The Face of God
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Author: Shannon Appel
Homepage: http://www.flar.demon.co.uk/terror/welcome.htm
System: Call of Cthulhu
Type: Hook
Category: Horror
Requirements:

The Face of God
Shannon Appel
	A religious revival has struck a small town that lies far 
away from the rest of human civilization. Many people there claim to 
have seen the true face of God. Unfortunately, seeing the true face 
of God seems to be a traumatic experience; everyone who has undergone 
this ecstatic experience has emerged blind, some with their faces 
terribly scarred.
	The investigators may be led to the town by any of a number of 
forces. Perhaps strange omens point them in that direction. 
Townspeople may beg for their assistance, or an investigator's 
relative may be one of the blinded victims of this harsh god. For 
proactive investigators, a simple newspaper clipping may be 
sufficient. By whatever means, the investigators will arrive, and soon 
see that something is distinctively wrong.
	That old time religion has caught on in a big way in the town, 
but some of the rites that the people practice seem distinctly odd. 
After they have been in the town for a night, investigators will very 
quickly realize that this revival is supernatural in nature. They 
begin to have strange dreams of the past, imparting ancient knowledge 
upon them that Man should not know.
	Unless they are very careful, investigators will find 
themselves mindless minions of the town's new god, themselves seeking 
new followers to bring into the fold.

Possibilities
1       The Great Old One, Nyogtha, has come to be trapped beneath 
this town. It was accidently contacted by innocent townsfolk, who soon 
found themselves practicing its dark rituals in order to preserve 
their lives. The reluctant cultists are blinded by Nyogtha so that 
they may better understand The Thing That Should Not Be. At least once 
a month, they also bring Nyogtha a sacrifice, to sate its dark hunger.
	Although most of Nyogtha's worshipers are reluctant, they are 
too fearful to make any move against the Great Old One. Some 
townsfolk, however, have grown to love the power that Nyogtha offers, 
and have thus joined into the Cult whole-heartedly. They know secret 
spells to control the living darkness, and will gleefully use them.
	Investigators who enter Nyogtha's town are likely to be 
inducted into the Cult by force, or offered up as a sacrifice.

2       A small band of Cultists reside in the small town. They 
practice secret rites that allow them to look deep into the past, and 
have been using them for months to rediscover ancient sorcerous 
powers.
	Sometimes, their dreams of the past cross into the 
consciousness of others. The cultists know when this happens, and 
they kidnap the unfortunate innocent, and force them to participate in 
a magical ritual. This ritual causes the victim to forget what they 
saw, leaving only vague impressions of a brush with divinity. The eyes 
of the victim must be put out during this ritual. When the 
investigators arrive in town, and begin dreaming of the past, they 
have accidently crossed paths with the cultist's rituals, and are thus 
marked as the next victims.
	These Cultists have learned many spells from the past, and 
should be fearsome adverseries. They can manipulate time and space in 
many exotic fashions.

3       The people of the town have indeed seen the True Face of a 
God. It is Hypnos, an Elder God. Although certain legends say that the 
Elder Gods are benevolent, in truth, they do not care; men are less 
than fleas to them. Through cosmic accident, Hypnos' true presence 
lies across this place on the earth. Those who see it have their eyes 
seared out, and are sometimes reduced to madness.
	Still, due to the basic perversity of the human race, a great 
cult has sprung up around this god. If an investigator shows the least 
vestige of interest in the face of god, he will be preached to 
extensively. Many of Hypnos' followers are great orators. Some have 
been changed by their nearness to their god, and have gained 
supernatural means to convince people of their rightness.
	If the investigators do not fall prey to the beckoning of 
Hypnos, they must decide what to do with this situation. If they do 
not evacuate the town, and mark it forever uninhabitable, it is likely 
that a trip to the Dreamlands will be required, to somehow cause 
Hypnos to be moved from his current resting place.

Copyright (c) 1996 Shannon Appel
appel@erzo.ORG