The Unbound Book

Call of Cthulhu Adventures in the

Roaring Twenties

Cthulhu Reach by Iain K. Peake

The Unbound Book Pages... Issue - 0 August 2002

The Unbound Book - Issue 0 August

2002.
The Unbound Book is an irregular magazine
producing free adventures for Chaosiums Call
Pages from an
Unbound Book
of Cthulhu roleplaying game in the Roaring
Twenties.
Published by: Unbound Publishing
Editor: Marcus D. Bone
Copy editors: Rebecca Scott & Peter Bone
Welcome to the first of what I hope will be many issues of The Unbound
Writers: Mark Chiddicks, Michael Wood and Book. A year in the making, this magazine is the result of many peoples
Marcus D. Bone undying efforts and long tired nights. The result, I believe, has brought,
Magazine Layout & Design: Marcus D. Bone YOU, a slection of adventures for, the most interesting roleplaying
Cover Art: Cthulhu Rising by Iain K. Peake game on the market today.
Interior Art: Alan M. Clark, Dan Dionne,
Emma Bone & Marcus D. Bone This magazine will try and break new ground in the style of Call of
Magazine Template Art: Eyal Feingersch Cthulhu adventuring, as well as stomping once again over the ideas
Play-testers: Mark Chiddicks, Colin DSouza, and inspirations that make this game so great.
Marcus Gustafson, Darryn Mercer, Stephen Moir,
Rob Riely, Scott Wood, Michael Wood.
Special Thanks: Must go to the wives and The Unbound Book came into existence one dark autumn night, after
partners of all those involved in publishing this a friend of mine had run one of the most frightening and compelling
magazine, especially my wife Emma, who didnt
complain once about the amount of time I spent horror adventures I had ever taken part in (this adventure - The Rise
on my computer. of Xnaaki appears as the first of our scenarios). Inspired, I wondered if
To Chaz and Jan Engan (I spelt it right this anybody else would be keen to read and play this adventure and after
time!- I hope), for writing the epic Beyond the
Mountains of Madness and for answering all my a number of conversations with may different Cthulhu authorities the
questions. rest, as one might say, is history.
To Woody, for running Rise, which in turn
inspired this magazine. Issue Zero is a sample, testing in the waters of adventure writing. If
To D-man, who, at a moments notice, wrote code this does well we hope to produce irregular issues (once every three or
and suggested solutions for the web site. four months) filled with your adventures.
To Dan, Alan and Iain for allowing us to use their
fantastic art. Also to Eyal for creating the coolest The Unbound Book is going to rely on submissions from its readers to
border art ever (and waiting a year to see it in all survive. If you have an adventure or an idea for a scenario set in the
its glory!)
To Gary Sumpter for the words of encourage- 1920s why not drop us a line.
ment.
And finally to Charlie, Lynn, Dustin and the rest
Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoy,
of the crew of Chaosium for, firstly, allowing
us the chance to publish this magazine and
secondly, for keeping Call of Cthulhu alive.
Oh I almost forgot, thanks also to YOU for
reading this magazine, we hope you enjoy it as
much as we do!
Wolf 2002 Dan Dionne
Marcus D. Bone
In this issue of The Unbound Book:
Set in a small town north of Arkham, The Rise of Xnaaki pits the
characters against an ancient evil dwelling in Steeplin Lake. An
introductionary adventure into the world of Call of Cthulhu, it
introduces the players to the horror that is the Great Old Ones.
Kingsport, City in the Mists. With an injured friend babbling of
demons and a town beset by creatures beyond His Wildest Dreams,
the investigators must find out what is happening to this quaint sea
side town before it too late.
A fire, a death and a... werewolf? Can a murder be justified? Or will
one mans quest for revenge lead to his own demise? The investigators
are about to find out, when What Goes Around

Note on Language
It is important to note that all grammar and language used in this
magazine is New Zealand English.
The reason for this is simple, all those involved in creating The
Unbound Book are New Zealand based. In future issues the
language style of each adventure will be based on the authors
country of origin. We do hope our foreign readers forgive any odd
use of language.

ii
Issue - 0 August 2002 Contents The Unbound Book

Contents Page
Cover Art - Cthulhu Reach by Iain K. Peake..............................................................Cover
Pages from an Unbound Book.......................................................................................ii
Contents..............................................................................................................................iii
Adventure - Rise of Xnaaki by Michael Wood................................................................1
Map - Train Carriages............................................................................................................................5

Map - Dupont Estate..............................................................................................................................8

Map - Steeplin Lake...............................................................................................................................13

Adventure - His Wildest Dreams by Marc Chiddicks...................................................17

Map - Central Hill, Kingsport 1925......................................................................................................28

Adventure - What Goes Around... by Marcus D. Bone.................................................29

Player Handouts .............................................................................................................40
Rise 1 - Booth Business Card
Around 2 - Page from a journal
Around 3 - The Trinket text
Around 6 - Burton Loveletter.........................................................................................................40
Around 1 - The letter of travel arrangements
Around 4 - Translated Journal.......................................................................................................41
Around 5 - Darkness of the North.................................................................................................42

Was in der Tat innerhalb des ungebundenen Buches liegt?

- What indeed lies inside The Unbound Book?

Resources
Due to size constraints The Unbound Book is unable to hold all extras we would like to bring our readers. But
dont fret, on our website www.unboundbook.org,we have placed all those documents we werent able to fit in
this issue. These include:

d20 Conversion Notes - All the statistics and rules required for running all the adventures in this
issue using the d20 system, including NPC stats, difficulties levels, experience rewards and much
more.

Steeplin County - Maps and further information about Steeplin County, to help flesh out this new
and exciting location. Includes players versions of all the maps.

Guide to Kingsport - The Kingsport book was published by Chaosium in the early 90s and is
no longer in print. This resource gives those Keepers who are new to this setting maps and further
information about the City of Mists.

Call of Cthulhu is copyright 1981, 1983, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001 by Chaosium Inc.; all rights reserved.
Call of Cthulhu is the registered trademark of Chaosium Inc.
Chaosium Inc. 900 Murmansk Street, Suite 5, Oakland CA, 94607-5018, U.S.A.

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The Unbound Book The Rise of Xnaaki Issue - 0 August 2002

This adventure is based in Lovecraft country during the summer

of 1920. The Investigators actions will initially focus on Arkham
before moving north to the (non-Lovecraft) town of Steeplin.
The first act is rather linear and unless the Players go out of
their way they can let the story unfold around them. At the
conclusion of this first act the Players become isolated by the
death of their employer, allowing for more creative role-playing
during the second act.
Explaining to the players that the initial flow of the scenario is
notably linear may help events unfold more smoothly, assisting in
the long-term outcome of the game.

Authors Note
Those familiar with the Cthulhu Mythos will realise that Xnaaki
(pronounced Zen-a-Key) is in fact a unique Great Old One. Based
on Ramsey Campbells Glaaki, (details of which are in the Call
of Cthulhu rule book), it too uses Servants to achieve its goals.
Xnaaki and Glaaki may or may not be of the same origin, perhaps
having come into existence in a similar time and space.
The motivations for creating a unique Great Old One are three
fold; first, Glaaki is located in the Severn Valley, while many
campaigns are set in Lovecraft country (although there is no
reason why, with a little work, this adventure could not be moved
to another location); second, some players may have read The
Helltrack 2002 Alan M. Clark
Inhabitant of the Lake (Ramsey Campbells fantastic Glaaki
story); and finally as an example of how it is possible to use
traditional Mythos entities in new ways.
Some background information, which is provided later in the
adventure, describes Xnaakis appearance and capabilities, while
through out the scenario a great deal of background is given to the
Xnaaki cult.

Introduction
The Investigators are called upon individually, during the
business hours of Friday the 20th of August, 1920. The visitor is

The Rise one Miles Booth, the butler of Henry DuPont.

The following is a narrative overview of what Booth has to say to
the Investigators.

of Xnaaki The man introduces himself as Mr Booth. He is well dressed, full

figured, short and almost totally bald. He speaks with a faint
English accent.
He is pleasant enough and it is obvious he wishes to speak with
By Michael Wood the character in private. Once alone he advises that a friend/
acquaintance of the investigator has given him their name.
He gives them little chance for questions, apologizes for the
abruptness and explains that he has very limited time. His
employer (whom he leaves nameless) requires some assistance
with a task that will encompass tomorrow and possibly Sunday
as well. This assistance is simple; his employer has just arrived
in town and has several business appointments to complete over
the weekend. As such, he will be unable to attend an extremely
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Issue - 0 August 2002 The Rise of Xnaaki The Unbound Book

important auction and requires others to purchase of particular interest stands out). However it also
an item on his behalf. The auction could be a time states that all items can be viewed between 9 and 12
consuming affair, which Booths employer does not tomorrow morning.
wish to concern himself with. Booth also explains that
the auction is of a high profile, and there is a need for DuPonts Apartment
anonymity.
If the characters agree, Booth continues. The following is a narrative overview of the arrival of
the Investigators at the address on the business card
Booth guarantees a fee of $150, $30 of which he the next morning.
hands each of them immediately. He also gives each
a business card, (see Rise Handout 1) and asks that The apartments on Walnut Street are modern
they are at the address on the card by 9am tomorrow. additions to this quiet back street. All three apartments
Then, as suddenly as he appeared, Booth leaves. share a secure lobby and are all of a similar design -
the street frontage is new and attractive but nothing
If the characters check the address it turns out to be particularly excessive. The communal lobby has slate
one of a set of three plush apartments, which are only floors, mailbox access, a side table, coat stand and a
a year old. On the outside there is no clue as to their rather bland painting, while the apartment doors are
ownership, the windows are closed and the curtains solid oak, with simple gold numbering.
drawn. Ringing the bell draws no response and a
forced entry would NOT be advisable (if the characters The characters are not kept waiting long after ringing
do decide to break into any of the apartments they will the bell, with Booth answering the door and ushering
quickly be apprehended by the police). them inside. From the main hall stairs can be seen
leading to the second floor, while behind Booth an open
Defining ownership of the apartment is difficult, door leads to a dining room and a small kitchen.
especially seeing that the Town Records Office is
probably closed by the time the characters decide to Booth leads them to a study and offers each a seat
investigate. If they do have access to any real estate amongst a variety of comfortable leather chairs
information, the owners turn out to be Arkham Art and couches. The manservant remains standing and
Specialists, which lists a Graeme Wilson as company introduces those who are yet to be acquainted. After
director (a Head Office is also listed in New York). all the introductions are completed he excuses himself,
Although the players will have no way of learning more leaving the room to give the characters a moment to
information, the company is actually a cover used by talk amongst themselves.
their would-be employer, Henry DuPont, and the New Booth soon returns with a tray of hot coffee, placing
York address is nothing more than a mail forwarding it on a sideboard before offering each character a
service. drink.
If the characters decide to investigate the auction, At 9:15 exactly another man enters the room, ending
some general details are available at the University. the polite, but awkward pleasantness. Younger than
A list of lots has been published, most of which is Booth, he is a stark pale figure with his slim frame
rather uninteresting art and foreign artefacts (nothing dressed in a fine suit. Although his spectacles add a
few years, most would hazard a guess that he is still
in his late twenties.
With a surprisingly pleasant smile and quiet voice he
begins.
Good morning and may I introduce myself... My
name is Henry DuPont, owner of the Steeplin County
Mill.
He pauses for a moment. As Miles here has already
stated, I wish to employ you to purchase an item
rather precious to me.
DuPont then explains the task at hand.
The group is to attend an auction being held by a group
of foreign art collectors at the Miskatonic University
Exhibit Museum. The majority of the works to be
sold are of little value and interest to him, however
he does require one item, the final auction piece, lot

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The Unbound Book The Rise of Xnaaki Issue - 0 August 2002

number 27. This is an 18-inch statue made from finely certain members of the companys board will soon
crafted stone and inlayed metal. About 100 years old, try and take over the business. He has kept up the
it is worth approximately $1500 and depicts Fredric guise of illness for several months now, which has
DuPont, Henrys great grandfather. The statue is of allowed them to leave their home under the notion of
obvious historical importance to the DuPont family attending specialists, while they have worked to secure
and Henry is determined to purchase it. the Mill (he is in town ostensibly to finalise details with
Arkham lawyers). The timing is critical as within the
Unfortunately neither Booth nor himself can attend
week Henry will move against the board and reclaim
the auction as it is necessary that they are not
the company. The auction of the statue is perhaps not
observed in Arkham. He explains that there is nothing
a coincidence as Henry knows an agent from the board
sinister about this situation, simply that other parties
will be present at the auction. He cannot, however,
must believe that both Henry and Booth are still at
afford to let his deception slip at this crucial time and,
their estate in Steeplin county (a small area to the
as the Investigators have no connection to DuPont, are
north-west of Arkham).
therefore perfect to acquire the statue on his behalf.
The other party Henry refers to will also have an
agent at the auction who may bid for the statue. The Auction
However Henry is aware that this person will have
only $2000 available, so he will ensure that the The following should be made aware to the characters
Investigators have $3000. as they enter the auction.
As such the terms of employment are quite simple, The auction begins at twelve oclock on the dot and
the characters will out-bid this other agent (and any at least one character needs to be registered to bid
others) for the statue, while Booth and Henry return in by 11:45.
home unnoticed. The Investigators are then required It is to be held in a small room on the first floor
to travel to Steeplin Valley by train (an eight hour of the University Exhibit Museum, which itself is
trip) and from there on to the DuPont homestead to located on the corner opposite the Liberal Arts
return the statue (and any remaining auction funds). Building in West College Street.
About 25 people are present at the auction, most
As the clock nears 11.30, Henry wraps up the in small groups of two or three. These are typically
conversation by shaking each Investigator with one scholars or art dealers interested in various items
hand and passes an envelope to them in the other, for a multitude of reasons.
stating that upon the return of the statue they will Several auction staff are present to sign one of
each receive a similar amount. He then abruptly exits the characters in as a bidder (they allow only one
and leaves Booth to answer any questions the party person from each group to bid during the auction)
may have. and record the details of the groups bond (the cash
the party has on hand).
In the envelope is a train ticket to Steeplin County,
If the characters arrive before 11:45 they will have
$60 cash and the address of the DuPont estate. An time to view the statue, which sits in a dusty display
additional envelope is handed to one of the characters. case at one end of the auction room.
This contains the $3000 dollars, in $100 dollar bills,
to be used at the auction. The effigy of Fredric DuPont is carved from a very dark
stone and inlaid with a silvery metal. He has a sombre
Booth is pleasant enough, but cannot divulge much expression and carries a heavy tome under his left arm
more in the way of information, other than advising (a symbol on its cover is obscured). The other hand
the characters that the auction begins at 12 sharp. holds a large axe, the head of which rests beside his
A successful Persuade or Fasttalk roll however will right leg. His left leg is raised, resting on a fallen tree
have Booth disclose some or all of the following. one you assume from the pose he has just chopped it
down. Very faint symbols can be seen around the base
The Statues Origins. Supposedly destroyed in a
of the statue, although through the murky display case
fire more nearly a century ago, Mr DuPont has only
few other details can be made out.
recently become aware that the statue was actually
stolen and the fire used to cover up the theft. A discreet If the case is removed, or once the players have
investigation has already confirmed that the current purchased the statue, the following additional
owner is not the thief. description can be given. (Skill rolls may be necessary
The Cloak and Dagger routine. The original to make out some of the more interesting details).
thieves of the statue are long gone, however Henry The inlaid metal is silver with platinum bands
is worried about his companys board of directors. worked into the surface of the base.
The DuPonts have owned and run the States most The stone is not identifiable, a type of marble or
successful lumber mill for more than a century, but obsidian perhaps? Regardless it is a heavy and solid
with the recent passing of Henrys father, he believes peice of worked rock.
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Issue - 0 August 2002 The Rise of Xnaaki The Unbound Book

After detailed examination it is revealed that there

Xnaaki Spells are in fact eight different symbols depicted, each
of which is repeated many times on the four rows.
During this adventure someof the adversaries have Each symbol is about 12 an inch in size, and of
access to spells granted to them through their connection
similar looking shaped beetles or bugs (whether
to Xnaaki.
these are real insects or not cannot be discovered
Copy Image: This spell requires the target is alive without weeks of research), but they do seem as if
(minimum 1 Hit Point) and restrained for the duration of added for artistic rather than representative value.
a short ritual (10 minutes). It costs 1d6 Magic Points and
The artisan mark on the bottom of the statue is,
1d8 sanity, as well as 1d4 Hit Points at the conclusion
of the spell. The caster and target cannot be of different surprisingly, of an Arkham jeweller.
races nor more than 4 points different in Size. The auction starts quickly, and the first 20 items are
Once successfully completed the caster takes on the facial bid on and sold after about an hour and a half. At this
appearance of the target. The caster can retain the image point the following should be read aloud:
for 2d3 hours and then must make a successful Luck roll
for every hour there after to maintain the targets image. As a successful bidder moves up to claim item 20,
The caster must remain conscious to continue the spell, an older aristocratic type women near you shrieks in
which will also fail if the caster takes more than 5 Hit terror.
points damage in one hit. Once the spell fails the casters
This woman has discovered her miniature poodle is
appearance returns to normal and both the caster and
target take 1d4 damage. now little more than a carcass on a leash. Screaming
she scrambles to the end of the row, jerking the leash
Xnaaki Blindness Spell: The Blindness spell requires which is still wrapped around her wrist, resulting in
a Resistance Roll by the target, matching their POW the bloody dog body flying up and onto the people
versus the casters POW (plus any additional magic
behind her. Viewing this ghastly scene the characters
points expended). The base cost for casting the spell
is 2 Magic Points (and 1d6 Sanity), with an additional should make Sanity Checks losing 0/1 points.
point for each additional target (plus any additional The death of the dog is the result of a spell cast by
points added to the casters POW total for the resistance the leader of the rival party DuPont spoke about,
check).
Sheriff Wayne Coleburne. It is his plan to minimise
Targets who fail their Resistance Roll, receive damage as the number of people present at the auction when the
per the percentage they failed by. statue is finally offered.
Failure of <10% = Blinded for 1d3 Combat rounds
Failure by 11 20% = 1d2 Damage + Blinded for 1d6
The disruption takes about 20 minutes to clean up
Combat rounds and as result of the mess only 6 other bidders remain
Failure by 21 40% = 1d3 Damage + Blinded for 2d6 in the auction room. These are; a group of 3 men who
Combat rounds talk amongst themselves in hushed tones, a man and
Failure > 41% = 1d3+1 Damage + Blinded for 3d6 woman who seem to be having some kind of argument,
Combat rounds and a man who sits alone near the back of the room.
This Blindness is more than simply a lack of vision, rather
The single man is Sheriff Coleburne.
the targets are also subject to seeing horrible visions of
Xnaaki. Additionally for every two rounds blinded (and SHERIFF WAYNE COLEBURNE, Steeplin
conscious) the target loses one point of Sanity (to a Sheriff and Head Disciple of the Cult of Xnaaki,
maximum of 5). In addition each time a target fails a Age 38
Resistance Roll they receive 1 point of Cthulhu Mythos
skill from the visions they receive as a result. STR 16 EDU 14 Know 70%
CON 14 POW 17 Luck 85%
If a target is blinded for more than 10 combat rounds
SIZ 18 INT 16 Idea 70%
they are knocked unconscious for 1d3 hours.
DEX 11 APP 12 HP 16
Small pale gems, sapphires, have been inlaid as SAN 35
eyes. The quality of the statues craftsmanship is Damage Bonus: +1d4
good even if Fredrics features are not very detailed,
suggesting prehaps that the statue was scupted Weapons: Fist, 60%, damage 1d3+db
quickly. Flash Pouch, 45%, damage 1+1d6 rounds
It weighs about 25-30lbs and is base heavy with a of blindness
particularly solid feel. One would hazard a guess .32 Revolver, 40%, damage 1d8
that if it were dropped it would chip rather than
break or shatter. Skills: Accounting 20%, Bargain 40%, Cthulhu
There are four rows of symbols repeated around Mythos 20%, Credit Rating 20% (80% in
the base of the statue, each row pressed directly Steeplin County), Fast Talk 60%, Law 85%,
into a one inch platinum band. Library Use 20%, Listen 70%, Occult 50%,

