TEXT: 1
  Tickets-of-Leave are small 
  self-contai ned addi ti ons 
  to the Convicts & Cthulhu 
  setti ng for Lovecraftian 
  roleplaying in the early 
  penal colonies of Australia. 
  Each includes a selection 
  of game elements which 
  c a n  e i t h e r  b e  u s e d 
  collecti vely as a thumbnail 
  sketch of a mini-scenario, 
  or can be used in isolation 
  to  p rov i de p i e c es t ha t 
  enhance a scenario of your 
  own invention.
  CREDITS
  Ticket-of-Leave #10  is written by 
  Dean Engelhardt with Geoff Gillan; 
  original artwork by Reuben Dodd. 
  Copyright © 2018. Published by 
  Cthulhu Reborn Publishing .
  (w w w. c t h u l h u r e b o r n. c o m)
  The Convicts & Cthulhu setting 
  is published by Cthulhu Reborn 
  Publishing and is available via 
  RPGNow and DrivethruRPG as a 
  “Pay-What-You-Want” title.
  This PDF uses trademarks and/or copyrights 
  owned by Chaosium Inc/Moon Design 
  Publications LLC, which are used under 
  Chaosium Inc’s Fan Material Policy. We are 
  expressly prohibited from charging you to use 
  or access this content. This PDF is not published, 
  endorsed, or specifically approved by Chaosium 
  Inc. For more information about Chaosium Inc’s 
  products, please visit www.chaosium.com.
  10
  Introduction
  When Europeans first settled the Australian 
  continent in 1788 one of the things they found 
  most disconcerting about their new home was the 
  sheer unfamiliarity – alienness – of the landscape. 
  Everything from the types of trees, through to the 
  varieties of fauna that lived around New South Wales 
  was new and unknown. To a handful of men of a 
  scientific persuasion this range of new species was 
  a source of much wonder and excitement. To most 
  other Europeans, the strangeness of the surroundings 
  was more disconcerting than exciting – after all, 
  who really knew what types of beasts might lurk just 
  beyond the fringes of the established settlements, 
  just waiting for lone travellers to venture into the 
  wrong place? This natural unease was compounded 
  among the many superstitious men and women of 
  the colonies (convicts, guards, and free settlers alike). 
  Tales spun by such people describing the weird and 
  unknown animals that they encountered in remote 
  places frequently extended to lurid tales of fantastical 
  monstrosities and fearful dangers.
  Of course, in a setting in which the forces of the 
  Cthulhu Mythos are visited upon the Earth, not all 
  of those terrifying tales are necessarily exaggerations.
  This Ticket of Leave leverages the superstitious 
  fearfulness of the European colonists, and the shocking 
  remoteness of some of their places of settlement, 
  to posit a scenario in which the investigators must 
  investigate an apparently impossible story of large-
  scale devastation with no natural cause. But while the 
  terrifying force responsible for flattening buildings 
  and slaying a dozen people might be something from 
  beyond, perhaps the motivations leading up to this 
  horrible act might just have been all too human …?
  “I do not scruple to pronounce that in the whole world 
  there is not a worse country than what we have yet seen 
  of this. All that is contiguous to us is so very barren and 
  forbidding that it may with truth be said, here Nature 
  is reversed.” 
  — Major Robert Ross (Officer of Marines and 
  Lieutenant Governor under Arthur Phillip, 1788)
  The Doom That 
  Came To Five Dock
  
  2
  Scenario Seed: 
  The Doom That Came 
  To Five Dock
  This adventure seed revolves around reports of 
  a most peculiar incident involving a monstrous 
  creature wreaking havoc on a small outpost on 
  the Parramatta River. Five Dock Bay is one of the 
  staging places commonly visited by ferries travelling 
  between Sydney and Parramatta, and is also on 
  the direct southern roadway that joins the two 
  settlements. There is no permanent population at 
  Five Dock, but the place is visited often enough that 
  there is a well-apportioned set of wooden wharves, 
  as well as a handful of wattle and daub buildings. 
  The latter are primarily places for storing cargo that 
  is being shipped up or down the river, but a couple 
  also include cots where weary ferryboat men can 
  sleep for the night or bunker down in poor weather.
  Recently tales have reached the Governor’s officers in 
  both Sydney and Parramatta that some terrible event 
  has occurred at Five Dock, and that perhaps the place 
  has been destroyed utterly. The same tales speak of 
  many casualties and scenes reminiscent of a battlefield. 
  Although vague and imprecise, these wild tales clearly 
  bear investigation. Two men that are most eager 
  to establish the truth behind the stories are colonial 
  surgeons Matthew Toomey and John Harris – co-
  owners of Five Dock Farm, which lies just beyond the 
  site of the purported tragedy. It is their vocal concern 
  that convinces the Governor to assign a team – the 
  investigators – to accompany the two surgeons to Five 
  Dock to get to the bottom of the lurid story.
  This scenario seed is only loosely tied to historical 
  events and can be played at any time during the 
  standard Convicts & Cthulhu era. (Real sticklers for 
  historical accuracy might wish to set it after 1806, 
  the year when John Harris was historically given the 
  grant on the land that became Five Dock Farm.)
  Keeper's Introduction
  The wild tales of death and destruction at Five 
  Dock are all quite true. To make matters worse, 
  the horrible and tragic episode was not the result 
  of a natural disaster, attack by Aboriginal warriors, 
  or even an animal attack. Rather it was a powerful 
  extra-dimensional 
  horror 
  from 
  the 
  Cthulhu 
  Mythos that brought doom to the quiet spot on the 
  Parramatta River. The force in question was an 
  obscure Great Old One which takes on the material 
  form of a massive insectoid terror. Some tomes 
  call this obscure god simply “The Matriarch of the 
  Swarms”; a few attribute it an unpronounceable 
  name, Zstylzhemgni.
  The circumstances and motives that led up to the 
  insect god being summoned to destroy Five Dock 
  will depend on which of the three Mythos Options 
  the Keeper has elected to use – see “The True Nature 
  of the Threat” on page 4.
  The Insect Horror
  Regardless of the cause of the Great Old One’s 
  manifestation, its sudden appearance was both 
  unexpected and hugely destructive. Arriving without 
  warning across the Parramatta River from Five Dock 
  Bay, the enormous insect – a misshapen monstrosity 
  loosely resembling a locust or cicada, with a wingspan 
  of at least 10 yards – quickly crossed the waters. Its 
  rapidly beating membranous wings whipped the river 
  up into a storm-like fury, causing most of the ferry 
  boats berthed at the wharves to capsize or founder. 
  But the purpose of the great insect was not 
  apparently to damage the boats, for it quickly 
  descended upon the crowd of people looking on 
  in horror. That group was made up of a mix of 
  ferrymen and a dozen female convicts (who were 
  chaperoned by a chaplain). The enormous insect 
  thing attacked all men and women assembled by 
  the Five Dock Wharves, although its attentions 
  seemed particularly drawn to the convict group 
  and especially the priest. Dozens of people were 
  stung with the foul creature’s stinger, and many 
  were crushed between its mighty mandibles.
  Ferries on the 
  Parramatta River
  Ferry services began between Sydney 
  and Parramatta in 1793 with a cost of 1 shilling 
  per person or per hundredweight of cargo, or 
  6 shillings for the whole boat.
  
