13 Flavors of Fear

Flavors of Fear
13 Weird Fantasy Setting Sketches for

Lamentations of the Flame Princess
Flavors of Fear:
13 Weird Fantasy Setting Sketches for Lamentations of the Flame Princess
Author's Preface
This project grew out of perusing the Suggested Reading section in the Grindhouse Edition of James
Raggi's Lamentations of the Flame Princess. A reading list is nothing new when it comes to role-playing
games; after all, that grand grimoire nown as the AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide contains the justly
well-lo!ed Appendi" #. That said, the Suggested Reading section found in Lamentations of the Flame
Princess is a $it different from what you may ha!e come to e"pect% instead of just listing the authors and
titles of seminal wors, Raggi and his fellow writers gi!e an o!er!iew of $oth what you should $e reading
and why you should $e reading it to inspire a properly &eird 'antasy atmosphere in your own game
sessions.
The only pro$lem was this% after reading it, ( wanted more. )ou see, ('!e always $een a fiend for &eird
stories. 'rom a young age ( was fascinated in e*ual measures $y horror films, +,-.s comics with titles
lie The Witching Hour and The House of Mystery, ghost stories, and /othic no!els. ('!e $een lucy
enough to mae studying &eird fiction my life's pursuit, so when ( got to the end of the Suggested
Reading section ( lamented its $re!ity and mourned for all that was left out. &here was Arthur 0achen
and Ann Radcliffe1 2ell, why restrict the pool of potential inspirations to just the written word1 &here
were the film suggestions, the gaming suggestions, and the $its of odd lore to $e looed o!er and spun
into the stuff of &eird ad!enture1
3onsider this $rief supplement my attempt to fill in that gap. As ( pondered what had $een left out of the
Grindhouse Edition $y necessity, ( reali4ed that the neglected titles and authors could $e grouped together
$y the type of setting, thematic, and narrati!e con!entions they employ. &hile it has the power to
surprise us, &eird 'antasy is nothing if not con!entional. (nside this e-$oo you will find +5 6setches7
of !ariant campaign settings that you might use to e!oe the classic con!entions and eerie atmospheres
found in the &eird fiction of the past and present.
8f course, the goal here isn't to $ludgeon the players into conforming to a pre-determined fictional
schema; rather, my hope is that these setches will gi!e you a few $asic tools and ideas so you can create
a strange, uncanny setting of your own for your players to e"plore and react to in their own inimita$le
ways.
&hile this supplement was written with Lamentations of the Flame Princess in mind, there's nothing
stopping you from e"ploring these setting setches with your fa!orite fantasy R9/. :rea out
Warhammer Fantasy ole!Play, "all of "thulhu, HarnMaster, etc. ('!e e!en gi!en one of these settings a
test dri!e with #$%$. ;se what you lie, just mae it &eird.
( would $e remiss if ( didn't acnowledge that ( had some help along the way. ( wish to than the
commentators on my threads a$out this project on R9/.net and TheR9/Site for their !alua$le
suggestions and input. Also, ( liely wouldn't ha!e seen this project through to its conclusion without
their encouragement.
2appy /aming<
Jac Shear
1. The Cold orthern Wind
&#n the foggy em'races of maternal (oods) (here (ol*es and red riding hoods are lost and found) (here
strange 'ecomings ta+e ,lace) at night) you can here ho(ls) gro(ls) and grunts- #narticulate (ords
create gothic soundsca,es of a'.ect horror and ritualistic transgression-/
As,asia $te,hanou) &Playing Wol*es and ed iding Hoods in 0lac+ Metal/
/eorge R.R. 0artin's A Game of Thrones isn't a &eird tale, $ut the sections of the no!el set at the &all=
an enormous $arrier of ice that separates the Se!en >ingdoms from the sa!age, unnown #orth=show
all the signs of $eing rooted in the &eird tradition. The &all is patrolled $y the rangers of the #ight's
&atch. Theirs is a grim duty% they withstand the howling, $itter winds of the icy #orth, struggle against
$ar$arian raiders and wild $easts, and act as wardens against an e!il race of mysterious $eings nown
only as the 8thers. ?ife at the &all is a mundane grind of military discipline and preparations for the
coming winter, $ut $ehind the $anal trials and tri$ulations of the e!eryday lurs something ominous and
supernatural that threatens to $rea through. This particular constellation of con!entions is a specific ind
of &eird tale; it is a tale of $leaness, of the mad chaos of natural su$limity and natural sa!agery, of
roaring wind and deadly frost, and of $loody red against a field of snowy white. (t is a tale of the Cold
orthern Wind.
The Setting:
An isolated northern outpost at the $order $etween the ci!ili4ed world and the unnowa$le wilderness.
The outpost can $e a garrison, a eep and its surrounding fiefdom, a trade town, or a rough, ramshacle
refuge for wanted criminals. The outpost is encircled $y natural !istas that are $oth $eautiful and
threatening% dense, primordial forests and rugged, towering mountain ranges. @!ery journey from the
outpost has the potential for danger; the wild $easts who li!e in the forests and mountains are ferocious
and ha!e a taste for human flesh. :eyond the outpost, the northlands $ecome a $lighted tundra that is
$oth unmapped and home to a gra!e, unnown menace.
The The!es:
The natural (orld is harsh and unforgi*ing=use the setting itself as an ad!ersary against the characters.
@mphasi4e the $iting winds and the way the chilling frost can $e felt in the characters' $ones. Steal all
warmth and comfort from them.
"i*ili1ation *ersus the Wild=mae the outpost a place that the characters ha!e a !ested interest in
defending. 0ae it clear that the outpost is ci!ili4ation's first and $est line of defense against something
monstrous that could spell doom for all humanity. (mperil their community; mae them scram$le to
protect the life they now.
Grim fatalism=death is ine!ita$le in the &eird north; it is something to faced with a stoic mien and a
hardened heart. 9ut the characters in the position of maing tough, if not impossi$le choices. 'inal
stands against the darness are a must.
The Foes:
The Fro1en Dead=those who succum$ to frost$ite in the wilderness rise again as tireless enemies of
manind. Their $eards co!ered in hoar and the a"es rimed with frost, they will ceaselessly pursue the
li!ing through forest and mountain.
Giants=not the dunderheaded giants usually found in fantasy, these are the !icious giants of northern
legend. They are more than mortal, they are the corrupted remnants of once-godlie nature spirits who
wish to cleanse the land itself from the taint of man's ci!ili4ing influence.
Wol*es=in all their forms% dire wol!es, werewol!es, wol!es who spea of $lood in the !oices of men,
wol!es who prowl the streets during the nightside eclipse. #e!er a single wolf; always an uncounta$le
multitude of wol!es, a wolfing, an endless pac of tooth and claw.
Wendigo=sometimes the howling of the winter wind is not just the howling of the winter wind,
sometimes it is the ominous call of the wendigo. The wendigo has a !oice lie the $ottomless depths, can
lift a man from the earth with an unseen hand, $urn him with cold, and dri!e him mad $y showing him
things no mortal was meant to see.
The Soundtrack:
The Cold orthern Wind re*uires a soundtrac that is $oth pummeling and funereal.
Aasthur, Portal of $orro(=indulge in the melancholia of mystical, suicidal $lac metal.
:lood of the :lac 8wl, A Feral $,irit=introspecti!e doom metal; a ritual in!ocation of su$lime
wildness.
&ol!es in the Throne Room, T(o Hunters=a $lac metal e"plication of man's alienation from the natural
world.
#eurosis, Enemy of the $un=crushing, churning e"istential doom.
"iterary and Cine!atic #ns$irations:
Antonia :ird's a*enous, Algernon :lacwood's 6The &endigo,7 John 3arpenter's The Thing, Angela
3arter's 6The 3ompany of &ol!es,7 August Berleth's 6(tha*ua,7 3ristophe /ans's 0rotherhood of the
Wolf, John ?in*!ist's Let the ight 2ne #n; Ste!e #iles, 34 Days of 5ight, 0ary Shelley's Fran+enstein
Cparticularly the frame narrati!eD, Snorri Sturlson's Prose Edda.
%a!ing #ns$irations:
Death Frost Doom and Weird 5e( World Cfor Lamentations of the Flame PrincessD, Hellfrost Cfor $a*age
WorldsD, 6ee, on the 0orderlands Cfor D&DD.
&iscellaneous #ns$irations:
Alferd 9acer and canni$alism, $lood eagle, the Byatlo! 9ass (ncident, the )eti.
'. (ark &edieval Ti!es
&5ay) said 0alin) for this s(ord (ill # +ee,) 'ut it 'e ta+en from me (ith force- Well) said the damosel) ye
are not (ise to +ee, the s(ord from me) for ye shall slay (ith the s(ord the 'est friend that ye ha*e) and
the man that ye most lo*e in the (orld) and the s(ord shall 'e your destruction- # shall ta+e the
ad*enture) said 0alin) that God (ill ordain me) 'ut the s(ord ye shall not ha*e at this time) 'y the faith of
my 'ody-/
Thomas Mallory) Le Mort d'Arthur
0any gamers associate D&D and the lie with the 0iddle Ages, $ut they couldn't $e further off the mar
=historically speaing. The typical fantasy ingdom is place de!oid of grit; there might $e a class
di!ision $etween peasant and lord, $ut it doesn't tend to amount to much% peasant $oys lea!e home and
return as nights in ser!ice to their liege, the common people toil happily under the protection of indly
ings, and monsters are a nown *uantity instead of mysterious, folloric $eings who defy rational
understanding. All of that might $e the stuff of typical fantasy, $ut it certainly isn't fit for a &eird
campaign. (n this case, the solution isn't to introduce more layers of the fantastic; rather, a fantasy
campaign has much to gain in darness, $lood, and strangeness if it incorporates real Cor e!en fau"D
medie!alisms into the fa$ric of its setting.
(n the second introduction to his fau"-medie!al /othic no!el The "astle of 2tranto, 2orace &alpole
claims that the purpose of his narrati!e was to e"plore how ordinary characters in a medie!al setting
would react to the sudden introduction of the supernatural. That is the essence of (ark &edieval Ti!es;
crush the characters with the mundanity of their e"istence, then plunge them headlong into the &eird.
The Setting:
A petty fiefdom far from the centers of power. The fiefdom is regulated $y a steward, sheriff, or minor
no$leman who has sworn fealty to the ing. 0ost of the fiefdom is farmland tended $y peasants who li!e
hand-to-mouth; their lot in life is one of $ac$reaing la$or, s*ualid conditions, and early death,
punctuated only $y the $rief joys of festi!al days. The steward's lot is nothing to en!y, $ut to the peasants
it seems lu"urious; of course, the steward's household only mi"es with the peasantry when custom
demands it. There is a small church in town where a minor curate tends to the spiritual discipline of the
community. 8ne end of the fief is $ordered $y a deep, nearly-impenetra$le forest; some peasants, fed up
with their toil, ha!e fled their farms to tae up $anditry in the woods. The other end of the fief is
connected to the trade road, $ut few come or go=the fiefdom e"ists in isolation.
The The!es:
Death is e*ery(here=life is $rutal and short. Adjust in-game healing times and the a!aila$ility of
healing magic to mae it e"plicitly apparent how dangerous the world is. 9lay up the high mortality rate;
simple accidents will liely lead to fatal infections, the plague is feared $y all, and com$at results in
mangled $odies and shattered sulls.
E*eryone is assigned a ,lace 'y 'irth=emphasi4e the rigid social stratification of the setting. )ou're
$orn a peasant and you die a peasant, no e"ceptions. @!eryone in the setting nows their place and nows
who is their social $etter.
The (orld 'eyond the fief is strange and mysterious=the !ast majority of the fiefdom's residents will
ne!er lea!e the place where they were $orn. >eep the action of your campaign isolated to the fief; e!en
the characters should feel lie they ha!e no hope of e!er seeing the greater world, e!en if they hear of
mar!elous things in lands they will ne!er now.
The Foes:
The Fair Fol+=there are no silly sprites or ca!orting leprechauns here. (nstead, the 'air 'ol are
unnowa$le and alien; their moti!es are utterly unguessa$le. They ha!e the power to $eguile, ensnare,
and lead astray. They ha!e no souls and may $e the remnants of the 8ld /ods. Some say they shoot men
down in the fields with unseen arrows just for sport.
The Fell Pilgrims=wanderers and penitents who are not what they seem. They arri!e hooded and
cloaed, tolling $ells, and chanting the psalms, $ut what are they really after1 Bo they $ring disease or
are they har$ingers of the @nd Times1
The %sur,ed $,ecter=the land on which the fief stands has nown many masters. 9erhaps the current
steward gained the fief $y wresting it from the rightful owner; the true lord of the land may ha!e died
mad and imprisoned. 2is shade now wals the earth seeing !engeance for his $etrayal.
The Great Worm=a horri$le $east allied with the Be!il is said to sleep $eneath the standing stones within
the woods to the east of the fiefdom. All manner of male!olence is ascri$ed to the slum$ering monster%
when the crops fail, it is surely the wor of the &orm; when a woman's child dies in infancy, it is surely
the wor of the &orm; when a man is possessed $y demons, it is surely the wor of the &orm.
The Soundtrack:
(ark &edieval Ti!es re*uires a soundtrac that is medie!al-es*ue, without sounding lie a Ren 'aire.
Bead 3an Bance, Aion and Within the ealm of a Dying $un=$y turns mystical and haunting.
The Soil :leeds :lac) Alchemie and The 6nightly 7ears=neo-medie!al compositions centered on
occultism and fatalistic !alor.
Arcana) The Dar+ Age of eason=music from a Bar Age that ne!er e"isted.
;nto Ashes) Moon 2,,ose Moon and $aturn eturn=witchy medie!alism that is dar and otherworldly.
The anonymous 0eo(ulf, the anonymous 6Bream of the Rood,7 the anonymous Ga(ain and the Green
6night, (ngmar :ergman's The $e*enth $eal, Richard 3arpenter's o'in of $her(ood, ;m$erto @co's The
5ame of the ose, the lais of 0arie de 'rance, Thomas 0alory's Le Mort d'Arthur, 3hristopher 0arlowe's
The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, ?eslie 0egahey's The Ad*ocate, &illiam Shaespeare's Hamlet
and Mac'eth, 3hristopher Smith's 0lac+ Death, 3lar Ashton Smith's A!eroigne stories, 2orace
&alpole's The "astle of 2tranto, John &e$ster's The Duchess of Malfi.
Ars Magica, "ons,iracy of $hado(s, "thulhu Dar+ Ages Cfor "all of "thulhuD, Harn, Middle Ages and
o'in Hood Cfor G%P$D, Pendragon, >enneth 2ite's 6Tra!elin' 0an% Sir John 0ande!ille,7 6Staling
the &ild 0anticore,7 6There's 0ore to 'aeries Than Their /lamour,7 6(nto the &oods with Ro$in 2ood,7
and 6The 0aiden and the 0onster% Joan of Arc and /illes de Rais7 C$u,,ressed TransmissionsD.
Arthurian myth, the :lac Beath, the dancing sicness and St. Eitus's Bance, 'rances and Joseph /ies's
Life in a Medie*al To(n, /illes de Rais, the /rail mythos, 2ildegard !on :ingen, illuminated
manuscripts and grimoires, the >nights Templar, Joan of Arc, leprosy, 0arjorie Rowling's Life in
Medie*al Times, medie!al alchemy, medie!al heresies and demonology, Ro$in 2ood.
