A Curiosity
March 10th 1870
Keeper’s Background
Three years ago Alfred Philbrick, who has been somewhat shunned by his upper class peers for his occult activities, purchased a house built over Wookey Hole Cave, a location long believed to be a locus of supernatural activity. He has invited the Investigators (three of whom are his peers and share his interest in the occult, the other three being servants of Philbrick’s friends) to a dinner party where he promises to show them “a curiosity.”
“Curiosities” were spectacles displayed and enjoyed by the upper crust of Victorian England and generally had occult overtones, as things occult and mystical were very much in vogue at the time.
Mr. Philbrick is under the control of a Lloigor which dwells beneath the Wookey Hole Cave and is depressed due to that mental contact. He has cancer-like growths and, on his abdomen, a face that speaks to him and provides instructions from the Lloigor. (The instructive face is my own invention, and not an ordinary characteristic of a Lloigor.)
Mr. Sydney Webb, ostensibly Philbrick’s butler, is a ghoul of more or less human aspect. He and the Lloigor are in league and are using Philbrick to draw food to the property–spiritual for the Lloigor and physical for Webb and his ghoul minions.
As ghouls are extremely dangerous, and this party of Investigators is not especially combat capable, Webb is the only full ghoul in the adventure. His six minions are all “meeplings,” lesser ghouls, with statistics lowered by the author.
It rains, with thunder and lightning, throughout much of this adventure, especially when the Keeper deems it appropriate, for drama and/or obscuring vision etc.
Wookey Hole
This scenario takes liberty with the community of Wookey Hole. Due to the area’s in-scenario history, the village does not exist.
Background for the Investigators
Alfred Philbrick’s last “spectacle” was well received. He displayed a very pale man who was cold to the touch and did as Philbrick said, never speaking. Philbrick claimed to have raised the man from death using “secret, ancient, oriental, occult techniques.” After the man had left, he produced a gentleman with the credentials of a mortician, Mr. Sidney Webb, who verified the man had in fact passed away one week previous.
Philbrick’s home itself is a curiosity because it is built over Wookey Hole Cave. Rumor has it that, in the medieval period, demons and a dragon destroyed a local village. In some versions of these rumors, agents of the Church arrived and destroyed these creatures but, in others, this group was slaughtered along with the villagers.
It is important to be mindful of the fact that, although wealthy English families may treat their servants respectfully, they are still servants. In general, the wealthy will avoid doing anything which might cause them to become dirty or that they feel seems socially inappropriate. Propriety and dignity are highly prized.
Although household servants in Victorian England were housed upstairs, I have placed them in the basement due to scenario needs. Also, note that in Britain the ground floor is referred to as the “ground floor” and what is known in the United States as the “second floor” is referred to as the “first floor.”
Intent on doing some skeet shooting and bird hunting, the group has brought along three, 12 gauge, double-barreled shotguns.
12 gauge shotgun, damage 4D6/2D6/1D6, 10/20/50 yds, 1 or 2 per round, HP 10, 00 malf
Arrival
The Investigators travel by train to Emborough, in the the general area of Philbrick’s home. The details of this trip are irrelevant, and this is simply an opportunity for the players to get into character and establish the dynamics of their in-character relationships.
They arrive at a train station at night, in a driving rain. Here they are greeted by Mr. Sydney Webb, now Mr, Philbrick’s butler, who takes them to a carriage and helps them load their belongings..
The carriage is a bit old and in slight disrepair, though clearly of high quality. On the way to Philbrick’s, the Investigators will note a slight scent of decay. If they inquire about this to Mr. Webb, he will state that he has been somewhat remiss and will tend to the carriage straight away.
The carriage ride, which takes the Investigators along the River Axe, lasts about an hour and a half to Philbrick’s home, arriving at a very dark ten pm. There is still a driving rain, and thunder and lightning are abundant.
Philbrick is nowhere to be seen, and Mr. Webb will state that his employer is upstairs, asleep in his bedchamber.
Elijah, Patricia and Roderick are shown to rooms on the ground floor. The two male servants are instructed to sleep downstairs, as has been the case on previous visits. Janet will, as is customary, share a bed with Patricia.
