Cat's Cradle

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 Cat’s Cradle

A 1920s scenario serving as a Standalone Sequel to

the classic Call of Cthulhu introductory scenario
“The Haunting”
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 CREDITS

Story by
Aaron Sinner, Todd Walden, and Christopher Olson

Written by
Aaron Sinner and Todd Walden

Art by
Christopher Olson

Playtesters
Peter Blattner, Lief “Charlie” Davisson, Mark Huberty, David M. Jacobs, Chantel Kapustik, Benjamin Locke, Arthur Lender, Kyle
Nelson, Philip G. Orth, Scott Parsons, Dan Pesek, Chris Powers, Matthew Schmidt, Corrie Walden, Jonathan Walz, and Troy White

Special thanks for review and assistance to

Justin Stevens and Bob Walden

Cat’s Cradle is ©2022 by Ruined Relic Games. All rights reserved.

Call of Cthulhu is a trademark of Chaosium Inc. and is used with their permission via the OBS Community Content program.

Call of Cthulhu Seventh Edition Quick­Start Rules is ©2016 by Chaosium Inc. All intellectual property originating therein are owned
and reserved by Chaosium Inc. Rights to these properties are fully retained by Chaosium Inc., and their reference here shall not be
construed as evidence, either directly or by implication or suggestion, that Ruined Relic Games in any way owns rights to these
elements.

Call of Cthulhu Keeper Rulebook (7th Edition) is ©1981, 1983, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2015 by Chaosium
Inc. All intellectual property originating therein are owned and reserved by Chaosium Inc. Rights to these properties are fully retained
by Chaosium Inc., and their reference here shall not be construed as evidence, either directly or by implication or suggestion, that
Ruined Relic Games in any way owns rights to these elements.

For more information, please visit Chaosium’s website: www.chaosium.com

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Scenario Considerations........................................................................................................................................6
Scenario Overview.................................................................................................................................................6
Sandbox Scenarios.................................................................................................................................................6
The Importance of Character Backstory................................................................................................................6
Trigger Warnings...................................................................................................................................................7
Scenario......................................................................................................................................................................8
Keeper's Introduction............................................................................................................................................8
Timeline of Events...............................................................................................................................................10
Dramatis Personae................................................................................................................................................11
Involving the Investigators...................................................................................................................................12
If Played as a Sequel to The Haunting.........................................................................................................12
Personalizing the Horror, Part 1.................................................................................................................13
If Played as a Standalone Scenario...............................................................................................................13
I. The Shortstack Diner........................................................................................................................................13
II. Dead Ends........................................................................................................................................................15
II.1 Ignoring the Children.............................................................................................................................15
II.2 Steven Knott..........................................................................................................................................15
II.3 The Corbitt House..................................................................................................................................15
II.4 Former Adherents of the Chapel of Contemplation..............................................................................15
II.5 Councilmember Everett Ellsworth........................................................................................................15
IMPORTANT: If the Investigators Stall Out................................................................................................15
III. Clarion Used Books (200 Newbury Street)....................................................................................................15
IV. Clarion Used Books After Dark......................................................................................................................16
V. Boston Public Library.......................................................................................................................................17
VI. The Chapel of Contemplation.........................................................................................................................18
VII. Central Police Station....................................................................................................................................18
VIII. Courthouse & Records Office.......................................................................................................................19
IX. The Missing Child Flyer.................................................................................................................................20
X. The Brown Residence......................................................................................................................................20
The Browns' Story.......................................................................................................................................20
XI. Michael Thomas' House (32 Snow Hill Street)..............................................................................................22
XII. The Residence of Timothy Richter...............................................................................................................23
The Strange Globe.......................................................................................................................................23
Richter's Report...........................................................................................................................................24
The Ticking Clock.........................................................................................................................................25
Personalizing the Horror, Part 2................................................................................................................25
Fallout from Richter's Fate..........................................................................................................................25
XIII. State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers..............................................................................................................26
The Patients.................................................................................................................................................26
Encountering Mary Claire Wright...............................................................................................................26
XIV. Boston Harbor and Grape Island................................................................................................................27
Traveling to Grape Island.............................................................................................................................27
Grape Island.................................................................................................................................................27
The Flesh­Merged Abominations................................................................................................................28
The Sitting Room.........................................................................................................................................28

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TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED)
The Kitchen..................................................................................................................................................28
The Bedrooms..............................................................................................................................................28
Personalizing the Horror, Part 3................................................................................................................29
The Hidden Basement.................................................................................................................................29
Mind Interchange........................................................................................................................................30
XV. Conclusion and Resolutions.........................................................................................................................30
Arriving Without Locating the Globe..........................................................................................................30
Arriving With the Globe, Allied With Mary Claire.......................................................................................31
Arriving With the Globe and Their Own Agenda.........................................................................................31
Hiding the Globe Before Visiting Grape Island............................................................................................31
Coming to Grape Island When the Globe is in the Cultists' Possession......................................................32
Fleeing With the Globe................................................................................................................................33
Dithering Without the Globe.......................................................................................................................33
Rewards...............................................................................................................................................................33
Characters and Monsters.....................................................................................................................................33
Appendix A: Zodiac Reference Table................................................................................................................35
Appendix B: Compatible Play Experiences......................................................................................................35
Of Wrath and Blood.............................................................................................................................................35
Dream House.......................................................................................................................................................36
The Haunting Handout Pack..............................................................................................................................36
The Star on the Shore..........................................................................................................................................36
"The Chapel of Contemplation," The Unspeakable Oath #18.............................................................................36
Pulp and Dreamlands Adjustments....................................................................................................................37
Keeper Aid: Handouts List...................................................................................................................................37
Keeper Aid: Map of Boston..................................................................................................................................38
Keeper Aid: Location Path Visual Aid...............................................................................................................39
Handouts..................................................................................................................................................................40
Starting Nightmare Handouts............................................................................................................................52
Severe Nightmare Handouts...............................................................................................................................53

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SCENARIO
trapped in the bodies of children following a consciousness
transfer ritual gone wrong as a result of the police raid upon
the chapel in 1912. Pastor Thomas and his followers hope to
CONSIDERATIONS manipulate the investigators into carrying out actions they
themselves cannot, ultimately allowing them to correct the
This scenario is intended for 2 to 5 players and designed as a
standalone sequel to the classic Call of Cthulhu introductory botched ritual and set things right. However, bitter over the
scenario The Haunting, meaning it can be run independently investigators’ discovery of Corbitt and concerned over what
of that scenario, but is designed to provide a richer experience they might now know, Pastor Thomas also seeks revenge upon
when at least one investigator in the party has experienced and the investigators, using his arcane knowledge to afflict them
survived its events. The Haunting is available for free online as with nightmares. Ultimately, Michael Thomas intends to use
part of the Call of Cthulhu Quick­Start Rules PDF (see the investigators to solve his dilemma by gathering the
www.chaosium.com/cthulhu­quickstart). artifacts needed for him to transfer into a body not wanted by
If run as a sequel, Cat’s Cradle can take place immediately the police, then discard both the investigators and his
following The Haunting or several years later; by default, it is followers alike.
set in 1921, approximately one year after the events of The If the players have not played The Haunting, then the
Haunting. This scenario is also compatible with the following investigators have drawn the attention of Pastor Michael
scenarios and resources that reference and build upon The Thomas for other reasons related to their encounters with the
Haunting, meaning Cat’s Cradle can be run before or after Cthulhu Mythos so far, or for no reason at all other than their
introducing any of these scenarios or resources: selection by chance as individuals capable of meeting Pastor
Thomas’ needs, and who can be tricked into carrying out his
• Of Wrath and Blood bidding.
• Dream House
• The Haunting Handout Pack SANDBOX SCENARIOS
• The Star on the Shore Cat’s Cradle is intended to be run in a sandbox format. Unlike
• “The Chapel of Contemplation,” The Unspeakable linear scenarios, a sandbox scenario allows the investigators
Oath #18 more freedom of choice in their actions. Most of the locations
in the game can be visited at any time, though investigators
Minor modification is necessary in some cases to ensure full may need to visit specific locations to discover others or trigger
compatibility; please see Appendix B, “Compatible Play certain story events.
Experiences,” for details. Appendix B also includes advice on The sandbox structure can be a blessing or a curse for
modifying the scenario to function as a Pulp Cthulhu scenario. investigators. There are many clues to be discovered in Boston,
Additionally, this scenario includes minor spell and monster some of which contribute significantly to the investigators’
references to the Call of Cthulhu Keeper Rulebook. However, chances of survival. Most important clues can be uncovered
the references are incidental to the scenario and can be multiple ways in multiple locations; however, investigators
disregarded entirely, if needed, with trivial impact upon the who hastily rush to confront the antagonists of the story will
scenario itself. find few barriers preventing them from doing so, and may find
Cat’s Cradle can be run without first playing through The themselves woefully unprepared. If the players are new and
Haunting using the “If Played as a Standalone Scenario” seem to be rushing headfirst into disaster, feel free to remind
investigator hook (see pg. 13). In such case, the investigators them they are “investigators” not “adventurers.”
are targeted by Pastor Michael Thomas and the surviving From a keeper perspective, player freedom means
members of the Chapel of Contemplation not due to the events investigators might also seek out locations or individuals not
of The Haunting and the investigators’ interactions with the outlined below. In such case, if the location is one where it is
Corbitt House and Walter Corbitt, but based on their general logical the investigators would collect further information,
knowledge and history with the eldritch, or even more or less reward the players by relocating appropriate clues to the
at random. location.
Additionally, while the villain is written to be Pastor Michael
Thomas, the keeper has discretion to substitute a different THE IMPORTANCE OF CHARACTER
recurring villain whom the investigators have encountered. BACKSTORY
This scenario is designed to draw upon elements of
SCENARIO OVERVIEW investigators’ unique individual backstories to create a richer
The investigators’ escapades in The Haunting have drawn play experience. Introducing these elements serves to tailor the
the attention of Pastor Michael Thomas, a former mentor and scenario more specifically to the investigators involved, up the
confidant of Walter Corbitt. Pastor Thomas retains the support stakes by making the scenario more personal, and ensure no
of a small cadre of his Chapel of Contemplation cultists, all two experiences of this scenario are exactly the same.

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 If running the scenario for new players who have only • An heirloom about which the investigator feels great
played The Haunting, or simply players who have not fleshed responsibility
out their investigators’ backstories, Cat’s Cradle provides an • An item or book the investigator owns but isn’t
opportunity to seek backstory details from players and to certain as to its value or meaning
justify those inquiries by making backstory elements • An item or book the investigator possesses which is
immediately relevant. highly desired by sinister forces
One recommended method to utilize is Knife Theory, an • A belief of the investigator’s that might bring them
approach to roleplaying character backstory generation into conflict with others who do not share that belief
popularized online and first documented on reddit here: • A tenet of the investigator’s that might lead to
www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/775caq. Knife Theory is a suboptimal decision­making in order to honor or
particularly fruitful method for character backstory preserve
development because it results in not just interesting but • A location to which the investigator has great
usable player character backstories from a roleplaying emotional attachment and which they consider their
perspective. “home away from home”
Knife Theory invites players to “forge” backstory elements • A location the investigator has never visited but which
which are then presented to the keeper as character details nonetheless carries great symbolic meaning for them
meant to be twisted against investigators to complicate their
lives. The original Knife Theory description presents several Keepers should discuss Knife Theory and investigator
possible elements that can serve as “knives”; players are backstories with players ahead of time so investigators are fully
recommended to detail at least seven but no more than fifteen formed when Cat’s Cradle begins. Throughout the scenario
knives, or backstory elements, varying the prompts used so all and particularly as the scenario builds toward a climax, there
of a given character’s knives are not generated from the same are references to places where backstory details can be inserted
prompt. Here is a modified list of knives tailored to the to personalize the play experience.
development of Call of Cthulhu investigators:

• A physical characteristic that makes an investigator TRIGGER WARNINGS

stand out in a crowd Depending on how a playgroup approaches this scenario, the
• An attribute of physical dress or appearance that following elements might be found herein:
identifies the investigator as a member of a particular • Harm to children
organization or group • Kidnapping
• An aspect of the investigator’s identity that places • Restraint
them in a marginalized or persecuted group • Mental illness
• An injury, scar, or physical deformity that might • The misdiagnosis of mental illness
create physical limitations for the investigator or be
off­putting to individuals they interact with Consider discussing with players whether they have lines or
• A particular behavioral tic that might make the veils that could make this scenario problematic. (Information
investigator memorable to those they encounter on how to use lines and veils can be found here: https://
• A named family member or friend, living or dead, for rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/30906.)
whom the investigator cares deeply
• A named foe or adversary, living or dead, about whom A Note Regarding Violence Against Children
the investigator is highly motivated This scenario does not require or expect violence against
• A mysterious encounter the investigator experienced children as part of the play experience. However, because
that suggests reality is not what it seems multiple non­player characters (NPCs) appear to be children,
• A personal mystery in the investigator’s past for yet behave in an antagonistic manner toward the investigators,
which they have never been able to find answers it is possible such violence could arise depending on the
• A secret the investigator is keeping from the world at players and the choices they make for their investigators. This
large and possibly from their fellow investigators violence might occur after the investigators discover the
• A phobia or mania the investigator has developed “children” are adult minds trapped in child bodies, or it might
from a past experience not.
• A traumatic event or experience the investigator has Violence against children is a serious matter and even as a
previously undergone fictional event in a roleplaying game can be traumatic for
• A favored item which the investigator always carries participants. Regardless of whether safety tools are in place,
on their person regardless of what participants might have consented to
including at the outset, it is extremely important to monitor
players’ apparent state of mind (as well as the keeper’s own)

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and ensure everyone is comfortable and enjoying the game— magic and occult dealings had led him to a ritual which could
up to and including pausing the game to ask explicitly whether exchange consciousnesses between bodies, effectively granting
gameplay has crossed a line. the participant access to a new, younger body. A series of such
Throughout the scenario, if an investigator seeks any transfers could extend one’s life indefinitely. The
physical engagement with a cultist­turned­child in a public consciousness of the appropriated body would of course now
place, the cultist cries out for help and a nearby resident, be trapped inside an older body, but no secret to immortality
passerby, or police officer intervenes before violence can be could ever be costless.
perpetrated against what they perceive as a child. This is true There were several complex caveats to Pastor Thomas’
even if the event occurs at night, or on an apparently desolate ritual: For instance, the astrological signs of the two
street, or in a business establishment. transferees would need to be compatible, and the ritual need
However, there are occasions within the scenario where an be performed on a similarly compatible date astrologically. But
investigator might attempt violence against a cultist­turned­ perhaps the greatest limitation was that one of the transferees
child in an isolated location, where such intervention is would need to be a prepubescent child; only such a mind
impractical or would be in direct contradiction to the facts of would prove flexible enough to receive a new consciousness.
the narrative. In such case, any attempt of violence against a But to the members of the Chapel of Contemplation, such a
cultist in a child’s body, regardless of whether it succeeds, consequence was well worth it to achieve immortality.
results in a SAN roll (1d4/1d6). Should an investigator ever While Pastor Michael Thomas claimed to have undergone
take things to the extreme and kill a cultist masquerading as a the ritual dozens of times, he acknowledged to his closest
child, this results in an additional SAN roll (1d12/1d20). In followers that in parallel, he sought a new and better way to
either case, knowing the true nature of the “children” as achieve immortality. Surely a wasted decade in a child’s body
possessing the transferred consciousnesses of adults does need not be part of the experience—indeed, a body subject to
nothing to reduce the severity of the penalty; the violence still the ailments, afflictions, and vulnerabilities of the human
registers in the investigator’s basest instincts as harm inflicted condition could not be the end goal. Michael Thomas sought
upon a child. nothing less than to achieve the status of a god.
Moreover, no NPCs outside of Michael Thomas’ cult will Here, Michael Thomas and Walter Corbitt were closely
ever believe the truth. Any harm perpetrated against a cultist is aligned. Corbitt’s own research suggested such a state was
viewed by the locals and the law as an atrocious act and possible, though it would require a cocoon­like development
involved investigators are pursued and prosecuted to the full phase lasting a full century. Thomas and Corbitt shared their
extent of the law. knowledge in a way Thomas never deigned to do with any
others among his adherents, agreeing Corbitt should serve as a
test subject, which Thomas would study and use to further
SCENARIO perfect the process (preferably with a shorter incubation
period) before undertaking the transition himself. When
KEEPER’S INTRODUCTION Corbitt began the process in 1866, Thomas ensured his body
No one truly knows the origin of Michael Thomas—how he was stored in the basement of his residence at Copp’s Hill so
came to live in Massachusetts, how long he has gone by that the procedure could unfold.
name, or how long he has walked this earth. What is known is In the meantime, Thomas continued leading the Chapel of
that in certain occult circles throughout New England, Contemplation, extending his devotees’ lives and his own
Thomas’ name is always the first to come up when the through the performance of his mind interchange ritual—into
conversation turns to the topic of extension and preservation the bodies of neighborhood children, found and kidnapped as
of human life. needed. Due to the need for the careful calibration of
Walter Corbitt, a wealthy and reclusive resident of the astrological signs, not every transfer was successful. However,
Copp’s Hill neighborhood in Boston, shared a similar most were, and the abominations resulting from failed rituals
fascination with locating the keys to immortality. In the 1830s, were secreted away and stored in a remote compound Pastor
he struck up a correspondence with Michael Thomas—then Thomas had constructed on Grape Island, a small, desolate isle
living in Arkham—and ultimately persuaded Thomas to in Boston Harbor. Pastor Thomas himself underwent a
relocate to Boston. Once there, Thomas founded a church transfer in 1871 into the body of a 12­year­old.
known as the Chapel of Contemplation on a parcel of land At the turn of the century, Pastor Thomas was well on his
mere blocks from Corbitt’s residence and developed a way to realizing his vision of becoming an immortal god
following similarly entranced by the possibility of surviving incarnate, until the next two decades brought two major
beyond the human body’s natural life cycle. setbacks.
Pastor Michael Thomas shared with his congregants that he First, despite his political dealings with local officials that
knew the secrets to a ritual that could extend their lives far into preserved the Chapel of Contemplation’s low profile, a police
the future—if they were willing to pay the price. Thomas’ dark investigation put the Chapel in law enforcement’s sights

