I 2332 n I - A - E rw rn \ I 17 Guide to Creating 1890s Investigators, Fold-Out Map of Central London, Railway Map, Three lndepenldent Adventures ~ 4 The Horned Man Will Live - H.P.Lovecraft Cthulhu and its supplements have won dozens of best-of-class gaming awards. Editions include French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. m ple file A gentle breeze wafts across Platform Five of Twyford Station. You wait for the ten o'clock train for Henley-onThames, for soon the Henley Royal Regatta begins. Attending the regatta is in high fashion, and patronized by royalty. Not only tremendously entertaining, the regatta is an important meeting-place of contacts, both business and casual. The train arrives bearing a single first-class car, as usual for runs during the regatta. Everyone flles aboard, taking their seats, and the journey begins. Clacking rails pass below. A tunnel approaches, quiet darkness falls, and two men die. Sa "Straight lines and right angles are simply straight lines and right angles the world over, but the delicate and particular curves of a town slowly reared on a certain spot have a priceless wealth of suggestion pertaining to place and people; a suggestion which makes every narrow, devious hillside lane, rich with its mellow limning of antique, characteristick doorways and windows and chimneys and gables, a veritable gateway of memory and mystery .... London! Majestick, ineflable, and immemorial!' Dark Designs contains three adventures for the Cull of Cthulhu roleplaying game. All are set in southern England, and involve occult practises in the 1890s. Two of the adventures can be linked to form a mini-campaign, the third is suitable for new investigators and beginning players. Background information about the 1890s, including a character-generation synopsis and investigator sheet, is included in this book. Enterprising keepers might refer to Chaosium's Cthulhu B y Gaslight supplement, containing extensive information about this period. You do not need Cthulhu By Gaslight to fully enjoy Dark Designs. L n L L VI CTHULHC "."" r." ,,a w. v"-w"n. w - 4 llpl -' ::;:?eP l I I I II 51895 9 780933 635753 29 1-2332CH 18.95 ISBN 0-933635-75-3 1 I Y Call of Cthulhu is a roleplaying game based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, in which ordinary people are confronted by the demonic beings and forces of the Cthulhu Mythos. Players portray investigators of things unknown and unspeakable, decent men and women of the 1920s who unexpectedly learn dreadful secrets. Dark Designs provides a glimpse of Mythos activities in thP 4490s. CALL OF CTL mwLHU -#2324 CALL OF CTHULHU is Chaosium Inc.'s Want a FREE CATALOG of Chaosium books and horror and wonder. Street, Oakland CA 94608 loo? file ple m Sa Howard Phillipo Lovecraft 1890-1937 Celebrating the Second Century file ple m Sa Dark Designs Occult Terrors in 1890sEngland Occult Terrors in 1890s England For Call of Cthulhu file m ple David Hallett Kevin W. JacMin L.N. Isinwyll Sa * by cover painting LEE GIBBONS interior drawings EARL GEIER maps and plans CAROL TRIPLET-SMITH project, added text, editing, assignments LYNN WlLLlS interior layout SAM SHIRLEY cover layout CHARLIE KRANK copyreading ANNE F. MERRITT Chaosium Inc. 1991 m ple file GENERAL CONTENTS Introduction, L.N. lsinwyll 7 8 Eyes For The Blind, by David Hallett, with L.N. lsinwyll 