The ground floor rooms are well appointed, though a bit shabby and smell somewhat musty.
The basement also smells a bit musty and the scent of decay is somewhat stronger here. Besides two small but acceptably comfortable beds, the basement contains a six-foot tall bookshelf against one wall, on which are several candles. Also in the basement are four wooden chairs, a cast-iron stove, three buckets of coal, a stack of firewood, two kerosene lamps and a table with a chess board. The servants are aware that, in addition to food, the ground floor pantry contains several bottles of wine and brandy and there are fine cigars in the parlor.
Each night, once the servants are quieted down, and it they aren’t completely unconscious from alcohol, allow them each a Listen roll. If any succeed, see the Basement entry under The Action and Investigation, below.
Motives
Alfred Philbrick: Philbrick has long been fascinated with the occult, has traveled extensively in pursuit of such knowledge and has now found himself a bit out of his league. Fully under the control of Webb and the Lloigor, Philbrick is at a loss as to what to do. He hopes his friends can somehow help him out of this situation but, deep down, he realizes this is impossible. Now he feels guilty about bringing them into the situation.
For the most part, Philbrick will sleep, look awful, have a weird, shifting lump beneath his shirt mutter apologies for “having brought them into all this” and promise that the curiosity will be performed “soon.” It’s up to the Keeper, and is probably a good idea for moving along the action, for Philbrick to eventually get around to telling his friends what he’s talking about.
If the scenario needs to wrap up soon, Philbrick will break down weeping, confess to cannibalism “because they’re forcing me to remain alive,” state that Webb made him do all these terrible things and that he can’t leave the property because he is kept here by The Dragon (which he will also refer to as “The One Who Sleeps”).
He will state that The Dragon/One Who Sleeps is responsible for the murder of the people in the carriage. (The wrecked carriage is largely obscured by the front hedge along the drive.) He will then rip open his shirt, revealing the 6″ thick neck-like appendage growing from his abdomen with a rudimentary head and fully functional face. The face will be currently awake and viewing it causes the loss of 1/1D6+1 Sanity.
Philbrick will now do all in his power to commit suicide. However, each round he and the Head-Thing must make a POW v POW roll to see which is in control. The Head-Thing wants to kill the Investigators and survive.
Mr. Webb: Mr. Webb, in the guise of Philbrick’s butler, is after food. He plans to allow the Lloigor to drain Philbrick’s friends to satiate its hunger for Magic points, then kill them and take them into the ghoul tunnels and the Dreamlands Underworld.
He will do his best to allay the Investigators’s suspicions, conceal from them what is actually going on and keep them on the property.
Though a relatively human-looking ghoul, Mr. Webb goes to some trouble to conceal his appearance. He wears gloves to conceal his claws, and baggy pants to conceal the somewhat goat-like nature of his legs.
The Action and Investigation
This scenario is largely player driven. The following role playing scenes will occur and play out as the players move about and initiate them.
Atmosphere: Remember, it rains throughout much of this adventure, especially when the Keeper deems it appropriate, for drama and/or obscuring vision etc. Play this up, without overdoing it, to help maintain a sense of foreboding.
Unkempt house: In general, the house is not clean and orderly by Victorian standards. It seems Mr. Webb, as the butler, should be doing a much better job of keeping the home in order. A faint scent of decay also pervades the house.
It is also very odd that Mr. Webb is the only servant. Ordinarily, there would be several staff. The Investigators may lament the absence of these familiar people: the former Butler Timkins “Good old Timpkins makes the best toddy,” the maids Annette and Geraldine, Mr. and Mrs. Patterson the cooks and Mr. Lancaster the gardener.
If the Investigators inquire about this, both Mr. Webb and Philbrick will state that Mr. Webb has had to focus so much on Philbrick’s health that the house has to become a secondary consideration.
They also state that Philbrick has had difficulty acquiring and maintaining staff due to rumors of evil creatures, including a dragon, in the area in the medieval period.
Philbrick’s Room at Night: If the Investigators snoop around Philbrick’s room at night, a successful Listen roll indicates he is muttering quietly to himself. Calling his name softly causes silence, while calling it aloud awakens him.
