The Summons In late June 192-, each of the Investigators receives a short telegram from Colonel Artemus Farleigh. Farleigh, a wealthy recluse, wants them to visit him at his ancestral home just outside Boston. He offers each of them $250 just to make the trip. if the Investigators check up on Farleigh, they'll learn that he commanded a Field Artillery battalion during the Great War, is the only living scion of an aristocratic Massachusetts family, and that he is widelyknown as a collector of obscure and odd antiquities. Farleigh House sits high on a dark, wooded hill.1be Colonel's study is dimly-lit and curtains block out the sunlight, Dozens of curios line its walls and shelves- rusteaten swords, tattered manuscripts, Greek and Roman statuary, maps from around the world, and a wild array of other objects of unidentifiable origin. Farleigh, a worn, elderly man, sits stiffly in a high-backed chair. He'll explain that one of his European buyers recently discovered an interesting fragment from tlie long-lost Chronicle of Marcellinus, an early Byzantine historian. The fragment reads: [On the Nika Revolt, January 13-18, AD. 532] " Belisarius, the gener[all ... After the soldiers set to fire the Octagon, a fierce wind swept the flames far and wide throughout the city. No fewer than five churches were wholly consumed, as was the Palace of Lausus, along with all its treasures. Or so it was thought. But this chronicler has learned the truth and preserved it Know that one Valak, a Persian sorceror, and one of the instigators of the revolt carried away all the treasures of Lausus before the conflagration was complete. He fled from the City and vanished into the Taurus Mountains. In secret, the Emperor Justinian dispatched soldiers to hunt down the wizard, but no trace of him was ever found. Indeed, it is whispered through the halls of the Great Palace that many never returned from the mountains..." Intrigued by this ancient tale Farleigh commissioned a prominent archaeologist, Professor Eric Talbott, to investigate Marcellinus' story. Talbott cabled him from Istanbul, and then vanished into the Taurus Mountains, Farleigh hasn't heard from him in over six weeks. He wants the Investigators to go to Turkey and locate the missing archaeolgist. He'll pay them $10,000 plus expenses if they're successful. He'll also give them a letter of introduction to the curator of the Argis Apuleis in Istanbul and a copy of Talbott's last cable "CLUE FOUND IN APULEiS STOP PROCEEDING TAURUS STOP HIRED NEXT WEEK STOP TALBOTT" Talbott and his men were last seen driving off into the Anatolian highlands. If the characters accept Farleigh's offer, the Keeper should movie them quickly to Istanbul-the vast city of Caesars and Sultans sitting by the edge of a 'wine-dark sea.' Inside the Argis, Apulels Showing, Farleighs letter of introduction will get the Investigators into the vast private collection of the Argis Apuleis-with its worldrenowned collection of occult works. If one of the characters can make a Fast Talk Debate, or Oratory roll, he'll be, able to persuade Mustafa Beythe curator, to show them the materials Professor Talbott, studied, Bey, a squat; oily, little man will lead them to a vast. dusty stack of oldByzantine records, medieval chronicles, and Ottoman archives. They will quickly find a series of bookmarks, each marking a legend, or rumor about 'a vast', hidden treasure in the Taurus. The legends, stretch over a period of twelve hundred years, and they all Patrick Larkin has authored several Star Trek pieces for FASA Corp, as well as for other FASA Corp. products including Battledroids and The Doctor Who Role Playing Game. seem to be centered on Miras, a small village 50 miles south of the city of Konya, If the characters decide to look further in the materials gathered by Talbott, have them make a series of Library Use rolls for information listed below. A failed die roll indicates that they missed that clue, 1. The treasures of the Palace of Lausus included a number of artifacts seized when Justinian suppressed the pagan temples in Egypt and Syria., Only one item is mentioned specifically--the Mirror of Chaos. The name is not explained. 2. An obscure chronicle refers to Valak and mentions a sojourn in Egypt shortly after the sorceror fled Persia. 