8
regarding the recent rash of missing children. A police raid experiment in his pursuit of omnipotence and removed his
upon the chapel in 1912 occurred at the worst possible time, closest confidant besides.
burning the building to ruin and interrupting a mind A year has passed, and Michael Thomas is both thirsty for
interchange ritual mid­performance, to disastrous result. At revenge and fascinated by the success and possible knowledge
the time the police arrived, the chapel held Michael Thomas of the investigators. He and his remaining faithful are at their
accompanied by 70 of his cultists, including seven who were lowest point since the founding of the Chapel of
designated for transfer into seven children, kidnapped and Contemplation, trapped in almost useless bodies—Thomas in
held hostage. In the chaos of the raid, the seven cult members one easily identifiable as a criminal on the lam, his adherents
completed their transfer, but the firefight with police resulted in stunted bodies of children. All have been forced to live
in the deaths of 17 church members present to assist in the undercover, unable to obtain the things they need to reverse
ritual. The remaining 53 cultists and Pastor Michael Thomas their condition and transfer their consciousnesses into new
were arrested by police, including the seven who had bodies.
undergone the ritual and whose bodies now held the minds of However, the investigators’ discovery of Walter Corbitt
(very confused and terrified) children. Under the belief they presents an opportunity. Thomas believes the investigators’
suffered from hysteria, those seven were sent to the State curiosity and taste for the eldritch can be played upon, and the
Lunatic Hospital at Danvers, just outside Boston, for investigators lured into connecting the dots and gathering the
treatment. All other cultists were released from police custody. necessary components his cultists cannot. And, given what
Pastor Thomas would prove less lucky and would ultimately they’ve done to Walter Corbitt, Michael Thomas also gleefully
be the one member of the raid prosecuted and convicted, and looks forward to inflicting his revenge and discarding the
as a result sentenced to 40 years in prison for second­degree investigators when they have done his dirty work.
murder for the deaths of five children who had previously gone Thomas and his followers recently completed the steps
missing in the surrounding neighborhood. As part of his arrest, necessary to create a new, powerful ritual site on Grape Island,
his personal effects were confiscated, including an orange­ away from the prying eyes of Bostonians. They have already
yellow globe six inches in diameter needed to perform the used it to engage in esoteric rituals that have haunted the
transfer ritual. investigators who survived the events of the Corbitt Place with
Thomas escaped prison in 1917 and went into hiding; nightmares. Thomas believes these disruptions will drive the
unfortunately, the ritual globe remained in police custody, investigators to press ever onward to complete his goals, while
making it impossible to perform the consciousness transfer also feeding his own hunger for retribution due to the harm
ritual and leaving Michael Thomas in the body of a known perpetrated against Walter Corbitt.
fugitive.
Perhaps even less lucky than Michael Thomas were his
seven devotees who did complete their mind transfer.
Originally taken into police custody and placed back with their
families or into foster homes, all seven ran away soon
thereafter and located one another. Over the next several
months, these cultists discovered that due to the ritual’s
interruption, the children’s bodies into which they had
transferred inexplicably did not age. Pastor Thomas’
imprisonment led his remaining followers to scatter, largely
withdrawing from Boston entirely and leaving this small band
of loyalists as Pastor Thomas’ only remaining cult followers,
forced to fend for themselves and as they sought a way to
reverse their ageless state. Despite their wishes for
immortality, life as an eternal prepubescent child on the
streets of Boston was not to their tastes. They relocated to
Grape Island, running a used bookstore to make ends meet in
Boston on property owned by Michael Thomas.
The second major setback confronting Michael Thomas’
plans occurred in 1920 when the investigators looked into the
strange goings on of the Corbitt Place and unearthed Walter
Corbitt himself. Corbitt, over 50 years into his transformation,
had nonetheless not yet completed his metamorphosis, leaving
him vulnerable to the actions of the investigators. This
disruption put an end to Michael Thomas’ most important

9
TIMELINE OF EVENTS

Date Event Date Event

1830s Walter Corbitt contacts Michael 1881 Another wave of missing

Thomas and persuades him to children in Boston occurs
move to Boston

1892­93 Another wave of missing

1842 Michael Thomas founds the children in Boston occurs
Chapel of Contemplation in
Boston
May 15, 1912 Police raid on the Chapel of
Contemplation disrupts
1840s The first wave of missing Mind Interchange ritual,
children occurs in Boston trapping cultists’ minds in
the unaging bodies of
children. A fire breaks out,
May 10, 1843 Date of first letter from
leaving the Chapel in ruins
Walter Corbitt to Michael
Thomas

April 1913 Michael Thomas is

July 7, 1848 Second letter from Walter sentenced to 40 years in
Corbitt to Michael Thomas prison

1849 Date of photo displayed in Sept. 25, 1917 Michael Thomas escapes
Michael Thomas’ home of prison
Thomas and Walter Corbitt

1920 (ca.) The events of The Haunting

Dec. 22, 1859 Date of third letter from
take place
Walter Corbitt to Michael
Thomas
April 26­28, 1921 Missing child Kevin Brown
Feb. 23, 1866 Date of fourth letter from is seen on the streets,
Walter Corbitt to Michael brought home by his
Thomas parents, and then goes
missing again

1866 Walter Corbitt “dies” and is

buried in the basement of 1921 (ca.) Michael Thomas and his
his home in the Copp’s Hill followers complete their
neighborhood in Boston ritual site upon Grape Island
and begin harassing the
investigators. The events of
1869­71 Another wave of missing Cat’s Cradle begin
children in Boston occurs

1871 Michael Thomas transfers

his consciousness into the
body of a 12­year­old

10
DRAMATIS PERSONAE and has grown skeptical Michael Thomas will ever help the
cultists transfer to new hosts. She resides on Grape Island
because she has nowhere else to go—even if she were to accept
Pastor Michael Thomas, Age 62 (apparent
living as a child, an orphanage is hardly an ideal place to spend
age), Cult Leader
the rest of her life.
Pastor Michael Thomas
In search of inspiration and solitude as she researches and
is a man with a singular
refines a method to reverse the transfer, Mary Claire has taken
goal: to become a god.
to visiting her former body, now catatonic at the State Lunatic
Every action he takes is
Hospital at Danvers. Mary Claire has independently mapped
in service of this goal,
out the Mind Interchange ritual and is confident it will work.
and he tolerates the
However, like her fellow cultists, she is dependent upon the
company of others only
missing ritual globe to enact this ritual.
so long as they
Once encountered, Mary Claire begs the investigators for
contribute toward his
their assistance, promising them she has seen the error of her
apotheosis.
ways. She offers them a deal: If they obtain the globe and bring
Thomas is much
it to her, she will guide them safely to the ritual room at the
older than his body
cultists’ hideout (the location of which she refuses to reveal in
appears, and he exudes
Pastor Michael Thomas advance). Once there, if they help her perform the ritual to free
the wisdom and
her from this child’s body, she promises to help them cleanse
confidence that has come with living for so long. While not
and destroy the chamber.
eager to get his hands dirty, there is also little he will not do,
Unfortunately, Mary Claire is not all she appears and
when pushed, to accomplish his goals.
trusting her proves costly. While most of her story is true, the
• Description: This current incarnation of Pastor
cultist has also done her research to determine one of the
Thomas is tall and frail. Although he is rarely
investigators was born under the correct astrological sign to
perceived as physically imposing, the cruelty in his
house her consciousness. She plans to transfer her mind into
eyes intimidates those who cross his path.
the body of that investigator during the ritual.
• Traits: Wherever Pastor Thomas goes he is the
smartest man in the room, and he certainly acts like • Description: Small and dark­haired, Mary Claire
it. In polite conversations he often waves his hands would appear the iconic 1920s child, were it not for
dismissively, and he prefers to humiliate rather than her eyes revealing uncommonly deep wisdom and
educate. In physical contests he fades into the experience.
background and relies on his spells or his lackeys. • Traits: Mary Claire does her best to let the
• Roleplaying hooks: He is normally calm and investigators think any plans they come up with
collected, and approaches most situations with a level together are their idea. She is flexible to any of their
head and a healthy dose of disdain. However, the fate suggestions, so long as she can get them in the ritual
of Walter Corbitt is something of a sore subject for chamber helping her complete the transfer. Even
Pastor Thomas, and the mention of Corbitt in his when she needs to nudge the investigators in a
presence drives him into a fit of anger and sadness. direction, she does so as discreetly as possible, so as
not to reveal her true intentions.
Mary Claire Wright, Age 9 (apparent age), • Roleplaying hooks: Mary Claire abandons any ruse
Disillusioned Follower of Michael Thomas of being a child if/when the investigators encounter
Mary Claire Wright is her. She knows they offer her the best hope of success
one of Michael Thomas’ and understands betraying her fellow cultists is the
followers now trapped means to an important end. She feigns the role of a
in the body of a child. reformed cultist, meek and scared, playing on the
Like the other cultists, investigators’ sympathies. Above all else, her goal is to
she keeps up ingratiate herself to the investigators.
appearances and
performs the tasks
Pastor Michael Thomas
requires, but unlike the
other cultists, Mary
Claire is disillusioned.
Mary Claire is tired of
living in a child’s body Mary Claire Wright

11
Timothy Richter, Age 56, Retired Police If Played as a Sequel to The Haunting
Officer Cat’s Cradle begins with the investigators meeting at the
Timothy Richter, now Shortstack Diner in Boston. This scenario hook assumes at
retired, was the lead least one of the investigators is a survivor of the events of The
police officer on the Haunting. Depending on the final events of that scenario and
Chapel of Contemplation the makeup of the group of investigators, multiple inciting
raid in 1912. He lives incidents for this meeting are possible:
alone, a man who has
• If one or more of the investigators lives in Boston, the
devoted himself to his
investigators might have gathered of their own accord
career and is unable to let
to discuss the strange nightmares afflicting those
his hair down, even in
among them who undertook the events of The
retirement.
Haunting.
Richter lives in a small
• If none of the investigators are from Boston, then the
rambler with a well kept
relevant survivors of The Haunting receive a letter
front yard. His perfectly
Timothy Richter from Steven Knott requesting a meeting at the
manicured lawn stands in
Shortstack Diner at 10 a.m. the upcoming Tuesday
stark contrast to his neighbors' which, while tidy, show none of
(see Handout #1A).
the signs of Richter's dedication.
• If in The Haunting, Steven Knott ultimately met his
demise at the hands of Walter Corbitt, the
Keeper’s Note: If the investigators previously investigators still receive Handout #1A—an
encountered the lead police officer from the raid on the invitation all the more intriguing because of its
Chapel of Contemplation during the events of The apparent authorship by a dead man.
Haunting, repurpose Timothy Richter as a criminal
psychologist who interviewed Michael Thomas following In either the second or third case, the letter is not truly
his arrest in 1912. authored by Steven Knott. In reality, Knott is now dead; in the
likely event he survived The Haunting, Knott suffered a
premature heart attack approximately three weeks ago. The
• Description: Presents a dashing figure, salt­and­ letter is a ruse developed by Michael Thomas and his followers
pepper hair and a perfect typecast for a recently to lure the investigators back to Boston.
retired hero cop. Furthermore, investigators who participated in the events of
• Traits: All business, with no interest in idle chatter. The Haunting have been suffering from nightmares for several
He is effectively a human lie detector test, immune to nights leading up to this meeting—nightmares which have
deception and unwilling to waste his time with those begun to test their sanity. Give each investigator who
who manufacture reasons for meeting with him. participated in The Haunting a randomly selected Starting
• Roleplaying hooks: Richter is haunted by his Nightmare Handout (Handout A­E), and inform them
experience at the Chapel of Contemplation and has this has been a recurring dream for them the past three weeks
long desired a deeper explanation for the events of or so. Its sanity effects trigger once at the beginning of the
that night, though he never managed to uncover one. game to symbolize the past few weeks, and then each night
He is willing to cooperate with and assist the going forward as each investigator re­experiences their dream.
investigators in their investigation of those events so As these nightmares are inflicted upon the investigators by
long as they are forthright with him. Michael Thomas’ cultists by way of their Evil Eye spell, any
investigators who were not present for The Haunting have not
INVOLVING THE INVESTIGATORS yet experienced any nightmares. However, following the
meeting in the Shortstack Diner and their identification by
Thomas’ acolytes, they are targeted and susceptible to
Keeper’s Note: Many of the below locations include nightmares as well. After the Shortstack Diner scene, each
“implied leads” notes at their conclusion. These are not investigator who did not participate in the events of The
intended to be exhaustive, but rather to provide quick Haunting should be given a randomly selected Starting
reference for the most likely locations investigators might Nightmare Handout (Handout A­E) from any remaining.
visit next. They should in no way constrict the The investigator experiences nightmares for the rest of the
investigators’ freedom of movement throughout the scenario just like all the other investigators.
scenario. If at any point an investigator dies and is replaced with a
new investigator, they are afflicted with a Starting
Nightmare Handout (Handout A­E) the first night after
12
the cultists could realistically connect them to the remaining As it happens, Steven Knott inherited the files of any
investigators. investigator(s) with a history of nightmares (among many
other files) after their previous doctors retired or died. They
have simply been in his storage for safe keeping. The cultists
Personalizing the Horror, Part 1 selected the investigators from these files after they killed
For those investigators who survived The Haunting, Steven Knott with a ritual.
consider providing each individual player with details When using this hook, consider starting the scenario at the
from the last several weeks in their investigator’s life that diner. Explain that the investigators have researched the
are the result of activities, rituals, and spells performed by history of Steven Knott, and he is both reliable and widely
Pastor Thomas and his cultists in an effort to test their respected in his field. Realizing they have nothing to lose and
new ritual site through the infliction of emotional harm everything to gain, they show up to hear the man out.
upon the investigators. Provide these privately, so it is up
to the investigator whether they share their misfortunes I. THE SHORTSTACK DINER
with their fellow investigators. Drawing upon the
investigators’ knives, these could include: Keeper’s Note: When portraying the seven cultist
• A family member or friend has fallen ill, or is children throughout the scenario, it is important to
now on their deathbed remember they have fully adult consciousnesses several
• A favored item or heirloom has gone missing, or decades older than their bodies. Generally speaking, they
has begun to rust or degrade at a rapid pace only behave like children—or, more accurately, perform
despite the investigator’s care an adult’s impression of a child—when it directly serves
• A string of strangers or salespersons have taken their purpose. The cultists are frustrated to be trapped in
offense to the investigator, seemingly in juvenile bodies and much prefer to go about life on their
response to a particular physical attribute, own terms. Generally speaking, they use adult vocabulary
behavioral characteristic, or visible affiliation of and speak of adult subject matter. As matters steer toward
the investigator’s Michael Thomas, the children should also give the
• The investigator has experienced repeated impression they might be hostages held in Thomas’
triggers for a preexisting phobia or mania captivity so long, they have formed a psychologically loyal
• A smattering of provocations have resurfaced a bond—a condition later classified as Stockholm
personal mystery, secret, or past trauma syndrome, though the term did not yet exist in the 1920s.
Only later does it become fully apparent the “children” are
loyal to Pastor Thomas not because they are his captives,
If Played as a Standalone Scenario but because they are his longtime followers.
This scenario can also be played standalone if players have not Finally, be cognizant that the children are fully aware of
experienced the events of The Haunting. The following is an who the investigators are, and generally choreograph
easy substitution to bring any investigators into the action of their speech and actions in the investigators’ presence so
Cat’s Cradle: as to pique the investigators’ curiosity and manipulate
The investigators have been suffering from terrible them into investigating on behalf of Thomas and the
nightmares. Present each investigator with a randomly survivors of the Chapel of Contemplation.
selected Starting Nightmare Handout (Handout A­E),
and inform them this has been a recurring dream. Its sanity
The investigators arrive at The Shortstack Diner to find an
effects trigger once at the beginning of the game to symbolize
upscale if mostly empty diner with a “please seat yourself”
the past few weeks, and then each night going forward as each
policy. Steven Knott is nowhere to be seen, and if asked, the
investigator re­experiences their dream.
waitstaff (a short, plump woman who seems a little hard of
For at least one investigator, these nightmares aren’t new; in
hearing and a broad­shouldered, balding, and impatient man)
fact, they are a reminder of an experience the investigator(s)
say no one has introduced themselves by that name, but offer
had many years ago and overcame with the help of a
to take down an investigator’s name and send Mr. Knott over
psychiatrist who has long since retired or died. If the
to their table when he arrives. The staff have never heard of
investigators already operate as an established group, one of
Steven Knott.
them received Handout #1B in the mail or was given it by a
A few minutes after seating, a member of the waitstaff
close ally who recently received it in the mail. If the group is
comes over and takes drink orders. If asked about Mr. Knott,
not established, each investigator received Handout #1B in
they require reminding of the instruction to send him over to
the mail separately (in the latter case, all investigators should
this table if he arrives.
have a history with nightmares and associated psychiatric
The investigators can be left to their own devices for a few
treatment).

