Chaosium Digest Volume 16, Number 9 Date: Sunday, October 12, 1996 Number: 1 of 2 Contents: The Book of Drad (Eamon Honan) CALL OF CTHULHU Building a Better Cult, Part 1 (John Goodrich) CALL OF CTHULHU Editor's Note: Welcome to another fear-filled issue of the Chaosium Digest. This week, you'll find: The Book of Drad, a new Tome for Call of Cthulhu; and a terrific article on Mythos Cults. Enjoy! In the meantime, keep those submissions coming in! I note that Pendragon, Nephilim and Elric! have been somewhat lacking lately, so articles for those systems would be terrific. More Cthulhu is good Cthulhu, too. See you all next week. Shannon NEW ELECTRONIC RESOURCES The Hyborean Age & The Cthulhu Mythos http://www.clark.net/pub/papabear/Russ-tp.htm A collection of pages which provide tons of information on Conan's Hyborean Age, Pulp fiction writers, and the Cthulhu Mythos. There's also stuff on Atlantis, the Bible and real-life mysteries which will be of interest to Nephilim players. -------------------- From: "Eamon Honan" Subject: The Book of Drad System: Call of Cthulhu [This article gives much expanded information on The Book of Drad, first referred to in V13.8 of the Chaosium Digest.] THE BOOK OF DRAD (Original. The one in Carcosa [See V13.8] is a later Atlantean copy.) Appearance: The book is made up of three scrolls. The scrolls are all of uniform length (18 inches approximately) and are 14, 13, and 18 feet long, respectively. They are made of a type of papyrus that is tough, but extremely thin. The scrolls are wrapped around a single ebony rod (extreme age and an obscure chemical process peculiar to Atlatean bookbinders have left the rod as hard and smooth as marble). The scrolls are written in a neat bureaucratic hand which is friendly to the eye. The end of the scroll that is not attached to the scroll has a raw silk cord with a tassel at the end. While the scroll is being read this rod is held in the right hand while the left holds the undyed tassel that is attached to the left edge of the scroll. History: This book was copied as a text book for youngsters in the years before the fall of Atlantis. Unfortunately, bar going to Carcosa, time travel is the only method of acquiring a copy. The last copy was destroyed by looters when Napolean's Army fled Spain in 1813. I could go into more detail, but the Book of Drad is so pedestrian that it hardly warrants the time required for research. Length of Study required: Appoximately four days and one successful Read Atlantean check. Cthulhu Mythos gained: 2% Sanity Loss: 1/1d4. Spells Contained within: Consume Likeness. However there enough information within the book to allow a reader to identify (but not cast) and know the effect of the following spells: Voorish Sign, Grasp of Calumbra, Brew Space Mead, Create Powder of Ibn-Ghazi. Recognising each of these spells requires an idea roll once the book is read. Knowledge Contained within: A basic outline through description and various inferences, of ordinary Atlantean life during the reign of King Kull (a reader who assiduously studies this part of the manuscript for approximately a week and a half will gain, Lore:Atlantis at his EDU+INT), and an incomplete description of the Serpent People and their powers of shapechanging and sorcery (a reader who studies this section of the book for a week and a half will gain Lore:Serpent People at the average of his EDU and INT). That's about it, really. The book of Drad isn't a very interesting book, it merely contains some unusual information. It was written by a bureaucrat and is fairly readable. Should you get your hot little hands on a copy, I would suggest skimming it and concentrating on the sections on Atlantis and the Serpent People. The book might be used as a method of introducing a new scholar to the Mythos as it is fairly readable and (as Mythos Tomes go) pretty tame. -------------------- From: "John Goodrich" Subject: Building a Better Cult, Part 1 System: Call of Cthulhu Building a Better Cult, Part 1 by John Goodrich Professor Bombei pushed his thick glasses up his nose and ordered his thoughts. Warding symbols and grotesque hieroglyphs were carved onto every available surface on the walls and ceiling. Distorted, monotonous chanting spilled from the open doorway not thirty yards distant. Russell took a periscope from his backpack and moved noiselessly to the very lip of the door. He gently eased the end of the periscope around the corner. After a few moments of observation, the big man returned to the small group as silently as he had gone. His face was ashen pale. "There's about two hundred cultists in that room," the big man whispered, "each one armed with an AK-47 and two grenades. The leader is built like Chewbacca and is carrying a pair of M-60's. Her assistants have 'blooper' grenade launchers and two bandoleers of ammunition each. Oh, and it also looks like they've got a Sherman tank placed under their statue of Yog-Sothoth." "Bloody hell," hissed Dame Addams through her teeth. "Goshen has a population of less than a hundred and twenty, and this is the third cult we've uncovered in the last two weeks. Where do all these people come from?" Professor Bombei removed his glasses and wiped them on his sleeve. "Well," he said as he replaced the familiar frames on his nose, "at least they aren't as well armed as the Azathoth cult." - * - The cult is one of the most common and enduring features of the Call of Cthulhu