40 Adventures For Call Of Cthulhu Micheal C. LaBossiere Contents My Aunts House Finger Biter Old Blood The Bog The Bone Dealers The Bookstore Dark Island Demon Of Catheway Out Of The Depths The Drooler In The Dark The Exhibit Fungus Goddess The House On The Island I Want You To Kill The Ice Cream Man Temple In The Ice Thin Jack The Journey Lozdra Return To The Monolith Down To New England Town The Thing In The Park Pines And Sunshine A Most Awful Plant Player In Hell Woodson Pond Rest Stops The Scarecrow Sea Food Sink Hole The Black Stone Swamp Bones The Hum The Knife Spirit of A Thief Tomb Of Ash War Buddy The Well Wills Island The Wrong My Aunt’s House ©1996, 1998 By Michael C. LaBossiere [email protected] Call of Cthulhu Legal Information This adventure is copyright 1996, 1998 by Dr. Michael C. LaBossiere. It may be freely distributed for personal use provided that it is not modified and no fee above the normal cost of distribution is charged for it. Visit my web site at http://www.opifex.cnchost.com. Call of Cthulhu is Chaosium Inc's registered trademark for their game of horror and wonder in the worlds of HP Lovecraft. For more information, contact Chaosium Inc., 950-A 56th St, Oakland, CA 94608 -- or call us at 510-547-7681. Visit Chaosium's web page at http://www.chaosium.com/. Table of Contents Legal Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Keeper’s Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Getting the Investigators Involved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 The House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Area Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 House Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Investigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 NPCs & Monsters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Handouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Keeper’s Introduction “My Aunt’s House” is a cruel trick to play on the investigators, and hence it should be run with due caution. This adventure is intended to be run soon after the investigators have had a particularly rough experience. Prior to running this adventure, the Keeper should hint that the investigators have been suffering too much and that they could certainly use a break to give them a chance to recover from their past ordeals. It is important that the Keeper convince the players that this adventure will be a “milk run” or a respite from past horrors. Naturally, this adventure will plunge them into new terrors and convince that the Mythos is even more horribly pervasive than they ever suspected. The basic plot of the adventure is that certain Mythos beings have become aware of the investigators’ activities and intend to put an end to them (by putting an end to the investigators). In order to reach this goal, a Mythos being has been sent to replace one of the investigator’s relatives and lure the investigators into trap. During the course of the adventure, this being will do its best to neutralize the investigators (by killing them or driving them mad). The goal of the investigators is to survive and defeat the being (or at least escape alive and sane). The Keeper is free to adjust the number of creatures opposing the investigators in order to balance the adventure. Getting the Investigators Involved Prior to running the adventure, Aunt Sandra (a distant relative of an investigator who is not actually his aunt) should be established as a minor NPC. The investigator was a favorite of the “aunt” when he was a boy and she has stayed in touch with him over the years. From various bits of information she accumulated, Aunt Sandra concluded that the investigator was interested in the supernatural. Since she thought all that “sort of stuff” was nonsense, she would often try to persuade the investigator to give up “that ridiculous stuff about ghosts, psychic powers, and other nonsense.” Unfortunately for Aunt Sandra, the supernatural is quite real. Shortly before the adventure commences, certain Mythos beings will become aware of the relation between the investigator and Aunt Sandra. A particularly gruesome being, an Eater, will be sent to replace the aunt and set up a trap for the investigators. After luring the aunt into a trap (by informing her that she has won a house- she will inform the investigator of her great luck in a letter), the Eater will imprison her and prepare its trap. When it is ready, it will send a typed letter (the aunt has typed all her letters for years) to the investigators asking for their aid (handout #1). When the Eater is certain that the investigators are on their way, it will consume the aunt and take her place. The house may be located in any part of the East Coast, but it has to be in a fairly isolated area and it should be at least a couple days’ travel from where the investigators live. The adventure begins when the investigators arrive at the house. “Aunt Sandra” will greet them at the door, make small talk and show them their rooms. Since the Eater knows