If they enter the room, they will need a lantern to see. Philbrick is quiet unless they have awakened him. A Spot Hidden allows any Investigators that the odd lump on Philbrick’s abdomen moves ever so slightly and then remains still.
If they open his night shirt, Philbrick awakens screaming. The face, fully awake, also screams, causing 1/1D6+1 Sanity loss.
At this point Mr. Webb will drop all pretenses and attempt to do away with the Investigators by all means available. It will take several rounds for him to summon his meeplings and Mr. Tod, then begin hunting the Investigators.
Mornings: While Mr. Webb is up and about exceptionally early, Philbrick sleeps until about ten in the morning and generally naps in mid-afternoon in a large, comfortable chair in the parlor.
Remember to have the Lloigor drain magic points from the Investigators each night. By expending 1 of its own magic points, a loigor may drain 1D6 magic points from a sleeping human to use in performing some magical action. The next morning, the victims wake complaining of headaches and bad sleep.
For more details, see Lloigor, below. For purposes of the Loigor’s telekinesis, the basement and tunnel fall into the category of costing 3 magic points.
Pantry: Off the kitchen is a well-stocked pantry with stairs going down into a root cellar. In addition to food, grains etc, there are also several bottles of fine wine and brandy here.
Library: The house has a large library, which naturally is dusty and in need of cleaning.
Assuming Patricia, who has both History and Library Use, peruses the books, she finds the following. While most of the library is filled with encyclopedias and dictionaries, both general and topical–reference works on History, the various sciences etc., and many books on the occult.
She will find a one hundred year old work by (fictional author) Michael Waterbury, a fairly well-respected author regarding occult and mystical beliefs, which discusses Wookey Hole in the Middle Ages.
Waterbury writes that, at some point in the very early eleventh century the Bishop of Emborough, a nearby town, became concerned that taxes from Wookey Hole were overdue. This situation was exacerbated when a villager from Wookey ran into Emborough screaming that “The Sleeper” had awakened in the village of Wookey and that God had forsaken the people there. Naturally, this man was put to the torch as a heretic.
The Bishop assembled a group of men and despatched them to Wookey to investigate. These men were: a Sir Roderick, a knight of the Church and his squire Jan (pronounced yahn): a Father Thomas and his assistant Brother Patrick: and a Jewish moneylender named Abraham and his bodyguard Elijah. There are no further details of this journey.
She also uncovers one more item-a single, hand-written sheet of paper by an unknown author. This is a record of a group who went to Wookie Village to explore the tales regarding the place.
The writer describes “a sea of bones, with a tangible, oppressive malignancy.” He states further that the group left after only a few days exploration, due to “inexplicable exhaustion, sorrow and terrible headaches.”
Mr. Tod: Mr Tod is pale, unresponsive, cool to the touch and smells of decay. He will occasionally display facial tics and moan. If attacked, he will fight. Otherwise, he stands unmoving in a closet. He obeys Mr. Webb’s commands but ignores those of anyone else.
Mr Webb: Mr. Webb is clearly not much of a housekeeper, nor any other sort of household servant. He makes a passing attempt at dusting, making beds, cooking meals etc. The food he makes is edible, though not especially appetizing nor appealing to the eye–everything is just sort of dumped together. His dishes also lean heavily toward meat.
If asked where he is from, he states he comes from Brighton (about 134 miles to the SE on the English Channel), but he finds the country air more pleasant than the city. His accent is not quite definable.
Other than puttering around the house, Mr. Webb will tend to be out in and near the Gardener’s shack or in the cemetery. If asked about this, he states he must do his best to keep the property in order.
While in these locales he may be seen gesturing, as if speaking with someone, though the rain or shed etc. obscures their identity. If the Investigators approach, the conversation ends, unless there has been conflict–in which case Mr. Webb will attack and/or send meeplings and/or Mr. Tod to attack the Investigators. Remember that there are only six meeplings available.
In general, Mr. Webb will avoid being personally involved in combat. He would much rather risk the meeplings and Mr. Todd. If things look bad enough, and Mr. Webb can escape, he will move past the cemetery in the tunnel and disappear into the darkness.
