“We finally managed to kill the damn wizard. We were already about half dead after wiping out his nuisance monsters, and he was a tough son of a bitch. Clearly, his magical protection had run out, because I got him full-on in the chest with my .12 gauge and he crumpled in a bloody, meaty mess. The dagger fell with him, clanging to the floor.
We decided I would be the one to pick it up, figuring I was probably the most mentally stable at the time–oddly enough. Sure as hell, just like that damned old book said, someone was inside. I quickly promised we’d release her and placed the blade in the protective case we’d brought.
We prepared our standard site sanitization–pouring gasoline all around the interior of the building and setting explosive charges. Then we loaded up in the truck and headed back to Mrs. Manchester’s mansion to drop the Soul Taker into the cremation oven.”–Bob Holt, Shotgun Expert, Manchester Foundation Team 2
The Soul Taker is an 8 inch, sharp-tipped, double-edged blade, in the form of a dagger, with a one-handed grip and spherical pommel.
Function: The Soul Taker contains the spirit and fully aware consciousness of a human being. This magical dagger is a battery containing the Magic Points of the person trapped within, which may be expended exactly as those of the owner while wielding it.
If it is destroyed, the trapped person will be released. The only other way to release the spirit and mind within is for another to prick their finger on the tip of the dagger and knowingly transfer themselves into it.
This may be done while the current owner of the Soul Taker is holding it, or they themselves may (for whatever reason) enter it–at which point, the first person to take it up becomes the new owner and may access the Magic Points of the person within. The body of a person transferring into the Soul Taker immediately dies.
If the owner dies without the standard method of ownership transfer, the next person to pick up the dagger becomes its new owner.
Anyone holding the Soul Taker may converse with the imprisoned person. Such conversation may be done aloud or silently, though no one else will hear the voice of the trapped person.
Combat Statistics: Fighting (Brawl), damage 1D4+2+DB, Attacks 1
Sanity Loss: 1D3 Sanity/successful attack, 1D8 Sanity to become trapped within the Soul Taker, 1D/1D4 the first time a non-owner converses with the person within the blade.
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
