My Aunts House

“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 them 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 investigator’s 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 of 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 a 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.

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 bathrooms.

Closet: Contains linens.

Study: The study contains several bookshelves and a few pieces of furniture.
The Eater will tell the investigators that some of the bookshelves 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 bookshelves. 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
briefcase 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 that 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 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 now Mythos involvement. If the investigators have a
great deal of access to information, they 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,
they will probably run out of their rooms and see the horribly mutilated
corpses. Seeing these remains costs 0/1D6 SAN. The investigators will find
that the power is out and that the phones are not working. If they go to
Zeke’s house, they will find the place smashed up and blood everywhere.
They will also see an arm (from one of the corpses) on the floor (0/1D3
SAN loss) of the house. The Eater will pretend to be horrified by what is
going on and will fake a screaming fit if it sees the corpses.

Day Five: At the dawn of the fifth day, the investigators will be without
power, phones, vehicles and will be 50 miles from the nearest city. An investigator
who is in excellent shape could make the trip in about 8 hours (alternating
running and walking), walking it would require about 13 hours. If the investigators
decide to walk out, the Eater will do its best to persuade them to stay.
After all, the Eater appears to be an old woman who can barely get around
in her house. If all the investigators leave the Eater, it will leave Aunt
Sandra’s skin nailed to the wall. If the investigators learn of this, they
will each lose 1D6 SAN (assuming that they believe they left Aunt Sandra
to die and did not know “she” was the Eater). If any investigators
choose to leave, Zeke, three ghouls and the three Eater zombies will ambush
them about an hour after they leave the house. If the investigators survive
this, they can take Zeke’s truck. If they somehow destroy the truck, there
is a 1 in 10 chance each hour that they will encounter someone willing to
give them a ride back to town. The mail truck will also leave the town/city
at 2:00 pm and it will meet the investigators at some point. The truck has
a radio and the mailperson will use it to call the police at the investigator’s
request.

If some or all the investigators chose to stay, Aunt Sandra will suggest
that they clean out the house and wait for the mail truck to come. If some
of the investigators leave, Zeke will ambush them about an hour after they
leave the house. If Zeke kills all the investigators that leave or all of
the investigators chose to stay, Zeke and his horrible allies will ambush
the mail truck about ten miles from his house, so it will never arrive.
Thus, the investigators will probably be on their own.
Once night falls and the investigators are very tired, the Eater Zombies
and the Ghouls will attack. The Eater has arranged several ways for its
allies to get into the house (the basement windows, the windows in Aunt
Sandra’s bedroom, and through the garage) quietly and unseen. During the
attack, the Eater will do its best to make things difficult for the investigators,
without actually risking its own existence (it will bump into them, get
in their way, pretend to be dragged off by the ghouls, fake a bout of insanity,
etc.). While the ghouls and zombies are inside, Zeke will be outside with
his rifle to deal with anyone who escapes the house. All in all, things
will be a bit messy for the investigators.

Resolution
The adventure will end when the investigators are victorious or vanquished.
If the investigators kill or drive away the Eater and its allies, then they
will have a respite from the Mythos (for at least a short period of time).
The investigators should receive a maximum reward of 1D8 SAN, less for lesser
degrees of success. If the investigators are defeated by the Eater and its
allies, then they will likely end up dead or worse. If the Keeper is feeling
merciful, any living investigators could be sent to Boston, which would
give them a chance to escape.

If the investigators survive the ordeal, they might wish to follow up and
investigate Silver Investment, Inc. in Boston, which is a Mythos front.

NPCs & Monsters

Zeke Williams
Description: Zeke appears to be a short, heavily built kindly old man. In
actuality, he is a cultist who has been serving the Mythos for years. Zeke
is intelligent, clever and very vicious, hence has often been employed by
his cult for various dirty jobs. Despite his apparent age, he is extremely
strong and quite adept at violence.