Basement: as stated above, the basement also smells a bit musty and the scent of decay is somewhat stronger here. Besides three small but acceptably comfortable beds, the basement contains a six-foot tall bookshelf against one wall, on which are a typewriter and several candles. Also in the basement are four wooden chairs, a cast-iron stove, three buckets of coal, a stack of firewood, two kerosene lamps and a table with a chess board.
The servants are aware that, in addition to food, the ground floor pantry contains several bottles of wine and brandy and there are fine cigars in the parlor.
Each night, once the servants are quieted down, and it they aren’t completely unconscious from alcohol, allow them each a Listen roll. If any succeed, see the Basement entry under The Action and Investigation, below.
Investigating the bookshelf allows a Spot Hidden. If successful, this shows a curved line of scratches on the inside walls of the shelving unit going from the front of a shelf to the back wall of the unit. If they continue to fail these rolls, they will nevertheless find this on the third night.
If lifted, this shelf turns upward to the back wall of the unit and there is a noticeable click, accompanied by the right side of the bookshelf shifting slightly forward. The bookshelf can now be opened outward, showing it to be a door with recessed hinges.
Assuming they open this door, it opens into a dark, cement hallway leading straight away from them to the East, the very closest bit of which is dimly illuminated by their light in the basement. This passage smells musty, earthy and of decay, and they see two small, naked and very greyish pale people scurrying away into the darkness of the tunnel.
If they pursue, one of two things happen. If there has not been any conflict between the Investigators and Mr. Webb, they hear soft, incomprehensible muttering ahead, which outdistances them. If there has been conflict, these two meeplings turn about and attack. They see in all but complete darkness.
If any Investigator speaks French, they hear one of the voices whisper “We must lead them away for Master.”
This tunnel leads from the basement to the gardener’s shack and the cemetery. For further details, see those entries, below.
For details on the tunnel itself, see Tunnel, below.
If the Investigators speak to Philbrick about this, see the Alfred Philbrick entry under Motives, above
The Grounds
Gardener’s Shack: This building is 15′ x 15′ and smells musty and of decay. There is a kerosene lamp on a nail just inside the door.
In here are the things one might expect–shovels, a rake, shears, a wheelbarrow, hand tools, a push lawn mower, a large canvas bag of rags, a pair of leather gloves etc. (Whatever the Keeper thinks is reasonable if the Investigators conceive a genius plan.)
In the middle of the floor, beneath a 3′ x 3′ scrap of rug, is a trap door. Opening this reveals a ladder descending roughly ten feet into a cement tunnel. This, of course, is the passage which runs between the basement to the West, here and the cemetery to the East.
This passage smells musty, earthy and of decay and, if they have any light, they see two small, naked and very greyish pale people scurrying away into the darkness of the tunnel.
If they pursue, one of two things happen. If their has not been any conflict between the Investigators and Mr. Webb, they hear soft, incomprehensible muttering ahead, which outdistances them. If there has been conflict, these two meeplings turn about and attack. They see in all but complete darkness.
If any Investigator speaks French, they hear one of the voices whisper “We must lead them away for Master.”
If they continue to the East, they will arrive at the door and counterweight system beneath the large grave marker in the cemetery. If they continue East beyond this point, see Tunnel, below.
If the Investigators speak to Philbrick about this, see the Alfred Philbrick entry under Motives.
Family Plot: The cemetery is very small. Surrounded by a 3′ high stone wall, it contains only six, small, worn, very old, limestone markers and a large, much newer, marble monument 3′ x 3′ x 6′ tall.
The six small ones are worn beyond legibility and have no significance to the scenario.
The large marble one bears the word “Via” on the side where the grave mound is.
A person with a STR of at least 10, standing on the grave mound, can push against the monument and discover that it shifts a bit. Anyone with a STR of 12 or higher can push it over. Once it reaches a certain point, it levers down slowly and easily, thanks to a set of counterweights.
With the monument levered over, an opening is visible with a ladder set into a cement wall. This descends about 10′ into a cement tunnel, which smells musty, earthy and of decay.
This is the tunnel that leads from the basement, passes beneath the gardener’s shack, then extends beyond here to the East. At this point, the Investigators hear faint voices muttering.