game. Unfortunately, many campaigns feature cults that are just as bland and faceless as the orcs of fantasy games, and investigators deserve more memorable opponents. Each cult in a campaign should be a unique and memorable encounter, not just another blazing gun battle. The Keeper must remember that a cult is made up of individual humans. Insane they may be, but the cultists have their own motivations, desires, and dreams, and the cult is often a means to achieve them. Organizations of humans influenced by the Mythos are called, for the author's convenience, cults. This is a broad but inaccurate use of the word, and it should not be inferred that all gatherings of Mythos-influenced people are religious in nature. Most, in fact are not. Mythos-influenced organizations come in all shapes and types, as many as there are reasons for humans to gather together. The Keeper should keep five factors in mind when creating a cult: recruitment style, origin, size, Mythos influence, and goals. Those who worship Great Cthulhu should act and react differently from a death-cult who believe that a ghoul is their god. A large cult of former mailmen is going to have very different goals from a small inbred family that worships Y'golonac. It is also good for the Keeper to realize that cults do not necessarily center around entities. The Mythos is full of psychoactive inanimate objects that can twist and pervert simply by their presence. Cults can spring up through the influence of Yekubian cubes, certain terrible books, or the Black Stone of Ixaxar. The Keeper should constantly try to come up with new and different takes on cults and the objects of their corruption. One thing to remember is to be careful about the number of cults in a town. Unless the Keeper wants to make a very specific point, cult membership should be a small but insidious presence. Investigators should wonder who they can trust, not be sure that just about everyone in town is involved in some nefarious activity. Even witch-haunted Arkham has a very small cultist population. While cults can rule towns, they very seldom are able to recruit everyone in perfect safety. Even Innsmouth had a significant population that was free of the Deep Ones' direct influence. However, a large city like Boston can have a dozen minor cults tucked away, and few people would notice. RECRUITMENT STYLE Recruiting style reflects how the cult gains new members. Obviously, cults very seldom advertise their presence, and most people cannot simply ask to join the organization. A cult must use some sort of covert means to screen and recruit its members. How the organization gains members affects the personality of the group. Each of these recruiting styles can access only a limited section of humanity. Of course, certain people will find a group no matter how hard it tries to be inconspicuous. Hereditary The hereditary cult is a club that the members' families belong to. Hereditary cults need be neither wealthy nor posh, but they do have the advantages of exclusivity and security. After all, who in is going to argue with six generations of family tradition. Often, membership in the hereditary cult isn't a choice. A number of Mythos stories involve supposedly rebellious members of 'evil' families who find out that resistance is useless, and are subsumed into an intergenerational horror. Members of the hereditary cult can be very difficult to track down, simply because they can come from the entire spectrum of society. It is a pretty safe bet, though, that the families have been in the area for a long time. The longer the cult has been established, the more divergent the fortunes of the respective families may be. Hereditary cults also have the advantage of being old and well-established. Traditions like these do not spring up over night, and there are often centuries of research and knowledge to draw upon. They have probably also dealt with a number of meddling groups like the investigators in the past. One disadvantage of the hereditary cult is that there are almost always rumors of evil. Superstitious grandmothers tell their grandchildren to stay away from certain strange people, and fathers forbid their daughters to marry onto the "wrong" families without knowing the reason why. Members themselves vary widely in their devotion to the Cause. Some will see it as a crashing bore that must be kept up for the family's sake. Others will devote themselves wholeheartedly to their religion, researching the family archives and digging up powerful ceremonies that have been lost since their great-grandmother's time. Both ends of this spectrum can spell trouble for the cult. When creating a hereditary cult, the Keeper must decide how the secret is passed down to successive generations. Is the entire family involved in the hideous secret? Is the oldest son told on gaining his majority? The old standby of the deathbed confession? Replacement options must also be considered in this case. What if a member has nothing but daughters? Will he then induct his daughter, or find a son to adopt? And there is the question of whether the cult members see each other socially. Are they friends? What about a cult that gets together to celebrate the glory of worship, but in all other ways cannot stand each other? Rivalries in hereditary cults can go back centuries, starting with the grumblings of ancestors otherwise long forgotten. Common Interests The common interest