Through a Glass Darkly and Other Unsettling Tales

my Call of Cthulhu campaign set in the modern era

My Call of Cthulhu campaign started as a series of isolated adventures run at Stabcon, the bi-annual Manchester wargames convention. Somehow it has taken on a life of its own and I now run roughly quarterly with seven excellent players. Here are the adventures so far…

The diary writers: current PCs in bold

Adam Walters - a Faith Healer and Gestalt Therapist (played by Geoff Brown);

Adrian Stimson - an art dealer and minor TV authority on the ‘Weird’ school of Sime, Angarola, Pickman, etc, (played by Mikey Carter);

Alex Douglas - a detective in the Cumbrian Police Force (played by Jim McStravick);

Barbara Smythe - who works for English Heritage in their Heritage Security department (played by Tamsin Earney);

Dr Belinda Durham - an archaeologist specialising in the European pre-Roman period (played by Meriel Jones);

Cameron Cartwight-Fiennes – a military alter-ego of St John, brought in to being by an attack of insanity (played by Ian Miller);

Dr Eliza Jamieson - a medical doctor now based at the Royal Berks hospital (played by Ian Thomas);

Emilie Parker – a retired teacher running a teashop in Scotland (played by Geoff Brown);

Ezekiel Corathan - a Dreamlands sage knowledgeable about the Elder Gods, currently based in Celephäis (played by Geoff Brown);

Fatima El-Ahmed – an Egyptian Egyptologist working in the Cairo Museum of Antiquities (played by Tamsin Earney);

Freddie Wincanton - a junior curator at the British Museum (played by Mikey Carter);

‘Mad Ginger’ Muldoon – an Australian desert guide (played by Ian Thomas);

Gloriana - a swashbuckling young noblewoman from the Six Kingdoms, the Dreamlands altar-ego of Belinda Durham (played by Meriel Jones);

James Elliott - a computer programmer from Ravensworth, Yorkshire (played by Ian Miller);

John Jamil Zwaiter - a minor diplomat attached to the British Embassy in Egypt (played by Meriel Jones);

Marshall Winters – an American Delta Green agent (played by Geoff Brown);

Capt Sandy Wood – an MI13 agent recruited from the paras (played by Ian Miller);

St John Cartwight-Fiennes – a New Age traveller living in a campervan in Avebury, Wiltshire (played by Ian Miller);

Sgt Syed Hussein - an SBS NCO seconded to Egypt, ostensibly to infiltrate terrorists (played by Mikey Carter);

Thomas Grady - an ex-soldier studying modern languages as a mature student (played by Ian Thomas);

The Horror in the Tube: this was the first adventure in which various PCs, including just two of the above, encounter something unpleasant in the Underground after a late-night power failure. Alas I no longer have my own notes but there's one diary entry from Eliza…

Through a Glass Darkly: "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." I Cor. 13:12 – the Call of Cthulhu rulebook recommends M R James as a source of inspiration and 'A View from a Hill' is the principal source of much of this adventure, which ran rather tightly and to schedule; I particularly like the binoculars. Only James and Eliza's diaries are from PCs, all the rest are NPC viewpoints. Officialdom always calls this the 'Gallows Hill Incident'.

Confidential MOD Summary of the 'The Gallows Hill incident'

James Elliott's diary January 3^rd to 7^th 2005

Eliza Jamieson's diary January 3^rd to 7^th 2005

SAS reports on 'The Gallows Hill incident': Major Alan Smith, Trooper Frank Savage, Trooper Andy Price

James Elliott's diary from January 7^th 2005

Observer Sunday 16th January 2005: 'The Truth about Ravensworth' an Observer Exclusive

The Hunt for Ibrahim: this was the sequel to 'Through a Glass Darkly', run at Stabcon the following summer but set in February 2005. The adventure effectively started with a bunch of sightseers, including James Elliott with a photographer, visiting Gallows Hill, the site of the previous misadventure. It turned in to a search for Ibrahim Al-Sudat and Bernard Connelly, a previous PC assumed to have been in collusion with the occult terrorist, though in fact having suffered a San collapse on seeing the Dark Young. Again just two diary entries but they illuminate things pretty effectively, I think.

