL FIND IT AND BREAK IT. THE FIGHT IS THE SAME FIGHT SAME WAR 
  HEAVEN AND HELL. THE GRAIL HAUNTS MY DREAMS IT WILL BANISH 
  THE DREAMS HEAL ALL WOES AS WE DISCOVERED IT IS THE GATEWAY 
  INTO AVALON. DO NOT GO TO AVALON MY LORD THE USURPER CAME 
  
  FROM THERE! 
  I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN YOUR FAITHFUL SERVANT FAITHFUL BEYOND 
  DEATH THROUGH DEATH TO DEATH AGAIN I WOULD SIGN THIS BUT I DO 
  NOT KNOW MY NAME I DO NOT KNOW WHY 
  Dr. Talisin recognises the name Fr. Allen as that of a clergyman and distinguished 
  scholar of history. He lives in London. He is mentioned in the morning papers. 
  The second letter is much shorter. ( handout 2) 
  In the name of the Grand Master, Evan Petersen, the CHIVALROUS LODGE does 
  hereby invite LORD THOMAS URSANORE & COMPANY for a BANQUET in the 
  grand MEDIEVAL STYLE. Sir, do our brethren the very GREAT HONOUR of 
  attending our revel, which shall be held in Chedbury Hall, Headingley St., Southwark, 
  London on the 2nd of February. RSVP 
  Thomas Mallory, Hon Sec 
  The characters recognise the name Evan Petersen as being that of a Captain who served 
  under Sir Ursanore. He fought valiantly, but was wounded and shipped home. None of 
  them have heard of him since. 
  London Timeline: The following descriptions assume that the PCs arrive on day 1 of the 
  scenario. If they stay overnight in London or at the Ursanore estates, then they can get 
  the morning papers, which have news about the cult killings of the PCs contacts. These 
  run as follows: 
  Day of Killing: Day of Reporting:
  Synopsis:
  1
  1
  Fr. Allen killed by crucifixion see Fr. Allen, below
  1
  3
  David Bradley killed by burning - see Bradley
  2
  -
  Banquet at Chedbury Hall
  2
  -
  Glastonbury Ritual
  Fr. Allen: Fr. Jeffrey Allen is a Catholic priest whose hobby is Arthurian literature. He 
  is a parish priest, and maintains the Church of St. Joseph in London. In recent days, he 
  managed to make connections between the Chivalrous Lodge and several occult 
  
  scholars. He never realised that the Lodge was part of the Cthulhu cult, but his 
  investigations had already alerted the cult. 
  During the night of January 29th (the night before the adventure begins), cultists broke 
  into the priest’s house from the sewers, attacked him, ransacked the place looking for 
  any information he had found about the cult, then brought the stunned priest to the 
  church, where they murdered him. Mallory used instructions sent by Petersen to catch 
  the essence of Jeffrey Allen/Bors, for use in the Glastonbury Ritual. 
  Fr. Allen was killed by crucifixion in his own church. He was nailed to a crude cross 
  made out of planks torn from the pews. Pinned above his head was a sheet of paper 
  bearing the name "BORS". (Sir Bors was an Arthurian knight who was renowned for his 
  piety). 
  The body was discovered at 7.35 AM by cleaners preparing the church for matins. When 
  the characters arrive, the police will have already taken the body to the morgue. The 
  officer in charge of the investigation is Inspector Mulholland. Unless the investigators 
  rush in or act strangely, the police will not suspect them of any wrongdoing. They will 
  be about asked their connections to Fr. Allen, and any plausible story will be accepted. 
  Clues at the Church: If the characters gain access to the church and Fr. Allen’s house, 
  they may discover some of the following clues: 
  Several strange symbols were daubed on the altar. A successful occult or history roll 
  suggests they are Celtic in nature. With research at any of London’s great libraries, it can 
  be found that the symbols are pagan runes associated with sacrifice and solstice rituals. 
  The symbols were placed on sacrifices used to awaken the sun and warmth in the depths 
  of winter. 
  Fr. Allen has a small library in his house, with several books on Arthurian myth. One 
  was taken down by the cultists, entitled "The Sleeping King - Death and Rebirth in 
  Pagan and Christian Folk Beliefs". The book outlines the ties between the tale of Avalon 
  (the magical isle where King Arthur was brought after being mortally wounded) and 
  myths of sleepers who will one day awaken and bring about a renewal of the old ways. 
  If the characters check the bathroom of the house, they may (spot hidden required) find 
  several wet patches on the floor. One of the large tiles that make up the floor can be 
  pushed up, and leads to the sewers. However, the tunnels below are flooded due to the 
  high tide, and are impassable when first discovered. When the water recedes, all tracks 
  
  have been lost. 
  In the writing desk in the library there is one letter of particular interest. One is to David 
  Bradley, the owner of a small occult bookstore in Soho 
  Grange Street, 30 January 
  Dear David, 
  Firstly, I would like to enquire as to the status of the copy of "The Knights of Orkney 
  and The Templars" by Pickman you promised to acquire for me in June of last year. I 
  sorely need the book, more for the information on the Templar’s interest in Glastonbury 
  in 1250 than for the author’s rather foolish conjectures. 
  I recently received a letter from the Secretary of a society called the Chivalrous Lodge, a 
  newly formed gentleman’s club. They are apparently looking for Arthurian scholars. 
  While it would not be in keeping with my duties to join such a club, you might be 
  interested. 
  Your friend 
  Fr. Jeffery Allen 
  L.D.S. 
  David Bradley: David Bradley is an antiquarian and book-lover. For ten years he has 
  run a small back-street occult bookshop called Buchen Verwirrung (literally, chaotic 
  books). He was a soldier in the Great War, and was decorated for valour. Now, he buries 
  himself into research into English Mythology. All his life, he has suffered from 
  Scotophobia (fear of darkness). He is a nervous wreck at night, but is charismatic, 
  charming and intelligent during the day. He is fairly good-looking, and has a faint 
  Scottish accent. 
  Bradley is the reincarnation of Sir Gawain, a Knight whose strength was magically tied 
  to the sun. 
  Buchen Verwirrung lies just inside a sidestreet. On the far side is a grubby little tailor’s 
  shop run by a weasely woman called Edith Chambers. The bookshop consists of a main 
  room on the ground floor, and a second locked room containing several rare and valuable 
  
  tomes. The rest of the building contains Bradley’s small apartment, as well as a private 
  reading room. (Think of Aziraphael’s bookshop in Good Omens). 
  If the investigators go to Bradley immediately, they get there as dusk is falling. 
  Otherwise, use your best judgement as to the time. Bradley gets more and more nervous 
  as it gets dark, and suspicious players may assume a connection to the Haunter of the 
  Dark or some other darkness-based adversary. 
  Bradley knows nothing about the Chivalrous Lodge, any of the letters, or the 
  investigators (although he has heard of Dr. Talesin.) He knows Fr. Jeffrey through 
  correspondence - the two share an interest in myth. His bookstore contains many books 
  on Arthurian myth. If the party check (Liberia use or history rolls), they can find out 
  about any of the characters or events. Such research will take about an hour. Bradley is 
  quite willing to entertain them and answer questions, and feels a strange connection to all 
  of them except Lionel (Gawaine and Lancelot were often rivals). If Fr. Allen’s death is 
  mentioned, Bradley will be shocked and appalled. He will ask them to leave, and will go 
  upstairs to his room and a large bottle of whisky if they do. 
  Half an hour before dawn, three cultists will creep from the sewers and break into the 
  bookshop. They will overpower the drunken Bradley, and tie him up on the roof before 
  smearing him with a alchemical oil prepared by Petersen. This oil combusts powerfully 
  when the light of the sun touches it. The cultists will scrawl the same symbols of rebirth 
  as they made at the church on the roof around Bradley before going back to the sewers. 
  When dawn breaks over the city, the sunlight touches the oil. Bradley, half-conscious 
  and confused, is consumed in flame. The sun which grants Gawaine strength now 
  destroys him. The essence of Gawaine is channelled by the symbols to the Chivalrous 
  Lodge. 
  Clues at the Bookstore: 
  Edith Chambers witnessed the cultists going back into the sewers. If the investigators 
  find her (she’ll be cowering in her shop until 11am, when Mulholland and the police 
  show up and take her away), she’s almost catatonic, moaning "devils in the dark 
  crawling up with bombs and fire, stealing they were, oh god keep them away from 
  me...." 
  Bradley has a book entitled The Knights of Orkney and The Templars in his private 
  reading room. The book describes connections between Arthur and the Knights Templar. 
  
  According to the book, Arthur built a castle for the Grail in Orkney and ordered the 
  Knights Templar to guard it. Bradley marked one passage which deals with folk 
  traditions in Scotland: 
  One legend tells of a bargain made with Water-monsters in a lake. The Knights would be 
  made "a sleeping part of the people, to return when the darkness threatened again". 
  Arthur agreed to this bargain, and in exchanged promised to find the Grail - but not for 
  God. 
  The Sewers: The investigators may try to follow the cultists through the sewers of 
  London. The cultists who Petersen sends on his murderous expeditions are all hybrid 
  Deep Ones from Walbury (an Innsmouth-like village on the south coast). The cultists 
  bring a summoned Shoggoth with them in case they are attacked by police. The 
  Shoggoth leaves a fluorescent trail in the foul waters, and this makes it easy to track the 
  cultists. However, the Shoggoth swims underwater, and is only visible as a vague mass 
  unless it emerges. In the darkness, investigators may not notice the Shoggoth. 
  When the Shoggoth is not accompanying a group of cultists, it lurks in the circular pool 
  beneath Chedbury Hall (see map). 
  The cultists may notice they are being followed. Ask for sneak rolls from the 
  investigators. If the cultists do realise they’re being followed, they try to set an ambush 
  up using the Shoggoth. The cultists and Shoggoth will not kill the characters if they 
  recognize who they are, though. The characters can only be killed in a place properly 
  prepared to catch their essences. 
  The Chivalrous Lodge: The Chivalrous Lodge is a gentleman’s’ club in Southwark. It 
  aims to bring back a sense of the heroism and pomp of the Age of Chivalry back into the 
  modern day. It is popular with retired army officers, bored City bankers, historians and 
  academics, and certain jaded dilettantes. The Lodge owns a large hall - a converted 
  theatre - called Chedbury Hall. Most of the members in the Lodge know nothing of the 
  truth - the Lodge is a front for Evan Petersen’s Cthulhu cult. Petersen has selected fifteen 
  members as being "suitable for enlightenment" and they have been indoctrinated with 
  the beliefs and rituals of the Cult. Thomas Mallory is in charge of the day-to-day running 
  of the club. 
  Chedbury Hall: The Chivalrous Lodge bought the building eighteen months ago, and 
  have extensively converted it. From the outside, it vaguely resembles the theatre it once 
  was, but the upper windows have been replaced by medieval-style arched windows. The 
  awning that once sheltered queuing customers has been removed, and all but one of the 
  
  doors have been bricked up and painted over. 
  Inside, the areas of the Hall accessible to ordinary members of the Lodge have been 
  carefully decorated to give a sense of history and myth. Swords (all fake and blunt) and 
  heraldic shields hang on the walls next to tapestries of battle-scenes. The four staff (two 
  barmen, one butler, one cook) who work here are ordered to maintain the illusion, and 
  call members "Sir" or "Milord". Several members get into character while in the Lodge, 
  and speak in horribly camp medieval grammar (what ho sir! Well met! I worst I shall 
  quaff my fill of good ale this night). (San loss optional). 
  During the adventure, Mallory will be here all day every day. He has a small cot in his 
  office, and he sleeps there. There will also be half a dozen Deep One Hybrids sleeping 
  underground. During the day four of them work as the staff, while the other two assist 
  Petersen (if present) or keep an eye on the Shoggoth. Petersen may be here if you want 
  him to be - he spends a lot of time researching in his lab and preparing for the 
  Glastonbury ritual. During the afternoon, there will be seven or eight members of the 
  Lodge relaxing and reading in the Great Hall. Once the bar opens at four, more turn up. 
  There are usually about twenty or thirty members here at night. All 169 members will be 
  present for the banquet. 
  Events in the hall (or, who gets to kill PCs): Petersen needs the essences of as many 
  Knights as possible to complete the Glastonbury ritual. Each Knight must be killed in a 
  specific way for his essence to be captured. If the Knight is killed in any other way, his 
  essence cannot be used. Petersen knows the correct way to slay Sir Kay (Kenneth 
  Bailson) only. He cannot risk killing any of the other characters in case their essences 
  interfere with the ritual. Therefore, if possible, he will capture them and put them in 
  cells. Any prisoners will be sacrificed at the ritual. 
  Petersen and the other cultists might kill if the investigators put the ritual in danger, or 
  attack Dunway, Mallory or Petersen, but they will only to this as a last resort. 
  Sir Kay can only be killed by the cult if he fails in his duties. If Lionel, Simon Talisin or 
  Thomas Ursanore order Kenneth to perform a task, and he fails, the cult can kill him and 
  capture his essence. Sir Kay was Arthur’s castellan, and was trusted to guard Camelot 
  and the treasures stored within. 
  Locations in Chedbury Hall: 
  1. The Sewer Entrance: Characters following the assassin cultists enter through this 
  
