Editing Eternal Lies for Trail of Cthulhu

“We lied. We Stole. We . . . we killed. We killed people, because we thought we could save the world if we did. But we failed. And with bloody hands, we slunk away. We back to our lives, and hid from those we had fought against. For the sake of our families, and our sanity, and, yes, even our own wounded pride and worthless lives. 

Yet all these years can’t eclipse the truth.

It is out there, still. A perverse and lying alien god. You must find it, and fight it. For you have inherited this struggle and you are the world’s hope. 

It falls to you.”
--From Eternal Lies,written by Will Hindmarch, Jeff Tidball and Jeremy Keller.


This is the wiki page for the play by post campaign of Eternal Lies for the Trail of Cthulhu system, run by smarttman.


=Characters=
==Dr. Daniel Weber (played by Estragon)==
https://www.wsws.org/en/media/photos/legacy/2009mar/m30-upwa-480.jpg
"My work is on the cutting edge of psychiatric knowledge. This book will revolutionize our understanding of the brain's structure in the healthy and mentally deficient alike."

'''Occupation:''' Alienist
'''Drive:'''Arrogance
'''Pillars of Sanity:'''The power of the well-reasoned intellect, Humanity's place in the grand scheme, The ordered nature of the universe.
'''Sources of Stability:''' Beverly Campbell (Assistant), Dr Raymond Whitcomb (Friend from University), Dr Charles Lloyd (fellow Dr. at St. Catherine's Asylum)

'''Investigative Abilities (* denotes Occupational Ability)'''
  Anthropology: 2
  *Biology: 3
  Languages: 2 (*German, *Latin)
  *Library Use: 4
  *Medicine: 2
  *Assess Honesty: 4
  Credit Rating: 4
  *Interrogation: 3
  *Reassurance: 4
  *Pharmacy: 4

'''General Abilities (* denotes Occupational Ability)'''
  Conceal: 6
  Filch: 7
  First Aid: 8
  Fleeing: 6
  Health: 6
  *Psychoanalysis: 12
  Sanity: 11
  Stability: 11
  Sense Trouble: 7
  Stealth: 6

'''Health:'''6
'''Sanity:'''11
'''Stability:'''11

==Dr. Ines Tasse (played by squidheadjax)==

"You really should moderate your alcohol use.  You show signs of severe cirrhosis of the liver and the most severe pleural effusion I've observed ''in vivo''.  Frankly, it's amazing you managed to walk in the hospital on your own power.  Which is probably why you so discourteously ''died'' before I could treat you.  Now let's see what else you're hiding in there..."

'''Occupation:''' Doctor
'''Drive:'''In the blood
'''Pillars of Sanity:'''Certainty of Science, Superiority of Human Intellect, Dignity of Family
'''Sources of Stability:''' Janelle Kramer (put-upon nurse), Marcus Tasse (dignified paterfamilias), Norma Ives (author and tennis partner)

'''Investigative Abilities (* denotes Occupational Ability)'''
  *Accounting 1
  *Biology 3
  *Languages 1 (*French)
  *Medicine 4
  *Assess Honesty 1
  Credit Rating 5
  Intimidation 2
  *Reassurance 2
  Chemistry 1
  *Forensics 3
  *Pharmacy 3

'''General Abilities (* denotes Occupational Ability)'''
  Athletics 8
  Conceal 5
  Driving 5
  First Aid 10
  Health 8
  Preparedness 7
  Sanity 9
  Stability 10
  Sense Trouble 8
  Stealth 3
  Weapons 3


'''Health:'''8  
'''Sanity:'''9  
'''Stability:'''10

<br>
Ines Tasse, MD, is an internist by training, but often a medical examiner by assignment. Despite the strides made in women in medicine since the mid-nineteenth century, her career has been an uphill battle to gain employment at a well-known hospital, despite her own intellect and the Tasse family's wealth and status. Regarded as prickly by colleagues and patients alike, Ines often finds herself tasked to examine the dead instead of the living. While she does feel slighted by this, the blow to her ego is softened by how fascinating the dead can be - which also contributes to her spooky reputation.<br>

