t

THU BRITISH1920s-30s CTHULHU SOURCUPACK

COMPILED DVPete Tamlyn .

CALL OLTRULN~J'

r

H.P. LOVECRAFT1890-1987

COMPILED BYPete Tamlyn.WRITERS

Andy Bradbury, Graeme Davis, Richard Edwards, ChrisElliot, Marc Gascoigne, Pete Jeffrey, Caroline Rogers,Marcus Rowland, Norman Tamlyn & Pete Tamlyn .

FICTIONBrian Lumley, © 1987 Brian Lumley

DOVERARTLee Gibbons, © 1987 Lee Gibbons

INTERNAL ARTMartin McKenna & Ian Cooke

PHOTOGRAPHS & REPRODUCTIONS:Courtesy of the illustrated London News Picture Library,A Pictorial & Descriptive Guide to London, HarrodsCatalogue 1929, Advertising: Reflections of a Century.

MAPS & DIAGRAMS : Charles Elliott

Excerpts from the Harrod's Catalogue courtesy ofHarrods and David & Charles Publishers. Excerpts fromAdvertising : Reflections of a Century courtesy of William

Heinemann Ltd.

Produced by the Games Workshop Design Studio : Do Boss : Bryan Ansell;Studio Manager : Richard Ellard; Production Manager.: Alan Memett ; ProjectsManager : Paul Cockbura ; Development Manager Jervis Johnson ; An Manager:John Blanche ; Graphic Design : Charles Elliott; Editors: Mike Brunton, MarcGacoigne; Fdironal Assistant: Paul Ryder; Winters: Jim Barbra, Graeme

Davis, Phil Gallagher, Marc Gascoigne, Rick Priestley ; Artists: Tony Ackland,Dave Andrews, Colin Diann; Typesetting : Julie V-1- ving, Gail Morgan ;

Production Assistant: Anthony Barton; 1rsualiser: Mark Craven ; FinishedArtists : Ruth Jeffery, Susan Md.ougtdin, David Oliver, Juamre Podoski, IanVarley, Richard Wright ; Inrvluable Support Susan Smith, Margaret Collishaw

Published by Games Workshop Ltd.

This product is published with the approval of and underlicence from Chaosium, Inc.

By permission of Arkham House.© 1987 Games Workshop Ltd.

Call of Cthulhu is © 1983, 1986, 1987 The Chaosium In .All Rights Reserved . Printed in the UK .

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means withoutthe prior writtenconsent of the publishers .

The mentionof historical characwts is not intended to imply any connectionbetween them and the

fictitious events, characters and places of theCa11 of Cthulhu game.

All characters in the adventures Horror Of the Glen, Death In the Post andShadow Over Darkbank are fictitious. Any resehtblance to persons living ordead, or to major star-faring races with unmentionable powers is purely

coincidental .All new roles implied or pmsented in this book should not be regarded as

official additions to the Call of Cthulhu miles.Any questions or comments about this product should be

addressed to : Green and Pleasant Land Questions,Games Workshop Design Studio, Enfield Chambers, 14-16

Low Pavement, NOTTINGHAM NGI 7DL.

If you require an answer, please try to phrase yourquestion so that they can be answered `yes' or `no', or by

a short sentence . Also, please enclose a stamped,addressed envelope or 2 IRCs, and we'll do what we can

to deal with your query as quickly as possible .

ISBN: (UK) 1 869893 06 9

(US) 0 933635 39 7

Product Code : Games Workshop 004450 Chaosium 2320

Games Workshop, Chewton Street, Hill Top,Eastwood,

Nottingham NG16 3HY, England

Howard Phillips Lovecraft was English by descent and apparently proud of it . Certainly he believedhimselfto be a `gentleman' in the English fashion. Though he set most of his stories in New England,tales such as Rats in the Walls show that he was well aware ofthe possibilities ofBritish settings .Indeed, it has even been suggested that Lovecraft's village of Dunwich was based on the real Suffolkvillage of the same name .

It seems, therefore, that Lovecraft knew that the awesome creatures ofthe Cthulhu Mythos were activein Britain . Later writers, such as Brian Lumley, have proved as much . Andwhy not, for at the beginingofthe 20th Century the British Empire covered a third ofthe land surface ofthe world, and its Navyruled almost all of the world's seas . What better nation for Great Cthulhu to wish to overthrow?Futhermore, during that period, British archaeologists were responsible for a vast number ofspectacular finds, not all of which will have been as innocent as they seemed .

This book, then, is designed to provide useful background information for those keepers who wish toset Call ofCthulhu games in the stately homes, country villages and green fields of Britain and Ireland.

Green and Pleasant Land covers the period 1918 to 1939, between the two World Wars, though much ofthe information contained herein is applicable to other periods. Given this, one question which mustbe answered is how the book relates to Cthulhu by Gaslight, which is set in the Britain ofthe lateVictorian Era. Are two books justified when there is a mere 20 years between the periods covered?The answer to this is yes, mainly because the changes which took place in British society during thattime were vast and far-reaching . For example, the introduction ofthe motor car and radiorevolutionised transport and communications .

In addition, any book such as this cannot be fully comprehensive. The only overlap between Cthulhuby Gaslight and Green and PleasantLand is in the description ofthe £sd (pounds, shillings and pence)monetary system, but there are several parts ofGaslight which will be of great use to keepers running1920s campaigns, notably the excellent sections on London and Occult Societies. Equally there areparts of this book which I hope Gaslight players can make good use of, for example the sections onarchaeology, insanity laws and follies .

Having said that the book is not fully comprehensive, I must nowapologise for leaving so much out .With the material available I could have easily filled two books ofthis size, but compromises have to bemade somewhere along the line. For the benefit of keepers whowish to delve further into the subject Ihave included a biblio-graphy of helpful titles . Ifany readers have ideas for substantial and usefuladditions to the information contained herein, I am sure that Games Workshop will be pleased to hearfrom them .

Although I hope it will be otherwise, I fear that Green and Pleasant Land will not be Molly free frommistakes . It is surprising at times how difficult it can be to get accurate information abb t even suchrecent times as the 1920 s and 30s. Of course we have done our best to eradicate howlers. but ifanyhave crept in, or if you have any questions we might be able to help you with, pleasewrite to Games Workshop, Chewton Street, Hill Top, Eastwood, Nottingham NG163HY, including an sae for a reply. Try to keep your questions simple, so thatthey can be answered yes or no, and we will reply as soon as we can.

Finally, it remains only for me to extend a warm thank you to all of thewriters, artists and playtesters who have helped produce this book ; toPaul Cockburn, Marc Gascoigne and everyone else at Games Workshop ;and, of course, to H P Lovecraft and Sandy Petersen for making it allpossible in the first place.

Pete TamlynAylesbury, 1986

That is really the mostdelightful thing aboutEngland. You neverknow -couldneverguess - whatiswaitingforyou round thecomer. Eccentricaristocratshave worked their wills on thisislandfor centuries, with theresult thatanything mayhappen in it.

1 BPriestly

Ilingeredround them, underthat benign sky: watchedthemoths flutter in among theheath andhare-bells; listenedto the soft wind breathingthrough thegrass; andwonderedhowanyone couldever imagine unquiet sleepforthe sleepers in that quiet earth .

Emily Bronte

To die: to sleep; to sleep;perchance to dream;Ay, there's the rub;forin thatsleep ofdeath.whatdreamsmaycome. . . .

William Shakespeare

In his house atR'lyeh deadCthulhu waits dreaming

Ancient Chant

BIBLIOGRAPHY

HISTORY

THE INLAND WATERWAYSPAGE 5

PAGE 21

PAGE 37

BIOGRAPHIES

THE OCCULTPAGE 5

PAGE 23

CHARACTERS

A TIMELINE FOR BRITAINPAGE 9

AND EUROPE 1918-1939

PAGE 26

SOCIAL LIFE

PAGE 15

FORTEAN AND

DISASTERS TIMELIPAGE

28

PAGE 16

ARCHAEOLOGY

PAGE 30

COMMUNICATIONS

PAGE 17

FOLLIES

PAGE 32

BRITAIN IN THE MYTHOS

PAGE 33

CRIME & PUNISHMENT

ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 18

PUBLIC HEALTH

PAGE 19

MONEY & PRICES

PAGE 20

CONTENTS

AVIATION

PAGE 35

HlusKunegiwlor

F.MOTORING

GPAGE 38

ACt7718

RAILWAYS M

PAGE 41 77AiM77,Cc

SEA TRAVEL

La

PAGE 43

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THE ORROR OF THEGLEN

PAGE 44 27Ofinen

EATH IN THE POST "'relPAGE 57

Viwein

THE SHADOW OVER atAl

DARKBANK arc

PAGE 65G

BsPr

THE RUNNING MAN, Al

BY BRIAN LUMLEY anrei

PAGE 75 Sill

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CsDiin1

BibliographyHereisashort list ofbookswhich havebeenused in compiling Green andPleasantLand .Keepers may findthemuseful iftheyfindneed formoredetailedinformation thanisgivenhere. ISBNnumbershave beenlistedwherethey areknown, to makeiteasier toorderbooks.

Factual

GetitatHarrods-ASelectionfromHarrods General Catalogue1929 ; David &Charles ; 0-7153-8784-7.TheSocietyforPsychicalResearch18821982-AHistory ; byRenee Haynes ;MacDonald; 0-356-078752-2 .TheGreatBeast- TheLifeandMagick ofAleisterCrowley ; byJohn Symonds ;Mayflower; 583-12195-0.TheNecronomicon ; by GeorgeHay withColin Wilson, Robert Turnerand DavidLangford ; Corgi ; 0-552-98093-5 .Follies ;by JefferyWhitelaw ; Shire ;0-85263-612-1 .

BiographiesThefollowing list isarepresentativesampleofthefamouspeopleoftheperiod thatBritishinvestigators wouldknowaboutandmightencounter. Several ofthemarefictional, butaresowellknownthatthey mightas well bereal. Forthe benefitofsticklersforaccuracy,

Astor, LadyNancy (1879-1963) : BorninVirginia, USA, Lady Astorwas thefirstwomanMP Shetook overherhusband's seatin 1919, afterhehad succeeded tothe familytitleandmoved totheHouseofLords .Althoughamember ofapowerfularistocractic family, andtherefore aConservative, she was acommitted reformerand aclose friend ofSocialists such asGeorgeBernardShaw.

Baldwin, Stanley (1867-1947) : ConservativePrime Minister from 1923-24 and 1924-29.Also amember ofthe NationalGovernmentand its Prime Ministerfrom 1935-37. Hisrefusal to allow Edward VIIItomarry WallisSimpson ledto theabdicationin 1936.

Beaverbrook, Lord William Maxwell(1865-1964) : ACanadian bybirth,Beaverbrookwasa millionaireby the timehewas 28. In 1916he acquiredownership oftheDailyExpress andthus began acareer as theforemost `press baron' ofthe age . Hewas aclosefriendandally ofChurchill .

Campbell, SirMalcolm (1885-1948) :During the `20s and `30s therewas greatinterestin speedrecords andMalcolm

London inthe Twentiesand ThirtiesfromOldPhotographs ; by JamesHowgego ;Batsford ; 0-7134-3281-0.

Enchanted Britain ; by Marc Alexander ;ArthurBaker.

The GreatArchaeologists ; IllustratedLondon News .

Barrowsin England_& Wales; by LeslieGrinsell ; Shire .

Prehistoric Stone Circles ; by Aubrey Burl ;Shire.

Early Days onthe Road; by LordMontagu ofBeaulieu & GNGeorgano ; MichaelJoseph .

The Observer'sBookofVintage Cars ; byMarkWhite ; Warne ; 07232-1615-0.

VintageMotorCars ; byBill Boddy ; Shire;0-85263776-4 .

Aviation, AnIllustrated History ;Christopher Chant ; Orbis.

suchcharacters are marked *F*. Whereacharacterhas already been listedin themainCallofCthulhu rules (eg, Churchill) theentryherewillexpandon his activitiesduringtheperiod.

Campbell wasundoubtably the kingofspeed . He broketheland speed record fivetimes between 1931 and 1935 ; thenturnedhisattention towater, breakingthatrecordin1938 and 1939. His record breakingactivitieswere financedthrough his successfulbusiness insuring newspapers against libelactions .

Carter,Howard (1874-1939) : Carter hadworked fortheEgyptianInspectorateofAntiquities as adraughtsman from 1899 to1903. He resigned after aquarreland tookupwatercolourpainting, but in 1908waspersuaded tosuperintend Lord Carnarvon'sexcavations in the Valley oftheKings . Thisculminated in the discovery ofTutankhamun'stombin 1922 .

Carnarvon, George, Earlof(1866-1923) :EducatedatEton and Trinity College,Cambridge, GeorgeHerbert becamethe5thEarl ofCarnarvon on the death ofhis father in1890. Hismain interests were sport (heownedseveral winning racehorses) andarchaeology. From 1908 to 1922 he financed

Aircraft; John R Taylor ; Hamlyn .

Airliners betweenthe Wars1919-1939;Kenneth Munson ; Blandford .

PearsCyclopedia for 1932 .

Fiction

Agatha Christieany HerculePoirot orMissMarple story set prior toWWI.

DorothyL Sayers any Lord Peter Wimseystory.

'Sapper'several series ofnovels, includingthose featuring BulldogDrummond .

SaxRohmertheFu Manchu stories.

WEJohnsany Biggles story set in the `20sor`30s .

Dion Fortune several stories featuring ritualmagic .

And, ofcourse, allofthose storiesmentionedin theBritain in theMythos section.

Howard Carter's workin the Valley oftheKings . Shortly afterthediscoveryofTutankhamun's tomb hewas bitten on thecheekby a mosquitoanddiedfrominfectionin the wound . Some claimhe fellvictimto theyoungpharoah's curse .

Bigglesworth, Squadron Leader James(1902-??) *f* : `Biggles, as hewasknowntohis friends, joinedthe RoyalFlying Corps(theairforcewas then partofthearmy)in1916 (helied abouthis age) and quickly roseto fame as a fighter pilot . Betweenthe wars heworked as a freelance investigator, travellingwidelythroughouttheworld . Hisactivitieswere chronicledbythe authorW E Johns .

Bottomley, Horatio (1860-1933) : MP,businessman, co-founderoftheFinancialTimes, Bottomley wasalsoan ambitiousfraud and confidence trickster. Oneofhismost successfulschemes, butalso the causeofhisdownfall, was the Victory Bond Clubwhich enabled the poortobuy shares in WWIVictory Bonds . Bottomley pocketed over30 % ofthe '/z-millionpounds invested inthescheme before a former partner exposed himin 1922 .

Bradman, Sir Donald(1904-) : This greatAustralianhero is second only toW G Graceintheannalsofcricket . Attheendofhiscareerhewas only 4runs shortofanaverageof100runspertest innings. Inall first classgames heaveraged 95.14runs in nearly 400visits tothewicket .

Chamberlain, Neville (1869-1940) : AsChancellorofthe Exchequer, Chamberlainwasresponsible formanyliberal welfarereforms carriedout by Baldwin's govern-ment . On becomingPrime Minister in 1937hefollowed apolicy ofappeasementtowardsGermany andwas replacedby Churchillwhen war eventually broke out . Hediedsoonafterwards .

Childe, VereGordon (1892-1957) : AnAustralian bybirth, Childe was one oftheleading archaeological writers oftheperiod .HewasProfessorofPrehistoricArchaeologyat Edinburgh University from 1925-46.Childewasmoreofa theorist than hiscontemporaries . Hisonly notableexcavationswere at ScaraBrae in Orkney.

Christie, Agatha (1890-1976) : Possiblytheworld'smost famous mystery author, shebegan her writingcareer with TheMysteriousAffairatStyles (1920) whichintroducedthe detective HerculePoirot .Shortly afterthepublication ofTheMurderofRogerAckroyd (1926), shedisappeared fornine days, andheractivities duringthisperiod remain amatterfor speculation .

Churchill, Winston Spencer(1874-1965) :During the '20sand `30s, Churchill wasindisgrace, largely thanks tothe disastrousGallipoli expedition inV;WI . He was also introubleoverhis uncompromising attitudetowards labour relations and independencefor India, andhissupport ofEdward VIII .Hisreputationwasone ofan aggressive,imperialistic, unstatesmanlike bungler.Neverthelesshis fervent championing ofrearmamentmade himthe automatic choiceforPrimeMinisterwhenWWII started .

Coward, Noel(1899-1973) : Theleadingplaywrightandbrilliant satirist, Coward didmuchto expose the hypocrisyandincompetance ofthe oldergeneration .Possiblya homosexual himself, his plays andmusicals oftenfeaturedunconventionalsubjects and scandalousbehaviour.

Crowley, Aleister (1875-1947) : The premiersorcereroftheage . Seethe sectionontheOccult .

Cunard, Nancy (1896-1965) : Nancy was aleading societyhostessamongst the youngergeneration . She became apatronofmanyauthors andpoets amongstthe `BrightYoungThings'. Herlove affairwithblackjazzsinger, Henry Crowder, scandalised `polite'society.

Driberg, Tom (1905-1976) : In 1928, Dribergjoinedthe staffofthe DailyExpress . Astheprincipal writer ofthe `William Hickey'column, he becametheleading gossipwriterin the country. Throughhis column, andsimilarones inotherpapers, the bizarreactivities oftheupperclassesbecamegeneralpublicknowledge .

EdwardVHI (1894-1972) : A personableandkind-hearted youngman, Edwardwas nevercut out to be King . Perhaps it is aswell heabdicated, forhis concern forthepoor couldwell have broughthiminto frequent conflictwiththeGovernment.

ElizabethH (1926-) : Unlikeherchildren,the present BritishQueen waseducatedprivately with only her younger sister,Margaret, and afewwell-chosen friends forcompany. It isthus unlikely that investigatorswill encounterher.

Evans, Sir Arthur (1851-1941) : EducatedatHarrow andBrasenose College, Oxford,Evans becamekeeperofOxford'sAshmoleanMuseumin 1884 . Between 1899and 1930he workedonexcavationsatKnossos in Crete, thesupposedsite ofthepalaceofthelegendary King Minos .

Fleming, Sir Alexander (1881-1955) : Adoctor and pioneer ofchemotherapy,Fleming discoveredpenicillin in 1928 whenhe accidently leftabacterial culture dishuncovered. Unfortuately he wasunable tofindameans ofmass producing thedrug anditwas notuntil after the workofFlorey andChain duringWWIIthat it becamegenerallyavailable .

Fortune, Dion (real nameViolet MaryWorth) (????-1946) : A formermember oftheGoldenDawn, she founded herownmagicalsociety, theFraternity ofInner Light, basedat3 Queensborough Terrace, Bayswater,London . She wrote extensively, producingboth works onmagical theory andnovelswith a magical background .

GeorgeV (1865-1936) : Georgewas thelastBritish king toplay a significant role inactually running thenation . He frequentlystepped intohelpresolve political crisesandinitiated the formationoftheNationalGovernment. Despite hislong reign, he wasnever fully trustedby thepeople ashe wasthecousin, and close friend, ofthe Kaiser ofGermany.

George VI (1895-1952) : Likehis elderbrother, Edward VIII, George did notparticularly want tobe king, buthavingbeenthrust intothe limelighthecarried outthetask with quiet dignity. He and hiswife,Elizabeth (now the Queen Mother)begantheprocess ofbringing theMonarchy closer tothe people, particularly through theireffortstokeep uppublic moraleduring the Battle ofBritain . Hetook the name ofGeorgeonbecomingking -before that he was known asPrince Albert, DukeofYork.

Graves, Robert (1895-1986) : Graves firstshot to fame in 1929with hisauto-biographical account ofWWI, GoodbyetoAll That. He ismost famous forhis epicnovels ofancientRome, I, ClaudiusandClaudiusthe God, butwas also interestedintheoccult, producing the fascinating butobscure The White Goddess, aninterpretationofCeltic religion.

Haldane, JohnBurton Sanderson(1892-1964) : An Oxford graduate andbiochemist, Haldaneperformed pioneeringworkongenetic mutations . He wrote severalphilosophical and scientific works, notablyDaedalus; orScienceandthe Future (1924)which suggestedthepossibility ofcloningandgeneticengineering andwas theprincipal source forHuxley'sBrave NewWorld . Hewas also renownedas apracticaljoker, wit and raconteurand anactiveMarxist .Hitler, Adolf(1889-1945) : Hitlerbecameabsoluteleaderofthe National SocialistGerman Workers Party in 1921, thenspentseveralyears inprison afteranabortivecoupin 1923. During this timehe wrote MeinKampf. He was released in 1925, but it wasnot until the slumpof 1929that hebegantorise rapidly to power, becoming ChancellorofGermany in 1933 and effectivedictatorin1934 .Huxley, Aldous (1894-1963) : Although amainstream novelist, Huxley's workwasalwaysa platform for hisownphilosophicalideas, culminating inthe awful vision ofBrave New World. AfterWWII hebecameinterested in mysticismandmindcontrolthrough the use ofnarcotics such as Peyote.Johnson, Amy (1903-41) : Ashort-handtypistbytrade, Amywas infectedwith theflyingbug afterseeing the film Wings in1928. She achievedworld-widefamebybeing the first person to fly solo fromEngland to Australia (1930) .

Lawrence,ThomasEdward (1888-1935) :Following his failure to save hisArab friendsfrom thegreedofBritainand France afterthewar, Lawrence retired frompubliclife. Hewrotethesemi-autobiographical SevenPillars ofWisdom, workedbrieflyforChurchill atthe Colonial Office (1921-22),thenundertook two unsuccessfulattempts todisappear altogetherby entering the servicesunderan assumedname. He diedinamotorcycleaccident .

Lawrence,DavidHerbert (1885-1930) :Lawrence'snovels (includingSons &'Lovers(1913), Women in Love (1920) andLadyChatterley'sLover(1928)), with theirheavyemphasison sex, scandalisedBritish societyand werefrequently banned . His own life wasas rebelliousand stormy as hiswriting .

LloydGeorge, David (1863-1945) : Leaderofthe LiberalParty from 1916-30. PrimeMinisterfrom 1916-22 . Beforethewarhewasresponsible for many innovativewelfarelaws . Despite hisreforminglawsmany ofhiscontemporaries found hismethods corruptand distasteful . His final downfall came overascandal involving the sale ofhonours .

MacDonald, Ramsay(1866-1937) : Leaderofthe LabourParty from 1922-31, PrimeMinsterin 1924andfrom 1929-35. In 1931,heformeda National Governmentasa resultofthe Depression, a movewhichtheLabourPartydidnot support . He died atsea on hiswaytoSouth America .

Marple,Jane (1854-1959?) *F* : A residentofStMaryMead, which undoubtably hadthehighestcrime rate ofany village in Britain,sheconstantly found herselfinvolved inmurder investigations, and herreputationasan amateur detective wasknowntopoliceforces alloverBritain. Herairofinnocenceandappetite forgossip led tothedownfall ofdozens ofcriminals . Shewas most activefrom 1928 onwards .

Moseley, SirOswaldErnald(1892-1973)AnMP famed forhisgood looks and habitofswopping parties, Moseley formedtheBritish UnionofFascists in imitation ofHitler andMussolini . His massrallieswereverycolourfulandeffective, iftroublesomefor thepolice whohadto keeptheFascistsandCommunist counter-demonstratorsapart . The authorities tended to favourMoseley againsttheCommunists, as he was,after all,agentleman .

Norway, NevilShute (18994960) : Aftergraduating fromBalliol College, Oxfordasanengineer, Norway worked fordeHavilland andlater Vickers asan aircraftdesignerand pilot . Whilst at Vickers, heworked ontheR100airship. Later, hefounded Airspeed Ltdandbuiltthe firstaircraft with retractable undercarriage . In

1923, hebeganto writeunderthe name ofNevil Shute and becamea highly successfulauthorofthrillers .

Petrie, Sir William Finders : (1853-1942) :Petrie workedextensivelyinEgypt formanyyearsbefore the war. From 1892to 1933, hewas ProfessorofEgyptology attheUniversity ofLondon, and wasknightedin1923. After 1926, he turnedhis attentionsfromEgyptto Palestine .

Poirot, Hercule (1851-1974!) *F* : Short,dapper, meticulously neatandwith animmaculately groomedmoustache, Poirotretired from the Belgian police in 1904 and

BIOGRAPHIES

The Duke &Duchess ofWindsor on Honeymoon in the Grounds of Castle Wasserleanburg 1937

began acareeras aprivate investigator inBritain . He was, shallwe say, alittlearrogant, frequently boastingoftheprowessofhis "little grey cells", buthis Britishfriends andclientsfoundthis funny foreignermore amusingthan offensive . Hehated tea,preferringto drink thick, sweetchocolate .

Price, Harry (1881-1948) : A notorious`psychic investigator'. SeethesectionontheOccult .

Regardie, Israel : A formermemberoftheGolden Dawn, Regardiehaspublishedmanybooks outlining the historyandpractices ofthis famousmagical society. His works firstbecame available intheearly 30s .

BIOGRAPHIES

Rutherford,Ernest (1871-1937) : This NewZealandbornphysicist working inBritainwasoneofthe leading researchers intoradiation and the structure ofmatter. In 1919,heperformed the first everatom-splittingexperimentat the Cavendish Laboratory inCambridge. Hewas knighted, and latermadealord, forhis work .

Sayers, DorothyLeigh (1893-1957) : Thedaughter ofaNorfolkclergyman, shepublishedher first detective novelin 1923whilstworking atBenson's advertisingagency in London. Thisbook, WhoseBody?,received immediate critical acclaimandwasthe first to featurethecharacter ofLordPeterWimsey. Many similarworksfollowed,though afterWWII sheturnedtowritingtheological works andplaysas well .

Shaw, GeorgeBernard (18564950) : Shawhad already made a fortune fromhisbooksand plays beforethewar. Bythe20severything hedid wastreated withgreatrespect, and hewon the Nobel PrizeforLiteraturein 1925 . He was acommittedsocialist andleading lightofthe FabianSociety, agroupofleft-wing intellectuals.

Simpson, Bessie Wallis(1896-1986) : Twice-married wife ofanAmerican businessman,she becamethe mistress ofthe PrinceofWales, laterEdwardVIII . When Baldwinrefusedto allow Edwardto marry her heabdicated .

Stapledon, Olaf(1886-1950) : Bornofwell-to-doparentsnear Liverpool, he wasapacifist duringWWI. Alifelong interest inphilosophy led tothe publicationofseveral

influential novels, the most important being`Last and FirstMen' (1930) and `Star Maker'(1937) . These novelsexplored concepts ofspaceembracingmultipleuniverses, andtimelines spanning thousands ofbillions ofyears. His novel `OddJohn' (1935) isapioneeringvisionofhuman mutation.

de Valera,Eamon (1882-1975) : AnAmericancitizen, de Valera was theleader ofSinn Fein, theIrish RepublicanMove-ment,afterWWI. Later hebecame the firstpresident ofthe truly independent Eire .

Watson-Watt, Sir Robert (1892-1973) :Educated at St AndrewsUniversity andatutorthere from 1912 to 1921, he wasinterested in the reflection ofradiowaves . By1935, he hadpatentedthe basic principlesofRADio reflection And Ranging, now betterknownas RADAR. Britain'searlylead inthedevelopment ofRADAR was invaluableduringWWII. He was knightedin 1942 .

Waugh, Evelyn (1903-66) : Waugh(pronounced `War') was oneofthemostcapable writers amongstthepost-wargeneration . His novels, suchas VileBodiesand Brideshead Revisited are excellentstudies ofupper classlifeduring theperiod .

Wimsey, LordPeterDeathBredon(1890-????) *F* : The second sonofthe DukeofDenver, hewas educatedat Eton andBalliol, andthen served in ariflebrigade inWWI. He may havealsotakenpart inintelligence operations . After the war, hebecame notablefor the study ofincunabula(rare manuscripts), oenology (the study ofwine), and criminology. In the latter role, hewas responsibleforthe arrestandconvictionofseveralnotorious murderers, andthesolution ofmany othercrimes . HemarriedHarriet Vane, acrime novelist, in 1935 andthey hadtwo childrenby the startofWWII .

Wooley, Sir Leonard (1880-1960) : Wooleyworkedfor SirArthur EvansattheAshmolean Museum. He excavatedexten-sivelyinNubia, SyriaandMesopotamia, hismost famous discovery being the Sumeriancity ofUrwhich he found in 1935,theyearhewas knighted .

Wooster, Bertie (189?????) *F* : An upperclasstwitofclassic proportions, BertieWooster stumbled elegantly through lifefrom one farcical situation to another, foreverindangerofbeing forcedtobehaveresponsibly by histerrible aunts. Wooster'slifestyle waspreserved onlyby theresourcefulnessand presence ofmind ofhisloyal butler, Jeeves . His adventureswerechronicledby the writer, P GWodehouse .

Authors-MarcusRowland, Caroline Rogers,Graeme Davis&Pete Tamlyn

Thebasic CallofCthulhurules assumethatmostinvestigators will be American . Thissection gives character sketches andguide-lines for creating some typically Britishinvestigators. Also includedaretwodoubledyed villains drawn fromthepopular fictionofthe time . Muchoftheoriginaltextwaspublished in WhiteDwarfmagazine as thearticleGentlemen &Players.

The statistics forcharactersofdifferent typesare guidelinesthat will produce `classic'characters ofthattype ; Keepersmightallowplayers to swaprolled statisticsaroundtomatchtheperfect mould .

"Reporter feller wanted to know all aboutthatshow atClacton; well, I told him to talkto the Prof. All I did wasgo along forawheeze, and givethatfishy-looking chap awhackwitha mashie niblick when hegotfrisky. Impertinentlittleoik; hadthecheektoaskmewhether I'd describe myselfas adilettante. Dilettante! Makesone sound likeaballythedansantgigolo, what?Isent himoffwithafleain his ear."

Gentlemen investigators needto be tall,languid andclean shaven (anyone withabeard iseitheroftheoldergeneration, asailor, arty or foreign ; both the latter typesareextremely suspect) . Educatedat eitherOxfordor Cambridge, andquite likely Etonor Harrowbeforethat, they willbe ofindependentmeans, and won't needto botherwith ajob, although something in the ForeignOffice couldbe considered .

Achaphardlyhastime for ajob, though,whatwiththecrowded social schedule . Intown, it is cocktailsandthe Charleston,Boston, jazz-step, one-step andfoxtrot(beingable toplaythebanjoandukelelehelps) ;out oftown, there is allthe fun ofcountry-house weekends, with shootingandfancy dress parties . Justthrow abrace ofgunsintothe oldjalopy, bring thevaletto double asloader,andaway you go.

As far asclothes go, they may still bemade inPiccadilly by father's tailor, but theirstylewill bedictatedby thePrinceofWales, thebestdressed maninEngland (and that meansthe world) . Winters are best spent atMonteCarlo, and the restofthe year atthefamilyhome inthe country, or at atownflat orhouseinMayfair. Apretty agreeablelife. But ifanoldcollegechumortutor comesupwithsomethingthat sounds like good sport, thatmay providejustthe spicethatatruegentlemanneeds .

Crime fiction and thrillers ofthe TwentiesandThirties are littered with sucharisto-cratic detectives . Atypical CallofCthulhu

gentleman investigator will have averageSTR, CONand SIZ, corresponding to atall,slimbuild . Unlike fictional slueths whoconceal razorsharp mindsbeneath aveneerofidiocy, some gentlemen should beoflowINT, theclassic silly ass.

POWcan behigh, allowing themtoleadcharmed lives throughhigh Luckrolls, andalso giving themahighinitial SAN. This mayseema little strange, but itdoes not indicatepowerful mental discipline somuchas astunninglackofimagination . Mostwill havehighl)EX, representing yearsoftraining inballgames, riding and "huntin', shootin' andfishing". APP willbe high as a result ofimpeccabledressandmanners and aneasycharm. EDU shouldbearound 13 or 14,butnohigher. Gentlemen get touniversitybecause oftheirbreeding rather than theirbrains, andthey oftenlearnlittlebeyond asmattering ofLatin andthe Classics .

Such characters willhave two mainmoti-vations : honourandsport . Honourappliesmainlyto members ofthe same class, butcanalso leadtoacts ofextreme self-sacrifice .Sport isnolessimportant, andis an all-embracing termcovering anything fromorganised sports themselves, through thethrill ofthe chaseand hazardous pastimes, tooutright criminal activities likethoseofthegentleman roguesofVictoriantimes.

Being ofindependentmeans, membersofthearistocracy make ideal investigators, abletotakeoffanywhere atamoment's notice . Theywillalsobe wellequipped witha quality car,a brace ofshotgunsandaHarrods chargeaccount . Perhaps themostimportant aspectsofsuch characters, how-ever, are theirinfluence andconnections. Influence won'tallow themtogetaway withmajorbreachesofthe law orsocial conventions (especiallysocialconventions), but it will avoidnuisanceslike beingprosecuted for speedingwhen chasing cultists . Infact, it will giveriseto almostexaggerated deference fromhumble constables ("Beg pardon, yourlordship, I didn't realise these gentlemenwerewith you . . .") .

Social connections can provide a useful wayfortheKeeperto startoffa scenario. Forinstance, thoughtheGentlemanhimselfmaybeaprofessional party-goer, there isalwaysthe friend fromcollegewhohasdabbled inthe occult and needshelp to savehisreputation. As thesaying has it, "Ifyou cankeep your headwhen allabout arelosingtheirs, you don'trealise how serious thesituation is". Gentlemen investigators arenotlikely to be powerhouses ofMythosknowledge, but theydohave theiruses, andplayingone canbe frightfully good sport .

Players

"Demobilised officer, finding peace incred-ibly tedious, would welcome diversion .Legitimate ifpossible, butcrime, ifofacomparatively humourous disposition, noobjection . Excitement essential . Would beprepared to consider permanentjob ifsuitably impressed by applicant forhisservices. Reply atonce, BoxX10."

With this advertisment, Bulldog Drummond(the fictionalcreation ofLt ColH CMcNeile, `Sapper') beganthe firstoffourencounters with archcriminal, CarlPeterson . Drum-mond is thearchetypalPlayer; that isprofessional . Thetermderivesfrom thegame ofcricket inwhichamateurandprofessionalmembers ofthe sameteamwerecompletely differentiated, even usingdifferent dressing rooms, marked`Gentlemen' and `Players'. Drummondandhis ilk canbe readily adapted to fill theroleplayed by thePrivateInvestigator in anAmericancampaign .

To call them Players is not to implythattheyare not gentlemen ; far fromit . Inan era whena servantcould behired fortwopounds aweek, an annual incomeof£2-3,000 enabledoneto liveverycomfort-ably. Indeed,another ofMcNeile's heroes, Tiny Carteret,couldcall on £5;000ayear. Players haveservants, run expensive cars, and aremembersofgood clubs. Whatmakes themdifferent fromGentlemen isthelack ofaristocratic ancestry ; aboveall, they are menofaction .

9

Hugh Drummond, `Bulldog' to his friends,was "slightly under six feet in height" and"broad inproportion", with a nose that "hadnever quiterecovered fromthe final year inthePublic SchoolsHeavy Weights". Tiny Carteret"hadbeencapped fifteentimes forEnglandplaying inthescrum"(ie, arugby forward), but -inspite ofhis size -was "marvellously agile".When creating aPlayer, then, STR, CONandSIZ should all befairly high . INT, on the otherhand, wouldnot seemto be asimportant.Drummondandhis kind werepositively anti-intellectual, notto say dcwvn-right ignorant(Carteret, summoned toa meetingattheHomeOffice, had toenquire whereit was) .However, INTshouldnotbe too low.AlthoughDrummondadmitted that his brain"wasofthe also-ran variety", he "possessed avery shrewdcommon sense, whichgenerallyenabledhimto arrive atthe same result asa farmore brilliant manand, incidently,by a muchmore direct route".POW, inthe senseofcharisma, mustnot below, asmuchis made ofsuch men's qualitiesofleadership . Also, as with all heroes ofthe`Saturday Matinee' variety PlayersneedgoodLuckrollsto getthemout ofthe stickysituations that theirdirectapproach oftenlands them in . They alsoneedto beable tododge the grasp of flailing tentacles and suchlikewhenthingsgetsticky, soagood DEXscore is desirable (Drummondwas "alightning and deadly shot with arevolver") .APPcan be as high orlow as youlike ;although the nickname `Bulldog' referred tocharactertraits, Drummondwas "thefortunatepossessorofthat cheerfultype ofugliness whichinspires immediatecon-fidencein its owner": EDUwillbe lowtoaverage, depending on whetherandwhenthecharacterwasexpelled fromhispublic school .Ifthelikes ofDrummond everreached thedreaming spires ofOxford, itwas probablydue tothe needto bolstertheflaggingfortunesofthevarsityrugby and rowingteams, andour

man will have spentmost ofhis time indulgingin suchhearty activities as throwing artyundergraduates into the fountains.

Most, ifnot all, Players will have a militarybackground and will have takenpart in "thelast show". This givesthem asomewhatjaundicedview ofGermans (the `Boche') . Intheirview, all foreigners fall intooneoftwocategories : comic orsinister. The ideaofcosmicabominations lurkingbehindthefragilefabric ofeveryday lifemightbe abithard to take, but such cultsareobviously ofapiece withunwashed Bolsheviks and othersuchrabble whodabble in sinisterconspiracies . Whereas the Gentlemanhasanunshakeable faith in allthingsdecentandBritish, thePlayerknows that they areconstantly underassault from foreign plotswhich only swift and firm action cancounter.

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LikeGentlemen, Players are useful fortheiraccess toa fast car, always plumping forsomething onthe sporty side (Drummondboasted an Hispano Suiza) . Mostplayers willhavea couple ofsouvenirs ofthe war: a faith-ful batman (whoinevitablyhasa treasureofawife), and awell-oiled, ex-army Webley. Thebatman and wife willact as servants forthebatchelorflat in Mayfair, and the Webley is ahandy supplementtothetrusty rightfist .Intellectuals they may notbe, but as `Sapper'said ofone ofhis creations, they are "asportsmananda gentleman. Andthecombinationofthe two is an unbeatableproduction".

Butlers"Dwat, and double dwat" lispedAlgernondeVere Skeffley (Bart), heftingthe shotgunby itsbarrels as the tentacledmonstrosity shambledits way towardstheparty. "Deucedinconvenienttimeto wun out ofcartwidges,what?". Behindhim, Simmonds shudderedslightly at the sacrilegious thoughtofMessrsPurdey's finest being used as ablunt

instrument, andcougheddiscreetly. "Iflmaysuggest, sir, Itookthelibertyofbringingalong apick handle I found whilewewerecoming through the cellar. Perhapsyouwouldcare tomake use ofthat, while Ireload foryou?"

More than aservant, but less than aGentleman, theButler stood between twoworlds, oneofthearistocracyoflabour. Asgeneral managerofalargehousehold, he(forit was always he)was responsibleforensuringthat it ran like a Swiss watch, and thatthenumerous servantsmet the standard expectedofthem . He wielded considerable power, andalthough Butlers (at leastthe fictionalones)always "suggest", their suggestions areseldom ignored.

With the lowerorders, tradesmen and the like,Butlershad acertainway and could call uponan icy dignity calculated tooverawe anybutthemost impertinent oaf. Having often servedseveral generationsofthe same family, theywere permittedfamiliarity unthinkablein anyother retainer. As aprivilege oftheirposition,thiswas exercisedin anindirect manner, andanyoneplaying aButler should makefulluseofphrases such as "Iflmay say so, sir. .:'and"Might I ask, sir. . :, together withput-downslike "Iamnot surprised. Sir."

Although- on the faceofit - Butlers are notpromising characters fora CallofCthulhucampaign, theirs is actually aprofession withconsiderable scope. For a start, theirpositionmeanstheyaccompany the master inthecapacityofgentleman's gentleman, ormanservant . This allowsthem toact as a sortofup-marketminder, abody-guard in muchthe same fashionasJeeveswas forBertieWooster. Acting as alinkbetween servantsandmasters, they areoften in aposition topick up information othermembers ofapartymight find difficultto unearth, andtheycanappear naturally in situations where theiremployers wouldbe outofplace. A classiccase of still waters running deep, they are not

only equippedwithmore than averagecommonsense, buttheymay also comeoutwithunknowntalents at the most surprisingtimes. "Good Lord, Robbins, whereon Earthdidyou learnhow to charmsnakes?" "Whenyour late father wasresident in Jaipur, sir. Wewereplaguedby cobrasin thebathroom, andIthought it might prove ausefulaccomplishment .,,

Whenopting foraButlercharacter, thefollowingpoints shouldbe borne inmind .STRis relatively unimportant, although areason-ableCONscore is desirable . SIZ is notcritical, although aButler's appearanceshould blendaesthetically with that ofhismaster.INT shouldbehigh (fictional Butlers

arereknownedfortheirabilityto come upwithcogent suggestions) butEDUlow toaverage - reflecting minimal schooling, but awealthofexperience. POWshouldbehigh :Butlers should beable to shrugoffmagicalattacks, andcome unscathed outofstickysituations . Their SAN willbecorrespondingly high . Butlers sharewiththeiremployers thatunshakeable confidencethatthe sun will never setontheBritish Empire,andnoamount ofjiggery-pokery willconvince themotherwise.

Valets

"I callsit wicked", sheannounced at length."Fair flyinginthe face ofProvidence . Crime,

CHARACTERS

Denny, - crime. Don't you get `avingnothingtodowith suchmad pranks, my man, oryouand me will behavingwords." She shook anadmonitory forger at him, and retired tothekitchen. Inthe days ofhis youth, James Dennyhad beena bitwild, andthere was a look in hiseyes thismorning - thesuspicion ofaglint -which recalled old memories :'

When Bulldog Drummondplacedhisadvertisement inthepaper(never specified,butwecan safely assume it wasnottheDailyMail), it wasalso to affect hisvalet . JamesDenny had beenDrummond's batmanduringthe Great War, and with the GreatDepressionloomingandmany ex-servicemenunemployed, would probably havebeen

u

grateful forthe chance toenter servicewithaknown andtrustedGentleman. Althoughtheduties ofButlersandValets overlap, whatweshallhereterma Valet is a very differentfellow indeed .

Ifa Gentlemanhas aValet, it isprobablybecause father is still aliveandrequires theButler's undividedattention. The Valetwill bea younger man, trustedby the Butlerto keepthe `young master' outoftrouble. APlayerwill have onlytwo servants ;theValet, who isajackof all trades, serving at table, packinganddriving thecar; andhis wifewhokeeps houseand does the cooking (during the Twenties,theprejudiceagainst employing single peoplein certainpositions was sostrong thatmany`married' couplesapplying for servants' jobshad nevermetuntiljust before theirinterview) .

Valetsaretypically thecheerful Cockneytype, "Ee, bahgum" Yorkshiremen, cannyScotsmen, orany other regional stereotype.If, like Denny, theymet their masterduringmilitary service, they may haveledcolour-ful,even criminal lives before the war. Parkerfrom Thunderbirds isa more modernexampleofthebreed .

Valets are doers ratherthan thinkers, butmaybesmalland wiryratherthanmuscle-bound .Unlikethe Butler, the Valetwill probably bethe opposite to his masterinbuild, thetwothus forminga balanced, all action team. SIZandSTRneednotbe aboveaverage, but goodCONandDEXareessential. INTcanbereasonable, representing shrewdnativewit,but EDU islikely to be almostnon-existent -itis quiteinkeeping, forexample, for the Valetto move his lips whilst reading. POWshouldbeon thelow side . TheValet'sworking classbackgroundmay have been tough, but it isunlikely tohave exposedhimto anythreatsotherthanthe physical . APPneednotbeespeciallyhigh ; Denny, for example, is onlydescribed asthe "squarejawedex-batman".

Where Valets do come uptrumps is inthespecialist skills that theycan bringto aparty.Denny hadbeenasignallerin the army, butother characterscouldhavebeenengineers,artillerymen or evenmedical orderlies . Priorto thewar any rangeoflower classoccupations, with attendant skills, is inorder.Lackingthe polishand social graces ofaButlerhemay be, butthe averageValet isahandy man tohave about whenthings turnsticky.

SleuthsJust as Valets are differentfromButlers, soSleuths aredifferent from Players . They arestill men ofaction, whenthe'occasiondemands, butare more (much more)intellectual than Players, as well as being moresolitary. Theyaretheclassic gifted amateurinvestigator, ofunnervingbrill-iance, versedinobscurebranches ofscienceand literature .Their services are soughtby theGovernmentandthey regularly risk life and limb in foreign

12

parts inthe service ofthe Empire . Indeed, it ismore oftensuch foreign threats that occupytheir brilliantminds, ratherthan the simplecriminality which was the staple fareoftheirglorious forebear, thegreat SherlockHolmes .Aswell as his Playerheroes, `Sapper' createdtwo Sleuths, Ronald Standish and JimMaitland . OfStandish he wrote ". ..onlytheAlmighty and he himselfknewwhathisjobwas. . . itwas doubtful which ofthe two itwouldbe more difficultto find outfrom".However, the best example ofaTwentiesSleuthcan befound in the worksofSaxRohmer, in the shapeofNayland Smith.

Itwas as a Police Commissioner in Burma thatNaylandSmith firstencounteredthe archvillain, Fu Manchu, withwhomhe was towage an epic struggle . During this, hewastobecome SirDenis NaylandSmith and rise tonoless arankthan Assistant Commissioner ofScotland Yard . MarvelComics' adaption ofthe character reveals thathelater moved tobehead ofMI6. Nevertheless, hewould stilltakeoffonmysterious and dangerousjourneys,aloneor with afew trustedhelpers, tounravelthelatest threat fromtheYellow Peril.

Working by guilerather thanbrute force,Smith woulddisguise himself, even stage hisowndeath, tothrow the agents ofFuManchuoffthe scent so that he might follow the web ofmystery and deathback to itsauthor. Sleuthsneednot have high STR, but agoodCONisdesirableto survivethe fiendish traps andtortures that theirdevilish opponents willplaguethemwith . SIZ shouldideallyreflectatall, gaunt, wiry build. DEXcanbe low, asSleuths tend to rely on others, perhaps aPlayer companion, to copewiththe roughstuff.High INTis essential, notonly forgeneralbrainy-nessbut alsoforthehighIdearoll thiswill bring. Smith seemed to spend much ofhistime smiting hisforeheadandexclaiminginfrustration as hesuddenlyrealised the awfulsignificance ofwhat he has discovered . TheSleuth may nothave progressed very farwithformal schooling, but hewill havea bizarrecollection offields ofknowledgegainedthroughprivate study andexperience so hisEDUwill notbe low.Surprisingly, perhaps, POWcanbe fairly low.FuManchu wascontemptuous oftheregularity with which Smith fell into histraps- wecan begenerous andattribute it to a lowLuck roll . LowPOWalso meanspoorinitialSAN. This can betaken as reflecting theoverwroughtimaginationofmost Sleuths(Holmeshimselfwasgivento bouts ofdepres-sion) . APP should not be toounusual as theSleuth will wish topass unnoticed ina crowd.