  3
  The Shriek of Doom
  The final doom came, however, when the Matriarch 
  of Swarms gave out her terrifying sonic attack, a 
  calumny of shrieks and whistles which was issued 
  with such force that the sturdy wharf moorings 
  shattered into fragments and the numerous flimsy 
  warehouse buildings were flattened to the ground. 
  So powerful was this awful call that more than one 
  of the surviving ferrymen had their eyeballs burst 
  from the pressure of the sound.
  When the short but terrifying attack was over, 
  nothing remained of Five Dock – each one of its 
  structures had been levelled completely. Bodies 
  were strewn all about. [And while it looked to all 
  intents and purposes as though every man and 
  woman present at the scene had been slain, a great 
  many were actually left alive but paralysed by the 
  sting of the Matriarch. Into these living hosts the 
  Great Old One injected her eggs.]
  Hours passed before anyone noticed the devastation. 
  A ferry boat bound for Sydney passed the place and 
  pulled to the southern bank of the river, horrified 
  by the scene of devastation they witnessed. Initially 
  it appeared that there were no survivors, and that 
  some of the bodies had been crudely interfered 
  with – most notably the body of the churchman. But 
  eventually the group chanced upon one survivor, a 
  boathand named McGrath who had been rendered 
  blind during the attack.
  Rescuing the unseeing man, the crew of the 
  Sydney-bound ferry continued their journey to its 
  destination. Upon arrival they notified the Colonial 
  authorities of all that they had witnessed at Five 
  Dock. News of their shocking find – soon elaborated 
  upon and exaggerated – began to spread.
  The Owners of Five Dock Farm
  Nobody was more alarmed by the vague tales of 
  destruction at Five Dock than the owners of the 
  farmstead that verges upon that remote place. Five 
  Dock Farm is a property co-owned by two of the 
  colony’s upstanding medical men – surgeons John 
  Harris and Matthew Toomey. Both men quickly 
  volunteered to treat the wounded McGrath, and to 
  extract more of his sketchy tale. What they heard 
  concerned them greatly. Particularly worried by the 
  details of the attack on Five Dock, and the rather 
  impossibly large insect creature that had caused it, 
  was the younger surgeon, Toomey. In addition to 
  his accomplishments as a medical man he is also a 
  member of an occult society with some knowledge 
  of the Cthulhu Mythos; and to him the wild tale of 
  a great misshapen horror seems all too plausible.
  Both surgeons were concerned enough by the 
  tale of McGrath – not to mention the several 
  other corroborating stories told by ferry crews 
  arriving later in the day – that they proposed swift 
  investigation. Realising the uncertain dangers of 
  venturing out alone, the influential Harris was 
  able to petition the Governor to supply a small 
  contingent to act as protection for his journey.
  Involving the Investigators
  The investigators become involved in the scenario 
  when they are attached to the hastily-assembled 
  expedition to investigate the rumours about Five 
  Dock. There are two primary reasons that could 
  lead to their involvement.
  Firstly, investigators of high standing and with a track 
  record at investigating weird events around the colony 
  could potentially be approached directly by Harris to 
  act as consultants to the group. This might also occur if 
  the individuals have previously helped Harris or one of 
  the many establishments where he has connections (for 
  example the Sydney Hospital, or the Female Orphan 
  School described in Ticket of Leave #9).
  The second way that investigators may become 
  involved is by order of the Colonial Secretary. Harris 
  and Toomey’s expedition has been granted an allocation 
  of convicts and NSW Corps soldiers to act as muscle 
  to carry items and protect the expedition principles 
  in the event that danger still exists at Five Dock. This 
  number could be made up of investigators, augmented 
  by NPCs as needed.
  
  4
  The True Nature         
  of the Threat
  The motivations that ultimately led to the Mythos-
  fuelled devastation of Five Dock depends on which 
  of the options the Keeper has chosen (see Mythos 
  Options on page 12).
  • Option A – The Long-Suffering Shackle: In 
  this version, the summoning of the Matriarch 
  of Swarms was an impulsive and foolish act 
  perpetrated by one of the female convicts, 
  Eliza Petty, present at Five Dock. Eliza has 
  only a minor grasp of Mythos sorcery, but 
  is capable enough to be dangerous. When 
  threatened with shocking physical punishment 
  after spurning the lecherous demands of the 
  group’s “chaperone” (the disgusting Reverend 
  George Fenby) she snapped and brought forth 
  the horror from beyond. Petrified by her own 
  actions, the convict woman fled the scene 
  before the worst of the carnage began.
  • Option B – The Blackest Mail: In this 
  version, the summoning of the Matriarch 
  of Swarms was a cold and calculated act 
  perpetrated by the convict woman Eliza 
  Petty as a show of force to underscore her 
  blackmailing of junior surgeon (and part-
  time cultist) Matthew Toomey. Petty has 
  been anonymously threatening Toomey for 
  weeks with no result; she has decided to up 
  the ante by proving to the recalcitrant young 
  man that she really can wreak havoc on him 
  and all he owns, should he refuse to accede 
  to her blackmail demands. Unfortunately, 
  the creature summoned forth was far more 
  powerful than the amateur sorceress could 
  imagine, which has left her struggling to 
  survive her own actions.
  • Option C – The Egg That Doth Not 
  Hatch: In this version, the manifestation 
  of the Matriarch of Swarms was the result 
  of the Great Old One finally tracking down 
  one of the (many) human cultists that has 
  abused her offspring for personal power. 
  If using this option, two of the principal 
  NPCs – junior surgeon Matthew Toomey, 
  and deceased priest George Fenby – are 
  members of an obscure cult known as the 
  Knights of Asclepius (see nearby box). Fenby 
  Dr. John Harris, NSW 
  Corps Surgeon 1754-1838
  John Harris was born in Londonderry, Ireland. He 
  trained as a surgeon in Edinburgh and served as a naval 
  surgeon in Indian waters. He transferred to the NSW 
  Corps in 1789 and arrived in Sydney in 1790, serving first 
  as surgeon’s mate then as surgeon. He was stationed in 
  Parramatta where Harris accepted a 100-acre grant and 
  began his side career as a farmer, establishing several 
  farms around Parramatta and Sydney. He held many 
  important roles in the colony, including magistrate in 1800, 
  in charge of the police the same year, and was appointed 
  Naval Officer in Sydney in 1801 and Deputy Judge Advocate 
  in 1803. He was also an explorer, charting the Hunter River 
  in 1801. He was also on the committees for Orphans and 
  the Gaol committee. 
  Harris was trusted by Governor King but his duties 
  caused conflict with his fellow officers, especially the 
  monopolists. He fell afoul of King’s enemies and was 
  disbarred from civil office in 1802 when he was accused 
  of ‘ungentlemanlike conduct’ (basically meaning his 
  revealing to King what some officers said about the 
  Governor). Harris was reinstated in 1804. He had a famous 
  house in Ultimo in Sydney. In 1807 Bligh dismissed Harris 
  from his civil positions and thereby incurred Harris’ enmity. 
  From then on the farmer-surgeon was a key opponent of 
  Bligh and fell in with the NSW Corps in the Rum Rebellion. 
  In 1808 he was reinstated to the magistrate’s bench by 
  the Rebel Administration but that same year fell out 
  with John Macarthur and was for a time (once more) 
  dismissed from the bench. In 1809 he sailed for England 
  where he gave evidence at Johnston’s court martial for 
  the Rum Rebellion. Harris returned as a free settler with 
  his wife Eliza in 1814. For the rest of his life he remained in 
  the colony, prospering as a farmer and supporting many 
  public causes, including the establishment of a Bank of 
  New South Wales. He died in 1838. 
  
