So, recently I was looking through my old PC files and my tons of notes from my horror RPG games of the last three decades or so, recalling the adventures my game group played in our Arkham-based campaign over the course of those many years. We started playing that campaign in my second-ever game with them, a session of Beyond the Supernatural. Present were the core founding members of the group: my (soon-to-be) best friend, Terry; my then girlfriend; our host, Aaron; and my (soon-to-be) friends, Craig and Les. That game was awesome, and we attempted (and even occasionally succeeded) to recreate that awesomeness many times over the coming decades.
Intermittent interruptions aside, that campaign ran steadily under multiple game masters from 1989 to sometime in 2015 or so, starting with Beyond the Supernatural and migrating to Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic (with occasional cameo appearances being made by other games, such as White Wolf's Hunters Hunted). Membership in the group changed after that, but I still managed to run a few games in the setting. It was a sprawling endeavor - one that I've mentioned many times on this site.
As I dug through myriad materials, it struck me how that the information was haphazardly scattered between a three-ring binder, four ancient, duct tape-bound folders, around a half-dozen notebooks, and countless electronic files in varying formats. It's a fragmented mess, and it's nearly impossible to consume it all in a meaningful way.
I thought it would be nice to make an attempt to collate the high-level details into a more friendly format. I recalled a project I'd undertaken about 20 years ago: making an in-game database (that was searchable via web front end) for our game information and other, "real world" occult listings. I succeeded in doing that (and recently rediscovered the original files and database backup for it) but it was never, ultimately, used by my game group. In the end, I decided maybe that wasn't really the best format in which to collect everything.
Then, I recalled something else I had saved in an old Bureau 13 Windows folder: a file called "The Skeleton Crew Encyclopedia." I've long-since forgotten the source, but the file is a lexicon based on the adventures of a role playing game group in their Chill campaign setting. [Edit: With the proper application of a little Google Fu, I located the source here.] I've always found it inspirational, and I believed that format would serve as a good foundation for pulling together in one place as much as I can recall of my group's own adventures.
So, without further ado, here's the Arkham Group Campaign Lexicon, commemorating all the great times had with many friends over many years:
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Abomination, The
Type: Entity
Case(s): So It Has Been Written
Description: Demon; one of The Trio; appears as a massive (seven-foot) headless humanoid with a giant maw in its neck and the physique of a body builder
Aldacrom
Type: Entity
Case(s): Romans 12:19 (intro), various
Description: Demonic informant, aided the Arkham Group in several investigations
Andros, Nicholas (“Nick”)
Type: Person
Case(s): Infernus Bug: Part I (intro), various
Description: Retired Bureau 13 agent and one-time member of the Arkham Group; severely concussed by a zombie thug in Infernus Bug: Part I and became psionic as a result
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Craig F
Arnold (full name unknown)
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Mundane, low-IQ blunt instrument and early member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Beyond the Supernatural Normal(?) Human PC played by Les F
Type: Location
Case(s): various
Description: Witch-haunted city in Massachusetts; known paranormal hotspot; may actually be a Gate to Hell; home of most of the Arkham Group
Arkham Group, The
Type: Group/Organization
Case(s): various
Description: Unofficial label for a group of freelance paranormal troubleshooters based in and around Arkham, Massachusetts
Type: Person
Case(s): Lamia Cracks Under Pressure (intro), various
Description: Archeologist and psychic sensitive globe-trotting paranormal troubleshooter; ally of the Arkham Group
Meta: Beyond the Supernatural Psi-Sensitive PC played by Terry Z
Barton, Anna
Type: Person
Case(s): The Demon and the Dagger, various
Description: Modern wizard and member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Beyond the Supernatural Arcanist PC played by Holly D