SP11tsmariOur token representative ofthe trueworkingclass, the Sportsmanis totally unused topolitecompany. Until recently, hemight notevenhaveknown how to use aknife and fork . Whatenabledhimto rise above the common masses

is his sport-ing prowess. He rose tofame,perhaps, as centre forward forManchesterUnited, oras opening bowlerfor Yorkshire,and may evenbeas well knownas theKing orCharlieChaplin. Gentleman may bedis-concertedby his rude mannerbut, good sportstothelast, have due respectforhis ability,especially ifhe plays fortheirfavourite team .

High DEXis anabsolute must for theSportsman. STRandCONshould not below,but neednot be high, dependingonthe sporthe plays . SIZ andPOWcan beofany value,but INTwillprobablybe low andEDUrockbottom .

Occupations

The above descriptions are moreinthewayofbroadclasses ofpersonality ratherthan actualoccupations . Gentlemen, forexample, mayopt fora life ofidleness, butcouldequallyenter diplomatic serviceor, ifa youngerson,theChurch . The following list gives suggestedskills forthe above types, butplayers wishingfor amore specific career may choose anyinthemain CallofCthulhurulesor in Cthulhuby Gaslight. Gaslight occupations should allhave DriveAutoaddedto available skills, andEx-Military is notavailable(see below) .Income figuresrelate to disposable wealthonly.

GentlemanSkills : DriveAuto, Fast Talk, Photography,Pilot Aircraft, Read/Write Latin, Read[WriteGreek, Ride, Sing, SpeakFrench, ShotgunIncome: d10x£200 + £300.

PlayerSkills : Climb, DriveAuto, FastThlk, Hide,Jump, Listen, Sneak, SpotHidden, Swim,Throw, Track, Handgun, MeleeIncome: d6x£300 + £300.

ButlerSkills: Accounting, Debate, DriveAuto, FirstAid, History, Law, Library Use, Psychology,Spot Hidden, SpeakOtherLanguageIncome: d4 x £200 +000

ValetSkills : Bargain, DriveAuto, ElectricalRepair, Mechanical Repair, OperateHeavyMachinery, Sing, Throw, Sneak, Track,MeleeIncome : d4 x£100 + £100.

SleuthSkills : Anthropology, Archaeology, Botany,Chemistry, Diagnose Disease, Linguist,Pharmacy, Read/WriteEnglish, Read/WriteOtherLanguage, SpeakOtherLanguage,Track, Treat PoisonIncome: d6 x£200 +£300.

SportsmanSkills: Climb, Dodge, Jump, Melee, Throw,Nightstick .Income : d6 x£100 +£200.

CHARACTERS

13

Toworkoutincome forother occupations,decide howthecharactercompares insocialclass with the abovetypesand use whicheveris the best match. Or, ifyou have anincome indollars, use theconversation factor given inthe section on money.

WarExperienceAny male characterwhoreachedthe age of 16before 1918 mayelectto have served intheGreatWar. This automatically adds 1 to hisEDUforeach yearofservice, but costs himld4 ofSAN foreachpoint ofEDUadded,representingexperience gainedonthe field ofbattle and the effects of shell shock.

Theadditionalexperience the increase inEDUallows can be spent to develop any ofthefollowing skills : Camouflage, Climb, CreditRating, FirstAid, Handgun, MakeMaps,Oratory, Psychology, Ride, Rifle, Sabre,Sneak, Spot Hidden, Swim, PilotAircraft.Therefore, foreachyearserved intheGreatWar, a characterhas 15points to allocate toanyofthe aboveskills.

Warveterans mayalso chooseone wartimeweaponto have keptasasouvenir. This willprobably be a Lee-Enfield .303 bolt-actionrifle forthelowerranks, ora Webley-Fosbery.455 revolverforofficers . Alternatives arecaptured Germanweapons, either aMauserrifle (similar to the Enfield) ora Luger9mmautomatic . Statistics forweapons ofthesetypes andcalibrescanbe found inthe Call ofCthulhu rules.

Asconscriptionwasintroduced in 1916,charactersneeda goodexcuse for nothavingat least2 years ofmilitary serviceandarelikely toberegarded with suspicionby theirfellows ifthey do not. However, valid excusesincludevery lowCON, ajob intheCivilService, orbeing inthe Royal Navy in whichcasethe character may well have seen littlesignificant military action .

Very fewwomensawactive serviceduringtheGreatWarexcept as nurses, butthoseathomekeptthe countryrunning while theirmenfolkwereaway. Consequently, any femalecharacterofa suitable agemay, in addition toher normal occupation skills, choose fromthefollowing: DriveAuto, Accounting, CreditRating, Electrical Repair, Mechanical Repair,OperateHeavyMachinery, FirstAid.

Altered Base ChancesBase chances forskills arethe sameasforAmerican investigators, withthefollowingbriefexceptions :

CreditRating :Thebase chancefor workingclasscharacters is 5%and that forupper classcharacters25%.

Ride : Thebase chance is 20 %forupperclasscharacters .

DriveCarnage: This skillfrom Gaslight isavailable to workingclass charactersonlyata

14

basechance of20% . It refers to handling of allhorse-drawnvehicles .As in Gaslight, keepersmayconsidermodifying the skill scores forarguing(Debate, Oratory andFast Talk)to takeaccount ofsocial class . lbdo this, add 10% tothe skill foreach level ofclass the speakerhasabovehis audience, anddetract 10%foreachlevel below. Thusan upper classpersontalkingto amiddle classperson enjoys a bonusof +10(1 leveladvantage), whilst a workingclass persontalkingto anupperclass personsuffers a penalty of-20 (two levelsdisadvantage) .

MerchantsofMenaceAlthough theprincipalpreoccupationoftheCthulhu investigator is the foiling ofthe plotsofthe Mythos deities and their followers, theworldoftheTwenties and Thirties is full ofdespicable characters, many ofwhoseactivities will beuncoveredby thosepryingdeeply intoobscure goings-on. Suchpeopledo nottakekindly to such interest in theiraffairs, andan epic villainwill make aninteresting andexciting alternative tothegeneral run oftentacled horrors. Therearenostatistics forthetwovillains presentedbelow;suchcharacters weremasters ofso manybranches ofperfidious knowledge thatthekeepercan quitelegitimatelyequipthem withsuch skills as seem necessary.

Mr Peterson"Heis aboutmediumheight and rather thick-set ; clean-shaven, with thickbrownhairflecked slightly white. His forehead isbroad,andhis eyesareasort ofgrey-blue. But it's hishands that terrifyme . They'relargeandwhiteandutterly ruthless:'

BulldogDrummondLikemost greatvillains, Carl Peterson was anenigma . Whatever hisreal name was, itcertainly wasn't Peterson ; norComte de Guy,EdwardBlackton, Rev TheodosiusLongmooror anyofhis otheraliases .Drummond onceobservedofhimthat had itnot been fortheman's complete lack ofscrupleaboutthe means usedto achievehisends, his stupendous brain, unshakeablenerve and unlimited ambition would haveallowedhim torise tothe topofany fieldhechose. Despite the ruthless struggle betweenthem, Drummond and Peterson hadconsiderablerespectfor each other.Masterofathousand disguises, Petersonalwaysgavehimselfawayeventually byhishabitofdrumming hisfingersonhiskneeswhenunder stress ; as only Drummondseemed tonoticethis, it didnot cramphis styleunduly. In spite ofhis ruthlessness, Petersondidnot lacka senseofhumourand, liketheartist hewas, oftenaddedelementsofwhimsytohis dastardlyplots. Needless to say, thejokes were always at someoneelse's expense.Hewas alsoan expert forger, andemployedthis talent togood effectonoccasions when

his methods ofpersuasion hadproved rathertoodrastic .

TheDevilDoctor"Imagine aperson, tall, leanandfeline, highshouldered, with abrow likeShakespeare anda facelike Satan, aclose shaven skull and longmagnetic eyesofthe truecat green. Investhimwith all the cruel cunning ofan entire Easternrace accumulated in one giant intellect, withallthe resources ofscience, past andpresent,and you havea picture ofDrFu Manchu, the`Yellow Peril' incarnatein one man."

Fog-shrouded streets in busy seaports,mysterious artefacts from the East, sinistersecret societies, and suddenand inexplic-abledeaths - idealmaterial for CoCthulhuscenarios, and the very stuffofSax Rohmer'smany stories about the Devil Doctor.

The principal organisationthrough which FuManchu workedwas the Si-Fan . Aswell asbeing atermforthenatives ofEast Tibet, itwas "the name ofa secret society withbranchesinevery cornerofthe Orient",dedicated totheestablishment ofaworldempire, ruled by a princess ofincalculablyancientlineage, preserved by reincarnation,and residing in a secret monasteryin Tibet.

Fu Manchu's mainagents wereBurmeseDacoits, or Stranglers, members ofthe samesect as the Indian Thugees, whowere adeptatsilentmurder. Byuseofdevices such astelescopic ladders, or naturalagility, theywere able to reachapparently secure roomsandintroduce some deadly agent. This couldrange fromasnake concealedinside a walkingstickto a drug, a gas, orthe Flower ofSilencewhose touch wasdeadly. FuManchu himselfwas achemistofgenius, adeptatthepreparation ofpoisons, theirantidotes, andsubstances that couldproduce a cataleptictrance . Hewasalsoabrilliant linguist "whospokewith almost equal facilityinany ofthecivilisedlanguages and inthemost barbaric".

Although the Doctordoesnot makeuseofmagicorthe occult, exceptthrougha sort ofhypnosis, theSi-Fanhasparallels withreferences in some ofLovecraft'sstories tothemysteriousPlateauofLeng . In TheSi-FanMysteries, Fu Manchualso uses as ahidingplace asecretchapel, partofanetwork oftunnels and chambers underGreywaterPark,whichhad inthepastbeen usedfortheworshipofAsmodeus and the celebration ofthe BlackMass. Intheearly stories, Rohmermakes it clear thatFu Manchu is nothisownmaster, butmerelythe servant ofsome powerso remote andterrible thatNayland Smith didnotdare to contemplateit . In later stories, theChinaman worked more on his ownbehalf,and iftherewas anyonein the world boldenough to try to exploit Cthulhu et al forhisown ends, FuManchu wasthatman.

Authors - Chris Elliott, DickEdwards&Pete Tamlyn

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Oneofthemost significant effects on Britishsociety inthe '20s wasthe appallingmortality rate oftheFirst WorldWar. Duringthat conflict, a largepercentage ofthecountry's able-bodiedmenwere killed . And"able-bodied" is asignificant phrasehere,for nearly 40 % ofthe potential recruits fromtheworking classes provedtoo sickly fortheforces . Thismeantthat adisproportionatenumberofthe casualties camefromthemiddle andupperclasses . The country'snobility was decimated .

Afuther result ofthewar wasthelargenumberofex-soldierswhostill carriedthescarsofbattle. Thismeantnot only obviousdisablement -lackoflimbs and so on -but theinternal injuries causedby poison gas, andthe mental scars leftby lifein the trenches.The deadlockedfightinginwhich tensofthousands oflives were spent to gainafewmiles ofmuddy grounddrove many menmad . Indeed, some 2,000 ofthe men still inmilitaryhospitals attheendofthe warwerecertified insane . Sanity, in post-warBritain,wasinshort supply.

Bright YoungThings

Following the war, thoseyoung people whohad survived, orwho weretooyoung for theconflict, invented their ownformofinsanity.The strict and stuffymoralityoftheVictorianand Edwardian eraswas thrown outofthewindow, tobe replaced bylifeasanever-endingparty. Much tothehorror oftheirelders, Britain's youth gave itselfovertoindecency (skirts abovetheknees!), promis-cuity, inelegant Americandances and evendrug-taking (opium, heroinandcocaine wereall readily available) . The youngignored thisdisapproval : after all, it wasn't theywho hadmade such a mess ofthatawful war.

Between 1919 and 1925 some 11,000 dancehalls andnightclubs were opened, mostly inthe south . Manyofthe night clubs were littlemorethanone-or-tworoomdrinkingparlours.They often openedandclosedin thesame week, eitherbecauseofa police raid(after all, obtaining a licence washardly inthe spirit ofsuchenterprises), or becausetheir patrons hadbecomeboredand movedontothe latest fashionablehang-out .

TheDepressionput something ofa damperonthe party spirit, and things quieteneddownconsiderably duringthe'30s . Inconsequence, the fashion switched fromparties to politics, withmanyyoung peopleeither following Moseley into Fascismorbecoming Communistsandgoingoffto fightintheSpanishCivilWar.

Social ClassLet itnotbeimagined, however, that suchdebauchery was open toall . Britainwas still adeeply divided nation, withovera millionpeople still working as servants . Workingclass peoplewere expected totouchtheirforelocks orcurtseybefore addressingtheirsocial `betters', and all largehouses had afrontentrance for `polite' visitorsand abackorside entrance for `tradesmen'. While theupper classes partiedinahazeofchampagneand opium, the lowerorders triedhard todrown theirsorrows inbeer.

Although Britain was nowherenear associally mobile as America, afewavenues ofadvancement didexist forthepoor. Anintelligentworkingclassladcouldhope forasafe, middle-class life as a MethodistMinister, orattempt to risethrough theranksoftheLabour Movement from Shop Stewardto UnionLeader orMP The eraoftheworking class pop starwas yetto arrive, butsportwas bignews and outstanding talent atsocceror cricketwasa surefire ticket to fame.

Another socially significant factorduring theperiod was the continuing growth ofthemiddle class ; professional people withgood,well-paid jobscould, anddid, aspire to`polite' behaviour. Really successfulbusinessmen(many ofthemthankstoruthlessprofiteering duringthe war) couldbetterthelowernobility inwealth, andtherewas considerable rivalrybetween the truearistocrats andtheindustrial `nouveau riche'.Whether ornotyoucouldtraceyourancestryback tothe Norman invasion of 1066couldbea very important social question .

TheEmancipation ofWomenThe 1919 Act whichfinally gave thevotetowomen marked the effective end oftheSuffragettemovement as a national force .Nevertheless, thebattle wasby no meanswon . Itwasanother9 years beforetheage at

Religion

whichmenandwomencould vote wasequalised, andeventhenthedaily papersdoubtedthatyoung "flappers" had enoughsensetousetheirnew-found power. Also,therewas considerable discrimination inwhatjobs women couldtake and whattheywerepaid for them, despite thefactthatthewarhadprovedthatwomenwerewellcapable ofall aspects ofindustrialwork .Many British people, both male andfemale,firmlybelievedthata wifewas the propertyofher husbandratherthanan equal partner.

An interesting phenomenontonote was thetrendtowards unisex fashionduring the '20s .Womenworetheirhair shortand tried hardtolookflat-chested. Menworenofacial hair.Dandyism wascommonamongst the upperclasses and homosexualitywasrife in EtonandOxford .

Although the strict morality ofVictoriantimeswasbadly shakenby theactivitiesofthe `BrightYoung Things', theBritainofthe'20s and '30s was still amuch more religioussociety thanit is today. True, things weregoingbadlyfor the churches ; the rapidadvances in science, Darwinism inparticular, andtheseemingly pointlessslaughter ofthe GreatWarhadbadly shakenmen's faith in God, butBritainwasstill verymuch aChristiancountry andasizeablepercentage ofthepopulation attendedchurchregularly every Sunday.

Thevast majority oftheupper classes weremembers ofthe Protestant ChurchofEngland, buttheworking classes -particularly inWales and the North East -preferred the less class-concious'non-conformist' religions, particularly theMethodist sects (which united in 1932,largely dueto falling membership) .Catholicismhadbeen freedoflegaldiscrimination fora century, but suspicionand hatredofCatholics amongst staunchProtestants was still rife, a situation whichthe goings-on in Irelanddidnothing torelieve . Wherelarge Catholic populationsexisted, rivalry wasoftenfoughtoutonthefootball fieldwith cities such as Liverpooland Glasgowhaving oneCatholicteam andone Protestantone .

The situation in Scotlandwas quite differentfromthe restofthecountry. As with so manyotherinstitutions, Scotland had its ownProtestantchurch, splitinto several rivalsects . Someofthemoreextreme ofthesegroupswerealmostunimaginably strict intheirmoral codes .

Authors -Andy Bradbury&Pete Tamlyn

15

CommunicationsPostageThepostal serviceinthe `20s and `30swasmuchbetterthanit istoday. Letter post wascheapandthere wereseveral deliveries aday.Itwas quite possible topost aletter fromLondon toReading inthemorningandreceivea reply lateintheafternoon . Foreignmail was somewhatmoreunreliable due tothe lack ofacomprehensive airmail service.

The fastest wayto send a messagefromoneplace toanotherwasby telegram . Thisservice was still efficient and reliable, thoughitwas steadily being abandonedin favouroftelephones throughout the period.

Prices :Letters

1'hd forthefirst 2 oz; 1/2d per ozthereafter

Empire&

1/2d forthefirst 1 oz ; Idper 1 ozus thereafterForeign

2 1/2dfor the first 1 oz ; 1 1/2dper 1ozthereafter

Parcels

6dfor21b ; 9dfor 51b ; is for 8 lbTelegrams

is forthefirst 12 words(includingaddress)then Idforeach extra word . There was a 6dsurchargeon Sundays and bankHolidays .

TelephonesThenumberoftelephones inuse in Britainwas far less thanthatin theUSA atthe sametime, though itwas increasing steadily. In1928, athird ofalltelephonesinthecountrywere inLondon, andeven in the capital therewasonly onephone per 7.7 people. At thattime Britainmanaged an average of28.6 callsperpersonper year.

Makinga call wasnot easy either. Automaticexchanges were rare : youoften hadtophonetheoperator andasktobe connectedtothenumber you wanted .

NewspapersDaily Newspapers were commonplaceby1919 and therewere many to choose from .They ranging from cheaptabloids at 1/2d or ldto the mighty Times at 2d . AsidefromtheTimes, which wasthe only paper a gentlemanneedconsider, othertitlesonoffer(andtheirallegiances) included :

TheDaily Telegraph (businessmen) ;TheMorningPost

(Imperialist Conservative) ;TheDailyNews andDaily Chronicle

(Liberal) ;TheDailyMail (IndependantTabloid) ;JohnBull(Horatio Bottomley) ;TheDailyExpress (LordBeaverbrook) ;TheDailyHerald(Labour) .

Sunday papers suchas The Observer, TheSunday Times, The SundayExpressand TheNewsofthe Worldwerealsoavailable . The

16

social activities oftheupper classes werereported in the weeklymagazine, Tatler.

Despite the profusion oftitles, the newsindifferentpapers couldoften beidentical wordfor word . This was because the smallerpapers couldnot afford lotsofreporters, andtherefore they re-printed Reuters reportsverbatim . However, the useoftelegraphy andradio made even the foreign news fairlyuptodate .

Radio& Televison

The BBC, founded in October 1922, veryquicklybecamea major sourceofnews,information andentertainment . Its firstDirector, John (later Lord) Reith wasthe sonofa Scottishclergyman, andit was hisstrictmoral outlook which mouldedthe BBC'sreputation forimpartiality, standardpronounciation and stuffiness . Reith insistedoneven hisradio news reporters wearingdinnerjackets! FromSeptember 1923onwards, details ofall BBC programs couldbefound inits weeklymagazine, RadioTimes (2d) .

Initially, mostradioprogrammes weremusical, butthey quickly expanded toinclude religious material, drama,informative talksand Children's Hour. Newsbroadcastswere not allowed before 7.00pm, aconcession to worried newspaper owners.One ofthe mostpopular lightentertainmentshows wasMusicHall whichfeatured wellknown variety artists .

Althoughtelevision gotgoing very soonafterradio it didnotgain pre-eminence until afterWW2 . The early TV broadcasts were verystrange events as theequipmentofthetimerequiredtheperformersto sit inblacked-outstudios scannedby an intense beamoflight .The studiomake-up includedred patchesundertheeyesandbluelips .

Principal Libraries

Thefollowing listgivestheprincipal Britishlibraries containingmateriallikelytobeofinterestto Cthulhuinvestigators :

The British Museum (Bloomsbury,London) ;

The NationalLibraryofScotland(Edinburgh, founded 1925) ;

The BodleianLibary, Oxford(goodfor oriental manuscripts) ;

The UniversityLibrary, Cambridge ;Trinity College Library, Cambridge ;TheCathedralLibraries ofDurham, York,

Exeterand Hereford (Exeter specialisesin Saxonworks whilst Herefordhas asuperb, ifsmall collectionofancientBibles, Greek, Roman andArabicbooks) ;

John RylandsLibrary(Deansgate, Manchester) ;

The Society ofAntiquaries(Archaeology -BurlingtonHouse,London)

The Royal Geographical Society(Maps - London) ;

The Theosophical Society(Occult-Bedford Square, London; 45LancasterGateafter 1931) .

We shouldalso mention the BibliothequeNationale in Paris . Though it painstheEnglish toadmit it, the French NationalLibrary has possibly thebest collectionofancient manuscripts inthe world, thankstoNapoleon's acquisitiveness . Theonly rival isthe Vatican, whichwill notbe open toinvestigators .

Author-Pete Tamlyn

Theorganisation oftheBritishpolice inthe`20s and`30s wasverymuch as it is today.Mostcounties hadtheirownforce, headedbyaChiefConstable, althoughsome hadjointforces coveringmore thanone county, andLondonandotherlargecitieshad theirownforces as well . Thecounty forces were fairlyautonomous, but there was some centralcontrol throughthe HomeOffice. Thedifferentforces variedwidely intheir use ofnewtechniques.

Note that the Scotland Yard offices duringtheperiodwere at the old "New Scotland Yard",aredbrick building on TheEmbank-ment,not at the new "New ScotlandYard" onVictoria Street . The Yard wastheheadquarters ofthe CriminalInvestigationDepartment(CID) as wellas theMetropolitan Police .

Whatwas radically different fromtheVictorianerawas the improvementthathadbeenmadeinpolice methods, particularly inthe fieldofforensic science. The followingextracts fromapublic lecture illustrate someofthe techniques used .

ForensicsExtracts fromalecturegiven by InspectorCarltonofScotlandYard in 1923 :

`Asyouprobablyknow, theofficial use offingerprints asameans ofidentification wasonlyintroduced in 1901 . Up tillthen we stilldependedon theBertillonsystem ofcollect-inga whole series ofphysical measurementsforeachcriminal record. Overthelasttwenty-odd yearswe'vebuiltupa libraryofmore than200,000sets ofprints, andofcourse thecollectiongoeson growing. Ihaveto admitthatwe don'thave an idealsystem ofclassification, but the information wehavehasstillproved to be worthmorethan itsweight in goldfromourpoint ofview.

"Totake prints weuseoneofthree methods,dependingon howlongago theprintswereleft. Forolderprints, as long as there issomeresidual bodyoilremaining, iodine vapourdoes thetrick. Fairly recentprintscanbebroughtoutusing osmium tetroxide - you maykiowitasosmicacid. Weprefertousethismethod ifwecan, as it givesa clearer resultthan thevapour. Finally, with brandnewprints, wherethe oilhasn't hadtime to dryout, lead carbonatepowder andaninsufatorwillgive theclearest result ofall .Onceaprinthasbeenraised, aphotographmaythen be takenfor comparison with thosealreadyon record.

"Something else thatwe arealways on thelook-outfor is evidenceofbloodstains.Indeed, there is nowsometalk ofhuman

bloodbeing identifiable in terms ofthree orfourdifferentgroups, butthis is still in theexperimental stageandunlikely toimpress ajudge. Wecan, however, prove thatastain ishuman bloodand, with abit ofexperience,tellhowlongithas beenthere.

"Initsfreshlyspilt state, ifImayputitsobluntly, it willbea red liquid. Assuming ithasfallen on somesurface where it is easilyobserved, we shouldsee it turn, quitequickly, toajelly-like substance. Then it willbegin toshrink and'harden atthe centre,leavinga traceofyellowish liquidattheedges.

`Afterabouttwohours, the centreofthestain, stillgettingharder, willbegin toturnbrown, whilst the liquidatthe edgeswillbecome transparent. Anhourlater, the liquidwillprobablyhave disappearedaltogether,leavingthehardened centralportionadarkbrown colour. Fromthispointonwards, thestain simplygrowsdarker, andthenbegins tobreakdownuntil, after5or6days, you won'tfindmuchleft exceptagreyishcrust. Ofcourse, thesechanges willdependon theconditions atthetime- thehotter the weatherthe quickereverything happens.

"Havingfound whatyoubelievetobeabloodstain, you can takeasampleforanalysis . Youplace the bloodin asolutionofpotassiumcyanideandwater (adding ammonia tothesolution ifthe stain isondyedmaterial) . Ifthe stain isblood, it will releasebubbles ofoxygen. Howmuchdependson thetypeofblood-humanbloodhasthemostoxygen ofanycreature.

"Ofcourse, it is not only the residue ofhuman beings thatwe need to test . Ourscientists arejustas usefulin the case ofothermaterials. Forexample, the ageofadocumentmaybefairly accuratelyjudgedbymicroscopiccomparison with the texture ofwriting materialsknown to havebeenproducedatthedateallegedforthedocument in question. Even when abulletcannotbefoundatthe scene ofacrime, wecan distinguish between thedischarge ofanautomaticpistol (which will contain traces ofblacklead) anda revolver (which willnotcontain thatsubstance) ."

Punishment

Bythe `20sCapitalPunishmentwas onlyapplicable to murderandtreason. Ofmaybe60 murder trials in agivenyear, perhaps 23would result in death sentences, and ofthosehalfwouldbe pardoned . Womenwere muchmore likely to begiven lightersentences andtobepardonedthanmen.

Corporal Punishmenthadmore orless diedout, thoughit was usedon occasions in casesofrobbery withviolence. Instead, mostserious offences resulted in imprisonment .The quality ofprison lifewas in astate offluxbetweenthe rigid Victorian approach, withitslegacy oftreadmill, crank and hardlabour,andthe moremodernapproachby whichoffenders were "senttoprison asapunishment, not forapunishment". How aninmate is treatedmay welldepend on thepolicyoftheprison governor in question .

Author-AndyBradbury

17

EntertainmentThe CinemaIntheabsence oftelevision, the `20sand `30sproved to bethe heydayofthecinema .Hollywood wasthedominant forceintheindustry eventhen, British film-makinghaving allbut diedduring the war. In 1927, theGovernment hadtopassan Actlimiting thepercentage offoreignfilmsthatcouldbeshown, inorderto helpthe British industry.

Charlie Chaplin andhis fellow silent comicsweretheprincipal starsofthe '20s, butwiththe arrival of`talkies' in the late '20s,dramatic films becameeasier to make and anewbreed ofstars such as GretaGarbo,Marlene Dietrich, the MarxBrothers andW C Fieldstookover. The bestknown Britishfilm oftheperiod is probably The Thiriy-Nine Steps, anadaptationofaJohnBuchannovel . AlfredHitchcock alsobeganhiscareeratthistime .

The TheatreAlthoughShaw wasundoubtablythe leadingplaywrightoftheage, Noel Coward'samusing, andoften disturbingproductionswere possibly more popular. Ballet enjoyed aperiodofrisingpopularity, especially afterthetouroftheRussian Balletwithits famousimpresario, Diaghilev, andtalentedstar,Nijinski .

Two productions ofspecial interesttoinvestigators mightbe Stravinsky's ballet,The RiteofSpring, andKarel Capek's play,R UR. The Ritewas firstperformed in 1913,whentheParis audiencewas outragedbytheviolent, rhythmicbutquiteunmelodic score.Thestory isbasedonpagan Russian folklore,andin the final act ayoung girl dances herselfto deathas asacrifce to the godofSpring .

Capekwas aCzech, already well known forhis unusual satire, TheLife oftheInsects,which features insectsbehaving in remark-ablyhuman-likeways, including theprophetically Nazi-like ants . R U Ris aventureinto science fictionand concerns acompany whichmakes mechanical people .Theword whichCapekinventedto describesuchmachines was "robot".

LiteratureBritish literatureflourishedbetween thewars . Whatis more, authors foundthemselves able toliveby selling books,ratherthanhavingtowork throughserialisations in newspapers, asdidDickensand ConanDoyle. Alarge number ofcontemporary authorshavealready beenmentioned in the Biographies andCharacterssections,but therearemany more. Hereis ashort list :

JohnBuchan, EM Forster, GrahamGreene,ChristopherIsherwood, JamesJoyce,Somerset Maugham, A AMilne, George

Orwell, J B Priestley, Arthur Ransome,Dylan Thomas, EdgarWallace, HughWalpole, Virginia Woolf.

SportMost ofBritain'smajorsporting institutionswere founded duringthelaterhalfofthe 19thCenturyand, by 1919, were wellest-ablished .Althoughrugbywasthe preferred wintergameofthe upperclasses andhorseracingwasa great spectator sport, thenationalpastimesofthe country wereundoubtedly football (soccer)and cricket .Theyalso providedoneofthefewmeanswherebyaworking class mancould achievefame and fortune .

In cricket, thecounty championship wasmore orlessidentical to thatwhichexiststoday, although one-day matches wereunknown . Regular testswere played againstSouth Africa, the West Indies, Indiaand NewZealand,butby farthemost importantconfrontationwasthatbetween EnglandandAustralia .

AlthoughAustralia's Don Bradman wasthepremier cricketer oftheage, he by nomeanshad things his ownway. English batsmensuch as JackHobbs and LenHuttonwerejustas capable ofgetting big scores, indeedHutton made 364out ofEngland's massivetotal of903 at The Ovalin 1938. As withtoday, fastbowlersweremuch inthe news .The infamous `bodyline' series of 1932-33became notoriousbecauseoftheallegedtactics ofthe English bowlers, Larwood andVoce, ofbowling attheAustralianbatsmenratherthanatthe wickets .

The influence ofcricketover theEnglisharistocracy should notbe underestimated .Wsden, the cricket yearbook, sold almost aswellas the Bible, and it is quite incharacterfor an English investigatorto delayhisenquiries fora dayortwo ifthereis a testmatchonnearby.

Themajor soccerclubs ofthe periodwerefairly much the same as they are today,though some famousnames suchasWestHam Utd., Blackburn Rovers and PrestonNorth End have since sunkintoobscurity.Only Arsenalhavealways beenintheFirstDivision, andmighty ManchesterUnitedcame within one pointofbeing relegated

Don Brtulman -July 191930A Slip, A Hit, and the crowd's ovation:%he young manfromNew South Wales.

A SLIP, A HIT, AND THE CROWD'S OVATION : THE YOUNG MAN FROM NEW SOUTH WALES. pThe personal success of Bradman somewhat outweighed the team interest in the third Test match at Leeds, at any rate during the first Finnings .

The progress of the total of 334 from this young player was thus :-oz runs in ninety-six minutes, his double century in twohundred and twenty minutes, and a score of 309 at the end of the first day's play .

The great question raised by Don Bradman's remarkableinnings (following, as it does, on rat and 254 in the first and second Tests) is what will happen to Australia when their great scorer fails tofind his form, which must sooner or later happen .

Except perhaps Woodfull, there is no member of the visiting team who, on his form sofar, can be absolutely relied upon to make runs against Larwood, Tate, or some of our other bowlers.

from Division 2 in 1934 . The Third Divisionwas founded in 1920, butthefollowing yearwas expanded and split into one section for

TheN,thenorthandone forthe south . There was no

it did nFourthDivision .

WWIIthe poc

Theoutstanding players ofthe period were

ofthe IWilliam `Dixie' Dean(Everton 1925-38) and

and prfSir Stanley Matthews (Stoke City 1931-47) .

his serDean scored 12goals in his first5matches for

valuedEngland, and 60 forEverton in their

governchampionship-winning season of 1927-28 .

In 1911Author- Pete Tamlyn

Nationcompswho eischementitlesicknethey wbenefispecia

Seen

InordGeorgschenFrienifoundprovicMemlfew pIreturntheir 1socielRechlDepoin natwere

RunnFrienamissand, lpaydGaveless estatulwhowhirlthroutreats

BeshgovereforincluneedAgaionlypopuwho]inve.

The ;poorimpsandsmaindiptl

TheNa,it did notcomeinto existence untilafter~41 W11. There were some provisions to helpepoorin case ofneed, buta wealthy Britontheperiod would havehad aprivate doctor,idprobably paidformedicaltreatmentfors servants as well, particularly iftheywereSuedemployees . Thepoor reliedonovemnent aid .

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ing the Doctorional Health Service as wenow know

order to savegovernmentmoney, Lloydrge,who was inchargeofsetting up the

hems, chooseto administer itthroughiendly Societies . These organisations wereded in previous centuries asa meansofiding medical insurance forthepoor.tubers ofaFriendly Society wouldpay apenceaweekinto the societyfundand, in

the society looked afterthemandirfamilies ifthey fell sick . Theprincipal

ocieties were the Oddfellows, Foresters,.habites, Hearts ofOak and National

Tosit . Someofthemwere purely financial,nature, butothers hada social sideandirerunina similarwayto Freemasons .

nningNational Insurance through theiendly Societiesproved to be something ofistake . Whilst some were very wellrunl, through cleverinvestments, were abletotheirmembers more than theernment stipulated, other societieswereefficient andprovedunable to paythetoryamount . Working class charactersneedtovisitthedoctorwillbe askedch Friendly Societythey are insuredughbeforetheycan receive their freemment .

s National Insurance, the Liberalment also introduced several other

nns aimedathelping the poor. Theseedoldagepensions, free mealsforchildren and unemployment benefit .all ofthesebenefits were available

i the verypoor(perhaps athird ofthelation) ratherthan to the country as a

. Anyone richenoughto be anigator isunlikely to becovered .

blic Health

neralhealth ofthepublic, althoughby today's standards, was greatlyoved . Diseases suchas typhoid, cholera

ariawere well undercontrol, andthethreats camefrom scarlet fever,eria, tuberculoisis, pneumonia and

heart Disease . Cancer was onthe increase,butwasnowherenearthe majorproblem it istoday.

The Temperance Movement

Temperance (abstainingfrom alcohol) wasquite popularduring the period, althoughtherewas no governmentprohibition intheUK as there was inthe USA. No figures areavailable formembershipoftheTemperanceSociety, but it was sufficiently important forGeorge Vand QueenMary tobe its patrons .Lady Astorwas also aprominentTemperance campaigner - indeed, sheintroducedthe 1923 Billthatraised theminimumdrinking age from 16 to 18 . Perhapsbecauseofall this eminent support forTemperance, licencing hourswerefairlyshortby 19th Century standards .

Before the Great War, pubs were allowed toremainopen for 17 hours a day (19 hoursinLondon) . The wartimeGovernment reducedthis to5fh hours dueto theemergency, butwhenthe warwas over it tookuntil 1921 forthe situation tobechanged, and eventhenonly 8 hours aday were permitted (9 inLondon) . Alarge numberofhotels,particularlyinWales and Scotland, were`temperance houses', ie, they did not servealcohol . Investigators who are fond ofatipplewouldbe well advised to check on thisbefore bookinga room .

Asylums

The Lunacy Actof1890 established the basisonwhich all insane asylumswereadministeredduring the `20s . The theorybehind this Actwas that lunacywas largely alegal problem - the insane neededtobe putaway to protect society, and fortheirownsafety. Accordingly, asylumconditions were

Foundedt85t .

Research InstituteUste

built r9ro.

Incorporated underRoyalCharter.

FULHAM ROAD,LONDON .

NO LETTERS.

NO PAYMENTS .The First Special Hospital in London for the Treatment of . Cancer.

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS, DONATIONS ANDLEGACIES ARE EARNESTLY SOLICITED .

Funds are irnnediatel.y needed Jt r Building Exten-V,the first part o) which will be Wards for

eddle-Irwome'" Patients, who can contributetowards their cast.

Bankers : Courts &CO. . e41, Strand. T. Courtney Buchanan, Sec.

"That was the cry of a little girl inSt. John's Hospital. It illustratesthe fact that a sufferer from skincomplaints -is too often regardedas a nuisance-to be shunned-than someone to be helped.Won't you sympathise and help toprovide necessary skilled attentionand treatment for these sufferers ?

ST. JOHN'S HOSPITALfor Diseases of the Skin,

49, Leicester Square, W.C.2.PATRONEs-HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN .

TREATS 1,000 PATIENTS WEEKLY.Patients are seen at e9, Leicester Square, every afternoon at z,

andevery evening, except Saturday. at b.

Secretary-Superintendent .'Phone Gerrard 8680 .

GEORGE A. ARNAUDIN.

very similarto those in prisons, withlong,silent corridors, lockeddoors and anemphasis on confinement rather than cure .

Therewerethree waysin which alunaticcould beadmittedto an asylum . An "urgencyorder" was available on the applicationofarelative ofthepatient, backed bythediagnosis ofonedoctor. Suchorders wereonly valid for7days - enoughto givethelunatictimeto calm down. For longerconfinement, an "orderonpetition" wasrequired . Inthiscase, therelative hadtopresentthe diagnosis oftwodoctorsto a localmagistrate . Additionally, criminalscould becertified insane during trials . Again, thejudge requiredthe opinion oftwo doctorsbeforemaking suchan order.

Patientscould notbe released without theauthority ofthe asylumdoctors . Ifthey werecommittedontherequestofa relative, thatrelative couldinitiate thereleaseprocess .

Conditions inasylums at the end ofthe warwere verypoor. There was considerableovercrowding, especially asseveral asylumswere commandeered as militaryhospitals .Also, there was agreat shortage oftrainedstaffas somany ofthemwere killed inthewar.

In 1930, athenew Mental Treatment ActmovedBritaintowards amore medicalviewofinsanity. The Actre-definedthecategoriesofadmission, includingtheintro-duction ofvoluntaryadmission . Voluntary patientscould dischargethemselvesat72hoursnotice rather thanhaving towait for adecisionfromthedoctors . Certificationthrough trial remained, buttheotheradmission categories were combined,requiring an applicationfroma relative, twodoctors' opinions, and thatthepatientwasincapableofexpressing anintelligentopinion ofhis own.

Author-Pete Tamlyn

19

Money& PricesBritish coinage during the `20s and `30s stillusedtheold system of 12penceto the shillingand 20 shillings tothepound . Abbreviationsusedwere `d' forpence, `s' forshillings and`£' forpounds, although amounts were oftenwritten ass/d, evenwhentheamountwasover El (eg, 30/6is 30 shillingsand sixpenceor£1 10s 6d) . Manyprices, particularly ofhigh quality goods, wereoften quotedinguineas ; ie, multiples of21s .

The coins and notes in common use were 1/d(farthing), 'hdand Idin bronze; 3d, 6d, Is,2/6(halfcrown) and5s (crown) insilver ; £1in gold (sovereign) and 10s, £1 and£5 asnotes. Largernotesdid exist, but evena£5note was so rarethat shopkeepers usuallyasked customerstosign it on the backbefore

Goldfob watch. .Stop watch . .Ladies silverwristwatch . .Spectacles . .Microscope . .Telescope. .Pocketcompass . .Boxcamera . .ZeissIkon Camera . .KodakPortable CineCamera . .Film, developing &printing . .Radioreceiver. .Ball ofstring. .Parker Fountain Pen . .Portable typewriter. .Handbag . .Trunk . .Brandy flask . .Cricket Bat . .`Stowaway' foldingboat . .Webley 12borehammerless shotgun . .100 shotgun cartridges . ..45 revolver. .100 revolverbullets . .Butterfly net. .Naturalist's dissection kit . .Penknife . .Skis . .Picnic basket(4persons) . .Sleeping bag . .Campbedwithmosquito net . .Tent 10ftx8ft . .Travellingspirit stove . .Gardening scythe . .Electric torch . .Portable `searchlight'. .Traveller's medicinecase . .Bottle ofAspirin (100) . .Bottle ofhydrochloric acid(1 pint) . .ChurchProcessional Cross . .CopyofBurke's Peerage. .London Post Office Directory. .Wisden Cricketers' Almanac . .Dunlop BritishTouring Atlas. .Baedeker Guides to foreign countries . .The Daily Mail . .The Times . .

2 0

accepting it . In 1937, thesilver 3d wasreplaced bythe famous 12-sidedbronze coin .Rememberthatcoins weredatedwith theyear ofissue ontheback, andalways showedthecurrentmonarch'shead on the front.

Many oftheprices givenbeloware takenfromthe 1929 Harrodscatalogue. During theperiod, Harrods' position as supplier ofallthe lady's orgentleman's requirementswasabsolute . Theirtelegram address was"Everything Harrods London", and whenthey said `everything' they meantevery-thing, including banking, insurance, funeraland library services, hire ofdance bands,building and decorating and portraitpainting . Delivery was freein Londonandthe suburbs . Just phone Sloane 1234, any

houroftheday, andquoteyouraccountnumber. . . .

Obviously, theprices givenbelow are onlyexamples . Everythinglistedcould befoundas amore expensive luxurymodel atHarrodsand many thingscouldbe obtained cheaperelsewhere . Prices did vary alittlewith time,butby muchless than the variation foundbetweencheap andluxury versions ofthesameitem . Theexchange ratewas $5 to the £atthe end ofWWI, falling to $4to the£by1930.

Authors- MarcusRowland,Chris ElliottandDickEdwards

TheThiswhiclnatioiprota;ClemPresihadvtheircomyensueinvadcontrmakifountGeorfreshslogspips ;

In thinEtFranbeacfifte(occuperkinhallargeAddicede

ifthestricandithedwasAfte192?breaplanthosto reunwpayrabai

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£&10.0 Chauffeur's Uniform. . £5.15.0£6.15 .0 Eveningdress suit . . 11 Gus£1.10.0 White suitfor tropical climes . . 30/-6/6 Plainwhite shirt . . 10/6£4.10.0 Eveningdress shirt . . 15/6£3.15.0 Man's shoes (OxfordBrogues) . . 69/-£2.5.0 Pith Helmet . . 27/6£1 .1.0 Bowler Hat . . 25/-£12.5.0 Top Hat . . 32/6£25.0.0 Cloth cap. . 10/68dperpicture Ladies shoes . . 49/6£13 .0.0 Silk stockings . . 8/115 1/2d Maid'suniform . . 12/521/- Leather driving coat . . £15.15 .0£8.15 .011/6 Tin ofHeinzBaked Beans . . 6d£9.12 .0 Blue Mountaincoffee beans(lb) . . 3/410/- JarofRobertson's Jam . . 11 1/2d33/- Bottle ofRose's LimeCordial . . 2/-£17.17.0£22.0.0 Tin ofoysters . . 1/115/- Tin ofHeinz Tomato Soup. . 6d£2.6 .0 Tin ofChinaTea(5 lb) . . 24/85/- Dundee cake (21b) . . 3/65/6 Loafofbread . . 1/-£1.15 .0 Dozen eggs . . 2/28/6 Pound ofbutter. . 2/-£2.12 .6 Pound ofsteak . . 1/5£7.19.080/- Bristol Cream Sherry. . 144/-42/- Cockburn'sRuby Port . . 66/-£14.18.9 Johnny WalkerRed Label Whisky. . 12/67/- 20cigarettes . . 1/-7/- Pintofbeer. . 6d10/612/6 1stclass rail fare London- Southampton . . 16/5£2.9.6 10 day Mediterraneancruise . . 20Gns1/6 Return flightLondon - Paris . . £12 .0.01/6 Gallonofpetrol . . 1/7£76.0.0 Bicycle . . £5.5.0105/- BSA500cc motorbike. . £57.10.055/- 4mile bus fare . . 4d5/-3/- 3-bedroom semi-detached house . . £600.0.012/- Luxury hotel room (1 night) . . 8/6ld Hotel breakfast. . 2/62d Hotel dinner. . 5/6

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nd,WS

TheTreaty ofVersaillesThiswastheresult ofthePeace Conferencewhichmet todecide the fate ofthe defeatednations afterWWI. Themostimportantprotagonists were Lloyd George,Clemenceau ofFranceandthe AmericanPresident, WoodrowWilson, andallthreehadwidely different ideas abouthowtotreattheirdefeated enemies. Clemenceauwantedcomplete revenge, something that wouldensure that Germany could neveragaininvade the sacredsoil ofFrance . Wilson, incontrast, wasamanofideals, intent onmaking ajustpeace and layingthefoundationsofanew world order. LloydGeorge, although moderate atheart, camefreshfromanelection whichaboundedwithslogans such as "squeezeGermanyuntilthepips squeak" and "hangthe Kaiser".

In the Treaty Germany losta lotofterritoryin Europe : Alsace-Lorrainewas restoredtoFrance, theimportantSaarcoalfieldwas tobe administered bythe League ofNationsforfifteen years andthe Rhinelandwas to beoccupied by allied troops for asimilarperiod .In all,Germanylost over6millioninhabitants, about 10% of its population, andlargeareasofstrategically valuable territory.Additionally, allGermancolonies werecededto the allies.

Ifthis wasn't bad enough, the Treaty imposedstrict limitson Germany's military strengthandimposedaheavy fineto compensate forthedamages caused by the war. Initially, thiswassetat £6,600million, an impossible sum.Afterthe Germanhyper-inflationof1923-24, during whichthepriceofa loafofbreadrose tothousandsofMarks, the Dawesplan reduced therepayments to cover onlythose sums Germanyhadhadto borrow totryto repaythedebt . This still provedunworkable, and `reparations', as thepayments wereknown, werefinallyabandonedin1932 .

TheTreaty also provided forthe foundationoftheLeagueofNations, anorganisation

dedicatedto themaintenance ofworldpeace.Needlesstosay, Germany wasexcluded .

The General Strike

Aftera shortpost-warboom, theBritisheconomy slumpedbadly, withfallingexportsandmass unemployment asa consequence.Ofparticularimportance were the problemsofthecoal industry. Coalwasbadly hit,partly because ofthe riseofnew fuels - gas,oil and electricity - andpartly throughcompetitionfrommoremodernminingindustries in Germany andPoland . Thecrunch camewhenFrance withdrewfrom itsoccupationoftheGermanindustrial areaoftheRuhr, andcoalprices fell sharply inanticipation ofthe Germans gettingbacktofull production . Themine ownersannounceda reduction inwages and anincrease in hours.

Prime Minister Baldwindelayedthecrisisfor afewmonths byprovidingasubsidy andlaunching an inquiry under SirHerbertSamuel . Unfortunately, theSamuelCommission reported in favour oftheowners . The Government subsidyranout onMay 1st 1926, andtalksbetweenGovernmentandtheTUCbrokedownthe followingdayafterprintworkers refusedto produceanissue oftheDailyMailwhich attackedtheunions .