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The Unbound Book The Rise of Xnaaki Issue - 0 August 2002

Map of the Luggage Carriage

Luggage Racks

<-
<- To the front of the train

<-
Sliding Cargo Doors

Persuade 70%, Pistol 40%, Psychology 60%, The Train Trip

Spot Hidden 70%, Fist 50%, Throw 45%.
Spells:Xnaaki Blindness, see the Xnaaki Spells At the conclusion of the auction the Investigators will
sidebar. no doubt head to the train station and board the next
Enthrall Victim, as per the Call of Cthulhu train to Steeplin County. The train they catch is a four-
rules. carriage steam locamotive, with 2 passenger carriages,
Mind Blast, as per the Call of Cthulhu rules. a dining car (situated between the two passenger cars)
Possessions: .32 pistol with 8 rounds of ammunition, and a luggage car (at the rear). The train is fairly quiet,
2 Flash Pouches, Sheriffs Badge and with very few passengers on board, and as such, the
Handcuffs. characters will have little trouble in acquiring a cabin
in either of the carriages.
He is a large man, big enough to stand out in a crowd,
with a strong, physically fit appearance. He wears tidy As the train leaves Arkham, heading north, the scenery
clothes, complimented with a heavy leather jacket. quickly turns to gentle hills that, while nice to look at
Beside him lays a small leather briefcase. are of no real interest to the group. For a period of the
trip there is steady rain, but this passes by the time the
Characters rolling a successful Idea Roll will note that train arrives at Newburyport. Here people get on and
he has not bid on any other items at the auction. off, before the train pulls out of the station and heads
The bidding for the last few items proceeds without northwest towards Steeplin and beyond.
further delay and at last the final item, the statue At all times during the trip the dining carriage has
comes up for offer. between six and a dozen people seated in the lounge
Only the Investigators and Sheriff Coleburne bid on areas, although while dinner is being served (between
the statue, which has an opening price of one thousand 5:30pm and 7:00pm) there is a constant flow of people
dollars. The Sheriff will bid in amounts of $100 up to to and from the tables.
his limit of two thousand, which will mean, of course, At some point after 7.00pm Booth contacts the
that the characters will eventually out bid him. At the characters by walking past their table (or seats) and
end of proceedings he is naturally unhappy at being dropping a note. Without a word he continues on
unable to out bid the Investigators and storms out of towards the back of the train.
the auction room.
The note reads Meet in the luggage carriage in 5
If the characters decide to follow the Sheriff (they minutestrust no one but DuPont
will need to leave at least one person behind to sign
and pay for the statue), he is observed leaving the It is dusk as the characters enter the luggage car. Here
University grounds by car. He does not pay any they findBooth at thefar end of the carriage struggling
attention to the Investigators unless stopped, at which with another man. The large freight doors are open
he will avoid any question and try to leave as soon as on one side of the car and before the characters can
possible. intervene Booth is thrown out of the carriage into the
murky sunset.
Once Coleburne leaves the auction he travels to the
Arkham Post Office to place a telephone call to his This man is the Sheriffs Deputy, Carl Grietski, who is
Deputy, who is located the train station on the lookout after the statue. He will use his pistol to try and get it
for Booth and DuPont. During this conversation the from the Investigators, or if they have hidden it, will
Sheriff advises his Deputy to follow the characters, take one of them hostage to guide him to it. If Carl is
surmising that they are heading to Steeplin and confronted he will use his flash pouch and attempt to
DuPonts estate. He then returns to his car and heads recover the statue while the party is blinded.
back to Steeplin County himself.
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Issue - 0 August 2002 The Rise of Xnaaki The Unbound Book

If he does acquire the statue, the train will conveniently he no longer has his jacket. As he walks towards you,
stop and he will head for a road. In this case the you notice he may well have injured his legs or ribs, as
Investigators will have to pursue him on foot. his movement is stiff and slow.
This confrontation is intended to help build the Each player must make a Resistance Roll, using their
mysterious nature of the scenario - not kill the Intelligence (INT) versus Booths POW of 11 (although
characters. Carl is little more than a bumbling idiot, to minimise tipping off the players you may want take
although an armed one. Only foolishly gung-ho or these rolls on their behalf). If any player succeeds
particularly unlucky Investigators should be seriously they notice Booth appears to be more than just a little
injured during this encounter. shaken up, although they cant quite put their finger on
what is so unusual about him.
DEPUTY CARL GRIETSKI, Bumbling Disciple
of Xnaaki, Age 28 Booth explains he was able to make it to the road after
STR 15 EDU 11 Know 55% being thrown from the train. He also states that, as was
CON 14 POW 8 Luck 40% planned, another of DuPonts agents was trailing the
SIZ 13 INT 8 Idea 40% train and picked him up. From that location the trip by
DEX 16 APP 13 HP 14 car was actually quicker into town than the one taben
SAN 35 by the train. If questioned in depth about any of the
previous meetings between Booth and the party he
Damage Bonus: +1d4
is at a loss, but will beg off, blaming the fall from the
Weapons: Fist, 50%, damage 1d3+db train.
Flash Pouch, 45%, damage 1+1d6 rounds
This man is in fact not Booth at all, but a Copy Imaged
of blindness
Servant of Xnaaki. The Doubles goal is of course to
.32 Revolver, 40%, damage 1d8 acquire the statue before it can be delivered to DuPont.
Skills: Bargain 40%, Cthulhu Mythos 15%, Credit (If the group lost the statue to Deputy Carl, the Double
Rating 15% (60% in Steeplin County), Fast Talk Booth will still appear, but with the intention of killing
50%, Law 75%, Library Use 20%, Listen 70%, the party).
Occult 20%, Persuade 50%, Spot Hidden 70%,
Fist 50%, Pistol 40%, Throw 45%. If the Double is forced to drop the guise or a party
member gets close to uncovering the truth an Idea
Possessions: .32 pistol with 16 rounds of Roll should be made. Success and they realise the
ammunition, 1 Flash Pouch, Deputy man in front of them is not truly Booth (an immediate
Sheriff Badge Sanity Roll of 1/1d4 is required by anyone revealing the
If the characters get a chance to examine Carl (or his truth). Failure and the character continues to have the
body) at any point they cant help but notice a small feelings of singular unease about Booth.
tattoo/brand of a spiky beetle on his chest. This same If the Booth Double fools the party, he says:
symbol is one of the main characters on the base of the
statue. We are still being pursued, the Deputys master
wont be so easy to overcome and we should leave
immediately. I have a car in the lot behind us.
The Train Station
There is no sign of the agent that helped Booth
When the train eventually pulls into Steeplin Valley in the lone Buick and if asked Booth states that he
station it is nearing 11pm. With heavy cloud cover has already gone, on his way to advise DuPont of the
there is no sign of the moon, which leaves the small situation.
town in almost total darkness. It has rained recently The Double then plans on getting the characters to
but, despite this, the air is humid and muggy. drive up to the DuPont homestead (he claims he is too
The train station itself is little more than a raised sore to drive). On the way he will use the spell Xnaaki
landing with a roof, a tiny office and a block of toilets. Blindness to force them off the road before attempting
to dispose of them.
Six other people get off the train with the party,
although they are all met and in small groups disappear If the Booth Double is forced to confront the
into the town. As the characters discuss their plan of group at the platform he will attempt to use the
action read the following: Enthrall Victim spell before things get out of hand.
Then, if he can get the statue, he will try and escape,
You are all very surprised to encounter Booth at the possibly casting Xnaaki Blindness in an attempt to
train station. He is a little ragged but alive bruises stun any pursers.
and cuts are visible on his arms and face and while he
is still wearing his suit trousers, his shirt is torn and

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The Unbound Book The Rise of Xnaaki Issue - 0 August 2002

off Steeplin Road, near the Mill. The road itself is

well maintained up until the Mill (about 10 minutes
drive), although the estate is another 15 minutes along
a rough unsealed track.

DuPonts Estate
As you approach the estate you become aware that
the cloud cover has thickened to make the night an
almost impenetrable darkness. It seems as if a fog
has drifted in masking everything more than 30 feet
away. A chilling wind is blowing briskly in from the
south but seems unable to move the blanket of cloud.
The DuPont homestead, a large two-story building, is
deathly quiet as is the forest to the west of the estate.
There are no signs of disturbance outside the house,
(unless by some chance the characters come across
the down power lines - see below). If the characters
do search the grounds before entering the manor a
BOOTH DOUBLE, Disguised Servant successful Spot Hidden roll reveals movement in one
STR 17 INT 13 of the upstairs windows (although what exactly is
CON 22 POW 17 moving cant be made out through the darkness and
SIZ 13 DEX 8 fog). Characters failing this roll instead get the eerie
Move 5 (slow and disjointed) almost claustrophobic feeling of being watched.
HP 17 MP 14 (remaining) The Great Hall: It is most likely that the characters
Weapons: Fist 60%, damage 1d3+1d4db. will enter the homestead through the main doors,
Dagger 40%, damage 1d6+1d4db+Poison which are not locked. Here they soon discover the
(POT = 10 The effects of render the first signs of trouble the lack of power in the house
victim unconscious for 1d4+1 hours)
(characters with no light sources are surely going to
Armour: none
end up with bruised shins!)
Sanity Loss: 1/1d4 to discover Servants true identity,
1/1d8 to see a Servant of Xnnaki. The cause of the fault can be found easily enough -
downed power lines, severed about 80 feet from the
Spells: Copy Image, see the Xnaaki Spells sidebar
house.
Xnaaki Blindness, see the Xnaaki Spells
sidebar. The second sign of trouble is the large greasy
Enthrall Victim, as per the Call of Cthulhu footprints, which can be seen on the floor of the Great
rules. Hall, although if the Investigators are without a light
Mind Blast, as per the Call of Cthulhu rules. source then a Spot Hidden Roll is required to notice
them. These human-like prints have been made with
Steeplin Valley County some sort of black/green slime which reeks with
odorous decay.
Assuming the party either take the car with Booth, or The prints lead upstairs, before petering out. They can
discover it parked in the stations lot (its the only one however be followed back to where their owner, one
there), they can continue onto the DuPont Estate. of three Servants of Xnaaki, entered the homestead,
Steeplin township has a population nearing 4000, through the West Wing (see the map for more details
although its main street is nothing in much to behold. on where the footprints lead). This Servant is now
It has eight or nine main blocks, with highlights upstairs in a confused state after an incident with
including a police station, post office, library, two DuPont.
churches and a variety of general businesses. The East Wing: Characters searching the East Wing
towns back streets are mainly residential. Oddly should make a Listen roll. Success and they hear
there is not a single car seen on the streets, and only a movement on the floor above them. Apart from this
minimum of street lighting. In fact, the only building noise there are no signs of disturbance in this part
seemingly occupied appears to be the town police of the house with the Dining, Smoking and Billiard
station. rooms have nothing of real interest in them.
The DuPont estate is located up the valley, directly
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Issue - 0 August 2002 The Rise of Xnaaki The Unbound Book

Up hill towards the coast Map of the DuPont Estate

Study

Kitchen & Dining, Smoking

Staff Quarters & Billards rooms

Downed
Power Lines

Great
Hall

Garage
Disused
Stables

To th Mill & Town

West Wing: If searched the Investigators discover The Study

where the Servants of Xnaaki entered the building.
The creatures have wandered into most of the rooms Assuming the characters follow the footprints
of this wing, leaving behind their tell-tale footprints backwards through the house, they will be lead to the
throughout, although apart from these all the rooms Study door, where they immediately notice a greasy
are otherwise untouched. hand print on the handle. Entry into this room from
UpStairs: Following the tracks upstairs becomes the Great Hall is difficult however, as a corpse of one
more difficult as they fade. The Servant upstairs is of the Servants is lying against the other side. If a
not hiding, but rather aimlessly wandering around Strength Resistance Roll versus the corpses Size of 14
after DuPont cast a spell on it. Currently in one of the succeeds, the door can be forced open.
East Wing bedrroms, it will not attack the party, rather You wrench the door inwards with as much force as
once disturbed will attempt to flee, dropping DuPonts you can muster and after considerable effort it shifts
diary in the process (see The Diary of DuPont below suddenly and slides inwards.
for more details). If necessary the Servant will leap
from a second story window to escape, and will only It is immediately apparent what the obstruction is
attack if cornered. a putrid skeletal corpse is slumped in the doorway.
A large ragged hole has been blasted in its chest
SERVANT OF XNAAKI, Enchanted and blackening what little flesh is left around the wound.
Confused Intruder The rest of the corpse is an unnatural greenish colour,
STR 12 INT 14 its long fingers twisted as if suffering from some sort
CON 22 POW 13 of hellish arthritis. It is naked, its withered genitals
SIZ 13 DEX 3 exposed.
Move 5 (slow and disjointed)
HP 11 MP 8 (remaining) As you watch, a little blood and a thick green fluid
have drains from the wound into a sickly pool around
Weapons: Fist 40%, damage 1d3+1d4db.
the corpse.
Dagger 40%, damage 1d6+1d4db.
All characters viewing the dead Servant should make a
Armour: none
Sanity Check losing 1/1d4 Sanity. From the Great Hall,
Sanity Loss: 1/1d8 to see a Servant of Xnnaki. little can be seen in the Study although it is obvious
there has been some sort of serious disruption inside.
Spells: Xnaaki Blindness, see the Xnaaki Spells
Anyone stepping inside will immediately to see the
sidebar.
following.

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The Unbound Book The Rise of Xnaaki Issue - 0 August 2002

Stepping over the rancid pool around the corpse you further.
enter the Study. A nauseating smell hangs in the air
Once the servant is stopped, DuPont will advise the
death, blood and charred flesh. Glancing back you
characters they will be safe in the house, that the
see the inside of the study doors are blackened and
disciples of the demon are tonight performing rituals,
splattered with the innards of the corpse. Furniture,
a task that will take all night. DuPont is obviously weak
books and papers have been scattered violently
and throughout the rest of the night he slips in and out
around the room. Between you and a large desk is
of consciousness. When awake he rambles about the
a second corpse, far more seriously damaged than
situation.
the first, now little more than a charred skeleton.
A faint stream of smoke still slowly drifts from Within the Statue is the Stone of Xnalku an item
its incinerated remains, although there is no sign that can be used to evoke many different rites The
as to what has inflicted the assault. It also has an most sinister ritual will unleash a horrifying creature
unnatural appearance, too thin, too tall, too twisted from its age old prisonThe demon, Xnaaki, has
to be human. been trapped in the Steeplin Lake for a millenium
banished by another of his kind an aeon ago Xnaaki
All players viewing the second Servant should make a
is weak now but if ever the stone and the beast are
Sanity Check or lose 1/1d2 Sanity.
re-united DuPont trails off.
Henry DuPont is also in the study, barely conscious,
There are only a handful of madmen crazy enough
lying on the floor behind the desk. He is almost in an
to worship Xnaakithe head disciple is the Sheriff of
as bad a state as the two corpses, his left arm, from
this very townhe has little in the way of followers
the elbow down, is missing and is bleeding heavily (he
but with that damned stone Xnaaki will invade the
has applied a simple tourniquet with his jacket, but
minds of all but the strongest.
this has done little to stem the flow). He also has a cut
scalp and a serious deep stab wound in his stomach. A Destroying the stone is the only way to secure
number of cuts and scrapes are also about his body but Xnaaki in its prison I only wish I could live to see it
are minor in comparison. myselfa ritual is among these papers to fail is to
condemn the world.
DuPont requires an immediate First Aid or Medical
attention to prevent him from falling unconscious. A
success stabilises him, but the medic will realise his Morning After
wounds are most likely terminal he has perhaps a
few hours if not moved. The nearest hospital outside Whatever the group decide to do next, they should be
Steeplin is probably Concord, but if Dupont is moved aware that it is the middle of a dark foreboding night
he will shriek in agony and beg to be left where he is. and any plans they concoct should wait until at least
first light (Keepers should remind them of this - they
Beside DuPont is a handful of tattered and now bloody are not supermen).
papers. This manuscript is in a spidery hand comprised
of both English and Arabic text (they cannot be read If the party still holds the statue, they can only
without good light and a bit of concentration). watch as DuPonts condition gets worse and despite
their best efforts he passes away painlessly shortly
Even if the characters cant stabilise DuPont he will after 5am.
speak to them for a moment before passing out. He
is barely coherent and obviously in shock, a situation As per DuPonts advice, the best course of action would
which Keepers can use to their advantage to avoid be to head into town at sunrise and from there make
answering questions and to be generally mysterious. there way back to Arkham, manuscript in hand (To
help facilitate this DuPont has a car in the garage).
It takes DuPont a moment or two to recognise who you There is, of course, the possibility they may wish to
are. He coughs a grim laugh before saying You made do some investigating in Steeplin, in which case see
it, excellent. Do you have the statue? Steeplin County Investigation below. Finally they
Yes they have the statue. Thank god at first may decide to confront the Sheriff and the cult directly
light you must take it and this manuscript (he points (Keepers should discourage this option), although
to the papers beside him) and get out of Steeplin. this is not the best course of action, considering
the Sheriffs position, the lack of solid information
No, they have lost the statue. Mother of god and other avenues of investigation still open to the
whatever you do it must be recoveredbefore characters.
before they are able to evoke its power and release
the demon. If the party doesnt have the statue they will
need to steal it back from the Sheriff before heading
DuPont insists there is another Servant in the out of town. DuPont will make a dramatic plea to the
homestead, stating it must be killed before he will talk characters to recover the statue, pointing out that the
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Issue - 0 August 2002 The Rise of Xnaaki The Unbound Book

Sheriff will have it under lock and key (DuPont is able HP 17 MP 16

to provide an address for the Sheriffs home - he lives Weapons: Fist 40%, damage 1d3+1d4db.
opposite the Mill on a small farm). He will also explain
that Xnaaki can only be contacted on the new or full Armour: none
moon and with tonight being a full moon, the cult will Sanity Loss: 1/1d8 to see a Servant of Xnnaki.
have to wait at least two weeks before they can use the
Stone of Xnalku. DuPont clings to life long enough to Spells: Xnaaki Blindness, see the Xnaaki Spells
sidebar.
supply any required information before passing away.
Mind Blast, as per the Call of Cthulhu rules.