Bicksford
Type: Location
Case(s): The Shadow over Bicksford
Description: small town in the Adirondacks; home to a group of private researchers experimenting with "powering up" ley lines; every time the group ran their device it opened a gateway at one of the town's nexus points and let something through - the portal being a little larger each time; in a little over two weeks, several haunting and possessing entities had come through, each more powerful than the last, and the research team had been taken over; by the time members of the Arkham Group got wind of what was going on, the possessed scientists were close to releasing a demon-lord; they were stopped by the Group before the "experiment" could reach its conclusion
Black, Reginald (“Reggie”)
Type: Entity
Case(s): Island of Evil
Description: Deep one hybrid, brother of Polly Kelly; shot and killed by Zach Fielding, Persphone Tillinghast, and Father Fox
Black Moon, Order of the
Type: Group/Organization
Case(s): Infernus Bug: Part II (intro); Infernus Bug: Part III
Description: Cult that worships Glasilya and funded GenoBiotics Lab’s Maleficus Project; status unknown
Bodescu, Yulian
Type: Person
Case(s): Ancient Places
Description: Doomed sorcerer in the service of the ancient vampire, Faether Ferenczy
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic NPC
Bureau 13
Type: Group/Organization
Case(s): various
Description: NSA (No Such Agency), a covert US agency answering directly to the PotUS that identifies and deals with supernatural threats; sometime ally and enemy of the Arkham Group
Butcher, The
Type: Entity
Case(s): So It Has Been Written
Description: Demon; one of The Trio; appears as a short, obese, wide-mouthed human-like creature
Type: Person
Case(s): Lamia Cracks Under Pressure (intro), various
Description: Wise-cracking meathead, nega-psychic and basher of paranormal baddies; author of popular series of urban fantasy books "inspired by" the exploits of the Arkham Group; long-time (and first?) member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Originally a Beyond the Supernatural Physical Genius, later a Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic anti-psi, later still a Beyond the Supernatural Nega-Psychic PC played by Chris B
Carter, Jacob Randolph
Type: Person
Case(s): Demention House II: The Other Side (intro), various
Description: Parapsychologist and member of the Arkham Group; uncle of Fred Carter
Meta: Beyond the Supernatural PC played by Chris B
Cartwright, Jeanine
Type: Person
Case(s): Lamia Cracks Under Pressure (intro), various
Description: Tabloid journalist who writes for After Midnight; briefly a member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Beyond the Supernatural PC played by Holly D
Cobb, Mr.
Type: Person(?)
Case(s): Bad Day at Devil's Gulch (intro)
Description: Mysterious gunfighter who was known for his celerity with his revolver and his particular drive to hunt vampires
Meta: World of Darkness Former Ghoul PC played by Craig F in a short-lived Old West game
Cold One, The
Type: Entity
Case(s): A Case of the Uncommon Cold
Description: Forgotten Russian lesser god, trapped in a golden sarcophagus that was part of a touring exhibition; released by and owes a favor to Meabh Ryan
Cowley, Esther
Type: Entity
Case(s): The Haunting of Cowley Manor
Description: Daughter of the family that built and gave its name to a “haunted house” outside Arkham, in life she was brutalized (along with others on the estate) by her father then her older brother; she finally snapped and killed them all, as well as her later husband whom she caught cheating; Esther was a latent psi who kept all of the victims trapped on the estate, even after her own suicide; she and her enslaved spirits were banished by members of the Arkham Group when the spirits attacked attendees of a high-school Halloween party that the Arkham Group had been asked by Dave Dietrich (knowing the reputation of the place) to chaperone
Cowley Manor
Type: Location
Case(s): The Haunting of Cowley Manor
Description: Well-known “haunted house” outside Arkham (see Cowley, Esther for details)
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Retired Massachusetts state trooper, founder of NEXUS, infamously afraid of dead things; retired member and now a close ally of the Arkham Group
Meta: Originally a Beyond the Supernatural Latent Psychic, later a Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic mundane PC played by Chris B
Croft, Harold P.
