TRAIL OF CTHULHU

The Murderer of Thomas Fell

A man close to you—father, business partner, informant, friend—has gone missing. The search begins at his house... which is not as it seems. Following the trail of this missing man leads you on a startling and perilous adventure. Finding him may change your life, and his, forever. Tonight you meet the murderer of Thomas Fell.

1 TRAIL OF CTHULHU

2 TRAIL OF CTHULHU

Credits

Publisher: Simon Rogers

Written by: Will Hindmarch

Art and Layout: Jérome Huguenin

GUMSHOE Guru: Robin D Laws

Playtesters: Alex Jeffries, Scott McKillican, O’Rourke Nirvan Wynn, Michael Marshall, Amy Poynter, Will Ludwigsen, Scott McClellan, Ed Cain, Don Rochester

Trail of Cthulhu was written by Kenneth Hite, based on the GUMSHOE system by Robin D Laws

Trail of Cthulhu was created by arrangement with Chaosium, Inc.

© 2008 Pelgrane Press Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Published by arrangement with Chaosium, Inc. Trail of Cthulhu is a trademark of Pelgrane Press Ltd.

3 An Introduction

GUMSHOE is the game engine humming inside a collection of Trail of Cthulhu also supports two distinct styles of play, so you sleek, focused horror and investigation RPGs. It is a precision can face Lovecraftian horrors exactly the way you want to. In the instrument, designed to tell stories through roleplaying by giving Purist mode of play, investigators are fragile, wary souls whose players a greater degree of control over the moments when their sanity is finite and always in peril of being blasted away to nothing characters succeed. In part, it does this by removing the random by the unearthly truths to which they expose themselves. You element in investigative scenarios and replacing it with that core can also play Trail of Cthulhu is the Pulp style, throwing punches element of all good gameplay: decision making. at sinister cultists and emptying Tommy guns into the drooling maws of mythos creatures. Each style of play is a simple matter In a GUMSHOE scenario, the question isn’t whether you of degree, so learn one simple set of rules and you’re ready to can find the clues in some kind of randomized equivalent of a play either way. pixel hunt. Rather, your characters—presumed to be capable investigators—are assured to find the clues they need. The You’ll need the Trail of Cthulhu rulebook to play this adventure, question becomes whether you can piece those clues together but you’ll find the format of GUMSHOE adventures is so clear in time to solve the dramatic, and often horrific, mysteries your and concise that you can appreciate this scenario even if you characters confront. haven’t yet read the rulebook.

Whether you’re looking for a game centered on bold detectives scouring dark places for the truth behind occult crimes, or THE ESOTERRORISTS you want to recreate the sweaty desperation of survival horror You might be afraid to face the Esoterrorists. You should be. But movies, in which ordinary people face extraordinary terror, they must be stopped. It’s up to you. there’s a GUMSHOE game to create the perfect experience. The bold and intriguing debut of the GUMSHOE system, The Esoterrorists is a complete investigative horror game from RPG TRAIL OF CTHULHU mastermind, Robin D. Laws. As part of a global conspiracy In the tradition of the RPG classic, Call of Cthulhu, comes called Ordo Veritatis, your expert detective character pursues fan-favorite author Ken Hite’s adaptation of the game for the and confronts occult GUMSHOE system: Trail of Cthulhu. If you’re reading this, you have terrorists wherever some idea what this game is, or will soon. Probably you enough they lurk. If you don’t about the Cthulhu mythos tales of H.P. Lovecraft to understand stop them, they’ll shape that the perils of following the trail of Cthulhu are madness and reality to their insane death, and that it’s the selfless bravery of the investigators who whims, warping the dare to face the withering world into a vision of existential truths of the horror in which the cosmos that makes them viciously mad are kings heroic. and good people live in fear. What you may not know, yet, is what makes Trail Your weapons? Cunning, of Cthulhu distinctive, reason, courage, and beyond just a new kind of the truth. Use the clues game rules and a ten-year you discover, combined time shift to the 1930s. with your knowledge Beyond the specially and exposure to honed investigative occult truths, to solve rules common to all the mysteries of the GUMSHOE games, this esoterrorists, fight their crimes, and avenge the dead. Sometimes game features simple that means outwitting the enemy, sometimes it means shooting new ways to humanize him dead. investigator characters and detail their motives The Esoterrorists is a razor-sharp roleplaying game of mystery and personalities. In and the occult, with concrete guidelines to get you designing game terms, these are your own compelling investigative scenarios right away. Inside their Drives, Pillars of Sanity, and Sources of Stability. you’ll discover the secret ambitions of the loosely-aligned

4 cults of the Esoterrorists, horrors to confront, more than 35 Beyond that, each investigative abilities to hone, and a complete, advanced scenario monster is presented of geopolitical terror called “Operation Slaughterhouse.” through the lens of legendry, rumor, and hearsay. Read the FEAR ITSELF accounts of brave, In the tradition of poor souls who have the greatest slasher faced these things films and survival- before. Learn what horror tales, Fear Itself to look for, what pits ordinary people evidence they leave against extraordinary behind, and how best horrors in scenarios to fight them. And in which few—if when to run. any—characters will survive. Explore a Don’t just shop for modern world of new creatures to gritty, desperate chop to bits. Take confrontations against your antagonists to a an alien menace from new level of terror. the Outer Black. And Remember what it was like to be afraid of monsters. Remember escape, if you can, what monstrous really means. with your life. Fear Itself puts MUTANT CITY BLUES players in control of In a world not so unlike our own—except that super-powered characters very much vigilantes and criminals are real—someone must keep the peace. like themselves, then plunges them into the kinds of brutally Someone must solve the crimes perpetrated by and against those terrifying survival-horror scenarios that make you afraid to walk with mutant powers. You are that someone. Using your own home alone afterwards. An ideal platform for one-shot games unique powers, drawn from more than 95 choices including of relentless, unforgiving terror, Fear Itself is the gutsy, gory Regeneration and Self-Detonation, you follow the clues and instrument of fear you’ve been looking for. uncover the mysteries of Mutant City.

If your characters escape murder and madness long enough With a default play mode casting characters as expert investigators to survive, Fear Itself easily unfolds into a series of compelling in the employ of the Heightened Capacity Investigative Unit adventures in which your ordinary characters become (HCIU), Mutant City Blues plays as a provocative, super-powered extraordinary over time—and get their chance to make the police procedural. With its detailed history of emerging mutant monsters of the Outer Black afraid of them. powers and the effect they have on the world, Mutant City Blues is also flexible enough to accommodate your own unique brand THE BOOK OF of crime-fighting. Any city—your city—can become Mutant City. This complete roleplaying game from acclaimed designer Robin D. Laws, gives UNREMITTING HORROR you everything you need to play out intelligent, thrilling police Intelligent. Insidious. Inhuman. These are your new nightmares. tales with a stunning super-powered twist.

The Book of Unremitting Horror is a bold and mature menagerie of terrifying, grotesque, and cunning new monsters for any GUMSHOE game. No simple catalog of simplistic beasts, this is a detailed examination of horrors more sophisticated than simple vampires and zombies, exploring not only how these creatures behave but what they want, how they think, and why.

5 TRAIL OF CTHULHU

The Murderer of Thomas Fell

Fell, as well as his actual game ‡,QWURGXFH7KRPDV)HOOLQDQHDUOLHU Introduction statistics, thereby setting up the players story as a witness or expert and their characters alike for his consultant on an unrelated case. to the Adventure shocking appearance at the end of the Then have the characters hear This adventure is designed to show story. (See “The Truth About Thomas from Kenneth or Roger, Thomas’s off integral parts of the GUMSHOE Fell” on p. XX to see how.) sons, that Thomas hasn’t been game system that powers Trail of seen in several days and his house Cthulhu, but also to give you a taste dark. “Will you go with us to look of the many kinds of thrills waiting around his house?” they ask. for you in future adventures for this Using This Story game, from investigative suspense to This scenario is designed to be played ‡6HW7KRPDV)HOOXSHDUO\LQ\RXU perilous violence to eldritch madness. as a stand-alone or one-shot tale—a series as a Source of Stability for At the same time, this adventure pays taste of Trail of Cthulhu before you a player character, especially one weird homage to the noir classic The create characters of your own. That with points in Archaeology, Art Third Man, by centering the tale on an makes this a good scenario to play at a History, or even Occult. absent man—a man the players will convention or as a first foray into the help bring to life through their own GUMSHOE system. The only downside to using this story roleplaying and the actions of their in the midst of an ongoing series is that characters. Like The Third Man’s Harry This isn’t to say you can’t easily adapt you may not get to take advantage of Lime, Thomas Fell should be a figure this story for use in an ongoing Trail the opportunity to have the players the characters thought they knew... of Cthulhu series. “The Murderer define Thomas Fell through their own until their investigation revealed things of Thomas Fell” makes a fine roleplaying. about him that they might never have introductory story, or a prologue to a suspected. The climax of the story ongoing series, if you want to follow hinges on the dramatic entrance of up on the exploits of these characters Thomas Fell and the revelation of his or make continued use of the artifact Reading This Story dreadful fate. described herein. See the section Throughout this story, you’ll find called “Aftermath,” at the end of this text describing the story’s settings, For the sake of manageability, The story, for more on that. characters, monsters, and events. Murderer of Thomas Fell puts the PCs in Some of this text is suitable for reading a closed environment, so you don’t To make this part of a Trail of Cthulhu aloud to your players. Don’t. This text have to worry about a sprawling city- series that’s already begun, simply is meant to be inspirational, giving wide investigation or the possibility don’t worry so much about the you a concrete details you can use in of characters hopping on a train and personal connections between the your own descriptions and account of riding away from the scenario. (Trail of players’ characters and Thomas Fell events. Cthulhu makes it easy to play out such himself. Your series’ characters are large-scale investigative tales, but this probably already intrepid investigators Reading directly from the text feels short adventure assumes you don’t with their own reasons for looking into stiff and overly formal most of the have the time for that.) the mysterious disappearance of a local time. Worse, when you read from the antiques dealer. Here are some easy text, the players can tell when you’re Within this closed environment, ways you can set up Thomas Fell, and winging it and when you’re not. This however, the players have a great thus this story, in an ongoing game: might tip them off to details that are amount of freedom to investigate, important, versus details that are red attack, retreat, regroup, and roleplay. ‡,QVHUW7KRPDV)HOODVDSOD\HU herrings or just for color. Rather than The choices they make will contribute character’s contact. giving them these meta-clues, if you to everyone’s mental image of Thomas will, stick to paraphrasing the text you