  route. The sewers in this district are old and quite large. There are two-foot wide ledges 
  on either side of the channel. There is no light except the glowing slime excreted by the 
  Shoggoth. 
  2. Side passage: This short side passage ends in a six-inch-wide lead pipe going up. The 
  pipe goes up to Petersen’s lab, and is used by him for disposal of alchemical waste from 
  his lab. The wall beneath the pipe is discoloured and slightly burned. If Petersen is in his 
  lab, he tends to mutter to himself or talk with the Deep One Hybrids. Characters listening 
  at the pipe may hear a few words. 
  If the characters are following the assassins, the assassins may hide in this side passage 
  and trap the characters between themselves and the Shoggoth. 
  3. Circular Pool: This pool is a part of the flood control system. The channel from 
  location 1 is at a higher level than the liquid in the pool, and falls down about 5 feet. In 
  times of flood, the water collects here in this pool. The other channel is wider and goes 
  off in the direction of the Thames. The Shoggoth swam up that channel when summoned 
  by Petersen. 
  As mentioned above, the Shoggoth waits here when not active elsewhere. It feeds off the 
  waste dropped from Petersen’s labs, whatever vermin it can catch, and the occasional 
  sacrificed body. It is under Petersen’s mental command at all times, and he can force it 
  to stop or retreat even if the Shoggoth is angered. 
  A circular walkway runs around the edge of the pool, six feet above the level of the 
  water. A few narrow steps go down to the lower level of the channel leading off to the 
  Thames. A ladder on one side of the pool leads up to Chedbury Hall. 
  4. Channel to the Thames. 
  5. Entrance corridor: A fake wooden portcullis hangs just inside the door (it looks like 
  a full portcullis, but can’t come down to block the door). The walls are stone, and lit by 
  flickering torches. Swords and shields hang on the walls. 
  6. Gallery: This room contains two suits of full plate armour (one at either end), (armour 
  12, if anyone is silly enough to try one on - it gives -50% to all rolls involving manual 
  dexterity or sneaking) as well as a selection of paintings and tapestries. 
  7. Mallory’s office: Thomas Mallory spends most of his time here. He will recognise the 
  
  characters as the reincarnation of the Knights the moment he sees them, but will not 
  respond to this in any way. His office contains documents relating to the Lodge. If the 
  characters check, they find that the Lodge has been active for two years and has 169 
  members. All members have to pay a rather high membership fee. Part of the monies 
  raised from this have been used to buy, convert and maintain the Hall and employ the 
  staff, the rest has been spent on an archaelogical dig at Glastonbury, as well as buying 
  "miscellaneous equipment and necessary materials". 
  If the characters come to the Hall at any time other than the evening of Day 2 (ie the 
  night of the banquet they have been invited to), Mallory will stop them and question 
  them. If they show their invitation, he will let them enter the club. 
  8. Dunway’s office: Charles Dunway is the head barman in the club. He is a Deep One 
  Hybrid and trained Petersen in the occult. He sees Petersen as the best chance for 
  Cthulhu to be revived, and will sacrifice anything, including his own life, to see Petersen 
  succeed. He dislikes Mallory, and will take an instant dislike to the player characters. 
  Dunway’s office is rather bare and impersonal. If they search it, the investigators will 
  find an unmarked glass vial in the back of a drawer. This vial contains a drug which will 
  be used in the banquet. If the investigators take or destroy this, then Petersen can make 
  more in his laboratory, but this will delay him. Perceptive investigators in the Lodge may 
  find the secret passages by following Petersen as he returns to his lab. 
  9. The Bar (where most players will end up): Ye traditional medieval tavern. Only it’s 
  staffed by Deep One Hybrids and most of the clientele are rich English businessmen. 
  The bar has a large hatch opening into the Great Hall, so drinks can be served in the hall. 
  This hatch is closed at all times during the adventure. 
  10. The Great Hall: This room used to be the theatre, but has now been converted to 
  look as much as possible like a hall in a castle. If it is day 1, then the hall is occupied by 
  a few Lodge members relaxing, reading papers or books, smoking and chatting. They are 
  all looking forward to the banquet. On day 2, the hall is closed while Dunway and the 
  other servants set the Hall up. A dais will be set up at the end nearest the bar - this is the 
  high table. Three other tables will be set up along the length of the hall. The investigators 
  will be seated at the high table along with Petersen, Mallory and Dunway. 
  There is a large trapdoor (20 feet wide, used for moving scenery from underground 
  storage) at the far end of the room. The trapdoor opens downwards, turning into a rather 
  steep ramp reaching the floor of room 17.This trapdoor is opened by turning a heavy 
  wheel in the library. 
  
  11. The Library: This room contains a selection of newspapers and magazines - the 
  Lodge has subscriptions to all the major scientific journals. One shelf contains books 
  about Chivalry and the Arthurian mythos. One of these books has a very odd passage, 
  which will be noticed if a character receives a successful Occult or History Roll. The 
  passage details Merlin’s alleged bargain with water spirits. See Handout #3. Petersen 
  made the hand-written note on the bottom of the handout. A display on one wall details 
  the Lodge-funded archaeological dig at Glastonbury. 
  A wheel on one wall opens the trapdoor in the Great Hall. The wheel is stuck with a 
  strength of 25 - use the resistance table (pg. 30, 5 ed rules). 
  12. The Kitchen: This is a fairly modern, well-equipped kitchen. There is a stairs going 
  down underground. One Deep One Hybrid is here at all times. 
  There are plenty of sharp knives. That’s all any player will want to know... 
  13. Petersen’s office: This room has a fireplace, a heavy wooden desk and three chairs. 
  There is also a black carpet on the floor in front of the fireplace. If anyone examines it, 
  they will find it is rather sooty. There are a few papers scattered on the desk, dealing 
  with insurance. If anyone examines the fireplace, they will notice that it hasn’t been lit in 
  some time. There is no secret button or lever for getting in, a character must climb into 
  the fireplace. About 5 feet up the chimney is a hole leading to a spiral staircase going 
  down. Petersen wipes his feet on the carpet after using the secret staircase. 
  14. The people under the stairs: This room contains six military-surplus cots, similar to 
  the one in Mallory’s room, although these are in worse condition, and are beginning to 
  sag. At night, the Deep One Hybrids sleep here. A box next to the staircase contains a 
  selection of sharp pointy nasty things, as well as the keys to the cells in room 15.. 
  15. Cell corridor: Every good cult has one. Two of the cells are empty, but the middle 
  one contains a pitiful babbling madman. He too is the reincarnation of a Knight, but 
  cannot even remember his name. He wrote the letter to Lord Ursanore. If the 
  investigators talk to him, he screams at them to leave my Lords, flee! You are in grave 
  danger here! He calls a muster of the dead! He shall demand horrible things of Percival! 
  Then he will slay the lady! The dark is come again! 
  If the party free the madman, he will refuse to leave his cell. 
  
  The keys to the cells are in room 14. 
  16. Ladder to sewers: A rusting metal latter goes down into a foul-smelling dark sewer 
  (leading to room 3). 
  17. Temple: This large room was once a storage room beneath the theatre. There is a 
  large trapdoor in the ceiling that turns into a ramp leading to room 10. 
  The room has been made into a temple to Great Cthulhu. The room is almost bare except 
  for a large stone altar, utterly unadorned. A small statue of Cthulhu made from a greasy 
  green soapstone-like substance sits atop the altar. There are a few spots of blood on the 
  floor near the altar. 
  There is a lurking presence in this chamber. The characters become aware of it the 
  moment they enter. It manifests as heaviness in the air, a clammy feeling on the skin, a 
  smell of must and decay, a deepening of shadows. This presence is the growing attention 
  of Cthulhu. It cannot affect any of the characters except Lord Ursanore physically. Lord 
  Tom will feel sick and weak, and his limbs will throb with a dull ache. It makes Martin 
  Decatur feel very odd indeed, and he will see the muscles moving in odd ways beneath 
  his skin. 
  If anyone approaches the statue, the presence in the room will increase as they get closer. 
  Actually touching the statue creates a momentary telepathic link between the character 
  and Great Cthulhu. The afflicted character will get a flash of vast ocean deeps, 
  monolithic stones, shapes moving, and a shining cup. This costs a mere 2d6 sanity. 
  Martin Decatur is unaffected by this, and can handle the statue. He heals one hit point 
  every round he touches it. The statue loses this property if removed from the temple. 
  There are symbols carved into the wall behind the altar. If examined, they seem to twist 
  and writhe. These symbols form a Gate leading to Glastonbury (see The Banquet). 
  18. Petersen’s lab: This large room looks like a chamber of horrors. A huge red eye is 
  painted onto the wall opposite the door, and this eye seems to follow characters are they 
  wander around the room. There are several cages hanging from the ceiling, containing 
  what appear to be piles of organs and loose flesh. They are actually the result of 
  Petersen’s experimenting. There are several letters lying on the table, next to a smaller 
  cage containing a similar thing. There is also a cabinet containing various alchemical 
  tools and supplies. 
  
  Three smaller rooms branch off from this room. One is a closet containing a metal pipe 
  going down into the floor. This pipe connects to room 2. Another heavier door leads to 
  Petersen’s library. This contains mostly historical texts. A large grimoire, "The Mordecai 
  Tome" lies open on a lecturn. The book’s clasp is locked and magically protected against 
  interference. Anyone trying to open it without invoking the proper ritual feels as if the 
  book grows larger and larger and heavier and heavier, until eventually the character 
  collapses under the sheer force of gravity being exuded from the book. This eerie effect 
  costs 1/1d6 sanity. 
  If the book is somehow opened (by shooting the clasp or somehow breaking it from a 
  distance), the Glastonbury Ritual is described within. See Handout #4. 
  The third room contains various magical devices used in rituals. There is a half-empty 
  bottle of a bluish liquid - this is the antidote to the drug that will be served at the 
  banquet. The other items are all inexplicable and alien - seven-sided cubes, organic 
  things that writhe when touched, perpetual motion devices, sacrificial daggers of 
  inhuman design and other weirdness. 
  The Banquet: By means of a banquet gathering all the members of the Chivalrous 
  Lodge together, Petersen will collect enough POW to complete the ritual. The food 
  served will contain a powerful drug which saps the minds and wills of those who ingest 
  it, leaving them open to his influence. The members of the Lodge who have been 
  initiated into the Cult have already been given the antidote to the drug, and are immune 
  to it. He will then open the trapdoor inn the Great Hall and bring the 169 members down 
  to the Temple. From there, he will bring them through the Gate to Glastonbury. 
  If the investigators attend the banquet, it is an added bonus for Petersen. He wants those 
  he believes to be the reincarnations of his foes to be at the banquet so he can sacrifice 
  them at the ritual. The added potency of their essences will make it easy for him to 
  compel the Son of the Lake to answer. 
  At 6pm on the evening of DAY 2, members of the lodge start showing up. Mallory 
  spends the evening preparing the hall, while Petersen studies the ritual and communes 
  with Cthulhu. The banquet begins at 8pm. The characters are seated at the high table 
  with Mallory, Petersen, Dunway and two other Lodge members - Lord Theodore 
  Constantine, and Travis Cobb. 
  Lord Theodore Constantine: The main financial backer of the Chivalrous Lodge, 
  Constantine is a hardheaded businessman who has greatly expanded his family fortune. 
  He does find the mystical overtones of the Lodge a bit odd, but he is in Petersen’s power 
  
