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Showing posts with the label Inspirational Artefacts

Inspirational Artefact: General Montcalm's Skull

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I saw this, and had to post it. As a relic/artefact. Who was Montcalm ? Preserved as a relic by the Ursuline Order. Find a grave link . The skull was finally buried in 2001. ( link1 )( link2 ) A skull as such doesn't make such a great Call of Cthulhu artefact, as it is human in origin, not mythos related. It would make a great item to be used in Unknown Armies . Of course, in a Call of Cthulhu game, it may be on show, labelled as Montcalm's skull, but the cultists know, or at least believe it to actually be the skull of a great shaman and cult leader. The skull itself may not actually have power, but the possession of it can be used as an identifier, or bargaining tool with a being of power, thereby allowing the cult access to something they do not yet have. The investigators could be hired to find the stolen skull, and thereby are in a race against time to find it before the cult accesses what it wants. Otherwise, the cult succeeds in it's plan, unlea...

Artefacts as Inspiration: Ivory Clappers

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Inspirational Artefacts artefact / ˈɑːtɪˌfækt / noun: something   made   or   given   shape   by   man,   such   as   a   tool   or   a   work   of art,   esp   an   object   of   archaeological   interest. At first glance, these don't initially strike the viewer as particularly mythos, but I had to include them once I read the description!  Egyptian, Amarna, New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty. 1353-36 BCE These clappers are shaped like hands. They were used in magical practices to scare away evil spirits and ghosts. By clapping them together a noise is created that accompanies a ritual.  source . Of course, the influence of Egyptian archaeology on the mythos, and indeed on popular culture of the 1920s, is undeniable so these fit in very well with the setting. Furthermore, they are a bona fide magical artefact, not just an amulet of power, or a grimoire, and this alone sets th...

Inspirational Artefacts: Hand of Sabazius

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Inspirational Artefacts artefact / ˈɑːtɪˌfækt / noun: something   made   or   given   shape   by   man,   such   as   a   tool   or   a   work   of art,   esp   an   object   of   archaeological   interest. On my daily trolling of the internet, A Tumblr site has been brought to my attention that has some wonderful artefacts, that just scream out to be used in scenarios. With this in mind, I am starting what will be a new semi-regular feature on the blog, Inspirational Artefacts. Artefacts in your game. There are a number of ways these artefacts can be dropped into a game. It maybe that the item has been brought to a local museum on a tour, or maybe the investigators are the actual archaeologists who discover them. It could be that the item is found in the lair of the cultists the investigators raid, or even up for sale in the local occult store/jumble sale/auction. The gr...