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  Cthulhu Dark Ages – Pagan Call 
  Kevin Anderson and Stéphane Gesbert 
   
  Copyright © 2003 Stéphane Gesbert 
  The Tower 
  “Even a god cannot change the past” – Agathon, c. 445 BC 
  Introduction 
  Winter/spring 1021 AD: the investigators are sent by 
  Stigand, personal chaplain of king Cnut, on a delicate 
  mission to rescue a holy man held hostage by a demon-
  worshipper named Quintus. During their secret mission to 
  find Quintus in the Welsh wilderness, the investigators end 
  up in a desolate region, overrun at night by a strange mist. 
  This scenario is the campaign’s turning point, a rite of 
  passage. In terms of mood and themes, it draws much on 
  the work of Arthur Machen. We advise the keeper to read 
  Machen’s “the Great God Pan” and “the Three Impostors”. 
  Importantly, investigators who die in this scenario may 
  come back in the sequel. In order to facilitate their return 
  from Limbo, the keeper is advised to stage mysterious 
  deaths, preferably ones that leave no body behind. 
  Keeper’s Information 
  Priest Stigand, the investigators’ employer in this scenario, 
  is none other than serpent man Seth in human guise. 
  Demon-worshipper Quintus is in fact an old associate of 
  Seth, who recently turned against the serpent man and his 
  plans of mass destruction. Quintus successfully invoked 
  Yog-Sothoth’s avatar Tawil at’ Umr and tricked the god, 
  thus thwarting Seth’s plan! Now Seth needs to get rid of 
  turncoat Quintus and to free the avatar. 
  Investigators employed by Stigand initially serve the evil 
  cause. Players will have a hard time discovering the true 
  nature of the mission. Will they make the mistake to free 
  Yog-Sothoth’s avatar from its earthly prison? 
   
  Timeline 
  Prehistory – Welsh locals worship Nudd the All-in-One 
  (Yog-Sothoth) and the Son of Nudd, king of the dead and 
  of demons, also known as the Dog-that-Walks (Yog-
  Sothoth’s avatar Tawil at’Umr). The Dog-that-Walks is 
  known to take daughters of men, who then give birth to 
  monstrous offspring that haunt the wooded highlands. 
  69 AD – Roman occupants integrate the worship of Nudd 
  (Nodens). Silurian warriors and druids destroy the roman 
  fortress of Burrium and of Caermaen under obscure – if 
  not supernatural - circumstances. The Romans abandon 
  South-East Wales and only return in 74 AD! 
  Circa 210 AD – Quintus is born in the north of Wales. His 
  mother Atla is a half human, half Worm-of-the-Earth 
  witch, and his father is unknown. 
  Circa 700 AD – Quintus, by then an able sorcerer, meets 
  the serpent man Seth somewhere in Libya and becomes 
  Seth’s ally. Seth introduces Quintus to the Mythos. They 
  form the Black Ring, a brotherhood of sorcerers. 
  1015 AD - Quintus discovers Seth’s programmed 
  apocalypse on November 1st, 1021 AD: open the way to 
  Yog-Sothoth, who extinguishes all life on earth, and make 
  room for the Serpent People to re-establish their lost 
  dominion on the planet. 
  Feeling nothing for the serpent man’s vision of the future, 
  which leaves no room for either humans or Worms of the 
  Earth, Quintus defects the Black Ring and goes into hiding 
  in the Welsh wilderness. 
  1017 AD – Quintus establishes himself in the ruins of 
  Caermaen and seeks alliance with his kin, the Worms of 
  the Earth. 
  1018 AD – Quintus formulates a counter plan to thwart 
  Seth’s plans of mass destruction: invoke Yog-Sothoth’s 
  avatar Tawil at’Umr and coerce the god into a human 
  body. To that effect Quintus recruits a human agent, Eva. 
  Using archaic brain surgery, Quintus tries to turn Eva’s 
  mind into a living Gate for trapping Tawil at’Umr. Eva 
  “sees the god Pan”, but the experiment fails. Eva becomes 
  insane and loses part of her memory. 
  In his early attempts to invoke Tawil at’ Umr, Quintus 
  opens many Half Gates on hilltops around Caermaen. The 
  Half Gates tear the thin veil that separates us from the 
  spirit world. Slowly but surely, the veil of reality unravels, 
  and the entire region starts slipping into Limbo. 
  1020 AD – After two more years of occult research, 
  Quintus perfects his plan. He pays the People of the 
  Rocks, an infamous Welsh tribe of warriors and witches, 
  to ritualistically slaughter a community of shepherds living 
  in the area, in order to invoke Tawil at’Umr. 
  The same night, Quintus tricks the avatar and magically 
  seals the god’s spirit into a dead body. Quintus imprisons 
  the living-dead god underneath Caermaen. 
  1021 AD – Seth discovers the whereabouts of Quintus. In 
  the guise of king Cnut’s chaplain Stigand, he recruits the 
  investigators to take on a mission from God to free a “holy 
  man” (Tawil at’ Umr) from its earthly prison and to get rid 
  of sorcerer Quintus!  
  1021 AD, November 1st? – Seth opens the Gate to the 
  Yog-Sothoth, who erases all life from the surface of the 
  earth. Mankind ends up in Limbo, neither dead nor alive, 
  to be devoured by monsters and ghosts until Judgment 
  Day. A messenger will come to imprison the Beast (the 
  incarnation of the All-in-One) for a thousand years. 
  Players’ Information 
  The investigators are likely to need weeks or months of 
  rest to recover from their recent physical and mental ordeal 
  (“The Blue Stone”). This timeout can take place in any 
  conveniently located monastery or bishopric, e.g. York, 
  Westminster, Maidstone, Canterbury, or a place of lesser 
  importance. Sooner or later, Aethelnoth, archbishop of 
  Canterbury, meets the investigators. 
  The investigators are brought before their lord who 
  considerately inquires about their good health and spirit. 
  Aethelnoth then introduces them to a priest who radiates 
  more authority than his sober costume alone can account 
  for. Aethelnoth: “please bow before Stigand, personal 
  chaplain and advisor to king Cnut. The chaplain desires to 
  interrogate you about your recent tribulations, and about 
  matters that may be important to our Holy Church”. 
  
  Stéphane Gesbert 
  Pagan Call: The Tower 
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  Copyright © 2003 Stéphane Gesbert 
  The King’s Chaplain 
  Stigand humbly asks the investigators to recount their 
  adventures. How much or how little the investigators 
  decide to tell is not important for the remainder of the plot. 
  What is important is that the keeper - who role-plays 
  Stigand - convinces the players to do his bidding: 
   
  Stigand: “We did not sit back while you were fighting for 
  the good cause. We have discovered that our enemy is a 
  heretic sect plotting to overthrow the power of the Church 
  and of our King”. 
  “Our best man unearthed the sect’s mastermind in South-
  East Wales. His last message came from Caerleon, see for 
  yourself” (Stigand hands out a sheepskin parchment to the 
  investigators – see handout #1). 
  “Since then, we have had no more news and we fear the 
  worst. I prayed for Brother Silvianus. I believe my prayers 
  have been answered: God sent me a dream in which 
  Silvianus was alive, alas held prisoner by Quintus”. 
  “I have decided to send a small group of men to hunt 
  down Quintus, destroy him, and find out what became of 
  Silvianus. This is a dangerous mission. Quintus has spies 
  everywhere. Moreover, the Welsh folk is as savage as their 
  country is, and do not bear us kindly in their hearts. This 
  is why I have thought of you to deliver us from this threat, 
  and maybe save a holy man’s life. We cannot delay!” 
   
  Stigand 
  Stigand first appears in chronicles as a priest at the side of 
  king Cnut in 1020 AD. The man is of obscure origins, yet 
  eventually made it to Archbishop of Canterbury. Many 
  contested him, including the pope, for being an 
  opportunist. Stigand was eventually sent to prison where 
  he died of self-imposed starvation in 1072 AD. 
  The etymology of the name Stigand is Stigr, which means 
  “rock” in Old Norse. 
  In our revised version of the Middle Ages, Stigand is none 
  other than serpent man Seth: a snake in human guise! 
   
  The keeper must improvise Stigand’s answers to any 
  questions the investigators may have. Since everything is a 
  lie anyway (including the letter, which is a forgery of the 
  serpent man), the keeper need only worry about being 
  consistent and convincing enough for the players to 
  believe the chaplain and to accept the mission. 
   
  Note that Stigand happily provides the investigators with 
  any equipment they desire, and arranges any means of 
  transport they require, up to 2400 pennies per investigator! 
  The City of the Legions 
  One way or another, the investigators arrive at the port of 
  Caerleon in the southeastern corner of Wales. The weather 
  is exceptionally mild for this time of year: it rains all the 
  time! Caerleon can be reached by land (one must cross 
  Offa’s dyke) or by sea. Note that there is a ferry crossing 
  the Severn Sea from Aust to Beachley Peninsula, 10 miles 
  east of Caerleon. 
  Thankfully, the Welsh are not as “savage” as Stigand says 
  they are, and the investigators enter Caerleon unhindered 
  (though they may catch suspicious looks). Stigand is right 
  about one thing though: there is a spy of Quintus in 
  Caerleon, and unless the investigators take special 
  precautions, their arrival does not go unnoticed. 
   
  Caerleon 
  The port town of Caerleon (“city of the legions”) is the 
  seat of the princes of Morgannwg, as the region is called. 
  The hardheaded Welsh successfully kept Saxon and 
  Danish invaders at bay for centuries. This fact, together 
  with the port’s prosperity, helped them to preserve the 
  Welsh’s ancient way of life. 
  In 1190 AD, Gerald of Wales wrote: “an ancient and 
  authentic city, excellently and well built in olden times by 
  the Romans. Many vestiges of its former splendor may yet 
  be seen, mighty and huge palaces with gilded roofs in 
  imitation of Roman magnificence… A town prodigious in 
  size, wonderful bath buildings, the remains of temples and 
  theatres, all enclosed within fine walls, which are yet 
  partly standing. You will find on all sides, both within and 
  without the circuit of the walls, subterraneous buildings, 
  water pipes, and underground passages, and, more 
  remarkable than all, stoves contrived with wonderful art to 
  transmit the heat insensibly through the narrow flues up 
  the side of the walls.” 
  The main trade of Caerleon is in dairy products, wool, 
  sheepskins, leather, and wine. Cargoes are shipped along 
  the coast and across the channel to Bristol. There is also a 
  small iron smelting industry, and some gold traffic. 
  Cat and Mouse 
  The best places to start casual conversations with the 
  locals are the bathhouse or the taverns. Mind that language 
  can be a serious barrier, as most people do not speak fluent 
  English. Initial questioning reveals the following: nobody 
  has heard of a Brother Silvianus (keeper’s note: of course, 
  since he is an invention of Stigand), nobody knows a man 
  called Quintus, and there is no Roman “castle” in 
  Caerleon. In fact, nobody knows of a standing Roman 
  castle. 
   
  After a day of investigation, the investigators are allowed 
  Spot Hidden rolls every hour. At the first success, the 
  investigators spot two different stalkers, a man and a 
  woman, intermittently observing and following them from 
  a distance. The man strangely reminds them of the “dark 
  man” they spotted in Ferriby (“The Blue Stone”). The 
  woman (Quintus’ spy Eva, see Statistics) is unknown to 
  them. The two vanish from sight as soon as they notice 
  that the investigators are aware of them. 
   
