shadows overscotland shadows overscotland

Player Handouts

Shadows OverScotland

Player Handouts

Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying in 1920s’ Scotlandby Stuart Boon

Shadows OverScotland

Player Handouts

Shadows Over Scotland

- C r e d i t s -Author: Stuart Boon

Cover Art: Jon Hodgson

Interior Art: Nicole Cardiff, Kim Feigenbaum, Nate Furman, Andy Hepworth, Jon Hodgson,

Pat Loboyko, Eric Lofgren, Rich Longmore, Scott Neil, Jan Pospisil, Graeme Neil Reid

Maps: Aaron Acevedo, Jon Hodgson

Editing: Sarah Newton and Janice Sellers

Art Direction: Jon Hodgson

Proofreading: Jenni Hill and Sarah Newton

Peer Review: Steve Ironside, Stephen Thomson, Jon Hodgson,

Dominic McDowall-Thomas, and Sarah Newton

Graphic Design & Layout: Paul Bourne

Managing Developer: Sarah Newton

Director of RPG Development, Production

& the Creative Studio: Dominic McDowall-Thomas

Publishers: Angus Abranson and Dominic McDowall-Thomas

Special thanks to Gordon McKerrell & Peter McNamara

This book is dedicated to my wife Michele whose faith in me has made this project possible.

Published by Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd

Riverside House, Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 0ES, UK Reg. no 6036414

Call of Cthulhu is the Registered Trademark of Chaosium Inc., and is used with their permission.

http://www.chaosium.com

This book, including all art, concepts, characters, text, and intellectual properties

(besides those belonging to Chaosium and used under license)

© 2011 Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd.

Any unauthorised use of copyrighted material is illegal.

Any trademarked names are used in a historical or fictional manner; no infringement is intended.

Find out more about Cthulhu Britannica: Shadows Over Scotland

And our other games at www.cubicle7.co.uk

Printed in the USA

2

Player Handouts

~ The Office of the Lord Provost ~Mr Hugh Cadden

Private Secretary to the Right Honourable Lord Provost of GlasgowCity Chambers, George Square

GlasgowDear Sirs,

I write to you on behalf of the Lord Provost and the Corporation of the City of Glasgow who extend to you an invitation to help us with matters of the utmost importance and urgency. We understand that this request will come to you unexpectedly and may seem extraordinary, but we assure you the circumstances behind it are more extraordinary still. The Office of the Lord Provost has undertaken an exhaustive search to seek out individuals who might be equal to the task, and your names were presented to us this very morning.

To come to the point, the City of Glasgow has of late been plagued by a series of unexplained and disturbing murders. Our own dedicated police force has had little success in finding the perpetrator or perpetrators of these vicious and seemingly unconnected crimes, whose scale and nature are too horrible for words. Our Procurator Fiscal has declared that these killings are not the result of the usual, and lamentable, violence that man inflicts upon man; this is something altogether different and more perverse. He went so far as to call them unholy.

I have been instructed by the Lord Provost and the Councillors of the City of Glasgow to request formally your help in dealing with these murders, and beseech you to come to Glasgow as soon as is possible. This barbaric murderer must be stopped, and we believe you to be our best hope in this regard.

The Corporation of Glasgow and the Office of the Lord Provost will spare no expense to bring you to Glasgow swiftly and to accommodate you in the style to which you are accustomed as our honoured guests. The Lord Provost sends his assurances that you will have every assistance available. In addition, the City and Corporation of Glasgow will provide you with a substantial retainer during your stay and a handsome reward upon bringing this murderer, or murderers, as the case may be, to justice.

Our need is great. We implore you to help us with these deplorable murders. No one should suffer as these men and women have been made to. If you are able, please come to Glasgow to help us resolve this terrible situation.

We hope for a quick and positive response by telegraph or courier.

Yours Most Sincerely,

Mr Hugh CaddenPrivate Secretary to the Lord Provost

H Cadden

- S c e n a r i o 1 : D e a t h a n d H o r r o r I n c o r p o r a t e d H a n d o u t s -

Handout 1. Letter from the Office of the Lord Provost

3


Handout 2. Lucy Siddons’s Diary

I don,t know what to do or who to talk to. I cannae go home. I cannae leave Arkwright House. I,m terrified Sir Gregory and the others will notice. Am I really trapped?,

I broke down today before Mrs Geddes. I don,t know how, but I had to tell someone, and she,s always been so good to me. She,s promised not to tell Sir Gregory. Thank God! And she understands about my family and said that she would try to help. I only hope she can. The baby is starting to show more and more. I don,t know what to do.

