He will never reveal:

End of the Interview: Once the final interview is over, Grier will ask his lawyer to pick up some of his books from his home. This will be a surprise to the lawyer, as Mr. Grier has no known address. He will tell them it is between the base of Sulfur Mountain and Sulfur Swamp. It is covered with a lot of shrubbery, but there is a well near the front which is the landmark to use to find it. He will tell them that in the first door to the right when they enter his house is a library. It is locked and police took the key during the raid. On the desk in this room is a large book. "It's trapped, so don't open it," he tells the investigators. The key can be obtained at the check out area of the jail. There are two keys on a simple iron ring.

Playing Defense: Players making successful law rolls will realize the best defense is to argue that Mr. Grier shot only in self defense while believing he was protecting his First Amendment Right to peaceful meeting for religious purposes. When asked, Grier will state the police did not identify themselves. It was near dark and he could not clearly make out who they were. Therefore, it was a case of self defense, and at "best", Manslaughter.

For the kidnapping charge, Grier will claim that Langley and Gentry were not part of their meeting. The two had been kicked out last month due to abhorrent behavior. Grier refuses to elaborate on what the behavior had been. The two men arrived on the meeting with the girl knowing they were being chased by police. It was a last ditch attempt to gain revenge on those who had expelled them.

Of course, players may have their own theories and strategies.

Dunwich: Even if the players opt not to get Grier his books, (though there is no reason they shouldn't help their client), even the public defender(s) will find it useful to investigate the crime scene in person. Those Keepers lucky enough to have Return to Dunwich, use the map on page 54. The small, very run down house rests between Sulfur Swamp and Sulfur Mountain. The place is almost entirely covered with brush, but a well can be seen in the tall grass with a successful Spot Hidden roll. Anyone pushing the heavy wooden top off of the well to look down into the well with a light should make a Spot Hidden roll. Success indicates the investigator can make out the shape of what at first appears to be a doll. But then a terrible feeling comes creeping. This is a human body.

The Body in the Well: This poor unfortunate girl is seven year old Amy Wilson from the Wilson/ Dunstable clan, (pg. 55, RTD), abducted a week ago by Silas Langley. Due to malnutrition complicated by a diabetic condition, the girl lapsed into a coma early the day before the coronation. Yvonne bathed her in the Sulfur Springs to help wake her, as the girl needed to be alive to be a sacrifice. She was put back into the pit in the house where she was being kept with her nine year old sister Edna Wilson. Sometime during the night, her life slipped away from her.

Any attorneys seeing this body are legally bound to report it to police or risk disbarment. Should it be discovered that a lawyer or police officer knew there was a dead body and did nothing, they will face great public and professional backlash. Loss of job, respect in the community, credit rating, etc.

There is a good probability that players will not check out the well too thoroughly, as there is no need. If you do not want to introduce another body, the poor girl sank to the bottom in the mire and filth of that abandoned well. Over the years her body will break apart. Her family, so degenerate and inbred, will be thankful there isn't another mouth to feed. There are no records for most of these kids; it's if they never existed.

Healers of the Open Sore: Of the many degenerate cults in Dunwich, this may be the most vile. Founded only 3 years ago by wizards Ahmed Grier and his brother Isaac. Both had taken residence in Dunwich 25 years ago after fleeing from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, after police began closing in on them for murdering a high school student. They had done a good job laying low, becoming more and more grizzled looking, less and less like the two wanted men. Their sister was contacted via a dream, and she joined them shortly thereafter.

But 15 years ago, during a fever, Ahmed received a vision, and began furiously writing in a journal. Fevered and dehydrated he wrote for three days straight, then collapsed. He was in a coma for a month, with his sister nursing him back to health. When he awoke, he remembered very little, but began to study his own writing intensely. With the knowledge in the book, Grier realized he could bring forth the avatar of the gods to serve him. Nyarlathotep tricked Grier through the visions into writing this book which will bring nothing but misery to the earth for centuries to come. It is Grier who is doing the serving.