  The objective in the first part of the scenario is for the 
  investigators to catch Quintus’ spy Eva. The location of 
  the capture (see the Round Table, the baths, the sewers, or 
  the Mynde below), and how much resistance Eva offers, is 
  up to the keeper. The investigators must convince her to 
  reveal what she knows (see “Eva talks” below). Threats 
  are ineffective. Torture may work (count 1/10 SAN loss per 
  séance; Eva’s will breaks the moment she succumbs to 
  temporary insanity). The easiest way to make her talk is to 
  offer her more money than Quintus does, or enough to pay 
  her freedom in one go (she still needs 3600 pennies). 
   
  
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  Cthulhu Dark Ages – Pagan Call 
  Kevin Anderson and Stéphane Gesbert 
   
  Copyright © 2003 Stéphane Gesbert 
  THE OLD QUAYS 
  From the wooden quays, the wreck of a Danish drakkar 
  can be seen rotting in the yellow waters of the Wysg 
  estuary. The keeper is free to weave a story around the 
  drakkar that ties into the present campaign. 
  Near the quays, the investigators find several taverns 
  (some offer crude lodgings to travelers), where they can 
  meet the local fishermen. Most fishermen haven’t 
  embraced Christianity and hail a deity named Nudd (“the 
  god of warfare, dogs, and sorcerers”). The investigators 
  learn that the church of Caerleon originally was a temple 
  dedicated to Nudd. Pouring scorn on the priest and on the 
  gentry and their bathhouse is a favorite sport of this crowd. 
  Many men excitedly speak of a “tournament” to be held 
  the next day. Tournaments take place at the so-called 
  “Round table”. The two princes of Morgannwg, Rhys ap 
  Owain and Hywel ap Owain will be present. 
   
  THE TEMPLE OF NODENS 
  What was long ago a Roman basilica is now the mother 
  church of Caerleon and of the surrounding cantref 
  (equivalent to the Anglo-Saxon hundred). A defaced statue 
  of Nodens lies in a far corner of the old, dark, and narrow 
  temple. Here and there, the basilica’s inner walls are 
  painted with colorful biblical scenes. 
  The priest gladly entertains visitors. He complains about 
  the lack of religious houses in the region, and about the 
  poor penetration of the Church of Wales in the people’s 
  hearts. Many locals confuse Nudd with God the Father! 
  The priest: “Nodens is an idol with obscure attributes. 
  Sometimes he is a Mars (god of war), a Neptune (god of 
  the sea), or a Silvanus (god of the woods)”. The most 
  fanatic worshippers are rumored to hold secret gatherings. 
   
  A premonitory dream… 
  The nightmare is an optional ploy to heighten the 
  investigators’ fear in the scenario’s finale, by anticipating 
  on future events. It also provides a few clues for later use. 
  Elaborate as needed to reach maximum effect later on! 
   
  The nightmare is soundless and bathed in darkness - the 
  negation of light. The investigator walks up a wooded 
  slope. The black sun casts black rays upon the trees, which 
  shed radiant “shadows” that hurt the eyes. After crossing a 
  deep ravine filled with nauseating light, the investigator 
  reaches the top of the rise. There are far-off mountains all 
  around, on top of which strange lights burn. 
  The investigator suddenly realizes that a huge black tower 
  stands only a few yards away, the outline of which is 
  barely visible against the black sky. There are letters of 
  light burning on the tower’s door that read: “JVDEA”. The 
  investigator opens the door, but has no detailed 
  recollection of the subsequent exploration of the tower, 
  except for the memory of a room filled with huge 
  suspended skins dripping with blood. There is a crucial 
  message written on one of the skins, but the investigator is 
  not able to remember it. Without transition, the 
  investigator finds him- or herself lost in a pitch-black maze 
  (a strange word comes to the investigators mind: 
  “Dudael”), holding an incredibly heavy sword. He or she 
  feels that there is something else trapped in the maze, 
  something abominable that should not be and wants the 
  investigator to look into its dead eyes… 
   
  THE ROUND TABLE 
  The Round Table is a huge oval-shaped earthwork 
  enclosing a deep hollow – the arena. Local legend says 
  that the “Round Table” was King Arthur’s gathering place. 
  Several trenches cut through the outer rampart and reveal 
  stonework from the ruins of a Roman amphitheatre. 
  Once in a week, a tournament is organized there. The 
  event coincides with the weekly market and attracts many 
  people from the whole cantref, up to a thousand typically. 
  Spectators pay a penny each. Timber tiers top the 
  earthwork in one place and are reserved for well-to-do 
  traders, artisans, and the warrior aristocracy. The Round 
  Table can easily accommodate up to 6000 spectators!  
  The tournament consists of a series of 24 man-to-man (and 
  sometimes woman-to-woman) duels. Some duelist, 
  including Quintus’ spy Eva, are local celebrities. The 
  winner of a duel earns 12 to 24 pennies (a fisherman’s 
  monthly income!). 
  The duels are entirely improvised, and the weapons are 
  genuine. Deadly accidents and serious wounds are not 
  uncommon, and constitute part of the excitement. 
  Investigators are free to put their names down for a duel – 
  at their own risk of course. Investigators who saw the 
  female stalker earlier on and succeed a Spot Hidden roll, 
  recognize the woman among the crowd! Asking around 
  reveals that the woman is a slave called Eva who is 
  employed by the ruling clan of Caerleon to oversee the 
  bathhouse. The keeper has two options: 
   
  1. 
  Eva doesn’t notice the investigators. One 
  investigator can try to challenge her and 
  overmaster her to make her speak. Note that if the 
  opponent is a man, the referee may rule that Eva 
  gets a superior weapon and/or a fisherman’s net, 
  while the investigator is handed a small club or a 
  knife. 
  2. 
  Eva notices the investigators and quietly leaves, 
  heading towards the bathhouse to hide, see below. 
   
  BATHS AND SEWERS 
  Two-thirds of the 360 feet long bathhouse was dismantled 
  when the Romans departed. What is left is a courtyard 
  with a colonnade and an outdoor pool (which servants use 
  to wash the laundry), one long bathing hall, and a heated 
  changing room. The bathhouse, despite being in a poor 
  shape with its cracked walls and its moldy floors, is quite 
  popular among the gentry. Investigators need a Status roll 
  to be allowed to use the baths. Men and women do not 
  mix: there are special hours reserved for each. 
   
  The building houses two secrets. The caretaker, a woman 
  called Eva, is Quintus’ spy (see Statistics). Eva usually 
  stays clear of the clients and discretely supervises the 
  bathhouse servants from a distance, and oversees the 
  proper functioning of the stove. If the investigators pay a 
  visit to the bathhouse to socialize with the Welsh 
  aristocrats, Eva hides to avoid being recognized. 
  The second secret is the grated water outlet on the floor of 
  the bathing hall, which leads to a Roman vaulted sewer. 
  The sewer gently slopes down towards the river Wysg, its 
  mouth hidden between the great timber piles supporting 
  the port’s quays. At a point corresponding with the Roman 
  
  Stéphane Gesbert 
  Pagan Call: The Tower 
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  Copyright © 2003 Stéphane Gesbert 
  defenses, the sewer branches off left and right into an 
  oppressive network of narrow and cold passages, disused 
  cellars, and more sewers. Many passages are dead ends or 
  caved in, and half of them are flooded. The keeper is free 
  to imagine the network’s maze-like layout; request 
  Navigate rolls whenever appropriate. If the investigators 
  take the time to systematically explore the network, they 
  eventually come across a remote stone passage that ends 
  up inside the Mynde, see below. 
   
  THE MYNDE 
  “The Mynde” is the name given to the great earthen 
  mound erected by the Welsh Kings outside the city walls. 
  The story goes that King Arthur is buried there, who 
  repeatedly defeated Saxon invaders 500 years ago. 
  The mound covers a hidden stone vault and stone passage. 
  Whoever built the Mynde dug a secret passageway from 
  the Roman underground network to the vault. The cultists 
  of Nudd discovered the vault long ago, and use it as a 
  sanctuary. The vault is the preferred hiding place of 
  Quintus’ spy Eva (see Statistics). 
  The investigators can stumble across a gathering of the 
  cultists (possibly including Eva) by following the echo of 
  inhuman screams (a dog tortured in the name of Nudd) and 
  chanting (“Hail Gwynn ap Nudd, king of the dead and of 
  the demons of the underworld Annwn! Hail the Son of 
  Nudd who leads the Wild Hunt at night, scorching the land 
  like a bad wind, and destroying everything on its path…”). 
  The cultists are not normally aggressive. 
   
  Eva talks 
  Once the investigators have caught Eva and convinced her 
  somehow to talk, here is what she can tell them:  
   
  Eva’s impoverished family lives in a nameless hamlet up 
  river, and sold her to the lords of Caerleon when she was a 
  child. Her master abused her until she was 12, when he 
  lost interest, turning to more pliable victims ("may Nudd 
  destroy the bastard! He made me what I am today,” she 
  cries). She is visits her family once a week. During one 
  such visit, two years ago, a stranger approached her ("he 
  looks like a devil and stinks like dead fish, but I have 
  known handsomer men with uglier souls"). He offered her 
  money in exchange of services: "watch out for men who 
  look for Quintus. Open your ears to the talk of men in the 
  bathhouse" he said. "Especially if they are men of 
  Church,” he insisted. He paid her 1000 deniers on the spot 
  in exchange of one year of spying! The agreed warning 
  sign is to scratch an eye on a particular stone outside her 
  home hamlet on the Wysg. 
  Eva doesn't remember the location of Quintus’ lair, but she 
  reckons it cannot be far from the hamlet. She can explain 
  where the stone is located and how to draw the sign. 
  The Vale of Wysg 
  It is a 10 miles northbound walk from Caerleon to Eva’s 
  hamlet, along the meandering Wysg vale, bounded by 
  green hillsides. The site is that of modern day Usk (Welsh 
  Bryn Buga), on the banks of the river Usk (Welsh Wysg). 
  The nameless hamlet is as miserable and dull as Caerleon 
  is filled with antique splendor. It is located in the meadows 
  of the riverbank, and is surrounded by a peculiar formation 
  of small rounded knolls. The wattle and daub huts, one 
  water well, and one iron-working furnace, lie in an area 
  enclosed by an earthrise and a ditch, with an opening 
  towards the east. The smoothed profile of the earthwork is 
  vaguely reminiscent of a long abandoned fortress of some 
  kind (in fact a major Roman fortress). Aging folks largely 
  populate the hamlet, because youngsters leave to seek their 
  fortune in Caerleon and elsewhere. The endless rain and 
  the fact that the hamlet is half flooded by the Wysg River, 
  only adds to the feeling of despair that the place exudes. 
  At night, when the rain stops, a cold mist creeps down the 
  Gray Hills from the west and shrouds the valley floor. 
  Rumors 
  The investigators can stay at the home of Eva’s family. 
  Locals complain about the apocalyptic weather, of a kind 
  unheard of in known memory: the rains of the three to four 
  past years have destroyed a large share of the harvests. 
  Although nobody knows anyone called Quintus, a few 
  relatives of Eva recall seeing her once or twice, at dusk, 
  conversing with an odd-looking old man dressed in a 
  ragged robe. She would not tell who it was, angrily asking 
  them to mind their own business. 
  Another interesting detail for the investigators is that Eva’s 
  parents are not her biological parents (see Statistics). 
  Locals claim knowing nothing about “castles”, or 
  “fortresses” of any kind. A successful Insight roll shows 
  that they do know something. The truth is that the whole 
  community is scared: first came the floods and Eva’s new 
  obsession with Nudd. Then the eerie mist came down from 
  the Gray Hills at night, sometimes resounding with blood-
  chilling cries. There are the mysterious “children of the 
  night” too, who appear after dark, and skulk at the edge of 
  the hamlet (see below). Worst of all, contacts with the 
  nearby community of sheepherders stopped abruptly last 
  November. One brave lad went out to the Gray Hills to 
  check on them, but never came back (his terrified sisters 
  claim they can hear him in the mist, calling their names). 
  Needless to say, the villagers keep to their huts at night, 
  and hold their tongues for fear of angering the hill spirit 
  Buga or Buga Gawr (giant Buga)! Descriptions of this 
  Bogeyman are vague at best. Legend says the Bogeyman 
  lives in a castell (Welsh for “castle”) atop the elusive Bryn 
  Buga – the Hill of the Bogeyman, not far west. It is said 
  that one can only see the Bogeyman if one is already dead! 
   
