The Saltwater Inheritance (BRP)
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In 1925¸ the investigators are invited to conduct some historical research at the D'Estrier Estate¸ near the peaceful English sea-side village of Saltwater. Simon D'Estrier welcomes the visitors as a distraction after the recent death of his father Thomas¸ tragically swept off the rocks while walking. As they delve into the past of his mysterious medieval ancestor William D'Estrier¸ a looming horror begins to threaten the present…
"The Saltwater Inheritance" is an early scenario by serial Call of Cthulhu author and editor Mark Morrison. It was written between "Crack'd and Crook'd Manse" ( Mansions of Madness ) and "Land of Lost Dreams" ( H.P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands )¸ but has never been published until now. It came runner-up in a White Dwarf magazine scenario competition¸ which is kind of like winning second prize in a beauty contest¸ but with more tentacles.
Like the D'Estrier inheritance in the story it has lurched up out of the past¸ exactly as it was written in 1985¸ albeit updated for Call of Cthulhu 7th edition and with a new afterword by Morrison explaining how the scenario originally came to be¸ almost came not to be¸ and finally fished up here on the Miskatonic Repository after three decades of silence.
It's either a cracking piece of old school Call of Cthulhu investigation or an early work that lay unpublished for good reason¸ and probably a little bit of both. Either way¸ it's an enjoyably horrible time by the sea¸ just the thing for a one session game. Just remember¸ when wading through Treacher's Marsh after dark¸ bring shotguns and galoshes…