Season of the Witch

Details

5th Edition Cover

Pages: 12

Author(s): Richard T. Launius

Artist(s): (Kevin Ramos)

Setting: Dreamlands, April 26-30 (Walpurgis Night) in 1920s Arkham

Appears in: H.P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands

Campaign: (none)

Summary

An earthly investigation leads to a confrontation in the Dreamlands with the witch Hesper Payne.

Links

• RPGNet review by Lev Lafayette
• RPGNet review by David Conyers
• RPGGeek review by Eric Dodd

Spoilers - Keepers Eyes Only

Players should not read any further.

Synopsis

 Spoiler Section (Highlight to Read)

Hesper Payne was executed for witchcraft in Arkham, 1692, cursing the town with her last breath and escaping in spirit to the Dreamlands as her body died, to reappear over two centuries later when a family descendant, Susan Mason, takes up residence in the "Curse House" where the witch once lived. The witch has been exerting influence over Susan in Dream, guiding Susan into enacting the witch's revenge on Walpurgis Night, April 30, with a ritual performed by the Witch and Susan simultaneously which would allow the witch and a horde of monstrous Dream minions to cross over to the Waking World to ravage Arkham.

References

Player Handouts: (reproduced in Handouts Appendice)

• Witch Papers #1 (newspaper article)
• Witch Papers #2 (Herman's Statement)
• Witch-Papers #3 (newspaper articles)
• Witch-Papers #4 (diary entry)
• Not presented as handouts but could probably be copied and cut up for use as handouts:
  • Research results: Research, Other Data, Arkham Historical Society
  • Illustration: Hesper and her Familiar

Locations:

• Arkham:
  • Aylesbury Hill Graveyard
  • The Curse House
  • Arkham Advertiser
  • Arkham Police Station
  • Arkham Historical Society
  • Arkham Sanitarium
• Dreamlands:
  • Dylath-Leen
  • The Secret City
  • Dream version of the Curse House

Creatures:

• Witch
• Familiar
• Humans under influence of the witch
• Ghouls
• Wamps
• Torturers from Leng
• Moon-Beasts
• Loathly Horror
• Gugs (if the investigators fail badly enough)

Tomes and Artifacts:

• Book of the Black Stones with Glass Disc
• Thaumaturgical Prodigies in the New England Canaan
• Violet Lantern
• Susan's Diagrams
• Curse House Gate

Campaigns / Scenarios: (none)

Comments

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

Trivia: The scenario seems to have been at least partly inspired by The Dreams in the Witch House.

Keeper Comments

Comments to Keepers about this scenario; Possibly how to run it successfully. Keep general DISCUSSION on the talk page.

Setting: 1920s Arkham, but could probably be moved to other eras and locations with little trouble.

Special Notes: The scenario as-written assumes the investigators will be in combat with the Men of Leng and some other creatures, there doesn't seem to be any desirable alternative.