Recovering the Statue Steeplin County Investigation

If, at any point of the adventure, the statue is stolen, it
If the characters decide to do any investigation
soon becomes apparent that it is the key to a successful
in Steeplin they will have access to the following
conclusion to this investigation.
information. However by lingering in town they will
If the cult has acquired the statue it will be secured at also risk drawing attention to themselves, especially
the Sheriffs residence until the moon is right for the if they are spotted on the street. If located, the Sheriff
next ritual. will attempt to arrest them and characters who get
themselves caught are destined to become the next
The farm is typical of many rural holdings, well
Servants of Xnaaki.
maintained and private (it is surrounded by trees).
It is less than a mile from the Mill and, at all times of The Library. With a successful Library Use Roll a
the day, noise from the plant filters through the trees, book on Steeplins history can be found. In this there
giving the house and land an eerie feeling as if it is is some information about the design of the DuPont
somehow disconnected from the real world. Statue and its maker.
The Sheriff is usually home between 6pm and 8:30am Commissioned by Fredric DuPont and sculpted by
each day, and will otherwise be on duty at the Sheriffs Harvard Haywright, an Arkham jeweller, the book
office or on business around town. The house, a large also mentions the symbols on the statue, apparently
single story ranch style home, is guarded during the they refer to eight different Arabic religious rituals,
day by his two dogs. The two dogs should be treated although further details are not provided.
as Wolves (see the Call of Cthulhu Rulebook) and will
The library has no references to either Xnaaki or the
fiercely defend the house. Note that gunfire outside the
stone of Xnalku.
house will more than likely draw the attention of the
nearby Mill workers. The Mill. Mill workers and administrators happily
talk about general Mill issues and their dislike for
There is little of interest inside the house and not
DuPont. Almost everyone is of the opinion that he
surprisingly no evidence can be found linking the
is trying to run the town into the ground and might
Sheriff to the cult. Once the house is searched
even be responsible for some of the towns missing
however, a trap door can be found in the Study leading
persons.
to a hidden basement.
The Steeplin Express. The local paper is the only
This basement is little more than a single small room
place with any real records about people who have
with dirt floor and walls. The only objects of interest
gone missing in the area (apart from these reports the
in the room is a small shrine (on which the statue
Sheriff has carefully covered his tracks). In total there
can been seen) and a puddle of muddy water next to
have been 14 missing persons in the last eight years, all
it, where the recent rain has seeped in and formed a
in or around Steeplin Lake.
pool.
A Servant of Xnaaki protects the statue and is resting
in this muddy pool. If the pool is disturbed, or if the
Time Marches On
characters move within a foot of the shrine, the Servant
The smartest approach is to leave Steeplin and return
arises shrieking and attacks the nearest investigator.
to Arkham to investigate the diary and manuscript.
SERVANT OF XNAAKI, Guardian of the However during the next two weeks the following
Shrine events occur:
STR 17 INT 17 The death of DuPont, Booth, Deputy Carl and
CON 30 POW 16 anyone else makes headlines, even as far south as
SIZ 13 DEX 5 Arkham.
Move 5 (slow and disjointed) If the characters do not lay low Coleburne will have

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The Unbound Book The Rise of Xnaaki Issue - 0 August 2002

agents locate them and attempt to get the statue

from them (these agents will be similar to Deputy The Diary of DuPont
Carl in ability). 1750. Fredric DuPont is born to Martha and Alfred
Two days after the events in Steeplin the DuPont DuPont in the colony of New York.
homestead is burnt to the ground. DuPonts 1780. At age 30, Fredric travels to the Middle East and
funeral, scheduled for a week after the fateful opens a successful trading business. About this time his
evening, goes ahead despite the arson. DuPonts parents die and he is left the family fortune.
next of kin arrive from England soon afterwards 1790. Fredric becomes involved in the establishment of
and by the time the characters return to the valley, a gentlemans club, primarily to assist in his trading. This
plans are already under way to sell the Mill. club however has a much more sinister heart.
Interpreting the manuscript pages takes four or 1800. Fredric begins preparations to return to America
five days of study (see Investigation of the Artifacts as tension amongst the clubs more powerful members
below) and should allow for injured characters to builds.
regain a few Hit Points. 1801. The cult is disbanded and Fredric leaves for
Washington D.C. with the leader of the cult.
1802. DuPont arrives home in America without the cult
Investigation of the Artifacts leader is dead (althought the Stone of Xnalku, the cults
most powerful artifact is now in his possession).
The Diary of DuPont 1809. Fredric has spends 7 years traveling with the
Approximately 90 pages in length, it is not what one Stone of Xnalku as his guide, finally settling in the
Steeplin Valley.
would call a conventional diary, rather it discusses
1810. Construction begins on the DuPont mill.
the DuPont family lineage and history. (See the The
1811. The Church of Xnaaki is established.
Diary of DuPont sidebar). 1812. The Church is closed to keep the Mill workers
The Manuscript Pages happy.
1815. DuPont marries and turns over a new leaf,
The seven pages making up the manuscript are in abandoning his pursuit of Xnaaki. The statue is made to
physically poor condition. Written in a combination of hide the Stone of Xnalku.
English and Arabic the handwriting is in a particularly 1821. Fredric has his first and only child, Robert.
erratic style, using a dark red and suspiciously blood 1826. Fredric DuPont dies in hunting accident.
-like ink. The pages are stiff and inflexible as if made 1842. Robert comes of age and takes ownership of the
of some sort of treated fabric or hide. DuPont Mill.
1844. Robert marries.
Skimming the Manuscript. It is obvious that the 1847. The statue and a few other items of jewelry are
author is a madman as the manuscript often jumps stolen from the DuPont estate and a fire is used to cover
between English and Arabic, frequently mid-sentence. the theft. The thieves sell the stolen items on foreign
There are references to many different cults, religions black markets.
and Great Old Ones in the text, but more specifically, 1855. Mathew DuPont is born.
several different rituals or spells can be made out. 1885. Mathew marries and takes ownership of the Mill.
The same year Robert dies.
Origins of the Manuscript Pages. Any further 1889. Henry DuPont is born.
investigation into the origins of the text requires an 1910. The manuscript pages are discovered by a Steeplin
adequate library (such as the Restricted Section of town deputy. With the script he reforms the cult which
the Miskatonic University library) and a successful slowly grows in numbers and influence.
Library Use roll. 1916. Mathew is killed by the cult when he refuses to
join.
The pages are from the Book of Al Arkmarb, which 1917. Henry takes ownership of the DuPont Mill and
is about 500 years old. Essentially this text is a poor quickly learns the truth behind his fathers death.
translation of several rituals and spells written by an 1918. Henry begins researching a way to stop the
even older Arabic madman. The full book is supposed cult and destroy Xnaaki. He also begins to plan the
to cover a variety of Mythos subjects, although relocation of the Mill and the local population away
from the Lake.
the pages on hand specifically refer to Xnaaki, its
1919. The Stone of Xnalku is located and Henry arranges
Servants and several related rituals. According to
for its sale in Arkham. Closing the mill is proving more
the few tomes that make reference to the Book of Al difficult than initially planned.
Arkmarb, only one copy of this manuscript exists. 1920. The cult begins to fight the move, as does the
A further Library Use Roll can be made to research the Mills board, although for very different reasons. The
stone arrives in Arkham ahead of schedule.
cults, disciples and history of Xnaaki.
A cult existed in 1050ad that had made reference The last entry in the dairy is on the 1st of August, in which
to the worship of The Banished evil god - many Henry states heplans to hire a number of trustworthy
details of which fit the description of Xnaaki. This souls to acquire the statue

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Issue - 0 August 2002 The Rise of Xnaaki The Unbound Book

cult led by an Arab was based in Englands Severn

Valley. No further details are given, although the Rituals from the Manuscript
cults destruction is later mentioned as taking place Call of Xnaaki
after locals claimed a demon had visited them in their Language:English
sleep. Cost: Nil
Required Casting Time: 3 mins
In 1790ad more evidence of a Xnaaki cult is recorded,
A successful English roll is required to read and
this time in Egypt. Again its members are said to have
understand this ritual. The Call of Xnaaki is a simple
disappeared suddenly. chant, which, when cast under a full or new moon at
A reference can be found concerning the Steeplin midnight on the shores of Xnaakis prison, calls forth
Valley and a Church of Xnaaki. Opened in 1811, it the Great One from its slumber. Xnaaki will surface in
approximately 5 minutes.
is described as a place of free worship until, with the
influx of Christian workers to the area forced it was Restrain Xnaaki Servant
focred to close its doors. Further details on what was Language:English & Arabic
worshipped in the church are not mentioned, although Cost: 0 - 2 Magic Points
suggestion are made that one Fredric DuPont, a town Requires Casting Time: 1 Combat Round
father, was actively involved in the worship there. Spell Duration: 1 hour
Rituals in the Manuscript Pages. There are four Requires one read English roll (to understand the ritual
purpose) and a further read Arabic roll to complete the
rituals scattered amongst the pages of the manuscript,
translation. This spell restrains all Servants of Xnaaki
each of which must be translated and studied. Each from coming with 5 feet of the caster, although the it has
spell or ritual takes approximately a day to translate, no effect Xnaaki nor his mortal worshippers.
read and absorb. (See the Rituals from the
Veil of Azif
Manuscript sidebar).
Language: English & Arabic
On the seventh page of the text is the beginning Cost: 1d6+1 Magic Points*
of a very different spell and, although the opening Requires Casting Time: 2 -3 mins
sentences are in English, the spell itself is actually Spell Duration: 3d6 mins
written in an Arabic code. Both a successful Arabic Requires one read English roll (to understand the ritual
and Mathematics rolls are required to crack this purpose) and a further read Arabic roll to complete the
code, although if translated the reader discovers that translation. When invoked the casters vision is masked,
the ritual is incomplete, instead hinting that it is for as if they are in a heavy thick fog (all attacks and actions
opening a gateway or a portal to another world. No should take this into account). The most important
more can be learned without the other pages from the function of this spell is to allow the caster the option of
expending Magic Points instead San for sanity loss.
manuscript - which of course are not present.
*Sanity cost is only for the first casting, additional
During the translation of the manuscript the group castings only cost 1 Sanity.
will no doubt uncover that the rituals can only be Bain of Xnalku
enacted on a night with either a new or full moon. A Language: English & Arabic
quick calculation can be made to discover that when Cost: 1 Magic Point
the adventure began it was a new moon, meaning that Requires Casting Time: 1 Combat Round
even after spending a week translating the rituals, they Requires one read English roll (to understand the ritual
may have several more days to wait before attempting purpose) and a further read Arabic roll to complete
to raise Xnaaki. This is of course is a convenient the translation. This spell allows the caster to destroy
opportunity to acquire weapons and formulate a plan the Stone of Xnalku by making a POW Resistance Roll
of attack. versus the POW Xnaaki. Multiple casters can combine
POW scores to make a single resistance check against
The Statue Xnaaki. Failure just enrages Xnaaki further, success
Before DuPont died he would have advised the party results in the stone being destroyed and Xnaaki being
banished back to prision... forever?
that the Stone of Xnalku is in the statue, so before
they will be able to perform the final ritual, the Bain of Haywright (now in his 70s) now runs the Jewellery
Xnalku, they will need to free it. store and has records of the statue. These confirm the
It is possible to take it to the jewellery store where it general design of the piece and mention that there is
was made, Haywrights in Arkham. Also there is the an oval stone at its center.
possibility that they will investigate at the jewellers for If requested, Haywright can cut free the Stone of
further clues. Xnalku, or alternatively the statue may simply be
The original sculptor is long dead (the statue being smashed to pieces. Either way the stone is unharmed.
made over a hundred years ago) but his son Avery
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The Unbound Book The Rise of Xnaaki Issue - 0 August 2002

The Stone of Xnalku should eventually either, change their minds or kill
them outright.
The stone is small enough to fit into the palm of your
hand but weighs much more than yourd expect from The smarter course of action is to destroy the stone.
a rock of this size. Its black surface is covered with To do this all characters should learn the rituals (or at
faint weaving ridges, each one tainted with a subtle least the last three) if they hope to destroy the stone.
crimson streak. For those who do not have skill to read Arabic, it can
be translated for them, and a Read/Write English Roll
The Veil of Azif. When seen under the veil, the stone
made instead, although this is with a 10% penalty.
has a much more alien appearance.
Deciding how to deal with Xnaaki and his Servants
The stone appears to shift and move, the ridges
should be a simple enough decision kill the Servants
turn into tiny tentacles that dart about in random
and banish Xnaaki. They can keep the Servants at bay
directions. It has an unnatural glow and seems to
with the Restrain ritual and the Bain of Xnalku will
emit a whimpering groan, as if it were some lame
stop the Great Old One. The disciples, however, pose
animal.
a different type of threat, one which the characters
will have to think carefully about. Characters killing
Calm Before the Storm the disciples in cold blood or without provocation risk
losing sanity.
The characters should now have learnt three important
No matter how much the characters plan and
facts:
regardless of how well they deal with the Servants and
That Xnaaki is trapped in Steeplin Lake and cannot disciples Xnaaki is still a Great Old One. Its horror,
escape without the stone of Xnalku. magnitude and total alienness should not be down
That there appears to be only one way to destroy played. Most normal humans encountering Xnaaki
the stone the Bain of Xnalku ritual. would not only lose their minds but also their lives.
The ritual must be carried out in the presence of The key to the climax of the scenario is in exposing
Xnaaki. the characters to the horror of Xnaaki without having
them being pointless slaughtered. (Of course reckless
At this stage they have two options hide the stone or
or foolish players should be treated by the Keeper as
destroy it and Xnaaki.
appetisers for the Great Old One.)
If the characters decide to hide the stone they will
Let the players hack n slash the Servants and struggle
discover that it has an uncanny way of being found.
with the disciples but most importantly they should
This option should be discouraged, in fact DuPont
come away with the feeling that they have not defeat
himself has advised against it. If they still persist with
Xnaaki, but rather having simply escaped it alive.
this option, further attacks by disciples of Xnaaki

Map of the Steeplin Lake

8 miles to the Mill

Ritual Clearing
Where
Xnaaki
rises ->

Main Clearing
<- Steeplin Lake Road
10 minutes to town

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Steeplin Lake Xnaaki

The characters can enter Steeplin County by train or Advanced Description Xnaakis slimy dripping body
car, however as they will need to travel undetected is bulberous in shape and loosely cylindrical, 6 to 7 feet
and also make their way to the lake, a car would be wide and at least 40 feet long. It moves on a belly of
tentacles, each approximately 6 in lenght. Its massive
advisable.
gapping mouth is filled with row upon row of wriggling
The lake is about 10 minutes drive east of the town, on tentacle like teeth.
a road that arcs gently northwards. At this point the Origins of Xnaaki. The details concerning the origins
lake is only about 8 miles from the Mill. of Xnaaki should remain hidden. Similarities to Glaaki
can be made but one can never know the truth behind
The climatic conclusion will probably unfold by itself,
either.
the Keeper should not need to spend to much time
setting the scene as either the characters will rush the Cult of Xnaaki. Those mad or foolish enough to
ritual and try to raise Xnaaki before the cult arrives worship Xnaaki will be rewarded for their efforts,
or will wait to ambush them. A few basic points to usually in the form of a horrifyingly gratuitous death!
However those with an understanding of the ways of
remember are.
the Great Olds, such as Sheriff Coleburne, are be able to
The ritual Call of Xnaaki will only work under a face Xnaaki and receive gifts from the Great One. Xnaaki
full or new moon. imparts knowledge of other races, worlds and times and
The disciples meet every full and new moon at the infrequently spells. Those mad and patient enough could
ritual clearing, although the characters may or may easily uncover many of the worlds great secrets in the
not be aware of this. service of this ancient entity.
After the Call of Xnaaki ritual is completed it takes Creating Xnaaki Servants. Unlike Glaaki, Xnaaki
several minutes for the Great Old One to rise. is not well suited to mental control or attacks. It
commands its undead servants only after they have had
How Xnaaki and his minions react to the attack can one of its tentacles imbedded in them. After a normal
vary greatly depending on how the Keeper wishes to tentacle attack, when Xnaaki has its victim firmly in its
treat them., while the number of protagonists depends grasp it can shoot 1d4 smaller tentacles into them. Each
on the size and combat skills of the party. The Author of these tentacles does 1d4 damage, with any those doing
recommends that in addition to the Sheriff and the only 1 or 2 points failing to attach (falling to the ground
eventual arrival of Xnaaki, a good guide is two cultists to wither and die). Tentacles doing 3 or 4 points damage
successfully borrow into the victim. If the damage done
and/or one Servant per party member.
to the victims in the ritual kills them, then they soon
Once darkness falls the cultist gather in the ritual after rise again as a Servant of Xnaaki. Victims surviving
clearing in preparation for the evening ahead. Up until this ordeal become living channels for the will of Xnaaki,
midnight they enact chants and rituals, worshipping although in day to day life they remain of their own free
will .
Xnaaki and speaking of the time it will rise eternal and
bestow gifts upon all those who follow. TYPICAL SERVANT OF XNAAKI, The Will of
Xnaaki
Unless the characters make a point of being seen they
STR 17 INT 12
will not be noticed observing the cultists ceremonies. CON 24 POW 13
SIZ 13 DEX 6
Midnight at the Shores of the Move 5 (slow and disjointed)
HP 15
Prison Weapons: Fist 40%, damage 1d3+1d4db.
Armour: none
At midnight the characters are able start the ritual Sanity Loss: 1/1d8 to see a Servant of Xnnaki.
which will raise Xnaaki. This requires chants and
actions of its own, which quite possibly could attract grumbling howl, punctuated with piercing alien
the cultists attention. shrieks. The ground vibrates and the sound of foliage
Once the ritual is completed, Xnaaki begins to rise . splintering and shrubs being crushed reaches your
From the bottom of the lake bubbles of air escape and ears. It appears suddenly, almost as if it were some
soon a dark shape can be seen nearing the surface. horrifyingly animated train moving towards you
This takes about 5 minutes and if not already alerted, on a mass of writhing tentacles rather than wheels. Its
the arrival of Xnaaki soon gets the cultists attention. segmented body is shiny and black, its other worldly
appearance is an unbelievable sight. The head of the
Once to the surface of the lake Xnaaki makes its way to creature is simply a black pit a mouth perhaps - but
the characters location. you cannot bring yourself to look for long. As it raises
Through the darkness you hear the creature, a its first segments from the ground, towering 10 feet