3. Southern %othic
&$he remem'ered ho( it (as here that she had seen a side of her mother that had frightened her) a scary)
fren1ied) secret self that normally hid 'ehind soft 'leached a,rons and stoic silence- And it (asn8t .ust her
momma (ho changed- The ser*ices (ould transform familiar) ordinary ,eo,le) ,eo,le she sa( e*ery day)
into creatures as fascinating and horrifying as the 'eautifully ,atterned scales of the ser,ents they
caressed-/
Linda "handler Munson) Moon'lind
&ar lea!es lingering scars on $oth $odies and minds. The con!entions of the Southern %othic use those
scars to draw out the deeper tensions that e"ist in an ante$ellum society that has grown fallow after a
great war. The Southern %othic depicts the world in grotes*ue terms; physical deformities and
e"aggerated $odily characteristics always sympathetically correspond to mental, emotional, and
psychological a$errations% the $ig-nosed woman in the house ne"t door is in!aria$ly a gossip and a
$usy$ody, the lame-legged preacher possesses a soul crippled $y guilt, and the twisted old man who
presides o!er the town council is gripped $y e*ually twisted desires.
8f course, not e!ery scar is apparent on the surface. (n the Southern %othic, things generally loo
peaceful, placid, and genteel, $ut dig a little deeper and you find a culture whose heart $eats to a
sicening rhythm. There is always a sharp di!ide $etween a town's old, landed aristocracy and those who
wor with their hands for a li!ing. Though the days of the plantation were o!er after the war, the social
chasm $etween the ha!es and the ha!e-nots is a simmering cauldron of resentments apt to spill o!er into
outright !iolence. The tipping point is liely to $e the inherent hypocrisy of the town's 6moral7
guardians; whether family patrician, pious man of /od, or respecta$le de$utante, the town's upstanding
citi4ens all har$or dar secrets.
The Setting:
A cheerily-named town of white-washed fences, grand plantation houses, and rough ha$itations on the
wrong side of the tracs. There is a town meeting hall where the !arious old families endless maneu!er
for pride of place and political power. There is a well-attended church where a preacher deli!ers hellfire
and $rimstone sermons to his e!er-sinning congregation. CThey may e!en handle poisonous snaes and
spea in tongues to demonstrate their religious fer!or.D There is a $awdy ta!ern that e!eryone nows
a$out, $ut no one e!er mentions at the outsirts of town. (t's said that the drins, women, and music there
are all fast, fiery, and loose.
The The!es:
E*il (ears the mas+ of ,ro,riety=the town is rotting from the inside out. There is no real outside threat
to the town's e"istence; rather, it is the e!il that men hold in their hearts that endangers the good people of
the town. This danger hides itself $ehind a facade of cultured manners and Southern charm, maing it
insidious and difficult to detect.
"lass (arfare=the town is home to $arely-repressed social resentments. The poor and the rich hate each
other instincti!ely, the old money has a !ested interest in eeping the middle and woring classes from
gaining too large a share of cultural capital, the disenfranchised minority is ept at the menial, a$ject
fringes of society. (f your group has the stomach for it, you might e!en wor racial tensions into this
heady $rew of contention.
The grotes9ue conflates re*ulsion (ith em,athy=although the grotes*ue characters of the Southern
/othic tradition are engineered to illicit disgust, their !ery human falli$ility also mars a point where they
e!oe our sympathies. 'or e!ery horri$le secret that is re!ealed a$out a society matron's past, we should
also learn a fact that puts his actions into perspecti!e. 'or e!ery re!olting detail that comes out a$out the
secret life led $y the pastor's son, there should also $e some note of sympathy. Though their actions can
ne!er $e forgi!en, there must $e something a$out them that maes us wonder if we would ha!e done any
differently gi!en the momentous choices they had at hand.
The Foes:
The antagonists in the Southern %othic are rarely e"plicitly supernatural or monstrous; instead, they
illustrate that man is the worst monster of all.
The To(n Father=he $rings wealth and sta$ility to the town, $ut what secret does he guard a$out his
family's past1 &hat accursed deals has he struc to insure the town's prosperity1
The Preacher=a tra!eling man of the cloth who has set up a tent in the town's poorest district. 2e claims
that he wants to sa!e the $odies and souls of the needy, $ut what if he were indoctrinating the indignant as
his own personal army1
The 0elle=she's the $eautiful young woman that all the unmarried men come to court. She's the picture
of proper $eha!ior, grace, and un$lemished reputation...until the sun sets. 9erhaps she might $e found
down $y the ri!er, introducing her suitors to strange, unwholesome rites.
The Soundtrack:
The Southern %othic re*uires a soundtrac that mi"es gentility with gritty desperation.
#ic 3a!e and the :ad Seeds, Pa,a Won't Lea*e 7ou) Henry and Murder 0allads=filthy, murderous,
outlaw music.
Earious Artists, Peo,le Ta+e Warning:=authentic recordings of Americana songs a$out death,
catastrophe, and disaster rescued from the scrap heap of history.
0arissa #adler, 0allads of Li*ing and Dying=the sweetest of !oices, cutting right to the $one.
The Scarring 9arty, Losing Teeth=uncanny and nasty, lie a he" luring at the $ottom of a dry well.
9oppy F. :rite's Lost $ouls, #ic 3a!e's And the Ass $a( the Angel, &illiam 'aulner's As # Lay Dying,
The $ound and the Fury, and 6A Rose for @mily,7 Baniel >nauf's "arni*ale, 3harles ?aughton's 5ight of
the Hunter, 2arper ?ee's To 6ill a Moc+ing'ird, 3ormac 0c3arthy's 0lood Meridian, ?inda 3handler
0unson's Moon'lind, 'lannery 8'3onnor's A Good Man is Hard to Find and Wise 0lood, 0arlene !an
#ieer's Triomf, @udora &elty's 63lytie,7 Tennessee &illiams's $uddenly) Last $ummer.
%a!ing #ns$irations: Hangman's 5oose Cfor D&DD.
Jim 3row laws, 9entecostalism, Tent re!i!als.
). *ehind the Facade of the Seaside To+n
&During the (inter of ;<=>!=? officials of the Federal go*ernment made a strange and secret
in*estigation of certain conditions in the ancient Massachusetts sea,ort of #nnsmouth- The ,u'lic first
learned of it in Fe'ruary) (hen a *ast series of raids and arrests occurred) follo(ed 'y the deli'erate
'urning and dynamiting@under suita'le ,recautions@of an enormous num'er of crum'ling) (orm!
eaten) and su,,osedly em,ty houses along the a'andoned (aterfront-/
H-P- Lo*ecraft) &The $hado( 2*er #nnsmouth/
There will come a time in your campaign when the player characters will $e tired of roughing it through
the dangerous wilderness and weary of slumming through ur$an decay. &hat $etter time for a trip to a
*uaint, scenic seaside town for a little rest and rela"ation1 8f course, what at first appears to $e a
rela"ing interlude $etween !entures into the unnown simply must turn out to $e the characters' worst
nightmare. :ehind the facade of the seaside town lurs something ancient and sinister; the town's
gleaming white cottages, pictures*ue wharf, and o!erly-friendly inha$itants mass a corruption that
resides within the !ery life$lood of the community.
The Setting:
A small, $ut charming, seaside town. The town itself is mostly comprised of *uaint cottages, fishing
$oats moored at the doc, a $ustling cannery, and a series of attracti!e little shops along the high street.
2owe!er, there are some areas of the town that most people don't now a$out. There are secret tunnels
that lead from the ca!es near the $each to the crypts of the ancient $urial grounds; these tunnels were
formerly used $y smugglers $ringing their wares in under the co!er of night, $ut they now ser!e to
con!ey a far more distur$ing traffic in human $eings. There is a surprisingly well-stoced li$rary that
counts a num$er of powerful eldritch tomes among its shel!es. There is an artist's colony in the town that
produces strange, dis*uieting paintings. There is a castle not more than a day's journey from the town
that is home to a mad in!entor; will the in!entor pro!e to $e friend or foe1 There are twin lighthouses on
an island off the coast. &hat might the lighthouse eepers now a$out the doings in town1
The The!es:
2utsiders are different from Family=while the people who reside in the town will $e warm and
welcoming at first, it should *uicly $ecome apparent that they eep outsiders at arm's length. 3haracters
will catch groups of townspeople eying them with suspicion $efore going a$out their $usiness; there will
$e parts of town=perhaps the local temple=where they are $ared entry.
"orru,tion is 'lood!dee,=whate!er is wrong in the seaside town is connected to the lineage of the
town's inha$itants. Are they descended from settlers who $ear an ancestral curse1 Are they the product
of centuries of inter$reeding $etween man and something horrific from the depths of the sea1 Are they
transplants from the 8ld &orld who ha!e $rought a $lood malady=perhaps a $lood-thirst=from the
forsaen places of a forgotten country1
The sea demands sacrifice=the people of the seaside town depend on the ocean for their sur!i!al.
&ithout a plentiful catch of fish, the town would dry up and $low away. To what lengths would the
town's populace go to insure that the sea continues to pro!ide for their needs1
The Foes:
The To(ns,eo,le=sure, they're all smiles when the characters first encounter them, $ut then the
characters will start noticing that there is something not *uite right a$out them. 9erhaps it's the wide-set
eyes, the disappearing chins, or the a$rupt slope of the forehead, $ut the more time the characters spend in
the town the more noticea$le it $ecomes that the townspeople are less Cor moreD than human.
The 0easts of the $ea=a trip out to sea is dangerous for anyone who doesn't $elong to the 'amily of the
seaside town. Sea serpents, giant s*uid, or other primordial $easts might rise from the depths to pre!ent
the escape of !isitors to the town.
Dee, 2nes=the people of the town ha!e an ongoing, illicit trade in the flesh of outsiders. They $ring
capti!es through the tunnels and down to the $each, where they are met $y inhuman, amphi$ious men
from the ocean.
The Dar+ Gods of the Wa*es=the Beep 8nes are the ser!ants of something indescri$a$ly horri$le and
otherworldly that sleeps in a sunen ingdom off the coast. &hile these 6gods7 slum$er, they dream=
and their dreams impart omens and maledictions to those who sleep within the town's $orders.
The Soundtrack:
The soundtrac for *ehind the Facade of the Seaside To+n is split e!enly $etween dar shanties and
churning am$ient music.
Re!erend /lasseye and 2is &ooden ?egs, 0lac+ i*er Falls=murder, madness, and despair in a #ew
@ngland mood.
The ;n*uiet Eoid, Poisoned Dreams and The $hado(!Haunted 2utside=?o!ecraftian am$ient music, a
soundtrac for the damned.
The Tiger ?illies, The $ea=down-and-out at the docside with the criminal castrati ca$aret.
?ustmord, Where the 0lac+ $tars Hang and Heresy=more growling, a$yssal am$ient from outside of the
!eil of time and place.
3li!e :arer's Galilee and 6The 0adonna,7 Ban 3urtis's Dar+ $hado(s, Se$astian /utierre4's $he
"reature, 2.9. ?o!ecraft's 6The Shadows 8!er (nnsmouth,7 6The 3all of 3thulhu,7 6Bagon,7 69icman's
0odel,7 and 6The Bunwich 2orror,7 2erman 0el!ille's Mo'y!Dic+-
6ings,ort and Ar+ham 5o( Cfor "all of "thulhuD, Free,ort, $hrine of the 6uo!Toa Cfor D&DD.
The :loop, Ba!id 3ordingly's %nder the 0lac+ Flag, 2ammond 3astle, the ?och #ess 0onster, J.9.
8'#eill's The Great 5e( England $ea $er,ent, the Salem &itch Trials, the Eermont @ugenics Sur!ey.
,. Pilgri!s in a Strange "and
&More than t(o thousand raging sa*ages 'ro+e from the forest at the signal) and thre( themsel*es across
the fatal ,lain (ith instincti*e alacrity- We shall not d(ell on the re*olting horrors that succeeded-@
Death (as e*ery (here) and in his most terrific and disgusting as,ects- esistance only ser*ed to inflame
the murderers) (ho inflicted their furious 'lo(s long after their *ictims (ere 'eyond the ,o(er of
resentment- The flo( of 'lood might 'e li+ened to the out'rea+ing of a torrentA and as the nati*es 'ecame
heated and maddened 'y the sight) many among them e*en +neeled to the earth) and dran+ freely)
eBultingly) hellishly) of the crimson tide-/
! Cames Fenimore "oo,er) The Last of the Mohicans
This fla!or of &eird 'antasy assumes that the characters $elong to a political or religious minority that
was persecuted in their nati!e land. To escape oppression their community has tra!eled across the sea to
esta$lish a colony where they can practice their $eliefs in freedom. Although they may ha!e set off with
the idea of esta$lishing a utopia or a shining city on a hill, these pilgrims in a strange land will find their
!ery sur!i!al imperiled $y forces $oth within and without. ;pon their arri!al on foreign soil the colonists
disco!ered that the land is already inha$ited $y sa!ages that resent the intrusion and will wage $loody war
to dri!e the newcomers from their rightful territory. &orse yet, what if the colonists ha!e $rought
something dar with them=some horror they har$or within their midst=to the new world1
The Setting:
A fortified colony on the shores of a strange land. The heart of the colony is its only church; the church is
the finest $uilding in all the colony and acts as the last place of refuge in times of strife. The colony itself
is a flicering light of ci!ili4ation car!ed out of the !ast, dar wilderness. The surrounding forest teems
with sa!ages, strange creatures, and unholy temptations. Those who spend too much time in the woods
are lia$le to $e thought tainted $y the $estial powers that call it home; in the minds of the colonists, the
forest's influence is something to $e resisted and con*uered. The world $eyond the forest is a complete
mystery to the colonists=they possess no maps of nowledge of the new world $eyond the $orders of the
colony itself.
The The!es:
Disci,line is sur*i*al=the only way to perse!ere against the sa!agery of the new world is to remain stoic
and disciplined in the face of chaos. Rigid adherence to law and order re*uires that the colonists forge
their souls from cold iron to weather the misfortunes of this strange land.
The 'eacon of ci*ili1ation is surrounded 'y 'ar'arism=the colony's sur!i!al is a fragile thing. #atural
dangers, $loodthirsty $ra!es, and supernatural threats encircle the colony and any !enture into the forest
is a liely suicide mission. &hile the su$jugation of the wilderness will necessarily entail some loss of
life, the greatest threat is that the colonists will a$andon their ci!ili4ed ways and fight sa!agery with
sa!agery.
The de*il cannot 'e outrun=whate!er persecution the colonists ha!e fled from will catch up with them
e!entually. There is always a !iper in wait, and the most damning sins are carried $y pious hearts.
The Foes:
$a*ages=the nati!es of this strange land are terrifying 8thers $ereft of the moral outloo that ci!ili4ation
$rings. They are an incomprehensi$le people who lo!e $attle, spare none from the a", indulge in
canni$alism and wild lusts, and howl their prayers to primordial demons. C#o, this use of 6sa!ages7 is
not particularly politically-correct, $ut it certainly is representati!e of the genre.D
The 0easts Who Wal+ as Men=e!en the local sa!ages are frightened of the $eings whose $odies
incorporate the worst impulses of man and $east. These sinchangers are protean e!ils who fights with
tooth, claw, and forged weapons, $ut their real power is in there a$ility to steal the face and form of
another to infiltrate the colony.
The Lost "olonists=of course, the current crop of colonists were not the first stranger to attempt to
esta$lish themsel!es on this foreign country. The pre!ious colonists disappeared without a trace. &ill
they return as the undead, as new-$orn $ar$arians who ha!e 6gone nati!e7 or as empty !essel filled with
the monstrous souls of ancient e!ils1
The De*il in the Woods=despite their self-e"ile to the colony, the demonic force $ehind the colonists'
persecution has followed them to the new world. Boes it wal among them in a familiar guise1 Any
colonist who spends too much time in the woods=perhaps rallying the sa!ages to a united war$and or
raising the $odies of the lost colonists=is a potential ser!ant of the de!il himself.
The Soundtrack:
Pilgri!s in a Strange "and re*uires a soundtrac that is folsy, yet puritanical.
