In the misty autumn of 1926, the fog-shrouded streets of Arkham, Massachusetts harbor darker secrets than bootlegged whiskey. When prominent businessman Ezra Whitmarsh vanishes from his locked study, leaving only the sweet scent of ozone and whispered rumors of "the Syndicate," our time travellers find themselves drawn into a mystery that will test the very fabric of reality.
Joining us for this special crossover episode are Dan Wheeler and Joseph Chance from The Apocalypse Players podcast, bringing their Call of Cthulhu expertise to an investigation that begins with missing ledgers and ends somewhere beyond the realm of human comprehension.
Mission Parameters
Locate Ezra Whitmarsh before authorities investigate financial irregularities
Maintain period-appropriate behavior in 1920s New England
Avoid drawing attention from mysterious Syndicate watchers
Investigate without alerting local authorities
From the Miskatonic University Archives
Incident Report: October 12, 1926
Filed by Officer M. West, Arkham Police Department
To Chief Inspector Harrison:
Regarding the disturbance at the Whitmarsh estate, I must report most peculiar circumstances. Witnesses describe impossible geometries in the architecture, though photographs show nothing unusual. Of particular note: every mirror in the house was found shattered, with glass shards arranged in patterns that hurt the eye to contemplate. The sweet smell of ozone persists. I strongly recommend classifying this report.
Tough: Dan Wheeler AKA Gert of the Well
Episode summary
Time travellers T.G. Fells (electrical tinkerer extraordinaire) and Gert of the Well (professional liar with combat skills) arrive in Prohibition-era Arkham to investigate a missing person case. Their client, the nervous Cornelius Blackwood, meets them at the train station, but the watchers lurking in the shadows suggest this is far more than a simple disappearance.
Key moments
[00:17:00] - A peculiarly nervous welcome at Arkham Station
[00:21:00] - "The Model T engine coughs to life like a consumptive's last breath
[00:27:00] - Weapons and warnings at the mansion entrance
[00:29:00] - First encounter with impossible architecture
[00:33:00] - "What the fuck is that?"
The World of H.P. Lovecraft
This episode plunges our time travelers into the fictional universe created by Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937), the reclusive writer from Providence, Rhode Island. Arkham, Massachusetts exists only in Lovecraft's imagination, but feels terrifyingly real through his meticulous world-building.
Lovecraft's Arkham is home to the infamous Miskatonic University, whose library contains forbidden tomes that drive readers mad, and whose archaeology department has uncovered things better left buried. The town sits in the Miskatonic Valley alongside other cursed locations like Dunwich and Kingsport, where old families guard ancient secrets and the boundary between reality and nightmare grows thin.
The year 1926 places our adventure squarely in Lovecraft's most productive period. He'd recently moved back to Providence after an unhappy stint in New York, and was crafting the stories that would define cosmic horror. This was the era of "The Call of Cthulhu" (1928) and "The Colour Out of Space" (1927), where he explored themes of humanity's insignificance in an indifferent, hostile universe.
Did you know? Lovecraft drew inspiration from real New England locations, basing Arkham partly on Salem, Massachusetts. His fictional Miskatonic University borrowed elements from Harvard and Brown University, where he'd spent time researching in their libraries. The author's own struggles with mental health and social anxiety infused his work with genuine psychological terror.
A laughing matter: the occult
Listen now
Experience this unique blend of history, comedy, and unconventional diplomacy in our latest episode. Find out if Thorn's bizarre approach to peace-making succeeds, and discover the true power of terrible dancing in preventing historical conflicts.
Remember: History doesn't always repeat itself, but it occasionally breaks into song and dance.