  5
  had the rare “honour”, some months prior, 
  of having several extra-terrestrial insectoid 
  eggs implanted beneath his skin by Toomey. 
  This is a standard technique used by the cult 
  to obtain magickal potency. The Matriarch of 
  Swarms – the Great Old One whose spawn 
  has been thus subverted – scours ceaselessly 
  through eternity to locate such malefactors, 
  but her efforts are usually defeated by spells 
  of masking cast during the cult’s implantation 
  ritual. 
  Unfortunately 
  for 
  Fenby, 
  his 
  disciplining of the female convict Eliza Petty 
  as she refused his disgusting advances at Five 
  Dock, brought him into contact with an Elder 
  Sign woven into a family heirloom worn by 
  the girl. This warding temporarily interfered 
  with this cult’s spells of obscuring … and the 
  manifestation of an angry extra-dimensional 
  Great Old One soon followed. Ironically the 
  same Elder Sign also protected Eliza Petty 
  from the attacks by the Matriarch, making 
  her the only unscathed survivor of the attack.
  Getting Started
  The scenario begins with an initial briefing by 
  Drs Harris and Toomey. John Harris is a very 
  powerful figure in Sydney, being both its chief 
  medical authority as well as a high-ranking officer 
  in the New South Wales Corps and magistrate. His 
  imposing presence will dominate the proceedings.
  Harris, with occasional assistance from the 
  nervous Toomey, will outline the basics of what 
  the investigators are expected to do. The pair are 
  proposing to mount a group expedition to the site 
  of the purported massacre at Five Dock, tales of 
  which the investigators may well already have 
  heard earlier the day. To set the scene, the pair will 
  provide a brief capsule summary of the facts as 
  reported by the rescued “survivor” McGrath – the 
  Keeper should paraphrase the material appearing in 
  “The Insect Horror” on page 2 and “The Shriek 
  of Doom” on page 3, but omitting any mention of 
  material enclosed in square brackets ([ ]).
  Toomey and Harris will state that they have a 
  personal reason for being interested in this wild 
  story, since they own the land adjoining the Five 
  Dock Wharf, and jointly run a farm there. They 
  Knights of Asclepius
  The Knights of Asclepius are a small and largely obscure 
  society made up exclusively of medical men with surgical 
  experience. The order claims to have a rich and storied 
  history, stretching all the way back to classical Greek times 
  and involving some of the earliest writers of anatomy and 
  medicine teachings, such as Hippocrates. There is not much 
  evidence to back up this long history, however it does possess 
  a secret tome which describes a detailed school of surgery-
  based magickal practice. At some point in history, one of 
  its scholars experimented with the attainment of personal 
  power via the implantation of pieces of alien or extra-
  terrestrial beings beneath their skin. Over time this bizarre 
  yet effective practice became the core secret that binds the 
  Knights of Asclepius together.
  In the Convicts & Cthulhu era setting the group is very 
  modest – it is entirely possible that the NPCs presented here 
  are its only members in the colony. However, throughout the 
  British Empire there are scores if not hundreds of surgeons 
  that have been initiated into its secretive practices. Chief 
  amongst their mission is the identification of Cthulhu Mythos 
  manifestations, and the obtainment of samples which may be 
  preserved in spirits for later implantation into Knights or their 
  experimental subjects.
  One of the favourite types of samples for Mythos-ritual-
  implantation are the immature eggs left behind by the Great 
  Old One Zstylzhemgni when she manifests. Although being 
  an incredibly obscure entity, appearances by this god – also 
  known as the Matriarch of Swarms – is a blessed event for the 
  Knights. The eggs injected beneath the skin imbue the host 
  with magickal power (at least until such time as they hatch, 
  something the Knights can arrest indefinitely via other spells). 
  For obvious reasons, this practice makes the Matriarch of 
  Swarms especially hostile to the Knights of Asclepius.
  In this scenario seed, junior surgeon Matthew Toomey 
  is a high-standing member of the Knights. If Option C is 
  being employed by the Keeper Toomey has been actively 
  experimenting after hours at the Sydney Hospital, 
  implanting several of Zstylzhemgni’s eggs into prison 
  chaplain George Fenby.
  Whether senior surgeon John Harris is a member of the 
  Knights of Asclepius, or entirely ignorant of his subordinate’s 
  extracurricular activities, is entirely at the discretion of the 
  Keeper. Some gamers enjoy stories which add hidden and 
  fantastical layers to historical persons like John Harris; others 
  prefer to avoid fictionalizing historical people. In this case the 
  story works either way (but the Keeper should decide ahead 
  of time, since it may significantly alter the interactions with 
  one or both of these key NPCs). 
  
  6
  propose that the group leave at first light tomorrow. 
  If asked why the group cannot leave earlier (since 
  the journey is likely to take only a few hours), 
  Toomey responds that he has preparations he wants 
  to make. Plus, there are still medical treatments 
  that need to be applied to the rescued man 
  McGrath. Both of these statements are misleading 
  half-truths: in fact, Toomey has a second plan – to 
  obtain samples of the alien creature, whose eggs 
  he has already discovered beneath the skin of the 
  survivor. The extra time is needed to arrange for a 
  large number of rum-filled jars to be loaded onto 
  the expedition ferry and carry out one last surgical 
  excision from McGrath.
  Asking Around Sydney
  The delayed departure gives the investigators some 
  time in Sydney which they can use to delve into the 
  strange stories about death and destruction at Five 
  Dock. There are a number of avenues they could 
  pursue; the information each is likely to yield is 
  described in bullet points below. The investigators 
  will need to propose the methods by which they 
  are investigating (e.g., consulting colonial records, 
  speaking with knowledgeable authorities or convict 
  groups around Sydney town). If the Keeper thinks 
  the approach sounds reasonable, the information can 
  be discovered with a relevant skill roll (investigative 
  or social). Items marked [HARD] will require a 
  particularly successful result.
  Asking about tales of 
  strange flying creatures 
  and mass destruction
  • The huge flying bug in the stories matches 
  no known species of bird or animal that has 
  been encountered in New South Wales, but 
  it’s equally true that there are also many 
  different species about which little is known.
  • Given the ferryboat mens’ usual propensity 
  for exaggeration, authorities are more likely to 
  believe that some mundane catastrophe (say, a 
  freak wind or unusual tide) has destroyed the 
  wharves at Five Dock and the rest is fiction.
  Questioning the Blinded 
  Ferryman
  The ferryman McGrath is very weak but still alive 
  and in the Sydney Hospital; he has been operated 
  on by Toomey and is still recovering.
  • No additional information can be learned 
  from speaking with the ferryboat man.
  • [HARD] However, anyone who can inspect his 
  body (something Toomey will try to prevent) 
  can see that the man’s torso has two strangely-
  glowing surgical scars and a third place on his 
  torso which has a strangely glowing bruise 
  surrounding a puncture wound.
  — Anyone with medical training can tell that 
  these are dissimilar to symptoms caused 
  by any known form of injury or disease.
  Junior Surgeon, Matthew Toomey
  Toomey is a young and very ambitious surgeon, 
  hailing from a wealthy Bristol family. He studied as 
  a surgeon in London before taking up a commission 
  aboard a succession of naval vessels starting with the 
  Kinnear, service which stationed him mostly in India and 
  other eastern ports. It was during this time that he was 
  initiated into the Knights of Asclepius, rising rapidly in 
  the order thanks largely to a combination of deft surgical 
  skill and fearlessness in the face of alien horrors. During 
  his meteoric rise he was responsible for a number of 
  particularly shocking surgical rituals performed on Indian 
  men and women placed under his care. Eventually his 
  hubris caught up with him. In 1794 several scandalous 
  discoveries were made by port authorities in Calcutta 
  when a storeroom was raided during an unrelated hunt 
  for an escaped work gang. The searchers found “things” 
  that were once human, but were now something … 
  else. These were Toomey’s secret experiments, and their 
  discovery led swiftly to his court martial. 
  The court was willing to accept his plea that leniency 
  should be granted since his tests were all in the name of 
  furthering scientific knowledge, and that he had been 
  most careful to only use brown-skinned subjects. Even 
  with such justification the authorities were not willing to 
  allow him to continue to serve in his role in India – a posting 
  to the new penal colony in New South Wales was seen as 
  both expedient and sufficiently pejorative. Fortunately 
  for Toomey, the authorities considered it unnecessary to 
  notify his new superiors of his misdemeanours.
  Toomey has been in New South Wales since 1796, 
  and has been welcomed by chief surgeon John Harris, 
  who immediately recognized the younger man’s 
  superior surgical technique.
  