33 Southern England and Wales, Carol Triplett-Smith Menace From Sumatra, by Kevin W. Jacklin, with L.N. Isinwyll 49 71 Lord of the Dance, by David Hallett 1890s Investigators, L.N. lsinwyll 110 Handouts 120 inside back cover Central London Map Sa DARK DESIGNS is published by Chaosium Inc. DARK DESIGNS is copyright 01991 by Chaosium Inc.; all rights reserved. CALL OF CTHULHUBis the registeredtrademark of Chaosium Inc. Similarities between characters in DARK DESIGNS and persons living or dead are strictly coincidental. HP. Lovecraft‘s works are copyright 0 1963, 1964, 1965 by August Derleth and are quoted for purposes of illustration. All material concerning Shudde-M’ell and the Cthonians, and all other inventions of Brian Lumley as portrayed in his books, specifically The Burrowers Beneath, are used with his kind permission. London transport and street maps are excerpted from Karl Baedeker’s London and Its Environs, Leipsic and London, 1898. The.cover pajnting is by Lee Gibbons, copyright 01991 Lee Gibbons; all rights reserved. Mr. Gibbons’ work depicts a portion of a Tindalos. Mr. David Hallett thanks playtesters Steve Bottom, Simon Burnett, Mike Carter, Simon Harrison, Shelagh Lewins, Mark Tolley, and IanTolley. For assistance and advice, he thanks Kendrick Zetie, MarkTollqr, and Francis Tiffany. Interior illustrations are copyright 01991 by Earl Geier; all rights reserved. Maps are copyright 01991 by Carol Triplett-Smith; all rights resewed. Martha J. McNulty depicted HP. Lovecraft. The reproduction of material from within this book for the purposes of personal or corporate profit by photographic, electronic, or other retrieval media is prohibited. Address questions and comments wncernin this book as well as requests for free listings of Chaosium publications to Chaosium Inc., 950-A 56th Street, OaklanjCA94608, United States of America. Chaosium Publication 2332. First published in February 1991. ISBN 0-933635-75-3. Printed in the United States of America. M E MENACE FROM SUMATRA 49 UlKDOFTHE DANCE Background The Windebanks (illus.) The Blue Fungus The Blue Stones Windebank‘s Death (illus.) Insp. Jones (illus.) Player Handout #1 Const. Walker (illus.) East lndies Steamship Co. Thug (illus.) Dr. Spencer (illus.) The Police Mortuary London Carriage Co. Cready Jarvis (illus.) Rotbridge & Son. Norris’s Family Hotel Jenny Brown (illus.) Player Handout #2 Dr. Granger Dr. Granger (illus.) Watching Dr. Granger Player Handout #3 14 Brigge Street Another Interlude Thing From Beyond (illus.) Norris’s Hotel Robbery Player Handout #4 Library Research A Sudden Disappearance Player Handout #5 A Local Survey Susan Windebank 49 50 51 51 52 53 54 54 55 56 56 56 56 57 57 57 57 58 58 59 59 60 60 61 61 61 61 62 62 63 64 64 65 65 66 66 67 67 67 68 68 69 69 70 71 72 Player Handout #1 72 Agnes Cardew (illus.) 72 Dr. Symes (illus.) Miss Amis in hospital (illus.) 73 73 London 74 Previous Locations 74 The Police Station 74 Sgt. Wibbern (illus.) 75 Miss Amis’ Flat 75 Capt. Puzey (illus.) 75 The Wall Safe 76 Canlis Galleries 76 Beausoirs-Price (illus.) 77 The Rooms of the Artist 77 Mrs. Barton (illus.) 77 Willie Barton (illus.) Sebastian Fewkes (illus.) 77 77 Meeting David Smythe Smythe at the Dorianean 78 (illus.) 