Pulvis Et Umbra Sumus

Details

Pages: 6

Author(s): Matthew Sanderson

Setting: Modern

Editors: Jeff Moeller

Appears in: Fear's Sharp Little Needles

Summary

A wealthy recluse leaves a bequest to aid those in great financial need. The player characters are among the desperate recipients, summoned to the house to claim their share - an offer they can't afford to reject.

Links

Link to outside reviews or helpful pages.

• [Link 1]
• [Link 2]

Spoilers - Keepers Eyes Only

Players should not read any further.

Synopsis

 Spoiler Section (Highlight to Read)
Shortly after arriving, the investigators find every living thing around them beginning to decay into dust. They have been 'blessed' by Quachil Uttaus to bring ruin to all around them, while becoming nigh-immortal themselves.

The recluse was an immortal sorcerer, who has grown to despise the human race as she witnesses the ravaging of the planet. Believing humanity has lost its right to exist, she hired detectives to find needy individuals in major urban centres, and lured them here with promises of wealth. She then sacrificed her life to bind Quachil Uttaus to her victims, intending them to spread the God’s destructive touch wherever they go.

References

Player Handouts: List the player handouts here.

Locations: Eagle Lake, Maine, Ophelia's House

Creatures: Quachil Uttaus

Tomes and Artifacts: Testament of Carnamagos

Comments

List dedication, trivia, images, anything else of note.

Keeper Comments

The scenario notes that living things within a mile of the investigators lose 1 point of their attributes per minute. This assumes 7th edition rules, with percentile attributes; for attributes in the 3-18 range (e.g. 6th edition rules), reduce this to 1 point per 5 minutes.

While not stated explicitly, the scenario as described assumes only human beings become conduits. If the Keeper wishes for an even grimmer resolution, animals, insects, and even microorganisms can be conduits for Quachil Uttaus' power. This would be in keeping with the scenario's theme of dispossessing humanity, as well as a less human-centric approach on the part of the Mythos.

Investigators who work out what is happening could travel the world with the book in tow, thus transforming everyone they pass within a mile of into conduits rather than killing them. This would stymie Ophelia's plan by effectively rendering all of humanity immortal, but would gradually destroy everything else. It's entirely possible this happens accidentally; Cthulhu investigators encountering a mysterious occult book in the empty house are reasonably likely to take it away with them. This would require significant improvisation by the keeper.

Inanimate objects turn to dust. "Аll electrical devices in the vicinity soon fail, except the investigator's cell phones". It's not clear why these are exceptions, unless because they're on the investigators' person. It's not stated whether investigators' clothing turns to dust, either. Players may want to experiment with how and when these exceptions take effect. Do their possessions remain intact even when removed from their persons, and to what distance? Can they preserve other objects by claiming them, or remaining in some degree of proximity? If so, how far does this extend - can they keep a building intact? Can they protect living creatures in the same way? Is it a matter of physical proximity, psychological attachment, legal status, or something else? The lawyer's wife Laura has died in proximity to him, which implies neither physical proximity nor attachment are sufficient, at least for living things.