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===Synopsis===
 
===Synopsis===
 
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The background of the mini-campaign concerns a cult to Shub-Niggurath that has existed at the site of Lyon, France, for millennia. Centered on a shrine hidden in the middle of an underground lake within a hill called Fourvière, the goddess has been worshipped in Lyon under various masks, from the Gallish goddess Lug to the Virgin Mary once the Catholics erected a basilica atop the hill. Shub-Niggurath's influence has spread over Lyon thanks to her devotees, who have infiltrated the religious life of the city, including the practice of Spiritism, for which Lyon is the headquarters in France.
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The background of the mini-campaign concerns a cult to Shub-Niggurath that has existed at the site of Lyon, France, for millennia. Centered on a shrine hidden in the middle of an underground lake within a hill called Fourvière, the goddess has been worshipped in Lyon under the cover of various other mother deities, from the Gallish goddess Lug to the Virgin Mary. Shub-Niggurath's devotees include influential members of the city's religions, industrial, Spiritist, and social sectors, and they have spread her influence over the city. However, rival cults have struggled to gain support in Lyon since Roman times by attempting to weaken the Dark Goat of the Woods, or else to absorb her worship into that of their own dark gods. The campaign begins in the Autumn of 1930, when two of these rival cults, the Ophites (followers of Yig) and the Mopses (followers of Nyarlathotep), are aware that the stars will soon be right achieve these ends. The problem these rival cults face is that the precise date when the stars will align is only recorded in portions of a 15th-century book called l'''Elucidaire'' that have been lost for centuries. However, when an academic named André Morin claims to have found the lost chapters, the cultists take care of him and take the book sections for themselves.
  
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However, since Roman times, the Dark Mother's cult has gained competition from other groups who seek to stop the worship of the Dark Goat of the Woods, or else to effect dark rituals that will allow them to unite their own dark gods with her. At the dawn of the 1930s, two of the major rivals to Shub-Niggurath's cult are the Ophites and the Mopses, the former devoted to Yig and the later to the Horned Man, an avatar of Nyarlathotep. Both cults know that in 1930, the stars will be right for them to attempt to stop Shub-Niggurath or unite her with their gods, ending her monopoly over Lyon. However, they are not sure of the precise date or the details of how these rituals must be conducted.
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The campaign consists of four scenarios. The first and last scenarios cannot be moved by default, but the second and third scenarios may be played in either order. The first scenario sends the investigators to a conference, where Morin promises to reveal the lost contents of l'''Elucidaire''. However, the academic instead claims the chapters were never written and disappears himself. Looking into these strange events, the investigators discover that Morin disappeared a week before, so the person at the conference was an imposter. They trace the lost chapters to a rich socialite named Jean Cabrillon, who tells them he loaned them to Morin, but then someone broke in and stole the writings from him. The trail leads to two dark cults looking to profit from the dark knowledge in the books: The Ophites and the Mopses.
  
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However, their fortunes change with a 15th century book known as l'Elucidaire|l'''Elucidaire'', written by an astrologer named Simon de Phares, surfaces (after having been kept under wraps by the followers of Shub-Niggurath). Although divided into three sections, the cultists know that the second and third contain magical rituals that will help them accomplish their goals. So when the historian André Morin organizes a conference in the fall of 1930, promising to reveal the secrets of the book, the Mopses and the Ophite strike to get their hands on the manuscript themselves. Meanwhile, Jean Cabrillon, leader of Shub-Niggurath's Lyonnais cult, stands by and lets his rivals make themselves known so he can target them once and for all.
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In the next two scenarios, the investigators go after these two Lyonnais cults. In "Ouroboros," they discover that the Ophites worship Yig. When a young medium named Pierre Corbin is kidnapped, the investigators trace the crime to the serpent cult. Meanwhile, Jean Cabrillon receives an to a welcoming party for the grandson of an centenarian named Bernard Guivre, an antiquarian dealing in Central American objects who no one knew had any grandchildren. The investigators link Guivre to the Ophites and determine that he plans to sacrifice Corbin to Yig, thereby restoring his own lost youth and re-entering Lyonnais society as his "grandson." In contrast, the Mopses have a public face in the form of extravagant parties that anyone may be invited to. Securing such an invitation, the investigators learn that there are higher levels of initiation in the order. They work their way up through the ranks or else track down former members of the group who quit in mysterious circumstances. In the process, they find that the highest-ranked Mopses perform debauched "Sabbaths" in the woods, sacrificing innocent children to the Horned Man, an avatar of Nyarlathotep.
  