14
The Unbound Book The Rise of Xnaaki Issue - 0 August 2002

into the air tentacles lash out in all directions. makes the undead appear as nothing more than dark
shadows, while the living are vibrant and easily visible.
XNAAKI, Great Old One
This means the characters will naturally focus on the
STR 32 INT 26 cultists leaving the Servants free to act.
CON 65 POW 28
SIZ 60 DEX 10 Restrain Xnaaki Servant. Once cast the Servants
Move 7 (Centipede like on hundreds of squirming cannot attack the characters but they can still try to
tentacles) distract them.
HP 65 (each tentacle has 8 hit points) The Stone of Xnalku. Xnaaki and his Servants are
MP 16 drawn to the stone and will focus their attention on the
Weapons: Tentacles, 80%, damage 1d8+3d6db, character holding it.
Xnaakis tentacles combine to act as one
The Bain of Xnalku Ritual. Regardless of how
attack per turn. Xnaaki will focus this attack
the previous rituals are enacted, the casting of the
on the closest target. (This can include any
final ritual should be dramatic. The clashing of minds
disciple or Servant if close enough).
Xnaaki versus the characters, haunting flashes of
Devour, 50%, damage 6d10 (per round). other worlds, lives and horrors blind the characters as
The Devour attack requires the target to they face Xnaaki. The Veil of Azif does little to shield
have received a successful tentacle attack in them from the alien and evil force that approximates
previous round. A successful devour attack the horrifying mind of a Great Old One.
sees the target swallowed whole.
CULTIST OF XNAAKI, Disciples of a Hidden God
Armour: 25 points Xnaakis Body is soft and slimy,
STR CON SIZ DEX INT POW DB HP
but amazingly resilient to damage. Each of
Xnaakis tentacles has only 2 points of armour 1) 17 12 12 14 8 7 +1D4 12
however.
2) 16 14 16 8 12 12 +1D4 15
Sanity Loss: 1d10/1d20. The darkness and prior
3) 18 13 16 13 12 8 +1D6 16
understanding of the horror that
is Xnaaki assists the characters in 4) 15 18 17 12 11 9 +1D4 17
withstanding this terrifying entity.
5) 17 14 16 16 10 10 +1D6 16
Spells: Xnaaki Blindness, see the Xnaaki Spells
sidebar. 6) 16 15 15 17 7 14 +1D4 16
Mind Blast, as per CoC manual.
Enthrall Victim, as per CoC manual.
Conclusion
Once Xnaaki reaches the lake side its Servants awaken After Xnaaki is banished its Servants collapse, their
to its call. These reside in the mud at the bottom of tentative link to the realm of the living severed. As
lake during the daylight hours and now rise from the for the cultists, they lose heart once their master is
dirt and slime around the characters feet. defeated although, if he is still alive, Sheriff Coleburne
The following are options that a Keeper may wish to is furtherenraged and will attack the characters with a
keep in mind while the combat between the characters renewed fury.
and Xnaaki takes place. The Cultists. Any surviving cultists will give up after
Xnaaki. Xnaaki is enraged at being summoned in the Xnaaki is gone and the Sheriff is defeated. They will
presence of the Stone of Xnalku and will use physical blame most of their acts on Coleburne, saying he was
rather than magical forms of attack. Reaching out with responsible for leading them astray.
massed tentacles it drags all that it grabs into its maw. The survivors are from all walks of life, but most are
Having shrubs, cultists and Servants disappearing into from the older, more respected families from the
that black pit of a mouth will frighten the players as valley, and as such prison means little to them after
much as the sheer size and weight of the creature. they lose their standing in the tight community.
Most attacks the characters will inflict on the Great As for any dead cultists and the Servants bodies,
Old One will focus on the tentacles, so go ahead and the inevitable investigation will be confusing and
let them blast away at these slimy ropes as the damage complicated. Unless the players are sloppy they should
will do little to effect Xnaaki. not have any trouble avoiding any repercussions. The
The Veil of Azif. This ritual can mask the characters key to staying below the radar is simple dont leave
vision but it should also be treated as an advantage any evidence behind.
to the followers of Xnaaki. For example the veil The Journal and the Manuscript. These pose
15
Issue - 0 August 2002 The Rise of Xnaaki The Unbound Book

On the Unbound
interesting questions. Have the party discovered the
beginning of the fifth ritual? Do the group hand over
the manuscript to the Miskatonic University and form
a relationship with a scholar there? Or do they hide
the manuscript to ensure it doesnt fall into the wrong
hands?
Website
The Rise of Xnaaki
To protect themselves, the Diary of DuPont should be
destroyed or at least securely hidden. The manuscript
on the other hand holds a potential evil, but does
not implicate the characters in any way. The players
decision on how to deal with these papers is a perfect - D20 Stats for The Rise of Xnaaki
opportunity to open up further adventures.
- A Players Guide to Steeplin Valley
Steeplin County. The town itself will return to
normal after the events of August 1920. Xnaaki - Maps of Steeplin Valley and Township!
remains hidden in the lake but is now trapped
permanently or so we hope.
Visit the Unbound Book Website @
Booth. If he wasnt discovered earlier, his body
is found by the Rail authorities not to far from the www.unboundbook.org
train tracks. Apparently having survived the fall from
the train, he has died under even more mysterious
circumstances. Bound, with his throat cut, he is
drained of all his blood. A spiked beetle has been
drawn on his chest!
Rewards. Each character receives 1d20 Sanity (plus
any extra for good roleplaying etc) in knowing that
they have stopped an ancient and terrible evil. Xnaaki
still resides in the lake, but with luck and foresight it
can never again Rise!

16
The Unbound Book His Wildest Dreams Issue - 0 August 2002

(Note: To play this scenario it is suggested the Keeper has access

to both the Dreamlands and Kingsport supplements for Call of
Cthulhu. In the absence of the Kingsport book, another city can
be substituted with a little effort, although some background
information has been provided on the Resources page of The
Unbound Book website [www.unboundbook.org]).

Keepers Background
When Jonathan Nash died he left his tottering Georgian home on
Church Street, Kingsport, to his Bostonian nephew, Allen. Allen
was shocked at the dilapidated state his eccentric, reclusive uncle
had left the place in, but realised its potential value if it was done
up and decided to do it himself, as a weekend project.
A month or so into the job, Allen happened upon a secret
compartment in his uncles former bedroom the only room
that appeared lived in. In this compartment he discovered three
items of interest: a bag containing several bottles of a strong
sedative, an oddly shaped Crystal on a metal stand and a journal.
In this journal, Jonathan told how he had stolen the Crystal from
a Chinese Sorcerer when travelling in the East and how he had
discovered its incredible power. If a man sleeps with the Crystal
beside his bed, he is transported in his dreams to a marvellous
land of wonders - a land where a man of strong will can become
whatever he desires and go where it is even possible to cheat
Her Hunger 2002 Alan M. Clark physical death. It was clear that over the years Jonathan spent
more and more of his time in this world, using sedatives to
prolong his sleep. This seems to have had severe effects on
Jonathans health and sanity, and indeed, near the end of his life
the journal became totally incoherent.
Jonathan died, hit by a car, on a rare trip outside his house to
buy food, and as such lost his chance of immortality in the land of
Dream.
Allen was fascinated and decided to sleep with the Crystal on
his nightstand. That night he discovered the Dreamlands
entering the Enchanted Wood through a magical cave of the same
substance as the Dream Crystal. That first evening he became

His Wildest
enchanted, and indeed, addicted.
Taking a six month sabbatical from his job as a librarian at
Harvard, he moved into the house on Church Street where he

Dreams
could dream in peace. But after a few weeks he had an accident
seemingly minor but with terrible ramifications.
Venturing into parts of the Dreamlands his placid uncle never
found, Allen, a veteran of the Great War with a much darker
A Call of Cthulhu Adventure set imagination, disturbed a hungry Gug. Fleeing headlong from the
in Kingsport, January 1925 beast he woke with a start and leaped from his bed, knocking the
Crystal to the floor, and cracking it.
By Mark Chiddicks He was terrified he had ruined it and immediately took a sedative
to test its power. He was relieved to find the Dreamlands were
still accessible, but what he did not realise was that the crack
had altered the Crystals structure in one significant way now it
worked BOTH WAYS.
Since that night, a week ago, every time Allen uses the Crystal

17
Issue - 0 August 2002 His Wildest Dreams The Unbound Book

something crosses into the Waking World appearing

randomly within a quarter of a mile of the house and Prelude - The Creatures of Dream
staying in Kingsport for a random period of time Before the Investigators are involved with the case
before being snatched back to its own dimension. the following creatures have travelled over from
the Dreamlands.
These Dream creatures are often harmless, but
sometimes terrible and it is an encounter with Tuesday 13/01/25. Being of Ib - wanders Central
these terrible things that brings our heroes into the Hill Cemetery in terror. Seen by the wino, Davy
adventure. Harris.
Wednesday 14/01/25. Wenelian - wrecks
Introduction The Cloudbeast Kingsport Public Library, seen by nobody.
Thursday 15/01/25. 5 Zoogs scuttle around
It is a chill winter evening in Kingsport. This town Central Hill, killing cats 8 cats die horribly,
can be a forlorn place out of season, now tourism is several witnesses see wild wolverine or similar
its lifeblood. In the middle of winter there are few creatures.
tourists and most of the local artistic community is Friday 16/01/25. Butterfly Dragon appears in
out of town. Freezing fogs roll in from the sea on Hubert Davis apartment in Robbins Apartments
most nights, reducing visibility to a few feet. On this and deafens him. Nobody believes his story, but the
particular night however, there is not fog, but clouds doctor is mystified. Davis is in the Congregational
hang heavily overhead. Hospital undergoing tests.

The Investigators are visiting the Congregational Saturday 17/01/25. Small Fireworm of Parg
- appears in the basement of the First Unitarian
Hospital in Central Hill where a mutual friend, Dr
Church and burns it down during evening service.
Curtis Newman, is recovering from burns suffered 5 die, 3 badly burned survivors, including the
in last nights terrible fire which gutted his church Pastor, claim a Worm Demon from Hell came up
and killed five parishioners. Newman has specifically through the floor.
asked for the Investigators to visit him.
Sunday 18/01/25. The Cloudbeast Attacks
Dr Newman is, sadly, in a wretched state. Heavily see below.
dosed with morphine for the pain of his burns, he
hardly recognises his friends, but in a lucid moment he If the nurse is attacked, the attack is automatically
moans that a demon attacked his Church, burning up successful as she is pulled up screaming, into the
through the floor and trapping half the congregation. clouds, never to be seen again. In this case, the sanity
It was a miracle God spared him and he must warn loss is 1/1d10 instead!
everyone that demons are real. There is no earthly weapon capable of harming a
If asked to describe the demon, he will break down, Cloudbeast. If a victim resists its attempts to absorb
unless a Persuade or Psychoanalysis roll is made, in them, the Beast drops him, doing 2d6 damage. Apart
which case he manages a reasonable description of the from that the only thing to do is to run back inside
front third of a 10ft long Fireworm of Parg. No doubt the Hospital. Heroic Investigators might, of course,
the PCs will leave, believing the shock to have been too wish to aid the nurse, who is still running across the
much for their friend. car park. If they fail to do so, further sanity rolls are
appropriate.
As they exit the hospital and walk towards their car or
cars, the heavens open and heavy rain starts to pour. If Once indoors, the Investigators are safe and the
a Spot Hidden roll is made, one of them glances up at Cloudbeast flies off across Central Hill, snatching
the clouds, and sees a horror! away a further three poor souls before it vanishes.
Now they have personally witnessed such a horror,
Immediately above the car park the clouds are roiling the Investigators will surely realise something must
and twisting as if they were alive. The very clouds be done!
themselves seem to be shaping into great pseudopods,
which are even now reaching down towards you! CLOUDBEAST, Vaporous Predator
STR N/A INT 3
A sanity loss of 1/1d6 is appropriate, before any CON 40 POW 10
declaration of intent. SIZ 80 DEX 14
If the Beast is not noticed, the first they know of it is Move 4 floating
when a great misty tentacle snakes down and attacks HP 60
a nurse who is running into the Hospital, a newspaper Weapons: Bite 40%, damage 1d3+8 resist
held over her head. If it is seen, the Beast attacks the POW+SIZ vs damage or be absorbed,
Investigators instead. and add to SIZ.

18
The Unbound Book His Wildest Dreams Issue - 0 August 2002

Vaporous Tentacle 25%, drags to mouth rumour, fit only for a New York scandal sheet or a
and adds 1d6 to bite damage, next round. Penny Dreadful!
Armour: None, regenerates 8HP per round. Either St Jerome or Carter will tell the Investigators
that St Jerome had told the print room to change the
Sanity Loss: 1/1d6 to see a Cloudbeast
front page of the second edition at the last moment,
claiming, falsely that Carter (who was at breakfast) had
The Next Day approved it.

The Investigators are likely to have ended the previous If asked directly about strange occurrences, Carter
evening talking to skeptical policemen and may well will call it nonsense and ask the Investigators to stop
have decided to stay the night, even if that was not their wasting his time, though he will give access to back
original plan. At this time of year all the guesthouses issues if requested by anyone who seems even vaguely
have rooms and are willing to open up late at night to respectable.
get some much needed custom. A Kingsport tourist St Jerome, on the other hand, freshly out of work, will
brochure will be in any room the Investigators may be only too happy to discuss his theory with willing
rent. listeners and will suggest they retire to a nearby caf
In the morning, the town is in a panic everyone has to talk about it.
heard rumours of the horror that came from the skies If the Investigators dont talk to St Jerome before
last night, even if few saw it and many give the tales he leaves the Chronicle, Carter will give them his
little credence. address in Mother Gambles Boarding House (home,
Apart from themselves, the Investigators encounter incidentally to an insane young occultist, Malcolm
nobody else who actually witnessed the Beast, but Veidt, who could become involved if Investigators are
everyone knows of it second or third hand. indiscreet hed love to own the Dream Crystal, and
could even learn to control its sendings!).
Nonetheless, the Kingsport Chronicle splashes
the story across the front page of its late edition. JULIAN St JEROME, Sensationalist, Age 26
Reference in the story to The latest in a series of STR 12 EDU 13 Know 65%
bizarre occurrences should lead the Investigators, CON 12 POW 14 Luck 70%
non-natives of the town, to visit the newspaper or at SIZ 13 INT 15 Idea 65%
least seek out back copies at the library. DEX 12 APP 15 HP 13
SAN 70
If the Investigators have not stayed the night in
Kingsport, they will see a copy of the Chronicle Damage Bonus: +1d4
elsewhere at a later point in the day. If they dont return Weapons: None
to Kingsport before nightfall, they will not witness
Julian St Jeromes firing (see below), but St Jerome Skills: Accounting 20%, Bargain 40%, Credit Rating
will not start to investigate until the next day, giving
them a chance to meet him before his disappearance.
In this case, insert an extra, non-deadly sending into
the adventure before the Leng Spider a gigantic
moth flying above the rooftops, for example.