it has a definite time limit, it will get down to business the first night. The House The house is a relatively modern structure (it was built about ten years ago) and has two floors and a basement. It is a perfectly normal house (except for its current occupant) and looks that way. The house is, in fact, built on an ancient Native American burial ground. None of the local tribes protested building on the land, since the burial grounds belonged to a tribe they hated and feared (and later helped wipe out). The house was built for Samuel Lang, a retired professor of anthropology. Many of the locals thought he was a bit odd (he was), but Lang was just a normal retired professor. He lived in the house until he was killed by the cultist Zeke Williams at the Eater’s command. Another cultist, the lawyer Richard Benton, took care of transferring the deed and covering up the murder. Benton then departed for Boston, where he had other business. The house is located about fifty miles from the nearest city or town (depending on where the Keeper has located the adventure). The nearest house is few minutes away (by car) and this house is occupied by Zeke Williams. In order to be able to keep watch on the investigators, the Eater had Zeke prepare tiny peepholes for each room. If an investigator actively searches a room, they have a chance of spotting the holes (spot hidden at -30%). If the investigators spot the peepholes, the Eater will deny any knowledge of them and will suggest that the previous owner must have put them in for some odd reason. Area Map The area map details the area around Aunt Sandra’s house. Aunt’s House: The house that belongs to Aunt Sandra. Ditch: A three foot drainage ditch. There is one on either side of the road. When it rains, the ditches flood. Zeke’s House: A small two story house with nothing out of the ordinary. Zeke’s house is on the way to the nearest town/city. Study: The study contains several book shelves and a few pieces of furniture. The Eater will tell the investigators that some of the book shelves were there when she moved in. If the investigators search the room, they will almost certainly (+20% on spot hidden rolls) find a secret compartment in one of the book shelves. This shelf was brought in by Zeke and the Eater prepared the manuscript that is hidden in the compartment. The manuscript is detailed below. Other than the manuscript, there is nothing unusual in the study. Basement Finished Basement: This area has carpeting and paneling, but is empty. Storage: The storage area holds a variety of normal junk (which belonged to Lang), including a chain saw and a single shot .410 gauge shotgun. The gun and saw are on a workbench way in the back and are concealed by a lot of other junk. There is a box of 30 old shells (each has a 1 in 10 chance of not working) beside the shotgun. Also on the workbench is a battered brief case that holds some of Lang’s old notes (from a freshman Anthropology class). The briefcase is locked and a bit rusty. It can be forced open (it has a “strength” of 8) or cut open. Furnace/Laundry Room: This room contains the house’s oil furnace as well as a washer and dryer. The room is normal, except for the panel that leads to the bedroom. Because of the poor lighting, the panel is somewhat difficult to spot (-10% on spot hidden). If the investigators bring their own lights, there is no penalty to spot it. Investigation The investigators will certainly wish to investigate the situation. Since the Eater is familiar with the usual methods of human enemies of the Mythos, it has prepared a variety of false clues and red herrings. One false clue is the manuscript that is located in the study. This manuscript purports to be Lang’s journal and it provided a (fictional) account of his dealings with the Mythos. This manuscript was prepared by the Eater and it cleverly lays out a plausible story which seems to explain what is going on. It is also intended to help Zeke become accepted by the investigators as an ally. After all, if Zeke was such a problem for the wicked Lang, he could certainly aid the investigators. Of course, the manuscript is a complete fabrication (Lang had no inkling of the Mythos until the Eater killed him). Enough excerpts are provided as handouts for the players to get the flavor of the journal.The Eater was careful about simulating the age of the journal (it used an old book and had Zeke leave it in the sun to “age” it further). If the investigators found Lang’s briefcase and his notes, they will notice that the handwriting of the journal is different from that of the notes if they compare them side by side. The Eater, posing as Aunt Sandra, will suggest that the investigators talk to Zeke Williams. The Eater will tell them that Zeke is friendly, though a bit eccentric. If the investigators follow its suggestion, The Eater will invite Zeke over. Zeke appears to be a kindly old man, but he is actually a cultist in the service of the Mythos. The beings the Eater serves have promised Zeke the means