Years later, other members of the group were recruited by Yvonne. More manpower was needed for the coronation. She did most of the work needed to be done in town, such as shopping. Silas Langley turned to her to save his crops. When a banner crop popped up, he became loyal to Yvonne. She also seduced the dimwitted Richard Gentry into the cult. A helper on Langley's farm, Gentry soon began breaking into houses and stealing money for her. Three years ago, along with Langley and Gentry Dunwich Selectman Richard Drinker was initiated into the group. They swore by blood and violence to bring their true master into this world. The blueprint now rested in their leader's own writings: The Book of The Three Wounds.

The Book of The Three Wounds: Grier transcribed the three diaries verbatim into a large, leather-bound tome. He covered the book with scabs, blood, and bits of dead flesh of wild animals. he then cast a curse on the book that whoever should open the book without making the Voorish Sign over the front cover, will suffer cuts and sores all over their body which will quickly fester and pop. Any other attempts by the same or other investigators yields the same fate.

There are three parts to the book: The Coming, The Arrival, and The Delivery of His Promise, respectively. Each section begins with Grier entering a dream world where an emaciated, albino-like woman lays dying on a wooden floor. There are three open wounds on her face. He looks into a different infected orifice in each of the three sections.

Part One: The King

Part Two: The Arrival

Part Three: The Delivery of His Promise

Reading Time: 11 weeks Cthulhu Mythos: + 4% Spell Modifier: x2

Coronation of the King of Scabs: For the past three years each member has had a hand in preparing this dreadful spell. The altar had to be designed and built. Special sulfur based powders were mixed for burning on the altar. Children were scouted as good targets for kidnapping. Rituals and animal sacrifices were performed monthly on Sulfur Mountain. Everything was going as planned until Amy Wilson died right on the morning of the coronation.

Only one sorcerer and victim is needed to summon King of Scabs. Isaac took the girl and stole into the woods undetected, sacrificed her, then began the magikal incantations. Great noxious and green vapors came out from the swamp and the water began to boil. Through an open trapdoor on the altar, emerged the hideous King of Scabs. Isaac and the beast performed the rest of the ritual - the eating of the pure flesh. At the climax of the ceremony, Grier approached him with unsteady footwork, holding a razor-wire crown. The hideous mask of the great messenger reached out and touched Issac's hand. Grier immediately fell to the ground, covered in sores and bl oody gashes.

The House: The house is set half into the hill, the front half covered by bushes. a successful Spot Hidden roll finds a footpath going into the brush. Crawling on their hands and knees, investigators can reach a five foot tall opening in front of the door. Thorn bushes above weave together, forming a thick ceiling. One of the keys opens the door. Upon entrance an overwhelming smell of feces and urine hits the investigators. Players must roll equal to or under their Constitution on a d. 20. Failure results in a quick push through the bushes, and into the open air for a nasty vomiting spell. In order to walk around the building, even those making the roll will need to place a handkerchief or rag over their mouth and nose. Another Con. roll can be made every five minutes for investigators who got sick. Success allows the character to be fit enough to enter the house.

The house consists of three rooms and an entrance vestibule. In the ten foot long, five feet wide entrance hall, there is a door to the right, and an opening to the left which is covered by a blanket from inside the chamber. This is where the strong odors are coming from. In the far left corner of this ten by ten foot room is a pile of feces, urine, and other excrement - the obvious source of the odor. In the far right corner, directly across from the entrance, are several large holes which lead into a rat nest. There are usually at least five to ten rats in this room at all time.

Main Room: Straight down the hall is an opening leading into the room which is inside the hill. The walls are all rock here, and there are wooden beam supports every four feet, going three deep in the room and five across. The dimensions are ten long and twenty wide. There are three cots, separated by supports, on the right side of the room next to the wall. To the right is a pot belly stove, whose pipe runs through the adjoining room to the outside. There is a square wooden table and four rickety chairs. The table has a few dirty plates and a bones of some animal.

In the center of this room is a large sheet of wood. It covers a pit measuring five feet by five feet, ten feet deep. There are scraps of food and animal bones at the bottom, as well as a muddy dirt floor. This is where the two girls have been kept, and there is a great stench from the excrement and vomit. The sides reveal that the girls tried climbing up but could not make it. There may or may not be rats in the pit.

Study: The other key on the ring opens this door. It is the same size as the rat room. There is a table at the far wall with the Book of the Three Wounds. There is a small bookshelf near the door, containing 23 books. It is up to the Keeper what he or she would like to place here. In playtesting, every volume was a diary kept by Yvonne Grier. There is also a trunk in the far right corner, containing two worship masks and a set of black robes with hoods.

