The Last Dawn

The Last Dawn is an international conspiracy that intends on introducing Cthuloid horrors to the world as a means of driving people back to the worship of God. They call this God’s Divine Design and it is why He created the Old Ones and Elder Gods. This Divine Design is based on the premise that people will stop doubting God when they see these creatures and realize that only He can save them.

The Last Dawn is a human organization that has infiltrated organized religions, political movements and governments, and many influential fraternal organizations. Originally centered in Europe, by the 1920s it had spread to the Americas. Their mandate to help bring about the Divine Design means that they will encourage, foster, and manipulate horrific events.

Because of their fanatic rationalization, members (called “Lasts”) view mythos horrors differently, they cannot be shaken by witnessing these horrors. This means that when a Last encounters a mythos creature a successful Sanity roll means that the Last loses no Sanity points, no matter the normal loss. Even a missed roll only results in losing half the normal amount. Additionally, no Sanity is ever lost when a Last uses a mythos item or reads a tome or manuscript.

Organization

The Last Dawn organizes itself along the same lines as the Roman Catholic Church. Its leader is called The Hierophant (note the capitalization), who is supported by the Council Break. This council consists of six disciples, each of whom is responsible for a continent. Within each continent are regions of control called “spheres” that are led by an exarch. The hierarchical structure is carried down to local levels, but the individual parts are not aware of each other. Only The Hierophant knows where all the organizational elements are.

The Hierophant

The unquestioned leader of The Last Dawn is The Hierophant. Apparently immortal, no one knows when The Hierophant came into being. When a disciple has served the order well and is ready to retire or die, he or she may “request a place with The Hierophant”. This means undertaking a ritual that literally joins the body of the thing known as The Hierophant:

Neither a human or a creature, the Hierophant is a monstrosity of disciples’ body parts and intellects. Arms. hands. ball socket joints. sexual organs. and faces (and facial parts) comprise most of the body of the Hierophant. The monster displays a history of many different races. ethnic backgrounds. and both sexes. It was created in the late 1500s by a miscasting of a Spell of Immortality (once available in the original de' Medici Manoscritto).

The Hierophant maintains all of the memories and intellect of the disciples it has absorbed, making it a creature of vast magical power and reasoning ability.

For the Keeper

The Last Dawn is detailed in The Unspeakable Oath Issue 7.

Its diocese in the northeastern United States is based in Boston and is called the Loula Institute of Theatrical Studies. Disguised as a private school, this group is significant because it has the only known complete copy of the de' Medici Manoscritto. The Loula Institute also possesses several magical items and weapons that it can use in its activities. The Institute is detailed in The Unspeakable Oath Issue 8-9.

SOURCES

The Unspeakable Oath Issue 7, pp 36-41, Fall 1992
The Unspeakable Oath Issue 8-9, pp 41-60, Winter 1993