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The campaign consists of four scenarios. The first and last scenarios cannot be moved by default, but the second and third scenarios may be played in either order. The first scenario sends the investigators to André Morin's conference on l'''Elucidaire''. However, rather than revealing the contents of the missing chapters of Simon de Phare's book, the academic instead claims the chapters were never written and then excuses himself from the stage. The investigators try to find out why Morin got cold feet, and in the process discover that the historian had actually gone missing a full week before, paranoid he was being followed. They eventually make the acquaintance of Jean Cabrillon, a rich man who owned the missing chapters before allowing Morin to consult them. The chapters, too, have gone missing according to Cabrillon; he accordingly sets the investigators on the trail of two cults that Cabrillon says are likely behind the theft: the Ophites and the Mopses.
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With the Ophites and the Mopses stopped, the investigators return the lost chapters of l'''Elucidaire'' to Cabrillon, who invites them to his daughters extravagant wedding in thanks. However, strange dreams and unusual events near Fourvière hill suggest that something is not right about the rushed timing of the upcoming nuptials. At the ceremony, the investigators earn that Cabrillon and some associates plan to perform a ritual to Shub-Niggurath below Fourvière hill that will require his daughter to sacrifice her new groom, thereby restoring Jean Cabrillon's lost health. The investigators must locate the temple in time to stop the bloody ritual and to prevent the dark goddess from getting an even stronger grip over Lyon.}}
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The next two scenarios send the investigators after these two Lyonnais cults. In "Ouroboros," they discover that the Ophites are serpent worshippers. But things are kicked into high gear when a young medium named Pierre Corbin is kidnapped, leaving behind a drawing of an enormous serpent based on a vision he had. Meanwhile, Jean Cabrillon receives an invitation from Bernard Guivre, an antiquarian and centenarian who specializes in Central American objects. The invitation says that Guivre will soon bestow his fortune on his grandson, a young man no one knew existed until that point. The investigators eventually infiltrate the Ophites, discovering that Guivre is their leader. The investigators must rescue Pierre Corbin from being sacrificed to Yig in a ceremony that will restore Bernard Guivre's lost youth (after which he will reenter Lyonnais society as his "grandson").
 
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Infiltrating the Mopses is much more straightforward: The group, once a secret society, has recently burst onto the scene in Lyon by throwing extravagant parties to which anyone may be invited. The investigators convince someone to invite them to one of these soirées, where they learn that there are higher levels within the group that grant access to private events and hidden knowledge. The investigators either work their way up through the ranks of the group, or they locate some members how left months before for mysterious reasons. Ultimately, they discover that the organization worships the Horned Man at debauched sabbaths in the woods at which they sacrifice infants. The investigators must stop them before they strike again.
 
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After stopping the Ophites and the Mopses, the investigators also recover the lost sections of l'''Elucidaire''. Yet nightmares and strange events in Lyon near the Fourvière hill suggest that something is afoot. Nevertheless, Jean Cabrillon invites the investigators to his daughter's wedding. There they start to suspect something strange is brewing. Indeed, they learn that Cabrillon and his cohorts plan to conduct a ritual to Shub-Niggurath deep in the bowels of Fourvière hill that will see Cabrillon's daughter sacrifice her new husband to Shub-Niggurath. In the bargain, Jean Cabrillon will have his own vitality restored while Shub-Niggurath's power will grow even more potent. The investigators must thus locate the temple in time to stop the bloody ritual and to prevent the dark goddess from getting an even stronger grip over Lyon.}}
 
  
 
===Scenarios===
 
===Scenarios===

Revision as of 15:24, 11 October 2019

Noces lyonnaises (Lyonnais Weddings) is a mini-campaign for the 6th edition of L'Appel de Cthulhu from Sans-Détour.

