k-raov
28th May 2008, 02:30 PM
I posted this on here a long time ago, and figured I might as well post it once more for those who are looking for something to put into their CoC games. below is the description, and below that are the stats fro the book in both d20 and BRP formats.
The Turtle and the Snake
================
In English, by Susan Dirth, c. 1955. Originally ran in 1500 copies, but all save 10 were destroyed by 1960.
Susan Dirth was the paragon of what was expected of a woman in the 1950's. She was a perfect housewife, leader of the Homeowner's Association, president of her PTA, and an amazing hostess for her husband's dinner parties. She spoke when spoken to, and knew all of the proper ettiquete. A Wellesley girl, Ms. Dirth was loved by all.
But, Ms. Dirth also had a deep, dark secret. After her Friday night Bridge games, she and her friends would drive an hour outside of Gloucester, MA, and they would perform ancient rites by the moonlight that would make stomachs churn, even today. Susan Dirth was the High Priestess of the Cult of Gshan. While the cult was very small, it was responsible for a large number of disappearances in and around Gloucester for 10 years... The time Susan Dirth was Priestess.
Susan Dirth married out of Wellesley to a former Army pilot who had flown during the Doolittle Raids. Being a "devout catholic," by the 8th year of their marriage they had 6 children. Susan, not wanting her children to be spoiled by the world that she fronted, decided to bring them into the supernatural fold that she had so deviously covered from her husband and peers. Along with stories of the ancients that she related to them, she wrote a small childrens book, complete with illustrations, that was intended specifically for her children. Deep inside it's story and pictures, a sleeping evil waited for the impressionable young minds to stumble across it.
Unfortunately, Ms. Dirth's husband found the manuscript and illustrations. Thinking that Ms. Dirth was too shy to send it off herself, he delivered it to an acquaintance of his at a small publishing firm in Boston. The book was ran in a short press of 1500 copies, which were delivered mostly to the Massachussets area. The book skyrocketed, selling out within the first 3 months. The company that published the book was wracked with internal corruption, and was forced into bankruptcy 2 months afte the book was released.
In 1957, a spike in the mental health of children was reported. It seemed that the children were possessed of incredible nightmares, waking up with cuts and bruises, of talking to things that weren't there, even going so far as to hurtle themselves off of stairs, or into traffic. By 1959, the parents had no choice but to commit thair children to the various psychiatric institutions in Massachussets.
By 1960, many parents had disposed of their children's belongings, being told that their children were incurably schizophrenic. Fortunately, The Turtle and the Snake was among those possessions. Generally, within a month of having no contact with the book, the children made a fantastic recovery, being released from their respective institutions within a month.
Susan Dirth went irrevocably insane when her husband sent the story out. When the police arrived at the Dirth house on Feb. 1, 1956, they found Susan Dirth nude, covered in the blood of her husband and 6 children, whom she had arranged neatly on the floor of the living room. With their blood and entrails, she had constructed a pyramid in the middle of the floor, and had placed a small rectangular relief sculpture on the top. When the police made entrance on the home, she attacked them with a kitchen knife. The officers were forced to fire almost 20 rounds into her small body before she would go down, and she managed to murder three of the officers.
Currently, there are ten copies of the Turtle and the Snake in existence. All but three are in the United States.
The story of the Turtle and the Snake is told in a fable, not unakin to Aesop. In it, the Turtle is assailed by the Snake, but retreats into his shell. The Snake, finding no entrance, calls the Turtle out, but the Turtle, knowing that if he exits the shell will die, challenges the Snake to a battle of wits. The Snake agrees, and the Turtle asks him a riddle: "I am on a path that has no beginning and no end. I am still, but I am constantly moving. What path am I on?" The Snake struggled for seven days on the answer, asking everyone he knew, and could not find the answer. Dejectedly, he went to the Turtle and told him that he had no answer, and the Turtle laughed, coming out of his shell. When he turned around to leave, the Snake asked him, "What is the answer?" The Turtle, grinning, asked the Snake what time it was, and then walked away.
Game Effects
=========
d20:
Examination Period: 2 weeks (DC 24). If under the age of 10, this is shortened to 1 week (DC 15).
Contains: 1d3 Spells, one of which is Soul Trap
Sanity Loss: 1d2 Initially, 1d6 upon completion.
Cthulhu Mythos: +1
BRP:
Examination Period: 2 Weeks to study and comprehend, halved if under the age of 10.
Contains: Soul Trap, +1d3 other spells taken at random.