On May 4th, theTUCcalled aGeneral Strikein supportoftheminers . Theindustriesaffected included gas, electricity, iron &steel, building, printing andrail and roadtransport. However, the Governmenthadprepared welland, aided by thousands ofmiddle class volunteers, managed tokeep thecountry running smoothly. Further-more,many Labourleaders, includingRamsayMacDonald, feared the strike mightlead toaRussian-stylerevolutionand refused tosupport it . TheChurchcondemned the strikeandtheBBCwasonly allowedtobroadcastGovernmentstatements.

Despite thebest efforts ofChurchillandunionleader ErnestBevinto promotediscord, the strikewas actually fairlypeaceable, withpolice andpicketsoftenindulging in friendly football matches.Nevertheless, after9 days the TUCrealisedthestrike was having noeffect andcalled itoff. The miners continued the struggle alonefor 6 months, but were eventually forced tocapitulate . The followingyeartheGovermentpassed the Trades Disputes Actwhich made strikes in support ofotherworkers illegal.

TheDecline ofthe Liberalsand RiseofLabour

Although theLiberal Party ruledthe countryfor 8 yearspriorto WWI and itsleader, LloydGeorge, led the coalitiongovernmentforseveralyears after, withina decade it wasallbutdestroyed.

The rotstarted withthe Government'sincompetent runningofthewar. ThenLloydGeorge split the partyby hisruthlessmaneoveuring for power. The manhereplaced as Prime Minister, Asquith, formedarival group which existeduntil 1923 . Allthis timethe Labour Party was growing inpower.

The Representation ofthe People Actof1918wasacrucial factorinthe rise ofLabour. Ingivingthevote to all menover 21 and womenover31, itmadethe industrialworking classthemajority voting block in thecountry.Wealthy businessmen, former staunchLiberals, switched to theConservatives asthe surest way ofkeepingLabour out. OnceLabour hadformeda governmentin 1924andpeoplehad seen that Ramsay MacDonaldwas not anotherLenin, fearofLabourevaporated andtheLiberalvote collapsedcompletely.

The General Strike 1926

HISTORY

The Zinoviev Letter

Despite -or, perhaps, because of- the riseoftheLabour Party, therewas considerablefearofCommunism inBritain . Littlewas knownofthe new Russian stateandmany BritishSocialists openly supported it . The sortofscarethatcouldarise iswell illustratedby theevents surroundin.gthesecondGeneralElectionof1924 . Duringtheelectioncampaignthe DailyMail printedaletterfromaMrZinoviev ofMoscow to theBritishCommunist Party giving instructions astohow to organise a revolution . The Mail wentonto state that Ramsay MacDonaldandhisHome Secretary wereamong thoseonthecirculation list . Theletter was later proved tobe afake, butLabour lost the election .

Ireland

Ireland hadbeen agitating for Home Rulesincethe mid-Nineteenth Century. A Billgranting it waspassed in 1914, but waspromptly suspended fortheduration oftheconflict . Aminorityhopedto seizeindependance whilst Britainwas pre-occupied, and- with Germanhelp- launchedarebellion inEaster 1916 . The Irishpeoplefailedto riseinsupportandthe revoltwascrushed . Mostofthe rebelleaders wereexecuted, butone, Eamon deValera, wassaved thanks tohis American citizenship.Treatment oftherebels was so harshthattheindependence movement, SinnFein, now ledby deValera and with popular backing intheUS, grew rapidly.

In the 1918 election, Sinn Feinwon 73 ofthe105 Irish seats . They refusedto sit inParliament, instead forming the Dail EireanninDublin. De Valerawas electedPresidentandpromptly demandedthe establishment ofan Irish Republic . Lloyd Georgetriedtodefusethe situationwiththeGovernmentofIreland Actof 1920 whichcreatedthepartitionofIreland intothe free, Catholic

2 2

south andtheBritish, Protestant north . TheIrish FreeState, asthe south was called, wasto be aDominion ofthe Empire .

This caused asplitin Sinn Fein . MichaelCollinsandWilliamCosgrave went alongwith Lloyd George andformed a govern-ment, butdeValerafoundedtheIRAandtookto guerilla warfare . Britaincounteredwiththe `Black&Tans', recently demobbedsoldiers sent tokeep orderby any meanspossible. Both sidescommittedterribleatrocities, includingthe assassination ofCollins bytheIRAin 1922 . Overt warfareended in 1923, butde Valeracarried on thestruggleby terrorismuntil 1932, when heresorted to political means and succeededCosgrave as PrimeMinister.

There then followed aneconomic warbetweenBritainandtheIrish Free Statewhichde Valera finally abandoned in 1936because oftheterrible effects itwas having onIrish farming. In 1937, he issued a revisedconstitutionrenouncing all linkswithBritain, givingtheCatholicChurcha specialand powerfulpositionandchanging thecountry's nametoEire . The Britishgovernment did notfinallyacceptthis state ofaffairs until 1949.

The AbdicationDuringhis timeas Prince ofWales, EdwardVIII fell in love withan American, WallisSimpson . She divorcedher (second) husbandand hopedtomarry thenew King . However,she wasa foreigner, and re-marriage afterdivorcewas, atthe time, contrary to theteaching ofthe Church ofEngland, ofwhichthe reigning Monarch is the head . Specialprovision ofParliamentwouldneed tobemade ifMrs Simpsonwereto becomeQueenand, backedbythe Archbishop ofCanterburyand the Times, Baldwinrefused .

TheKing hadhis supporterstoo, notablyChurchilland Lord Beaverbrook . He hopedtocometo some accommodation whereby hecouldmarry Wallis without her becomingQueen. However, withthematterthreateningto splitthecountry andwith Baldwinrefusing to give way, Edward abdicatedonDecember 11th, 1936 .

Theex-King wasgiventhetitle DukeofWindsor, andpromptly left forFrance whereheandWalliswere married . Therest oftheRoyalFamilyshunnedthe new Duchess,refusing to accordherthetraditional title of`Royal Highness'. Edward wasbrieflycourted byHitler, whohopedto prey on theDuke's sympathy forthepoor and sethimupas apuppetking whenBritain was subdued .Eventually, however, theexiled lovers driftedinto obscurity. Theaffairalso finallyestablished thePrime Minister as theeffectiverulerofthecountry ratherthantheKing .

TheEmpireTheslow andpainfulprocess ofdismantlingthe Empire "onwhichthesun never sets" hadbegun evenbefore the outbreak ofWWI . The`white' colonieswere thefirst officially to go,being granted the status ofindependentlygoverned `Dominions', and laterbecomingstates intheirownright, albeitundertheBritish Crown . But someofthe `black'colonies, notably India, werealso agitatinghard forchange.

In 1922, theBritish protectorate ofEgyptendedwith that country becominganindependentkingdom . A special treatygiving Britain controlofthe Suez Canalwassignedin 1936.

TheGovernmentofIndiaActof 1919 startedthat country on the road to self-government,butwas swiftly followedby the AmritsarMassacre in which British troops killedover300 rioting Indians . UnlikedeValera, theIndian nationalist leader, MahatmaGhandi,was anavowedpacifist, but hispolicyofnon-cooperation withBritish rulewas every bit assuccessful, ifnotmore so, than the IRAsterrorcampaign .

InresponsetoGhandi's campaignofcivildisobedience, theBritish governmentsetupaCommissionand series ofconferances,culminating ina new actin 1935. Thisestablished 11 native-run provinces ruledoverbya British-controlled Federation .Before the scheme could getproperlyunderway, thewarwith Germany intervened, withtheIndians furious thatthe Viceroy haddeclared waron theirbehalfwithoutconsultingnative leaders .

The Empire-Facts and FiguresAlthough itexisted fora comparatively shorttime, theBritishEmpire was the largestempiretheworld has ever known . Atitsheightitcovered about 1/3 ofthe world's landsurfaceandincluded more than 1/5thoftheworld's population . The following figuresarefor 1932 :

Author- CarolineRogers

The pKofaqucentulinterefoundorganGoldcare ftiThey ,wellpperioiinvestofanireligiofpe(

Alei

AlthcCrownumtmostpowerevolsorccMacsachicthep,impcthroe

Borndeadrein(His 1werefromhad :reliagifts

Cro`exit(reluihislBrit:led Ipro[his tHir.nun,HerTheCroas irlearChrwoupow

DesrathenoitentThetowFiet

Country Area/sq. mites PopulationUnitedKingdom 94,633 46,540,385Irish Free State 27,000 2,972,000India 1,900,000 345,853,678Ceylon &Maldives 26,000 4,550,000East Asia 138,550 5,900,000Canada 3,842,750 9,100,000West Indies 115,500 2,200,000Australia 3,100,000 6,570,085NewZealand 105,000 1,500,000South Africa 1,238,000 7,200,000West Africa 600,000 20,000,000East&CentralAfrica 750,000 16,000,000Mauritius & Seychelles 900 400,000Gibralter,Cyprus& 3,721 560,000Malta

Antartica 2,970,000 0

Iheperiodbetweenthe wars wassomethingbffaquiet time forthe Occult. Theturn ofthecenturyhad seenagreatupsurge ofpublicinterest in things supernatural, andthefoundingoftwoofthegreatest Occultrganisations ofmodemtimes. These, theGoldenDawnandtheTheosophical Society,arefullydescribed in Cthulhuby Gaslight .They will not becoveredhere as they werewell past theirpeakby 1919. However, theperiod did seeagrowthin scientificinvestigation ofthe Occult, andthebeginingsofan interest in witchcraftandpaganreligion . There areplenty ofstrange groupsofpeople forinvestigators totangle with .

Aleister Crowley

AlthoughamemberoftheGolden Dawn,Crowley deserves special treatment here foranumber ofreasons. He is, without doubt, themostfamous sorcererofmodern times. Hispowers seem to have been phenomenal, hisreportedmagical feats includingthe reputedsorcerousmurderofGoldenDawnleader,MacGregorMathers, and the stupendousachievementofturningoneofhis disciples,thepoetVictorNeuberg, into adonkey. Moreimportantly, hewas aliveandactivethroughoutthe `20sand `30s .

Bornin 1875, shortly before EliphasLevi'sdeath,Crowley isgenerally believed tobe areincarnation ofthefamous French sorcerer.Hispre-war activities with the GoldenDawnwere financed largely through aninheritancefrom his mother, butby the endofWWIhehad spent mostofthisandwas increasinglyreliant on income from hiswritings andongiftsfromhis disciples.

Crowley had spent most ofthe waryears inexile in America, wherehis bitterness atthereluctance oftheEnglish worldto recognisehis literary genius andthe refusal oftheBritish Governmentto employhim as a spyledhim into writing pro-Germanpropaganda . However, in 1920,together withhistwomistresses, the AmericanLeahHirsig, and Ninette Shumway, a Frenchnursemaid, he moved to Ceflau in Sicily.Herehe established The Sacred Abbey ofThelema. `Abbey' is theright word, forCrowleyintended his establishment tobejustas much acentreofmagicaldevotionandTeaming as anordinaryabbeywas ofChristianpietyand scholarship. Manywould-bedisciplesvisitedhim and muchpowerful magic wasperformedthere.

Despitethe constant string ofvisitors, orratherbecausemostofthem were notrichenough toshower Crowleywith gifts, moneytended to be somethingofa problematThelema. In 1922 Crowley turned once moreto writing, sellinghis novelDiaryofa DrugFiend, toCollins. The book concerns an

aristocratic couplewhobecome addicted tococaine andheroin, and who, aftermanydebauched adventuresaroundEurope,discoverThelema (called Telepylus in thebook) where they receiveenlightenmentandarecured.

Whilstnot letting on the fullextent ofhisinvolvement, Crowley says that `Telepylus' isa real placeand offers to putanyonewhoneedsits help intouch with the holyestablishment. Doubtlesshe washopingfor afewpaying customers. Unfortunatelythebookwas siezed uponby JamesDouglas oftheSundayExpressand `exposed' afterthemanner forwhichtabloid newspapers arenowfamous . Another newspaper, HoratioBottomley's John Bull, alsotook up the story.Crowley was frontpage news.

Matters were madeworse in early 1923 whenRaoulLoveday, avisitor toThelema, diedofhepatitisafterdrinking from alocalmountain spring . Loveday's wife, BettyMay,whohatedCrowley, went straight to Douglaswith her story. Once again, theBritishpresswas full ofCrowley mania. Thesorcererprobably revelled in it to some extent -he didafterall title himself`The Great Beast' andwas proud ofhis reputation forwickedness -but the controversy cameto theattention ofthenewly victorious Mussolini whopromptly expelled the `Wickedest Man in theWorld' fromItaly.

Crowley spent the restofthedecadewandering around Europein searchofpatrons andnewmistresses, residing mainlyinFrance andGermany before returningtoEngland in 1929. Hethenembarked on arather foolishattemptto raise money throughlibel suits against people whohadcalledhimwicked (!). This servedmainly to get himbackinto thePress, andto remind variouscreditors thathe wasbackin England.Towardsthe end ofthe `30s, he finallymanagedto settle down and supporthimselfby publishing hismagical writings and hisautobiography (or `Confessions' as itwascalled) .

As with therestofthe GoldenDawn,Crowley'smagical practicesand beliefs bearlittle superficial resemblanceto Mythosorthodoxy. However, theBeast's favouritemottowas`DoWhatThouWiltShall betheWhole ofthe Law'. It isinconceivablethat,havingdiscovered the Mythos, whichsuchagreat sorcerer surelywoulddo, hewouldhave failed to dabble in it .

Like Mathersbefore him, Crowley claimedauthority granted himby `Secret Chiefs'whose truenature he was anxious to hidefrom hisfollowers - thesecould indeed be

the Great OldOnes, oreven the OuterGods .Much ofhismagical knowledgewas said tocome fromhis own `Guardian Angel',Aiwass, whomhemetthroughthe invocationofEgyptian deities. Crowley describesAiwass as a "tall, darkman in histhirties". Ofallthe possibletrue identities forhim, it ismost likely that this super-natural patronwasNyarlathotep, one ofwhose forms issaid tobe a swarthy, Egyptian-looking human.

It shouldalsobe notedthatCrowley'spassions in life -besides magic, drugs (ofwhichhepartookofevery kindhe coulddiscover), women (ofwhich hepartookasmany as hecould layhis hands on) andnotoriety - also included theunusual subjectofmountaineering . Indeed, hetook part in anumber ofprestigious ascentsofsome oftheworld's highest mountains and couldhavebecomejustlyfamousas aclimber. Couldhe,perhaps, havebeen in searchofthe Mi-Go?

Witchcraft Revivals

Thecelebrated witchtrials at Salem in 1692markedthelast great floweringofthewitch-hunting craze that had dominatedoccult lifein the western world for somany centuries.Thelastwitch tobe sentencedto death inEnglandhadbeen Alice Molland, whowasexecuted at Exeter in 1684 . Withthe declineinreligious andjudicial interest inwitch-hunting came aparallel decline in interest inthat side ofthe occulttradition . Popularbelief in witchcraft lingeredonmuchlongerthan officialbelief, butbythetime theintellectual community rediscoveredwitches, itwas quite safe forthemto paintamuch more romanticpicturethan that whichwas common at the timeoftheBurnings .Witchcraft wasall setto become respectable .

In 1899, an Americanfolklorist, CharlesLeland, published Aradia, orthe Gospel ofthe Hitches. The book was basedon revel-ations madetoLelandby one Maddalena, anItalianwomanwhoclaimedthat theinformation hadbeenhandeddown toherthrough generations ofwitches. Thesubstance ofLeland's workwasthattruewitchcraft wasa survivalofan ancientpaganreligion centredon the Goddess Diana.Although the name ofthedeity isRoman, thegeneral structure ofDianic belief (aspropoundedby Maddalena)was closertothePersian religion ofZoroastrianism, whichplaces greatemphasis onthedivisionbetweenLightandDarkness . Diana was theoriginal deity and retained Darknessforherself. The Satanic connection ismadethroughthename ofMaddalena'sgod oflightandevil, Lucifer, a wordwhichmeans `lightbearer'.

23

Leland's theories werenottaken veryseriously at thetime and mighthave beenforgottenwereitnotfora sensational bookpublishedin 1921 byaleadingOxfordEgyptologist, DrMargaretMurray. Thisbook, The Witch Cult in Western Europe,takes up Leland's ideasandexpands them, inreasonablyscholarly fashion, into acoherentvision ofwitchcraft as aninter-national,coordinated survival ofa genuinepaganreligion basedaroundahorned godcalledDianus .

DrMurray's bookwasan immediate success,andthe arrival ofthefull version ofSirJamesFrazer's classic studyofprimitive religion,Tbe GoldenBough, in 1922 meant thatthepublic atlarge, andtheacademiccommunityinparticular, became well aware ofEurope'spagan traditions, andofpossi-bilities fortheirsurvivalthrough folkcustomsand thewitchcultto thepresentday.

Cthulhu investigators canexpectto find twosorts ofwitch . Thefirstwill bea middle orupperclass intellectual whohasreadMurrayandFrazer and - repelled by theexcesses ofCrowleyandhiscolleagues - isattemptingtopracticemagicthrough thecleaner, moretraditionally Britishroute exemplified bytheDianictradition . Inaddition there willbegenuine covens, always in country areas,whichhave survivedintactthrough theBurning Timeandarenowprobably rathernervous athaving been `exposed' by DrMurray's investigations oftheircult .

Bothtypes, whether their trueworship isdirected towardspagan deities or not, willbesusceptible to subversionby thefollowers ofShub-Niggurath, whoseposition as a fertilitydeityand closeconnectionwithwoodlandandgoats makes heran idealcandidate forconfusionwiththehorned hunting andfertility deities ofpaganEurope .

24

Witch covens should alwaysnumber 13members, andwill meet regularly onthenight ofthe fullmoon fora `Sabot'. Meetingswill takeplace inwoodland, andthe witcheswill probablyperformtheirrituals `skyclad'(naked) . Standard witch-craftsymbols arethe pentagram andthe homed(possiblygoat's) head. Aknifecalled the Athame' andacup aretraditional ritual tools . Theholybookofthe Craftis TheBook ofShadows,saidtodate fromthe 16thCentury.

Secret SocietiesMany secret societieswere active during theperiod, ranging from friendly societies,through Freemasons (againsee Cthulhu byGaslight) to fringe religions . A goodexample ofthe sort ofminor organisation thatexisted at the timeisgivenby ArkonDaraulinhis classic work, Secret Societies.

The OrderofthePeacockAngel wasbasedonthereligion oftheYezidi people ofKurdistan, andwas brought to BritainbyaSyrianimmigrant in 1913. TheOrder wasbasedin London and, accordingtotrad-ition, its otherfounding memberswereabanker, a lordandthree societyhostesses .The mainaimofthecultwastoachievespiritual strength through theworship ofthepeacockidolinfrontofwhichthe cultistspracticedfrenzied dances at theirfortnightlymeetings .

Withthe world-wide scopeavailable throughtheBritish Empire, anynumberofsimilarcultsbased on obscure foreign religionscouldbepostulated . Whocould tell whichwas a realcultderived fromactual nativepractice in some far comerofthe world andwhich pure fabrication hiding secretworshipofMythosdeities?

Twoother examplesofsecret societiesthatkeepers mightliketo use areFu Manchu's Si-Fan, andtheInnerBrotherhoodofMagiciansfrom GamesWorkshop's scenario, TheVanishing Conjurer.

The Society forPsychical Research

The Spritualist community tendsto holditself apart from the restoftheOccultworld,often in the belief that its work is as scientificasthatofanychemist orbiologist. As such, itnormally getsmore favourabletreatmentinthe Pressand fir greatersupport frompublicnotables . The SPR, founded in 1882 bythreedons fromTrinity College, Cambridge, isanexcellent example ofthis. Themajorpurposeofthe Societyis to encourage scientificresearch into ghosts and mediums, inordertoestablish thetruthofsuchphenomena .Famouspeoplewho supported theSocietyincludedAlfredLordTennyson, MarkTwain, Lewis Carroll, Gladstone, manyfellowsofthe RoyalSociety (Britain'spremier scientificclub)and -inparticular -Sir ArthurConanDoylewhowrote severalbookson spiritualism .

Although foundedinVictoriandaysandveryactive then (itwasprimarilyreason-sible fordebunking Madame Blavatsky'sTheosophical Society), the SPRcontinued toflourish wellintothe20thCentury. Thereason forthisisquite simple . Therewasscarcely a familyinBritainwho hadnotlostsome close relative or friend in theGreatWar. The mediums' promise to putpeopleintouchwith thespirits oflostlovedones wastoo muchofatemptationformany ofthegrief-striken peopleofBritaintoresist . AndtheSPR was a promiseofscientific proofthatsuch experiences weregenuine .

Like occultist groups, the SPR wasalmostperpetually wracked by internal strife. How-ever, whereas the Golden Dawnleadersattacked each otherwith spells, andTheosophistsquoted rivalinstructions fromtheir secretmasters, SPR members normallyquarrelledby debunking each other. Being a`scientific' organisation, they needed toprovetheirrationality bydoing as much aspossible totrytodiscredit thephenomenathatthey investigated . Onlyifall attempts atexplanation failed couldthe Supernatural bebelieved tobeatwork . The prospectofbeingtakeninby clever frauds wasthebane ofevery SPRresearcher's life . Obtainingmoney through fraudulentclaimsofpsychicability isacriminal offence, andthepractice,and successfulprosecutions, were notinfrequent duringtheperiod .

TheSPRwas(and still is) run byaPresidentand a Councilofaround20people .Membership was 2 Guineasa yearthroughout theperiod . The Londonheadquarters were originally at 14 DeansYard, butmoved to 19 BuckinghamPlace inthe 1930s .

Themostfamous Psychical ResearcheroftheperiodwasoneHarry Price. DislikedbymanySPRleaders, whothought himatbestundulycredulousandat worst a fraud, Pricenevertheless hadatalent forpublicity. Hefoundedhisownorganisation, theNationalLaboratoryforPsychicalResearch, in 1926and carried outalotofworkon seancesandhauntings . Heevendabbled inmagic. TheDaily&pressreportedwithsome gleeinJune 1932that "a small party ofBritishScientists7, aidedandabettedby "beautifultwenty-one-year-old" MissUrtaGondon,planned tocarry outamagicalceremonyonBrocken Mountain in Germanywith aviewtotransforming agoatinto "ayouth ofsurpassingbeauty".

Price's mostfamous piece ofresearchwas his10-year investigation into thehaunting ofBorleyRectory (chronicled inhis book, TheMostHauntedHouse inEngland) . Theinvestigation provides amarvellousexampleofhow aCihulhu scenario might start, withthis advert in The Times ofMay25th, 1937:

"IMUNTEDHOUSE. Responsible personsofleisureandintelligence, intrepid, critical,andunbiassed, are invited tojoinrotaofobservers inayear'snightanddayinvestigation ofallegedhauntedhouse inHome Counties . Printedinstructionssupplied. Scientifictraining orabilitytooperate simple instrumentsanadvantage.Housesituatedin lonely hamlet, so own carisessential. WriteBoxH989, TheTimes,EC4. "

Price received around200replies, ofwhomhesaidabout75% were cranks or gold-diggers . Forpreference, hetookpersons ofindependent meanswith universitybackgrounds . Henevergave anyonemoney,sothat no onecouldclaimthathis workerswerepaidtoseethephenomena . However, hedid giveeveryonea copyofhis Blue Book, aghost-hunter'smanual, andaskthemtosignthe declaration reproducedbelow.

Inhisbook, Pricegivesa- listofthe sort ofequipment heusedto takewithhim whenghosthunting. In addition totheusualwarmclothing, andaflaskofbrandy incaseanyonefainted, hetookalotofscientific equipment.Some ofit was simple : ameasuring tape forfording secret rooms, abowl ofmercurytodetecttremors. But healso packedacameraandflash (withIRfilm!), aportabletelephone, asensitivethermometer (ghostscause achill in the atmosphere)and forensicequipment .

Themajor scenariointhisbook, The Horrorofthe Glen revolves arounda very similarsetting . In it Priceemploystheplayers toinvestigate a reputed hauntedmanorhouseinScotland .

TheBorleyDeclaration1, theUndersigned, in consideration ofhavinghadmy services acceptedasanOfficial Observer, makethe followingDeclaration .,

1 . I will fulfill all conditions and instructions,verbal andwritten, which aregivenme .

2 . I will pay my ownexpenses connected withthe investigation .

3. I am notconnected with the Press in any

4.1 will not convey toanypersonthe nameorlocation ofthealleged Haunted House .

5 . I willnotwrite, or causeto bewritten, anyaccount ofmyvisit/s tothe HauntedHouse,andwillnotlecture on my experiences there.

6.1 willnotphotograph or sketch any partoftheHaunted House or grounds withoutwrittenpermission .

7.1 will not allow anyperson toaccompanyme on my Investigation, who has not signedthe Declaration Form .

8. I will fulfillmy obligations as regardsObservational Periods, attimes and on thedates asarranged .

9 . I will furnisha Report aftereachObservational Period .

10. I will not usetheTelephone installed intheHouseexceptforthe purpose ofreportingphenomena totheperson orpersons whosenames havebeengiventome, or forrequesting assistancefromthose persons .

11 .1will lock all doors and fasten allwindowsonmy leavingthe House, and will depositkey/sto personas directed .

Author-Pete Tamlyn

THE OCCULT

25

ATimeline For Britain and Europe1918 Representation ofthe People Act

givesvoteto all menover21 andallwomenover31 .

WorldWar Iends .School leavingage raised to 14 .General Election -LloydGeorge Prime

Minister.MurderofRussian Royal Family.Food rationing inBritain .

1919 TreatyofVersailles signed .Firsttrans-Atlantic air flights .Amritsarmassacre .Rutherfordsplits theatom .OrientExpress re-started - usesthe Simplon

Tunnel toavoid travelling throughGermany orAustria .

Henry Ford openscar factory in Cork,Ireland .

1920 GovernmentofIreland Act .Worldair speed recordbroken seventimes.Holst'sPlanetsSuite first performed .The Marconicompanymakes firstpublic

radiobroadcast, aconcert by DameNellieMelba .

British Communist Party founded .FirstmeetingofLeague ofNations .Oxfordadmits women todegrees .Firstgramophone discsmade.

1921 First Austin7built .Shaw'sBack to Methuselah first performed .TheRoyal Family 1923, on the Wedding Day ofKing George VI

26

1922 "GeddesAxe" -drasticcutsinGovernment expenditure.

GeneralElection - Conservatives win -Bonar Law PrimeMinister.

Mussolini comestopowerin Italy.World air speed recordexceeds 200 mph .Tutankhamun's tombfound .JamesJoyce's UlyssesandT S Elliot's The

WasteLandpublished .Government setsupBritish BroadcastingCompanyunderJohn (later Lord)Reith .CivilWarinIreland.MustaphaKemal's rebellion in Turkey.Hyper-inflationinGermany.

1923 Bonar Law resigns - BaldwinPrimeMinister.

France occupiesthe Ruhr.Hitler gaoledafter "BeerHall Putsch".Exchange rate forGermanMarktops 10

million tothePound .Chimes ofBig Ben first broadcast.Interpol established, headquarters in

Vienna.FirstLeMans 24 hour motorrace run.Capek's Life oftheInsectsandR URfirst

performed in Britain .

1924 General Election-MacDonaldPrimeMinisterwithminoritygovernment .

When Liberalswithdraw support there is asecondelection - Zinoviev letter,

Conservatives win, BaldwinPrimeMinister.

France withdraws fromtheRuhr.EmpireExhibitionopensat specially built,

site inWembley - grandball in AlbertHall .

Firstround-the-worldflight .E M Forster'sA Passage toIndiapublished .Liberty'sopentheir famous central London

shop -the mediaeval facade isafake, butthe timbers usedcomefromoldoakwarships .

1925 Locamo Pact guarantees Franco-Germanfrontier.

Empire Exhibition closes .SchneiderTrophy wonby bi-plane forthe

lasttime .British SummerTimeinstituted .Pneumatic tyres firstused on London bus.MeinKampfpublished .BarclaysBank founded.GeneralMotorsbuys VauxhallCars .Cosmopolitanmagazine firstpublished .

1926 General Strike .Byrd & Bennet fly over NorthPole .BBCbecomes `Corporation' andgranted

totalmonopoly.Canada, Australia, New ZealandandSouth

Africamadeself-governing `dominions'.Germany admitted to League ofNations .A AMilne's Brnnie thePoohpublished .Stalinbecomes dictator ofRussia .JackHobbs scores 16 centuries inone

season .

1927 Trades Disputes Act .Lindbergh makes firstsolotrans-Atlantic

flight .Trotsky expelled fromRussia .Firstautomatic telephoneexchange in

London .Heisenberg proposes the "Uncertainty

Principle".Trans-Atlantictelephone service introduced

- 3 minute call costs£15 .

1928 "Flapper Vote" - voteextendedtoall womenover21 .

FrankWhittle invents thejetengine .Scotish National Partyfounded .D H Lawrence'sLady Chatterly'sLover

published and promptlybanned .RavelcomposesBolero.Dirac predictsexistence ofanti-matter.

1929 General Election - Labour win,MacDonald PrimeMinister.

Wall StreetCrash .Britaintakes worldairspeedrecord for first

time.The term `Apartheid' firstused byright-

wing politicians in SouthAfrica .Francebeginsbuildingthe MaginotLine.Heathrow Airportopened .Popedenouncesmixed-sex schools as

"un-Christian".

Jiltrt

red .donbut

1930AmyJohnson flies solofromEngland toAustralia in 19 days .

Firstmechanical TV transmissionusing30-line Baird system .

Moseleyfounds the New Party, later theBritish Union ofFascists .

Ras Tafari becomesEmperorofAbyssinia(Ethiopia)underthe nameofHaileSelassie - Rastafarian religion foundedinJamaica worshippinghim .

Governmentrejects schemefor channeltunnel .

NoelCoward'sPrivateLives opens, starringLaurenceOlivier and Gertie Lawrence.

1931 Depression .KingasksMacDonaldto form National

Government; General Election confirmsthis .

Air speed recordexceeds 400 mph .Dominionsmade self-governingsovereign

states .FirstTVoutside broadcast -the Derby.School Milksystem introduced .

1932 Huxley'sBrave New Worldpublished .

BBCbegins regularTVtransmission usingBairdsystem.

DeValeraelectedPrimeMinister ofIrishFreeState.

Discovery ofthe neutron .Sydney HarbourBridge opened .Benson& Hedges introduce first filter-tip

cigarette.

1933 Hitler becomesChancellorofGermany.

Germanyleaves LeagueofNations .British Museumbuys `Codex Siniaticus',

collectionof4th & 5thCenturymanuscripts, from Russia .

World Economic Conference in Londonends intotal failure .

1934 Russiaadmitted toLeague ofNations .

Excavations at MaidenCastle in Dorset .`NightofLongKnives' in Germany.FirstTV transmissions in Russia .J ArthurRank founds Elstree filmstudios .FirstGlyndeboumeOperaFestival .

19355Silverjubilee ofGeorge V.India Act.

MacDonald retiresandisreplacedbyBaldwin - election confirmsthis.

Germanybegins TVtransmissions .BBCabandons Baird system .Italy invadesAbyssinia.Campbell'sBluebirdachieves 300mph land

speed record .Battersea PowerStationbuilt(initially it was

onlyhalfthesize and hadbut twochimneys) .

Firstpaperbackbookpublished(byPenguin), price6d .

ICI scientistsinvent polythene.

SIR OSWALD UOSLEYvS UNFAVOURABLE RECEPTION AT GLASGOWTHE LEADER OF THE NEW PARTY ADDRESSING THE MEETING-

WITH " KID " LEWIS ON HIS LEFT.Sir Oswald Mosley, :leader of the New Party, addressed a large gatheringon Glasgow Green on September 20. The meeting was rendered tumultuousby Communist and other Interruptions ; atones were thrown and freefights took place.

" Kid " Lewis, the boxer, who joined the New Partyrecently, can be seen in the photograph .

1936 George Vdies- accession ofEdward VIII .

Germany remilitarises the Rhineland .Experimental video-phonesystem between

Leipzigand Berlin .BBC adopts 425-lineEMI TV system .Edward VIII abdicates, accessionofGeorge

VI .FirstSpitfire fighter flies .Spanish Civil Warbegins .Jarrowhungermarch .Olympic Games in Germany -Hitler uses

them forpropagandapurposes .FirstLondon-Paris night ferry service .

1937 Baldwinretires, ChamberlainPrime Minister.

BBC covers coronationofGeorge VIby TVoutsidebroadcast .

De Valera finally abandonsall linkswithBritain .

GeorgeOrwell'sRoadto WiganPierpublished .

FirstBudinsholiday camp opened atSkegness .

Firstjetengine tested .

A TIMELINE FOR BRITAIN AND EUROPE 1918-1939

Sodium vapour street lamps introduced .999 Emergencyphonenumberintroduced .Picasso paints Guemica.First frozen foodsold inBritain.

1938 Hitlerannexes Austria .Munich agreement betweenHitlerand

Chamberlain .WaltDisney's Snow White andthe Seven

Dwarfs released .`Mallard' sets new railspeedrecord of

126mph .First colourTVtransmissions .Biro brothers patent the ballpointpen .Nescafe instant coffee introduced .

1939 Hitler annexesCzechoslovakia .Anglo-Polishtreaty guaranteesPolish

independence .Franco triumphsinSpain . Hitler signs pact

withStalin .Germanyinvades Poland .BritainandFrance declarewaronGermany.BBC TV shutdownfor duration ofwar (in

themiddle ofaMickeyMousefilm!) .Author-Pete Tamlyn

27

Y

forteanandDisdstersTimetin"1919 April: Amanspontaneouslycombusts inDartford, Kent .June:Captive German fleet scuttled atScapaFlow ; ahouseat Islip, Northamptonexplodes without cause.August: Oil andpetrol, followed by showersofwater, methylated spirits andfinallysandalwood, pourfromthewalls and ceilingsofa house atMeltonConstable, Norfolk .

1 September: Airshock' detonationsareheardoverReading, Berks .

1920 January:Betweennow andDecember 1923,6amnesiac people are foundwandering the streets ofRomford, Essex .May: Afterheavythunderstorms, ahajahaja(deadly snakenative toEgypt) isfound in adoctor's gardeninBloomsbury, London .June :Anadderis found in astreetjustoutside Westminster Cathedral, London,afteraheavy storm .July: QuakesandexplosionsarefeltinComrie, Perthshire .August : Eightgirls, all under 12, go missingin EastBelfastoveraperiodof3 days; allthestatuesandholy pictures inthehomeofThomas DwanofTemplemore, Tipperary,begin tobleedatthe samemomentasaterrorist ambush is taking placenearby.September: Ayoungman, outwalking insouth London, suddenly finds himself inDunstable, Beds, over40miles away.

1921 January: LastinguntilApril,poltergeist activity starts in ahouseinHomsey, London, includingcoal exploding,metal implementsdancing about, a clockvanishing and finally a childdying afteranervous breakdown ; rail crashatAmbermule, Scotland, 17killed in head- oncollisionon single line .May: The firstoffifteen fatalaccidents onthesame stretch ofroadacrossDartmoor takesplace, surviving passengerstalk of "invisiblehands" forcing the caroffthe road .July: Moreexplosions atComrie,Perthshire.September :Ahouse explodes for no reasoninGuildford, Surrey.November:FirstEverestExpedition -theclimbers find Yeti footprints inthe snow.

1922 May :P&OlinerEgyptonpassagefrom Londonto Bombay collides withFrenchsteamer, Seine in fog offBrestandsinks, 15passengersand71 crew lost,togetherwith over£l millioningold andsilver bullion .

19PFebruary: Extensivepoltergeistactivity at a house nearWisbech,Cambridgeshire, culminates inthedeath ofthewitch trying to exorcise it .

28

March: While Lord Camarvon lies dying inEgypt, anakedmanisseenrunning wildonhis estate, andislastseenonApril 5th, theday LordCamarvondied.June:Mount Etna erupts .July: Pitexplosion in Maltby, Yorks, 27killed .

1924: Train derailmentatLythamfollowedby fire ingas-lit coaches, 15 killed .September: Railcrash atPort Eglington,Glasgow, 8 killed .December: Heavygalesandfloodsthroughoutcountry.

1925: Madame Tussaud'sWaxworks burnsdown .March: Oxfordcrew sinks duringBoat Race.April : BBC radioplay, BroadcastingtheBarricades, about aworkers' revolution inEngland, mistaken foractual news reports bymanylisteners .July: ahouse explodes inLambeth, Londonfor no real reason.October: werewolves blamedfor sheepslaughtered inEdale, Derbyshire .November : reservoir bursts at Conway,Wales, 17 killed; submarine MI sinks offDevon with all hands .December: Great floodsall overEurope.

1926March: Closes Hall, Clitheroe,Lancashire, burns down verymysteriously.April: A largecountry house atAshley Moor,nearLeominster, bums down, and byNovember, 30 othercountrymansions hadbumtdowninmysterious circumstances .August : Awild seal is foundin apondonHampstead Heath .September: French airliner crashes nearTonbridge, Kent, 7 killed .November.Another seal is foundin thesamepond on HampsteadHeath .

1927January : A wildlynx is shotinInvemesshire -thebeast isnotnative toBritain .February: Railcrash in Hull, 12 killed.March:Italian steamerFagemes collideswithS SCornish CoastoffSwansea-Fagernes sinks withloss of21 lives .June: Eclipse ofthe sunvisibleinBritain .December: Rail crashat Castlecary,Scotland, 35 killed .

1928 January: Flowsofcoppercoins andchunks ofcoal fall intoclosedrooms inahouseinBattersea, London; Britishsteamship TeesbridgedisappearsinNorthAtlanticwith all hands (20 men) .April : Earthquakein Greece, Corinthdestroyed .

June : Railcrash atDarlington, 24 killed .August: Great hurricane inWestIndies.October:Railcrash and fire inwooden, gas-litcoaches at Charfieldnear Gloucester, 15killed .November: MountEtnaerupts ; Ryelifeboatsinks, 17 killed .December: Several housesexplode in WestLondon ; Kingtaken seriously ill .

1929: OrientExpress caught byblizzardinTurkey and stuckfor5 days- passengers havetodig themselves out .January. another railcrashat Charfield, 4killed .June : MountVesuviuserrupts ; airdisasterinchannel, 7killed .

J1c11

i

July. SubmarineH47 sunkin collision, 22killed ; severedrought in England ; explosionon HMS Devonshire, 17 killed .October: Germanairliner crashes atCaterham, 6killed .November : Atlantic Earthquake, 9submarine cablesbroken.December: serious flooding in southernEngland ; steamer Radyrlostwith 21 crew inBidefordBay ; cinema fireinPaisley,Glasgow, 60 children killed .

1930 June : Greatgale, manydeaths.July: Bradman scores 334 against EnglandinTest MatchatHeadingly, Leeds .October. Miningdisasters in Germany, 300killed .

1931 January:Pit explosioninWhitehaven, 27killed ; earthquake inNewZealand .June : EarthquakeinEngland ; whirlwind inBirmingham, 1 killed ; ordnance factoryexplosion atHoltonHeath, 10 killed .September:hurricane inBelize, 700 killed .

1935: MajorEarthquake in India .February : Britishsteamer Blairgawrie lostwith26 crew in Atlantic storm .June : Rail crash atWelwyn GardenCity, 13killed .

1936 November : Crystal Palace bumsdown.

FORTEAN AND DISASTERS TIMELINE

The 8101 Disaster.

1938: Coelocanth skin discovered offSouth Africa -this fishwas believed tohavebeenextinct forhundredsofthousands ofyears. Aurora Borealis seen in Britain .

1939: Rabiesepidemic in Poland .

Author-Marc Gascoigne

29

ArchaeologyALandscape ofBarrows

In the inter-war period, the big news inBritish archaeology invariably came fromabroad, withBritishexcavatorsmakingspectacular finds inthe Middle EastandaroundtheMediterranean. Therewere also,however, some quite significant finds inBritain during the period, such astheexcavation ofScaraBrae, Orkney, featured inthemain CallofCthulhu rules .

Some ofthe oldest standing monuments intheBritish Isles are the long barrows andmegalithic chambered tombs oftheNeo-lithic (New StoneAge)period . Many werecleared outin previous centuries, and mosthad some kindoffolk-tale or legendassociated with them . It wasintheNeolithicperiodthat the first phase ofactivity attheStonehengesite took place, although the finalmonumentwas probably built much later. Adistinct form ofNeolithicbuildingis the`passage grave', examples ofwhicharecommon in Ireland andAnglesey.

Inthelate Neolithic andearly Bronze Age,unchambered roundbarrows becamethecommon funerarymonument . Thebodieswere eitherburied -often in acrouchedposition, in a stone-lined pit- or crematedwiththeashes buried in a smallpot.Cremation pots werefrequently buriedinbarrows which alreadyhelda buried body.

Thepeople wholivedintheStonehengeareaatthis time(the `Wessex Culture') may havetraded withtheMycenaen civilisationofGreece (thepeople ofHomeric epics) . Richtreasure, including goldjewellery, foundintheir barrows is evidence ofthe strong socialorganisation thatbuiltStonehenge (someofthe stoneswerebrought all the wayfromwestWales) . In the restofthecountry, however, abronze dagger is aboutthebest a graverobbercould hope for.

In Ireland, the barrows aresaidto bethehomes ofthefairy folk, the Sidhe orTuathade Danaan . Themounds are supposedtoopenatparticulartimesofthe year,especially Samain Eve (Halloween) . Whenthishappens, it is possible forhumanstoenter themounds -but it isunwise to do so,for time passesdifferently there. Amanmayspend 20years with the Sidhe, butfindthatmere hours havepassed in hisown worldwhen hereturns. Couldthis, perhaps, be arelatavistic effect ofinterstellar travel?

Themost unusual BritishmonumentisSilburyHill inWiltshire . Thisearth mound is130 feet high and covers5acres . It is

30

undeniably man-made, being regular inshape andofdug chalkratherthana naturalrock formation . Yet, despite manyexcavations, noonehas beenable toprovideanyexplanation as to why it wasbuilt .

Stonecircles areanother commonmonument ofthisperiod . AlthoughStonehenge is quiteunique in its complexityand inthe `archway' constructionused,simplecircles ofstanding stones canbe foundalloverthecounty. They vary considerably insize, fromonly a few yards across andjustfour stones, tothe massive arrangement atAvebury, Wiltshire . Single stones, andlineararrangements suchasthat at CallanishontheIsleofLewisin Scotland, can also be found .Theditch aroundtheAvebury ring wasexcavated in 1922 and foundto be30feetdeep.

Thatthecircles were used forsome form ofastronomically-based worship isnow beyondreasonabledoubt . Manycircles -notjustStonehenge- have single stones outsidethemainringaligned with significantastronomical events . Some writers have evenclaimed thatthecircles were as muchscientific instruments as placesofworship.Theories about these alignments began toappearasearly asthe 19thcentury, butdefinitiveprooffalls outide the periodcovered by thisvolume, and mainstreamarchaeologists will still prefer topoint outthatmany ofthe supposed alignments couldhave occurredby chance . Certainly it doesseemvery easy to find somestarorconstellation that aparticular alignmentpoints to atsometimeduring the year. This,ofcourse, meansthatKeepers should find iteasy to `prove' that stonecircles are actuallypointingtothe starry homesofthe Great OldOnes.

Additional, mystically significant material tobe foundatmegalithic sites comes in the formofthe `cupandring' marks that arecommonly carvedonthe stones . The purposeofthese, and similar carvingsonpassagegraves, is unknown, but it seems likely thatthe designs have some religious or magicalsignificance . Theymay therefore bepresentto invoke, orprotect the monuments from,some unknownbeings.

Finally onthe subjectofancient mysteries,we have the theory ofLey Lines . These aresupposed tobe "lines ofgeomanticpower"which stretchovergreat distances connectingsites ofmystical significance. As these arenotactual visible lines -like thoseat Nazca inPeru - it is difficult to seehowthey couldbeusedtoguide beings from the stars, but theydo seemtoaffectdowsing rods, so perhapsthe Mythos racestoo have

meansofdetecting them . The linesmay alsobe sources ofPOW. See thesection ontheLloigor in the Cthulhu Companion (or 3rdEdition rules) for more speculation onthistopic .

The Coming ofthe Invaders

The Celtic peoples ofthe IronAgeleftfewsignificant burials, butthey didbuildspectacular military earthworks suchasMaiden CastleinDorset . Thesetooktheformofa series ofditches and rampartsthrownup aroundanaturalhillto enhance itsdefensivepotential . Until recently, thesewere thought to bepurely temporary refuges .Archaeologists ofthe period willtherefore besomewhat dismissiveifinvestigators claim,quitetruthfully, to have found evidence ofpermanent habitationwithinthe forts.

A Celtic legend fromIreland that ispotent-ially significant toMythos students is that ofthe Foimore, a raceofpeople saidto haveruled the country beforethecomingoftheTuatha deDanaanandmen . The Foimore areoftensaid tohavehadbutoneeye, onearm(extending fromthecentreofthechest) andoneleg, and were greatseafarers . Suchcreatures are fitting companionsofthehideous beings ofthe Mythos .

The Romans, onthe whole, haveleft onlyelegant, regularbuildings ofnomysticalinterest . However, they were, at heart, a verysuperstitious people, and late in the Empire acrisis offaith caused the Romanpeople toturnto themany strange, new cults found indistantcornersoftheir dominions . Oneofthese, ofcourse, was Christianity, buttherewere marry others .

The bestknownRomantemple in Britain isthatofMinerva (Athena)inBath, but many,smaller temples and shrines havebeen found .Often these are built on the sitesofoldCelticsanctuaries, the superstitious legionaireseitherrecognising aholy siteand using it, orattemptingto placate thegods ofthe peoplethey hadconquered .

A commontype ofRoman temple isthatserving the cultofMithras, aPersiangodmuch favouredbythe legions from the2ndCentury onwards. These `Mithraea' consistofa large, rectangular room sunkbeneath theground, with lowbenches alongthe side-walls and acentral aisleleading to analtar,oftenbacked witha stonereliefofMithraskilling abull, atthe farend . Most Mithraeaknownarein themilitaryzone aroundHadrian'sWall, butone hasbeen foundatWallbrook, London . Anunderground

temple such as this would be an ideal settingfor cultistrituals.

ThevariousGermanictribeswhoinvadedBritain as the RomanEmpire crumbledhaveleft little mark onthelandscape. This isbecausethey preferedto build in perishablewood rather thanearthorstone, andbecausethey tendednotto build large, permanantfortifications. Nevertheless, they broughtawholenew collectionofpaganideas andtraditions to Britain. The Saxonepic,Beowulf, features ahideousmonster calledGrendel who lived underwater, thoughhislairwasinDenmark, not Britain . The Saxonswere also responsiblefor the majorarchaeological find inthe countrybetweenthe wars : SuttonHoo.