The Kingsport Chronicle

The previous nights events are reported thus:
IT CAME FROM ABOVE Bizarre disappearances
terrorise Kingsport. Several witnesses claim Demon
from the sky took their friends.
The story is credited to Julian St Jerome, the papers
most imaginative reporter (a man, indeed, made of the
same material as the Investigators themselves).
When the Investigators arrive at the Chronicle,
however, they discover the editor, Stanley Carter, in
the midst of firing St Jerome. They overhear something
about a sensationalist idiot, printing unsubstantiated

19
Issue - 0 August 2002 His Wildest Dreams The Unbound Book

10%, Fast Talk 80%, Law 25%, Library Use of course, none of the Investigators are journalists. In
50%, Listen 70%, Occult 10%, Persuade 66%, that case, he will be suspicious they intend to steal his
Photography 40%, Psychology 50%, Spot story, and he must be Persuaded to co-operate.
Hidden 60%, Fist 60%.
Assuming he is willing to talk, and wherever the
Back Issues interview happens, Julian proves to be an affable,
intelligent young man, though possessing a somewhat
Not all of the events of the last week have made the wild imagination. Depending on the experience of
paper, but the following stories may be noticed: the Investigators this may be viewed as a good or bad
Thursday: Public Library Ransacked by Intruder. thing:
No witnesses, nothing taken, police unsure of how Theres something going on in Central Hill, explains
intruder got in or out, but many bookshelves and desks St Jerome. This week I have reported on four
turned over and much damage done - An appalling different stories, all with some kind of strange angle
sign of the philistinic age in which we live to them, all within a few hundred yards of the Central
Friday: Wild Animal At Large in Kingsport Keep Hill Cemetery.
Your Pet Indoors! Eight cats slaughtered in a single I dont know if youve been reading the paper, but
night. Several witnesses described a creature that may apart from that story last night, which got me fired,
have been a wolverine. Local Animal Control warn there was a fire at the Unitarian Church on Saturday
Kingsport residents to keep their cats indoors while I have witness accounts that talk about a Demon,
they hunt for the creature. Whatever this beast is, it if you can believe that; then there was a weird
kills for sport, not food. occurrence in the middle of the week where something
Sunday: Fire Guts Unitarian Church. Five ripped apart 8 cats in a couple of hours the story
Parishioners Die, Pastor Injured. The story makes Carter printed suggested a wolverine, but again,
no mention of eyewitness accounts of the demons witnesses told me otherwise.
attack, and suggests an electrical fault started the fire Then back on Wednesday night there was some
which burned in the basement, where old prayer books weird sort of break-in at the Library except nobody
and the like were stored, for some time before erupting BROKE in. The place was locked up tight as a drum
into the main building. A great tragedy for Kingsport, and someone or something got in and trashed the
and surely a test of all our faith. place. I got a look at it and it was like a chimpanzee
Carter added editorial gloss to the first and third or something had run riot in there for the whole night
stories, but all three were in fact written by St Jerome. one hell of a mess!
Now he has calmed down, the editor admits St Jerome I tried to convince Carter that theres a pattern,
is a fine writer, but his search for sensation in every but he wont even listen says Ive got a wild
story is just unsuitable for a paper like the Chronicle. imagination, not commensurate with my standing as
member of the Press. I guess hes right; I shouldnt be
Interviewing St Jerome working for a small-minded small-town rag like the
Chronicle.
Julian St Jerome is keen to discuss his ideas, provided Anyway, he says, finally drawing breath, how can
I help you or maybe you can help me, eh?
St Jerome knows the following information, all of
which can also be uncovered by the Investigators with
intelligent questioning:
He interviewed several survivors of the fire,
those uninjured described smoke suddenly rising from
the floorboards followed seconds later by an eruption
of flame near the front of the aisle. He interviewed one
of the burned survivors, Martha Franks, who told him a
Great scaly Demon came from the hole and devoured
three men. Only Dr Newman kept his head and was
able to get her and another woman to safety through
the vestry, despite being badly burned in saving her.
The other survivor, Rebecca Smith, was too ill to talk,
and the pastor was unwilling to talk to him. A fireman
told him the dead men were burned to a crisp by an

20
The Unbound Book His Wildest Dreams Issue - 0 August 2002

extreme heat, which mystified him. If asked, he gives the names and addresses of all the
witnesses mentioned in the conversation, since the
Three witnesses of the cat killer described the
Investigators may be able to find out something he
creature. The wolverine description comes from
missed.
Carter accepting the least detailed and least outlandish.
One old lady said the thing which killed her Pussy The following may present themselves as possible
had a face made of tentacles, like an octopus, and the avenues of research:
remaining witness, who saw only the hind quarters of
Re-interviewing the witnesses. This is a mostly
the thing (which were, indeed, wolverine-like) swears
fruitless exercise, since St Jerome is a skilled
he heard the creature giggling as it scuttled away from
interviewer who learned nearly all worth knowing.
his dead pet. The deceased felines appeared to have
However, a couple of significant points will occur.
been broken rather than savaged, judging from the
Firstly, the wino, Davy Harris proves elusive. Nobody
two St Jerome was shown.
who the Investigators might ask knows him, and he is
The Librarian told him there was a strange, nowhere to be found (for today, at least). Secondly,
electric smell in the air when she entered any attempt to visit one of the burned survivors in
her wrecked library. In St Jeromes opinion that the hospital leads to the encounter with Hubert Davis,
damage was like one would expect from a wild animal, detailed below. Visiting Dr. Newman again proves
rather than a man, although no sign of tooth or claw pointless, as he is under heavy sedation.
damage was visible.
Library Research. Kingsport Library is Closed for
A wino, Davy Harris, approached him when Repairs, after the Wenelian wrecked the place. Any
he was exploring the graveyard for clues and journey out of town to another library proves fruitless,
offered him a story for $5. St Jerome offered him unless the restricted collection at Miskatonic can be
$2, and Harris told him that on Tuesday night he saw accessed, in which case see below.
a strange little guy creeping around the graves he
Cthulhu Mythos Research. No Dream Lore tomes
swears it wasnt human, having big eyes and ears, like
are available to the Investigators, but either a Cthulhu
some kinda bush-baby. Harris said when he saw this
Mythos Knowledge roll, or a Research roll in a Mythos
creature he fled, and so did the creature, which seemed
tome (halved in each case) will reveal the common
as scared as he did no evidence of it was apparent
thread amongst the things has been seen so far is
when St Jerome searched the graveyard.
Dream. Apparently, through some sorcerous methods,
Last nights events were described to him by creatures from another dimension, usually accessible
three witnesses; a couple who saw their dining only through Dreams, are crossing into the Waking
companion snatched into the clouds and a man, World.
currently hospitalised with a broken leg, who claimed
Local Historians. Although usually a very intelligent
the cloud picked him up and dropped him 30ft to the
course of action, in this case interviewing such people
ground. Apart from the witnessed disappearance, and
as Aaron Hart at the Historical Society, or old Danny
the nurse (if she was taken), three other people who
Houghton at the Mariners Home will cause only
were out that night have been reported missing! In at
confusion. Hart is senile anyway, but records at the
least one case screams were heard from the next street,
society and the memories of older residents will
but nothing was seen.
contain clues to such things as the Kingsport Cult, the
St Jerome sums up that all of these events happened wreck of the Hellene and the Strange High House in
close by the Graveyard. He is sure they have some the Mist. Of these, only the latter may be of use in this
common cause and he would welcome help in scenario.
searching it out. He would love to see Carters face
Exploring the Graveyard. A Spot Hidden roll
when a big city paper printed the story the Chronicle
discovers a tomb with a forced door within which Davy
thought too outlandish to pursue! Hed be willing to
Harris sleeping place and a collection of empty bottles
give 50% of whatever he could sell the story for to the
can be found. Harris will not be found here until late
Investigators if they helped him break it! (Pit Bargain
that night, since he is elsewhere in town begging for
vs. Bargain to improve the deal, if required).
food. No sign of anything supernatural or suspicious
can be found anywhere in the Cemetery, unless the
Further Investigations Investigators have met Solomon Oakes it which case,
see below for more details.
St Jerome suggests he should interview the occupants
of all the houses overlooking the graveyard, and that The Strange High House in the Mist. If the
the Investigators pursue their own lines of research. Investigators choose to visit this place, then they
He suggests meeting for dinner at The Seas Harvest may (20%) encounter William Bain. Bain will listen
Restaurant in South Shore at 8pm to compare notes. with interest to any tales of strange creatures and will

21
Issue - 0 August 2002 His Wildest Dreams The Unbound Book

visibly pale. He assumes, wrongly, that his activities think thats a pretty clear sign of psychosis.
have opened the rift between Dream and reality and
A dragon?
will ask the visitors to leave, while he meditates on a
course of action. A Psychology roll reveals that he feels Thats what he says a dragon the size of a cat, if
guilty and, if pressed, he admits he thinks he may be you please. It appeared in his apartment out of thin
to blame. He promises no more such visitations and air, and when he tried to touch it, it breathed vapours
the next evening, the lightning destroys the House. on him and he went deaf. Then it vanished.
At this point, a Keeper with access to the Kingsport
I see what you mean about psychosis!
Guidebook could insert the scenario, The House
on the Edge. Within this dream the sendings have He even claims to have photographed it!
stopped, but on awaking from it they continue.
At this the doctors walk off chuckling, but investigator
Visiting the Sites of the Sendings. There is little curiosity is likely to be piqued.
to be learned from visiting the various places where
If the Investigators are able to both discover the
the Dream creatures have manifested. The Unitarian
identity of this patient and gain access to either Doctor
Church is a hole full of burned timbers suggestive
or Davis medical notes, they can learn the full story of
of an accelerant to anyone with a knowledge of such
Huberts encounter with the Butterfly Dragon.
things. Kingsport Library is closed and if entered looks
much as has been described, and all that can be found Being a shutterbug, Davis took a single, rather
in investigating the cat slayer is a man from Animal underexposed photograph of the creature. He has the
Control scratching his head at some muddy footprints film in his coat pocket and will ask the Investigators to
that seem to match no known native predator (Zoology get it developed for him.
roll they match no known animal on Earth!).
The photograph is clear enough for the creature to
Whatever the Investigators choose to do, they have be identified by anyone who knows what a Butterfly
until 8pm, at which point they are due to meet St Dragon is, but not clear enough to be accepted by the
Jerome at Kingsports finest restaurant they really authorities as anything other than a rather bizarre
need time to dress for dinner as well! fake.

Hubert Davis St Jeromes Fate

On any second visit to the Congregational Hospital, the After a fruitless couple of hours, Julian St Jerome
Investigators may overhear the following conversation knocks on the door of Allen Nashs house, which
between a pair of passing doctors: proves a fatal mistake. Nash, who is now sleeping from
early evening until lunchtime, has just awoken from a
I think its psychosomatic weve done all the tests
particularly terrible trip to the peak of Thok and his
and there is no physical reason for the hearing loss.
fragile sanity is almost broken. The combination of
Possibly, but Ive never known a psychosomatic loss his bleak outlook on life and the damage to the Dream
so total. Crystal has resulted in his dream life spiralling into
darker and more deranged fantasies.
I agree, but the man claims to have seen a dragon I
When the dishevelled, wide-eyed Nash opens the door,
St Jerome is instantly suspicious. Charming his way
inside the house (an event witnessed by Davy Harris
who is crouching in the Cemetery, having just awoken
himself from his latest bender), the reporter starts to
explain the situation to Nash. Nash realises, when the
Cloudbeast is described, that the Crystal has become a
two-way gate. Desperate that he not lose his chance at
immortality, he grabs a poker and launches a frenzied
attack on the reporter, breaking his skull open and
falling into true insanity.
Now Nash is truly mad, his dreams will be the most
obscene nightmares, and tonights will be the first in a
series of truly awful visitors!
Meanwhile, Julian St Jeromes corpse lies in the living
room of Nashs house Nash is too far-gone to even

22
The Unbound Book His Wildest Dreams Issue - 0 August 2002

bother hiding it. Dream.

That Evening Reaction In Kingsport

The Investigators wait for St Jerome at the restaurant, Chief Crane and his small force of officers are not
but he does not show up, or answer his phone. equipped to handle such an invasion from beyond, and
Whenever they decide to give up and return to town apart from cordoning off the area where the web is, do
will coincide with the latest, and worst, manifestation little else. Sensible Investigators may urge curfews or
of the damaged Dream Crystal. even the calling for outside aid, but Crane is indecisive
for at least 24 hours.
As the Investigators drive up High Street towards
Central Hill, they come across a nightmare scene. What he does after that depends upon the nature
Ahead of them a cab has driven into a great web of the next evenings sending. If it results in injury,
spanning the street where it is trapped like a great death or damage to public property, he consults with
mechanical fly, its engine still running. As the the Mayor then he calls on Lt Commander Maddern
occupants try to clamber clear, they are caught on at the Coast Guard Station for assistance. Kingsport
the web, and as a number of stunned witnesses watch is a town which values its individuality, and in which
uselessly from the street, a gigantic purple spider nothing is considered more of an insult than to suggest
moves across the web towards them! it is simply the seaside suburb of Arkham. As a result
the impulse of Civic Authority in the town is to handle
This is a great Leng Spider, and it is hungry. Right
this problem without calling on the Arkham Police
now the only people likely to do anything to help are
Department.
the Investigators, everyone else is either failing Sanity
rolls, running away or staring uselessly. Chief Crane also persuades the Mayor to call a
public meeting at Talbot Hall, where he announces
The Spider will not leave its web unless it takes more
Kingsports intention to deal with the current crisis
than 10 points of damage, in which case it will leave its
without calling on its larger neighbour. There will be
prey to pursue its attacker. Luckily for everybody, this
a dusk to dawn curfew in the Central Hill area along
particular Spider knows no spells.
with nightly patrols by armed Coast Guard men,
LENG SPIDER, Web-Spinning Horror each patrol to have one of the Kingsport police force
STR 35 INT 7 accompanying them.
CON 20 POW 14 At the same time, experts in this kind of thing are
SIZ 40 DEX 17 to be contacted for assistance. In this case, however,
Move 6/8 in web progress is far too slow to prevent the sendings
HP 35 culminating in the appearance of the Dhole, which will
Weapons: Bite 40%, damage 1d6+3d6+poison POT kill several of the Coast Guard men along with many of
= 40 (20 damage, 10 if resisted). the local residents. This will cost Mayor Hoag the next
Web 60%, Entangle with STR 20, Range election!
10yds. If the Investigators approach the police, Mayor or
Armour: 6 points of Chitin Coast Guard claiming to be such experts (and seem
convincing) then they will be given all official help
Sanity Loss: 1/1d10 to see a Leng Spider.
necessary to complete their investigations, including
If the Spider proves too much for the Investigators, it access to the damaged library.
vanishes at just the moment when they seem utterly
If they do access the library, a Library Use roll will
doomed. It would be a shame to kill them just yet.
uncover the story of the Kingsport Cult, which proves
When the Spider vanishes, which it does a few seconds to be a most unfortunate red herring (unless of course
after being killed if not before, it does so by suddenly they have already crossed paths with Mr Oakes!) After
shimmering and blinking out of existence. Any victim one more fatality, people will start to leave Kingsport
in its jaws (i.e. hit the previous round) vanishes with on visits to relatives and the like a most sensible
it. course of action.
The web is left behind. It proves tough and resilient,
drying up in 24 hours at which point it can be chopped Resident Dreamers
apart. It burns only at blast furnace temperatures! This
is one phenomenon even Carter cannot ignore, and A number of Kingsports residents are experienced
from now on the Chronicle starts to report sanitised Dreamers and as such may recognise the sendings as
versions of all the more public manifestations of creatures from the Lands of Dream they know so well.

23
Issue - 0, June 2002 His Wildest Dreams The Unbound Book

Of these, the three most significant are William Bain, Hill, including Nashs House. Nash and some 200
Basil Elton and Robert Carlton. other people will be killed and many more sent mad
before the Dhole vanishes, taking the Dream Crystal
Bains reaction has already been discussed, and Basil
with it and dooming the Investigators to failure.
Elton, out at the North Point Light is unlikely to hear
about the events in town in time to react to them If this happens because they gave up and fled, Sanity
(though he certainly would like to chat about them at losses of 1d20 are appropriate to signify the enormous
a later date). guilt they will feel. If they are still in town, seeing the
Dhole will be punishment enough!
Robert Carlton, however, might react in such a way
as to bring him to the attention of the Investigators. To find Julian, the obvious course of action is to do
He does not know the Dreamlands are anything other what he did and start to question the occupants of all
than a product of his own imagination, and should he houses overlooking the Cemetery.
realise that creatures from his dreams are invading
Before he met Nash, St Jerome had worked his way
the city, he will be driven temporally insane. This
from the North end of Hill Circle around the cemetery
insanity is characterised by an acute hypnophobia
in an anti-clockwise direction. Whether or not the
and a fascination with the Central Hill area. He will
occupants of a given house remember him depends on
walk the streets at night, downing strong coffee from a
where exactly the house is. About 80% of the houses
vacuum flask. As soon as he discovers the sendings are
are occupied when the Investigators call, and 80% of
continuing despite his refusal to sleep, he will throw
the occupants in the area St Jerome visited saw him
himself in the harbour, in a desperate attempt to wake
the previous day. None of them had been able to tell
up and be fished out two days later.
him anything.

