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Chaosium Digest Volume 16 Number 10
Chaosium Digest Volume 16, Number 10
Date: Sunday, October 12, 1996
Number: 2 of 2
Contents:
Building a Better Cult, Part 2 (John Goodrich) CALL OF CTHULHU
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From: "John Goodrich" <Olaughing@aol.com>
Subject: Building a Better Cult
System: Call of Cthulhu
Building a Better Cult, Part 2
by John Goodrich
ORIGIN (cont.)
Influenced
Originally, this group had nothing to do with the inhuman entities or
objects, but somehow the will of the Gods has become manifest to at
least one of the members. Perhaps some entity found a resonant note in
the minds of the group, and has been slowly insinuated itself into
their actions. Unlike the corrupted cult, the influencing entity,
sorcerer, or object is not necessarily present, but often prefers to
manipulate the actions of the group from afar, never actually showing
its hand or even being identified with the group. The
previously-mentioned Teamster's Union with a Serpent Man working
within it is a good example of an Influenced Cult. More than likely,
the orders of the Serpent Man are carried out separately by dupes who
do not understand the significance of their actions, but rather
because they think it is union business. Only by pulling back and
seeing the actions of the group as a whole will the mechanizations of
the manipulator become clear.
The Influenced cult is by far the most difficult to pinpoint. Their
cover us usually almost perfect: a group of individuals who are not
involved in the Mythos at all. Often nothing in the organization's
history indicates that they are working towards Mythos goals at all.
Many influenced groups have an "Inner Circle" who are directing the
less knowledgeable members of the organization. In addition, the grand
manipulator of the organization may not even be in an obvious place of
power, but instead is manipulating the puppet strings from some lowly
position. Investigators will have a difficult time locating the
precise source of the infection. Investigators may have to peel away
layers of deception in order to get to the truth. If the facade
organization is well-respected, the investigators may face an
extremely hostile neighborhood, including the police and more many
respectable citizens. Woe to the investigators who cannot back up
their allegations!
Mythos-dominated members of the influenced cult must be circumspect
when giving orders. They cannot afford to have more innocent members
figure out what they are doing. The influenced cult cannot be bold and
direct, but must be patient and subtle. Overt acts will outrage the
regular members, depriving the manipulator of its tool.
Subtle and patient are two things investigators hate. It could take
months or years for the investigators to put together enough pieces to
figure out exactly who is pushing the buttons, and what organization
is responsible. This type of organization can take a huge amount of
time and footwork by the investigators, and takes an eternity to root
out. After all, the investigators wouldn't want to kill an innocent
person, would they?
Corrupted
The Corrupted Cullt started as an organization dedicated to something
else. But the Mythos has seeped into it, and now the organization,
while still ostensibly continuing it's old work, had been entirely
subsumed by the Mythos. Unlike the influenced cult, the individual(s)
who are influenced by the Mythos are always present, and very often in
conspicuous positions of power.
Hate groups and those with occult trappings are especially open to
corruption by Mythos sorcerers and entities, but this is a guideline,
not a rule. The Mythos is much more shocking when it corrupts in the
initial pursuit of a good cause. Perhaps some doctors have gotten hold
of healing magic, and use it in the treatment of the patients. The
patients are recovering, but the doctors themselves are becoming more
and more insane, leading them to try the other, less beneficent spells
they have found. The Keeper should make it clear that it is impossible
to use anything connected to the Mythos for a good cause. Everything
that comes in contact with the alien entities and energies of the
Mythos will eventually, in some way, come under their inhuman sway.
The corrupted cult, like the influenced cult, often continues the work
that it was created for, keeping their Mythos activities under close
wraps. A defined leader in the organization keeps fractiousness to a
minimum, but problems can still arise if someone charismatic and
ambitious comes into the organization. Again, it is quite difficult to
tell precisely who has been corrupted, and who has not. And like the
influenced cult, it is very often extremely difficult if investigators
to figure out precisely what organization is responsible for the
Mythos activity.
Unlike the influenced cult, at least some section of the organization
knows about the Mythos influence. And where people know the truth,
ways exist for investigators to get it from them. The more people who
are in on the secret the larger the chance that someone will talk.
In addition, because the organization was subsumed wholesale, there
may be members who were initiated into the Mysteries who shouldn't
have been. Traitors are probably the greatest threat to the corrupted
cult, especially if they are rank amateurs feeling their way into the
Mythos. It seems that it is human nature to grumble, and this
reactionary nature may not be removed by insanity.
A corrupted group is the Keeper's chance to pull something very
strange. Perhaps the Grand Wizard of the local Klan chapter deserves
that title more than his predecessor did. A keeper has a great deal of
leeway when creating a corrupted cult. Any organization from the most
innocent to the most evil can be corrupted and twisted by the Mythos.
