Chaosium Digest Volume 26, Number 7
Date: Sunday, August 30, 1998
Number: 1 of 1

Contents:

Bump in the Night: A Tale of Terror	(Kars Alfrink)		CALL OF CTHULHU

Editor's Note:

Another microsized Chaosium Digest this week. Send in those
submissions for the next issue!

NEW RELEASES:

* Call of Cthulhu - _Mortal Coils_ (Pagan Publishing, 204 pg.,
  $20.95), edited by Brian Appleton, is a book of new adventures for
  Cthulhu.

MAGAZINE SIGHTINGS:

* Elric! - "The World of Erekose", by Shannon Appel (me!), is a
  four-page outline detailing the history, geography, races, and
  technology of Erekose's Earth, one of the million spheres. It also
  includes a few adventure ideas, and should be a good primer for
  running a short adventure in that realm, Valkyrie #17 (British mag)

--------------------

From: kalfrink@hotmail.com (Kars Alfrink)
Subject: Bump in the Night: A Tale of Terror
System: Call of Cthulhu

Bump in the Night
A Tale of Terror
Kars Alfrink

Mr. Harold Winfield was driving home after a long day of hard work. It
was dark and the road to his home in the little town of Biltstone was
badly lit, the only light provided by the full moon. As he was dozing
behind the wheel, he didn't notice the dark shape crossing the
road. Mr. Winfield tried to avoid hitting the figure to no avail. The
humanoid form crashed into the screeching car and flew over it. Harold
got out, thoroughly shocked. He saw the victim--an old man--lying on
the road, unconscious and bleeding heavily. He put the poor man in his
car and raced toward the village. There the old man was put under the
care of Doctor White. After surviving the night, the man is now in a
coma.

Yet, strange things are happening in Biltstone. Mr. Winfield went insane 
shortly after a visit to the old man at the hospital. Nurses and doctors 
often perform their surgeries and other tasks imperfectly, with horrible 
consequences. Patients are scarred for life because of incisions that 
weren't even needed. Babies are born with sickening deformities.

Still the old man lies there, no relatives, only under the care of
Doctor White, still in a coma. Dr. White becomes more and more
reclusive and secretive.

Possibilities:

1) The old man is a rare form of Nyarlathotep. It lets itself become
wounded or hurt and then starts to terrorize the people who take care
of it. Meanwhile, the caretakers are slowly becoming completely
devoted to it, dedicating their whole lives to it. At the peak of this
dedication (which surpasses even the greatest love), the old man dies,
devastating the minds of the caretakers. Should anyone guess at its
nature (for example asking him, while in coma: "Hey are you
Nyarlathotep?") he'll slap them around a bit, when nobody's watching,
scream and moan, spit blood at them, and die.

2) The old man is a witch. He popped out of a gate and was hit by Mr.
Winfield. Physically incapacitated, he cursed Winfield and all his
relatives (among them Dr. White and some other hospital employees,
after all Biltstone IS a small village).

3) Doctor White is a mad man. After finding some of Herbert West's
notes in the Miskatonic Library he decided to carry on with West's
experiments with great success: some of the employees of the hospital
are living dead (hence the accidents during surgery and so
forth). White intends to make the old man his Magnum Opus; during
several operations (including some rituals) the old man will be
enhanced with metal parts. He will then be resurrected and herald the
coming of a new human race.

Bye for now, Kars

"That is not dead which can eternal lie,
And with strange aeons, even death may die."
-Al Azif

--