Searching For Julian At some point during this exercise, a Spot Hidden
roll should be attempted. A success notices a scruffily
The best way to solve this mystery is to trace Julian St dressed man, obviously a transient, watching from
Jerome. Until this is done, nightmare creatures from amongst the graves. The possibility that this is Davy
the Dreamlands will appear nightly in Central Hill. Harris, who proved elusive the previous day, should
Use the following table to generate a random creature, present itself. Approaching him is not easy though,
and choose a suitable place for it to wreak mayhem: he knows the cemetery very well and is nervous of
strangers. If the Investigators do manage to get to talk
1d2 Minions of Karakal
to him, they are certain to mention St Jerome. When
A Moonbeast they do so, he reacts at once:
1d4 Ghasts (indoors, somewhere dark)
I see him, I see him yesterday! You give me $5 and
A hungry Gug
Ill show you. Yes I will. Investigators can get the
A pair of Wamps
1d3 Nightgaunts
Some suggested locations for subsequent sendings are
as follows:
The Crawford Intermediate School, empty at
night except for a pair of elderly cleaners they could
be found dead in the morning.
Masonic Lodge, a monster appearing at a meeting
could kill a number of the towns leading lights.
Kingsport Rest Home, a creature appearing
here would cause chaos amongst the senile and
cantankerous residents.
Harbour Place Hotel, a City Father could die in
the George Washington suite, along with his mistress,
leading to a scandal.
The Congregational Church, a minion of Karakal
appearing during evensong would be considered a
second Demonic appearance.
If Nash is not stopped within seven more days, a Dhole
will appear in the cemetery and destroy most of Central

24
The Unbound Book His Wildest Dreams Issue - 0 August 2002

information for as little as $2, as St Jerome did earlier Call of Cthulhu!

in the week. He leads them across the cemetery to the
graves overlooking Church St, and points at Nashs Solomon Oakes
house. Thats where he went. I see him go in there,
yesterday and I think Ill wait for him, and maybe At 306 Summit St lives the evil cultist Solomon Oakes.
hell give me a dollar. He didnt come out though. I St Jerome never called on him, but the Investigators
waited till dark and he never came out. might. He will answer the door, but is dismissive of
If asked who lives in the house, Harris says he doesnt questions unless his curiosity is piqued by any mention
know, though it used to be this skinny old man who of the supernatural. In such a case he becomes overly
hardly came out. If asked about the being he saw the keen to hear more, which should be a warning sign
previous week, hell direct the Investigators to the part to sensible Investigators. His neighbours wont
of the graveyard where he saw it, but nothing can be answer questions about him unless Investigators are
found. particularly persuasive, in which case they will mention
his frequent wanderings of the Cemetery at night and
Nashs house is on Church St, halfway along the their general suspicions of him being unwholesome.
cemetery. It is a somewhat run-down Georgian house,
in a shabbier state than its neighbours, none of which Once alerted to supernatural events, Oakes will
are exactly palatial. All the curtains are drawn, and if start to investigate the situation, and each day has a
watched at night the only light comes from an upstairs percentage chance equal to his INT (16%) of tracing
window and even that is a faint, flickering purplish the source, in which case he will slay the sleeping Nash
glow (the Crystal). and take the Crystal, ending the Dream sendings for a
while at least.
The neighbours on either side, both elderly, know
that Old Mr Nash died a while back, and his young If the Investigators start to suspect Oakes, they could
nephew from Boston inherited the house. He came end up chasing a particularly dangerous wild goose!
up a few times, saying he was going to fix the place If asked about Oakes, Davy Harris goes pale and says
up, then a few weeks back he came to stay. Unlike his he knows of him, but always avoids him if he sees him
previous visits, they have heard no noise of hammering in the Cemetery. Oakes disappears into a particular
from the house, and they have hardly seen him. Indeed tomb, to which he has a key, and often does not emerge
he seems to rarely leave the house, and certainly keeps for hours. He can direct the Investigators to the tomb,
to himself. To the aged denizens of Church St, this which has the barely readable legend Solomon Oakes
makes him a most agreeable neighbour. and contains an entrance to the tunnels below. What
The neighbour to the left remembers St Jerome calling they find there is outside the scope of this scenario.
the previous day, the neighbour to the right does not, Harris seems to be holding something back, however,
and significantly claims to have spent the afternoon and a Persuade roll or a bribe is needed to get him to
sitting in her parlour, knitting. admit that he once (about two months ago) saw Oakes
If the Investigators consult newspaper files for a report take a fellow transient, a young man called Marty,
of the death of Old Mr Nash they discover he died in into his house. Marty never came out.
September, run down by a car on High Street, and his
only living relative is listed as Allen Nash of Boston. Confronting Nash
If they choose to do some research into Allen, all
they are likely to discover is that he is a Librarian at The events of the final confrontation with Nash
the Widener at Harvard, currently on a six month depend wholly on whether he is awake or asleep when
sabbatical, ostensibly to restore the house he inherited the Investigators arrive at his house. He has reached
from a distant uncle in Kingsport. the point where he is sleeping 18 hours a day (with
chemical assistance), from around 6pm until mid-
At this point the Investigators should have a pretty day. When awake, he spends 90% of his time at home,
clear idea of where St Jerome disappeared. They writing in the journal, eating cold food out of cans and
are, of course free to call the police. If they do this, so on, and the other 10% out on minor errands.
the police end up seizing the Crystal and the Journal
as evidence, and Nash ends up in Danvers Asylum. This means there are three possible situations when
Within a month, Captain James Blair, the moody the Investigators arrive:
moocher of the Kingsport Police Department, has Nash is out of the house (10%, if between mid-day
read the journal, stolen the Crystal and started the and 6pm).
whole horrible cycle all over again from his lodgings
in a seedy Prospect Hill boarding House. Calling in the Nash is present, and awake (90%, if between mid-
cops should never result in a satisfactory conclusion in day and 6pm).

25
Issue - 0 August 2002 His Wildest Dreams The Unbound Book

Nash is asleep and dreaming (100% between 6pm

and mid-day). Nashs Belongings
If asleep, knocking at the door will not wake him up The two significant items in Nashs room are the Dream
under any circumstances, so the Investigators must Crystal and the Dream journal, which his uncle began
either break in, or come back later. and he has continued. If these items are hidden, then
they will only be found if the Investigators specifically
If Nash is absent, the Investigators may break in, and search for a secret compartment and make a halved Spot
will find St Jeromes body. The Crystal and Journal Hidden roll.
are hidden in the secret compartment. In this case,
upon his arrest, Nash will say nothing. The sendings Dream Crystal. An asymmetric white Crystal about
8 inches high, supported by an ornate silver stand. All
will cease, but nothing has been explained, and the
those sleeping within 5 feet of it enter the Dreamlands
Investigators will be left with an uncomfortable feeling through the Crystal Cavern, and gain an initial Dreaming
that the case is not really solved. skill equal to their POWx3. This Crystal is badly cracked,
If Nash is present and awake, he will be unfriendly to which causes the arrival of Dream Creatures in the
waking world while it is in use. This is useless as a
visitors and try to force them to leave. If they insist on
means of following Nash, however, since his great skill
entering, he will direct them to the study, and when in Dreaming enables him to travel quickly to the more
they see St Jeromes corpse, he will attack in a frenzy nightmarish parts of that realm, where anyone sleeping
using the same poker that killed the reporter. If he beside him will not be able to follow.
is killed, the Journal and Crystal will be found in his
Dream Journal of The Nash Family. This book
bedroom.
was started by Jonathan and continued by Allen, and
If Nash is asleep, he will not wake unless shaken (in describes their travels in the Land of Dream. Allens
which case he is extremely hostile and grabs for a travels and adventures become steadily more horrific,
kitchen knife under the bed). The Crystal sits on the hence the SAN loss and Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge
found within.
bed stand, pulsing with an unearthly light, and the
journal sits open on the floor. In this case, the sendings Language: English; Sanity Loss: 1D3/1D6; time
can be stopped by killing Nash or smashing the Crystal. the read 4 weeks; Cthulhu Mythos
Killing the sleeping Nash costs 1/1d4 Sanity. Knowledge +3; Dreamlore +15.

The house itself shows signs that Nash has been Spells: Lace Curtains of Hish, Passing Unseen,
Eviscerator (All Dreamlands only).
working on his renovation project, but this appears to
have been abandoned. The room in which St Jerome
him a catatonic husk. He is not immortal though, and
lies dead is part way through being re-wallpapered,
will die in the Dreamlands when his body dies a
but the paste has dried in the bucket.
matter of only 1 or 2 years with him in such a state.
ALLEN NASH, Insane Dreamer, Age 30
STR 14 EDU 15 Know 75% Destroying the Crystal while Nash is awake sends him
CON 9 POW 16 Luck 80% into an uncontrollable homicidal frenzy from which
SIZ 14 INT 14 Idea 70% his shattered mind will never recover. During this
DEX 13 APP 12 HP 12 frenzy he gains an effective 2 extra points of STR and
SAN 0 CON at the cost of 10% from all combat skills.
Damage Bonus:+1d4
Weapons: Poker, Kitchen Knife, Skillet etc. all at
Keeping the Dream Crystal
base skill.
If Nash is not killed, but merely overpowered and
Skills: Cthulhu Mythos 10%, Dreaming 80%, the Investigators choose to keep and even use the
Dreamlore 30%, Library Use 80% (spends a lot Crystal, Nash is far more manageable. However he will
of time in the Great Library of the Dreamlands) immediately start planning to escape and return for
his property. This situation will result in Nash being
sent to Danvers Asylum and escaping in 1d3 months to
Destroying the Dream Crystal come back for his Crystal. Even if it has been destroyed
by then, he wont know and will still come after it.
The Dream Crystal is fragile, and can be smashed
with a hard blow against something solid. Doing If Nash is dead, the Investigators are free to take the
so, however, triggers one last sending. The creature Crystal. Using it, however, creates the same dangers
appears in Nashs room and attacks at once. In this Nash faced.
case it does not disappear until slain.
To some extent, the problem with the Crystal is
Destroying the Crystal while Nash sleeps traps his connected, as Bain would guess, to the weak barrier
spirit in a very bad part of the Dreamlands, leaving
26
The Unbound Book His Wildest Dreams Issue - 0 August 2002

between the worlds created by the presence of the If Nash is either killed in self-defence or not
Strange High House. Consequently, the sendings the at all, and the Crystal is taken, 1d8+2 SAN should be
damaged Crystal causes are less frequent outside of gained.
Kingsport. If the Crystal is used anywhere outside of
If Nash is either killed in self-defence or not at
the town, the chance of a sending equals 50% minus
all, and the Crystal is destroyed, 1d10+3 SAN should
the users POW. Each dreamer sharing the Crystal has
be gained.
a chance of triggering a sending, though only one will
occur per use, no matter how many dreamers sharing If the Crystal is taken, but destroyed at a
there are. later date, 1D3 additional SAN should be gained by
whoever chooses to destroy it.
A user also has a chance equal to their POW, as a
percentage of mastering the Crystals ability to create If a third party ends up in possession of the
sendings, and gets to roll on this once per month Crystal, a SAN loss of 1/1D6 is appropriate when the
of constant use. Once mastered, a specific creature sendings start again.
can be summoned (though not bound or in any way
Bringing an end to the second wave of sendings should
controlled) at the cost of 1 MP per point of POW the
result in half of the SAN gain listed above, since they
creature has. If the dreamer exceeds his Magic Points
were preventable.
in attempting this, his sleep becomes dreamless and
he cannot enter the Dreamlands again until he has The presence of Julian St Jeromes corpse in Nashs
recovered at least half of his MP total. house should protect the Investigators from any
ramifications for his death.
Apart from the nightly sendings, using the Crystal is
addictive. Each use requires a Sanity roll. If the user It is very unlikely that the Investigators will attempt to
fails he loses 1 SAN and gains 2d6% to his chance of get the bizarre story into print Stanley Carter at the
addiction (which starts at zero). The Keeper should Chronicle will certainly not consider it, although he
keep a secret note of this Addiction percentage and does dedicate the next issue to St Jerome, and prints a
each night the owner chooses not to use the Crystal rather touching obituary.
must roll over their addiction score to resist the urge
Within a year, even those sendings that were witnessed
to use it anyway. Any attempt to smash the Crystal or
by multiple people, and resulted in widespread death
give it away also requires the Addiction roll be failed
and destruction have been relegated to the status of
first.
urban legends. In Lovecraft Country, it is surprising
Any visits to the land of Dream should be role-played how quickly the ripples fade and the pond calms once
in detail between the Keeper and the Player creating more.
a series of small Dream adventures for this purpose is
well worthwhile.

On the Unbound
There is no way to prevent the Dream creatures from
appearing, although they always do so within half a

Website
mile of the Crystal, which makes its use in isolated
places relatively safe the creatures will not approach
the Crystal itself willingly, so the Dreamer himself is
safe.
Every time using the Crystal results in a creature
appearing and causing harm, a Sanity roll is required,
His Wildest Dreams
for a loss of 1/1d3. It should be obvious the moral thing
to do is to destroy the Crystal. - D20 Stats for His Wildest Dreams
Rewards For Success - Overview Map of Kingsport
The Sanity gain for completing this adventure is - A Players Guide to Kingsport
variable, depending on the conclusion played out.
- Player and Keepers Maps of Central Hill
If Nash is stopped, but the Crystal is never found
and the puzzle is left unsolved, a mere 1D4 SAN should
Visit the Unbound Book Website @
be gained. This applies in the case of calling in the
police. www.unboundbook.org
If Nash is killed when helpless, and the Crystal
destroyed, 1d6+1 SAN should be gained.

27
Issue - 0 August 2002 His Wildest Dreams The Unbound Book

Central Hill, Kingsport 1925 (Keepers Map)

Kingsport Historical
Society & Musuem

Hi
The Kingsport Rest Brush

gh
Home

St
Robbins Apartments

Ha
er St

rt S
t
Cart

Crawford Public
School

St
it
Hill Circle m
m
Su

Nash House Central Hill

Cemetery
Congregational Pin
Hospital e
Ca
ld

Chu
ec
ot

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tS
t

t
Ho

Solomon Oakes

Hi
wa

House

gh
rd

St
St

St
t ice St
it S Pr tic
m n
S um Atla
t
rl S
Lee Street

Harbour Place
Pea

Hotel

Dennehys
Unitarian Church
Turner St

Dinner
Orchard
Kingsport
Chronicle
Page

En Franklin
dic
ott
Str
eet
Masonic
Lodge Kingsport Seas Harvest
Library
Lafayette

Co
op
er
Kingsport Police &
Fire Department
Northward

Congregational
Church

28
The Unbound Book What Goes Around... Issue - 0 August 2002

What Goes Around is a short non-mythos adventure designed

to be played in one session by one or two relatively inexperienced
Investigators (although more can be easily accommodated).
Although nominally based in Lovecrafts Arkham during the
winter of 1921, it can, with very little work, be situated in any
small town during any time period.
The entire adventure should only take one game day, depending, of
course, on the characters actions. During this time the characters
may well be faced with a moral dilemma, in which they will not
want to take sides, however it is important the Keeper emphasises
the need for the characters to react quickly to the situation to
achieve the best outcome.

Keepers Background
John Burton, owner of Arkhams finest jewellery store, used to
love his wife, and he supposes that at sometime in the past she
may have loved him. Tonight, however he knows the marriage is
no more and he plans on ensuring she is out of his life forever
When John Burton and Valerie Haywright married it looked as
if both were getting what they most wanted in life. John was to
become heir of Haywrights, Arkhams most prestigious jewellery
store, and Valerie was to gain herself the man she needed to
get her into high society. But if this was their only goal in the
marriage, both were be horribly disappointed.
Chainletter 2002 Alan M. Clark
John quickly learnt that his father-in-law was a tyrant, whose
control of the purse strings and the business was almost draconian.
Not that John was ever really around to be effected by Avery
Haywrights financial policy, as he was regularly travelling at his
father-in-laws behest, always on the look out for the cheapest
raw materials. In Valeries case, shortly after their marriage she
discovered her husband was no more suited for fame or high
society than she herself was. To make matters worse despite her
goading, John seemed unwilling to even try and better himself.
When Old man Haywright passed away a year ago John hoped he
would be free to run the business as he wished. However as he
quickly discovered his wifes demands filled the void left by the

What Goes
old man. Valerie became more and more demanding of him and
it seemed as if nothing he did was ever good enough.
It was about this time, during one of his many trips to New York,

Around...
John met and fell in love with Joanne Carter, a secretary from
Manhattan. Unable to leave Valerie - all the money was either
invested in the store or closely guarded by his wife - John began
plotting his salvation.
A Non-Mythos Adventure in As his plans formulated, John left on a buying trip to Vladivostok
Lovecrafts Arkham in Russia (a voyage which had been arranged by Old man
Haywright shortly before his death). It was during his long days
By Marcus D. Bone on the ocean that he set on a plan to rid himself of Valerie and the
legacy of the Haywrights once and for all.
But one small purchase in an ancient city set in motion a chain of
events which were to change John Burtons life forever. Travelling
to a meeting one brisk morning he chanced across a street vendor
selling estate jewellery. Professionally interested, he stopped
to review the goods and discovered a most beautiful necklace,
29
Issue - 0 August 2002 What Goes Around... The Unbound Book

one that, the seller insisted, had attached an ancient

and obscure legend. Immediately he knew he must Guides of the Dead
purchase it, not for his wife, but rather for Joanne - a
symbol his new life with her. Standing over 6 feet tall and covered head to foot in dark
grey fur, the Sons of Veles (or Volos, a little remember
Last week John returned from his long trip away to God) are known as the guides of the dead. In Russia,
find his luggage had arrived at his Arkham home stories of the Sons are used to frighten young children
shortly before him. Before he had a chance to hide the at bedtime and to ensure those who wish to misbehave
necklace, the gift had been discovered and claimed by are kept in line. Resembling the fictional Werewolf, they
might well be the basis of that myth.
Valerie.
Whether or not these creatures are actually the sons of a
John Burton is now more determined than ever to rid God is up for debate, although what is known is that they
himself of his wife and at last be with his true love in are bound to a piece of jewellery or personal item until
New York. the owners death, at which point they emerge and lead
the soul to the underworld.
Involving the Investigators Leading the spirit of the deceased to a better place is just
half of the Sons task; the other is to exact revenge on any
The opening events of the adventure take place just killer of the wearer. In this task it is relentless, tracking
prior to dawn on West Main Street, Arkham, outside down the murderer with unmatched ferocity. Active only
at night, during daylight hours it returns to its original
Haywrights Fine Jewellery store (located at 227 -
realm.
between Ace Alarms and Lock-Safes and E Parrington
Gunsmiths). What the characters are doing in this area A Son, although hurt by mundane weapons regenerates
at the time is left up to the individual Keeper, although all damage done to it quickly. One can even be killed
it is important they are the first people on the scene to only to return the next night to exact its revenge. Perhaps
the most frightening part of the Sons of Veles legend
witness the destruction of the jewellery store.
involves it hunting down and killing any other mortals
which happen to witness it when it stalks its prey. Those
A Fiery Beginning hunted by the creature learn of their fate by its howling
as it closes in on them, a noise which only they can hear.
Shortly before dawn a huge explosion shatters the
peace in the early morning streets of Arkham, as bells as fire trucks converge on the blaze.
Haywrights Fine Jewellery store is consumed in a
massive ball of fiery destruction. The characters, in the There is not much for the characters to do during this
area for whatever reason, are the first on the scene. time, except watch the fire and thank their lucky stars
they were not near the building when it first exploded.
By the time you reach Haywrights Fine Jewellery However before too many curious locals or the Fire
it is already well ablaze. The roof has exploded Department arrives a Spot Hidden roll should be
outwards, covering the street with brick and tile. attempted by all Investigators present at the blaze. If
Flames rise high into the air consuming the inside successful read the following:
of the building frightfully quickly. As bricks begin to
burst and glass shatters, you hope to God no one is The flames roll and lick higher, changing shades of
inside. red as they consume everything they touch. For a
moment it looks as if they might almost be alivein
The characters are unable to get too close to the fact, as you watch the blaze it becomes obvious, as
burning building due to an intense heat and flying impossible as that seems, someone or something is
debris. A successful Idea roll will lead the Investigators inside the building. Yes as you watch intently you
to realise this fire is being fed by some flammable are positive you can make out something ALIVE in
source most obviously natural gas (heating gas). the fire.
The flames seem to rise in intensity and quickly In the flames something is indeed alive, and angry.
threaten the businesses next to the fiery convocation.
Although some local residents have appeared on the A Son of Veles (see the Guides of the Dead side bar)
street, most are barely dressed and seem stunned and which is now free. Until the death of Valerie Burton
unmanned for the events unfolding around them. (who has perished in the blaze) it resided in her
necklace (coincidentally the same necklace she had
Fortunately Haywrights is located in a light commercial found in Johns luggage after his return from Russia).
district and, although it is near residential buildings, These creatures are known in Russia as the guides of
the fire will not have long enough to do any substantial the dead or the bringers of justice, stalking those who
damage to any other structure. If the characters do have murdered the owner of their resting place (in this
not summon the Arkham Fire Department, they will case the necklace).
nevertheless soon hear the distant ringing of brass
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The Unbound Book What Goes Around... Issue - 0 August 2002

