The Lurking Fear

THE LURKING FEAR
Jacky Leung
A Horror Solo Adventure Roleplaying Simulation

in the Worlds of H.P. Lovecraft
Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

Credits:
Writer & Designer: Jacky Leung
Photographs: Library of Congress
Fonts: Caslon Antique, Britannic Bold, and
JMH Cthulhumbus
Inspired by Call of Cthulhu 7th Ed. by

Chaosium, Inc. and MetaArcade’s Cthulhu
Chronicles mobile game.
Additional inspiratoin from H.P. Lovecraft’s

The Lurking Fear.
©2018 Death By Mage
Come visit www.deathbymage.com for advice,

inspiration, and reviews with the goal of spreading the
love for tabletop roleplaying games.
Not for resale. Permission to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.

BASIC RULES
To play this Choose-Your-Own-Adventure, you will need a set of percentile die, or two
ten-sided dice with one representing the tens place and one to represent single digits.
You may choose to play this adventure with the four pre-generated characters provided.
It is recommended you print and cut out the character details to keep alongside as you
play. Additionally, print out the Appendix: Clues at the end of this document.
If you wish, you may create your own character using these basic concepts:
• You have 10 points to distribute between your Health and Sanity attributes.
• You have 150 points to divide between Charisma, Athleticism, and Wits.
• Write down a name of this character, and some a backstory on what brought them
to the Catskill mountains in the southeastern portion of New York state.
Throughout the course of the adventure, your Health and Sanity will change, there are
even instances where your attributes may also be reduced. If your Health or Sanity drop
to 0, your character dies or goes insane. You will have to try your luck again, you can
choose the same character or a new one.
In general, when you are making a roll (which is also called a test), you roll your
percentile die. If your result is lower than the target number, you have succeded in the
test. If your result is equal to or higher than the target number, you have failed the test.
Some tests will specify consequences for both successful and failed results (if any).

Born to a prestigious family from south Baltimore, Maryland, Lola
has always had a knack for adventure. Her social graces allowed
her to circulate among different societies until she found herself
amongst curious paranormalists and thrill-seekers that she delved
into the occult.
Lola Jenkins
(Socialite, 28) 4 6 65 35 50
William Bartley spent several years overseas as a communications

officer during the War. Headstrong and resourceful, Bartley pursued
his passion of journalism after the fighting stopped. Winner of
several awards, he is a thorough investigator.
William Bartley
(Journalist, 43) 5 5 50 45 55

Doctor Eliza Weatherby was born in Yorkshire, New York
but spent the past 15 years as a tenured professor at Yale for
Anthropology. In her youth, she traveled to Africa and the Latin
Americas, becoming fluent in multiple languages. A humanitarian,
scholar, and explorer at heart, age has not weathered her
sensibilities.
Dr. Eliza Weatherby

(Academic, 50) 3 7 35 50 65
Joseph Carter was the star athlete of his youth football team and
decided to try his hand as a private detective after demobilization.
His blunt demeanor sometimes becomes a source of discourse with
others but he means well. A few drinks later and Carter can be
quite jovial, and definitely a looker amongst the ladies.
Joseph Carter
(Detective, 38) 6 4 45 65 40

1. ARRIVAL
You arrived at the village several miles from the Catskills,
unseemingly quaint and remote compared to the reported
devastation to a hamlet several miles from the foot of the
infamous Tempest Mountain. The villagers were a simple, rural
lot who only recently become glamoured by modernization as
reporters, investigators, thrill-seekers, and surveyors.
You and many others were glutted into a hotel in Lefferts

Corner, many were reporters or other investigators. A mixture
of curiosities and intrigue led you to the hamlet. Nearly a
month ago, the mountain roared and bellowed ruin onto
another village not far from your location. Of the populace’s
seventy-five citizens, none were spared from the storm’s fury
or wreckage. Further reports indicated something of bestial
origin, but unlike anything, biological or zoological resources
could answer.
Whispers and fears from the natives direct you to the deserted
Martense mansion that slumbers atop the ominous, dreary
mountain.
(continue reading...)

2. ASCENSION OF THE TEMPEST
You drove by motor-car to the derelict mansion, past dozens
of miles of primordial forest. As night fell, the scenery grew
more sinister, you cautiously turned on the headlights only to
aggravate the tension. Unlike the residents of the area, you
were not accustomed to the perverted landscape.
A morbidity hung in the scenery for there were no wild

creatures - none. The fauna was twisted and warped, from the
lightning-scarred trees to the unnaturally thick vegetation. The
hills and mounds resembled swollen serpents and skulls. Past
the hummock, you trampled with an electric torch as spectral
grey walls began to bleed through the great oaks ahead.

