Scenario One

 Sin and Death

Mary approached the church door, with William Yorick behind her. The vaulting chamber was dimly lit by the scattered candles flickering in the darkness. The horrid…. Indescribable…. Things! The things he had shown her destroyed her doubt. Some, at least. The story could not be entirely true. God would not allow it. The banging at the door grew louder. One of the dark garbed men from the night before slammed on the outside of the door and would not stop. She tore it open. He did not enter.

“Show some respect for a house of God!”

The man sneered for a moment before trying to hide his reaction, “We have not come to hear you preach, we have come for the book and to learn of whom you have received it. We are ready to offer much money for it and for information of its provenance. We can bequest much to your church. Much good can you do with it. Come walk with us, talk with us, the night air is fresh. We can discuss its price as we stroll together. Long will you be remembered for the legacy of good works this sale shall bring.”

Mary stood inside the Church, thinking. The words were persuasive, but the timing was absurd, and their earlier behavior suspicious and peculiar beyond reason. Then jumped slightly, startled as William grasped her shoulder, “Don’t go!”

“I had no intention to. Please remove your hand.”

“I saw those things skulking through the graveyard, rising from the ground. Those are no humans. Not any more. Look how it squints at the cross you wear and licks its lips, this creature. I saw one feed. Beware.”

The vampire stepped back and snarled.

“Foolish human! We could spare your life! Or grant you immortality and an escape from this meaningless world and the fairy tale dreams you live for. We shall soon suck this earth dry, but there are infinite lands for us to feast on. You know it to be true, for you too have read the book, one of its endless copies. All your wishes could be made real, if you but bring us the book. This book of truth, quite unlike the paper idol your church of fools worships. Join us and live forever in delight and triumph. Spurn us, and you shall regret it beyond your grave.”

“Demonspawn!” cried Mary, “Blasphemy! Get thee behind me Satan!”

The vampire laughed, “If only I could, so I could sup from your sweet neck. Yet that shall be my master’s privilege, yes, I sense he has marked you for his own, perhaps he shall keep you as a pet. How dare you stand against us! My master is just a mere general in the endless army of our great Lord, the slayer of worlds! It is futile for you to stand against us. Submit! Submit! Or suffer a fate of unthinkable horror.”

Mary slammed shut the door and barred it. The creature outside made no further sounds. And if the legends of such beasts were true (as its actions seemed to indicate), it did not seem to be able to enter. But they would wait and watch until morning, taking turns at guard, and then they would begin their quest. Perhaps father Michael would bless them before they departed.

William went to sleep first. As he lay on the uncomfortable pew, he heard the tick tick ticking that didn’t seem to stop. Was it the clock on the wall? The clock was dead. Strange that it should be so. So where did the sound come from? That awful ticking. William wondered how he would sleep. 

When he closed his eyes, it seemed as if he could see that dreadful skull which he had held in his hand just a while ago, grinning, grinning horribly at him, the face of the Vampire and the face of Death becoming one, one horrible being.

He slept restlessly, dreaming himself hitched to a cart, a beast of burden, an immortal slave, dragging an infinite faced abomination behind him as it cut down endless fields of wheat— wheat that bled like men.

Custom components are found at:
http://s622.photobucket.com/albums/tt307/avi_dreader/

Ancient Ones: Dracula and Death. 
Herald: Janus. 
Required Investigators: Sister Mary and William Yorrick.

Start of game: Place one Cultist in the Southside Streets.  It is stationary until both Mary and Yorrick leave the Church.

Clarifications: Dracula’s undead bonuses do not apply to the Cultist/Vampires or Maniac/Vampires (Cultist, Dark Druid, Maniac, and Child of the Goat are identical to ordinary unboosted Vampires— ignore their special text). Cultist/Maniac-Vampires do not go to the outskirts and are not counted towards the monster limit. If one would be placed in the outskirts, place it on the gate nearest The Graveyard instead (1st player's choice if a tie).  Denying the Ancient One will not change Cultist/Vampires and Maniac/Vampires into Cultists or Maniacs for a turn (they are Vampires instead of their normal monster type, but they are not the original vampire, Dracula).  Dracula treats unstable locations as if they were streets.

If an Ancient One has an ability that adds doom tokens to its doom track (e.g. Death, Eihort, etc.), Janus adds the doom tokens to the doom track of the active Ancient One doom track (whichever doom track is active before or during final combat).

Thank Julia for Making These Images