I caught Sir Gregory and that doctor looking at me queerly today. I almost ran from the room. I,ve got to do something. But what? What?

Handout 3. Note in Lucy Siddons’s Room

4

Player Handouts

Handout 5. Werewolves Sighted on the Bridge of Sighs

Handout 6. Cullen’s Laboratory Diary

Handout 4. Ghoulish spell ‘The Voyagers’ Song’

-The Voyagers’ Song-

By means of this spell, every ghoul within a two-mile radius will be magically transported to the

Dreamlands. The spell creates a vast shimmering globe of power to extend out from the caster(s) for two miles in every direction. The spell must be cast out of doors under a night sky. The spell requires 30 magic points—this expense can be shared amongst the casters—and costs each participant 1D3 Sanity points. The ‘song’ must be chanted for twelve minutes as the clock strikes midnight without interruption or the spell will fail. After the twelfth minute, the globe will fade and the ghouls will fade out from our reality and fade into the Dreamlands.

The song that must be sung is as follows and should be intoned slowly and deliberately:

Uhhrkurg girreggah wuul girreggahRharrerra fuuhrugg fuuhrugg graowgachar

Gur kurreg gur kurreg chrach oorrechHri ur fechech howuuff grigorr aghourr

WEREWOLVES SIGHTED ON THE BRIDGE OF SIGHSThree local bakers claim to have seen werewolves running across the Bridge of Sighs on the very night that the maid Lucy Siddons was murdered near Firpark Street. The men, who were walking up Wishart Street on their way to the Cairns Bakery, claim the strange creatures ran in the direction of Glasgow Cathedral and possessed “glinting red eyes and great white teeth”. The three men insist that what they saw “was not human but not animal either”.

Glasgow Police, however, believe that the ‘werewolves’ witnessed by the three bakers may in fact have been the killers escaping the scene of Miss Siddons’ murder. The police have asked the public to come forwards with any further information that might help lead to the capture of these cruel fiends. Any information should be sent to Detective Constable McKeegan in Turnbull Street.

[Excerpt from the Glasgow Herald]

5.45 amThey brought the girl in this morning—or what was left of her. What a blasted mess! But the foetus has provided me with a new source of research. The seat will be found through an examination of variation, yes, but why had I not before considered the usefulness of examining such a thing, a veritable tabula rasa, an unborn babe. This one was damaged. I must have more soon. In addition, I must widen my search for new sources of variation. The answer is near.

10.15 amThat damned fool! I should never have trusted that dim-witted dullard! He’d rather rut with whores and throw his money at cards than do the simplest bloody thing right.

Now Garachar’s gifts are trapped at the docks while I’m left to find an answer to the debacle. The whole affair has gone to Hell, but I must know what Garachar knows. I must have his magics. The bodies must be retrieved.

7.00 pmBlack has informed me that Cadden has brought in some investigators to look into the murders. Need to look into this. Nothing must interfere with my experiments.

1.20 amThey ask for more. Always more, more! And I must find a way. Black is a moron and Arkwright is useless. So I alone must find a way.

5


Handout 7. Cathedral Service Pamphlet

GLASGOW CATHEDRAL WELCOMES YOUThe Cathedral is proud to be an exceptionally active Christian congregation within the Presbytery of Glasgow and the Church of Scotland. We hope to see you at our forthcoming services and events. May the Lord watch over and guide you.

—The Very Reverend Dr W. J. Grimond

9.00 am – Early Morning Prayer11.00 am – Morning Service. Rev. Grimond12.20 pm – Holy Communion6.30 pm – Evening Service. Rev. Westerton

Today’s Music:Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend’ BWV 655 – JS BachSanctus (Messe Basse) – FauréAbove all praise and all majesty – MendelssohnTonstych Op 22 No 1 – Neils Gade

6

Player Handouts

Doctor William McAlpine(PSGB, RPS, FEPS)

T h e C h a n c e l l o r ’ s B u i l d i n g – T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f E d i n b u r g h

Dear Sir,

I write to inform you that our mutual friend, Professor Michael Ashbury, has been committed to the Edinburgh Lunatic Asylum after a recent misadventure. This will no doubt come as a shock: Ashbury was nothing if a sensible man. Allow me to explain.