cult is a club of some sort. Members gather together for some sort of mutually interesting activity or discussion, which now includes exxtradimensional horrors. Organizations particularly open to Mythos influence are secretive, and often have some sort of occult trappings. A corrupted anti-government militia is a scary thought, but members of an Alcoholics Anonymous group gone wrong could be much more interesting. Cults begun as common-interest groups are often fairly tightly-knit. The members are unified by their secret, and their devotion to a common interest. They also can have members from all walks of life, making it hard for the investigators to track down members they have not actually seen. However, like Operation Rescue, common interest cults can be deadly dangerous, and just as fanatical as any religious group. Common interest groups also have the advantage of camouflage. They are usually groups which have been corrupted, and whose goals have become twisted under the influence of the Mythos. It is easy for these groups to appear normal; they once were. Often, only a small number of carefully culled members are aware of the Mythos direction of the organization. Interrogating or quizzing members of the outer circle will result in minimal information. Common Interest groups tend to be a bit more disorganized than other types of cults. They have a unifying interest, but often these groups can be at odds as to how their goals should be accomplished. Without a strong leader, these cults can splinter into factions, never gaining enough power to do much damage. In addition, common interest groups converted to cults are only as inconspicuous as the original organization. Members of the Ku Klux Klan who become devoted to Cthugha are still members of the Klan, and will likely continue, if not increase, their activities as such. Nearly any club or organization can serve as a basis for a Mythos-based inner circle. Greek Fraternities often claim to have a book that is not supposed to be shown to outsiders. Perhaps a political activism group may stumble upon a new and exciting way to influence the people around them. Or, a group of amateur astronomers may bring home a fragment of the wrong asteroid. Professional Some people don't socialize much out of their own profession. A group of doctors may try a new type of medicine, and fall under the influence of an old, blasphemous text. A second season X-Files episode, Our Town, involved a cult comprised entirely of the workers in a chicken processing plant. But, the professional organization need not be a group who normally work closely together. Perhaps they only congregate for a conference once a year. Professional organizations are as different from each other as any profession can be. The Order of Pain, a professional organization of insane dentists has a very different flavor than a Teamster's Union that has a Serpent Man manipulating it. It is also possible that the profession is the reason for the corruption. Astronomers who have looked upon Ghroth may form a group who delve into the Mythos in order to prevent His approach. An entire Archaeology department may becomee enslaved to a certain artifact brought back from the Yucatan. Obviously, erudite groups are far more vulnerable to this type of corruption. Cults that begin in the workplace have a number of advantages They can be extremely close-knit if they work together on a daily basis. A cult that comprises the team in a hospital's Emergency Division are used to working together like a well-oiled machine, and it would be difficult to catch them out. On the opposite end of the scale, it is possible that each member works alone for the majority of the time, only assembling once every five years to report on their researches to the rest of the group. Such a group of independent activists would be extremely difficult to track down, except for around meeting-time. Professional cults also have the ability to influence a lot of people. Other members of the profession can be easily isolated and subsumed into the organization. And, they can utilize their influence to gain access to innocent people, legal documents, or just about anything else appropriate to their profession. Once the investigators know what kind of cult they're dealing with, finding people to fit the profile is not difficult, and the majority of the cult can be deduced easily. Of course, the difficulty lies in realizing that profile. If the cultists are seldom in contact with each other, they may not even realize that they are under attack until it is too late. Professional groups must relate in some way to their occupation. Using certain stereotypes here can produce a certain level of humor that can lighten the campaign every now and then. For example, the local branch of the Internal Revenue Service who will send Byakhee against anyone who cheats on their income taxes. The archaeologists who will prove once and for all that the magic of their specialty culture is true- by summoning Azathoth at the next International Archaeologists Association meeting. Religious This is the classic cult. The purpose of the religious cult is the worship of some powerful entity. With the disaffection of the 1920'as and 1990's, many people went searching for new and different religions to believe in. With the emergence of many harmless religious come the darker ones, camouflaged by their innocent fellows. The religious cult