The Phantom of Wilson Creek (BRP)
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Call of Cthulhu Scenarios from the Mountains of North Carolina
Something haunts the area of Wilson Creek¸ North Carolina.
There is an evil that seems to inhabit the old Campbell House that lies south of the tiny¸ struggling¸ logging village of Mortimer¸ whose bad times still lie before it.
The foothills of the Appalachian Mountains is an area rich in culture and history¸ though short on paved roads¸ telephones¸ indoor plumbing¸ and nearby help.
The first scenario¸ The House on Yellow Buck Mountain¸ takes place in 1925. One of the investigators has inherited an old but still intact house on the side of Yellow Buck Mountain in North Carolina. He must investigate the home¸ put to rest the local rumors about it¸ and try to figure out what is haunting it. If the first group flees from the area or does not otherwise deal with what is haunting Yellow Buck Mountain¸ they (or other characters) may return in subsequent months or years to try to end the horror.
The second scenario¸ Return to Yellow Buck Mountain¸ takes place in 1926¸ a year after the first. This time¸ the investigators might be facing more than one horror¸ depending how the first scenario played out. If the phantom was defeated and destroyed in the first scenario¸ they must now deal with local boogey men who have been seen on the mountainside near the town of Mortimer. If the first group did NOT defeat the Phantom of Wilson Creek¸ the second group may try to put down the phantom once again.
The third scenario¸ The Wizard of Wilson Creek¸ takes place in 1927 and builds on those before it. Unlike the others¸ this one deals with a madman in Mortimer who has learned of the exploits of the earlier groups and seeks power from the house itself and its former denizens. The ghouls have gone back to their underground haunts. The phantom is destroyed or merely sleeping. In any case¸ Wilson Hardy¸ a local farmer who works in the local fabric mill¸ is convinced that if he can somehow revive Martin Smith¸ he will be privy to his secrets.
Additionally¸ an interim scenario¸ The Strange Case of the Brown Mountain Lights¸ can be played at any time either between the scenarios or even as a red herring (though a deadly one) for use during any of the scenarios. The information on the Brown Mountain Lights should be available to investigators at any time and it should be left to them whether or not to investigate it. If they seem interested¸ the child should get lost and give them a reason to intervene. It is best set in 1927¸ during the largest manhunt in western North Carolina history during the hunt for Broadus Miller.
In each case¸ failure by investigators previous to those who are presently investigating means more trouble for those later investigations.
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