Three days ago, I was relaxing at the Edinburgh Philaletheian Society in New Town, when the Professor burst in and proceeded to relate the story I shall now endeavour to tell you. He was very poorly dressed, looked quite the madman, and was positively filthy from days spent in the Edinburgh Vaults… but I am getting ahead of myself.

When Dr. Montague Albans, director of the EPS, and I had managed to sit Ashbury down, he began to tell us of a new ‘snake cult’ he had discovered by word of mouth. As a member of the Philaletheian Society and Professor of Theology, you will imagine his interest. You will also likely be aware that Ashbury has published an article or two on the subject of snake cults. He explained he made efforts to learn more of the cult’s activities and the nature of its deity.

According to Ashbury, the cult calls itself the ‘Hand of Abyzou’, and worships a snake goddess of the same name. Ashbury seems to have been desperate for information, because (as he put it) he ‘signed up’ with the cult and became (again in his words) one of the ‘devout nameless ones’. Apparently the cult operates in the Edinburgh Vaults, and particularly beneath the Old Town and Castle Hill. Ashbury stayed with them for days: he explained the cult seemed to be looking for some kind of temple, as well as writings and artefacts relating to ‘Abyzou’, within the Vaults.

Fanciful stuff when written on the page, but I assure you the Professor was in a state of panic and horror as he told us his tale. He told us he was forced into performing rituals, and even made to learn some kind of ‘spell’. All this disturbed him greatly, and in his own words he began to feel himself ‘coming unhinged’. He said he made up his mind to withdraw from the cult.

- S c e n a r i o 2 : H a n d o f A b y z o u H a n d o u t s -

Handout 1. McAlpine’s Letter

7


Before he could leave, Ashbury explained he was roped into a ‘mission’ of sorts—a search beneath Edinburgh for a ‘temple of Abyzou’. According to Ashbury, there are tunnels beneath the city which are completely unknown, and he and a group of cult members walked for perhaps days through this ‘lost city’. Ashbury told us he suspected these tunnels to be far older than anything currently known to science; he said they looked nothing like anything built by Man.

Please read further: I am relating what Ashbury told us, and I am aware it seems deranged. I must stress however that during his entire account, the Professor was absolutely serious, and the state of his clothing and body suggested the truth of the matter.

Ashbury told us he finally managed to escape from the cult, but was horribly lost, hundreds of feet below Edinburgh, in total darkness but for a few small candles.

At this point Ashbury’s story becomes somewhat unbelievable, but I shall present it as he told it, as it explains why he came to us at the Philaletheian Society. It is as follows.

Ashbury came across a great cavern beneath Edinburgh, apparently lit, in which he observed a strange old fellow who Ashbury declared must be the ringleader of the cult—the Hand of Abyzou—and a man by the name of Breen whom Ashbury knew. (I’ve made a note of all the names I could remember from Ashbury’s story, and will enclose them with this letter). Ashbury heard Breen and the old man talking of ‘old sleeping gods’, although this apparently did not refer to Abyzou. This Breen fellow was eventually dismissed, and Ashbury says he witnessed a group of robed figures enter the cavern.

Ashbury says these figures were not human, but some kind of ‘snake people’. He says the old cult ringleader then also transformed into one of these snake people right before Ashbury’s eyes.

I cannot emphasise enough just how disturbed Professor Ashbury was as he related this. The experience appears to have caused something of a temporary breakdown, and I should not have believed his account at all but for what happened next.

As the Professor was talking, I experienced a strange sensation which made my skin crawl. I saw Ashbury and Doctor Albans were experiencing the same thing. I cannot explain it except to say it was something like the feeling of static electricity. Then, the doors of the Philaletheian Society simply blew in, as though the devil’s own gale were blowing, and a grizzled old man walked into the lounge: the doorman was so aghast he did nothing to stop him.

I’m not sure how to phrase this, but the old man had some kind of mesmeric quality about him, like the witch-doctors of the Dark Continent or the juju men of Voodoo. He strode in, bold as brass, glared at Ashbury (who by now was cowering and whimpering), and said to him: ‘your mind is broken’. Then he turned slowly and left the building. By my soul, all of us were so taken aback that none of us lifted a finger, a fact of which I am not at all proud.