3. THE MARTENSE MANSION
You reach the summit, greeted by the hundred-year-old antique,
grove-circled stone house that was the subject of countless
monstrous stories. Before you left, the squatters from the
village told tales of a daemon which seized lone wanderers
at night, its unfortunate victims were either dismembered or
trails of crimson led back to the ancient household of Dutch
settlers. Some believed the thunder from the mountain was its
voice. Amidst the tall-tales, all agreed that the mansion was
sincerely haunted.
You enlisted two companions, George Bennett and William

Tobey, to accompany your expedition to the mansion. An
exploration into the abandoned household revealed chambers
filled with rubbish once were furniture. You reach a sizeable
room on the second floor that contained a large window toward
the east and a narrow southern window, both deprived of any
panels or shutters. Opposite of the large window, an enormous
Dutch fireplace stood with tiles with minute scriptures.
“Stories say Jan Martense was murdered in this house,” George

bellowed. Tobey grew tense as the thunder grew louder.

“We should leave before the daemon finds us,” Tobey protested.
A predator roar from the thunderstorm silenced your hopes

of escape from the dreary and ghastly homestead. The three
of you dragged a four-poster bed frame from another room
to brace the sizeable eastern window and secured the structure
with a bundle of rope. Your escorts drew their pistols, Bennett
nearby the window while Tobey became the defacto first watch
as he brooded over the fireplace.
Sometime after midnight, you felt unusually drowsy, Bennett

exhibited signs of the irregular spell. The thunder continued to
rage outside, you fought against the impulse to close your eyes,
but darkness ultimately took hold. The inscrutable fireplace -
the last thing you see.

4. DREAMS OF NIS
The distant thunder arouses your dreams as apocalyptic visions
plague you. Shifting shadows mold into unnatural shapes
until a distant landscape far away comes to view. A dusty,
desert valley where time halted and where ancient wars waged.
The canyon winds sing a lament to the queer stars above,
gathering blessings of desert tulips and asphodels. The sky
becomes crimson as a vile thunderstorm arose and some
eldritch shadow stalked the murky clouds. You stand frozen at
the incomprehensible spectacle.
The phantasmal vision ends abruptly by a guttural shriek.
Roll for Sanity Test

• Use your highest attribute (Charisma, Athleticism, or
Wits), roll d100.
• If d100 <= attribute: You dismiss the nightmarish visages,
your mind lulled into an eerie serenity.
• If d100 > attribute: The visions fade as your eyes struggle
to flutter open against the wave of exhaustion. It felt real,
too real. Lose 1 Sanity, Reduce. Attribute by
1d10.

5. SHADOW IN THE CHIMNEY
Startled awake by the ghastly cries of mortal fear as
hopeless agony clawed from the gates of oblivion, you
spotted the source of the madness. A crimson madness
overtook by the demonic shape, you felt the empty space
near you and knew that Tobey and Bennett were gone. The
stray forearm laid on your chest, stripped from its owner yet
retained an eroding warmth.
In a deafening flash of lightning, the mountain shook, and

the darkness shattered as sharply as the splintered ancient
tree of the grounds. The nightmarish flash of light engraved
the unfathomable abominable shape at the chimney. Your
sanity struggled to apprehend the image, and within an
instant, those red eyes were gone.
You were left alone in that damned mansion - shriving, and

stuttering.
Lose 1 Sanity

6. THE MORNING AFTER
At first light, you descended to the motor-car which was
miraculously left pristine similar to yourself. You could not
sleep after staring into the void, fragments of memory flash
in your mind as you made the perilous return to the hamlet
below Tempest Mountain. You conveyed your story to the
local authorities, answered their questions, and were quickly
dismissed.
You spent the next two days in your hotel room, the experience
left your body decrepit and your mind manic. By the third
day, the local apothecary prescribed social engagement and
stiff drinks to curtail your edge. Begrudgingly, you depart your
room and make your way to the hotel’s central lobby where
the rustic decor is the most pristine within this small village.

