Terra Occulta: Cages An Atlas of Strange By Nick Brownlow & Places P.J.Holden By Nick Brownlow, David Page 55 Conyers,Adam Crossingham & Daniel Harms False Mythologies: Page 4 How a Euro Cult Alien Landscape L.Abdul Baan © 2004 Manipulates Memory for Publishers: Unusual Suspects: the Benefit of The Black Seal is The Shragged Man Ghatanothoa published twice yearly by the By Brian Boyington By Wood Ingham Brichester Page 11 Page 60 University Press, 74 Union Street, Farnborough, Hampshire A Road Less Travelled: The Further Files of GU14 7QA United Kingdom A Rough Guide to Professor Grant ISSN: Fighting Evil in a Hot Emerson: Report on 1476-1939 Country NYC Burn Victim Product Code: By Jonathan Turner By Graeme Price BUP103E Page 13 Page 71 “We few, we happy few, we band of ruthless The Spiralling: Resolution Zero: bastards.” A PISCES Assignment The United Nations and Internet: into the Heart of the the Starkweather Moore The Black Seal’s web site is: Congo Sample file Conspiracy www.theblackseal.org By David Conyers By Daniel Harms, with Submissions: Page 27 David Conyers & Please check our web site for details of our Adam Crossingham submissions policy The British Museum: Page 73 d20 Cthulhu: London's Centres of All d20 Cthulhu material is presented in square Knowledge, part one Dangerous Places: brackets: [ ] or as d20 stat blocks By David Conyers Timsdown West Page 44 By Ben Counter Page 87 The BLACK SEAL #3 Rare and Unusual: Paranormal Artefacts at Contains: One Tibetan the British Museum God By David Conyers & William By Davide Mana Jones, with Phil Ward Page 91 Page 50 Volume 1 Number 3 Spring 2004 Welcome to the third issue of The Black Seal. I had hoped to publish earlier this year but a number of factors have conspired to hold up production. It seems that the good times have finally returned to Chaosium and 2004 looks like it may be finally the year of Call of Cthulhu’s return to proper production. This year has already seen the release of Cthulhu: Dark Ages. Whilst this new setting won’t be supported by The Black Seal, we applaud the decision to release it. Together with the launch of the Miskatonic University Library Association Monograph series Chaosium seems to be increasing its output slowly but surely. On the other hand Pagan Publishing seems incredibly quiet. The Delta Green novel ‘Denied to the Enemy’ and the long-awaited reprint of Delta Green with d20 Cthulhu stats are all reported to be on their way, but so far have not made an appearance. Another piece of good news is the imminent release of ‘Worlds of Cthulhu’ magazine. I’m biased reporting this, because I’m the Editor of the magazine. Pegasus Press of Germany will be producing a twice-yearly glossy magazine dedicated to all settings and systems of Call of Cthulhu. I know Worlds of Cthulhu will be a success because Keith ‘Doc’ Herber is Chief Editor, and Frank Heller, editor of Worlds’ German mother magazine ‘Cthuloide Welten’ is overseeing the whole process. Worlds of Cthulhu should be in a games shop near you in August. Whilst you are waiting you cna check out Worlds website at: www.worldsofcthulhu.com. Look out for the next appearance of The Black Seal in the next 12 months. The fourth issue will be a special issue titled ‘The Black Seal’s ‘Nam: the conflicts, the land, the people, the mythos’. We will be producing material for the period 1945 to 1975 in Vietnam ranging from character generation to scenarios and mini-campaigns. We will return to our normal mix of material in issue five. In the meantime enjoy this issue’s mix of articles and scenarios. Adam Crossingham, Editor Editor & Layout: David Conyers: page 6, 8, 13 & 30 known as Delta Green is ™ and © the Delta Adam “The Vicar” Crossingham Robert Corcoran page 2 Green Partnership, who has licensed its use Sarah Evans: pages 88, 89 & 90 here. The contents of this document are © Co-editor & Webmonkey: Paul J. Holden: pages 55, 56, 57, 58, & 59 Brian Boyington, Nick Brownlow, David Nick “No Nickname Nick” Brownlow David Lee Ingersoll: pages 3, 20, 21, 22, 23, Conyers, Ben Counter, Adam Crossingham, Vibes: 25, 71, 75, 79, 82, 83, 84, 85 & 86 Daniel Harms,Wood Ingham,William Jones, Jonathan “Mad Arab” Turner Tim Joyner: pages 65, 67, 68, 69 & 70 Davide Mana, Graeme Price, Jonathan Turner Associate Editor: Nick Lowson: page 53 & Phil Ward, excepting those elements that Shane Ivey Natalie Sandells: pages 92, 94, 96 & 98 are components of the Delta Green Sample file intellectual property. The Delta Green logo Graphic Design: is a trademark of the Delta Green L.Abdul Baan Maps & Diagrams: Partnership and is used with permission. Proofreading: David Conyers © 2003 pages 31, 45, 46, 48, L.Abdul Baan, Dan 77 & 80 This