Type: Person
Case(s): The Demon and the Dagger (intro), various
Description: Electro-/Pyro-/Hydrokinetic monster hunter
Meta: Beyond the Supernatural Physical Psychic PC played by Les F
Curtis, Sarah
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Gideon Sperling’s assistant
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic NPC
Dagger, Demon of the
Type: Entity
Case(s): The Demon and the Dagger
Description: Entity that was bound to a bone-bladed dagger, when released it stalked and fed upon spell users to consume their power; destroyed(?) by Anna Barton, Harold Croft, and Dr. Mordekai
Death, Angel of (“Didi”)
Type: Entity
Case(s): And Death Shall Walk Among Us
Description: Physical avatar of the universal force of death (looks like a cute goth girl); summoned into human form by a group of Arkham cultists to do their bidding with the inadvertent side-effect of no one in the area dying while the spirit was bound (except the targets of the cult); Sam Richardson separated the spirit from the girl's body; Death now owes Sam a favor
Dietrich, David (“Dave”)
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Arkham police detective; ally of the Arkham Group and NEXUS
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic NPC
Dod, Dr. Hannah
Type: Person/Entity
Case(s): Infernus Bug: Part II
Description: Lead researcher for GenoBiotics Labs - see Glasilya
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic NPC
FantastiCon
Type: Event
Case(s): What Happens at FantastiCon Stays at FantastiCon
Description: Short-lived Boston-based “fan con” for Fred Carter's Stalking the Night series with several hundred in attendance, one year including a Goshnar cultist planning on using unsuspecting LARPers to enact a real ritual to summon his god; Bureau 13 Agent Jerry Stockwell was mortally wounded during his investigation into the threat but managed to teleport away (to Gideon Sperling's funeral home) before dying; the cultist was stopped by Eli Meadowbrook, Gideon Sperling, and Sam Richardson
Ferenczy, Faether
Type: Entity
Case(s): Ancient Places
Description: Ancient vampire; after luring Fred Carter, Father Fox, and Persephone Tillinghast to Eastern Europe, it and its minion, Yulian Bodescu, were destroyed by the trio
Fielding, Ezra
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Psionic “reader” and telepath; Zach Fielding's brother and long-time member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Craig F
Fielding, Zachariah (“Zach”)
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Psionic healer, IT and recruiting lead for NEXUS, Ezra Fielding's brother and long-time member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Craig F
Finch, Commander Edward
Type: Person
Case(s): The Ballycastle Incident
Description: SAS commander, in charge of the investigation into the strange happenings in Ballycastle, later showed up in Arkham with a group of werewolf-hunting mercenaries
Meta: Beyond the Supernatural NPC
Forcas
Type: Entity
Case(s): The Forcas Arc: Part I (intro), various
Description: Nemesis of and banished several times by various Arkham Group members
Fortune, Timothy
Type: Person
Case(s): The Thorn Lake Mystery (intro)
Description: Private investigator and Bureau 13 agent-in-training
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Les F
Fox, Father Aeon William
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Catholic priest at St. Michael’s in Arkham; uncle of Robert Fox and long-time member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Les F
Fox, Robert
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Survivalist and monster hunter; nephew of Father Fox and member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Les F
Franklin, Axle
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Psionicist and monster hunter; member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Les F
Freeman, Lincoln (“Linc”)
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Telepath/telekine and monster hunter; member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Les F
Frigimmon
Type: Entity
Case(s): Infernus Bug: Part III
Description: Demonic power, worshipped by and finally (after years of trying) summoned by Lazarus Kane in Innsmouth, banished by Zach Fielding and other members of the Arkham Group
Frizlimp
Type: Entity
Case(s): various
Description: Demonic imp summoned by Persephone Tillinghast, acts as her spy and servant
GenoBiotics Laboratories Unlimited LLC
Type: Group/Organization
Case(s): Infernus Bug: Part II
Description: Industrial/pharmaceutical company founded and run by Dr. Lazarus Kane, funded by The Order of the Black Moon, producers of the Maleficus Contagion; shut down by the government after the CDC received an anonymous tip
Gentleman, The
Type: Entity
Case(s): So It Has Been Written
Description: Demon; one of The Trio; appears as a tall, gaunt but dapper (if disturbing) gentleman; only member of the group that speaks
Type: Location
Case(s): Island of Evil
Description: Deep one-tainted island off the coast of Massachusetts; after deep ones rose and attacked the non-deep one residents of the island, the remaining residents disappeared; the island is now completely deserted