6 TRAIL OF CTHULHU

Introduction to the Adventure find in this book, glancing at it before Driven mad by Mythos revelations he The first part of the story puts the you describe the setting and actions has discovered while researching the characters in Thomas Fell’s house, unique to your version of this story. stones, Thomas tried to kill the rest parts of which have been replaced, Your focus, after all, should be on the of his expedition to keep them away impossibly, by jutting boulders and players and the tale actually unfolding from his fragment of a broken standing tangled jungle trees. There they seek around them—not the version of the stone, which allows them to teleport evidence of his whereabouts and any story we predict here. back to his house. He succeeded in clues that might suggest just where killing one of his comrades and fatally the hell the kitchen has gone. This This adventure demonstrates all the wounding another; the other two part’s scenes occur when the PCs visit parts of a scenario described on page fled into the mountaintop’s strange particular parts of the house but once 192 of Trail of Cthulhu. wilderness, where they were attacked the scene “Cellar,” is complete, the by the egg-tending beast that dwells story moves irrevocably into its second inside the rocks there. They remain part. alive, for now, as they are gradually The Hook encased and penetrated by ribbons The second part of the story begins Thomas Fell has gone missing. For days of stone that will store them for the when an ancient artifact in the cellar no one in town has seen him. He hasn’t monster and its young to eat later. mystically transports the PCs to the answered his phone. He hasn’t picked remote and alien mountaintop where up his mail. His house has been dark. Meanwhile, using a spell engraved Thomas Fell’s expedition of occultists Where is he? on a mountaintop stele, Thomas has and archaeologists met its awful end. absorbed the stone fragment into There the characters struggle to find The scenario begins with the his body, and it’s the only hope of Thomas Fell and make sense of all characters assembled on Thomas Fell’s getting off the mountaintop. His available clues in the hopes of finding front porch and unlocking the door to plan is to capture at least one more a way home. At the same time, they his house. off the monster’s eggs to take “back strive to avoid being bitten and turned to the world.” His plan beyond that slowly to stone by the strange and is sketchy and irrational: he believes lethal creature that dwells upon the that he needs to bring these eggs mountaintop. These scenes occur The Horrible Truth to other teleportation destinations, either when the PCs physical location Thomas Fell has departed his home hatch them, and train them to serve or your sense of drama dictates that through the use of a mystic artifact—a as protectors. Anyone who gets in his they do. standing stone in his cellar which way must, in his mind, want to exploit interacts with other alien standing the teleportation stones for their own This story offers numerous stones to magically teleport persons purposes; killing such persons will save opportunities for embellishing detours across the globe. He has used the stone lives, he thinks. and short tangents, but the barest in his cellar once already, without spine of the tale is quite simple. To telling anyone, and collected a strange If the player characters want to see complete this scenario, the characters stone artifact—egg-shaped and etched home again, they must get the stone must: with glyphs—on his journey. (This is fragment out of Thomas Fell, which rather what it appears to be: an egg. requires cutting him open and tearing ‡%HVXSHUQDWXUDOO\WUDQVSRUWHGWR Inside is a fearsome alien predator.) it free. Fatal, to be sure. This is the the bizarre mountaintop ruins price, however, of achieving the Thomas’ scheduled trip is part of scenario’s victory condition: escape ‡'LVFRYHUWKHQDWXUHRIWKHDUWLIDFW an expedition funded by Jan Joyce- from the mountaintop. that brought them there Cleveland, but it began somewhat sooner than expected, when Thomas ‡/RFDWH7KRPDV)HOODQGNLOO and the four expeditionary partners him to secure escape from the he hired (with Joyce-Cleveland’s The Spine mountain money) met at his house to plan out This adventure consists of two main the trip. The teleportation effect, parts, each set in a different part of the Along the way, the characters have accidentally triggered, relocated them globe and each containing scenes that opportunities to learn the truth about to a mysterious mountaintop deep in a can be played in just about any order. Thomas Fell’s doomed expedition to remote and dangerous mountain range. the mountain (which may be of use

7 TRAIL OF CTHULHU

The Murderer of Thomas Fell should you choose to turn this one- the characters while they wander the shot story into the beginning of an Part Two: mountaintop, but this undercuts the ongoing campaign), and the fates that final reveal of Thomas at the end of the befell his colleagues. The Mountaintop story; it’s best if the PCs don’t know Once the characters have activated Thomas is still alive until after they’ve Meanwhile, the players use their the stele in Thomas Fell’s basement, learned that he is the one who has character’s abilities to add personality the story moves to this second part, turned on the expedition members. and details to the persona of Thomas a survival and investigation situation Leave them wondering where Thomas Fell, with the help the Keeper, as in which the goal is to locate Thomas is and just who has killed him for as described in the special game system without being slain by a fearsome long as possible. on p. XX. monster first. This part of the story is set in a remote Andean mountaintop, The Mouth in the Stone is a fearsome transformed into a temperate, alien monster, vaguely cunning but no more refuge by ancient and forgotten intelligent or sinister than any earthly mysticism. predator. It reacts to the presence of Overview the investigators by stalking them and, By locating and following clues based if possible, securing them as a source Part One: largely on Evidence Collection, of food with its petrifying bite. The Outdoorsman, Art History, and timing and appetite of the creature Thomas Fell’s House Interpersonal Abilities, the characters is entirely a matter of Keeper fiat. It This first part of the scenario is a are able to discern just what is attacks when you think the adventure collection of simple investigative necessary to escape the mountaintop. needs a dose of desperate peril or scenes designed to reward almost any The clue chain takes the characters gruesome violence, or when you need manner of investigative approach and across various optional encounters to conveniently remove an NPC that’s give the players a chance to get into centered on the scenes of multiple bogging things down. character (or show off their skills) attacks and dying survivors, where before the mayhem begins. As such, they may learn clues that prepare Neither of these antagonists, therefore, the clues available in many of these them for their final encounter, before is working actively against the PCs. The scenes are attainable with a variety of culminating in the discovery of Thomas primary opposing force generating the Investigative Abilities. Be flexible. It’s Fell at a bizarre shrine. There they are conflict in this story is the characters’ more important for the characters faced with the moral dilemma at the predicament: they are trapped in a to learn how to gain clues in these heart of this story: who will be the hostile place. Everything—the threat scenes than it is for them to properly murderer of Thomas Fell? of the creature, the lurking danger assemble them. of Thomas Fell, the possibility of All along the way, the characters have starvation or a fatal fall—should be Most of the clues revealed in this first opportunities to use their General empowered by the antagonism of the part are leveraged clues, useful Abilities as they flee from or fight an environment itself. when the characters locate survivors of unearthly monster: The Mouth in the Thomas Fell’s expedition in Part Two. Stone. Likewise, this is where the players are most likely to detail Thomas Fell’s Antagonist Reactions Special Game System: The character with their own actions. There are two antagonists working against the PCs in this scenario: Truth About Thomas Fell Pacing in this first part is vital—don’t Thomas Fell and the supernatural let the PCs get bored enough to leave creature called the Mouth in the Stone. the house. When one of them tries Who is Thomas Fell? That to do that, it’s your sign to trigger Thomas Fell reacts to the arrival depends. Who do the PCs think “The Stone Activates” clause in the and investigations of the PCs by he is? scene “The Cellar.” This immediately withdrawing from them and remaining Thomas Fell’s personality, abilities, transports the character to Part Two. hidden for as long as possible—that and background reflect the way the is, until you’re ready to trigger the players roleplay their characters and final scene of the story. If it suits your what they presume their relationship purposes, he may track or shadow with Thomas was like. By reacting