8

Player Handouts

When I looked at Ashbury I saw immediately he was not well: he seemed in some kind of trance—there, that ‘mesmerism’ again—slack-jawed and staring blindly into the middle distance. Albans is a medical doctor and I a pharmacist, but neither of us could find a way to rouse him; his eyes were terribly vacant, and he was completely unresponsive. Finally we called for an ambulance. At the Royal Infirmary they could find nothing wrong, but referred him to the Asylum, where they suspected complete nervous collapse. He is still there now.

You may think me foolish myself, but I am convinced something utterly beyond the ordinary has harmed Professor Ashbury, and I have no confidence that our doctors will be able to treat it in a conventional way. I am sure his condition is linked to this strange coven—the Hand of Abyzou—and the formidable old fellow who appears to lead it. I have no doubt that the old man who invaded the Philaletheian Society is the same as the ringleader Ashbury claims to have witnessed in the cavern beneath the vaults. As to the rest of Ashbury’s story, of snake people and strange transformations, I have no opinion other than to beg your understanding of a colleague’s frightful mental state.

I have taken time off work to look into Ashbury’s condition and do what I can. I can be contacted in the Edinburgh Philaletheian Society on Thistle Street. I am in desperate need of your help—I fear there is no time to lose if we are to help our mutual friend. If you can, please reply by return of post or come to see me at the Society.

With utmost respect and urgency,

W. McAlpineW. McAlpine

P.S. The names mentioned by Ashbury were: Breen, Campbell, McTaggart, MacAllister, and Curren or Curran. These apparently form some kind of elite within the coven. He gave no name for the old ringleader other than ‘the Auld One’, which the rest of the coven seems to call him also.

9


Handout 2. The Sign of Abyzou Handout 3. McTaggart’s Working Journal

Excerpt from ‘On the Proliferation of Snake Cults in Scotland’Of one thing we can be sure: Scotland has, for one reason or another, always been a hotbed of activity for such snake

cults. Whilst in the Highlands recently I encountered an old man who, when I told him of my research into pre-Christian

snake cults, said ‘If you’re looking for snakes that walk upright, you’ve come to the right place, that’s for sure’. I laughed

at this and bade him farewell, but as I walked a lonely path up to my hotel a sudden thought struck me.

Of course I had assumed that the old man was disparaging other men, those of us who are sometimes attributed with

snake-like features or qualities—men with forked tongues, for example. But what if this old man had meant something

altogether different and more literal, what if he was in fact suggesting that there are snake folk walking among us?

Surely such thoughts are fantasy, but given Man’s ancient connection with the cold-blooded serpent, we can perhaps

understand why such thoughts persist.

Handout 4. Excerpt from Ashbury’s ‘On the Proliferation of Snake Cults in Scotland’

10

Player Handouts

Handout 5. Breen’s Journal

Handout 6. Campbell’s Map to the Lair of the Sleepers

The Auld One has gone out to deal with the escaped Nameless One. Campbell is to blame for letting the fool out of her sight and MacAllister for her poor choice. These Nameless Ones are not the chosen. They’re just ordinary men and women. Pitiful and useless.

Campbell for all her faults has found a deeper section of the serpent city. She says it is older and my master is delighted with this progress. Perhaps we will find those who sleep. Perhaps the awakening is soon.

I have devoted myself to the serpents. They are the all-powerful. The gods of Earth. I am their tool. I have promised my life to the Auld One again and he has accepted me. I need nothing more.

It is found! A messenger returned with a map marking the site of the Sleepers. I leave at once! A new age begins!

11


Mak

e thi

s my

prop

hecy

: the

mag

ics A

byzo

u gr

ants

us a

re m

ight

y in

deed

, but

ther

e is I

fe

el a

dar

ker a

nd m

ore p

ower

ful m

agic

yet

. I

fear

the o

ld m

an is

usin

g us

in so

me w

ay,

for s

ome h

idde

n pu

rpos

e. I

hav

e see

n w

ith

my

own

eyes

how

he c

onsp

ires w

ith o

ther

s am

ongs

t us,

and

I n

ote t

heir

depa

rtur

es

from

our

hos

t to

erra

nds u

nkno

wn

in p

lace

s un

know

n.

The

se m

en d

o no

t pra

ise A

byzo

u as

they

ou

ght.

The

y do

not

join

our

ritu

als.