MI13 Confidential Report on the Gallows Hill Incident dated February 20^th 2005

James Elliott's diary February 14^th to February 22^nd 2005

Eliza Jamieson's diary February 20^th to February 23^rd 2005

The Raggedy Man:

"An' The Raggedy Man, he knows most rhymes,
An' tells 'em, ef I be good, sometimes:
Knows 'bout Giunts, an' Griffuns, an' Elves,
An' the Squidgicum-Squees 'at swallers the'rselves:
An', wite by the pump in our pasture-lot,
He showed me the hole 'at the Wunks is got,
'At lives 'way deep in the ground, an' can
Turn into me, er 'Lizabuth Ann!
Er Ma, er Pa, er The Raggedy Man!
Ain't he a funny old Raggedy Man?"
'The Raggedy Man' by James Whitcomb Riley

While spending a slow day at home surfing certain specialist news sites, I came across two different RL news stories: one was the opening of a hole in the top of Silbury Hill in Wiltshire, the other was the sighting of big cats in the county. It seems some livestock kills had been attributed to big cats by certain persons, though the idea was poo-pooed by the powers that be. It seems the incidence of these really quite gory kills approximately coincided with the opening of Silbury. What if the two were linked? Could something have crawled out? BTW, I used real news footage for this, with very little editing indeed.

Now I had a truly settled group of players and we began meeting roughly quarterly. Only two diaries again but good ones…

The Personal Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson January 7th to 13th 2006
The Personal Diary of St John Cartwright-Fiennes January 7th to 13th 2006
 

The Raggedy Man's Revenge: of course, a shoggoth probably can't be destroyed by a flame-thrower and anti-tank missile. So what does a poor Shoggoth do once it's recovered from such a severe and painful savaging? It goes looking for revenge, of course. By now, all my PCs are writing diaries, so without further ado… (Warning, some of these are a bit long.)

The Personal Diary of St John Cartwright-Fiennes February 1st and July 20th to 29th 2006
The Personal Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson July 20th to August 3rd 2006
The Personal Diary of Barbara Smythe July 20th to August 3rd 2006
The Personal Diary of Dr Belinda Durham July 24th to July 31st 2006
The Personal Diary of Adam Walters July 25th to August 3rd 2006
The Personal Diary of St John Cartwright-Fiennes July 30th to August 8th 2006
The Personal Diary of Dr Belinda Durham August 1st to August 6th 2006
The Personal Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson August 3rd to August 6th 2006
The Personal Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson August 6th to August 9th 2006
The Personal Diary of Dr Belinda Durham August 6th to August 10th 2006
A Report by Cameron, St John’s alter-ego August 8th to August 9th 2006
The Personal Diary of St John Cartwright-Fiennes August 8th to August 10th 2006
This brings The Raggedy Man's Revenge to a close.

Perchance to Dream: a mini-scenario introducing the investigators to the Dreamlands, adapted from the Dreamlands supplement. It proved a relaxing diversion, introducing Alex Douglas, police detective and dreamer…

The Personal Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson Late August 2006 to January 5th 2007
The Personal Diary of Dr Belinda Durham October 2006 to January 5th 2007
The Personal Diary of St John Cartwright-Fiennes December 16th to January 5th 2007
 

The Hand That Wounds: this scenario was based on my favourite episode of the X-Files, ‘Sie Hand Sie Verletzt’. The MI13 Home Team are mobilised to investigate and contain a ritualistic killing of a teenager in Mayburgh Henge, just outside Penrith. As they investigate, more gory deaths ensue… but who is responsible?

The Personal Diary of Dr Belinda Durham January 2007 to May 2nd 2007
The Personal Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson January 2007 to May 2nd 2007
The Personal Diary of St John Cartwright-Fiennes May 1st 2007 to May 2nd 2007
The Personal Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson May 2nd 2007 to May 3rd 2007
The Personal Diary of St John Cartwright-Fiennes May 2nd 2007 to May 3rd 2007
The Personal Diary of Dr Belinda Durham May 2nd 2007 to May 3rd 2007 and after
 

In Dreams… “All the things one has forgotten scream for help in dreams.”  ~Elias Canetti: this is sequel to The Hand That Wounds, set almost entirely in the Dreamlands during the night of May 3^rd 2007 as the investigators seek to rescue the souls of the four teenagers murdered in the previous scenario (well, three murders and one suicide).