  and will not contradict him. 
  Travis Cobb: An initiate in the Cthulhu Cult, Travis is eager to see the result of the 
  Glastonbury ritual. He may let something slip in his excitement. He is still a dangerous 
  foe, however, and should be played to unsettle the players. He mixes puppy-like bouncy 
  excitement with dark occult knowledge. 
  By 9.30, the drug begins to take effect. The assembled members begin to fall into a 
  stupor. Lord Constantine is the only NPC at the high table who is vulnerable to the drug. 
  If any characters fall victim, match their CON+POW/2 against a poison potency of 20 on 
  the resistance table. Those who are affected by the poison feel as if they are in a dream, 
  and lack all motivation. They will obey any reasonable command given by anyone. 
  Once all the members are in a trance, Petersen opens the trapdoor and the cultists 
  shepherd them down to the temple. The Gate shines with a dark light which deepens 
  shadows before becoming a rippling black circle on the wall. Those who touch the circle 
  are transported to Glastonbury - this costs 2 MP and 2 SAN. 
  Troubleshooting: If some or all of the characters escape the Lodge before the Gate is 
  opened, they are going to be stuck 5 hours drive away from the site of the Ritual. 
  Inspector Mulholland has pieced together some of the Lodge’s activities, and can serve 
  as a method of getting the characters to Glastonbury. If the players have totally screwed 
  up, allow them to reactivate the Gate somehow. 
  Glastonbury: This region has always been associated with the legend of Arthur and the 
  occult. There is a huge earth zodiac in the area, as well as Glastonbury Tor, a hill said to 
  contain ancient secrets. A supposed tomb of Arthur was found under Glastonbury 
  monastery. 
  If the characters arrive via the Gate, they find themselves in the ruins of the cottage. 
  The Inheritance of Martin Decatur: Martin Decatur is Mordred, the Dark Son. He is a 
  Fosterling of Cthulhu, the living agent of the Great Old One. As the investigators 
  approach Glastonbury, his heritage begins to assert itself. Martin begins to have vivid 
  hallucinations as his mind reaches outwards beyond human perception. He hears the Call 
  of Cthulhu, and begins to change. This change occurs whenever you decide, but should 
  happen during the Ritual. 
  Martin’s body transforms, all vestiges of humanity lost beneath glistening tentacles of 
  
  iridescent green flesh. His form warps into a hideous mockery of Great Cthulhu. Only a 
  suggestion of Martin’s face remains beneath the slime and unholy growths. The sanity 
  loss for seeing this is 1d8+2/2d6+2 
  Martin is now a Non-player character. If the player is good enough, let him continue to 
  play Martin as a tortured being caught between human and alien. His sanity is rapidly 
  slipping away - any action costs him 1d6+2 points. When he goes completely insane, he 
  is utterly changed, and is now Mordred. Regardless of the wishes of the player, Martin 
  will run to the site of the ritual and aid Petersen. Martin cannot kill Petersen or Mallory 
  under any circumstances. 
  The Glastonbury Ritual: 
  For the last two months, the Chivalrous Lodge has been funding a small Archaeological 
  dig south of the Tor. The dig (see map) concentrates on the area around a small lake. 
  Four workers (all cultists) have been preparing the site. They have uncovered an ancient 
  portal going deep into the earth. 
  When the cultists arrive, they form into a great semi-circle around the portal. They begin 
  to chant. The winds pick up, bending the boughs of the oaks and whipping the lake into a 
  frenzy of tossing waves. Petersen stands in the center. His whole body glows from 
  within, and dark lights coruscate around him. As the Ritual progresses, a cloud of 
  ghostly forms swirls down. These forms vaguely resemble armoured Knights. Each of 
  the Knights settles over one of the drugged Lodge cultists. The cultist’s posture changes, 
  becoming ineffably nobler, yet also possessed of a terrible sadness and remorse. 
  Petersen cries out in a loud voice "IN THE NAME OF GREAT CTHULHU, LORD OF 
  RLYEH, I HAVE BROUGHT THY BRETHREN TO THE HALLOWS. I COMMAND 
  THEE, SON OF THE LAKE! TELL ME THE PLACE! REVEAL TO ME THE 
  SECRETS OF THE CHAPEL PERILOUS! WHERE LIES THE GRAIL? SPEAK, OR 
  THE SOULS OF THY BRETHREN SHALL BE SNUFFED OUT!" Petersen gestures at 
  Lord Constantine, who clutches his chest and collapses in a heap. All the cultists begin to 
  speak with eerie voices not their own in Old Mercian (the tongue spoken in AD 500). 
  If the characters do not intervene, Petersen continues executing cultists who contain 
  essences until a voice rings out from the portal. The voice is deep inhuman, vaguely fish-
  like, and ancient. "STOP, MAGUS. I CANNOT ABIDE THE SCREAMS ANY 
  LONGER. MAY ARTORIUS FORGIVE ME - THE GRAIL LIES IN THE NORTH. 
  THE DRUID’S STONE AT CAPE WRATH - IT IS THE DOOR OF THE CHAPEL 
  PERILOUS! NOW LEAVE MY BRETHREN FREE, I BEG YOU!" 
  
  Petersen then raises his arms to the heavens. The air above him ripples and twists, as if 
  something is trying to break through. The stars in the sky suddenly flare, as if every one 
  of them had gone nova for an instant. Unless the characters act to stop him (see below), 
  the cultists all collapse, dead, and their essences flow into an aura of writhing darkness 
  which forms around Petersen’s hands. This aura, the combined power of the Round 
  Table, turns into a ball of darkness. He hurls this ball into the lake, which boils. After a 
  few moments, the lake waters calm, becoming perfectly flat and tranquil. Three strange 
  bodies (Elder Things) float to the surface, burnt to death. If Petersen kills the Elder 
  Things, the players have failed round one, and deserve to be eaten. 
  Stopping the Glastonbury Ritual: Once the Ritual has started, there is no easy way of 
  stopping it. Attacking Petersen will slow him down, as he must spend energy 
  maintaining a psychic shield in addition to performing the ritual. A concerted and well-
  planned physically attack by all the investigators and Inspector Mulholland will drive 
  Petersen off, but not before he has learned the location of the Temple. 
  Other options include convincing Mordred/Martin Decatur to attack Petersen. This will 
  force Petersen to retreat as well. Mordred/Martin could also use its physical power to 
  bring down the cliff upon the cultists. 
  Another way of foiling Petersen is a rather horrible one. If the cultists were all killed 
  quickly and mercifully, he could not torture the essences possessing them. This approach 
  costs sanity though - 2d10 per investigator unless they know exactly what they’re doing. 
  If the characters have realised that they’re Arthur, Merlin etc, they can command the 
  essences to fight Petersen. This option will require good roleplaying, but if they pull it 
  off, the essences turn on Petersen, using their cultist host bodies to attack him. Petersen, 
  Mallory and Mordred will retreat. 
  The final option involves running through the Portal and pleading with the Son of the 
  Lake. If commanded by Thomas, he will attack Petersen with a magical storm, driving 
  him off. He will not do this unless ordered, though, as it uses evil magics Artorius 
  commanded him not to invoke. 
  The Portal: The complex by the lake uncovered by the cultists is 1500 years old. The 
  cult has not entered it, as they cannot pass the magical wards. The characters, however, 
  can (except Martin). Inside is a passage sloping steeply downwards. At the end is an 
  ancient chapel. There is a door in one wall, which looks like the entrance to a 
  
  confessional. An underground lake lies beyond the door, and the Son of the Lake dwells 
  there. 
  The Son of the Lake is dressed in a monk’s robe, and little of his face can be seen. He is 
  Sir Perceval, the Knight who found the Grail but was unable to resist temptation. He is 
  half a Deep One, and is immortal. He has been trying desperately to keep a grip on sanity 
  as the centuries have gone by. Sir Perceval is detailed more completely in round 2. 
  On the floor of the chapel is a large slab - a tomb. It bears a carving and a simple 
  inscription 
  HERE LIES 
  ARTORIUS 
  THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING 
  The carving is of Sir Thomas’ own face. 
  Petersen: Evan Petersen comes from a family of teachers. In his youth, he was a 
  personable and friendly man, and was popular. He joined the army and fought under 
  Lord Ursanore. In 1917, shortly after being promoted to Captain, he was shot in the head 
  at the Battle of the Somme. Miraculously, he survived, although doctors feared severe 
  brain damage. Petersen was shipped back to England, and was sent to the south coast to 
  recuperate. There, he went to the village of Walbury and made contact with the Deep 
  Ones, who taught him sorcery. 
  Petersen’s head wound brought him to the very edge of death. He heard the Call of 
  Cthulhu, and saw Great Cthulhu in a vision. He was driven insane by this sight, and 
  believes that Cthulhu is the messiah. He is utterly dedicated to resurrecting Cthulhu 
  using the Grail. He hopes that he will be transformed into an immortal creature when 
  Cthulhu rises. This aim consumes him, but he is still an intelligent and careful man. He 
  has tried to conceal his efforts as much as possible, and has made connections to the 
  police and government to protect the cult until the time is right. 
  Petersen cares only for the Grail - everything else is unimportant. He will sacrifice 
  anything and anyone to bring him closer to his goal. 
  Appearance: A tall brown-haired man with flashing green eyes. He wears a long leather 
  coat and heavy boots (except at the banquet, when he wears a tuxedo). He carries a 
  heavy medieval sword beneath the coat. He also has the Weight of Tethys, a magical 
  
  stone which can cast Grasp of Cthulhu. 
  Roleplaying: Petersen is a fanatic. He is very intelligent, but has a one-track mind and is 
  utterly obsessed. Everything is considered with regards to reviving Cthulhu. 
  Mallory: Thomas Mallory lived a life of crushing boredom. He’d always had secret 
  artistic ambitions, but was too embarrassed to give them expression. He was a quiet, 
  polite child, never excelling at anything except maths. He became an accountant in a 
  large firm. He never drank, never smoked, never did anything....as his life crawled by, 
  Thomas Mallory went slowly insane from boredom. 
  By chance, he discovered that he shared a name with Sir Thomas Mallory, a Medieval 
  Knight who recorded many of the Arthurian Myths. This fascinated him, and he became 
  obsessed with Arthurian Myth. He read nothing but stories about the glory that was 
  Camelot. Three years ago, he met Evan Petersen. The evil sorcerer recognised Mallory 
  as an ideal pawn to run the business aspect of the Chivalrous Lodge. Mallory was 
  enchanted by Petersen’s tale of the Grail, and agreed to help. Mallory wants to recreate 
  the events of the myth that has dominated his life for years. In order to do this, he may 
  help the characters in certain situations. For example, if the Deep Ones in the sewers 
  capture them, he would free them, as such ignoble fate is not appropriate for the heroes 
  of Myth. He is quietly mad - still meek, still rather dull, but utterly insane... 
  Appearance: A tubby little man with weak eyes and a wispy moustache, of which he is 
  absurdly proud. He has a very meek demeanour, and apologises a lot. 
  Roleplaying: Be submissive and quiet. Mallory loves myths, and is enchanted and 
  fascinated by Arthurian tales. 
  Inspector Mulholland: He is a detective from Scotland Yard assigned to investigate the 
  death of Fr. Allen. As the other deaths appear to have occult connections, he visits the 
  other murder scenes as well. By the evening of Day 4, he has made the connection 
  between the Chivalrous Lodge and the murders. He makes it to Glastonbury to see the 
  end of the Ritual. 
  Ernest Mulholland is an experienced and old-fashioned police officer. He is patriotic and 
  loyal, and sees crime as a personal affront. However, a lifetime of dealing with the 
  public has left him with little faith in the intelligence or virtue of the common man. 
  These killings shock him to the core. They are the most brutal he has ever encountered, 
  and the link to what appeared to be a bastion of British nobility disturbed him even more. 
  