TheSutton HooShipwas probablya burial ;although no body has everbeenfound, theoutlineofacoffinhas. Inside thebarrow wasburied a complete Saxon longship and awealthofarmour, weapons andotherprincely artifacts, many ofthem inlaid withgold and semi-precious stones . Thesite wasexcavatedin the late `30s andcan thereforebetreated asundiscovered formostoftheperiod . Whothedead monarch is, and whyhe is theonly Saxon king to warrant such aburial, is as yetunknown.

Theperiodofthe Saxon invasionsis also thetime atwhich King Arthuris thought tohavelived . Mostmodern theories havehim as aRomano-British nobleman leading theresistance against invaders . Popularlegendtendsto locatehim inthe south westofEngland, andmany sites in Cornwall, DevonandSomerset have Arthurianlegendsattachedtothem . Asyet, nodefinite evidencehasbeen foundandthereis no agreementasto thetrue site ofCamelot.

Interestingly, froma Mythospoint ofview,the Somerset Levels werebelow sealevel inancienttimes, and were flooded duringthewinter-months . This istheexplanationforGlastonbury, 9 miles fromthe coast, beingknown as "the Isle ofAvalon". It isconceivablethat arace ofamphibiouscreatureswould finda happyhome in such aland .

All Sand andGoodies

Excavations inthe Middle East andEasternMediterranean wereall therage in the earlypart ofthe20thCentury. Alargenumberofsignificantfinds were made, most ofthembyBritish archaeologists . It is hardly surprisingthatarchaeologygrippedtheimaginationofthenation at this time.

From 1921-23, newexcavations wereundertaken at MycenaeinGreeceby theBritishSchoolofArchaeology at Athens . No

truly spectacularfinds weremade, butobjects founddidprovebeyond doubtthattheMycenaean civilisation traded with Egyptand the Hittites ofAsiaMinor.

In December, 1921, the first volumeofSirArthur Evans' excavation reportontheMinoan palace atKnossos on Crete, firstdiscoveredin 1899, waspublished. Furthervolumes anddiscoveriesfollowedthroughoutthenext twodecades.

Leonard Wooley's excavations in Meso-potamiaon behalfoftheBritishMuseumledto the discovery oftheSumerian cityofUr,birthplace oftheBiblical Abraham. The firstobjects from Ur wentonpublic display in1922, andnew finds continuedto make theheadlines until 1935. Oneofthe royaltombsopenedcontained the skeletons ofthe king'sharem, bodyguards andservants, a totalof74bodies, all ofwhomwere probablyburiedalive with him.

1922 also saw the spectaculardiscovery ofTutankhamun's tomb inthe Valley ofthe

The Supreme Hour at Tutankhamen's Tomb: Breaking The Wall.

Kings, Egypt. The wealth oftreasurefoundinthis intact Pharaoh's chamberfired publicinterest in Egyptology to newheights, as didtalesofthe `Curseofthe Pharaohs' whichcirculated after LordCamarvon'sdeathin1923 . The public fascinationwith Egyptaffectedmany aspectsofBritish life,including art, decoration, literature andthetheatre .

From 1926 onwards, SirJohn Marshall, theDirector GeneralofArchaeology inIndia,conductedexcavations atMohenjo-Darn inthe Punjab . These lead to thediscoveryofanancient civilisation . AlsointhePunjab,excavations at Taxila in 1922 yieldedevidence ofthe occupationofthat citybyAlexanderthe Great, proving thattheGreekconquerordid indeedreach India.

Theboom inarchaeology peaked intheearly`30s, andalthoughdiscoveries from variousparts ofthe worldcontinuedtobe reported,there was nomore `headine news'.

Author-GraemeDavis

31

FolliesFolliesThe English aristocracy havealwaysbeennoted for their eccentric habits, and thebuilding offollies is perhaps the mostunusual ofthese . To describea building as a`folly' doesnot imply that its erection wasamistake - rather it suggests thatthebuilderwas,perhaps, slightly mad to havethought ofit . Two sorts offollies exist . Oneis a buildingonanestatewhichhas an unusualarchitectural styleoruse . A goodexampleofthis is thedairy atWoburn, the homeoftheDukesofBedford, whichis bu'it in the styleofa Chinese garden house . Theother, morecommon, variety is a very tall building,usuallyplacedon the highestpiece ofgroundin the estate . The idea here isto provide somelandmarkwhichis both visually stimulatingandcanbe seen for miles .

Thevast majority offollies were built duringthe 18th Century, alsoa timeofan explosion

32

inthebuilding ofcountry housesingeneral .Sadly, the diminishing wealthofthearistocracyand the growth ofdemocraticlocal governmenthasallbut put a stopto follybuilding, particularly ofthetower kind . LordBerners did erect atower onhis estateatFarringdon in Oxfordshire in 1935, but hehad a long battle withthelocal authoritiesbefore he was allowed to .

Building styles used for follies vary consid-erably, but afewthemes do tendtodominate .Amongst these are `Gothic', `Classical'(Greek orRoman) and `Mediaeval'.Surprisingly, many ofthefollies weredesigned andbuiltas ruins. Thebuilders, itseemed, preferred the romantic vision ofacrumbling, overgrown `survival' ofbygonedays to acomplete, useable building.

Althoughmany follies are fairly simple andinnocent in design, a few haveoccult

connections, orare sobizzarethattheycouldonly havebeen builtby someone withratherdodgy Sanity . Equally, some follies withveryreasonable originshappento havethe sort ofappearance that wouldmake any-one steepedinMythos lore very nervous . In any case, afollymakes and excellent centrepiece foraCthulhu scenario . A few examples are givenbelow.

The Gothic Temple, Stowe : InthegardensofLord Cobham's Buckinghamshire estatesis a splendid Gothic templethat is a perfecthaunt for vampires and mad counts . Thebuildingis now aholiday home, buttheaddition ofinteriorrooms is amoderninnovation .

West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire: Thisestate was ownedby Sir FrancisDashwood,thenotorious 18th Century occultist . In itsgrounds, which includea networkofcaves,hebuilt several follies forthe use ofthemagical orderhe founded, andcalledTheHell Fire Club .

John Knill'sMonument, StIves,Cornwall: A square-basedpyramidal spire,this folly has been included becauseoftheinstructions its builderleft in hiswill . Onceevery five years tenyoung girls, dressed all inwhite, must dancearoundthe monumentsinging the hundredth Psalm .

The SugarLoaf, Dallington, E Sussex :Another spire, this timecircularin section,which was built aftersquireJackFuller lost abet . Hehadtold friends that the spire ofDallington church could be seen fromhishome . Whenit wasproved it could not,Fullerbuilta mock spire onthe ridgethat gotin theway. A simple, conical building, itlooks justlike something the GreatRacemight haveproduced .

The Druids' Temple, Ilton : On the northYorkshireMoors nearMashamthereexists aminiatureversion ofStonehenge . This wasbuiltbyWilliamDanby atthebegining ofthe19th Centurywhenthefashionfor Druidrevivals (chronicled in Gaslight) was atitsheight .

The 7HangufarLodge, Rushton,Northants : The builder ofthis folly, SirThomasTresham, was a devoutCatholic. Inhis time this was very dangerous . Treshamwas gaoledforhis beliefand, whilstincarcerated, became obsessedwith theHolyTrinity. Onhis releasehe built this amazingfolly whichis packed with numerologicalsymbolism, all based around thenumberthree. Tresham's son, Francis, was one oftheinstigators ofthe GunpowerPlot .

Author- Pete Tamlyn

In a4

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Britain In The MythosThemap below shows the sites of various Mythos-related events which took place in Britain . Theyinclude Lovecraft's own stories, those ofotherMythos writers, and Call ofCthulhu scenarios .Most ofthe events marked took place in the '20s,butsome are modem, and the stories ofRobert EHoward are set in ancient times . Nevertheless, thehorrors involved tend to remain in the same localefor centuries and could therefore be encounteredat any time .

In addition to Mythos writers mentioned below,several other British macabre writers had workpublished in the '20s which may prove ofuse toKeepers . They are : E F Benson, AlgernonBlackwood, AM Burrage, M R James,Arthur Machen and H R Wakefield .

London - the setting of Lovecraft's TheDescendant, and part of The Hound ;also of The Horrorin the Museum,revised by Lovecraft for Hazel Heald .August Derleth's The Keeper ofthe Keyis set here, as are a number ofnon-Mythos Derleth stories .

Other stories by Lovecraft's friendsare : Robert E Howard's Skull Face, Clark AshtonSmith's The Gorgon, Robert Bloch's The Skull oftheMarquis de Sade and Henry S Whitehead'sThe NapierLimousine .Carl Jacobi set a number ofstories in London : TheSpanish Camera, The Aquarium, The Cane, TheSatanic Piano and The King and the Knave. MorerecentMythos writers to feature London includeBrian Lumley (notably the Titus Crowstories, also Spaghetti, CementSurroundings, etc), RamseyCampbell (eg, The SecondStaircase)and Stephen King (Crouch End) . CallofCthulhu scenarios set inthe cityinclude the London chapter ofMasksofNyarlathotep, Vanishing Conjurer,Dial `H'for Horror (WD 43) and TheHeart ofthe Dark (WD 75) .

33

BRITAIN IN THE MYTHOS

34

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ter

35. Walberswick- from The WatchersofWalberswick (WD 50) .

36. LowerPoolford-from DrawtheBlindson Yesterday (WD 63) .

37. Shalladhohn -from TheHorse oftheInvisible (WD 66) .

38. Cuthdon & Shubford- siteofTheShadowoverDarkbankinthis book .

Author -PeterJeffery

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2 . TheYorkshireMoors - the setting for 7. The Pictish Hills- fromRobertE 22 . Blackpool-Laughter in theNightbynumerous BrianLumley Stories, Howard'sBranMac Mom stories . Also August Derlethand MarkSchorer.includingthe novelBeneath the Moors . Hadrian'sWall (BrianLumley's CementPlace-namesused includeRadcar, Surroundings) . 23. Boresby -Brian Lumley'sA ThingSarby-on-the-Moor, the site ofLhYib, about Cars. .Bleakstone, Marske, Dilham, Eely-on- 8. SeveralCarl Jacobi Sites - Corbiethe-Moor, The Devil's Pool, Ellison's House, Langham (The CorbieDoor), 24 . Durham -BrianLumley's Ambler'sHeights, Dendhope, Lee-Hill, Wharby Darset (The SpectralPistol) and Inspiration . Also, inCounty Durahmand Tharpe-Nettleford . The local Royalton (The Face in the Wind) . (as itwas then), Castle-Ilden andasylum is Elmholme . TheMarriot Harden-on-the-Coast fromAuntHeHouse, fromRecognition, islikewise to 9. Exham Priory andAnchester - H Pbe found on the moors; and somewhere Lovecraft's The Rats in the Walls . 25. Oakdene Sanatorium - nearGlasgoff-shore is the ocean site ofthe oil- several Brian Lumley stories, mostdrillingrigin The Night The Sea Maid 10. JermynHouse - H PLovecraft'sArthur notably, The Horrorat Oakdene .WentDown . Jermyn .Lin Carter's Dreamsin the House of 26. Stonehenge -Brian Lumley's IntheWeir, andthe Cthulhuby Gaslight 11 . Kilderry- HP Lovecraft's TheMoon Vaults Beneath .scenario, The Yorkshire Horrors, are Bog .also set inthisarea . 27. Avebury-Brian Lumley'sCement

12 . Home oftheNarrator - Surroundings .3 . The SevernValley - the setting of H P Lovecraft's The Hound .

numerousRamsey Campbell stories 28. Liverpool -severalRamsey Campbnowcollected asColdPrint. Also The 13. TheOld ManorHouse - stories .RecurringDoomby S TJoshi . Sites H PLovecraft's Hypnos .include Brichester, Berkeley, Severford, ?9. PineDunes -Ramsey Campbell'sPiTemphill,Goatswood, Camside, The 14 . SussexCoast - Dunes .Devil's Steps and Mercy Hill . HP Lovecraft's TheEvil Clergyman .

4 . ArthurMachen Country - Caermaen 15. MagbaneManor - Clark Ashton 30. Penmire-Adrian Cole's 7heHorrorUnderPenmire .

andtheGreyHillsareusedintheproto- Smith's The Secondinterment .Mythos stories, The WhitePeople andTheNovel oftheBlackSeal. Also used 16. TremothHall- ClarkAshton Smith's 31 . Cornwall - Seahamand Nequay, inby Colin Wilsonin TheReturn ofthe TheNameless Offspring . Brian Lumley's Mythos novel TheLloigor. TheTemple ofNodens from ReturnoftheDeep Ones.Robert EHoward's The Templeof 17. HagdonManor - ClarkAshton Smith's 32 . Scottish Highlands - thesetting forAbomination is probablyinthisarea . TheNecromantic Tale . Coven ofCannich chapter of The

18 . Drumma'sHead- Robert EHoward's Shadowsoflog Sothoth, TheMystery5 . Surrey - the location ofTheCoachand The Cairn on the Headland . Sites of LochFeinn (Cthulhu Companion) a

Horses on the Brighton Road in Henry S several Sheridan le Fanu stories are in The Horrorofthe Glen (this book) .Whitehead's TheShutRoom; also The nearby Dublin . Also, Edinburgh, as in Brian LumleBarrowsnearHaslemere in Brian House ofthe Temple ; likewise TempLumley'sLordofthe Worms, and Leith 19. Tbkertownon the Moor - Robert E Houseitself, underthePentlandHilHill in TheSurreyEnigma (WD 67) . Howard's Solomon Kane stories . in the samestory.

6. The Oaks -amansionhousecloseto the 20. Helni -Robert EHoward's TheDark 33 . Lesser Edale-from the Londonchajunction ofCambridgeshire, Man . ofMasks ofMyarlathotep .Lincolnshire, andNorfolk, nearGuyhim and Crewland - see The 21 . Dragon'sCave - Robert EHoward's 34 . Edward Gavigan's Estate - fromtheRunningManinthisbook. PeopleoftheDark . Londonchapter ofMasks of

Nyarlathotep.

JTdhate toseeaeroplanes comeinto commononumercial use . . .butasdevicesfortheamusementofagentleman they're oke!"-HPLoveeraft, SelectedLettersIII

The Start ofCivil Aviation

Underthe DefenceoftheRealmAct, non-military aviationwas outlawed fortheduration ofthe FirstWorldWar, civil aviationbeing legalised onFebruary 27th, 1919 by theAirNavigation Act . The first internal flighttook place on May 1st and internationaltraffic began onAugust 25th . However, thisapplied toBritishcompaniesonly : theFrench started a servicefromLondontoParis onFebruary 8th .

Twoearly companies weretheAircraftTransport andTravel Company, and HandleyPageTransport . AT&T, flying fromHounslow, offeredthefastest serviceto Parisusingconverted deHavillandAircolightbombers, butthey could only carry4passengers . HandleyPage's Cricklewoodserviceused heavy bomberswhichwereslower, but carriedup to 12 passengers . Theeconomics favoured HandleyPage .

Otherservices onoffer included HandleyPage flights toBournemouth and Brussels,AT&T's service toAmsterdam, andtheNorthSeaAerial Navigation Company flying fromLeedsto "anywhere". Thomas Cooks, thetravel agents, offered aerial tours ofGreatWarbattlefields from Croydon, and aircrafthire.

Imperial Airways, founded in 1924by themergeroffourcompanies, includingHandleyPage, wasthemostimportant airlineofthe'20s . Based inCroydon (whichthereforebecameLondon'spremier airport),ey offered flights to Zurich(viaParis and

Basle), Berlin(viaAmsterdam and Hanover)dCologne (viaBrussels) as well as manytemalflights . They also flewfromuthampton to LeHavre, viaCherbourgGuernsey.

any foreign airlinesprovidedconnectingrvices, making muchofEuropeavailable toair traveller prepared to change planes ae ortwo . Flightswere also available to

asablanca, but althoughRussiahad anline therewereno connections overm Europe . Long distance air services

theFar East, forexample)did notbegintilthelate `20s . When theydid become

ble, the aircraftmadefrequent stopsenteandportions ofthejourneyhadto beaoverlandorby sea .

In 1934, Imperial,togetherwith the `BigFour' railway companies, setup Railway AirServices, aninternal airlinewhich servedmost ofthe majorcities in BritainandNorthernIreland . It alsoprovided services tomanyremoteScottish islands, flying fromInverness orAberdeen .

Aviation in theNews

The `20s wasthe era ofpioneeringlong-distanceflights . Thesewere majornewsstories, andmostpeoplemusthave beenaware ofthem . Suchflightswereaconsiderable adventure -AlcockandBrown'sfirst non-stop Atlantic flight, whichtook 16hours, wouldhave endedin the waterhadnotBrown climbed alongthewingsto chip officethathad formedthere . The most famousBritishaviator wasAmyJohnson (seeBiographies) .

Alsointhenews weretheairraces, ofwhichthe Schneider Trophy (forfloatplanes) wasthe most famous . TheSuper-marinecompany ofSouthampton, which finallycapturedtheTrophyoutright for Britainwiththree successive wins, usedthe same aircraftfor its air speed record attempts . Thetechnologythat it developedwas laterputtogooduseonits most famous aircraft, theSpitfire .

TheExperienceof~gAs explained above, the first airlines usedconvertedWWI bombers, and suchplaneswerehardlydesigned forcomfort . AT&T'sDH9 hadanopen cockpit, andpassengersweresuppliedwith leathercoats, helmets,gloves andhot waterbottles. With purpose-builtairliners, matters improved, butnot bymuch. TheFokkerFU of 1921, a well-

Miss AmyJohnson- Wonderful Amy- On January 1930.

35

AVIATION

A VICKERS SUPERMARINE-ROLLS-ROYCE " S.6 .B " SEAPLANE : ONE OF THE TWO NEW MACHINES SPECIALLY CONSTRUCTED FOR THIS YEARS

CONTEST ; SHOWING A NUMBER OF REMARKABLE FEATURES OF HER CONSTRUCTION.'SCHNEIDER

thought-ofmachine, provided aheatedpassengercompartment, butthe heatingworkedin all weathers and produced aterrible smell . Thepilot's cockpitwas stillopen and, inwet weather, filled with waterleavingthepilot floating on hiswooden seat .One ofthe strangest flying experiences musthave been intheJunkersG38 of 1929 whichincluded4seats, with forward-facingwindows, in eachofits thickwings .

The early aerodromeswere simplylargefields containinga fewhuts and hangers .Croydon even hada road running through themiddle ofit with a barrier that wasloweredwhenplanes needto cross : a level crossingforaeroplanes! There were, ofcourse, noelaborate security checks, but the aircraftwereso finelybalanced that all passengerswerecarefully weighedbeforebeingassignedtheir seats .

Aircraft for Investigators

Sensible investigators areunlikely to risktheir lives and comfort by usingair travel forordinary journeys, but wherethealter-nativeis along trekthrough dangerous jungles, anaircraft suddenly becomes muchmoreattractive. Inthe absence ofheli-copters,intrepid explorers wouldplump fora floatplanewhichhad ski-likefloatshung fromthefuselage, allowing it toland on rivers andlakes .

36

From 1919, a numberofex-military floatplanes - such as theAvro 504L -becameavailable. A suitable purpose-builtplaneproduced in 1923 was the Supermarine SeaEagle amphibian which hadseats for sixpassengers . This was followedby theSikorsky S-38 in 1928. A highly adaptableaircrat capable ofcarrying up to 16501bs (tenpassengers), it was hugely successful,achievinga production run of 120. Forabsoluteluxury, the 1936 Short Empireflyingboat(aboat hullwith wings attached)had sleepingaccomodationand alargepromenade deck forbalmy eveningsoutinAfrica .

Some Sample Statistics

The performance ofearlyaircraft wasverymuchdependent on factors suchas weather,payload and the stateofmaintenance ofthemachine . Alsoa great variety ofmachines

wereproduced, many with very lowproduction runs . The statisticspresented aretherefore only averages fortypical machines .Ifyou turn to aviationbooks foraccuratefigures on aparticularmake, notethatrangesare quoted differently for militaryand civilaircraft . The `range' ofabomberis how far itcan flybefore it mustdrop its bombs, thatisabout halfthe actual distance it flies. Rangesgivenherearecivil ones .

Cost

Flying bycommercial airline costaround '/adpermile . Tohire anaircraftwouldbe about£710s per passengerhour. Purchase pricesvariedenormously, but onlythewealthiestinvestigators, orthose earning theirliving aspilots, wouldbe ableto afford one .

PeterJeffery

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Date Type CruisingSpeed Range Payloadmph miles

1919 Small airliner 130 425 4passengers1919 Large airliner 90 240 12passengers1919 Floatplane 120 250 1 or2 pass1923 Airliner 110 400 19401bs or9passengers1923 Amphibian 90 300 6 passengers1926 Transport 140 550 6 passengers1928 Airliner 130 450 9001bsand 18passengers1928 Amphibian 110 600 16501bs or 10 passengers1936 Flying Boat 165 760 24passengers and 3360lbs

The Inland WaterwaysThe waterways ofthe 1920s and `30s differedin several respects from those oftoday. Manymore canals wereopen, but someofthosewhich arenavigablein 1986 particular theroutethrough StratfordonAvon, had falleninto temporary decline . Oneofthemostfamiliarcanal names, the GrandUnion, onlycame into being in 1929as aresultofamalgamation . Inthesepre-Nationalisationdays the canalswereeitherowned bycanalcompanies orhad beenboughtup by railwaycompanies.

Inmarkedcontrast to today, therewas littlepleasure boating, but considerable freighttransport. Typical cargoes were coal, stoneand timber, buttherewere somemore exoticuses . Cadbury's chocolate factories hadtheirownfleet ofnarrow boats, andMorelands ofGloucester still shipped matches toBirminghamby water.

The BoatsEachseparate canallimitsthedesign oftheboats thatcanbe used on itthrough fourmaximumdimensions :

Length -determined by thelengthofthelocks, this is normally around70ft,although some Northern canals havelocksas shortas62 ft .

Beam - the width oftheboatis againdetermined bythelocks . 7 ft is themaximumon thenarrow canals oftheMidlands whilst someNorthern andSoutherncanals allowedupto 14 ft .

Draught -depthbelowthewaterlineistypicallylimited to3-4 ft . Thispreventsmost sea-goingvessels from usingthecanals .

Headroom -height above the waterisdetermined by bridges and tunnels .Typicalvalues arebetween5 and 8 ft,whichtendsto rule outsail power.

Amongst boatmen, the term `barge' appliesonly to a commercialcraft inexcess of7 ftinbeam. Themore traditional canalvessel istermeda'narrow boat'. Often theseworked inpairswitha motor boattowing anunpoweredcraftknownasa `butty'. Thetwo fitted side byside inlargelocks, but on the narrowMidlands canals the butty would needto behauledthrough separately.

Theboatman's cabin, situated atthe stern,was usually no more than 10 ft long, makinglivingspaceverycramped . On amotorboat,theenginewouldbe locatedjust forward ofthecabin (thus reducingcargo space),otherwisethe rest oftheboat would begivenovertocargo .

Although motor boats were inuse, towinghorses were stillcommon. Some West

Midlands boatmenusedmules instead . Aspeed of3mph, plus 10 minutesperlock, was(and still is) a goodspeedfor a narrow boat .On poorly maintained sections, the speedcouldbe muchless .

Boat PeopleApartfromthe employees ofthecanalcompanies andcanal-side industries, therewere still owner-boaters (knownas `numberones') working thecanalsthroughout theperiod . Forthemost part, thesepeople wereborn andlived alltheirlives in the tiny 10 ftcabin, marrying otherboatpeople as folk `offthe land' wouldrarely taketo life in suchcrampedquarters . Such people can beregarded almost as arace apart ; "gypsiesofthe waterways", people calledthem, althoughmost had steadyjobs andtravelled regularroutes. Statistics fortypical boat people canbefoundinthe scenario, TheShadowOverDarkbanklaterin this book .

TunnelsTheDarkbank scenario is setaroundeventsinacanal tunnel . Suchplaces areideallyspooky - farmoresothana railway tunnel .Foronething, the steersmanstandsintheopenatthe stern, exposedtocold, damp anddark. One is surroundedby darkness, faintlyilluminatedby the boat's headlight andpuncturedby tinypinpricks oflight atthetunnel portals, butoften fogged by motorfumes . Ifthe tunnel is not straight, even thisminimal illumination is reduced .

Fewtunnelshavetowpaths . Usually thehorsesare sentaheadin daylight whilst theboat is propelled by `legging' - lying on topoftheboatand `walking' alongthetunnel roof.Duringthe `20s leggingwas graduallyreplacedby canal company tugs, some ofthem electric which showered the darknesswitheerie blue sparks .

The scenario is set on a fictional canal, butmany real sites arejust as interesting . Someofthe longesttunnels inthecountry are thefollowing :

Standedge - 5698 yards. HuddersfieldNarrow CanalbetweenManchester andHuddersfield . Only 9ftwide, with four widerpassing places .

Dudley - 3154 yards . DudleyCanal betweenBirmingham and Stourbridge . Partly naturalcavern and open tothe skyin twoplaces . Ithas sidetunnels, no towpathand nopassingplaces .

Blisworth - 3056 yards . Grand JunctionCanal northofNewportPagnell . Wide, butnotowpath . Water cascades fromthe ceiling .

Harecastle- 2926yards . TrentandMerseyCanalbetweenStoke-on-Trent andMiddlewich . Narrowand with alow ceiling .Reputedly haunted . Had electrictug .

Braunston -2042 yards . Grand JunctionCanal nearDaventry. Wideenoughto pass ;no path . Has a slight kink sothat one canrarely see bothends .

OtherFeatures

Locks areused to raise and lowerboats onshallow inclines . Whenseveral locks occurin sequence this isknownas a `flight'. Onlyoneliftremained in use, the Anderton Liftwhich raised boats over50ftfrom the RiverWeaverupto theTrent and Mersey Canal .Several impressiveaqueducts existtocarrycanals overvalleys . Often thesehavenothingto preventcarelessboatmen from falling overthe edge.

Cost

A narrow boatfitted forpleasure use willcostaround£7 a weekto hireor £100to buy. Thecanal companieslevied tolls forthe use oftheir canalandtugs . Use 1d20 shillings setcost, plus an additional ld6 farthings permile, and 3d6pence foruse ofatug.

Author-PeterJeffery

Notorin,qFor some whileafterthe endofthe GreatWar, therewas little innovation inmotor cardesign . Certainly, the acquisition andrunning ofamotorcarbecame cheaper, withpopularmodels such as the `Bullnose'Morris and ModelTFord(both pre-wardesigns)being supplanted by newermodelssuchas theAustin Seven. At the opposite endofthemarket, the Rolls-Royce 40/50hp (orSilverGhost) was stillin production, butmatterswere soon to change .

During 1919,WOBentley hadbeen workingonhisowndesigns, andhis first carwasproduced the following year. fromthistimeuntil the company's unfortunateentry intoreceivershipintheearly 1930s, Bentleyswereto betheprincipal Britishsporting cars,withseveral successesat LeMans andelsewhere. In thosedays, whatracedat LeMans was prettymuch the same as whatyoucouldbuy forthe road .Some Europeancars were imported, butthese weregenerally rarities, confined totheluxuryandsporting parts ofthe market .Manufactur-ers suchas Mercedes-Benz andBugatti were able to supply carstotheconnoisseur-andwhat cars these were, fullyable to compete with the Bentleys in speedandagility, though each required expertattentionatfrequent intervalsif itwas to giveof its best .

Competingfromabroad with the luxury ofRolls-Roycewere cars suchas the Hispano-Suizaand Packard- glorious machines offantastic equipment, asornate and luxuriousas the finesthorse-drawn carriages ofprevious eras . They were, perhaps, not asreliable and well engineered as the Rolls, butwere noless desirable. Themostseriouscompetitioncame fromDaimler's Britishoffshoot, bythen owned by BSA. Theircarswerea particular favourite ofKing GeorgeV,and thereforebecamethe standard transportofthehigheraristocracy.

British competitorsfortheBentley were carssuchastheVauxhall OE 30/98, a far cry fromthemassmarket carsthat company producestoday. LaterBritishcompanies in the samefieldwereLagonda, Railton andInvicta, butBentley's principal rivals were the foreigncars againstwhich they duelledontheracetracks ofEurope : Bugatti, AlfaRomeo andMercedes.Duringthe 1930s, Ford, Morris, Austin andsuchlike remainedthe manufacturers ofpopularfamily cars, although innovativeEuropeancompetition came fromCitroen.Their TractionAvant was apioneering frontwheel drive carwhich was so successful itwas stillin production in 1957. Youngermembers ofthe middle class couldbesportthemselves in an MG -acheap sports carbuilton astandard Morris chassis .Amongst theluxury cars ofthe `30s, Rolls-Royceremainedsubstantiallyunrivalled,taking overBentley andproducingmarvellouscars such as the delightfulBently

38

3'/2 litreand, in total contrast, theluxuriousV12 Rolls-Royce PhantomIII . In Europe,Hispano-Suiza, Isotta-Franschini andBugatti didtheir besttocompete. TheHispano-SuizaV12wasevenmoreexpensivethanthe PhantomIII, andBugatti producedthe amazing Royalewith its 13-litre straighteight engine . Only sixor sevenwere built:notsurprising seeing as the chassis alonecost$30,000- this in 1927!Taking all this into account, motoringbetweenthe wars was indeedwithina greenand pleasant land . There were nomotorways,only a few dual carriageways, and littleenoughtraffic . Indeed, up until 1927, therewasconsiderable debateas to whether thepracticeofhaving separate lanes fortrafficdependentondirection oftravel waseconomically viable, despitetheobvioussafetyadvantages.

The performance ofcars couldbe quiteimpressive - thelargerBentley and Rolls-Royce saloonscouldexceed 100mph, andsports models suchas the Bugatti 57SCmanaged 130mphormore . For muchoftheperiod, there were no speed limits to speak ofoutside towns, andone's rate ofprogresswould havebeen limited onlybyvisibility,

comers in the roadand one'sdriving ability.Thequalityofbrakes andtyres was not veryhigh . Bear inmind also, thatthedrivingtestwasnotintroduced until 1935 - before that alicencewas tobe hadonapplication .

Asthecostoffamilymotoring dropped, thepracticeofthe Sunday outing grew. Familieswouldtakethemselves off, to the seasideorfor apicnic inthecountry, and attendances atchurch fell accordingly.

Sample Statistics

The followingtables show some samplestatistics forvarious carsoftheperiod .However, even an individualmodel couldbeproducedin several differentversions, andprices varied widelywith date andaccessoriespurchased. Many manufacturerssupplied only a chassis: customers had to gotoaseparate coachbuilder for the bodyworkwhichcouldbe as ornate as theywished.Prices markedwith a *below are for chassisonly ; add at least halfagainforthecoachwork.

All speedsarequotedinmph . Thefewerstars a carhas, the lessprestigious it is todriveone.(t) Rolls-Royce neverquoteperformancefiguresfortheirmodels, sothesenumbersareapproximate .

rr

Model Year Country Seats Speed Cost Prestige

Alfa Romeo 8C2900B 1937-1939 Italy 2 130+ £2,100 *****Austin Seven (Baby Austin) 1923-1938 Britain 4 45 £125-165 *Bentley3 litre 1920-1927 Britain 2/4 98 £1,200* *****Bentley Speed Six 1927-1931 Britain 2+2 92 £1,450*Bentley 8 litre (saloon) 1930-1931 Britain 2/7 120 £1,880* *****Bugatti Type 35B 1924-1930 France 2 110 £1,200 *****Bugatti Type 41 Royale 1927-1935 France 2/5 125 £5,250* *****CitroenTraction Avant 1934-1957 France 2/4 N/A £2,500 ****Daimler Double Six 1926-1935 Germany/Britain 2/7 61-90 £328 **Duesenberg SJ 1932-1937 USA 2/4 N/A £2,500 ****Ford Model T 1908-1927 USA 2/6 125 £4,000 *****Ford Popular 1935-1939 USA 4/5 45 £130 *HillmanTen 1913-1924 Britain 4/5 68 £100 *Hispano Suiza H6C 1919-1931 France 2/5 105 N/A ****Hispano Suiza V12 1931-1939 France 2/6 115 N/A *****InvictaS-Type 1930-1935 Britain 2 100 N/A *****IsottaFranschini8A 1924-1932 Italy 2/7 95 £2,000* *****Lagonda V12 1936-1939 Britain 2/5 110 £1,640 ****LanciaLambda 1923-1931 Italy 4/6 78 £810 ***Mercedes BenzSSK 1929-1934 Germany 2 125 £2,500 *****Mercedes Benz500K 1934-1937 Germany 2 108 £2,980 *****MG MidgetMType 1929-1932 Britain 2 65 £175 **"Bullnose" MorrisOxford 1913-1926 Britain 4 55 £175 *Packard V12 1929-1934 USA 2/7 104 £1,100 ****Railton Series I 1933-1938 Britain 2/5 90 £535 **Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost 1906-1925 Britain 2/7 65t £1,350* *****Rolls-Royce PhantomIII 1936-1939 Britain 2/7 90t £1,900* *****SSJaguar 100 1934-1940 Britain 2 100 £430 ***Vauxhall PrinceHenry 1908-1919 Britain 2 80 £945 **VauxhallOE 30/98 1923-1927 Britain 4 80 £1,150 **

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39

MOTORING

Motoring Laws

The 1930Actrevoked thegeneral20mphspeedlimit (which had beenwidely dis-regarded) . Therewere no limitsonthespeedofcarsand motorbikes, though busesandlorries were limited to35and30mphrespectively. Alicencecost 5sayear and tax£6 for acar, £1 10s fora small bike and £3 foralargebike . Insurance wasmadeobligatoryforthe firsttime.

In 1935, in anattemptto control therapidlyincreasing numberofaccidents, the Govern-ment introduced the driving test anda speedlimit of30mph in built-upareasonly. Roadswerestill largelyunsigned, butthe familiar,striped pedestrian crossingdidmake anappearance andpolicemenonpointdutycontrolled majorjunctionsintowns . Trafficlights were also introduced, butweresufficientlyrarethat theirappearanceatPiccadillyCircusin 1937 was thecause ofapublicopeningceremonyattended bytheMinister ofTransportandLordMayorofLondon .

Other 1Yansport

Author- Robin apCynan

Whilethemotorcarwasthe increasinglydominant form. oftransport inthe `20sand`30s, there wereothertypes, whicharecoveredbrieflyhere.

Buses :Thetraditional horse-drawn double-deckerwas rapidly adapted to amotorisedversion intheyears before the GreatWar.With its open top, itcould be anuncomfortable ride,untilcovered topsbecame the norm around 1925 . Singledeckers becamepopular inthe mid `20s,especiallyonlessbusyroutes .

Buses were very popular in cities likeLondon, carryingpeoplewithout cars to andfromwork.The maincompanyin thecapitalwas London General, butthere werealsoseveral `pirate' operators, suchasthe LondonPublic Omnibus Company, until theformationofLondonTransport in 1933. Incountry areas, too, buses wereveryimportant, forthey linked outlyingsettlements with railway stationsandcarriedmilk and mailas well aspassengers (manyroutes wereactually runby railwaycompanies for atime) .

1927 AEC Regent LS - double-decker -72passengers1936AEC Q- singel-decker - 37passengers

Lorries and Vans : Thefirstlorries weresteam-driven wagons, used inBritain untiltheadventofdiesel engine in 1928 because ofthevery cheappriceofcoat . Bythen, petrol-drivenlorries andvanshad advanced greatlyfromtheir humble beginnings asstandardmotorcars with extended rears!Initiallylorries travelled onlysmalldistances,serving the railways rather than competingwiththem . However, withthe introduction oflarge six-wheelers in 1920, lorries becameviable long-distance carriers .

1920 Scammel - articulated 6-wheeler -capacity 8 tons1930 Foden -rigid6-wheeler - capacity12 tons1935 LeylandOctopus - rigid 8-wheeler -capacity 15 tons

Taxis : Londontaxisofthe `20sand `30shadastrangely antiquatedlook, because ofthemanyScotland Yard rulesontheirconstruction andusage(for example, aten-inch groundclearance) . In 1927, the rules

weremodified, and taxiswere updated alittle, butthey were stillhigh-roofed owingtointerior headroom requirements. Mosttaxiscouldcarryonlytwo orthreepassengers,thoughinthelatethirties larger cabscapableoftakinguptofiveorsixpassengersandtheirluggage insome comfortwereintroduced .

1930Austin Twelve-Fourtaxi -3passengerplusluggage

Motorcycles : Motorised bicycles had beenintroduced in the 1890s, but itwasn't until theboomyears of 1912-1915 thatmotorcyclesbecame reallypopular (theTriumph550ccandDouglas 350cc acquitted themselvesadmirably in WWI) . In the 1920s, sidecarsandpillion seats forpassengers becamepopular, and after the Depression yearsthemotorcyclecombination was recognised asthe ideal holiday transport ofthe moreprosperous working man .

1923 BSA 770cc V-twinplus sidecar - 48 mph-£821924Brough SS100998cc V-twin -100mph -£1701935 Triumph650cc V-twin - 85mph- £95

Bicycles : By 1905, the formofthe bicyclehadsettled down, with thestandard SafetyBicycle formandSturmey-Archer Three-speed gearsbeing thenorm. Drop handlebarswereavailable forracingmachines, thoughmost bicycleshad standard straight ones . Atypical machine in 1925 wouldbe aRudge-Whitworthora Sunbeam, foraround£5 to£8.

Author-Mart Gascoigne

Throughoutthe 1919-39period, the principalsource ofmotivepower remained thecoal-fired steamlocomotive. The size and powerof theselocomotives increasedbut, fromtheir nature, theyremainedhighly inefficientmachines which requiredskilled crewsto getthe bestfromthem.

In themid andlate `30s, streamlined loco-motiveswere introduced . In the main, thecruising speedwas still only 6070mph, butLNER'sMallarddid achieve aworld recordin1938 by getting upto a speed of125mphwhiletravellingbetween GranthamandPeterborough .

Very few electriclocomotives existed,though theLondonto Brighton line waselectrified in 1933 . GWRhada few dieselrailcars inthe mid `30s, butdiesel didnotbecome commonuntil afterWWII.

PassengerAccomodation

Themajority oftrains, exceptfor thoseonshortjourneybranch andsuburban lines,were madeupofcorridorcoaches oftheseparate compartment type, similarto the"European-Style" coachillustrated in themain Cthulhu rules. Mostcoaches weresteamheatedandelectrically lit . Every coachwasprovidedwith an emergency"communication cord", achain whichapplied thetrainbrakes automatically whenpulled. The cordalso set amarkeronthecoachand remained slack inthecompart-ment whereit waspulled foridentificationpurposes . Thepenalty for improper use was£5 .

Steel construction began toreplacethe older,wooden coaches during the period . Thisprovedmuch saferbut, duetopoortrackmaintenance, was less comfortable athighspeeds. The separate door into eachcompartmentwas abandoned inthelate `30s .Afew saloon-stylecoacheswith acentralgangwaybeganto appear in the late `20s, butthecompartmenttypestill predominated in1939.

2ndclass travel had almostdisappeared by1919,the only survivors beingonsome NorthLondonsuburban services and certaintrainsoperating betweenLondon andtheChannelPorts. By 1937, 2nd class tickets wereonlyavailable onContinentalBoattrains . Thiswas supposedly because linking seaandforeign services had2nd class, butthen theboatshadno 3rd class! As a resultofthisstrange system, most railway travelwas onlyavailable as 1st and 3rd class .

Therailway was theonly reliableandquickmeans oftransport in 1919, the electrictramways ofurban areas beingreally anextension ofthe railway principle . To providethisservice, thecountry was covered byavastnetwork oflines : justover20,000 milesoftrackand 6,700stations (twice whatexiststoday) . Despite thegrowth ofpopularmotoring, this situationwas to remainunchanged throughoutmostoftheperiod .Long distancepassenger coachesbegantoeat into therailway marketinthe `30s, butwhilstfares were cheaper, journey timeswerelonger. Aprivatecar, though moreconvenient, was neitherquicknorcomfortable, even when within the pricerange ofthecommon man .

TheGrouping

In 1913, therailway systemofGreatBritainwas inthehands ofa largenumber ofcompanies, some ofwhichhadlessthanfivemiles oftrack. Althoughtherewasconsiderable co-operation between manycompanies, theset-up led to duplicationofservices (there werethree different linesbetweenLiverpooland Manchester) andproblemswith long-distance travel . AcopyofBradshaw, therailway timetable, was anessential travelling companion .

DuringWWI, the Government tookover therunning ofthe railway systemandran it asasingle unit . Theadvantages soon becameobvious . Although the companyshareholders wereguaranteedthe returnoftheir linesafterthewar, theGovernment keptthe substantial profitmadeduring thattimeand introducedmuch betterworkingconditions withnoincrease inprices. Whenthe system was finally returnedto privateownership in 1921, manycompanies facedfinancial ruin .

Despite strongpressure for Nationalisation,the Governmentfinallyoptedto solvetheproblem bygrouping thelines intofour new,private companiesorganised on a regionalbasis (though a few companies, notably theSomerset&Dorset, continued to co-existwith the `Big Four') . This situation persistedfrom 1923 upuntilNationalisation in 1949 .Obviously, sucha radicalchange could nothappen overnight ; rolling stockin oldliveries couldstill befound in the late `20s,and people stillusedthe oldnamesfor lineswell intothe `30s. Themap shows the areas ofthe country servedby the `BigFour' whilst'liable 1 showshowthe old companies weregrouped . Amoredetailedmap ofrailwaylinesisavailable in Cthulhuby Gaslight .

A fewluxury (Pullman) services existed,mainly onSRandLNER. All British

'WITH S

., l,BOAT SE vXFROM MAY

Pullmancars were ofthe central gangwaytype, with tables sothatrefreshments couldbeserved at your seat . Sleeper trains wererunonlong distance routes, thoughthey weremainly 1stclassuntil 1928 . The 3rd class`beds'were often simply the provision ofaflat surface, arug anda pillow. Wherepossible therewas segregationofthe sexes,butonheavilybooked trains this wasnotalwayspracticable.

Many ofthe express services were givenspecialnames . Itwas these services whichhadfirstclaimon the morefamous loco-motives such asMallardandGWR'sKingGeorge V.

FaresIntheory, the costofpassenger travel wasproportionalto distance, but therewere manydeviations, especially where more thanoneroutewas possible . In 1923, the standard 3rdclass rate was 1'hdper mile and 1stclass 2 1/2dpermile . Return tickets wereavailable butatno saving . Singles werevalidfor 3 days andreturns for3 months . The ticketoftenspecified therouteto be taken . Breaks ofjourney werepermittedalongtheway,although in cases ofjourneys covering morethanonecompany breaks werenot normallyallowed outside the issuingcompany'sterritory.

41

RAILWAYS

Inaddition to standardtickets, thereweremany concessional fares such as week-endreturns at30% ofa single fare, tourists'tickets and excursions . Suchtickets wereonlyvalidbetween the stations stated : breaksofjourney werenotallowed, nor wasterminationofthejourney at aninter-mediatestation since thefareto this stations couldwell be higher thanfor the completejourney.

Moststations were closed, ie, access and exitwas via aticketbarrier. In addition, therewasfrequentinspection oftickets by travellinginspectors on the mainline trains . Non-travellers could gainaccess to stationsbymeansofa Id PlatformTicket .

42

Areas covered by the 'Big Four' Railway Companies.

Table 1- TheGrouping

London, Midland & ScottishRailway(LMS) - London& NorthWestern ;Midland ; Caledonian ; Furness ; Lancashire& Yorkshire; Glasgow & South Western ;Highland; North Staffordshire.

London & North Eastern Railway (LNER)- Great Northern ; North Eastern ; GreatEastern ; GreatCentral ; NorthBritish ; GreatNorthofScotland .

GreatWestern Railway (GWR) -GreatWestern ; Cambrian ; TaffVale ; Brecon &Merthyr ; Rhymney ; Barry.

Southern Railway(SR) -London & SouthWestern; London, Brighton & South Coast ;South Eastern & Chatham .

Table2-'Named ' servicesCoronation Scot (LMS - from 1937)London (Euston) - Glasgow

Lancastrian(LMS - from 1927)London (Euston) - Manchester

Merseyside Express (LMS -from 1927)London (Euston) - Liverpool

Royal Scot (LMS)London - Glasgow

Devonian (LMS/GWR - from 1927)Bradford - Paignton

Coronation (LNER - from 1937)London (Kings Cross) -Edinburgh

Flying Scotsman (LNER)London (Kings Cross) -Edinburgh

Queen ofScots Pullman (LNER)London (Kings Cross) -Glasgow

SilverJubilee(LNER-from 1935)London (Kings Cross) -Newcastle

CheltenhamFlyer(GWR)London (Paddington) - Cheltenham

Cornish Riviera Express (GWR)London (Paddington) -Penzance

Brighton Belle (SRPullman)London (Victoria) -Brighton

GoldenArrow (SR)London - Paris (viaDover&ferry)

Table3 -LondonTerminiLondonhas abewildering array ofrailwaystations, a legacyofthepre-Grouping era .Theprincipal stations and the areas theyservedaregiven below.

Paddington(GWR) - South Wales, Oxford,Bath, Bristol&theSouthWest, SouthMidlands, Birmingham.Euston (LMS) -Birmingham, Liverpool,Manchester, North & WestScotland, NorthWales .St Pancras (LMS) - East Midlands(Leicester, Nottingham)Marylebone (LMS) - Buckinghamshire&SouthMidlandsKings Cross (LNER) - Yorkshire, NorthEast, South East ScotlandLiverpool Street (LNER) - Cambridge,Harwich, East AngliaWaterloo (SR) -Southampton,Bournemouth& Exeter

-Victoria(SR) - South East(Brighton &Dover) & France

Author-Norman Tamlyn

FerriesMostoftheferry services available toIrelandandtheContinentwere runby therailwaycompanies . Theprincipal routes availableare listed below.LMS : Holyhead - Dun Laoghaire ; Heysham-Belfast ; Stranraer-LarneLNER: Harwich - HookofHolland ;Harwich - Antwerp ; Harwich - Zebrugge(from 1924)GWR: Fishguard-Rosslare ; Fishguard-Waterford ;Weymouth- Channel IslandsSR : Dover-Calais ; Dover-Ostend ; Dover-Dunkirk; Folkstone - Boulogne ; Newhaven-Dieppe ; Southampton- Channel Islands ;Southampton - Le Havre ; Southampton - St .Malo

OceanTravelThebest way (theonlyway for agentleman)to traveltoAmerica wasby Cunard linerfromSouthampton . Vessels such astheMauritania, Aquitania andQueenMary(launched 1935) were so luxurious that youmight as well havebeen inyourown statelyhome, andthetrip, weather permitting, wasone long party.