Shortly after appearing in the flames the Son makes discovered at any point of the adventure. (See The
its way out from the store and heads towards the Old Documents below).
Wooded Graveyard. It is easy enough to follow and will
Once the fire has been fully extinguished (about an
not concern itself with the characters unless they get
hour after the first fire engine arrives) the following
in its way. Viewing this huge creature requires a Sanity
can be discovered:
check costing 1/1d8.
Damage. The building is in ruins, the initial explosion
SON OF VELES, Guide of the Dead
and the subsequent fire blew the roof off the store and
STR 20 INT 10 destroyed many of its walls. As a result, Haywrights
CON 22 POW 17 Fine Jewellers is now not much more than a shell.
SIZ 18 DEX 18
Move 9 The scene has been cordoned off at both ends of West
HP 20 Main Street, with police officers questioning those who
witnessed the blaze.
Weapons: Claws 70%, damage 1d6+1d6db.
Although some furniture and internal wall structures
Bite 40%, damage 1d8+1d6db
have survived, albeit as wet, blackened and charred
Armour: None but can only be damaged with icons of destruction, only two items of any real interest
enchanted weapons, or with a flaming can be found, a body and the safe.
stake to the heart (see the rest of the
What the Police know. The police will quickly piece
adventure). Regenerates hit points at a
together a number of facts about the explosion.
rate of 1 per turn, or 5 per round once
under zero. While the fire may or may not have been deliberately
lit, natural gas was most definitely the propellant
Sanity Loss: 1/1d8
(the Fire Department states that they turned the
If the characters do not confront the Son it lopes gas off when first reaching the scene).
across the cemetery as dawn breaks. As the light creeps
At this point in time it is not being treated as arson,
across the ground the characters witness an amazing
sight. Where the rays of the sun strikes the creature, it
becomes opaque, almost totally see through. As the sky What really happened last
lightens, the Son, who continues to cross the cemetery,
night?
slowly but surely vanishes, until, once bathed in full
sunlight, cannot be seen at all. The body in the shop is that of Valerie Burton, burnt now
If the characters confront the Son, the dawn should beyond all recognition, the victim of her husbands plot
to free himself from the insignificant life he now leads.
reach it before they are able to do too much damage to
each other. If the characters go to the spot where the Early that morning John Burton had awoken his wife
Son was last seen, nothing can be found. It is as if it with a start, stating he thought he might not have turned
had never really existed at all, like some sort of figment off the gas at the store. Berated by his wife for such a
of their imaginations. The Son has, in fact, returned stupid act, they both arose from bed, dressed and drove
down to Haywrights Fine Jewellery.
to its realm of existence, eagerly awaiting dusk to
complete its task. Once inside John set his plan into action, apologising
to his wife for obviously making a mistake, who berated
The Investigators are now working against a clock they him again this time for getting them out of bed, he left
dont even know exists if they are to have any chance of her standing in the shop area while he made his way into
defeating the Son of Veles and saving their own lives. the back room. Here he flicked off the main lights, yelled
that it must be a fuse, and made his way to the fuse box.
After the Fire The old fuse box was already a disaster waiting to
happen. Flicking off the mains, John exposed some of
Once all the excitement has abated the characters can the lighting wires, before reinstating the power. One
return to the scene of the fire. There are a number of simple twist of the gas mains and all was set.
facts which they may or may not be able to discover Valerie, still waiting for the return of the lights, heard
about the events they have just witnessed. the click of the back door closing followed by the roar
of a familiar car engine. Calling out to John, she got no
It is however vitally important the characters discover response and after a few moments, she made her way
the documents which describe the necklace (the casket into the back room angrily trying to get a response from
in which the Son of Veles was imprisoned) and some of her husband. Reaching the light switch she flicked it on.
the legends which surround the Veles myth. Although The gas and one random spark did the rest.
these are nominally the jewellery store safe (the only
item to survive the fire relatively intact) they can be
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Issue - 0 August 2002 What Goes Around... The Unbound Book

but rather as an unfortunate accident. they are either taken by John or placed to one side by
the police as unimportant. If the characters cannot
The witnesses (except perhaps the Investigators)
get access to the scene of the fire the best suggestion
have nothing to tell, most arriving long after the
is for them to be found early on while scoping out
blaze began.
Haywright House (see below). If this is not possible
Discovery of a body. If the characters gain access to the Keeper can allow the characters to observe the
the site they will discover a tarpaulin over the remains documents being placed in a police car outside the
of an unidentified victim of the fire (although if John cordoned off area before mentioning that they are left
Burton has already visited the scene, the police can unattended while the driver goes back to collect more.
make a fair assumption it is his wife Valerie). A police
A good Keeper should have no trouble getting
officer is always present, watching the body until it is
the documents to the players no matter what the
removed shortly after 12.
circumstance.
If any of the characters are game enough to examine
The documents are a note, a letter and aparchment,
the body a Sanity loss of 0/1d4 results in seeing the
all relating to Johns recent trip to Vladivostok in Far
twisted charred corpse of Valerie Burton. The smell
Eastern Russia. (See Around Handouts 1 through
alone is enough to make the character retch and
3).
the police officer watching over the body is almost
physically sick at the sight of it. The letter of travel arrangements - Around
Handout 1. This letter is about five months old and
Nothing can be found on the body, but it is obvious the
was received by John (with other documents no longer
victim was fully clothed at the time of the explosion.
attached) from the Dormantry Travel Bureau in New
The Safe. This is the only object to survive the fire York. John had actually planned on throwing out this
intact. A man high four by four-foot steel safe, it will letter with the rest of the scraps he had brought back
be forced open during the initial investigation by the from Russia, but somehow it ended up in the safe with
police. While nothing of interest is discovered inside, some of the more important documentation from the
all the precious raw materials and jewellery pieces are trip.
moved to the police station (to be passed on once the
Page from a journal - Around Handout 2.
insurance investigation begins).
This yellowed and torn page looks as if they once
There are also a number of legal and informational formed part of someones personal journal. Although
documents inside, most of which are receipts, orders impossible to date, one could hazard a guess that it is
or other jewellery related notes. There is however at least a hundred years old. Written using an older
a number of curious and seemingly out of place style of Russian grammar it takes two hours and a
documents here as well. Read/Write Russian roll to translate (although it is
more likely the characters will take this and the other
The Documents in the Safe Russian note, see below, to a translator).
The Trinket text - Around Handout 3. This is
These papers are vital to future of the characters. nothing more than a scrap of paper, on which is written
Not only do they describe what the Investigators saw a few simple words of modern Russian (a successful
earlier that morning, they also explain why and, how it Read/Write Russian will translate it).
is here and more importantly, how to stop it.
Where the characters discover these papers is left up Learning More about the Documents
to the Keepers discretion, although nominally they are
present in the safe at Haywrights Fine Jewellers until Finding out more information about the documents
found in the safe is a relatively easy task. Those in
Russian can be translated by anyone with a decent skill
in Read/Write Russian and, although it is unlikely one
of the characters will have this skill, a translator can
be easily tracked down at the Miskatonic University
Modern Languages Department (Russian is currently
being taught by Dr Nicholai Stolpa). More about
the travel itinerary can be found out by ringing the
sender.
Dormantry Travel Bureau. Owned and run by
Peter Domantry this company specialises in Eastern
European travel (which is still a rarity in the 1920s).

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The Unbound Book What Goes Around... Issue - 0 August 2002

Based in New York, they cater for upper or business of this see Mallorys Mort de Arthur - or the legend of
class travellers who wish to not only to get where they King Arthur which, while in English, is difficult to read
are going safely, but also with a bit of style. due to the style of language used. This is a good way of
explaining to players why Mythos books take so long
If any of the Investigators contact the company
to read).
directly, all inquiries are put through to Peter, who is
in his late 50s and has a heavy Polish accent. Peter will It takes about two hours to get a readable translation
not give out any information unless the characters can out of the document (See Around Handout 4), at
convince him of the importance of their call or contact which point the translator, although dismissing the
him in some official capacity. journal as just a piece of fiction is never the less
intrigued as to where the characters have got such
If the Investigators do get him to talk, he will actually
an old and obviously important piece of Russian
have only very little to say about Mr Burton, except
literature.
that he is a fairly regular customer (once every year
or so he would organise business trips to Russia or Although he cant date it, telling from the style of the
other parts of Eastern Europe) with the last trip to text it is at least four hundred years old! The translator
Vladivostok about four months ago. John had rung wont pressure the characters but will request that such
not more than a week ago to say that he had returned an item would best be served in a Library or Museum.
safely and had enjoyed his trip. Peter will wrap up the
Perhaps the most important things to come out of this
conversation by stating he hopes to be able to fulfil Mr
journal page are:
Burtons travel needs for many more years to come.
A Son of Veles is a vicious killer who tracks down
The Translated Trinket Text. Any good translator those who have killed the wearer of its trinket.
can almost immediately translate the Trinket text.
It kills all mortals who get in its way, or who witness
They will explain it is actually a quote from a very
it.
famous book on Russian Folklore. It reads:
What is not so obvious is that it comes after dark and
The Sons of Veles are the guardians of the soul,
only those marked by the Son can hear its howls.
Guides in the after life. To touch their resting place is
Nevertheless this page should act as a warning to the
to ensure your safe passage to God.
characters that they have witnessed a relentless killer.
Born from their Fathers love of all that is good in
the world. They reside in small trinkets awaiting the Darkness of the North
passing of their owner to help them leave the mortal
coil. The Miskatonic University Library does indeed have
The translator believes there is a copy or two of this copies of this book and, most surprisingly from the
same book in the Miskatonic University Library. It is Investigators point of view, they are held on the regular
called The Darkness of the North: Stories from
Russian Folklore and was written at the turn of
the century by a well-known Russian scholar, Sergi
Romantov.
If possible the translator will also volunteer further
information about Veles (a character with Read/Write
Russian skill will also know this with a successful
History roll), who was also known as Volos, a Russian
god, whose worship extends back into the earliest of
written records. Originally he is the god of music, art,
poetry and animals. But later was also considered the
god of flocks and herds and, because he was depicted
with horns, of death and the Underworld.
As a note to the Keeper Veles/Volos was really
worshipped in Russia and a search of the Internet for
folklore or other mythology sites could help flesh out
any questions the characters might have about this
god.
Translating the page of the journal. This is a
much more difficult proposition, as the style and
grammar of the writing is quite old. (For an example

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Issue - 0 August 2002 What Goes Around... The Unbound Book

stacks of that building. recently been trimmed and the garden weeded. If it is
after 10am, the mail has been delivered, but consists
A successful Library Use roll will enable the characters
of nothing more than bills and statements. There is
to locate the book and find the passages relating to the
nothing of real interest here to any Investigators, until
Sons of Veles. (See Around Handout 5).
they reach the front porch, at which point they will
These pages are the characters key to understanding notice a bouquet of flowers with a note attached.
and defeating the Son of Veles - before it starts hunting Valerie, John
them down as well.
Have just heard about the fire! Hope all well and
The story of the Woodsman defeating the Son of Veles safe!
holds the three key points needed for a successful
Eric and Melissa
conclusion to the characters investigation:
Sons are invisible during the daylight; so even This is from family friends, who are as yet unaware
if the characters have defeated the creature the of Valeries demise. If tracked down Eric and his
chances are it will return tonight at dusk. wife Melissa have nothing to add to the investigation,
A Son is stunned by seeing its own reflection, rather than stating their concern about the well being
although why this is so is not explained. of the Burtons.
While stunned it can be killed by driving a flaming Backyard, Garage and Sheds: The backyard is just
arrow (a stake or any other wooden implement will as tidy as the front, with weeded gardens and low cut
also work) into its heart. grass. A number of flowerbeds are showing the first
If the characters have already visited the Haywright signs of life in the spring.
House and encountered Mrs McTighe, they will be The garage is locked at all times but once opened is tidy
able to workout who the murderer is and therefore and clean inside. A car, a new Chevrolet 490 Touring,
who the Son is tracking. is only present when John is in the house. Nothing
much else is in here except a few tools, stored art and
Haywright House antiques (Old Man Haywrights tastes werent always
matched by his heirs).
John and Valerie received Haywright House as part The larger of the two sheds is used to store gardening
of their inheritance. A two-storey villa situated on a equipment (trowels, spades, shovels and hoes are all
large piece of land at 219 West Miskatonic Ave, it is lined up nicely against the walls), while in one corner
an example of early 1840s Arkham architecture, with firewood is neatly stacked. The smaller shed is full
extensive use of high stud ceils and gabled roofing of Old Man Haywrights carpentry and woodturning
typical of the era of its construction. equipment. Dusty, but in useable condition this has
Old Man Haywright, although frugal, decorated the sat in here since John and Valerie took ownership of
interior with many interesting (but mundane) pieces the house. A number of unfinished pieces of furniture
of art, most of which still remain. The majority of are also present.
the everyday furniture is old restored antique pieces, Down Stairs: This consists of a Sunroom, Dining
not because Haywright was too cheap to purchase Room, Kitchen and Family Lounge. In general this
anything new, but rather as a result of his hobby floor is very tidy, with the floors clean and the rooms
- carpentry and woodturning (his lathe and other spotless, the only things that will be out of place
tools now reside in an unused shed at the back of the depends on what time of the day the Investigators
section, collecting dust). enter the house. If it is between 9am and 6pm they
Since taking possession of the house, just over a year will discover three packed bags near the front door.
ago, John and Valerie have done little to the building If examined these bag contain just mens clothing and
or the land on which it stands. Although the Haywright other personal items. It seems however as if someone is
House is not a manor by any stretch of the imagination, prepared for a long trip away (there is enough changes
it is situated on a large property typical of Arkhams of clothing to last many weeks). If the characters arrive
upper-middle class. The section in the front is private after 6pm the bags are still there, however in the front
and enclosed by a large well-groomed hedge, while the room a number of sympathy notes and bunches of
back yard (which is the size of a normal Arkham city flowers have been dumped. All the notes are unread,
property) is lush with trees and gardens. Two utility including any the characters might have left, and if
sheds and a garage are also located near the rear of the opened all express sympathy over the destruction
section. of Haywrights. These are from the Burtons friends
and neighbours and none mention anything about
Front Garden and Porch: The front of the Valeries death.
Haywright House is neat and tidy, the hedges have all

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The Unbound Book What Goes Around... Issue - 0 August 2002

A Day in the Life of John Burton

The following is a description of what John does
during the day following the murder of his wife and the
destruction of the store. This should help the Keeper
determine where he is, if and when the Investigators
start to try and find him.
Shortly after leaving is wife at Haywrights Fine
Jewellery store, John watches the destruction of his
shop before returning home to await the inevitable
fall out. About 6.30am he receives a visit from Luther
Hardin, Arkhams Chief of Detectives, and two
officers. Hardin explains the situation to John, who
then reveals that his wife awoke early this morning,
and unable to sleep said that she would go to the store
early and prepare for the days work ahead. When the
fact that a body has been discovered in the store is
mentioned, John breaks down in tears (only some of
Everything else is as one would expect to find in a which is acting).
house of the Burtons standing - the kitchen well John and the police then visit the sight of the burnt
stocked, plenty of liquor in the alcohol cabinet etc. out building and John is asked a few more questions,
Upstairs: The second story of the house is much like most of which he answers honestly - yes the shop was
the first, clean and tidy throughout. This floor consists insured, and yes his wife often came down early to
of four bedrooms of various sizes and a small study/ ensure everything was secured on the premises etc.
workroom. While Hardin is a little suspicious of John, mainly due
Of all the bedrooms only the master looks as if it is to the odd events surrounding the fire and death of
lived in, the others call have that slightly empty look Valerie, he leaves the jeweller to his own devices for
of guest rooms. In the master bedroom, a large range the rest of the day.
of clothing, both mens and womens can be found, also Again John returned home, this time to pack for his
there are a number of personal items displayed around trip to New York. Between then and 10am the phone
the room, including many jewellery and art pieces. If rings a number of times (friends who have seen/
the bedside tables are searched, a .32 pistol with a heard of the fire and reporters trying to get further
box of 25 rounds will be found along with a licence information - no one at this time knows of Valeries
for the weapon (for personal defence). John Burton is death) but he doesnt answer (nor does he respond to
napping in this room from about 6 to 7pm (before the any visitors at his door).
Son arrives at dusk).
Shortly after 10am John heads out to visit both his
The study/workroom is the only other room that lawyer and insurance company, foolishly leaving a
looks as if it is used. This contains a large desk (which New York Hotel as his forwarding address with both
has good lighting situated around it) and a filing (if John does somehow make it to New York, the police
cabinet. The files contain a number of tax, legal and will eventually track him down and arrest him for the
personal documents most pertaining to the running murder of his wife).
of Haywrights Fine Jewellery. If examined and a
successful Accounting roll is made, it will be revealed After 1pm John is at a bit of a loose end, he doesnt
that not only are the Burtons in a strong financial want to go home (and be forced to deal with media
position (Haywrights business is booming as of and/or friends) so instead he takes a drive west to
late - the late Averys aim of purchasing cheap and Aylesbury. During this drive, he gets the first pangs of
selling expensive has certainly paid off), there is also a guilt over the murder of his wife, although by the time
number of large life insurance policies on both Valerie he returns, at 6 that evening, he has fully justified his
and John. If the desk is searched a number of jewellery actions to himself.
tools and other jewellery maintenance equipment is After returning home, he collects his mail and any
found. flowers/notes awaiting him and dumps them in the
front room unread. At this point he is tempted to
immediately leave for New York, but since it has
already been a long day he retires to his room to rest
for a few hours.
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Issue - 0 August 2002 What Goes Around... The Unbound Book

Unless otherwise disturbed John Burton is found everyone? Bit of a doozey from whats I keep hearing
dead the next morning, torn to pieces at the foot of the why you know anything more?
staircase.
If the characters are aware Valerie is dead and they
tell Mrs McTighe, she will immediately go and get the
Mrs McTighe letter (see below).