  His reaction to the investigators depends on how helpful they are. If they try to push their 
  way into the murder scenes, he will view them as fools or gawkers, or even suspects. If 
  they co-operate, he will treat them well. If they give him information, he may even take 
  them on as advisors (this occurs only if the players are very helpful, and role-play well). 
  On Day 3, Mulholland is told by his superiors (some of whom are in the Lodge) to hand 
  over the investigation to another officer. Deeply shocked and insulted by this, 
  Mulholland continues to investigate the murders on his own. If he has a good 
  relationship with the PCs, he will seek them out and join forces with them. 
  Mulholland can be used to give the players some extra clues, or even drag them to 
  Glastonbury for the climax if time is short. He can also be used as an obstacle and role-
  playing opportunity. Inspector Mulholland becomes a PC in round 2, so keep him alive, 
  please. 
  Appearance: Big, beefy red-faced man with a thick red beard. He smokes a foul pipe at 
  all times. 
  Roleplaying: Be brusque and impatient. He doesn’t suffer fools gladly. He is very 
  patriotic. 
  David Bradley, Antiquarian: 
  STR 17 CON 17 SIZ 16 INT 14 POW 12 
  DEX 15 APP 15 EDU 16 SAN 40 HP 17 
  Damage Bonus: +1d6 
  Weapons: Fist/Punch 60%, damage 1d3+1d6 
  Skills: Occult 40%, History 50%, English 80%, Library Use 65%, Rifle 60%, Fear 
  Darkness 90% 
  Deep One Cultist/Lodge Servant 
  STR 16 CON 13 SIZ 16 INT 13 POW 11 
  DEX 10 APP 5 EDU 12 SAN 0 HP 15 
  Damage Bonus: +1d4 
  Weapons: Fist 60%, Damage 1d3+1d4, Knife 50%, Damage 2d4, Handgun 40%, 
  Damage 1d10 
  Skills: Cthulhu Mythos 15%, Toady 40%, Cook 30%, Track 40%, Sneak 60%, Swim 
  90% 
  San loss: 1/1d6 
  
  Shoggoth, Big Slimy Monster 
  STR 50 CON 50 SIZ 30 INT 7 POW 9 
  DEX 5 HP 40 
  Damage Bonus: +5d6 
  Weapons: Crush, engulf, maim, suck - see rulebook, but Shoggoths are almost 
  unstoppable 
  Skills: Horrify players 50%, kill the weak pink flesh things 75%, London gossip 5% 
  San loss: 1d6/2d10 
  Charles Dunway, Sadistic thug 
  STR 18 CON 19 SIZ 15 INT 16 POW 15 
  DEX 12 APP 7 EDU 15 SAN 0 HP 17 
  Damage Bonus: +1d6 
  Weapons: Fist/Punch 60%, damage 1d3+1d6, Handgun 70%, Damage 1d10 
  Skills: Run club 50%, Serve master 70%, Beat crap out of PC 50%, Cthulhu Mythos 
  20%, Sneak 30%, Track 30%, Spot Hidden 50% 
  The Madman, deranged plot device 
  STR 9 CON 5 SIZ 13 INT 15 POW 9 
  DEX 15 APP 5 EDU 15 SAN 0 HP 9 
  Damage Bonus: +0 
  Weapons: None 
  Skills: Scream frantically 50%, Cthulhu Mythos 5% 
  Lord Constantine, rich dupe 
  STR 11 CON 10 SIZ 12 INT 14 POW 12 
  DEX 15 APP 15 EDU 19 SAN 45 HP 11 
  Damage Bonus: +0 
  Weapons: Antique sabre 60%, damage 1d8+1 
  Skills: Credit rating 90%, History 50%, Debate 50% 
  Travis Cobb, sick puppy and Crowley-wannabe 
  STR 8 CON 7 SIZ 9 INT 17 POW 18 
  DEX 16 APP 15 EDU 19 SAN 0 HP 8 
  Damage Bonus: +0 
  Weapons: None 
  Skills: Occult 60%, Psychology 45%, History 50%, Fast Talk 40% 
  Cobb knows several spells. Primarily, he can summon a small host of elementals which 
  manifest themselves as a chill fog filled with screaming faces. These elementals have 
  
  STR 12, and can grapple. 
  Mallory, Melancholic Accountant 
  STR 9 CON 9 SIZ 9 INT 9 POW 9 
  DEX 9 APP 9 EDU 12 SAN 0 HP 9 
  Damage Bonus: +0 
  Weapons: None 
  Skills: Accounting 70%, Credit Rating 60%, History (Arthurian Myth) 80% 
  Petersen, Servant of the Old Ones 
  STR 12 CON 16 SIZ 12 INT 18 POW 25 
  DEX 12 APP 17 EDU 20 SAN 0 HP 25 (magically increased) 
  Damage Bonus: +0 
  Weapons: Handgun 70%, Damage 1d10, ancient sword 50%, Damage 1d8+2 
  Skills: Cthulhu Mythos 30%, Occult 70%, Persuade 70%, Psychology 70%, History 75% 
  Petersen knows dozens of spells. He prefers not to employ them unless absolutely 
  necessary, as he must conserve energy for the Glastonbury Ritual. If pressed, he can do 
  the following 
  Psychic Shield: An glowing red barrier that prevents physical attacks. It costs Petersen 1 
  MP to lower the attack roll made against him by 25%. If the adjusted roll now fails, the 
  attack missed. He can spend several MPs each round in this fashion. 
  Fomorian Light: This spell destroys 2d6 magic points when hurled at a target. It is a 
  projectile, so dodge rolls apply. Those who lose all their magic points fall unconcious. 
  This spell costs Petersen 1 MP. 
  Call Tethys: This spell allows Petersen to open a Gate to Rlyeh. A gushing jet of pitch-
  black seawater rushes from this gate at high pressure. Petersen can open the Gate 
  anywhere within line of sight. This costs him between 2 and 7 MPs. 
  Petersen also carries a magical amulet that can cast Grasp of Cthulhu. This spell costs 
  2d6 MP per minute per target. The targets must match POW against the Amulet’s POW 
  of 13. If they fail, they are paralysed while the spell is maintained. They also lose 1d10 
  strength per minute. When the spell ends, characters regain one Strength point per five 
  minutes. 
  The Amulet contains 30 MP. 
  
  Inspector Mulholland, dogged Investigator 
  STR 17 CON 16 SIZ 15 INT 15 POW 12 
  DEX 13 APP 12 EDU 16 SAN 50 HP 16 
  Damage Bonus: +1d4 
  Weapons: Fist/Punch 60%, Damage 1d3+1d4, Grapple 60%, Handgun 50%, Damage 
  2d6 
  Skills: Bargain 60%, Fast Talk 55%, Law 50%, Persuade 60%, Psychology 60%, Spot 
  Hidden 70%, Listen 60% 
  Please keep Mulholland alive, he’s a PC in round 2... 
  Sir Mordred, the Dark Son 
  STR 40 CON 45 SIZ 40 INT 21 POW 21 
  DEX 10 APP 0 SAN 0 HP 50 
  Damage Bonus: +4d6 
  Weapons: Smash 50%, damage Damage Bonus 
  Grab 75%, damage 1d6+grapple 
  Devour automatic (needs grab first), damage -1d6 con and str per round. 
  Mordred has 4 points of armour, and regenerates 3 hit points every round. 
  San Loss: 1d8/2d10 
  The Son of the Lake, The Immortal Sir Perceval 
  STR 25 CON 25 SIZ 15 INT 25 POW 25 
  DEX 15 APP 3 EDU 12 SAN 0 HP 25 
  Damage Bonus: +2d6 
  Weapons: Broadsword 80%, Damage 4d6 
  Skills: Latin 50%, Occult 70%, History (he lived through it) 50%, Cthulhu Mythos 20% 
  The Son of the Lake has an array of occult powers. The ones he uses are described in the 
  scenario. 
  Handout One: 
  I DO NOT KNOW WHY I AM WRITING THIS TO YOU I CAN NOT REMEMBER 
  MY NAME I AM SORRY I HAVE HAD BAD DREAMS NIGHTMARES THEY ARE 
  KILLING AGAIN MY LORD IT IS ALL HAPPENING AGAIN AS IT DID AT 
  CAMLYN OH GOD NO GOD NOT AGAIN THEY ARE COMING FOR FR. 
  JEFFREY ALLEN BUT NOT HIM HE IS I CAN NOT REMEMBER HIS NAME HIS 
  REAL NAME YOU NAMED HIM LONG AGO NOT YOU BUT YOU AS YOU ARE 
  ONCE FUTURE WHY? I DO NOT KNOW WHY I SEE THINGS I DID LONG AGO 
  
  BUT NEVER DID I AM NOT WHO I WAS I AM WHO I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN. 
  CONFESSION EASES THE SOUL YOU TAUGHT US THAT WHERE IS YOUR 
  GOD? IN THE LAKE THE LAKE WHERE YOU ARE DEAD BUT NOT DEAD - 
  YOU CAN ETERNAL LIE. FR. ALLEN YES I WILL WRITE TO HIM AND 
  CONFESS THAT I AM NOT MAD I AM CLEAR SO VERY CLEAR HE IS OF MY 
  ORDER BUT HE DOES NOT YET REMEMBER. SOON I WILL KNOW IT ALL 
  AGAIN. 
  THEY WANT IT BACK AGAIN. WE BUILT AN ETERNAL PRISON BUT THEY 
  WILL FIND IT AND BREAK IT. THE FIGHT IS THE SAME FIGHT SAME WAR 
  HEAVEN AND HELL. THE GRAIL HAUNTS MY DREAMS IT WILL BANISH 
  THE DREAMS HEAL ALL WOES AS WE DISCOVERED IT IS THE GATEWAY 
  INTO AVALON. DO NOT GO TO AVALON MY LORD THE USURPER CAME 
  FROM THERE! 
  I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN YOUR FAITHFUL SERVANT FAITHFUL BEYOND 
  DEATH THROUGH DEATH TO DEATH AGAIN I WOULD SIGN THIS BUT I DO 
  NOT KNOW MY NAME I DO NOT KNOW WHY 
  Handout Two: 
  Chedbury Hall 
  Headingly St. 
  Southwark 
  London 
  31st January 
  In the name of the Grand Master, Evan Petersen, the CHIVALROUS LODGE does 
  hereby invite LORD THOMAS URSANORE for a BANQUET in the great MEDIEVAL 
  STYLE. Sir, do our brethren the very GREAT HONOUR of attending our revel, which 
  shall be held in Chedbury Hall on the 2nd of February. 
  RSVP 
  Thomas Mallory 
  Thomas Mallory 
  Hon Sec 
  Handout Three: 
  
  The connection between the Merlin and the various elemental spirits believed to inhabit 
  locations in Britain was further detailed in one tale. According to a manuscript written by 
  Dr. John Dee (astrologer and occultist in the court of Queen Elizabeth), Merlin made an 
  eerie covenant between Camelot and a trio of Water-spirits. These spirits were referred 
  to as Old Ones, and may tentatively be identified with the Weird Sister mythform present 
  in "Macbeth". The setting of the tale is, according to Dr. Dee, towards the end of 
  Arthur's reign. 
  "Merlin came to the shores of the lake beneath the hill and spoke in a loud voice to the 
  waters, saying 'In time of great need and peril I call upon ye, Old Ones. Since before the 
  first Rising of the Moon ye have watched over us. Now a great darkness has arisen, the 
  Adversary of old calls forth from his millennial tomb amid the weeds. His Dark Son 
  yields to no blow, no incantation. Without thy succor, we are lost. In the name of the 
  ancient compact sealed 'tween another facet of mine, I call upon ye.' 
  The waters parted, and the folk of stars arose. With tongues of music they spoke 'IT shall 
  not be allowed to awaken. To you we shall grant devices made four ages ago in the 
  uttermost south for the first war. It is in these that your hope lies'. 
  Merlin thanked the Old Ones, and made to depart. But they stopped him, and spoke 
  again.'This darkness cannot be unmade within these stars. It shall rise again, and threaten 
  us. Therefore, we call weave the very form and essence of your forces into the animals 
  of this land. When the darkness rises again, so shall ye, and be reborn into this world. 
  Hunter and hunted, over and over again, you will dance.' 
  The Old Ones did weave the essence of the Knights into the land. Thus, Arthur and his 
  court sleep, awaiting the time when they shall be needed again. 
  Handout Four: 
  Let the essences of those who walk from death to death be gathered, and let those who 
  wouldst offer up their mortal shells as chains of flesh be gathered also. Invoke the Great 
  Messenger, bringer of strange joy to the wanderer on the frosted rim, father of the 
  Million Favoured Ones, as thy jailer, in the manner of Alhazrad of old Araby. The 
  essences shall be made take on form once more by the Will and Unutterable Words of 
  the Great Messenger. Once they are so chained, call out to the Son of the Lake.He shall 
  hear thy most potent commands and step forth into the snare prepared. Set ye ready all 
  manners of flails, whips, brands and similar devices of suffering, and let the essences 
  
  scream their pain. Trapped by pity and dread command, the Son of the Lake shat render 
  up to you that secret knowledge lost with just cause in the passage of unyielding time. 
  All things must in the end be swallowed up by DEATH, except for those who do step 
  from time to time or world to world, and even these may pass from mortal sight for eons, 
  returning again when the Stars are right for their inevitable return. 
  Round 2 - On the Threshold of Chapel Perilous
  The Quest Of The Grail is based around the premise that the medieval Christian legends 
  of the Holy Grail were based on earlier Celtic legends of a cup or cauldron. This cup 
  provided limitless feasts, could heal wounds, and even grant immortality. The cup came 
  from a mysterious otherworld, and was created by inhuman, immortal powers. The cup, 
  like the Grail, is now said to be kept in a magical castle, and protected from outsiders. A 
  drink from the cup grants immortality. 
  Like many legends, these Celtic myths have a grain of truth at the core. This truth is the 
  Chalice of Cthulhu. This cup was crafted by Deep Ones from stone dragged up from 
  sunken R’yleh. Like the Grail, it can heal and provide sustenance. It also grants 
  immortality to any human that drinks from it - immortality as an undying Deep One. The 
  cup has other powers beyond this transformation, but only powerful servants of Great 
  Cthulhu can make use of them. In the 5th Century, the warlord Artorius learned of the 
  Cthulhu Cult, led by his son Mordred. The Quest of the Grail was not an attempt to find 
  the Grail, but to destroy it. Artorius build a castle to hold the Grail and hide it away for 
  all time. 
  "That is not Dead which can Eternal Lie 
  And with Strange Aeons even Death may Die" 
  The famous couplet does not apply only to the Great Old Ones. The mysterious Elder 
  Things, who maintain an outpost beneath England, guided Artorius. They opposed the 
  Rise of R’lyeh for their own reasons. They gave Arthur the weapons he needed to defeat 
  the cult. They also imprinted the genetic code of the Knights into the human gene pool, 
  to ensure the Cult would be defeated should it rise again. Now, the ancient warriors who 
  are remembered as the Knights of the Round Table have been reborn. Most have fallen 
  to the Cthulhu cult already. Only a few are left, and they are victims of the passions that 
  destroyed the Round Table fifteen centuries ago. 
  