document contains material for use “Encyclopedia” Harms,“Got” Koen Goorickx © 2004 page 88 with Wizards of the Coast's Call of Cthulhu Wood Ingham, Graeme Role-playing Game for the d20 System™ “Ebola” Price & Phil Ward Unofficial: and contains no Open Game Content. Hon. Kitty Meister: All material in this magazine is to be Wizards of the Coast®, D&D®, and Phil “Secure” Ward considered unofficial and non-canon in the Dungeons and Dragons® are Registered world of Delta Green and PISCES, although Trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a Articles: every attempt has been made to check subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. d20™ and d20 existing facts and conform to the published System™ are Trademarks of Wizards of the All articles are © 2003, 2004 by their Coast, Inc. respective authors: Brian Boyington, Nick world view. It is up to individual Keepers Brownlow, David Conyers, Ben Counter, what material they shall incorporate into their view of Delta Green. No infringement of copyrights, trademarks, Adam Crossingham, Daniel Harms, Wood or intellec- Ingham,William Jones, Davide Mana, Graeme Elder Things in Flight Legalese: tual property Neil Beatty © 2004 Price, Jonathan Turner & Phil Ward is intended Call of Cthulhu ® is Chaosium Inc.’s by this Artwork: trademarked role-playing game of horror document. All artwork is © 2002, 2003, 2004 by their and wonder. Call of Cthulhu is the Registered Trademark of Chaosium Inc., and respective artists. is used with their permission. Chaosium Inc. L.Abdul Baan: pages front cover, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, is the Registered Trademark of Chaosium 9, 10, 50, 51, 52 & 53 Inc. Neil Beattie: pages 28, 30, 35, 39, 40, 41, 43 & back cover Published by arrangement with the Delta Brian Boyington: pages 11 & 12 Green Partnership.The intellectual property “This planet is haunted by us; the other occupants just evade boredom by filling our skies and seas with monsters.” —John Keel Truth is often stranger than fiction, and the None, of course, ever found it, although the is impossible so long as no one but the kind of high weirdness that’s eminently suitable quest has been made famous through the guardian is allowed to look upon this relic. for inclusion in a Call of Cthulhu game is rife Indiana Jones movie Raiders of the Lost Ark. even in the real world. Terra Occulta is Today, reputed sites for the location of the Black Mountain intended to serve as your guide to this strange Ark of the Covenant are many. But the most Cooktown, Queensland,Australia planet we live on; a catalogue of the bizarre and popular theory has the ark kept in a plain stone the esoteric that the enterprising Keeper is temple next to Saint Mary of Zion Church in welcome to plunder for their campaign. In this, Âksum, Ethiopia. the first in a series of irregular columns, we cast Âksum (or Axum) is the holiest city in our single all-seeing eye over those lesser Ethiopia and the first place in Africa where known places of mystery around the globe. Christianity was officially declared a national religion in the Fourth Century A.D. This ark is Ark of the Covenant locked away in the temple and no one is Âksum, Ethiopia allowed to look at it. Protected by a metre-high fence, the ark is guarded by an unarmed monk who willSample spend the rest of file his life inside the temple. In return for his service to God he is the only person permitted into the inner sanctum to gaze upon the ornate box and its contents. To date there have been 30 guardians, In the tropic north of Australia, some 26 many of whom have reputedly lived 100 years kilometres south of Cooktown, lies Black or more. The robes of the previous 30 Mountain. Known to the local aboriginals as guardians are on display in the church. Kalkajaka, the name literally translates as ‘The Although the ark cannot be viewed, the Place of the Spear,’ or more loosely as ‘The church does hold a collection of impressive Mountain of Death.’ Not without good religious and historical artefacts including reason—the number of disappearances bibles, crosses, and crowns. Some of these associated with Black Mountain is staggeringly The legends of the Ark of the Covenant are items, the monks claim, are taken from the high. many. A wooden box decorated with gold original Temple of Solomon and brought to The first recorded disappearance was in linings overlaid with a golden lid with two Ethiopia by the Queen of Sheba when she 1877, when a farmer on his horse, out looking cherubs standing with wings outspread, the constructed her capital in today’s neighbouring for his cattle, was never seen again. Not only Ark holds the Ten Commandments, given to country of Eritrea.