The

y do

no

t drin

k w

ith u

s, ea

t with

us.

Thi

s ‘A

uld

One

’ doe

s not

eat,

he d

oes n

ot d

rink:

I

scar

ce th

ink

he b

reat

hes.

I a

m n

ot fo

oled

as

othe

rs a

re. I

see t

hat w

eak

pow

ers a

re m

eted

do

wn

to u

s, w

hile

gre

ater

pow

ers a

re k

ept

from

us.

Rat

her t

han

a H

igh

Prie

stes

s of

Aby

zou,

I fe

el m

ysel

f a lo

wly

serv

ant.

We a

re b

eing

fool

ed b

y so

me t

ricke

ry, o

f thi

s I

am

sure

. Aby

zou

guid

e us f

rom

this

old

man

who

pro

fess

es to

be y

our s

avio

ur. G

uide

us

to tr

ue p

ower

and

imm

orta

lity.

Gui

de u

s, G

odde

ss! F

or, m

ark

my

wor

ds, w

e are

led

by o

ne w

ho is

not

wha

t he s

eem

s.

Handout 7. MacAllister’s Prophecy

Handout 8. Map of the Sleepers’ Lair

12

Player Handouts

Handout 1. Telegram from Patrick McKerrell

P o s t O f f i c e T E L E G R A M

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

URGENTLY REQUESTING YOUR HELP STOP

NEED YOUR SPECIAL SKILLS STOP

YOU COME HIGHLY RECOMMENDED STOP

WILL PAY ALL TRAVEL BOARD AND EXPENSES STOP

PLEASE CONTACT EDINBURGH LAWYERS

CORSTORFINE AND BRANDT IF YOU ACCEPT STOP

MORE INFORMATION PROVIDED ON ACCEPTANCE STOP

YOURS IN NEED PATRICK MCKERRELL 21ST LAIRD

OF STRATHBEG STOP

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Handout 2. Photograph of Cthulhu Statue

- S c e n a r i o 3 : U i s g e B e a t h a ( ‘ T h e Wa t e r o f L i fe ’ ) H a n d o u t s -

Handout 3. Strathbeg Distillery Bronze Plaque

13


Handout 4. Hugh Irvine’s Notes

LOT 219DISTRIBUTION PLANS PROGRESSING-NO PROBLEMS WITH THE MATURATION PROCESS. 6 MOS ?

FIRST RUN 12,000 BOTTLES / BRITAIN AND EUROPE-POTENTIAL HYBRID IZATION NUMBERS-EST. BIRTHS 120,000? MORE? COMPLETE TRANSFORMATIONS IN HUNDREDS? DEATH RATE?

MUTATION RATE ACCEPTABLE, REDUCED STILL IN 220. FUNCTIONING HYBRIDS GUARANTEED.

LATEST TEST SUBJECT (220) FULLY TRANSFORMED IN C. 138 HOURS. AS WITH THE LAST 8, COMPULSION TO JOIN UR-Y-HLINAI WAS IMMEDIATE.

LOT 220 SET FOR CASKING. NEED TO BRIEF ORDER.

Handout 5. Temple of Cthulhu inscription

14

Player Handouts

Handout 6. Gillie’s Mad Rantings

We are the flesh of Cthulhu. We live in Great Cthulhu. We must crawl before him to receive his blessing. Mother Hydra knows this. Mother Hydra tells us to bow down and grovel before his might. We few who know the truth do as we are bid. I sink into the dirt to become the dirt. I eat the flesh to be the flesh. I am the filth that crawls before him. Worthless and worthy. The Deep Ones understand this. We are worthless to them, but have worth still.

Our plans move in their favour, but we do this for Cthulhu alone, our true master. Our plans mature like the uisge beatha, the water of life. Uisge beatha, whisky, water of life-three in one. The water of life that brother Irvine has created will spawn a new generation of servitors. We will make the world bow and crawl. We will all

become filth. We who are the flesh of Great Cthulhu shall become worthless. We will be reborn. We will bring about new flesh. A hundred thousand flesh things. A gift to Mother Hydra and her master, the true god, the star-spawned Cthulhu. We are the flesh.

The flesh is flesh.