8 TRAIL OF CTHULHU

Overview to the players’ cues (intentional or So, an Academic, Technical or possibly Library Use + Bargain: “We’ve incidental) you ensure that their even a General spend in the first part seen Hanson’s journal, Thomas. I saw choices have meaning and that Thomas of the scenario can reveal a piece of your notes back at the house. We know has a personal connection with the information about Thomas Fell—the about the stones and those creature’s characters when they finally meet. prerequisite clue—that can be eggs. If we agree to bring the eggs leveraged in the final scene with an back, will you take us home?” For example, if Kenneth’s player Interpersonal Ability. makes it clear that Kenneth finds his Letting the Players In On It father to be a harmless old kook, you Here are a few examples of Do the players know they’re defining have a scrap, a datum, to absorb into Investigative Abilities the pre- Thomas Fell with their actions? The your characterization of Thomas. He generated characters possess and default assumption is that they do is, on some level, a gentle and perhaps how they might be leveraged with an not. This minimizes the ability of the even eccentric fellow—when he’s not Interpersonal Ability in the final scene. players to abuse the mechanism. crazily murdering. Maybe he continues Remember, these are examples, not to wear and adjust his glasses, or restrictions: On the other hand, if you’re running straighten his bloodied tie, or speak the kind of game in which the players with a start-and-stop shyness. If, on Art + Flattery: “Dad, you remember are able to add details to the setting the other hand, Knox’s player suggests how mad I got when I was having by asking about them—e.g., “There’s that Thomas was a stubborn bastard, trouble with figure drawing in school? probably a box of cigars in here, you should play him as a stubborn I was furious because I wanted it to be right?”—and they’re not throwing the bastard, at least in his dealing with easy, but it wasn’t. You told me, ‘things whole game experience out of whack, Knox. Remember, no one behaves the are often hard when they’re worth then you should let them in on the same way with everyone. doing.’ I know it’s hard for you to put game system so they can specifically down the gun, Dad, but... it’s the right add details to Thomas Fell as a means Beyond that, and more specifically, thing to do. You taught me that. You of adding reflective details to their the spends players make in Thomas’ know it’s the right thing to do. You’re own characters. For example, Roger’s house should influence his abilities, his smarter than this.” player might suggest that Thomas interests, and his vulnerabilities—the Fell failed out of medical school and things which affect him, even through Latin + Assess Honesty: “You was always a little jealous of his son’s his madness. Players may make spends taught me the Hippocratic Oath in success, just as a means of explaining a with almost any skill in this way just to Latin because you said, if I really meant bit of Roger’s arrogance. detail Thomas’s character. As a rule of it, I should learn it twice. You believed thumb, no player may make a second in me for learning it, and following it, Only you know your players well spend on Thomas’ details until every didn’t you? ‘Do no harm.’ You’re not enough to judge the right course of other player has made his or her first going to shoot me, are you, Dad?” action, here. We certainly don’t. spend to do so. Evidence Collection + Essential Traits This sets up Thomas to react to Interrogation: “You put two rounds While Thomas’ interests and leveraged clues in the final scene of into that man’s back, Thomas. You personality quirks are subject to the the story, essentially creating the shot a man in the back! What the hell inputs of the players, a few essential possibility for every Investigative is wrong with you? What were you traits must be in his repertoire in spend describing him to turn into thinking? How did you expect to get order to make this scenario unfold a leveraged clue, as described out of here without your partners? Tell with a bit of logic. At least as of on p. 194 of Trail of Cthulhu. If it’s me!” the moment when the PCs finally an Archaeology spend that reveals encounter Thomas Fell, he must have Thomas’ secret library (in the scene Occult + Intimidation: “You read the following traits or Abilities: “The Den”) is hidden by a latched door the stones, didn’t you, Thomas? You behind an etching of Knossos, then used them. So you know how to get ‡+LV6DQLW\LVHURGHGWRQRWKLQJ³D using symbolism or archaeological us home. Now you listen to me: your rating of 0. Thomas is irretrievably references may get his attention in the boys will die here, starved or eaten, insane, broken by his exposure to final scene, enabling an Interpersonal unless you tell me how to get us out of Mythos spells and the effects of ability to penetrate his mad thoughts here. You tell me, or we die and you’re the one he cast upon himself. His and reach the mind within. finished in ‘back in the world.’” Sanity was probably never very

9 TRAIL OF CTHULHU

The Murderer of Thomas Fell

high to begin with. using this story for a convention game, Thomas Fell gives each player another the information provided herein is way to define to individualize her ‡+LV6WDELOLW\LVORZEXWQRWJRQH all the players have to go on when character. It’s this semblance of normalcy imagining Thomas Fell, or when that enabled him to get the jump discussing him in-character. on his expedition partners. His Kenneth Fell exact Stability must be determined If you’re using this story to kick off an Occupation: Artist by you, the Keeper, to reflect the ongoing Trail of Cthulhu series, consider difficulty and tone of the final extracting some of these characters’ Drive: Ennui scene as you want to present it. It relationships and experiences with can also be fudged to reflect the Thomas Fell and assigning them to the Broke, bohemian, and haunted by inputs of the players, who may characters your players presumably a sense of powerlessness, you are a suggest something of Thomas’ make for themselves. Although Thomas true artist. Not in the sense of the Stability prior to this expedition. Fell’s personality and history should Masters, but in the real-world sense remain close to what’s described here, of the working, toiling creator, living ‡7KRPDVUHDGVDQGZULWHVDQDQFLHQW give him siblings, friendly rivals, ex- in squalor but proud that at least you language that none of the PCs do, wives or whatever else is necessary don’t have to demean yourself with and it is in this language that the to build a compelling dramatic embarrassing, soulless work. You can Mythos secrets on the stelae are connection between him and the count on your fingers the number of carved. Perhaps it’s an ancient players’ characters. pieces you’ve sold—some sculpture, Incan dialect or a bizarre derivation some paintings—but every one has of Egyptian hieroglyphics. Whether you’re using pre-generated gone to people with decent taste and Whatever it is, this language is the characters or not, it’s important that good money; people you can respect barrier that stands between the every player’s character have some yourself for selling art to. By eating characters and the ability to use personal history with Thomas Fell built tins of beans and living in your studio Mythos knowledge or spells in the into her backstory, even if that rapport with a communal bathroom down final scene. You want to allude to a isn’t so important that Thomas Fell the hall, you even manage to live greater, unknown horror, not get is one of their Sources of Stability. In for several months off a single sale. bogged down in the minutiae of fact, for characters you expect to carry Somebody, you might make it big. But, how Thomas’ ill-fated spell works. over to follow-up stories, it’s best if you realize, probably not. You get by. Thomas Fell is not a Source of Stability, ‡)LUHDUPV6FXIIOLQJDQG:HDSRQV since his death is all but guaranteed. Nature is one avenue of inspiration for Thomas needs a rating in at least Perhaps the characters know Thomas you, particularly the way the world one of these Abilities sufficient from a function at the Joyce-Cleveland sculpts itself. Volcanoes, desert bluffs, to be a threat in the final scene. estate, or perhaps they’ve met him ocean-side cliffs and other natural rock More than likely, his advantage is through dealings with Makepeace formations captivate you. These are not his expertise in any of these or Detective Wright. Any of the what you paint and sculpt, sometimes Abilities but, rather, his shotgun: relationships established with the pre- realistically and sometimes not. a Winchester pump-action with 5 generated characters can be dialed shots. It deals +1 damage. down to something less than Source- You are the younger of Thomas Fell’s of-Stability levels. two sons. Your older brother is Roger, (If it’s helpful for exposition purposes, a doctor. He’s the respectable one, Thomas Fell used to hunt quail with A prior connection to Thomas Fell the success story. He took after your Makepeace. From this he’s picked up helps not only to heighten the moral father’s academic side, the rational a rating of 8 in Firearms; enough to dilemma at the end of this story, but it side, and got through medical school be dangerous in the final scenes of the gives each player material to draw on with discipline and more than a little story.) when roleplaying the search for their arrogance. You can’t really relate to missing friend. Are they afraid for his that. Ambition, arrogance, duty— Player Characters safety or afraid that he’ll make some these are admiral traits, but they To get you playing the game right great discovery without them? Do belong to other people. You’re more away, you have here five pre-generated they blame Thomas for their troubles sensitive, observant, and sympathetic; characters, each with its own personal or expect him to save them all? Each you tell yourself that these are what connection to Thomas Fell. If you’re character’s unique relationship with make you a good person, even though

10 TRAIL OF CTHULHU

Player Characters you’re not healing the sick. You two What the Characters Know About Each Other don’t talk much. The following information should be paraphrased to all the players, probably Your dad is a kindly old coot, prone to through straight narration, before the story begins, so that everyone getting in over his head, especially in understands what their characters know about each other: regards to business. He’s owed money in the past, but not to especially bad This concern for Thomas Fell’s wellbeing started with Jan Joyce- people, and he’s been taken by forgers Cleveland, who grew worried when the men hired to plan the expedition and deadbeats before. Fingers crossed, with Thomas never reported. Worried, but not yet willing to declare Thomas that’s as bad as it is this time, and missing (for her own reasons), Joyce-Cleveland called Knox Makepeace, he’s just laying low, trying to figure who Thomas had considered bringing into the expeditionary team, but then out how to make some money to pay decided against. Makepeace and Thomas are old friends and colleagues, so back some debts and keep his antiques Joyce-Cleveland hoped they might have been in contact recently. consultancy and dealership in business. You don’t know what you’d do if he’s Makepeace, however, had already been worried about Thomas. The last time really in trouble. Surely you’d do they saw each other, Thomas was acting strangely—paranoid, disinterested in anything to find him, but you’re not work beyond his “current project” and quick to anger. They’d met for lunch, sure what you’d do if something were and it had ended with Thomas leaving in a huff. So, when Thomas’ current to happen to him. You’ve come to financier Joyce-Cleveland called on Makepeace to ask him if he’d seen dad’s house because you’re genuinely Thomas, Makepeace got worried and called Thomas’ old friend, Detective worried about him. Norman Wright, for his professional opinion.