Sanity Loss: 1d3/1d10.
Cthulhu Mythos: +15 percentiles.
The Turtle and the Snake
================
In English, by Susan Dirth, c. 1955. Originally ran in 1500 copies, but all save 10 were destroyed by 1960.
Susan Dirth was the paragon of what was expected of a woman in the 1950's. She was a perfect housewife, leader of the Homeowner's Association, president of her PTA, and an amazing hostess for her husband's dinner parties. She spoke when spoken to, and knew all of the proper ettiquete. A Wellesley girl, Ms. Dirth was loved by all.
But, Ms. Dirth also had a deep, dark secret. After her Friday night Bridge games, she and her friends would drive an hour outside of Gloucester, MA, and they would perform ancient rites by the moonlight that would make stomachs churn, even today. Susan Dirth was the High Priestess of the Cult of Gshan. While the cult was very small, it was responsible for a large number of disappearances in and around Gloucester for 10 years... The time Susan Dirth was Priestess.
Susan Dirth married out of Wellesley to a former Army pilot who had flown during the Doolittle Raids. Being a "devout catholic," by the 8th year of their marriage they had 6 children. Susan, not wanting her children to be spoiled by the world that she fronted, decided to bring them into the supernatural fold that she had so deviously covered from her husband and peers. Along with stories of the ancients that she related to them, she wrote a small childrens book, complete with illustrations, that was intended specifically for her children. Deep inside it's story and pictures, a sleeping evil waited for the impressionable young minds to stumble across it.
Unfortunately, Ms. Dirth's husband found the manuscript and illustrations. Thinking that Ms. Dirth was too shy to send it off herself, he delivered it to an acquaintance of his at a small publishing firm in Boston. The book was ran in a short press of 1500 copies, which were delivered mostly to the Massachussets area. The book skyrocketed, selling out within the first 3 months. The company that published the book was wracked with internal corruption, and was forced into bankruptcy 2 months afte the book was released.
In 1957, a spike in the mental health of children was reported. It seemed that the children were possessed of incredible nightmares, waking up with cuts and bruises, of talking to things that weren't there, even going so far as to hurtle themselves off of stairs, or into traffic. By 1959, the parents had no choice but to commit thair children to the various psychiatric institutions in Massachussets.
By 1960, many parents had disposed of their children's belongings, being told that their children were incurably schizophrenic. Fortunately, The Turtle and the Snake was among those possessions. Generally, within a month of having no contact with the book, the children made a fantastic recovery, being released from their respective institutions within a month.
Susan Dirth went irrevocably insane when her husband sent the story out. When the police arrived at the Dirth house on Feb. 1, 1956, they found Susan Dirth nude, covered in the blood of her husband and 6 children, whom she had arranged neatly on the floor of the living room. With their blood and entrails, she had constructed a pyramid in the middle of the floor, and had placed a small rectangular relief sculpture on the top. When the police made entrance on the home, she attacked them with a kitchen knife. The officers were forced to fire almost 20 rounds into her small body before she would go down, and she managed to murder three of the officers.
Currently, there are ten copies of the Turtle and the Snake in existence. All but three are in the United States.
The story of the Turtle and the Snake is told in a fable, not unakin to Aesop. In it, the Turtle is assailed by the Snake, but retreats into his shell. The Snake, finding no entrance, calls the Turtle out, but the Turtle, knowing that if he exits the shell will die, challenges the Snake to a battle of wits. The Snake agrees, and the Turtle asks him a riddle: "I am on a path that has no beginning and no end. I am still, but I am constantly moving. What path am I on?" The Snake struggled for seven days on the answer, asking everyone he knew, and could not find the answer. Dejectedly, he went to the Turtle and told him that he had no answer, and the Turtle laughed, coming out of his shell. When he turned around to leave, the Snake asked him, "What is the answer?" The Turtle, grinning, asked the Snake what time it was, and then walked away.
Game Effects
=========
d20:
Examination Period: 2 weeks (DC 24). If under the age of 10, this is shortened to 1 week (DC 15).
Contains: 1d3 Spells, one of which is Soul Trap
Sanity Loss: 1d2 Initially, 1d6 upon completion.
Cthulhu Mythos: +1
BRP:
Examination Period: 2 Weeks to study and comprehend, halved if under the age of 10.
Contains: Soul Trap, +1d3 other spells taken at random.
Sanity Loss: 1d3/1d10.
Cthulhu Mythos: +15 percentiles.