  In the second round, the characters discover the truth behind the myths and their own 
  identities, and must embark on a perilous race against the Cthulhu Cult to locate the 
  Grail. They are aided by the Elder Things, but are also hindered by Lord Thomas’ 
  growing weakness and the party’s own divisions. At the end, the characters enter the 
  Chapel Perilous and are confronted with inhuman foes and all too human temptations... 
  Events in the Scenario: 
  The characters speak with the Son of the Lake, and learn the truth of the legend of 
  Arthur. 
  The Elder Things (old ones) arise from the lake bearing Excalibur 
  The characters locate the Cthulhu cult’s base in Scotland, as well as the site of Chapel 
  Perilous. 
  They travel to Scotland and locate the Chapel. 
  The characters defeat the traps in the Chapel, and try to prevent Petersen from 
  awakening Great Cthulhu 
  Lord Ursanore is given a choice between death and twisted immortality 
  Lord Ursanore’s Illness: The stresses and shocks of round 1 have weakened Lord 
  Ursanore severely. He is dying, and will pass away within a week. In game terms, he 
  loses 2 strength, 2 dexterity and 2 constitution every hour of real time, so by the end of 
  round 2 he should have lose 6 from each stat. Feel free to assail him with dizzy spells, 
  nausea etc as well. 
  Timing: Once the initial events at the Lake have been completed, the characters are 
  essentially free to roam around England. They have one major clue - the Druid’s stone at 
  Cape Wrath (the northern tip of Scotland), and will likely return to London to research 
  this. They may also head straight for Scotland. Try to steer them to the Chapel Perilous, 
  but if they insist on wasting time in London, Petersen will break the magical wards and 
  get the Grail. If this happens, Cthulhu is woken, Rlyeh rises and the world ends. Tough. 
  The adventure begins immediately after the first round ended. Read the following to the 
  players: 
  
  "You are a group of friends of Lord Thomas Ursanore, who has fallen very ill. You 
  received a pair of strange letters, which lead you to a gentleman’s club called the 
  Chivalrous Lodge. You discovered that the leader of the lodge was a mad sorcerer called 
  Evan Petersen. He was responsible for several ritual killings in London. He went to 
  Glastonbury to perform a mysterious ceremony. During the ceremony, a voice called out 
  the location of the Holy Grail. Lord Ursanore’s illegitimate son, Martin, transformed into 
  a nightmarish monster. Petersen, his assistant Mallory, and Martin all disappeared in a 
  cloud of fire. 
  You are standing on the shores of the lake near Glastonbury. A circle of corpses 
  surrounds you - the poor deluded followers of Petersen, killed during the ceremony. A 
  gaping hole leads down into the earth...." 
  THE ADVENTURE STARTS HERE 
  The Son of the Lake: Sir Perceval has dwelled next to Arthur’s tomb for 1500 years. 
  The Grail has sustained his inhuman body, and the last vestiges of his loyalty to Camelot 
  have sustained his mind. He has been waiting for the time when the darkness would 
  come again and his fellow knights would be reborn. He expected to ride with the Knights 
  of the Round Table again, for Arthur to return and rebuild the glory that was Camelot. 
  Petersen’s destruction of the nascent Knights shocked Perceval to the core, and has 
  destroyed the little that remains of his sanity. He now desperately yearns for oblivion in 
  the dark waters as a Deep One. He will talk with the characters for a few minutes, to tell 
  them some of the truth about what happened centuries ago, but will then leave the tomb 
  and go to the Lake. 
  Perceval is the ruined shell of a once-proud, once-perfect Knight. He is turning into a 
  Deep One, and speaks in a vaguely fishlike manner. He recognizes the PCs as the 
  reincarnation of Arthur and his fellows (Inspector Mulholland is the reincarnation of Sir 
  Bedivere), but Perceval had hoped that they would return in their former glory. He will 
  not tell the PCs who they are. 
  He will tell them the location of the Chapel Perilous, the temple that holds the Grail. He 
  knows something of the properties of the Grail. He can give advice on defeating 
  Mordred, but Perceval knows nothing of Petersen. 
  The Tale of Sir Perceval: In the last days of the reign of Artorius, we discovered that 
  Sir Mordred was consorting with the servants of the dark enemy. Unwilling to slay his 
  son, Artorius banished Mordred from Camelot. Mordred vanished from the sight of men 
  for a time. Then, one bitter winter, word came from the north that the Grail had been 
  
  seen in Scotland. The Merlin warned us that the Grail was not the holy relic spoken of by 
  the priests, but was instead a device of the enemy, of Mordred’s dark lord. 
  Artorius dispatched the Knights to seek the Grail. We quested over the whole land until 
  we found the dark temple in the north. We attacked the foul servants of evil, but they 
  were mighty and possessed of magical strength. We could not defeat them. In 
  desperation, the Merlin called upon the Old Ones, and made with them a bargain. They 
  gave us a weapon against which the evil could not stand, but in return for this boon, they 
  laid an enchantment on the Knights. When a Knight fell in battle, his essence would 
  continue onwards, taking on flesh again when the darkness returned and his strength was 
  needed. 
  Armed with the weapon of the Old Ones, we returned to the dark temple in the north. We 
  fought the minions of darkness, and sent them howling back into the depths from which 
  they crawled. Then, in the black and foul heart of that place of unutterable evil, we found 
  the Grail. 
  All the beauty and glory of the world and heavens was gathered up within a dark chalice. 
  Even as Artorius and Mordred clashed and dealt each other mortal wounds, I stared at 
  the Grail, my whole mind consumed by its dark radiance. I leapt up the steps to the altar 
  and gleefully drank a draught from the Grail. For one brief moment, I gave into 
  temptation. The awful power of the Grail consumed me, and I was made Immortal. 
  The other knights, all of them, fell battle. I alone was left. I turned their dark temple into 
  the Chapel Perilous, to guard the Grail for all eternity. Then, in secrecy and loneliness, I 
  returned here to Glastonbury Tor, to bury my lord and keep vigil over his grave until the 
  time of darkness should come again... 
  If the characters ask about the Grail, Sir Perceval will speak of its beauty and extreme 
  evil. The Grail grants immortality as a Deep One, but he will be reluctant to speak of this 
  power. He will warn the characters that 'the Grail may bring life to the dead, but there 
  are some who do not deserve to live again'. 
  The Lore of Chapel Perilous: Far in the north lies Cape Wrath. Beneath this towering 
  outcrop of wave-lashed rock lies the Chapel. It can be entered by means of a secret 
  entrance at the Druid's Stone atop Cape Wrath. Inside, those who would reach the Grail 
  must defeat many traps and guardians. Sir Perceval will only offer this rhyme of lore to 
  those who seek the secret of entering the Chapel: 
  
  Walkers in Time 
  Claim your inheritance 
  The Chapel is evil’s bane 
  Bring not evil with you 
  After a few minutes of conversation, an eerie sound will echo down the corridor. It 
  resembles a church bell, but is higher and has alien notes in it. If the characters listen, 
  they will also hear the awful words "Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!". On hearing this, the Knight of 
  the Lake will immediately dive into the murky waters of the lake behind him, never to be 
  seen again by mortal eyes. 
  When the characters return to the surface lake, they will see a strange, pale green mist 
  rising from the boiling waters of the lake. As they watch, several alien shapes swim up 
  out of the depths. They are greenish-yellow things with star-shaped heads and many 
  tentacles. They are the Old Ones, the Elder Things. One carries - bizarrely - what 
  appears to be a crude iron sword. The horrible things crawl out of the eerie lake to stand 
  towering over the characters. The one holding the sword reaches out a dripping, foul-
  smelling tentacle and brushes it over the faces of the characters. It will then present the 
  sword to Sir Thomas. 
  Assuming none of the characters do anything stunningly stupid like firing at the Elder 
  Things (the bullets will not injure them, and the Elder Things will fire a sticky organic 
  web at the offending character. This web will dissolve once they return to the lake) the 
  Elder Things now walk back into the lake and sink into its lightless depths. The mist 
  disperses quickly. The characters are left standing on the edge of the lake in the 
  darkness. 
  The Sword: It looks like a relatively plain iron sword of the style used in the fifth 
  century in England. It is the product of inhuman and incredibly advanced technology, 
  and is the root of the legends of Arthur’s sword. The blade feels unusually heavy, but is 
  easy to wield. When drawn, a deep red light pulses from the very metal of the sword. A 
  five-pointed star caps the hilt. 
  In the hands of one of the Knights, the sword is a potent weapon against creatures of the 
  Mythos. Its powers draw on the soul of the wielder, and he must believe himself to be a 
  True Knight Reborn, an eternal foe of Great Cthulhu. If the wielder spends a magic point 
  and then strikes an enemy, the sword inflicts damage equal to the wielder’s current 
  magic points+1d8. Against more powerful creatures of the Mythos, such as Mordred, the 
  sword inflicts correspondingly more damage. The characters have found Excalibur. 
  
  Petersen: His spell has carried himself, Mordred and Mallory to an isolated house in 
  Scotland owned by the Lodge, about an hour’s drive from Cape Wrath. There is a Gate 
  in this house which leads to Petersen’s house in London. Petersen immediately returns to 
  London via this Gate to recover the Mordecai Tome. When he originally planned the 
  Glastonbury ritual, he never expected that Mordred would be present. Petersen had 
  expected to spend several months searching for the Dark Son before attempting to breach 
  the defenses of Chapel Perilous. 
  As Mordred has appeared, Petersen can now make a direct assault on the Chapel. After 
  collecting the Mordecai Tome (see London, below), he uses the Gate in his house to get 
  to Scotland. He sends Mallory down to the seashore with an enchanted stone tablet to 
  summon up the Deep Ones of the North Atlantic. Mordred hides in the unused barn at 
  the stone house while Petersen studies the tome. 
  That night, a huge storm blows in from the sea. The Deep Ones begin to rise. At around 
  one in the morning, the unearthly trio leaves the house and makes their way across 
  country to Cape Wrath. They climb the narrow path up to the Druid’s Stone. Petersen 
  and Mordred use their magics to force the Stone open. 
  London: The characters can return to London in two ways - firstly, by taking a mundane 
  mode of transport, or secondly, by using the still-active Gate back to the Chivalrous 
  Lodge. Using the gate costs another 2 MP and 2 San. 
  Evan Petersen will reach London soon after the scenario starts. He arrives in his house 
  (see below) and spends twenty minutes in his study collecting various items from his 
  desk. He then drives to Chedbury Hall and enters by the front door. He goes directly to 
  his hidden laboratory and collects the Mordecai Tome. He then returns to the main hall 
  and sets it afire. Petersen then drives back to his house and uses the Gate to get to 
  Scotland. 
  If the characters spend some time talking to the Son of the Lake, and then take the Gate, 
  they’ll arrive in Chedbury Hall as it starts to burn. The main hall catches fire first, and 
  then the fire takes the upholstery and woodwork in the bar, as well as destroying the 
  ceiling of the temple, which begins to collapse. Have fun running the characters through 
  a gauntlet of collapsing floors and burning corridors. 
  If any of them check Dunway’s office, they can find a desk journal. One unsettling page 
  has a list of 144 names and dates, all crossed off. The last two are Fr. Allen and David 
  Bradley. It also contains a list of addresses, including those of Thomas Mallory and Evan 
  Petersen. 
  