A firm devotee of the principle that a sound mind requires a sound body, she swims and plays tennis regularly, and was a member of the Pennsylvania Women's Medical College tennis team while she attended. Ines stands 5'4" with a slight frame, usually mistaken for frail, and sharp features. Her blonde hair is so light as to appear prematurely silver, and her eyes are pale blue.<br>

The Tasse family, currently headed by Ines' father Marcus hail originally from the French countryside and are Old Money in America, deriving their fortune initially from the leather and fur trade. Though socially respectable enough, the family has a few odd traditions, considered something like Masonic rituals, that Ines has always assumed derived from her ancestors spending too much time sitting around campfires with Indians and firewater.<br>

==Jacob Halcomb (played by ncc2010==

'''Occupation''': Author, Pilot during the Great War.<br>
'''Motivation''': In The Blood (He doesn't know why he's in pursuit of the unknown, only that...he must chase it to its conclusion, whatever that might be).<br>
'''Pillars of Sanity''': Power of the Printed Word, Eternal Beauty of the Wilderness<br>
'''Sources of Stability''': Charlie MacPherson (airplane mechanic in Lakehurst, NJ and war buddy), Greta Garbo (whenever he can make it to the movies)<br>

Once upon a time, in a war far away and in a distant land, Jacob "Jake" Halcomb was a fighter pilot, and a damn good one. Despite the hell of war, he always found time to take down observations of the day, the weather, the stories told by those with whom he flew and fought. They say war changes a man, and sometimes, a man sees too much, and that's the case with Jake during The Great War. When that War ended, there was no place for a pilot, things he'd seen brought about a wanderlust to the Iowa farmboy, and so he began wandering and started writing, which made at least part of his living.

The money wasn't good, but good enough, so he bought himself a Curtis Jenny and began barnstorming here, there, writing as he went and sending in the human interest stories to The Saturday Evening Post and The New Yorker, supplementing an already meager living with a few more dollars here and there. It was a little strange, perhaps, but he always ended up in places where...things just seemed to have been just a little...queer, perhaps.

When the Depression hit, he was close enough to the edge that he really didn't notice the slip and slide down that slope until he had to sell the Jenny; since then, he's been living on the cheap, collecting an odd job here, writing there, occasionally selling his skill as a writer or a pilot as the needs be. He stays solvent, barely, spending what extra money he has examining those mysteries that present themselves here, there, wherever there might be something...odd.

'''General Abilities (* Denotes Occupational Skills, ! Denotes "Spare" Occupational Skills as per Author)'''
  Athletics / 2
  Driving / 1 (Automobile)
  Firearms / 2
  First Aid / 1
  Fleeing / 2
  Health / 8
  Mechanical Repair / 2
  !Piloting / 2 (Single-engine)
  Preparedness / 5
  Riding / 1
  Scuffling / 2
  Sense Trouble / 4
  Weapons / 1

'''Investigative Abilities (16 pts) (11)'''
  *Academic / 4
  Archaeology / 1
  !Cthulhu Mythos / 2
  !Cryptography / 2
  *History / 2
  *Languages / 2 (French / German)
  *Library use / 2
  *Assess Honesty / 2
  Credit Rating / 3
  *Oral History / 2
  Streetwise / 1
  *Art / 2 (Writing, painting/sketching)
  !Outdoorsman / 2

'''Health''' 8<br>
'''Sanity''' 6<br>
'''Stability''' 7<br>

==Miss Dianna Everington (played by Deamon)==

"I'm sorry is there a problem, one that money won't fix I mean."

'''Occupation:''' Dilettante<br>
'''Drive:'''Duty (Victoria Everington dec'd)<br>
'''Pillars of Sanity:'''You are an Everington, You make your own luck, Money makes the world go around.<br>
'''Sources of Stability:''' Molly Jameson Nurse and then maid to the twins, George Mallory family accountant and mentor, Frank Everington Uncle.<br>

'''Investigative Abilities (* denotes Occupational Ability)'''
  *Accounting: 4
   Art: 1
  *Assess Honesty: 4
   Cop Talk: 1
  *Credit Rating: 7
  *Flattery: 4
   Evidence collecting: 1
  *Languages: 4
   Law: 1
  *History: 2
  *Riding: 2 
   Theology: 1
  *Library Use: 4