Worship Masks: These masks are used during the worship and sacrifice for the King of Scabs. They look like doctor's masks during the bubonic plague period. They have goggles with dark red lenses. The eye part attaches to a long leather beak which points straight down, and is capped with a piece of white rubber. This blocks out the smell of the sulfur during the ceremony. The beak is filled with herbs and powders which, when ignited, give the wearer vivid hallucinations. If the rubber nub on the end is squeezed, it sets off a tiny flint, sending a spark into the mixture. Smoke then rises through the nose piece, and is breathed in through a screen in front of the mouth and nose.

These hallucinations enhance the colors and shapes of what is in front the viewer. There is a great sense of distrust and fear at first, calmed only by the presence of the King of Scabs. If the beast is not around, the viewer becomes frightened, seeing things out of the corner of his eye. Through the red lenses everything looks bloody and dying. Sounds are everywhere: screaming, insane laughing, inane babbling. An idea roll must be made to rip the mask off. These hallucinations cost 1/1 d.6 Sanity points.

If the mask is activated when the King of Scabs is around, the viewer sees a human sized figure with blood red skin, brought before them to be crowned king. This being must be worshipped, and all that is asked by him must be done. An idea roll will allow the wearer to remove the mask, seeing the King of Scabs in his true form. If the mask is worn, and King of Scabs asks the viewer to do something, they will go about this task with a single-minded mania, making death the only means of stopping them.

The Sulfur Swamp and the Altar of the King of Scabs: The Sulfur Swamp is described in detail on page 56 in Return to Dunwich. It is a nasty smelling place where successful Constitution rolls will be needed to avoid sickness. A successful Spot Hidden roll will discover a footpath leading towards the swamp. There is also one coming down from Sulfur Mountain, but two Track rolls will be needed to follow the entire length due to the great hill's rocky condition. The path leads to the edge of the swamp where another Spot Hidden check reveals part of a raft sticking out from under a pile of leaves and brush. The raft is 6'x6' logs tied together. It is more or less a makeshift barge. There are many long branches which can be used to push it along.

The altar is a little over 3/4 of a mile into the swamp, almost exactly half way in. It is in about 9 feet of fetid, noxious yellow water. Trees grow out of the water, never bearing leaves. They grow quickly, and gnarl grotesquely, forming almost a roof over the area. The altar is buttressed against two of these trees. The platform is 20'x20', made out of hard wood. a 4'x4' square opening is cut into the middle of the floor, with the hatch thrown open. A 4'x4' platform rests 20' above the opening, held up by wooden scaffolding which boxes in the hole to the swamp. A ladder fashioned out of the gnarled branches of the area, coming from the swamp, through the opening, goes straight up the tower onto the platform. What is atop the platform cannot be seen on ground level. The crown of razors can be seen clearly on the lower platform.

Those climbing up the ladder need to make a successful Climb roll. Failure means the climber will fall. On top of the platform rests the mutilated body of Edna Wilson. The King of Scabs has eaten parts of her, drinking the blood for power as Isaac Grier stood below, naked and dancing madly. Grier then summoned King of Scabs down to receive his crown of razors. After the coronation, King of Scabs sprayed Grier in the face with a mist of pus, and left him there to die. Grier's body can be found nestled into the hollow of one of the support trees, a victim of the Mist of Pus.

The Body: Before dying a death worse than imagination should take you, Isaac Grier crawled into the hollow of this tree. His feet are slightly sticking out, giving anyone checking the area a +10 % bonus when rolling for Spot Hidden. Grier is naked except for boots and a necklace. His body is covered head to toe with sores, boils, cuts and gashes, all hideously colored and infected. The body is hairless and very bloated from its gases. Anyone seeing the body needs to make a Sanity roll with a 0/ 1 d.4 loss. Anyone touching the body needs to make a Luck roll or have a boil pop, spraying them with a blackish bile. If the area is not completely submerged in water within three minutes, the victim will begin to break out in a horrible rash and develop a very high fever. Vomiting then fainting follow. A Con. roll is needed. Failure results in death, success launches the investigator into a coma. Immediate medical attention will be needed if the coma victim is to survive.

