Saturday, July 3, 2010

Scenario Six



The Sight of Darkness


           
            Gagging as they dashed past the rotting flood of murderous flesh, they had scurried through the streets of Arkham like rats.   Finally, the six seal was placed, the vortex of darkness began to slowly swallow itself.  Like a great tongue, a tendril of darkness darted out of the blot that still consumed the bulk of the heavens, and the mount of Xzmundl vanished into what might have been its mouth. Raging, The Lich King screeched horrid curses as he plummeted from the sky.  The thud of Xzmundl as he hit the ground was deafening, but he did not die.

Hissing his hatred, he crawled and dragged his shattered frame towards Wendy as she shrieked and writhed in the throes of insanity, then Zoey dashed in front of the girl, swearing to protect her. 

The dying Lich King croaked laughter, “Now I see...  Now I see I was just a pawn in the game of the Gods...  Puny ant-ape, perched on the dung-hill of your arrogance, soon you shall learn your error, and that you too are but a tool…  The hands...  Are larger than the cosmos...”

Zoey stabbed her crosses through Xzmundl’s eyes.  The Lich King died and Zoey crowed triumphantly.  “God is with us!  Satan has fallen yet again!  It is the Second Coming!  At last, the wolf shall lie with the lamb!  Praise the Lord!”

            From the center of the abyss, boomed the laughter of Hecate, “Behold, little fool!  I am your Shepard, your wolf, your voice Divine!  Now perish, lamb, a sacrifice to your Lord’s hunger!”  

A hurricane of lightning and darkness whirled down at them.  For a moment, the darkness and lightning stole away Mary’s sight and when it returned, all were gone but Norman, Amanda, Gloria, and Jacqueline.

Those who survived fled with the Key, and yet, when they found a new Earth, their friends were found nowhere.  Their existence was purged from every world.

Mary sobbed.  How did they come to this disaster?  What sort of victory was this?  And Wendy, Wendy!  What had become of her?  Oblivion?  Obliteration through time and space?  Could it be true?  And what of the Afterlife?  That dear sweet child…  Gone forever?  Was it possible?  Could God allow such things?  What of the promise of immortal life?  Could it be that…  No.  It can not be!  It must not be…

            Norman said, “The battle was brutal and the costs grim, but we did it, we won.  We drove back the darkness.  We won.  Their sacrifice has saved us all.”

            Jacqueline trembled, “Hecate knows.  Hecate has seen it as well.  You are fools. I am blind, but I can see.  That was not the darkness.  That was not even its shadow.”  Jacqueline slid a gun in her mouth, fired, then slumped down dead.  The others stared in shock and horror, hardly able to process what they had just witnessed.

            They found another Jacqueline in another Earth, though she had hidden herself, foreseeing that they would seek her.  When they insisted that she must help them, she replied, “I have seen you before, and before, and before, and endless befores.  And though I am blind, I am far less blind than you.  I know.  I know!  I will not help you.  Leave me to my self in the End of Days.  I will not fight the dawning of the endless night.  I will never help your futile quest.”

            She attempted to kill herself yet again, and though they stopped her with speed and force, she repeatedly swore she would never help them.  And so they left, now but four in number.

            “Gloria, what does this mean?”  asked Mary.

            “Sometimes a person can see too much.”

 “We must not surrender to madness and despair though.  If we struggle and endure, we can still triumph.”

            “Do you really think so?”

            “Yes, we must have faith that we can overcome.”

            “Maybe.  Let us split up for a while.  We’ll meet again when the true darkness comes.  Mary, Amanda, you must continue the fight across the worlds.  Good luck my friends.  Don’t let our friends’ deaths be in vain.”

***

            “Marie,” said Mary, “I need to tell you something that might sound crazy, but I think you know enough of what’s going on in this town to know it’s not.  I need you to listen very carefully, to believe me, and I need you to help me find others who can help.”

            “I’m listening, Sister.”

***

            “Roland, I’ve heard peculiar reports about your behavior lately.”

            “Yes sir?  And what exactly was that?”

            “I’ve heard you’re cracking up.”

            “No sir, I’m swell.”

            Charlie grinned, “I’m sure you are, but you need to be more discreet discussing your case work.”

            “Sir?”

            “Never mind, it’s just as well.  If I hadn’t heard about your ‘crack-up’ I might be more hesitant trusting you.  You see, there’s something sinister going on in Arkham…  It’s not just these strange reports.  It’s something worse.  I think some kind of foreign cult is trying to infiltrate the town.  I need you to help me find out what is going on and how to stop it.”

            “Well sir, I don’t know much about that, but I met this nun, and she’s told me a weird tale.  I’m afraid it might actually be true...”


Custom components can be found here:
http://s622.photobucket.com/albums/tt307/avi_dreader/

Ancient One: Yig
Herald: Set
Required Investigators: None

Special Rules:

Check http://arkhamleague.blogspot.com/2010/03/arkham-horror-fan-creation-league.html for scenarios 6-12. 

When the first gate is opened, open another gate at the Woods (it can add a doom token, but instead of releasing a normal amount of monsters, it releases The Dark Druid and two Serpent People, if both gates were at the Woods, this counts as a monster surge i.e. the first gate opening at the Wood releases those two monsters). 

Whenever there is a monster surge at the Woods, immediately draw and resolve two more mythos cards.

Gates at the Woods cost 8 Clue tokens instead of 5 to seal.

Serpent People and The Dark Druid do not affect the monster limit.  The Dark Druid gains Weapons Immunity, immunity to Handcuffs, and can not be removed from the board except by a combat check.

During Final Combat, Yig curses investigators who fail a speed check against him.  Any investigator that already has a curse is devoured.

Clarification: For Dark Druid, “moving on a black path” means having a hexagon on a black background drawn, not moving along a black arrow.

Ignore Set's Start of Game ability.