  Here is an optional hint for players who fail to correlate 
  legendary Bryn Buga with Quintus’ Roman castle 
  (handout #1): the place name of the shepherds’ settlement 
  is Caermaen, i.e. Stone (maen) City or Fort (caer). 
  The Tombstone 
  If the investigators follow Eva’s indications, they easily 
  find the stone she was referring to in the shade of a 
  gloomy meadow. A large eye symbol is scratched on the 
  stone’s weathered surface, which means that somebody 
  (Pengrych, see below) already tried to alert Quintus! 
  The stone is clearly a tombstone. There is a strange, 
  nauseating patch of sticky slime on top, as large as a hand. 
  The tombstone is inscribed with the following epigraph: 
  “… VIXIT AN III… QUINQUE… SECVND FE… LEG 
  
  5 
  Cthulhu Dark Ages – Pagan Call 
  Kevin Anderson and Stéphane Gesbert 
   
  Copyright © 2003 Stéphane Gesbert 
  II AVG F C…” A successful Read Latin roll combined 
  with an Idea roll yields the following interpretation: “... 
  lived for three (years)… five… the 2nd day of February… 
  of the Second Aug(ustan) Leg(ion) the making (of which) 
  he has undertaken.” The whole tomb is sagging because of 
  the rains, and a circular pool of rainwater has formed in 
  front of the tombstone. On a successful Spot Hidden roll, 
  an investigator sees a shimmer at the bottom the muddy 
  pool. He or she easily unearths a large silvery (Roman) 
  seal-box. The lid of the box is decorated with a stag’s 
  head. Forcing the lid open reveals a wax-sealed sheepskin 
  volumen, see handout #2. 
   
  The Children of the Night 
  If the investigators decide to spy on the tombstone at night, 
  have them spot the stunted silhouettes of “children of the 
  night” who appear out of the mist and crawl about the 
  tombstone. The misty nights are unnaturally dark and 
  silent; hence investigators won’t be able to get a clear 
  picture of the 3-4 foot tall “children”. Anyhow, witnesses 
  see enough to send a chill down their spine, but have a 
  hard time explaining what exactly scared them. 
  The “children” are Worms of the Earth sent by Quintus to 
  check the tombstone for a warning sign. They travel 
  largely underground, using a secret network of burrows. 
  Pengrych 
  One misty morning, the investigator remark a man, clearly 
  of another stock than the locals, who nonchalantly 
  sharpens arrow tips on the outskirts of the hamlet. Now 
  and then, the man lifts his head, watches the investigators, 
  and then carries on with his work. The residents clearly 
  avoid him. In return, the man arrogantly pretends to ignore 
  the villagers, as if they were mere ghosts. 
  Questioning the villagers about the man reveals that he 
  passes through the hamlet every so many days. His name 
  is Pengrych (meaning “Curly Head”, see Statistics). He is 
  a solitary hunter of a marauding tribe known as “the 
  people of the rocks”. These people know the Gray Hills 
  like no one else. If the investigators talk to Pengrych, he 
  tells them in approximate English: “you look for stone 
  castle, yes? You give money, I take you. No night travel”. 
  Pengrych, like Eva, is a spy of Quintus. He travels up and 
  down the Wysg Vale, and keeps an eye on strangers who 
  could be seeking Quintus. 
  If the investigators do not trust Pengrych, but still need a 
  guide to show them the way to Caermaen, draw in the 
  blacksmith’s son Gof ap Brynbuga, see Statistics. 
  The Gray Hills 
  By now the players should be convinced, or at least 
  confident, that Quintus is near. His lair is likely to be 
  located in the highlands to the west of the hamlet. 
   
  Many roads lead to shepherds’ settlement and the stone 
  fort Caermaen, and each road holds different threats. A 
  few old women make the sign of the cross as the 
  investigators pass them by. They take an ancient track that 
  ascends the hanging oak woods on the western hillside. 
  Looking down, one sees the retreating mist unveil the river 
  Wysg and the shadowy vale (how strangely the mist 
  dissolves, appearing to creep back uphill in animal-like 
  fashion!). Plumes of blue smoke rise into the cool air from 
  the shrouded hamlet. Topping the hill, one leaves the 
  world of men and enters the mystic woods of the Gray 
  Hills. Here paths diverge… 
  Without guide, the investigators err in the twilight zone 
  between the Vale of Wysg and legendary Caermaen. How 
  long they wander is up to the keeper, who can for instance 
  grant a Luck roll every day for finding the shepherds’ 
  settlement. Mind the fact that each night the investigators 
  spend outside puts them in mortal danger (see below). 
  If the investigators have a guide (Pengrych or Gof ap 
  Brynbuga, see Statistics), they arrive at the shepherds’ 
  settlement just before sunset of the same day. In the case 
  of Pengrych however, a surprise attack awaits the 
  investigators, see “the People of the Rocks” below. 
  The Many Mists 
  In his initial attempts to invoke the avatar of Yog-Sothoth, 
  Quintus opened many Half Gates on hilltops around 
  Caermaen. The Half Gates tore the thin veil that separates 
  us from the spirit world. Slowly but surely, this veil 
  unraveled, and Caermaen started slipping into Limbo. The 
  area under influence of Limbo and the Nameless Mist 
  consists of 4 concentric zones: 
   
  1. The outer fringe reaches as far as the Vale of Wysg. 
  The Nameless Mist only comes at night, and is so 
  diluted that it feels (almost) natural. 
  2. The border region covers the high woods to the west 
  of the Vale of Wysg. There, the Nameless Mist only 
  dissolves when the sun is high and starts to feel weird: 
  the air is unusually thin and cold, an unnatural silence 
  reigns, 
  and 
  the 
  investigators 
  feel 
  somewhat 
  disorientated. Investigators who fail a POWx5 roll (or 
  succeed an Occult roll) spot fleeting movements in the 
  Nameless Mist, at the corner of their vision field. The 
  investigators see nobody, but do have the nagging 
  feeling of not being alone, of being watched and 
  followed by invisibles creatures. 
  3. The inner circle corresponds to the circle of hilltops 
  (radius ±3 miles) around Caermaen and the shepherds’ 
  settlement, on top of which Quintus opened – and did 
  not close – Limbo Gates. There the pull of Limbo is 
  strongest, and reality is little more than an illusion. 
  The Nameless Mist is present night and day. Vision is 
  limited to 10 to 20 yards at most, and the surroundings 
  take on a ghostly appearance. Humans feel a growing 
  nausea and a numbness of the senses (0/1D4 Sanity 
  roll, the Navigate skill and perception skills are 
  halved). Vortices and swirls of the Nameless Mist 
  sometimes form fantastic shapes that fade in and out 
  of existence. All animal life seems to have deserted 
  the area. When darkness falls, the investigators risk 
  being attacked by the Invisibles (see Statistics). 
  Because the inner circle lies almost entirely in Limbo, 
  space is twisted like a coil, and it is not possible to 
  leave by simply walking away. There are still ways 
  out, a few tortuous pathways known to Quintus and 
  Pengrych, but even these are slowly fading away. 
  4. The center is the stone fort Caermaen, the lair of 
  sorcerer Quintus, so far spared by the Nameless Mist. 
  
  Stéphane Gesbert 
  Pagan Call: The Tower 
  6 
   
  Copyright © 2003 Stéphane Gesbert 
   
  The People of the Rocks 
  If the investigators chose Pengrych as a guide, he takes 
  them directly to a location close to the shepherds’ village. 
  There he leads them into a trap: as the party is following a 
  small ravine (“we are almost there”), Pengrysh suddenly 
  stops, and signs them to be quiet. He then whispers to the 
  closest investigator: “I hear something. Stay here. Wait for 
  me!” One minute after Pengrych disappeared, the 
  investigators are savagely attacked by a band of armed 
  warriors who are ambushed on both sides of the ravine. 
  Between the ranks of the warriors dash several old 
  disheveled women, dressed in black, and waving brands. 
  While the warriors shoot arrows at the investigators and 
  throw large stones at them, the black hags hiss dreadful 
  imprecations. Use the statistics of the “People of the 
  Rocks” to play the surprise attack. 
  Pengrych does not take part in the battle. 
   
  If the investigators end up in a hopeless situation, or to 
  add some supernatural drama to the event, the keeper can 
  let the Invisibles (see Statistics) savagely attack the People 
  of the Rocks. Impress the players with cries of horror, 
  sudden rains of blood and maimed bodies, and something 
  invisible and huge that moves faster than the wind. The 
  attack ends as abruptly as it had started, leaving a field of 
  blood and only a few mauled body parts scattered all 
  around. 
   
  The Dying Warrior/Witch/Guide 
  At the keeper’s discretion, the investigators find an 
  agonizing Rock person. His or her identity is left for the 
  keeper to decide, depending on prior events (e.g. the last 
  surviving warrior or witch of the People of the Rocks, or 
  Pengrych himself). The circumstances of the find are also 
  left to the keeper. The investigators could have been 
  chasing this person through the woods, or have been 
  tracking down the victim’s cries of anguish, or simply find 
  him or her by chance in some dark and lonely place. 
  The investigators see the writhing remains of a human 
  being, disfigured and dismembered by an unknown force 
  (the Invisibles, see Statistics). The eyes are gone, but the 
  human hears the approaching investigators and cries: “go 
  away! Leave me in peace! I have paid my price…” The 
  victim rambles on: “We came and we watched you all die 
  one by one! We came and took everything you had! The 
  woman… You are dead and now you come out of that 
  wretched mist to take my soul. You come too late, for the 
  Bogeyman (Buga Gawr) found me first… I… I saw… The 
  Great God Pan… He took my soul, and… I am… Like you 
  now… A ghost…” He or she dies. 
  The victim’s last thoughts revive the mass sacrifice of the 
  shepherds – see below, which he or she took part in or at 
  least witnessed. On the verge of death, the victim believes 
  the investigators to be ghosts of the murdered shepherds 
  coming to demand retribution! 
  The Shepherds' Dale 
  Ahead of the investigators, the mist seems to lighten up a 
  bit. The investigators walk down into a narrow, boggy 
  dale. The shepherds’ settlement is near. 
   