7. LEFFERTS CORNER
The men who accompanied you to the Martense Mansion,
Bennett and Tobey, were presumed missing. A heavy guilt
continually weighed your mind while plagued by the horrid
imagery of that night. You have uncovered one of the earth’s
greater mysteries - a nameless horror from an unknown void,
the kind from the farthest expanse of reality. The shadow
granted you mercy that night, a stinging curiosity that would
inflate to a gnawing conundrum.
You choose not to abandon this quest for the lurking fear.
The uncertain and ethereal seemed desirable compared to
any enlightenment. Your mind fog dissipates as the morning
wanes, you notice several investigators in the hotel parlor,
though an inquiry with the town hall may furnish records
of the dilapidated mansion, or a visit to the local church to
remedy your bruised conscience from Bennett and Tobey’s
disappearances.
Confide with an investigator in the Hotel Parlor (pg. 9)?

Visit the Town Hall (pg. 11) to learn more about the Martense
Mansion?
Do you visit the Church (pg. 13) to ease your conscience?

8. HOTEL PARLOR
You make friendly acquaintances with the parlor denizens,
most of whom were reporters. Sociable and well-natured, you
recount the details your trek to the dismal summit of Tempest
Mountain and the harrowing encounter with the lurking fear.
Your interactions garnered sympathy and interest by a dark,
lean man in his mid-thirties. He introduces himself as Arthur
Monroe, after further discussions, Monroe proves to be worthy
colleague and confidant.
Monroe proposes a postponement of any future expedition to

the Martense Mansion until further data could be surveyed.
You happily agree with the assessment and prepare yourselves
to trek out the surrounding countryside for any geographical
or historical records though unsure of the particulars of your
search or what you might find.

9. COUNTRYSIDE
The next day, you combed the neighboring countryside along
the varying slopes for any information or detail about that
terrible mansion. You conversed with many of the local
squatters, following the trail of tragedies and regional legends,
which left your analysis of the gathered evidence all the more
apparent.
Roll for Wits A Test

• Use your Wits attribute, roll d100.
• If result <= Wits: An ominous geometry revealed that
the largest account of sightings of the dastardly horror
frequent between the vincinity of the averted household
or dispersed along the gruesomely overgrown woodlands.
Clue: Ominous Geometry
• If result > Wits: Further deliberation between yourself and
Monroe was necessary, the array of data suggested a dire
portrayal of events. You return to Lefferts Corner to decide
your next course of action. Reduce Wits by 1d10.
Return to Lefferts Corner & visit the Town Hall (pg. 11)?
Or explore Martense Mansion (pg. 15) again in daylight?
10

10. TOWN HALL
You journey to Leffert Corners’ town hall, a building almost
as large as your hotel, but far smaller than any familiar
municipal structure. The provincial interior breathed a stagnant
air, timeless and unchanged for decades or more. Through
inquisitive inspection, you follow the obscure layout to a plain
wooden door marked with a golden plaque that read: “Mayor’s
Office.” A few short knocks and a voice beyond instructs you
to enter. The mayor was a stout man in his mid-forties with
a nest of hair still on top, he sat with a slight slouch behind
antique desk to allude his blunt annoyance if your presence.
“May I help you?” He demanded.
You request for any information or record on the forsaken

mansion, to which the burgomaster eyed with a cautious glare
for a moment. An air of reluctance hanged in his demeanor.
11

Roll for Charisma S Test
• Use your Charisma attribute, roll d100.
• If result <= Charisma: Your candor that any information
may demystify the nature of the horrors that plague the
region and aid to prevent future tragedies. He retrieves a
worn notebook and hands it to you. You inspect the relic
and brush the dust off the cover to reveal the gold lettering
that read: “Martense.” Clue: Ancestral Diary
• If results > Charisma: The mayor urges your immediate
departure from his office. At first, you protest but eventually
recoil once the man rose from his chair with a slight
crimson hue burning from the base of his thick neck.
Reduce Charisma by 1d10.
You leave the building and ponder your next steps. Perhaps
you may find some information from your colleagues back
in the Hotel Parlor (pg. 9), otherwise you may stopover the
Church (pg. 13) to reflect your conscience before daring to
explore the Martense Mansion (pg. 15) again.
12

11. CHURCH
The old church sat near the outskirts of the hamlet, it was the
only one for several miles, many from the squatters population
frequent the institution. The denizens lived under the fear and
wrath of the mountain, only faith or death seemed to be their
only refuge. The inside of the sacred chapel was devoid of any
gilded glory, a simple and humble offering of spiritual solace.
You take a seat in a nearby pew and give a silent prayer of

mercy for the missing Bennett and Tobey. After several minutes,
you notice the pastor standing nearby in quiet contemplation
as well. A man well into this sixities, he solemnly greets you
and asks what ails you. You recount your experiences and
diabolic imagery of the haunted mansion, along with the loss
of the two souls.
13