Julia McTighe has always been a go-getter and However if the characters do not tell her of the
neighbourhood personality (some would call her a death, but convince Julia of their need to know more
busybody) and has become even more so since the information she will say:
death of her husband. Speaking with a southern drawl, Well I kinda guess there is something you oughta
even though she is in her early seventies and has lived know then Julia trails off, as if weighing up her
in Arkham for almost 40 years, Mrs McTighe is willing options.
to talk to most people about most things.
You just wait here a moment anda Ill get
Living next door to the Haywrights for more than half something youll want to see With that she totters off,
her life she is probably the leading authority on their disappearing into her house next door.
family. Julia holds the key to why events have unfolded
the way they have, and even has a discarded letter to This gives the characters a few moments to talk before
back her story up. Mrs McTighe returns with a piece of paper in hand.

Mrs McTighe will intercept the characters if they are

skulking around Haywright House and, as a fiercely
To My Dearest Love
independent woman, will even approach them if they
The piece of paper Julia hands the characters is a
have broken into the Burtons home (as long as they
letter, crumpled and botched as if previously wet. She
dont wander around brandishing weapons of course).
is almost reluctant to hand it to them.
Julia has learnt of the fire earlier in the morning (as
does most of Arkham) and will initially suspect the Julia McTighe hands you the dirty and crushed piece
Investigators of being plain clothed police officers of paper saying, Dont think bad of him, he is a nice
and/or reporters. man, if a bit foolishValerie doesnt love him, and
now after the fire this could be his only chance for
If she can be convinced of the characters good
happiness.
intentions (whether they have good intention or not is
another question entirely) she has this to say: If asked how it came into her possession Julia explains
she found it in her garden a week ago. Originally she
About John and Valerie Burton. You dont live
thought it was just a piece of rubbish but on closer
next to a family for forty some years and not learn
examination discovered it to be much more interesting.
about their dirty laundryya know? John and
She had planned on quietly returning it to John, but
Valerie been having their troubles ever since they
had yet to have a chance.
hitched up, or so said old Avery, and since they buried
that old coot in the ground they have been going at it If she is now aware of Valeries death, Julia insists the
like cats and dogs. Or should I say SHE has, Julia information goes to the police (she doesnt honestly
spits out the word She. think John killed her, - he is just too well tempered and
quiet to do that - but knows that to withhold evidence
Thats right, Valerie is a mean hearted woman. Got
is an offence).
the worse bits of her old pa and ma, God rest their
souls. Never satisfied with what poor John gives her. The letter itself is a bit of a mess, but can be made out
She accuses him of all sorts of things, none of which, easily enough. (See Around Handout 1).
to mah knowledge, is true.
The contents are pretty well self-explanatory and, if
All I can say is, from what I hear through the walls, taken to the police, John Burton will become suspect
is Im surprised that he dont leave her but then number one.
again if he dida that then hed lose the store then eh.
Following up Joanne. With no address or contact
She laughs, Not much good that did him, coose it
details on the letter it is rather difficult to track down
gone now.
Joanne in any short period of time. However any
Valeries inheritance. That right it all belongs to investigation into the girl will reveal that Joanne Carter
Valerie, old man Avery told me once hed never leave is a secretary for DeBeers of New York (a diamond
anything to that dopey son-in-law of his, he didnt mining company based in South Africa). Neither her
know what his daughter saw in the man. nor her family are rich, nor does any evidence (bar the
letter) lend support to the fact that she and John have
The Fire. Oh yesa, I heard about that, but then aint

36
The Unbound Book What Goes Around... Issue - 0 August 2002

a relationship. few others besides. She has a reputation for ensuring

things get done, for better or worse! Those that agreed
If Joanne is approached she denies knowing John
with her attitudes and thoughts became firm friends,
Burton, although in reality she is aware his marriage is
while those that didnt were sworn enemies.
the key to his income and will do nothing to jeopardise
this. As for the Burtons as a couple, most people know, or
records can be found of their marriage 12 years ago.
Other Avenues of Investigation They met at a Miskatonic University Dinner party
(even back then Valerie was know for her strong will
If the characters decide to ask around town about - head of the University Temperance Union) and
Burtons or Avery Haywright, they will soon discover had an immediate attraction to each other. Shortly
most locals know of them. afterwards, with Valerie graduating with a degree in
Liberal Studies, they announced their engagement
It was hard for people to forget Old Man Haywright, and were married within the year. John, who had
even though he has been dead and buried in completed his apprenticeship a year earlier, came to
Christchurch Cemetery for over a year. He was a work with Avery Haywright at the store.
cantankerous old coot, with an opinion on everything.
He would have run for mayor in his younger days, but Of the people in Arkham that call the Burtons friends,
he was smart enough to know that no one would have most are upper or upper-middle class, and will not
voted for him. His jewellery however was unsurpassed talk to anyone other than the police about them.
in quality and his reputation extended from New York As it is, most are unaware of the disharmony in the
City to Augusta in Maine. No one knew of his dislike relationship - Valerie made sure of that.
for his son-in-law, but to be honest no one would have Those who really know John and Valerie best are their
been surprised to learn of the fact. employees. Like many of the upper-middle class of the
Most people will have little to say about John, except time, the Burtons employ a number of people to clean
that he is a quiet, dry man. Professionally he has a and maintain the house on a part time basis (gone are
good reputation for quick and excellent work sold at the days of live-in housekeepers). With a little polite
an acceptable price (Haywrights has always been top questioning the following people can be found.
draw jewellery and their prices reflect that). Betty Wright: An Afro-American woman who works
Valerie Burton on the other gets an opinion out of as a part time cook for the Burtons. She likes Mr
every one, either you like her or you dont. She sat on Burton, and can attest to Mrs Burtons wild temper.
almost every citizen board run by the council and a Betty can relate stories about the many times Valerie
has made a mountain out of a molehill when it came to

Werewolf 2002 Dan Dionne

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Issue - 0 August 2002 What Goes Around... The Unbound Book

minor decisions in the house. By the time the evening arrives the characters should
have gathered enough evidence to understand what is
Argus Whately: Of the untainted Arkham Whatelys.
going on.
Argus, who is now in his early sixties, is employed to
help Valerie maintain the impressive Haywright House If they havent, the next day the papers will detail the
garden. A farmer by trade, Argus has recently left his discovery of the grizzly remains of one John Burton in
farm to his youngins and had originally planned to his own home. The next night however the characters
retire in town. He found, however, that he was not yet will all get a visit from an angry and vengeful Son of
ready for a sedentary life and as such enjoys helping Veles, as it tracks down those who have seen it stalking
out around the gardens of others in the town. its original prey.
If questioned about the Burtons he will say he really It is anticipated the characters will arrive prior to
only knows Mrs Burton, Mr Burton did not have dusk on that first, but with John already in the house.
much to do with the garden. However Argus will say Burton resists all attempts to get him to leave and it is
the Burtons bad temper was not all one way, relating highly likely he will believe somehow the Investigators
an incident where he witnessed John trample a bed of know of the murder.
prize roses after a particularly loud argument with his
If pushed or threatened in any way John will a) try and
wife.
get the gun which is in the bedroom upstairs and/or b)
Other household staff: Most other staff work only make his way to the car and off to New York (with his
on a causal or temporary basis, mainly through one of bags if possible).
Arkhams cleaning agencies. If any are tracked down,
John isnt a cold-blooded killer (he justifies killing
they will all have stories to tell about Mrs Burton
his wife as a form of self-defence) but he will defend
ranting like a mad women over some insignificant
himself and is not against firing a few warning shots if
event or incident. Most really dont mind if they never
someone gets too close.
work at the Haywright House ever again.
JOHN BURTON, Arkham Jeweller, Age 32
Jewellers at Haywrights: The Burtons employ
two other Jewellers at the store, both of whom will STR 10 EDU 16 Know 80%
be rather distraught upon hearing the news that their CON 12 POW 9 Luck 45%
place of employment has just burnt down. SIZ 13 INT 15 Idea 75%
DEX 16 APP 12 HP 13
Lawrence Cabot, now in his late 50s, has worked all SAN 32 (after killing his wife)
his life at Haywrights. Not much liking either Valerie
Damage Bonus: +0
(her temper) nor John (his approach is too laid back
- when compared to Avery Haywright), he is more Weapons: Fist, 50%, damage 1d3+db
than willing to say the Burtons fought like cats and
.32 Revolver, 30%, damage 1d8
dogs, with Valerie winning most of their arguments.
He sees Valerie as a pain in the neck, always trying to Skills: Acting 50%, Accounting 60%, Art (Jewellery)
get her own way, regardless of whether she is right or 70%, Bargain 80%, Credit Rating 30%(80%
not and John not being man enough to stand up to her. in Arkham), Fast Talk 30%, Library Use 20%,
Lawrence often cops abuse from Valerie, as he is left in Listen 30%, Pistol 30%, Psychology 60%, Spot
charge of the day-to-day running of the store whenever Hidden 70%, Fist 50%, Throw 45%.
John is out of town. However it is this authority, which
Once dusk settles over the city a successful Listen roll
he would not get anywhere else, that keeps him from
allows an Investigator to hear a distant howl (unless,
leaving Haywrights.
of course they havent seen the Son, in which case they
Karl West, 18, is an apprentice and has been working cannot hear the creature). Over the next 5 minutes the
for the Burtons for just over a year. He has nothing howl gets closer and a Sanity check is need by all those
but good things to say about John - he listens to hearing the Sons approach (0/1).
Karls comments and takes time to train him. He
Before long the Son appears, this also requires a Sanity
has, however, witnessed on many occasions the swift
check, even if the Investigators have seen the creature
temper of Valerie, so much so he is now frightened
previously (the maximum loss for seeing a Son of Veles
of her. Karl also dislikes Lawrence, although this is
is a total of 8 points - see Getting Used to Awfulness
because the old hand believes in the more traditional
under the Sanity Rules section of the Rule book). It
way of training apprentices.
immediately attacks John who, stunned and shocked,
fires an ineffectual round at the beast, before it
An Evening of Fire, Fur and Not probably cuts him down in one turn (unless, of course,
Much Fun the characters can somehow intervene).

38
The Unbound Book What Goes Around... Issue - 0 August 2002

Until John is killed the Son will focus all its attention might be aware it is only a matter of time before the
on him, this should allow the characters time to set Son comes after them also.
up anything they require to defeat the creature. Once
If the characters decide to involve the police in the
John is killed however the Son will immediately turn
matter, they will only be believed if they have the
on the closest Investigator.
love letter from Mrs McTighe. If this is the case,
The Son can be stunned by showing it its own reflection, Harden will have the evidence he needs to confirm his
this has the same effect as stunning the beast (see suspicions, and will immediately try and locate John
Stunning under the Rules and Skills section of the Burton. If he is arrested prior to the return of the Son,
Call of Cthulhu Rule book). The creature can only be the result will not be a pretty sight, as all of the officers
stunned once a day in this way, as it will try and avert stationed at the jail, along with John are found dead
its eyes if tricked into looking at a mirror again. the next morning.
To defeat the Son of Veles, its heart must be pierced Having John arrested after stopping the Son of Veles
with flaming wood. How the characters arrange to has little if any effect on this adventure, although it
do this is up to them, although any object hitting may help the players consciences.
the creatures chest will only puncture the heart if an
In the end there is no right or wrong conclusion to
Impale is rolled (depending of course on the individual
the adventure, although the Sanity gains handed out
partys stats and how the Keeper sees the adventure
do reflect the actions they took to keep deaths to a
panning out).
minimum.
If enough mundane damage is done to kill the Son, it
If the Investigators defeat the Son of Veles and
collapses to the ground, regenerating hit points back at
keep John alive (regardless of whether he stands
5 per round until above half, at which point it will leap
trial for the death of Valerie), each earns 1d12 Sanity.
up and continue its attack. (Of course in such a state a
dead Son is much easier to vanquish). If the Investigators defeat the Son of Veles, but
John dies, while they are trying to protect him, each
Hopefully this gives a lot of scope for a Keeper to
earns 1d8 Sanity only.
develop a fluid yet interesting combat situation - with
the Son chasing John or one of the characters, while If the Investigators defeat the Son of Veles, but
the rest try and impale the beast with the wood. do not even try to save John, they only receive 1d4
Sanity.
Once the Son of Veles is vanquished it drops to the
ground howling in pain, striking out at anyone close If the police arrested John for the murder of
enough to hit. Hearing its death throes costs 0/1 Valerie. Regardless of the outcome after this point
Sanity. the characters will only receive 1d4 Sanity. However
for every innocent person that dies - the Son has no
As it passes away in front of the characters its face
compunction killing all in its way to get to John - the
contorts, with the image of the beasts last victim
Investigators must lose one point of Sanity.
appearing over the wolf-like muzzle. This sight costs
1/1d4 Sanity, although if the Sons last victim was one In the end both John and Valerie probably got what
of the Investigators this cost could increase. If John they deserved for not respecting each other as people.
survives, the creatures face becomes that of an old Its just another case of what goes around comes
man, with dark rustic features (no-one recognises around!
him).

On the Unbound
Moments later the human faced Son begins to fade,
until eventually nothing but the characters wounds
remain to prove it ever existed at all.

Conclusion Website
During this adventure the characters may or may not
have a moral dilemma on their hands. John Burton What Goes Around...
did indeed kill his wife, although if he survives, states
he had no other choice, she had treated him no better
than a dog. - D20 Stats for What Goes Around...
The Investigators may think the retribution handed
out by the Son of Veles is deserved enough to allow Visit the Unbound Book Website @
the murder of Burton to go ahead, even though they www.unboundbook.org
39
Issue - 0 August 2002 Player Handouts The Unbound Book

-
.
.

. -
-
. -
.
, ,
.
Around 3 - The Trinket text
.
!
Handouts
!!
The following Handouts are to be used with
the adventures as labelled.

.
Due to space restrictions some handouts may
. need to be enlarged before use.

.

.
, , !
Around 6 - Burton Loveletter
Around 2 - Page from a journal
Arkham Art Specialists
>>Dealers of Antiquities & Fine Art<<

1/43 Walnut Street,

New England
Arkham,MA

Rise 1 - Booth Business Card

40
The Unbound Book Player Handouts Issue - 0 August 2002

and as night fell we could hear it coming, Veles the guide of the dead. Its arrival
proved only that one of us was the killer of the Cossack girl.
This was the proof, if the guide came then we could not deny that one of us had gone
back and had killed her. Revenge for the deaths of our own children.
It came like lightening to the house, a sundering apart the braced door. Its eyes like
black pools of chaos it searched for the killer. Jacques Why did he do it!
And yet for all his begging it did no good as Veles ripped him in two. And nor did we
stop him, no, for none desired to be guided as well
But then it turned on Demtri and Varese, why oh why!! It seemed that all those who
witnessed it became souls it desired.
And then was my turn. Unable to stop the beast I to was dead I awoke at dawn a week
later to the discover of Cossacks had found my shattered body, and saved by life.
Yet although I healed in time it took me seasons to walk, forever cursed never to forget
the Son of Veles ever!
Around 1 - The letter of travel arrangements Around 4 - Translated Journal

Dormantry Travel Bureau

5310 West 81ST Street, Lower Manhattan, NY
Specialising in East European Travel since 1897.

Dear Mr Burton,
Please find enclosed your travel itinerary.
Be aware that your Liner leaves pending last tide on the
noted dated.
Unfortunately we are unable to yet confirm the name
of the Liner on which you will completed your return
voyage, although we will advise you of this on arrival
in Vladivostok.
We wish your journey is a pleasant and safe one, and do
hope you find Russia an exciting and wondrous country.
Yours Sincerely,

Peter Domantry
Peter Domantry,
Travel Manager - Dormantry Travel Bureau

41
Issue - 0 August 2002 Player Handouts The Unbound Book
Around 5 - Darkness of the North

Extracts from The Darkness of the North: Stories from Russian Folk lore
by Sergi Romantov

The Sons of Volos, The Guides of Death, The Guardians of the Soul, The Bringers of Revenge. The Sons of Veles
are known by all these names, and yet the people of Russia do not fear them. Many of the old stories tell of the deeds
of men that would go unpunished. How the Slavs killed the Cossack and the Magyar slaughtered the Chechens or
how woman and children where rode down by horses or burnt in their homes.

But at the same time all knew that with the passing of these mens lives they would at last pay for their sins. Not
of course by any mortal means, but instead to Veles the God of the Underworld, who, as punishment for their crimes
would not allow them to sleep eternal. Yet Veles hated the chaos man wrought on each other, and wished they instead
danced or sang, made merry or made love. Above all he loved animals and those that treated flocks and herds with the
respect they deserved - for was it not the herds that fed man.

As a reward to those men and women who cherished his creatures he gave them a gift, a stone, in which resided a
Son of Veles. This stone although precious in life, was more so in death, as on the passing of the physical the Son that
resided within awoke and guided the departed to the loving arms of Veles, safe from those evil souls that still tried
so hard to reach the underworld. Unfortunately today these stones are long gone, vanished like those that worshipped
Veles.

The Sons of Veles. Large and immensely strong they were said to have guided the dead in the form of a wolf.
Invisible during the day they always return at night to complete their one and only task. In all the stories that speaks
of them there is but one that tells of a Son of Veles being stopped from completing its task.

That tale speaks of a evil man on his deathbed who, by some vicious deed, had acquired a Stone of Veles. Now a
local Woodsman learnt of this crime against Veles and prayed to the God for guidance. Veles, being a loving and
caring God, heard these prayers and came to the Woodsman, who in turn explained what had happened. Upon hearing
this Veles was full of sorrow, for although he did not wish for the evil man to enter the underworld he knew his Son
would not be stopped from fulfilling his task, even if his father wished it. The Woodsman then asked if nothing could
defeat a Son of Veles and the God cried out in sadness. Yes, he did know of a way of defeating his Son but he loved
him almost as much as he loved mankind so was loathed to tell.

Yet Veles, the God, had little choice, an evil soul could not enter the underworld without balance and peace being
lost in the world, and so with tears in his eyes told the Woodsman the secrets of his own Sons demise.

That night as the evil man died the Woodsman lay in wait. And as the Son of Veles arose from his slumber the
Woodsman did as the God bid. Big and fearsome although the Son was the Woodsman challenged him. With prism
of mirrors he dared to show the Son its true reflection. Stunned then, the Woodsman raised his bow and lit the head of
one of his arrows. Taking aim not to miss the Woodsman let fly, striking the Son in the heart. And how did the Son
cry out, its task could not be completed.

As it fled back to the arms of his father, it vowed that from that day forth its brothers would hunt to the ends of the
earth those that harmed the bearers of their stones, so never again would a Son fail in its task.

And Veles wept.

42