If they immediately descend, they see two small, naked and very greyish pale people scurrying away down the tunnel to the East.
If they pursue, one of two things happen. If their has not been any conflict between the Investigators and Mr. Webb, they hear soft, incomprehensible muttering ahead, which outdistances them. If there has been conflict, these two meeplings turn about and attack. They see in all but complete darkness.
If any Investigator speaks French, they hear one of the voices whisper “We must lead them away for Master.”
Beyond this point, the walls, floor and ceiling of the tunnel are coated with a fungus which emits a faint yellow light. This phosphorescent light is sufficient for normal vision once someone’s eyes adjust.
If they continue East beyond this point, see Tunnel, below.
If the Investigators speak to Philbrick about this, see the Alfred Philbrick entry under Motives, above.
Tunnel: The tunnel is fairly well constructed of concrete. It leads, in darkness, from the basement, beneath the gardener’s shack, beneath the large monument in the cemetery, then beyond, at which point the walls, floor and ceiling are coated with a phosphorescent fungus which emits a faint yellow light. This light is sufficient for normal vision once someone’s eyes adjust. Also at this point, the tunnel ceases to be made of cement and is instead of hard packed earth.
If the Investigators speak to Philbrick about this, see the Alfred Philbrick entry under Motives, above.
The tunnel may be entered through the secret door/bookcase in the basement, the ladder set into the cement wall beneath the trap door in the gardener’s shack or the ladder set into the cement wall beneath the large monument in the family plot.
If the Investigators go beyond the cemetery, into the area lit by the fungus, they find that the tunnel goes for quite a ways (about 100′), then comes to a four-way intersection. If they turn back now, they return to the area beneath Philbrick’s property.
If they choose another direction, whichever way they go they soon come to another intersection, though they can’t quite understand which directions the passageways go or how many there are. They also feel a little sleepy.
If they immediately turn back, allow each Investigator a Luck roll. If anyone succeeds, they find their way back straightaway. Otherwise, it takes about an hour.
If they continue exploring the tunnel system, they become hopelessly lost and the scenario ends. They are captured by ghouls in the Underworld of the Dreamlands.
Crater: Near the driveway to Philbrick’s house, is a jagged crater roughly 33′ in diameter and 10′ deep at the center. This is screened by some shrubs, though a Spot Hidden allows an Investigator to notice an area of the shrubbery that has been broken through at some point in the recent past.
Anyone standing at the edge of the crater experiences a tingling, “pins and needles” feeling all over their body. This feeling grows stronger the further in they go, if they do so, and is somewhat painful at the center.
If the Investigators spend several minutes searching the area around the crater, they find fragments of a carriage, as well as bones strewn here and there–including a fractured skull that is clearly human.
If the Investigators ask Mr. Webb about this, he will state that many odd things have happened in the area over the years it will take some time to get the property in order.
If they ask Philbrick, he will react much as he typically does, muttering apologies for “having brought them into all this.” If he breaks down and opens up to the Investigators at this point, he will inform them that people often come onto the property due to its historical significance and this was a group of locals and police from Emborough who were arriving to look into reports regarding “strange sights” on the property.
He will further state it is Webb’s fault and that Webb is responsible “for everything.”
If the scenario needs to wrap up soon, see the last two paragraphs under Alfred Philbrick in the Motives, above.
Two Mounds of Freshly Heaped Soil: Behind the cemetery are two mounds of earth.
One, the larger, appears to be the result of someone digging a large hole in the ground and piling the soil here.
The second, about ten feet in diameter, appears like earth which has been packed down to fill a hole dug into the ground. There is a faint stench of decaying flesh in the area of the smaller, apparently filled in, mound. If the Investigators dig here, they will uncover the skeletons of one dozen human bodies. Although this seems a recent occurrence, most of the soft tissue is not present.
If the Investigators confront Mr. Webb about this, he will claim he made an attempt to give the passengers of the wagon a decent burial. He will then try to lead them into a fight with the meeplings and Mr. Tod, possibly drawing them into the tunnel to get them lost. He will, of course, attempt to avoid injury to himself, but will not hesitate to fight if he feels he has the advantage.