 
 
'''General Abilities (* denotes Occupational Ability)'''
  Athletics 8
  Craft: 1
  Driving: 12
  Disquise: 2
  Firearms: 7
  Mechanical repair: 2
  Piloting: 7
  Preparedness: 2

 

'''Health:'''10
'''Sanity:'''10
'''Stability:'''10

Carrying her travelling handbag which contains makeup cigarettes lighter a screwdriver and a small adjustable wrench, clean hanky, money and a small satin bag containing clean panties. The handbag has sewn into the inside a holster for a derringer.


Dianna was born to well off parents, her mother died of complications after her birth. Her father buried himself in his work, until about 10years later when he died of a heart attack. Not that Dianna really knew her father she’d been sent to her Aunt shortly after her birth. Dianna saw her father on average twice a year Xmas and sometime around her birthday.

As far as her aunt and uncle were concerned she was as much their child as their daughter Victoria.
She and her cousin Victoria were born within two months of each other. Victoria was the elder, they shared the same nursery, they went to school together and generally shared everything including boyfriends. There was also a very strong family resemblance not identical by any means but casual acquaintances could be confused. 

When they were 18 they started their debut. Both girls were bored out of their brains but while Dianna went through the motions Victoria actively rebelled. It wasn’t long before Deb parties were dropped for a different type of party. 

Victoria was starting to follow an increasingly wild path, Dianna followed her everywhere. By the time they were 22 they had a reputation for wildness. They liked to drive fast cars and even tried their hands at flying. 

Vicki had been keeping secrets for the last six months. It had caused some resentment in Dianna and gradually they had grown apart. Dianna always the more level headed of the two started to withdraw from the really wild group. 

Victoria’s parents had decided to spend Halloween at a friend’s house in the country. Vicki had originally had been enthusiastic about the idea of a rustic holiday. Unfortunately her enthusiasm hadn’t lasted past the first 2 days of the week long break. Dianna had seen the holiday as a chance to mend fences with Vicki, that hadn’t happened either.
 
After fighting with her parents Vicki took a car and said she was going to visit friends in the area. The car lost traction on the wet road high in the Appalachians, a road that went nowhere. 

Everyone decided that in her drugged state she’d gotten lost, but none of the friends Vicki had intended meeting had ever turned up. 

Dianna suspects that there is more to the accident than it appears. Vicki was a superb driver and had coped with worse conditions, even under the effects of drugs and alcohol.

Besides why was Vicki there? Dianna personally asked at all the houses on the road and no one seemed to know Vicki.

Who are the people she was hanging around with those last six months?

Dianna needs to know what happened to her cousin.

==Brandon Winters (played by ntharotep)==

'''Occupation''': Archeologist<br>
'''Motivation''': Thirst for Knowledge (in the form of never being able to let a mystery go unsolved)<br>
'''Pillars of Sanity''': No Matter How Hairy it Gets, Civilization still Waits; Drink it Away and Sleep it Off<br>
'''Sources of Stability''': In memory of Frank (ex-business partner, best friend, deceased), Sophie Winters (Sister, Confidante, Teacher)<br>

Coming from a well to do family, Brandon was always the "black sheep". He would run off and seek adventure, dropping classes in college in favor of "expeditions". He learned enough about archeology that it fired his excitement and made all manner of trouble for him. 
Brandon and Frank, his best friend, were unstoppable. They would go on digs, seek out evidence of lost tribes in South America, race camels in Egypt while running from bandits, and they even dared the bars of New York on occasion. 
Every party has to come to an end, and Frank and Brandon's ended in a long, gruesome obsession over a small piece of stone. 
Frank sited possible Asian origins and Brandon argued that it just made no sense in the middle of the Amazon even if it was escaped slaves or workers. And the craftsmanship, from what they could tell of it, didn't depict anything like other Asian pieces. 
Frank wanted to give it up, he had one of his "feelings" which Brandon often scoffed at but were rarely wrong. Brandon wanted to hit up one more lead, in Mexico...Frank agreed reluctantly and sadly. 
The lead about went crazy trying to distance himself from the two men, yelling at them to get the "piedra del diablo" out of his sight and them along with it. Brandon would never forget the spit running down his shirt that the scared man had gifted them both with.
Frank was no lightweight and could handle his own in a fight. Brandon had always carried a bit of lead insurance to help balance his lack of fist to cuffs talent. But neither of them stood a chance with the strangers in the alley. They struck hard and fast and though Brandon caught one with his gun as they ran, they had won the fight. Frank lay bleeding to death and soon after Brandon would burry his friend and move on, at least that is what he told himself he had done. The thought of the piece of stone his friend had likely died over and the strangers who took it never left his mind completely. 