Details

Author: Thomas Berthier

Setting: 1930s, Lyon, France

Appears in: Les mystères de Lyon

Comments / Trivia

Links

Reviews (in French)

Spoilers - Keepers Eyes Only

Players should not read any further.

Synopsis

 Spoiler Section (Highlight to Read)

The background of the mini-campaign concerns a cult to Shub-Niggurath that has existed at the site of Lyon, France, for millennia. Centered on a shrine hidden in the middle of an underground lake within a hill called Fourvière, the goddess has been worshipped in Lyon under the cover of various other mother deities, from the Gallish goddess Lug to the Virgin Mary. Shub-Niggurath's devotees include influential members of the city's religions, industrial, Spiritist, and social sectors, and they have spread her influence over the city. However, rival cults have struggled to gain support in Lyon since Roman times by attempting to weaken the Dark Goat of the Woods, or else to absorb her worship into that of their own dark gods. The campaign begins in the Autumn of 1930, when two of these rival cults, the Ophites (followers of Yig) and the Mopses (followers of Nyarlathotep), are aware that the stars will soon be right achieve these ends. The problem these rival cults face is that the precise date when the stars will align is only recorded in portions of a 15th-century book called l'Elucidaire that have been lost for centuries. However, when an academic named André Morin claims to have found the lost chapters, the cultists take care of him and take the book sections for themselves.

The campaign consists of four scenarios. The first and last scenarios cannot be moved by default, but the second and third scenarios may be played in either order. The first scenario sends the investigators to a conference, where Morin promises to reveal the lost contents of l'Elucidaire. However, the academic instead claims the chapters were never written and disappears himself. Looking into these strange events, the investigators discover that Morin disappeared a week before, so the person at the conference was an imposter. They trace the lost chapters to a rich socialite named Jean Cabrillon, who tells them he loaned them to Morin, but then someone broke in and stole the writings from him. The trail leads to two dark cults looking to profit from the dark knowledge in the books: The Ophites and the Mopses.

In the next two scenarios, the investigators go after these two Lyonnais cults. In "Ouroboros," they discover that the Ophites worship Yig. When a young medium named Pierre Corbin is kidnapped, the investigators trace the crime to the serpent cult. Meanwhile, Jean Cabrillon receives an to a welcoming party for the grandson of an centenarian named Bernard Guivre, an antiquarian dealing in Central American objects who no one knew had any grandchildren. The investigators link Guivre to the Ophites and determine that he plans to sacrifice Corbin to Yig, thereby restoring his own lost youth and re-entering Lyonnais society as his "grandson." In contrast, the Mopses have a public face in the form of extravagant parties that anyone may be invited to. Securing such an invitation, the investigators learn that there are higher levels of initiation in the order. They work their way up through the ranks or else track down former members of the group who quit in mysterious circumstances. In the process, they find that the highest-ranked Mopses perform debauched "Sabbaths" in the woods, sacrificing innocent children to the Horned Man, an avatar of Nyarlathotep.

With the Ophites and the Mopses stopped, the investigators return the lost chapters of l'Elucidaire to Cabrillon, who invites them to his daughters extravagant wedding in thanks. However, strange dreams and unusual events near Fourvière hill suggest that something is not right about the rushed timing of the upcoming nuptials. At the ceremony, the investigators earn that Cabrillon and some associates plan to perform a ritual to Shub-Niggurath below Fourvière hill that will require his daughter to sacrifice her new groom, thereby restoring Jean Cabrillon's lost health. The investigators must locate the temple in time to stop the bloody ritual and to prevent the dark goddess from getting an even stronger grip over Lyon.


Scenarios

Keeper Comments

 Spoiler Section (Highlight to Read)
 The campaign provides some guidance for how to proceed if the investigators fail one or more of the individual scenarios, or if they only manage to weaken rather than wipe out the antagonists. Nevertheless, the climax is always supposed to happen in the underground temple to Shub-Niggurath, even if the ceremony there is one of Union (between Shub-Niggurath and either Yig or Nyarlathotep) rather than a simple summoning of the Dark Goat of the Wood.

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