  7
  Questioning the Ferry 
  crew that rescued McGrath 
  (or any of the others that have passed five dock)
   • It’s not possible to track down anyone from the 
  crew that rescued McGrath, since they have all 
  now left to return to ferrying goods and passengers 
  back up Sydney Harbour to Parramatta.
  • Other crews corroborate the basic story of 
  destruction of buildings and wharves, al-
  though none of them can agree with reports 
  of a “battlefield” of carnage. 
  — One ferryman thinks perhaps he saw a 
  corpse hanging from the fractured branch 
  of a great gum tree.
  Asking about a group of 
  “Convict Girls” en route 
  to Parramatta
  McGrath’s story particularly mentions a large group of 
  female convicts present at Five Dock and apparently 
  the centre of the flying creature’s attacks. Investigators 
  can readily verify details about these women:
  • There was a group of women travelling today 
  from Sydney to take up work at the new 
  Parramatta Female Factory – that must be 
  the group mentioned in the ferryman’s tale.
  • The group was chaperoned by gaol chaplain, 
  Reverend George Fenby.
  • This group of convict girls included “known 
  firebrands”, particularly hard cases who had 
  caused much trouble before.
  — The most rebellious of the group of women 
  was a young “hellcat” called Eliza Petty.
  • Because 
  this 
  group 
  included 
  such 
  troublemakers, the party was supposed to 
  have been accompanied by an armed NSW 
  Corps escort but that man did not arrive in 
  time to join the group.
  — [HARD] (in fact, the NSW Corps guard 
  was so hung-over that he failed to wake 
  until many hours after the ferry left 
  Circular Quay).
  Asking about Eliza Petty
  • Eliza was always in trouble, even during the several 
  years she spent at the Female Orphan School.
  • [HARD] Some of the other convict girls believe 
  Eliza is a “witch” on account of special “tricks” 
  that she performs sometimes – like spontaneously 
  starting fires in the palm of her hand.
  
  8
  Asking about Rev George Fenby
  • Fenby has a reputation as a fairly degenerate 
  sort of individual.
  • He had a history with Eliza Petty, having 
  delivered “extreme justice” upon her (by 
  flogging her) as recently as yesterday, as 
  punishment for misdemeanours. In response, 
  the young girl had planted a firm kick upon 
  his “principal root” which had left the priest 
  winded for some time. 
  • There are rumours that he “took liberties” 
  with some of the girls to which he ministered.
  • [HARD] Someone who had occasion to see 
  Fenby without his shirt on noticed that he had 
  a collection of strange bruises on his abdomen, 
  some of which faintly glowed at night.
  About Dr Matthew 
  Toomey and preparations 
  for the trip to Five Dock
  • There are rumours that some months ago 
  Dr Toomey had secretly been asking around 
  for “paid volunteers” to take part in medical 
  experiments of his own design.
  • Snooping around Toomey’s home in Ultimo 
  will find a jar filled with rum, in which floats 
  two egg-sized masses each of which glows 
  faintly. [These are eggs of the Great Old One, 
  but inactive while in alcohol]
  • Snooping around the ferry that is being 
  prepared to take the group out to Five Dock 
  tomorrow shows a cache of three-dozen similar 
  rum-filled jars have been loaded onto the boat, 
  along with a full set of surgeon’s tools.
  Devastation at the Docks
  The ferry, carrying the investigators, Harris and 
  Toomey, a ferry captain, and possibly an additional 
  NSW Corps soldier as NPC (if there are no military 
  investigators), departs Sydney shortly after dawn. It 
  takes a little over three hours to reach Five Dock. 
  When they arrive, the scene is largely as described – 
  every single wooden structure has been flattened and 
  there are signs of a violent affray having occurred. 
  There are, however, no bodies strewn across the 
  ground as described by McGrath. In fact, the 
  investigators will find only one corpse – the mangled 
  body of Reverend George Fenby skewered on a tree 
  branch, some thirty feet above ground-level.
  The reason for this discrepancy is simple: some 
  hours after the destructive attack by the Matriarch 
  of Swarms, the alien god returned to implant yet 
  more of her eggs into the paralysed and dead. She 
  then proceeded to pick up each corpse and carry it 
  airborne across the adjunct hill to a small waterhole. 
  The Matriarch instinctively wants its new brood to 
  hatch in a secluded place, away from the steady 
  traffic of ferries and watchful men. The corpse of 
  Fenby was left as a warning to the cultists that had 
  implanted alien eggs into the priest (all such eggs 
  have now been removed, messily).
  Searching the grassy slope behind the place where 
  the wharves and buildings once stood, investigators 
  can find plenty of bloodstains and other signs that 
  many people died here. They will also easily spot 
  the path that runs up the gentle hillside towards a 
  modest stone farmhouse on the crest. Investigators 
  who can apply skills at interpreting tracks can 
  easily see that while few people managed to flee the 
  scene of the massacre, one lone set of tracks show 
  someone frantically ran up this trail.
  Investigators who search for hidden objects (and 
  succeed with a standard skill check) will find 
  something more: not far from the tree where Fenby 
  has been skewered there is a small mound of leaves. 
  Clearing them aside reveals a thick and ancient 
  book, a Mythos Tome (the Keeper can choose 
  whichever best fits the current campaign). Although 
  there is no way of easily telling, this book was once 
  the possession of the convict girl Eliza Petty – and 
  if the Keeper is using Option A or Option B, this 
  book was used by Petty to summon the Matriarch 
  of Swarms. It was left discarded here when the 
  young sorceress fled in panic. The Tome contains a 
  number of spells of the Keeper’s choosing, plus Call/
  Dismiss Zstylzhemgni (see page 15) – this last pair 
  of incantations has obviously been much-referenced 
  since the book always falls open to that page.
  At Five Dock Farm
  The stone farmhouse at the top of the hill is very 
  small and mostly used by the four labourers who run 
  the farm day-to-day for Harris and Toomey (both 
  
  9
  of whom have several farm properties in addition 
  to their houses in Sydney and elsewhere). Three 
  of these labourers are assigned convicts working 
  under the supervision of the fourth, a (non-convict) 
  foreman hired by Toomey. When investigators 
  arrive the doors of the farmhouse are all tightly 
  sealed but not locked. Venturing into the poorly-lit 
  interior will reveal that the farmhouse is seemingly 
  abandoned  – there are signs of people having left 
  hurriedly. (These were the labourers who foolishly 
  attempted to confront the Matriarch of Swarms at 
  the waterhole on the other side of the hill – where 
  their paralysed bodies yet lie, filled with insect eggs).
  Investigators who search the interior rooms of the 
  farmhouse in detail can attempt a skill roll; similarly, 
  any investigators with good listening skills can 
  attempt a roll. Success in either will reveal that 
  someone is hiding inside a large sea chest in the 
  corner of one of the farmhouse’s two rooms. This is 
  the convict girl Eliza Petty, who fled from the scene 
  of the initial attacks and came here to the farmhouse. 
  She is still terrified by what she witnessed and 
  cannot leave the confines of the farmhouse, for fear 
  of being consumed by the Matriarch of Swarms.
  Speaking with the frightened girl will prove difficult, 
  since her heightened state teeters between hysterical 
  fear and aggressive transference of her guilt (either 
  to an individual such as Fenby, or to a more abstract 
  enemy like “the filthy Redcoats”). She is also a 
  compulsive liar, who will weave an elaborate web of 
  untruths if she thinks it will benefit her (e.g., she may 
  try to cast suspicion on the Aboriginal people she 
  knows lurk not far from the waterhole, if that will get 
  the investigators to leave her alone).
  If the investigators can somehow navigate through 
  the maze of her complex motivations (via some good 
  social skill use), Eliza knows some useful information:
  • She can confirm the sequence of events 
  surrounding the attack by the Matriarch 
  of Swarms, and verify that it is indeed an 
  enormous insectoid horror.
  • She knows that unclean “devils” like the thing 
  that destroyed Five Dock are described in the 
  old musty book she dropped down by the wharf.
  — [HARD] She knows that the book also 
  contains “verses and incantations” which 
  can bring the “devils” up from “hell”, or 
  send them back.
  — [HARD] She recognises this particular 
  species of “devil” and has memorised a 
  few of the incantations relating to them; 
  she can even teach the investigators if they 
  make her the right deal. (NB: it’s essential 
  that Eliza knows these spells when the 
  Keeper is using Option A or B, since this is 
  how Eliza brought forth the horror.) 
  • Eliza does not understand why, but she is certain 
  that the creature that attacked deliberately 
  avoided coming near her. (The reason for this 
  is the Elder Sign she carries; see below).
  • Although she has been too frightened to look 
  out of the farmhouse’s tiny windows, she 
  has heard the insect devil fly past the place 
  many times. She thinks it has been moving 
  between the site of the original attack and the 
  waterhole on the far side of the hill.
  • For the past few hours Eliza has been hearing 
  a growing buzzing sound coming from 
  the direction of the waterhole; something 
  different to the sound of the devil’s wings.
  • There were some men in the farmhouse when 
  she first arrived, but they are gone now.
  — [HARD] Eliza told them that they should 
  go and fight the devils, like all good 
  Christian men should.
  Eliza Petty wears a very powerful artefact – a 
  simple wedding band that has been handed down 
  several generations. This unassuming piece of 
  jewellery has inscriptions on its inner face (the 
  letters “D. G. O. O.” and a symbol that looks like a 
  fern leaf) which empower it as an Elder Sign. Neither 
  the Matriarch of Swarms or any of its offspring can 
  come within five feet of whoever wears the ring. 
  Apart from finding the hidden convict girl, a 
  thorough search will also uncover two fowling 
  pieces and some shot to load them.
  The Waterhole
  The pretty little waterhole that lies in a hollow on the 
  side of the farm away from the Parramatta River, is 
  ground zero for the horrific and unnatural phenomena 
  that has afflicted Five Dock. The natural pool is roughly 
  circular and about 30 yards across. It is fringed on 
  three sides by gracious Weeping Willow trees.
  