worships, wholeheartedly, some malevolent Mythos entity. New members are chosen for their whatever qualities the cult prizes: immorality, weak will, great strength, blond hair, whatever. On rare occasions, the cult's god itself will choose a new initiate. The cult that is established wholly intending to worship the Great Old Ones is the classic fanatic cult. Indoctrination and initiation quickly weed out those whose faith is weak, leaving a hard core of insanely loyal servants willing and able to do just about anything for their god. Any goal is possible with these cultists, from snipping the toes from two-month-old babies to an assault on a nuclear power plant. When blind fanaticism replaces reason, the resultant can be extremely potent. But weaknesses also exist. The Great Old Ones are able to contact those who are psychically sensitive, who may not necessarily be very bright. The goals of the religious cult therefore may not be extremely practical. These fanatic cults may think that drinking Crystal-Lite mixed with plutonium will make them undisputed masters of the world, or pull out all their teeth to show devotion to their god. The other problem is that conflicting visions, or interpretations of the same vision may give rise to schisms. If the cult is busy fighting among themselves, then they may not pay attention to the disappearance of a few members. However, if a cult is directed by a single individual, the elimination of that individual will result in profound chaos until another leader emerges. Cults that follow a one charismatic leader often disband after the loss of that individual. No rules govern the religious cult. Mythos entities can be worshipped in any way that the Keeper can imagine. The Keeper can make this group as truly sick and vile as possible, and the players will swallow it. All but the barest shreds of the cultists' humanity have been blasted away through repeated exposure to the Mythos, and it is often difficult for them to act in a sane and rational fashion in order to conceal their nature. ORIGIN How a cult was founded is very important to its' general nature and flavor. A group that slowly was subsumed into the worship of Azathoth is going to differ significantly from those who collected around a charismatic priest of the same entity. Also of some importance is how long the Mythos influence has been present. Evil that has been around for centuries may be entrenched very thoroughly, almost impossible to dig out of an organization. On the other hand, those in power may be overconfident, and one swift, well-aimed blow may destroy them forever. Newer groups are often less powerful, and have fewer options available to them. Created The created cult is one that was made specicifically for the worship of some sort of Mythos entity. Its sole purpose is the furthering of that patron's aims. Created cults are the most focused of all cults; few distractions interfere with the group's higher purpose. These cults never need to work around members' squeamishness, and the created cult can often work very directly. There can be no question as to the purpose of the created cult; their goals are usually clear. These groups are often created with a specific end in mind, a goal that they will work tirelessly for year after year, possibly century after century. Created cults know who they are, and never advertise themselves. Investigators will never run across a "Children of Shub-Niggurath" convention. Created cults often do not commit their organization's name to paper, and very seldom mention their name or activities outside their circle. Created cults often maintain a facade of a respectable organization, with a hidden core of cultists. This allows them to pick and choose those they want to include in the Elder Secrets. As a result, they are often organized in rings: the outer circles almost completely unaware of that the inner circles are doing. So while the investigators may not be able to locate the "Children of Shub-Niggurath," the radical feminist group "Daughters of Artemis" may be in convention at certain suspicious times. Fractiousness within the cult may arise without immortal guidance. Later members may see the goal differently and possibly develop alternate ways to achieve the goal, possibly misunderstanding the goal itself. Created cults can often be unstable in the early stages; the cult leaders have to be careful who they recruit, and may not chose the right sort of people the first time. If well-directed, created cults move in a fairly straightforward fashion. The inner circle does nothing but further the aims of the Mythos. All their moves result in some sort of Mythos activity, and by this they can be traced. The entire reason for this organization's existence is to do the bidding of the Master. Any associations the group has are built specifically to further that aim, or to cover up the cult's true nature. The majority of the cults in published scenarios are created cults, formed entirely for the purpose of worshipping some malevolent entity. [continued in V16.10] -------------------- The Chaosium Digest is an unofficial electronic 'zine about Chaosium's Games. In no way should it be considered representative of the views or beliefs of Chaosium Inc. To submit an article, subscribe or unsubscribe, mail to: appel@erzo.org. The old digests are archived on ftp.csua.berkeley.edu in the directory /pub/chaosium, and may be retrieved via FTP.