Sometimes, even Mythos groups can be corrupted by another Mythos
entity, leading to a very confused trail for the investigators to
follow. One of many possibilities involves an organization that an
investigator belongs to becoming corrupt.
Immortal
One of the great promised of the Cthulhu Mythos is the possibility of
immortality. To live undying is a dream that a great many humans would
gladly sell off a good deal of their humanity for. And a number have.
Immortal cultists are some of the most dangerous humans on the planet.
What knowledge can a human gain compared to someone who has had
centuries to study and refine her magical skills?
To have achieved the mighty magics to grant immortality, the immortal
cultist has to be extremely powerful. And more than likely, the study
of the magical sciences has not ended. Few entities know more about
magic than an undying cultists who have studied magic for over a
thousand years. Fools do not survive four hundred years of hiding and
changing identities.
Immortality is often extremely inconvenient in Call of Cthulhu.
Vampires have it easy compared to the immortals from Call of Cthulhu.
Most Mythos spells that confer immortality regularly require extremely
strange and rare ingredients, and often produce highly unpleasant side
effects. If these fragile supply lines are cut, then half the
investigators' work is done for them. Additionally, immortal cultists
need to move house regularly before the neighborhood notices that they
haven't aged in the last eighty years.
Immortal cultists were once human. Humans have habits, favorite
things, and a desire for a connection to the past. With the growing
rate of change in the last two centuries, the immortal cultists may
find it difficult to keep up. Archaic spelling, ideas, and technology
may mark the immortal cultist as a sort of anachronism. However, more
and more people living in the twentieth century have difficulty
dealing with technology, too.
Immortal cults are as a rule small. Large numbers of immortal
individuals in general circulation tends to increase the suspicion
level exponentially. However, if they are in general isolated from the
rest of society (something that is becoming more and more difficult in
the twentieth century), then there is much less probability of
discovery.
The most important thing in the sorcerers' lives is the immortality
spell. The keeper must decide exactly what the maintenance
requirements are, what side effects it has, and what happens to the
individual who violates the rules. Can the immortal cultists eat only
vegetables? Can they not bear close proximity to iron? Does their
immortality cause them great pain? Such small indica can help the
investigators spot the immortal cult members, and give them the
toehold they need to bring down this most dangerous of cults.
SIZE
The number of members in a cult will determine how it can react in
certain situations. But size should not be equated with power. While
the larger cult has more bodies and more psychic energy available, the
smaller cult is able to congregate with less attention, and is much
less likely to be fractious. Smaller cults are often far more
dedicated and energetically involved with their cause. But none of
these guidelines are set in stone.
Large
In a large cult, organization is very important. Tasks must be
assigned to inindividuals, and the power structure of the organization
must be very well defined. The large cult is often divided into two or
more circles, and promotion is based on whatever factors the cult
deems desirable. Other cults have a single membership level- only the
priest has more status than anyone else.
The large cult has the safety of numbers, and tremendous amounts of
POWer available. The large cult has more members, more resources, more
skills and more money to draw on than the small cult. What the small
cult has to tiptoe around, the large cult can smash right through.
Many lips increases exponentially the chance of someone talking.
Hundreds of people cannot congregate in one place without causing some
sort of sign or discussion. Large cults often have to masquerade as a
different organization to hide themselves.
Since the large cult tends to be a bit impersonal, it is quite
possible for the investigators to infiltrate the cult without being
detected. In larger groups, its possible for masqueraders to attend
several meetings without attracting undue attention to themselves.
In addition, the larger the cult, the greater the chance of
fractiousness developing. More members mean the greater potential for
a sub-leader to emerge and lead a section of the group off in a
different direction. Fractiousness has led to the demise of more than
one real world cult. It can happen to Mythos organizations, also.
The large cult has the advantage of the safety of numbers. There is
nothing like having eighty people worshipping one's chosen Great Old
One to give a sense that all is right with the world. And in matters
of self-defense, even if a quarter of the members own guns, the
investigators should be quickly overwhelmed.
Small
The small cult offers an intimacy that the large cult cannot match.
The cultist and a few if his best buddies get together and demonstrate
their great respect for some Mythos entity. Small cults are very
intimate. Everyone knows everyone else. Secrets are hard to keeep- if
one member of a four-person cult wants to take over, chances are, the
rest of the group is going to notice.
The small cult is, well, small. It is harder to detect the meeting
times and places of the small cult; the event is not a big party. Such
meetings can be disguised as other, legitimate transactions. Who is
going to suspect five people who always have lunch together of being
the hideous Cult of the Bloody Tongue?