If the Investigators inquire about this to Philbrick, he will break down weeping, confess to cannibalism, “because they’re forcing me to remain alive,” state that Webb made him do all these terrible things and that he can’t leave the property because he is kept here by The Dragon (which he will also refer to as The One Who Sleeps).
He will state that the dragon/One Who Sleeps is responsible for the murder of the people in the carriage. He will then rip open his shirt, revealing the 6″ thick neck-like appendage growing from his abdomen with its rudimentary head and fully functional face. The face will be currently awake and viewing it causes the loss of 1/1D6+1 Sanity.
Philbrick will now do all in his power to commit suicide. However, each round he and the Head-Thing must make a POW v POW roll to see which is in control. The Head-Thing wants to kill the Investigators and survive.
End of Scenario
Maps
1. The first map shows the relative locations of Wookey Hole Cave, the Abbey and Philbrick’s property. Distances are approximate.
2. The second map details the property and the tunnel. Though the scales are approximate, they are essentially as follows. The scale of the cemetery detail is 10′ per square. The scale of the tunnel map is 5′ per square. The scale of the outside overview is 30′ per square.
3. The third map shows the ruins of the Abbey. There is nothing in particular to find here, though it might make for a good encounter location with Mr. Tod and or a meepling. This attack will only occur if Mr. Webb is not present, allowing him deniability.
The Abbey is too far from the property for the Lloigor to affect any manifestations.
Philbrick, Alfred: Philbrick is in bad shape. His keenness for occult knowledge has plunged him into the madness of the Cthulhu Mythos. He now has a 6″ thick neck-like appendage growing from his abdomen with a rudimentary head at the end, complete with fully functional face.
This creature awakens when Alfred is asleep, and becomes dormant when he awakens, and has it’s own statistics. Occasionally, they are both simultaneously conscious as when the Lloigor speaks to him with it, or when the both are feeding during the feasting required by the Food of Life spell.
Alfred is overweight, exhausted and sweaty in appearance, and his skin has an unhealthy grey pallor. When clothed, he appears to have a very oddly-shaped fat gut.
He seems generally depressed and sad.
Alfred Philbrick, Age 48, Insane mutated Englishman.
STR 13 CON 18 SIZ 14 INT 14 POW 14
DEX 12 APP 9 EDU 18 SAN 19 Move 6 HP 16
Damage Bonus: +1D4
Weapons: Whatever is at hand at base chance to hit, damage by weapon
Armor: none
Spells: Contact Ghoul, Create Zombie, Food of Life
Skills: As the Keeper sees fit
Sanity Loss: Seeing Alfred and his appendage, 1D6 (+1 if the appendage is awake)
Webb, Sidney: Mr. Webb is in league with ghouls and the local Lloigor.
Sidney Webb, Age 42, ghoul mortician.
STR 14 CON 16 SIZ 10 INT 12 POW 16
DEX 15 APP 8 EDU 13 SAN 00 Move 9 HP 13
Weapons: Butcher Knife 40%, damage 1D6
Spells: Alter Weather, Bind Enemy, Circle of Nausea, Command Ghost, Contact Ghoul, Create Zombie, Food of Life
Skills:
Sanity Loss: 0/1
Head Thing:
CON 16 SIZ 2 INT 16 POW 18
HP 9
Spells: Alter Weather, Bind Enemy, Circle of Nausea, Command Ghost, Contact Ghoul, Create Zombie, Food of Life
Sanity Loss: Seeing Alfred and his appendage, 1/1D6 (+1 if the appendage is awake)
6 Meeplings: This author finds ghouls to be very powerful in combat and would like to have an alternate type. These are the meeplings. They are smaller, less intelligent and more canine in appearance then regular ghouls. They are bi-pedal but sometimes go about on all fours.
These creatures are generally servants and messengers for regular ghouls. Meeplings speaking a meeping language that sounds like a whining mumble to humans (unless they learn the language), though may communicate perfectly well with regular ghouls.
A meepling is restricted to one attack per turn, a bite or a claw, and they have no worrying attack.