13
moments to converse. However, whenever there is a logical lull As one of the boys pulls on his jacket, a small rectangle of
in the investigators’ conversation, they look up to see a table paper flutters out of his pocket and lands on the floor,
with two young boys—approximately age 9 or 10—leaving seemingly unnoticed.
change along with empty plates, coffee mugs, and a still­ If the investigators make any attempt to engage with or
smoking ashtray on a diner table as they gather their things pursue the children, the waitstaff obstruct their way, either
and step toward the exit. incidentally or forcefully if the investigators undertake to chase
Call for each to make a Listen roll. On a success, the after two small boys. If the investigators do manage to
investigator hears a fascinating snippet of conversation as the extricate themselves from the waitstaff, they find the children
boys pass, while on a failure only the utterance of the relevant are no longer in view, and an elementary school sits across the
proper nouns (underlined below) reaches their ear. Successful street with a mass of children at play in the schoolyard and no
investigators overhear whichever of the statements is most way to identify the boys amongst the crowd without drawing
likely to draw the players’ interest based on any prior the ire of a supervising teacher.
experiences from The Haunting: Should the investigators ask the waitstaff about the boys,
• “Pastor Michael Thomas is growing bolder. I don’t they report the two come in every Tuesday and reliably pay
think it’s safe, but he’s back out on the streets of their brunch bill. The staff are unaware of the boys’ names or
Boston. Not that he’d ever seek my counsel on what any real details about them and have never met their parents.
he should and shouldn’t do.” If asked specifically about the boys’ topic of discussion—
• “It’s a wonder the old Chapel of Contemplation ruins whether Michael Thomas, the Chapel of Contemplation, or
remain as functional as they do. The locals won’t go Walter Corbitt—the waitress volunteers, “That sounds
near them, but I’ve made sure to keep an eye on familiar… Wasn’t there something in the newspapers a few
things, all the same.” years back?”
• “Pity what happened to Walter Corbitt. We could Examining the boys’ table and its surroundings, the
really use his input, don’t you think?” investigators find Handout #2. The address is not one they
• “That business with the haunted house on Copp’s Hill— recognize, though the symbol might be familiar if they visited
I’m convinced without that incident, Pastor Thomas the Chapel of Contemplation in The Haunting.
would have solved this conundrum already.” Waiting around for Steven Knott does no good; no one ever
• “Our house too! My ma’s been having all kinds of shows on his behalf.
crazy dreams. I don’t think she’s slept for a week! Pa’s Implied leads:
about fed up, I’ll tell you.” • II.2. Steven Knott, pg. 15
• III. Clarion Used Books (200 Newbury
Street), pg. 15
• V. Boston Public Library (or other newspaper
archives), pg. 17

14
II. DEAD ENDS If the investigators seek out any of the former members of the
Chapel of Contemplation—that is, members beyond Michael
The following are investigative or narrative dead ends that
Thomas and those found at location XIII, the State Lunatic
could arise over the course of the investigation.
Hospital at Danvers (see pg. 26)—research uncovers none of
the other individuals who frequented the Chapel remain in
II.1. Ignoring the Children
Boston. Should the investigators persist and either locate a
If the investigators don’t show interest in following up on the
former adherent or speak with one over the phone, the person
strange events at the diner, the cultists escalate their own
insists they don’t know what the investigator is talking about.
efforts to force the investigators to participate. First, all
A successful Psychology roll can determine the individual is
investigators experience the same dream, Severe Nightmare
lying, but no amount of persuasion moves them from their
Handout F, each night until they engage with the case.
denial. They know Michael Thomas is loose, and are well
Second, after two days of no action, each investigator receives
aware of how dangerous he is to them and their loved ones.
Handout #2 in an otherwise­empty envelope in the mail,
sent with no return address.
II.5. Councilmember Everett Ellsworth
Should the investigators look into Everett Ellsworth, they
II.2. Steven Knott
discover he committed suicide on September 24, 1917. If the
If the investigators seek out Steven Knott in an attempt to
investigators have obtained Handout #6, a successful Idea
follow up on their missed connection, they discover he died a
roll identifies this as one day after Michael Thomas escaped
few weeks ago of a premature heart attack, unexpected given
prison.
the good health in which Mr. Knott kept himself. Should the
investigators search his residence, they discover the following
items in and around his desk:
IMPORTANT: If the Investigators Stall Out
While the investigators should drive the investigation
• A receipt spike, holding a receipt from Clarion Used
themselves, it is always possible they reach a point where they
Books reflecting the purchase of “Poltergeists,
are truly stuck, without any clear avenues of investigation or
Hauntings, and the Phenomena of Those Left
ideas as to what to pursue next. Give the investigators plenty of
Behind,” by Virgil Yovanovitch. The book itself is
space to form a new plan of action—a slow burn, circuitous
nowhere to be found.
investigation creates an atmosphere of conspiracy and
• A legal pad, the top half of which shows a number of
revelation when the investigators do set upon significant clues.
notes Mr. Knott kept pertaining to his business. The
If the investigators find themselves rudderless, consider
bottom half features the same sentence scrawled four
offering an Idea roll. On a success, remind investigators they
times, each time a more accurate representation of
have encountered clues referencing Michael Thomas and (if
Knott’s handwriting.
appropriate) the Chapel of Contemplation, but they don’t
• An empty drawer which should clearly hold Knott’s
really know much about them. Point out there are places the
personal business records.
investigators could go to learn more on these topics.
Implied leads: If all else fails, Mary Claire Wright proactively seeks out the
• III. Clarion Used Books (200 Newbury investigators to reveal several of the secrets they are pursuing
Street), pg. 15 and ask for their assistance. Mary Claire only takes this action
as a last resort, as she puts herself in great personal peril to
II.3. The Corbitt House come forward in this way and risk discovery by her fellow
Should the investigators attempt to return to the Corbitt cultists. See page 11 for more information on Mary Claire.
House, they find it has been leveled, a soda shop called “Club
Soda” erected in its place that is a better fit for the commercial III. CLARION USED BOOKS (200
nature of the block. Inquiring inside, they can learn the NEWBURY STREET)
previous residence on this lot was leveled and its basement
filled in with cement to support the construction of the soda
Keeper’s Note: The investigators have only one
shop.
opportunity to visit Clarion Used Books while it is open.
Mr. Dooley’s cigar and newspaper stand can still be found
Upon subsequent visits, the investigators always find it
on the block, manned as always by Mr. Dooley himself. Dooley
closed. Should they choose to break in, they find the same
can confirm these details and inform the investigators that no
clues listed below, with the exception of anything coming
residents moved in after their previous time in the
directly from Edwin.
neighborhood; Knott sold the property shortly after the
investigators spent time here.
On the corner of a retail block two miles southwest of the
Copp’s Hill neighborhood, the investigators find Clarion Used
II.4. Former Adherents of the Chapel of
Books at 200 Newbury Street. The brightly painted sign above
Contemplation
15
the door stands in stark contrast to the windows, which clearly Implied leads:
haven’t been cleaned in ages. The inside of the shop is tidy, if a • IV. Clarion Used Books After Dark, pg. 16
little cluttered. • V. Boston Public Library, pg. 17
Behind the counter sits Edwin Diamond, a 9 year old boy, • VII. Central Police Station, pg. 18
who puts a book down behind the counter as the investigators
enter. Edwin, like many of the children the investigators
encounter, is a member of the Chapel of Contemplation—an IV. CLARION USED BOOKS AFTER DARK
adult cultist trapped in the body of a child. If the investigators Investigators might decide at some point to follow the strange
ask to speak to the owner of the store, he says the store is children they encounter in Boston. The cultists want to be the
owned by his parents and he’s just watching it while they’re hunters, not the hunted, so they are already alert to this
out on an errand. However, his “parents” never return, and no possibility. As such, it is not easy to follow them.
other adults enter the store. During the day, either a successful or unsuccessful attempt
Clever investigators who ask the keeper about the book to follow a cultist child leads to the same result. The cultist
Edwin was reading can make a Spot Hidden to see the title only visits mundane places and doesn’t engage in any
—“Twelve Houses, Twelve Lords: Interpreting the Planets in suspicious activity. At night, however, there is the possibility of
Transit” by Theodore Wrecht. A successful Library Use roll witnessing more unusual activity.
in the bookstore turns up two other Astrology books by Investigators who want to follow the cultists must succeed at
Wrecht, “Star Power” and “Crown of Stars: Practical Astrology a Stealth roll opposed by the cultist’s Listen skill. A success
for Our Times”. If the investigators ask Edwin what he was means the investigator can follow the cultist wherever he or
reading, he simply replies, “Spy stuff” and, if pressed, presents she is headed—during the day. After a failed roll at night (the
another book from under the counter that is clearly not the children never confront a following investigator), the keeper
same. may select any mundane location. After a successful roll at
Edwin has little to tell the investigators and speaks mostly night, the cultist heads to Clarion Used Books, and lets himself
about pulp heroes and baseball. Investigators talking to Edwin or herself in with a key, locking the door after entry.
on these mundane subjects can make a Psychology roll to The seven cultists meet regularly at the bookstore (though
notice Edwin doesn’t seem to know either topic particularly not every night) as it gives them the opportunity to talk
well and is speaking almost as though he is repeating things he without discovery and without making the trip all the way back
learned from a book or in a class. If asked directly about Pastor to Grape Island. The door is locked, and the windows have
Michael Thomas, Edwin replies, “That name sounds familiar. shades drawn after dark, but savvy investigators may find a
Didn’t that guy go to jail or something?” Investigators can way to enter. A small window at the back of the store is
make a Psychology roll to notice Edwin knows more than he unlocked, and with a successful Stealth roll, investigators
is letting on; however, he offers nothing else of interest on the could, one at a time, crawl inside.
topic. The open window leads to a small, disorganized office. The
Investigators exploring the store discover a wide variety of room contains a ragged overstuffed chair, a desk with a stool,
normal books, but also an abnormally large collection of and a small cabinet, all of which are covered in scattered books
astrology books. A Library Use roll focused on the astrology of various genres. Among them can be found a copy of Virgil
books further determines the astrology books are mostly Yovanovitch’s “Poltergeists, Hauntings, and the Phenomena of
focused on the way people’s astrological signs interact with Those Left Behind.” The office also contains a disorganized
each other and with the position of the stars at any given time. pile of business papers on the desk. Reviewing these reveals
A Spot Hidden roll focused on the store’s general they are in fact the personal business records of Steven Knott
collection uncovers the fact that a number of books—more and contain contact information for many of his business
than would be possible as the result of an accident—are clearly associates and acquaintances. Personal records for the
stolen from the Boston Public Library. investigators can be found among the files.
Should the investigators manage to get hold of Edwin’s copy A Spot Hidden roll reveals drips of white paint near the
of “Twelve Houses, Twelve Lords” and spend a minimum of 10 small cabinet against the wall. Inside the cabinet are two skulls
minutes examining it (which requires them to be away from and a can of white paint. The skulls are from the skeletons at
Edwin, as he refuses to let the investigators look through the the Chapel of Contemplation, and the paint is the same white
“valuable” book), they discover someone has underlined paint recently used to touch up the symbol at the chapel.
various passages relating to seven of the astrological signs. Investigators succeeding on a Listen roll can overhear the
cultists talking. These are not formal meetings, but the cultists
Keeper’s Note: These are the astrological signs of the are agitated and venting their frustration. The following pieces
7 cult members trapped in the bodies of children, and of information are available:
some of the passages have the eye­like symbol of the • Michael Thomas has neither been seen nor heard
Chapel of Contemplation drawn in the margin. from in weeks.

16
 • Michael Thomas is still paying the bills to keep the and 6 concerning Walter Corbitt and his residence—available
shop open and keep electricity running. online; see the Handouts List, pg. 37), as well as any events
• Some cultists are arguing for ramping up the effects of that took place in the investigators’ adventure that would have
“the ritual” while others argue it is too soon, and they caught the attention of police, journalists, or the public.
need to wait for direction from Pastor Thomas. Success on the roll allows the investigators to find the
• One cultist expresses concern about a memorable information in 30 minutes; failure means they search for two
encounter with one of the investigators, such as their hours.
visit to Clarion Used Books during business hours.
• The cultists ask Mary Claire where she was two nights
Keeper’s Note: There is a great deal of information
ago when nobody could find her. She tells them she
to be found at the library, depending on the focus of the
was tailing one of the investigators (she was actually
investigators and the time they are willing to spend.
at the asylum).
Consider requesting players suggest a general topic of
• A cultist asks if anyone has been to the Chapel of
research for a Library Use roll. For example, they may be
Contemplation site recently to touch things up. Edwin
looking for information on, “Michael Thomas” or “Cult
reports he took care of it last night.
Activity in Boston.”
Attempting to subdue the cultists or allowing themselves to
be discovered inside the store would be a grievous mistake for
the investigators. If the children discover the investigators in Investigators looking for information on either Pastor
the store, they begin screaming for help, knowing Gerald Michael Thomas or the Chapel of Contemplation who succeed
Bowers, the owner of the clock repair shop next door, works at a Library Use roll find an article covering the sentencing
late into the night in his workshop. Gerald comes to the front of Michael Thomas (Handout #3.1) with another article
door immediately to see what the commotion is about, and the (Handout #3.2)—containing someone's handwritten
kids let him in if they can, all the while screaming about being annotations—already paperclipped to it. The second article
kidnapped by the investigators. It is difficult to escape before covers a rash of missing children in central Boston. They also
the police intervene should this come to pass. learn the Chapel of Contemplation was shuttered in 1912 and
Implied leads: can find its address in the Copp’s Hill neighborhood.
If the investigators follow up on the missing children,
• VI. The Chapel of Contemplation, pg. 18
researching that issue specifically, they confirm the area
surrounding Copp’s Hill has had strings of missing children
every decade or so.
V. BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY Investigators who have already visited Clarion Used Books
Armed with some knowledge of the history of events related to might want to investigate the books in the store’s possession
Pastor Michael Thomas and the Chapel of Contemplation, the that were stolen from the library. A successful social skill roll
investigators are likely to head to the library to do some (Charm, Fast Talk, Intimidate, or Persuade) convinces a
research. The Boston Public Library is the best place for this librarian to check into any titles the investigators know or
research and is also where they find the city’s newspaper return. All the books were checked out between 1914 and 1918,
archives. under a wide variety of names, none of which the investigators
or librarians recognize. The librarians are grateful for the
information and any returned books, but decline to pursue
Keeper’s Note: The information found here can be
further action.
transposed to any location the investigators visit to comb
If the players are looking for information on rare
through newspaper archives.
flowers: The Boston Public Library has a wide variety of
botany books. However, most are useless, as the flower the
The library is large and houses a massive collection of books investigators are likely researching—the purple flower they
and news media. In addition, the Boston Public Library is one may have found in the Chapel of Contemplation, Pastor
possible location to supply Handout #4 (see location IX, Thomas’ house, or on Grape Island—is exceedingly rare.
“The Missing Child Flyer,” pg. 20). It is likely posted on a Investigators succeeding on a Library Use roll specifically
bulletin board in the library lobby—if the investigators have targeting the flower find a single reference book: “Wildflowers
progressed far enough along that its inclusion won’t derail the of the Northeastern US,” published in 1917 by Gideon
initial steps of their investigation into Michael Thomas. Hartgrave, a local botanist. The book identifies the flower as
Investigators making a non­specific Library Use roll can the Purple Sea Star Orchid. According to the text, the Purple
freely find any public information from the original The Sea Star Orchid has only been seen on three small islands off
Haunting module (such as the information from The Main the coast of Boston: Slate Island, Grape Island, and Bumpkin
Library—in particular, The Haunting Handouts 3, 4, 5, Island. Hartgrave mentions in the appendix he has not seen