The tight-knit intimacy also allows for a much greater efficiency and
organization than the larger cult. Mistakes are known about and can be
remedied almost immediately. Communication lines are a simple as a few
phone calls. In addition, the fewer people involved, the less
possibility there is of outsiders noticing the strangeness of the
cult. No one lives in a vacuum, and cultist's friends and relations
are often ignored in traditional cult scenarios. How does the
cultist's spouse react to the difference once their partner is
corrupted by the Mythos? Will the cultist sever all ties with their
former life, or will they attempt the semblance or normality? If only
a few people begin to act strange, then there is less chance that an
overall pattern will be noticed. However, if fifteen people in a town
act strangely, then tongues will begin to wag, and there is a
possibility that the cult members will be associated in their
strangeness.
In a small cult, everyone knows everyone. One person deciding to roll
over on everyone else will result in everyone being exposed. However,
this is extremely unlikely. Also, it is very difficult for anyone to
pose as a cultist. In addition, once the investigators sees meeting of
the small cult, they know everyone in it. No escape is possible once a
member has been seen with the small cult.
The loss of single member of a small cult is a serious blow the
organization's effectiveness. Chances are, each member has a specific
job to do in order for the overall goal to be obtained. Unlike the
large cult with its expendable members, the small cult cannot afford
to waste anyone.
The small cult is often overlooked as an option, simply because four
individuals would have roughly the same firepower potential as the
investigators' group. However, one moderately potent sorcerer can make
the investigators' lives miserable without ever revealing his
identity. The smaller cult probably will not see direct confrontation,
but isolate and terrorize from the shadows. Once two or three
investigators are out of the picture, then the cult is more likely to
take direct action.
ENTITY WORSHIPPED
Each cult has some sort of Mythos adjunct attached to it; otherwise,
the investigators would not be making their lives miserable. Exactly
what this is determines a great deal of the flavor of the cult.
Cthulhu cultists often are degenerates who worship in large gangs. Few
organizations outright worship the Great Race of Yith, but rumors
exist of a loose organization that aids them whenever possible. The
Keeper should study the entity carefully when creatiing a cult for it.
What sort of thing is it? What kind of goals would such an entity
have? Does it appreciate the worship? Need it? Hate it? What would it
do with a mass of scuttling humans that will do its every bidding?
GOALS
Many cults work towards definite goals. How about some
drug-trafficking followers of a lloigor? Is their goal to attain
wealth, or spread corruption and misery? The specific goal will
significantly affect the ways in which the cult goes about their
business. If they are looking for weallth for its own sake, then it is
likely that they will be looking at more high-risk ventures, amassing
wealth as quickly as possible. The drugs will often be cut, and prompt
payment is a must. If corruption is their goal, then they can afford
to be more insidious. Instead of cutting individual junkies off, they
will probably just string them along- enough to send the junkie
spiraling into depression and desperation, then bailing him out just
before he does something suicidal. The toll of such a relationship
would be insufferable to friends and family. The Keeper should give
significant thought to the ultimate goals of the organization, and the
methods the cult is willing to use in order to achieve that goal.
However, just because a goal is defined doesn't mean it has to be
easily comprehensible, such as collecting the left green eyes of
humans born above the 12 degree longitude in the Year of the Rat. The
cult needs twenty-three of these eyes in order to summon a specific
fire vampire that knows the secret of fire charming. While it is
unlikely that the investigators will ever discover the true
motivations behind the cult's activities, a concrete goal does give
them a consistency of action that gives the cult more life, and thus
more menace.
THE DIRTY TRICKS SECTION
Every investigators' organization deserves to have a bit of nastiness
thrown specifically at them every now and then. It keeps them on their
toes. Here are a couple of dirty tricks to pull on the investigators
to get them thinking about what exactly they are doing. The more
morally ambiguous the Keeper can make the cult, the more the players
will agonize over it. That's what they're playing Call of Cthulhu for,
isn't it?
Include Former investigators. Perhaps the worst kind of cult are those
comprised of former investigators. The Keeper can show the
investigators what can happen if they stray too far from the path of
humanity, and begin to use the power of the Mythos against itself.
Characters can have the shock of their careers seeing their actions
and attittudes thrown back at them. If the Keeper thinks the group has
grown too callous, try throwing a group of insane, witch-hunting
fanatics at them. Watch the players' expressions as the witch-hunters
burn down the orphanage on the suspicion that one of the orphans came
from an Innsmouth family.
Create a pacifistic cult. It's easy justify mowing down a bunch of
armed cultists because they're a menace to life and limb. But, this is
a lot more difficult if they resemble misguided Quakers. An
investigator who doesn't hesitate to kill a group of unarmed cultists
has lost a good deal of the humanity that she claims to fight for.
Use kids. Even the most hardened monster bashers should hesitate when
confronted with 40 kindergartners innocently laughing as they chant to
summon Azathoth. If the investigators let the children live, what
guarantee do they have that someday one of the children will not teach
it to his friends, and sing it around a campfire with twenty other Boy
Scouts? A serious moral dilemma like this will gain the players'
respect, once they've gotten over the headaches it has caused them.
