Out of Space by Adam Gauntlett Robin D Laws Jason Morningstar Cover Art by Phil Reeves TRAIL OF CTHULHU Contents The RepaiReR of flying Coffins 42 Many fiRes 77 RepuTaTions 4 The Jolly Old RFC 43 Many Fires Commentary 79 Behind the Pallid Meme 5 Flying Coffins 46 Introduction 80 The Repairer of Hook 46 Disclaimer One 80 Reputations 8 Awful Truth 46 Disclaimer Two 80 Spine 46 The Hook 80 The Story 8 Sagittarius Rising 46 The Horrible Truth 80 Piloting and Stunting 47 The Spine 80 The Scenario 23 Stealth, Sense Trouble and Many Fires as Part of The Spine 23 Military Talk 47 a Campaign 81 The Horrible Truth 23 NPC Pilots 48 Many Fires as a One-Shot 81 A Subtly Awful World 23 The Flying Coffin: Reasons to Join Pershing’s New York, 1920 24 Damage and Structure 48 Secret Expedition 81 Quick Character Creation 24 Dogfight 49 Alienist, Doctor, Nurse 81 Assembling the Group 25 Crates 50 Antiquarian, Archaeologist, Sanity and the 26 Germans 50 Professor, Scientist 81 Yellow Sign 26 Allies 51 Artist, Author, Dilettante, Supporting Character Tracker 27 Combat Examples 51 Journalist 81 Scenes 29 Balloon Busting 53 Clergy 81 Scenes 53 Criminal, Hobo, Military 81 The Inauguration of the The Combat Report 56 Police Detective, Private Government Lethal Chamber 29 Flamer 56 Investigator 81 The Suicide of O. O. Vance 29 Military Intelligence 57 Parapsychologist 81 Vance’s Lodgings 30 One Over the Eight 58 Pilot 81 Mrs. Starkfield 30 Other Ranks 58 Background 82 Sheepshead Bay 31 A Formal Occasion 59 Secret Background 83 Diamond Dan 32 Local Flavour 59 Antagonist Reactions 84 The Yellow Sign 32 Dawn Patrol 61 Victory Conditions 84 The Twentieth Dragoon Regiment 33 Curses! Foiled Again! 62 The Trail of Clues 85 Mr. Wilde and his Fantastical Cat 34 The Devil’s Horsemen 63 The Valley 85 Revisiting Wilde 36 Byakhee 63 Getting Around 85 Wilde’s Network 36 Hell’s Angels 65 The Altkolonier 85 Hawberk and Constance 37 Pre-Generated Characters 65 The Town 85 Arnold Steylette 38 Optional Handouts 72 San Antonio 85 Hildred 38 The Hideout 88 Dr. Archer 39 Bustillos 88 The Chamber in Action 39 The Gateway 90 Endings 40 La Junta 90 Drive Cards 41 Guerrero 90 Schönwiese 91 2 TRAIL OF CTHULHU Hiring a Guide 91 hell fiRe 120 The MillionaiRe’s The Tarahumara 91 The Canyon 92 London in the Time speCial 161 Cañón el Nogal 92 of King George 121 Hook 162 The Sierra Madre 93 Hell Fire 125 The Red Castle 94 The Awful Truth 162 Hook 125 Spine 162 The Platform 95 The Awful Truth 125 The Encampment 95 The Ship That Never Sank 162 The Spine 125 Titanic Timeline 164 The Ritual 95 Rule Alterations 127 Luncheon with the Great The Arrival 95 Scenes 130 and Good 165 Fighting the Horror 96 The Lady Fornicator 130 Further Inquiry 167 The End 96 Emergency Meeting 132 Luxury Accommodation 168 GM Resources 97 Our American Brethren 134 Hag Ridden 170 People 97 Local Colour 136 Unwelcome Attention 171 Handy List of Mexican Names 97 Pearce’s Progress 137 A Woman of Modest Means 171 Magic and Monsters 97 The Jezebels 139 Psychical Society 172 Drugs 98 Muckraker 142 Options, People! 173 NPCs 99 French Fancies 143 Amuse Yourself 174 Pre-Generated Characters 101 American Intrigues 144 Priestess of the Black Pharaoh 174 Documents and Vauxhall Funeral 145 Survival Instinct 175 Handouts 107 The Dying Lover 146 Aftermath 176 Full Fathom Five 146 Pre-Generated Characters 176 Prospero’s Cell 148 A Sign of the Times 148 The Hell Ship 150 The Tempest 151 Epilogue 152 Pre-generated Characters 153 3 TRAIL OF CTHULHU Credits The Repairer of Reputations Publisher – Simon Rogers A Scenario by Robin D. Laws based on a story by Robert W. Chambers Artwork – Jerome Huguenin Playtesters: Simon Rogers, Ralf Schemmann, Steffi, Brennan Taylor, Graham Walmsley, Krista White 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. © 2011 Pelgrane Press Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Trail of Cthulhu is a trademark of Pelgrane Press Ltd. www.pelgranepress.com 4 TRAIL OF CTHULHU Behind the Pallid Meme An Introduction by Robin D Laws Writers who let themselves worry extravagance is like an octopus telling (In another example of influence about the reach of their influence after you that you eat too much shellfish. spreading like a contagion from one they die can find a reassuring parable in I say, in these