Way Down. In Ioway.

Details

Pages: 18

Author(s): X.D. Eness

Artist(s):

Setting: 1920s

Appears in: Halloween Horror 2.

Campaign:

Summary

Set in rural Iowa in the 1920s this adventure incorporates atypical Cthulhu Mythos elements. The adventure has wide application for an experienced group of players who may mistake the adventure’s conventions as an indication that they’ve “been down this road before.” It will instead provide a few refreshing surprises for even the most jaded player.

Spoilers - Keepers Eyes Only

Players should not read any further.

Synopsis

Sherwin Farner owns Farner Press, the local printer of a variety of daily and weekly newspapers. He is a total recluse, with none of his employees having seen him for years. The truth is that Farner is a man dedicated to tracking and thwarting the Cthulhu Mythos, but in a quite unusual way. He has built himself an enormous library of forged Mythos books, elaborate fakes intended to be attractive to cultists. His idea is that the rumour of such an established Mythos collection will cause these cultists to expose themselves (as they attempt to acquire it). Furthermore if ever the fake books were successfully stolen, Farner believes that the bogus information contained within could be tracked as it is passed from Mythos worshipper to Mythos worshipper -- allowing parts of the intricate network of Mythos cults to become exposed.

The players take on the roles of employees of Farner Press, summoned one day

References

Player Handouts: List the player handouts here.

Locations: Viscill, Iowa.

Creatures: Beast 1, Beast 2, etc.

Tomes and Artifacts: Item 1, Item 2, etc.

Campaigns / Scenarios: Campaign 1, Scenario 1

Keeper Comments

The primary antagonist in this scenario has a particular worldview about the Cthulhu Mythos -- that it is actually an elaborate hoax perpetrated by a long-standing secret society. The scenario admonishes the Keeper that a decision will need to be made as to whether this worldview is entirely misguided or has some basis in truth.

This scenario plays against many of the stereotypes and preconceptions of most Call of Cthulhu scenarios, to the extent that experienced players and characters are prone to jump to incorrect conclusions based on their knowledge of what is 'typical'.