to extend his life in return for his service. Zeke will tell the investigators the following story or a similar version: “Things were pretty dull around here until about a decade ago, when that guy Lang showed up. Someone told me he was a retired professor or something. I saw him poking around where this house is now and went over to talk to him. He wasn’t very friendly and told me to get off his land. A short while later he had a house built, this one in fact. During the construction, one of the workers vanished. There was a short investigation, but almost everyone thought the kid had left town to avoid some trouble. Personally, I suspect that Lang had a hand in his disappearance, but I could never find any evidence. After he had the house finished, he spent almost all of his time puttering around the yard. I waved to him a couple times when I drove by, but he wasn’t very friendly and told me to never come on his land. Seeing as he was so mean, I had no desire to be in his presence. I think that Lang might have been involved with something weird. I’ve been told that the land Lang bought was once an Indian burial site. I don’t know the whole story, but I heard those Indians were really bad. Things went on like this for about seven years, until one day a big black car pulled into my driveway. The driver was a foreigner, from the Middle East, I believe. He was looking for Lang, so I sent him on his way. That feller was a bit frightening. He looked like one of those bad guys in an Indiana Jones film, you know. After the foreigner came buy, things got a bit odd. I would sometimes hear strange noises coming from Lang’s place and sometimes there would be flashes of light, even though there were no storms. Things went on like this for a few years, until about two months ago. That night I could hear this god awful noise and there were terrible flashes of light. It also began to smell like one of those old bogs. I tell you, it was a terrible night. I had worked up my nerve to call the cops, when there was a noise like a thunderclap and a what looked like a flash of lightning. I then heard a scream that near froze my blood. Then..then there was dead silence and darkness. I drove by the next day and saw a blackened patch on the front lawn, that looked as if it had been struck by lightning. I didn’t see any sign of Lang. A couple days later I saw the big black car parked there and about a week later some people from the city came up to the house. I later learned that Lang had no relatives and the house passed to the state. Some company bought it and some other houses and set up some sort of lottery contest and, as you know, your aunt won this one.” Zeke will do his best to convince the investigators that Lang was some sort of terrible person who was probably involved in some sort of cult activity. Zeke will pretend to have no knowledge of the occult and he will push the line that Lang had gotten involved with some sort of foreign cult (“I guess the one true God wasn’t good enough for him”) and it led to his downfall. In actuality, Zeke’s story is a complete fabrication and Zeke is in league with the Eater. If the players decide to check on Zeke’s story, they can look for information in the House Maps The house is well kept and everything is in good condition. The Eater gave the aunt time to move her possessions in and settle down before killing her, so as to make the trap even more effective. First Floor Entry: A heavy duty door with two solid locks. The door has a “strength” of 17 if someone tries to break it down. The interior doors are much weaker. Though they lock, they have only a 6 “strength.” Dining Room: This room has an old oak table (the Aunt’s) as well as a china case. Living Room: This room contains comfortable furniture and a small table has copies of the aunt’s favorite magazines. Family Room: The family room contains a variety of furniture and a color television. Kitchen: The kitchen is equipped with a conventional oven, microwave, dish washer, stove, and a well equipped knife rack. Bedroom: This is the aunt’s bedroom. The Eater does not sleep and will lock the door at night while it is out. Zeke cut a panel out of the floor that leads into the Furnace/Laundry Room. The panel is under the bed and has a pile of blankets on it. Aside from the cut out panel, the room is normal. Bath: A normal bathroom, which the Eater does not need to use (it does remember to flush the toilet occasionally). Garage: Empty, since the Aunt did not own a car. Second Floor Bedrooms: The bedrooms are furnished, but contain nothing unusual. Baths: Normal bath rooms. Closet: Contains linens. nearby town/city. The library is a useful source of information. A successful Library Use will reveal the following: In colonial times a tribe of Native Americans lived in this area. This tribe practiced a religion that was not accepted by the other tribes of the area and there are records of frequent conflict between this tribe and the other tribes. There are also records of conflicts