Pillars of Sanity: Detective Wright got in touch with Thomas’ two grown sons, Kenneth ‡7KHJRRGQHVVDQGKRQHVW\RIWKH and Roger, as part of his casual pre-investigation. When Detective Wright natural world mentioned that he wanted to go by Thomas’ house to poke around, both sons volunteered to come along—out of guilt. Neither had spoken with ‡7KHUHOLDELOLW\RIKXPDQNLQG·V their father, Thomas, for several months. That he could go missing and they’d predictable selfishness being not be among the first to notice is embarrassing for them both. Though it’s undermined by generosity possible that they know their father better than anyone else, they probably know the least about his work, and his sometimes close contact with ‡7KHSRZHURIDUWWRLPSDFWWKH antiquities of questionable legality. heart and mind of any person, if done right. Phone calls lead to more phone calls, and soon everyone back along the chain of worry is on the sidewalk outside Thomas Fell’s house, each looking to find Sources of Stability: Thomas Fell him for their own reasons. So it is that these five souls meet in the space left (your father, who is difficult but behind by Thomas Fell. reliable), Jeannie Corman (your on-again-off-again girlfriend), Hans Siegler (a friend and artist whose work you admire and emulate) Roger Fell the money is good and it’s important Occupation: Doctor work but... you don’t really like Investigative Abilities: doing it anymore. You have to check Architecture 2, Art 6, Art History 4, Drive: Duty the chart to remember your patients’ Craft 4, Credit Rating 1, Flattery 4, names sometimes. You’re a little tired Geology 2, Occult 1, Photography 2, A husband and a doctor, you consider of seeing the same cases again and Reassurance 4 yourself an upstanding citizen and, one again—tennis elbows and stomach day, a family man. You work hard, you aches all the time. General Abilities: Driving 4, Filch make good money, you support your 5, Firearms 2, Fleeing 12, Health 9, wife and don’t mess around. What else You are the elder son of Thomas Fell. Psychoanalysis 8, Sanity 9, Stability 10, is there? Your little brother is Kenneth, the Sense Trouble 5, Stealth 5, Weapons 2 “artist.” How does he manage to live For you, medicine is a profession, the way he does? Eating beans from not a calling. You help people because the tin and sleeping in his hole of a

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The Murderer of Thomas Fell studio—he has no self-respect and no General Abilities: Driving 2, that he’d go missing for a few days? ambition. It’s pathetic, but you can’t First Aid 20, Fleeing 10, Health 10, You called around to dig up some spend your life trying to change him. Psychoanalysis 10, Sanity 12, Stability information and ended up getting the Some day he’ll outgrow his artistic 7, Scuffling 6 attention of his sons—more trouble fantasy and get a real job. Life is work, than you meant to stir up, but what’s after all, whether you want to do it done is done. If they can help you solve or not. You need money to live and Detective Norman Wright the case of the missing antiquarian, keep your family well. Unless you’re Occupation: Police Detective that’s just fine. Kenneth, and then you don’t have to worry about anyone but yourself. Drive: Curiosity Pillars of Sanity: ‡7KHLQQDWHJRRGQHVVRISHRSOH Your father understands this to a point. You’re a local police detective, in it for Crime makes people bad, which He works hard, but he doesn’t show the mysteries. A fan of detective fiction leads to more crime, but people the best judgment. He gets distracted and puzzle games of all sorts, you are inherently good. by art and antiques that appeal to him love a good question and the search but don’t have sufficient resale value, for a good answer. Your devotion to ‡3DWULRWLVP$PHULFDLVDQ letting his fun get in the way of his your job, then, isn’t out of revenge exemplary nation, admirable and work. In this way, he’s almost exactly or a need to judge people, but a self- true. halfway between you and your brother. indulgent interest in solving crimes rather than fighting criminals. You’re ‡/RYHIRU&KLFDJR\RXUKRPHWRZQ It’s most likely that your father isn’t a capable cop, and you’ve fired your A hard-working, American town. missing at all, but rather has no paid gun, but your wits are stronger than his telephone bill or been checking your fists and you know it. ‡/DZ:KHQSHRSOHDELGHE\ the mail or something. Still, if the old society’s codes, we can be a great man fell down in his house and hurt You met Thomas Fell a couple of years people. himself, that’d be your fault, in a way. ago, when he helped you out on a case You haven’t checked up on him in a of missing antiques from a robbery- Sources of Stability: Captain while, like a good son should. If he’s homicide case in town. Thomas posed George Gough (your precinct captain, not okay, you know you’ll end up as a buyer for the thieves in a sting a weathered old dog of a man who has blaming yourself. And Kenneth. operation you designed. You felt like a kept his sense of humor through dark real policeman, that day. times), Thomas Fell (a good local soul Pillars of Sanity: who helped you handle the estate sale ‡7KHEHDXW\RI*RG·VFUHDWXUHV Since then, you’ve been friends with when your parents died—you’ve since especially the human form Thomas because of your shared become friends) enthusiasm for the stories behind ‡3K\VLFDOODZVDQGWKHYDOLGLW\RI things—the tales of how objects come Investigative Abilities: Assess scientific knowledge to be in the hands of their current Honesty 6, Cop Talk 4, Credit Rating owners, for example. He’s a curious 3, Evidence Collection 4, Forensics 2, ‡7KH+LSSRFUDWLF2DWK³DIHZGXW\ man selling curios, and that leads to Interrogation 6, Law 2, Outdoorsman bound people can save lives good conversations. Still, you don’t 2 spend that much time with him, just Sources of Stability: Muriel Fell a visit to his house now and again, but General Abilities: Athletics 12, (your wife of 8 years), Thomas Fell if he’s in a rough patch, you’ll return Driving 4, Firearms 14, Health 11, (your father, who is a stubborn his favor by using your job to help him Mechanical Repair 4, Sanity 12, headache sometimes but your father all out. You wouldn’t break the law for Stability 8, Scuffling 10, Sense Trouble the same) Thomas Fell, but you’d devote on-duty 14, Stealth 6 time to making sure he’s all right. Investigative Abilities: Accounting 2, Assess Honesty 2, Biology 4, Credit When Makepeace called and went so Jan Joyce-Cleveland Rating 4, Forensics 4, Languages far as to say he was missing, well, you Occupation: Dilettante (Latin) 2, Medicine 4, Pharmacy 4, were intrigued. Thomas is no misfit, Reassurance 2 so he can’t be in too much trouble. Drive: In the Blood But what has he gotten himself into

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Player Characters

(Jan is specifically named to be gender- neutral. Whether the name is short for Janice or is a male name of Norwegian descent is up to you, the player, to decide.)

The Joyces and the Clevelands have long been wealthy. Some families are just more capable than others, and it’s the responsibility of such families to do things like solve the world’s mysteries (but not necessarily publicize them), protect the world’s treasures (but not necessarily share them), and give the little people a chance to support themselves. Long have the Joyce- Clevelands been globe-trotters and collectors of fine antiquities, and long has each generation sought to outdo the previous’ collections in terms of rarity and mystery.

You heard word of Thomas Fell through Knox Makepeace, who has helped your father acquire some of his antique and archaeological collections over the years. Fell is a believer in the occult, like you, unlike your father. You sent Thomas Fell a stone stele, etched with alien markings, from your father’s estate while he was out of town. Your hope was that Thomas Fell would be able to tell you what the object was and where it came from—and he did that quickly. He said Peru. So you cut him a check big enough for him to hire some men and go off in search of similar objects that you could bring back to impress your father... and possibly convince him that some of to some hiding place? You funded may become emotional and personal, his collection has properties more them, so whatever is happening, it’s and that’s no help. Unless you can use fantastic than he believes. happening on your dime. them to get Thomas Fell out of the woodwork. Thomas Fell hired four men— Damn it all, though, Makepeace went diggers, drivers, explorers—and was and called a police detective. Now Pillars of Sanity: having meetings to plant their trip, you may have to pay him off if the ‡$HVWKHWLFVDQGKLJKDUW³EHDXW\ but then they all stopped writing or provenance or proper ownership of benefits mankind calling. No sign of them. They didn’t the stele comes into question—or board a plane or a train (and Thomas the fact that you hired men to loot ‡)DPLO\6RPHIDPLOLHVDUHJUHDWHU had said “Oh, I don’t think we’ll be antiquities. Even with the law being as than others. A great family can lead flying there,” the last time you spoke sketchy as it is, you’d rather have kept and inspire. to him), so where did they go? Have the police out of it. And now that Fell’s the stolen the stele and secreted away sons are involved, the whole business Sources of Stability: Grover