Roll for Charisma S Test
• Use your Charisma attribute, roll d100.
• If result <= Charisma: After your plea, the pastor recounts the
origins of the mansion, their former owners, the Martense,
and the grim fate that befell one Jan Martense. Whom the
priest believes haunts the very halls of the forsaken home.
The Martense were a secluded family and become isolated
over time, most notably, the members possessed a unique
heterochromatic hereditary eye trait - one blue and one
brown. Clue: Family History
• If result > Charisma: The pastor bides his tongue and
excuses himself. A short blessing for peace, tranquility, and
good fortune upon you as you exit the chapel. Reduce
Charisma by 1d10.
After your therapeutic session, a renewed determination

casts a light on the dark uncertainty that once plagued you.
Perhaps you may confide your experiences with some of the

other reporters and investigators back in the Hotel Parlor (pg.
9), or a revisit to the Martense Mansion (pg. 15) in daylight
may provide more meaningful results.
14

12. MARTENSE MANSION GROUNDS
The return drive to the eerie and surreal mansion placed a heavy
weight on your chest. You confided with one of the reporters,
a man named Arthur Monroe, and the both of you ascended
to the summit. With the aid of the daylight, the grounds and
the twisted trees permeated with a relentless malice, but you
pressed forward. The squatters warned that the mountain was
fickle demon and that storms arise without mercy or warning,
your experience with the lightning and thunder colluded to the
same conclusion.
Roll for Athleticism F Test

Use your Athleticism attribute, roll d100.
If result <= Athleticism: The survey has proven fruitless, yet
the day was young and the sky was presently still clear.
If result > Athleticism: Your ambition and determination
proceeded a full recovery from your previous trek as exhaustion
takes over. Lose 1 Health, Reduce Athleticism by
1d10.
15

Several hours pass yet no trace creature or settlement divulged
a solution to the greater mystery afoot. The both of you
eventually widen your search to the devastated hamlet that
brought many to Lefferts Corner, with every inch combed and
searched for any revelation on the lurking fear. The sky began
to darken, you and Monroe felt the futility of their fates as
you deliberate amongst yourselves.
16

13. STUDDEN STORM - SHELTER
The thunderstorm caught you and Monroe by surprise,
compelled to find ample shelter from the malevolent bolts, two
logical choices arise. Monroe argues that one of the cottages
within this blasted settlement could provide safety from the
demonic storm. Equally, your compatriot reminded you of
the option to seek haven within the death-stricken mansion
if the options provided unfavorable. The sky bellowed and
roared, lightning flashed again overhead, and the turbulent
winds battered the both of you.
Roll for Athleticism F or Wits A Test

• Use your Athleticism or Wits attribute, roll d100.
• If result <= attribute: You find an decrepit shack but believe
its integrity should weather the storm. (Go to pg. 18)
• If result > attribute: The hamlet’s devastation has become
apparent and reluctantly, you confide to the mansion itself
for safety. (Go to pg. 20)
17

14. SHELTER IN THE MANSION
Your attempts to find shelter from the fury of Tempest Mountain
proved fruitless and become forced to retreat to the godless mansion.
A surge of howling winds, flashes of devilish lightning, and algid rain
assailed both you and Monroe. The effort left you too exhausted
and numb from the cold.
Monroe suggests searching for a haven to weather the storm outside.

But the previous encounter within the mansion still haunts your
memory. The smell of the decay and flash of lightning sparked the
unnatural sight of the shadowy fear again. You resist the urge to
regurgitate your last meal from that ghastly recollection.
Monroe steps ahead and finds ones of the larger galleries within
the abandoned estate with adequate space to furnish fortifications.
You both break the furniture to brace the doors and tower over the
large windows on two of the walls. Over the fireplace mantle, you
notice another portrait of the fabled Jan Martense as his ominous
heterochromatic eyes trace behind you at every corner of the room.
You and Monroe suspect your choice of refuge has made you both
like caged prey for a stalking darkness ready to pounce.
Lose 1 Heath and 1 Sanity.
18

15. FESTERING SHADOWS
Even with your flashlights, the ebbing shadows continued to
taunt you and Monroe whilst confined to the makeshift barricade
within the gallery. The sound of the raging storm felt as if
the heavens forsook the earth like a page from Revelations.
The Martense mansion shook under the thunder’s roar, and
a diabolic flash of lightning glimpsed an eerie shadow at the
corner of your vision. Before you could confirm the gruesome
visage, the glass from the windows shatters from the storm’s
might.