Since then, Brandon has taken any job that would pay, caring less and less about the history and more and more about coming across anything that will open up a new puzzle, a new mystery for him to pursue. His nights all too often end in a stupor, trying to forget his best friend bleeding in the alley and trying to drown the memories with bourbon, whiskey, scotch, anything.
 
'''General Abilities (* Denotes Occupational Skills'''
  *Athletics / 2
  Conceal / 1
  Firearms / 2
  *First Aid / 1
  Health / 6
  Preparedness / 3
  *Riding / 1
  Scuffling / 1
  Sense Trouble / 2
  Stealth / 2
  Weapons / 1

'''Investigative Abilities (16 pts)'''
  *Archaeology / 2
  *History / 2
  *Languages / 1 (Spanish)
  *Library use / 2
  Occult / 1  
  Assess Honesty / 1
  Bargain / 2
  Credit Rating / 2
  Streetwise / 1
  *Evidence Collection / 2
  Outdoorsman / 1

'''Health''' 10<br>
'''Sanity''' 6<br>
'''Stability''' 7<br>

==Orel Falk (played by tutunaku)==

Orel Falk was a USMC Military Policeman during the late occupation of Nicaragua. Discharged after the withdrawal in 1933, he's found work somewhat hard to find, falling back on work as a handyman/groundskeeper

'''Occupation:'''Military <br>
'''Drive:''' Bad Luck

'''Investigative Abilities'''
  Assess Honesty 1
  Bargain 1 
  Craft 2
  Credit Rating 3 
  Languages 2
  Interrogation 2 
  Intimidation 4 
  Occult 1
  Oral History 1 
  Outdoorsman 4 
  Streetwise 1

'''General Abilities'''
  Athletics 10
  Explosvies 2
  Firearms 12
  Preparedness 5
  Scuffling 10
  Sense Trouble 10
  Stealth 5 
  Weapons 12


'''Health:''' 10  '''Sanity:''' 10  '''Stability:''' 10

=Rules Updates=
The below are rules updates to reflect the hybrid Purist/Pulp nature of this campaign.
• Occupation descriptions do not include Pulp-mode options.

• Alienists may not purchase the Hypnosis ability.

• Priests do not have Psychoanalysis as an occupational ability and cannot bless holy water, fend off vampires, or exorcise demons.

• Parapsychologists cannot purchase Hypnosis or have psychic powers.

• Private Investigators do not have the Chandler-inspired alternate list of occupational abilities.

• Adventure, Duty, Revenge, and Sudden Shock are suitable Drives.

• Purist-mode caps on Health, Stability, and Sanity are not in effect.

• Hypnosis is not available to Investigators.

• Investigators do have Sources of Stability, but must (as usual) spend time with them in order to recover Stability between Locales.

• Keepers do not reveal the Difficulty Numbers of tests.

• Pulp-style long-range and doublefisted uses of the Firearms ability are right out, and effective bulletproof clothing is not available to Investigators. The full-auto option for submachine guns is not used, and Investigators are not assumed to have unlimited ammunitions at their disposal.

• Explosives can be employed. 

• The Stability loss of repeated encounters with similar minor Mythos creatures is reduced as described in Trail of Cthulhu, pg. 72.

• Players are allowed to faint in order to avoid extreme Sanity loss.

• The Anagnorisis rules are not used.

• Confidence-based Stability recovery is not allowed.

• The recovery of Sanity from “defeating the Mythos” is not possible.

• Investigators receive 1 build point (rather than 2) at the conclusion of each Locale to improve their abilities