Ghoul, Dimensional
Type: Entity
Case(s): The Hackett Springs Mystery
Description: Interdimensional creature that was attracted to the heightened magic levels of and subsequently preyed upon the residents of Hackett Springs; destroyed by members of the Arkham Group
Glasilya
Type: Entity
Case(s): Infernus Bug: Part II
Description: Succubus and servant of Frigimmon; in her human form as Dr. Hannah Dod, she was behind Lazarus Kane and GenoBiotics Laboratories Unlimited’s production of the Maleficus Contagion in Infernus Bug: Part II; status unknown
Golem Master, The
Type: Entity
Case(s): The Golem Master
Description: Super-Psionic entity, destroyed by Fred Carter who used his anti-psi ability to attempt to drain the beings' power, resulting in a psionic blast that blew Fred through time and space and dropped him in the Boston harbor; as a result of the psychic blast, Axle Franklin and Raven Tillinghast gained new powers, and Fred went from Type I Anti-Psi to Type II
Goshnar
Type: Entity
Case(s): The Beast that Ate Harkers’ Corners
Description: Not-so-great old one who likes to occasionally bust through dimensional barriers and try to eat the Earth
Goshnar, Spawn of
Type: Entity
Case(s): The Beast that Ate Harkers’ Corners
Description: Formless things that were once humans but were corrupted by Goshnar after he was accidentally summoned by a group of teens reading from a book they should have left in the library
Grant, Dr. Arthur Joseph
Type: Person
Case(s): The Ballycastle Incident
Description: Physician, one of several experts recruited by UN to investigate strange happenings in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland, killed when he fell out of a helicopter while the team was fleeing from the village
Meta: Beyond the Supernatural PC played by Craig F
Greene, Virgil
Type: Person
Case(s): Infernus Bug: Part I (intro), various
Description: Rogue Bureau 13 agent, had pinky blown off in Infernus Bug: Part I by cops that were on Lazarus Kane’s payroll; went “into the cold” and is now a paranoid schizophrenic; ally of the Arkham Group
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Les F
Grimm (aka Grimmie-Poo)
Type: Entity
Case(s): various
Description: Reanimated mastiff, owned/created by Sebastian Hobbes
Hackett Springs
Type: Location
Case(s): The Hackett Springs Mystery
Description: Village in Vermont, home of the eponymous springs that were magically tainted, raising the natural magical essence of those who drank from them, attracted a Dimensional Ghoul that fed on that essence (and the people carrying it)
Hamlin, Gerald
Type: Person
Case(s): The Thorn Lake Mystery (intro)
Description: Medical examiner and Bureau 13 agent-in-training
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Craig F
Hammer, Jonathan (“Jack”)
Type: Person
Case(s): Get Fred Carter aka Lamia’s Revenge (intro)
Description: Retired supervisor for an unnamed government paranormal-hunting agency; now freelance hunter supported by NEXUS
Meta: Beyond the Supernatural Natural PC played by Michael M
Harkers’ Corners, The Beast that Ate
Type: Entity
Case(s): The Beast that Ate Harkers’ Corners
Description: See Goshnar
Harrison, Agent Alexa
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Bureau 13 agent for the Boston office, former assistant case manager to and now taking the place of Agent Jerry Stockwell; thorn in the side of the Arkham Group (although she sees it the other way around)
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic NPC
Hobbes, Sebastian
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Necromancer and enchanter, employs a wide array of enchanted objects, including the reanimated mastiff, Grimm and an antique radio used for communing with the dead
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic necromancer/enchanter PC played by Chris B
Hollister, Raymond "Boom-boom"
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: African-American B13 agent, former ordnance disposal tech; killed and psychically revived while investigating a house that was haunted by the spirit of a young boy - he was shot by one of the town elders after finding out that they had sacrificed the boy when they were young, but he was resurrected in a moment of hysterical psychic strength by fellow psi-healer investigator who had a crush on him
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic mundane PC played by Terry Z
Type: Location
Case(s): The House that Time Forgot, various
Description: A house in central Massachusetts that was reportedly haunted; investigating, members of the Arkham Group found that the "haunting" was actually a time loop created by Sita Humphrey in a last-ditch attempt to save her team from an attack by the demon, Zebraxis; the team was a group of paranormal hunters; despite Sita's efforts, when the Group broke the time loop only Sita was still alive; the house contained a great deal of occult and magical knowledge and paraphernalia and was thereafter used as a resource by the Arkham Group
Humphrey, Sir George
Type: Person
Case(s): The House that Time Forgot