Cunardonly offered services acrosstheNorth Atlantic. However, othercompaniesoperated services to all parts oftheEmpire .The UnionCastle line sailed fromSouthampton toAfrica ; the P&O andOrientlines fromLondonto theFar East andAustralia ; andthePacific Steam NavigationCompany from Southampton andLondontoSouth America .

TrampSteamersFor those investigators who cannotafford aCunardticket, the cheapwaytotravel is bytramp steamer. These cargovesselstravelledfromportto portonjourneyslasting manymonths andtens ofthousandsofmiles . Thetrickwas to pick up anewcargo at every portand spendaslittletime aspossible unladen .

Suchvessels neededa special licence to carrypassengers, butthecaptains were anindependent lot and were quitehappyto getround the regulations ifsufficientlyrewarded. Indeed, they regularly tooktheirfriends andfamilyalong withthem by thesimple trickofsigningthem on as `stewards'.

Author-Norman Tamlyn

43

of tile GlenQNN

BRUTALMURDERIN SCOTLANDAccused blames haunted house

Inverness Police are continuing theirinvestigations into the brutal murder ofMrDonald McColl, a distillery workerfromthe small Highland village ofStrathmorn .The officer in charge ofthe investigation,Inspector Charles Sinclair, toldourreporter that Mr McColl's horribly slashedandmutilated body wasfound on theoutskirts ofthe isolated village late lastSaturday night, as the villagers made theirway homefrom a party at the local hotel.The only othermemberofthe villagecommunity notpresent at theparty,shepherd boyJamieMcLeod, is helpingPolice with enquiries. Apparently, he claimsto have been exploring thedesertedmanorofthe MacMornfamily, once lairds ofthemanor, whodied out 100years ago. Localshold that the manor is haunted, andMcLeod is reported to have claimedthat themurder musthave been committedby one ofthe ghosts thathad become disturbed by hisinvestigations .

Inspector Sinclair is refusing to considerthepossibility ofa supernatural explanationforthe crime, butdoes admit that certainaspects ofthe mystery, including theferocityofthe murderandthe apparentlack ofmotive, defy rational explanation . TheNational LaboratoryforPsychical Researchhas offered tofund an investigation into thehaunting ofStrathmorn Manor. Applicantsforposts on the investigative committee areinvited to contact the Director, Mr HarryPrice; at 19Buckingham Place, London .

Introduction

The Sunday Review

This scenario is set in the 1920s or 1930s,and is designed for a group ofplayercharacters who are used to investigatingstrange occurences and can present someauthority for doing so - they will need thisin order to be able to co-operate with thePolice and the suspicious, and potentiallyhostile, villagers . The introductory articlefrom the Sunday Review given aboveprovides a suitable lead-in to the adventureand dates it as some time in the late 1930s,which is when Harry Price operated out ofBuckingham Place . More information onPrice can be found earlier in this book in thesection on the Occult .

Obviously, enterprising Keepers will beable to devise alternative introductions fortheir players where necessary to fit thescenario into their campaigns . Little in thescenario other than the introduction impliesa specific date. Likewise, the scenario is notset during any particular time ofyear, but itshould not be set in winter, as Strathmornwould be snowbound - making the invest-igators' task unduly difficult . During thesummer, the area is likely tobe full oftourists, the railways having madeexploration ofthe remote parts of Britainmuch easier. This is also likely to hamperinvestigations, as accommodation will bedifficult to come by. However, having theinvestigators in the area on holiday might bea suitable alternative introduction

The following text describes the plot of theadventure as it is most likely to unfold .However, the players may well choose todeviate from the expected course ofevents,and will probably spend agood deal of timeinterviewing various villagers . With this inmind, personality profiles ofall the majornon-player characters are given in thesections of the booklet dealing withStrathmorn village . As always, it is import-ant to have a thorough grasp of the whole ofthe scenario before starting to run it .

Getting there

Ifthe players choose to contact Price, hewill need to consider whether they aresuitable . It is up to the Keeper whether ornot Price is impressed with theircred-entials. The scenario will not be undulyspoilt ifhe is not, as the location ofthemanor is easily obtainable, but theinvestigators will find that references fromthe famous Harry Price impress well-readlocals, and ifthey are not working for Price,the Keeper may like to introduce a rivalgroup which is .

In accordance with his usual policy, Pricewill not offer any payment to his invest-igators save for transport to Scotland,though he will be prepared to supplyscientific equipment . In return, he asks thatthe investigators make no statements to thepress except through him, and that theresults oftheir work become the property ofthe National Laboratory for PsychicalResearch .

The easiest way to get to Strathmorn is forthe investigators to take the train toInverness and get to the village either by cabor by hiring a car. Regular railway servicesrun from London Euston to Perth andInverness, though passengers may have tochange trains en route. The Station Hotel isa convenient and reputable place to staywhilst in the city, prices starting at 6/- anight for a single room, with meals from 3/-upwards . Investigators looking for a cheaperestablishment are warned that the

Temperance Movement is very strong inScotland, and many hotels do not servealcohol .The map of central Inverness shows thelocation ofthe station, museum and publiclibrary. The police are housed in the CountyOffices . Cabs are generally available fromThe Exchange (the open area in front oftheTown Hall) and the cost ofa trip toStrathmorn is 4/6.

ThePolice CaseBy the time the Sunday Review storyappeared, the case was already a week old,and a further few days will have elapsedbefore the investigators get to Scotland . Inthe intervening time, Inspector Sinclair hasbeen unable to discover any otherpossibleculprit and has therefore charged McLeodwith murder. The first thing that theinvestigators are likely to do is approachthepolice and ask for their help. The Inspector,assuming the players have suitablereferences, will provide the followinginformation :

Inspector Sinclair still has doubts aboutMcLeod's guilt, but can find no otherexplanation for the mystery, and - beingunder considerable pressure to bringcharges against someone - he has chosen theonly possible candidate . Although he hasonly circumstantial evidence for McLeod'sguilt, Sinclair does have character witnessesfromthe village who are prepared to testifythat they believe McLeod could havecommited the murder. As these include theMinister and the local doctor, he is fairlysure that McLeod will be convicted. Ifasked to provide further details of the crime,he willbecome irritable and unhelpful, asheknows he doesn't have any firm proof anddoesn't want the investigators throwing updoubts . However, he is happy for them tohave a look at the manor. Being a scepticalman, he is convinced that they will findnothing interesting, and if they are workingon that, they can't be trying to clearMcLeod . He will warn them that many ofthevillagers are convinced thatthe manor ishaunted and will be very unhappy at thethought of anyone risking disturbing theghosts .

This is as much as the investigators will getfromInspector Sinclair, but ifthey chooseto ask to see McLeod they will pick up moreinteresting information .

First, they will note that McLeod is aslightly built young man in his earlytwenties . He seems fairly bright and verymuch afraid of what is happening to him .All he has to say is that he didn't do it, itmust have been the ghosts, and he's sorry heever wentto thatawful house. Iftheinvestigators try to question him about thehouse, he will say that he went there hopingto find treasure and that he fell asleep . Allhe can remember about that night is aparticularly ferocious wind that built up

whilst he was inside the manor. He is nowconvinced that the place is haunted, becausehe knows he didn't commit the murder, andhe wishes he had listened to ReverendMcCallan's advice and left the Devil's workwell alone. He will not discuss the housefurther, nor say why he thought there mightbe treasure there, and will do his best todissuade the investigators from entering it .

The police officer in charge ofthe cellswhere McLeod is held is Sergeant Lorimer.If questioned, he will be reluctant to talk atfirst, as he is fairly superstitious, but ifpressed and bought a few whiskys he willreveal that he is very sorry for the youngman :

"I saw the body they found, and believe me,there's no way the wee laddie couldhavedone so much damage to a man. His armswere ripped from their sockets, his headwas halftwisted off and hisbody coveredwith such awful cuts you'd think someonehad been at him with a claymore . Still, therest ofthe village were all at the hotel withMrs McPherson when it happened, so I canonly believe that the laddie must have beenpossessedby the Devil, like the Reverendsays . From the way he cries out in his sleep,he's certainly troubled by some spirit orother."

Sergeant Lorimer is not sure exactly what itis that McLeod says in his sleep, but - iffurther lubricated with whisky - will allowthe investigators to stay the night at thepolice station to listen to him for them-

THE HORROR OF THE GLEN

selves . If the investigators follow thiscourse, they will discover that McLeoddreams several times during the night, eachtime thrashing his arms and legs wildly andcrying out. Many ofhis cries areincoherent, especially to someoneunfamiliar with the local accent, but theinvestigators can make out a number ofsentences such as :

"No, no, don'tgo in there! No, it can'tbe,it's moving!Aargh! Don't let it get me! "

On waking, McLeod can remember nothingof his dreams.

If asked about the details of the crime,Sergeant Lorimer will say that the Inspectorhas forbidden anyone to discuss ituntil afterthe trial, at which all will be explained . Noamount of bribery will get anything moreout ofhim .

This is all the information the investigatorscan get out ofthe police and McLeod . Atthis stage, they will probably wish to go toStrathmom to interview the villagers andexplore the manor. However, they maydecide to make use of the museum andpublic library while they are in Inverness inorder to look for references to the manor .and the MacMorn family. From the point ofview of the flow ofthe scenario it isprobably best to encourage them towardsStrathmorn straight away, but if they docome up with the idea of going to thelibrary, referto the section on documentaryevidence later in the booklet. Obviously,

-, laA SIMPLIFIED MAP OF

INVERNESS TOWN CENTRE.� %\ Li

45

theywill not know of the existence ofArchie McPhee's diary at this stage, andwill need to make exceptionally goodlibrary rolls in order to find it .Ifthe investigators do make their waydirectly to Strathmorn, they will needsomewhere to stay. The natural, indeedonly, place to stay is the Strathmorn Hotel .

Stathmorn HotelScottish hotels are often nothing more thanthe equivalent of English coaching inns .This is certainly true ofthe one inStrathmorn, which has only three guestrooms - one double and two twins . Theinvestigators will probably have to sharerooms . The double room is 5/- per night andthe twins 3/6 per person per night . Mealsare from 2/6. If the scenario has been setduring the summer, there is a good chancethat one or more of the rooms will beoccupied by tourists . Keepers with a weakparty might like to use this as an excuse tointroduce an NPC. Ofcourse, iftheinvestigators are not working for Price, theymay find that people who are have alreadysnapped up the rooms . Ifthere is notenough room for all the investigators, someofthem will have to commute fromInverness .

The hotel is run by Mrs MaureenMacPherson, a kindly widow. She is quitehappy to talk to the investigators, andindeed does so at length as they strugglethrough the heavy porridge breakfast thatshe provides . Unfortunately, most ofhergossip is about local affairs and herchildren, rather that anything ofinterest .

Mrs MacPherson's children are lain andDouglas . Like most other young Highland-ers, they found few opportunities for workat home and so got as much education aspossible and emigrated . lain is a doctor inMelbourne, and Douglas an engineer inToronto. Like many other Scots, MrsMacPherson is worried about the number ofyoung people leaving the Highlands for bigcities or the colonies. The population ofStrathmorn is now 20% less than it was 100years ago.

Local matters that she is likely to mentioninclude the large number of English touristswho now seem to flock to the area insummer; how wicked it is that all ofthatgood land that Earl Cawdor has is givenover to deer and grouse rather than provid-ing work for farmers like itdid in hergrandfather's time ; and how slothsome themen in the village are on account oftheirdrinking halfof the distillery's outputbeforeit ever gets bottled (a slight exaggeration) . Ifthe investigators can get a word in edgewaysand ask the appropriate leading questionsthey can glean the following additionalinformation :

The party at the hotel on the night ofthemurder was in honour of Mrs MacPherson's

46

50th birthday. With the hotel being the onlylegal, convenient source ofalcohol, and assuch the social centre ofthe village, every-one was invited and everyone came, evenRev McCallan who officially frowns on theconsumption ofthe Devil's Brew. The onlyabsentee was McLeod who, in theory, wassupposed to be looking after a flock ofsheep belonging to Mr McIntyre, a localfarmer.

Donald McColl left the party early for somereason, and that was the last anyone saw ofhim until his body was found the followingmorning by a group of villagers on their wayto church to repent the nights debauchery(the Sunday Review got this detail wrong,which may confuse the investigatorssomewhat) .

some sort, but what happened to it shedoesn't know - it was probably burnt onaccount ofit telling ofthe evil doings oftheMacMorn family. Not that she knows theevil the MacMorns might have done, exceptthat it concerned Africa, but they must havebeen evil- ifthey have come back from thegrave to haunt the manor.

Mrs MacPherson can also supply the invest-igators with any information they requireabout who lives in the village, where to findthem and so on . She will wam them to beparticularly careful about who they talk to,as many people in Strathmorn do not likeforeigners, and the Rev McCallan is likelyto be firmly against them doing anythingthat might disturb the ghosts in the manor.

MacMorn Manor has been deserted for over100 years since the last laird died withoutheirs . Rumour has it that it is haunted byghosts ofthe family who protect the familytreasure . No one in the village dares to goanywhere near it, and besides RevMcCallan has forbidden them to do so lestthey become possessed by demons .

As far as Mrs MacPherson is concerned,possession by the Devil is the only possibleexplanation for McLeod having commitedthe murder. She says he has always been anice, polite boy, ifa little unreliable onaccount of his being given to daydreaming .Also, he was "foreverpoking his nose intoplaces where noses didn't ought to bepoked".

The village is obviously a very closecommunity, the only real outsider being DrMcBride, who - although Scots by ancestry- was born and educated in England . MrsMacPherson's family have lived in thevillage for as long as she can remember.Her grandfather, Archie McPhee, was theminister at the time the manor was lastoccupied . She believes he wrote a diary of

The next stage for the investigators willpresumably be to talk to more ofthevillagers and try to get some moreinformation, both about the manor and themurder mystery. The map ofStrathmornshows the location of the houses oftheprincipal characters, the manor and the spotwhere Donald McColl's body was found .

The Peopleof StrathmornAs has already been noted, Strathmorn is aclosed and isolated community . For themost part - Mrs MacPherson, the McPheesand Dr McBride excepted - the villagers arereluctant to talk to strangers . A fair numberof tourists do come through Strathmornduring the summer, but the McColl murdercaused a fewjournalists to descend upon thevillage and has opened old sores . Thevillagers will be tight-lipped about anythingremotely scandalous ; they will become veryedgy and unfriendly if anyone mentions theMacMorn house, poaching, stealing fromthe distillery or anything to do with sex .They will be exceptionally hostile to anyonethey suspect ofbeing from an Englishnewspaper .

Poaching is something ofa local pastime .Much ofthe area surrounding the village isowned by Lord Cawdor and is well stockedwith deer, grouse and salmon . The distil-lery is very small, and has little market forits ware outside ofInverness and thesurrounding villages. Most of the output issold to blending companies . It does,however, provide the only local industry andstealing whisky from it is an acceptedsupplement to the meagre wages .

Ifasked about the night ofthe murder, mostpeople will confirm both Mrs MacPherson'sversion ofevents and McLeod's mention ofa particularly high wind blowing that night .The rest were too drunk to rememberanything .

Donald McColl - the murdered man waswell liked amongst the villagers . Other thanpoaching, stealing whisky and beating hiswife he had no particular vices, and none ofthese were counted greatly heinous . Hisability at caber-tossing had made him alocal hero. Few ofthe villagers will admit toany reason why he might have been killed,or how anyone could have managed it .

Rev McCallan - the local minister isexceedingly strict in his beliefs and duties,even for a Presbyterian . Woe betide anyonein the village who fails to turn up at the kirk(Scottish for church) on a Sunday. TheReverend regards the MacMorn house as anabode ofSatan and has forbidden anyone inthe village to enter it, or even go beyond theprotecting ring oftrees . As soon as theinvestigators express any interest in thehouse, McCallan will do all he can to drivethem away from the village lestthey wakewhatever demons Satan might have billetedthere .

McCallan is convinced ofMcLeod's guilt .As soon as he heard the lad had spent thenight in the manor, he knew that he musthave been possessed by a demon and couldthus have been capable ofanything .

Willie Stewart - Donald McColl's bestfriend is a slow, suspicious man with a deepmistrust of foreigners (by which he meansanyone from more than 5 miles away) . He isalso very strong and easily provoked toviolence. He and McColl did a lot ofworkfor Dr McBride, both poaching and work ofa more clandestine nature . As a skilledpoacher, he is an expert with a shotgun . Heis happy to believe McLeod guilty, as boththe minister and the doctor have said he is .Stewart feels somewhat guilty about thedeath ofhis friend as they were supposed togo off together that night, but he had got toodrunk and so McColl went on his own .

Dr McBride - The doctor is the only well-educated man in the village . He is suave and

civilised, and will be kind and courteous tothe investigators, saying how nice it is tohave well-read visitors . He is happy to talkabout the manor, but does his best not toimpart any information . If anyone mentionsthe subject ofhis association with Stewartand McColl, he will admit to a passion forsalmon and say that the two were proficientpoachers . He explains that poaching is anaccepted part oflife in the area and isnothing to be concerned about .McBride also claims to be convinced ofMcLeod's guilt . Ifchallenged on themedical impossibility of McLeod inflictingthe wounds that werereported, he will fetchseveral books from his library and point to anumber ofcase histories where mentallydisturbed people were capable of feats ofunusual strength and violence . He adds thatMcLeod was much much given to day-dreaming and other signs of maladjustment .A Spot Hidden roll will reveal an unusuallylarge number ofbooks on geneology on thedoctor's shelves . If anyone comments onthis, he will say that he was born in EnglandofScots descent and is hoping to trace hisancestors, whom he believes to have livednear St Andrews . However, this is onlypartly true . In fact, McBride believes him-selfto be a direct descendant of theMacMorns, and is hoping to inherit thehouse and what he believes to be the familyfortune. To this end, he has been payingMcColl and Stewart to investigate theManor for him, he being somewhatfrightened ofit himself. When McColl waskilled, he became convinced that he andMcLeod had discovered something veryvaluable and had quarrelled over it .Knowing he cannot trust McLeod, he wantshim hung as soon as possible.McBride has told no one, not even McColland Stewart, ofhis theories about hisancestry. Also, no one in the village is awarethat McColl and Stewart have been visitingthe manor.

Jean McColl - Ifanyone was relieved to seethe back of McColl, it was probably hiswife. To start with, he beat her when drunk .Also, because he spent many of his nightsaway poaching or investigating the manor,he was often having his wages docked forfalling asleep at work . Being a bold andindependent-minded woman, Mrs McCollhas recently taken advantage ofherhusband's nightly absences to start an affairwith a neighbour, Duncan Brodie. As isusual with such matters, none of the malemembers of the community are aware ofthis, and all the females know, but are fartoo prudish to mention it explicitly tooutsiders . Understandably, Mrs McColl isvery wary ofanyone prying into herhusband's death .

Annie Stewart - Willie Stewart's wife is anexceedingly religious woman and even more

THE HORROR OF THE GLEN

suspicious offoreigners than her husband .This presents her with two problems . First,she greatly disapproves ofher husband'sassociation with Dr McBride, and second,she is even more disapproving ofJeanMcColl's adultery. However, much as shewould like to make trouble for McBride andMrs McColl, she is too wary to say anythingdirect . The investigators will thus find herin the habit of shrilly sending them packing,dropping some cryptic comment as they areleaving, and then slamming the door so thatthey cannot follow it up.

Farmer McIntyre - McLeod's employer,and a solid, down-to-earth fellow. He is oneofthe villagers not convinced ofMacLeod'sguilt . He will speak ofthe shepherd as anice enough lad, but prone to day-dreaming .Shepherding suited him ideally, as it gavehim plenty oftime away in the hills wherehe could dream to his heart's content, andthere were no distractions to tempt himfrom his work . McIntyre believes he was fartoo dreamy and placid to have killed anyone .If anyone thinks to ask about the sheepMcLeod was supposed to be guarding onthe night ofthe murder, McIntyre will relatethat two ofthem were never found, and therest were scattered everywhere . Also,splashes of blood were found in the areawhere they had been grazing . Though heaccepts it is odd, the farmer supposes that awolf must have attacked the flock, thoughhe had thought them extinct in Scotland .Perhaps an eagle . . . .

Really smart investigators may think to askthe farmer about any implements he mayhave had about the farm that McLeod couldhave used to kill McColl . McIntyre willexplain that the police have already thoughtofthis and have checked all ofhis tools andMcLeod's knife for traces ofbloodstains .Nothing ofinterest was found .

Angus McCallan - the owner of thedistillery is the brother of the minister. Thisis not quite so incongruous as it sounds ;being somewhat better offthan most ofthe

47

village, the McCallans could afford to senda son to be trained as a clergyman . Beingloyal to his brother, Angus will side with theminister in all things . The only usefulinformation he has to impart is that McColland Stewart were not his most reliableemployees, often being late and fallingasleep at work .

The McPhhes - Gordon McPhee, who runsthe village store and Post Office, is arelative ofMrs MacPherson . Also, he is agrandchild of the former minister, ArchieMcPhee, and can confirm what MrsMacPherson said about him. He, however,thinks he knows what happened to to the oldman's diary. Apparently some of ArchieMcPhee's books were given away toInverness library as the result ofa clause inhis will . Gordon McPhee believes that thediary may have been amongst these.

Mrs McPhee is the local schoolmistress andis therefore fairly well educated . She knows

48

little about the Manor herself, but doesknow that the MacMorns were wealthy andsuccessful up until their sudden demise . Sheand herhusband are both doubtful ofMacLeod's guilt . They are a lot betterdisposed towards foreigners because, likeMrs MacPherson, they do quite well out oftourists in the summer.

The Brodies - Ifthe investigators startfollowing clues about the affair betweenJean McColl and Duncan Brodie, they maywish to interview the latter. They will findhim a fairly wet, inspired fellow prone tobeing dominated by women in general, andJean McColl and his mother with whom helives in particular. His stock response toquestions is : "Well . . . I'm not sure thatMother would like me to tell you anythingabout that".

It is more likely, however, that the invest-igators will find the Brodies by reference toOld Mother Brodie who, at 65, is the oldest

STRATHMORN VILLAGE

person in the village. Duncan is theyoungest of five sons, but all the others diedin childhood, which explains why she hasbeen so protective of him. She actuallyapproves of his affair with Jean McColl, asshe is sure she will die soon and is thereforehoping to find a wife for her beloved son .Really paranoid investigators will note thather long fingernails are among the fewimplements in the village capable of causingthe lacerations found on Donald McColl'sbody.

Mother Brodie is far too young to rememberthe MacMorns herself, but she doesremember her grandmother telling her thatthe cause oftheir downfall was that thelaird's son went to travel the world andbrought back devils from Africa whichkilled the family. She also knows that it wasthis younger MacMorn who planted the ringof strange, black trees which surround thehouse .

Children - Small children are often goodsources of information about things thattheir parents do not want to talk about . If theinvestigators try talking to the villagechildren, they will find that mothers oftenuse the manor as a source ofbogeymen .Children who misbehave are threatenedwith being caught by the ghosts ofthe evilMacMorns and the devils they brought backfrom Africa .

Documentary Sources

By now, the investigators will probably bethinking oflooking for any documentsconcerning the MacMom family . Un-fortunately, the village has no more than theregister for births, marriages and deaths inthe church . These record the births ofGordon, Moira and Alex MacMorn, andthe marriage and death ofGordonMacMorn, as given in the timeline . Thereare no records of the deaths of Moira orAlex MacMorn . Gordon MacMorn wasburied in a family vault at the Manor, so hisgrave cannot be found in the churchyard.

The evidence that the investigators need isavailable, but they will probably need toknow what they are looking for in order tofind it . Mrs McPherson's grandfather,Archie McPhee, who was minister in thevillage at the time ofthe fall oftheMacMorns, kept a diary which is now inInverness library. Mrs MacPherson's gossipand information from the shopkeeper,Gordon McPhee, should lead the invest-igators there eventually, if they don't thinkofdropping in whilst visiting the police .After McPhee left his diary and severalother books to the library, they were filedaway and forgotten . Because of this, anyoneunawareofthe diary's existence will have amodifier of-50 on any Library Use roll todiscover it . Once the library authorities arereminded of the will, they will be able tofind the books without much trouble.

Several passages in the diary are of interest,the most significant being the following :

'June 2nd, 1810 - Great Rejoicing. YoungMasterAlex hath at last returnedfrom histravels toforeignparts . Widely indeed hathhe sailed, even asfar as the Dark ContinentofAfrica, whence he hath bought back arealBlack Man . Most Devilish thefellowlooks too, all the more sofor his barbaroustongue, which can butmake gross travestyofourlanguage. MasterAlex hath alsobought with him many treasures ofthatforbidden land, and a large number oftrees, which he intends toplant around themanor. He is accompanied by one Douglas,a sailor who has been his servantfor muchofhis travels' :

`June 14th 1810- Am deeply worriedconcerning the young MacMorn . Since ofhis return, the young MasterAlex hathrefusedsteadfast to enter the kirk, and thisdespite the constant urgings ofthe Lairdand ofmyself. Master Gordon is as good aGodfearing man as everwalked this Earth,and theLord knows we did ourbest to rearthe boy inthe knowledge ofGod.' Yet hissojourns inforeign partsfair seem to havetainted his mind such that the very sight ofthe House ofGod fills him with a deeploathing andfear. There will be no good ofthis ere long':

`August 3rd 1810 - Alas! Our Laird hathpassed his way to the Bosom ofChrist, andin a manner most queertoo. Brodie, theMaster's manservant, did summon mefrommyslumberat 4 o' the clock this morningand bidmehasten to the manor, andmakeall speed lest the Devil catch me. Then hehasted back hi 'selfwithout waiting,stopping only topeer back at mepuffingalong behindandyell "the Master is dying "as ifthe words themselves could lendyouthto my ageing legs. Well, in troth, I ranfasterthan Iam able, andhave wheezed mightilyallday therefrom, but alas 'twas allfornoughtfor, by the time 1had arrived,Master Gordon was already beyond themortal sod and in the arms ofhis Maker. "

Ofthe manner ofhis passing there is greatmystery as he was infinefettle the nightbefore, as Isawmyself. Yetin earlymorning, as Brodie reports, screaming,coughing blood and saying thatthe veryDevil were in his stomach andburning hisway out. 1 have no reason to doubt this, asthe maids were still clearing ofhis noxiousspew when Iarrived, andhispoorface wascontorted in the most awfulfashion, so heclearly died in the most dreadfulpain . Noneother in the house was affected, nor anyotherwho had eaten ofthe Laird's table thenightpast, and Iam at a loss to explainwhatstrange ague could have taken a mansoft so sudden':

`August 4th 1810 - Great Consternation. TheYoung Laird -for MasterAlex hath nowassumed the title - behaves in a manner e enmore strange than before. He bathfor-

bidden a public ceremony ofburialfor hisfather, insisting thatI bury the late Lairdatthe manor direct into the vault, and refusingto attende'en this simple ceremony himself,so great is his hatred ofthe Works ofGod.Yetnot content with this affront to thevillage, andpresumably refusing to leadthem in worship, forhe has ne'r once setfoot inside the kirksince his returnfrom theDark Land, he has summarily ordered all ofthe late Master's servants and workmen outofthe manorforthwith, leaving only thedour-looking sailor, Douglas, and the BlackMan, both ofwhom returned with himfromhis travels. It is already a common whisperin the village that MasterAlex haspoisonedhisfather, yet Icannot understandwhy aman should killfor an inheritance and thenstraightaway sacrifice all respectandprestige that it brings by such callous andimproperacts' :

"Christmas Day 1810 - OLord, whatpoisonis it that affects ouryoung Laird's mind so?Have Inotprayed, day and night, that onthis Great Day You might send some miraclethat might cause him to repent his pastdeeds and return to the Bosom ofYourChurch? And yet there is still no sign ofhim .He hides away in the manorallday, seeingnaught ofhisfellow men, and only in-frequently sending the sour Douglas to thevillage or to Inverness to buyfoodand wine.Some ofthe village hath a rumour that the _Master is killed, mostprobableat the handofthe Black Devil, yet Angus McCallan andfive strong men paid call at the manor todayto delivergifts andsaw the Laird,for all ,~that he sent thempacking withfoul wordsand curses . Perhaps, Lord, I am old andfoolish toprayfor his soul, for 'tisplain hehath lost it already. "

"May 23rd 1811- A strange event. Two mencame all the wayfrom Edinburgh with acarriage containing strange parcelsfor theLaird. Staying the nightat MacPherson'shostel, they drank greedily, saying theyknew not what was in thepackages but thatit smeltfoul andgave them such awfulfearsthey haddriven the horses nearto death tobe the quicker rid of it. Iasked them afterthe Laird, and they reported himpale andhaggard butasfoul mouthed as ever."

Further references to strange deliveriesfrom Edinburgh occur regularly for the nextyear or so . Then all references to AlexMacMorn cease until :

"November 15th 1815 - Angus McCallancame to me today with a strange thought."Is't not"; he asked, "by two weekspastnow that is made the large deliveryoffoulparcelsfrom Edinburgh sufficient to tide theevil Lairdand his Devilish crew overwinter? In troth, I think there may be doingsafoot at the manor, fort'is hard to mindmeofwhen I lastsaw lights burning there oernight as they used": Nor couldImakequarrel with this . Angus sayth he will take agroup ofmen and keep watch to see ifaughtstirs':

THE HQa OF THE GLEN

"November20th 1815 - Five days nowAngusMcCallan andhis men have kept watch onthe manor and naught have they seen ofMasterAlexand his companions . Villagetalk has it that they are all dead orfled theregion, yetno man is brave enough toventure beyond those treesforfearofwhatevil things may lurk there. Were 1moremindful ofmy duties, I shouldperhaps sendto Inverness to seek wordofMasterAlex'sAunt Moira, yet since she sinfiilly elopedwith the merchantfrom Aberdeen, not oneword has she sent to anyone ofthe village ;nor her brother or nephew, these12 yearslong . Besides, Imindme ofwhat eermisfortune hasfallen on the house ofMacMorn be best left undisturbed lest thatsame evil thatpossessedMaster Alex beloosed upon other men":

This last paragraph has been ringed inpencil, fairly recently by the look ofit. Asthe diary only begins in 1808, there is noother mention ofthe elopement of MoiraMacMorn . Enquiries at the libraryconcerning other readers ofthe diary willreveal that Dr McBride visited there a fewmonths back and requested to see certainold collections. He seemed to know exactlywhat he wanted, and the library staff didn'teven know what books he looked at . IfMcBride is confronted with this fact, hewill admit an interest in village history, butwill reject any suggestion that he is relatedto the MacMorns, claiming again that hisfamily originated from Fife.

The only other entries of any interest are afew odd mentions of sheep being taken bywolves . The diary ends early in 1816.

There is little else in the way of document-ary evidence that can be found . A copy ofArchie McPhee's will exists in the recordsat the County Offices . This may lead theinvestigators to the diary, ifthey think itdestroyed .

The investigators may decide to try toconfirm suspicions that McBride is relatedto the MacMorns . This is possible, but willtake a very long time - Moira MacMorn

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changed her name when sheeloped withMcBride's ancestor. It is only throughfamily tradition that the doctor knows of theconnection . In order to prove anything, theinvestigators would need to go to London orAberdeen and trace McBride's ancestryback to one John McBride ofAberdeenwhomarried a "Moira Gordon", supposedly ofInverness, of whom no further recordsexist . This would obviously take a very longtime, and the investigators should bediscouraged from following such a path .

Distractions andLead-ins

The area around Inverness has a number ofinteresting connections which may providered herrings for enterprising Keepers to useto confuse the investigators . They could alsobe used to form the basis for furtherscenarios following on from this one,keeping the characters in the area.

Inverness stands on the mouth of the RiverNess, and it is amere seven miles up riverto Bona Ferryat the north-eastern end of thefamous loch . The first modern sighting ofthe Loch Ness Monster was in April 1933,though sightings ofthe creature date back toAnglo-Saxon times. The monster was frontpage news throughout the latter halfof 1933,so if the scenario is set after this time, theinvestigators are bound to be aware of it .

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Mention ofthe creature canbe found bothin the library and in Inverness museum, andthere may be monster hunters staying nearthe loch .

The major exhibits in the museum,however, are those dealing with the battle ofCulloden which put an end to Bonny PrinceCharlie's Rebellion in 1745. Cullodenbattlefield is about four miles east ofthecity, and is such a well knowntouristattraction thatthe Perth-Inverness railwayline has a station at Culloden Moor. It is awell known fact that ancient battlegroundsare amongst the very best places to findghosts.

Seven miles down the river from Cullodenstands Cawdor Castle, one time home of thevillainous MacBeth, and site ofhis murder'of King Duncan and usurption oftheScottish throne . The castle is still inhabitedby the current Earl Cawdor. As with mostScots noblemen, he is often away fromhome, the best chances of finding him inbeing Hogmanay and in the grouse shootingseason .

The Manor House

The home ofthe MacMoms was built in itspresent form in the mid 17th century. At this

time, Scotland was politically unstable, andwarfare between clans was common. Themanor has something of the appearance ofacastle and is designed with defence verymuch in mind . The main door is flanked bya tower to cover the approach, and theground floor is given over to utility rooms,so that the attackers must fight their way upthe spiral staircases in order to get at thefamily quarters . The plans of the variousfloors of the house show the layout oftherooms .

The first thing that investigators are likely tonotice on approaching the manor is that it iscompletely encircled by tall, blacktrees, thelike of which they have never seen before(even with 100 % Botany skills) . No villagerwill dare to venture beyond these (not evenStewart, who has refused to go near theplace after McColl's death) .

The grounds ofthe house are overgrownwith weeds . The only things that theinvestigators will be able to identify will bethe stables and the family crypt . The formercontains the bones of two horses which haveapparently been eaten by some wild animal .The latter is open and completely empty.

Both the main door and the kitchen doorhave been battered down, apparently sometime ago . The kitchen isderelict, but showssigns ofhaving been searched recently.

Alex McMom's Study(Wrecked books &PodonejAleX MCMOrt75 Bones.

Footsteps can be found in the dust oftheground floor rooms. Investigators withappropiate skills will be able to identify thetracks oftwo largish men and one smaller:man . In the ground floor store rooms, thereare a number ofold, empty coffins, all ofwhich have been smashed open fairlyrecently. There is no sign ofany entrance toa cellar.

The footprints of the larger men continue upthe main spiral staircase, but stop at the topand come back down again . Anyoneascending the stairs at night will understandwhy ; against the far wall ofthe hall,immediately opposite the exit from thestaircase, stands a most hideous statue . Itdepicts a humanoid creature some 7 feet inheight but thin and lanky with a longpointed head . The creature has hugh clawsat the ends ofits fingers, and prominent,sharply pointed teeth . Anyone ascendingthe stairs at night would see this statue in thedistance as they reached the top . At thatrange, and in that light, it could easily betaken for real . Anyone seeing the statue insuch conditions, therefore, should roll forSAN as ifthey had seen the actual Horror.

The rest ofthe house has been undisturbedsince 1815 and investigators with historicalleanings may be interested to study it . Theonly unusual thing about its furnishings anddecoration is that a number oftribal masksofobviously African origin (somewhere onthe Gold Coast, ifthe investigators makeAnthropology rolls) are hung about thewalls of all rooms save the upper store roomand Douglas's room . Although most of thefurnishings are undisturbed, some of theupper rooms show signs ofconsiderableviolence .

The third floor bedroom on the smallerstaircase iaobviously the room that wasused by Alex MacMorn's black servant as itcontains a large amount of African materialand clothing . Human bones can be foundscattered in this room, and in a trail downthe smaller staircase to the drawing room .As with the horses in the stables, the largerbones have all been cracked to give accessto the marrow, and show signs ofhavingbeen heavily gnawed . All the bones arecompletely clean of any fleshy remnants .Investigators making Anthropology rollswill be able to identify the skull (found inthe drawing room) as that ofa native ofWestAfrica .

The door to the other third floor bedroom isshut and heavily barred, though the barrierhas weakened somewhat over the years(STR 25) . Ifthe investigators manage tobreakin (roll on the Resistance Table), theywill find thebody ofthe sailor, Douglas,who apparently barricaded himself in bydismantling his bed and using the wood tobar the door. He probably died ofstarvation, as there areno bloodstains onthe floor.

The investigators' main interest, however, islikely to be focused on Alex MacMorn'sstudy on the second floor. This has beenwell and truly wrecked, and many old, andpossibly interesting books have beentorn topieces, and a large number ofphials ofpotions and powders have been smashed(sadistic keepers may like to include apageofthe Revelations ofGlaaki as the onlysurving, readable text) . Alex MacMorn'sbones are scattered around the room,gnawed, cracked and picked as clean as thebones ofthe African .

Having checked out the house for monsters,the investigators are likely to turn next to a

detailed search for clues and/ortreasure .The ground floor has already been goneover by McColl and Stewart and most of therest ofthe house yields material ofhistoricalinterest only. The statue, however, hides asecret . A Spot Hidden roll will reveal apanel in the plinth which opens to yield asmall hand-written book : the note-book ofAlex MacMorn .

The Notebook

Alex MacMorn was not particularly tidy orthorough . Much ofhis writing isindecipherable, and none ofit is dated, butit can be assumed to be in chronologicalorder. The book makes several crypticreferences to MacMorn's "pets", which itwould appear he bought back from Africawith him. There are also a number ofmentions ofa place called "T'gaorl", a citydeep in the African jungles whichMacMorn discovered on his travels . Themore interesting ofthe legible entries, inorder of appearance, are given below.

`All is going well. The commonfolknowhate andfear me sufficientlyto shun thehouse entirely. Douglas and Yuba havefinished planting the trees. My greatexperiment is about to begin . "

"Iamfeeding them as the Witch Doctor toldme. They are growing strong, and theirhunger increases . All is well ."

THE HORROR OF THE GLEN

"The idiots in the village came bringingChristmas gifts as they sayis customary.T'wasfortunate there was nothing hangingin the store room . "

"No one in Edinburgh seems to haveknowledge ofthe tomes I seek. Iam loath toseekfurther afield as I need much gold tobuyfoodfor mypets, yet Pwould be as wellto have more knowledge before they arefullygrown. What shall Ido, I wonder?"

"That scum Lennox sought to cheat me. Thecorpses werefresh and un-hung. Goodfortune that Ihad the sense to keep backsome ofthe contents ofthe crypt. Mypetsseem particularly fond ofMother. Perhapsthey can somehow tell who it is they eat."

"Iam running short ofgold and the thingsarestill notfullgrown. Ihave tried to getthem to sleep as1saw in the city ofTgaorlbut they hunger still. Soon I will have nochoice but tofeed them sheep. "

"Today they tasted bloodfor thefirst time. 1mustnow trust to God, butIhaveforgottenhow. At least ifI die, thefoolish villagerswill not come hereformany years and thehings will as like perish ofhunger. Yet theyshould befull grown by now. Why will theynot sleep? Why? Why?"

In the front ofthe book is a small, dirtyscrap ofpaper on which is scribbled - inMacMorn's hand but in careful, capitalletters - an incantation :

"NIHAR CTHOR HAG NAATHI IST'HEGHLAN GHEIHNT'HOR".

The Manor at Night

Any investigator reading the notebook mustmake a Sanity Roll, losing 1D4 of SAN ifthis is failed .

The investigators, assuming they arecautious, sensible fellows, are most likely tovisit the manor during daylight . However,their failure to find any trace ofa monsterthis way will eventually lead to theirattempting to repeat McLeod's experiencesand going there at night . Investigators whoare very wary ofthe Reverend McCallanwill do this first anyway. At night the manoris a very different place .

The physical layout is the same at all times,though remember that first sight ofthestatue is likely to alarm anyone with a poorlight source, but the building seems toexude an aura ofevil which, will make thehairs on the backs ofthe inestigators' neckstingle and shiver. As soon as anyone entersthe house at night, a strong wind will beginto blow, and the trees will sway crazily as ifdancing around the manor.

.

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After the investigators have been in themanor a few minutes, the Keeper mustmake a roll against POW for each of them insecret, using a D20 with a modifier of +10.Only if the resulting score is the same as orlower than the investigator's POW will eachof the PCs save against the spell . Anyonefailing their saving roll will soon fall into adeep sleep . The Keeper should try to catchthe victims when they are out ofsight oftheir colleagues (fairly easy in a darkhouse)to tell the players privately that theircharacters have succumbed, rather thanhave them fall over in front oftheircolleagues . A much better atmosphere isachieved ifinvestigators "disappear" andpeople trip over sleeping bodies, than ifthecharacters are seen to succumb to a spell .

Some ofthe investigators will probablymake the saving roll and can have a littlewhile to wander about and fall over theirsleeping colleagues . They will find thatnone ofthe sleepers can be woken and willprobably sit down to keep watch . TheKeeper should check them again at thispoint . Ifthey save a second time, they canstay awake all night - they probably won'tsee anything of interest anyway. The spellvictims revert to normal sleep patterns atdawn and can be woken by any suitablemethod .

The investigators will probably think theirnight was somewhat boring, but for thevillagers it was nothing ofthe sort . TheHorror was indeed about, but none oftheinvestigators will have seen it, unless theyleftthe house to return to the village orsearch the grounds . Even so, the Horroronly attacks lone prey and is adept at hidingin the darkness . If any investigator is sofoolish as to wander the grounds or villagealone, the Horror will jump him as soon ashe leaves the ring oftrees, but run offifanyone approaches before it has finished itsmeal . The Horror will have the advantage ofsurprise in its attack .

Very thorough investigators may try toensure that they spot the Horror. If they arethe type who come armed with a generatorand massive arc lamps, the Keeper shouldthink up some excuse to have these fail, assuch technical overkill spoils the fun for

`leveryone .

52

Assuming, then, that the investigators donot get a glimpse of the Horror, the nextthey will hear ofit is on their return to thevillage in the morning . No-one there waseaten, indeed they all stayed safely indoors,but one ofFarmer McIntyre's sheep vanish-ed and many people report hearing anunearthly howling in the village streetsduring the night (this will not have carriedto the manor on account ofthe high winds) .Reverend McCallan will be in no doubt asto what was abroad and who wasresponsible . Other villagers will be more orless convinced, depending upon theirpersonalities .

Trapping the HorrorThe investigators will now presumably tryto think up some plan to catch the Horrorand destroy it . Unless they come up withthis sort ofplan, or something better, theKeeper should have Farmer McIntyresuggest a baited trap . He will be willing tosacrifice an old sheep as the bait . It can betethered in the village, and everyone elsecan lie in wait in nearby houses . The onlyother thing that must be done is that somebrave souls will have to go to the manor tocause the Horror to wake in the first place .Iftheir plan is simply to go there, stay a fewminutes with matchsticks propping theireyes open, and then hare back to the village,the Keeper should let them succeed (after afew nerve-wracking die rolls) . If they intendto stay in the safety ofthe manor then theymust roll for sleep as before .

The villagers will be in something of aquandry as to what to do about this trap.Braver souls like Farmer McIntye will beready to help, but others will be put offbythe rantings ofthe Reverend McCallan . DrMcBride, as a scientist, will offer hisservices, and Willie Stewart will alsovolunteer, both because McBride told himto go and out of a genuine desire to avengehis friend's death . The Keeper may add afew more male villagers to the party ifhewishes, but they will have no great effect onthe outcome of events .

The Horror might be'a cunning hunter, butit is not up to combating a wily human . Itwill fall for the trap, and everyone will get agood view of it . In form it resembles the

statue in the manorvery closely. This mayconfuse the investigators, as anyone whostayed awake in the manor all night willknow that the statue did not move.

Sanity rolls will of course be required .

As soon as the Horror is within reasonablerange, Farmer McIntyre and-Willie Stewartwill loose shotgun blasts (McIntyre doesn'twant to lose his sheep unless absolutelyneccessary, and Stewart is simply hot-headed) . Some ofthe investigators may fireas well . The Keeper should ensure that atleast one shot hits - fiddle Stewart's roll ifneccessary. As it will have adopted its thickskin before leaving hiding, it is extremelyunlikely that the Horror will be killed by asingle volley, especially as the Keeper willhave the opportunity to fix McIntyre andStewart's rolls to miss ifneed be . Assumingit is not dead (and the Keeper can always letit survive a few minutes with mortal woundson the strength of its terrible, inhumanwillpower), it will flee back to the manor atgreat speed, leaving a trail of sticky ichorfrom a wounded arm.

The investigators now have little choice butto follow the thing to it's lair. McBride,Stewart and McIntyre will agree to accom-pany them (indeed Stewart will be the firstto suggest it), but any other villagers presentwill have been too shaken to do anythingother than head for a wee tipple .

Dr. McBride's PlanAs the party makes its way to the manor,McBride and Stewart will contrive to lagtowards the back ofthe group . If for somereason the investigators manage to lay theirtrap without involving anyone in the village,the Keeper can assume that McBride gotwind ofwhat they were up to and kept watchwith Stewart, following them at a safedistance once they set off for the house .

Once the group reaches the ring oftreesMcBride will spring his trap and order themall to stop. He and Stewart will have thewhole party covered with their shotguns .Given the short range and the fact thatStewart is known to be a crack shot, it isunlikely that any ofthe investigators will be

foolish enough to try anything. FarmerMcIntyre will remind them ofthis iftheyseemjumpy, and will urge them to try toreason with the doctor. It is, after all, verybad form not to let the villian have his finalrant .

With McIntyre and the investigators at hismercy, McBride will reveal all concerninghis ancestry. He will go on to say that henow intends to kill everyone, follow themonster to the treasure himself, and tell thevillage that his unfortunate victims wereeaten . Again, McIntyre will try to keep theinvestigators from trying anything rash -they don't need to die and a woundedinvestigator will be easy prey for theHorror.

As McBride is revealing his plans, Stewarthas been glancing around nervously,looking for the Horror. Once McBride hasgot to the end of his speech, or when theinvestigators are about to do somethingrash, Stewart notices something .

"Good God Doctor! Look at that tree overthere . It's got a branch hanging halfoffanddripping just like the arm o' the thing weshot!"

Give the players a momentor two to realisethe awful truth themselves, but if they donot, Stewart can add:

"If that tree were a monster all along, whatare the rest o' them!?"

At this point everyone with any sense willrun as fast as they can back to the village.Anyone who stops to see what happens willsee all ofAlex MacMom's "pets" take ontheir waking form . The trees do not becomemonsters, but rather the creatures emergefrom them after the manner ofmythologicaltree spirits . Thus no one would ever notice atree missing when a creature was outhunting .