• Use your Athleticism attribute, roll d100.
• If result <= Athleticism: You brace against the fragments
and tuck behind an antique sofa.
• If result > Athleticism: Shards of glass scrape your arms
and legs, nothing vital was injured. Lose 1 Health,
Reduce Athleticism by 1d10.
Another bolt flares upon the dark sky and the visage is no
longer there. You and Monroe remained on the remainder
of the night before exhaustion came and you fell into a deep
slumber. (continue reading...)
19

16. SHELTER IN THE SHACK
You and Monroe find an abandoned cottage near the blasted
remains of the hamlet that drew you all here. You both spend
some time fortifying the derelict dwelling from broken boards
to antique furniture. The storm battered against the roof and
windows, before long, a stream of rainwater poured from the
ceiling. An unearthly chill reached down your spine from the
cracks along the wooden lodge which prompted you to search
for a lantern to keep you warm while you waited for the
storm’s end.

• If result <= Wits: You manage to find the lantern inside a
rotten dresser with some oil left from the previous owner.
You light it and place it in a dry area while both you and
Monroe crowd around it through the night.
• If results > Wits: Your search found nothing useful and
most of the wood inside became wet from the humidity.
Your night in the lodge was cold and exhaustion grasped
the both of you. Lose 1 Health, Reduce Wits by
1d10.
20

17. TERROR OF THE STORM
The next morning, you and Monroe were greeted by a dreary
overcast sky. You narrowly avoided the storm from last night,
but it’s specter remained. You assess the merits of this expedition
and any information uncovered from your investigation of
the Martense mansion. While you ponder on your thoughts,
Monroe expressed his curiosity about the weather conditions
outside and began to disassemble the barricades.
After a few moments, you notice an air of silence and turn

to see Monroe still standing over the window ledge. You call
him, but he offers no reply. After another attempt, you reach
over Monroe’s shoulder and turn him to find a grisly sight.
He was dead. What remained of his burrowed and mauled
head, there was no longer a face.
Lose 1 Sanity
21

18. RETURN TO LEFFERTS CORNER
Monroe’s death has shaken your resolve when you return to the
hamlet of Lefferts Corner again. The lurking fear has claimed
another victim, your hands remained blood-soaked after you
worked the nerve to clean yourself. You stayed reclusive during
the small service held in the nearby church, ambivalent about
the choices before you.
You consider your losses and try to move on from them, a

chance to return back to the city with what sanity and fortitude
remained seemed comforting (Go to pg. 23). But would you
allow those deaths to be in vain and not return to uncover the
truth of these tragedies? (Go to pg. 24)
22

19. FLEE!
You pack your belongings onto the motor car as you prepare
to depart the bleak hamlet. A return to the city seemed a
likely place to recuperate and overcome the strain of the lives
taken by the Martense mansion. You turn to survey your
surroundings, eyes were drawn again by the ominous Tempest
mountain with now a silent demeanor. It reveled in its victory
against the human curiosity for the truth. You no longer felt
the lingering dread and stalking fear as the Catskills faded
from view behind the mirror of your motor car.
THE END
23

20. AVENGE THE FALLEN
Vengeance and vivification burned in your heart. The deaths of
those men would not plague your quest did not dissolve your
determination. You ask for a pistol from one of the townsfolk,
though reluctant to relieve their only self-defense, you assured
them it was merely a precaution. A satchel of equipment from
flashlights, bandages, gloves, and rope hung off your shoulder.
You drove via motor car to an area that surrounded the

mansion and the mountain where you hoped to find the
possible keeper of the elusive truth that continued to evade
your efforts. You exit and see two large stone pillars with a
previous but mangled iron gate. The years of erosion and
rust was prompted by neglect. The Martense’s seclusion, you
learned, compelled the family to forsake responsibilities to
anyone, which included themselves. An array of tombstones
and statues littered the unkept mounds, tall blades of grass
obstructed your progress, but eventually, you found the item
of your query. You hoped your long-awaited answers and
curiosities may discover their resolution here.
24

21. MARTENSE’S GRAVE
You hover over a stone tombstone marked “Jan Martense” and
hope to quell the restless spirit that plagued the mountains and
the peoples of the villages. The earth was old and untouched
for decades as you began to exhume the grave.