  It should be quickly obvious that the settlement has been 
  abandoned months ago. There is no sign of life and the 
  people (maybe 100 based on the settlement’s size) are long 
  gone. The only sound is that of the nearby brook running 
  through tall reeds. As the investigators move from hut to 
  hut through the mist, looking for a sign or a clue, 
  something starts to bother them. Everything appears to 
  have been left to rot where it stood, nothing seems to be 
  missing or taken away. The investigator who first inspects 
  the sheep pens makes a gruesome discovery: the animals 
  are all dead, and a successful Idea roll suggests they died 
  of neglect and starvation. Whatever happened here, all 
  settlers departed without a warning, without external signs 
  of violence, and left everything behind. 
   
  THE MASS GRAVE 
  Successful Track rolls or exploration of a wider area 
  brings the investigators to an old trail winding eastward up 
  a wooded slope. The trail widens out into an open meadow 
  to the east of the settlement, at the summit of a hill that the 
  investigators skirted before reaching the settlement. 
  Walking across the short turf, the investigators find a large 
  sunken area of relatively fresh digging, which oozes an 
  abominable stench. At the edge of the earthen pit lies a pile 
  of decaying clothing. A decomposed human leg sticks out 
  of the earth. A seven-foot post is planted at the edge of the 
  pit. The wood bears friction marks at about 5 feet from the 
  ground, as if made by a rope tightly wound around the 
  post. 
  The pit is a mass grave. On the last day of October of the 
  previous year, the People of the Rock, following the 
  instructions of Quintus, ritualistically sacrificed all the 
  settlers, in order to invoke the Yog-Sothoth’s avatar Tawil 
  at’Umr. As the players come to realize later, the ritual 
  succeeded. As soon as the players discover the nature of 
  their find, request a 0/1D6 Sanity roll. Unearthing several 
  bodies 
  shows 
  that 
  the 
  sacrificial 
  victims 
  were 
  simultaneously strangled and stabbed in the chest - this 
  costs an additional 0/1D3 Sanity points. 
  A successful Spot Hidden roll finds a small square pillar of 
  white stone at the edge of the meadow. It is all that 
  remains of a Roman temple dedicated to Nodens, the God 
  of the Abyss. The pillar carries the following Latin 
  inscription on one side: “DEVOM NODENTI FLAVIVS 
  SENILIS POSSVIT PROPTER NVPTIAS QUAS VIDIT 
  SVB VMBRA”. This means: “to the great Nodens, Flavius 
  Senilis has erected this pillar on account of the nuptials 
  that he saw under the shadow”. 
   
  THE ANCIENT ROAD 
  Not far from the meadow of the "God of the Abyss”, an 
  ancient (Roman) causeway runs up a wooded ridge. The 
  paved road lies entrenched between banks of red earth. 
  The highest point of the ridge rises above the mist. 
  Through partings in the beech trees, one can make out the 
  yellow shimmer of the Severn Sea to the South and the 
  faint white cliffs of Somerset beyond. To the west, across 
  the shepherds’ dale, many hilltops rise and fall like islands 
  in the mist, fading away in the haze of distant mountains. 
  The northern end of the shepherds’ dale extends into an 
  overgrown limestone outcrop that juts out of the mist like 
  the prow of a sinking ship. One can spot white sections of 
  
  7 
  Cthulhu Dark Ages – Pagan Call 
  Kevin Anderson and Stéphane Gesbert 
   
  Copyright © 2003 Stéphane Gesbert 
  some kind of battlements, a campsite, and the outline of a 
  tower set against the deep blue sky at the top. 
  Following the road down into the mist, in the general 
  direction of the outcrop, brings the investigators at the foot 
  of Caermaen – the stone fort. 
   
  THE GIANT IN THE MIST 
  From any high vantage point overlooking the shepherds’ 
  dale, the investigators have a good view of the encroaching 
  Nameless Mist. Two things are extremely disturbing: 
  firstly, the sea of mist does not move naturally at all. It 
  appears to form around some of the higher hilltops and 
  ridges, and flows in and out of terrain lows around the 
  limestone outcrop, in a sluggish spiraling movement. 
  Isolated plumes of mist, some hundred yards long, curl and 
  twist above the hills in a quasi-sentient fashion. As the sun 
  falls towards the mountains in the west, the mist slowly 
  rises around the hilltops, drowning everything. 
  Secondly, a dark “hole” in the mist can be seen moving 
  across the dale floor, trailing behind an unseen creature. 
  By the size of the trail, the invisible creature must be 
  incredibly large (Sanity loss 0/1D2). This is the 
  Bogeyman, the Giant Buga, a nightmare creature that 
  materializes in the Nameless Mist when darkness falls (see 
  Statictics – the Invisibles). Every time the investigators 
  tread the Nameless Mist, they risk being stalked by the 
  Bogeyman. 
  Caermaen 
  Near the foot of the outcrop, the Roman causeway 
  changes: the path appears to be made of enormous blocks 
  of stone of great antiquity. 
  When the investigators reach the foot of the outcrop 
  (possibly with the Bogeyman on their heels), the mist 
  thins, and the investigators come to stand at the bottom of 
  a vast hollow, the sides of which are made of a towering, 
  whirling wall of mist. Far above, they can see the deep 
  blue sky. Now and then, they may spot the great indistinct 
  shadow of Buga prowling the edge of the mist, looking for 
  them. 
  Wooded slope 
  Small trees and dense undergrowth cover the lowest part 
  of the incline below the first Roman battlements. A wide 
  trail leads to the fort's gate. The sound of barking dogs and 
  of sheep gives the People of the Rocks' camp away. 
  Wall and Gate 
  The Romans were such good engineers that Middle-Ages 
  workers would ask double pay to dismantle Roman 
  stonework. The white moldering walls of Caermaen still 
  stand strong after 950 years. The gate in the middle of the 
  wall, consisting of 2 porches sided by 2 small towers, has 
  suffered more. One tower is partly destroyed, leaving a 
  breach by the wall and a pile of rubble, which can be 
  easily climbed over. 
  Allow a Spot Hidden roll to detect a human watch on top 
  of the standing gate tower from a distance (see People of 
  the Rocks statistics). 
  Note that it is possible to enter the camp area without 
  having to pass the gate. Indeed, some rough sections of the 
  10-foot wall can be climbed over (Climb roll mandatory). 
  Camp 
  The People of the Rocks established a temporary camp 
  within the fort walls. There are enough trees and ruins to 
  allow stealthy progression and thus avoid detection. Sneak 
  rolls may be in order. The camp is made of a loose circle 
  of shaggy huts and tents. The sheep freely roam the camp 
  area. Apart from the old headman and one young man (the 
  watch), there are only women and children around. The 
  dogs are likely to first give the alarm if the investigators 
  come too close or if they do not progress stealthily. 
  The outcome of a possible confrontation is up to the 
  individual keeper. The keeper should make the event 
  interesting role-playing wise, and allow perceptive players 
  to convince the People of the Rocks to leave them in peace 
  or even to join forces against the mist and its horrors. 
   
  Besides the camp itself, there are two locations of interest 
  in this area of Caermaen: 
   
  CISTERN 
  Just above the camp of the People of the Rocks, amongst 
  dark firs, the ruins of a large, partly underground vaulted 
  cistern can be found. From a distance, only a swelling in 
  the terrain gives the cistern away. The two extremities of 
  the cistern have long caved in, thus forming a kind of 
  vaulted tunnel. The openings are relatively small, and are 
  thus easily covered up. At this time of year, the cistern is 
  half filled with rainwater. There is enough room to stand, 
  but the cold water reaches to the waist. 
  For game purposes the cistern can function as a hiding 
  place or a refuge from the Invisibles in general, and from 
  the giant Buga in particular. Note however that the Gug’s 
  arms are almost as long as the cistern is; hence the cistern 
  is not entirely safe – at least not for very long! 
   
  FIELD OF PITS 
  Further up, near the eastern edge of the outcrop, lies a 
  treeless area dotted with numerous cylindrical pits, less 
  than 2 feet in diameter. Most pits are not very deep, but a 
  few are “bottomless” (if investigators throw something 
  into one such pit, the rattling sound just fades away). The 
  bottomless pits smell bad, with some indefinable musky 
  odor, vaguely animal-like, though investigators are at a 
  loss to say exactly what kind. 
  The “bottomless” pits are entrances to the subterranean 
  realm of the “Children of the Night”, the Worms of the 
  Earth allies of sorcerer Quintus. 
  There is nothing to be found around the pits or in the pits, 
  apart from traces of the same nauseating slime as found on 
  the tombstone in the vale of Wysg – see above. The one 
  thing the investigators should avoid is to climb down or to 
  fall into one: the pits are too narrow for humans, who can 
  easily get stuck many feet below the surface. Rescuing a 
  stuck investigator, if possible at all, should be a time-
  consuming and demoralizing operation, especially with the 
  closing mist all around (and the giant Buga of course). 
  
  Stéphane Gesbert 
  Pagan Call: The Tower 
  8 
   
  Copyright © 2003 Stéphane Gesbert 
  The House (Roman Headquarters) 
  Near the top of the outcrop, the wood of dark firs thins and 
  gives way to a field of twisted thorns and scrubs. A 
  narrow, winding path leads up to some sort grim-looking 
  stone house halfway up. Behind the house, the tower 
  looms. 
   
  The house corresponds to the Roman headquarters of the 
  stone fort Caermaen, and includes the commander's private 
  quarters. The other Roman buildings, the barracks, the 
  granary, etc., are nothing more than scattered rubble. 
  The house has been partially restored by the Worms of the 
  Earth, under the command of Quintus. The house has thus 
  retained much of its original shape, yet there are peculiar 
  alterations. The original entrance and windows have been 
  walled up (as can be seen from the different shape and 
  texture of the stones used). Because of this, the house 
  presents an unusually massive and forbidding exterior - 
  especially to people used to timber buildings. The second 
  major addition is that of a new, unusual roof of green 
  roofing slates. There is a small postern and a stout worm-
  eaten wooden door in the middle of the long east wall. 
   
  There are basically two ways in: break through the postern 
  door or somehow climb over the outer wall and over the 
  roof, and drop into the inner courtyard. The keeper is 
  referred to the map of the house for playing out this part of 
  the scenario. 
   
  General Description 
  The first impression that hits the investigators is revulsion. 
  The entire house reeks of excrements, rotten flesh, and 
  stale urine. Quintus’ insanity expresses itself in total 
  neglect: he uses the house as a latrine and a garbage dump, 
  and is so careless as to keep his foodstuff there too. Every 
  corner of every room is littered with unnamable remains. 
  Remember that there are no windows, so darkness is 
  omnipresent. All rooms are pitch black, and even a torch 
  cannot light one entirely. The keeper can use this fact to 
  make players extra nervous when exploring the house. 
  From time to time, unsettling inhuman screams resonate 
  through the empty corridors (see the pigs stall below). 
   
  The Courtyard 
  From the courtyard, one can see the rising wall of mist, 
  slowly closing in, and the top of the tower looming over to 
  the north side. For a brief moment, anyone who looks up 
  startles as a horrible whitish face leers from a high 
  window, before retreating into the shadows of the tower 
  (Quintus). 
   