+G 2orsepower, $ac+cloth 'n' Ashes and Fol+lore=fore$oding Americana with a touch of hellfire and
$rimstone.
0unly H the ?ee ?ewis 2arlots, sDt=/othic Americana perfect for chaotic forays against the sa!age tide.
Rasputina, Frustration Plantation and 2h) Perilous World=$oth are schi4ophrenic taes on alternate
American history.
Foe >eating, #nto the Woods=e"perimental, am$ient cello loops that spea to the mystery and terrifying
su$lime of the forest.
"iterary and Cine!atic #nfluences:
Aphra :ehn's 2orono+o, 3harles :rocden :rown's Wieland, James 'enimore 3ooper's The Last of the
Mohicans, #athaniel 2awthorne's The $carlet Letter, The House of the $e*en Ga'les and 6)oung
/oodman :rown,7 Ro$ert @. 2oward's Solomon >ane stories, Arthur 0iller's The "ruci'le, (saac
0itchell's The Asylum, &illiam Shaespeare's The Tem,est.
"olonial Gothic, 63roatoan or :ust% 'inding the ?ost 3olony7 Cfrom >enneth 2ite's $u,,ressed
TransmissionsD, $olomon 6ane Cfor $a*age WorldsD, Warhammer Fantasy ole!Play's $eastmen and dar
el!es.
:igfoot, 3otton 0ather, Beer &oman, (ndian capti!ity narrati!es, 0olly 9itcher and the 0ar$lehead
magician, the Salem &itch Trials, the Roanoe 3olony, Sir &alter Raleigh, Stic (ndians.
-. The .r/an Weird
&This latter is one of the ,rinci,le thoroughfares of the city) and had 'een *ery much cro(ded during the
(hole day- 0ut) as the dar+ness came on) the throng momentarily increasedA and) 'y the the time the
lam,s (ere (ell lighted) t(o dense and continuous tides of ,o,ulation (ere rushing ,ast the door-/
! Edgar Allan Poe) &The Man of the "ro(d/
0an is most alone when he is surrounded $y the teeming masses of manind. Typical ur$an ad!entures
tend to $e descri$ed with the adjecti!es 6gritty,7 6dar,7 and 6sprawling7; on their own, these adjecti!es
can mae for an e"citing ad!enture, $ut with a little wor we can tip each o!er fully into the realm of the
&eird.
The Setting:
A massi!e city crowded with $usinesses, homes, $rothels, seats of go!ernance, drug dens, docyards,
open marets, slums, and warehouses. :ring put the grit $y maing a sharp delineation $etween the law
and order that rules a city $y day and the criminal element that controls it $y night. &aling the cityscape
during the day should pose no real danger=until you're ready to turn the ta$les on the players, of course
=$ut nightfall should $ring with it dou$le-dealings, random gang !iolence, and an almost carni!ales*ue
le!el of lawlessness.
@mphasi4e the city's darness $y drawing on the con!ention of another 6dar7 genre that is centered on
the ur$an e"perience% film noir. The $asic film noir set up is perfect for gaming% someone has a pro$lem
and is willing to pay the characters to sol!e it, someone needs something in!estigated and is willing to
pay the characters to snoop around on their $ehalf, someone needs a mysterious pacage deli!ered=no
*uestions ased=and is willing to pay the characters to mae sure it gets done. :esides the $asic set up,
there is much to $orrow from film noir; amp up the shadows, dou$le-dealings, and moral am$iguity at
e!ery turn.
'antasy cities are usually plenty $ig, $ut to mae them uncanny push $ac the $oundaries e!en further.
0ae the city an inescapa$ly huge landscape in its own right. #ot only is the city a sprawling mass of
la$yrinthine streets, $ac alleys, and pla4as, it's also essentially unnowa$le; no matter how long you
spend in the city it will always ha!e new areas to e"plore and new ways to horrify.
The The!es:
Alienation is all=the city is far too large for anyone to feel connected to their fellow man. &orse yet
$ecause the city is a place of $ac-alley deals and rampant crime, no one feels lie they can trust anyone
else. 9lay up the feeling of ur$an paranoia $y limiting the characters' contacts, ha!ing the other deni4ens
of the city eye them with suspicion and hostility, and $y showing the casual $rutality that comes with
ur$an life.
The city is a ,lace of (onders=while day to day life in the city is a struggle for sur!i!al, the metropolis
is a place that seems to collect life's wonderments. 0ost marets and $a4aars will $e selling $ase goods,
$ut tuced away at a small stall might $e a $eautiful C$ut accursedD pu44le$o" that $rings $oth woe and
weal. A dusty $ooshop might ha!e a notorious grimoire among its offerings. The city itself might
possess a life of its own; what if its well-now streets $egan to warp and rearrange themsel!es according
to some occult pattern1
Life is chea,=a nife in the $ac comes when you e"pect it and when you least e"pect it. 0ae the city
a dangerous place to $e and design your ad!entures there to draw the character's down its worst alleys and
most !iolent neigh$orhoods. #e!er hesitate to show them what happens to the unwary.
The Foes:
The i*als=if the ad!enturers are the usual suspects=that is, a group of ne'er-do-wells out for gold=one
way to challenge them in a city en!ironment is to esta$lish a similar group of swords-for-hire who
compete with them for gainful employ. 0ae their ri!al group just as competent, if not more heartless.
Sew the ri!als toward the &eird $y gi!ing them a strange $enefactor who possess arcane powers or a
supernatural lineage. 9erhaps the ri!als are e!en dopplegangers; anonymity is $oth a $lessing and a curse
in a city en!ironment. 0ae identity-theft part of a !ast conspiracy that the characters unra!el one thread
at a time.
$e(er!d(ellers=what happens on the streets is $ad enough, $ut why not mae the characters plunge into
the a$ject $y ha!ing them in!estigate what happens $eneath the city streets1 3onfuse and confound the
players a$out the nature of the menace; you're spoiled for choice when it comes to the final re!eal%
$eastmen, sentient sham$ling mounds, sa!en, a cult sworn to the ser!ice of a plague demon, etc.
The $erial 6iller=something is staling the streets of the city with murderous intent $y night, why not
ha!e it come after the characters or someone the characters care a$out1 9erhaps the iller plays a deadly
game of cat-and-mouse with the players $y sending them clues hidden in ciphers within $lood-stained
notes. The iller, of course, always manages to slip away into the fog and shadows $efore $eing
apprehended; what are the iller's moti!es and is there a supernatural element to its uncanny a$ility to
e!ade detection1
The Soundtrack:
2;0A#&(#@, Fighting 5a+ed=this is what it sounds lie when you rage against ur$an alienation.
9J 2ar!ey, $tories from the "ity) $tories from the $ea=$right, flash, $ut with a dar, unsettling
undercurrent, just the !i$e your city should $e gi!ing off.
S"ip Shirey, $onic 5e( 7or+=chaotic $ursts of song that replicate the mad tum$le through city streets.
&orldI(nferno 'riendship Society, Addicted to 0ad #deas=an anarchistic al$um with a &eimar :erlin
feel; 9eter ?orre references a$ound.
2onore de :al4ac's Pere Goriot, 3li!e :arer's 6The 'or$idden7 and 60idnight 0eat Train,7 Jules
Bassin's 5ight and the "ity, 3harles Bicens's 2ur Mutual Friend, 2oward 2ars's The 0ig $lee,, John
2uston's The As,halt Cungle, J.->. 2uysmans's ?a-:as, 'rit4 ?ang's M, 'rit4 ?ei$er's 'afhrd and /ray
0ouser stories, Thomas ?igotti's short fiction, 2.9. ?o!ecraft's 6The 2orror at Red 2oo,7 Richard
0arsh's The 0eetle, /eorge du 0aurier's Tril'y, 3hina 0ie!ille's Perdido $treet $tation, @dgar Allan
9oe's 6The 0an of the 3rowd,7 Roman 9olansi's "hinato(n, Ale" 9royas's Dar+ "ity, /eorges
Roden$ach's 0ruges!la!Morte, Taeshi Shimi4u's Mare'ito, Ro$ert ?ouis Ste!enson's The $trange "ase
of Dr Ce+yll and Mr Hyde-
The "ity $tate of the #n*inci'le 2*erlord Cfor older editions of D&DD, 6Jacs &ild% Si" Sta$s at Jac the
Ripper7 C$y >enneth 2ite in $u,,ressed TransmissionsD, Lan+hmar Cfor older editions of D&D or
uneEuestD, $harnF "ity of To(ers Cfor 5.J D&DD, Gornheim Cfor Lamentations of the Flame PrincessD.
&alter :enjamin's The Arcades Pro.ect, the :lac Bahlia murder, 2.2. 2olmes, Jac the Ripper, mole
people, a$sinthe houses, 9arisian catacom$s, Spring-2eeled Jac, Eictorian ?ondon's @ast @nd opium
houses, Anthony Eidler's War,ed $,aces and %ncanny Architecture, &eimar :erlin, the Fodiac >iller.
0. Pagan 1utskirts
&# thin+ # could turn and li*e (ith animals- They are so ,lacid and self!contained- They do not lie a(a+e
in the dar+ and (ee, for their sins- They do not ma+e me sic+ discussing their duty to God- 5ot one of
them +neels to another or to his o(n +ind that li*ed thousands of years ago- 5ot one of them is
res,ecta'le or unha,,y) all o*er the earth-/
! The Wic+er Man
This fla!or of &eird 'antasy assumes that your setting has an esta$lished religion that holds sway
throughout the realm and that the characters were $orn and raised under the auspices of that religious
institution. 8f course, the tric here is to thrust the characters into the outsirts of ci!ili4ation where the
esta$lished church offers no protection or sanctuary; what the characters will soon disco!er is that not all
the people of the realm hold the same $eliefs or hew to the same faith that they are familiar with. (n the
Pagan 1utskirts, the old ways still command loyalty and the ancient ways of worship=$lood sacrifice,
pacts with demonic forces, and pledges to the fierce, primordial spirits of nature=still hold power o!er
the hearts and minds of a secreti!e rural populace.
The Setting:
An isolated !illage or town far from the reach of the esta$lished church hierarchy. The !illage is self-
sufficient and self-contained; local farming, animal hus$andry, traditional artisan handicrafts, and $ee-
eeping pro!ide for the people's material well-$eing. (ndeed, their self-reliance is such that they largely
go!ern themsel!es; religious and secular authority wields nominal power, at $est. The people's spiritual
well-$eing is pro!ided for under a darer cast; these !illagers or townspeople clea!e to the ancient pagan
ways that dominated the land prior to the spread of the normati!e, modern religion.
The The!es:
The modern is endangered 'y the ancient=mae sure the characters ha!e e!ery modern inno!ation that
seems to guarantee their sur!i!al. They should $e e*uipped with modern tools of warfare Csuch as well-
forged swords, cross$ows, and perhaps e!en early firearmsD and the tools of modern faith Choly water and
the shield of true $eliefD. 2owe!er, mae a point to show them that while the old ways=pagan magic
and primordial $easts=might currently slum$er, they are still strong. 9erhaps e!en stronger than steel
and sacrament.
"orru,tion is a (orse fate that death=the pagan people will $e welcoming. Too welcoming. They do
not wish to oppose outsiders with force of arms, they wish to con!ert outsiders $ac to the old ways
through seduction and the arousal of primal lusts.
The 5e( Age is u,on us=play up the cyclical nature of the threat that faces the characters. &hile the
pagan ways may ha!e lain dormant for ages, mae the characters pri!y to their mo!ements as they stir
and awaen. 9erhaps a prophecy of comes to pass, perhaps occult rites are nearing completion, perhaps
the stars are aligning...in any case, the primordial $eings once worshiped $y fearful men arise anew and
the characters num$er among those chosen to witness the re$irth of the pagan order.
The Foes:
The Pagans=at first, the pagans will seem lie cheerful, fulfilled people. (ndeed, as the characters
witness their simple li!es of o$ser!ing nature's cycle and o$eying their natural inclinations, they may
$egin to en!y the freedom of their lifestyle. :ut this will change when the characters learn of the means
these smiling, friendly fol use to appease the dar gods they ser!e.
The $carecro(s=the fields and farmsteads of the pagan outsirts are protected from thie!ing $irds $y
pumpin-headed effigies filled with straw. 8r at least that is all they seem to $e until they are called upon
to ra!age those who threaten the !illagers or their way of life.
The White Peo,le=where did the !illagers learn the ways of pagan magic in the first place1 &hy, from
the white people, of course. The white people are a race of ca!e-dwelling degenerates forgotten $y time.
;ne!ol!ed and unci!ili4ed, they are $rutal, ignorant, $ut possessed of uncanny senses and an innate
connection to the $lood-magic used $y the pagan people of the !illage.
5ature's Hunger=something ancient and prime!al stirs in the wilderness, awaened from its slum$er $y
the sacrificial $lood-rites practiced $y the pagans. 9erhaps the characters arri!e too late and the
hungering maw is already lose in the wild, or perhaps the characters ha!e $een lured to the pagan
outsirts as the final sacrifice.
The Soundtrack:
Pagan 1utskirts re*uires a soundtrac that taes fol $ac to its $loody pagan roots.
"urrent H3) $(asti+as for 5oddy=apocalyptic fol music replete with folloric touchstones, in!ocations,
and maledictions.
Es,ers) ## and ###=fol psychedelia that fre*uently spirals off into otherworldly sounds.
Fern 6night) "astings=self-descri$ed 6music for witches and alchemists,7 tarot sym$olism a$ounds
here.
$ol #n*ictus) The 0lade=the grim, unflinching determination of nature is the order of the day.
3li!e :arer's 6Rawhead Re"7 and 6(n the 2ills, the 3ities,7 (ngmar :ergman's The Girgin $,ring, 9iers
2aggard's 0lood on $atan's "la(, Ro$in 2ardy's The Wic+er Man, 0.R. James's 68h, &histle and ('ll
3ome to )ou, 0y ?ad,7 Stephen >ing's 63hildren of the 3orn,7 Arthur 0achen's The Great God Pan,
6The Shining 9yramid,7 and 6The &hite 9eople,7 Eernon ?ee's 6Bionea,7 0ichael Ree!es's Witchfinder
General, >en Russel's The Lair of the White Worm, 3hristopher Smith's 0lac+ Death, :ram Stoer's The
Lair of the White Worm Cthe film and the no!el are *uite different from each otherD, ?ars !on Trier's
Antichrist.
;44 0ushels of ye Cfor HarnMasterD, Green and Pleasant Land Cfor "all of "thulhuD, Through the
Dra+(ald Cfor Warhammer Fantasy ole!Playing =eD.
3eltic druids, :enjamin 3hristensen's HaBanF Witchcraft Through the Ages, Sir James 'raser's The
Golden 0ough, human sacrifice, 0argaret Alice 0urray's The Witch "ult in Western Euro,e, the pagan
ri!al of the +K,.s, standing stones, 0ontague Summers's translation of the Malleus Maleficarum.
2. 3igh %othicis!
&And since) in our ,assage through this (orld) ,ainful circumstances occur more fre9uently than
,leasing ones) and since our sense of e*il is) # fear) more acute than our sense of good) (e 'ecome the
*ictims of our feelings) unless (e can in some degree command them-/
! Ann adcliffe) The Mysteries of %dolfo
('!e already touched on ways to $ring in influences gleaned from /othic literature in (ark &edieval
Ti!es, $ut in this section ('m going to focus on how to change the con!entions of the second-wa!e of
/othic fictions=the no!els that mared the high point of the /othic's literary popularity in the late +K
th
century=into grist for the &eird 'antasy mill. The main focus of the /othic's second-wa!e of no!els is
an implicit contrast $etween the norms and mores of the rational, @nlightened :ritish (sles and the
6/othic $ar$arism7 of @urope's continental powers. 3igh %othicis! generally implies a Renaissance
le!el of culture and technology; indeed, the :ritish authors who wrote /othic fiction during its most
influential years tended to set their tales in fanciful re-imaginings of 'rance, Spain, and (taly. 2owe!er,
while those settings ha!e elements that appear modern and ad!anced, they are also always haunted $y a
$ar$aric past in the form of feudal aristocrats, a 6medie!al7 church that had yet to $e reformed, and
peasants who were still ignorant and superstitious. Such settings were recogni4a$ly @uropean, $ut the
differences from their nati!e :ritain were strong enough to color their stories with hints of e"oticism.