17
any reference to this plant in any other guide and is the investigators examine the symbol, they discover the paint
investigating whether he has discovered a new species of plant. is still wet, as if freshly re­applied within the last few hours.
Further research into the author uncovers his death—cause If the investigators explore the ruined chapel, they discover
undetermined—just a few months after the publication of a hole in the floor where the rotting floorboards gave way and
“Wildflowers of the Northeastern US”. collapsed into the basement. Nearby, there is now a knotted
Implied leads: rope anchored to a large granite block, allowing easy access
• VI. The Chapel of Contemplation, pg. 18 down the hole. A successful Spot Hidden roll reveals the
• VII. Central Police Station, pg. 18 dusty floor shows obvious signs of recent activity.
• IX. The Missing Child Flyer, pg. 20 Searching the basement reveals a ransacked cabinet and two
• XII. The Residence of Timothy Richter, pg. headless skeletons dressed in singed silk robes against one
23 wall. On the opposite wall, someone has cleared rubble
• XIV. Boston Harbor and Grape Island, pg. resulting from the fire and partial basement collapse, newly
27 exposing a section of the wall that contains strange engravings.
If the investigators approach the cabinet and headless
VI. THE CHAPEL OF CONTEMPLATION skeletons, they notice a strange flower with a long, grey and
green splotched stem and nine purple petals near one of the
skeletons. A successful Science (Botany) roll does not
Keeper’s Note: This description assumes the identify the flower, but allows the investigator to determine the
investigators visited and searched the Chapel of flower must be incredibly rare. A Hard Science (Botany) roll
Contemplation during their playthrough of The Haunting. allows the investigator to recall this is a new species of flower
Whether or not the basement was found via the rotting recently discovered by famous (deceased) botanist Gideon
floorboards, it is fully exposed now. Hartgrave.
The blocks surrounding the Chapel are a possible location Upon closer examination, the newly exposed far wall is
to supply Handout #4 (see location IX, “The Missing engraved with a short passage of Latin text accompanied by a
Child Flyer,” pg. 20). collection of strange pictograms and geometric
representations. It is clear someone put significant time and
effort into moving rubble in order to expose these engravings.
From its outward appearance, very little has changed at the
Upon a successful Cthulhu Mythos roll, an investigator
Chapel of Contemplation since the investigators last visited.
intuits this is the text of a spell. One hour of close study of the
They see the same collapsed and weathered ruins overgrown
engravings (or of a sketch of the text and symbols) combined
with vegetation, the same grey stone rubble and half­burned
with a successful Language (Latin) roll, or consultation with
timbers, and the same strange staring eye symbol painted onto
someone who has a Language (Latin) skill of 50% or
one of the slumping walls.
greater, permits translation of the text, which allows an
As with their first visit here, when the investigators
investigator to learn the Tenebrous Sight spell found on page
approach the eye symbol, they experience a subtle tingling in
34 in the Characters and Monsters section. Learning the spell
their foreheads. This time, however, as they step closer to the
causes 1 point of SAN loss and adds +1 to the Cthulhu
symbol, the tingling feeling intensifies into a sharp pain,
Mythos skill.
persisting for a few minutes even after they have left the site. If
Implied leads:
• V. Boston Public Library, pg. 17

VII. CENTRAL POLICE STATION

The investigators arrive at Boston’s Central Police Station to
find a general hustle and bustle, with desk lieutenant Luke
Andrews greeting pedestrian arrivals. Officer Andrews is a new
member of the Boston PD, and both young and serious.
The Central Police Station is one possible location to supply
Handout #4 (see location IX, “The Missing Child Flyer,” pg.
20). It could be posted on a bulletin board or laying on the
service desk behind which Officer Andrews sits—if the
investigators have progressed far enough along that its
inclusion won’t derail the initial steps of their investigation
into Michael Thomas.
If the investigators inquire with Officer Andrews about
Michael Thomas, a successful social skill roll (Charm, Fast

18
Talk, Intimidate, or Persuade) convinces him to go back to (Geology) roll identifies the gemstones as a
the records room and bring out the relevant folder for viewing. garnet (crimson), agate (orange & white), and
(He does not allow the investigators to take the file with them, chrysolite (yellow­green). A successful Idea roll
but only to view the contents.) A failed roll causes Officer notes the blade bears a general resemblance to
Andrews to remark, “I’m sorry, access to police files is the knife found in the basement of the Corbitt
restricted,” as he gestures behind him toward an open House, though this one is fancier and in much
doorway. Intrepid investigators, now with some idea of the better condition
file’s location, might now attempt to gain access via a Stealth • A door key with a police tag reading, “32 Snow
roll, cause a distraction to allow an investigator to slip in Hill St.”
undetected, or return later when the desk is unmonitored. • A bracelet that appears to be braided from
Within the Michael Thomas file, the investigators find The human hair of various colors and textures
Haunting Handout 8 (available online; see the Handouts • A second bracelet, this one made of leather, also
List, pg. 37), Handout #5, and Handout #6. inset with three gemstones. A successful Natural
Should the investigators ask about the Chapel of World or Science (Geology) roll identifies
Contemplation rather than Michael Thomas, a successful these gemstones as an amethyst (purple),
social skill roll obtains only The Haunting Handout 8. emerald (green), and beryl (aqua).
If the investigators instead inquire about missing children, • $20 in bills, plus a small collection of coins not of
Officer Andrews responds, “Not many lately. Are you asking American issue. They include Mexican pesos and
about the waves of them? Hasn’t been a spate in a while, but British halfcrowns, as well as a mix of much older
some of the guys say we’re due.” If pressed further, Andrews coins of undecipherable origin.
reports some of the more senior officers claim there has been a Should the investigators identify all six gemstones and
wave of missing children every couple of decades going back wonder at their meaning, an Occult roll allows an investigator
almost a century. Andrews isn’t sure if there’s truth to it or if to recognize them as six of the twelve Zodiac birthstones.
it’s just a police force legend. After giving the investigators a moment to look over the
Another possible line of questioning relates to Steven Knott. items, the clerk asks, “Would you like to see the other Michael
The police have no criminal case open on him, but report from Thomas artifacts? The others usually want to.”
their records that in response to an anonymous tip a couple If prompted as to who the “others” are, the clerk responds,
weeks back, an officer made a social welfare check at his “It’s been some time, but we used to have regular visitors to
residence and found him dead. The autopsy concluded it was a view the Michael Thomas stuff. Though they tended to be quite
heart attack, with no evidence of foul play. a bit younger than all of you. Kids, really.”
Once the investigators learn the name of Officer Timothy Assuming the investigators are in fact interested, the clerk
Richter from the interview transcript, they might ask to speak produces:
with him. Officer Andrews says he doesn’t know the name,
• The Haunting Handout 7 (available online;
does a quick check of records, and discovers Officer Richter
see the Handouts List, pg. 37) – Walter Corbitt’s
retired in 1914, only a couple of years after the raid on the
will, with Pastor Michael Thomas as executor
Chapel of Contemplation. Andrews is able to furnish Richter’s
• Real estate deeds for several properties around
home address, 644 Jersey Street.
Boston, all still listed as owned by Michael
Implied leads:
Thomas:
• VIII. Courthouse & Records Office, pg. 19 o The residence at 32 Snow Hill Street,
• IX. The Missing Child Flyer, pg. 20 with a deed for purchase dated 1902
• XII. The Residence of Timothy Richter, o A business property at 200 Newbury
pg. 23 Street (the address of Clarion Used
Books), with a deed for purchase dated
VIII. COURTHOUSE & RECORDS OFFICE 1878
o The Chapel of Contemplation property
Upon request, a clerk provides storage box #9032 for viewing
of its contents only. Under no circumstances does the clerk at 49 Hull Street, with a deed for
allow any items to be taken from it. purchase dated 1835
The box contains Michael Thomas’ personal effects at the If the investigators inquire about the 1835 purchase date for
time of his arrest: a man still living, the clerk is befuddled, but assures the
• A black, hooded robe and wool undergarments investigators the records are accurate.
• An ornate knife with an eight­inch blade. The hilt Implied leads:
shines with a solid silver handle and three • XI. Michael Thomas’ House (32 Snow Hill
gemstones inset into a small cross­guard. A Street), pg. 22
successful Natural World or Science
19
IX. THE MISSING CHILD FLYER
• Eugene and Martha reported Kevin’s
There are a number of flyers for the
disappearance to the police, and an officer
missing Kevin Brown around Boston.
—“something Richter”—came by to interview
The investigators might encounter
them. Officer Richter had also been involved in
one on a notices board at the Boston
the raid on the Chapel of Contemplation that
Public Library, on a bulletin board or
freed Kevin and several other kidnapped
desk at the Central Police Station, or
children, and Richter reported some of the
simply posted on a lamppost or street
other children from that incident had also
corner while they are moving between
disappeared again over the last two days.
locations. Ideally, they should not
Richter seemed genuinely concerned about
encounter such a flyer until they have already visited two to
Kevin and convinced there were dots he wasn’t
three locations as part of their investigation.
connecting.
When the investigators come across the flyer, make note of
• Richter later informed the Browns that all the
it and provide them with Handout #4. Inform the
children from the incident had disappeared
investigators that the image of Kevin Brown on the flyer looks
again. Try as they might, the police could find
exactly like one of the two boys they observed at the Shortstack
no evidence of involvement by the Chapel of
Diner.
Contemplation, all of whom were still in police
Implied leads:
custody at the time of the second round of
• X. The Brown Residence, pg. 20 disappearances.
• Eugene and Martha were devastated and tried
to move on with their lives. Kevin was their
X. THE BROWN RESIDENCE only child and while a few years after his
The investigators find 151 Prince Street to be a two­story
disappearance they tried to have another, they
townhouse with a brick façade and faded blue shutters,
were both older by that point and were unable
identical to the row of townhouses running down the block. If
to conceive.
the investigators are aware of the Chapel of Contemplation,
• However, this past April, Eugene came upon
then on a successful Navigate roll, notify them they are a
Kevin on the street while walking home from a
mere four blocks from where its ruins stand.
Red Sox game at Fenway Park. Eugene was
There is no doorbell, but a firm knock brings Martha and
dumbstruck and overjoyed to find his son after
Eugene Brown to the door quickly. Eugene works odd hours at
so many years apart, and brought him home.
a meatpacking plant, while Martha does seamstress work out
Kevin didn’t seem distressed—mostly subdued
of their home for a nearby dry cleaning business. Both are
or distracted.
present no matter the day or hour of the investigators’ visit.
• Martha sheepishly acknowledges the strangest
Any mention of Kevin leads the Browns to eagerly usher the
part of finding Kevin: He didn’t look a day
investigators inside into the living room, a rather untidy but
older than when they had last seen him in
homey space in the cozy townhome. The Browns are keen on
1912.
any information the investigators can supply about their
• To their heartbreak, Kevin once again went
missing son, often asking the investigators to repeat what
missing only two days later. Martha had slept
they’ve shared and inviting the investigators to speculate about
in his room with him the first night, but upon
what it might mean and where Kevin might be now.
the second night he disappeared. They found
If the investigators ask questions about Kevin and his
their front door unlocked in the morning,
disappearance, Martha and Eugene answer with the applicable
though Martha is certain she bolted it the night
information found in the breakout box, “The Browns’ Story.”
before.
• This most recent disappearance led the Browns
to put up the missing child flyers. They didn’t
The Browns’ Story
bother filing a police report this time—they
• Kevin first went missing nearly ten years ago
didn’t know how to talk about a missing
in 1912, when he was kidnapped as part of
person who remained a missing person but for
“some terrible business” with a local religious
a 48­hour reprieve, and didn’t want the police
sect called the Chapel of Contemplation.
to think them mad.
• The police returned Kevin to them unharmed
not quite one month after he had first
disappeared. However, he didn’t seem himself,
and four days later he went missing again.

20
Martha blames herself for Kevin’s most recent overseeing this smuggling of children between the
disappearance and is convinced if she had kept a different universes.
closer eye on him, he would still be with them. She is This whole story about the Chapel of Contemplation,
emotionally distraught when the recounting reaches I’m not sure it checks out. Maybe they did take Kevin,
this point and excuses herself to cry alone in the because maybe they’re a satellite office for the
kitchen. League of Nations. Or maybe the whole thing is a
cover story by the police and city government—you
• Kevin was ten years old at the time of his know they’re in on it. Except that Officer Richter. He
original disappearance in 1912. really did want to figure out what was going on. I
• The Browns were not close with any of the wish I had realized all this back then.”
other families with missing children,
though most lived somewhere in the If the investigators express any skepticism or ask for
neighborhood and were around Kevin’s follow­up details or evidence, especially concerning
age. To their knowledge, the others have all William Jennings Bryan or the League of Nations,
moved out of the neighborhood, perhaps Eugene simply says, “Well, you haven’t read what I’ve
out of Boston entirely. read.”
• The Browns don’t know any of the details of A successful Psychology roll suggests Eugene is
the raid on the Chapel of Contemplation somewhat unhinged in his speculation. On a Hard
—“it might be in police reports.” They success, the investigator realizes Eugene suffers from
understand the children were being held in a mania which has manifested as a version of the
the basement of the Chapel, and that the Capgras delusion, a belief that a loved one has been
police broke in and stole the kids back, with replaced by an imposter.
a fire ensuing that burned the building to Martha doesn’t believe Eugene’s theory and is
the ground. convinced it has been their Kevin every time. She has
no explanation for why he doesn’t appear to age or for
If the investigators want to know what Eugene thinks
his re­disappearances.
is really going on, a successful Charm or Fast Talk
roll convinces him to open up. If successful, read
aloud or paraphrase the following: The Browns are willing to show the investigators to Kevin’s
bedroom if they ask. Upstairs, the investigators find a room
“I read an article about how maybe the universe isn’t divided between a shrine to Kevin’s memory and a need for
really just one universe, but a whole bunch of functionality. One section of the room features a twin bed with
universes all stacked on top of each other, each a small nightstand and bookshelf laden with a ten­year­old’s
playing out the same story as our universe, only toys, all covered in a thin layer of dust. Multiple grade school
they’re all seconds apart. art pieces adorn the wall over the bed. Much of the room,
You know, Kevin and the other kids weren’t the first however, is filled with fabric and sewing supplies, including a
ones to go missing in Boston—we’ve had rashes of large desk upon which sits a sewing machine. With some
kids gone missing every decade or two. You can find embarrassment, Martha explains they needed the space to
it in the newspaper archives at the library. What if support her sewing work, and so she had to encroach upon
they’re being slipped into these other universes? Kevin’s room.
What if someone’s opened a gateway and they’re A successful Library Use roll allows an investigator to
smuggling kids out of our universe and into another? notice there are no books at all in Kevin’s section of the room,
And then the Kevin we got back—the first one, and despite a bookend on the bookshelf and a few other telltale
then the one I brought home a few months ago— gaps to a discerning eye. If asked, the Browns acknowledge
what if they’re from one of these other universes. But that when Kevin went missing most recently, all the children’s
since all our timelines are a little different, Kevin’s books in the room—about a dozen in number—also went
age is different in each one. That’s why he was acting missing.
so different, and why he was the wrong age. A successful Spot Hidden roll or a careful examination of
I’ve been doing some research, and I think it’s the toys on the bookshelf draws an investigator’s eye to a small
William Jennings Bryan behind the whole thing. children’s globe of the world set back on one shelf. The globe
Man’s tried to become president three times, we’re appears to be a standard toy store globe, except it has been
lucky cooler heads prevailed. But you know he was defaced: Large gashes trace strange shapes all around the
President Wilson’s Secretary of War until 1915—I globe’s surface, and 12 ball­tipped pins have been pressed into
think he gave President Wilson the idea for the the equator, equidistant from one another. If the investigators
League of Nations. And it’s the League that’s have seen the globe at Officer Richter’s residence already, it is