between the English colonists and members of the tribe, who were described as “nasty and savage people, given to strange ways that are hateful even to their fellow Indians.” According to the records, this tribe was later massacred by a group of colonists. The investigators might also think to check the city records for the property. The records list that Lang purchased the land from a real estate company in New York (this company owns vast amounts of land and has no Mythos involvement) and had a house built shortly thereafter. The records also show that the title to the house was transferred to a Boston based real estate company (which is heavily involved with the Mythos). The title was finally transferred to the investigator’s aunt. If the investigators are able to check further (they make a friend at city hall or have other connections, etc.), they will learn that the real estate company in Boston (Silver Investments, Inc.) has acquired several houses in the state. If the investigators follow up this lead (with appropriate research in the library and state records), they will be able to learn that in almost every case that Silver Investments has acquired a property the owner was single and had no living relatives. While this is not particularly odd, the investigators will be unable to locate any of the previous owners. This is because the previous owners are quite dead (or worse). Silver Investments, Inc. is actually a Mythos front which acquires property for Mythos use. At this point, the Keeper should be careful about preventing the investigators from taking off to investigate Silver Investments (if necessary, the Eater and Zeke will stage a crisis or accident to keep the investigators close at hand), though the Keeper may wish to include it in a future adventure. If the investigators call Silver Investments, Inc. their call will be handled by a secretary who will then turn the phone over to Richard Benton. Benton will tell him that his company occasionally runs a contest for promotion purposes. He is quite adept at small talk and will play the role of a busy executive who has little time for people unless they are looking to buy property. The investigators will learn nothing new from Benton. If the investigators decide to check on Lang, they can ask around about him. The odds of finding a person who knew him is based on the size of the city/town, but there will be at least one librarian who will remember him (he spent a fair amount of time at the public library). Those who knew him will say that he was single, a bit eccentric, talked about odd things (other cultures’ strange religions, odd rituals, and so forth) and always seemed a bit nervous. He was, in fact, quite eccentric and uncomfortable around people (except when teaching), which explains his nervousness. He was a normal person, with no Mythos involvement. The investigators might be able to learn that he worked at a state university. If the investigators learn which one, a call to his old department will yield the same description that the local people will give. If the investigators check on Zeke, they will learn that no one in town knows him, although some people might remember him shopping or buying gas for his truck. If the investigators check the records on Zeke’s property, they will learn he has owned the house for about six months and that the property was acquired and sold by Silver Investment, Inc. If Zeke is asked about this, he will say that he was keeping the house for his cousin, Jack Smith (the previous owner) and he finally purchased it when his cousin left the country. Zeke actually killed Smith and Benton took care of the title transfer. Since Smith was a recluse and had little to do with the outside world, this was an easy task. The Action The main action of the adventure will be the attempts of Zeke and the Eater to kill the investigators or drive them mad. The Eater and Zeke both know that they would have a difficult time killing the investigators outright, so they have prepared a series of events that are aimed at weakening the investigators to the point where they can be dealt with. The Eater has set up a plan for five days. At the end of that time, if the investigator have not been defeated, the Eater will depart, leaving Aunt Sandra’s rotting skin tacked to a wall ( 0/1D3 SAN loss). Day One: The day the investigators arrive will be relatively uneventful. The Eater will give the investigators a chance to meet Zeke and to conduct some initial investigation. While the investigators are settling in, the Eater will begin sizing them up and laying out its plans. Day Two: The day will be uneventful and the investigators will probably go to town to do some investigation. The Eater will give them a list of supplies to pick up (Aunt Sandra’s usual shopping list). That night, Zeke will hide in bushes a short distance from the house and fire chunks of human bone at the house using a slingshot. When he hears the investigators coming to the door, he will toss an old human skull into