  The Reserve 
  One of the house’s few rooms of interest is the old 
  bathroom of the commander’s quarters, now Quintus’ food 
  store. Two Roman baths have been reconverted by Quintus 
  into meat containers. The baths are half filled with 
  precious salt to conserve smoked meat. In fact, one of the 
  baths contains two unidentified human bodies, one man 
  and one woman, both naked and partly skinned. 
  Uncovering the bodies costs the investigators 0/1D3 Sanity 
  points. 
  Roman mosaics partly survived on one wall. They depict a 
  naked beastlike “man in the wood”, (successful Occult 
  roll: a satyr or a Pan) playing on the grass with a woman. 
  A successful Idea roll indicates that the woman bears a 
  striking resemblance to Eva (keeper’s note: she could be a 
  far ancestor of Eva). 
  The floor in one corner of the bathroom has collapsed, 
  leaving a gaping hole. Inspecting the hole (caked with 
  dried excrements) reveals a hollow space under the entire 
  area of the commander’s quarters. The space is about 3 
  feet high, just enough to crawl, and supported by a grid of 
  brick columns. The Romans used furnace to heat air that 
  then circulated under the floor of the commander’s 
  quarters. In the southeast corner of this space there are 
  narrow holes (one foot in diameter) that communicate with 
  the underground network of the Worms of the Earth. 
  Through these holes they can enter Quintus’ house. 
   
  The Pigs Stall 
  One room is used by Quintus as a pigs stall. The door is 
  barred by a 3-foot high partition of daub. There are two 
  sows and one pig inside (see Statistics). The bellowing 
  animals are frenzied because of negligence and starvation. 
  The fourth animal lies dead in the muck, while the others 
  eat him up. The animals attack any human who comes too 
  close. The daub partition is easily broken by a few well-
  placed kicks. Quintus can do this to upset the investigators, 
  or vice versa. 
   
  Dark Corner 
  At the keeper’s discretion, the investigators may find a 
  Greek or a Latin Bible (whichever language they are most 
  proficient in) in some dark corner of the house. They may 
  use this Bible to solve a puzzle on the second floor of the 
  tower. 
   
  Hide and Seek 
  Keeping the Nameless Mist out of the house at night is a 
  constant struggle: the Invisibles – see Statistics - 
  continuously try to break in. The keeper should make the 
  nightly runs as spooky as hell, full of things that go bump 
  in the dark. For instance, the keeper can let Doels (that 
  “stole” substance from the People of the Rocks whom they 
  devoured) creep in through cracks in the walls, or let 
  Dimensional Shamblers beat on the postern door (if it is 
  not broken down), or let the Gug reach over the roof into 
  the courtyard with his long spidery arms, etc. 
   
  Note that these creatures also attack the Worms of the 
  Earth and Quintus, hence the keeper can use the Invisibles 
  to tip the balance either way. 
   
  QUINTUS 
  The house sets the scene for an occult battle between 
  Quintus and the investigators. At a moment chosen by the 
  keeper, Quintus sneaks into the house and uses his magic 
  against the investigators. The battleground can of course 
  extend to the bridge and the tower, see below. 
   
  The keeper must carefully prepare the sorcerer’s tactics by 
  studying Quintus’ statistics and his choice of spells. 
   
  
  9 
  Cthulhu Dark Ages – Pagan Call 
  Kevin Anderson and Stéphane Gesbert 
   
  Copyright © 2003 Stéphane Gesbert 
  Optionally, Quintus can call the Worms of the Earth - the 
  “Children of the Night” - to come and help him destroy the 
  intruders. The timing of their arrival and their number is 
  up to the keeper. The Worms of the Earth crawl out of the 
  hole in the bathroom floor – see Statistics. 
  The keeper may use the Worms of the Earth to force the 
  investigators to retreat into the tower - see the Tower 
  below. 
   
  The Sorcerer’s Last Words 
  The following happens if the investigators subjugate 
  Quintus. 
  Quintus’ body rapidly devolves into a mass of nauseating 
  blackish jelly, as his body suffered too long the injuries of 
  Limbo and of the Doels. The devolvement process ends 
  when the players have learned everything they can learn 
  from the sorcerer. 
  Quintus believes the investigators to be agents sent by his 
  archenemy Seth the serpent man to destroy him. His first 
  question to them is therefore: “who are you who seek the 
  demise of Quintus? Who sends you?” If the players 
  stubbornly hide their motives and their identities, jump to 
  the end of this section: Quintus dies and the investigators 
  learn nothing. If on the contrary, the players decide to play 
  open cards, they are rewarded. In that case, Quintus signs 
  one investigator to come close. He clutches the back of the 
  investigator’s neck with a half-liquefied hand, and 
  whispers in his or her ear: “You fool! Fool blinded by your 
  own righteousness! Is this how you defend your god’s 
  church? Here you are, doing the work of the devil without 
  blinking! You will be remembered as the ones who 
  advanced Judgment Day!” The keeper should allow the 
  investigator to ask a few questions to Quintus before he 
  dies. See Statistics. 
   
  Upon pronouncing his last words, Quintus collapses into 
  blocks of trembling jelly and dies. Shortly after Quintus’ 
  death (within 24 hours at most), his protective magic fails 
  and the Nameless Mist rapidly closes in on Caermaen. It 
  creeps up the wooden slope and pauses by the Roman 
  wall. Then, it swallows the camp area behind the wall. The 
  last People of the Rocks and their sheep are slaughtered by 
  the Invisibles or simply vanish – their cries of horror can 
  be heard from very far. Eventually, the Nameless Mist 
  consumes the remains of the Roman headquarters. The last 
  temporary safe haven is the watchtower, perched at the top 
  of the chalk outcrop. 
  The Bridge 
  A deep chasm cuts trough the outcrop, and separates the 
  house from the tower. The chasm is the silent witness of 
  terrible forces that the Silurian druids unleashed at the 
  Romans nearly 1000 years ago. 
   
  A shaky timber passageway bridges the chasm, connecting 
  the house's north gate to the tower’s door at ground level. 
  The chasm at this point is about 45 feet wide and 100 feet 
  deep! A fall into the chasm is not necessarily deadly, as it 
  is largely filled with huge boulders and rubble. The lenient 
  keeper allows lucky investigators to survive, having 
  incurred limited falling damage. If the bridge is destroyed 
  and some investigators are stuck inside the house or in the 
  Nameless Mist outside, successful Climb rolls should 
  allow them to clamber up the rock promontory upon which 
  the tower stands. 
  The easiest way to destroy the bridge is to burn it down. 
  The Tower (Roman Watch Tower) 
  The tower is 30 feet tall, square, windowless, and made of 
  limestone. It features the same green roof as the house. 
  A huge irregular cracks runs from the bottom to the top of 
  the western wall of the tower, widening towards the top. It 
  is only visible from the west side. With a successful Climb 
  roll, an investigator can climb up the crack and reach the 
  top floor of the tower. 
   
  The tower has three floors that are described below. 
   
  GROUND FLOOR 
  The windowless ground floor is bare except for the South 
  door leading to the bridge (see above) and a rickety ladder 
  leading to an opening in the wooden ceiling (Quintus pulls 
  the ladder up when he is on the second floor). 
  The stone floor is covered by two inches of trodden earth. 
  There is a hidden trap underneath the soil. The trap door 
  leads to the cellars underneath. Ideally, it should not be 
  discovered before the investigators have explored the 
  entire tower. 
   
  The Unholy Trinity 
  There is an occult painting on the wall opposite the door. It 
  features a triangle with a circumscribed circle, and three 
  figures at the corners of the triangle: an abstract symbol on 
  top (an amalgam of the Greek letters alpha and omega), a 
  “dog-that-walks” holding a sword to the right, and a 
  “snake-that-speaks” facing a small crowd to the left. A 
  successful skill roll (e.g. Occult or Theology) suggests this 
  could be a profanation of the Holy Trinity, respectively the 
  “devil” (instead of God), his “son” (the Antichrist or the 
  Beast), and the “false prophet” (instead of the Holy Spirit). 
  A successful Mythos roll is required to interpret the first 
  two symbolic figures as Yog-Sothoth and his avatar. 
  On a successful Idea roll, the dreaming investigator (see 
  the Premonitory Dream near the beginning of the scenario) 
  recognizes the sword he or she was holding in the dream. 
   
  Spooky Sound 
  Here is an optional ploy for the keeper to: 1) create an 
  increasingly spooky atmosphere, and 2) bait the 
  investigators to the top of the tower. 
   
  On a successful Listen roll, an investigator starts to hear a 
  barely audible sound. Sometimes it resembles tiny 
  footsteps (creaking floorboards), or the faint wailing of a 
  baby, or a scratching noise, like a big insect trapped in a 
  small space. The source of the unnerving sound is very 
  difficult to identify: most of the time the sound is ambient, 
  but occasionally it appears to be very close by, originating 
  for instance from a shadowy corner, from behind a drape, 
  or even from within a wall! As soon as the investigator 
  thinks to have located the sound and approaches, it stops. 
  The keeper should request periodic Listen rolls. 
   
  
  Stéphane Gesbert 
  Pagan Call: The Tower 
  10 
   
  Copyright © 2003 Stéphane Gesbert 
  SECOND FLOOR 
  Quintus eats and sleeps on the second floor. This whole 
  space is broken by oiled linen drapes that are nailed to the 
  tie beams, and hang down to the floor. Whatever purpose 
  the drapes serve is now lost. Drapes also cover the entire 
  length of the walls. The overall atmosphere is quite 
  oppressive. Now and then, the drapes move in a slow 
  waving motion, because of the air draft coming through 
  the foot-wide crack in the west wall. 
   
  Quintus painted a diagram with blood on one drape: 
   
  Revelatio 
  VIII IX 
  IX VI 
  XX 
  I 
   
  This is a puzzle for the players to solve. The Roman 
  numerals refer to verses of the Book of Revelation in the 
  New Testament, also known as the Apocalypse of John: 
  8:10, 9:6, and 20:1. See handout #3 for the full text. 
   
  In one corner, the investigators find a dismal makeshift 
  bed and some kitchenware with moldy food rests. Next to 
  the bed there is a jug is half filled with stale urine. 
  Another ladder leads to the top floor through a trap door. 
   
  TOP FLOOR 
  The top floor is the only part of the tower not plunged into 
  obscurity. Indeed, there the crack in the western wall is as 
  wide as a man with extended arms. 
  Peering outside the crack, investigators see nothing at first, 
  as Limbo now completely surrounds the tower. Everything 
  they ever knew and still remember - life, places, and 
  people, everything except the tower and themselves, has 
  given way to the timeless void called Limbo. Peering 
  harder, an investigator can make out weak points of light 
  in fixed directions, which correspond to the Half Gates 
  that Quintus opened on the hilltops surrounding Caermaen. 
  At first, the ominous silence is only broken by a weak but 
  definite weeping sound, which seems to originate from 
  something unseen floating in the mist one or two feet 
  outside of the hole in the tower wall. Any investigator who 
  approaches the sound to within a few feet startles and 
  instantly recoils as a sinister shape suddenly moves across 
  the gray nothingness (see Statistics, the Invisibles). 
   
  A few verses are written in animal blood onto one wall at 
  the top of the tower, see handout #4. 
   