'urthermore, the world of 3igh %othicis! eschews the usual fantasy pantheon antics for a single,
powerful monotheistic church. :ritish authors of /othic te"ts used their southern settings as a prete"t to
e"plore their cultural distrust of 3atholicism; so too might you use a setting $ased on 3igh %othicis! to
e"plore a church gone rotten with corruption and e"tra!agance.
The Setting:
A moderately-si4ed town in a pseudo-@uropean locale. The townspeople are an ignorant, superstitious
lot; they cling to their religion and their superstitions, and they see the wor of the supernatural
e!erywhere=e!en where a rational answer seems more plausi$le. The town has two significant
landmars near$y% a old castle and a monastery or nunnery. The castle is the family seat of an old line of
$lue-$looded aristocrats. This family $elie!es that their rarefied $lood sets them apart from the common
man; they prefer to eep to themsel!es and disdain intrusion upon their secrets. The monastery or
nunnery is thought to $e a place of religious contemplation, $ut in truth its master is a cruel, calculating
!illain who uses the guise of spirituality to mas a !ariety of misdeeds. The town is also near a deep
woods and towering, majestic mountains. These su$lime natural features are $oth awesomely $eautiful
and home to cunning $andits.
C(n /othic tales, natural $eauty tends to fortify the protagonists; to emulate this in your game perhaps any
character who pauses to o$ser!e the natural su$lime and rhapsodi4e on its solemn splendor regains a few
2it 9oints. 8n the flip-side, protagonists in /othic tales tend to $e attaced when they tra!erse the woods
and mountains, so perhaps such a pause for dramatic solilo*uy would also $e cause for a random
encounter chec.D
The The!es:
eason *s- the $u,ernatural=3igh %othicis! pits @nlightenment rationality against the superstitions
and supernaturalism of the $enighted past. 8ne way to emphasi4e this theme is to tae away any
supernatural powers the characters might normally ha!e; mae arcane and di!ine magic, enchanted items,
and e"traordinary powers solely the pro!ince of the !illains. 0ae the players rely on ordered, rational
plans instead of mystic 0ac/uffins.
The church is a corru,t institution=there are only two types of $elie!er% those who $lindly follow the
church's doctrine $ecause they are afraid of what awaits in the ne"t life and those who use the mas of
piety to hide a multitude of sins. As with the pre!ious theme, it is entirely appropriate to eliminate
clerical spells and holy powers when playing in 3igh %othicis! mode. Similarly, it is appropriate to
gi!e religious characters and places a horri$le hidden secret% perhaps the goodly mon is tormented $y
carnal desires; perhaps the nunnery gi!es sanctuary to an unrepentant assassin, or perhaps the local a$$ess
has made a pact with the !ery de!il she claims to re$ue.
Emotions runneth o*er=if e!er there was a time to indulge your thes$y inclinations, now is it.
3haracters in 3igh %othicis! should display the re!olt of emotions ept too long in chec; sorrow,
melancholia, terror, horror, and mania should $e writ largely upon the important characters that the
players interact with. (n this case, it's encouraged to ham up the performance and create personalities that
are o!erwrought and unhinged; melodrama is your friend here.
The Foes:
The 0andits=run-of-the-mill foes to $e sure, unless...they are at the $ec and call of someone or
something far more sinister. (n fact, disco!ering who these miscreants ser!e is half the $attle.
The Mon+=oh how the mighty fall< 8nce a pious ecclesiastic, now mired in a spiritual darness. &hat
preys upon the cleric's soul1 (s it $odily lust1 ?ust for arcane power that can only $e had through a
'austian $argain1 9olitical gain1 &hate!er it is, mae sure the characters are directly o$structing the
mon from his goal.
The "a*alier and his etinue=the eldest son of the castle's aristocratic family is a nightly man who will
immediately tae a disliing to the characters' low-$orn status. 8r, if they $e no$les themsel!es, he will
set himself to pro!e his o$!ious !irtue against theirs.
The "ry,t!Thing=the land $elow the local nunnery or monastery is riddled with hidden crypts nown to
few. The characters will disco!er just how la$yrinthine those crypts are when one of the !illains outlined
a$o!e steals away a young maiden and secrets her within a forgotten !ault. 8f course, what the !illain
doesn't now is that the crypts are far from uninha$ited. &hat ind of misshapen $east crawls along the
catacom$s, feasting on the flesh and $ones of the long-dead1
The Soundtrack:
3igh %othicis! re*uires a soundtrac that is inspired $y Romanticism and darness.
0lac+ Ta,e for a 0lue Girl) As 2ne Aflame Laid 0are 'y Desire and emnants of a Dee,er Purity=the
sound of passion consuming faith and reason.
Lycia) Tri,,ing 0ac+ into the 0ro+en Days=6tripping $ac into the $roen days7 is the mantra of 3igh
%othicis!; this al$um is fragile, stripped down, and $are to the $ones.
Mors $y,hilitica) Feather and Fate=the lush /othicism of a soaring, hea!enly !oice.
$o,or Aeternus & the Ensem'le of $hado(s) Dead Lo*ers $ara'ande IFace 2ne and Face T(oJ=
melancholic airs from out of time; possi$ly the most funereal music project in e"istence.
Jane Austen's 5orthanger A''ey, Roy &ard :aer's The Gam,ire Lo*ers, 0ario :a!a's 0lac+ $unday,
(saac 3rooenden's 6The Eindicti!e 0on or The 'atal Ring,7 Richard 3um$erland's 6The 9oisoner of
0ontremos,7 3harlotte Bacre's Kofloya, Thomas 2ardy's 6:ar$ara of the 2ouse of /re$e,7 Sheridan ?e
'anu's 63armilla7 and 6A 3hapter in the 2istory of a Tyrone 'amily,7 0atthew ?ewis's The Mon+,
Baphne du 0aurier's e'ecca, 3harles 0aturin's Melmoth the Wanderer, @li4a 9arsons's The "astle of
Wolfen'ach, @dgar Allan 9oe's 6The 3as of Amontillado7 and 6The 9it and the 9endulum,7 Ann
Radcliffe's The Mysteries of %dolfo and The #talian, the 0ar*uis de Sade's The Misfortunes of Girtue,
9ercy Shelley's Kastro11i and $t- #r*yne, Ro$ert ?ouis Ste!enson's 68lalla,7 /uillermo del Toro's The
De*il's 0ac+'one, John &e$ster's The Duchess of Malfi.
%a!ing #nfluences:
The Dar+est 5ight Cfor Lady 0lac+'irdD, G%P$ $cream,un+, a*enloft Cfor AD&D or later editions of
D&DD, My Life With Master, 9hillpe Tromeur's Wuthering Heights.
@dmund :ure's A Philoso,hical #n9uiry into the 2rigin of 2ur #deas of the $u'lime and 0eautiful, the
3ode" /igas, /othic architecture, the /rand /uignol theater, the 2and of /lory, 0aria 0on's A(ful
Disclosures of Maria Mon+, Romanticism.
4. T+o 5ariations
First Contact
Pilgri!s in a Strange "and assumes that the game set in the colony $egins in media res, $ut this doesn't
necessarily ha!e to $e the case. &hat if the characters are the first people of their culture to e"plore the
strange, new land1 They might $e sent to esta$lish a colony to insure their own freedoms, they might $e
missionaries sent to con!ert the godless nati!es, or they might $e con*uistadors in search of wealth Cor
the fa$led 'ountain of )outhD.
(f you'd rather play-out a &eird !ersion of colonial incursion, let these sources $e your inspiration%
John :uchan's Prester Cohn, Joseph 3onrad's Heart of Dar+ness, and 2. Rider 2aggard's $he and 6ing
$olomon's Mines, and &erner 2er4og's Fit1carraldo and Aguirre) the Wrath of God, Rudyard >ipling's
6im and 6The 0ar of the :east,7 &illiam Shaespeare's The Tem,est.
G%P$ A1tecs, Ma1tica Cfor AD&DD, The #sle of Dread Cfor D&DD.
The A4tecs, the :oer &ars, :ritish coloni4ation of (ndia, the canni$als and head-hunters of :orneo, The
'ountain of )outh, Jaguar warriors, the 0ayans, 0ichel de 0ontaigne's Essais, 9rester John, Ro$ert
?ouis Ste!enson's tra!el writings.
The Cursed *ayou
Another way to remi" Pilgri!s in a Strange "and is to set your game in a $ayou plantation that uses
ensla!ed nati!e la$or to wor the land. 9erhaps the characters ha!e $een transported to the plantation as a
punishment for past mistaes; they might not agree with the politics of the way the plantation system
wors=especially the cruel $eatings gi!en to the sla!es=so this might put them in an interesting moral
*uandary% do they do as they are told in hopes of doing their time and e!entually regaining their freedom
or do they su$!ersi!ely wor to undermine the plantation master1
:oth sides should $e dangerous. The plantation master has a $oor Can e!il nati!e sorcererD in his pay
that can raise corpses as the waling dead. The waling dead are used as $oth tireless la$or and as deadly
enforcers. @scaped sla!es who hide in the wilds of the $ayou drum wildly $y night, raising $og mummies
and sham$ling mounds from the depths of the swamp to raid the plantation house.
&es 3ra!en's The $er,ent and the ain'o(, Eictor 2alperin's White Kom'ie, Alan 9arer's Angel Heart,
Jac*ues Tourneur's # Wal+ed (ith a Kom'ie.
All Flesh Must 'e Eaten, 5ight of the Wal+ing Dead Cfor AD&DD.
'rancoise Bu!alier, 2aiti, the ?oa, 0arie ?e!eau, Tommy Johnson, Eoodoo, the &hite &itch of Rose
2all, 4om$ie powder.
16. The Weird West
&All right) #'m coming out- Any man # see out there) #'m gonna shoot him- Any sum'itch ta+es a shot at
me) #'m not only gonna +ill him) 'ut #'m gonna +ill his (ife) all his friends) and 'urn his damn house
do(n-/
The %nforgi*en
8f course, if one wants a full-$lown &ild &est campaign there are se!eral games on the maret that offer
a full immersion in the tropes of that fictional mode, $ut for our &eird purposes ('m going to focus on
how you can inject a $it of the 8l' &est into a fantasy campaign to amp-up the strangeness.
The techni*ue to use here is imaginati!e su$stitution% change out the too-$latant 6&estern7 con!entions
for similar figurations that eep the sym$olic meaning intact. (f your campaign world doesn't ha!e
firearms, there certainly won't $e any shoot-outs at high noon. 2owe!er, you can replace the *uic-draw
gun fight with crossed swords in the town s*uare. That's how they do it on the frontier=*uestions of
honor are answered $y who has the fastest draw, the steeliest eye, and the most !icious cut. CSee just
a$out any samurai mo!ie for inspiration here; after all, samurai mo!ies $orrowed from the &esterns, so
it's only fair to re-appropriate<D
The Setting:
A rough, ramshacle $order town on the western frontier. &hile the town does ha!e a sheriff and his
deputies as the nominal law, they're too few and too wea to hold $ac the tide of lawlessness.
9rospectors ha!e struc sil!er and gold in the near$y hills, causes a rush to esta$lish mines and land
contracts $efore the wells run dry. 8f course, where there's gold, there's greed. And where there's greed,
there's murder and the scent of death on the wind.
The The!es:
Custice is (here you ta+e it=the powers that $e, such as they are, aren't a$le to pro!ide satisfaction. (f
you want justice or to uphold a notion of the law, you'd $est do it yourself and $e a$le to enforce it with
the strength of steel.
0e 9uic+ or 'e dead=the &eird &est should fa!or *uic action instead of calm, measured plan-maing.
9ut the characters in situations where their li!es hang in the $alance of a single, foolhardy decision that
must $e made now.
The sta+es are high among outla(s=the Weird West is a setting where outlaws, wanted men, and wolf's
heads go to e!ade the due process of the world $ac east. Such men ha!e nothing to lose; they jump at
the opportunity to snatch at wealth, no matter how dangerous the circumstances. Stagecoach ro$$eries,
$an heists, and mine raids are among the $ra4en crimes the characters should $e witness to=regardless
of what side of the law they fall on.
The Foes:
The Ghost!Dancers=of course, the frontier was not an uninha$ited place $efore the arri!al of gold-
cra4ed prospectors and e"plorers. The nati!e population will resent the intrusion on their land, especially
once pogroms for their remo!al get underway. &hile the /host-Bancer tri$e's $loody raids are fearsome
enough, their shamans ha!e the power to summon and direct ectoplasmic horrors from $eyond the gra!e;
they're not too s*ueamish to use the screaming souls of the characters' lo!ed ones against them.
Derro=dwar!es lo!e gold, $ut these aren't your usual Tolienian warriors or your typical crafty #orse
artificers. Rather, the derro are a race of dusy-sinned, white-eyed cali$ans who are drawn to gold as a
moth is drawn to a flame. They will tae gold and sil!er through $oth cunning and atrocity alie; they
need the precious metals to appease 2e &ho Roils in the Barness.
The e*enant=if they're in the Weird West, the characters liely ha!e some ghosts in their past. &hat if
those ghosts were to $orrow the rotting corpse of some hanged fool to see re!enge1
Dust De*ils=whirling tempests that scour the flesh off the $ones of the li!ing. Bust Be!ils are
particularly acti!e at night in the wastelands, $ut ha!e $een nown to descend on $order towns without
warning.
The Soundtrack:
The Weird West re*uires a soundtrac that is grotty, sweaty, and full of piss and !inegar.
0lac+ Ca+e & the "arnies) Where the Heather Don't Gro(=pun $luegrass that spits fire and casts a
deadly spell.
The 0uilders and the 0utchers) $al*ation is a Dee, Dar+ Well and Dead ec+oning=the sound of a
country apocalypse.
Cohnny "ash) American #!#G=there's a reason why he's called the 0an in :lac.
The Legendary $hac+ $ha+ers) Pandelirium and $(am,'lood=raucous, untamed psycho$illy; perfect for
saloon $rawls, shoot-outs, and last rides.
9aul Thomas Anderson's There Will 0e 0lood, Ro$ert Altman's Mc"a'e and Mrs- Miller, &illiam S.
:urroughs's "ities of the ed 5ight, The Place of Dead oads, and The Western Lands, 3lint @astwood's
%nforgi*en, /eorge 2icenlooper's The 6illing 0oB, John 2illcoat's The Pro,osition, Alejandro
Jodorowsi's El To,o, Stephen >ing's Dar+ To(er no!els, Sergio ?eone's A Fistful of Dollars and 2nce
%,on a Time in the West, 3ormac 0c3arthy's 0lood Meridian and All the Pretty Horses, @ugene 0anlo!e
Rhode's West is West and "o,,er $trea+ Trail, John Eernon's The Last "anyon.
0oot Hill, Deadlands Ceither the original game or the $a*age Worlds editionD, Weird West.
The Alamo, 3uster's ?ast Stand, Boc 2olliday, the /host Bance, the /old Rush, the 2atfield-0c3oy
feud, 8ld &est gunfighters, manifest destiny, the Sun Bance, the Trail of Tears.