The necklace is a sliver chain with what appears to be a red-metal key. Wearing the necklace will give the owner disturbing visions of ill and dying people, costing 1 Sanity point per day. These visions come and go throughout the day, usually numbering a half dozen in a 12 hour period. Some of the sites are more vivid than others.

If the body is left here, it should be immediately reported. It is up to the Keeper whether the police can find the altar, the body, or are destroyed and eaten by the King of Scabs. Missing police can add an even deeper level to the story, but may sidetrack your players. A bit of pre-planning will be needed if you want to add this sub-plot.

The Second Interview: The second interview should take place a day after the physical investigation is done by the legal team. Needless to say, investigators will certainly have quite a few questions for Ahmed Grier. If they try to keep his books until he talks, Grier will become quite belligerent until he gets what he wants. When and if he receives them, he becomes very grateful and is willing to talk now.

He will deny knowing the existence of the altar, but will be quite interested about the body found there. He will claim he does not know who this could be, but deep down is excited that the King of Scabs has been brought to earth. This feeling drowns out any sorrow he may feel about the death of his brother. If Isaac's body has been identified by a coroner or Dunwich local, Grier will say he did not know what his brother had been up to. He also does not wish to be bothered with burial plans for his brother or sister.

And idea roll will allow players to notice that the bandage on Grier's left shoulder is gone, and he has full articulation of the limb.

Grier will also hold fast that the pit in his house was used to house chickens, which were used for food. Yvonne used to go into the pit, and that explains the claw marks on the walls. He claims to have also no information about the dead body in the well. Grier will state he has no idea where the body is from or how it could have gotten into a covered well. If questioning becomes too intense Grier will simply state he is tired and wants to go lie down. He will thank the lawyers, gather his books, then is escorted back to his cell by two burly guards. His finals words are, "Everything you need to know will be in the swamp. Be seeing you soon."

Early The Next Morning: The phone wakes the players out of bed. It is their boss letting them know that the farms of Richard Drinker and Silas Langley have were burnt to the ground late last night. Though this does not directly affect the defense for their client, it is still a ominous sign. While the investigators dress, rain begins to pound down on the window. This rain and lightning will continue late into the night.

Upon arrival at the office, more bad news: Grier is in solitary confinement for what murdering a guard last night in the mess hall. There are few details as of yet, but a call to the Middleton House of Correction by an attorney will prove fruitful. It seems during dinner Grier was involved in a confrontation with guard Max Schlem. Schlem struck Grier in the face with an open hand. Grier then crushed in the guard's head. Lawyers will be advised to go to the Lawrence General Hospital in Lawrence, Massachusetts, to view the body, as Grier will be arraigned for another count of murder tomorrow morning. The prisoner can have no contact today as he is still going berserk in solitary.

Lawrence General Hospital: Attorneys will be allowed to view Shlem's body which is being stored in the morgue. When the slab-drawer is rolled back, Sanity rolls will be needed. Sanity loss is 0/1. Grier did not crush the head of the guard, he withered it. The head appears to be but a deflated football with a shock of black hair on the top. The skin, leathery and completely blackened. This was no boating accident.

Return to Dunwich: The prison may not be the best bet right now. Grier has not been arraigned and it is still not known who will be his attorney on this charge. Enigma will not pay for more legal assistance towards this case. The next step is probably to return to Dunwich. If the investigators have not explored the swamp, Grier's parting remarks will surely get them there now. It will rain all day with thunder and the occasional lightning, depending on the season. The whip-or-wills are unbelievably loud despite the weather. The ground is muddy and very difficult for automobiles. Getting stuck is a very real possibility, and at least two driving skills are needed to prevent the wheels from sinking deeply into the mud.

Early the Next Morning: A call from the boss around 5 a.m. wake the head attorney. Somehow, Grier has escaped from the maximum security facility while in solitary confinement. Little else is presently known. Investigators need to get up and create a plan of action. At this point the game can go many different ways. Players having encountered the altar and the body may be hesitant to return there.

What Went on Late Last Night: Whether or not Grier received his books, he has successfully escaped from prison. Grabbing and biting the head off a rat which had made its way into Grier's cell, the warlock drew a magikal gate with the vermin's blood. After incanting the proper words, he was able to walk out of the cell and into another dimension. Grier is planning to arrive back in the material plane at the Sulfur Mountain worship site. However, this will take some time, and the gate there will open at noon today.