  Scenes from the Past 
  The keeper can use the following ploy to enlighten the 
  players. One investigator is assailed by sudden visions of 
  the past and falls to the ground, moaning horribly. The 
  entire flash back lasts a few combat rounds at most. 
  The visions – as seen through Quintus’ eyes - are listed 
  chronologically for the keeper’s convenience and match 
  the timeline provided in the Keeper’s Information section 
  at the beginning of the scenario: 
   
  � Quintus argues with Stigand. Quintus leaves, furious. 
  � Quintus, naked, bends over Eva who lies unconscious 
  on the floorboards at the top of the tower. He incises a 
  small hole into her cranium and prods a long iron 
  needle inside her head for a few moments. Later, 
  Quintus watches as Eva wakes, opens her eyes, and 
  starts screaming. Sanity loss 0/1D2 
  � Quintus watches silently at the edge of a meadow, 
  next to Eva, as the People of the Rocks ritualistically 
  slaughter the shepherds of Caermaen according to his 
  instructions. One by one, they are brought to a pole, 
  simultaneously strangled and stabbed, and dumped 
  into a mass grave. Sanity loss 0/1D6 
  � Quintus stands at the top of the tower, in front of the 
  cracked wall, and screams an imprecation into the 
  nightly mist. Moments later, Quintus turns, and stares 
  at a dark figure holding a gleaming sword (keeper’s 
  note: Tawil at’ Umr with the “Sword of Nudd”). 
  � Quintus carefully cuts a patch of skin from the belly 
  of a cadaver in the house’s reserve. He sews the skin 
  over the face an old man, who lies naked on the 
  ground. The man’s nose and ears are missing 
  (keeper’s note: Quintus bound Tawil at’Umr into a 
  dead body and covered its face as part of a Seal spell). 
  Sanity loss 1/1D4+1 
  � Quintus opens a trap door in the tower’s ground floor. 
  He then thrusts a shrouded body into the hole 
  (keeper’s note: this vision reveals the location of the 
  trap door, in case the investigators did not yet find it). 
  Limbo closes in… 
  At some point chosen by the keeper, the Nameless Mist 
  starts flooding the tower, and drives the investigators to 
  their last resort: the cellars (see below). 
  As reality wavers, the tower transforms into a living 
  nightmare. Optional ploys related to this event are 
  described below: 
   
  � All light becomes darkness. Conversely, darkness and 
  shadows start to emit a diffuse spectral light to see by. 
  � The Nameless Mist looks like a black wall of 
  translucent, writhing “worms” (Doels) as insubstantial 
  as froth (see Statistics, the Invisibles). 
  � On the second floor, the drapes are gone, replaced by 
  festering skins hanging from the ceiling and dripping 
  with fresh blood. The skins have the texture of human 
  skin, but are much too big (12 to 15 feet). They show 
  patches of long grisly black hairs. The floorboards are 
  slippery from the shimmering blood (DEX rolls 
  required). Several skins are inscribed with portent 
  verses from the Book of Revelation (see handout #3) 
  and 
  Mark 
  13:14: 
  “but 
  when 
  you 
  see 
  the 
  ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION standing where 
  it should not be, let the reader understand, then those 
  who are in Judea must flee to the mountains”. This 
  verse relates to the premonitory dream at the 
  beginning of the scenario. Together with the reference 
  to “Dudael” in the writing on the wall (handout #4), 
  the verses suggest that the investigators, after meeting 
  Tawil at’ Umr (“the Abomination of Desolation”) in 
  the cellars (“Dudael”), must leave the tower (“Judea”), 
  and walk to the nearby hilltops (“mountains”). 
  
  11 
  Cthulhu Dark Ages – Pagan Call 
  Kevin Anderson and Stéphane Gesbert 
   
  Copyright © 2003 Stéphane Gesbert 
  � Something big (a Dimensional Shambler) starts 
  pounding obstinately on the tower’s door. By the time 
  the investigators reach the ground floor, the door lies 
  shattered on the ground. The Nameless Mist slowly 
  floods the tower through the doorframe. The pounding 
  creature is nowhere to be seen… 
  � If the investigators haven’t found the secret trap door 
  leading to the cellars, the keeper may leave clues to its 
  position e.g. huge claw marks on the earth. 
   
  CELLARS 
  The hidden trap door on the ground floor of the tower 
  opens at the roof of a seven-foot high, dark stone chamber. 
  The investigators discern a big white Elder Sign painted 
  onto the floor right under the hole. 
   
  The chamber is part of a small network of chambers 
  connected by short corridors (see map). Because all 
  chambers and corridors are alike, it is very easy to become 
  disoriented. 
  The network has been dug by the Romans directly into the 
  limestone, and was originally used as underground store. 
  Dialogue with a Demon 
  We assume that all investigators are in the cellars under 
  the tower. Investigators who are outside face the horrors of 
  the Nameless Mist and the Invisibles. The keeper must 
  give everybody a chance to rejoin the cellars. Players who 
  fail to take that chance lose their investigators to Limbo. 
   
  Once in the cellar, the keeper should make it clear to the 
  players that the trapdoor must be closed to stop the 
  encroaching mist. Use ploys like the freakish sound of 
  something that walks in the tower above, a Shambler that 
  rasps sound on the trapdoor and fakes a child’s voice 
  crying for help (“in God’s name open the trapdoor! I’m so 
  scared. Please let me in…”), etc. The Shambler grabs any 
  investigator foolish enough to open the trapdoor and to 
  take a peek, and try to carry him or her away. 
   
  Investigators lost in Limbo are not irreversibly gone, but 
  may come back in the sequel. See the following scenarios 
  for more details about this plot twist. 
  The Man in the Cellars 
  Quintus uses the cellars as an earthly prison for Tawil at’ 
  Umr, avatar of Yog-Sothoth. Quintus magically sealed 
  Tawil at’ Umr into the corpse of an old man (see 
  Statistics). The name of the game, for the keeper who role-
  plays avatar, is to trick the investigators into destroying the 
  body Tawil at’Umr is trapped in. In contrast, the players 
  must see through the avatar’s deceit, and not destroy the 
  old man. 
  Tawil at’Umr knows everything – or close to, hence the 
  keeper can shamelessly tap into his own knowledge in 
  order to sway the players: 
   
  DECEIT 
  -Help me! I am Silvianus, schoolmaster at the bishopric of 
  York. The sorcerer tortured me! Please save my immortal 
  soul… Release me from my prison of flesh, etc. 
   
  If the players are too naïve or too desperate to suspect foul 
  play, the keeper can instill some doubt by stressing the 
  abnormality of the old man’s condition (see Statistics). 
   
  BLUFF 
  If the lies do not work, Tawil at’Umr drops all pretence of 
  being human and tries to bluff the investigators: 
   
  -Don’t you understand where you are? This is the land of 
  the dead. You have crossed the threshold; and with every 
  breath you sucked in the Nameless Mist, the milk of the 
  underworld Anwnn. I am Nodens. I am The Dog that 
  guards the bottomless pit!! 
  -You are dead! You are nothing but ghosts who answered 
  my call! Remember the signs and you will know this is the 
  truth. Everything you lived before has been a dream of 
  flesh geared towards this very moment. It was written that 
  you would release me! Now let me taste the sweet taste of 
  death and I shall open your eyes…” 
   
  THREATS 
  If the players stand firm, the powerless god goes into a fit: 
   
  -I CAN OPEN THE GATEWAY AND CAST YOU INTO 
  THE ABYSS OF THE WORMS - THE NAMELESS 
  DEVOURERS! 
  FOR 
  MY 
  NAME 
  IS 
  ABBADON 
  (DESTRUCTION)! I AM THE WATCHER; I AM THE 
  NEGATION OF LIGHT! CRAWL BEFORE MY WILL! 
  -I can make you rich! I can give you a kingdom that will 
  last a thousand years! 
  -WELCOME TO HELL, ASSHOLES! NOW I WILL 
  MAKE YOU DIE FOREVER, OF TORTURES THAT 
  HAVE NO NAME IN YOUR WORLD! 
  Conclusion 
  No sanity points are awarded for completing this scenario, 
  apart from special keeper awards. Depending on the 
  investigators’ actions, there are two possible endings: 
  The investigators free the avatar 
  Investigators who kill the old man in the cellars, free Tawil 
  at'Umr from its earthly prison. Investigators are 
  subsequently cast to distant times and places, as is 
  customary to Tawil at’Umr. The keeper must find an 
  excuse to end this game session and to proceed with the 
  “Shadow Kingdoms” scenario. 
  The investigators do not free the avatar 
  Investigators who do not free the avatar and do not accept 
  his “generous” offer, are stuck in Limbo until they decide 
  for one of the following desperate courses of action: wait 
  for death or leave the cellars and brave the otherworldly 
  dangers of Limbo. The investigators may for instance try 
  to reach one of the nearby hilltops, upon which they saw a 
  light (a Half Gate). 
   
  One way or another, the investigators unsuspectingly pass 
  into the Celtic Dreamlands. Proceed with the “Annwn” 
  scenario. 
  
  Stéphane Gesbert 
  Pagan Call: The Tower 
  12 
   
  Copyright © 2003 Stéphane Gesbert 
  Statistics 
  Eva, 21, Bride of Nudd and Spy 
  STR 
  10 
  CON 
  12 
  SIZ 
  8 
  INT 
  16 
  POW 
  18 
  DEX 
  15 
  APP 
  18/2 
  EDU 
  8 
  SAN 
  0 
  HP 
  10 
   
   
   
   
   
  Damage Bonus: none 
  Weapons: Fist 55%, 1D3, Kick 55%, 1D6. 
  Skills: Cthulhu Mythos 6%, Hide 30%, Insight 25% 
  Natural World 30%, Occult 25%, Persuade 35%, Spot 
  Hidden 45%. 
   
  Eva is a remarkable person. People who fail an Idea roll 
  find her incredibly mysterious and beautiful, while the rest 
  finds that she radiates an indefinite evil aura (hence the 
  dual Appearance score). 
  Eva is a lost soul. Quintus, in an early attempt to trap 
  Tawil at’Umr, used Eva as a living receptacle for the god. 
  By means of primitive surgery, Quintus lifted the veil that 
  prevents humans to see the real world of spirit, i.e. to see 
  the great god Pan, i.e. Yog-Sothoth. The experiment failed 
  in that the spirit of Yog-Sothoth (Tawil at’Umr) did not 
  cross the veil to possess Eva. Nevertheless, Eva did briefly 
  see Yog-Sothoth at the threshold, and became indefinitely 
  insane. The insanity expresses itself as an obsession with 
  Nudd (the locals’ name for Yog-Sothoth), a loss of her 
  sense of self, and the conviction that our world is but an 
  illusion hiding the “real” world of spirit. The trauma of 
  seeing the other side was such that Eva blacked out all 
  recollection of the few days before and after the revelation. 
  Now Eva lives her slave life in Caerleon as an automaton, 
  and her mind’s eyes seem permanently focused on 
  something beyond a common mortal’s understanding. The 
  fears of loss, of death, of pain, all things that make us 
  human, have lost meaning to Eva. She craves for the 
  invisible, to become one with what she saw, one with 
  Nudd. That is the main reason why she heads a small 
  secret cult to Nudd in Caerleon. 
  For a year now, Eva has participated in the weekly 
  tournaments that take place at the “Round Table”. Defying 
  death and pain makes her feel more “real”. She also hopes 
  to earn enough money to buy her freedom in about 3 years 
  time, although she is unsure what to do once she becomes 
  a free woman. 
  Eva’s parents were shepherds that lived in the Gray Hills. 
  They abandoned the baby for obscure reasons. The only 
  reason Eva still visits the hamlet of her adoptive family, by 
  the river Wysg, is to meet Quintus, who one day may 
  reunite her with Nudd. 
   