Handout 7. Calder’s Cthulhu Artwork Handout 8. Calder’s Doodle

15


- S c e n a r i o 4 : H e e d t h e K r a k e n ’ s C a l l H a n d o u t s -Handout 1. Carmichael’s Letter

Detective Constable John CarmichaelInverness Police Office

19 Union StreetInverness, Highlands

Dear Sir,

I write to you requesting your aid in a terrible tragedy here in Inverness. Not more than twenty-four hours ago, the celebrated Norwegian naval explorer Erik Øland was murdered in his hotel room under mysterious circumstances. At the same time, or thereabouts, his vessel ‘The Kraken’ was dynamited near the Inverness docks in the Moray Firth. Word of Øland’s murder has not yet reached the newspapers and, for the time being, we are keeping matters quiet to help facilitate our investigation. The explosion has been explained away as belonging to an accident aboard a decrepit fishing trawler.

Let me briefly explain the situation. Øland was found murdered shortly after midnight by a hotel maid, who was asked to inform him of the destruction of The Kraken. This maid found the explorer lying face down on the floor with a Highlanders’ dagger protruding from his back. He was clutching a bloodied piece of paper in his left hand. On the paper was a Norwegian phrase: “han var en død mann—morderen”. We have had this translated as: “he was a dead man—the murderer”. Øland appears to state that his murderer was ‘a dead man’; we are currently looking into other possible explanations, including metaphorical, for this message.

As I am the only detective constable in Inverness, and this is a high profile case requiring delicate and urgent attention, I have requested and been granted leave to invite you, and any colleagues who may prove useful in the investigation, to Inverness. You were recommended to me by a number of individuals in the service for your discretion and experience with matters of unusual nature such as this, and I trust that your expertise will be invaluable. We will of course reimbourse any travel and accommodation expenses you incur, and have arranged to pay you a retainer for the duration of the investigation. This is a matter of the utmost urgency, and I would ask that you kindly reply as quickly as possible, hopefully in the affirmative. In the meantime, the Inverness procurator fiscal and I will continue our initial investigations.

I hope very much to hear from you shortly,

J. Carmichael

16

Player Handouts

Handout 2. Newspaper Clipping ‘Explorer Øland’s Next Adventure:

Loch Ness!’

NORWAY’S ERIK ØLAND SET TO PLUMB THE COLD DEPTHS OF OUR OWN LOCH NESS

Inverness – The Courier has learned that the noted Norwegian naval explorer Erik Øland has set his sights on Loch Ness for his next adventure. He announced his intentions at a press conference in Dar es Salaam, where the explorer had just completed the deepest freshwater descent ever recorded in Lake Tanganyika.

Øland stated that his next adventure would be in Scotland’s Loch Ness. The Norwegian said that he plans to conduct the deepest freshwater descent in Europe whilst exploring the loch’s hidden depths using scientific equipment only recently developed by the Norwegian navy. Over a period of more than four months, Øland intends to accomplish the most extensive mapping of any freshwater body ever undertaken, marking another first for the renowned explorer.

Øland is reportedly already developing a sophisticated, purpose-built craft for his Scottish adventure, which he calls ‘The Kraken’. He has slated this latest adventure to begin around midsummer. – I. Bloom

(Excerpted from the Inverness Courier)

Handout 3. Øland’s Handwritten Note

Handout 4. Picture of the Murder Weapon

17


Handout 5. Draft of Police Surgeon’s Report

Roya l Burgh o f Inv e rn e s s - Off i c e o f t h e Pro cura t o r F i s c a l

P o l i c e S u r g e o n ’ s R e p o r tDated: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Name of the Deceased: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Age: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Sex: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Race: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Weight: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Height: _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Place of Death: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Time and Date of Death: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Cause of Death: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Examination of Remains:

Police Surgeon’s Signature Date

Mr Erik Øland

48 Male White

12st 5ft 10in

Inverness, Station Hotel, Academy Street

c. 11:50pm

Stabbing

Single posterior stab wound piercing left lung, left atrium of heart and right pulmonary artery. Haemodynamic failure likely to result in death in less than two minutes.Victim discovered with steel dagger (sgian dubh) penetrating upper back between 8th and 9th ribs. Substantial force required and height of blade entry suggests killer was male.