11. #nside the *lack 3ouse
L5o li*e organism can continue for long to eBist sanely under conditions of a'solute reality-/
! $hirley Cac+son) The Haunting of Hill House
(n his essay on the unheimlich, Sigmund 'reud theori4es that things that resem$le o$jects, people, and
places that are familiar to us, yet ha!e noticea$le and nagging differences, hold the power to unsettle and
terrify. ;ncanny things are the opposite of the homely=that is, the opposite of the welcoming and
reassuring home and hearth. Since the heart of &eird 'antasy is turning the familiar, heimlich world on
its head, let's steal a page from 'reud and mae the old familial seat a place of horror.
The Setting:
The characters are drawn into an old, dar house ne"t to a still lae. 9erhaps one of the characters has
inherited the house as part of a $e*uest; perhaps the characters simply awae inside the house with no
memory of how they got there. 8nce they are in, howe!er, the front door refuses to open and the
windows remain closed no matter what the characters do; they can't $e $roen down $y force, magic, or
di!ine will. The only way out is to sol!e the house's mystery.
The house is unthina$ly !ast and full of twisting hallways, random staircases, hidden passages, and
confusing rooms=it appears to ha!e $een designed at the re*uest of a madmen. The house cannot $e
fully e"plored in a day or in a wee; it is a landscape unto itself and of a si4e far larger than it has any
logical right to $e. A$o!e all, though, the house is not *uiet; stairs cree, floor$oards groan. And
sometimes the house screams. Sometimes it speas with a whispering !oice. &ords and messages will
appear scrawled on mirrors. This is a house with a tale to tell.
The house's tale is wrapped up in its history. 9erhaps it was formerly the home of a powerful $lac
magician who unleashed powers that still permeate the house's walls. 8r could it $e that a madwoman
was prematurely $uried in the familial crypt and her spirit still haunts the premises1 :it $y $it, piece $y
piece, the characters will need to assem$le that history from disparate fragments; their !ery li!es will
depend on sifting the past and reali4ing what the house wants of them.
The The!es:
"laustro,ho'ia@enclose, entrap, and $ury the characters. 9ut them in narrow corridors where the use of
their most powerful weapons=a"es, sword, $ows, etc.=is impossi$le. 0ae them s*uee4e through tiny
portals to escape hordes of hungry, gnawing rats. 0ae sure that they fear their en!ironment as much as
any foe.
The Past 5e*er Dies@something horrific happened with the walls of the house and it is up to the
characters to set things right. ;se portends, prophecies, scraps of disco!ered information in old tomes,
and supernatural manifestations to mae them see resolution with urgency.
5ot E*ery House is a Home@play with the characters' pasts $y presenting distorted and uncanny !ersions
of the o$jects and people that mae them recall their li!es $efore they entered the house. 'or e"ample, if
one of the characters has a wife, perhaps one of the ser!ants in the house could $e her twin=sa!e for one
difference that turns the woman into an unheimlich reminder of the world he is now estranged from.
The Foes:
The esidents@the house is home to a strange, reclusi!e family of an ancient $loodline. The characters
will only catch glimpses of the family as they scurry away to disappear into secret passageways. The
nature of the residents should remain a mystery until the ultimate scene of the ad!enture or campaign; of
course, this doesn't preclude the residents from harrying the characters along the way.
The %n9uiet Dead@the house is haunted $y specters who demand satisfaction from $eyond the gra!e.
These ghosts might alternate $etween raging against the characters with undead fury and pleading with
them to locate their $ones to lay them to rest. The stronger spirits may e!en $e a$le to possess the
characters to use their $odies as !ehicles of re!enge.
The $er*ants@while the residents of the house might remain mysterious for a time, the character surely
will encounter their ser!ants, a race of hunch-$aced, deformed $utlers, maids, and coos that li!e to
carry out their master's orders. The cruelest of the ser!ants will ha!e $een gi!en the jo$s of jailer,
torturer, or e"ecutioner.
The Thing in the La+e@once the characters free themsel!es from the house, they may ha!e to resol!e the
plot they'!e unco!ered at the lae. &hat will rise up from the depths to meet them1 &ill it $e the corpses
of the men and women sacrificed to the residents' dar gods or a long-neced serpent summoned $y their
eldritch rites1
The Soundtrack:
#nside the *lack 3ouse demands a soundtrac that is spectral, tragic, and manic.
Attrition, All Mine Enemys Whis,ers=spectral am$ient music $ased on the real-life crimes of 0ary Ann
3otton, a Eictorian woman who poisoned her children and hus$ands with arsenic.
3oil, Lo*e's $ecret Domain@e"perimental industrial that manages to $e $oth warm and unsettling.
Be!il Boll, The Girl Who Was---Death@epic dar prog roc $lood opera.
Sopor Aeternus H the @nsem$le of Shadows, La "ham're d'Echo=the sounds of a haunted sanitarium.
Alejandro Amena$ar's The 2thers, :rad Anderson's $ession H, 9oppy F. :rite's Dra(ing 0lood and
6@ntertaining 0r. 8rton,7 Tim :urton's 0eetle.uice, 0ar F. Banielewsi's House of Lea*es, 3harles
Bicens's 0lea+ House and 6The /host in the :ride's 3ham$er,7 Thomas 2ardy's Turn of the $cre(,
&illiam 2ope 2odgson's The "ase'o+ of "arna+i the Ghost!Finder, To$e 2ooper's Poltergeist, Shirley
Jacson's The Haunting of Hill House and We Ha*e Al(ays Li*ed in the "astle, 0.R. James's Ghost
$tories of an Anti9uary, 3aitlin R. >iernan's $il+, Baphne du 0aurier's e'ecca, Sheridan ?e 'anu's
%ncle $ilas, Tanith ?ee's Dar+ Dance, 9aul ?eni's The "at and the "anary, 2.9. ?o!ecraft's 6The Breams
in the &itch 2ouse,7 Toni 0orrisson's 0elo*ed, 0eryn 9eae's Titus Groan, @dgar Allan 9oe's 6The 'all
of the 2ouse of ;sher,7 :ram Stoer's 6The Judge's 2ouse,7 ?ars !on Trier's The 6ingdom, Sarah
&aters's Affinity, and James &hale's The 2ld Dar+ House, 8scar &ilde's 6The 3anter!ille /host.7
"astle Drachenfels Cfor Warhammer Fantasy ole!PlayD, "astle Am'er Cfor D&DD.
Aleister 3rowley, Sigmund 'reud's The %ncanny, the ?och #ess 0onster, #icholas Royle's The %ncanny,
the &inchester 2ouse.
1'. The Pit Sto$ in 3ell
&Who (ill sur*i*e) and (hat (ill 'e left of themM/
tagline from the TeBas "hain $a( Massacre ,osters
The Pit Sto$ in 3ell isn't meant to $e a campaign setting in itself; rather, it is a micro-setting to $e used
in-$etween the characters tra!eling from point A to point :. Along the way, something happens to
sidetrac them from their destination=perhaps their horses are suddenly lamed $y caltrops scattered
across the road or perhaps their wagon is mysteriously sa$otaged at night. 8f course, just then it $egins
to piss down rain. :ut there's a lantern lit at a house off the $eaten path. The characters can see help
and shelter there, right1
Braw them in and let the $utchery $egin.
The Setting:
A ramshacle house in the middle of nowhere. The house itself is full of secret passages, hidden rooms,
and perilous traps. The $asement of the house is little more than a prison for whoe!er falls into the
'amily's clutches. The house is essentially a dungeon that a family li!es in. There are untended fields of
grain $ehind the house, perfect for a chase scene in which the characters hide from and attempt to dodge a
pursuing madmen armed with an a". (f they characters run far enough they will reach a plundered
cemetery where the 'amily taes all their meals=here they will disco!er the final fate of the 'amily's
capti!es.
The The!es:
Gore is God=if you'!e e!er wanted a chance to indulge in lurid, splatterpun descriptions, this is the
place. 'eel free to get as gross as you lie; the closer you come to !er$ally outdoing a 3anni$al 3orpse
al$um the $etter.
2ut!sa*aging the sa*age=the only way for the characters to sur!i!e their tre into The Pit Sto$ in 3ell
is to $ecome as !ile and $loodthirsty as their opponents. There is no running away; there is only
descending into madness and $loodlust. 2ow far will they compromise their $eliefs to sur!i!e1
The Foes:
The Family=in$red $acwoods psychos, one and all. They lo!e to murder, they're canni$als, they
possess a !ariety of disease-ridden $lades and $ludgeons, and they seem imper!ious to pain. 0ae sure
to differentiate them. 2ere's some common types% the 9atriarch Cor 0atriarchD, the decrepit head of the
family who calls the shots; the Thiner, the planner and setter of traps; the 2uling :rute, large and
physically powerful; the 'eral &oman, she oo4es animal se"uality, $ut lie the $lac widow spider she
ills after she mates; the 0adman, e!en the rest of the 'amily is afraid of him. (t goes without saying that
the 'amily doesn't necessarily ha!e to $e fully human; they could $e ghouls, mutants, or worse.
The 0ro+en 2nes=the family lo!es to e"periment on their hardiest !ictims, performing crude operations
that stitch them together into new, uncanny forms. 8f course, the process of $ecoming a medical
monstrosity dri!es the :roen 8nes insane. The 'amily eeps them as pets, watchdogs, and $loodhounds
to hunt down anyone who escapes them.
Tra,s=while the family li!es in s*ualor, they are adept at creating sophisticated traps. Traps such as pits,
guillotines, and e"ploding shrapnel grenades are secreted throughout their house and across their property.
The world of The Pit Sto$ in 3ell is one $ig, mechani4ed slaughterhouse.
The Family's Pets=no dire wol!es or mastiffs will suffice here. /i!e the 'amily something unusual they
can use to hunt down any getaways. 0utant crocodiles, if the 'amily li!es on the $ayou. Trained
$loodhaws, if they li!e in the woods. Bisease-mouthed omodo dragons, if they dwell in the desert.
Thrice-headed $ears, if they are a mountain people.
The Soundtrack:
The Pit Sto$ in 3ell re*uires a soundtrac that is $rutal, loud, and gut-churning.
/rinderman, sDt and Grinderman ##=psychotronic and psychose"ual; the sound of a million e"ploitation
films all playing at once.
The 0isfits, "ollection # and "ollection ##=grinning, $-mo!ie horror pun.
0urder $y Beath, ed of Tooth and "la(=murderous para$les a$out the cheapness of human life.
8'Beath, 0ro+en Hymns) Lim's and $+in=roughshod alternati!e country; primiti!e hootin' and holerin'.
Ale"andre Aja's Haute Tension, John :oorman's Deli*erance, Richard 3onnell's 6The 0ost Bangerous
/ame,7 &es 3ra!en's The Hills Ha*e Eyes, Aa!ier /ens's FrontierIsJ, Jean-?uc /oddard's Wee+ End,
0ichael 2anee's Funny Games, To$e 2ooper's TeBas "hain $a( Massacre and Eaten Ali*e, Ba!id
0oreau and Aa!ier 9alud's Them, 2./. &ells's The #sland of Doctor Moreau, 'a$rice du &el4's "al*aire,
The N!Files episode 62ome,7 Ro$ Fom$ie's House of ;444 "or,ses and The De*il's e.ects.
/;R9S 2orror and >enneth 2ite's 5ightmares of Mine.
@d /ein, home in!asions, Sawney :ean.
13. Through the "ooking %lass
&Toto) #'*e a feeling (e're not in 6ansas any more-/
The Wi1ard of 21
(n the third act of Ro$ Fom$ie's House of ;444 "or,ses an e"*uisite change occurs in the tone and
narrati!e direction of the mo!ie. The preceding two reels are a standard, if in!enti!e and compelling,
e"ample of the Pit Sto$ in 3ell. 2owe!er, as soon as Benise and Jerry are lowered into the underground
lair $eneath the cemetery they are truly through the looing glass=a fact slyly signaled $y the Alice in
&onderland costume that the 'irefly clan has dressed Benise in. The rest of the mo!ie maes good on
that phantasmagoric descent; gone are the more o!ert aping of grindhouse and e"ploitation cinema
cliches, and in their places the !iewer gets an eyeful of surreal, disjointed nightmare imagery. The ficti!e
laws that go!ern the first two-thirds are suspended=the law of the &eird now holds court.
Through the "ooking %lass aims to capture the power of that sudden and une"pected tonal shift. As
such, it isn't a great place to start a campaign. After all, if the players don't ha!e a familiar, comforting
$acdrop to yan away, then there isn't going to $e much reaction to the change of mode. Rather, thin of
Through the "ooking %lass as a ind of capstone for a campaign that has $egun to grow stale. 9erhaps
the characters ha!e put paid to the e!ils that lur *ehind the Facade of the Seaside To+n and ept the
Cold orthern Winds at $ay. They'!e claimed a few !ictories and made the world a less &eird place.
&hat $etter way to re-in!igorate there sense of wonder $y stealing the characters away from the world
they'!e $ecome accustomed to and plunging them into a mirror image of it that is e"otic, alien, and
altogether &eird1 &hereas it is generally ad!ised to mi" the &eird with the mundane in your setting,
Through the "ooking %lass encourages you to go full-on &eird. There's no going $ac from this and
you can ne!er go home again.
The Setting:
9ic a locale that your players are comforta$le with, then run it through a funhouse mirror. Add or tae
things away at random. 0ae areas that were well-trodden and nown newly $y4antine and complicated.
Tae the characters the players interacted with and mae them into twisted, $arely recogni4a$le
caricatures of their old sel!es. &hate!er the 6laws of physics7 go!erning your game were, throw them
out. :orrow elements from surreal fiction and films and e"otici4ed 68riental7 fantasy to emphasi4e the
return of the &eird. 8h, and where!er your game is set now has a la$yrinth. @!eryone nows a$out the
la$yrinth; rumors a$out its nature a$ound, $ut no one agrees on who $uilt it, why it e"ists, or what lies at
its heart.
The The!es:
E*erything you once +ne( is gone=unsettle the players $y radically altering the game world they'!e
come to e"pect. Su$!ert their e"pectations and throw them from their comfort 4one.
The rule of la( is a'surd=steal a page of >afa and e"pose the new worings of your world as
am$iguous, $ureaucratic, and ar$itrary. Those in power should ha!e no right to it and less sense of what
to do with it.
5othing seems real=mae the world a gau4y, dream-lie, hallucinogenic place. Bon't $e afraid to flout
the precepts of realism; this is a $ad trip, not a su$tle stroll through the uncanny.
The Foes:
a+shasa=man-eating spirits confined in the flesh of aristocratic cat-men. The rashasa and their
ultimate goals should $e inscruta$le; forget getting a straight answer from them, as they are the ser!ants
of the 9rince of ?ies. Also, you can forget a$out eeping yours plans secret from the rashasa; the hordes
of stray cats that prowl the streets act as their eyes and ears.
Mug(um,s=!ile insect men whose secretions act as a powerful hallucinogen that is traded openly on the
gray maret. 0ugwumps are muses gone sour; they hold the power to inspire great wors of literature
and art, $ut the price they e"act is paid in shattered souls.
The Ho(lers in the Wilderness=the supernatural predators that haunt the wilderness are heard, $ut
seldom seen. Their $aleful howls warn of their approach, $ut what are they1 Are they ghuls who
eternally hunger for human flesh or are they djinn who wish to capture and ensla!e men as chattel1
Lar*a Mages=mystical sages comprised of crawling insects in the shape of men. They are wise and
learned in the magical arts, $ut for what purpose do they wal amongst manind1 (t is said the for a price
they can shape a man's flesh to mae him pleasing to the eye.
The Soundtrack:
Through the "ooking %lass re*uires a soundtrac that is lost in spires of incense and otherness.
Arcana, Le $er,ent ouge=Ara$ian-inspired e"otic delights; decadent and unearthly.
Bead 3an Bance) #nto the La'yrinth and $,irit "haser=@astern and world music influenced sonic
journeys into the fantastical.
Jaggery, Polyhymnia=prog-touched, many-hued splendor.