21
immediately apparent someone has attempted to convert this numerous pieces of art. On one wall, three nearly identical
globe into a crude mockup of that one. paintings appear to be depictions of starry skies. Though they
If asked about it, the Browns are confused and admit they look the same, a trained artistic eye would be able to identify
have never noticed its defacement before. A Psychology roll them as slightly different, and all hand painted. On another
confirms they are being forthright. wall hangs a photograph of two men sitting at a café table and
Whenever the investigators take their leave, Eugene and smiling into the camera. Assuming they encountered him in
Martha express great appreciation for their visit. The Browns the basement of his house in The Haunting, investigators can
note that they do not have a telephone, but invite the identify one of the men as Walter Corbitt. The shock of seeing
investigators to come by anytime if they see or hear anything the smiling, fully human visage of a man they only
else about Kevin. encountered as an undead monstrosity triggers a SAN roll
Implied leads: (0/2). If removed from the wall, the back of the photo includes
• XII. The Residence of Timothy Richter, pg. a scrawled note, “Michael Thomas & Walter Corbitt – 1849.”
23 Any players who have seen a picture of Michael Thomas in the
police records notice this Thomas looks entirely different from
the photo they have seen.
XI. MICHAEL THOMAS’ HOUSE (32 A final piece of art hangs by the front door and depicts a
SNOW HILL STREET) map of the coast of Boston and its outlying islands. A Spot
There are numerous ways the investigators can discover Pastor Hidden roll uncovers all the islands except Grape Island have
Michael Thomas’ home at 32 Snow Hill Street. The key with been crossed out with faint pencil marks.
the address tag at the Courthouse & Records Office is the most A small bedroom at the back of the home holds a bed frame
obvious cluse, though a search in the telephone directory finds with no mattress. Next to the bed are two nightstands carved
the Pastor’s name and address still listed. Some newspapers with images of large fish swimming up and down the legs.
have been loose with the information as well, so investigators Inside the drawer of one of the nightstands is a small roll of
could find it with a Library Use roll targeting Michael tracing paper. On one of the sheets of paper is Handout #7A,
Thomas at any library. Additionally, if the keeper wants to a hand­tracing of some sort. The other nightstand contains a
bring Mary Claire (pg. 11) into play, she could drop the address Bible. If the investigators thumb through the Bible, they find it
anonymously wherever the investigators are staying. contains a pressed flower with a long, grey and green splotched
The Thomas house is a small, one­story residence on the stem and nine purple petals. As with the flower found in the
outskirts of Boston. Though the neighborhood is lively and basement of the Chapel of Contemplation, on a Hard Science
well­kept, the lawn of the Thomas house has gone to dirt, and (Botany) roll, the investigator recalls this is a new species of
large, urn­shaped planters standing to either side of the door flower recently discovered by famous (deceased) botanist
are empty. All the doors and windows are locked. Gideon Hartgrave, while a Regular success merely recognizes
If investigators ask around the neighborhood, they learn the the flower must be incredibly rare.
house has been abandoned for years. Most of the local The kitchen contains a small wood­burning stove and an
residents haven’t been around long enough to know Michael unremarkable table surrounded by three dust­covered chairs,
Thomas was the owner, so they have little else to say other as well as a threadbare rug. Close scrutiny of the rug or a
than expressing a wish it would go up for sale so someone successful Spot Hidden roll in the kitchen uncovers a trap
would take care of it. If they speak to three or four neighbors, door beneath the rug leading to a root cellar. The dim light of
however, investigators encounter Silas Baker, a long­time the kitchen reflects off faded white paint on the far wall of the
resident of advanced age who remembers the man who lived root cellar, revealing a surface blanketed in dozens of images of
there was arrested many years back. the eye­like symbol the investigators have encountered on
Investigators wanting to check the inside of the house must Handout #2 and potentially at the Chapel of Contemplation.
break in—a task best accomplished quietly and under the cover The root cellar is completely vacant save for a single shelf
of darkness in this active neighborhood. Any investigator spanning the wall of eye symbols, empty except for a small
breaking in triggers a warding spell Thomas has placed on the wooden box. Entering the root cellar induces constant
residence. The investigator, and anyone else between the dizziness caused by the eye symbols, to such a degree that
house and the street, must succeed at a POW roll or lose 1/1d6 should any investigator attempt a roll while in the cellar, they
Sanity points and immediately flee the property for 24 hours. suffer a penalty die.
After the 24 hours have passed, affected investigators can Inside the box, investigators find Handout #8, a large
enter the property only after succeeding at a SAN roll. The stack of letters from Walter Corbitt. In addition, there is a rare
spell triggers once, then dissipates. astrology book bound with a cover made of thin wooden
The inside of the house is fully furnished, but all the plates. Wood­burned into the cover is the title, “Celestial
furniture is covered, and those covers are themselves under a Bodies: Stars, Gods, and the Men Who Would Be Both,” by
thick layer of dust. On the walls of the living room hang Demetrius Pietzo. Spending one hour in close study of the

22
book causes 1d4 SAN loss, adds +2 to the Cthulhu Mythos in the room, leaving the investigators to stand—and asks the
skill, and locates Handout #7B, an astrological chart. investigators to state their names. He takes them down on a
The book is a dry, academic study of the possibility of large desk calendar laying before him, asking the investigators
consciousness transfer between individuals based upon their to clarify spelling whenever necessary. If asked about this, he
astrological signs and the current celestial arrangement. It says it’s a habit going back to his police days before engaging in
suggests gradual shifts in the night sky constantly alter and any serious conversation. (Should the investigators attempt to
shift compatible pairings. While it gives examples of instances provide aliases, a successful Fast Talk opposed by Richter’s
of such compatibility, they are so arcane that application of Psychology is necessary. On an investigator failure, Richter
this logic to real­world individuals at a specific moment in time says he’s only interested in playing straight with people who
would require decades of study. play straight with him, and throws them out should they
Upon a successful Library Use roll, an investigator also persist.)
ascertains from the text that one participant in any
consciousness transfer must be a prepubescent child, due to The Strange Globe
the flexibility afforded by an underdeveloped neural network The strange orange­yellow globe on the corner of Timothy
within the brain. Richter’s desk is approximately six inches in diameter and
Investigators who suspect a connection between Handout semi­translucent, with dark geometric objects inside that
#7A and Handout #7B discover Handout #7C by laying appear to drift and change size and shape depending on
the tracing paper over the original astrological chart found in the angle of viewing and the current lighting. The surface
the text—an image suggesting a connection between two of the globe is etched with what appear to be drawings of
different astrological signs. Once complete, any investigator land masses, although they do not resemble the
who explored Corbitt’s Hiding Place in The Haunting may continents of Earth.
make a Luck or INT roll. A successful roll allows the Twelve equidistant gemstones are embedded around
investigator to recognize that Handout #7C matches the the equator of the globe. Even an untrained eye can
image resembling a horoscope found on curled papers near recognize each stone is unique; a successful Natural
Corbitt’s body. World or Science (Geology) roll identifies them as (in
Implied leads: order): a garnet (crimson), amethyst (purple), bloodstone
• XIV. Boston Harbor and Grape Island, (gray & red), sapphire (blue), agate (orange & white),
pg. 27 emerald (green), onyx (black), carnelian (orange),
chrysolite (yellow­green), beryl (aqua), topaz (brown), and
ruby (red). A successful Occult roll further recognizes
XII. THE RESIDENCE OF TIMOTHY these are the twelve birthstones of the Zodiac.
RICHTER If the investigators have been to the Brown residence
and seen the defaced globe there, no roll is needed to
recognize that globe represented a crude simulacrum of
Keeper’s Note: Visiting this location starts an in­game
this globe.
timer. See “The Ticking Clock” (page 25).

The lawn at 644 Jersey Street is well­manicured and the home

slightly larger and more picturesque than the investigators
might have imagined for a beat cop.
Timothy Richter stoically greets the investigators at the
front door and waits for them to introduce themselves and
explain why they are visiting. He suffers no fools and sees
through any ruse the investigators invent to justify their visit.
In contrast, an honest mention of the Chapel of
Contemplation, the raid, Michael Thomas, kidnapped children
in Boston, or a similar trigger topic causes Richter to nod his
head and gesture for the investigators to follow him inside.
Richter leads the investigators to his home office, a small
room with a centrally located black walnut desk, on the corner
of which sits a strange orange­yellow globe, the only decorative
object in the room (see breakout box, “The Strange Globe”).
Behind Richter lie wall shelves with reference books and
personal notebooks upon them, leaving the walls otherwise
sparse. Richter claims the chair behind the desk—the only one

23
 After recording their names, Officer Richter asks the electrical current of some sort. This was where
investigators what questions they have. Regardless of the the popping sound originated.
specific questions, Richter wants to divulge the story of the • Against the far wall from the semicircle of
police raid upon the Chapel of Contemplation and takes the hooded chanters were the seven children. All
first opportunity to slip into his narrative found in the seven were bound and gagged, strapped
breakout box, “Richter’s Report.” against large wooden tables angled perhaps 70
degrees vertical, with their heads toward the
Richter’s Report
ground.
• On May 15, 1912, Richter was one of three
• O’Leary immediately began screaming for the
officers tailing members of the Chapel of
worshippers to stop their chanting and move
Contemplation due to suspected involvement
away from the children. When they didn’t
in youth disappearances over the previous two
obey, he fired a warning shot over their heads.
months.
This drew their attention.
• Richter’s suspect, Lewis Wagner, departed
• The horde of worshippers turned en masse and
home shortly before 11 p.m. and arrived at the
began advancing toward O’Leary and Richter.
Chapel of Contemplation approximately 20
Richter heard a much louder pop; uncertain if
minutes later.
it was gunfire, he dove for cover, colliding with
• Upon his arrival at the Chapel, Richter located
one of the oil lantern stands and sending it
the other two tailing officers who had also
skidding across the floor. It came to a stop at
followed their quarries to the building over the
the bottom of a church pew, which
previous two hours. During that period of time,
immediately went up in flame.
dozens of individuals had arrived
• Upon seeing Richter go down, O’Leary opened
independently of one another, suggesting they
fire into the crowd.
had coordinated their travel so as to avoid their
• Chaos ensued. Richter raced to rescue the
arrivals coinciding.
children as the fire grew out of control and the
• The three agreed to send the most junior
congregants fled toward the exit.
officer, George Fuentes, for backup while
• However, police backup had arrived outside
Richter and the other officer, Clifford O’Leary,
and officers descended upon the scene, taking
remained in surveillance.
the Chapel worshippers into custody before
• Not quite 10 minutes after Fuentes departed,
they could escape.
Richter and O’Leary noted the sound of
• With the aid of other officers, Richter dragged
chanting coming from within the Chapel along
all seven kids out of the Chapel before the
with a popping sound they believed might be
whole building went up in flames.
gunfire. Given the concern, the two decided to
• Somehow, the events of the raid never made
proceed without waiting for backup.
the papers—Richter heard rumblings former
• Forcing the door, the pair stumbled in to find
City Councilman Everett Ellsworth quashed
some sort of bizarre religious ritual unfolding.
any reporting on it. If asked, Richter confirms
Dozens of individuals—the police’s later count
Ellsworth is the redacted name in Thomas’
would reveal it to be 71—were positioned in a
interview transcript (Handout #5).
loose semicircle, dressed in all black, hooded
• Richter asks the investigators if they’ve seen
garments, chanting in a foreign tongue.
the police report on the incident. Either way,
• Perhaps two dozen oil lanterns were
he confirms 17 cult members were killed and
positioned throughout the Chapel in some sort
the remaining 54 all arrested, though all but
of bizarre geometric configuration that made
eight were released. However, only one of
portions of the building well­lit and left other
those, Pastor Michael Thomas, was brought to
portions dark.
trial.
• A large basin of water—almost a wading pool—
• Richter says to the investigators, “So, eight
lay well­lit near the front of the church,
taken into custody, but only one brought to
reflecting the night sky via an open skylight in
trial. You ever wonder what happened to the
the ceiling.
other seven? … They were in no shape to go
• Also adding light to the room was some sort of
back on the streets. Completely hysterical, it
livewire arcing and dancing in the center of the
was like the whole incident had overwhelmed
room. Richter couldn’t get a good look at it
them entirely. They had to be sent to the State
because it kept bursting into blinding flashes,
Lunatic Hospital at Danvers, just outside
but he assumes it must have been a loose

24
 Boston, for treatment. Not that treatment’s investigators, the cultists still murder Richter while searching
done them much good—they’re all still there. his residence, but come away empty­handed—though with the
You should go visit them, for all the good it will (correct) belief the investigators have the item they need.
do you. But best to get that impression in In either event, Michael Thomas’ followers mark the
person.” occasion by upping the ante with their Evil Eye spell targeting
• Richter explains that based on his interview the investigators. This escalates the investigators’ nightmares
with Thomas a few days after his arrest to a new stage: Each night going forward until the
(Handout #5), Thomas was convicted on five investigators take action to disrupt Michael Thomas and his
counts of second­degree murder for a previous adherents, all investigators should be given a randomly
group of five children who had gone missing in selected Severe Nightmare Handout (Handout F­J).
the neighborhood.
• Richter reports he is aware Michael Thomas Personalizing the Horror, Part 2
escaped prison in 1917, but he hasn’t seen him The escalation from standard to severe nightmares is also
since he testified against him at trial. an occasion to amplify the personal horror. Consider the
• Richter retired from the police force in 1914. logical next step that would confirm or elevate the
personalized horror presented previously:
If the investigators ask about the globe, Richter notes it is a • The sick loved one dies
souvenir from this very raid on the Chapel of Contemplation. • A broken piece of the missing heirloom is
He reports that at the time he entered the Chapel and found found on the street
the ritual scene, the globe sat in front of the bound and gagged • The previous antagonism of strangers returns,
children, spinning like a top—something he’s never seen it do but now in Boston and in full force
since. The globe was taken into police custody and submitted • A deliberate, direct trigger for the invest­
as evidence at Michael Thomas’ trial, but subsequently slated igator’s phobia or mania presents itself
for disposal since it wasn’t actually one of the items on his
This escalation should be noticeable and the connection to
person at the time of arrest. Instead, Richter decided to hold
the earlier misfortune explicit, suggesting whatever
onto it.
horrors haunt the investigator have now entered a new,
A few tactics might cause Richter to give up the globe to the
intensified phase.
investigators. As one option, an offer to purchase it for a sum
of $50 or more, combined with a successful Credit Rating to Fallout from Richter’s Fate
assure Richter the investigators have no ill intent in mind for Unfortunately for the investigators, their names are now the
it, convinces him. Alternatively, a Charm or Persuade most recent to appear in the now­deceased Timothy Richter’s
combined with an investigator who suggests it might help appointment book. When the police open the case into their
them uncover more about this case wins Richter over. Any deceased former comrade­in­arms, they immediately identify
attempt to Fast Talk or Intimidate him is opposed by this appointment and seek out the investigators.
Richter’s Psychology. If the investigators do obtain the globe The police ask around town, and it should not be too long
and make any attempts to damage or destroy it, they discover before they locate the investigators and haul them off to the
it is completely indestructible—unless brought into the ritual Central Police Station for an intense round of questioning. The
chamber found on Grape Island. officers conducting the interrogation are skeptical by nature
Implied leads: and do not accept any responses involving the fantastic or the
• XIII. State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers, supernatural as truthful when pressing the investigators to
pg. 26 justify their appointment with Timothy Richter.
During the questioning, the officers clearly disclose Richter’s
The Ticking Clock decorative globe is now missing—in fact, it is the only thing
Visiting Timothy Richter’s residence sets things in motion for missing. If the globe is found in their possession, the officers
the cultists, who have been keeping tabs on the investigators are all the more suspicious.
with a tracking ritual. They had not previously realized Officer Unless the investigators come up with an alternative
Richter might have taken the globe home with him, but the ingenious approach, the situation likely requires a Hard Fast
investigators’ visit has now put him on their radar. Talk assuring the officers of a reasonable and mundane
If the investigators left the globe in Richter’s possession, the justification for their visit to avoid spending a night in jail (a
cultists soon descend upon Richter’s home to investigate for wonderful place to experience a madness­inducing
themselves, discover the globe’s whereabouts, and claim it— nightmare).
murdering Richter in the process. These events trigger In the morning, if the investigators have not yet found a way
immediately after the investigators visit any two additional to leave the jail, the police notify them someone has posted
locations beyond Richter’s residence. their bail, though law enforcement requires them to disclose
Alternatively, if the globe is in the possession of the their current place of stay and admonishes them that they are
25
not to leave Boston until officially granted permission. If the discovered it, the bodies are also not aging. They have been
investigators inquire as to who posted bail, the desk clerk given the best care possible, but none of the doctors have a
informs them someone else was on duty at the time, but looks diagnosis for what happened; they are simply treating the
up the record and tells them the bail was paid by Mary Claire residents for hysteria.
Wright (see page 11). If the investigators research the name The seven patients are all highly traumatized. All seven were
Mary Claire Wright, they discover she is institutionalized at the kidnapped from their families as children, held as prisoners,
State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers following the incident at the and then had their consciousnesses forcibly transferred into an
Chapel of Contemplation. adult body. Any one of these incidents alone would be bad
enough, but together they were more than any mind could
handle. Moreover, the hospital—any hospital for that matter—
Keeper’s Note: If the investigators successfully left neither understands nor is equipped to deal with their malady
aliases with Richter, they avoid this unpleasant encounter due to its mystical nature.
with the police, but also lose the opportunity to learn of None of the patients can offer the investigators much in the
Richter’s murder and the possible theft of the globe by way of help. Five of the seven are mentally undeveloped to the
Michael Thomas’ cultists. In such a situation, the point of being nonsensical—a result of the trauma of both the
investigators might read about these events in the body swap and multiple misdiagnoses of their condition by
morning newspaper. Alternatively, they might be doctors. The other two—the bodies the staff identify as Richard
dependent upon Mary Claire sharing the news with them, Hanover and Mary Claire Wright—are catatonic.
even if it requires her to proactively contact them to do so. Hospital staff regularly check on the patients while they are
with visitors. They allow a lengthy visit but tolerate no
mistreatment of the patients. The facility, though wildly
XIII. STATE LUNATIC HOSPITAL AT unprepared to deal with this particular situation, is still very
DANVERS much a caring treatment center and protects its patients
Eighteen miles north of Boston, the State Lunatic Hospital at accordingly.
Danvers occupies a beautiful property of over 500 acres. The
facility’s sprawling land reduces the need for strong security, Encountering Mary Claire Wright
and as a result, the investigators can easily visit the main The investigators might recognize Mary Claire Wright in her
office, located just inside the main doors of the palatial juvenile body, either from Clarion Used Books After Dark or
building. Louise Fulbright, secretary to the superintendent, from seeing her on the street while conducting their
greets the investigators at the office. investigation. If the investigators make the effort to catch Mary
In contrast to the Roxbury Sanitarium, which the Claire while she is at the hospital, she willingly meets with
investigators may have visited in The Haunting, Danvers is a them. She hopes to use the terrible situation of the patient to
facility for patients with more severe disorders. Roxbury her advantage, playing on the investigators’ sympathy to help
residents—for the most part—are expected to stay for short her carry out her plan without asking too many questions—
visits, and individuals from Roxbury who prove to need long­ particularly questions about needing a body to transfer into.
term care are typically transferred to Danvers. Mary Claire explains that the other cultists are seeking
The patients the investigators want to visit are low Pastor Thomas’ globe and are hoping the investigators will
functioning, and, as a result a good story, strong credentials, or lead them to it. Once they have it, they will give it to Michael
a successful Fast Talk roll is required to secure a visit. If the Thomas, who will perform a ritual not only to release them
investigators are able to convince Louise to allow them to visit from the children’s bodies but enabling them to live forever.
the patients, she checks her book and remarks that six of the She explains that she is unconvinced Michael Thomas will
patients—Edwin Diamond, Richard Hanover, Noel McDonald, truly help them once he has the globe in his possession, as he
Xavier Newton, Harold Porter, and Brian Winters—are in their has done little to help them in the years since the transfer.
rooms, while Mary Claire Wright is currently with a visitor. She also reveals the cultists have been using their ritual site
Unbeknownst to the investigators, though Mary Claire’s mind to inflict harm on the investigators in the form of nightmares,
now inhabits the body of a child, she has taken to visiting her as well as personalized horror if the keeper has incorporated
previous body on a semi­regular basis, posing as a caring that approach. She expresses great sorrow at participating in
cousin whenever hospital staff are within earshot. these rituals but explains that if she were to resist, the others
would kill her.
The Patients She asks for their assistance in carrying out the ritual herself
Seven patients who were involved in the ritual and raid at to end her entrapment in a child’s body, freeing her to leave
the Chapel of Contemplation are now residents at the hospital. her fellow cultists. Mary Claire does NOT volunteer any
All seven are adult bodies housing the minds of kidnapped and information about a body to swap into and only deals with the
traumatized children. Though hospital staff have not yet subject if the investigators bring it up. If the investigators are