  Mallory’s House: If the characters bother to visit the accountant’s home, they find a 
  good-sized, ordinary house in a good, quiet suburb in a nice (if dull) part of the city. 
  Inside is a nice if dull home with tasteful (if restrained) grey décor, a neat and tidy house. 
  They will also find the neatly murdered and methodically stacked corpses of Mallory’s 
  wife and children. Written on a crisp sheet of writing paper carefully pinned to the wall 
  in neat handwriting is the message "After winter, summer, after summer winter. The 
  wheel turns again. Destiny must be seen through. Please accept my sincere apologies. 
  Yours, Thomas Mallory." (Handout 5.) 
  The characters can also find an accounts ledger for the Chivalrous Lodge. Notably, one 
  purchase was a large farmhouse in Scotland called the Stone House. This purchase was 
  made six months ago. An accounting roll is needed to find this information. 
  Petersen’s House: Petersen lives in an expensive apartment in Soho. The door is 
  extremely study and has several locks. Mere strength will not break it down, the 
  characters will have to destroy the locks with firearms or pick them. More laterally 
  minded characters can get in through the windows, or use Excalibur to utterly destroy the 
  door. 
  Inside is a den of insanity. Petersen’s insane scribblings are etched into every wall. They 
  are the product of his telepathic contacts with Cthulhu and cover dozens of topics. 
  Abstruse maths and physics are mixed in with occult symbols and meaningless words. 
  Several sections in the floor and walls of the kitchen have been hacked out and erased 
  with a knife. 
  On the floor of the study is an inlaid circle. The air above the circle ripples like a heat 
  mirage whenever anyone approaches. If anyone steps into the circle, they are burned 
  (1d6 damage). The burns look like those caused by radiation. If the circle is broken, the 
  window in the study explodes outwards and a great wind rushes out. Anyone looking out 
  the window sees a shimmering red shape leaping out towards the star Aldebaran. San 
  loss for being burned by it is 1/1d6. 
  Lying in the center of the circle are a few loose pages. These are notes made by Petersen 
  about the Grail. They are reproduced as handout 6. The odd symbol on the parchment is 
  also engraved on a wardrobe in the study. This wardrobe is a Gate to the Stone House in 
  Scotland. Using this gate also costs 2 MP and 2 San. Those stepping into the wardrobe 
  feel a sickening sucking sensation as the matter of their bodies is pulled through 
  incomprehensible dimensions and spat out again in the Stone House. 
  
  Library: There are several topics the characters may research in the library: 
  Cape Wrath: A rocky headland at the extreme northern end of the Scottish mainland. The 
  nearest train station is at Durness. 
  The Druid’s Stone: A minor pagan site atop Cape Wrath, dating from the fifth century. 
  It consists of a single large standing stone surrounded by many small pillars 
  (approximately 140). There is a deep slit in the side of the stone, possibly a receptacle 
  for sacrifices. 
  Excalibur: King Arthur received Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake to replace the 
  sword he drew from the stone after it was broken. Excalibur was said to be able to pierce 
  any armor, and its wielder was undefeatable in battle. 
  The Chivalrous Lodge: The library has no information on this organization. 
  Police: London’s finest are a tiny bit worried about the disappearance of 140-odd 
  notable businessmen, politicians and nobles, including a chief constable. If the characters 
  contact the police and reveal what they know about the Lodge’s true activities, they 
  certainly won’t be ignored. Depending on how well the players role-play, the police will 
  either accept what they saw or lock them up as cultists. 
  If the characters use political connections/fast talk etc, they can get to look at various 
  police records. The Lodge never appears by name in any police document. If asked, the 
  police say that they had orders from their superiors not to mention the Lodge. Petersen 
  has a record for assault. He beat up a priest sent to counsel him when he was 
  recuperating in 1918. The case was dismissed due to the defendant’s mental state at the 
  time of the attack. Petersen was also declared a bankrupt in 1922, but was bailed out by 
  Thomas Mallory. 
  Getting to Scotland: Trains go to Durness, the closest town to Cape Wrath. The 
  characters can take a train to Glasgow, then change. Durness is the end of the line. The 
  total journey takes about 20 hours. Durness is an hour’s drive away from Cape Wrath. 
  By the way, I can’t write Scottish accents. Feel free to make the NPCs talk in the 
  impenetrable dialect of your choice. 
  The Town: Durness is a small, rather dull town on the north coast of Scotland. The only 
  industry is fishing, although players expecting an English version of Innsmouth will be 
  
  disappointed. The train station is at the south end of the town. 
  About 5,000 people live in Durness. The only notable building in the town is the Kirk, a 
  squat sturdy building. If the characters bother to check it out, they can meet with the 
  pastor. 
  There’s one public house down by the docks called "The Chapel’s Gate". Mallory comes 
  in here during the afternoon, after dropping the Enchanted Stone off into the ocean. He 
  will have a cup of tea, and then walk back to the Stone House. If the characters want to 
  talk to him, they can. Mallory is probably the world’s most boring conversationalist. 
  He’s the paragon of accountants. He won’t lie to the characters, but he won’t volunteer 
  information either. Mallory wants events to unfold as they did before; i.e. Arthur must 
  die fighting Mordred. 
  If the characters do attack Mallory, he’s say "not yet! Camlyn is coming soon! Please, I 
  want to see it all again." If they do press the attack, he’s easy to kill. Of course, he won’t 
  be there to kill Petersen at the end of the adventure (see the Grail Chamber, below), so 
  the evil mage will toast the PCs at the end. Wow, I wonder if there could be a lesson 
  about killing people needlessly there…? 
  The Church: The pastor is a middle-aged man with no interests outside Durness and his 
  own unpublished novels (deathly dull Gothic romances). He remembers Petersen as a 
  "nice young man, interested in history. He came and asked me all sorts of questions 
  about the area." He can give them directions to the Stone House. 
  There is a carving in the ground in the graveyard behind the church. It is mediaeval, and 
  is severely worn by the passage of time. The carving shows one figure carrying a cup 
  through a gate. An identical figure waits on the far side of the gate with a sword drawn. 
  The Scottish House: Petersen had the Lodge buy this isolated farm house six months 
  ago so he could use it as a base while searching for the Chapel Perilous. See the Stone 
  House Map. 
  Mallory leaves two hours after Petersen makes it back from London. He walks down to 
  Durness carrying a brown paper parcel containing the enchanted stone. He calmly drops 
  this in the harbor and then has a cup of tea in a public house before returning to the 
  house. 
  Petersen travels to London (as detailed above). Once he returns, he studies the Mordecai 
  
  tome in the kitchen of the house. If the characters use the gate, allow him a listen roll to 
  detect them. 
  Mordred stays out of sight in the barn. 
  Cellar: The Gate from Petersen’s house exits in an identical wardrobe in this small dusty 
  cellar. Stairs go up to the Kitchen. There are three large trunks stored here. One contains 
  old clothes, boots and the like. Another has a pair of shovels lying on top of it, and 
  contains maps, a compass, and surveying gear. The maps have several archaeological 
  sites marked on them. The third chest contains the salt-encrusted corpse of a desiccated 
  body. It is the corpse of a vagrant who had the misfortune to cross Petersen’s path. 
  Petersen used the Weight of Tethys on him. 
  Kitchen: Ye standard little farm kitchen. Big black stove. Cupboards. Stairs down to the 
  cellar. Homicidal maniac sorcerer. 
  Dining Room: A large map pinned to the wall shows the location of Cape Wrath. 
  Bedrooms: All standard simple bedrooms. One has a copy of Le Morte D’Arthur, by Sir 
  Thomas Mallory. 
  Yard: A muddy and abandoned farmyard. 
  Barn: There is a large frayed tarpaulin attached to the doorframe, hiding the contents of 
  the barn. Mordred lurks in here out of sight. 
  The Charge of the Knights: The players may decide to challenge the cultists here 
  before they get to the Chapel Perilous. If they charge in guns blazing, Mordred will burst 
  out of the barn and attack them. Bullets have little effect on him. Sir Ursanore’s sword is 
  the only weapon that can injure Mordred. Play the combat out, but Petersen will step in 
  and help Mordred if the Dark Son gets into trouble. Petersen is too powerful to be taken 
  on directly. He knows spells to defend himself against the power of Excalibur. He will 
  drive the characters off. He won’t pursue them if Mordred is injured. 
  If the characters keep fighting against Petersen, he can summon up Star Vampires, 
  Hunting horrors, Deep Ones and worse things. He’s unbeatable while this close to the 
  Grail. 
  Cape Wrath: As the characters approach the Cape, the storm that’s been brewing over 
  
  the ocean bursts. Rain pours down, turning the ground into a muddy morass. Rivulets of 
  reddish-brown water cascade off the rocks and fall into the dark storm-tossed ocean. The 
  clouds bring a premature night to the land, a night tormented by the constant lashes of 
  lightning. A rumbling not born of thunder begins to echo, bubbling up from the depths. 
  Suddenly, thousands of rounded heads rise up from the ocean. The Deep Ones have 
  come to witness the triumph of the Grail. 
  The Druid’s Stone: The Druid’s Stone stands atop Cape Wrath like a lonely sentinel 
  guarding the Chapel through the centuries. The path up to it is steep and treacherous, and 
  is made more so by the gathering storm. 144 stones surround the central monolith, 
  representing the Knights of the Round Table. In the darkness of the storm clouds, the 
  stones glow with an unearthly inner radiance. 
  If the investigators arrive following Petersen, Mallory and Mordred, they see the evil trio 
  standing around the Druid’s Stone. Petersen screams unearthly words of command, and 
  Mordred echoes them in a deep, groaning voice. The stone screeches out as if in pain, 
  then the three disappear. 
  If the party examine the stone, they find a narrow, deep hole in the side of the stone. It is 
  just the right size to fit Excalibur. If the Sword is pushed into the Stone, the Door to 
  Chapel Perilous opens. 
  A doorway seems to rise up from the ground, a Gothic arch resembling the entrance to a 
  cathedral. The doors swing open of their own accord. A sound can be heard like a 
  buzzing of tremendous bees. Beyond the door, all is darkness. Above the door is an 
  inscription: 
  LET THE CHAPEL GUARD THE SECRET OF THE WAY 
  UNTIL THE WALKERS IN TIME CLAIM THEIR INHERITANCE. 
  Chapel Perilous: Chapel Perilous is not a simple dungeon. It is the product of the 
  magics of Sir Perceval. Using the dark powers he obtained by drinking from the Grail, he 
  created a place that would prevent any mortal from ever reaching the Grail again. 
  From the moment the characters cross over the Threshold of Chapel Perilous, they are 
  under the influence of the spell. They lose all sense of time and space. They wander 
  through a nightmarish labyrinth of twisting black stone corridors with a constant buzzing 
  in their ears. The whole experience in indescribably disturbing. Weird shapes loom out 
  of the shadows. Sanity Loss for wandering the Chapel is 1/1d4 every few minutes. 
  
  The characters cannot keep track of each other. They meet up, as you want. 
  The inscription above the door refers to the fact that the characters, as Knights, can 
  control the Chapel. If any of the players happen to mention that they expect something to 
  happen, it happens. For example, if a player suspects that they’re going to be attacked by 
  Deep Ones, they encounter a horde of Deep Ones. If someone suggests that they’ll face 
  Morgan Le Fay, they do. 
  If none of the players realize what the inscription means, they’ll keep blundering into 
  scenes from their subconscious. Here are some suggestions: 
  Lord Ursanore: The texture of the passageway turns from solid stone to sickeningly 
  soft red flesh. A loud beating echoes up from a round chamber. Sir Ursanore sees his 
  own aged heart beating irregularly. A white-grey mass of cancerous cells is pressing on 
  his heart, crushing it. San Loss is 1d4/1d10. 
  Lady Ursanore: She comes upon Lionel, waiting for her with welcoming arms. If she 
  embraces him, he transforms into the hideous form of Mordred, and devours her. San 
  loss is 1d4/1d10. Have Lionel’s player play the phantom Lionel, and don’t let him 
  suspect that he’s playing a phantom. 
  Kenneth Bailson: He wanders out onto a vast snowy plane. He is the only living thing 
  there. There is nothing but a cold void forever. He is utterly alone. Let him wander there 
  for a while (go onto another PC perhaps), then he finds the doorway to the Chapel. As he 
  approaches, he sees Lord Ursanore waiting for him. Just before Kenneth reaches the 
  door, Lord Ursanore slams it shut. San loss 1d3/1d6+1. 
  Lionel D’Etang: He comes to a large cavern. He is standing on a ledge far above the 
  ground. Below him, he sees Lord Ursanore groping through the cave. Lord Ursanore 
  approaches the entry to a passageway. Suddenly, Lionel realizes that the passageway is 
  actually the maw of a gigantic creature. If he says nothing, Lord Ursanore is eaten. San 
  loss 1d3/1d6. 
  Simon Talisin: He finds himself in a library in Oxford. Martin Decatur is there. He 
  walks towards the aged professor, changing into Mordred as he approaches. All the time, 
  he accuses the professor of changing Martin into Mordred, of insisting he go to Lord 
  Ursanore, of bringing him to Glastonbury, of condemning him to an inhuman living hell 
  as a monster. San loss - 1/1d4 for the accusations, 1d8/2d6 for seeing Mordred. 
  