  Gof ap Brynbuga, 17, One-Eyed Blacksmith’s Son 
  STR 
  10 
  CON 
  7 
  SIZ 
  14 
  INT 
  13 
  POW 
  8 
  DEX 
  13 
  APP 
  10 
  EDU 
  15 
  SAN 
  40 
  HP 
  9 
   
   
   
   
   
  Damage Bonus: none 
  Weapons: Small knife 25%, 1D4. 
  Skills: Smithy 40%, Bargain 40%, Drive Donkeys 55%, 
  Fast Talk 40%, Insight 40% Natural World 45%, Navigate 
  50%, Track 45%. 
   
  Gof is the taciturn son of the hamlet’s blacksmith. He lost 
  his right eye in some hunting accident he doesn’t like to 
  talk about. Gof always wears an enigmatic grin. Gof can 
  easily inspire mistrust, but he is in fact reliable. 
   
  Pengrych, 31, Rock Person and Spy 
  STR 
  8 
  CON 
  9 
  SIZ 
  8 
  INT 
  12 
  POW
  13 
  DEX 
  15 
  APP 
  8 
  EDU 
  11 
  SAN 
  85 
  HP 
  8 
   
   
   
   
   
  Damage Bonus: none 
  Weapons: Short Sword 45%, 1D6, Short Bow 40%, 1D8. 
  Skills: Listen 50%, Natural World 40%, Navigate 65%, 
  Occult 30%, Smelt Iron 25%, Sneak 40%, Throw 30%, 
  Track 40%. 
   
  Pengrych is a small crossbreed, half-human, half worm-of-
  the-earth, with a strong libido. See also the People of the 
  Rocks entry below. Because of the taint, Pengrych features 
  almond eyes, and speaks with a slight lisp. He is a 
  remarkable hunter doubled with a hardhearted killer. 
  Pengrych is a spy of Quintus. Unlike Eva (see above), his 
  ties with the sorcerer are purely business-like. Pengrych is 
  a prominent member of the People of the Rocks tribe. 
   
  The People of the Rocks, Atavistic Warriors & Witches 
  STR 
  10 
  CON 
  11 
  SIZ 
  9 
  INT 
  10 
  POW
  10 
  DEX 
  13 
  APP 
  9 
  EDU 
  10 
  SAN 
  50 
  HP 
  10 
   
   
   
   
   
  Damage Bonus: none 
  Weapons: Large Knife 40%, 1D6, Short Bow (warriors 
  only) 35%, 1D8. 
  Skills: Natural World 35%, Listen 50%, Navigate 35%, 
  Occult 30%, Sneak 35%, Throw 50%, Track 35%. 
  Spells: (witches only; one spell per witch) Bless/Curse 
  Weapons or Perception Skill, Enthrall, Fear or Fury. 
   
  Aggressive and impoverished descendants of the fierce 
  Silures who terrorized the Romans centuries ago. The men 
  are fierce warriors, and the women, especially the elder 
  ones, practice witchery. The tribe has unnamable ties with 
  the Worms of the Earth. Locals fear them. 
  The People of the Rocks have olive skin, swarthy faces, 
  and curly black hair. The People of the Rocks do not 
  refrain from stealing cattle and carting off corn reserves of 
  their valley cousins. Sometimes, they kidnap children, 
  whom they use as slaves. The People of the Rocks tend to 
  be nomadic. 
   
  Ravenous Pigs 
  STR 
  11 
  CON
  13 
  SIZ 
  11 
  INT 
  4 
  POW
  7 
  DEX 
  7 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  HP 
  12 
  Move  10 
   
   
   
  Damage Bonus: none 
  Weapons: Charge 30% (if successful, opponent falls to the 
  ground), Bite (once opponent is on the ground) 30%, 1D2. 
  Skills: Scent human 50%. 
   
  Vicious, famished, potentially man-eating pigs kept – or 
  rather neglected - by Quintus. 
   
  
  13 
  Cthulhu Dark Ages – Pagan Call 
  Kevin Anderson and Stéphane Gesbert 
   
  Copyright © 2003 Stéphane Gesbert 
  Quintus, 810, Atavistic Mad Sorcerer 
  STR 
  3 
  CON 
   9 
  SIZ 
  10 
  INT 
  17 
  POW 
  24 
  DEX 
  12 
  APP 
  0 
  EDU
  17 
  SAN 
  0 
  HP 
  10 
   
   
   
   
   
  Damage Bonus: none 
  Weapons: the Sword of Nudd 10%, 1D10. 
  Skills: Cthulhu Mythos 22%, Geometry 25%, Greek 25%, 
  Hide 60%, Insight 50%, Latin 25%, Library Use 60%, 
  Listen 75%, Natural World 60%, Occult 50%, Own 
  Kingdom 45%, Other Kingdoms 25%, Persuade 60%, 
  Write Latin 25%. 
  Spells: see below 
  Sanity Loss: 1/1D10 to see Quintus devolve into black 
  jelly. 
   
  Quintus is a human with Worm of the Earth blood flowing 
  in his veins, and a powerful necromancer. He was once the 
  ally of the serpent man Seth, but he is now Seth’s 
  archenemy. Quintus is a follower of Anacharsis, a 
  Scythian erudite of the 4th century BC who traveled the 
  isles of the Attica Sea, and tried to introduce the cults of 
  Demeter and Pluto in Athens. He was eventually strangled. 
  With great offers of blood and the use of mighty spells, 
  Quintus successfully invoked Tawil at’ Umr, the avatar of 
  Yog-Sothoth. Quintus stuffed the demon into an especially 
  prepared corpse, thus thwarting Seth's plans of mass 
  destruction – for more details, see the timeline near the 
  beginning of the scenario, as well as the “Scenes of the 
  Past”. Quintus then coerced the living-dead god to reveal 
  to him secrets of time and space, parallel dimensions, 
  quintessence (5th element or dark energy). 
  Quintus’s initial “experiments” tore the stuff of reality; 
  space expanded and diluted around the tower, slipping into 
  Limbo, and with it the Nameless Mist and the Invisibles 
  (see appropriate entry). Quintus ended up half eaten by 
  Doels and driven permanently insane by the avatar’s 
  forbidden knowledge. Quintus is plagued y uncontrollable 
  tics, compulsive talking, occasional bouts of aberrant 
  behavior, and paranoia. Lately, Quintus believes he is an 
  angel – Raphael – sent by God to end the apocalypse and 
  imprison Azazel (Tawil at’Umr). In this pseudo-biblical 
  phantasm, Quintus refers to his one time master Seth as the 
  False Prophet, and more rarely as the “snake-that-talks”. 
   
  When the adventure begins, Quintus is only barely alive. 
  His body is rendered jelly-like by the otherworldly Doels 
  that haunt the mists. This explains the lower statistics.  
   
  REVELATIONS 
  Here are some pre-cooked answers to questions the 
  investigators may ask Quintus: 
   
  What is the mist? – “Quinta essentia. The Fifth Essence.” 
  What happened to you? – “The mist is eating me up!” 
  Where are we? – “The land of gloom and chaos, where 
  light is like darkness. You have awaken from your dream 
  of flesh… Soon you will meet Nodens, the god Pan!” 
  Can we leave this place? – “It is too late now… You are 
  so close to the Void… The Destroyer is calling you…” 
  What is going on? – “Look around you! The Watchers 
  have come to witness the end of days… They have 
  copulated with witches, who have given birth to giants… 
  Now the giants turn against men…  You are the Last Ones 
  and this is the Last Day. After they have found you, they 
  will sin against all beasts, and finally devour one another's 
  flesh, and drink the blood. On the Calends of November 
  (November 1st), Wormwood will come through the Gate, 
  out of the Abyss, and cleanse the earth of all life!” 
  What happened to the shepherds? – “I had to…” 
  Who are you? – “I am Quintus, the fifth. (Counting with 
  one hand) Seth, Balor, his daughter, the Egyptian, and 
  Quintus. My mother Atla, curse her, gave me the name of 
  Ketric. But in truth I am Raphael, God’s messenger. He 
  has sent me to imprison the Beast for a thousand years.” 
  Who is Eva? – “She was… Touched by Nodens…” 
  Who is Stigand? – “A mask of Satan, the False Prophet!” 
  Who is Nudd/Nodens? He is Pan, the All-in-One, the 
  Void between the Spheres, and also the star Wormwood. 
  His son is the Beast Azazel, king of the dead. 
  Where is the man you hold prisoner? – “The tower…” 
   
  Spells 
  Quintus knows many spells. Here are a few useful spells 
  against intruders: 
   
  Demon’s Ear – Allows Quintus to eavesdrop on the 
  investigators from anywhere inside the house or the tower. 
  Costs 1 magic point per round. 
  Blindness – Quintus’ first choice to disable one target on 
  sight. Quintus knows both temporary and permanent 
  versions, respectively costing 1 magic point per round and 
  3 POW. He only uses the permanent spell in desperate 
  situations. Victim loses 0/1D3 Sanity points. 
  Soul Singing – Second choice to lead one target to a 
  certain doom, by creating a lifelike hallucination (e.g. 
  illusion of a solid floor hiding a mortal drop). 8 magic 
  points per round. 
  Become Spectral – Last resort spell to avoid getting 
  caught, costs 1 magic per round of invisibility. Problem is, 
  the Invisibles spot Quintus as soon as he uses it. 
   
  The Sword of Nudd 
  Quintus hangs on to the Sword of Nudd as if his life 
  depended on it. The sword has a triangular-shaped blade 
  and appears to be made entirely of an unnaturally dense, 
  silver-like metal. It is much too heavy for humans to be 
  really useful in combat (min STR/DEX 19) 
  On a successful Idea roll, the dreaming investigator (see 
  the Premonitory Dream near the beginning of the scenario) 
  recognizes the sword as the one in the dream. 
   
  The Children of the Night, Worms of the Earth 
  STR 
  11 
  CON
  10 
  SIZ 
  5 
  INT 
  11 
  POW
  10 
  DEX 
  13 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  HP 
  7 
  Move 
  8 
   
   
   
  Damage Bonus: none 
  Weapons: flint daggers or mallets 25%, 1D3, stone-tipped 
  spears or small bows 10%, 1D4. 
   