26
clever enough to ask her about needing another body, she Jutting out from the island is a small, rickety dock. Finding
(seemingly hesitantly) explains that they also need to kidnap the island’s dock in the mist requires a successful Navigate
her original body from the State Lunatic Hospital. This roll. If the ritual globe is in the cultists’ possession or if the
explanation is a lie. The transfer, once completed, cannot be investigators have brought it with them to Grape Island, they
reversed with the same subjects. She participates in a see a small rowboat tied to the dock, indicating others are also
kidnapping as needed as part of her ruse, but it is a fabrication. on the island. Otherwise, the cultists and Michael Thomas are
If the investigators help her perform the ritual, she transfers on the mainland.
into one of them. Alternatively, investigators can beach the boat elsewhere on
Should the investigators decline Mary Claire’s proposed the island, but without the dock there is nothing to tie it to and
alliance, she begs them to be careful with the globe if they do the craft may float away, making it hard to escape. Moreover,
obtain it. She elaborates that the globe is very fragile under landing the boat anywhere but the dock requires the
certain conditions, and it is her only ticket to escape this life of investigators to make a Navigate roll should they wish to find
perpetual childhood. it again.
Implied leads: Hidden beneath a clump of overgrown bushes within
running distance of the dock is a drainage pipe with an
• XIV. Boston Harbor and Grape Island,
opening about three feet in diameter. This pipe is nearly
pg. 27
impossible to spot, but could be seen with an extreme success
on the Navigate roll while finding the dock or on a Spot
XIV. BOSTON HARBOR AND GRAPE Hidden while exploring the island. An adult could squeeze
ISLAND into the pipe, but it would be quite uncomfortable; on the
Ideally, the adventure culminates with the investigators other hand, the cultists are all small enough to easily fit and
arriving at Grape Island. However, it is possible for regularly use this pipe to access the house on the island
investigators to arrive at the island before they are fully (primarily to avoid the Flesh­Merged Abomination: see
prepared. In such a case, the investigators should be very below). The pipe leads directly to a floor grate in the house’s
careful. Grape Island is a dangerous place. basement. When the cultists are on the island, they leave a
small boat tied to and hidden within the bushes. The boat (if
Traveling to Grape Island present) can also be seen with an extreme success on the
The investigators can reach Grape Island, as well as nearby Navigate or Spot Hidden rolls mentioned above.
Slate Island and Bumpkin Island, via several routes. With a Perhaps the most striking feature of Grape Island is that it is
successful Credit Rating roll, they can charter a boat from a covered in bushes sprouting Purple Sea Star Orchids. The
local fisherman. A hard Credit Rating roll is required if the flowers almost seem to be taking over the island, growing in
investigators want to rent or borrow a boat without the owner small clumps as far as the eye can see.
accompanying them. If the investigators are working with Anyone exploring Grape Island would be wise to use stealth.
Mary Claire, she can take them to the cultists’ rowboat, which Experimental rituals the cultists have attempted in the absence
they can borrow; however, if they are gone for more than a of the globe have led to the creation of a series of Flesh­Merged
couple of hours, the other cultists are likely to note its absence Abominations (see breakout box, “The Flesh­Merged
and investigate. Additionally, a number of small boats and Abominations”). While the cultists have managed to lock most
schooners litter the harbor’s docks and could be of these creatures in the basement of their home, one
commandeered. overwhelmed them and escaped in the early days, and now
The three islands are approximately a quarter mile apart. roams the island in pain and confusion, lashing out at any
Travel time from the main island to any of the three or living creature it encounters.
between islands is negligible. Slate Island and Bumpkin Island Flesh­Merged Abominations hear and seek out anyone not
are uninhabited and contain no structures of any kind. actively trying to be stealthy. However, even if the
Investigators can confirm this with one hour of searching investigators are wise enough to sneak around the island and
focused on each island; a thorough search also locates a few its house, they need to make a Stealth roll opposed by the
Purple Sea Star Orchid­covered bushes on each island. free­roaming abomination’s Spot Hidden. The abominations
are always hungry, angry, and on full alert. To avoid the loose
Grape Island abomination, the cultists always travel to and from the island
As the investigators approach Grape Island, a thick mist as a group, hoping for safety in numbers and allowing them to
gradually rises up, limiting visibility. Though the mist looks scout for any danger.
and feels natural, it is anything but. From offshore,
investigators on the boat can see the island, but as soon as they
come within 300 feet, the mist gradually rises up to obscure its
view. The mist rings the island but stops at the coast.

27
 bicycles, tricycles, a rope swing, and a crudely­built seesaw.
The Flesh­Merged Abominations
The cultists hastily assembled this collection to give themselves
The Flesh­Merged Abominations are a mess of
cover should they be discovered.
misshapen, extra limbs attached to a single torso. The
The door to the house is left unlocked (there are too many
heads bear multiple faces, pressed together in a mockery
cultists for a key to be shared, and there is little likelihood of
of the human form. The unnatural joining of the bodies
anyone visiting the island). Any investigators entering the
causes constant pain for the abominations, and this pain,
house are greeted with a scene that starkly contrasts the front
coupled with multiple consciousnesses inhabiting the
yard. The house is well kept and styled in early 1900s fashion.
same badly misshapen body leaves the creatures in a
constant state of madness. They cannot be reasoned with
The Sitting Room
and attack on sight, indiscriminately assaulting
The front door opens onto a sitting room furnished with
investigators and cultists alike.
overstuffed chairs and a small end table, upon which are
stacked various popular adult fiction and nonfiction books. In
Investigators make a SAN roll (2/1d6+1) upon seeing a
addition to these books is a battered copy of, “A Mote in the
Flesh­Merged Abomination.
Heavens: Stargazing as a Window to your Future” by R. M.
Letsch. An investigator quickly scanning the book learns it
details various questionable connections between signs of the
zodiac. On the walls hang several normal­seeming framed
photographs of various adults. Some photos are families, while
others are of individuals—all appear to be family photos from a
wide range of families. These are pictures of the cultists
themselves, in previous bodies and lives—clearly recognizable
to the investigators if they have been to visit the patients at the
State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers.

The Kitchen
A well­stocked kitchen is located just off the sitting room.
Dirty dishes are in the sink, making it clear this area has been
recently used. Just to the right of the sink is a large pantry,
with floor to ceiling shelves stocked with canned goods. Inside
the pantry and in front of the sink are two knee­high stools.
Upon an upper shelf in the pantry sits a fancy glass cruet
containing a sweet­smelling liquid, faintly purple in color. This
is the tincture needed to conduct the Mind Interchange ritual
(see breakout box, “Mind Interchange”).

The Bedrooms
The three remaining rooms of the house have all been
converted into bedrooms. Two of the bedrooms are very
cramped, with three child­sized beds and three storage trunks
each. The final bedroom goes beyond cramped, with four
children’s beds and four trunks making it nearly impossible for
an adult to easily move around without crawling across the
beds.
All the beds are neatly made, and the storage trunks are full
of clothes and other miscellaneous items such as romance
If the investigators arrived by chartered boat, and the boat books, pipes, needlepoint kits, and other things adults use to
captain stays behind while the investigators explore the island, keep themselves entertained—with one exception. In the room
the captain is discovered and killed by the free­roaming Flesh­ with four beds, one trunk is empty. This trunk has a false
Merged Abomination. Should this happen, the investigators bottom that any investigator closely examining the inside of
may find themselves in a number of difficult situations the trunk immediately discovers. The false bottom opens to a
including successfully navigating the boat back to the set of rickety wooden stairs going down into the dark.
mainland and explaining the death of the captain.
Not far from the dock stands a small, one­story house. In
front of the house are scattered all manner of children’s toys—
28
 chamber. Etched into the floor are a series of patterns in an
Personalizing the Horror, Part 3 iridescent white. A successful Science (Astronomy) roll
As the investigators explore the house, consider adding identifies the etchings as star charts. Some are of this world;
clues linking the location to the personal horrors they others are clearly not.
have faced. More terrifying than the floor, however, are the walls. At
• A personal effect of a loved one or intercepted even intervals around the chamber are startlingly recognizable
correspondence from them portraits—the investigators themselves. On each portrait, the
• The bulk of the missing heirloom left eye has been painted over with a white symbol of the
• A flag, patch, or other symbol tied to the Chapel of Contemplation.
investigator’s affiliation that has triggered Two additional doors can be seen at the far end of the ritual
• others’ vile behavior chamber room, one of which is simply closed, the other barred.
An object with symbolic significance for the As investigators explore the chamber, they hear—or more
investigator’s phobia or mania accurately, feel—a constant thumping perfectly matching the
The clues can be placed in plain sight throughout the sound they all hear in their nightmares from Handout A­J.
house or included in the reveal within the Hidden An investigator carrying the globe can make a successful
Basement, as appropriate. POW roll to feel the room begin to charge with power.
Regardless of the success of the roll, an investigator carrying
The Hidden Basement the globe feels it begin to vibrate. The globe is magically tuned
The stairs under the bedroom trunk descend to a strong to this room, making it possible to draw an enormous amount
wooden door. The door is unlocked, but sticks. No roll is of power very quickly, but also making the globe extremely
required to force the door open, but unless the investigators fragile until it is moved back out to the stairs.
find a creative way to avoid it, doing so makes a lot of noise on An investigator listening at the far doors can make a
a very quiet island. successful Listen roll to identify the moaning of a single voice
The door opens into a section of the basement full of junk, behind the unbarred door, and moaning of numerous voices
ranging from random odds and ends to a few large pieces of behind the barred door. Behind the unbarred door is a small
furniture obstructing the investigators’ view, before giving way closet, empty except for a young man strapped to a wooden
to a wide space with a floor of polished black stone—a ritual gurney, drugged nearly to unconsciousness. This boy is 13­

29
year­old Harvey Perkins, a runaway the cultists abducted not
Michael Thomas typically positions oil lanterns
quite a week prior to serve as host to Michael Thomas’
throughout his ritual chamber arranged symbolically to
consciousness. There is also a two­foot­wide grate on the floor
link to important constellations. In the Grape Island ritual
that can easily be removed and opens to the drainage pipe
chamber, he has prominently placed a small pedestal
mentioned above.
upon which he intends to set the ritual globe, once
Behind the barred door is a filthy room where the cultists
recovered.
have locked four Flesh­Merged Abominations. The
When carrying out the Mind Interchange ritual, all cultists
abominations immediately attack when the door is opened.
don black ritual robes, ceremonial in nature and oversized
for their current child bodies. One individual must step
Mind Interchange forward as the caster. This individual may serve as a
Cost: 30 magic points; 1d6 Sanity points (caster), subject, though in such case pays both the caster and
1d6/1d12 Sanity points (each subject) subject Sanity costs. So long as at least one of the two
Casting time: 20 minutes per transfer subjects is physically bound, no opposed POW roll is
Requirements: Compatible astrological signs between needed. (If Mary Claire conducts the ritual, she chooses
the two subjects; tincture made from the Purple Sea Star either to forego the physical binding or to be bound
Orchid; ritual globe herself.)
While compatible astrological signs are a requirement The other participants gather in a semicircle behind the
for characters and a complex matter analyzed in texts caster, who leads them in a call and response chant in the
described in the scenario, it is not a requirement the mystical language of Aklo. The chant accelerates in
keeper actually need track. cadence and the caster’s phrases become shorter and the
response echoes faster until the cacophony merges into a
This ritual allows the caster to permanently interchange single, unified chant.
the minds of individuals in sets of two (willing or As the chant becomes more rapid, the ritual globe starts to
otherwise). spin, accelerating with the increasing pace of the chant
There are two critical components to conducting this until it issues a strobe­like flashing and popping which
ritual: a tincture made with the petals of the Purple Sea gives way to an arcing livewire that passes between the
Star Orchid, and the ritual globe. The subjects of this two subjects of the ritual. (It is at this point that an
ritual must ingest the tincture prior to the casting, as it unwilling subject makes an opposed POW roll if both
affects brain chemistry, which allows their minds to subjects are unbound.) The livewire dances and pulsates
untether from their bodies. (If Mary Claire conducts the as the popping sound continues, until erupting in a
ritual, she has all participants ingest the tincture to blinding flash of light that cascades over those in the room
disguise her intent.) The ritual globe acts as a psychic with a feeling of passing through water. Upon successful
bridge between the two subjects. completion of the ritual, the globe immediately halts its
The chants and trappings of the ritual must be tailored to spinning and falls to a darkened hue. It slowly regains its
the positions of stars relevant to the subjects’ zodiac signs. color over the next 13 months, at which point it can
The caster must consult various star charts and make a support another Mind Interchange ritual.
successful Science (Astronomy) roll. If the roll is failed,
the keeper should choose one of the following or roll 1d6.
XV. CONCLUSIONS AND RESOLUTIONS
Depending on when the players choose to press on toward
Die Result (d6) Event Grape Island—and in particular, whether they have obtained
Richter’s globe themselves, or allowed it to fall into the
clutches of the cultists—several outcomes are possible.
1­3 Nothing happens; magic points are
still spent
Arriving Without Locating the Globe
Hasty investigators might press on toward Grape Island
4­5 The minds and bodies of the without ever locating Officer Timothy Richter and his globe at
subjects merge into a single all. If so, they are in for a rude surprise: While Thomas and his
deformed and insane abomination cultists are all currently on the mainland, a Flesh­Merged
Abomination roams freely about Grape Island, with four more
behind the barred door of the compound’s hidden basement,
6 Formless Spawn is summoned should the investigators stumble upon it. The Abominations
confront any unexpected visitors with a mixture of rage and
madness.

30
 succeed at any point in obtaining the globe, they move to bind
Arriving With the Globe, Allied With Mary the investigators, then proceed immediately to conduct the
Claire mind interchange ritual. Reference “Coming to Grape Island
If investigators have thrown in their lot with Mary Claire, she When the Globe is in the Cultists’ Possession” for an
guides them to the island and through the compound’s understanding of how events are likely to unfold.
defenses. Investigators gain a bonus die on all Stealth rolls Short of smashing the globe within the chamber, no actions
while moving about Grape Island and the building as they seek the investigators take can expel the power from the site, and
to avoid both the free­roaming Flesh­Merged Abomination investigators continue to sense the power imbued here. Even
and the cultists present on the island, and Mary Claire warns burning the compound to the ground fails to negate the site’s
them of the monsters lurking behind the barred door in the power, as it is supernaturally generated such that it does not
basement. Once she brings the party to the ritual site, she need physical structures to retain its energy.
instructs the investigators in how to conduct the ritual (see Smashing the globe, however, is the exception to this rule.
breakout box, “Mind Interchange”), including offering a Doing so immediately drains everyone present of 12 Magic
warning that the globe is fragile while in the ritual chamber. Points each. This is enough that every cultist falls unconscious;
Once initiated, other cultists rush to the chamber, but refrain due to their practice of tracking and nightmare rituals
from disturbing the ritual for fear of creating an unintended perpetuated upon the investigators, none are at full Magic
outcome—as in the police raid on the Chapel of Contemplation— Points when this reduction occurs. Michael Thomas suffers a
or worse yet, shattering the globe. severe weakening as well, though he retains his faculties.
If Mary Claire is permitted to complete the ritual, to the However, the blow is enough and the destruction of the globe
surprise of the investigators, she switches consciousnesses justification enough that he turns tail and flees.
with one of them, selected via a Luck roll (the investigator In addition to the Magic Point drain, the investigators feel
with the highest roll has an astrological sign currently the power dissipate from the site. Additionally, all Purple Sea
compatible with hers). The investigator—now in the Star Orchids immediately wither and die and the fog
permanently youthful body of Mary Claire—must make a SAN surrounding the island disappears, though the investigators
check (1d8/1d20), while all other investigators must also make are unlikely to notice these results until they leave the
a SAN check (1d4/1d6) upon realizing what has occurred. compound.
Upon successful completion of the ritual, Mary Claire flees With both the ritual site and the globe destroyed, Michael
(in the investigator’s body), while any lingering cultists Thomas has lost the means and motive to support continued
descend upon the ritual chamber to seize the globe, largely harassment of the investigators—at least for the time being.
ignoring the investigators at this point. Pastor Michael They are no longer beset by ritual­induced nightmares, and
Thomas’ rage thus shifts to Mary Claire’s betrayal, sparing the instead must live with only the naturally­occurring nightmares
investigators any further nightmares. afflicting those who delve too deeply into the Mythos.