STR 13 CON 11 SIZ 9 INT 10 POW 10
DEX 14 Move 9/9 on all fours as well HP 10/
Damage Bonus: n/a
Weapons: Claw 30%, damage 1D4
Bite 30%, damage 1D4
Armor: None
Spells: None
Skills: Burrow 75%, Climb 85%, Hide 60%, Jump 75%, Listen 70%, Scent Decay 65%, Sneak 80%, Spot Hidden 50%
Sanity Loss: 0/1D6
Mr. Tod, the Zombie:
STR 16 CON 16 SIZ 13 POW 1
DEX 7 Move 6 HP 15/
Damage Bonus: +1d4
Weapons: Bite 30%, damage 1d3
Large Club 25%, damage 1d8+1+db
Armor: None, but impaling weapons do 1 point of damage, and all others do half rolled damage.
Sanity Loss: 1/1d8
Loigor: (abbreviated description) These creature exist normally as invisible vortices of power, though rarely create tangible, visible bodies for themselves. When they do so, these bodies bear a very superficial resemblance to enormous reptiles – at least close enough for medieval people to call them dragons.
The minds of loigor are not divided into layers of consciousness, nor do they have imaginations or subconscious minds to distract or mislead them. The primary fact about their minds is a profound pessimism and gloom. Mental contact with loigor almost always results in suicidal depression in humans.
The loigor need humans to survive; these immaterial entities must draw energy from intelligent beings to perform necessary tasks. By expending 1 of its own magic points, a loigor may drain 1D6 magic points from a sleeping human to use in performing some magical action. A loigor can drain energy from several sleeping humans at once, from up to several miles away, despite intervening obstacles. The next morning, the victims wake complaining of headaches and bad sleep.
Magic Point Attack: Loigor may drain magic points from a particular sleeping target, keeping that character’s magic points at or near zero. Such an unnatural condition weakens the victim physically and spiritually, leading to sickness and possibly death.
After each full day spent unconscious with zero magic points, the victim’s player must attempt a CON x5 roll. If the roll succeeds, the investigator has fended off the attack, regains a magic point, and wakes. With a failure, the investigator loses a hit point and continues unconscious, and with a failing result of 96-100, the investigator loses a point of CON and continues to sleep.
Telekinetic Effects: The lloigor can push people and manipulate objects such as a compass needle or a door latch via telekinesis. The (presumably immaterial) lloigor must be directly present, and within a few yards of the effect. To create a telekinetic force of STR 1 requires 10 magic points above ground, 6 magic points in a subsurface but open area, and 3 magic points in a tunnel or cave. A group of lloigor might combine telekinesis and perform potent deeds.
Vortex attack: The lloigor’s most fearsome weapon is a type of implosion sounding like the roll of distant thunder. Things in the blast area are generally torn to pieces, and the ground is ruptured and discolored. At least 100 magic points are needed for an area ten meters in diameter. Each thing within the circle loses 1D100 hit points. An alert investigator notices the telltale effects of swirling lines appearing in the air and a half-unheard throbbing penetrating his body.
Reptilian manifestations: To shape as a monstrous distorted reptile, a lloigor must expend magic points equal to the lloigor’s reptile SIZ. Once the body is formed, it may be maintained indefinitely or dissolved at will. If the lloigor is slain in reptile form, it dies permanently. Several lloigor may combine their magic points to permit a single one to create his physical form quickly. A lloigor in reptile form has all the powers of one in the immaterial mode, except that it cannot pass through walls and is not invisible.
When in reptilian form, a lloigor has all the characteristics listed below. When immaterial and intangible, it lacks the parenthesized characteristics, skills, etc., possessing only INT, POW, and DEX.
(STR) 41 (CON) 28 (SIZ) 50 INT 20 POW 14
DEX 11 Move 7 / 3 through stone as immaterial (HP) 39/
Current magic Points: 38
(Damage Bonus): +5D6
(Weapons): Claw 30%, damage 1D6 + 5D6
Bite 50%, damage 2D6
(Armor): 8-point reptilian hide. In the immaterial state it cannot be harmed by any physical weapons, magical or not.
Sanity Loss: 0/1D8 as reptile; invisible no Sanity loss; mind contact costs 1/1D4 Sanity points.