  10
  The foreshore adjacent to the shaded sides of the 
  waterhole resembles a battlefield. More than forty 
  bodies – including convict women, numerous 
  ferryboat men, and the four labourers from the Five 
  Dock Farm – all lie motionless, some in a pool of 
  dried blood. There is a terrible stench. About half 
  of the bodies are clearly dead, showing obvious 
  characteristics of rigor mortis. The other half 
  appear to simply be motionless, perhaps sleeping 
  (although most have their eyes open). In truth, 
  this second group are alive but paralysed by the 
  sting of the Matriarch of Swarms, a poison that she 
  readministers from time to time to ensure that none 
  of these victims awakes.
  Across the entire waterhole a constant background 
  noise – a peculiar kind of unfamiliar buzzing – 
  pervades. This is caused by the first swarm of 
  offspring that have burst forth from victims in the 
  waterhole. Each human body, whether alive or dead, 
  has been injected with several of the Matriarch’s 
  eggs. Each hour, more of these hatch. At present the 
  resulting swarms are content to mass in the upper 
  reaches of the willow trees, where they are largely 
  invisible to observers. Unless the investigators have 
  been especially slow, the group are likely to arrive 
  not long after the first swarm has hatched: there are 
  perhaps 20 of Zstylzhemgni’s fist-sized brood lurking 
  around the waterhole. Every two hours another 
  10+1D20 offspring hatch forth. If left unchecked, this 
  will continue for the next five days. When the swarms 
  become large enough (say 100 insects) they will leave 
  the safety of the waterhole looking for food.
  Witnessing the scene at the waterhole costs 1D3/2D4 
  Sanity Points.
  Mother’s Watch
  Depending on the time of day they arrive, the 
  Matriarch of Swarms might or might not be present 
  herself at the waterhole. While the summons to this 
  dimension has opened the door for her to travel to 
  this dimension as she pleases, the conditions in this 
  part of reality are not conducive to her existing here 
  for periods longer than about 90 minutes at a time. 
  After each manifestation, she must wait at least 3 
  hours before returning. Accordingly, the Matriarch 
  has been appearing and disappearing on a kind of 
  timetable. When she is present in this reality, she 
  currently spends all her time at the waterhole: 
  initially spending hours transporting all the dead 
  and paralysed bodies here, and then many more 
  hours pumping those bodies full of eggs. This is as 
  far as the Matriarch’s plans extend at present.
  If the Matriarch detects any humans who are not 
  paralysed, she will hastily attack them with the goal 
  of firstly protecting her eggs, and secondly creating 
  new hosts (paralysed or dead) into which more eggs 
  can be placed. The Great Old One is a formidable 
  opponent, so Keepers should avoid investigator 
  groups rushing headlong into combat with her (it 
  will be a short combat).
  The other major trigger that will prompt the 
  Matriarch into action is her detection of one of her 
  eggs having had its natural progression interfered 
  with (e.g., by having been preserved in a jar of rum, 
  or been implanted under the auspices of Enchant 
  Wound spell — see page 15). Such tampering 
  with her unborn offspring especially offends the 
  Matriarch of Swarms: if she believes an individual 
  has been the agent of such tampering she will attack 
  that person mercilessly and follow them wherever 
  they go. Note that eggs that remain under a coating 
  of rum, or whose implantation is still masked by 
  a functioning (not Elder Sign corrupted) spell of 
  obscuring, remain invisible to the Matriarch.
  Neither the Matriarch nor her spawn can attack 
  anyone wearing Eliza Petty’s Elder Sign.
  Toomey’s Dream Haul
  When Dr Matthew Toomey set out on this expedition, 
  he hoped against hope that he might encounter more of 
  the alien insect eggs that he extracted from the ferryboat 
  man McGrath. Accordingly, he arranged for some three-
  dozen rum-filled jars to be secretly loaded aboard the 
  investigators’ ferry. When he arrives at the waterhole he 
  will quickly realise that there are likely hundreds of the 
  precious eggs incubating in bodies alive and dead. How 
  he reacts to this unexpected boon will ultimately depend 
  on how the scenario has unfolded – and is a decision for 
  the Keeper. Does he choose to keep his true mission a 
  secret yet aim to secretly collect samples while others are 
  investigating elsewhere? Does he abandon all pretence 
  and try to recruit the investigators to instead help him 
  quickly gather as many eggs as possible, perhaps offering 
  them rum as an incentive? Is his dangerous ambition 
  cruelly cut short when one of the eggs he is extracting 
  hatches and a hungry insect spawn emerges? 
  
  11
  The Wangal Community
  The bushland surrounding the back of Five Dock 
  Farm and its waterhole is home to a small group 
  of Aboriginal people. These are members of the 
  Wangal people, who are part of the Eora language 
  group. Until the arrival of the Europeans this land 
  was their traditional hunting ground, and the farm’s 
  waterhole was a sacred site central to their daily 
  life. As such, they are particularly saddened by the 
  events that have transpired, all of which they have 
  watched from afar.
  If the investigators think to seek these Aboriginal 
  people out they are easy to find; left to their own 
  devices they will lurk hidden among the trees 
  (perhaps visible to an investigator who succeeds in 
  a perception check).
  The Wangal people are a proud group, but 
  fundamentally all they want is to be left alone. 
  As such any approach by a group of investigators 
  will initially be met with apprehension – these 
  people have witnessed premeditated violence from 
  Europeans before and are cautious. However, if 
  the investigators can overcome their distrust, they 
  will find the Aboriginal people to be a goldmine of 
  helpful information:
  • The Wangal people can describe exactly how 
  the attack by the river unfolded, including 
  the actions of Eliza Petty and McGrath.
  • The Wangal have been closely watching the 
  unfolding scene at the waterhole. 
  — To them, the appearance of strange misshapen 
  beasts is just another manifestation of one of 
  the ancient spirits from the Dreaming, but 
  this one looks like a bad one.
  — They have seen the great insect laying its 
  eggs in every available body, and also have 
  seen a few of the eggs recently hatching.
  • If investigators ask whether the Wangal know 
  of a way to defeat the great insect spirit, they 
  will consult with one of their elders before 
  responding. 
  — Eventually they return saying that perhaps 
  the spirit might be defeated if it were 
  possible to draw it to an exposed place – 
  like the top of the hill, or a mountain – 
  and then call upon the Wangal’s sacred 
  Dreaming spirits to whip up the Eastern 
  Wind to disperse the swarm or blow it out 
  into Sydney Harbour. 
  — If asked how likely such a plan would be 
  to succeed, they merely shrug – “never 
  seen this bad spirit or her babies before. 
  Who can say?”
  Defeating the Matriarch 
  and her Swarms
  Investigators have a number of options for 
  attempting to rid the Five Dock region of its alien 
  insect infestation.
  The most direct methods — simply attacking the 
  Matriarch and its offspring with muskets and the 
  like — is very unlikely to put much of a dent into 
  the creatures. Zstylzhemgni’s hard body armour will 
  deflect most such attacks outright. A more concerted 
  approach that uses fire or black powder explosives 
  might fare better, but will certainly run the risk 
  of setting the whole bushland alight and perhaps 
  wiping out a vast swathe of land.
  Another option available to dealing with the problem 
  is the use of Mythos magic, in particular the Dismiss 
  spell for the Great Old One. This is present in the 
  Mythos Tome and known to Eliza Petty. The latter 
  might even suggest this course of action if sufficiently 
  trusting of the investigators. The details of using this 
  method are described on page 15.
  Investigators who have spoken with the Aboriginal 
  people of the region may decide to pursue the 
  option of engaging the local Wangal community to 
  try to defeat the alien “spirit” via traditional sorcery. 
  This will involve convening a large number of local 
  Aboriginal people into an emergency “corroboree” – 
  a lengthy ritual of song, dance, and ceremonial 
  storytelling. While the Wangal are willing to do this, 
  the investigators will be given the responsibility of 
  arranging for the Matriarch of Swarms to be drawn to 
  the ceremony site at just the right moment as the ritual 
  reaches its climax. If somehow they achieve that, the 
  Aboriginal ritual will summon up an almighty gust of 
  wind that rips through the Great Old One and her 
  offspring. The Keeper will need to decide whether 
  this supernatural blast is enough to dismiss the 
  Mythos creatures, or merely weaken them.
  