• If result <= Athleticism: Your progress goes unimpeded as
you dive into a frenzy compelled by unbroken determination.
• If result > Athleticism: The progress goes slow and before
long, you reach the coffin exhausted. Lose 1 Health.
Reduce Athleticism by 1d10.
You begin to pry the wooden coffin lid with all of your
strength.
25

• If result <= Athleticism: You managed to pry the nailed coffin
lid to find the desiccated skeletal remains. Unfortunately,
the corpse does not reveal anything to you but your efforts
revealed a half sunken aperture. Your curiosity compels you
to crawl the carrion earth. (Go to pg. )
• If result <= Athleticism + [Clue: Ancestral Diary]: The
crushed skull of Jan Martense confirmed the diary entries
and the folly of the worldly deceased. A cruel and gruesome
fate for the young war veteran that ultimately led the Martense
clan to be rebuked by the local squatters and villages. Their
isolation forced them to inbreed amongst themselves. They
were never seen again. In your efforts to exhume the coffin,
you notice an opening that ran adjacent to the mound that
is believed to be tunnels. Your curiosity compelled you to
explore and discover the hidden path, as if the hidden hand
of the deceased Martense wished for closure as well. Lose
1 Sanity. (Go to pg. 27).
• If result > Athleticism: The progress goes slow and before
long, you reach the coffin exhausted. Lose 1 Health.
Reduce Athleticism by 1d10. (Go to pg. 29)
26

22. TUNNELS BENEATH THE MOUNDS
You crawl your way through the dredged channel for several minutes.
The passageways would split and twist to different directions, you realize
you discovered an intricate network that perhaps the foul beast that slew
Monroe and the others used to navigate throughout the Catskills.

• If result <= Wits: You realize that the various mounds displaced
across the perimeter of Tempest Mountain could be linked together.
The imposed danger of the lurking fear signified a greater intelligence
and not some monstrous creature. Lose 1 Sanity. [Clue: Ominous
Geometry]
• If result <= Wits + Clue: Ominous Geometry: The mounds! They
were not some happenstance, but part of a greater plot ostracized by
a great and evil intelligence. The network of tunnels was a sinister
spider’s web that possibly stretched across the perimeter of Tempest
Mountain.
• If result > Wits: Your mind becomes muddle from encroaching
claustrophobic urges and you press onward in the hopes of an exit
soon. Reduce Wits by 1d10.
Eventually, the tunnels began to slope upward into an incline. You pray that
the exit looms ahead for you soon and based on your directional senses,
you hypothesize that you’re headed toward the Martense homestead.
27

23. EYES STARE BACK
You continue your ascension on the steep tunnels, grinding your
teeth as you exert all of your physical effort as a small spot of light
from the top. A fragile hope willed you forward, though, during
your exploration, a singular dread of encountering the deadly fear
pressed your motivations. The time dragged slowly, but eventually,
your goal is within reach, almost ten feet away from liberation.
The sound of another storm rolled through the threshold, you did
not wish to be caught in the midst of the charred woodlands only
to join their ranks. You scurry upward before a flash of demonic
lightning revealed a horrid silhouette and blood-curdled eyes. You
stared into the precipice of life and death. A bolt of lightning flashed
again and struck near the tunnel threshold which presented your
moment of opportunity.

• Use your Athleticism or Wits attribute, roll d100.
• If result <= Attribute: You muster the strength and sense to
retreat back into the tunnel. Sections of the tunnels became wet
from the stormwater, you hurry to find an alternative exit. (Go
to pg. 30)
• If result > Attribute: You frantically crawl back the way you came,
hoping to find another path. Lose 1 Sanity. (Go to pg. 29)
28

24. CONSUMING FEAR
A dark visage of the shadowy horror leered at your frightened
form, the distant thunder dampens your screams as it lunged
towards you and an ominous crimson overtook your vision.
You feel the cold darkness embrace you as the last image burns
into your mind. A creature of crooked deformity, hunched
on all fours with gashing, feral teeth. But its eyes, those
heterochromatic eyes.
THE END
29

25. BACK TO THE TUNNELS
You managed to find another path before your flashlight
dimmed and darkened. There was limited time left on them,
and you knew well to not be caught down below in the dark.

• If result <= Attribute: You glimpse a possible tunnel
passageway and your instincts suggested a safe path ahead.
• If result > Attribute: The path ahead seemed treacherous
but your fears take hold and propel you ahead. Lose 1
Health, Reduce Wits by 1d10.
Your familiarity with the grounds leads you to suspect that

you’re headed toward to the far side of the mansion. You
discover a larger opening and find the remains of half-eaten
vermin and rodents. The unpleasant stench forced you to
continue your trek until another tunnel slanted upward again
and you journeyed ahead.
30

26. MARTENSE MANSION CELLAR
You crawl out of the makeshift tunnel and past several wooden
grates before you found yourself in a large basement or cellar.
You take a moment for your eyes to adjust, the stench of mold
and wet stone nearly cause you to retch but you resist the
urge. You spot another mound close by the cellar’s exit and
hear a rattling coming close to you. Your instincts screamed
to find a safe place out of sight.