Description: Member of a doomed group of paranormal hunters whose spirits haunted The House
Humphrey, Sita
Type: Person
Case(s): The House that Time Forgot
Description: Time-trapped mage; rescued by Persephone Tillinghast, Zach Fielding, and Father Fox; handed over to Bureau 13; current status unknown
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic NPC
Jones, Mr. and Mrs. Milo
Type: Entity
Case(s): The House on Willow Lane
Description: Greedy, bloodthirsty kidnappers in life, their ghosts were among those trapped within the House on Willow Lane
"Jimmy"
Type: Person
Case(s): The House on Willow Lane (intro), various
Description: Contact of Zach Fielding; recommended the house on Willow Lane to Zach as temporary lodging while his apartment building was being fumigated, didn't know about the hauntings
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic NPC
Julie
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Perpetual college student who worked at Pandora’s Box and watched the shop while Persephone Tillinghast battled supernatural evils
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic NPC
Kane, Aurora
Type: Person
Case(s): Lazarus Rising
Description: Enemy of the Arkham Group, demonologist and vengeful daughter of Lazarus Kane, deceased
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic NPC
Kane, Lazarus
Type: Person
Case(s): Infernus Bug: Part I (intro), Infernus Bug: Part II, Infernus Bug: Part III
Description: Nemesis of the Arkham Group, deceased (shot in Innsmouth by Zach Fielding)
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic NPC
Kelly, Polly
Type: Entity
Case(s): Island of Evil
Description: Deep one hybrid, shot and killed(?) by Zach Fielding
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic NPC
Kingsport
Type: Location
Case(s): Trailer Park Karcists; various
Description: City in Massachusetts
Kitteridge, Professor (first name unknown)
Type: Entity
Case(s): The House on Willow Lane
Description: Grave robber and necrophile in life, his ghost was among those trapped within the House on Willow Lane
Maleficus Contagion
Type: Object
Case(s): Infernus Bug: Part II
Description: Demonically spawned viral infection that turns its victims into mindless demon-zombies possessed by and under the control of the demon, Friggimon
Mayfair, Olivia
Type: Person
Case(s): Get Fred Carter aka Lamia’s Revenge (intro)
Description: Mage and retired member of unnamed government sponsored paranormal-hunting agency; formerly reported to Jack Hammer, now friends
Meta: Beyond the Supernatural PC played by Lili B
Mayfaire, Lavinia
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Witch, owner of "The Witches' Cupboard" shop
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Lili B
McPhee, Fiona
Type: Person
Case(s): The Thorn Lake Mystery (intro)
Description: Metaphysical shop owner, necromancer/demonologist, and Bureau 13 agent-in-training
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Lili B
Meadowbrook, Elijah (“Eli”)
Type: Person
Case(s): A Case of the Uncommon Cold (intro), various
Description: Head of security at Miskatonic University; member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Les F
Mead, Dr. Sarah
Type: Entity
Case(s): The House on Willow Lane
Description: Back-alley abortionist and mad scientist in life, her ghost was among those trapped within the House on Willow Lane
Mordacai, Doctor Jonathan Xavier III
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Psychic "reader" and early member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Beyond the Supernatural Psi-Sensitive PC played by Craig F
Monsters, Movie
Type: Entity
Case(s): Be Kind, Rewind
Description: Physical creations of a cursed VCR (video cassette recorder for those too young to remember) that made monsters from horror films watched on it come to life; banished by Fred Carter and other members of the Arkham Group when the VCR was found and destroyed
Morpheus
Type: Entity
Case(s): various
Description: Universal force, god of dreams; owed a favor by Sam Richardson
Osgood, Eli
Type: Entity
Case(s): The Unholy Immortal
Description: 19th-century occultist; found guilty of murdering his son (sacrificed to his dark god), he escaped and disappeared; was found a century later to be dwelling beneath the orchard on his farm and was destroyed by members of the Arkham Group (see Osgood's Farm for details)
Osgood's Farm
Type: Location
Case(s): The Unholy Immortal
Description: A 150-year-old farm outside Arkham, the farmhouse was burned by an angry mob after its owner escaped police custody; the apple orchard still stood and was luring hapless victims who would hop the old fence to grab some juicy red apples only to be attacked and killed by the spirit of Eli Osgood in the form of a dangerous animal, their blood feeding the unholy trees; the trees fed their victims' life essence down through the roots into Osgood's body, through which they penetrated; Osgood was extremely powerful and functionally immortal until the orchard was burned down and his body found and destroyed by members of the Arkham Group, who descended an old well at the center of the orchard and found the sorcerer's body interred in a chamber below