  12
  Finally, each of the specific Mythos Options (listed 
  below) has its own special methods whereby the 
  Mythos infestation can be defeated.
  Mythos Options
  Three alternative Mythos-related mysteries are 
  offered. Keepers can decide which they will employ. 
  Each will have some effect on the way the early parts 
  of the adventure – as well as its grand finale – play out.
  For each of the options, there is also a special 
  method by which the horror at Five Dock Farm can 
  be dispatched – in addition to the normal methods 
  described above.
  Option A: The Long-
  Suffering Shackle
  If using this option, the circumstances leading up to 
  the summoning of the Great Old One at Five Dock 
  had their origins in the terrible abuse which Rev. 
  George Fenby liked to inflict upon the young girls in 
  his charge as Gaol chaplain. All of his “flock” received 
  occasional visits from the lecherous priest. Some 
  simply accepted their fate, but for Eliza Petty every 
  act of abuse only made her more determined to one 
  day have her revenge upon the black-hearted Fenby.
  Petty has some small experience of the Cthulhu 
  Mythos, and in particular has a Mythos Tome – a 
  much-prized and secret possession that she tries to 
  carry with her wherever she goes. She had this Tome 
  with her on the day that she (along with several other 
  female convicts) was travelling from Sydney to take 
  up a new position at the Parramatta Female Factory. 
  The group’s only chaperone was the chaplain Fenby. 
  Perhaps sensing that this was his last chance to 
  torment this particular group of women, he had 
  been especially cruel for the past several days. On 
  the banks of the river at Five Dock his abuse finally 
  pushed Eliza Petty across the line. In a fit of rage 
  she cast the Call Zstylzhemgni spell, little knowing 
  exactly what horror she was summoning. 
  Additional Clues: 
  • Asking about Eliza Petty might learn about a 
  big, old book that she conceals in her meagre 
  belongings at the gaol.
  • Asking about George Fenby can easily yield 
  tales about his depraved habits and the 
  special attention that he has recently visited 
  upon Eliza Petty.
  • While speaking with Petty while in hiding at 
  the farmhouse, a particularly good success 
  on a social roll might get her to confess her 
  role in calling up the “devil” to take George 
  Fenby – in her eyes, he had it coming.
  Dispatching the Horror: In addition to the 
  normal methods described above, investigators 
  may defeat the Great Old One and its spawn by 
  destroying the Mythos Tome which was used for 
  summoning it. This book has so long been part of 
  Eliza Petty’s hatred and rage that it has become a 
  black channel which makes it easy for entities like 
  the Matriarch of Swarms to reach and remain in 
  our reality. Burning the book or otherwise entirely 
  destroying it will significantly weaken the grip of 
  the extradimensional invaders.
  Option B: The Blackest Mail
  If using this option, summoning of the Matriarch 
  of Swarms was a cold and calculating act of 
  sorcery carried out by the conniving Eliza Petty 
  to underscore her desperate scheme to blackmail 
  Dr Matthew Toomey. Some weeks prior, acting 
  on a rumour learned from a convict servant at 
  Toomey’s household, Eliza broke into the surgeon’s 
  home. Rifling through his personal notes and 
  possessions she found a number of surprising 
  items which she recognised from earlier brushes 
  with the Cthulhu Mythos back in England. Reading 
  through Toomey’s handwritten notes it became 
  quickly apparent that he was some kind of cultist 
  or sorcerer. Stealing what she perceived to be the 
  most valuable possession in the house – Toomey’s 
  ancient Mythos Tome – she departed.
  In an effort to profit from her knowledge of the 
  surgeon’s “dark secret”, the young girl hatched 
  a blackmail plot. Sending a series of increasingly 
  threatening letters to Toomey, she hoped to 
  convince the medical man to use his considerable 
  influence (or perhaps the influence of his close 
  associate and magistrate, Harris) to arrange for her 
  a pardon, or at least a Ticket of Leave. In return for 
  this, she promised her silence. Annoyingly, these 
  letters have gone unanswered and the surgeon 
  
  13
  has shown no inclination to take any of the threats 
  seriously. Figuring that she needed to prove that her 
  threats were not hollow, she wrote one last letter 
  alluding to her ability to rain destruction upon 
  Toomey’s possessions … and then she set about 
  summoning the foul Matriarch of Swarms upon 
  Toomey’s property at Five Dock (using a spell from 
  the Doctor’s own Mythos Tome). The true horror 
  of the Insect God was far more than she had ever 
  expected, however, and the blackmailer soon found 
  herself fleeing the scene of her own destruction.
  Additional Clues: 
  • Searching through Toomey’s possessions 
  will uncover the set of blackmail letters sent 
  by Petty.
  • Searching Toomey’s house might uncover his 
  journal or other papers which mention the 
  Knights of Asclepius, either of which will 
  imply his membership in that order.
  • Watching Toomey during the expedition to 
  Five Dock will reveal that he is strangely 
  nervous, and seems to have a hidden agenda.
  Dispatching the Horror: In addition to the normal 
  methods described above, investigators may defeat 
  the Great Old One and its spawn by convincing 
  Eliza Petty to abandon her spiteful plan to blackmail 
  Toomey. The act of summoning was fuelled largely by 
  the hatred in her heart, and if somehow that black pit 
  of hate can be negated then most of what is sustaining 
  the Matriarch’s link with our reality will weaken.
  Option C: The Egg That 
  Doth Not Hatch
  If using this option, the “summoning” of Zstylzhemgni 
  at Five Dock was not a deliberate act, but a kind 
  of unfortunate accident. Dr Matthew Toomey, in 
  addition to being a most talented surgeon, is also 
  a member of an obscure cult known as the Knights 
  of Asclepius. This order derives its power from its 
  ability to obtain pieces of Mythos creatures and gods 
  and literally implant them into the bodies of willing 
  human hosts. A favourite target for this unusual 
  practice is the immature extra-dimensional eggs of 
  the Matriarch of Swarms. Whenever the group finds 
  a clutch of these most rare items it collects them 
  and pickles them for later implantation. Toomey has 
  recently been performing surgical ritual experiments 
  with a volunteer, the degenerate priest Rev. George 
  Fenby. But, as always with the surgeries performed 
  by the Knights, Toomey has been very careful to 
  always cast the appropriate spells to ensure that 
  the forces of the Cthulhu Mythos never become 
  cognizant of this abuse of their flesh.
  In the case of Fenby, those protections have failed. 
  While in the midst of “disciplining” one of the young 
  convict girls in his charge, the disgusting chaplain 
  had this misfortune to come into contact with an 
  Elder Sign. Unfortunately, this interaction briefly 
  interrupted the spells which masked his implanted 
  secret … and from her home in some unimaginable 
  other dimension, the Matriarch spied him. Spurred 
  on by rage, the Great Old One manifested at Five 
  Dock and unleashed terrifying retribution upon 
  Fenby and anyone else nearby.
  Additional Clues: 
  • Asking about Eliza Petty unearths a tale about 
  an old gold ring that she treats as a prized 
  possession; her mother told her that it would 
  protect her against all the demons of Hell.
  • Convict workers at the Sydney Hospital have 
  noticed that Matthew Toomey often stays 
  back late to “practice his art” late into the 
  night; one of them may even have discovered 
  him performing a surgery by lantern-light in 
  the middle of the night.
  • Rev. George Fenby has recently been boasting 
  that he has a “particular vitality” thanks to 
  special treatment that he has been receiving 
  