Arriving With the Globe and Their Own Hiding the Globe Before Visiting Grape
Agenda Island
Investigators arriving on their own must locate and navigate Should the investigators leave the globe behind for their trip to
the Grape Island compound without assistance and while Grape Island, they arrive to find the compound vacant. The
avoiding the free­roaming Flesh­Merged Abomination, cultists have journeyed to the mainland to obtain the globe
without anyone to warn them of the horrors lurking behind the wherever the investigators left it. As this is the one item the
barred door in the compound basement. cultists need to free themselves of their eternal youth, they
The cultists and Michael Thomas are all present on Grape stop at nothing to obtain it, including killing for it. Michael
Island, forcing the investigators to engage in either Stealth Thomas, too, takes risks and wields his otherworldly abilities
rolls or a frontal assault. If Thomas or his followers do locate to the extent necessary to secure the globe.
the investigators, either party first bargains with, then attacks The amount of time the investigators have bought depends
the investigators in an effort to obtain the globe needed for the on how well they hid the globe—ranging from leaving it on the
consciousness transfer ritual. nightstand of their hotel room to securing it in a safety deposit
If the investigators nonetheless locate the ritual chamber, box at a bank. They are able to explore the Grape Island
the cultists halt any attacks on the individual holding the globe compound undisturbed for a corresponding amount of time,
for fear of breaking it, though they continue attacks upon other whether it be the better part of an hour to nearly a full day.
investigators. They halt these attacks if the investigators begin However, without the globe, they are unable to remove the
a ritual with the globe for fear of the consequences of a power imbued in the ritual chamber, meaning the cultists
disturbed ritual, but otherwise take whatever action they can maintain the ability to inflict nightmares upon the
to defeat the investigators and obtain the globe, only retreating investigators.
if their lives are jeopardized. Should the cultists and Thomas Once the cultists obtain the globe and proceed to Grape

31
Island, reference “Coming to Grape Island When the Globe is A Ritual Interrupted
in the Cultists’ Possession” for an understanding of how events Die
are likely to unfold. Result Event
(d6)
Coming to Grape Island When the Globe is
in the Cultists’ Possession
Sensing the urgency of the situation despite the globe falling Both transfer subjects’ minds become unmoored
into the clutches of the cultists, the investigators might 1 from their bodies, leaving the bodies to collapse
proceed to Grape Island in hopes of heading off whatever is into akinetic mutism, the equivalent of a waking
planned there. coma. Their minds drift away, still present in the
The cultists’ ritual begins as soon as the investigators are in physical world but unable to interact with it.
position to notice it (i.e., a successful Listen roll at the
basement door, wandering blindly into the basement to see the
ritual, etc.). They witness any or all of the trappings of the Despite the interruption, the transfer occurs and
ritual that has just commenced (see breakout box, “Mind 2 all appears well. However, both transfer subjects
Interchange”). Using a wooden gurney, the cultists have later discover their bodies do not age, replicating
wheeled out a bound and gagged Harvey Perkins. At thirteen the failure of the ritual during the raid on the
years old, Harvey is a bit older than the cultists’ child bodies. Chapel of Contemplation.
If unimpeded by the investigators, Thomas proceeds with
the ritual, assisted by his cultists. He succeeds in transferring
The ritual indiscriminately takes in additional
into the young boy’s body, which becomes apparent as soon as
participants at random. The ritual’s caster and
Thomas’ body breaks down weeping, as it is now inhabited by
3 investigators each roll Luck; all failed rolls
Harvey’s consciousness. Investigators suffer a SAN check
transfer into another person in the room
(1d6/1d10) as they realize what they have allowed to transpire.
selected randomly. Transfers occur in reverse
Once unbound, Thomas in Harvey’s body turns on his fellow
POW order such that it is possible for an
cultists in an effort to wipe the slate clean and start fresh,
individual to transfer more than once. Each
bludgeoning them and the walls of the chamber with his
transfer triggers a SAN roll (1d8/1d20); those
Ethereal Blast spell. The compound takes 1d10 rounds to
avoiding transfer must roll SAN (1d4/1d6) upon
collapse and deals 2d10 damage to anyone other than Thomas
realizing what has occurred.
still inside. Thomas himself then departs via a small rowboat,
off to pursue his further ambitions. Before departing Boston,
however, Thomas completes his revenge against the Everyone in the chamber’s Magic Points drop to
investigators by tipping off the Boston police as detailed below 4 zero. A large storm breaks overhead and the
under “Dithering Without the Globe.” island floods. Players have 1d20 rounds to leave
If the investigators instead move to intervene and manage to the island before it submerges completely
disrupt but not halt the ritual, one of the cultists takes the beneath the waves of Hingham Bay.
opportunity to lay atop Harvey, making himself the new focal
point of the transfer ritual. When the ritual reaches its
An explosion occurs in the middle of the ritual
conclusion, Thomas now finds himself trapped in the body of
5 site, dealing 1d10 damage to each person
an unaging child, while his cultist has now claimed Thomas’
present. Immediately following, a fire breaks out
body. The new inhabitant of Thomas’ body immediately flees,
in the center of the room that burns across even
while the furious Thomas orders his remaining followers to
inflammable materials. The fire drains 2 Magic
pursue the turncoat. With his rage now redirected and his
Points from the active character on each
plans scrambled, Thomas pays no heed to the investigators
character turn until it has consumed 30 Magic
and troubles their sleep no longer.
Points, at which point it dissipates and expels
Finally, if the investigators succeed in bringing the ritual to a
the power of the ritual site. If not fed, it spreads
full halt, they unleash a dangerous situation. Interrupting a
until it finds individuals whose Magic Points it
ritual once begun has unpredictable consequences; utilize a d6
can consume.
roll and the table found below, “A Ritual Interrupted,” to
determine the result.
The globe shatters, draining everyone present of
6 12 Magic Points each, knocking every cultist
unconscious and causing Michael Thomas to
flee. All Purple Sea Star Orchids immediately
wither and die.

32
Fleeing With the Globe
Investigators who attempt to flee with the globe have come to CHARACTERS AND
terms with the consequences of their routine nightmares and
accepted their slow descent into madness the nightmares
cause.
MONSTERS
Alternatively, if investigators come to realize distance does
not defeat the nightmares, the nightly SAN loss might cause PASTOR MICHAEL THOMAS
them to redirect their efforts to Grape Island, or to conduct STR 55 CON 60 SIZ 40 DEX 55 INT 70
further research until they recognize Grape Island as the likely APP 55 POW 110 EDU 75 DB – Build 0
site of the rituals causing their troubles. Move 9
SAN 0 (ignore Sanity costs for spells)
Dithering Without the Globe HP 10
If the investigators allow the globe to fall into the cultists’ Magic Points 22
hands and flee Boston, or remain but show no urgency
regarding reaching Grape Island, Michael Thomas proceeds Combat
with his mind interchange ritual out of their sight, including Thomas avoids physical combat and when attacked, opts to
the slaughter of his cultist followers. However, to complete his dodge rather than fight back.
revenge against the investigators, he leaves the compound on Attacks per Round: 1 (punch or knife)
Grape Island standing and a few days later tips off the Boston Brawl 35% (17/7), damage 1d3
police regarding its location and suggests the investigators Ritual dagger 60% (30/12), damage 1d4+2
have been up to no good there. To the eyes of police officers Dodge 60% (30/12)
unfamiliar with the occult, the images of the investigators
found on Grape Island are persuasive. Skills
Within a week, the police locate the investigators and Charm 60%, Cthulhu Mythos 22%, Disguise 40%, Intimidate
arrest them, believing they are cult leaders who have been 60%, Occult 40%, Psychology 70%, Science (Astronomy) 90%,
ritually sacrificing children on Grape Island, and that they are Stealth 40%
behind the murder of Timothy Richter.
Spells
Create Mist of R’lyeh
REWARDS See the Call of Cthulhu Keeper Rulebook (7th Edition), page
253.

• Breaking the globe or otherwise rendering it unusable

Dominate (Thomas’ variant)
to Michael Thomas and his followers: +1d8 Sanity
Cost: 1 Magic point and 1 Sanity point
points
Casting time: 1 round
• Expelling the power from the ritual site on Grape
Requirements: Thomas must succeed at an opposed POW roll
Island: +1d6 Sanity points
against his target victim.
• Bringing Harvey Perkins off of Grape Island, in either
Thomas’ version of this spell clouds the mind of no more than
his own body or Michael Thomas’: +1d6 Sanity points
one investigator at a time, causing a prescribed hallucination
• Surviving the scenario without killing any cultists in
at Thomas’ discretion for 1d6 rounds.
children’s bodies: +1d4 Sanity points
• Killing Michael Thomas: +2 Sanity points
Ethereal Blast
• Visiting Grape Island: +2 Cthulhu Mythos
Cost: 1 Magic Point invested per 2d10 STR of force; 1d6 Sanity
• Witnessing the mind interchange ritual, in whole or
points
in part: +2 Cthulhu Mythos
Casting time: Instantaneous
• Skill development checks in Library Use and
Requirements: Line of sight on a target within 30 feet.
Occult
Thomas’ variant triggers an opposed roll between the spell’s
STR and the target’s CON (if it is a living target). If successful,
the spell deals 1d6 points of damage and pushes the target
back to 30 feet from the caster.

Evil Eye (Thomas’ variant)

Cost: 5 /10 Magic points and 1d4 Sanity points
Casting time: 1 round

33
Requirements: Line of sight on the target, though casting at a Skills
ritual site such as the one on Grape Island eliminates this Cthulhu Mythos 4%, Fast Talk 60%, Library Use 40%, Listen
requirement. 50%, Occult 12%, Psychology 30%, Science (Astronomy) 60%,
Successful casting induces nightmares in the victim for 1d6 Stealth 60%
nights; an investment of a full 10 Magic points makes the
nightmares especially unsettling. Additionally, on a successful Spells
Luck roll, an acute misfortune befalls the target or a loved one Mary Claire learned her spells from Michael Thomas. Use his
of the target. spell descriptions for the following spells.
Evil Eye
Mind Interchange (Thomas’ variant) Mind Transfer
Thomas’ version of this spell is conducted as part of a ritual Tenebrous Sight
(see breakout box on page 30, “Mind Interchange”). Unlike
other mind transfer spells found in the Call of Cthulhu Keeper TIMOTHY RICHTER
Rulebook (7th Edition), physically binding either transfer STR 70 CON 50 SIZ 50 DEX 40 INT 80
subject eliminates any requirement for an opposed POW roll APP 60 POW 60 EDU 50 DB – Build 0
with the target, so long as the spell is conducted at a ritual site Move 6
such as the one on Grape Island. SAN 53
HP 10
Summon / Bind Dimensional Shambler Magic Points 12
See the Call of Cthulhu Keeper Rulebook (7th Edition), page
263­264. Combat
See the Call of Cthulhu Keeper Rulebook (7th Edition), page Attacks per Round: 1 (punch or knife)
290­291, for statistics on Dimensional Shamblers. Brawl 65% (32/13), damage 1d3
.32 Automatic 75% (37/15), damage 1d8
Tenebrous Sight Dodge 20% (10/5)
Cost: 6 Magic points and 1d6 Sanity points
Casting time: 5 minutes Skills
Requirements: A personal effect of the target, such as a Cthulhu Mythos 1%, Law 20%, Listen 50%, Occult 4%,
treasured possession, lock of hair, or nail clipping. The caster Persuade 60%, Psychology 90%, Spot Hidden 60%, Stealth
must succeed at an opposed POW roll against the target 40%
victim. One or both of these requirements may be waived if
cast in a magically­imbued ritual site. CULTISTS TRAPPED IN CHILDREN’S
This spell allows the caster to parse the target’s movements BODIES (SAMPLES)
over the previous 24 hours. The caster receives visions of the Child 1 Child 2 Child 3
locales the target visited, though no details as to the actions the STR 30 40 60
individual might have undertaken while there. CON 60 40 80
The spell can also be used to enchant a symbol of three Ys SIZ 40 40 50
arranged in a triangle with an eye at the center to allow the DEX 70 60 50
caster to see what the eye would have seen over the previous INT 50 70 40
24 hours. APP 60 50 50
POW 80 60 50
MARY CLAIRE WRIGHT EDU 50 80 60
STR 40 CON 60 SIZ 30 DEX 80 INT 60 DB ­1 ­1 ­1
APP 50 POW 70 EDU 50 DB ­1 Build ­1 Build ­1 ­1 0
Move 9 Move 8 8 8
SAN 14 (if reaches 0, ignore Sanity costs for spells) SAN 0 0 0
HP 9 Ignore Sanity costs for spells
Magic Points 14 HP 10 8 13
MP 16 12 10
Combat
Attacks per Round: 1 (punch or knife) Combat
Brawl 40% (20/8), damage 1d3­1 Attacks per Round: 1 (punch or knife)
Dodge 70% (35/14) Brawl 40% (20/8), damage 1d3­1
Dodge 70% (35/14)

34
Skills Zodiac Sign Dates Birthstone (color)
Cthulhu Mythos 4%, Fast Talk 60%, Library Use 40%, Listen
50%, Locksmith 20%, Occult 12%, Psychology 30%, Stealth
60% Aries Mar. 21 ­ Bloodstone
Apr. 19 (gray & red)
Spells
The Cultists learned their spells from Michael Thomas. Use
Taurus Apr. 20 ­ Sapphire (blue)
his spell descriptions for the following spells.
May 20
Evil Eye
Tenebrous Sight
Gemini May 21 ­ Agate
FLESH‐MERGED ABOMINATIONS June 20 (orange & white)
STR 110 CON 70 SIZ 70 DEX 50 INT 20
APP 15 POW 40 EDU 0 DB +1d6 Build 2
Cancer June 21 ­ Emerald (green)
Move 8
July 22
SAN 0
HP 14
Magic Points 8 Leo July 21 ­ Onyz (black)
Aug. 22
Combat
Attacks per Round: 1 (punch or knife)
Virgo Aug.23 ­ Carnelian (orange)
Brawl 70% (35/14), damage 1d3+1d6
Sept. 22
Dodge 25% (12/5)

Skills Libra Sept. 23 ­ Chrysolite

None Oct. 22 (yellow­green)

Sanity Loss
Scorpio Oct.23 ­ Beryl (aqua)
2/1d6+1 to see a Flesh­Merged Abomination.
Nov. 21

FORMLESS SPAWN
See the Call of Cthulhu Keeper Rulebook (7th Edition), page Sagittarius Nov. 22 ­ Topaz (brown)
293­294, for statistics on Formless Spawn. Dec. 21

APPENDIX A: ZODIAC Capricorn Dec. 22 ­

Jan. 19
Ruby (red)

REFERENCE TABLE
The following table is unnecessary to run Cat’s Cradle, but
might provide useful reference for addressing player questions,
should investigators attempt to delve more deeply into the APPENDIX B:
astrological connections they unearth.
COMPATIBLE PLAY
Zodiac Sign Dates Birthstone (color) EXPERIENCES
Aquarius Jan. 20 ­ Garnet (crimson)
Feb. 18
OF WRATH AND BLOOD
This scenario is fully compatible with Cat’s Cradle. Either
scenario can be run before or after the other with no
Pisces Feb. 19 ­ Amethyst (purple) accommodations needed.
Mar. 20 If running Cat's Cradle after Of Wrath and Blood, the
keeper has the opportunity to introduce the role The One Who

