Within You Without You (Scenario)

Details

Front Cover

Pages: 21 (The Unspeakable Oath, Issue 01)

Author(s): John Tynes

Artist(s):

Setting: 1920s

Appears in: The Unspeakable Oath, Issue 01, The Resurrected Vol. 2: Of Keys and Gates, The Resurrected Vol. 3: Out of the Vault

Summary

Investigators are invited by a friend to visit his New England home, and explore the village of Solace with its intriguing history. Unfortunately, that history is closer then they can possibly imagine.

Links

• Review by Steve Darlington on RPGnet
• Review by Ralph Dula on RPGnet
• Review by Chris Ward on RPGnet

Spoilers - Keepers Eyes Only

Players should not read any further.

Synopsis

Solace is build on the site of an ancient settlement, sucked into a remote dimension three centuries ago by reckless spellcasting. Now Saolous is returning bit by bit, first psychically, then physically. The minds of the ancient inhabitants infringe on the current residents, and their bodies begin to warp and twist horrifically. Soon the town itself is blinking erratically between the two realities. The Investigators must track down the cavern where the magic began, and decide how to deal with the artefact they find there.

References

Player Handouts: Letter from Dr Pettigrew, library researches, journal excerpts

Locations: Solace, New England

Creatures: Creature from the Pit, Woodcotting Thing

Tomes and Artifacts: Thaumaturgical Prodigies in the New England Canaan

Keeper Comments

Finding out the truth behind the adventure relies on at least one character going indefinitely insane; fairly likely in this scenario, but it may nevertheless bother some people.

The scenario offers a variety of options for dealing with the situation, including three distinct endings based on how characters deal with the magical device in the cave.

It is potentially a very deadly scenario, with monsters, spells and possessions offering a lot of sanity loss and plenty of danger. There is also potential for an apocalyptic ending. For both reasons it may be problematic as part of an ongoing campaign, and Keepers will need to carefully watch and tweak things.