3. Another ancient Gnostic manuscript calls Valak the "Master of the Winged Serpent." If the characters don't go to the Argis Apuleis, or can't persuade Mustafa Bey to tell them what Talbott discovered at Miras, the Keeper should find a way to get them that information. One way could be a telegram from Farleigh: "NEW INFORMATION RECEIVED STOP TALBOTT HIRED TRUCKS FROM KEMAL MOTORS STOP HOW IS SEARCH PROCEEDING STOP" Kemal Motors is a large firm on the outskirts of Istanbul, If the owner Saleem Kemal is questioned, he will readily admit the rental of trucks to Professor Talbott over eight weeks ago. if told of Talbotts disappearance, Kemal's long, sad face will become even longer. He will offer a $200 reward for the return of his trucks. Kemal will also produce a contract that has Miras lettered in after "destination.' Trailing Talbott The tiny village of Miras is a 500-mile drive from Istanbul over wretched, hot, dusty, and winding roads, Its mud-brick huts rest in a narrow valley between the barren, rocky peaks of the Taurus Mountains. Flocks of sheep and bandy-legged shepherds can be seen wandering the slopes above the village. When the Investigators arrive, the entire population of Miras will come out to stare at the strangers. A successful Fast Talk or Oratory roll accompanied by a bribe will persuade the headman to admit that Talbott and his men arrived roughly eight weeks ago, and that they travelled up a tiny, deadend canyon east of the village "the place where nobody goes." The next day, the villagers heard several sharp, loud noises echoing down the canyon, but they've heard nothing since. No one's been willing to go look for the foreigners; despite the promising possiblities of loot. Talbott' s two trucks are still parked just outside Miras. The Narrow Canyon The canyon winds back between sheer rock walls for more than six miles. it ends abruptly at the foot of an ancient rockfall. The dark mouth of a cave is visible halfway up the steep slope, and the boulders blasted away to reveal it lie strewn across the canyon floor, The windblown remains of two canvas tents are caught in a tangle of thorn bushes and a half-empty case of dynamite is wedged between two nearby rocks. There is no other trace of Talbott's expedition, The Outer Chamber From the cave mouth, a dark passage just wide enough for one man leads back into the cliffside. A cool wind blowing out of the passage carries with it a sickening, musty odor. The tunnel is roughly 120 feet long and curves to the north and back to the south; cutting off all light from the outside, it opens suddenly into a small, rounded chamber. A large opening at the far end of the chamber is blocked by a huge stone slab, The slab has been partly levered aside, and two crowbars lie on the rock floor beside it, The wind blows out of a small cleft along the chamber's southern curve. Ten horribly mutilated bodies are strewn across the center of the chamber. Their flesh seems to have been mummified and is stretched across their bones like new-dried leather. All the corpses are torn and ripped and many seem to have been snapped in two. (Any Investigator seeing the bodies must make a SAN roll or lose 1D2 points of SAN.) If any of the characters examine the bodies closely, and make a First Aid roll, they'll find that three of the dead men seem to have been shot in the back at close range. Just as the first Investigators step into the center of the room, however, they will hear a soft, moaning 'help me ... help me" from the narrow opening on the south. If they look inside, they'll see a dirt-streaked, trembling, spectacled man crouching behind a pile of supply boxesProfessor Eric Talbott. At his back the small passage ends in a sheer drop into black nothingness, Talbott's clothes are torn, one of his lenses is cracked, and he's only managed to keep his .45 caliber revolver out of all the expedition's equipment. The Pit If the characters question him, Talbott is confused and very dazed-he thinks that only a few days have passed since the "horrible thing" happened, He can't remember what the "horrible thing" was, but hell resist having his pistol taken away; just in me it happens again. If the characters start back toward the stone slab in the main chamber, he'll panic, "No! No! Don't go in there. The door's a trap! The horrible thing happened there!" Instead, Talbott will try to persuade the Investigators to climb down the pit behind him. "The door must be a ruse. Typical tomb trick. My, I mean, Valales treasure must be down there!" The passage ends in an over hanging ledge, and the floor of the pit can't be seen from above. Talbott won't go down himself, and, in truth, he doesn't look as if he's physically up to the climb anyway. If all the characters climb down, Talbott will cut their ropes after they've reached the bottom and begin laughing madly, for hour after hour. If one or two Investigators are left behind, the archaeologist will pull his gun and try to force them to climb down after the others. if, however, the group sends a scout down first, Talbott won't try anything until they've given up on the pit and are heading back toward the stone slab. Then, just as they're trying to move the slab, he'll draw his revolver and order them back into the pit. The pit is nearly 20 meters deep and ends in a small round chamber filled with bones, skulls, and rusted armor and swords-all of Byzantine manufacture. There is no exit and the walls of the pit can only be climbed with a rope from above. However, the characters will notice a cool wind blowing out of small fissures on the east wall. If they brought tools down with