78 Getting to the Chamber 79 1 Tiber Street Through The Underground 79 79 The Ancient Chamber 80 Limbo Gate Luthwaite’s Wax Museum 80 80 Waxwork Museums 81 T. Luthwaite (illus.) Luthwaite’s Museum (plan]1 82 82 Luthwaite’s Library 83 Player Handout #2 83 Player Handout #3 Player Handout #4 (not 83 shown) 83 Player Handout #5 84 The Bed Chamber 84 The Mirror 84 The Cellar 85 Miss Amis Revives 85 Through The Gate 85 An Ancient Place Carn Gluze & em. (map) 86 86 The Dark Old House file Scenario Events 8 The Dulcarnon 9 H. Cartwright (illus.) 10 The Blind Man (illus.) 10 Inspecting The Bodies 10 Murder on the Train (illus.) 11 Player Handout #1 12 About The Special Knives 12 The Police, & Thereafter 12 Inspector Longtree (illus.) 12 13 Activities of the Cabal 13 Playing the Blind Men 13 Henley-on-Thames 13 Player Handout #2 14 Oldacre’s House (plan) 15 Upper Hart St. (illus.) 16 Oldacre’s House 16 The Carlwright Home 17 Mrs. Paterson (illus.) 17 Within The Mansion 18 Player Handout #3 18 Player Handout #4 19 Robin Hood’s Bower 19 Dr. John Dee 20 Player Handout #5 20 David Smythe (illus.) 20 Pradesh Danh (illus.) 20 Vavit Danh (illus.) 21 Quoit, a new weapon 22 Player Handout #6 22 Player Handout #7 22 The Seven Stars 22 Samuel Berry (illus.) 23 Harry Trimble Rowse’s Funeral Parlour 23 24 Rowse’s (plan) 25 A. Hengst, Books 26 A. Hengst (plan) 27 Smythe’s Citadel 28 The Black Lion 29 About Mr. Graystone 29 M.M. Graystone (illus.) 29 Jeremy Hawser (illus.) 30 The Cellars (plan) 30 Ramekin Perkins (illus.) 31 The Green Man (illus.) 32 Plant Effigies in Britain Player Handout #8 33 Southern England map (foldout) 33 The Famous Fandambulum34 34 Silbury Hill & c. (map) Bert the Whiter (illus.) Java Coffee Co. Java Coffee Co. (plan) Lower Floor The Cell Ward The Dissection Theater The Rat-Room A Diversion (illus.) The Front Third AThird Interlude Statistics A Thing From Beyond ple 8 m EYES FOR THE BLIND Caldemono Strazi (illus.) 35 Gorgo the Bodyguard (illus.) 35 Caravan of N. Ferencz 35 Dr. Serge Verdain 36 Attacking The Fair 36 Nystor Ferencz (illus.) 37 38 Gypsies and the Fair Slang and Romany Words 38 Night of the Solstice 39 Two Entities 40 The Mother-Wife (illus.) 41 Rewards And Penalties 42 43 Bibliography Statistics 43 Vanish 44 Warding 44 Candle Communications 44 ImpeccableThrow 45 Enter Zombie 45 45 Raise Dulcamon Iron Knife (illus.) 46 Metropolitan London (map) 47 48 East End (illus.) Sa London Scenario Locations (map) 6 Introduction 7 Dimensional Shambler (illus)87 St. Just 88 Const. Arnett (illus.) 88 The PolseazeTwins 88 John P. (illus.) 89 Concerted Action 89 90 Player Handout #6 Player Handout #7 90 Tollesbury 90 Polseaze House aflame. 91 Tollesbury Area (map) 92 Big News inTollesbury 92 Dreams Of TheTemple 93 The City Rises 93 The Sunken City 94 TheTemple 94 Sunken City risen (illus.) 95 A Second Mirror 96 Fewkes’ Information 96 The Horn Dance 97 Thaxted 97 The Ceremony 97 The Head (illus.) 97 The Thaxted Ancients (illus.) 99 Selbury Manor 100 The Wooden Head 100 The Powers of the Lure 101 Final Crisis 101 The Ceremony 102 Carn Gluze (plan) 102 The Burden (illus.) 103 The Child Born 104 Interruptions 104 The Child (illus.) 105 106 Rewards & Penalties Statistics 107 Vanish 107 Warding 107 Candle Communication 107 Bibliography 109 1890s Investigators Attacks and Weapons (table) 1 10 112 Perforated Section Begins New 1890s Investigator Sheet 113 Repeat of New Player Material 115-119 Handouts 121-128 Central London map inside back cover