The Whisperer - Issue 01.pdf

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Opening the
Way
The dark figure shuffled across the street towards the doorway, unmindful of the oily rain that thundered down from
the heavens. Gingerly, the figure reached for the ancient doorknob. Leprous fingers curled tightly and pushed.
A
faint
smell emanated from inside that reminded the stranger of a distant memory, now long since eaten away
by
lime
and worms.
Cautiously, the figure entered in to the gloom. Nearly there now. Hands reaching for the box that lay on the dusty work
surface. An evil cackling sound grew in intensity as feverish hands pulled the box apart to gain access 10 that which was
hidden within ....
Welcome to this, the first issue of The Whisperer -a fanzine written by and for devotees of the Call of Cthulhu rote playing
game, Mythos the collectable card game and all things Lovecraftian.
In this Issue you
will
find
articles to inspire and broaden your current or future campaigns. Rik Kershaw-Moore's
article on psychic investigators brings the topic bang up to date and is ideal source material for any Keepers running
Delta
Green
story lines. 'Acquaintances and Abodes' will be a regular feature detailing an 'interesting' and sometimes
unsavoury range of non-player characters and locales which unsuspecting investigators might bump into.
Dark things are certainly afoot in 'The Blanford Horror' - a complete 1920's scenario set in England, in which investigators
are called to look into a mysterious theft of a family heirloom.
'A Once and Future King', a Gaslight adventure written by Garrie Hall, is the spectacular final to the campaign begun in
Pagan Publishing's
The Golden Dawn.
Part two of this huge scenario will be printed in issue two.
The artwork of Paul Carrick should need no introduction 10 anyone who has picked up any of Chaosium's recent 'Core
Rules'series. Want to know what goes on inside the head of a artist? Check out page 17
&
18 for an interview with Paul.
Keep losing at Mythos? Want to know what makes a deck tick? Read the first part of Danny Bourne's series on improving
your game and you could be the next UK Nationals Champion.
Lastly, but not least, we have a collection of news, reviews and, if my heart can take it, the horror that is 'Carry on
Cthulhu'.
We want your brains!
Well not so much brains, as your scenarios, articles, reviews and artwork. All submissions
appreciated. If you have views on what you want to see in The Whisperer then let us know. If you like something - tell us.
If you don't like something - write something better! The future of Ihis zine is in your hands. Would you like to see a
broader range of material - perhaps dark fantasy scenarios or articles about using Cthulhu in SLA Industries? Would you
like to read the odd bit of fiction? If you have views let us know.
Can you help?
If The Whisperer is 10 survive as long as Dagon (hands up who can remember!) then its going to need
your help. Ask you local hobby shop to stock copies of The Whisperer - get them to put up a poster. At conventions put
the word about. You know it makes sense. Help us to make the stars right.
As the Millennium draws near,
so too will the next issue of The Whisperer. Due out in NovemberlDecember 1999,
the 'difficult' second issue will contain the next installments of 'A Once and Future King' and 'So you want 10 be a
tournament winner', as well as more 'Acquaintances and Abodes' and reviews of
Cults Across America
and
Beyond the
Mountains of Madness.
Till the stars are Right.. .
...Mike Mason
2
Contents
Page
Opening the Way
editorial noises
The Voice from the Well
news and gossip from the outside world
Acquaintances and Abodes:
Ephraim Mortimer and Sons
The Psychic Powers of Investigators
A Once and Future King a
Golden Dawn scenario set in 1900
Dark Arts
an inteNiew with Paul Carrick
The Blanford Horror a
dastardly plot reaches fruition in 1926
Acquaintances and Abodes:
Shadrack and Pettifogg
Items of Mutual Interest
reviews
IT's in the Cards so
you want to be
a
tournament winner?
Carry on Cthulhu!
Acknowledgements and Thanks
2
4
5
7
11
17
19
28
29
30
31
32
WIN 'THE COMPLETE DREAMLANDS'
The wonderful people at Chaosium have donated a brand new, very shiny copy of the Revised
Fourth Edition Complete Dreamlands sourcebook. With nearly one hundred new pages
devoted to new background material and character generation system - can you afford to be
with
out it!