  Inspector Mulholland: Hands grab him and start dragging him down passageways at 
  speed. He is thrown into a cell in a mental asylum. All the other characters are there in 
  straitjackets. "I’m King Arthur, I am" shouts Lord Ursanore. "Per Adonai Lyonesse, Per 
  Nygrah Cthulhu" babbles Simon Talisin. Lady Ursanore and Lionel D’Etang writhe 
  around on a bed together, despite being chained to the wall. Kenneth quietly apologises 
  in a corner. San loss is 1d3/1d6. 
  Remember that the characters can influence Chapel Perilous. Mulholland can walk out of 
  the jail cell if he believes he can. Kenneth can force the doors open, etc. 
  Once they figure out that they can control the Chapel (or you get bored of blasting their 
  sanity), they find their way into the final chamber of Chapel Perilous. 
  The Grail Chamber: It is a huge natural cavern deep beneath Cape Wrath. The sound 
  of the sea can be heard, the voice of the waves roars through the chamber. Seventy-two 
  steps lead up to a dais upon which stands THE SOURCE OF ALL LIGHT. THE 
  HEART OF THE WORLD. THE CUP THAT RENEWS. GLORY INCARNATE 
  THE HOLY GRAIL 
  (It’s rather impressive) 
  Petersen and Mordred are waiting for the characters as they enter. An impenetrable 
  glowing crimson energy field protects Petersen. Mordred begins to shamble forward. 
  Petersen raises his hands and speaks: "Once again the Knights are reborn. The days of 
  Arthur are gone, shade. Now comes the new age, the age of Cthulhu. Humanity shall 
  bow to the true and only God when HE arises in glory, awoken by the Grail. Join your 
  Knights in death!" 
  If Lord Ursanore raises Excalibur, Petersen dismissively flicks his wrist. Excalibur is 
  torn from Arthur’s grasp and is sent flying. It embeds itself in the stone floor. "We have 
  no need for the props of myth in the new age" says Petersen. A vast wind rushes through 
  the chamber, coalescing into a ball of hellfire in his hands. Its blood-red radiance 
  illuminates the whole chamber in a terrible light. Petersen prepares to hurl it - and a shot 
  rings out from behind him. He collapses, and the shield and ball of fire dissipate. 
  Thomas Mallory steps forward holding a small revolver. "Sorry, but he, er, wasn’t 
  supposed to be here. It’s not supposed to end like that." 
  Mordred roars and crushes Mallory like an egg. It then turns on the characters. 
  
  Mordred will concentrate its attacks on the character holding Excalibur. The characters 
  can fight a running battle, throwing the sword from one character to another and dodging 
  Mordred’s blows, or they can appeal to what’s left of Martin Decatur. If they’re 
  screaming for a fight let them duke it out with the Dark Son. 
  Assuming they defeat Mordred, the Cthulhu cult is defeated. They win. Yippee. 
  Wrapping up: 
  Lord Ursanore collapses. He can’t breath; he has terrible chest pains. He’s having a heart 
  attack. His skin begins to turn blue. The only thing that could possibly save him is…the 
  Grail. 
  It’s entirely up to the players. If Lord Ursanore (or anyone else) drinks from the Grail, 
  they are transformed into Deep Ones. Is life as an inhuman thing better than death? 
  The other loose ends are the Jennifer/Lionel relationship, and Excalibur. As Inspector 
  Mulholland is the reincarnation of Sir Bedivere, he should have the duty of returning it 
  to the Elder Things at Glastonbury. As for the star-crossed lovers, take the resolution of 
  their relationship into account when giving marks for role-playing. 
  Thank you for your attention and GMing skills. 
  Petersen: Evan Petersen comes from a family of teachers. In his youth, he was a 
  personable and friendly man, and was popular. He joined the army and fought under 
  Lord Ursanore. In 1917, shortly after being promoted to Captain, he was shot in the head 
  at the Battle of the Somme. Miraculously, he survived, although doctors feared severe 
  brain damage. Petersen was shipped back to England, and was sent to the south coast to 
  recuperate. There, he went to the village of Walbury and made contact with the Deep 
  Ones, who taught him sorcery. 
  Petersen’s head wound brought him to the very edge of death. He heard the Call of 
  Cthulhu, and saw Great Cthulhu in a vision. He was driven insane by this sight, and 
  believes that Cthulhu is the messiah. He is utterly dedicated to resurrecting Cthulhu 
  using the Grail. He hopes that he will be transformed into an immortal creature when 
  Cthulhu rises. This aim consumes him, but he is still an intelligent and careful man. He 
  has tried to conceal his efforts as much as possible, and has made connections to the 
  police and government to protect the cult until the time is right. 
  
  Petersen cares only for the Grail - everything else is unimportant. He will sacrifice 
  anything and anyone to bring him closer to his goal. 
  Appearance: A tall brown-haired man with flashing green eyes. He wears a long leather 
  coat and heavy boots (except at the banquet, when he wears a tuxedo). He carries a 
  heavy mediaeval sword beneath the coat. He also has the Weight of Tethys, a magical 
  stone which can cast Grasp of Cthulhu. 
  Role-playing: Petersen is a fanatic. He is very intelligent, but has a one-track mind and 
  is utterly obsessed. Everything is considered with regards to reviving Cthulhu. 
  Mallory: Thomas Mallory lived a life of crushing boredom. He’d always had secret 
  artistic ambitions, but was too embarrassed to give them expression. He was a quiet, 
  polite child, never excelling at anything except maths. He became an accountant in a 
  large firm. He never drank, never smoked, and never did anything.... As his life crawled 
  by, Thomas Mallory went slowly insane from boredom. 
  By chance, he discovered that he shared a name with Sir Thomas Mallory, a Medieval 
  Knight who recorded many of the Arthurian Myths. This fascinated him, and he became 
  obsessed with Arthurian Myth. He read nothing but stories about the glory that was 
  Camelot. Three years ago, he met Evan Petersen. The evil sorcerer recognized Mallory 
  as an ideal pawn to run the business aspect of the Chivalrous Lodge. Mallory was 
  enchanted by Petersen’s tale of the Grail, and agreed to help. Mallory wants to recreate 
  the events of the myth that has dominated his life for years. In order to do this, he may 
  help the characters in certain situations. For example, if the Deep Ones in the sewers 
  capture them, he would free them, as such ignoble fate is not appropriate for the heroes 
  of Myth. He is quietly mad - still meek, still rather dull, but utterly insane... 
  Appearance: A tubby little man with weak eyes and a wispy moustache, of which he is 
  absurdly proud. He has a very meek demeanor, and apologizes a lot. 
  Role-playing: Be submissive and quiet. Mallory loves myths, and is enchanted and 
  fascinated by Arthurian tales. 
  Deep One Cultist/Lodge Servant 
  STR 16 CON 13 SIZ 16 INT 13 POW 11 
  DEX 10 APP 5 EDU 12 SAN 0 HP 15 
  Damage Bonus: +1d4 
  Weapons: Fist 60%, Damage 1d3+1d4, Knife 50%, Damage 2d4, Handgun 40%, 
  
  Damage 1d10 
  Skills: Cthulhu Mythos 15%, Toady 40%, Track 40%, Sneak 60%, Swim 90% 
  Charles Dunway, Sadistic thug 
  STR 18 CON 19 SIZ 15 INT 16 POW 15 
  DEX 12 APP 7 EDU 15 SAN 0 HP 17 
  Damage Bonus: +1d6 
  Weapons: Fist/Punch 60%, damage 1d3+1d6, Handgun 70%, Damage 1d10 
  Skills: Run club 50%, Serve master 70%, Beat crap out of PC 50%, Cthulhu Mythos 
  20%, Sneak 30%, Track 30%, Spot Hidden 50% 
  Mallory, Melancholic Accountant 
  STR 9 CON 9 SIZ 9 INT 9 POW 9 
  DEX 9 APP 9 EDU 12 SAN 0 HP 9 
  Damage Bonus: +0 
  Weapons: None 
  Skills: Accounting 70%, Credit Rating 60%, History (Arthurian Myth) 80% 
  Petersen, Servant of the Old Ones 
  STR 12 CON 16 SIZ 12 INT 18 POW 25 
  DEX 12 APP 17 EDU 20 SAN 0 HP 25 (magically increased) 
  Damage Bonus: +0 
  Weapons: Handgun 70%, Damage 1d10, ancient sword 50%, Damage 1d8+2 
  Skills: Cthulhu Mythos 30%, Occult 70%, Persuade 70%, Psychology 70%, History 75% 
  Petersen knows dozens of spells. He prefers the following, but can use others: 
  Psychic Shield: A glowing red barrier that prevents physical attacks. It costs Petersen 1 
  MP to lower the attack roll made against him by 25%. If the adjusted roll now fails, the 
  attack missed. He can spend several MPs each round in this fashion. 
  Fomorian Light: This spell destroys 2d6 magic points when hurled at a target. It is a 
  projectile, so dodge rolls apply. Those who lose all their magic points fall unconcious. 
  This spell costs Petersen 1 MP. 
  Call Tethys: This spell allows Petersen to open a Gate to Rlyeh. A gushing jet of pitch-
  black seawater rushes from this gate at high pressure. Petersen can open the Gate 
  anywhere within line of sight. This costs him between 2 and 7 MPs. 
  Petersen also carries a magical amulet that can cast Grasp of Cthulhu. This spell costs 
  
  2d6 MP per minute per target. The targets must match POW against the Amulet’s POW 
  of 13. If they fail, they are paralysed while the spell is maintained. They also lose 1d10 
  strength per minute. When the spell ends, characters regain one Strength point per five 
  minutes. 
  The Amulet contains 30 MP. 
  Sir Mordred, the Dark Son 
  STR 40 CON 45 SIZ 40 INT 21 POW 21 
  DEX 10 APP 0 SAN 0 HP 50 
  Damage Bonus: +4d6 
  Weapons: Smash 50%, damage Damage Bonus 
  Grab 75%, damage 1d6+grapple 
  Devour automatic (needs grab first), damage -1d6 con and str per round. 
  Mordred has 4 points of armour, and regenerates 3 hit points every round. 
  San Loss: 1d8/2d6 
  The Son of the Lake, The Immortal Sir Perceval 
  STR 25 CON 25 SIZ 15 INT 25 POW 25 
  DEX 15 APP 3 EDU 12 SAN 0 HP 25 
  Damage Bonus: +2d6 
  Weapons: Broadsword 80%, Damage 4d6 
  Skills: Latin 50%, Occult 70%, History (he lived through it) 50%, Cthulhu Mythos 20% 
  "The truth of Malkhut, the only truth that shines in the night of the Sefirot, 
  is that Wisdom is revealed naked in Malkhut, 
  and its mystery lies not in existence 
  but in the leaving of existence" 
  FOUCAULT’S PENDULUM - UMBERTO ECO 
  Handout Five: 
  After winter, summer, after summer winter. The wheel turns again. Destiny must be seen 
  through. Please accept my sincere apologies. 
  Yours, Thomas Mallory. 
  