The Personal Diary of Gloriana, heir of the Pinarii, part 1
The Personal Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson, part 1
The Personal Diary of St John Cartwright-Fiennes, part 1
The Personal Diary of Gloriana, heir of the Pinarii, part 2
The Personal Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson, part 2
The Personal Diary of St John Cartwright-Fiennes, part 2
 

Adam’s Pilgrimage… In The Hand That Wounds, Adam found he had problems of a spiritual nature which he thought came from his foray in to Silbury Hill during the Raggedy Man’s Revenge. Believing that some sort of a spiritual ‘taint’ was interfering with his abilities as a spiritual healer, he visited a fellow colleague, who recommended a pilgrimage. This is what happened…

Adam’s Pigrimage part 1: Diagnosis and Prescription, May 3rd, 2007

Adam’s Pigrimage part 2: White Horse and Dragon Hill, May 3^rd – 5^th

Adam’s Pigrimage part 3: Meon Hill and Charles Walton, May 6^th

Adam’s Pigrimage part 4: Birmingham and the Bull Ring, May 7^th – 9^th

Adam’s Pigrimage part 5: Biddulph Grange Gardens and Alderley Edge, May 10^th – 14^th

Adam’s Pigrimage part 6: Quagmire in the Dark on Bowland Fell, May 15^th – 16^th

Adam’s Pigrimage part 7: Daydreams and Nightmares on Bowland Fell, May 17^th

Adam’s Pigrimage part 8: The Last March, May 18^th – 21^st

Adam’s Pigrimage part 9: The Exorcism, May 21^st

The Masks of Nyarlathotep (London): back in the Real World, more than a year later, our heroes of MI13 enter this legendary campaign.

The Personal Diary of Dr Belinda Durham, part 1, May 2007 - July 23^rd, 2008

The Personal Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson, part 1, May 2007 - July 23^rd, 2008

A report of the Paris Investigation by Barbara Smythe, part 2, July 23^rd - 25^th, 2008

The Personal Diary of St John Cartwright-Fiennes, part 2, July 23^rd - July 26^th, 2008

The Personal Diary of Dr Belinda Durham, part 2, July 25^th - 26^th, 2008

The Personal Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson, part 2, July 25^th - 26^th, 2008

The Personal Diary of Dr Belinda Durham, part 3, July 26^th - August, 2008

The Personal Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson, part 3, July 26^th - August, 2008

The Personal Diary of St John Cartwright-Fiennes, part 3, July 26^th - August, 2008

Pickman’s Student: a month later, our heroes of MI13 investigate strange dreams and an attempted suicide by an artist (another diary is also forthcoming for Adrian Stimson, a new PC played by Mikey, an old friend from my Liverpool days) and Adam also produces a journal. The action alternates between the Dreamlands and the Waking World.

The Personal Diary of Adrian Stimson, part 1, January 2005 - August 26^th/27^th, 2008

The Personal Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson, part 1, August 26^th/27^th, 2008

The Personal Diary of St John Cartwright-Fiennes, part 1, August 26^th/27^th, 2008

The Personal Diary of Dr Belinda Durham, part 1, August 27^th, 2008

The Personal Journal of Adam Walters, parts 1 & 2, August 27^th - 28^th, 2008

The Personal Diary of Adrian Stimson, part 2, evening of August 27^th - 28^th, 2008

The Personal Diary of Dr Belinda Durham, part 2, evening of August 27^th - 28^th, 2008

The Personal Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson, part 2, evening of August 27^th - 28^th, 2008

The Personal Diary of St John Cartwright-Fiennes, part 2, evening of August 27^th – night of 28^th, 2008

The Personal Diary of Adrian Stimson, part 3, morning of August 29^th - morning of 30^th, 2008

The Personal Diary of Dr Belinda Durham & Gloriana, part 3, morning of August 29^th - morning of 30^th, 2008

The Personal Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson, part 3, morning of August 29^th - morning of 30^th, 2008

The Personal Diary of St John Cartwright-Fiennes, part 3, morning of August 29^th - morning of 30^th, 2008 (includes report by Cameron)

The Personal Journal of Adam Walters, part 3, morning of August 29^th - morning of 30^th, 2008

The Personal Diary of Adrian Stimson, part 4, morning of August 30^th - morning of 31^st, 2008

The Personal Diary of Dr Belinda Durham & Gloriana, part 4, morning of August 30^th - morning of 31^st, 2008

The Personal Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson, part 4, morning of August 30^th - morning of 31^st, 2008

A Field Report by Capt Sandy Wood, part 4, morning of August 30^th - morning of 31^st, 2008