  14
  from his good friend Dr Toomey. He hopes to 
  use his renewed vigour to redouble his efforts 
  to “flog the devil out of the girls in his charge.”
  Dispatching the Horror: In addition to the normal 
  methods described above, investigators may defeat 
  the Great Old One and its spawn by offering 
  up every last alien egg that has been surgically 
  implanted into Fenby, or which still sits in a rum 
  bottle in Toomey’s storeroom back in Sydney. The 
  Insect God wants nothing more than reclaiming 
  what is hers, and once she has the last stolen egg, 
  she and her swarm will fly off into the ether.
  Rewards and Penalties
  Investigators dismissing the Matriarch of Swarms 
  from our reality earn +1D20 Sanity Points. 
  Successfully dispatching all of the swarms of hatched 
  offspring is worth an additional +1D6 Sanity Points, 
  while removing and neutralising (or destroying) all 
  of the implanted eggs at the waterhole is worth a 
  further +1D4 Sanity.
  If the investigators have solved the crisis in a way 
  which allows the reputations of Drs Harris and 
  Toomey to be preserved, both will be grateful. This 
  will translate into a boost in Credit Rating of +1D8 
  percentiles.
  Should the investigators simply walk away 
  from the infestation at Five Dock, they will hear 
  increasing reports of malevolent insect swarms 
  striking around Parramatta River. Each attack will 
  be more destructive than the last, as the swarm 
  sizes get larger and larger. Each tale of death and 
  destruction that reaches them will occasion a loss 
  of 0/1D3 Sanity Points.
  Statistics
  Game statistics for Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition are 
  shown below.
  Dr. Matthew Toomey
  Junior Surgeon and CultiSt, age 34
  STR 70 
   CON 65 
  SIZ 55 
  DEX 80  INT 65 
  APP 45  POW 75  EDU 70 SAN 15 
  Hit Points: 12
  Damage Bonus:  +1D4 Build:1 Move: 9 Magic Points: 15
  Brawl 
   
  45% (22/9), damage 1D3 + Damage Bonus
  Scalpel 
   
  45% (22/9), damage 1D4+3 + Damage Bonus
  Flintlock Pistol(2) 55% (27/11), damage 1D6+1 [Range 10 yard;  
   
   
        1 shot per 4 rounds; Malfunction 95+]
  Dodge  
   
  45% (22/9)
  Skills: Craft (Taxidermy) 55%, Credit Rating 60%, Cthulhu 
  Mythos 11%, Insight 40%, First Aid 60%, History 40%, 
  Language 
  (English) 
  75%, 
  Library 
  Use 
  60%, 
  Medicine 75%, Natural World 45%, Occult 35%, R/W 
  (English) 75%, R/W (Latin) 45%, Science (Biology) 55%, 
  Spot Hidden 45%.
  Spells: Contact Chthonian, Contact Formless Spawn, 
  Contact Sand Dweller, Enchant Wound, Summon 
  Byakhee, Summon Nightgaunt.
  Dr. John Harris
  Colonial Surgeon and naval Man, 
  age ~50 (born 1754)
  STR 50 
   CON 55 
  SIZ 70 
  DEX 85  
  INT 80 
  APP 70  POW 55  EDU 80 SAN 55 
  Hit Points: 12
  Damage Bonus:  none Build:0 Move: 6 Magic Points: 11
  Brawl 
   
  55% (27/11), damage 1D3 + Damage Bonus
  Scalpel 
   
  55% (27/11), damage 1D4+3 + Damage Bonus
  Carbine 
   
  40% (20/8), damage 1D10+4  
   
   
   
     [Range  100 yard; 1 shot per 4 rounds;  
   
      
      Malfunction 95+]
  Dodge  
   
  45% (22/9)
  Skills: Credit Rating Accounting 65%, Credit Rating 90%, 
  Fast Talk 40%, First Aid 85%, History 50%, Insight 60%, 
  Library Use 35%, Law 70%, Medicine 85%, 
  Navigate 35%, Persuade 60%, Pilot Ship 50%, 
  Religion 50%, R/W (English) 85%, R/W (French) 35%, 
  R/W (Latin) 55%, Spot Hidden 60%. 
  Eliza Petty
  FeMale ConviCt, age 19
  Eliza is a feisty hothead who hails from Birmingham. 
  Already an accomplished thief by the age of 12, Eliza 
  (along with her mother who also thieved routinely 
  from the more ‘well-to-do’ members of society) was 
  apprehended for stealing a silver candlestick. She 
  and her mother were each sentenced to seven years’ 
  transportation, and allowed to accompany one 
  another on the same convict vessel (“to preserve the 
  young girl’s innocence”). Petty’s mother, however, 
  did not survive the voyage out. Her dying wish was 
  
  15
  New Spells
  Call/Dismiss Zstylzhemgni
  The calling part of this spell functions identically to normal 
  Call Deity spell as described on page 248 of the Call of Cthulhu 
  7th Edition rules. A group can cast the spell as a ritual, chanting 
  the incantation over and over in unison (and expending Magic 
  Points). For each Magic Point expended the chant will extend 
  another minute. Once the group has invested the pool of 
  Magic Points they are willing to commit, a roll is made – each 
  Magic Point grants a 1% cumulative chance that the Mythos 
  God in question is summoned to Earth.
  The dismiss part of the spell involves creating a smoky 
  fire by burning green branches. Over the billowing plumes of 
  white smoke, a group of casters intones the call incantation 
  in reverse, each committing 10 Magic Points. At the end of 
  the fifth cycle of incantation, a roll is made – for each person 
  involved in the spell, there is a cumulative 5% change that the 
  god has been expelled from our reality. In this case, the smoke 
  plumes take on a life of their own, twisting into ropy coils that 
  strangle the giant insectoid form and crush the life from it. 
  Zstylzhemgni departs when her avatar’s carapace pops in a 
  gooey spray of insect innards. All involved in casting the spell 
  lose 1D4 Sanity Points. Note that dismissing the Matriarch of 
  Swarms does not cause her Swarm or unhatched eggs to be 
  dispelled: there is no known spell for removing either.
  Enchant Wound
  One of the principal discoveries of the Knights of Asclepius 
  (see page 5) is this spell, which literally allows for a portion 
  of a Mythos creature to be sewn into an open wound – usually 
  on a human torso – in a way which inhibits the natural rejection 
  of such alien matter. Implanted Mythos matter is also rendered 
  invisible to magical detection, although it is common for such 
  implants to sometimes glow unnaturally beneath the host 
  body’s skin. The spell costs 14 Magic Points and 1D6 Sanity 
  Points to cast. To succeed, the caster also requires a Hard 
  success on a Medicine roll: if this fails, the Magic Points and 
  Sanity is still lost, but the host body is wracked by pain from the 
  natural reaction – instantly taking 2D6 Hit Points in damage.
  that Eliza should have the simple gold band that 
  has been a heirloom in the family for at least seven 
  generations. This gold ring bears an inscription on 
  the inner face which renders it as an Elder Sign.
  Prior to her conviction in England, Petty had some 
  occasional involvement with a circle of “witches” 
  that (among considerable meaningless nonsense) 
  practiced certain rites of significance to creatures 
  of the Cthulhu Mythos.  If the Keeper is using 
  Option A, this is the source of the Mythos Tome 
  she came to possess. 
  STR 35 
   CON 40 SIZ 40 DEX 85  
  INT 60 
  APP 50  POW 60  EDU 15 SAN 42 
  Hit Points: 8
  Damage Bonus:  -1 
  Build:-1 Move: 8 Magic Points: 12
  Brawl 
   
  40% (20/8), damage 1D3 + Damage Bonus
  Kitchen Knife 
  40% (20/8), damage 1D6+1 + Damage Bonus
  Dodge  
   