NEXUS Foundation
Type: Group/Organization
Case(s): various
Description: Group founded in 1995 and run by Doc Crane after he discovered a sunken treasure ship off the coast of Maine and became a hundred-millionaire overnight; NEXUS serves to fund and equip paranormal troubleshooters across the country; headquartered in Rogue Point, Maine; Zach Fielding runs its IT and recruiting department; closely allied to the Arkham Group
Nitocris, The Malediction of
Type: Object
Case(s): The Creeping Horror
Description: Cursed grimoire capable of summoning and binding the demon, Nitocris; used by a group of important residents of Warrington Falls, Connecticut, when they were teens to summon the demon; their "friend" Billy Saunders dissented and was killed, becoming the accidental human sacrifice needed to call up the being; the group was discovered and exposed by Bureau 13 Agent Ray "Boom-Boom" Hollister
Nycadaemus, The Heart of
Type: Object
Case(s): The House on Willow Lane
Description: The actual heart of a demon; found by Captain Horace Talbott and brought back to Arkham, installed in weathervane atop his newly built mansion
Pandora’s Box
Type: Location
Case(s): various
Description: Antiques shop in Arkham, run by Persephone Tillinghast
Parkhurst, Mary
Type: Person
Case(s): The House that Time Forgot
Description: Noteworthy theologian; member of a doomed group of paranormal hunters whose spirits haunted The House
Pendrake, Parson Samuel
Type: Person
Case(s): Bad Day at Devil's Gulch (intro)
Description: Devil's Gulch minister who literally wielded his faith as a weapon against the supernatural
Meta: World of Darkness "Hunters Hunted" PC played by Les F in a short-lived Old West game
Podmore, Colin
Type: Person
Case(s): The House that Time Forgot
Description: Famed psychic; member of a doomed group of paranormal hunters whose spirits haunted The House
O’Doyle, Aurora
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Arkham bookstore owner; briefly a member of the Arkham Group; deceased
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Simi R
O’Shea, William
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Catholic priest; briefly a member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Terry Z
Ramora, Alfonse
Type: Entity
Case(s): The House on Willow Lane
Description: Pedophile and murderer in life, his ghost was among those trapped within the House on Willow Lane
Randall, Alec
Type: Person
Case(s): The House that Time Forgot
Description: Guide and hunter; member of a doomed group of paranormal hunters whose spirits haunted The House
Ravencroft, Rowan
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Witch; briefly a member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Lili B
Richardson, Samantha (“Sam”)
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: White-haired Enchantress/Necromancer/Demonologist, “good witch” from one of founding families of Arkham; member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Lili B
Rogue Manor
Type: Location
Case(s): The Mystery of Rogue Point
Description: Giant stone mansion, home of Doc Crane and headquarters of NEXUS; sits atop an interdimensional gateway
Rogue Point
Type: Location
Case(s): The Mystery of Rogue Point
Description: Town on the coast of Maine, outside which Rogue Manor is located
Ryan, Meabh
Type: Person
Case(s): A Case of the Uncommon Cold (intro), various
Description: Sorceress; member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Lili B
Shard
Type: Entity
Case(s): Romans 12:19
Description: Vampire prince; "recruited" Fred Carter, Raven Tillinghast, and Axle Franklin to destroy a creature that was hunting and killing his kin
Scarlett, Miss (aka Lucy Banks)
Type: Entity
Case(s): The House on Willow Lane (intro), The Return of Miss Scarlett
Description: Born Lucy Banks, Miss Scarlett is the nom de guerre of a 1970’s serial killer whose corpse and ghost were locked in the House on Willow Lane. Her spirit was freed when the artifact (see The Heart of Nycadaemus) trapping spiritual energy in the house was destroyed; she later resumed her murderous trend but was finally laid to rest by Eli Meadowbrook, Father Wainscott and Sam Richardson
Silvermoon, Michael
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Native American shaman; ally of the Arkham Group
Meta: Beyond the Supernatural Arcanist PC played by Chris B
Smith, Ray
Type: Person
Case(s): Detour (intro), various
Description: Former freelance hitman; ally of the Arkham Group
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic NPC
Space-eaters, The (aka The Brain-eaters)
Type: Entity
Case(s): Detour
Description: Creatures that drifted through the nigh-impenetrable fog that enshrouded a village in northeastern Massachusetts; extensions of a nameless cosmic horror (see Z'Npoth) that was summoned there, they burrowed into the skulls and took control of their human victims; the demon was banished by members of the Arkham Group with the assistance of Ray Smith
Sperling, Gideon Seth