Eisa, Ma+tu'=a madcap musical passport to the 0iddle @ast.
The anonymous 2ne Thousand and 2ne 5ights, @dwin A$$ott A$$ott's Flatland, 3li!e :arer's
Wea*e(old, ?. 'ran :aum's The Wonderful Wi1ard of 21, &illiam :ecford's Gathe+, &illiam S.
:urrough's 5a+ed Lunch, ?ewis 3aroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Loo+ing!Glass and What
Alice Found There, Jim 2enson's La'yrinth, &illiam 2ope 2odgson's The House on the 0orderland, #eil
/aiman's $tardust and 5e*er(here, #athan 2. Juran's The >
th
Goyage of $in'ad, 'ran4 >afa's 6The
0etamorphosis7 and 6(n the 9enal 3olony,7 Tanith ?ee's 5ight's Master, Death's Master, and Delusion's
Master, 3.S. ?ewis's The Lion) the Witch) and the Wardro'e, 2.9. ?o!ecraft's 6The #ameless 3ity,7 6The
3ats of ;lthar,7 and 6The Bream Luest of ;nnown >adath,7 Ba!id ?ynch's 0lue Gel*et, Lost High(ay,
and T(in Pea+s, Thomas de Luincey's "onfessions of an English 2,ium!Eater, 3lar Ashton Smith's
Kothi9ue, Jan S!anmejer's Alice, Jonathan Swift's Gulli*er's Tra*els, /uillermo del Toro's Pan's
La'yrinth.
Al!Eadim Cfor AD&DD, Dungeonland Cfor AD&DD, E*er(ay, G%P$ Ara'ian 5ights, CAG$ Wonderland,
Lacuna, 63ity in Bust% 0any-3olumned (rem7 Cin >enneth 2ite's Suppressed TransmissionsD, 2*er the
Edge, Talislanta, The Korceror of Ko
Astral projection, The 3ity of :rass, djinn, dream interpretations, ghuls, the /ree myth of the 3retan
0inotaur, time tra!el.
A$$endi7 1: 8ickstart Ta/les
These ta$les are intended to $oth gi!e you some ideas for the ind of ad!entures you could $uild in the
pre!ious settings and pro!ide a $asic game outline for those times when you're suffering from a creati!e
$loc. ('!e only written ta$les for the first fi!e settings; hopefully this will gi!e you enough of an
indication of what you might do with the others. 8f course, with a little twisted and re-purposing, any of
these $asic plot seeds could fit within whate!er fla!or of &eird 'antasy you're using.
The Cold orthern Wind 8ickstart Ta/le 9d):
+. $omething has $een prowling outside the outpost's gate under the co!er of darness for a wee.
The ad!enturers are tased with !enturing outside the outpost's walls, doing recogni4ance to
figure out what that something is, and getting $ac inside to help form a plan of attac for dealing
with it.
M. The monthly supply cara!an is late with a crucial shipment of food. There ha!e $een reports of
a!alanches along the Trade Road, so perhaps the cara!an has $een $uried under fallen roc and
snow. The characters ha!e $een tased with journeying up the Trade Road to disco!er what
happened to the cara!an and, if possi$le, retrie!e the much-needed supplies.
5. A child has gone missing. She was last seen picing $erries at the edge of the forest. 8!er the
last month strange piping sounds ha!e $een heard emanating from deep in the woods. The
characters ha!e $een tased with finding the child and returning her to her parents' care.
N. A famous e"plorer arri!es at the outpost with a charter from the Lueen authori4ing him to form a
party to map the unnown regions in the howling northlands. 2e offers good pay and the
ad!enture of a lifetime, $ut perhaps he har$ors ulterior moti!es for $ringing a company of
mortals into the frost-$itten north.
(ark &edieval Ti!es 8ickstart Ta/le 9d):
+. Signs point to a witch in the midst of the fief. The characters are tased with rooted him or her
out and putting them to swift justice. :ut is the supernatural afoot, or is someone $eing framed
for a slight real or imagined1
M. The fief has paid its yearly tri$ute to the lord of the land, $ut the collectors ha!e gone missing.
They were last seem at the outsirts of the fief; the characters ha!e $een tased with disco!ering
the errant tri$ute, else the fief face a crippling repayment to the lord.
5. The peasant farmers ha!e $een struc with a strange malady that causes them to sing, whirl, and
dance until they die. The characters ha!e $een tased with disco!ering either the cause of this
disease or its cure.
N. A dishonored night has sought shelter within the $order of the fiefdom. &hy has he come to
this particular land1 &ho pursues him1 &hat has he carried $ac with him from the 2oly ?and1
Southern %othic 8ickstart Ta/le 9d):
+. The patriarch of a powerful, wealthy family has died. The characters ha!e $een tased with
taing his remains to a familial crypt on the outsirts of town. They must $e on their guard as a
faction of town elders would lie to mae sure the corpse ne!er reaches its final resting place=
why1
M. The characters ha!e $een ased to escort the daughters of a old-$lood family to a mased $all. To
decline the pleasure would $e seen as an affront to the family's honor. 2owe!er, one of the
daughters is not what she seems.
5. The town's pastor has ased the characters to infiltrate and in!estigate the doings of the tra!eling
preacher who has set up a tent re!i!al in the town s*uare. &hat does the pastor really want of
them and what is the preacher's real reason for setting himself up in the heart of the town1
N. A worer from a local plantation has contacted the characters and wishes to meet with them. The
note he sent claims that he has something of terrifying importance to tell them, $ut $efore the
characters can meet with him he turns up dead=drowned in the fountain in front of the mayor's
home. &hat mystery is $eing concealed here1 3an the characters unco!er it $efore a secret from
the town's past erupts to trou$le the present1
*ehind the Facade of the Seaside To+n 8ickstart Ta/le 9d):
+. The characters ha!e $een tased $y a wealthy art collector with locating a painter from the
seaside town who has recently gone missing. &hile in!estigating his disappearance, they will
disco!er that his paintings ha!e also gone missing; what horri$le truths were disclosed $y those
can!asses1
M. The characters ha!e $een tased $y a merchant-prince with unco!ering why all of the ships that
ha!e recently doced at the seaside town were ne!er heard from again. (s this the wor of a
wrecing crew or is something supernatural afoot1
5. The characters ha!e $een tased $y a scholar with taing notes on a rare tome owned $y the
seaside town's li$rary. &hile copying out the re*uired section of the $oo, one character
disco!ers something unner!ing a$out their family history that points to the possi$le location of a
lost inheritance that could $e sought out and reclaimed.
N. The characters ha!e $een tased $y a smuggler to $ring in $arrels of rum through the 6secret7
tunnels that lin the $each-ca!es to the ancient cemetery. 8f course, the tunnels are already in
use...$ut $y whom and for what purpose1
Pilgri!s in a Strange "and 8ickstart Ta/le 9d):
+. &inter is coming and the colony's food stores are perilously low. (t is rumored that the lost
colony had plentiful reser!es of food housed in underground !aults. The players ha!e $een
tased with e"ploring that $lighted and a$andoned !illage. &hat will they find their $esides
sustenance1
M. &ord has reached the colony that a near$y settlement is under siege. 'ellow pilgrims ha!e sent a
plea for help, $ut they are curiously silent a$out the nature of their attacers.
5. /oodwife 0artinette had made a ha$it of going into the woods alone, now she stands accused of
witchcraft and adultery. (s she really a ser!ant of the Be!il or is she a scapegoat drawing
attention away from the real e!il afflicting the colony1 The characters ha!e $een tased with
determining her guilt.
N. 8minous drums coming from the forest $rea the silence of the night. Something is amassing in
the woods, and $y the sounds of the drums it is mo!ing e!er closer to the colony. The characters
ha!e $een tased with scouting out this threat to the colony's sur!i!al.
A$$endi7 ': *estiary
('m generally in agreement with James Raggi's $elief that monsters should $e mysterious and that a
standard list of monsters can $e memori4ed $y players and thus neutered of that !ital fear of the unnown.
That said, ('!e seen enough people $egging for more sample creature for use in Lamentations of the
Flame Princess that including a $rief e"ample monster from each of the setting setches in this
supplement seemed lie a worthy idea. That said, ( don't intend these e"amples to stand as the definiti!e
stats for the core idea of each monster% this is how ( would stat these monsters today; ne"t wee, ('d
pro$a$ly approach them in an entirely different manner.
The Fro;en (ead
A once honora'le (arrior turned into a ceaseless undead marauder
2it Bice% N C+K hpD
Armor 3lass% +N
Attac :onus% OJ
#o. of Attacs% +
Bamage% +dK Cfist slam or hand weaponD
0o!ement% G.'
Special% 0reath of the 5orth=once per day a 'ro4en Bead can e"hale a 5.' cone of $iting frost that does
5dG points of damage Chalf on a successful sa!ing throwD. The 'ro4en Bead are immune to poison,
disease, and fire Cany fire that comes into contact with a 'ro4en Bead is immediately e"tinguishedD.
Fell Pilgri!
A cultist dedicated to s,reading the diseases of the ,lague lord
2it Bice% M C, hpD
Armor 3lass% +M
Attac :onus% O5
#o. of Attacs% M
Bamage% +dN Crune-etched ritual daggersD
0o!ement% +M.'
Special% 0lessing from the Plague Lord=any character hit $y a 'ell 9ilgrim's ritual dagger must mae a
sa!e !s. disease or lose +d5 points from $oth their 3onstitution and Be"terity scores.
The *elle
A 'eautiful de'utante 'y day) a ra*ening femme fatale 'y night
2it Bice% - C5J hpD
Armor 3lass% +N
Attac :onus% OK
#o. of attacs% M
Bamage% +dN Crending clawsD
0o!ement% +M.'
Special% The $eduction of Dar+ Magic=the :elle can use each of the following spells once per day%
3harm 9erson, 3hange Self, (n!isi$ility, 3onfusion, Shadow 0onsters, 0agic Jar.
(ee$ 1ne
$ome call them sea!de*ils---
2it Bice% M C, hpD
Armor 3lass% +G
Attac :onus% O5
#o. of Attacs% +
Bamage% +dK CclawD
0o!ement% K.' on land; +M.' in water
Special% #chor of the $ea=Beep 8nes are co!ered in thic, sticy secretions; anyone attacing them with
a weapon has a MJP change of getting their weapon stuc in the Beep 8ne's goo. The chance to free a
weapon from the mess is e*ual to the character's 8pen Boors a$ility.
*easts Who Walk as &en
Primordial nature s,irits (ho ta+e the form of 'i,edal 'eastmen
2it Bice% K CN. hpD
Armor 3lass% +N
Attac :onus% O,
#o. of Attacs% +
Bamage% MdG C$iteD
0o!ement% +G.'
Special% E*erchanging Tooth & "la(=:easts &ho &al as 0en can use 9olymorph Self three times per
day. "ome to the Wild=anyone $itten $y a :east must mae a sa!ing throw or $e infected with a disease
that lowers the !ictims 3harisma score $y +d5 points per day; if the character reaches . 3harisma, they
$ecome a sla!ering maniac who retreats into the wilderness to li!e an utterly $estial life.
Se+er<(+eller
Hideous mutants (ho +ee, to the shado(s and stri+e (hen least eB,ected
2it Bice% N CM. hpD
Armor 3lass% +N
Attac :onus% OJ
#o. of Attacs% +
Bamage% +dK Chand weaponD
0o!ement% +M.'
Special% 0orn to the $hado(s=Sewer-Bwellers are so adept at stealth that they increase a character's
chance of $eing surprised $y two.
Scarecro+
Animate scarecrows who enforce the will of pagan sorcerers
2it Bice% G C5. hpD
Armor 3lass% +M
Attac :onus% O-
#o. of Attacs% +
Bamage% +dK Chand weaponD or +dN CslamD
0o!ement% +..'
Special% Deathly $tillness=any character hit $y the Scarecrow's slam attac must mae a sa!ing throw or
suffer the effects of a 2old 9erson spell.
Cry$t<Thing
An undead monstrosity that ,atrols forgotten catacom's
2it Bice% N CM. hpD
Armor 3lass% +N
Attac :onus% OJ
#o. of Attacs% +
Bamage% +dG CclawD
0o!ement% +M.'
Special% Forfeit thy $oul=any character hit $y a 3rypt-Thing also loses one le!el due to energy drain.
3eadhunting Canni/al #slander
2r any other 'ar'aric sa*age) really
2it Bice% +
Armor 3lass% +M
Attac :onus% O+
#o. of Attacs% +
Bamage% +dK CweaponD
0o!ement% +M.' Cnot slowed $y mo!ement in thic jungle areasD
Special% 0loodlust e*enge=for each hit a 2eadhunting 3anni$al (slander scores against a character, its
Attac :onus increases $y O+.
&idnight Solo!on
An e*il 'o+or (ith the ,o(er to ensla*e the dead
2it Bice% ++ C++
th
le!el 0agic-;ser; 5+ hpD
Armor 3lass% +M
Attac :onus% O+
#o. of Attacs% +
Bamage% +dK CmacheteD
0o!ement% +M.'
Special% 0idnight typically memori4es the following spells=3harm 9erson, 'eather 'all, 0agic 0issile,
Shield, Sleep, (n!isi$ility, 9hantasmal 'orce, Ray of @nfee$lement C"MD, /aseous 'orm, 2old 9erson,
Spea with Bead, (mpro!ed (n!isi$ility, 9olymorph 8thers, Shadow 0onsters, Animate Bead C"MD,
Animate Bead 0onsters.
(ust (evil
Ho(ling demons com,rised of sand) (ind) and utter contem,t for man+ind
2it Bice% K CN. hpD
Armor 3lass% +N
Attac :onus% O,
#o. of Attacs% +
Bamage% Md+. CslamD
0o!ement% +K.'
Special% Dance of the Damned=once e!ery fi!e rounds a Bust Be!il can create a deadly sandstorm that
fills a N.' area. Any creature in the sandstorm must mae a sa!ing throw or $e torn apart $y the tempest.
Those that mae their sa!ing throws still tae MdK points of damage.
The Thing in the "ake
An ancient 'east that turns its enemies against each other
2it Bice% K CN. hpD
Armor 3lass% +G
Attac :onus% O,
#o. of Attacs% N
Bamage% +dG CtentacleD
0o!ement% N.' on land; M..' in water
Special% Thrall of E*il=any character hit $y The Thing in the ?ae must mae a sa!ing throw or suffer
the effects of 3harm 9erson; the Thing can communicate telepathically with anyone it has charmed, $ut
anyone su$ject to such unearthly communication loses an additional +dN hit points due to the mental
anguish of ha!ing such an a$omination inside their minds.
*roken 1ne
The terri'le results of meddling at the crossroads of science and magic
2it Bice% 5 C+J hpD
Armor 3lass% +N
Attac :onus% ON
#o. of Attacs% +
Bamage% +dG Cclaw or $iteD
0o!ement% ,.'
Special% They 6ee, "oming 0ac+:=:roen 8nes regenerate M hit points per round. :roen 8nes can see
unerringly in darness.
&ug+u!$
#nsectoid 'eings (ho secrete hallucinogenic resin
2it Bice% G C5. hit pointsD
Armor 3lass% +G
Attac :onus% O-
#o. of Attacs% M
Bamage% +dN Cclaw or mandi$leD
0o!ement% +M.'
Special% Psychoholic Mindslam=any character struc $y a 0ugwump must mae a sa!ing throw or $e
poisoned $y the creature's hallucinogenic resin. Roll +d+M to determine the effects that the drug has on
the character%
+-5 Q the character suffers from the effects of 3harm 9erson
5-G Q the character suffers from the effects of 9hantasmal 9sychedelia
G-K Q the character suffers from the effects of 3onfusion
,-+. Q the character suffers from the effects of 2allucinatory Terrain
++ Q the character suffers from the effects of 'ee$lemind
+M Q the character suffers from the effects of 9ower &ord Stun
A$$endi7 3: 3d- Weird &onster %enerator
Sometimes your players will wander off to some area you ha!en't really planned out. That's oay.