Masks of Nyarlathotep (Egypt): with the world saved from Ghadamon, Adam, Alec, Eliza and Sandy will continue the fight against Nyarlathotep in Egypt with two new recruits: Sgt Syed Hussein of the SBS and John Jamil Zwaiter, a diplomat in the British Embassy in Cairo. The chapter begins with the initial investigations prior to the arrival of MI13…

The Private Diary of John Jamil Zwaiter, part 1, March 2007 – midday Friday October 3^rd, 2008

The Diary of Sgt Syed Hussein, part 1, July - midday Friday October 3^rd, 2008

The Personal Journal of Adam Walters, part 1, September - midday Friday October 3^rd, 2008

The Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson, part 1, September 9^th - midday Friday October 3^rd, 2008 (long)

A Field Report by Capt Sandy Wood, part 1, September 26^th - midday Friday October 3^rd, 2008

The investigations intensify and the investigators are joined by Fatima El-Ahmed of the Cairo Museum of Antiquities…

A Field Report by Capt Sandy Wood, part 2, afternoon Friday October 3^rd - Sunday October 5^th, 2008

The Personal Journal of Adam Walters, part 2, afternoon Friday October 3^rd - morning Monday October 6^th, 2008

The Private Diary of John Jamil Zwaiter, part 2, afternoon Friday October 3^rd - morning Monday October 6^th, 2008

The Diary of Sgt Syed Hussein, part 2, afternoon Friday October 3^rd - morning Monday October 6^th, 2008

The Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson, part 2, afternoon Friday October 3^rd - morning Monday October 6^th, 2008 (long)

In to the Bent Pyramid for a chat with Nyarlathotep and some serious insanity…

The Personal Journal of Adam Walters, part 3, afternoon Monday October 6^th - evening Tuesday October 7^th, 2008

A Field Report by Capt Sandy Wood, part 3, afternoon Monday October 6^th - evening Tuesday October 7^th, 2008

The Private Diary of John Jamil Zwaiter, part 3, afternoon Monday October 6^th - morning Wednesday October 8^th, 2008

The Diary of Sgt Syed Hussein, part 3, afternoon Monday October 6^th - morning Wednesday October 8^th, 2008

The Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson, part 3, afternoon Monday October 6^th - morning Wednesday October 8^th, 2008 (long)

Jan Van Huevelen and the Scrolls of Nitigret…

A Field Report by Capt Sandy Wood, part 4, Wednesday October 8^th - Friday October 10^th, 2008

The Private Diary of John Jamil Zwaiter, part 4, Wednesday October 8^th - Friday October 10^th, 2008

The Diary of Sgt Syed Hussein, part 4, Wednesday October 8^th - Friday October 10^th, 2008

The Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson, part 4, Wednesday October 8^th - Friday October 10^th, 2008 (long)

The Horrors Below…

The Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson, part 5, Friday October 10^th (evening) - Saturday October 18^th, 2008 (long)

The Private Diary of John Jamil Zwaiter, part 5, Saturday October 11^th - Saturday October 18^th, 2008

The Diary of Sgt Syed Hussein, part 5, Saturday October 11^th - Saturday October 18^th, 2008

A Field Report by Capt Sandy Wood, part 5, Saturday October 11^th - Sunday October 19^th, 2008

This concludes the Egyptian chapter of the Masks of Nyarlathotep. Our heroes could not prevent the resurrection of Nitiqret but they gallantly saved 7 would-be victims of the Brotherhood of the Pharaoh. Adam and Alec, shattered by their experiences under the Sphinx, return to the UK to face a grilling by the security services followed by hopefully restorative therapies. They will almost certainly be seen again when horror threatens at home. Sandy and Syed return to their regiments; they too have seen things they wish to forget but perhaps we may see them again when their expertise is required. For the others, Eliza, Fatima and John now know what they’re up against and soon they will face Nyarlathotep again in another of his guises, this time under the aegis of the US clandestine organisation, Delta Green. When and where is the question.

Last Rites: Meanwhile, back home another stalwart of the MI13’s home guard bites the dust – friends and family gather in Cliffside, Argyle for the funeral of Lionel Woodthorpe RIP – until, of course, the Mythos rears its unspeakably ugly visage…

This features three new PCs: Emily Parker, Freddie Wincanton and Thomas Grady, along with the return of home guard regulars, Belinda, Barbara and James Elliott (a very early character making a return after almost single-handedly modernising MI13’s IT before seeing his personal handiwork dismantled at the orders of Gordon Brown – guess James won’t be voting for Gordon in any elections in the near future).