Dr McBride remains where he is, transfixedby the sight, and the creatures proceed totear him to shreds and eat him, quarrelling

THE HORROR OF THE GLEN

noisily over the pieces, as anyone foolishenough to watch will observe. Investigatorswitnessing this sight shouldmake anotherSanity roll (note the greater penalty forseeing the creatures emerge from the trees) .Anyone lingering behind for more than amoment will also be caught by the trees, butthe rest ofthose present will have afortunate escape - the creatures need verylittle food when fully grown, and they willnot chase the party back to the village .

Loose Ends

Once the investigators have establishedwhere the creatures come from, it will be asimple matter to dispose ofthem. Theyjusthave to bum the trees . The villagers will beonly too happy to assist .Provided that Farmer McIntyre was presentat the final encounter, there should be noembarrassing questions to be faced . How-ever, ifWillie Stewart was the only witnessto survive he could make life fairly difficult

for the investigators, especially iftheyattempt to accuse him ofany crimes (in fact,threatening behaviour is about as much ashe could be charged with) .

Inspector Sinclair will be none too pleasedat any proof of supernatural agency, but willbe quite relieved at being spared a potential-ly embarrassing court case . He will drop allcharges against McLeod on the grounds ofinsufficient evidence and leave the matter"unsolved". As no one in the village willwish to press the matter, it is quite safe forhimto do this . He will not be in the slightestbit interested in any tales ofpoaching,whisky-stealing or adultery, unless anyonein the village wishes to make a complaint .

Reverend McCallar, will be absolutelydelighted . It is not often that a minister candescribe a place as a haunt ofdemons andbe proved right in such a spectacularmanner. Of course, he will give no thanks tothe investigators for their help, and he willdo his best to steal all the glory byostentatiously reciting scriptures at the treesas they are burnt .

There is no treasure in the manor. As theinvestigators are aware, Alex MacMomspent every penny he had on buying food forhis "pets".

Ifthe investigators are working for HarryPrice, they will be expected to produce afull report oftheir findings for Price to

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distribute to the newspapers . The case couldprovide extremely valuable publicity for hisorganisation and the cause of PsychicalResearch in general . Ifthe scenario is run aspart of a continuing campaign, the invest-igators may have to think very carefullyabout exactly what information they wantPrice and the general public to have . If itbecomes known in the village that theinvestigators will be producing a report forthe newspapers, Gordon McPhee willapproach them with a view to doing a dealabout arrangements for tourists to visit thefamous haunted manor.

With this in mind, the question ofpossiblesurviving MacMorns must be considered .The investigators will be able to repeat DrMcBride's researches and establish the,albeit tenuous, link with Moira MacMorn .McBride has no immediately traceableliving relatives, but there are records of anaunt, Elizabeth McBride, who married aMr Carrington and emigrated to the USA.Their last known address was in WashingtonStreet, Arkham, Massachusetts .

As a final thought, the investigators arepresumably now in possession of AlexMacMorn's notebook . Although the text isexceedingly fragmentary, there are entriesdating back to MacMorn's time in Africa .These, together with identification ofthetribal artifacts in the manor, should give theinvestigators a good start on the way tofinding the Lost City of T'gaorl .

Timelineforthe MacMorn FamilyApril 1807 - Alex MacMorn sets out tofurther his education byforeign travel. Dueto the wars in Europe he elects to travelmore widely than is customary.

October 1808 - MoiraMacMorn elopes withJohn McBride, amerchantfromAberdeen.

March 1809 - Alex MacMorn discovers thelost City ofTgaorl in West Africa anddetermines to learn the secrets oftheGh'icht' Tyaachtfrom the Ikambitribesmen.

June 1810 - Alex MacMorn returns homewith a collection ofyoung Gn'icht' Tyaacht.He is accompaniedby Douglas, a sailor,and Yuba, an Ikambi tribesman.

August 1810 - Alex MacMorn murders hisfather, Gordon, andassumes the Lairdship.He expells all servants save Douglas andYubafrom the manor and becomes arecluse.

May 1811- Alex MacMorn begins orderingcorpsesfrom aMr Lennox in Edinburgh.

October1815 - Alex MacMornand Yubakilledby the Gn'icht' Tyaacht. Douglas diesofstarvation barricaded in his room.

Acknowledgements

Background information on Scotland inthe1930s came from The Heart ofScotland byGeorge Blake, Batsford, 1934

Information on prices and accomodationwas based on the 1923 edition of Ward,Lock & Co's Tourist Guide to the Highlands

Both ofthese books could have beenavailable to the investigators, depending onthe year in which the scenario is run .

MacMorn Manor is based on ClaypottsCastle near Dundee, and the maps are basedon those in Scotland's Historic Buildings byHubert Fenwick, Robert Hale, 1974

Thanks also due to Marc Gascoigne andMarcus L Rowland for their help andadvice, and to the many people who haveprovided inspiration for this scenario.

Playtesters : Kathryn & Logan Tamlyn, Pauland Sue Cowling, Ian Marsh, Paul Mason .

This scenario is dedicated to Steve Bailey,whose fantasy campaign, Talgor, is the mostfrightening roleplaying game I have everexperienced .

Pete Tamlyn - November 1985

Character Statistics

The following list includes details of allnon-player characters in the scenario . Theskills listed are only those with unusualvalues. All characters can be expected tohave the usual base level starting skills aswell . Further information on the personalityofthe characters can be found in the body ofthe text, particularly inthe section on theinhabitants of Strathmorn .

Inspector Sinclair

Senior Police Officer at Inverness . Incharge ofthe murder investigation .

STR 11 CON 14

SIZ 16

INT 14

POW9DEX 10 APP 11

SAN 45

EDU 15 Hit Pts 15Age 45

Skills : Fist 50% ; Nightstick Attack 60% ;Nightstick Parry 70% ; First Aid 25 % ;Law 60 % ; Psychology 20 %; Spot Hidden30% ; Drive Automobile 55 %', CreditRating 40%.

Equipment: Truncheon (Nightstick), car.

Sergeant Lorimer

Station Sergeant at Inverness.

STR 16 CON 13

SIZ 15

INT 8

POW5DEX 6

APP 8

SAN25

EDU9 Hit Pts 14Age 52

Skills: Fist 70% ; Nightstick Attack 75 % ;Nightstick Parry 80% ; Shotgun 45 % ; Law30 %; FirstAid 30% ; Spot Hidden 45%;Mechanical Repair 30% ; Drive Automobile40% ; Singing (drunken ballads) 40% .

Equipment : Truncheon (Nightstick),bicycle .

Jamie McLeod

Shepherd Boy. Prime suspect in murderenquiry.

STR 8

CON7

SIZ 7

INT 14

POW12DEX 9

APP 15

SAN60

EDU 7

Hit Pts 7Age 17

Skills: Zoology 10% ; Botany 10% ;Listening 40% ; Tracking 30% ; Fast Talk50% ; Climb 40% ; Swim 35 % ; Throw50% ; Hide 30% ; Sneak 45 % ; Pick Pockets25% .

Mrs Maureen MacPherson

Proprietress ofthe Strathmorn Hotel .

STR 12 CON 13

SIZ 7

INT 10

POW 14DEX 14

APP8

SAN'0

EDU9 Hit Pts 10Age 42

Skills : Accounting 30%; Bargaining 20 % ;First Aid 50 %; Oratory 20% .

Reverend McCallan

Presbyterian Minister of Strathmorn .

STR 15

CON 9

SIZ 12

INT 12

POW6DEX 12 APP 10

SAN30

EDU 13 Hit Pts 11Age 34

Skills : Read/Write Latin 20% ;Accounting 20% ; History 35 % ;Library Use 20 % ; Theology 80%;Psychology 25 % ; Debate 40 % ; Oratory65% .

Equipment: Bible .

Willie Stewart

Villager. Best friend of murdered man .

STR 18 CON 13 'SIZ 16

INT 8

POW 10DEX 14 APP 10

SAN46

EDU5 Hit Pts 15Age 28

Skills : Fist 70 % ; Head Butt 40 % ; Kick35 % ; Knife Attack 60% ; Shotgun 80% ;Nightstick Attack 40% ; Tracking 65%;Camouflage 55 % ; Hide 75 % ; Sneak 80% ;Climb 45% ; Jump 60% ; Swim 65 % ; Listen50% ; Spot Hidden 60%; Throw 65 % .

Equipment: Knife, 12-gauge shotgun .

Dr McBride

The village doctor.

STR 6

CON 12

SIZ 10

INT 17

POW9DEX 13

APP 8

SAN45

EDU 16 Hit Pts 11Age 38

Skills : First Aid 80% ; History 40% ;Library Use 75 % ; Pharmacy 60%;Treat Disease 55 % ; Treat Poison 75 % ;Diagnose Disease 80% ; Drive Automobile60% ; Debate 30% ; Oratory 40% ;Psychoanalysis 20% ; Psychology 40% .

Equipment: .22 revolver, 20-gaugeshotgun, bicycle .

Jean McColl

THE HORROR OF THE GLEN

Widow ofthe murdered man .

STR 11

CON9

SIZ 11

INT 14

POW 14DEX 11 APP 14

SAN70

EDU6 Hit Pts 10Age 24

Skills : First Aid 25 % ; Hide 30% ; Sneak40% ; Fast Talk 55 % ; Singing 60% ; Dodge75% .

Amiie Stewart

Wife ofWillie Stewart .

STR 11

CON9

SIZ 6

INT 7

POW 10DEX 8

APP8

SAN50

EDU3

Hit Pts 8Age 25

Skills : Theology 35 % ; Debate 20% .

Equipment: Rolling Pin .

Farmer McIntyre

Employer ofJamie McLeod .

STR 13 CON 13

SIZ 14

INT 12

POW 15DEX 9

APP 15

SAN75

EDU 8 Hit Pts 14Age 34

Skills : Fist 65%; Kick 30 % ; Shotgun 50Rifle 60 % ; Zoology 75 % ; Accounting30 %; Tracking 45%; Carpentry 45 % ;Bargaining 60% ; Climb 45 % ; Swim 60 %.

Equipment: 0-gauge shotgun, .22 rifle,knife.

55

Distillery owner. Brother ofReverendMcCallan .

STR 11

CON 6

SIZ 12

INT9

POW6DEX 3

APP ll

SAN30

EDU 11 Hit pts 9Age 36

Skills : Accounting 45 % ; Chemistry 20%;Mechanical Repair 45%; Bargaining 60 % ;Credit Rating 40% .

Gordon McPhee

Village shopkeeper and postmaster. Cousinof Mrs MacPherson .

STR 9

CON 11

SIZ 9

INT 13

POW 12DEX 8

APP 9

SAN60

EDU7 Hit Pts 10Age 37

Skills : Accounting 40 % ; Psychology 20%;Bargaining 80%; Fast Talk 45 % .

Village schoolmistress . Wife ofGordonMcFee.

STR 7

CON 5

SIZ 8

INT 12

POW 13DEX 14 APP 7

SAN 65

EDU9

Hit Pts 7Age 34

Skills : Botany 10% ; History 15 % ;First Aid 45 % ; Library Use 20%;Zoology 20 % ; Fast Talk 35%; Oratory40% ; Singing 40 % ; Accounting 20% .

The oldest woman in the village . Age 65

STR 8

CON 15

SIZ 8

INT 10

POW 16DEX 10 APP 10 SAN 80

EDU4 Hit Pts 12

56

Skills : Debate25%; Botany 20% ; Occult 15% ;Diagnose Disease 30%; Treat Disease 20%;Treat Poison 25 % .

Duncan Brodie

Mother Brodie's son .

STR 12 CON-13

SIZ 10

INT6

POW7DEX 13 APP 15

SAN35

EDU6

Hit Pts 1Age 25

Skills : Hide 40% ; Sneak 55 % .

The HorrorThe Gn'icht' Tyaacht are a race oftreespirits native to the jungles ofWest Africa .They live in a form of symbiosis with a tallblack-leaved tree called Nuwanda by thenatives . Although the creatures are flesh-eaters when manifesting themselvesseparate from their trees, tribal witchdoctors have found that they can be tamedby means of magical spells - provided thatthey are fed solely on human flesh whichhas been hung until completely dry . ofblooduntil they reach maturity at approximatelyfive years old .

Before maturity the Gn'icht' Tyaacht arefairly active, and voraciously greedy, butcan be controlled by sophisticated magics .Once they have matured, their appetitereduces dramatically, and they spend mostoftheir time asleep within their trees .

Gn'icht' Tyaacht are only able to leave theirtrees during the hours ofdarkness.

Although a single Gn'icht' Tyaacht has nomagical powers, a grove ofcreatures (10 ormore) is able to link minds psychically andperformlimited magics . The grove becomesaware ofeverything that happens within it,and within a distance of about 10 yards fromthe perimeter ofthe grove . In addition, thegrove is able to cast a powerful sleep spell .Persons caught within the grove when thespell is cast must save twice against fallingto sleep, rolling 11320 +10 and needing toscore below their POW to save.

It is taboo amongst the Gn'icht' Tyaacht toattack anyone within a grove, unless thatperson breaks the rules ofhospitalitybyfirst attacking one of them . This

information was not known to AlexMcMorn .

Certain African tribes - including theIkambi, who were visited by McMorn - areknown to worship the Gn'icht' Tyaacht, andit is the Witch Doctors ofthese whodeveloped the techniques for controlling thecreatures . The tribes were heavilydecimated by slave traders, and it may be.,that the knowledge ofwhich they wereguardians is now lost to mankind .

The Gn'icht' Tyaacht do not worship anyother mythos deities, but were onceenslaved by Cthugha when he wassummoned to Earth by an overly ambitiouswizard in thelong lost African city ofT'gaorl . The Gn'icht' Tyaacht werepowerless against Fire Vampiresand nursean age long hatred for Cthugha and all ofhisallies .

Characteristics Average

STR 2136 +10

17CON 3136 +12

22-23SIZ 2136 +14

21INT2136-2 5POW 2136

7DEX 3136 + 5

15-16

Hit Points

22Move 12Weapon Attack DamageClaw

40%

2136 +4

The Gn'icht' Tyaacht can use both claws atonce.

Armour. The Gn'icht' 7jyacht are able tochange the texture oftheir skinsfrom almostintangible when entering their trees to athick, woodyformforfighting . 7his latteracts as 5pointarmour. 7hey always adopttheir thick skinnedform when out ofconcealment, and thus can onlybe caughtwithoutarmour ifsurprised when leaving orentering their trees, or when hidden.

Spells: None individually. See aboveforgrove spells .

SAN. Anyone seeing a single Gn'icht'7~aacht must make a Sanity roll, losing ID6ifthe roll isfailed. Seeing a Gn icht'Tyaacht emergefrom its tree has a greaterpenalty ofID10for afailed roll, or 1pointofSANifthe character makes the roll.

Gn'icht' 7jvacht have the same sort ofskillat stealth and trackingas rivaljunglehunters such as leopards.

Death in the Post is not a scenario in theclassic format . There is very little to bediscovered, andmost ofthat can be foundoutvery quickly and easily. However, theinvestigators will soon findthat knowingwhat is going on and being able to doanything about it are two quite differentthings . A large amount ofthe latter part ofthe scenario is left to the Keeper to prepareor improvise . Feel free to alter the numberand nature ofencounters as you see fit .

The plot concerns the attempts of a crazedsorcerer to assassinate the various promi-nent persons who were responsible for hisincarceration in an asylum. He does this bysending each ofthem a curse through thepost . Once the players find out about this,they must find the various victims, convincethem that they are in danger and - hopefully- save them . The action takes place sometime in the early 1920s .

The scenario has been designed to make useofa lot of the information given in Greenand PleasantLandand to take the in-vestigators on a longjourney around theBritish Isles. It will also provide a good in-troduction to 20s British social life, and willgive the investigators one or two usefulcontacts .

Players' Introduction

Players can be introduced to the adventureby George Edmundson, a well known col-lector ofoccult paraphernalia . Edmundsonis not a practicing occultist himself, indeedhe is fairly sceptical about the claims ofmost sorcerers, but he is passionately in-terested in the subject and has an extensivecollection ofbooks, manuscripts and cultobjects.

The Keeper will have to invent and intro-duce the connectionbetween Edmundsonand one ofthe investigators . Ifone ofthe in-vestigators is a famous occultist or ancienthistorian, there is no problem; Edmundsoncan simply choose that character as so-meone to consult. However, ifnone oftheinvestigators is sufficiently eminent,another connection is required . Perhaps Ed-mundson is an old school friend ofone ofthe investigators, ofmaybe the Keepercould introduce him in an earlier scenario

when the investigators are looking for anoccultlibrary to consult .

Whatever the connection, the scenariobegins when one of the investigatorsreceives a letter from Edmundson askingfor a meeting . The character concerned willbe invited to dinner at Edmundson's house(a stylish Georgian building in theMarylebone areaofLondon), and the letterwill add that Edmundson wishes to discuss"a matter ofoccult and historical interest".Ifthe investigator is well known to Edmund-son, he will also be invitedto bring "any ofhis learned friends who may be ofassistance", otherwise he should go alone .Edmundson ends the letter by asking that"the matter be treated with the utmostdiscretion and not revealed to anyone inwhom you do not have complete trust".

On arriving at Edmundson's house, the in-vestigators) will be treated to a sump-tuousmeal (Edmundson is quite wealthy and hasseveral servants) . During the meal, the hostwill make polite conversation concerningthe well-being ofhis guest(s), and any oc-cult matters that happen to have made thenews oflate - perhaps the latest AleisterCrowley scandal or recent discoveries inEgypt . Gentlemen investigators should notbe surprised at this ; they will know thattheir host will not begin to discuss businessuntil port is served in the Drawing Roomafter the meal .

When Edmundson finally reveals why heasked for the meeting he produces a scrap ofpapyrus and shows it to his guest(s) .

"I havebeen given this", he says, "by afriend who knows of my predeliction for theoccult . He passed it on in good faith, sayinghe has little idea concerning the authenticityofthe object, but nevertheless offering it forsale. Having examined it myself, I confessconsiderable interest in it . It would appear,as you can see, to be a magical formula ofsome sort, having a number ofparallelswith items in the d'Anastasy Collection inthe Leiden Museum of Antiquities, andtherefore presumably dating from the se-cond century AD"."However, on closer examination, and oncomparing the item to a similar papyrus inmy own collection, I began to have doubtsas to its authenticity. The papyrus does notseem to have aged as one might expect, nor

is the style ofthe heiroglyphics entirely inkeeping with the calligraphy ofthe period .In short, I fear it may be a clever fakedesigned to defraud collectors such asmyself . As I said earlier, I am convinced ofmy friend's good faith in this matter - he hasa number of means whereby he could haveacquired such an item in all innocence - butif some unscrupulous felon is circulatingsuch fake artifacts, I am certainly interestedin catching the bounder and teaching him alesson . Equally, if the item is genuine, Iwould be interested in your opinion as to itsvalue".

As Edmundson has said, the item in ques-tion does indeed seem to be a magicalpapyrus from the 2nd century AD. Thematerials and general style are in keepingwith what one would expect, but a suc-cessful Archaeology roll will confirm hissuspicions. A Chemistry roll will also con-firm the doubts about the age of thepapyrus . The item is a fake, but it is a veryclever one .

A successful Mythos roll will provide moreinteresting information . Whilst ofmodemmanufacture, the papyrus can hardly becalled a fake . It carries a genuine spell andhas an obvious and deadly purpose. Thepapyrus is, in fact, a target item for a Hun-ting Horror. Whosoever happens to be inpossession ofthe papyrus when the monsterappears (or the last person to touch it) willbe devouredby the Hunting Horror. Unfor-tunately, it is not possible to tell from thepapyrus exactly when the creature will ar-rive (though a successful Mythos roll willtell the investigators that it must appear atnight) .

Edmundson, being somewhat scepticalabout the efficacy of magic, will not initiallybe very impressed with any warnings hisguest(s) might give him. Nor will he beprepared to reveal the name ofhis source .A typical collector, he is nervous that somerival will hear about the item and step inwith a higher offer than the one he hasmade. It will take a successful Debate orPersuasion (APP x 5 roll) to convince himthat he is in danger.If those investigators who are Edmundson'sguests are unable to discover the truth aboutthe papyrus, or fail to convincehim of hisdanger, the matter will have to be left untilthe following day, in which case the section

57

titled Edmundson's Death should be con-sulted . Otherwise, proceed direct to the sec-tion The Plot Thickens to see whatEdmundson can tell them about his friend,then consult Combatting the Horrorto getEdmundson and the investigators throughthe night . . . .

Edmundson's DeathHaving failed to resolve matters with Ed-mundson, the investigators will have tobidhim goodnight . It will be the last time theysee him alive . Ifthey try to contact him inthe morning, they will have the conver-sation with Wilkins the Butler given below.Otherwise, the first they will hear of thenight's events will be when InspectorCarlton catches up with them, which he willtry todo from midday onwards .

Wilkins will be most apologetic and ob-viously upset (an unusual . state of affairs fora butler - they are trained to be un-flappable) . "I'm terribly sorry, sir, but I'mafraid it is quite impossible for you to seethe master. You see, amost terrible thinghappened here last night . I'm afraid I sleptthrough all the excitment, being a ratherheavy sleeperyou see, butI was woken at 2o'clock by Varley, the chauffeur, who saidhe and his wife had heard the most terriblescreams coming fromthe master's rooms".

"Well, I went to investigate as they bade meand, hearing no sound and having no replyto my knocks, I opened the door. You canimagine my distress, sir, when I say that Ifound my master lying there, quite dead, hisbody shredded with scratches and several ofhis bodily organs strewn about the room. Itfair turned my stomach, sir, I'll say. Thepolice are here now, and say it must havebeen an animal of some sort . A window inthe bedroom has been forced open and theyassume it got in that way, though it musthave climbed the wall or flown to do so.And here's a strange thing, sir. Although themaster was in his nightclothes when he

58

died, andhad obviously been :to bed, he hadclutched in his hand that parchment heshowed you last night:'

At this point, a Constable will intervene andask Wilkins not to discuss the matter fur-ther. Ifthe investigators are on the door-step, they will be invited in to speak to In-spector Carlton . Ifthey are on the phone,,theConstable will ask fortheir names andaddresses and request thatthey makethemselves available to see the Inspectorthat afternoon .

AnInterview withInspector CarltonIf Edmundson was sceptical about the ef-ficacy ofmagic, Inspector Carlton is

downright dismissive . He is quite certainthat there is a natural explanation for themurder, though he is at something ofa lossfor one at present. Thus, while he will quizthe investigators thoroughly on the events ofthe previous night and have an attendantConstable take copious notes, he will bedismissive about their fears. Let the in-vestigators make Debate or Oratory rolls ifthey wish, but give both a modifier of-100% for thetime being. Carlton willbecome more amenable to persuasion as thescenario progresses (see the section ThePolice Investigation) .

If they don't have good alibies, the investi-gators are likely to become prime suspects .Fast Talk orPersuasion may be useful to getthem away from the police, but Carlton willsoon realise he has been conned and comeafter them . Only Debate will put him offthescent fora long period oftime . Ifa Debateroll does prove necessary to avoid arrest,that result will hold until the investigatorsdo something else suspicious, at whichpoint re-make the roll to see if Carlton stillbelieves their excuses .Finally, as the papyrus seems closely linkedwith the murder, Carlton will insist onkeeping it as evidence and not allow the

investigators to examine it futher. He willtake the same line with any furtherpapyrithat turn up. He will only change his mindon this ifa) he becomes convinced oftheoccult menace and does not suspect the in-vestigators, or b) he is ordered otherwise bya superior.

ThePlot Thickens

The papyrus was given to Edmundson byJames Richardson, a well known investi-gative reporter with the Daily Clarion. Theinvestigators may have got his name fromEdmundson, otherwise they will need toworm it out ofWilkins once the police areout of the way. If all else fails, Richardsonhimself, on hearing ofthe death, will beginto investigate it, and - after talking to

Wilkins - will track down the investigators.Ifthis happens, he will not confess his partin the affair unless convincedby Debate orOratory ofthe supernatural threat .

Richardson received thepapyrus anon-ymously through thepost . He assumed itwas a hoax ofsome sort, but offered it toEdmundson justin case. IfEdmundson isdead, he will be very upset and feel honour-bound to do whatever he can to trackdownthe culprit . Furthermore, he will want to doso himself rather than let the police get onwith things. The investigators may find thatone ofthe nation's top investigative jour-nalists is a useful ally to have .

Note, however, that Richardson's reputationwill be known to the investigators . TheKeeper should point out to any upperclassmembers ofthe group that Richardson isfamous for his scandalous expos6s, and thatthere is some risk that he may produce alurid story about them and their occult in-terests . It would be quite in character forthem to not want anything to do with him .

Richardson can be contacted via the Clarionoffices, or by hanging around pubs in Fleet

Street . He has a house in Kingston-on-Thames, Surrey but he is not on the phoneand hardly everhome.

APossible Suspect

Initially, Richardson will have no idea whomighthave sent the papyrus . Aman in hisprofessionmakes a lot ofenemies, morethan one ofwhom has threatened to killhim. Give each ofthe investigators an Idearoll . If none ofthem make it, Richardsonwill make his . The result of this is that so-meone will remember a short news itemfromtwo weeks ago.

The news concerned the release of a patientfrom Grey Fell Institute for the CriminallyInsane in Northumberland . The man in

question is oneDrRandolph Briggs, whowas found guilty of gross professionalmisconduct by the General Council oftheBritish Medical Association, just before theoutbreak of the Great War. The investigationcame about after the goings-on had been un-covered by Richardson (who had posed as apatient) and published in the Clarion.Whilst the investigation was in progress,some ofBriggs' ex-patients tookthe matterto the police, and Briggs was later put ontrial for attempted murder. He wasjudged tobe insane,and was sent to Grey Fell .Richardson recalls that Briggs raved about a"new medicine" he had discovered, whichhad the power to cure any disease, evenrevive the dead . Ifthere are no ladies pre-sentwho might be upset, he will add thatBriggs' methods included sticking hugeneedles into his patients, and making themdrink concoctions made from their ownfresh blood and chemicals extracted fromobscure South American fungi and insects .As far as Richardson is aware, Briggs didnot dabble in magic as such, but he certain-lyhad some pretty wierd ideas .

What is certain, however, is that during thetrial Briggs swore that he would be revengedupon Richardson, Lord Elwood - the owner

ofthe Clarion, and the BMA officials whosat on the enquiry.

The Truth about Dr Briggs

In fact, Briggs has been dabbling in magic,though some ofhis medical practices, eg,the acupuncture, are quite genuine, ifsomewhat bizarre to 1920 Britain . He hasbeen in contact with Nyarlathotep for sometime, gradually getting further and furtherout of his depth . Eventually, he became in-sane, which is when his patients started toworry and Richardson got involved . The in-vestigation and court case went a long waytowards bringing himback to his senses ; bythe time he got to Grey Fell, he was fairlywell back in control . However, instead ofprofessing himselfcured and trying to getreleased, he has been using his time in theasylumto further his researches and plotrevenge .

Because he is a gentleman, independentlywealthy and no trouble to look after, Briggshas beentreated very well at Grey Fell . Hehad his own suite of rooms, which he wasallowed to furnish as he wished . He evenmanaged to get his occult books smuggledin, disguised as medical tomes. This gavehim plenty of time and opportunity to getback in touch with Nyarlathotep and perfecthis skills . Whenthe time came, it was asimple matter for him to convince GreyFell's Director to release him.

Briggs has now returned to the house inWimbledon from which he used to run hispractise . Renting it under the assumed nameofHobbs, he has outfitted a completedemonological temple in the cellar andcreated the papyri he needs . However,suspecting that someone may guess what heis up to, he has now removed all ofhis oc-cult tomes to a place of safety and is travell-ing aroundthe country, posting the papyri tchis victims as he goes.

The Mysterious Mr Phelps

Briggs is accompanied on his travels by hisvalet, Phelps . It was Phelps who wasresponsible for supplying Briggs with hisoccult paraphernalia whilst in Grey Fell,and he is well aware of whathis employer isup to . He is also completely insane (a resultofbeing present the first time Briggs con-tacted Nyarlathotep), buthas contracted aparticularly insidious form ofparanoiawhich enables him to pass as sane most ofthe time .

Phelps is convinced that everyone andeverything, especially Briggs, is out to gethim and - because they do not often behaveas if they are - they must be working a verydeep and subtle plot . Phelps is thereforecountering by pretending to go along withwhat they are doing, but is all the time

DEATH IN THE POST

working on his own, secret counter-plot .The main thrust ofthis is to cause as manydeaths as possible, but to do so bymanoeuvering people into killing eachotherrather than doing the deed himself. The on-ly outward sign of Phelps' insanity is a veryshifty manner, caused by his gross distrustofeveryone . This behaviour makes himvery memorable, a fact that has donenothing to allay his fears that people are outto get him.

Investigating BriggsCopies of the newspaper reports of Briggs'activities are fairly easily obtained,especially if Richardson is working with theinvestigators . These will provide somepotentially useful pieces ofinformation .First, there will be photographs ofthe ac-cused man . Unfortunately, these are out ofdate, as Briggs has aged considerably dur-ing his time in Grey Fell, grown a beard andtaken to wearing glasses - he is no longerrecognisable as the man in the photograph .In addition, the investigators will discoverthe address ofhis old surgery (a large housein Wimbledon, South London) and the listof people he is likely to be outto kill .Besides Richardson and Lord Elwood,Briggs swore vengeance on five seniormembers ofthe BMA: Sir Arthur Railton,Dr Howard Colnbury, ProfHenry Masters,Dr Albert Winterton and Dr Hamilton .Lund .On visiting the house in Wimbledon, the in-vestigators will find it seemingly un-occupied, though peering through the win-dow will show that it is well cared for. Theymay break in, in which case they will findthe demonic temple in the cellar, but unlessthey do so carefully (eg, at night, or usingHide and Sneak skills) a neighbour will spotthem and call the police .By speakingto neighbours, the investigatorscan discover that the house has been unusedfor many years, but has been regularly keptupby Phelps (they will get a description of

59

the servant from these conversations) . Inaddition, they will find out thatthe househas recently been sold to an estate agent, JHeggarty & Frogmorton, and that it is nowbeing rented to someone whom none oftheneighbours has met and who has thus farrudely ignored all invitations to tea . Theneighbours are most displeased about this,and say that Dr Briggs must have been madto sell to an agent who specialised inrenting.

Messrs Heggarty & Frogmorton are verydiscreet about their clients' affairs .However, a successful Fast Talk will per-suade them to part with information, as willa Credit Rating roll ifthe investigators saythey are interested in buying the house forsomewhat more than it is worth . The infor-mation they can give is as follows :

About 4 months ago, Briggs wrote to themfrom Grey Fell saying that he wished to sellthe property and its furnishings . They snap-ped it up, and - almost the same day as theyadvertised it - they got an enquiry from aMr Hobbs. This was about a month ago,

and Hobbs paid 3 months rent in advance,even though he didn't move in until about aweek ago . The money was delivered by aservant, ashifty-looking fellow, who tookaway the key. Neither he nor Hobbs hasbeen seen since. All other contact withHobbs has been via a London Post OfficeBox, and contact with Briggs has been viahis solicitor who handled his affairs whilsthe was in Grey Fell .

As mentioned above, the investigators maytry to get to view the house by saying theywant to buy it . If they succeed in theirCredit Rating roll, Mr Heggarty will showthem round the following day, after havingfailed to get in touch with Hobbs (the estateagents still have a key as they own the pro-perty) . When the temple in the basement isdiscovered, Heggarty will be aghast andassure the investigators that it was not therewhen he bought theproperty.

The Post Office Box by which Hobbs wascontacted has now been closed, but the staffremember a shifty-looking servant whoordered the box on behalfof his master andcollected the mail . The solicitor, Mr Fin-chley of Cratchett, Finchley & Weems, isjust as discreet as the estate agents. IfFastTalked, he will reveal that he has not seenBriggs since he was released, but adds thatBriggs did ask for £300 ofhis money to besent to him at Grey Fell just before hisrelease .

A Visit to Grey FellSooner or later, the investigators will pro-bably visit Grey Fell to enquire aboutBriggs . The Director, Dr Mortenson, isconvinced that Briggs was fully sane whenreleased . He will be quite affronted iftheinvestigators suggest otherwise . By use ofcommunications skills (at -10 modifier ifthey have already upset Dr Mortenson), theinvestigators will gain the following infor-mation :

Briggs behaved quite normally for most ofhis time at Grey Fell . He occupied himselfby furthering his medical studies, usingbooks brought to him by his servant,Phelps . Dr Mortenson and his staffdid notexamine every book to ensure that it wasmedical in nature .

Dr Mortenson will also be able to provideup-to-date descriptions of Briggs andPhelps . Grey Fell has no address for Phelpsother than Briggs' old surgery address .

The investigators may think to ask ifany ofthe other inmates were close friends ofBriggs, and try to get information fromthem . Ifthey do, Mortenson will introducethem to Mr Walter Finney - who was theonly inmate Briggs got on well with . Finneysuffers from accute Quixotism, and thussees supernatural goings-on everywhere. Ofcourse, no-one believes anything he says,and Briggs took advantage ofthis to use

Finney as an assistant . Finney knows verylittle about magic, but he has learnt a fewnames offby heart . Watch the investigatorsmouths fall open as he drones on about theGreat Old Ones as ifthey were closefriends. Ifthey try to convince DrMortenson that what Finney is saying istrue, they may need to makeCommunication skill rolls to avoid stayingin Grey Fell for the rest oftheir lives .TheVictimsAll the people on Briggs' list of victims aresufficiently eminent to warrant an entry inWho's Who and can therefore easily betracked down. Their attitudes to thewarnings that the investigators will givethem are detailed below :

Lord Elwood is currently resident on hiscountry estates in Warwickshire (get thereby GWR from Paddington to Stratford-on-Avon, then taxi) . At the time when theHunting Horror is due to visit him, he isholding a house party for severalaristocratic friends . If the investigatorsmanage to convince the noble Lord ofhisdanger (and he has great respect forRichardson even though most ofhis friendshate the man), he and his guests will wanttohunt the creature . Tryingto convince themthat a Hunting Horror is not quite in thesame league as a fox will not be easy.

Sir Arthur Railton is now dead . There is,however, an entry in Who's Who for hisdaughter, Hermionie, who lives in Chelsea .She is very much apart of the `Bright YoungThings' party set and is also a heavy user ofcocaine and opium . Ifthe investigatorsexplain the nature ofthe papyrus that shemay receive, she will be delighted . "Ohhow wonderful! It will make a simplymarvellous party game. We can spend thenight passing the thing round, and whoeverhas it when the monster arrives loses!" Theinvestigators will probably come away withthe opinion that Miss Railton's Sanity isalready well below zero.

Dr Howard Colnbury has since beenknighted and entered Parliament as aConservative MP He can normally befound at home in his constituency ofPetersfield, Hampshire (SR train fromWaterloo) . He is happy to believe thatBriggs is out to get him, especially ifpeoplehave already been killed, but will beunimpressedby occult explanations .Instead, he will insist that the police handlethe matter byproviding a Constable toprotect him. IfRichardson is with theinvestigators, Colnbury will refuse to eventalk to them . This is becausehe investedheavily in some companies that madehealthy profits during the war, andRichardson is known to be running acrusade against wartime profiteers .

Professor Masters is a lecturer in medicineat Balliol College, Oxford (GWR fromPaddington) . He is well over 60 and isgetting a bit senile. His first reaction onbeing told what is going on is to assume thatthe whole thing is an elaborateundergraduate prank . Even ifthe policecome to warn him, he will think they areundergraduates in disguise . The only way toget him to take matters seriously is to FastTalk him into phoning some of the otherdoctors involved who are convinced - ortheir bereaved relatives . Even this won't beeasy, as the Professor has a marked distrustofnewfangled gadgets such as telephones -the roll should have a modifier of-10.Dr Wmterton has retired and lives inHarrogate, Yorkshire (LNER from KingsCross, change atYork) . He feels rathersorry for Briggs, believing the fellow meantwell and that the whole affair wasRichardson's fault for blowing things up outofproportion. At the time, he argued onBriggs' behalf, and only agreed to certifyhim insane in order to prevent the idiotjudge from sending him to prison . Whilst heagrees that Briggs may well be afterRichardson and a few ofthe others ("andserve them right too!"), Dr Winterton willnot believe that he is in danger until hereceives a papyrus .

Dr Lund still has his practice in HarleyStreet, London . He has recently becomevery inter-ested in the theories oftheAustrian psychologist, Dr Freud . Onmeeting a group oflunatics who actuallybelieve inthe occult and monsters from theOuter Darkness, he will wasteno time intrying to get to the roots of their neuroses .Dr Lund is a capable psychologist, and maybe ofuse to the investigators later - if hesurvives - but first they will have to get himto stop analysing them and listen to whatthey are saying.All of the victims will be reluctant to believean occult explanation fox,any deaths thathave occured, and the investigators willneed to employ their Communication skillsto the full in order to convince them . Evenifthey believe that they are in danger, theywill try to seek a rational explanation forany deaths that have occured . Bear in mindthat all ofthe victims are upper class andwill have at least one servant, so theinvestigators will not even be able to talk tothe victims until they have convincedwhichever servants they first talk to thatthey have something important to relate .Note also thatWinterton and Masters arenot on the phone, although Balliol Collegeis .

This list ofvictims and their personalitiesneed not be followed closely. As the Keeperwill need to design or improvise allencounters with the victims, there is noreason why he should not make any changesto the list that he sees fit .Combating the HorrorOne thing the investigators need to sort outquickly is how to save Briggs' victims fromthe Hunting Horror. Ifthey have made theirMythos roll to identify the papyrus, theywill already know that burning it won't doany good - the creature will simply comeafter the last person to touch it . Eventually,they will manage to work out that what theycan try to do is to prevent a victim fromopening his envelope, so that the Horrorgoes after Briggs instead, though gettingthis to happen may be difficult, as thevictim in question needs to be convinced ofthe occult menace (as opposedto a purelyphysical one) .It is unlikely that the investigators canmuster sufficient firepower to beat theHunting Horror in a straight fight (and ifthey do, they obvious-ly have totally thewrong approach to the game) . However,they can work out ways offoiling it. To startwith, they can try sitting in a room withElder Signs at all the doors and windows,though this could prove a little expensive onPOW. Also, Hunting Horrors are afraid ofbright light - this is why they always attackat night - so the investigators could summonenough artificial light to simulate daylight,andkeep the Hunting Horror at bay. Theplayers may already know of both of thesemethods . Ifthey do not, allow them Mythosrolls to see iftheir characters know.

DEATH IN THE POST

Ifthe Hunting Horror is prevented fromreach-ing its intended victim, it will fleeback to the Outer Dark whence it came in afoul mood . It will, however, first flapnoisily around the building in which thevictim is hiding, perhaps even breaking intosome other rooms in an attempt to getthrough to the victim . It will also call outthe victim's name in its horrible, harshvoice . Everyone who hears the HuntingHorrormust make a Sanity roll, losing 1point ofSAN if they fail .

The conditions ofthe summoning spell aresuch that the Hunting Horror cannotinitially attack anyone except the victim, asthe victim forms the sacrifice necessary tocomplete the spell . The only orders that theHorror has to perform once it hascompleted the conditions ofthe summoningare to return whence it came - Briggsdoesn't want it hanging around . Normally itwill do this immediately, albeit in badhumour, but it will attack anyone who hasattacked it . The Horror cannot return to avictim if it is foiled on its first visit, as thesummoning spell is then dissipated .

61

Ifall else fails, the papyrus could always bepassed on to some unsuspecting member ofthe lower classes - a tramp or some such .Hope-fully investigators will not be sodespicable as to suggest this themselves, butEdmundson and Sir Howard Colnbury areboth sufficiently craven to think ofit .

Tracking Down Briggs

Briggs is aware that someone, somewhere,may realise what he is up to and try to foilhim . Indeed, he rather hopes they will, ashe wants to frighten his victims before theydie. R.ichardson was chosen as the first vic-tim to make sure thathe would die beforeany investigations got underway.

Because Briggs needs toprepare the papyriwith his own hands, he has taken some careto ensure that they are delivered . Althoughthe postal service is very reliable, he has ac-tually allowed two days for the letters to ar-rive. In fact they all arrive in one day, givingeach victim about40 hours in betweenreceiving a papyrus and the arrival oftheHunting Horror. Briggs also had Phelpscheck on the movements of each victim theprevious weekto ensure that he sent thepapyri to the correct addresses. Victims'servants will remember receiving a strangevisitor or phone call .

In order to evade pursuit, Briggs and Phelpsaretravelling round the country, staying inhotels . The day after each papyrus isposted, they check out, return to London tolose anypursuit in the metropolis, then im-mediately set out for somewhere else . Thesequence ofpostings, with correspondingpostmarks on the enve-lopes and Londonstations from which the pair will have

62

travelled, is given in the table below. Thereare two days between each posting (but seeThe Final Encounter) .

Victim

Postmark Station

Richardson LondonProfessor Masters

Bristol

PaddingtonDr Winterton

Chester

EustonLord Elwood

York

Kings CrossMiss Railton

Bournemouth WaterlooDr Lund

Cambridge

Liverpool StSir Howard Colnbury,MP

Brighton Victoria

The investigators, ifthey manage to get in-formation on the postmark early enough,can set offfor the place in question in thehope of catching Briggs . They will need tomake some enquiries to find out which hotelhe is staying in, asking people ifthey haveseen Phelps being the best tactic . TheKeeper is welcome to spice up this searchhowever he wishes, perhaps allowing achase through London at one point, butunless time is short or the players are get-ting bored, the object should be to allowBriggs to evade pursuit until the final en-counter.

The Police Investigation

Sooner or later, someone is likely to geteaten, thus causing the police to get involv-ed . Details of their initial view ofthe caseare given under Edmundson's Death and AnInterview with Inspector Carlton above. Asa Scotland Yard officer, Carlton can in-vestigate murders anywhere in the country,though he may not be informed ofeventsoutside London unless he is in touch withthe victim. Even then, he may have difficul-ty getting the local force to assist .

As already noted, Carlton is mostunwillingto believe any supernatural explanation andhas a -100 modifier on any attempt to con-vince him of this . His initial theory is thatthe victims have been mauled by someanimal ; ifany investigator with Zoologyskills can get to examine a body, he cantestify (after making his skill roll) thatthewounds were not caused by any animalknown to man. This will reduce Carlton'scynicism modifier to -80. Each murder afterthe first will reduce the modifier by a fur-ther 20 points .

IfCarlton is persuaded that the animaltheory is not tenable, his next explanationwill be thatthe murders were carried out bysome sort offoreign cultist who dresses asan animal, and tries to make it seem as ifhiskillings were commited by an animal .Briggs did visit Africa and China in the ear-ly days ofhis researches, so this is areasonable explanation .

Once more than one murder has beencommit-ted, or one ofthe investigators haspersuaded Carlton of Briggs' involvement,he will take the connection very seriouslyand will warn all ofthe victims . Briggs'handwriting is onall the envelopes, whichwill prove the point for him . However,because he does not believe the supernaturalexplanation, he will not take any ofthemeasures necessary to foil the Hunting Hor-ror. Constables will be detailed to guard thevictims, but they will not be very effective(they will not even be armed) .

Because Carlton will be interested in thepapyri as evidence, the Hunting Horror maysometimes come after whichever unfor-tunate Constable happened to touch thepapyrus last . Other times, the police

willjust handle the envelope. The Keepershould not let the investigators know wholast touched eachpapyrus unless they con-trive not to let one out of their sight .

The manner in which Carlton and his menare used is up to the Keeper. If the in-vestigators are having a lotoftrouble, thenthe police can help them along . Alternative-ly, ifthey seem like they are sitting back andletting the police do all the work for them,have Carlton be very obstructive and try tokeep the "lunatics" offhis case .

The Final Encounter

Though Briggs has laid his plans fairlycarefully, they are by no means perfect. Inparticular, he has reckoned without Phelps.The servant was entrusted with the task ofactually posting the papyri. When the timecomes to sendthe final papyrus to SirHoward Colnbury, Phelps burns theenvelope instead, and in its place he sends ashort note which simply says "Royal StewartHotel, Edinburgh". This is where he andBriggs go on leaving Brighton . Healsoposts the note a day late .

The investigators should realise this fairlyquickly, thoughthey may be confused by thedifferent handwriting and the fact that it is aday late arriving. The Keeper can give themIdea rolls oruse Richardson as aprompt ifnecessary. Assuming all goes well, theyshould arrive in Edinburgh late that even-ing. Briggs is not in his room - he's out hav-ing a meal to celebrate the completion ofhisrevenge. The Keeper should contrive achase around the city, ending with the cap-ture ofBriggs in justenoughtime for he andthe investigators to work out what has hap-pened before the Hunting Horrorcomes forhim.

Phelps has vanished completely. It is left tothe individual Keeper's imagination todecide how the investigators encounter himagain . Remember, he knows where Brigg'sbooks were hidden and will be able toretrievethem for his own purposes .

Maps

As there are no explorations, exceptpossibly the break-in at Briggs' house, to beconducted the Keeper should be able to dowithout maps. Ifthe players demand afloorplan of a house they are trying to pro-tect, the Keeper can base iton somewherehe knows, borrow a plan from another CallofCthulhu scenario, or use the Halls ofHorror floorplans .

NPC Statistics

Note that the skill values given below arefor unusually high skills only. Thecharacters will also have the base values in awide range ofother skills.

George Edmundson

Collector of occult paraphernalia .

STR 3 CON 1

SIZ 15 INT 15 POW 11DEX 1 APP 1 SAN 55 EDU 20 Hit Pts 13Age 38

Skills : Read/Write Latin 45 % ;Read/Write Greek 40%;Read/Write Egyptian 60%;Read/Write Hebrew 30% ; Anthropology20% ; Archaeology 30% ; History 35%;Library Use 30 % ; Occult 65 % ;Credit Rating 50 % ; Debate 45 % .

Wilkins

George Edmundson's butler.

STR 1

CON 8 SIZ 11 INT 13 POW 13DEX 6 APP 1 SAN 65 EDU 9 Hit Pts 10Age 45

Skills: Accounting 30% ; Debate 45 % ;First Aid 25 % ; Psychology 20% ;Spot Hidden 30%; Speak French 60% .

James Richardson

Investigative reporter for the Daily Clarion .

STR 11 CON 10 SIZ 13 INT 15 POW 10DEX 13 APP 13 SAN 50 EDU 13 Hit Pts 12 .Age 29

Skills : Punch 60%; Read/Write English85%; Speak French 30% ; Speak German25%; Library Use 65 % ; Listening 60% ;Psychology 35 % ; Drive Auto 40%; Hide25 %; Sneak 25% ; FastTalk65% ;Credit Rating 45 %; Debate 30 % ; Oratory35% .

Equipment : .38 revolver, car, camera .