35
Waits in the Dark plays in underpinning the rituals and • If Handout 6.3 was used, information in the faded
extension­of­life research carried out by the Chapel of redaction police report directly contradicts the
Contemplation and its adherents. historical events of Cat’s Cradle. It is a doctored police
If Of Wrath and Blood is played after the investigators have report placed in police files by the cultists after
experienced Cat’s Cradle, its inciting incident of missing Michael Thomas’ imprisonment, meant to help
children with a connection to the Corbitt House and by disguise the fact that the children’s bodies recovered
extension the Chapel of Contemplation might raise in the Chapel raid still live. A conversation with
investigators’ suspicions further and suggest additional layers anyone with direct knowledge of the events—the
to the scenario. Given Walter Corbitt made use of a different Browns, Timothy Richter, etc.—exposes this
method for extending one’s life than Michael Thomas’ Mind discrepancy.
Interchange ritual, the keeper for Of Wrath and Blood has
discretion as to how much, if at all, to interweave the THE STAR ON THE SHORE
background given in Cat's Cradle for the Chapel of The Star on the Shore can be run before or after Cat’s Cradle
Contempletion's use of children. with minor modification. If run after Cat’s Cradle, only one
modification to The Star on the Shore is needed: While Gabriel
DREAM HOUSE Rahn still aided Michael Thomas’ prison escape and Thomas
As a “spiritual sequel” to The Haunting, Dream House has a still provided Rahn with the information he seeks, Rahn did
novel premise and is not designed for use as part of a not transform Thomas into a Deep One Hybrid. Either they
continuing campaign. Consistent with this approach, Dream parted on friendly terms, or Rahn attempted to transform
House should be played with different investigators than those Pastor Thomas, but Thomas successfully fled. This
used for Cat’s Cradle. modification is of trivial consequence to the events of The Star
If Dream House is played prior to Cat’s Cradle, no on the Shore.
accommodations are needed to create a compatible play If The Star on the Shore is run prior to Cat’s Cradle, one
experience. additional modification is necessary: the Chapel of
If Dream House is played after Cat’s Cradle, players might Contemplation grounds look like the excavation site the
be more likely to recognize the last name “Knott.” Additionally, investigators experienced in The Star on the Shore rather than
if investigators visited the site of the Corbitt House during the abandoned ruins described in The Haunting and reiterated
Cat’s Cradle, players might be even more perplexed and slower in Cat’s Cradle. However, the freshly­painted eye symbol
to recognize the continued existence of the Corbitt House. remains, and the rotted hole in the floor is replaced by an
However, these discrepancies only reinforce the disorienting excavation hole, down which the strange flower and two
nature of the scenario and thus can serve to enhance the headless skeletons are still located. The skeletons are artifacts
experience. Ultimately, the destruction of the Corbitt House in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts has recovered and
Cat’s Cradle can be used to suggest even further levels of maintained here, their skulls only recently pilfered.
illusion in Dream House—if the two are thought to exist in the
same continuity at all. “THE CHAPEL OF CONTEMPLATION,”
THE UNSPEAKABLE OATH #18
THE HAUNTING HANDOUT PACK As an article concerning the history of the Chapel of
If players were exposed to handouts from The Haunting Contemplation, compatibility with Cat’s Cradle is unlikely to
Handout Pack (available as part of the Miskatonic Repository have a major bearing on the play experience of this scenario.
on DriveThruRPG) during their run of The Haunting, some However, the article does provide an in­depth description of a
minor modifications to Cat’s Cradle are needed if Handouts functioning Chapel of Contemplation that can be used “in
6.0, 6.1, 6.2, or 6.3 were used: place of the Chapel encounter described in [The Haunting], or
• If Handouts 6.0 or 6.1 were used, revise the date of as a more intact sister sanctuary.” The below suggestions allow
Cat’s Cradle Handout #6 to August 20, 1914, and the for both the adoption of a chapel history consistent with the
date of Councilmember Everett Ellsworth’s suicide to events and descriptions found therein, as well as possible
August 19, 1914. modifications to account for the inclusion of such a chapel in a
• If Handouts 6.0 or 6.2 were used, repurpose Timothy play experience of The Haunting:
Richter as a criminal psychologist who interviewed • Prior to his transfer to a new body in 1871, Michael
Michael Thomas shortly after his arrest, but who was Thomas was also known by the alias Orrin Eddy. He
not involved in the raid on the Chapel of used either name depending on the occasion.
Contemplation itself. Conform details of the raid to • After his transfer in 1871 into the body of a 12­year­
those found in the redacted police report. The ritual old, one of Thomas’ followers, Elisha Bishop, became
globe remains an item recovered from the scene, now the figurehead for the Chapel of Contemplation.
in Richter’s possession. Bishop remained in this role until 1876, when

36
 Thomas’ body had matured to age 17 and Thomas
• Handout 3.2: Annotated newspaper article
reclaimed his pastor moniker.
(paperclipped to Handout 3.1) on rash of missing
• If the Chapel of Contemplation in full operation was
children in Boston, 1910­1912
used in The Haunting, it is run by survivors of the
• Handout 4: Missing child flyer
police raid on the Chapel in 1912 who continue to
• Handout 5: Transcript of arrest interview with
search for the secrets of immortality. With the
Michael Thomas
imprisonment of Thomas and the disappearance of
• Handout 6: Police report on Michael Thomas’
the ritual globe, their members—led by a man named
escape from prison in 1917
James Chambers—is focused exclusively on studying
• Handout 7A: Hand tracing on tracing paper
and improving upon the procedure undertaken by
• Handout 7B: Astrological chart from “Celestial
Walter Corbitt. Michael Thomas desires vengeance on
Bodies: Stars, Gods, and the Men Who Would Be
this group of deserter followers, but first seeks to
Both,” by Demetrius Pietzo
locate the ritual globe and transfer out of the body of a
• Handout 7C: Overlay of Handouts 7A and 7B
known criminal. He relies upon the assistance of his
• Handout 8: Letters from Walter Corbitt
cultists trapped in children’s bodies, who are similarly
• Handouts A­E: Starting Nightmare handouts
dependent upon locating the globe. Should the
• Handouts F­J: Severe Nightmare handouts
investigators explore this functioning Chapel of
• The Haunting Handouts 3­8: The Haunting and
Contemplation, they locate cruets containing the
its associated handouts appear in the Call of Cthulhu
Purple Sea Star Orchid tincture, along with some
Quick­Start Rules PDF (see www.chaosium.com/
Purple Sea Star Orchids themselves.
cthulhu­quickstart). The handouts appear near the
• Michael Thomas’ move west to San Francisco occurs
end, though the exact page varies depending on the
after the events of Cat’s Cradle.
publication edition.

PULP AND DREAMLANDS

ADJUSTMENTS
If using Pulp Cthulhu, Pastor Michael Thomas possesses the
Crystallizer of Dreams [see the Call of Cthulhu Keeper
Rulebook (7th Edition), page 270] to peer into and enter the
investigators’ dreams, bringing with him Mythos terrors.
Replace the Nightmare Handouts with dreamscape encounters
in which the investigators band together in a shared dream to
do battle with a different Mythos monster each night, selected
at the Keeper’s discretion.
In the climax of the scenario on Grape Island, when the
investigators encounter Pastor Thomas, he summons into the
Waking World the most horrific or troublesome of the Mythos
monsters the investigators encountered. The climax thus
includes the added element of two­fisted battle with the
eldritch.
If desired, recovery of the Crystallizer of Dreams by the
investigators could allow for the launch of a Dreamlands­
focused campaign.

KEEPER AID:
HANDOUTS LIST
• Handout 1A: Letter (false) from Steven Knott
• Handout 1B: Letter (false) from Dr. Steven Knott
• Handout 2: Business card for Pastor Michael
Thomas
• Handout 3.1: Newspaper article on Michael Thomas
sentencing

37
KEEPER AID: MAP OF BOSTON

38
KEEPER AID: LOCATION PATH VISUAL AID

39
HANDOUTS
Cradle Handout #1A

Cradle Handout #2

40
Cradle Handout #1B

41
 Cradle Handout #3.1
Cradle Handout #3.2

42
Cradle Handout #4

43
Cradle Handout #5 (part 1)

44
Cradle Handout #5 (part 2)

45
Cradle Handout #5 (part 3)

46
Cradle Handout #6

47
Cradle Handout #7A Cradle Handout #7B

Cradle Handout #7C

48
Cradle Handout #8 (part 1)

49
Cradle Handout #8 (part 2)

50
Cradle Handout #8 (part 3)

Cradle Handout #8 (part 4)

51
STARTING NIGHTMARE HANDOUTS

Dream Handout A Dream Handout C

As you bathe in the cool waters of the pool, a repetitive You make your way up the hill, the soft glow of the
thrumming sound stirs you to attention. Its resonance is so halfmoon illuminating your path just enough to see where
deep you begin to feel an ache in your teeth and with each beat you’re going. The wind comes in regular gusts, rhythmically
you can see ripples forming on the surface of the water… slowing but not halting your progress.
…but it’s not water, is it? The liquid is oily, and sticks to Ahead, you can make out a small gathering at the top of the
your skin, and with each thrum in your head it draws you hill—figures dressed all in black. You slip amongst the crowd,
inexorably downward. You fight to keep your face above the who all look forward expectantly. You realize the assembly
surface and find that you are able to do so. But joy is short faces a closed coffin.
lived, as a small flicker of flame alights at the edge of the pool. “Who’s dead?” you whisper to the dark figure beside you. He
Before you know it, a ring of flame is closing in. As you turns, and you recognize him as a pastor from your childhood.
struggle to stay afloat, the oily liquid begins running into your His gaze penetrates your soul. “You are,” he says matter­of­
nose and your throat, even as you feel the heat of the fire begin factly. As you gaze shifts back toward the casket, you realize it
blistering your skin. is true—and suddenly you are inside the coffin, unable to
move, darkness all around. You can’t breathe—
You awaken in your sweat­soaked bed, thrashing at your
nightclothes and gasping for air. Make a SAN roll (1/1d4). You awake, paralyzed and shivering. Make a SAN roll
(1/1d4).

Dream Handout D
Dream Handout B
You are sitting in a well­worn pew in a church you don’t
In a world of blacks and grays, she is color. She is beauty. recognize, surrounded by a congregation of strangers. The
She is light. walls extend upwards farther than you can see. You’re unsure
She is life. if there even is a ceiling, there is only darkness above you. The
You’ve followed her for hours. Days? Has it been weeks? priest’s booming voice commands everyone to stand as the
It is of little consequence. You’re closing in now. The organist starts playing “Be Thou My Vision.”
heartbeat in your head has been driven to an all­consuming, Is that the thumping of your heart beating in your head?
ceaseless thrumming that rattles your bones. Thump­thump
As you turn the corner, you reach out, putting your hand on As you open your mouth to join in on the hymn your gums
her shoulder and drawing her into your embrace. As you strip start to ache. Droplets of blood splatter onto the white pages of
off her smooth, red dress, her underclothes, and draw her in the hymnal in your hands.
close, she is warm. She is soft. She is… Mother? Thump­thump
As you recoil in horror, the constant rhythmic thrum Your teeth loosen and fall from your mouth. You drop the
intensifies and drives pain into your bones. Mother’s nails hymnal as you desperately try to catch them. No one near you
drive into your flesh holding you still. You were close, but she notices your struggles, they just keep singing.
draws you closer and whispers deep into your ear… into your Thump­thump
soul, Your gums seem to explode with pain as worms wriggle out
“Don’t worry. Mommy’s here.” of the empty sockets and fill your mouth…

You wake, screaming and scrambling from your bed. You awake with a start, and find that you’ve been grinding
Make a SAN roll (1/1d4). your teeth in your sleep. Make a SAN roll (1/1d4).

52
 Dream Handout E

You stir in your bed on a moonless night as you hear

something scurrying across the floor of your bedroom.
Lighting a candle, your gaze sweeps the room until you
identify a small infant huddled in the corner. Its head, facing
the wall, is misshapen and disproportionately large. The
infant is making a noise as though clearing its throat,
though it issues the sound in metronomic fashion.
It turns from the wall and crawls rapidly toward your bed,
revealing it wears the face of your mother. Its eyes dart madly
around the room before locking onto you, all the time issuing
the same metronomic sound from deep in its throat, halfway
between a bark and a cough. The sound pulsates throughout
the room until you feel it in your very core.

You jolt awake. Make a SAN roll (1/1d4).

SEVERE NIGHTMARE HANDOUTS

Dream Handout G

Lightning splits the night sky and the rough wind­waves

crash into the side of your schooner. The stone tablet you seek
Dream Handout F is directly below your ship, you’re sure of it, all of the charts
point to this spot. Time is of the essence. Your two deckhands
As you climb the stairs to the slide you begin to realize this is lift the heavy copper diving helmet over your head and onto
a mistake. The thrumming of your heartbeat is so strong it your shoulders.
makes your vision blurry. You turn to go back down but see Thunder rumbles all around you.
the faces of the other school children, and they are chanting. They tighten the belts and straps, but something seems
They’ve formed a circle around the slide. wrong. The helmet is secured, but the weight is pressing down
You must continue. and constricting your chest; it’s difficult to draw in a breath.
At the top of the slide, the only thing louder than the The deckhands attach the air supply hose and your helmet is
chanting is that damned thrumming noise. You can’t think, instantly filled with noisome vapors of mold and decay.
and you certainly can’t go down the slide. It must be miles to Another bolt of lightning illuminates the sky. You try to tear
the bottom, and the slide is full of rusty holes and nails. off the helmet as the deckhands shove you overboard.
The tears stream down your face. You clasp your hands over Thunder rumbles all around you.
your ears, but there is no drowning out either sound. And then You are sinking deeper and deeper; you don’t know how far
suddenly you feel a push from behind and you’re falling. Not or for how long. You feel a tug on the supply hose, and realize
down the slide but just down. Forever down. it has detached from your helmet. Water trickles in slowly at
Forever down. first, and then rushes in as if someone turned on a faucet. You
Forever down. flail your arms and legs but fail to get any upward movement.
Thunder rumbles all around you.
You wake, screaming. Make a SAN roll (2/1d6). Apply a Water flows into your mouth and nose as you touch down
penalty die every time you make a social skill roll (Charm/ on the ocean floor. The stone tablet is exactly where you
Fast Talk/Intimidate/Persuade) until you sleep again. thought it would be.

You awake gasping for air, and it takes some time to catch
your breath. There will be no sleep for you tonight. Make a
SAN roll (2/1d6). Do not reset your SAN accumulation and
recover no hit points. Take a penalty die on any rolls requiring
physical exertion until you sleep again.

53
 Dream Handout I

You slither across a foreign landscape, its reddish sky

illuminated by a bright green sun that flickers, bright­dark,
bright­dark, bright­dark, in constant fashion. You feel the
flicker in your hollow bones.
Large channels criss­cross the rugged, barren landscape, the
orange­yellow cliffs carved to expose deep, black rock just
Dream Handout H beneath the surface. Though the channels provide smooth
passage, you know intrinsically that your people did not carve
You walk the foggy streets of Boston alone. The stars shine them.
bright, but there is no one else to be seen. A shrill whistle sounds, temporarily diverting your mind
Wandering between alleyways and brick sidewalks, you are from the sun’s flicker, and you race forward down the nearest
amazed at the way the rhythmic lapping of the waves against channel. Approaching the far end, you watch as before your
Boston’s shores echoes throughout the entire city. You cannot eyes a field of grey and green stems burst from the ground,
get the sound out of your head. then flower into rich, dazzling purple petals. They are the most
You come to a graveyard, at the far end of which you can beautiful sight you have ever seen.
make out Boston Harbor. Your gaze falls upon a bird gliding
over the harbor. As you watch, it turns and circles toward the You awake anxious and disoriented; your body does not feel
graveyard. your own. Make a SAN roll (2/1d6). Apply a penalty die to all
It drifts closer to shore and you realize it isn’t a bird at all, Listen and Spot Hidden rolls throughout the next day until
but a man in a cape descending confidently through the air, you sleep again.
quiet as the night. You can see the breeze ruffle his cape, but
there is not a sound to be heard but for the constant lapping of
the waves.
He lands at the far end of the graveyard, and you notice
Dream Handout J
there is something not quite right about his face. It is pale, and
a maniacal smile crosses it, in contrast to his cold­as­stone
You push the rowboat into the water of the harbor and raise
eyes.
the oars. You know how important it is to arrive while there’s
You suddenly realize the man is moving toward you, his
still time… to arrive while the stars are right.
long strides closing the distance at an impossible pace. You
You can feel your pocket watch ticking against your chest.
turn to run.
You paddle hard out into the harbor, leaving the shore behind.
Your own strides are stilted and uncoordinated as you
Where is the island?
stumble away down the dark streets from whence you came.
As the shoreline recedes, you take out your watch to check
You dare not look, but you can feel the figure continuing to
your pace. Three hours have passed. No… I can’t be late…
close the distance behind you. You hear the waves… You hear
You paddle aimlessly, battling the wind and the waves,
his breath in your ears—
searching for the island. You know how critical it is that you
find it. The ticking pulsates through your torso.
You awake in a cold sweat. Make a SAN roll (2/1d6). Apply
A soft rain begins to fall. Your rowboat rocks against the
a penalty die to all Dodge and DEX rolls throughout the next
waves. You check your watch. Three years have passed.
day until you sleep again.
I must make it there! I must make it there!
You paddle with all your strength, and finally, ever so
slowly, the island comes into view. Your whole body aches,
vibrating with the ticking of your watch, as you make your way
toward the dock. You reach out a shaky arm to berth the boat.
It is aged, wrinkled, sunspotted. How many years have I been
rowing? How many decades?
Am I too late?

You awaken, sweaty and breathing shallowly. Make a SAN

roll (2/1d6). Apply a penalty die to all CON and POW rolls
throughout the next day until you sleep again.

54