• If result <= Athleticism: You pull some old hay and boards
over yourself and clutch the pistol you acquired earlier
before your return back to the mansion. (Go to pg. 32)
• If result > Athleticism: You haphazardly pull some hay
and boards over yourself and desperately clutch the pistol
you acquired before your return trip to the grounds.
(Go to pg. 29)
31

27. FACE OF FEAR
A herd of figures emerged and crawled from the mound
toward the tunnel you exited from earlier. Some snarled like
great beasts, their movements were alien and crooked. You
could spot their large humpbacks with ghastly spinal ridges
that protruded with each motion. The crippling fear compelled
you to not make a sound and you fight every compulsion to
scream at the gruesome sights.
After several moments, the large herd, nearly ten or twelve of

them, burrowed into the dark tunnel passages. All but one. It
seemed to linger within the cellar out of some incongruous
curiosity. You suddenly recall the pistol in your hands, your
grip made them near white. You had a chance to strike the
creature and make your escape or wait until it left on its own
accord.
Lose 1 Sanity.
Do you use your pistol and strike the creature? (Go to pg. 33)
Or do you wait and hope the creature leaves? (Go to pg. 34)
32

28. STAIN THE DARK
You take careful aim with your pistol, your sweat-covered
palms gently tugged on the trigger the moment the creature’s
back was facing you.

• Use Athleticism or Wits attribute, roll d100.
• If result <= attribute: You time your pistol shot with the
lightning strike, a cacophonous boom and phantasmal flash
of light passed. (Go to pg. 38)
• If result > attribute: You fire your pistol at the creature
and the sound of thunder began to erupt from the tunnel
passageway. (Go to pg. 35)
33

29. SILENCE IN THE DARK
You stay your hand and wait in silence. A wretched agony that
bordered on eternity. You resist every compulsion to scream,
fight, or flee from the scene. Your muscles become sore and
burn from the rigid posture, fearful of any sign of movement.
Your breaths become shallow as you take short breaths with
long moments of stillness. You almost willed your lungs to be
still even. The sound of your heartbeat was deafening.

• If result <= Wits: You keep your composure against the
overwhelming terror before you. Lose 1 Health and 1
Sanity. (Go to pg. 37)
• If result > Wits: One of the boards slips and falls onto the
ground, the hideous creature turns to you. (Go to pg. 35)
34

30. DEVOURING SHADOW
The lurking shadow stumbled close by and suddenly jerks its
jagged maw towards you. A crooked visage on all fours with
large humped backs with spinal ridges that protrude with each
sinister motion. Its crimson eyes stare into your frightful gaze
as a carnal growl erupts before it lunged towards you. A sudden
release as your breath left your lungs after an ominous snap.
Your vision began to blur as sudden lightning bolt and flash
revealed the creature’s grayish form and those heterochromatic
eyes.
THE END
35

36

31. EYES OF TRUE TERROR
The visage of the creature jerked and stumbled along the cellar
floor, it leaned closer to your hodgepodge assembly of hay and
boards. Thankfully, the temporary structure held and did not
reveal your presence to the beast. Upon closer inspection, you
realize the creature was covered in dark brown hair and a foul
stench with it. You again resist retching at the hideous sight as
the beast began to sniff the air for several moments. The time
passed for nearly an eternity before another flash of lightning
revealed the horrid shape of the fear that stalked your mind.
Its heterochromatic eyes glistened against the demonic light
before it fled into the tunnel passageway to join its kin. You
breathe a sigh of relief and quickly scatter your camouflage to
escape the mansion cellar.
Lose 1 Sanity.
37

32. THE AFTERMATH
You return to Lefferts Corner after your expedition to the
Martense Mansion, you locked yourself in the hotel room for
several days before you dared leave it again. Your nights were
filled with the experiences of your misadventures, the image
of the creature continued to haunt your dreams, and alcohol
could not soothe your agony and regrets. You eventually inform
the local township of the threat of the creatures and the
danger they pose, with the proposal to dynamite the forsaken
homestead. It was done during the day, a storm cloud hovered
Tempest mountain, and with a ceremonious thunder strike,
the explosion echoed across the Catskills. As the shambling
brick and mortar crumbled in the fiery conflagration, you offer
a solemn prayer that the unholy menace was gone, but still
haunted by those heterochromatic eyes.
THE END
38