Inspector Carlton

A senior CID officer from Scotland Yard .

STR 10 CON 10 SIZ 12 INT 15 POW 12DEX 4 APP 8 SAN 60 EDU 19 Hit Pts 1Age 47

Skills : Nightstick Attack 45% ;Nightstick Parry 50% ; Anthropology 30% ;Chemistry 25%; First Aid 20% ;Listening 25 % ; Psychology 65 % ;Spot Hidden 45 % ; Tracking 20% ;Drive Auto 45% ; Debate 75%; Fast Talk40 % ; Oratory 35% .

Equipment: car.

Typical Constable

DEATH IN THE POST

Can be plain clothes CID man or uniformedofficer.

STR 13 CON 15 SIZ 15 INT 12 POW 1DEX 10 APP 10 SAN 55 EDU 8 Hit Pts 15

Skills : Nightstick Attack 40%;Nightstick Parry 45 % ; First Aid 25 %;Psychology 20 % ; Spot Hidden 30 %;Debate 30%.

Equipment: truncheon (nightstick) .

Professor Henry Masters

Professor ofMedicine at Balliol College,Oxford . Also senior member ofBritishMedical Association.

STR 5

CON 6

SIZ9

INT 17

POW4DEX 17 APP 13 SAN 20 EDU 25 Hit Pts 8Age 64

63

DEATH IN THE POST

Skills : Anthropology 35 % ; First Aid 65 % ;Library Use 70% ; Pharmacy 45 % ;Treat Disease 85%; Treat Poison 90% ;Diagnose Disease 90 % ; Oratory 40% ;Debate 65% .

Dr Albert Winterton

Retired doctor. Former senior member ofBritish Medical Association .

STR 8

CON 7

SIZ7

INT 16

POW 12DEX 9 APP 12 SAN 60 EDU 22 Hit Pts 7Age 68

Skills : Anthropology 20% ; First Aid 70%;Pharmacy 70 % ; Treat Disease 75 % ;Treat Poison 65 % ; Diagnose Disease 80% ;Oratory 30 % ; Debate 40% .

Hermionie Railton

Society hostess. Drug addict .

STR 9

CON 11

SIZ5

INT 10

POW5DEX 10 APP 13 SAN 7 EDU 12 Hit Pts 8Age 22

Skills: Read/Write French 50% ;Speak French 60% ; Credit Rating 75 % ;Fast Talk 40%; Singing 40% .

Dr Hamilton Lund

Psychoanalyst . Senior member oftheBritish Medical Association .

STR 6 CON 14 SIZ 10 INT 18 POW 13DEX 13 APP 5 SAN 65 EDU 21 Hit Pts 12Age 52

Skills : Anthropology 45%; First Aid 30% ;Pharmacy 25 % ; Treat Disease 45%;Treat Poison 55%; Diagnose Disease 65% ;Psychology 65 %; Listening 40% ; Debate45% ; Oratory 60% ; Psychoanalysis 70% .

Sir Howard Colnbury, MP

Conservative MP Former doctor and seniormember ofBritish Medical Association .

STR 13 CON 14 SIZ 5 INT 16 POW 13DEX 6 APP 15 SAN 65 EDU 23 Hit Pts 10Age 58

Skills: Accounting 35 % ; First Aid 45 % ;Law 40% ; Treat Disease 40% ;Treat Poison 35 %; Diagnose Disease 65 % ;Psychology 40% ; Drive Auto 50% ;Bargain 40%; Credit Rating 60% ; Debate60% ; Fast Talk75%; Oratory 75 % .

Lord Elwood

Owner of the Daily Clarion .

STR 11

CON7

SIZ 14 INT 9

POW 16DEX 15 APP 11 SAN 80 EDU 1 Hit Pts 11Age 49

Skills: Rifle 40% ; Shotgun 60% ;Fencing Attack 45%; Fencing Parry 60% ;Accounting 50% ; Read/Write French 45 % ;Speak French 70%; Law 40 %; Drive Auto70%; Credit Rating 80% ; Oratory 45 %;Debate 30% ; Ride 80% .

Equipment: .45 revolver, .22 rifle,20-gauge shotgun, Rolls Royce, horse,cavalry sabre.

Dr Randolph Briggs

Former doctor. Worshipper of Nyarlathotep.

STR 10 CON 13 SIZ 6 INT 1 POW 10DEX 7 APP 8 SAN 8 EDU 18 Hit Pts 10Age 57

Skills: Read/Write Egyptian 55%;Read/Write Arabic 35%;Read/Write Chinese 40% ; Anthropology40% ; Cthulhu Mythos 50%; Occult 65 %;Pharmacy 60%; Treat Disease 45 % ;Treat Poison 35 % ; Diagnose Disease 55 %;Psychology 30%; Sneak 70% ; Bargain40% ; Fast Talk 60% ; Drive Auto 40% .

Further Reading

D'Anastasy Collection : The D'AnastasyCollection is a collection ofEgyptian papyriin the Leiden Museum . The collection in-cludes many curses and other magicalpapyri from Egypt .

For more information about target items forspells, see the scenario, The Statue oftheSorcerer from Games Workshop .

Chaosium's campaign scenario, Masks ofNyarlathotep involves a group ofAfricanNyarlathotep worshippers, the Cult oftheBloody Tongue, which is close to the sort oforganisation Carlton suspects ofcommitingthe murders on Briggs' behalf. EnterprisingKeepers may wish to include the cult as ared herring .

This scenario is set on a canal in theMidlands. For further background, Keepersshould refer inparticular to the sections onCanals andMummerset earlier in the book.

Introduction

Our intrepid investigators are taking a shortholiday away from the daily grindYof grappl-ing with the Like ofWhich Man was NeverMeant to Know. They have retired to theGolden Lion, a small country hotel on theStaffordshire-Shropshire border. All ispeace and tranquility. They arrive on Sun-day evening, perhaps spend Monday quietlyfishing, and are enjoying a pleasant salad inthe lounge of the hotel on Tuesday lun-chtime when they overhear an argumentinthe nearby public bar.

It isn't easy for the investigators to make outwhat is going on, partly because oftheheavy, wooden door in the way, and partlybecause ofthethick Midlands accents ofmany of the participants . However, thegeneral flow ofthe discussion seems to bethat someone who sounds reasonably well-bred is trying to hire some men to do some-thing, and they - local working men by theirrough language - are adamant that noamount ofmoney will get them to do thejob . After some ten or fifteen minutes ofheated discussion, the noise comes to anabrupt halt and a gentleman comes throughinto thelounge .

The visitor looks somewhat harrassed, andkindly investigators will no doubt offer hima drink and ask to share his troubles . How-ever, ifthey feel it impolite to butt in, thestranger soon makes it clear that he is eager

to talk. He is Gregory Longthorpe, anengineer for the London, Western & WelshRailway Company (this fixes the date oftheadventure as pre-1923, but Keepers couldeasily date it later by the excuse that none ofthe `Big Four' wanted the Cuthdon bunchline) . He has been attempting to hire somelocal men and has met with conspicuouslack ofsuccess.

Longthorpe's problem is simple . TheLWWR owns the local canal system, andthere has been a rockfall in Darkbank Tun-nel which, by ill fortune, sunk apassingnarrow boat and blocked the canal .Longthorpe was trying to hire a bunch oflocal quarrymen to clear the blockage, butthey have come outwith some superstitioustwaddle about the tunnel being haunted andare not interested .

"It's not as if there's anything difficult in-volved, at least not yet . All I need to do atthe moment is get to the blockage and take afew measurements to find out how difficultit will be to clear. It may be quite a simplejob . I went in yesterday to fit a few instru-ments, but I couldn't manage much with on-ly one pair ofhands . Well, we can't affordmany staff these days, so I was hoping tohire a few local men to help . Unfortunately,they seem somewhat reluctant . I say, I don'tsuppose you chaps would mind helping out,would you? I mean, I wouldn't insult you byoffering you what I'd pay those ruffians, butyou might find it interesting and it would getme out ofa most awful hole:'

How can the investigators refuse? Ofcourse, they may ask Longthorpe why thelocals are so scared of the tunnel, but hejustsays that the ordinary folk neither like nor

trust canals and canal folk, and have allsorts of stupid superstitions about them .The Keeper should use Longthorpe to plantthe idea ofboat people as a `race apart' inthe minds of the investigators .

Assuming the investigators agree,Longthorpe will ask them to meet him atDarkbank Junction Maintenance Yard at10:00 the following morning. Theynowhave halfa day in which to follow up localstories about the tunnel . They should findenough to raise their interest, butby nomeans the whole of what is available . Thelocals from the other bar will have disap-peared . It is necessary that the investigatorsshould be keen to get a look at the tunnel .

Into the Tunnel

On arriving atthe maintenance yard, the in-vestigators are met by Longthorpe and theyard foreman, Walter Braithwaite.Longthorpe explains that he has just hadword ofa landslip on the railway and isurgently required there . He asks the in-vestigators ifthey would be willing to take alookat the blockage themselves, andpresents them with a collection of detaileddrawings, various instruments and explan-ations as to how to use them . The in-vestigators should by now be keen to get alookat the tunnel and will go ahead. Ifnot,the Keeper should prod them along by hav-ing Braithwaite make sarcastic remarksabout fine folks who go back on their pro-mises, and Longthorpe moaning about howmuch work he has to do .

Braithwaite will show the investigators to aninspection launch and give them some quick

65

instructions as to how to use it . It all seemsfairly simple, and soon they will be on theirway into the tunnel . It is very dark anddamp, and a bit spooky, but hardly Sanity-shaking . The investigators will pass thespots where the "ghosts" can be heard, butthe Keeper should not worry them withthesejust yet . Nor will anything else in thetunnel bother a well crewed boat .

Eventually, they will arrive at the blockage.As Longthorpe said, a narrow boat is sunkin the centre of the canal, apparently afterhaving been struck by rocks falling from theroof. It looks like it will take a lot ofworktoshift it . As promised, there are a few in-struments attached to the wreck and theyseem to match those on Longthorpe's draw-ings. On the other hand . . . .

The Keeper should check characters withhigh Electrical and/or Mechanical Repairskills first . Rolls should be made secretly bythe Keeper so that he can make sure that so-meone succeeds . Although the instru-mentsseem genuine, they have been rigged up toform a simple detonator, and on closer in-spection the sunken narrow boat turns outtobe packed full ofkerosine and explosives . Ifthe investigators had taken a reading asLongthorpe suggested, they would havebeen blown to pieces . . . .

Some Background

The boat in the tunnel is the Eleanor, an un-powered "butty" boat belonging to theDarkbank Quarry Company. The previousweek, the Eleanor and its powered partner,the Millicent, were returning to the quarry,crewed by Albert Long and his wife, Amy.They had been to Tipton, delivering stone toWilliam Crawford's Builders' Merchantsand, on the return trip, had collected somekerosine, blasting powder and gelignitefrom Parker & Cross (Mining Supplies) in

Wolverhampton . The Longs had put thedangerous cargo in the unpowered Eleanorfor safety.

Returning through Darkbank Tunnel, theEleanor was struck by a rockfall and sank .Amy Long, who was at the tiller ofthe but-ty, was seriously injured, but her husbandmanaged to rescue her and take her, aboardthe Millicent, on to the quarry. The pair arestill there, having no transport other thantheir boats, and being unable to affordmedical treatment, even ifthe quarrymencould be persuaded to fetch a doctor (whichthey won't, as quarrymen and boat peopledo not get on well) .

The canal network is owned by the LWWR,which is in poor financial shape (as aremost railway companies at this time) . Ascanals are even less profitable than railways,they are not best pleased at thethought ofanother heavy maintenance bill . However,Longthorpe and his employers are notcallous enough to stoop to murder. TheLWWRis simply happy to turn a blind eyeto whatever circumstances might happen toforce closure ofthe tunnel .

The real villain ofthe piece is Stanley Grift,a local businessman who owns the nearbyShubford Quarry. IfDarkbank Tunnel isclosed, Darkbank Quarry will close too, thecost of making the road to it suitable formotor transport being prohibitive . That willleave Grift with a monopoly oflocal stoneproduction, a situation which will greatlyimprove his wealth . Grift is able tomanoeuvre Longthorpe and various otherlocal people into going along with hisscheme, through a life-long policy ofseek-ing power over others by fair means or foul .See the NPC descriptions for more detailsof who is in Grift's power, and why.

When news of the Eleanor's sinking and itsdangerous cargo reached .him, Grift knew

that this was his chance to close the tunnel .All he needed was a bunch of idiots whocould blow up the boat by 'accident . ArnoldTrubshawe, the proprietor of the GoldenLion, is one ofGrift's agents, and it was hewho suggested duping the unsuspectingholidaymakers . On Monday, Grift andLongthorpe went into the tunnel to fix upthe detonator, and Tuesday lunchtime sawthe staged argument in the Golden Lion. Allthat was needed was for the investigators tobe as mechanically inept as Grift expected .

However, bright investigators are not theonly spanner in Grift's plan . The previousweek, he had senthis strong-arm man,James Carter, to see what could be donewith the wreck. Carter never came backfrom Darkbank Tunnel . Grift assumed thathe simply fell in and drowned - people oftendo . In fact, he has become the latest victimofthe real menace ofDarkbank, the alienrace of Tunnel Dwellers which makes itshome in the watery passages underneaththeridge .

The Tunnel Dwellers were responsible forthe rock fall that sank the Eleanor. Theirpopulation has been expanding over the cen-turies, and they are seeking to move into thesewer systems ofShubford . Unfortun-ately,their attempts to tunnel through have beenfoiled by a particularly hard stratum ofrock . On hearing the Longs discussing theircargo onthe way up the tunnel, they realis-ed that this was their chance to getsomething to help their digging . All theyneed to do is work out how to use thesestrange human explosives, and the whole ofShubford is at their mercy.

The history ofDarkbank RidgeDarkbank Tunnel is on the old main line ofthe Staffordshire & Ellesmere JunctionCanal . The rest ofthe canal has long sincefallen into disuse, leaving only the sidebranch up to Cuthdon and the short stretchfrom DarkbankJunction, through the tun-nel, to Darkbank Quarry. In the previouscentury, there was a thriving mine underDarkbank which was accessed via the canaltunnel . This explains the vast network ofside tunnels leading off the main passage.The mine was forced to close after theminers broke through to the subterraneanlake where the Tunnel Dwellers lived,resulting in a series of mysterious and fatal"accidents". The timeline for the history ofDarkbank is as follows:

1780-95

Extensive digging in DarkbankMine

1796-1801 Digging of Darkbank Tunnel1874

Work starts on the lower level ofDarkbank Mine

1876

Construction of a boat lift in themine to raise tub boats from thelower level to the canal

1889

Work on the lower level uncovers

a subterranean lake . A weeklater the first ofthe miningdisasters occurs - 27 miner'sdiein a cave-inOver thirty fatal "accidents" inDarkbank Mine and seventeenrock falls in Darkbank Tunnel -three leggers and a boatmanreported drowned in the tunnelA major disaster closes theMine. Both shafts to the work-ings closed by rockfalls. 18bodies recovered, 63 more neverfound .

1893-1906 Rockfalls continue in the tunnel,necessitating frequent repairs .Twice, repairmen are killed inrockfalls. Three more boat peo-ple and eight leggers vanish

1906

Legging through the tunneldiscontinued

1906-1913 Four more boat people vanish .Rock fills and repairs continue .Five repairmen killed in 1913 .William Jarvis commits suicideafter seeing "things" in the tun-nel in 1916.

1889-93

1893

Timeline for the Scenario

Week 0 - Tune

Eleanorsinks in DarkbankTunnel

Thu

Grifthears about Eleanor'ssinking and cargo; TunnelDwellers begin stealing explosives fromthe EleanorCarter goes to look atEleanorand is killed byTunnel DwellersGrift asks his agents to lookout for likely dupes ; TunnelDwellers have accident lay-ing explosives - several ofthem are killed

Fri

Sat

Week 1- Sun

Investigators arrive atGolden Lion; Trubshawesends for Grift who decidesto use themLongthorpe and Grift set updetonator on Eleanor andrecruit quarrymen for stag-ed argumentLongthorpe contacts the in-vestigatorsInvestigators enter tunnelfor first time ; dwellersremove more explosivesafter investigators have leftLongthorpe meets Grift inQuarry Tavern, Shubford toreport progressTunnel Dwellers tryblasting, but fail becausethey let the explosives getwetTunnel Dwellers removemore explosives

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Tue

Full MoonWed

Tunnel Dwellers tryblasting again ; they have theexplosives badly placed andmake no progress - severalofthem are killed

Thu

Another meeting in theQuarry Tavern

Fri

Tunnel Dwellers unpack re-maining explosives

Week 3 - Sun Longthorpe and Grift meetagain, Quarry Tavern

Tue

Tunnel Dwellers blastagain ; they succeed - Shub-ford is doomed

Of Canals, Boats and Tunnels

The investigators will need to spendat leastsome time on the water, probably in the in-spection launch . This is a very easy vesselto pilot when going forward - there is a sim-ple wooden tiller atthe back ofthe boat tosteer, and a single lever on the engine tocontrol speed. The lever is pressed forwardsfor forward thrust and pulled back forreverse thrust . Because of the narrowness ofthe canal, the propellor is not able tooperate at maximum efficiency ; when it isturning too fist, waterpressure builds up inthe canal opposing the motion of theboat .The maximum speed attainable is 4 mph inthe open and 3 mph in the tunnel, but thesefigures do not correspond to `full forward'on the engine control .

Moving forward through the canal is no pro-blem . However, the launch is too long toturn round (the launch is 35' long by 7'broad and the tunnel is 15' wide), and theEleanor is impassable . In order to get outagain, the investigators will need to travelbackwards. Unfortunately, simple tillerslike that on the launch only work if they areat the back ofthe boat . When the launch isin reverse, the tiller is effectively at the bowand thus useless, and ifthe launch isn'tsteered it will soon wander into the tunnelwalls .

The investigators could try legging thelaunch back, but they won't have any skill inthis, and are almost certainly nowhere nearfit enough . After a few hundred yards, theKeeper should warn them that they willbecome completely exhausted long beforethey reach daylight . Ifthey insist on ex-hausting themselves, the Tunnel Dwellerswill have an easy meal .

The correct way to pilot a canal boatbackwards is to travel most ofthe way inreverse, but fling the engine briefly into for-ward gear every so often when the steeringneedsto be corrected . The speed will belimited to about 1'h mph, but at least it issafe. Ifthis method is not used, then onceevery 100 yards the launch will be in dangerofhitting the tunnel wall . Thelaunch doeshave a boat hook which can be used to fend

THE SHADOW OVER DARKBANK

it away from the wall ; to do this an in-vestigator must roll under his STR on 1D20.Ifthe launch does hit a tunnel wall, then roll1D10 with the following results :

1-2

Launch holed - it sinks (5 + 1D6)x 30 yds later

3-4

Launch leaking - it sinks (60 +1D20) x 30 yds later

5-10

Noeffect

Even if the launch sinks, the cabin,top willremain above water. However, unless the in-vestigators have informed a reliable andtrustworthy individual about their expedi-

tion, no-one is likely to rescue them . Thereis no towpath in the tunnel . The canal is on-ly about 4' deep along much ofits length,but the tunnel floor is heavily pitted. Iftheinvestigators do try wading, each time theypass apoint marked with pits, make a Luckroll for each person to see if they fall in . Ifanyone does, consult the rules on swimm-ing, treating the character as completelysurprised by his sudden immersion . Othercharacters may attempt to save a drowningfriend by making a successful Swimmingroll at a penalty of-20. The investigatorscan avoid the pits by sounding the groundahead ofthem with a boathook or long pole .

Later in the scenario, the investigators maywish to explore the side tunnels that lead tothe mine workings . The miners used short"tub boats" to get round the tightcorners,but years of disuse have made even thisdangerous, ifnotimpossible . Therefore, theinvestigators will have to resort to a rowingdingy. Such craft are available from theDarkbank Junction yard, and have a max-imum capacity of4 persons . No great skillat rowing is required to use them unless theinvestigators wish to move at great speed .

The Local Area

The scenario is set in mythical terrainnorthwest ofWolverhampton . Directionsare given from the map to nearby realtowns . Although the LWWR line connects

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Cuthdon, Shubford and Wolverhampton,the investigators will need a carto make anyprogress . In particular the canaljunctionsand pubs where the boat people can befound are often well offthe beaten track .

Blawick A small village which gives itsname to a flight oflocks and a canaljunc-tion . Nearby is Blawick Manor, the home ofAlgernon Planchet . He is the closest thingthe area has to a genuine aristocrat .

Cuthdon A small market town which marksthe terminus of the Cuthdon Branch of theStaffordshire and Ellesmere Junction Canal .The LWWR has a branch office at CuthdonStation . Cuthdon hasblossomed over thelast 30 years as Shubford declined .

Darkbank Ridge There are disused minebuildings on the ridge above DarkbankTunnel .

Eastchurch This small village is famous forits mineral water spring, the produce ofwhich is bottled and sold to the upperclasses . If the investigators try to wipe outthe Tunnel Dwellers by poisoning theirwater, thepoison will find its way into theEastchurch Spring . The investigators (andLongthorpe ifhe knows ofthe plan) shouldbe given a Geology roll to see ifthey realisethis .

Peneris Hill A small hillock close to theGolden Lion, on which stands a circle ofstanding stones. A successful Mythos rollwill show the stones to bepre-human, butthey have no connection with the TunnelDwellers.

Shubford A small town existing largely onthe profits of Shubford and Darkbank Quar-ries . Stanley Grift has more or less com-plete control over the town . The town hasdeclined substantially in wealth since theclosure ofthe mine .

Sources of Information

Most local people will be suspicious of"nosey parkers" and unwilling to answertheir damn-fool questions . Very few will sayanything against Grift (5%) and still fewerknow. anything about canals and the tunnel .A large percentage of Shubford folk (25 %)have relatives who perished in mining ortunnel disasters, but they are unlikely to saymuch more than `"tis a terrible place, youdon' want t' go havin' anything to do wi' it".The reaction ofthose questioned will de-pend to some extent on the social class ofthe questioner.

There are four more obvious sources ofhardfacts : two libraries, a church and a news-paper office . In all cases the investigatorswill need touse communications skills aswell as Library Use to get at anything otherthairbooks .

The Cuthdon Heraldhas its offices onMarket Street . It has complete files ofthepaper (from 1806), and also ofthe ShubfordGazette (1798-1904) which the Herald nowincorporates. Library Use rolls can be usedto research the information inthe DarkbankTimeline .

Saint Peter's Church, Shubford A quicktour of the local graveyard will reveal

several gravestones which mention miningaccidents, and a large monument com-memorating the 1893 disaster. The vicar,Rev Haynes, is from Birmingham and onlytook up the position in 1916, his predecessorhaving volunteered for chaplaincy service inthe Great War and not returned .

Cuthdon Public Library in Penny Streetholds a complete collection ofthe CuthdonHerald, plus the following books whichmay be ofinterest to investigators :

1 .

DRLewis - The Mines and QuarriesofShubford . 1873 . Includes DarkbankMine and Quarry. Nothing untowardrecorded.

2 .

R Kemp - Mining in the CuthdonDistrict . 1884 . Long section onDarkbank Mine . No mention of anytrouble .

3 .

R Kemp - Darkbank Mining Diasters .1898. Covers the "accidents" and even-tual closure of the mine.

4 .

C Ford - The Staffordshire andEllesmere Junction Canal . 1887. Ahistory ofthe canal . Mentions no ill ofthe tunnel .

5.

RLongmuir - Ghosts & Frights ofShubford District . 1889 . No mention ofDarkbank.

6.

R Longmuir - Lore and Legends ofCuthdon . 1907. Mentions all ofthecanal ghost stories (see later) .

Shubford Public Library in ChapelLane, Shubford has a full set oftheShubford Gazette . It also has plans ofthe Darkbank mine and tunnel complexand a geological survey ofthe ridge .Investigators making a Geology rollwill be mystified as to why the rock isapparently so unstable . Available booksinclude volumes 1, 3 and 5 above, plus:

7.

DRLewis - Mining in the ShubfordDistrict . 1893 . Mentions the discoveryof the lake and the start of mining ac-cidents.

8.

CMcLure - The Tunnel at Darkbank.1809. Describes the digging of the tun-nel . Nothing ofinterest mentioned .

9.

RLongmuir - Lore and Legends ofShubford . 1890. No mention ofDarkbank.

10. C Ford - The Handling ofPoweredCanal Craft. 1912 . Mostly aboutengines . The chapter on steering contains an account ofhow to steer a boatin reverse. Ofcourse, the investigatorsare unlikely to know how valuable thisinformation is until they have en-countered the problem. Ifthey do findthe book before trying to,handle a boat,the Keeper should only give them theinformation ifthey study the bookcarefully.

Authors of Booksin the Libraries

Many ofthe authors ofthe above books arestill alive and can be contacted .

Richard Kemp should be the easiest tofind. He lives at 16, Canal Street, Cuthdonand is well known at the town library where

T

he calls on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.The library staffwill be unwilling todivulge his address, but will point him outor take messages forhim . Kemp will initially be rather suspicious of the investigators,but once they have gained his trust, he willbe able to tell them the complete story ofDarkbank Mine and how to contact theother authors listed below. He will not be

impressed by any lurid stories ofinhumancreatures living in the tunnel .

Denise Woolgar is the daughter ofD RLewis . She lives at 17, Shubford Lane,Blawick . Her father vanished mysteriouslythree years ago (he fled to escape Grift'sblackmail but no one knows this) and shehas all of his papers . Mrs Woolgar will behappy to assist anyone interested in herfather's books, but in fact the papers holdlittle of use . Lewis did have a theory that therock fallswere caused by changes indrainage patterns occasioned by the un-covering ofthe lake, but a successfulGeology roll will tell the investigators thatthis is rubbish .

Charles Ford lives in Braunston, Northantsand is an expert on a wide variety ofcanal-related topics . He has no information ofusebeyond whatis in his books.

Ronald Longmuir has retired to his nativeYorkshire . An expert on ghosts and haun-tings, he can recount all of the Darkbankghost stories, with several variations, andhas also realised that the stories only startedafter the discovery ofthe lake . He suspectsthatthe lake may be cursed in some way.Longmuirhas kept in touch with goings-onand has acquired William Jarvis' suicidenote (see The Tunnel Dwellers) . He is noton the phone, but will respond quickly totelegrams .

The Principal NPCs

Stanley Grift is - as stated above - hungryfor power and quite unscrupulous as to howhe goes about getting it . Over a number ofyears, he has built up an impressive dossierof information about local people, which heuses to blackmail them into doing his bid-

ding . This information - including variousaccount books, letters, official documentsand photographs - is kept in a safe in hisstudy. Unless investigators know what theyare looking for, this will seem quite in-nocuous . Amongst the people beingblackmailed by Grift are GregoryLongthorpe, Arnold Trubshawe and Inspec-tor Morris .

Grift lives at Shubford Grange, a manorhouse on the outskirts of Shubford, with hiswife, Lavinia, and son, Ronald . Lavinia is acompulsive social climber, and is foreverholding social events at the Grange - gardenparties in the afternoon, dinner parties inthe evening, house parties at the weekend .The guests are minor aristocrats, localclergymen, retired army officers and thelike . Ronald is, in contrast to his father, acomplete wimp. The Grange has severalservants, headed by a burly butler calledMeadows .

Gregory Longthorpe is naturally a shy,awkward fellow, but is under severe stressfrom the role forced on him by Grift . Hefeels extremely guilty about trying to killthe investigators, but will continue to pro-test his innocence in the face of all evidenceto the contrary, because he is so frightenedofGrift . For example, when the in-vestigators return from the tunnel, he willsay that someone must have rigged up hisinstruments to make a detonator on Tues-day ; that he couldn't see howbad the

THE SHADOW OVER DARKBANK

blockage was whilst trying to control hislaunch, hold a lamp and fit the instruments ;and that he had no idea what the Eleanorwas carrying and would never have askedthe investigators to help if he had . A suc-cessful Psychology roll will reveal thatLongthorpe is under great stress .

The hold which Grift has over him isevidence ofa homosexual affair betweenLongthorpe and his young clerk, SimonJones. At this time, homosexuality was acriminal offence which could result in alengthy prison sentence . Longthorpe has anoffice at Cuthdon Station, and lives alone innearby 11 Station Road . He spends a lot oftime out of the office inspecting variousproblems .

Simon Jones is a good-looking, young ladwho works for Longthorpe and with whommessages for the engineer are likely to haveto be left . Jones will break down and tell allif successfully interrogated (use Fast Talk totrick information from him or Oratory tobully him), though all he has to reveal aredetails of why he and Longthorpe are sofrightened ofGrift . He knows nothing aboutthe Eleanor's cargo or the attempt todestroy the tunnel . Jones lives in lodgingswith Mrs Doris Wheatear, a war widow, at46 Victoria Street, Cuthdon, about 100yards from the Station .

Arnold Trubshawe is the proprietor oftheGolden Lion . He is as much in Grift'spower as Longthorpe, but is somewhatmore comfortable in the role . Outwardlygenial and friendly, he is actually a greedyschemer whose misdeeds Grifthas un-covered . Everything he says to the in-vestigators is calculated to serve Grift'spurpose . Also at the Golden Lion are Trub-shaw's wife, Julia, who knows just enoughto avoid talking to the investigators, andFlorrie Palmer, the barmaid, who is highlytalkative but knows nothing .

Gavin Hall is the owner of DarkbankQuarry, and - potentially - an ally. However,he has become depressed and untrusting asa result ofGrift's scheming against him, andwill be of little use. Although the closure ofthe Quarry will ruin him, he views the pro-spectwith a certain sense ofrelief - at leastnow Grift will leave him alone . InspectorMorris has instructed Hall and his men notto say anything aboutthe Eleanor's cargofor fear of causing panic or theft ofthe ex-plosives by Bolsheviks . Hall lives at 17Long Hill, Shubford, on the road that leadsout to Darkbank Ridge .

Inspector Robert Morris, the senior of-ficer at Cuthdon, is having an affair withGrift's wife, Lavinia . Grift is well aware ofthe need to keep the police on his side, andencouraged his wife to start the affair. As aresult, Grift's safe contains a large

69

collection ofletters to "Beloved Lavinia"from "Your Adoring Bobbins", which willbe sufficient to ruin Morris's career if madepublic . Mrs Grift was careful not to writeanything in return .

All ofthe police in the area are under Mor-ris's control, so the investigators will not getvery far if they accuse Grift oftrying tomurder them . Morris will try to pintheblame for any attempts to blow up the tunnelor steal explosives on the boat people, atheory which will have unanimous supportfrom everyone except the boat peoplethemselves .

Algernon Planchet is a complete twit in theclassic Bertie Wooster mould . Nevertheless,everyone in Shubford and Cuthdon is in aweofhim because he is a genuine aristocratand the richest man in the neighbourhood .Planchet has a passing interest in the moresensational aspects ofthe occult, and - onlearning that the investigators are experts inthis field - will pester them to arrange an"entertainment" at Blawick Manor. "I say,we could have a bally sex orgy, or one ofthose Black Mass thingies . Jolly spiffrng, ehwhat?"

Atthe begining ofthe 19th Century a groupoflocal notables, led by Planchet's grand-father, Sebastian, formed the "Ancient &Honourable Order ofYellow Druids" andused to holdceremonies in the stone circleon Peneris Hill . Superstitious townsfolkmay tell the investigators that suchceremonies still take place at Full Moon . Apainting ofSebastian Planchet in his"druidic" robes exists on the landing inBlawick Manor.

The Tunnel Dwellers"They were dark, or light grey skinned ap-paritions, that seemed to melt and flow intothe substance ofthe canal water, in obscenemockery of all that is good and natural inthe world oflight and men:' So reads theonly existing description ofthe Tunnel

Dwellers as given in the suicide note ofWilliam Jarvis, an impressionable youngsurveyor who cut his throat after an en-counter with the beings in 1916.

Formillions ofyears, the Tunnel Dwellersremained cut off from the world in theirunderground lake . When the Darkbankminers broke through and disturbed theirhome, they were not slow to retaliate. Atfirst, they sought only to drive the new-comers fromtheir territory, but later theyrealised the possibilities for conquest of vastnew areas ofunderground waterways, andthey have been bent on expansion eversince .

They resemble over-sized, eyeless toads,whose flattened heads terminate in apointed proboscis with which they feed .Beneath the proboscis is a tiny speech organfrom which they emit sounds too high-pitched for the human ear to detect (thoughdogs can hearso

ofthe sounds and willalways show considerable anxiety inDarkbank Tunnel) . Although blind, theTunnel Dwellers are sensitive to light whichthey find confusing and distressing . For thisreason, they will avoid all but dim lights.They can hear extremely well, and sensevibration through a series of nodules downtheir sides. Their hearing covers an enor-mous range ofpitch, and they can detecttiny sounds at considerable distance. Themore intelligent ofthem can understandEnglish, although they cannot reproduce thesounds. Their bodies are covered with athick layer ofslime which is necessary fortheir respiration - a Tutmel Dweller wouldquickly die ifthe slime dried out. The slimealso acts as armour as blows tend to slide offthem .

The tactic ofthe Tunnel Dwellers hasalways been to fight a guerilla war. Theyavoid attacking large groups ofpeople,unless they are certain that none ofthem canescape . People who venture into the tunnels

alone, as James Carter did, are ruthlesslypicked off. The-creatures are much morelikely to attack people actually in the water,wading or swimming, than people in boats .Attacks will be made by IN TunnelDwellers pet-opponent. In desperate cir-cumstances, they will cause rock falls to tryto sink enemy boats .

In combat, a Tunnel Dweller may eitherclaw or attempt to feed. Clawing does 1133ofdamage, but for every point of damagedone, there is a cumulative3% chance ofthe victim contracting a fever. For example,ifa character takes a total of7 points ofdamage during a fight with a TunnelDweller he has a 21% chance ofbecomingill . The fever starts 24 + 2d20 hours afterthe fight and is extremely debilitating . Thevictims will suffer horrible hallucinations(loose 1136 SAN if a SAN roll fails) and willneed 2134 weeks in bed afterwards torecover.

To feed, a Tunnel Dweller must make a suc-cessful claw attack to grab the victim (nodamage done) and then insert the proboscis(roll STR v STR onthe Resistance Table) .In each round thereafter, the TunnelDweller will feed, unless the victimmakesa STR v STR roll to break free. For eachround of feeding, roll 11310 to guage the ef-fects ofthe victim's bodily fluids beingsuckedout . The possible results are:

1 Victim loses 1 point ofSTR (until zeroSTR brings death)

2 Victim loses 1 point ofCON (until zeroCON brings death)

3 Victim loses 1 point of SIZ (until 1/zSIZ, then lose APP)

4 Victim loses 1 point of DEX (loss ofcoordination)

5 Victim loses 1 point ofAPP (skinshrivels)

6 Victim loses 1 point ofINT (braindamage)

7 Victim loses 1 point ofPOW (until zeroPONY brings death)

8 Victim loses 1 point of EDU (memoryloss)

9 No effect10 No effect

Ifthe attribute in question is already zero,further feeding has noeffect. A charactersurviving an attack can recover - roll 11310per week of complete rest ; ifthe result,compared to the table above, matches an at-tribute weakened from the attack, 1 pointcan be recovered for that attribute.However, no attributemayrecover morethan halfthe points lost, and INT & POWcannot be recovered at all by normal means .

Seeing a Tunnel Dwellercosts 1134 SANpoints ifa SAN roll fails ; otherwise, there isno loss. A further roll should be made iftheTunnel Dweller suceeds in feeding on thecharacter -11310 SAN is lost ifthe roll failsand 1 point otherwise .

CharacteristicsSTR 11310+8CON 1138+10SIZ 2136+4INT 2136+6POW 3136DEX2D6+3Hit PointsMoveArmour

Average13-1413-14111310-111012-134 / 12 swimming2 points of slime

Skills : Swim 95%; Geology 30-80%;Understand English 0-50% ; Listen 95 %Climb 20-70 % .

Theclaw attack skill varies considerably,depending onthe brightness of the light andwhether or not the Tunnel Dweller is inwater :

Canal EmployeesAny employees of the Staffordshire andEllesmere Junction Canal will be polite andhelpful if they know that the investigatorsare working for Longthorpe . They will not,however, abandon their duties to assist .There are toll clerks at each major junctionand terminus, and lock-keepers at each lockor flight oflocks. The men at DarkbankJunction are actually a maintenance crew,but they always seemto be busy withsomething else (eg, repairing boats) whenanyone wants them to venture into the tun-nel . Henry King, the toll clerk at BlawickJunction, is the only official who is aware ofthe nature ofthe Eleanor's cargo .

The Boat People

`The boat people form an inward-looking

group who will be very suspicious ofstrangers "offthe land", especially thoseasking questions . Each was born in a tinyboatman's cabin, has lived all his or her lifeon boats, and few will have ventured somuch as a hundredyards from a canal (sothere is no point in asking them for roaddirections . . .) . Their lifestyle precludes for-mal schooling, but they are by no meansstupid. Aside from matters ofpersonalvengeance, they will not take time offtoassist the investigators, though they may beprepared to lend one oftheir children to thegroup to give advice.

The Carter Family crew the boats belong-ing to the Shubford Quarry Company. Thereare seven boats altogether, three motor boatsand four butties (each motor boat takes adifferent butty each time it returns to thequarry to speed up turnround), All oftheboats are named afterGrift's mother:Charlotte Grift I to IV being the butties andV to VII the motor boats . They are paintedgrey with black lettering, and are poorlymaintained . The family comprises Old Joshand his wife, Nel (aboard Charlotte GriftV), his sons, William and James, and hisnephews, Samuel and Young Josh . WilliamCarter and his wife, May, crew CharlotteGrift VI whilst Samuel and Young Josh crewCharlotte Grift VII. James Carter was eatenby Tunnel Dwellers just before the in-vestigators arrived .

The Carters are an unkempt, quick-tempered and foul-mouthed lot who will donothing to help unless they are paid, eitherin cash or beer, whereupon they will trot outwhatever lies they can think up to keep theflow ofgoodies coming . The only hope theinvestigators have of gaining their assistanceis to prove that someone, either Grift or theTunnel Dwellers, is responsible for thedeath ofJames . Each oftheir motor boatshas a shotgun aboard forpoaching .

The Standege and Willock Families bothwork for William Palmer (Coal Merchant)of Cuthdon . Their boats, Jupiter (Standege)and Mercury (Willocks) are drawn bydonkeys (or "animals" as boat people referto them) and are in good shape, ifsomewhatgrimy. The colours are green and creamwith red and yellow lettering . They bringcoal from the Staffordshire pits to Cuthdon,returning with any cargo that Palmer canfind, usually timber. Neither family knowsmuch, but they will direct the investigatorsto Andrew Bellar. Palmer's offices are atCuthdon Basin .

Andrew Bellar is the oldest, proudest andmost knowledgable number one (owner-boatman) on the canal . He also has thethickest accent . His boat, the Polestar, ishorse-drawn and beautifully maintained anddecorated . Andrew knows all aboutDarkbank Tunnel's "accidents" and ghoststories, but it will take a long time and a lotofbeer to worm the information out of him .

His only companion is his 14 year oldgrandson, Young Andrew, but he is theun-cle of Percival Bellar and father ofHaroldBellar (see below) . Andrew owns a fine oldrifle, which he won in a game ofdominoes.

The Longs, Albert and Amy, are the onlyboat people left in the employ oftheDarkbank Quarry. They will stay attheQuarry for the duration ofthe scenariounless the investigators get a doctor for the .semi-concious and critically ill Amy. Thereare plenty ofdoctors in the area, but the in-vestigators will need Oratory and CreditRating rolls to get one to treat a boat person .Albert Long is extremely distrustful ofeveryone, thanks to his failure to get thequarrymen to help Amy. His first instinctwill be to threaten anyone who comes nearwith his shotgun.

The Younger Number Ones each havetheir own regular trade. Samuel and IvyGannton, inthe motor boat Calcutta andbutty Bratch, trade mostly in agriculturalproduce and supplies between Cuthdon andMarket Drayton . Horace and CoraBlackwell, in the motor boat Penguin, gettheir main trade from the Cuthdon paper-mills. They fetch timber and carry finishedpaper to Kidderminster. Percival andFlorence Bellar, in the motor boat Artemis,trade in industrial materials betweenCuthdon and Birmingham . Harold and JaneBellar, in the motor boat Felspar and buttyElizabeth, trade in grain and flour betweenCuthdon and Kidderminster.

Like Old Andrew, all the number ones lookafter their boats well and are proud, in-dependent and very difficult to get informa-tion from . Each one, if suitably bribed, willrelate one ofthe ghost stories . If the in-vestigators want more information ; theywill refer them to Old Andrew. Eachnumber one has a shotgun for poaching .

Darkbank Ghost StoriesThe following stories are told aboutDarkbank Tunnel . As is the case with all

Light Dazzling Daylight Dim NoneOut ofwater 1% 10% 30% 40%On surface 3% 15% 50% 65%Under water 5% 20% 70% 90%

such stories, no two tellings are ever iden-tical . The variations given will allow theKeeper to change the stories each time theinvestigators hear them .

The Mother and BabyBack in the old days, a hundredyears ago,there was a number one named Eli Hardcas-tle, a hard manwith many enemies, theworst ofwhom was Josiah Allan . When Elifound that Josiah was the father of his wife'sbaby, he roasted and ate the child inDarkbank Tunnel . Ellen, his wife, cut herthroat and jumped into the water. To thisday, people using the tunnel can hear hersobbing and the cries of the baby.

Variations : Eli becomes Elias or Nathan ;Hardcastle - Harbottle or Hardacre ; Josiah -Joshua or Joseph ; Allan - Allman or Orton ;Ellen - Eleanor or Helena . Ellen is some-times said to have drowned herself. In someversions, Eli forced his wife to eat parts ofthe child.

Although the story is probably fictitious,the sounds can actually be heard . When thewind blows through certain cracks in therock, it produces noises which sound likesobbing and a baby's cries. There is a 20chance each time the appropriate point ispassed that the sound will be heard. Thefirst time they hear each sound after hearingthe story the investigators must make aSanity roll, losing 1D3 SAN points iftheyfail . Keepers may wish to rule that the in-vestigators don't notice the sounds untilafter they have heard the ghost stories .

The Vengeful Number OneA sequel to the mother and baby story, thistale has the vengeful Josiah Allan lurking inthe water, whence he siezes passingboatmen and drags them under. Anyone tell-ing this story (except Old Andrew andLongmuir who know all the tales) will referto Allan as "a number one who had beensore wronged in life" rather than giving thecause ofhis grief. The story is presumably aresult of the activities ofthe TunnelDwellers.

Variations are as for the mother and babystory : use Joseph Orton for the first tellingif the stories are not told together.

Faces in the WaterFaces can sometimes be seen staring out ofthe waters ofDarkbank Tunnel . They arevariously described as "drowned folk", "theDevil and his imps", "rotting corpses","death's heads" or "tunnel bogies". Thestory arose as a result of sightings oftheTunnel Dwellers .

The Drunken LeggerA legger, whilst taking a boat throughDarkbank, had so much beer inside himthat he fell offand drowned. However, hewas so drunk, that he didn't know he wasdead and thus continues to pace the roof of

the tunnel . The origin of this story is uncer-tain, but may be a result ofboatmen hearingthe muffled hammering ofthe miners orTunnel Dwellers.

The RepairmenThis story concerns a disasterwhich befell arepair crew in the tunnel . Apparently, thearea ofthe tunnel they were working on col-lapsed again, burying 20 (or 12, or 50) menalive . Sometimes, you can see their handsand arms clawing their way out ofthe tunnelwalls . There is no obvious explan-ation, butboatmen may have seen Tunnel Dwellersstanding in the darkened niches that line thetunnel .

The Wronged LadyBack in the old days, a hundred years ago,the boats sometimes carried passengers, andone such was a lady, Mary Blackwood (orMiranda Greenwood) . The crew ofher boatbecame drunk at the Junction Inn and, oncein the tunnel, raped her, then drowned her(or she drowned herself, in shame) in thecanal . Her ghost now haunts the tunnel . Thestory is probably a complete fabrication . AsR Longmuir can tell the investigators, exact-ly the same story is told ofHarecastleTunnel .

Movements of the Boat People

The table below shows the canalside pubs atwhich the various boats can be found oneach night ofthe week. Aside from follow-ing the line ofthe canals until you comeacross a boat, this is the only way to makecontact with the boat people . Four ofthepubs listed are inthe Shubford-Cuthdonarea. The other four are real pubs on thereal canals that the Staffordshire &Ellesmere Junction Canal links into .

Key to pubs :

1-The Navigation/Cuthdon Basin2 -The Quarry Thvem/Shubford3 -The Junction Inn/Darkbank4 -The Ramshead/Blawick5 -The LockfWolverly/near Kidderminster (Stafford-shire &Worcestershire Canal)6 - The Cross Keys/Penkridge (Staffordshire &Worcestershire Canal)7 - The WharfTavem/Goldstone Wharf(ShropshireUnion Canal)8 - The Longboat/Birmingham, (Birmingham Canal)Key to boats:

A- Calcutta &BatchB - PolestarC - JupiterD- MercuryE - Penguin

F - ArtemisG- Felspar & ElizabethH- Charlotte GriftV&buttyI- Charlotte GriftVI &buttyJ - Charlotte Grift VII&butty

Accents

In theory the accents ofthe locals should beWolverhampton and that ofthe boat peoplea mixture ofrustic and Wolverhampton .Keepers unable to manage such dialectsmayresort to Birmingham or Mummerset.Longthorpe and many ofMrs Grift's guestswill have more polite accents, whilst Alger-non Planchet will be excruciatingly upperclass . Mrs Grift tries desperately hard tosound like Planchet, and fails dismally.

Pronunciation of local place names is fairlystandard, but Shubford should be pronounc-ed as "Shubford", Cuthdon as "Cuth'on"and Blawick as "Blake".

Objectives

The investigators can be assumed to havecompleted the scenario ifthey discover theexistence ofthe Tunnel Dwellers and takesteps against them in time to preventthemfrom reaching Shubford . It is probable thatGrift will escape justice - he may claim thathe saw Carter on the Monday night, and thathe must have set up the detonator on Tues-day. Also, he will sieze on any hardevidence ofthe existence ofTunnelDwellers to insist on the tunnel being clos-ed, and be as grateful as a total miser can beto the investigators for helping him achievehis objective.