Handout 6. Map of the Ruins of Urquhart Castle

18

Player Handouts

- S c e n a r i o 5 : T h e Fo r b i d d e n I s l e H a n d o u t s -

Handout 1. Letter from Sir George Bullough

Sir George BulloughBullough House

Isle of RumScotland

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to you with a proposition for your consideration. I have of late encountered a perplexing mystery which I would like to invite you to investigate personally. The mystery surrounds a number of disappearances, namely of members of my own household staff. In brief, I would like you to ascertain whether these ‘vanishings’ are the result of some sort of foul play, or simply the actions of a number of disgruntled servants. I have little evidence of either eventuality, but I have heard some peculiar talk on nearby islands that have referred to Rum as ‘the forbidden isle.’

I myself have been living on the island these past four months, and have witnessed nothing in the local scenery to elicit such a dramatic characterization. I am, in fact, at a loss to explain both the attitude of the local islanders or the disappearances of my staff, which is why I am requesting your services. It may seem a trifling matter, and indeed perhaps it is, but even so I would like it seen to professionally. I can assure you that you will be very well treated as my guests at Bullough House and, even if there is nothing to the matter in the end, you will have earned yourself a fine paid holiday.

To this end, I hope you will see fit to reply to this letter in the affirmative. If so, I will make preparation to see you brought up to the Western Isles forthwith. I am prepared to pay any fee or retainer that you feel justly reflects the requirements of your investigation. We can conduct such business in person, or through my lawyers in London. I leave the decision up to you.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,G. Bullough

19


Handout 2. John Bullough’s Scribbled Note Handout 3. Picture of Etched Table Top

Handout 4. Bullough Mausoleum Plaque

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Player Handouts

- S c e n a r i o 6 : S t a r S e e d H a n d o u t s -Handout 1. Brecht’s African Journal, Part 1

The 23rd of August, 1869. Noon.

The final

excavation is complete. This

miraculous thing remains a mystery. I shall

attempt to draw it below. 33 centimetres in

length and 12 centimetres at its widest point,

but tapering to two obelisk-like ends. It could

be a great shard of obsidian, but its shape

is surprisingly crystalline and

angular.

The

angles and lines are perfectly straight. It is

unlike anything I have ever seen. Stranger

still is the warmth it exudes, warmer I would

guess than 20 degrees Celsius. I have no

theory to explain this warmth. To find such

a thing

in the African jungle — I don’t

know what to make

of it. Reinhardt has

dubbed it ‘the black

shard’, which seems

a perfectly usable descriptor. It is all I can

think about.

This black shard is something

truly exceptional. I can feel it. I am eager to

get it back to the labs in Gottingen.

[tra

nsla

ted

from

the

orig

inal

Ger

man

]

..

Handout 2. Brecht’s African Journal, Part 2

The 24th of August, 1869. 2.42 am.

Awoken by an explosion 20 minutes ago. My ears are ringing, not from the sound but the pressure. By the time we had all risen and lit our lanterns, there was nothing to be seen in the camp: nothing broken, nothing ablaze… Simply, nothing. Half the slaves have run off into the night. The other half are terrified, murmuring dark things. Lehmann and Wechsler are talking nonsense about the shard.


The camp has been thoroughly checked. The only possibility... cannot be true. All the evidence points to the black shard. I’m still shaking from the strange blast… no, not a blast, exactly. I am strangely tired. I feel confused and irritable as well. We all do. Is it possible? Could the shard have emitted some kind of pulse of energy or force? The whole camp shook with it. It seems impossible, and yet — when I touched the thing just ten minutes ago, it was cold, no longer

warm but cold like steel. I could have sworn beneath its black surface, deep within the shard, I saw the dimmest flickering light. I must sleep. I am too tired to think more of this.


Only the Usambara guide remains — all the other Africans stole away before dawn, convinced of a curse. We are reduced to 15 men, but thank God in heaven our guide stayed true. Wechsler demands we return to Zanzibar, but I managed to get the others to see reason. We have enough food and supplies for more than a month. With a work rotation, we can still accomplish all we came here to do.

The 25th August, 1869. 7.40 pm.

It seems impossible, but there can be no doubt about the black shard now. The light that grows inside it gets brighter with each passing day. Perhaps I am going mad, but I see luminescence everywhere — in the jungle, in the camp, in the faces of my colleagues. The same damnable glow everywhere!