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Arkham-based mortician/necromancer; member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Craig F
“Stalking the Night” Series, The
Type: Object
Case(s): various
Description: A series of novels and short stories written by Fred Carter, loosely based on the Arkham Group’s cases (but not loosely enough for the their liking), featuring protagonists like Father Bill Folkes, mortician Gabriel Sterling, and sexy white-haired witch Sally Mockton, and antagonists like the demon-lord Frocas and the old god Shognar, had a half-season Canadian TV series and a short-lived fan con (see FantastiCon)
Stilman, Ezra
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Founder of The Stilman Institute
Meta: Beyond the Supernatural and Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic NPC
Stilman, Maya
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Current Director of The Stilman Institute, daughter of Ezra Stilman
Meta: Beyond the Supernatural and Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic NPC
Type: Group/Organization
Case(s): various
Description: Organization for the discovery and study of paranormal and supernatural entities, secretive but apparently neutral
Stockwell, Agent Jerry
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Bureau 13 agent, director of the Boston, Mass. field office and watchdog over the “troublemakers” in Arkham, died mysteriously after teleporting into Gideon Sperling’s prep room
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic NPC
Stowe, Wilhelmina
Type: Person
Case(s): Auntie Willie's House of Horrors
Description: A troubled old woman who was a latent psi, she had a stroke and went into a coma, after which bad things began happening around her - "accidents" that severely injured her family and anyone who came to the house she lived in; members of the Arkham Group discovered that it was Willie's nightmares that were attacking people; unsure how to handle it, they finally decided on a desperate attempt to use psionic healing on her brain; despite a massive telekinetic battle and several team members suffering severe injuries during the procedure, the attempt was successful and she woke from her coma; the "haunting" ended
Sycorax
Type: Entity
Case(s): The Cult of Innocence
Description: "Queen of the Harpies," an enemy demon behind a cult that was indoctrinating young girls at a private girls' school; at large - driven off when Persephone Tillinghast botched an attempt to summon a demon to fight her and instead summoned an angel by mistake
Talbott, Captain Horace
Type: Entity
Case(s): The House on Willow Lane
Description: Sea captain in life, brought The Heart of Nycadaemus back from some exotic locale and installed it in his house - The House on Willow Lane; died and was buried with his journal, investigators had to dig up his grave and open his (solid gold) casket to retrieve it in order to solve the mystery of the house; Talbott’s body animated (by the lingering power of the heart) and attacked them; was destroyed with shovels and crowbars
Tillinghast, Persephone
Type: Person
Case(s): Infernus Bug: Part I (intro), various
Description: Necromancer/Demonologist and antique store owner; member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Holly D
Tillinghast, Raven
Type: Person
Case(s): various
Description: Sorceress and cousin of Perspehone Tillinghast; member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Holly D
Trevere, Anna
Type: Person
Case(s): The Cult of Innocence
Description: Head of the girls' school that was being used to induct girls into the Cult of Sycorax; High Priestess of the Cult of Sycorax; whereabouts unknown
Trio, The
Type: Entity
Case(s): So It Has Been Written
Description: Three demonic entities that were inadvertently summoned and given form by latent psychic author, Robert Kline; they terrorized Winter Creek, Vermont, and were stopped by members of the Arkham Group
Meta: This scenario was liberally lifted from the TV series, Extreme Ghostbusters; it wasn't the first (or last) time that show and its progenitor would provide "inspiration" for our horror games
Unknown, Fear of the
Type: Object
Case(s): various
Description: Computer MUD (later an MMORPG) created in 1995 by Zach Fielding, funded by Nexus, that serves to identify and recruit potential paranormal troubleshooters
Vampire Hunter Golem
Type: Entity
Case(s): Romans 12:19
Description: Creature created by a mad scientist to hunt and kill vampires, destroyed by Fred Carter, Raven Tillinghast, and Axle Franklin
Wainscott, Father Lucien
Type: Person
Case(s): A Case of the Uncommon Cold (intro), various
Description: Catholic priest at St. Michael’s in Arkham; member of the Arkham Group
Meta: Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic PC played by Craig F
Whitherfield, Marta
Type: Entity
Case(s): The Return of Miss Scarlett
Description: Mother of Miss Scarlett, serial killer (with her daughter) in life, even more powerful than her daughter’s spirit in death, put to rest by Eli Meadowbrook, Father Wainscott, and Sam Richardson
Willow Lane, The House on
Type: Location
Case(s): The House on Willow Lane