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The Murderer of Thomas Fell

Joyce-Cleveland (your investment- wealthy man, in his line of work, if he Sources of Stability: Thomas Fell banker father, and the reason why was willing to tell better stories about (your friend and colleague in the you’re rich), Thomas Fell (your secret the antiques he sells... and if he was commercial antiquities business, investment project, the quaint antique willing to sell more illicit pieces. Still, he’s the one you turn to when issues expert who’s going to certify your find his conscience is admirable, and useful of the occult come up, because he and help you make your own fortune) to you as a fill-in for the space where believes in that sort of thing), Dorothy your conscience should be. Chapman (your secretary, who handles Investigative Abilities: Accounting your paperwork and appointment 1, Art 4, Credit Rating 7, Flattery Beyond that, you’re friends with schedule—a real savior), John Allen 4, Intimidation 4, Occult 2, the man. You’d be heartbroken if he Ward (a black-market antiquities Outdoorsman 6, Photography 2, decided to finally take your advice, dealer from whom you’ve bought the Reassurance 4 get involved in something a little artifacts that have earned you respect shadowy, and end up getting hurt. If and authority in the field) General Abilities: Athletics 12, this is somehow your fault, you’ll feel Firearms 10, Health 10, Preparedness awful. But keep it yourself. If his sons Investigative Abilities: 12, Riding 4, Sanity 8, Stability 12, or Detective Wright can blame you, Anthropology 2, Architecture 2, Art Weapons 5 somehow, they probably won’t let you History 4, Astronomy 2, Bargain 2, claim any of Thomas’ fine collection. Credit Rating 4, History 4, Languages 2, Library Use 4 Professor Knox Makepeace Pillars of Sanity: Occupation: Professor ‡+LVWRU\LVDJXLGLQJIRUFHVWXG\RI General Abilities: Conceal 10, Filch it saves humanity from strife and 10, Firearms 5, Fleeing 20, Health 7, Drive: Antiquarianism repeated mistakes Preparedness 6, Sanity 7, Stability 10, Stealth 5 You know better than most folk just ‡$UWLIDFWVRIKLVWRU\DQGWKHDUWVKDYH what history is worth—intellectually a value beyond simple money; they and financially. It’s not right to leave belong in wiser hands show they artifacts in the hands of those who can be appreciated won’t care for them or appreciate them, regardless of inheritance, cultural associations, or weak In the Event of Fewer Players international laws. If a Wall Street If you don’t have five players in attendance when you play out this scenario, collector is going to provide a good the players may be left at a considerable disadvantage. The characters home for that Greek amphora, and let presented here were designed to interact with the clues in this story in you study it and record its history, then particular ways, and were created with a number of built points based on the the object is better off in his hands. assumption that four or more characters would be in play. Without some of the investigative abilities linked to each character, people’s fun might seem to And your time is valuable. You should be at risk. be paid for finding good homes for these works. The lawmakers in Consider one of these solutions to the problem: Washington don’t quite appreciate the First, substitute other investigative abilities for certain clues, if necessary. antiquarian perspective, so you’ll bend Alternately, put a book or two into Thomas’ den that can help out in later the law if you must. scenes by supplying, for example, a few points of Geology or Biology to the investigators if Kenneth or Roger is missing. You went to graduate school with Second, consider playing the leftover characters yourself, as NPCs. You might Thomas Fell and have been a business only need to do this long enough to relate some key exposition in the first acquaintance, and sometimes half of the story, thereby turning unmanned characters into useful experts, partner, with him for years. You’re and have those characters be left behind when the teleportation effect occurs two sides of the same antique coin: in the scene “The Stone, Activated.” If you like, these NPCs might travel with you, the purveyor of rare antiquities the PCs into the second half of the story, where they can be savagely attacked with questionable provenance, him by the mountaintop monster or brutally murdered by Thomas Fell whenever the expert in determining that it’s dramatically appropriate. provenance. Thomas could be a

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Thomas Fell’s House Part One: Thomas Fell’s House The House Scene Type: Introduction This first scene is meant to introduce the PCs to each other and to the bizarre situation within Thomas Fell’s house: The kitchen and master bedroom are missing. Where they should be is, instead, a stretch of alien stone—solid, smooth, the color of cement, and bristling with brown clinging vines—and the trunk of a huge, dead tree stretching from the soil piled in the center of the house, up into the space where the master bedroom should be. It’s as if the inside of the house has been swapped out with a patch of some strange, rocky wilderness.

(In truth, that’s exactly what’s happened. These are the same kind of unearthly rocks that make up the mountaintop in Part Two. The)

The kitchen walls have been removed, revealing the exposed frame of the next rooms over (living room, dining room). Its ceiling is likewise gone, apparently taking the floor and all possessions of the master bedroom with it. The walls of the master bedroom are still present—pictures still hang on nails hammered into floral wallpaper—but vines have already riddled with obsidian-like rocks. adventuring gear (kayaks, backpacks, begun to spread from the rocks to the climbing tools, etc.). house and stiff, dead tree branches Stairs lead up from the front room of have torn through the plaster under the house to the second floor, which Architecture reveals the house to still the wallpaper. no consists solely of Thomas’s den (and be stable; there’s no danger in taking secret library). Stairs lead down from the stairs up to Thomas’ den or down to A fine dust is inside the house, as if the kitchen to the house’s cellar, which the cellar. someone has been tearing out plaster consists of the cellar proper and the or sawing stone. It’s all throughout the storage room where the stele is located. Art History or History notices that still, dead air. Thomas has dug out many of his Pre- Evidence Collection finds Thomas Columbian American artifacts from his Even casual digging around reveals that Fell has recently been receiving office and placed them throughout the the kitchen’s tile floor is still present mail from companies specializing house, on the mantle, on window sills, under about two feet of loose black soil, in outdoorsman equipment and etc.

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The Murderer of Thomas Fell

No additional clues remain to be found burning fireplace punctuates one rocky location very much resembling here, though photographs and prints wall. It smells like a used bookstore in the stones in the house. Several on the walls and antiques all over can here. The floor is covered in stacks of photographs focus on a tall obelisk be used to reveal bits of Thomas Fell’s paper—newspapers, invoices, maps, covered with strange glyphs. personality. condition reports on various artifacts, correspondence, etc. One of these photographs shows Thomas and four other men—two Use this scene to foreshadow the feral, nondescript white men, a tall man The Den isolated, and animal-like behavior with a serious mustache, and a young Scene Type: Core they’ll see in Thomas later on. This Asian man—standing in the living Thomas Fell’s den is a hardwood- room is his lair, where he nests amid room in front of the strange rocks that paneled room made up almost entirely papers gathered from all over. have displaced his kitchen. (Core clue) of bookshelves, framed maps, and decorative antiques. It’s cave-like Thomas’ camera is here, loaded and Art History or Art notices an odd and dark, all of its windows hidden ready to be used. It’s sitting on a mix of styles in the obelisk in the behind bookcases. A small wood- stack of photographs depicting some photos: it has an almost Egyptian shape but is strangely adorned with Pre- Columbian, Incan-looking glyphs.

Library Use can make sense of his organizational method and sort out where his attention was when he was last in this room. Thomas was focused on maps of South America, with a handful of circles drawn over points along the whole length of the Andes. Books on Mesoamerican art and culture are open all throughout the room, as are texts dedicated to stelae and standing stones all over the world, from Stonehenge to Egyptian obelisks. Art History and History recognizes his focus on standing stones as well.

Accounting recognizes that Thomas has tapped his savings to buy expeditionary gear (via mail order but not yet arrived), plane tickets, a shotgun, and to get $2,200 converted into various South American currencies. It also reveals that Thomas’ savings have been recently bolstered, substantially, by checks from Jan Joyce- Cleveland.

Evidence Collection finds all the plane tickets revealed by Accounting, unused and still in their envelopes. Destinations include Ecuador, Chile, and Peru. There are tickets for five travelers in each case.

A hidden door leads from behind a

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Thomas Fell’s House bookcase in this room to Thomas’ secret library, behind the fireplace. The Cellar A two-point spend is required to find this secret door, but just what Scene Type: Core ability is necessary to find it is up to Thomas Fell’s cellar is located below the Keeper to decide, depending on the front room of the house and is which characters are in the den and little more than an unfinished space what abilities the players are focusing with walls made of the house’s on during their investigation. The foundation and a ceiling made of the point, here, is to reward players for exposed supports of the floor above. actively bringing their own abilities to Cobwebbed pipes run along the bear, thereby teaching them how to ceiling. There’s a drain in the stone be proactive investigators and use the floor. Old luggage is stacked in one GUMSHOE rules to their advantage. corner, next to a rusted bicycle. A Alternately, you could offer the two- ragged wooden door occupies a rough point spend to a player who has not yet gap in one wall. Architecture reveals had a chance to shine by selecting one that the room on the other side of the of that PC’s abilities. door would be directly beneath the kitchen. (Beyond this door is the stele For example, Anthropology might and the scene “The Stele.”) recognize a statuette of Anubis is facing the wrong way on a shelf and discover is the discovery of Thomas’ diary, The standout feature of this room is a it swivels, unlatching the hidden door. which includes photographs of, and birdcage hung with metal wire from A Craft spend might realize that this his personal notes on, each of his a pipe on the ceiling. Inside this cage room is too short to account for the expeditionary partners: is an ovoid rock, about the size of an space on the second floor of the house, ostrich egg, with raised bands all along suggesting there’s a closet behind the ‡Franco Gruber: German it, resembling foreign runes perhaps. fireplace. Architecture might be archaeologist specializing in Incan Anthropology can make no sense of spent to realize that, while there’s a sculpture; has been to Peru on these markings, but tellingly so—they fireplace here along the wall, there’s seventeen digs. His English is poor. may be naturally occurring. Geology no visible chimney along the outside of decides that it would be quite unlikely the house. ‡Jules Farquarson: French- that they are naturally occurring unless Canadian transportation and travel something is inside the stone, to create expert with contacts throughout South those ridges. America. The Secret Library Getting the stone out of the cage Scene Type: Bonus Information ‡Wu Han: Chinese mountaineer requires a 1-point spend of Athletics Little more than an unfinished room and digger-for-hire. Working cheap in (to force the door) or Crafts (to the size of a walk-in closet, Thomas’ exchange for his shot at the Andes. finesse it). Other abilities may be secret library is dusty and stuffy. One allowed as well. A PC carrying the wall is the exposed-wood outer wall of ‡James Kellerman: American stone—which is, of course, the egg the house, the other is the chimney of game hunter, trapper, and general of the alien monster called the Mouth his den’s fireplace. A naked light bulb outdoorsman. “Between that handlebar in the Stone—is likely ignored by the dangles from the ceiling. A handful mustache and the revolver he’s always creature in the scene “The Creature of books are here—all of them rare got, you’d think he was a cowboy.” Attacks.” occult texts of questionable academic value but a rarity that makes them This information can be useful for worth money—as well as a small dealing with Kellerman or Gruber in roll-top writing desk and wooden Part Two by inspiring players to pursue The Stele chair. Pictures of Thomas’ two sons as lines of questioning or offer up spends Scene Type: Core children hang on the walls here. in associated abilities to leverage clues On the other side of the ragged door out of these guys. is a small storage room, dank and The prize for finding this room crowded. Filling the space is a four-