the open, run to the ditch on the other side of the road and then conceal himself under a tarp. The Eater will pretend to be horrified by this. If the investigators go out and look around with a flashlight, they will be able to find several chunks of bone. If they take them in to be examined, they will found to be quite old (they are bones that Zeke dug up some time ago). To make matters more exciting, Zeke will place 10 glasses of acid in the area in front of the door prior to his sling shot attack. He will pour some luminescent fluid in the acid to make it glow a hideous green and will put it in glasses that have been painted black. Each glass will have a cardboard disk on top to conceal the glow. If the investigators go out the front door, each investigator has a 50% of knocking over a glass on the way out and a 25% chance of knocking over two glasses. Since Zeke took the precaution of removing the entry light, the investigators will not be able to see the glasses unless they bring their own lights. In order to spot the glasses, an investigator will need to make a Spot Hidden skill roll (this assumes the investigator has a light and is checking the ground). If the investigators simply charge out, they will have little chance of seeing them in time. Each time an investigator runs into a glass, the investigator will need to make a Luck roll. If the roll fails, the investigator takes 1D6 that round and 1D3 the next. If the roll is successful, the investigator only takes 1D3. If the investigator rolls a 01 on his Luck roll, then she takes no damage. If the investigators call the police, a cruiser will arrive after about an hour and a half. The police will take statements, gather up the bones and acid jars and begin their (ultimately fruitless) investigation. The Eater will pretend to be very concerned about injured investigators and suggest that they seek medical treatment. Day Three: On the third day, Zeke and the Eater will arrange some trouble for the investigators. In the morning, Zeke will disguise himself and go into town to hire some local toughs. He will give them descriptions of the investigators and tell them to shout “Yog Sothoth” when they attack. Zeke will then drive back to his house and set up the trap. Zeke will dig up a skull (he has several skeletons buried under various trees), etch some meaningless signs into it, coat it in animal blood and leave it in his driveway. He will then call the investigators and say he saw a mysterious figure snooping around his house and he could use their help. When the investigators arrive, they will see the blood coated skull in the driveway and Zeke will come running out. While he is telling the investigators about the “mysterious stranger”, the toughs will arrive in a car, yell something approximating “Yog Sothoth” and attack the investigators. There will be one tough for each investigator. If the toughs defeat the investigators, they will beat them fairly severely, rob them and then leave. If the investigators are in no condition to defend themselves after the toughs have defeated them, Zeke will get his rifle, call the Eater, and they will finish the investigators off. If the investigators defeat the toughs, the toughs will say that they were hired by some guy to beat the investigators up. They will also say that the guy who hired them said they didn’t have to beat up the old guy, since he had special plans for him. They don’t know anything more. If the investigators call the police, they will come and get the toughs, who will spend the next few months in jail. That night, Zeke and the Eater will be making arrangements for the next two nights, so the investigators will have a peaceful evening. While the investigators are asleep, the Eater will be contacting a group of ghouls to recruit three of their number. Meanwhile, Zeke will be in town collecting victims (some to “pay” the ghouls, others for the next two nights). Day Four: The day will be uneventful as Zeke will be busy preparing for the night. He will have seven people tied up in his basement. He will kill and mutilate two of them and then set to work preparing more acid. While Zeke is working on the acid, the Eater will transform three of the victims into Eater zombies. Once Zeke finishes the acid, he will move the two victims and the three zombies into the back of his truck and then wreck his house. That night, while the investigators are asleep, he will cut the phone and the power lines in several places. He will then pour the glowing acid all over the investigators’ vehicles’ engines, interiors, and gas tanks (so the vehicles will not be able to run) Meanwhile, the Eater will hang the mutilated corpses in the aunt’s house. Once everything is ready, Zeke will conceal himself in the ditch, about 300 yards from the house, and play a tape of an unearthly howl on a boom box. He will then flee to his truck which is parked about half a mile down the road (with the victims tied up in the back). When the investigators are awakened by the horrible howl,