APPENDIX: CLUES
The following are clues your investigator may find over the
course of the story. Please print these pages separately and
keep them off to the side. Don’t spoil them, let the story
naturally provide them to you. You will learn more about
the Martense family, the mansion, and perhaps other sinister
truths that remain for this iteration of the Lurking Fear.
39

CLUE: OMINOUS GEOMETRY
A curious revelation comes to you in the form of a sinister
geometry as you survey the marked map of the surrounding
area of the Martense Mansion, Tempest Mountain, and the
squatter villages. An odd pattern begins to emerge, one where
coincidence was improbable, and the curiosity of its purpose
or origin begin to percolate within your mind. The crimson
X’s and circles continually mock your sensibilities as you
continue to excavate any of its hidden truths.
40

CLUE: ANCESTRAL DIARY
A tattered, rugged leather-bound tome with crumbled pages.
Heavily weathered, and many pages seem to fall off the binding,
but the content surprisingly remains legible. Inside, you find
accounts written by the late Jan Martense with details about
the family estate that rested near the summit of Tempest
Mountain, their Dutch legacy, and their eventual isolation
from the world. The journal contains details of Jan Martense’s
accounts fighting in the Civil War, the horrors of the conflict,
and the countless tragedies he survived. Further entries detail
his return to the ancestral homestead, but he was instead
treated as an outsider. Frustrated, the veteran Martense sought
to leave the mansion and the family, citing a friend from
his military service that would assist him. The final entries
contain paranoia, concerns, along with notes on arguments
and disagreements. Afterward, there were no more entries.
41

CLUE: FAMILY HISTORY
The mansion was built by Gerrit Martense, a Dutch merchant
from New Amsterdam who disliked the British empire taking
over the North American colonies, and constructed the estate
in the remote woods to take advantage of its solitude. Martense
raised his descendants to loathe both the British and the colonial
society. The family grew more isolated and secluded as time
went on, forced to intermarry with the various squatters and
servants that lived in the area surrounding the estate. Notably,
aside from the family’s unpleasant disposition, they possessed
a hereditary eye-trait of having one blue and one brown iris.
Many of these offspring would spread out across the valley to
become the current men of the mountains, but the main family
remained in the mansion and became extremely clan-like. Jan
Martense would change the very fate of the family upon his
enlistment to the colonial army during the Civil War. After
the revelation of foul play of his death, the family became
shunned by the villages of squatters. In time, the family would
fade away from sight and memory, with only the occasional
light from the mansion to indicate their presence, but that
too disappeared. When the curious surveyed the mansion, the
Martense family was nowhere to be found.
42

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What happened to Jan Martense after returning from the Civil War?

THE LURKING FEAR

A Horror Solo Adventure Roleplaying Simulation

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

Inspired by Call of Cthulhu 7th Ed. by

Additional inspiratoin from H.P. Lovecraft’s

©2018 Death By Mage

Come visit www.deathbymage.com for advice,

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

William Bartley spent several years overseas as a communications

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

Dr. Eliza Weatherby

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

You and many others were glutted into a hotel in Lefferts

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

A morbidity hung in the scenery for there were no wild

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

You enlisted two companions, George Bennett and William

“Stories say Jan Martense was murdered in this house,” George

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

A predator roar from the thunderstorm silenced your hopes

Sometime after midnight, you felt unusually drowsy, Bennett

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

The phantasmal vision ends abruptly by a guttural shriek.

Roll for Sanity Test

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

In a deafening ﬂash of lightning, the mountain shook, and

You were left alone in that damned mansion - shriving, and

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

Conﬁde with an investigator in the Hotel Parlor (pg. 9)?

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

Monroe proposes a postponement of any future expedition to

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

Roll for Wits A Test

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

“May I help you?” He demanded.

You request for any information or record on the forsaken

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

You take a seat in a nearby pew and give a silent prayer of

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

After your therapeutic session, a renewed determination

Perhaps you may conﬁde your experiences with some of the

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

Roll for Athleticism F Test

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

Roll for Athleticism F or Wits A Test

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

Monroe suggests searching for a haven to weather the storm outside.

Lose 1 Heath and 1 Sanity.

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

Roll for Athleticism F Test

Martin Vetter (Order #32398459)

Roll for Wits A Test