The Eater
Description: Eaters are horrid beings which are, fortunately, very rare.
They are created by dark and terrible spells from the skinned corpse of
a human being. The resulting creature is devoid of all memories, but can
be trained by its creator.
These creatures look very much like a badly rotted human corpse which has
had its skin peeled off. The surface of the body is covered with a viscous,
green-gray fluid and they have long, sharp claws. In the mouth, an Eater
has a nest of small tentacles which can be concealed under its tongue. These
beings feed by capturing humans, eating their memories and then devouring
their internal organs and skeleton. An Eater can then don the skin of the
victim and simulate them.

Eaters are particular malign beings and delight in causing other beings
to suffer. In some cases, this can be a severe weakness for instead of killing
a victim outright, they will often torment them. In some cases, this flaw
has resulted in the downfall of the Eater in question. Eaters are also great
cowards and will always seek to preserve their own existence. They prefer
to hide within the skins of their victims and seek to avoid conflicts with
creatures powerful enough to harm them. Unfortunately for the Eaters, they
are often employed by other Mythos beings in a variety of tasks.

Eater Attacks and Imitation: Eaters attack physically with their claws and
teeth. Once they kill a victim, they will peel back the skin from their
skull and insert their tentacles into the victim’s brain. Once the tentacles
get into the brain, they will begin to dissolve and absorb it. This process
will go on for 10 minutes. Each minute, the Eater will absorb 1D10% of the
victims memories, which will enable it to imitate the victim. Once the Eater
has consumed the victim’s brain, it will consume the victim’s skeleton and
internal organs. If it wishes to imitate the victim, it will fuse the victims
skin onto its body and remold its body to conform to the appearance of the
victim. The Eater is able to alter itself so effectively that it is virtually
impossible to tell that a disguised Eater is not a human being. The Eater
will also have 10D10% (1D10 for each minute of feeding) of the victim’s
memory. These memories do not include skills . This Memory rating is used
as a skill and each time that the Eater has to remember something the victim
knew or believed, it must roll under its Memory rating. If the roll fails,
the Eater fails to remember and may be exposed if it is not careful. If
it rolls a 00, then the Eater makes a serious mistake based on a false memory.
Each day after the day the Eater consumed its victim, the Eater loses 1D10%
of its memory of that victim. When all the memory runs out or ten days pass
(whichever comes sooner), the victim’s skin loses all integrity and sloughs
off in a terrible and disgusting manner.

Because of the limitations on their memories, Eaters are careful to stay
away from people the victim knew extremely well, unless they are sure they
can carry off the deception. For example, they like to imitate people whose
memories were failing, since they can use that as an excuse when their recall
fails.

Special Ability: Eater’s have the rather unpleasant ability to create Eater
zombies. To create these zombies, the Eater must have access to a fresh
corpse. The Eater bites a chunk of flesh from its body and chews it thoroughly.
It then opens the skull of the corpse and uses its tentacles to infuse its
flesh through the corpse’s brain. The Eater then expends a point of POW
(a permanent loss). The corpse will arise 1D10 minutes later as an Eater
zombie.

Eater Zombies

Description: Eater zombies are corpses that have been reanimated by an Eater.
Once the Eater finishes the reanimation process, it will reseal the skin,
so that the zombie will look almost normal. The method that Eaters use to
create zombies results in the zombie retaining its former intelligence for
a short time, but not its personality or abilities. An Eater zombie will
be reanimated with its original intelligence and then it will lose one point
of intelligence each hour, until it becomes a mindless zombie. During the
period that it retains a higher intelligence, it can be directed by the
Eater or an ally to undertake complex tasks. Once the zombie’s intelligence
is reduced to 0, it will be a mindless automaton that will obey the Eater’s
commands like a “normal” zombie.

Toughs
Description: A bunch of “tough guys” with no future except as
residents of various American prisons. They are aggressive when they outnumber
their victims, but lose all their “courage” when things start
going against them. Although they are criminals, they aren’t inclined to
kill anyone and will only kill or cripple the investigators by accident
(if they get out of control, for example). They are armed with a mix of
small knifes, chains, and pieces of wood (small clubs).

The Ghouls

Description: Ghouls are rubbery, vile humanoids with hoofed feet, canine
features,who possess sharp, animalistic claws and fangs. They speak in gibberings
and meepings, but many ghouls speak human languages (as some ghouls were
once human). Ghouls feed primarily on the dead, but are not adverse to fresher
fare. Many ghouls (such as those in this adventure) serve more powerful
beings.