[translated from the original German]

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Handout 3. Brecht’s African Journal, Part 3

Handout 4. McNamara’s Letter to InvestigatorsA From the desk of Doctor John McNamara - Professor of Archaeology, Miskatonic University, Arkham, Mass. A

t i m e n d i c a u s a e s t n e s c i r e

My dearest friend,

This letter will no doubt come as a surprise. I know it has been a long time, and you ’ ll have to forgive me for not

including a longer note in last Christmas’ card, but I’ve been terribly busy of late. I do trust that you are keeping well.

I’ ll get straight to the point. I am writing to you from Skara Brae, Scotland, on the island of Orkney, where I’ve

made the most remarkable discovery. I’m afraid it is not the sort of thing I can discuss here, but I can tell you that

it is of the utmost signif icance—and not just to my own narrow band of research! I have discovered an artefact on site

that offers us a rather unique opportunity, but one that needs to be clearly thought out. And this is precisely why I am

writing to you now.

I’m alone out here at the moment, but I f ind myself very much in need of an expert mind to confer with and

one with Mythos experience as well. Naturally, I thought of you. I know that this is all rather sudden, but I really

do need your help to deal with this extraordinary situation. I’m also aware that this letter must seem maddeningly

vague, but I can assure you all will become clear. I need someone I can trust, my friend, and someone with an open

mind. To be frank, you are the only person who can help me.

Miskatonic has provided me with a substantia l grant, and I can easily afford to bring you out to Orkney as a

consultant. If you ’ve anyone you feel would be of assistance then by all means bring them along as well. I can make

arrangements for you or reimburse you once you are here -whatever su its. I know this is a tremendous favour to ask

of you, but I think you will understand why I’m playing my cards so closely when you see for yourself what I have

found.

I do hope you ’ ll come. I’m staying at the address below and, of course, I will arrange for your accommodation

here as well. Please send me your answer at this address and I’ ll deal with any requirements you may have. Apologies

again for all this damnable mystery, old friend, but you ’ ll understand the reason when you ’re here!

All the best,

J. Skaill Home Farm, Skaill, Orkney Islands, Scotland

P. S. Bring a raincoat!

Handout 4. McNamara’s Letter to Investigators

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Player Handouts

Handout 5. McNamara’s Dig Journal

Tuesday. 6:11 PM.I keep finding myself drawn back to the shard chamber. Drawn back to the shard itself. Can I legitimately call it a star seed? I should leave that decision until my friend arrives, I know, but the possibility so intrigues me that my mind cannot rest. What can I do but stare at it? Marvel at it. It is a perfect twin to Brecht’s find in Africa. Perfect in every way, although I have not come so close as to determine whether it gives off warmth. In this blasted rain, would I be able to tell anyway?

I’ve found precious little else today and, to be honest, my attention wanders. All I think about is this star seed and what it might mean. Back to the farm now. More tomorrow.

Wednesday. 12:32 PM.Barely lunch time and already I’ve found it impossible to work, to tear my mind from the shard. Was Brecht so addled by the thing? I’ve forgotten his journal by my bed this morning, so I can’t even tell. I’m becoming absentminded. I must try to get some work done. There will be more to be found here. I must try to concentrate, particularly as it is finally sunny.

Tue Wednesday. 4:47 PM.I must write out what just happened. All day I continued to excavate the south passage, though my mind was elsewhere. I found nothing of interest, so decided to call it an early day.

On the way back to the tent, I stopped at the shard chamber. I had not intended to do anything… although, if I’m honest with myself, perhaps I did. I am obsessed with the thing and I wanted to know—even needed to know—if it exhibited the same warmth that Brecht described.

I reached out, extending my arm over the excavated earth, and put my hand near it. Sure enough, it was warm. I could feel that impossible heat radiating from it. My pulse raced with this further confirmation. But I lingered too long. A gust of wind knocked me off balance and though I pulled my hand up, my elbow hit the shard and knocked it from its perch. What happened next happened so fast. It spun and rolled down towards my feet. I couldn’t let it be damaged so—

I caught it in my hands. Held it for the briefest moment, then put it back in the earth. I am shaking just now thinking of it. I can’t be sure of anything, but I had always suspected that Brecht’s mistake was in handling the thing, the star seed. And now so have I. I shudder to think—but now I can’t be sure. It might be nothing. I cannot presume to know what killed Brecht and his team. I cannot be sure of anything. I feel a bit weak, a bit sick.

God, what have I done?

Handout 6. Neolithic Pictogram

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shadows overscotland shadows overscotland

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