Description: House once haunted by many nasty spirits; it drew evil people to it, including Miss Scarlett, thanks to the demon’s heart (see The Heart of Nycadaemus) bound into its weathervane, and when they died within the house their spirits were trapped and became haunting entities; they were generally weak hauntings, but when fed by an unsuspecting psychic, they grew stronger; they were discovered by Zach Fielding when he was forced to take a room in the house (which had become a struggling bed and breakfast) and ultimately released when Fielding, Father Fox, and Persephone Tillinghast destroyed the demon's heart
Type: Location
Case(s): various
Description: Town in Vermont; terrorized by The Trio when they manifested into our reality
Z'Npoth
Type: Entity
Case(s): Detour
Description: Cosmic horror; when first summoned appears as a vast, impenetrable fog; drifting in the "fog" are slug-like creatures (see also The Space-Eaters), extensions of the demon's will, that find humans and burrow into their heads to take them over, creating mindless zombie-minions under the demon's control, also feeding it power; each consumed creature makes the demon a little more solid; once solid, the demon is nigh invulnerable; encountered (and banished) by members of the Arkham Group after they were forced to stop in the "fog" while traveling to a psychic convention in northern Massachussetts
Zebraxis
Type: Entity
Case(s): The House that Time Forgot
Description: Infernal entity; trapped in The House by Sita Humphrey when it attacked her group; freed and eradicated by Persephone Tillinghast, Zach Fielding, and Father Fox
*************************************************
The Lexicon encompasses about 70% of the player characters and maybe 30% of the games we played. Most of it is from material saved in my myriad notebooks and folders, the rest from memory. We played so many games over the years that I can recall only fragments of many of them (and nothing of many more) so this is far from complete.
I'll do my best to keep the Lexicon up to date as new game material is discovered/added, and I plan on going back through it to link any specific content to relevant posts on this blog.
[Updated 6/28/2022 - a couple new entries added, a few others edited and/or corrected.]
[Updated 6/14/2023 - a new entry added ("Jimmy"), a few others edited and/or corrected.]
Interesting.
ReplyDeleteAs an obvious Tri-Tac fan, you have read the Bureau 13 novels by Nick Pollotta, right? If not, heartily recommend.
You know, I've had all the books for many years. Every few years or so, I pick up one of them and try to read it. Unfortunately, I never get very far. I don't know if it's Polotta's writing style, or if it's the super tongue in cheek atmosphere of the books, or if it's just that I don't like the characters and situations. Whatever it is, the stories don't hook me, and I get bored and give up after twenty or thirty pages.
DeleteMaybe one of these times I'll actually get hooked and make it all the way through...
They are a decidedly non-serious take on B13, although the actual stakes involved are pretty world-shattering. Still, tastes vary.
DeleteHe wrote a bunch (over a dozen) of post-apoc books as "James Axler" that are more serious, although I can't say I cared for the couple I read. My favorite book of his was his first, which he co-authored with Phil Foglio - Illegal Aliens. It's another absurdist take on a pretty serious series of events (human first contact, then integration into galactic civilization) but I thought it evoked a sort of pulp-era space opera feel quite nicely despite the humor - or maybe because of it. Kind of a loving parody of the genre, less biting than (say) Harry Harrison's rather similar Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers.
Nick died back in 2013, so we won't be seeing any more from him.
Yeah, I recall when he passed - I may not have been a huge fan, but it was still sad.
DeleteI knew about his other books, including his stint as Axler - although I only got the first few books into the Deathlands series, so not far enough to read any of Nick's installments. His style was certainly a good fit for the series, though.
I finally took a few hours this weekend to make my way through Bureau 13 (now called Bureau 13: Judgment Night, but I have the original). It was cute - a little too silly and men's adventure-y for my current tastes, although I think what actually kept me away in the past was the large ensemble cast of supporting protagonists. It could have been tighter with fewer characters to track. And it definitely read like an adaptation of someone's B13 game. (Which, having read a bit about Nick's inspirations, I wouldn't be surprised to find out is true.)
Of course, I'm in the middle of making my way through the Dresden Files, so I'm sure there's some subliminal comparing/contrasting going on, which probably isn't fair to Nick. Bureau 13 isn't intended to be in the same league, so putting them against each other is doing it a disservice.
On a side note, Nick's YouTube channel is still up and running, with a humorous intro to Bureau 13. Amateurish, certainly, but still amusing...