Ghoul Attacks: A ghoul can attack with both claws and a bite in a single
combat round. If the bite strikes, the ghoul will hang on and forgo its
claw attacks. Instead it will rip into the victim with its fangs, inflicting
1D4 in bite damage per round. A victim so assailed can tear the ghoul away
by making a successful STR vs. STR Resistance Table roll. Once pushed away,
the ghoul must make another successful bite attack to grab hold of its victim
again.

Handout #1 Letter from Aunt Sandra

Dear,
I am sorry about the delay in responding to your letter, but I have been
busy settling into my new house. You remember, it is the house I won in
that wonderful contest a short time ago.
At first I was very pleased about wining the house, but now I am a bit worried.
I was told by one of my neighbors, Zeke Williams, that the house is located
on an ancient Indian burial site. He said that the Indians worshiped some
awful spirit and did terrible things, at least until the English put a stop
to it. Being a practical person, I paid no heed to the dark history of this
place. After all, what can the dead do?

But then I began hearing noises at night. The other night I even saw a ghostly
figure outside my bedroom window! Although I have never placed any stock
in the supernatural, I am fast on my way to becoming a believer. I am indeed
sorry about not taking your hobbies in this area more seriously.

I hate to trouble you, but would you mind doing your old aunt a favor? Would
you come to visit me and see what you can do about the situation? I hope
this is all some sort of elaborate joke, but I am an old woman, all alone
and I am afraid.

I have enclosed the address and directions and can help you with air fare
if need be.

Love,
Aunt Sandra

P.S. I’ll bake a blueberry pie just for you!

Handout #2 Excerpt From the Manuscript
(dated 12 years ago)

My research at the university has revealed the location of the burial ground
of a lost tribe. According to the journal of a long dead English priest,
this tribe engaged in ritual human sacrifice and “was most hated by
the neighboring tribes who dealt not with the foul spirits from above the
sky.”
I suspect that the beings referred to are creatures that I have had dealings
with in the past. If so, investigating this burial ground would be to my
advantage. I shall purchase the land and have a house constructed there,
so that I might conduct my researches undisturbed by the curiosity of the
pathetic inhabitants of the region.

Handout #3 Excerpt From the Manuscript
(dated 10 years ago)
I have secured the land under which the burial site is located and construction
has begun on the house. I have been carefully directing the workers, so
they do not turn up any relics or bones. If this were to occur, no doubt
there would be an investigation into the region. Earlier this week I was
forced to kill one of the workmen when he turned up a skull. After removing
his brain, I buried the body were no one would think to look, to save in
case I need it later.

Handout #4 Excerpt From the Manuscript
(dated 10 years ago)
The house is finally complete. Aside from my overly curious neighbor, Zeke
Williams, the area is nearly empty and perfect for my activities. I shall
soon have the area prepared for my rituals. I suspect that I will have to
dispose of Zeke someday, but for now I do not dare take action. One disappearance
in the area has not attracted undo attention, but two might.

Handout #5 Excerpt From the Manuscript
(dated 3 years ago)
I have acquired the Book of the Unclosed Tomb from an ally in Europe.
Once I have mastered the secrets of its ancient pages, I shall be able to
wrench forth the secrets of this ritual site and receive the power I so
richly deserve. Zeke Williams has continued to pry into my affairs. I suspect
that he shall need to meet with a terrible accident soon.

Handout #6 Excerpt From the Manuscript
(dated 2 months ago- last entry)
I have achieved mastery over the book and its spells and I shall attempt
the ritual tonight. Soon I shall have the dead of this place as my servants
and then the beings from beyond the sky shall serve me. I shall give them
Zeke Williams as their first sacrifice. He will certainly regret his curiosity
when they pluck his eyes and brains from his still living body.

prisons. They are aggressive when they outnumber
their victims, but lose all their “courage” when things start
going against them. Although they are criminals, they aren’t inclined to
kill anyone and will only kill or cripple the investigators by accident
(if they get out of control, for example). They are armed with a mix of
small knifes, chains, and pieces of wood (small clubs).