them, they should be able to break through into the chamber beyond-leading to an underground river and possible escape. (The Keeper should have every character make a SAN roll when he first realizes that he's trapped. Failure will cost 1D6 points of SAN.) If they avoid Talbott's pit trap, the characters will still have to lever the stone slab in the main chamber aside. If two characters can make STR x 4 rolls at the same time, they'll be able to force the slab open far enough for two characters at a time to enter the room behind it The Master of the Winged Serpent When the slab is levered away, the Investigators will find themselves staring into a large, square room. The center of the room is occupied by a large, intricately- carved wooden throne. A brown, stick-thin, mummified corpse sits on the throne, the sorceror Valak. As long as the characters do nothing but stare at the throne, nothing will happen. However, at the first sign of movement, Valak's eyes will open, revealing a pair of glowing, fiery red orbs. (Make a SAN roll or lose 1D3 points of SAN.) At the same moment, the crystal set in a ring on his left hand will glow with a red light and begin pulsing. (If any character makes a First Aid roll, he'll realize that the gem is pulsing at the same rate as a human heart.) Valak will immediately turn and point a leathery finger at large, metal mirror hanging on the north wall. He'll utter a harshtongued spell. (Make a Cthulhu Mythos roll to identify it as a spell to Contact Nyarlathotep.) In the next melee round, the mirror will darken-revealing a swarthy man dressed in an Ancient Egyptian kilt and headband. Then, the view will darken again, showing a sea of bright, shining stars and a rushing, whirling black shape coming closer and closer. on the next melee round, a huge, black bat-winged serpent will burst out of the mirror's surface; flying above the group. (Make a SAN roll or lose lD10 points of SAN, and make a Cthulhu Mythos roll to identify the creature as a Hunting Horror.) The Hunting Horror will immediately attack the Investigators. Valak will do nothing further unless hes attacked. If he is, the sorceror will try to cast Shriving spell on the character closest to himhe's incapable of any other movement or activity. His leathery body cannot be hurt by normal weapons, and he can only be killed by smashing the ring on his left hand. (Valak has hidden his soul there, and it will take 10 Breakage Points before shattering.) If Valak is killed, the Hunting Horror will immediately fly back into the mirror, dragging along any character that it managed to grapple. If the Investigators somehow manage to kill the creature first, Valak's ring will fly off his hand and be sucked into the mirror-leaving his corpse to crumble away into dust. The Treasures Of Lausus Valak's chamber contains a variety of priceless artifacts-gold statuettes of Set, Ra, and Amon, ,sets of temple silver, and the like. if the characters can get these artifacts past the Turkish Republic's customs agents, they might be able to sell them for a lot of money-on the black market, of course. However, they should be aware that Colonel Farleigh is a very rich man and that he will gladly hire agents to track them down if he is betrayed. The Mirror of Chaos The Mirror is a gateway to Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos. Anyone staring into it and intoning the spell to contact the god will suddenly find himself face to with Nyarlathotep's first form. If the person looking in the mirror is not one of his worshippers or does not immediately become one, he will send a Hunting Horror through the mirror to seize and rend the intruder. Anyone who tries to destroy the mirror will suddenly see Nyarlathotep's horrifying second form. (Make a SAN roll and lose 1D10 SAN points, or lose 1D100 SAN points.) Only engraving the Elder Sign on the mirror's metal surface will close the gateway. Professor Eric Talbott: archaeologist, age 42, tall, short- cropped brown hair, dark brown eyes, and spectacles STR-10, SIZ-15, POW-0, CHA-13 CON- 11, INT-0, DEX14, EDU-18 Weapon: Talbott carries a .45 caliber revolver (1D10+2),20% Notes: Talbott's mind and soul are gone. He is entirely possessed by the Persian sorceror, Valak. Valak sees through his eyes and hears through his ears. If the sorcerer is killed, Talbott' s body will drop lifeless to the ground. Valak: sorcerer, age unknown, tall, glowing red eyes, skeletal form STR-0, SIZ-14, POW-21, CHA-0 CON-0, INT-18, DEX-10, EDC-NA Notes: Valak cannot be injured by normal weapons. They will pierce his dry, leathery flesh without visible effect and cost the character who tried to injure him 1 SAN point. The gem on his left hand, however, contains his soul, and smashing it (10 BP) will destroy him. Back to Table of Contents -- Game News #7 To Game News List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1985 by Dana Lombardy. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com