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The Murderer of Thomas Fell foot stone, etched with strange glyphs, standing in a nest of shredded papers How the Stones Work and broken-down wooden-crate Simply put, they work dramaturgically. fragments. Anthropology recognizes the glyphs as being vaguely like Incan In the world of the game, they operate by transmitting objects across the writings. Art History recognizes the mystical conduits of ley lines. Successful teleportation depends on a complex stone as a fragment of a larger standing set of metrics based on the intersections of ley lines and sympathetic stone, resembling something like a connections between the “departure” stele and the “target” stele where the Viking stele or Incan road marker. teleported object(s) are intended to arrive. The whole process is controlled Geology is unable to identify the through sorcery and witchcraft requiring the Cthulhu Mythos Ability. kind of rock that makes up the stone. Art and Craft see the etchings are The stone fragment that Thomas Fell has embedded in his guts is broken exquisitely crafted with painstaking off the stele in his basement, so using it teleports objects back to his detail. basement. The stele there, in his basement, is carved with glyphs to give it a sympathetic connection to the monument on the mountaintop, so those two Accounting discovers a packing slip stele are forever connected. (Whether they are connected only to each other within the dismantled crate, revealing is up to you.) that the stone was shipped to Thomas Fell by Jan Joyce-Cleveland just over a In truth, there is no empirical system behind the operation of the month ago. teleportation stones. They are plot devices designed to force tough choices onto player characters. The most obvious: what are you willing to do to get If any character touches the stone, back home? The stones function or malfunction as you need them to. Chalk it and the PCs have split up to search up to Unknowable Ancient Powers. The truth is the teleportation stones run the house, consider “cutting away” on your own narrative impulses. to the characters in another part of the house, giving them a last chance to wrap up their investigation, and kitchens to the Peruvian mountaintop are mystically transported along with leaving the characters in the cellar where Thomas Fell has gone. While the the characters to the mountaintop hanging in suspense. Then describe PCs are still in the house, it activates monument and Part Two of this “The Stele Activated” from the again, and anything in contact with the adventure. perspective of the characters not in dust in the air (definitely the PCs) is the cellar, with arcs of red lightning fair game for displacement to Peru. reaching up through the floors and into their feet, thereby capturing the First, the stone thrums like something sudden, bizarre surreality of their electric. It vibrates. A delicate red arc situation. of lightning reaches out and touches the closest character, even if it must The Stele Activated pass through floors or walls to do so. Scene Type: Core That character vanishes in a blinding This scene occurs either when white flare of light, leaving behind a a character touches the stele or few strange rocks and bits of clinging whenever you, the Keeper, sees fit. vine. A moment later, all other souls It is essential that this scene occur in the house are struck by similar arcs, before any characters successfully and vanish. leave Thomas Fell’s house, as this scene begins Part Two of the story. The sensation is, at first, like burning oneself on the stove—a sudden The stele has been operating erratically recoiling gasp. Then: falling. Then: since Thomas first attempted to use it impact. with a botched Mythos spell. As such, it now periodically reacts to vibrations A dining-room chair, a lamp in the in the house, haphazardly teleporting, living room, and any other objects for example, helpless souls and you feel would be amusing or helpful,

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The Mountaintop Part Two: The Mountaintop The Geography of the Mountaintop

The characters have no map to guide them on the mountaintop, so they may be largely at your mercy as they follow narrow canyon floors from one scene to the next. On the other hand, they may actively search for a way to visualize their surroundings and plan a course through the canyons, rather than wandering hopefully or following blood trails from one sad scene to another. Thus, you’ll need a sense of the mountaintop’s simply geography.

Picture an archetypal mountain shape with the top sheered off, creating a flat, almost circular plateau. This plateau is littered with gray, alien stones pressed together in strange patterns, creating a labyrinth of narrow, irregular canyons, like tangled corridors criss-crossing the plateau. Some of these corridors let out at the edge of the mountain, which drops away dramatically into snowy, hostile stretches of frigid mountains. Every corridor is draped and adorned with thick, clinging vines the color of coffee. In some places, these vines must be pushed aside to make it through the narrow canyon-corridors.

The south edge of the plateau is a wide clearing punctuated by a huge, vine-encrusted obelisk (see the scene intervening scenes. Travel across the top of the alien rocks, “The Monument”); it’s here that avoiding the canyon routes, is possible the characters arrive. On the far A fall from the mountaintop is fatal, only if you want it to be for the sake north edge of the plateau is a similar and anyone peering over the sheer of speeding up the action or rewarding clearing, occupied by a primitive edge, down the smooth face of proactive characters; alternately, shrine made of stacked stones and the mountain, can instantly see it. movement might require a Difficulty 3 squat stelae; it’s here that Thomas Abandoning their circumstances in Athletics test. Fell is researching the mystic powers favor of a brave descent and death in of the teleportation stones (see the the Andes snow is no viable escape. Otherwise, travel across the top of the scenes “The Shrine” and “The Killer”). Fortunately, there is no wind coursing rocks is presumed to be impossible Between these two clearings, in small through these narrow canyons to push because it undermines the labyrinthine clearings at the intersections or dead- anyone off the mountainside. atmosphere of the alien mountaintop ends of various canyons, are all the in favor of niggling, mundane details

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The Murderer of Thomas Fell about handholds and jumping character has seen before. Thin The Mouth in the Stone is protected distances. Say it’s due to the jagged, veins carrying a clear sticky sap by a pebbly hide of pliable silicon, cutting edges at their peaks, leaving run along the thickest vines, which highly sensitive to vibration (and little space to grip or balance one’s self isn’t something the character has thus sound) and light. It has no eyes without causing bloody gashes (worth ever heard of before. They’re as or other sensory organs, and only 1 point of damage) across one’s hands much like roots as vines. its flat tail and mouth give its body and feet. appreciable features. It’s insides ‡Occult or Anthropology sees a are little more than a geo-organic Just inches above the top of the pattern in the rocks and canyons, engine, digesting biological material corridor-like canyons, the freezing as if they form the shape of some for energy. Some of this material is winds that should be expected at Mesoamerican glyph. (Only regurgitated, wrapped in soft flakes this altitude are found to be howling Cthulhu Mythos can truly make of its own hide, and kept as eggs in and fierce, as they should be, so that sense of the glyph, however, which which a new Mouth gestates until the attempting to climb up out of the is either an Aztec approximation of egg is cracked from the outside. A new maze is like trying to crest a mountain some summoning symbol or a link Mouth begins existence as a famished in your shirtsleeves. Treat characters to any follow-up adventure you alien appetite the size of a dog and in the extreme cold beyond the like.) doubling in length each day until it is mountaintop’s strange temperate roughly the size of a great-white shark. zone as hurt until they return to the temperate zone. The Mouth’s mission on Earth, in New Creature: the minds of its ancient summoners, Clues is to patrol and defend the grounds The following information on the The Mouth in the Stone where the mystic stelae are kept. Eggs, mountaintop and its layout can be Little more than a mouth on the end buried beneath rings of standing stones gained by proactive characters who of a lithe, eel-like body, the Mouth in across the globe, wait to be hatched make 1-point spends or succeed on the Stone does nothing except stalk and bound through sorcery on similar actions using the relevant skills: and eat and lay eggs. Brought to Earth missions. The Mouth’s instinct on from a distant and virtually featureless Earth, however, is simply to eat all ‡$'LIILFXOW\Athletics test is alien moon by ancient witchcraft comers and lay eggs. One day, perhaps necessary to reach the top of the and the teleportation powers of the an eon from now, perhaps tomorrow, alien rocks and get a look out mystic stele, this creature obeys few it will hatch them. across the mountaintop. This of our planet’s biological properties. reveals the two clearings to the The Mouth in the Stone functions Petrifying Bite: The Mouth in the north and south, as well as a view on a metabolism that measures time Stone bears an alien germ between of the red train car (from the scene in millennia rather than days. It is as its teeth. This mystic germ replicates “Train Car”) to the east and any of much a geological phenomenon as it is rapidly upon contact with blood, the other odd objects you choose a biological thing. transmuting aerial particles and skin to include from the “Victims of the cells into a completely inorganic Monster” scene. Capable of traveling through topsoil compound as hard as rock. This stone- or solid rock with ease through a like substance grows out from the ‡Geology recognizes the region combination of an ammonia-scented area of the bite, both into the victim’s beyond the plateau as the excretion and a kind of geomantic body and across its flesh and clothing. Cordillera Blanca (“White Range”) warp, the Mouth in the Stone is often This growth renders victims unable to of the Andes, in the Ancash area seen only as a stony proboscis ending move, while the germ preserves their of Peru. (If spends were used to in a ring of black obsidian-like teeth, bodies for later consumption by the discover Thomas’ secret library, slick with grainy slime. It typically Mouth. this vista is instantly recognizable hunts by lurching out and biting its from his books.) prey once, to slowly petrify it with In game terms, the compound slows its germinating bile, but it is willing and eventually traps a victim, reducing ‡Outdoorsman and Biology to bite and shake a target until it Athletics and/or Fleeing by one point can make no sense of the clinging comes apart and can be swallowed every ten minutes. Alien germs keep vines—conspicuously so. They do immediately. a subject nourished on its own flesh not quite resemble any vines the and liquids for a number of days equal