How easy could it be? All you need to do to win this fabulous copy is design a 'Create Your
Own Adventure Card' for the Mythos Collectable Card Game. The only stipulations are that
the adventure must feature at least one Dreamlands location and an Angry Zoog.
Entries to The Whisperer, 18 Loughton Road, Bradwell Village, Milton Keynes, MK13 9AA,
England.
Deadline for entries is
20'h
September 1999. The winner's entry will
be
printed in the next
issue. Judge's decision is final!
3
The Voice from the Well
In case you hadn't heard, it's been all change at
Chaosium with the company mutating into four separate,
but related, companies. So who and what is Chaosium
now?
Chaosium Inc. remains the publisher of the Call of
Cthulhu RPG and the Call of Cthulhu fiction line.
Nephilim, Elric!, and the Mythos CCG also remain
owned. Contact www.chaosium.com
Chaosium Southwest (otherwise known as the Leng
Embassy) co-ordinates Chaosium and Green Knight
(Pendragon line) distribution and promotions.
Green Knight Publishing was founded last year and now
owns the King Arthur Pendragon RPG and the Arthurian
fiction line created by Chaosium Inc. Contact
www.greenknight.com
Issaries Inc. was formed by Greg Stafford to develop
and publish the upcoming Glorantha RPG: Hero Wars.
Contact www.glorantha.com
Finally there is Wizard's Attic Publishing Services, now a
separate company which deals with direct to customer
catalog sales. Contact www.chaosium.com
"But enough about the company ... what about the
games?" came the mocking voice from the well..
The Ithaqua Cycle is a chilling collection of thirteen
tales related to Ithaqua, the Wind-Walker, collected
together for the first time. Includes stories by August
Derleth, Brian Lumley, Algernon Blackwood, Joseph
Payne Brennan, and others.
Nightmare's Disciple
Chaosium's first full-length Cthulhu Mythos novel is said
to contain "a wealth of terror and Lovecraftian flavor".
Written by Joseph Pulver, Sr., the story tells the tale of
an insane cultist bent on freeing a monstrous goddess
from her imprisonment beyond the stars. Opposing him
is a detective searching for a twisted serial killer and a
pair of horror-store owners with a deep interest in music
and the occult. The story is set in the modem day, in a
world where perhaps H. P. Lovecraft is more prophetic
than anyone dares believe. For mature readers only.
And at last comes the long and eagerly awaited Beyond
the Mountains of Madness Call of Cthulhu campaign.
At over 400 pages with seventeen narrative chapters this
looks to be awesome. Stung by the deaths occurring
during its initial exploration of Antarctica and perplexed
by supposedly credible reports from the survivors,
Miskatonic University launches a larger and better
equipped expedition to plumb the mysteries of the icy
continent. New. surprising. and ingenious obstacles and
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A Chilling Trilogy
o{Jfu~rr
crises abound before the final terrible secret makes itself
clear. Contains considerable source material on the
Frozen Continent. the equipment of the time, and even
expedition planning.
The players participate in a new expedition, the
Starkweather-Moore, as mentioned
in 'At the Mountains
of Madness'·
The expedition is large enough that many
roles are available to the players. A few chapters are set
in New York and on the high seas. but most of the
adventure occurs in Antarctica, especially at lake's
Camp and the City of the Elder Things.
The authors have carefully included a wide variety of
tasks and goals for the player-characters, and they
frequently face a bewildering number of choices for
action. All the important questions posed in lovecraft's
original story are answered in this massive book.
As
the
players' understanding grows, they find themselves
facing unexpected challenges, some physical, some
psychological, and some ethical.
Hot on the heels of Beyond the Mountains of Madness
comes the Miskatonic University EXpedition Pack - a
players kit for use with the new campaign, containing
newspaper clippings, embroidered expedition patch, car
bumper stickers and a 16 x 20 inch Keeper's map of
Antarctica.