Spells
Alter Weather: Caster and others knowing the spell may spend any number of magic points, others may spend one. 10 MP are required for each level of change. Costs each participant 1 Sanity point, and requires 3 minutes of song-like chant per level of change.
Effective radius is 2 miles, and may be expanded by 1 mile per additional 10 magic points.
The weather change lasts 30 minutes per every 10 magic points in the casting, though violent weather lasts a much shorter time.
5 weather components may be changed. The temperature must be 30̊ F or lower for snow to fall.
Cloud Cover Levels: (1) clear, (2) foggy, (3) partly cloudy, (4) cloudy, (5) heavy clouds.
Wind Direction Levels, the Eight Compass Points: (1) north, (2) northeast, (3) east, (4) southeast, (5) south, (6) southwest, (7) west, (8) northwest
Wind Speed Levels: (1) calm, (2) breezy, (3) gusty, (4) strong steady wind, (5) gale, (6) local hurricane, (7) tornado.
Temperature Levels: one level raises or lowers the temperature in the area of effect by five degrees Fahrenheit.
Precipitation Levels: (1) dry, (2) drizzle or mist, (3) rain [snow], (4) hail [snow], (5) heavy rain [heavy snow], (6) thunderstorm [blizzard].
Bind Enemy: This spell costs a variable number of magic points. After about a day of creating an effigy (containing hair, fingernail clippings and/or other personal items) of the target and chanting the ritual, match the magic points expended against the target’s POW.
Success means the target may not attack the caster, physically or magically, for 7 days unless this protection is broken by the caster attacking the target.
Circle of Nausea: This spell costs 4 magic points, 2 Sanity points, and takes 5 minutes to cast. The caster must inscribe a circle on the ground, then fortify the circle with 4 enchanted stones, one at each of the four cardinal points, each of which has previously been enchanted with 4 magic points.
Breaching the circle requires a POW vs. POW Resistance Table roll. If this roll fails, the character attempting the breach vomits for 5 minutes or until they retreat 100 yards away. If anyone successfully breaches the circle, the spell collapses.
Command Ghost: This spell compels a ghost to come forth and answer specific questions. Casting the spell costs 10 magic points and 1D3 Sanity points, and must be done at night.
A mammal’s blood is poured upon the grave or ashes of the dead person.
The spirit will refuse to re-enter this world, so the caster must overcome its magic points with his/her own on the Resistance Table. Sanity loss for viewing the ghost depends upon the manner of its death.
The ghost summoned by this spell responds to questions about events occurring while the spirit lived. Each question caster one magic point and another Resistance Table struggle. When the spirit is victorious, or when one hour elapses, it departs.
Contact Ghoul: This spell costs 8 magic points and 1D3 Sanity points, and automatically succeeds unless there are no ghouls nearby. The spell description suggests casting on moonlit nights and in graveyards, particularly those more than a century old.
Create Zombie: Requires a human corpse with sufficient flash remaining to allow mobility.
The caster places 1 oz of their own blood in the corpses mouth, then kisses the lips of the corpse, and “breathes part of the self” into the corpse – spending 1 POW. The caster also loses 1D10 Sanity points. The resulting zombie will follow simple commands. Should the caster die, the zombie becomes inactive and rots away.
Part of the invocation refers collectively to the Outer Gods, though no names are used.
Food of Life: This spell costs 10 magic points and 1D8+1 Sanity points to cast. The caster engages in cannibalism for several days, gaining one month of life span for every SIZ of flesh eaten.
My name is CthulhuBob Lovely, I live in my childhood hometown of Columbus, Ohio, and have a son and two daughters. I volunteer at MisCon, which occurs each year on Memorial Day Weekend in Missoula, Montana and help out at other shows.
In my younger years I had seen H.P. Lovecraft’s books in the collection of my older brother, Brian, who is also responsible for introducing me to Monty Python, Star Wars and many other things geek.
I began running and playing Dungeons and Dragons in 1977 at the age of 15, and Call of Cthulhu since its original publication in 1981.
I believe geekery and gaming can have positive effects on math, reading and writing, and social interaction skills, as well as family togetherness. I have three published stories online at
http://www.bewilderingstories.com/bios/lovely_bob_bio.html