Sometimes you'll need a monster or two to challenge them, $ut you won't ha!e anything to hand. That's
oay too. /ra$ three si"-siders, roll them, line them up and follow the procedure $elow to come up with
a random &eird monster on the fly.
+
EBam,le roll
The num$ers facing up determine the $asic shape and capa$ilities of your monster. 3ompare the
num$ers, left to right, against the following ta$les%
3ead
+ Q Beformed humanoid Ccan communicate in the common languageD
M Q 'leshless sull Cadd 3ause 'ear to creature's a$ilitiesD
5 Q Ra!ening animal CO+ Attac, +dG damage from $iteD
N Q 'or-tongued reptile CO+ Attac, +dN damage O poisonD
J Q 2orned $east CO+ Attac, +dG damage O stun on a chargeD
G Q (nsectoid with chattering mandi$les CO+ attac, spits !enom or acidD
*ody
+ Q 0etal plated CON Armor 3lassD
M Q Smooth carapace CO5 Armor 3lassD
5 Q Rough scales COM Armor 3lassD
N Q Shaggy $east CO+ Armor 3lassD
J Q Slimy oo4e Cimmune to two of the following% fire, cold, lightning, acidD
G Q @lemental tempest Croll +dN=+% 0olten and steaming Ranyone within close com$at distance taes +dN
points of damageS M% @manates free4ing cold Ranyone within close com$at distances taes -+ to all rollsS
5% @lectric pulse Ranyone hitting the monster with a metal weapon taes +dG points of damageS N% acidic
Ranyone hitting the creature must mae a sa!ing throw or ha!e their weapon destroyed $y the contactS
Ar!s="egs
+ Q 2umanoid with tool-using hands CO+ Attac, damage $y weaponD
M Q :estial with claws COM Attacs, +dG damageD
5 Q &rithing tentacles CO+dN attacs, +dN damage O sa!e !s. constrictionD
N Q Simian with powerful grasp CO+ Attac, +dK damage from slam, can grappleD
J Q /narled ending in clu$-lie protrusions COM Attacs, +dK damage O sa!e !s. stunD
G Q &ithered lim$s ending in long, reaching fingers CO+ Attac, +dG damage O sa!e !s. diseaseD
+ The $asic die rolling method in this appendi" was shamelessly stolen from Fa Smith's $log%
http%IIdndwithpornstars.$logspot.comIM.++I.-IdG-cluster-ta$le-home-that-!illains.html
So, with our e"ample rolls of M, G, and 5 we'!e got a monster with a fleshless sull for a face, a molten
$ody, and writhing tentacles for arms. Straight off the co!er of Weird Tales< :etter yet, for gaming
purposes we'!e now got a monster with the following stats%
Armor 3lass% +M C$ase +M, no $onuses on the :ody chartD
#o. of Attacs% N Crolled a N on +dN for tentaclesD
Bamage% +dN O sa!e !s. constriction
Special% 3ause 'ear Cfrom the 'leshless SullD, anyone within close com$at taes +dN points of damage
Crolled a + on the $ody chart for a 0olten $odyD
#ow, you could stop here $y deciding how many 2it Bice you want this $eastie to ha!e and recording it's
Attac :onus C2it Bice !alue O+D, $ut you can also use the roll you just made to assign more a$ilities to
the creature. ?oo at the num$ers facing each other on the sides of the dice and consult the following
ta$le to see what other Special A$ilities the monster possesses%
Loo+ at the num'ers that face each other 'et(een the diceA more info to mine from one roll:
S$ecial A/ilities
+-+ Q 3reature drains + le!el per hit
+-M Q 3reature drains +dN points of Croll +dGD +% 3ha M% 3on 5% Be" N% (nt J% Str G% &is
+-5 Q :lurred Call attacs against it face a -M penaltyD
+-N Q Beath ga4e Cany character looing directly at the creature must mae a sa!ing throw or $e slainD
+-J Q :linding ga4e Cany character looing directly at the creature must mae a sa!ing throw or go $lindD
+-G Q 3reature can see in total darness with no penalty
M-M Q 'ear aura Cany character $eholding the creature must mae a sa!ing throw or flee in terrorD
M-5 Q (mmune to all magic
M-N Q (mmune to fire
M-J Q 3an use 3harm 9erson three times per day
M-G Q OM to Armor 3lass
5-+ Q O+dN Attacs
5-M Q Shapeshifter
5-5 Q 3an use 9olymorph 8ther +dN times per day
5-N Q 9oisonous touch
5-J Q 3an use (n!isi$ility +dN times per day
5-G Q Regenerates +dN 2it 9oints per round
N-N Q Reflects all spells cast on it $ac on the caster
N-J Q ;nholy stench Call characters within close com$at range suffer +dN damage per roundD
N-G Q #oisome howl Call characters within earshot must mae a sa!ing throw or $e deafenedD
J-J Q 9araly4ing touch Cany character struc $y the creature must mae a sa!ing throw or $e paraly4edD
J-G Q :reath weapon C5dG damage in a 5.' cone, sa!e for half damageD
G-G Q #atural projectiles Ccan strie up to 5.' away for +dK points of damageD
8ur e"ample roll has a +-J and a M-J, gi!ing us :linding ga4e and thrice-per-day 3harm 9erson. 9ic one
of these a$ilities or tae $oth for your monster=the call is yours.
)ou can also use the same roll to determine what special !ulnera$ilities the monster has. ?oo at the
num$ers on the dice on the right and left ends of your roll that face outward and compare them against the
following ta$le%
The num'ers on the ends can also hel, define our monster
5ulnera/ilities
+ Q Bou$le damage from fire
M Q Bou$le damage from holy items
5 Q 3annot cross water
N Q :linded $y $right light
J Q 3annot lea!e the area in which it is encountered
G Q :leeder Closes +dN 2it 9oints per round once it is injuredD
This gi!es us a M and a G to play with; our monster is especially !ulnera$le to holy items and is a $leeder.
Again, feel free to tae one or $oth of those results as you please.
Adding it all together, our creature loos lie this Clet's assume it's a N 2it Bice monsterD%
2it Bice% N CM. hpD
Armor 3lass% +M
Attac :onus% OJ
#o. of Attacs% N
Bamage% +dN O sa!e !s. constriction
Special% 3ause 'ear, anyone within close com$at range taes +dN points of heat damage, :linding ga4e,
and 3harm 9erson Cthree times per dayD
Eulnera$ilities% Bou$le damage from holy items and loses +dN 2it 9oints per round once injured
A$$endi7 ): The Weird Ancient World
generously contri$uted $y Jeremy Buncan
C!isit his $log% http%IIdandy-in-the-underworld.$logspot.comD
Weird %reece
&A dead (eight hung u,on us- #t hung u,on our lim's@u,on the household furniture@u,on the go'lets
from (hich (e dran+A and all things (ere de,ressed) and 'orne do(n there'y !all things sa*e only the
flames of the se*en lam,s (hich illumined our re*el- %,rearing themsel*es in tall slender lines of light)
they thus remained 'urning all ,allid and motionlessA and in the mirror (hich their lustre formed u,on
the round ta'le of e'ony at (hich (e sat) each of us there assem'led 'eheld the ,allor of his o(n
countenance) and the un9uiet glare in the do(ncast eyes of his com,anions- 7et (e laughed and (ere
merry in our ,ro,er (ay!(hich (as hystericalA and sang the songs of Anacreon!(hich are madnessA and
dran+ dee,ly!although the ,ur,le (ine reminded us of 'lood-/
Edgar Allan Poe) L$hado(F a Para'leL
A 0ythic /ree setting presents a uni*ue parado" for gaming in a &eird 'antasy idiom. (t is supremely
suited for the con!entions of fantasy roleplaying games=wandering ad!enturers, a pantheon of gods,
sa!age monsters to $e fought and o!ercome, perilous *uests into the underworld, etc. are a more natural
fit to a /ree-inspired setting than a medie!al one. The gods, men, and monsters of /ree mythology are
iconic and familiar. :ut this !ery familiarity and accessi$ility can $e a serious o$stacle for a Referee
wishing to preser!e the feeling of Tthe &eirdT that informs ?ot'9. Throughout this setting setch, ('ll offer
tips on how to e"ploit the uni*ue fla!or of a /ree-inspired setting while ne!er losing sight of Tthe
&eird.T
The Setting:
The ancient 0editerranean=the last gasp of the 2eroic Age, and the $eginning of the degenerate Age of
the 0en of (ron. 2istory is still fluid and mury, and legends may still $e made of the deeds of such
heroes as are $orn in these latter days. The gods still meddle in the affairs of mortals, $ut not so openly as
they once did, and their semi-di!ine progeny are scarcely to $e found upon the dar earth.
The nown world is di!ided into petty ingdoms and city-states, ruled $y a collection of ings, *ueens,
ruling councils, and tyrants=the sort of upstart ad!enturers the 93s might aspire to, who ha!e sei4ed
control $y unorthodo" means and now crouch on their trou$led thrones, claiming descent from some god
or hero. The great- walled city of Troy has fallen, and men will ne!er again attempt to $uild on such a
scale again. @!en now, the 93s should encounter monumental, eerily-deserted ruins of the age that has
just past, which dwarf in si4e and grandeur the s*ualid huts of their home !illages. The large cities that
remain should $e grand, imposing, and in a state of gradual decline.
@!erywhere, the signs of the gods' displeasure are e!ident. &omen gi!e $irth to horrifying monstrosities
in secret, which are ept carefully hidden or run free to despoil and ruin as they will. The roads are unsafe
to tra!el, sa!e in large, well-armed $ands, $eing the haunts of $rigands, monsters, and men who, li!ing
$eyond the flicering light of ci!ili4ation, ha!e $ecome little more than $easts themsel!es. The seas are
treacherous as well, and mariners find themsel!es prey to rea!ers, petty wars $etween island ingdoms,
and terrifying creatures of the deep, who multiply uncheced in waters far from the common trade routes.
The The!es:
"om,etition and $trife 'ring out eBcellence=closely tied to the concept of arete Ce"cellenceD is the idea
that someone, somewhere, must $e the $est at a gi!en thing, and that one must constantly stri!e to $e the
$est and $e recogni4ed as such. The /rees applied this attitude toward all facets of life=athletics,
poetry, song, horsemanship, warfare, etc. (n a properly /ree setting, there should $e constant pressure
$etween characters C93s and #93s=e!en on the same sideD to outdo each other in feats of daring,
ingenuity, martial prowess, etc. The one who comes in second is to $e pitied, $ut the one who does not
compete is only worthy of contempt. 8n the le!el of clans, communities, and city-states, this often leads
to years of protracted warfare, $itter feuds, populations slaughtered and ensla!ed and cities $urnt to the
ground.
Man is mortal) glory is eternal=player characters, particularly in games lie this, are rather fragile,
especially when starting out. This is to their credit. The immortal gods cannot $e !alorous, as they can
ne!er ris death $y their actions. That honor and distinction is left to mortals, lie your player characters.
The only way for them to achie!e immortality is to perform deeds worthy of song. 9lay up the importance
of leos=the glory spoen of $y others. This should ser!e as a spur to action, and a few o$ols here and
there to the right $ards and minstrels will do wonders for their reputation.
The Age of Heroes is ,assing a(ay) to 'e re,laced 'y the Age of #ron=while many continue to pu$licly
uphold the ideals of the past age, they do not hold them in their hearts as they once did. 2onor and /lory
are sacrificed for e"pediency. Sons re$el against their fathers, wi!es murder their hus$ands, strangers are
turned away at the door or $etrayed $y their hosts. @mphasi4e the growing sense of lawlessness, danger,
and decline. &ill the player characters stand out as anachronisms=$oldly em$odying the !irtues of the
2eroic Age1 8r will they mae the most of this unscrupulous new era1
The Foes:
The Gods=the gods are superhuman, $ut not omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent. ?ie mortals, they
are su$ject to the 'ates. They are $y turns $ene!olent, wrathful, per!erse, lustful, petty, and majestic,
according to their whims. &hile the gods may wal the earth from time to time, the 93s Cand their
playersD should ne!er $e *uite sure whether they ha!e encountered one Tin the flesh.T ?ie #yarlathotep,
they assume many guises and mass as they go a$out their $usiness on earth. >eep the gods offstage for
the most part=if they must spea at all, let it $e through the cryptic, ecstatic utterances of Si$yls and
8racles. Since the gods are $asically the personification of o$ser!a$le forces=thunder and lightning,
wine and drunenness, lo!e, lust and o$session, plague and sicness, the sea, etc., let the gods manifest
through unusually strong or frea displays of these forces.
Monsters=as ( mentioned $efore, the iconic status of the monsters of /ree 0ythology mae tempting
antagonists, $ut their appearances, strengths, and weanesses are so well nown that TThe &eirdT is
compromised through this familiarity. ;se monsters lie 0edusa, the hydra, etc., sparingly if at all.
Rather, use them for inspiration to create your own monsters in a similar !ein. 0any of them were
formerly ordinary men and women, cursed $y the gods for some real or percei!ed wrongdoing. &hen
designing a monster in the /ree tradition, first thin of a person, and then a transgression for them to
commit. 0urder1 Rape1 (ncest1 ;nusual cruelty1 3anni$alism1 Refusing the ad!ances of a god or
goddess1 Cne!er mind that the gods themsel!es are fre*uent offenders in many of these areas themsel!es
=the laws of proper $eha!ior are for mortalsD. Then thin a$out the punishment and how this could
manifest in the hideous monstrosity they'!e now $ecome. A malicious gossip might now literally drip
poison into the ears of her !ictims. A $laspheming poet might $e gi!en a !oice that dri!es his listeners
into a murderous rage. @ach such monster should $e singular and local to a particular area.
2utla(s) Pirates) and 0rigands=these haunt trade routes and mountain passes, a sym$ol of the growing
lawlessness of the world. 9articularly memora$le $rigands will ha!e some horrific tric to how they
dispatch their !ictims. (n the legend of Theseus, the hero must contend with 9rorustes, who stretches or
amputates his TguestsT in order to fit his $ed, and Sinis, who tied his !ictims $etween two $ent pine trees
and then let them go, splitting them in half.
0east!men and Wild Women=encountered in wild places. These ha!e forsaen ci!ili4ation entirely and
li!e lie $easts, often Cas in the case of satyrsD taing on the features of the animals whose $eha!ior they
ha!e come to typify. Alternately sa!age and $eguiling.
The %nder(orld=wealth $uried in the ground is the de facto property of 2ades, and ad!enturers
!enturing $eneath the earth are not only plundering the dead, $ut stealing the rightful spoils of a god.
The Soundtrack:
:asil 9oledouris, "onan the 0ar'arian and "onan the Destroyer soundtracs.
@uripides's Medea,The 0acchae, and Hi,,olytus, 2.9. ?o!ecraft's 6The Tree,7 @.A. 9oe's 6Shadow% A
9ara$le,7 8!id's Metamor,hoses, 2omer's The #liad and The 2dyssey, 0ary Renault's The 6ing Must Die
and The 0ull from the $ea, Ro$ert /ra!es's Hercules) My $hi,mate, @ric Shanower's Age of 0ron1e comic
$oo series, Appolonius of Rhodes's Argonauti+a.