The Personal Diary of James Elliott, part 1, October 5^th to November 2^nd 2008

The Personal Diary of Thomas Grady, part 1, October 22^nd to November 2^nd 2008

The Personal Diary of Barbara Smythe, part 1, October 25^th to November 2^nd 2008

The Personal Diary of Belinda Durham, part 1, October 31^st to November 2^nd 2008

The Personal Diary of Belinda Durham, part 2, November 2^nd to November 3^rd 2008

The Personal Diary of Thomas Grady, part 2, November 2^nd to November 3^rd 2008

The Rapture Screams: the sequel to Last Rites sees our heroes venturing into the Dreamlands to learn spells and then wrest the spirit of Sophie Ennis from Yog-Sothoth.

The Personal Diary of St John Cartwright-Fiennes, part 1, October 12^th to November 26^th 2008

The Personal Diary of James Elliott, part 1, November 3^rd to November 26^th 2008

The Personal Diary of Belinda Durham, part 1, November 3^rd to November 26^th 2008

The Personal Diary of Thomas Grady, part 1, November 3^rd to November 26^th 2008

The Personal Diary of James Elliott, part 2, November 28^th to November 30^th 2008

The Personal Diary of Thomas Grady, part 2, November 26^th to November 30^th 2008

The Personal Diary of Belinda Durham, part 2, November 28^th to November 30^th 2008

Masks of Nyarlathotep (Australia): With the demise of MI13 our heroes join Delta Green and receive professional training in a desert camp. James Elliott and Freddie Wincanton fly in from Blighty, having been recruited at the end of Last Rites. They join Eliza, Fatima and John Zwaiter, from the team that investigated Egypt. An American by the name of Marshall Winters completes the team. Satellite surveillance of the Mountain of the Black Wind suggests it’s too hot for a small team to achieve much so our heroes fly off to investigate some leads in Australia, where Fatima plugs herself into some Yithian mind-transfer technology.

The Personal Diary of James Elliott, part 1, December 3^rd 2008 5^th to February 11^th 2009

The Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson, part 1, October 18^th, 2008 to February 11^th 2009 (long)

The Diary of John Jamil Zwaiter, part 1, October 19^th, 2008 to February 11^th 2009

Our heroes trek across the Great Western Desert searching for the City of the Great Race.

The Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson, part 2, February 11^th 2009 to February 18^th 2009 (long)

The Personal Diary of James Elliott, part 2, February 11^th 2009 to February 18^th 2009

The Diary of John Jamil Zwaiter, part 2, February 11^th 2009 to February 16^th 2009

MI13/Delta Green find themselves in the City of the Great Race and the Dreamtime, where ‘time’ gets really screwy…

The Journal of Mad Ginger Muldoon, parts 2-3, February 15^th 2009 to February 19^th 2009

The Personal Diary of James Elliott, part 3, February 18^th 2009 to February 19^th 2009

The Diary of John Jamil Zwaiter, part 3, October 16^th, 2008 to February 18^th 2009 – culminating in John’s death at the hands of Marshall Winters!

The Personal Diary of Fatima El-Ahmed, part 3, February 18^th 2009 to February 19^th 2009

Our heroes are still deep beneath the Great Western Desert groping through Pnakotus and the Dreamtime, searching for allies… Time is screwy so the current date is becoming more and more uncertain.

The diary of Marshall Winters, parts 2-4, February 15^th 2009 to February 20^th (maybe) 2009

The Journal of Mad Ginger Muldoon, part 4, February 20^th (continued) 2009

The Personal Diary of James Elliott, part 4, February 20^th (continued) 2009

The Personal Diary of Fatima El-Ahmed, part 4, February 20^th (continued) 2009

The Diary of John Jamil Zwaiter, part 4, February 20^th (continued) 2009 – a dead man who won’t stay down!

The forces of evil are vanquished in an almighty battle under the sands to complete the Australian Chapter of the Masks of Nyarlathotep, with our heroes rescuing many hapless hostages, including Eliza, who reveals everything she’s been through. They return to the Real World and civilisation to find more than a month has passed in the City of the Great Race.

The Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson, part 5, February 18^th 2009 to March 24^th 2009

The diary of Marshall Winters, parts 5, continued to March 24^th 2009

The Journal of Mad Ginger Muldoon, part 5, continued to March 24^th 2009

The Diary of John Jamil Zwaiter, part 5, walking a path into the Dreamlands