  Devolved and degenerate Serpent People encountered 
  mostly in subterranean tunnels and caves. They shun light, 
  even that of the moon and stars. They are never taller than 
  4 feet and have stunted and deformed bodies, “a broad, 
  
  Stéphane Gesbert 
  Pagan Call: The Tower 
  14 
   
  Copyright © 2003 Stéphane Gesbert 
  strangely flattened head” and mongoloid face, almond 
  eyes, and yellowish mottled skin that is covered with a 
  kind of sticky slime. They communicate with each other in 
  a horrible hissing speech or with crude carvings. 
  In the interest of mood, the keeper is advised to introduce 
  the Worms of the Earth as mysteriously as possible, if at 
  all. In the best tradition of Machen, Lovecraft, and 
  Howard, 
  avoid 
  explicit 
  descriptions 
  and 
  direct 
  confrontations. Mystify the players about the nature and 
  the number of their foe. Let the investigators hear and 
  smell the Worms of the Earth long before they glimpse a 
  pair of glinting eyes, a fleeting shadow, or the indistinct 
  mass of many slimy limbs. The Worms of the Earth’s 
  aversion of light facilitates the keeper’s job: the creatures 
  always try to keep outside of the investigators' circle of 
  light, moving from shadow to shadow like ghosts. 
  The Worms of the Earth only attack in darkness. 
  Therefore, their prime tactic is to attack light-bearing 
  investigators with bows and spears. In contrast, the 
  investigators must protect their light sources at all costs. 
  The Worms of the earth hesitate to venture out into the 
  Nameless Mist. Moreover, they will not dig their way into 
  the tower from below, because of the presence of the 
  avatar of Yog-Sothoth underneath the tower. 
   
  The Invisibles, Children of the Mist 
  The Invisibles are partly solid, sanity bending creatures 
  that haunt the Nameless Mist. Most creatures are mere 
  shadows that cannot or will not harm the investigators. 
  When darkness falls however, more terrible demons are 
  unleashed. Some of them can even assume material form 
  and physically attack the investigators. 
   
  The keeper is advised to make every encounter with the 
  Invisibles count. The key words are therefore moderation 
  and mystery! In addition, the keeper should tone down 
  game mechanics in favor of the narrative and the fear of 
  the unknown. From that perspective, the listed creatures’ 
  most interesting function is, 
  � Ghosts possess a victim and mess with its mind. 
  � Doels very gradually liquefy a victim into incapacity. 
  � Shamblers snatch a victim and carry it off to Limbo. 
  � Buga is scary through sheer size and monstrosity. 
  Use the Nameless or darkness to hide the true aspect of the 
  creatures. Make initial first time encounters short but 
  strong, leaving investigators to wonder what really 
  happened, hearts pounding. Keep graphical details for the 
  end of the scenario. 
   
  Note that the Gug and the Shamblers only have substance 
  within the Nameless Mist. Halve their hit points and 
  damage statistics if they are met on the fringes of the 
  Nameless Mist. 
   
  GHOSTS, The Possessors 
  The ghosts are immaterial and not more tangible than 
  shadows or vortices of the Nameless Mist they inhabit. 
  POW 
  10 
   
   
   
   
  INT 
  10 
  Spells: Drain Power; if the ghost wins a magic point match 
  on the Resistance Table, it “steals” 1D6 magic points from 
  the target. If it fails, it loses 1D6 magic points. If a spirit 
  loses all magic points it vanishes. If the target loses all 
  magic points, it remains unconscious until at least one 
  point regenerates. The ghost can then possess the target. 
   
  DOELS, The Flesh Devourers 
  “Foremost among the living objects were inky, jellyfish 
  monstrosities… They were present in loathsome profusion, 
  and I saw to my horror that they overlapped; that they 
  were semi-fluid…” 
  STR 
  0+ 
   
   
  SIZ 
  0+ 
  INT 1 
  POW
  4D10
  DEX 
  0+ 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  HP 
  SIZ/2 
  Move 
  DEX/2 
   
   
  Weapon: Bite (DEX x5)%, damage 1D6 for every 8 
  points in SIZ. 
  Spells: Steal Body; if the Doels win a POW match on the 
  Resistance Table, they collectively “steal” 1 STR, 1 SIZ, 
  and 1 DEX of the victim, and thus become partly corporeal 
  while their victim becomes more and more blurred and 
  jelly-like! If the Doels fail, they collectively lose 3 POW. 
  Sanity Loss: 1/1D3 
   
  SHAMBLERS, The Body Snatchers 
  “A gigantic blasphemous of a thing not wholly ape and not 
  wholly insect. Its hide hung loosely upon its frame, and its 
  rugose, dead-eyed rudiment of a head swayed drunkenly 
  from side to side.” 
  STR 
  19 
  CON
  16 
  SIZ 
  19 
  INT 
  7 
  POW
  10 
  DEX 
  10 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  HP 
  18 
  Move 
  7 
   
   
  Damage Bonus: +1D6 
  Weapons: 2 Claws 30%, 1D8+db each. By clutching its 
  victim and expending 5 magic points, the Shambler and 
  the victim it holds fade into Limbo, never to be found 
  again! The transition takes a round to complete. 
  Armor: 3-point thick hide. 
  Sanity Loss: 0/1D10 
   
  BUGA GAWR, The Giant Bogeyman (Gug) 
  “… A great black-furred arm to which both of the paws 
  were attached by short forearms… The head was chiefly 
  terrible because of the mouth. That mouth had great 
  yellow fangs and ran from the top to the bottom of the 
  head, opening vertically instead of horizontally.” 
  The creature’s statistics are only listed for completeness’ 
  sake. The keeper is advised against an explicit 
  confrontation with Buga, not so much to spare the 
  investigators as to spare the mood of the game. 
  STR 
  45 
  CON 
  29 
  SIZ 
  57 
  INT 
  13 
  POW
  11 
  DEX 
  11 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  HP 
  43 
  Move 
  10 
   
   
  Damage Bonus: +5D6 
  Weapons: Bite 60%, 1D10+db, 4 Claws 40%, 4D6 each. 
  Armor: 8-point skin, hair, and cartilage. 
  Sanity Loss: 0/1D8 
   
  The Old Man, Tawil at’Umr incarnate 
  STR 
  7 
  CON 
  15 
  SIZ 
  16 
  INT 
  40 
  POW
  100 
  DEX 
  10 
  APP 
  3 
  EDU
   
   
   
  HP 
  16 
  Move 
  4 
   
   
   
  Damage Bonus: none 
  Weapons: strangle (Grapple) 25%, damage as per 
  drowning rules until target wins a STR match. 
   
  
  15 
  Cthulhu Dark Ages – Pagan Call 
  Kevin Anderson and Stéphane Gesbert 
   
  Copyright © 2003 Stéphane Gesbert 
  The “Old Man” is a long dead human, who serves as an 
  earthly prison for the spirit of Tawil at’Umr, avatar of 
  Yog-Sothoth! The “old man” smells like a week-old 
  corpse, is cold to the touch, has no pulse, a greenish belly, 
  etc. The man’s face is covered with a festering skin sewn 
  to the sides of his head by Quintus. 
  Quintus invested just over 120 magic points into his “Seal 
  of the Destroyer” spell, so that Tawil at’Umr (POW 100) 
  cannot beat down the Seal with a magic point match on the 
  Resistance table. Nor can the avatar cast any spell. 
  The only obvious way to break the Seal Is for an 
  investigator to “kill” the old man (i.e. reduce the old his hit 
  points to zero; note that the old man cannot “suicide”). 
  Player Handouts 
  Letter sent to Stigand by a certain “Brother Silvianus” 
  (handout #1): 
   
  To Father Stigand, Brother Silvianus. 
  I found the trail of Quintus in the city called Cair Lion by 
  the river Wysg, which flows into the Severn Sea. I believe 
  he could be hiding in the ruins of a Roman castle. I cannot 
  tell more, as I fear that the message might be intercepted. I 
  see spies everywhere. I will gladly offer my life for your 
  cause, most Holy Father, but then I would fail on my 
  mission. 
   
  Keeper’s note: Stigand forged this letter. It does however 
  summarize 
  Stigand’s 
  educated 
  guess 
  about 
  the 
  whereabouts of Quintus, and shows that he knows that 
  Quintus captured Tawil at’Umr, under the name of 
  “Silvianus”. The English name for the river Wysg is Usk. 
   
  Roman Volumen (handout #2): 
  Unfortunately, the volumen (book roll) found in the sealed 
  silver box did not resist well the degradations of time. 
  Much of the sheepskin parchment is destroyed and the ink 
  barely readable. The title is “Per Meminero”, which 
  means, “in order that he will be remembered”. Reading 
  through what can be read takes an hour for a skilled Latin 
  reader. The following information can be inferred: 
   
  The volumen is a diary written by Flavius Senilis, 
  commander of Burrium, a major Roman legionary fortress 
  and settlement, which lie buried under the hamlet. 
  The text is dated 69 AD. It narrates the demolition of the 
  fortress and the evacuation of the Twentieth Legion. It is 
  unclear from the fragments whether the Romans or 
  somebody else demolished Burrium. 
  There is mention of a small hilltop fort (Latin Castellum) 
  used as a training ground and as a summer camp 
  somewhere to the West of Burrium. 
  An isolated sentence refers to an extraordinary flood. 
  The last readable sentence reads: “The Silures come down 
  the hills. They are not alone. A great shadow… 
  (unreadable). I have seen too much”. 
   
  Keeper’s note: the Burrium fortress was poorly sited, and 
  subject to flash floods of the Usk river. The Romans 
  abandoned the site after 14 years of presence, and retreated 
  to Wroxeter, Shropshire. In 74 AD the Romans returned to 
  Southeast Wales, and established their major fortress Isca 
  Silurum in Caerleon, which was garrisoned by the Second 
  Augustan Legion, and prospered. The rebellious Silures, 
  though outnumbered, resisted the Roman occupation force 
  using guerilla tactics and terrible magic. 
   
  Revelation (handout #3): 
   
  “The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from 
  heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the 
  rivers and on the springs of waters. The name of the star is 
  called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became 
  wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because 
  they were made bitter.” - Revelation 8:10 
   
  “And in those days men will seek death and will not find 
  it; they will long to die, and death flees from them.” - 
  Revelation 9:6 
   
  “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding 
  the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he 
  laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil 
  and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he 
  threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over 
  him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, 
  until the thousand years were completed; after these things 
  he must be released for a short time.” - Revelation 20:1 
   
  Keeper’s note: wormwood (Gr. ho apsinthos, Lat. 
  absinithium) is a plant known for its extreme bitterness. In 
  the Apocalypse of John, wormwood stands symbol for a 
  calamity. In the context of this scenario, the verses 
  summarize what Quintus thinks to know about Seth’s 
  plans of mass destruction – see the last entry in the 
  timeline near the beginning of the scenario. 
   
  The Writing on the Wall (handout #4): 
   
  “Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, 
  when deep sleep falls on men, Dread came upon me, and 
  trembling, and made all my bones shake. Then a spirit 
  passed by my face; the hair of my flesh bristled up. It stood 
  still, but I could not discern its appearance; a form was 
  before my eyes; there was silence, then I heard a voice…” 
  – Job 4:13 
   
  “And again the Lord said to Raphael: 'Bind Azazel hand 
  and foot, and cast him into the darkness: and make an 
  opening in the desert, which is in Dudael, and cast him 
  therein. And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and 
  cover him with darkness, and let him abide there forever, 
  and cover his face that he may not see light. And on the 
  day of the great judgment he shall be cast into the fire.” - 
  Enoch 10:4 
   
  Keeper’s note: in the apocryphal Book of Enoch, Azazel is 
  one of the Watchers. The Watchers are angels who 
  descended on earth, taught men forbidden knowledge, took 
  wives, and made them pregnant. Quintus sees a clear 
  connection between Azazel and Tawil at’Umr, and 
  therefore followed the holy instructions to the letter. To 
  the point that he now believes to be Raphael himself! 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Cthulhu Dark Ages (CoC)/adventures/CoC - Dark Ages Adv - Pagan Call 4 - The Tower.pdf