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The Mountaintop to the victim’s Health, even after the victim is completely encased in stone. Regarding Stability The Mouth uses this ability to store This story is designed to severely tax the characters’ Stability, as a means food, eventually biting through the of ensuring that Trail of Cthulhu’s central theme of mental fitness eroded by compound to eat the flesh within. horrific events is immediately visible. In all likelihood, most of the PCs will be devastated by the attacks, revelations, and actions they are called on to Game Statistics perform in this story; the other PCs probably die. Encourage the players to Abilities: Athletics 11, Health 21, embrace the atmosphere of terror and anxiety, to play up their characters’ Scuffling 25 withering Stability by describing specific examples of their fear that the other characters can see. (You can find some specific examples in the sidebar on p. 72 Hit Threshold: 3 (big) of Trail of Cthulhu.)

Alertness Modifier: +2 (only Don’t internalize the fear in this short story; put it out there for all to see. against creatures standing on exposed Remind the players (and, thereby, their characters) that they are alone, rock, not soil) and have no onlookers to impress or hide their emotions from. When a character’s Stability takes a hit, the other characters should see it—people Stealth modifier: +2 (invisible scream, shake, cry, curse, and plead. when in stone) Even if you’re playing this story in the Pulp style, don’t let the players off Weapon: +4 (teeth) the hook. Their characters may react with more resolve or vengeful ire, but they must still react. Even heroically confident types might damn their Armor: –5 vs any (tough, rocky hide) circumstances, declare “My God!” or stop to catch their breath and assure themselves while they reload. Stability Loss: +2 if attacked directly, +2 if seen emerging from You have many more opportunities to check for Stability loss than the few bare rock that are specifically detailed in this scenario. Keep an eye on p. 71 of Trail of Cthulhu for examples of possible Stability tests during this adventure. Investigation

Biology: The stone “growing” on And that smell... like musk or urine, monument from Thomas’ photographs. the victim is like a resin or calcifying beaded up like the rock is sweating it Its raised markings, vaguely Incan, agent, except it doesn’t seem to be out. resemble those carved into the stele in organic, which doesn’t make any sense. the cellar. Spars, or more like ribbons of stone Sense Trouble: You smell something. are growing like icicles into the body. Ammonia? There! Something, the The ground is gravel. The rocks give The damage is already irreversible, color of lime, in little drops on that way to three canyon-like corridors and will eventually kill the subject for rock, like condensation on a glass. (north, north-east, and north-west), certain. (Medicine) cluttered with vines. A frigid wind blows in from the cliffs behind them, Geology: Stone doesn’t do this. uncomfortable but not dangerous. Whatever kind of rock this is, growing The Monument on the body, it isn’t... earthly. It’s Thomas Fell’s kitchen is here, too—a growing as fast as coral, but it’s more Scene Type: Core strange sight in the midst of alien rocks like granite. The rock this “beast” ran It is no great fall to the ground after and vines. Its walls are strained but to is solid granite, too, with no cracks the teleportation, but there is a risk intact. Its cabinets have vomited out a creature could get through. There’s of injury. Any character who fails a dishes onto the gravel-covered ground. no way an animal could move through Difficulty 2 Athletics test loses 1 point The refrigerator leans like a drunk that. (Forensics) of Health to injured ankles, scrapes or against the island in the center of the bruised bones. kitchen. The ceiling, and the floor of Outdoorsman: Damnedest thing: the master bedroom above, forms a the tracks lead right to this scuff on the The characters have arrived in the kind of bizarre roof, capped with a rocks, these grooves, like something southern clearing, scattered around bed, dresser, and ottoman. rough wore down the rock face. the foot of the large quasi-Egyptian

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The Murderer of Thomas Fell

Amidst the broken dishes is a body, Train Car The Outdoorsman recognizes that crumpled and bloody, its face Scene Type: Alternate Core Wu Han was in no way equipped shocked and pained. This is one of to be out here—he’s wearing good the nondescript men from Thomas’ Over the years, attempts to transport boots, but has no backpack, canteen, photograph. (Specifically, it’s Jules various teleportation stele or their or anything. He’s dressed for day-to- Farquarson, though the investigators fragments have resulted in odd day living. recognize him only if they’ve been to things being transported to the Thomas’ secret library. Otherwise, mountaintop. Things like Thomas A 1-point Evidence Collection this is deducible after all the other Fell’s kitchen and this red, metal train spend gets a character a confident expedition members have been car, wedged into the rocks. hunch that Wu Han did not lie in his found.) dying message—people never do. Other possible examples of Evidence Collection identifies the teleported objects you might scatter means of death as numerous small throughout the mountaintop to Victims of the Monster stab wounds to the back, like from mystify or amuse your players include Scene Type: Alternate Cores (2) a folding utility knife. Forensics the tail section of a light cargo plane, This is really two scenes, one for each recognizes spatter patterns suggesting a half-petrified camel, a sleigh, of the remaining expedition members not just stabbings but slashes: there’s about half of an automobile, and the who fled Thomas Fell’s attack at the blood on the dishes here not from the very top of a church’s bell tower. Monument. The information that’s victim on the scene. A suitably rationalized Investigative possible to retrieve from each scene ability spend—especially Occult— is the same. The reason there are two Additionally, Evidence Collection can grant a character the sudden survivors is so that you, the Keeper, uncovers a blood trail leading from realization of how these things got have some flexibility when revealing the kitchen into the tangled roots here: At one time or another, they information in each instance of this and vines of the surrounding, surreal were each within proximity of some scene. You might want to have the jungle. Evidence Collection or teleportation stone, somewhere on first victim be dead already, allowing Outdoorsman can be used to track Earth, when that stone was activated. only hints of the monster, or you may this trail, which leads to the scene want the testimony of one survivor “Train Car.” Outdoorsman also The blood trail leading away from to be punctuated by a sudden attack reveals a trail leading along another the Monument ends here. Inside the by the Mouth. You might simply want route through the rocks, this one train car, behind its shut sliding door, each survivor to respond to different to the “Victims of the Monster” is the corpse of Wu Han, who has Interpersonal abilities, to give more locations. bled to death from injuries inflicted characters chances to shine. by Thomas Fell. Painted on the floor Geology reveals unsettling details in his own blood is this final message The attack split up these survivors, about the rocks here: they don’t from Wu Han: so they each suffered their attacks belong in frozen mountains. They’d separately and are now languishing make more sense in the sea. They ‡ &RUH&OXH ´7KRPDV)HOONLOOHG in slow petrification in two different are smooth like obsidian, colored me.” The message has been parts of the mountaintop canyons. It’s like limestone, and punctuated with smeared as if someone tried one quite possible one of them has already ribbons porous like dried sponges, good swipe to erase it, but the died, if that suits your purposes. not at all like the snow-capped peaks blood was already too dry. visible beyond the cliffs, and not at all In addition to giving characters a like the mountainside supporting this Forensics or Medicine reveals chance to investigate evidence of strange, temperate plateau. And why Wu Han died of blood loss resulting the Mouth of the Stone, each of isn’t there any snow up here? from three slashes across his side and these victims is able to reveal the stomach, probably from a straight- following clues (requiring a 1-point razor. Interpersonal spend where noted):

Evidence Collection determines ‡ &RUHFOXH 7KRPDV)HOOKDVJRQH with confidence that Wu Han’s body mad from exposure to the stones. has been searched once already. His He killed Farquarson and attacked hands are covered in his own blood. Wu Han shortly after they arrived.

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The Mountaintop

intersection of two canyons. Inside, the cave is dark and reeks of rot. The floor is solid rock littered with loose bones and naturally mummified flesh encased is cocoons of rock. These are the remains of the Mouth’s ancient petrified victims, sucked dry of meat and juices.

Beyond this grisly chamber is a crack in the rock leading to another chamber. Crossing this savage ossuary requires a 3-point Stability test, and leads to “The Nest.”