Make the players hate the cult. Demonstrate to the players that the
cult is so vile and disgusting that any delay in wiping them out will
lead to terrible acts. The hasty stroke often goes amiss. Find out if
any of the players have buttons that can be pressed: secret fears that
can be integrated into the cult. Don't overuse this trick, or it will
loose its punch, but one tailor-made, truly vile cult can stand out
in the players' minds for a long time.
Weirdness
Going hand in hand with all of the above, a little directed weirdness
goes a long way to making any cult encounter memorable. How about a
cult whose devotions involve drinking Orange Juice five times a day?
It gives the investigators something to look for, and for a while
afterwards, their hands will twitch when they see someone walking down
the street with a glass of good old OJ. Suddenly the familiar and
every day is sinister.
Strangeness can take numerous forms, forms, many of them available in
the daily newspaper. Start a file of newspaper articles that deal with
strange events, and use these for inspiration. Suppose the followers
of Nyarlathotep are breeding tiger/lion crossbreeds to lick Mr. N's
hands when he comes to the Cult Clubhouse? How abbout a cult whose
signature murder includes leaving the victim's head in the freezer?
Or how about a cult that has a cluster bomb? No delivery system, just
a cluster bomb sitting in the middle of the congregating area. Are the
investigators going to leave it for just anyone to find? Are they
insane enough to try to take it home? They probably don't even know
what will make it go off! Investigators who consistently run into this
level of Mythos-related strangeness will quickly develop nervous tics
when seemingly ordinary topics are mentioned. If the Keeper was really
successful, the players will, too.
The Supercult
For the true conspiracy theorists in the group, the Keeper can provide
a small, exclusive group who control certain cults. Not all the
organizations the investigators run into should be part of this
international conspiracy, but every now and then there should be the
hint of some sort of larger involvement: a dropped letter, or a
familiar library stamp. International supercults are by necessity
extremely paranoid and very careful. At no time should there be
concrete evidence of the supercult's involvement, but just enough for
the investigators to eventually see a pattern.
Like the supposed Great Satanist Conspiracy, the supercult is truly
worldwide, and has their fingers in as much or as little as the
Keeper's cold heart wishes. New World Industries, first introduced in
Keith Herber's Fungi from Yuggoth, is an excellent model for the
supercult. NWI has appeared as a shadowy organization in a few
subsequent Chaosium products, always remaining in the background.
Instead of being actors themselves, NWI appears to prefer to provide
information to other groups, letting the corruption of the Mythos do
its own work.
Of course, the supercult should not show up every time the Mythos
does. They should have an reliable, consistent plan of attack, a
definite, large goal that all their actions work towards. However,
something as general as the corruption of all mankind could be
accomplished by establishing numerous cults across the country. The
supercult also acts as a central, larger brain for the Mythos. While
smaller organizations may not notice many of the investigators'
actions, the supercult will. The supercult will probably become aware
of the investigators' presence about the same time that the
investigators deduce the existence of the Supercult. Then things will
get really hairy, since covert warfare will exist until one of the
antagonists is dead.
Setting up the supercult takes a great deal of time and effort, and
taking it down should be the result of decades of work. They will
also likely have a number of influenced or corrupted cults at their
beck and call, and have a number of created organizations that they
seeded themselves.
FINAL NOTES
Of all things, it is most important for the Keeper to put some thought
into the Mythos organization she is going to put the investigators up
against. A well-developed and fully realized cult with defined goals,
a background that the investigators can catch glimpses of, and some
sort of logic to their existence is a great deal more terrifying than
just another bunch of screaming maniacs. Using the guidelines
presented here, the Keeper should be able to create more fully
realized organizations for the investigators to battle. The more
alive and dynamic the group seems, the greater the memories will be,
and the more the adventure will grow in the telling.
- * -
Russell rested his 10-gauge on his left hip. He could feel the thick
gunpowder haze scoring his lungs. Nearly a score of adolescent bodies
were scattered about the room.
Dame Addams carefully wiped her katana on a piece of cloth before
sliding it back to the sheath. Only then did she notice the dark stain
spreading from her ribs. She sat down hard, the exhaustion of combat
setting in heavily. "How do these things happen?" She moaned, the
weight of the action turning her face prematurely old. "They were
only kids."
Dr. Bombei peered at her through eyeglasses half-melted from the
intensity of the sorcerous combat. Looking at him, Dame Addams
realized how closely he had come to losing the mystic battle. "I
believe I have the answer," he said as he held up a battered copy of
the first edition of the Deities and Demigods Cyclopedia. "They delved
too greedily into things they should not have known. Now they have
paid the price."
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