Cason and the Argonauts C+,G5D, "lash of the Titans C+,K+D, Jim 2enson's The $torytellerF The Gree+
Myths C+,,.D, !arious (talian sword-and-sandal mo!ies=Hercules in the Haunted World C+,G+D is
particularly stylish and useful, as director 0ario :a!a introduces an element of horror and creepinessD,
#,hygenia C+,KMD, Troy CM..ND Cfor the !isuals, anywayD
G%P$F Greece, Ma1es & Minotaurs and Tom' of the 0ull 6ing, "a*erns of Thracia CJudges /uildD,
Mythic Greece for olemaster, AG25 $y John 2arper, Age of Heroes CAD&D Mnd ed.D, TStealing the
2istoriesT $y 0ichael 3urtis Carticle on using 2erodotus as inspiration for sand$o" campaigns=
6noc+s,ell UND, TThe Bungeon as a 0ythic ;nderworldT $y 9hilotomy, Jonathan &alton's notes for
Argonauts Csadly, all that was released $efore the project fi44led into !aporware=Daedalus U+D.
2erodotus's The Histories, Ro$ert /ra!es's The Gree+ Myths Chea!ily influenced $y J./. 'raser's The
Golden 0ough, and paced with an odd $lend of scholarly erudition and wild-ass theori4ing, $ut the
$oo's eccentricities only mae it that much $etter for gaming inspirationD, the @leusinian 0ysteries, the
palace comple" at >nossos, the citadels of 0ycenae, The 8racle at Belphi, the ?a$yrinth, 9liny's 5atural
History, the ?egend of Theseus, 8rpheus and 8rphic cults, the Trojan &ar, Atlantis, 3irce, 0edea.
>o!e: ad li!ites #!$erii
&#nscri,tions still *isi'le in the su'!cellar 'ore such unmista+a'le letters as &D#GO-O-O- 2P$O-O-O-
MAG5A- MATO-O-O- & sign of the Magna Mater (hose dar+ (orshi, (as once *ainly for'idden to oman
citi1ens- Anchester had 'een the cam, of the third Augustan legion) as many remains attest) and it (as
said that the tem,le of "y'ele (as s,lendid and thronged (ith (orshi,ers (ho ,erformed nameless
ceremonies at the 'idding of a Phrygian ,riest-L
H-P- Lo*ecraft) LThe ats in the WallsL
2ere, the players are citi4ens of a powerful, e"panding @mpire. &hile it may appear sta$le and solid from
the outside, fissures appear here and there in the fa$ric of @mpire, growing wider and deeper as it grows
in influence and dominion. A Roman or Rome-inspired campaign can easily accommodate themes from
The Cold orthern Wind, Pilgri!s in a Strange "and, and The .r/an Weird, $ut (mperialism
imparts a uni*ue fla!or of its own. &ith some tweaing, the Referee could su$stitute a later empire for
the Roman model presented here=imagine the film Gunga Din with Roman legionaries instead of :ritish
officers, for e"ample, with the 3ult of 3y$ele replacing that of >ali.
The Setting:
The mid Mnd-century. Rome is at the height of her power, with her $orders stretching from the scorching
deserts of Ara$ia to the free4ing, forested wastes of northern :ritain. All roads lead to Rome and those
roads are crowded with fol of e!ery description. 9layers will encounter merchants and traders on the
mae, crafty sla!es and uncouth freedmen, soldiers in gleaming array, inscruta$le ?atin-mangling
foreigners, $ringing their strange customs and stranger gods into the @mpire's !ery heart, aristocratic
officers and administrators, $urning with family pride, aghast at their own waning fortunes and the
success of the upstart, lower-class Tnew menT who ha!e flourished since the demise of the Repu$lic. 2ere
are prostitutes and actors, swaggering gladiators li!ing in pampered ser!itude.
:ut this is all in the open. 8n the fringes and $eneath the surface, outside the rigidly proscri$ed
$oundaries of fort walls, Roman roads, and social con!entions, strangeness $reeds and multiplies, and
corruption and decadence tae root. The plain, no-nonsense agrarian soul of Rome, the mos maiores
Ccustoms of the ancestorsD that defeated 2anni$al and $rought the /ree city-states under Roman
domination are themsel!es under constant threat. &omen of good family, not content to $e o$edient
daughters and chaste matronae forsae their duty for lu"ury, admitting the em$races of sla!es and
freedmen. They a$ort their lawful and unlawful offspring, the $etter to enjoy enjoy una$ated those
pleasures to which they ha!e accustomed themsel!es, and concoct poisons to ser!e their hus$ands when
the latter $ecome too dull or trou$lesome. They mae a study of charms and curses to ensnare potential
lo!ers and punish ri!als and unwilling suitors. )oung men, in defiance of their manly for$ears, gi!e in to
softness and effeminacy, preferring poetry and music, sils and perfumes to the soldier's $oot and the
so$er toga of a citi4en. :oth see out strange new gods, imported from far-flung regions of the empire,
and attend outlandish and unseemly rites in their honor, in their insatia$le desire for no!elty and
stimulation.
The The!es:
Graecia ca,ta ferum *ictorem ce,it et artis intulit agresti Latio=63on*uered /reece too capti!e her
sa!age con*ueror and $rought her arts into rustic ?atium,7 2orace, :oo ((, epistle i, lines +JG-+J-. @!en
as the @mpire con*uers the world without, she is con*uered from within. &hile the @mpire's strength is
far-reaching and o!ert, dangerous elements from con*uered territories wor their way insidiously into the
(mperial $loodstream, coursing along the arteries of Rome's roads all the way to the @mpire's !ery heart.
This is an inescapa$le conse*uence of the @mpire's success, as those !ery *ualities that once defined
Rome's national character pro!e !ulnera$le to the onslaught of foreign influences as she ac*uires new
territories and dominions. &hile many find Roman ideals desira$le Cas well as the $enefits of citi4enshipD
the attraction goes $oth ways, as the influ" of wealth and no!elties Cin religion, dress, etc.D pro!e
irresisti$le to a populace raised on star, rustic ideals. 9lay up the TstrangenessT and TothernessT of
e!erything Tnon-RomanT and the constant tension $etween the rough-and-ready, hard-headed, practical
Roman ideal, and the cultured, /ree-speaing, cosmopolitan ideal of the polished ur$anite. 2ow much
polish can one ac*uire without a loss of !irtue and good sense1 &hich elements from the cultures of
su$ject peoples can $e safely and usefully ac*uired, and which lead ine!ita$ly toward corruption,
decadence, and madness1
2thers I# can (ell 'elie*eJ (ill hammer out 'ron1e that 'reathes
(ith more delicacy than us) dra( out li*ing features
from the mar'leF ,lead their causes 'etter) trace (ith instruments
the mo*ement of the s+ies) and tell the rising of the constellationsF
remem'er) oman) it is for you to rule the nations (ith your ,o(er)
Ithat (ill 'e your s+illJ to cro(n ,eace (ith la()
to s,are the con9uered) and su'due the ,roud- ! Girgil) Aeneid G# lines ?P>!?Q3 trans- 6line
&hile the 93s themsel!es may $e dutiful ser!ants of @mpire or Cmore lielyD a gang of !iolent misfits=
who else goes ad!enturing for a li!ing1=the (mperial mandate e"ists as an e!er-present stamp on their
daily li!es. ;nusual elo*uence, artistic sill, and more arcane arts are often considered somewhat suspect,
at $est. Sla!es, freedmen, women, and religious and ethnic minorities operate, to some e"tent, outside the
mainstream of Roman pu$lic life, and ad!enturers C$y their !ery nature $eing unusual and e"traordinaryD
often find themsel!es the !ictims of injustice, indifference, and suspicion from a society which stresses
assimilation, tradition, and conformity. @mphasi4e the gulf $etween the 93's e"pected roles Cgender,
social status, ethnicityD with the iconoclastic realities of the ad!enturing life.
Patrons and "lients=the ties that $ind. &hile many $emoan the current state of the patronIclient
relationship, it's still a powerful force in society. ?oyalty to one's patron and Cto a regretta$ly lesser
e"tentD responsi$ility to one's clients and dependents informs e!erything from political and family life to
religion. Roman religion, after all, is merely an e"tension of this relationship toward the di!ine=an
arrangement $etween worshiper and deity in which the former pro!ides honors and sacrifices and the
latter pro!ides protection and fa!or, in turn. &hen this relationship $reas down in any of these conte"ts,
the forces unleashed are often !iolent, corrosi!e, and unpredicta$le.
A$$lica/le The!es fro! 1ther Settings:
"i*ili1ation *ersus the Wild) "lass (arfare) Disci,line is sur*i*al) The 'eacon of ci*ili1ation is
surrounded 'y 'ar'arism
0any of these themes are already familiar to readers of &eirdI9ulp 'iction=particularly in 2oward Cthe
corrupting, softening effects of ci!ili4ationD and ?o!ecraft Cthe threats to ci!ili4ation from $ar$aric andIor
decadent forcesD, and these concerns are mirrored in Tacitus' Tno$le sa!agesT portrayal of the /ermans
and Ju!enal's "enopho$ic portrait of foreigner-infested Rome in the $atires. Referees and players must
decide how much of this reactionary attitude they wish to stress in their games.
The Foes:
0ar'arian Hordes from the 5orth=huge, uncouth, and undisciplined, yet possessed of certain simple
!irtues that Rome herself has lost. The implaca$le foe is feared and hated $ut respected, and the
Romani4ed nati!e accepted to a certain e"tent, $ut perhaps !iewed with some suspicion and contempt.
0ar'arians from the East=cowardly, de!ious, and deadly. (n war, they strie with lies and arrows from
fleeing horsemen. (n peace, they seduce and corrupt with their decadent ways and strange gods.
$orcerers and Mounte'an+s=pretty much foreign $y definition. At $est, they will merely cheat you. At
worst, their powers are real and harmful to all in!ol!ed.
The Ancient Gods of "on9uered Peo,les) and their "ults=while Rome has co-opted and conflated many
of the gods of the con*uered, some are not so easily tamed or assimilated. The ancient @truscan gods of
Rome's deposed ings, worshiped in secret $y citi4ens of certain lineages; The /reat 0other 3y$ele,
whose castrated priests are an unner!ing sight as they wind their way through the streets in $i4arre
processions. 3ertain cultists of :acchus might fit into this group, as the rites ha!e $een at times
suppressed in the ostensi$le interest of pu$lic order and decency. &hat other nameless cults and orders
o$ser!e their rituals throughout the empire=inimical to Rome and her allies1
Witches and Wic+ed Women=from withered, disgusting crones collecting the $ones of dead children to
$eautiful adulteresses silled in poisons, curses, and lo!e-draughts, these represent a total rejection of
feminine modesty and decorum, and lea!e chaos and e!il in their wae. ;nlie the $ar$arians, these
women are all the more dangerous $ecause their wicedness is mased $y an outward show of !enera$le
age or respecta$ility.
The Soundtrack:
9eter /a$riel's Passion and Passion $ources-
2:8's ome soundtrac.
The Gladiator soundtrac.
Apuleius's The Golden Ass Cse", !iolence, casual cruelty, and witchcraft<D, 9etronius's The $atyricon
Cfeaturing, among other things, depra!ed cultists, tasteless spectacle, thie!ing and con-artistry, more se",
!iolence, casual cruelty and witchcraft, and a story a$out a werewolfD, 3atullus's LN### Ca shift in tone
and style from his 6?es$ia7 poems=this is an e"hilarating and terrifying account of the goddess 3y$ele
and her consort Attis, and his ecstatic self-castrationD, The 0oo+ of Acts, the satires of 2orace and Ju!enal,
R.@. 2oward's T0en of the ShadowsT, T&orms of the @arth,T and T>ings of the #ight,T misc. no!els $y
John 0addo" Ro$erts, the TRoma su$ RosaT series $y Ste!en Saylor, 2.9. ?o!ecraft's TThe Eery 8ld
'ol,T Richard Tierney's The Drums of "haos, The $croll of ThothF Tales of $imon Magus and the Great
2ld 2nes, Shaespeare's Culius "aesar and Titus Andronicus, 'ellini's $atyricon, "enturion, The Eagle,
2:8's ome, #) "laudius C$oth the ::3 miniseries and the Ro$ert /ra!es no!els #) "laudius and
"laudius the GodD.
"thulhu #n*ictus for "all of "thulhu, Jason @. Ro$erts's FGLM#5ATA, 9aul @lliot's Keno'ia, e9uiem for
ome for Gam,ireF The e9uiem Cset in the ?ate @mpire, $ut the long intro $y >en 2ite is pure goldD,
9aul 34ege's 0acchanal.
?ead cursing ta$lets, the !anished ,th ?egion, ?ucan's Pharsalia <-Q??!?34 CA Thessalian witch
reanimates a dead soldierD, Magic) Witchcraft) and Ghosts in the Gree+ and oman Worlds $y Baniel
8gden, 9hlegon of Tralles's 0oo+ of Mar*els CA Mnd century 3harles 'ort's account of 6prodigies7D,
/eorg ?uc's Arcana MundiF Magic and the 2ccult in the Gree+ and oman Worlds, 0ystery 3ults
C0ithras, (sis, 3y$eleD, ?ucian of Samosata=6Ale"ander the 'alse 9rophet7 Ca hatchet-jo$ on a Mnd
century con-man and founder of the prophetic cult of /lycon=a human-headed snae worshiped today
$y Alan 0ooreD, @truscan tom$-mounds and di!ination with sheep's li!ers.
Weird %reece 8ickstart Ta/le 9d):
+. A local tyrant clings precariously to his throne. 2is claim to legitimacy rests on his alleged descent
from a semi-di!ine hero of the Trojan &ar and founder of the tyrant's city. 2e will offer an e"or$itant sum
for the retrie!al of the hero's armor, which he plans to display prominently in appearances throughout his
capitol. The armor itself is huge-- larger $y a half than the tallest man li!ing, and is said to lie $eneath a
near$y ca!e, rumored to $e one of the many entrances to the ;nderworld.
M. &omen in a near$y !illage ha!e $een gi!ing $irth to monsters-- strange, pale, silent things with useless,
elongated hands and feet, a set of pointed teeth, and the cold, $lac eyes of $irds. &hat is the reason for
the curse that has settled on the !illage, and how can it $e $roen1
5. A city is holding its /ames when the 93s arri!e. The material rewards Cnot to mention the fameD to $e
won are considera$le, $ut the contestants are soon dropping dead from a mysterious sicness. (s this a
case of poisoning1 Sorcery1 Some of course, will $lame the 93s themsel!es...
N. The 93s find themsel!es shipwreced on a mysterious island. The island's inha$itants Ca$out M. people
in allD ha!e constructed a tawdry replica of Troy out of driftwood, the hulls of other shipwrecs, and what
appear to $e human $ones. They are all *uite insane, and play out an endless drama of their own de!ising,
drawing on elements of mythology and their own o$sessions. The 93s, of course, will $e cast in parts of
their own. Bo they attempt to play along, hoping to find a means of escape, or do they tae their chances
in the surrounding forests1
#!$erial >o!e: 8ickstart Ta/le 9d):
+. The 93s are stationed at a distant outpost of the @mpire. The pro!ince is officially su$dued, $ut can the
supposedly Romani4ed new au"iliaries $e trusted1 And what of their still-$ar$arous cousins $eyond the
fort wall1 &ill they put aside their s*ua$$ling and unite1 )ou can't thin a$out that, now, as the garrison
commander has just $een found murdered in the settlement's new forum in $road daylight.
M. The 93s must journey to !isit an important friend or patron, $ut the road to his !illa lies $eyond $andit-
infested hills and lonely roadside gra!eyards. And what of the old @truscan tom$-mounds that dot the
landscape, and the sounds that issue forth at night1
5. The 93s are guests at a la!ish party held $y a wealthy local freedman. As the night wears on, the
entertainments $ecome more $i4arre and grotes*ue, and reality $lurs with strange, fe!ered !isions. 2ow
to lea!e, and how to find the way home again through now-unfamiliar streets1 &hat was in that wine1
N. A friend, family mem$er, lo!er, or important contact of the 93s has disappeared while !isiting the
pro!inces. &hy are the local authorities so e!asi!e, and what's the meaning of those strange, nightly
processions1

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