This is an ideal place for the Mouth to attack, lunging from the stone floor in a shower of brown, rotten bones. The Nest Scene Type: Bonus Advantage This chamber—little more than a large crack in the rocks—has a floor of collected sediment gathered around a pile of smooth, ovoid stones like the one found in Thomas’ cellar. These are the eggs of the Mouth. There are a dozen eggs here, each about the size of an ostrich egg or football and each weighing about ten pounds.

See the scenes “The Cellar” and the entry for the Mouth in the Stone for more information on clues in this scene. See the scene “The Creature Attacks” for the effects of carrying one ‡ &RUHFOXH 7KRPDVKDVZLWKKLP ‡ SW 7KRPDVGRHVQ·WVHHPWREH of these stones. the stone necessary to travel back afraid of the monster. He said it to the stele in his cellar. He said wouldn’t attack someone with one anyone who could get their hands of those “eggs” either. The Shrine on it could compel the stones to Scene Type: Core transport people. ‡ SW 7KHFUHDWXUHDWWDFNVULJKW On the far northern end of the out of the rock. If you smell mountaintop, some ancient peoples ‡ &RUHFOXH 7KHSHWULI\LQJSURFHVV the stench of animal urine, it’s have erected a shrine of stacked alien is achingly slow. “I should’ve died probably near by. rocks and woven vines. At the heart of thirst days ago, I figure.” of this shrine is a stele carved with ancient Mythos secrets in several dead ‡ SW .HOOHUPDQGURSSHGKLVJXQ The Lair languages. The words on this stone when the monster attacked. It’s out Scene Type: Side Challenge/ shine in the sunlight like they were in the canyons not far from here. glass. The stone is hot to the touch, (It can be found automatically once Obstacle smeared with bloody fingerprints, and this clue is obtained.) This shallow cave is discovered at the emits a low, electric hum.

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The Murderer of Thomas Fell

‡ &RUHFOXH 6HYHUDORI7KRPDV Fell. More than that, it is meant to The Killer Fell’s personal effects are here: his make the players and their characters Scene Type: Core (Climax) jacket, his pocket journal, a blood- think they are too late—Thomas Fell encrusted straight-razor, his shoes, has already teleported away without This scene, which may overlap the a photograph of his boys as young them. They seem to be stranded here. scene “The Shrine,” if you decide men. Thomas Fell is present when the This scene transitions directly into characters reach the shrine, is the ‡ &RUHFOXH 7KRPDV·SRFNHWMRXUQDO “The Killer” when you think the climax of the adventure. It’s a simple reveals his accelerating madness. dramatic timing is right to introduce scene, playable in any number of His writings become more fevered, Thomas Fell, who is still on the ways. Let the approach of the players less orderly, and less scientific, mountaintop with the characters. determine the final tone, here. (Be culminating in his eager report (He’s still looking for the Mouth’s lair, aware, however, that if Thomas Fell of his meddling with the shrine’s so he can bring its eggs to other lands.) attacks the PCs outright, he may be stele: He has successfully cast a When the time comes, Thomas returns critically injured in the resulting fight, spell and is ecstatic about it. He has to the shrine’s clearing and finds the which can diffuse the tension when it “absorbed” the “mystic traveler’s PCs going through his things. comes time to cut the stone from his keystone” and may now “travel gut since “he’s dying anyway.”) freely from stone to stone, it seems!” When Thomas Appears in this scene, The Creature Attacks he is half-naked, gray with grime, and ‡ &RUHFOXH 7KRPDVMRXUQDODOVR Scene Type: Antagonist Reaction illuminated from within by glowing reveals that he is in search of Whenever you need a dramatic punch red runes carved into the stone he has additional “eggs” to take with him or a dose of desperate action, have the absorbed into his body. If necessary, he on his journey. Mouth in the Stone lurch out from may explain how he has become “one some nearby rock and attack the PCs. with the stone” with a bit of villainous ‡Evidence Collection or Most of the information you need to soliloquy. Outdoorsman reveal that describe the attack can be found in someone has been living here, the monster’s write-up on p. XX. The Thomas gives up fighting once he is apparently eating vines and Mouth is just as prone to dramatically seriously wounded (see Trail of drinking sap, for several days. strike out and bite off the head of a Cthulhu p. 63). For dramatic purposes, half-petrified survivor in the scenes he automatically succeeds on all ‡Anthropology recognizes the “Victims of the Monster,” if you like. Consciousness rolls so that he is able style of this shrine as similar to an Witnessing such an attack risks a to deliver essential exposition. Should Incan traveler’s shrine, but the stele 4-point Stability loss. he somehow be injured to the point more resembles a Viking cross- that he is technically dead (Health –12 roads marker. The etchings on its The Mouth attacks a character or lower), he lingers on the edge of surface are much more orderly and carrying one of the eggs only if all death, conscious and lucid, claiming complex than those on the stele in characters are carrying eggs. The “It’s the stone, I think... keeping me Thomas’ cellar; they are likely a Mouth is mystically compelled to want alive!” This is fine, as it won’t let the complete text, rather than simple its eggs to be carried away for hatching characters off the hook—the only way signage or ceremonial writings. in other rings of standing stones, but is home is to murder Thomas Fell. simultaneously instinctively compelled ‡Occult use surmises that this stone to horde its eggs for hatching by itself, Leveraged clues or Interpersonal is another “transmitter” for objects, later. It balances these impulses by ability spends (2 points’ worth) may but it’s easy to determine that it attempting to feed on subjects without be used to reduce the stakes of the doesn’t seem to work with simple its eggs first, and attacking egg-carriers Stability test for killing Thomas by contact. The etchings on the stele only if no other targets are available. coercing him into putting down his must be a spell and, if so, the stele shotgun and standing his ground— is probably “hot” because it has If this is a one-shot adventure for you, making it clear that he is choosing to already been cast. don’t be afraid to have the Mouth force a life-and-death issue. Thomas, devour a PC or two. Death is expected mad and obsessed with the stones in This scene is meant to foreshadow the in Cthulhu adventures. the shrine, won’t go back home. “Why madness and dangerousness of Thomas go backward when I can go forward,

24 TRAIL OF CTHULHU

The Mountaintop to new places and new sights?” he says. Aftermath and Sequels fates of their previous characters “Why not see where else these stones only by pursuing clues with their can take us?!” Any characters who survive can of new characters. They may work with course continue on in other stories Detective Wright while investigating If forced, he challenges the characters: now that they have been exposed the murder of Makepeace. They might “If you want this stone, you’ll have to the truth of the stelae. To mix be part of a city-wide search for a to kill me. I won’t go back to my traditional investigative scenarios kidnapped Joyce-Cleveland. The could pathetic little house when there’s a into the potential globe-spanning find themselves facing off against a whole world to see.” He Scuffles in adventures possible with the stele-using cult of traveling looters led his own defense, and is willing to kill, teleportation stones, consider the by an insane Kenneth Fell. but is probably outmatched by the following options: characters. Once this story ends, all of the ‡7KHVWRQHVWKHPVHOYHVEHFRPHWKH survivors are yours to play with. One of them must step up, then, to subject of follow-up investigations, as slay the man and take the stone. This is the characters seek to recover them a scene of pure roleplaying, in which from wicked cultists, greedy black- the relationships the players devised market art-brokers, and lost cities for their characters finally resolve in a throughout the world. difficult choice. Make sure they have time to debate amongst themselves ‡7KHVWRQHVEHFRPHWKHPRWLYHEHKLQG and play out each PCs reaction to the various thefts and murders as the situation, but not so much time that characters pursue another organization their debate stalls. The Mouth in the looking to recover the stones for their Stone draws near if they dawdle. own nefarious purposes.

In the off chance that the characters ‡7KHFKDUDFWHUVGLVFRYHUWKDWPRVW choose to travel somewhere new with of the teleportation-stones across the Thomas Fell, you have a few other globe are smashed and ruined, useful options for ending the story: now as guides only to the possible locations of ancient mysteries and ‡7KRPDV)HOOWHOHSRUWVZLWKRXW lost cities, which must be reached them, leaving them stranded on the through traditional travel. In this case, mountaintop to die—a sad ending that the stones serve only to introduce ironically betrays the title of the story. the characters to the world of the occult—and whatever Mythos spells ‡7KRPDV)HOOWHOHSRUWVWKHPDOOLQWR you choose to hide in the mountaintop the ruins of some vast and impossibly shrine the characters now have ready alien city, perhaps on an alien world. access to. The characters find themselves surrounded by standing stones... and An alternate, more complex style enormous tentacles stemming from of follow-up tale turns this story’s a great, hovering, quivering mouth introductory PCs into NPCs. Your above them. They are all consumed by sequel adventures cast the players’ this enormous maw, including Thomas new, personalized characters as Fell. Perhaps their ghosts appear in a investigators looking into the follow-up tale. disappearance of Jan Joyce-Cleveland (for example) or artifacts appearing ‡7KHFKDUDFWHUVDOOWHOHSRUWDZD\ZLWK on the black market thanks to Knox Thomas Fell into a deferred climax, Makepeace (for example). their destination never revealed, unless you choose to bring these characters Whatever it is that draws these new back (possibly as NPCs) in some investigators into the mix, the players follow-up tale. find themselves learning the ultimate

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The Murderer of Thomas Fell

26 TRAIL OF CTHULHU

The Investigator

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The Murderer of Thomas Fell

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