What is About to Happen: Grier believes that the King of Scabs has been crowned and is waiting below the yellow waters to rise and to reward the faithful. Part of this is true: the King of Scabs is sitting on the bottom of the swamp, slowly digesting the sacrifice. Grier knows how to call the beast to the surface, but also knows he should have someone to sacrifice. Grier will try to lure the investigators into the swamp and give them to his master. How the game goes will be completely up to the player's actions.

Tracking Down Grier: Players searching the area near Sulfur Mountain will hear Grier screaming gibberish into the sky at exactly noon. The escapee will use a secret tunnel to get himself near the base of this structure. The cult stashed a shotgun here, and Grier will come out of the hidden exit brandishing the weapon and more than ready to use it. He will then, by any means, get the players onto the raft and into the swamp. He needs only one victim, and won't hesitate paring down the party to a single survivor. Once at the altar he will shoot one of the investigators as soon as they get off the raft. If he hits and kills the character, the King of Scabs will rise up within two minutes.

If players are with a large posse, Grier will bait them into the swamp by taunting and yelling at them to come get him. He knows the swamps very well, and can hide with great adeptness. To spot the hiding Grier subtract his Hide roll from the player's Spot Hidden roll. He will then bring the players to the altar. If under siege, he will slit his own wrist, dropping blood into the waters. Scab King will emerge to the surface in 1d. 10 +2 minutes.

King of Scabs: The extremely disgusting and highly dangerous mask of Nyarlathotep must be brought onto the physical plane by spell. Nyarlathotep cannot enter the world behind this mask without assistance. Once on the planet, he may deem the wizards who brought him forth useful, granting them spells, knowledge, and machinery. If he feels the followers are of no use to him, he will destroy them without hesitation.

Description: The King of Scabs is a tightly muscled humanoid figure about six feet tall, covered in open boils, sores, and cuts. Many of the wounds have scabbed over, but soon will reopen and pus will flow freely. His eyes are set deep into his head, all black with white pupils. His mouth opens slightly and is covered with cankers and dried, dead flesh. No nose is present.

Str: 35
Con: 40
Siz: 20 (appears as 6' tall man of average build, but weighs almost 325
lbs.)
Dex: 30
Int: 45
Pow: 75
Hps: 30

Attacks
Fist: 88% 1 d.6 + 2 d.d
Mist of Pus: 80% (4'x2' range).  See below for damage.

Sanity Loss: 1/ 1 d.8 loss for seeing the King of Scabs. Seeing the King of Scabs for the first time while wearing a Mask of Summoning, yields a 0/ 1 d.6 Sanity point loss.

Armor: Only blunt damage weapons, (hammers, clubs, large sticks, maces, sledge hammers), do damage to the beast. Critical hits by projectile weapons knock the creature down, and disallow all his attacks for the round. However, he is unarmed and jumps up at the beginning of the next round. If he is brought to zero hit points, the real form of Nyarlathotep bursts out of the skin and heads screaming into the sky. Sanity rolls are needed with a 1 d.10/ 1 d. 100 loss. If players are wearing a Mask of Summoning, the loss is 1 d.6 / 1 d.20.

Special Attack: Mist of pus. The King of Scabs can, once every combat round, spray a four foot long, two foot wide, cone of pus and phlegm. Should this filth land on a living creature, any clothing or hair is immediately disintegrated within the effected area, with 1 d.6 points of damage to the flesh due to the above boiling temperature of the liquid. For every 2 points of damage, one point of Appearance is permanently lost. Investigators must immediately submerge themselves in water or continue to take this damage for another two rounds, doubling each time - 1 d. 6, 2 d.6, 4 d.6.

The Final Battle: Grier refuses to be taken alive and will use magic and guns to the very end. The King of Scabs will just as readily kill him as any other person present on the altar. If The King of Scabs loses more than half its hit points, he will jump into the water and sit on the bottom for a few weeks. Eventually, it will emerge, ready to go out and bring forth terror, madness, and discontent. If the party flees during battle, neither Grier nor his master will pursue. Parties returning even minutes later will find both beings gone. Grier will never be heard from again. As for the King of Scabs, the Keeper needs to decide if this most malignant form of Nyarlathotep ever appears again or not.