Key to Tunnel Map

1

Kinks in the tunnel which cut off theview of the tunnel portals

2 Water falls from the roof, soakinganyone or anything not inthe cabin (thetiller is out in the open)

3

Pits in the tunnel floor4 Deep, dry, floored niches in the tunnel

walls ; for the use of repair men5 Sound ofa woman weeping, the

"mother" from the ghost story6 Sound ofa baby crying, the "baby" from

the ghost story7 The wreck ofthe Eleanor8 Underground stream crosses the tunnel

(arrows indicate direction offlow) ; ar-chways in tunnel wall rise to a foot abovewater level

9 Junction with mine complex ; no boat ofmore than 12 ft in length canturn here

10 Very old mine shaft up to surface, nowimpassable

11 Mine shaft to surface and down to lowerworkings ; upward shaft impassable,downward shaft flooded

12 Remains ofold boat lift to lower level ;tangle ofrusty and useless machinery.Shaft now flooded

13 James Carter's dinghy - his drained andshrivelled body is still in it ; a Sanity rollshould be made on discovering the body- investigators lose 1D3 SAN ifthey fail

14 Point where Tunnel Dwellers are tryingto blast through rock

Pub Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat1 A B C E F D G2 H I J3 B/G/H A/C B/E/H4 CIF D/E/Ip F/G A/D/J4 C/D/J E/G/I A/F B/D/H/1 C/G A/E/l/J B/F/H5 E G G B B E6 D D C C7 A A8 OF J/F J H H I

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f Zcrh (anewpoints up bill)

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THE CUTHDON &SHUBFORD AREA

Shropshire Union Cara9.

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Wolverhamptonocks (21)

Birmingham Canal .

73

PARKRANK TUNNEL &` MINE (canal level .

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THE SHADOW OVER DARKBANK

NPC StatisticsThere is a huge supporting cast in thisscenario, but very few ofthem will do muchother than talk to the investigators. Fullstatistics have been included for all of themore important characters, and some valuesfor typical characters of various types arealso given in case the Keeper needs full statsfor someone in a hurry. Skill values are onlygiven where the value is unusually high orlow. Normal base values can be assumed forunmentioned skills.

STR7

CON 11

SIZ 11

INT 12

POW8DEX 15 APP 18

SAN 40 EDU 9

HitPts 11

Skills : Accounting 20% ; Fast Talk 35 % ;Swim 70% .

Stanley GriftOwner of Shubford Quarry.

STR 16

CON 14

SIZ16

INT 17

POW 18DEX 9

APP10

SAN90 EDU 10

Hit Pts 15

Skills: Photography 65% ; Accounting 85 % ;Geology 40 % ; Rifle 40% ; Listening 55% ;Spot Hidden45 %; Psychology 45 % ;Bargain 90% ; Credit Rating 90% (in local areaonly); Debate 75% ; Oratory 80 % ;Fast Talk 65 %; Swim 35 % ;

Lavinia GriftWife ofStanley Grift .

STR 8

CON 15

SIZ 17

INT 8

POW9DEX 10 APP9

SAN 45

EDU 6

Hit Pts 16

Skills: Fast Talk 35 % ; Oratory 25 %;Sing 1% .

Arnold TrubshaweProprietor of the Golden Lion Hotel.ST 14

CON 12

SIZ 16

INT 12

POW11DEX 13 APP 14

SAN 55

EDU 9

HitPts 14

Skills : Accounting 65 % ; Fast Talk 45 % ;Bargain 75% .

Julia T)rubshaweWife ofArnold TrubshaweSTR 13

CON 14

SIZ12

INT 11

POW9DEX45 APP 14

SAN 45 EDU 6

Hit Pts 13Age 36

74

Age 20

Age 20

Age 42

Age 38

Skills : Listening 75 %; First Aid 30% .

Florrie PalmerBarmaid at the Golden Lion .

STR 12

CON 11

SIZ 8

INT 6

POW 14DEX 16 APP 17

SAN70

EDU 5

Hit Pts 10Age 18

Skills : Fast Talk45 % ; Sing 60

Walter BraithwaiteForeman at DarkbankJunction Maintenance

Skills : Accounting 60 %; Bargaining 50% ;Fast Talk 30 %; Swim 40 % .

Richard KempLocal Historian.

STR 12

CON 10

SIZ 12

INT 16

POW 10DEX 14 APP 15

SAN45 EDU 14

Hit Pts 12

Skills: History 40% (local area 80%) ; LibraryUse 70 %; Make Maps 65% .

Old Andrew BellarThe oldest `number one' boatman in the area .

STR 16

CON 18

SIZ 16

INT 15

POW 18DEX 14 APP 14

SAN 90 EDu 4

Hit Pts 17

Skills : Punch 80% ; Rifle 50%; Shotgun 40% ;Knife Attack 75 %; Knife Parry 50%; Accoun-ting 15 % ; First Aid 60% ; Zoology 30% ;Listen 40% ; Psychology 45% ;Mechanical Repair 55 %; Hide 65 %; Sneak65% ; Bargaining 85 % ; Fast Talk 60% ; Sing60% ; Swim 90% .

Equipment: knife ; 12-gauge shotgun, .22rifle.

Inspector MorrisChiefof Police for the Cuthdon-Shubford area .

STR 12

CON 8

SIZ 10

INT 15

POW 7DEX 11

APP 14

SAN 35

EDU 14

Hit Pts 9Age 45

Skills : Nightstick Attack 45% ;Nightstick Parry 35 %; Shotgun 40% ;Rifle 45% ; First Aid 30%;Drive Automobile 40 % ; Credit Rating 45

Equipment: car, truncheon (nightstick) .

Age 62

Age 58

Gavin Hall

Owner of Darkbank Quarry.

STR 16

CON 14

SIZ 14

INT 14

POW6DEX 15 APP 8

SAN 30 EDU 11

HitPts 14

Skills : Geology 60% ; Accounting 55 % ;Bargaining 35 % .

Algernon Planchet

STR 17

CON 16

SIZ 9

INT 12

POW 14DEX 15 APP 6

SAN70

EDU2

Hit Pts 13

Skills : Punch 70% ; Shotgun 60% ;

Knife Attack 65% ; Knife Parry 50 % ;

First Aid 30% ; Mechanical Repair 55 %;

Hide 40% ; Sneak 50% ; Bargaining 40% ;

Fast Talk 55% ; Swim 90

Equipment: knife, 12-gauge shotgun.

Typical Boatman's Wife

STR 14

CON17

SIZ7

INT 12

POW 16DEX 16 APP 8

SAN 80

EDU 2

Hit Pts 12

Skills : Knife Attack 45% ; Knife Parry 45% ;Accounting 20% ; Zoology 20% ; Bargaining50% ; Fast Talk 65 % ; Swim 80

Equipment: knife .

Typical Quarryman

STR 18

CON 16

SIZ 17

INT 6

POW 9DEX 13 APP7

SAN 45

EDU 3

Hit Pts 17Skills : Punch 75 % ;

Operate Heavy Machinery 40 %;

Mechanical Repair 40% .

Typical Grift Guest

STR 9

CON 10

SIZ 12

INT 9

POW9DEX45 APP 13

SAN 45

EDU 15

Hit Pts 11Skills : Credit Rating 50%; Debate 35% ;Oratory 35% ; Ride 65 % .

Age 47

Gregory LongthorpeArea engineer for WWR.

STR 13 CON 14 SIZ 12 INT 15 POW 9DEX II APP 10 SAN 45 EDU 14 Hit Pts 13

Age 32

Yard .

STR 16 CON 15 SIZ 13 INT 11DEX 15 APP 8 SAN 55 EDU5Skills : Electrical Repair 30% ;Mechanical Repair 80% ;

POW llHit Pts 14

Alocal aristocrat, owner of Blawick manor.

STR9 CON 10 SIZ 12 INT 7 POW5DEX 16 APP 16 SAN 25 EDU 19 Hit Pts 11

Age 28Skills : Geology 25% ; Law 15 % ; Operate Heavy Machinery 55 % ; Punch 60% ; Skills : Read/Write Latin 45% ;Mak Maps 65% ; Drive Automobile 45 %, Swim 55 %.Electrical Repair 40% ; Read/Write Greek 30% ; Occult 25 %; Ar-Mechanical Repair 65 % ; chaeology 20%; Rifle 35% ;Operate Heavy Machinery 45% ; Swim 35% . Henry King

Drive Automobile 60% ; Credit Rating 75% ;Equipment; car. Tol Clerk at Darkbank Junction . Oratory 50% ; Sing 35 % ; Ride 60% .

STR 8 CON 9 SIZ II INT 16 POW12Simon Jones DEX 12 APP 14 SAN 60 EDU 8 Hit Pts 10Longthorpe's clerk . Typical Boatman

Age 37

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Chapter I

Now? Now, I wouldn't even fool with a ouijaboard, not for my life. You won't even catchme reading aghost story! But at that time . . . .

I was a teacher - mathematics and associatedsubjects, especially geometry - at a school inNorth London. A bit boring, really. Not muchcall for triangles and circles in NorthLondon, not even then. And none at all forsquares . But of course, in those days, theword "square" only meant a parallelogramwith four equal sides and four right angles . Itwould be another twenty years before itmeant anything else.

Those days - the mid `30x - before The.War.So long ago. And still the thing preys on mymind . . . .

In my spare time I had become interested inthe work - or the pastime - of a smallbutdedicated group which called itselftheSociety for the Higher Resolution of theUnquiet Dead. SHROUD for short .Londoners all, we termed ourselves "psychicinvestigators", and, on ong weekends orholidays, would go offand sample thespectral atmospheres ofEngland's ancestralhaunts .

Not that the house in Cambridgeshire(standing almost at the junction of threecounties : Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire andNorfolk) was well known for its pheno-mena ; it certainly wasn't `listed'. But we wereinterested anyway, for our own reasons . Moreof that anon . . . .

There were five of us in our particular group ;we'd all chipped in, and the estate agent hadbeen glad to get the place offhis hands, evenas a few days let . . . it was that unpopular!Harkness, one of our group, had gone up theweekend before and scoured it ; he'dbeen ona business trip for his boss but got back toattend SHROUD's monthly meeting at TheWaggoners. Cocooned in a corner away fromthe rest ofthe crowd, Harkness told us allabout it :

"Got it for a song!" he was jubilant, grin-ningfrom ear to ear. "Has to be something wrongwith a grand old place like that, when youcan get it mid-season for a few quid!"

"What's it like?" askedJackson, our self-appointed leader, who once actually (orallegedly) had seen a ghost . I'd heard hisaccount several times, and - frankly - Idoubted . But he was the sort that has to bethe star attraction or life has no meaning . Hewas surly, too, and occasionally aloof whenspeaking to those less `psychically inclined',which probably accounted for my dislike."Does it have any amenities?"

by Brian Lumley

Harkness read from notes he'd prepared :"Tbilets, one up and one down; bathroomslikewise, both a bit dated; ground-floorkitchen halfmodernised, but needs a gascylinder for cooking . Bedrooms galore, butonly two beds; two musty old mattresses butno sheets, blankets or pillows, so it's asleeping-bag job. A massive open fireplacedownstairs, which we won't need - ifwe do,there's a great pile of wood stacked out in thegardens . Oh yes, and no lights! They won'tswitch the juice on just for a few days . Thereare two old oil lamps, which I fixed up whileI was there."

"A dump!" commentedJackson, sourly.

I felt obliged to say : "What do you want, ahaunted house or an all mod-consoverlooking the bay?"

Jackson turned his cold gaze onme. "You'renew to this game, aren't you?" He was maybethirty, slim, had a habit of staringunblinkingly through his small specs. Hishair was going a bit thin and his cheeks wereslightly hollow. He liked to think of himselfas cadaverous, bookish, erudite - Iconsidered him a poseur.

I shrugged . "So? I mean, we're going up thereto investigate paranormalphenomena - notfor a seaside outing! This is my first one, yes,but I'll probably spot anything weird just asquickly as you ."

He sniffed. "That remains to be seen ."

"What about supplies?" George Ainsworthspoke up. He was our youngest, maybetwenty-three, short andblocky and scruffy ashell . A rough diamond, there wasn't anounce of malice in him . And he was anexpert photographer. "Is the village close by?I don't want to cart a load ofphoto-graphickit up there if it's right on our doorstep."

"Village? Village?" cried Peter Harkness ."Hey, I'll tell you about the village!" He wasaround thirty-five. Enthusiastic, but big,slow-moving and watery eyed, and so eagerto please thatpeople tended to lean on him abit . He always seemed to buy far morerounds than he was due - chiefbeneficiary,GrahamJackson, of course.

"Shh!" cautioned our fifth member, urgingrestraint . Clive Thorne was our oldest andworld-wisest . He'd served a term with theArmy, and still looking about and not nearlysettled down. But he was strong and inspiredconfidence. He was maybe five feet eleven,and all muscle. "Calm down," he said . "Halfthis lot will be up there with us ifyou're notcareful!" SHROUD's several cliques guardedtheir finds fiercely.

75

Harkness lowered his voice. "Village!" hewhispered . "Well, there's Guyhirn just a

couple of miles away. Butacross the fens towardCrowland is a real find . It'snot on the latest maps,except maybe OrdnanceSurvey - but haunted? Lord,even ifthe Oaks wasn'tthere, it would still beworth visiting thatplace ., Itwas a village four hundredyears ago, but now it'sdone, decayed, falling

apart . I spotted it from a dormer window atthe Oaks ; a spire right out across the fens.Only a few miles as the crow flies, but itseemed like ten . The road winds like a snake,and you come through a copse. . . and there itis! Two tumbledown streets crossing eachother at a disused church, and a corner pubcalled The RunningMan."

`A pub, eh?" Thorne smacked his lips . "We'llbe all right for a pie and a pint, then!"

"It's got more than that, this pub,", saidHarkness . "Its sign is the weirdest I've everseen; in fact you won't believe it! My eyes arefine long distance, but lousy close up, so Icouldn't make out the finer details. Butthere's this bloke "

"Running?" saidJackson . And he gave aderisive snort .

" - and he's bleeding! I mean, he's wild-eyedand his clothes are torn, and he's got blooddripping off him! Horrible!"

"You sure it's not a slaughterhouse?" I triedto brighten up a bit .

"It's a pub", Harkness scowled at me . "I wentin, asked about the sign . The barman toldmeit's from a legend almost as old as the village.How one night a man, all torn and bleeding,had gone stumbling through the streetspursued by three cowled figures in black . Noone helped him, because there'd beenrumours ofplague - he might be a plaguecarrier, and the cowled men wouldbe prieststrying to help him . But they weren't! Awoman in her cottage saw them catch him,take out carved knives, cuthim up! Into bits!Which they put in sacks and carried away!"

Thorne grunted, said : "Certainly soundsweird enough!"

"Anyway," Harkness finished it off, "then theplague came. The village was hard hit -people thought it was the punishment ofGod - the land around turned barren and thesurvivors moved out. Came decline anddecay. Now there's only the crossroads, and afew old tottering houses. . ."

"I'm convinced," I broke the silence. "Even ifthe Oaks doesn't come up to scratch, itsworth visiting that ghost town. EspeciallyThe RunningMan."

Ainsworth said : And I'vegot to get picturesof that old pub sign!"

"Better still," said Harkness, "pictures of theoriginal sign! The old boy at the pub has it,keeps it locked away for its value . The oneoutside is a copy. He didn't have the timeright then, but he said next time I was in Icould see it ."

After that we settled down to drinking, madethe rest of our arrangements, passed a

76

pleasant but otherwise unspectacularevening . A pity I can't say the same about thetime to come. . . .

Chapter IIMonday morning, bright and early, we wereon our way north in Clive Thorne, s banger,Harkness' boss' car having "turned nasty" atthe end ofhis recce . It was an Al job all theway to Peterborough, with Harkness,Ainsworth and me crammed in the back,thumbing through our "literature" - booksand pamphlets on famous haunted housesand parapsychological cases - most oftheway. Jackson sat up front, puffing on hispipe, boring us silly yet again with hisinterminable story, which he embellishedjust a little bit more each time he told it .

"So there I was," he finishd off on theapproach to Peterborough, "left all cold andclammy, and this shining, spectral thingdrifting off into the woods. For all I know,it's there still, but I've not been back. . . ."

"Anyway," said Thorne, who'd been dying tochange the subject for ages, "that was thenand this is now. So, what about thesedisappearances at The Oaks, eh? Here we go,offto investigate this poor old house - whichmight well be entirely innocent - all on thestrength ofa few people vanishing in oraround it! It was you stumbled across theconnection, wasn't it, Graham?"

Jackson puffed at his pipe, said : "I've a sharpeye for that sort of thing . I was doing some

newspaper research, cameacross some interestingfacts . Summer of `32,young London couple onthe run, heading for GretnaGreen . They detoured andended up at The Oaks,hired it for a fortnight .Alas, the girl's Old Boy hadput an ad in the papers andoffered a reward for wordof their whereabouts. A

local spotted them in the village, and thegame was up. Daddy came rumbling up fromthe family hearth ; him and a couple ofburlylads broke down the door and burst in. Thekids' clothes are there, their sleeping things,sleeping bags - but no sign ofthem . Andthey've not been seen since. . . ."

"Interesting," Thorne nodded . "Suicide pact,d'you think?"

"Well if it was," said Jackson, "they made thepact in that house. Second case : two yearsago an old tramp breaks in, lives there for acouple ofdays . The police get wind of it, andsince they're looking for a petty thief, theypay him a visit . But it's the same story : histhings are there, but he's not ."

"On top of which," Harkness broke in frombehind me, "there's the atmosphere of theplace . Wait and see for yourselves . But youwouldn't findme staying there on my own, Ican tell you!"

"Well, you're not on your own," said Thorne,"so stop worrying about it . And anyway,that's what we're here for." Following which,we were all pretty thoughtful and quiet . . . .

Coming through Guyhirn toward The Oaks,in an outlying huddle of fairly derelicthouses covered in ivy and flaking paint, wepassed a square- towered old church .Opposite stood the local pub - not The

Running Man, but to Clive Thorne a pubwas a pub! `A pie and a pint!" he criedjubilantly. "We'll dump our stuff, nip back forlunch ."

Then Guyhirn was behind us, and Harknessdirected Thorne down a third-class road for afew miles to The Oaks . And ifwe'd had ourdoubts before, just seeing that old place toldus we'd been worrying needlessly. Or, ontheother hand, worrying with good cause,depending on your point of view. . . .

The estate agent was waiting for us with thekeys . We were right on time and paid cashthere and then, which pleased him no end .He wasn't much ofa one for hanging about ;seeing us inside, he gave us a few hurried dosand don'ts and was on his way in less thanfive minutes . We'd have liked to startexploring right there and then, but Thorne'ssuggestion about "apie and a pint" seemed agood one . So we dumped our stuff and drovestraight back to the pub.

George Ainsworth had a half-pint with therest ofus at The 7fuo Coaches, then excused

himself; he wanted tophotograph the church . Heliked to rub brasses, too, sochurches interested him .He came back fifteenminutes later with theverger and introduced him :Mr Applebury. Appleburywas small, round andfriendly, quite extro-vertand not averse to throwingback a pint of best beer. He

ordered, smiled and said : "George saysyou're staying at The Oaks?"

"That's right," Jackson eyed him down hisnose . "A very atmospheric place, we believe".

Appleby nodded . "Yes, you've picked a goodone there - ifghosts are your game. Myself,I'm not a believer - in ghosts I mean!" Hechuckled . "But if I was, I'd have to believethey're here. At the house, the church acrossthe road there, this whole area ."

"You know the history of the region, then?"I invited him to sit with us . Jacksongrudgingly made room .

"I know the history of the church," Applebyshrugged . "A church is always a focus downthe centuries . Births, deaths and marriages,records, old legends. You want to knowabout a place, visit its churches."

"Tell us about your ghosts," Thorne invited,"Er - the ones you don't believe in."

"I'll tell you something about The Oaks, ifyou like, for what it's worth - and a snippetor two ofchurch history. The two areconnected, you see . At the turn of the 16thcentury, there was a bad plague hereabouts,and - of course - the church was a haven.Somewhere in the local fields there'ssupposed to be a mass grave, so the dead arecertainly here. But you'll have to find yourown ghosts - I only deal in fact ."

"We're all ears," saidJackson drily.

"Please go on," I urged before the arrogantsod could put Applebury off. "Youmentioned the plague. What, as far back as1340-50?"

Applebury soon set me right . Ah, no! TheBlack Death was only the beginning . It ragedfor two years, but, after that, scarcely a

decade went by without a resurgence . Rightup to the end of the 18th Century. One suchoutbreak, called simply `the plague',occurred here in 1596 - and the localsblamed it on a peculiar sect who at the timehad their own `church' or headquarters atThe Oaks ."

"Three hundred and fifty years ago?"Jackson sounded sceptical. "Well, we haven'tyet had a good look at the place, but Iwouldn't say it was that old!"

Applebury shook his head . "You mis-understand me. Thepresenthouse will befairly recent, a hundred and fifty yearsmaximum . But its foundations, maybe evenits end walls, are as old as the church acrossthe road ; for the first house was built thereabout the same time - early 16th century. It'sin the records. The family didn't prosper andthe last of the line moved to London about1580 . Then, for a long while, the housestood empty. Tao far out from the village,and too expensive to be purchased locally. . . ."

GrahamJackson was beginning to takenotice . He glanced at our rapt expressions ."What did I tell you? This is all good back-ground stuff! I'll probably do a pamphlet onThe Oaks forthe AGM next month."

I urged Applebury to go on . "But surely TheOaks hasn't stood empty as long as that?Anyway, you said there'd been a secondhouse built on the foundations."

He held up his hands . "Whoah! Let me, havethe story." And aftera moment: "In the late

1500s, in the reign ofQueen Elizabeth I, theChorazos Cult had achapter in London. Thecult was pagan and worsethan pagan, and itsmembers a polyglot bunchto say the least . Originatingin the mountains ofRomania, there werenevertheless China-menamongthem, Africans and

Arabs, Hungarians and, as you'd expect,Romanians . Their leader 'Chorazos' - weknow him under no other name - had been agypsy. They'd come to England as `refugees',from what we don't know; possibly they'dbeen hounded out of their native lands .

"In 1595, they were hounded out ofLondon, too, but we do know a bit aboutthat . Apparently their `Temple' in Finchleywas an opium den full of whores, rife withorgiastic ceremonies and perversions .Human sacrifices - to whom and for whatpurpose? - were seemingly regularoccurrences. . . .

"Eventually the Queen ordered an investi-gation - on the advice ofDrJohn Dee,incidentally, ofall persons! - and the place inFinchley was destroyed . Ah, but Chorazosand his principle `priests' had already madetheir exit! A year later, they turned up inScotland where they carried on as before .Not a wise move : Elizabeth might beinterested in astrology, alchemy and the like -she had a leaning toward the occult - butJames IV ofScotland found all such practicesabominations!

"DoubtlessJames would have acted, but inthe end it was taken out of his hands.Chorazos had built his temple on the lee ofthe Pentland Hills ; after the disappearance ofa number of village children and some young

adults, the people of Penicuik rose up in abody and . . . that was the end ofthe sect .

`And now you'll say, `what has this to dowith us, especially with The Oaks, eh?'I'lltell you - or rather, I'll ask you : what aboutthe missing year - between 1595 and 1596?Where was the Chorazos Cult then, eh?"

"They were here?" This from Thorne.

Applebury nodded . "And their centre ofoperations?"

"The Oaks!" and that was me.

"So there you have it!" Applebury beamed .

Jackson had grown sceptical again. It wasplain to see that - to him - all ofthis soundedtoo good to be true. "And the connectionwith the old church across the road?"

`Ah! Well, that's in the church records . Theparson at that time was a portly fire-eater

named, appropriatelyenough, Goodly. He tookright against the sect .There had been the usualdisappearances, etc - ladiesof - ahem - dubiouscharacter were known tofrequent the `ceremonies'at The Oaks ; and worse,when Goodly himselfattempted to enquire thenature ofthe worship

there. . . Chorazos roundly cursed his churchand the entire area! And looking around now,at the regional decay, I'm tempted to believethat the curse Js still extant!" he sighed.

"Any description of this Chorazos?" GeorgeAinsworth wanted to know. "A sketch, ormaybe a painting? something I couldphotograph?"

"Huh!"Jackson snorted . "That's asking forjam on it!"

Applebury raised his eyebrows a little .Pointedly ignoring the obnoxiousJackson,he spoke to the rest ofus . "Town recordsoften did include contemporary sketches andpaintings - you're quire correct, George - butnot this time. No, the cultists were somethingthe townspeople would rather forget -especially after they turned on them andburned The Oaks down!" He saw ourexpressions . "Oh, yes! That's how the peopledealt with the sect in the end . So. . . nopictures, I'm afraid . There's a painting of old`Hellfire Goodly', yes, but not one ofthem . Adescription, however, might be easier tocome by. I think we might supply that . Ifyou'd care to finish up here and come acrossthe road with me to the church . . .?"

Chapter IIIAn hour later, on out way back to The Oaks,Thorne asked, "So, what did you make of itall?" He was speaking to all of us ; but GrahamJackson answered him first :

"Black-cowled foreigners, like a monkishorder? Services dedicated to some alien `god'called Yot-Sottot? Human sacrifices?" Heshrugged . "Obvious, isn't it? Demon-worship, what else? Trouble is, the idiotvillagers burned the place down! I've readsomewhere that ghosts don't often survivethat sort ofthing . It's like an exorcism . Likewhen they used to burn witches."

While he talked, I thought back on our visitto the church . Personally, I'm not much ofa

one for churches, andcouldn't tell a font from atransept . Applebury hadtaken us down the centralaisle of the huge, echoingold place to a small room atthe rear. He'd hurried usalong, and I'd noticed hewas sweating . "Count therows," he'dsuggested,breathlessly. "Ofpews, Imean . See what figures youget ."

It had seemed an odd request, but we did itanyway, counting offthe rows of seats toourselves . At the door to the room at the rear,he said : "Well?"

Jackson shrugged . "I lost count," he said .Obviously he hadn't bothered.

"'twenty-six," I spoke up .

"What?" Thorne seemed surprised, glancedback down the hollow belly of the oldbuilding . "More like thirty-six, surely?"

We all looked back, tried to count the pewsfrom where we stood . But the light was poorand a dim sun, burning through high stainedglass windows, struck motes offloating dustand made the place smoky and ethereal .

"Odd perspective, isn't it?" saidJackson,scratching his chin .

"Yes it is," Applebury nodded, his Adam'sapple visibly wobbling . I stared at him,decided he looked a little. . . afraid?

"Oddperspective . . perspective. . .perspective. . ."

It was only an echo, but sharp and clear, andit came a full minute afterJackson's originalstatement! It startled all o¬ us, especiallyApplebury. He gave us a sickly sort oflook,said : "The acoustics in here are. . . they'resometimes more temporal than spacial ."Without explaining his meaning, he'd thenled us away into the small back room.

As we went in I heard George Ainsworthmuttering, "Well, Icounted twenty-tworows!"

"There was a time," said Applebury, whoseemed recovered now, "when this room wasused as a vestry. Rarely used at all now, andmore as a library for church records thananything else." We could see what he meant .

There were a good many ledgers and foldersatop the oak desks ; other tomes, Holy Bibles,leather-bound manuscripts, and recordsbound into books covering centuries, weredisplayed on shelves behind dusty glass.Peter Harkness looked about, traced a linewith his finger in the dust on the woodenarm of a chair, seemed puzzled . Much thesame as me, I supposed .

I turned to Applebury, said: "You're vergerhere? But this place hasn't been used in . . . in along time!" It was a guess, but it was correct .

"It's voluntary," he said quickly. "These daysI'mmore a watchman, really, a caretaker. I'mjust looking after it until they pull it down .Which they will, God willing, sooner ratherthan later!" After that, he turned a little sour,applied himself to our business and got

77

finished with it as quickly as possible. Whenwe left the place and he locked up, I noticedhow relieved he seemed to be out of there . . . .And I wondered what it was he believed in, ifnot in ghosts. . .?

"Yot-Sottot," said Peter Harkness with agrimace, breaking into my thoughts . "I mean,there's a name to conjure with . I never sawthatin any demonology before! It sort of,well,feels evil!"

"I don't know how it feels,"Jackson snorted,"but it sounded like so much waffle to me!"

"It was all there in those old books," Ireminded him . "Dated, even signed by old'Hellfire Goodly' himself . Waffle? It wasauthenticated . And I'd say it is authentic."

"Me too," said Thorne, driving the car intothe grounds of The Oaks . We piled out,

entered the old building,began to explore and getthe feel ofthe place.Thorne wandered into thekitchen, but his voice cameback to us : "It was authen-tic, all right . 1bo muchbackground detail not tobe . `Great Old Ones' whocame down from the starswhen the world wasyoung . Kutulu and the

demon sultan Azathoth, YibbTstll and Shat-Mell, Shub-Nigguth, and . . . hell, half-a-dozenmore I can't even remember! But Chorazosand his lot, apparently they worshipped thisYot-Sottot : a being co-terminous in all spaceand conterminous with all time. A thing thatis every when and where, ifyou know thegates . But only Yot-Sottot himself knows thegates . Weird as hell!"

`And this cult or sect, they actually livedhere!" George Ainsworth's voice, from adownstairs bedroom, was full of excitement .

We began to congregate in a spacious sitting-room . From somewhere upstairs cameGrahamJackson's voice. Since he couldn'tput a damper on things, he'd decided to joinin . "Yot-Sottot was the gate, and he led themall through it and down from the stars. Well,we may not have ghosts, but we certainlyhave demon-worship."

"Ifyou worship Yot-Sottot," Thorne callsback up to him, "as Chorazos and his peopledid, then he'll teach you to change thestructure of space, how to warp the fabric oftime."

Jackson came back from downstairs, butPeter Harkness was still bumping about

somewhere up there.Suddenly he let out a yelp,a squawk as iffrom a longway away. We heard himcome clumping down thestairs, except he seemed tobe coming for a long time.And he was panting andmuttering to himself,"Bloody hell, bloody hell,bloody hell!"We went tothe door of the lounge,

looked out into the entrance hall, toward thefoot ofthe wide wooden staircase.

Finally, Harkness came into view, shakingand shivering, hair full of cobwebs, pale as. . .as a ghost! He literally flew into our arms"Jesus!" he gasped. "I mean, I mean, I knowthis place! It isn't as if I haven't been herebefore. . ."

"So?" Clive Thorne stared at him . "So what'swrong?"

Harkness tried to get a grip of himself, shookhis head . "I thought . . . I thought . . . ."

"Oh, good grief!" Jackson tut-tutted . "Get tothe point, for God's sake!"

"Shut up!" Thorne shoulderedjhim aside ."Peter, what is it?"

"I . . . I went upstairs, to the first floor. I mean,there isonly one floor upstairs . But then I

went up to the attic. Except- it wasn't there! Justanother storey, anotherfloor. So I thought it wasmy specs, or those threequick pints ofbeer, or I'dsomehow confused myself .And then I did go up intothe attic . I went to look outofthe old dormer window,but it was grimy. At least, Ithought it was grimy. But it

wasn't . It was simply dark outside, as if itwere night . Then I saw the moon up and thestars. God, it wasnight!"

We all looked at each other. There was nodenying Harkness meant it ; he was shakinglike a leaf. "So I came down," he continued,his hands fluttering . "But the stairs wentdown and down, and . . . Christ, I thought Iwas never going to get. . . to get . . . down . . .again!" And he fainted .

Thorne caught him ; we carried him into thesitting-room, stretched him out, splashedwater into his face. After a while, he came to,sat up, looked all about . And he saw theworried expressions on our faces . "What?Did I pass out?"

"Yes, you did," I nodded .

"Something like that, anyway," said Jackson,drily. . . .

CHAPTER IVOut ofnowhere, one ofthose summerstorms had blown up. If the old house hadbeen gloomy before, now it grew positivelydark. Outside, the rain hammered down."There's your darkness," I told PeterHarkness. "A storm was brewing, that's all .And the moon is often out during the day."He nodded, looked grateful - if a littledoubtful .

"Light!" said Thorne. He brought the oillamps from the kitchen, got them going .ThenJackson assumed command:

"Right! So it looks like were confined, atleast until this storm lets up. But we've a gascylinder to connect up, wood to fetchindoors, a fire to light . We can stow away ourprovisions, brew up a pot oftea, lay claim toour sleeping areas - at least attempt to makethe place liveable down here. Later, after ameal, time enough then to think aboutexploring upstairs . . . ."

Oddly, his suggestion for once found noopposition . There were things to do andthere was system, order in it . And no-one,not even Thorne, actually wanted to exploreupstairs - not right then . We got to it, settledourselves in, waited for the storm to let up,which it didn't . If anything it got worse ;

there was even an occasional flash of distantlightening . We got a roaring fire going ;Thorne cooked up sausages, eggs and beans;we opened a few bottles ofbeer and had adrink . Came 7.00pm and still it rained, andnow the light was really failing . Finally,Jackson said : About an hour's light left, ifyou can call it light! Me, I'm for a lookaround upstairs . Any volunteers?"

Harkness shook his head at once. "Not me,"he said . "Tomorrow in the broad daylight,maybe." George Ainsworth stayed with himwhile the rest ofus took a lamp and climbedthe stairs . There were no carpets, just bareboards, and the wallpaper was at least fortyyears out of date. We suspected a youngcouple with perhaps an aged relative hadonce had the house, however briefly ; thebedroom and toilet downstairs hinted asmuch. But as the hiring agent had told us,no-one had ever stayed very long here.

Upstairs was very similar : bare boards, grum-bling plumbing, sound but not especiallysavoury. And the `perspective', for want ofabetter word, as in the church, all wrong. Ouroil lamp burned brightly enough, but its lightjust didn't seem to travel right or fill thespace. It was difficult to judge distances ; theechoes were wrong; the shadows thrownbythe lamp seemed to have moved too swiftly.Disturbing, but not what you could callthreatening . "Haunted?" Thorne looked atJackson, his face ghastly in the artificial light .

Jackson shrugged, shook his head ."Somehow, it doesn't feel ghostly," he finallyanswered . "Tainted, more like." And - again -he had it right . We climbed more stairs . Theattic, admitting light from only one smalldormer window, was too dusty andcobwebby forus to be bumping about in; wemerely looked in, then called a halt for thenight . I did glance out ofthe dormerwindow, but I couldn't see any moon . Thestorm, of course. . . .

Back downstairs, Clive Thorne stirredhimself. "Me," he said, "I'm for The Running

Man! A pint ofbest will godown just great!" GeorgeAinsworth was snoring in achair beside the fire ;Jackson and I declined,too ; but Harkness jumpedat the chance to be awayfrom the house for acouple of hours. Andanyway, he knew the wayacross the fens . They wentofftogether, came back an

hour later thoroughly dejected . The pub wasshut ; proprietor away on business ; TheRunning Man wouldn't be running againuntil tomorrow night .

Anyway, all of us were tired . Ghost-huntingcould wait until tomorrow. After all, it wasonly ourfirst night .

No one opted to sleep upstairs. . . .

Chapter VAs it happened, we all slept in the hugeliving-room . Someone kept the fire going -probably Peter Harkness - for in the morningit was still burning down into white ash .Around 10.00am, Clive Thorne woke us upwith tea - which was good - and butteredtoast like squares of tarmac - which wasn't .The sun was shining, however hazily; theworld looked fresh outside streakedwindows; now, perhaps, we could get downto it . And, in a body, we explored the house.

Downstairs, upstairs, attic : normal as normalcould be . Big, old, and full ofechoes; a bitsorry for itself, nothing out ofthe ordinary.Not then, anyway. GrahamJackson found asmall card table and began to make notes forhis proposed "pamphlet" ; Thorne startedmeasuring the house up and makingdiagrams ofthe floors and rooms : GeorgeAinsworth got his cameras ready for thenight, when he'd set them up strategicallywith trip-wire "ghost-traps" ; I spent my timewith Peter Harkness, who was still a bitshaky.

At noon, we went into town and had afewtoo many at `our' local, then sauntered over

to the church - which wasfirmly secured, andApplebury nowhere to befound. We got back to TheOaks about 3 :30pm andsettled our-selves down foran afternoon snooze,because we planned to beup and about for much ofthe night . About 7:00pm,Clive Thorne gave me ashake and said something

about TheRunningMan. I opened my eyes,saw Thorne and Ainsworth standing there,George with his box camera round his neck.Jackson was still asleep and snoring in hissleeping-bag across the room, and I still feltgroggy. That's how beergets me .

I declined Clive's offer, promised I'd have thefire going again when they got back . Theytip-toed out - probably because they didn'twantJackson's company - and Peter Harknesswent with them. He didn't fancy being theonly one awake in the house, not with nightcoming on . I heard him say that as they wentout, and I think that's what kept me awake. . . .

Anyway, I finally got up, washed, made thefire. And by thenJackson was awake, too. Hemade coffee, grumbled that the Primus storewas leaking a bit. He had to grumble aboutsomething . About 7.45pm we finished ourcoffee ; and by then, too, the house hadgrown very quiet . Maybe even ominously so.We lit the lamps, found ourselves holding ourbreath, listening intently - but to what? Thesighing ofthe evening breeze in the branchesof the great oaks in the grounds? A creakyold floorboard somewhere upstairs? We wereboth thinking the same thing : floorboardsdon't usually creak unless someone steps onthem. But we were the only someones in thehouse - weren't we?

Jackson pre-empted me, said : "There's onlytwo of us." He was nervous, blinking his eyesjust a little too fast .

"Two of us against what? A heavy ghost?" Ididn't feel brave, but I'd been dying for achance like this . "Well, you can stay downhere ifyou want to, but I am going to take alook :' I took one of the lamps andJacksonwas right on my heels when I started up thestairs .

"We really shouldn't," he said, his voiceshaky.

"Why not? Whatever it is, it can't be as bad asthe shiny, spectral thing in the woods." Thepleasure I took in saying that made up for myown bad attack of the jitters .

"That was . . . different!" he said . "I mean, I. . . Ididn't just go walking into it!"

"Well, this time, we're walking into it," I toldhim . "Or you can go back down - on yourown." And then I noticed that we were stillgoingup the stairs. I said nothing, but amoment laterJackson noticed it too. It lastedonly a moment, the feeling that we'd beenclimbing for hours, and then we were on tothe landing . At the end ofa long corridorwas a narrow window looking out on a jetblack night . . . . On a what? Middle of summer,only 8:00pm - and it was pitch black outthere!

. . .Ididn'tJustgo walking into WJackson'svoice echoed to us, as from a million milesaway. "OhJesus!" saidJackson very quietly."Oh God!" I quickly checked out all of therooms - which still somehow seemed to takeages - and all the time him stumbling closeonmy heels . The idiot : he should havebrought the other lamp! The upstairs roomswere empty, but the odd `perspective' oftheplace was back . "We should go down,"Jackson whispered . "We should go""Up!" I said. I was in a bad state too, but Icould still think in a straight line. Ifwe'dheard something and it wasn't on this floor, itcould onlybe in the attic. I found the stairsand headed up them, with Jackson's fingerstrembling on my back . We climbed andclimbed . Oh, Lord, I said to myself, please letus reach the attic!But we didn't . Instead, wecame out on the upstairs landing - again!

Chapter VIJackson Ripped . "The pews in the church!"he panted . "It's just the same . We have to get

out ofhere. I have to getout!" He grabbed the lampand it nearly came apart inour hands . I had to let goof it . And he ran off with itlike a hare back downstairs .To hell with me, thecoward just ran! And Iadmit it, so did I .

Down, always down . Aheadlong, flying, floating

flight in jet blackness, without ever seemingto get anywhere . The upper floor landing,and again the upper floor landing .And Jackson's jibbering floating back to me,and the light of his lamp always just too far infront, its distance distorted and allperspective altered . Yot-Sottot : a being whocould change the structure of time andspace,and us trapped somewhere along the warp. . . .It became a total nightmare. "Out, out, out,out, out!" he was babbling ; and other voices,mine and his, saying : thepews ofthe church,and up, up, up! I would soon crack and Iknew it . Landings and stairs, landings andstairs, landings and -- AndJackson coming back up, his facehideous with fear in the flaring light of thelamp! His eyes bulged and there was froth onhis lips . "On the stairs!" he shrieked . "Incloaks, cowls, knives! They're here, do youhear me? ?'hey'm here!""What? Who?" I tried to grab him . Mad as ahatter, he bore me before him backward upthe stairs . We hit the landing and almostcollapsed there, but that was when I noticedthe shadows coming up the wall . Cowledshadows .I got behind Jackson, put a hand over hisbabbling mouth, dragged him along the cor-ridor. Almost exhausted, he made no protest .I took the lamp from him, put it in a room,quietly closed the door. We stood in the utter

darkness ofthe corridor, me hissing in hisear : "Be quiet, for God's sake, be quiet!"They came up onto the landing, looked thisway and that . Two ofthem - cowled, yes, andstrangely hunched. Ifthey'd turned our way -I don't like to think about that . But they wentthe other way, disappeared into the weirddistance of the place. I counted five, let go ofJackson and regained the lamp, tip-toedbreathlessly for the landing. My hairwasstanding on end . I hadn't known it could dothat, but it could . And what aboutJackson,now that he'dhad a breather? You've guessedit . He came leaping and gibbering by me,snatched the lamp again, went boundingdown the stairs.This time the descent seemed normal - ornearly so, considering that there might be a

pair ofcowled cultists onour heels - or would havedone if not for thecabalistic, esoteric anderotic designs paintedcrudely on the walls in redand white. But I had notime for the latter as Isought to catch up with myraving colleague. And then,at last, we were down onto the ground floor. That

was when I tripped, went flying . Jacksonraced ahead, toward the hall and the maindoor of the house - but skidded to a halt asthe door opened and two more cowledfigures entered . They didn't see me where Ilay sprawled in the dark at the foot of thestairs, but they did see GrahamJackson . Forhe had the lamp.He cried out; an inarticulate, mad, risingbabble of sound, threw open the livingroom-door and hurled himself headlongthrough it . In there. . . I can't swear to what Isaw. Candles? An altar or some such? A circleof cowled heads, all turning inJackson'sdirection as he sprawled and the lamp wassent flying? All these things - perhaps. Butone thing I did see was Chorazos, and I makeno mistake when I say thing!It could only be him : taller than the others,officiating at the altar. His hood was thrownback and beneath it . . . I don't know what thathorror had for a head but its face was awrith-ing, shifting mass ofworms! I layfrozen with terror, none ofmy muscles evenattempting to obey me .

The two cultists who'd come into the housefrom outside were afterJackson in a flash,

and as they followed himinto the living-room, sothey took out long, curvedknives from under theircassocks. But I have to giveJackson his due : he wasn'tjust going to stand and takeit . Flames from the lamphad takenhold onhangings and esoterictapestries ; the demon-ologists were converging

on him; he spilled over the altar and sentcandles and priests alike flying, then made acrazy hurtling leap for the window. Knivesrose and fell as he bounded, but then he wasout through the window in a crashing ofglass and splintered timbers, out into thedarkness ofthe gardens . Which seemed tome a very good idea!

I'd got my second wind, got my senses back,too. As several of the cowled cultists in theliving room went out through the brokenwindow afterJackson, I up and sprinted forthe door. Going out, I slammed into Clive

Thorne and George Ainsworth . PeterHarkness' white face stared at us out of thecar's window. Thorne and Ainsworth sawmy condition, the look on my face . And Isaw the looks on theirfaces.

"The house," they said as one man . "Look atthe house!" I stumbled with them to the car,fell inside, almost on top ofHarkness wherehe opened the door for me. The others piledinto the front . Then I looked at the house.

"It's not . . . not The Oaks!" said Harkness, hisvoice with a croak .

I continued to look, began to understand ."Oh, it is," I gulped . "But not in thiscentury. . . ." The gaunt old structure reared,different in every stone from the one weknew. Thorne backed the car away, threw itinto a gravel-crunching reverse turn . And itwas then we saw the villagers with theirtorches . They were setting fire to the oldplace, shouting and screaming their hatred,hurlingtheir torches in through doors andbroken windows . And their massed cries likea thinkeening of wind, and their figuresinsubstantial as, smoke. Our ghosts at last,they wore the arb of the late 16th Century!

Down the drive we went and out throughthe gates, and suddenly I yelled : "ButJackson!"

They looked at me, said nothing . "He's outhere somewhere, running, bleeding, pursuedby, by. . . . " And still they looked at me . "Butyou must have seen him come through the. . .window?"

Thorne said, "Tell us later what happened inthere. Right now we're going to find a policestation . But we'll say nothing about . . . aboutthis . Only the `facts'. About the leaky gascylinder, and aboutJackson being missing ."

"But he isn't," I insisted . "He isn't . . .missing?"

George Ainsworth switched on the car'sinterior light, passed me back a photographwhich someone had carefully tinted . Itwasn't one of his - this was one he had beengiven by the proprietor ofthe pub they'dvisited . I glanced at it, looked harder, thenstared with my eyes bulging . A pretty goodshot of the original pub sign from TheRunningMan. The descriptions fromcontemporary witnesses must have beenvivid accounts. There was no mistaking him.Clothes, tatters, bloodied face and hands . Itwas GrahamJackson, of course.. . .

I looked back, and in the near-distance thenight sky was shot with black smoke and red,roaring flames . . . .

80

011921"004454

UHL BR17 ISH1920s-30s GTHULHU SOURGtPAGh

This volume is a Companion to the 3rdEditon Call ofCthulhu rules, which allowsthe full horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos tobe enacted in good old 1920s-30s Britain,Heat of the Empire, Centre ofCivilisationand an all-round top-hole, spiffing placeto set your Call of Cthulhu campaign,

what?

Featured within are sections on BritishCharacters, History, Travel, the Occult,and much more besides, which provide allthe information Keepers require for British

Cthulhu roleplay.

Also included - three new adventures!

The Horror ofthe Glen - Abrutal murderin the Scottish highlands is not all that isseems. How could a half-wit boy have committed such terrible mutilations upon thebody of Donald McColl? When the Investigators arrive, they may find that thereal answer to the question lies withinhaunted McMorn Manor - and that secretmay be more than their Sanity can bear!

Death In The Post - a strange papyrus, anhorrific murder and a plea for help froma respected gentleman. What more incen-tive could any Investigator want? But canthe Investigators solve the mystery in timeto prevent more slayings, and to find theevil behind the mysterious campaign of

death?

The Shadow over Darkbank - even onholiday, there's no rest for an intrepid Investigator. When strange things start happening in the Darkbank Tunnel, it mightbe a sequence of tragic accidents - or itmight be something far more sinister. . .

plus - a contribution from the BritishMaster of Mythos Fiction, Brian Lumley

CREDITS:COVd :LED BY: Pete TanlynCOVEF, ART : Lee GibbonsINTERNAL ART: Martin McKenna & Ian CookeMAPS & DIAGRAMS : Charles EilionProduced byTHE GAMES WORKSHOP DESIGN STUDIOISBN : (UK) 1 869893 06 9 (US) 0 933635 39 7