The Ghouls

Description: Ghouls are rubbery, vile humanoids with hoofed feet, canine
features,who possess sharp, animalistic claws and fangs. They speak in gibberings
and meepings, but many ghouls speak human languages (as some ghouls were
once human). Ghouls feed primarily on the dead, but are not adverse to fresher
fare. Many ghouls (such as those in this adventure) serve more powerful
beings.

Ghoul Attacks: A ghoul can attack with both claws and a bite in a single
combat round. If the bite strikes, the ghoul will hang on and forgo its
claw attacks. Instead it will rip into the victim with its fangs, inflicting
1D4 in bite damage per round. A victim so assailed can tear the ghoul away
by making a successful STR vs. STR Resistance Table roll. Once pushed away,
the ghoul must make another successful bite attack to grab hold of its victim
again.

Handouts

Handout #1 Letter from Aunt Sandra

Dear,
I am sorry about the delay in responding to your letter, but I have been busy
settling into my new house. You remember, it is the house I won in that
wonderful contest a short time ago.
At first I was very pleased about wining the house, but now I am a bit worried.
I was told by one of my neighbors, Zeke Williams, that the house is located on
an ancient Indian burial site. He said that the Indians worshiped some awful
spirit and did terrible things, at least until the English put a stop to it.
Being a practical person, I paid no heed to the dark history of this place.
After all, what can the dead do?

But then I began hearing noises at night. The other night I even saw a ghostly
figure outside my bedroom window! Although I have never placed any stock in the
supernatural, I am fast on my way to becoming a believer. I am indeed sorry
about not taking your hobbies in this area more seriously.

I hate to trouble you, but would you mind doing your old aunt a favor? Would you
come to visit me and see what you can do about the situation? I hope this is all
some sort of elaborate joke, but I am an old woman, all alone and I am afraid.

I have enclosed the address and directions and can help you with air fare if
need be.

Love,
Aunt Sandra

P.S. I’ll bake a blueberry pie just for you!

Handout #2 Excerpt From the Manuscript

(dated 12 years ago)

My research at the university has revealed the location of the burial ground of
a lost tribe. According to the journal of a long dead English priest, this tribe
engaged in ritual human sacrifice and “was most hated by the neighboring
tribes who dealt not with the foul spirits from above the sky.”
I suspect that the beings referred to are creatures that I have had dealings
with in the past. If so, investigating this burial ground would be to my
advantage. I shall purchase the land and have a house constructed there, so that
I might conduct my researches undisturbed by the curiosity of the pathetic
inhabitants of the region.

Handout #3 Excerpt From the Manuscript

(dated 10 years ago)
I have secured the land under which the burial site is located and construction
has begun on the house. I have been carefully directing the workers, so they do
not turn up any relics or bones. If this were to occur, no doubt there would be
an investigation into the region. Earlier this week I was forced to kill one of
the workmen when he turned up a skull. After removing his brain, I buried the
body were no one would think to look, to save in case I need it later.

Handout #4 Excerpt From the Manuscript

(dated 10 years ago)
The house is finally complete. Aside from my overly curious neighbor, Zeke
Williams, the area is nearly empty and perfect for my activities. I shall soon
have the area prepared for my rituals. I suspect that I will have to dispose of
Zeke someday, but for now I do not dare take action. One disappearance in the
area has not attracted undo attention, but two might.

Handout #5 Excerpt From the Manuscript

(dated 3 years ago)
I have acquired the Book of the Unclosed Tomb from an ally in Europe.
Once I have mastered the secrets of its ancient pages, I shall be able to wrench
forth the secrets of this ritual site and receive the power I so richly deserve.
Zeke Williams has continued to pry into my affairs. I suspect that he shall need
to meet with a terrible accident soon.

Handout #6 Excerpt From the Manuscript

(dated 2 months ago- last entry)
I have achieved mastery over the book and its spells and I shall attempt the
ritual tonight. Soon I shall have the dead of this place as my servants and then
the beings from beyond the sky shall serve me. I shall give them Zeke Williams
as their first sacrifice. He will certainly regret his curiosity when they pluck
his eyes and brains from his still living body.

Michael LaBossiere

www.opifex.cnchost.com/index.html