two cases, bring on the writer to another, these terms are the case of Robert W. Chambers. This mannered extravagance, pots and borrowed from another forebear of the Brooklyn-born author (1865-1933) was kettles be damned. weird, Ambrose Bierce.) the Norah Roberts of his day, penning top-selling novels of love among the Lovecraft concludes his two-paragraph As the narrator of “Repairer of beautiful and moneyed. Like writers assessment of Chambers with another Reputations” describes the history of of commercial fiction before and after lamenting slap at his status as a boiler the book that unhinges him, putting him, his Grip on the popular tastes of of literary pots: “One cannot help the entire account of his actions and his time consigned the bulk of his work regretting that he did not further perceptions in the story in doubt: to oblivion when that time passed. Yet it develop a vein in which he could is a slim number of short stories—four so easily have become a recognised When the French Government seized the weird tales in a collection only partly master.” translated copies which had just arrived devoted to the horror genre—that in Paris, London, of course, became eager keep his name and memory alive in the Fortunately for Chambers’ spot in to read it. It is well known how the book hearts of genre fans. the weird canon, Lovecraft also paid spread like infectious disease, from city to homage to him in his own work, by city, from continent to continent, barred He owes this enduring place to H. P. transforming the unifying element Lovecraft, a writer who himself needed between the four stories, the book and pulpit, censured even by the most championing by others to rescue his that leads to madness and the threat work from obscurity. Lovecraft, who of apocalyptic social corrosion, principles had been violated in those was five when The King in Yellow was into his own imaginary volume, wicked pages, no doctrine promulgated, no published and outlived Chambers by The Necronomicon. Not to mention convictions outraged. It could not be judged only four years, singled him out for Unaussprechlichen Kulten and the rest, as by any known standard, yet, although it reserved praise in his critical manifesto added by Lovecraft, his circles, and his was acknowledged that the supreme note of of the weird, “Supernatural Horror in later followers. art had been struck in “The King in Yellow,” Literature:” all felt that human nature could not bear Lovecraft follows Chambers’ cue the strain, nor thrive on words in which the Very genuine, though not without the by never making the Necronomicon essence of purest poison lurked. The very typical mannered extravagance of the the full focus of a story. Instead it’s a eighteen-nineties, is the strain of horror in background element, a touchstone of allowed the blow to fall afterward with more the early work of Robert W. Chambers, since terror identifying the action foreground awful effect. renowned for products of a very different as taking place in his singular, bleakly quality. The King in Yellow, a series of fantastic world. The masterstroke of horror here lies vaguely connected short stories having as in the elusiveness of the madness- a background a monstrous and suppressed Chambers’ evil book is not a tome generating effect. It is also a testament, book whose perusal brings fright, madness, of dangerous summoning spells and in a twisted version of writerly and spectral tragedy, really achieves notable existentially maddening cosmic truths. hopefulness, to the power of the heights of cosmic fear in spite of uneven It’s a play, a work of closet drama in written word, to subtext over text. I interest and a somewhat trivial and affected verse, written more for the reading certainly don’t want to drive you crazy cultivation of the Gallic studio atmosphere eye than for the stage. The King in Yellow when I write a work of horror for made popular by Du Maurier’s Trilby. depicts the doom of an otherworldly you, either in fiction or scenario form. court of royal decadents alongside the But I sure want to mess you up. The Some might say that Lovecraft calling Lake of Hali on the twin-sunned world unknown author of the King in Yellow, another writer out for mannered of Carcosa. perhaps suicided, perhaps a fugitive, 5.