  Handout Six: 
  THEY ARE COMING AGAIN RATS IN MY HIS MAZE TO THEIR MAZE. 
  NORTH THE KINGDOM OF ORKN EY! CAPE WRATH! BUT WHERE? NEAR 
  THE HOUSE 
  BUT WARDED. SCREAM MY PUPPET. 
  THE DARK SON ARISES IN TRIUMPH TO CARRY THE CUP AND AWAKEN 
  THE SLEEPER. IA CTHULHU! EVERY KNEE SHALL BEND AND EVERY 
  TONGUE SHALL PROFESS THY GLORY! 
  WHAT OF THE CURSED ONES, WALKERS FROM AGE TO AGE? PAWNS OF 
  THE STARFACES! DID MORDRED HAVE HIS MERLIN? NO! I SHALL CALL 
  DOWN THE WRATH OF THE DAEMON SULTAN UPON THEM! 
  CH’KAZ IZZU THOTH MYK NYARLATHOTEP 
  MOGHARN MEMPHI BELIALUS SHAITAINI 
  ARISE IN GLORY MY LORD THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING 
  Lady Jennifer Stanion Ursanore: 
  You are 25 years old. Your father was an Earl, and all your life you have been moving in 
  the highest circles of society. You were educated in manner fitting to your station. 
  Kenneth Bailson, a civil servant working in Whitehall, introduced you to your husband. 
  You are married to Lord Thomas Ursanore . Your father, who was still living at the time, 
  believed that he was the best possible match for you, although Lord Ursanore is thirty 
  years older than you are. 
  Your husband is a war hero and has a seat in the House of Lords. He served in the 
  British Army with Kenneth during the Great War. Before the war, Thomas went to 
  Oxford, where he met Simon Talisin, a professor of history. Dr. Talisin never approved 
  of your marriage, and the two of you have always been distant. You do know that Dr. 
  Talisin helped Thomas recover when he "got into trouble" in Oxford. This "trouble" 
  resulted in a son named Martin Decatur. You met Martin only recently, but dislike him 
  already. He is a nasty common man, and is a living reminder of Thomas’ indiscretion. 
  
  You love Thomas dutifully, but it still troubles you... 
  Thomas has been very sick lately. He has been confined to bed on the Ursanore Estate, 
  outside London. Dr. Brown, the family physician, has confided in you that Thomas’ 
  illness may be quite serious. He is coming to the mansion today to give his diagnosis. 
  Thomas’ friends have gathered at his bedside. Dr. Talisin has even brought Martin 
  Decatur with him. 
  A young Frenchman, Lionel Etang, is also here. He served with Thomas ten years ago, 
  and is now a Captain in the French army. He is the same age as you are, and is handsome 
  and dashing... you’re a married woman, but... 
  Role-playing notes: 
  For all your life, you have been dutiful and obedient. Others have mapped your future 
  out for you - first your father, now Lord Thomas. You accepted this willingly, not 
  realizing you had any other options. You have an inner core of independence and 
  passion, but have never called upon it. Although you love Thomas like you should, and 
  are friendly with Kenneth Bailson, you have never liked Dr. Talisin or Martin Decatur. 
  You are very strongly attracted to Lionel, but know you should not be.... 
  Captain Lionel Etang: 
  You were born in France in 1900. Your early years were idyllic, working in your 
  parent’s vineyard. Your innocence was shattered by the German invasion. Your parents 
  were killed, and your home burned. In 1916 you met with an English General, Lord 
  Thomas Ursanore, and acted as a guide and spy for him. You became fast friends, and it 
  was his example, which prompted you to join the French army after the war. You also 
  met Lord Tom’s aide, Kenneth Bailson. 
  A month ago, you received a letter from Kenneth telling you that Lord Tom had taken 
  ill. You were granted leave, and sailed to England to visit your old friend. After the war, 
  he took his seat in the House of Lords, and married a much younger woman, Lady 
  Jennifer Stanion Ursanore. You arrived at the Ursanore estate a few days ago, and have 
  met Lord Tom’s old tutor, Simon Talisin, as well as a rather odd young man, Martin 
  Decatur. 
  
  You also met Jennifer for the first time. She is very beautiful, and you believe you are 
  falling in love with her. You think she is attracted to you also, but both of you are 
  restrained by the presence of the sick Lord Thomas. 
  Role-playing notes: 
  You have overcome the tragedies of the Great War, and are a dashing and handsome 
  young officer in the French army. You are a skilled soldier and leader. You are saddened 
  by Lord Thomas’ illness, as you looked up to him as the ideal example of a soldier. You 
  have renewed your old friendship with Kenneth since arriving in England. 
  You don’t know Simon Talisin or Martin Decatur very well. Simon keeps watching you, 
  and has made sure you are never alone with Jennifer. Decatur unsettles you, you don’t 
  know why. 
  Jennifer is the most beautiful woman you have ever met. If only she were not married to 
  your old friend and commander.... 
  Kenneth Bailson: 
  You were born in London 35 years ago. Your family were middle-class civil servants. 
  Your life seemed dull and predictable. You were prepared for a quiet few decades 
  following in their footsteps, living a normal, quiet life and dying peaceable in your sleep. 
  All that changed when you joined the Army in 1914. You were assigned to serve with 
  Lord Thomas Ursanore, a noble and skilled leader. Under his command, you 
  distinguished yourself with your heroism and tactical skill. In France, you also met 
  Lionel Etang, a young French boy who worked as a guide and spy for Lord Thomas. 
  After the war, Lord Thomas took his seat in the House of Lords, and you became his 
  assistant. You introduced him to the young lady who later became his wife, Lady 
  Jennifer Stanion Ursanore. Although she is much younger than Lord Tom, you believe 
  they are suited to each other. 
  Recently, Lord Thomas has fallen very ill. You wrote to Lionel Etang, who is now a 
  captain in the French army and has kept writing to you and Lord Tom. He has arrived at 
  the Ursanore Estate. 
  
  Dr. Simon Talisin, Lord Tom’s tutor from Oxford, has also arrived. The old professor 
  has also brought a young man named Martin Decatur with him. Martin is allegedly Lord 
  Tom’s illegitimate son, born as a result of an affair in Oxford. 
  Role-playing notes: 
  You are very loyal to Lord Thomas, whose example allowed you to escape a humdrum 
  boring life. Although the Great War ended years ago, you still feel that Lord Tom is your 
  commanding officer. You are also friendly with his young beautiful wife, Lady Jennifer. 
  Lord Thomas’ illness has worried you deeply. The arrival of his old friend Lionel Etang 
  has cheered him up somewhat, as has his old tutor Dr. Talisin. You respect the old 
  professor, although you don't know him very well. Lionel seems to have turned out very 
  well. 
  Martin Decatur worries you, as he is currently the heir to the Ursanore Title but seems to 
  be common and nasty. You hope he will improve, but currently he seems to be a thug. 
  Basically, you’re an all-round good egg motivated by loyalty to Lord Ursanore and your 
  friends. 
  Martin Decatur: 
  You were born in Oxford 24 years ago. Your mother was a barmaid, and you did not 
  discover the identity of your father for many years. Your early years were spent being 
  expelled from a variety of schools and committing various crimes. You were an unhappy 
  and difficult child. 
  At the age of ten, soon after the death of your mother, you met Dr. Simon Talisin. He 
  allowed you access to the libraries in Oxford. There, your incredible intelligence 
  flourished. You devoured books of physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology and the 
  occult - it was all too easy for you. Dr. Talisin revealed that your father, Lord Thomas 
  Ursanore, had been a pupil of his and that Talisin felt responsible for you as he had 
  helped Lord Ursanore cover up the affair with your mother. 
  As you grew, you became more and more intelligent. Your body, too, seemed almost 
  
  inhumanly advanced. You are far stronger than you appear, and have never had so much 
  as a toothache. The only illness you have ever suffered from is weird, strangely distorted 
  nightmares about octopi and sunken, ruined cities. Recently, Dr. Talisin has begun to 
  avoid talking with you. It’s obvious why - your intelligence scares him. 
  He has taken you to the estate of your father, Lord Thomas Ursanore. Lord Ursanore has 
  been very sick lately. When you saw him, you knew he has cancer - the signs were 
  obvious to your eyes - but you never told anyone. You also met his stupid young friends 
  from the army - Kenneth Bailson and Lionel Etang. Your father is married to the 
  beautiful Lady Jennifer Stanion Ursanore, but they are childless. If he makes you his 
  legal, recognized heir, you will inherit everything when he dies. 
  Role-playing notes: 
  You are smarter and better than everyone around you. They’re all insects, scurrying 
  around blindly doing meaningless tasks. You can’t enjoy your advantages though, 
  because of the nightmares, which keep you from sleeping, and the visions that make 
  your waking hours a living hell. The ocean calls you sometimes, and something beyond 
  oblivion lies there. 
  You dislike all of the other characters, with the possible exception of old Dr. Talisin. The 
  others all distrust you, but you must curb your dislike if you want Lord Thomas to make 
  you his heir. 
  Dr. Simon Talisin: 
  You were born in Wales in 1852, but your family moved to Oxford when you were 15. 
  You have remained in that many-spired center of learning all your life. You have always 
  had a great interest in history, and have studied all periods of British history with equal 
  zeal. You specialized in the progression from the Dark Ages to the feudalism of the 
  Middle Ages and the associated mythforms. 
  During your time as an active lecturer at Oxford, you were assigned as tutor to a young 
  man named Thomas Ursanore. While under your care, he had an affair with a barmaid, 
  an affair that produced a child. As Thomas came of an ancient and noble family, you 
  helped him cover up this embarrassing incident. The two of you became friends, and he 
  has relied on your wisdom all his life. While you remained at Oxford, he joined the army 
  
  and served with distinction in France during the hateful Great War. 
  After the war, he took his seat in the House of Lords and married a young lady named 
  Jennifer Stanion. You disapproved of the marriage, as she is much younger than Thomas 
  is. She is only barely older than Thomas’ illegitimate son, Martin. You’ve kept an eye on 
  young Martin Decatur since his birth. The young man is incredibly intelligent, a prodigy 
  defying explanation. However, he is moody and undisciplined. 
  Recently, Lord Thomas has been ill. You have come to his estate outside London in 
  order to visit him. You brought Martin with you, as you believe Thomas should meet his 
  son. Martin’s unruly behavior has begun to worry you, and you hope his natural father 
  may be able to control him. 
  At the Ursanore estate, you have also met Thomas’ friends, his assistant Kenneth 
  Bailson, and a young Frenchman named Lionel Etang. Lionel seems very interested in 
  Thomas’ wife. 
  Role-playing notes: 
  You are an elderly and often eccentric history professor. Lord Thomas long ago 
  impressed you with his potential, and you see it as your duty to guide him. Although he 
  is a pillar of society, he has made several mistakes - Martin and his marriage to Jennifer 
  being the two most obvious ones. 
  You distrust Lady Jennifer and Lionel Etang, as you believe they may be having an 
  affair while Thomas is so sick. You like Kenneth Bailson, who seems like a decent 
  young man, and is very loyal to Lord Ursanore. 
  You have always felt responsible for Martin Decatur, and have overseen his rapid 
  education. The young man has as much potential as his father did at that age, but Martin 
  is sometimes almost evil. You hope his character can be improved soon, as he is 
  beginning to almost scare you. 
  Lord Thomas Ursanore: 
  You are 55 years old, and have a seat in the House of Lords. Your family is an ancient 
  and respected one. You attended Oxford University, and obtained a degree in History. 
  
  Your tutor there was a man called Simon Talisin, and you have relied on his wisdom 
  throughout your career. He helped your reputation recover after an embarrassing affair 
  with a barmaid, an affair with produced an illegitimate child, Martin Decatur. After 
  Oxford, you became an officer in the Army, and commanded a regiment in France 
  during the Great War. There, you met a plucky young boy named Lionel Etang, who 
  acted as a native guide and spy. Since then you have kept an eye on this promising 
  young man, who is now a Captain in the French army. In France, you served with 
  Kenneth Bailson, who at the time was a Lieutenant in your regiment. After the war, he 
  became your assistant when you took up your seat in the House of Lords. 
  As you were the last surviving member of the Ursanore family, you sought out a suitable 
  wife. Kenneth introduced you to Lady Jennifer Stanion, the daughter of Earl Stanion. 
  Although she is thirty years younger than you, you fell in love with her. Simon 
  disapproved of the match, but you went ahead despite his objections. Your marriage has 
  yet to produce a child, however. 
  You are living on your ancestral estate outside London. For the past few weeks, you 
  have been very sick and confined to bed by your physician, Dr. Brown. He is coming to 
  the mansion today, to give you his diagnosis. Several of your friends are also staying 
  here. Finally, for some reason, Simon has brought Martin Decatur with him. 
  Role-playing Notes: 
  Lord Thomas is the quintessential British hero. You’re almost utterly unflappable and 
  unfailing brave. You treat your younger friends (Kenneth Bailson and Lionel Etang) with 
  respect, but still act as if you were still their commander. You have always relied heavily 
  on Simon for advice, but his disapproval of Jennifer drove a wedge between the two of 
  you. You idolize your beloved young wife, and know that she is without fault. The one 
  blemish on your perfect marriage is the fact that you have no children. In order to 
  continue the Ursanore line, you may have to recognize Martin, your illegitimate son, 
  who seems ill suited to the title of Lord Ursanore. 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Call of Cthulhu (CoC) (BRP) [multi]/Adventures/CoC 5e - Adv - The Once and Future King.pdf