The Whisperer will be bringing you
a
review of Beyond
the Mountains of Madness next issue
-
and just maybe
you will be able to win your own copy too.
-.
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Ephraim Mortimer and Sons
By Andrew Bennison
"Tradition, sobriety and respect
are
the watch words of this long established and well respected (amity business. For four
generations we have solemnly cared for the loved ones of the discerning with our unique and reverential service.•
Ephraim Mortimer and Sons Brochure
-Death
-
it's our bread and
buNerr
Roger Mortimer
Background
with
the ladies. His appearance is against him; his skin is
Ephraim Mortimer and Sons is the most revered,
exclusive and expensive undertakers in
town
serving
only the most wealthy or influential customers. There is a
certain something about a Mortimer funeral. Joseph
Mortimer. the current head of the family, meticulously
plans and runs their funerals
with
military precision. The
staff are particularly well dressed and sombre. The
antique horse drawn hearse and immaculate floral
tributes add to the impressive atmosphere of a Mortimer
funeral.
The Mortimers
know
about death. Joseph
Mortimer and his younger brother Roger currently
manage the firm.
pockmarked and his teeth protrude. Despite his young
years (he is only twenty-four), Roger is already out of
condition and over weight. His ill-fitting wig makes a
mockery of his fine clothes and expensive after-shave.
Roger is an eternal bachelor who enjoys the company of
others.
The Truth
The Mortimer family are ghouls. They use their business
to conceal their true identity and to provide them with a
regular supply of food - their customers. They do not
see themselves as evil, just different. They would
certainly never kill to get food. They don't need to. The
local inhabitants provide an abundant food supply. They
are happy to remain in the background and not draw
attention to themselves.
There is an extensive tunnel system that links the
Mortimer House with the local cemetery. Below the town
are dozen of ghouls who rely on their ancestors for
sustenance.
Agnes Mortimer discovered the secret and it drove her
mad, but her husband still loves her and cares for her.
Roger Mortimer is already beginning to change. He
wears voluminous clothes to hide his increasing physical
deformity. The after-shave is an attempt to mask his
natural smell.
Introducing the Mortimers
Joseph Mortimer is every inch an undertaker. He is tall,
thin, sober and detached. He has a quiet and reserved
demeanor that fits his occupation. Many residents know
him by sight, but few can remember his voice. His
character is somewhat cold, but with a dignified air of
refinement. People talk in hushed whispers about his
unfortunate wife, Agnes. Joseph seems to carry his pain
without complaint. He is a highly respected, if somewhat
avoided, member of the community.
Agnes Mortimer is in her late forties. For the last three
years she has been resident in the local sanatorium
where her dutiful husband visits her every week. No one
knows the cause of her debility, but it is rumoured that
she sits alone in her tiny room constantly washing and
cleaning everything in sight.
Steven Mortimer, Joseph and Agnes's troubled teenage
son, does not want to be a part of the family business.
His relationship with his father has deteriorated since his
mother's confinement. He is frequently in trouble with the
police. Malicious gossips insist that he was responsible
for a local girl's pregnancy last summer. These gossips
insist that it was Steven's Uncle Roger who paid off the
girls family and arranged for her to go 'on holiday' for a
few months.
Roger Mortimer is the pUblic face of Ephraim Mortimer
and Sons. He deals with all of the family and relatives of
the deceased and makes all the necessary
arrangements. While Joseph organises the actual
ceremonies. it is actually Roger who realty runs the
business. Roger is talkative and over-friendly, especially
The Mortimers should be gradually introduced into a
campaign. For example, they could be used to bury an
NPC or relative of the player characters. Ideally, they
should be used once or twice as brief encounters within
wider unrelated adventures. If this is the case, the actual
revelation of the Mortimer's true nature will
be
all the
more disturbing.
Roger Mortimer is a comic character who could
be
used
to brighten up a scenario. He could easily become a
friend of the players and useful source of information.
Being a garrulous, not to say nosy sort of chap, he
knows much about local history and local gossip. Roger
Mortimer could become a worthwhile ally. His personal
library contains many books on occult pradices,
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