  50% (25/10)
  Skills: Charm/Bootlick 35%, Credit Rating 5%, Cthulhu 
  Mythos 3%, Insight 80%, Gambling 25%, Language 
  (English) 50%, Locksmith 25%, Persuade 40%, R/W 
  (English) 50%, Sleight of Hand 75%, Stealth 65%, Spot 
  Hidden 70%, Throw 45%. 
  Spells: Call/Dismiss Zstylzhemgni, Contact Rat-Thing, 
  Evil Eye.
  The Matriarch of Swarms 
  (aka Zstylzhemgni)
  Zstylzhemgni is an obscure Great Old One, 
  mentioned only in a handful of Mythos Tomes. 
  She is also called The Matriarch of Swarms, and 
  apparently has particular affinity to all species of 
  insects that swarm or sting. The Matriarch has 
  no known cult, unless one considers the Knights 
  of Asclepius (see page 5) who have developed 
  rituals to manipulate the eggs laid by Zstylzhemgni 
  (as well as matter from other Mythos gods and 
  creatures) for their own magickal aggrandizement.
  When summoned to Earth, the Matriarch of Swarms 
  appears as an enormous insectoid horror – something 
  like a cross between a massive cicada and a carrion 
  beetle. Her form has a wingspan of about 35 feet, and is 
  covered in a hard carapace which glistens with an oily 
  sheen that seems unlike any naturally-occurring colour.
  Zstylzhemgni is principally mentioned in a poem by 
  Richard L. Tierney (“The Minions of Zstylzhemgni”) 
  which is reprinted in Chaosium’s fiction anthology 
  “The Book of Eibon” (CHA6026) – the short poem might 
  make a suitable incantation for her summoning ritual.
  
  16
  STR 125  CON 335 SIZ 185 DEX 105  INT 90 
  POW 150  
  Hit Points: 52  
  Magic Points: 30
  Damage Bonus:  +3D6 Build: 4          Move: 15/21 flying 
  ATTACKS
  Attacks per round: 1
  Bite 
   
  80% (40/16), damage 1D6 + Damage Bonus
  Sting 
   
  80% (40/16), damage 1D6+2 + Poison
  Sonic Screech 
  60% (30/12), see below for damage. This  
   
   
     affects a cone-shaped area [costs 15 Magic  
   
   
     Points]
  Inject Eggs  
  100% (50/20), see below (requires victim to  
   
   
      already be paralysed or incapacitated)
  Dodge  
   
  70% (35/14)
  Armour: 15 points of hard chitinous shell.
  Spells: as desired by the Keeper.
  Sanity Loss: 1D6/1D20 Sanity Points to see the giant insect 
  form of Zstylzhemgni.
  SPECIAL POWERS
  Poison Sting: Any human stung with the insect god’s 
  baleful stinger is automatically injected with an alien 
  poison which inflicts 3D10 Hit Points of additional 
  damage, spread over 1D6 rounds. If the victim makes 
  a successful Extreme CON roll, the amount of damage 
  is halved. Even those who survive this damage are still 
  adversely affected by the extra-terrestrial toxin, being 
  paralysed for 24 hours minus 1 hour for each 5 points 
  of CON. Providing medical treatment to a paralysed 
  individual (via a successful First Aid or Medicine skill 
  roll) will also end the effect.
  Sonic Screech: The Insect God can rapidly rub its hind 
  legs together to produce a mighty and insanely loud 
  screeching sound. This attack affects a cone-shaped 
  volume starting at the Matriarch’s body and extending 
  20 yards in a straight line; at the furthest point the cone-
  volume is 10 yards in diameter. Achieving this effect 
  requires the sacrifice of 15 Magic Points. The attack roll 
  is made to determine whether the direction of the cone is 
  where the Matriarch intended. A “miss” means that the 
  sonic attack still happens, but affects an area wayward 
  from the target point by 1D10 yards in a direction of the 
  Keeper’s choosing. Everyone caught in the cone-shaped 
  volume suffers damage, as per the table below:
  Distance from Source
  Damage
  0–5 yards
  2D10 Hit Points; victim 
  must 
  make 
  a 
  Hard 
  CON roll or either have 
  eyeballs burst or eardrums 
  permanently blown from 
  the sonic pressure.
  6–10 yards
  1D10+5 Hit Points; victims 
  must make a CON roll 
  or receive a broken bone 
  or similar injury from the 
  sonic assault
  11–20 yards
  1D6 Hit Points
  Inject Eggs: If a victim is fully paralysed or incapacitated, 
  the Insect God can forfeit a round of attacks to instead 
  inject that individual with 1D6 eggs for its offspring 
  (see below). These are injected several inches into the 
  victim’s flesh; while this attack only causes the victim 1 
  Hit Point of damage, he or she will carry the creature’s 
  eggs. Unless somehow removed, these will hatch in 
  1D6 days and burrow their way out of the victim’s 
  flesh – an unpleasant process which causes the host 
  1D3 Hit Points of damage per newly hatched insect 
  horror. Before that happens, however, the implanted 
  eggs actually provide a benefit to the host in the form of 
  extra POW and magic points. For every egg the host has 
  within his or her body, this involves a gain of +30 points 
  of POW and +6 Magic Points (until the egg hatches).
  
  17
  Remain in this Reality: The nature of our mundane reality 
  is not conducive to foul monstrosities like Zstylzhemgni. 
  To remain manifested, the Great Old One must spend 1 
  Magic Points per 3 minutes. This places an upper limit 
  on the amount of continuous time the god may spend on 
  Earth. When not manifested the Insect God regains 10 
  Magic Points for each hour that passes on Earth.
  Spawn of the Cicada 
  (Zstylzhemgni’s hatchling 
  offspring)
  Hatchlings of Zstylzhemgni appear as strangely-
  glowing insects, each about the size of a man’s 
  fist. They fly around rapidly, collecting into great 
  swarms. The statistics below describe a swarm 
  rather than an individual insect (since that is how 
  they would participate in combat). A swarm’s hit 
  points and damage depends on its size – for each 
  20 insects, both increase. Swarms can split into 
  multiple sub-swarms; when this happens, the game 
  stats for each resulting swarm (and the level of 
  damage accumulated) should be split proportional 
  to the relative sizes of the sub-swarms. 
  Inflicting damage to a swarm reduces the overall 
  swarm’s hit points – when these are reduced to zero, 
  all individual insects are either dead or dispersed.
  STR N/A  CON N/A SIZ N/A DEX 90  INT 0 
  POW 30   
  Hit Points: 10 per 20 insects in swarm
  Damage Bonus:  N/A Build: — Move: 6 fly Magic Points: 6
  ATTACKS
  Attacks per round: see below
  Swarm 
  100% (50/20), damage 1D6 per 20 insects in  
   
   
   
  swarm (also see below)
  Dodge  
  70% (35/14)
  Armour: None. However, an insect swarm takes only 1 Hit 
  Point of damage per successful physical attack. Fire, 
  explosions, and chemical attacks will cause their normal 
  amount of damage.
  Sanity Loss: 0/1D4 Sanity Points to see a swarm of alien 
  cicada offspring. If one of the spawn burrows out of 
  a victim after having previously been injected and 
  allowed to mature, that host individual suffers 1D3/2D4 
  Sanity Points.
  SPECIAL POWERS
  Swarm: The spawn of the cicada can only attack by 
  assembling into a swarm surrounding an individual 
  and repeatedly stinging and biting in a concerted effort 
  to damage. The area that can be affected by a swarm 
  depends on the number of insects it contains – Keepers 
  should assume that for each 20 insects that join a 
  swarm it can effectively cover an area of 1 square yard 
  (contiguous with the rest of the swarm). If there are 
  multiple victims within that area, all will be attacked. 
  The swarm’s attack is accompanied by a deafening and 
  blinding fury of action: all victims within the area suffer 
  a penalty die to any sight- or hearing-related skill rolls. 
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Call of Cthulhu (CoC) (BRP) [multi]/7th edition/Convicts & Cthulhu/CoC 7e - Convicts & Cthulhu - Ticket of Leave #10 - The Doom That Came To Five Dock.pdf