[Cthulhu by Gaslight] "Cracks in the Facade" (Session Three)
In 'Cracks in the Facade,' the Esoteric Order of Roleplayers' Cthulhu by Gaslight campaign plunges into the eerie town of Hammersmith, where a cursed witch demon has been reanimated by a rag-and-bone man who stole her bones. What begins as a routine investigation into a dead vicar with white blood and a mysterious fog quickly spirals into a supernatural confrontation. The team discovers the witch’s crypt beneath St. Paul’s Church, learns the rag-and-bone man (Alfred Dunning) is a cultist who willingly freed her, and realizes the only way to stop the town’s slow descent into madness is to return the bones to the grave. But when they do, the witch manifests as a corporeal, fog-wreathed entity with long, whip-like hair and a decaying form, launching a psychic assault that shatters their sanity. Amid chaos and near-death, Dr. Kirby—once skeptical—has a vision of the witch being hunted by Templar knights, forcing him to question whether they’re truly fighting evil or upholding a violent, outdated order. The climax sees Malik felled by claws, Aditha setting the bones ablaze, and Dr. Kirby sealing the witch in her coffin with a shotgun blast, only to be haunted by the realization that the Golden Dawn may not be the benevolent force they believed. The episode ends with the team recovering in a hospital, the witch contained, and a new mystery unfolding: a mysterious magic show invitation from a theatrical impresario with suspicious ties to the occult.
Returning the witch’s bones to the grave breaks the curse but triggers her physical manifestation, proving that the right action is also the most dangerous.
Dr. Kirby’s vision of the witch being hunted by Templar knights forces him to question whether the order he serves is truly fighting evil or upholding a violent, outdated ideology.
The rag-and-bone man is not a villain but a cultist who believes he’s serving a greater purpose, making him a tragic figure rather than a simple antagonist.
The Golden Dawn’s training grants new powers like astral projection and hermetic ritual, but also deepens the characters’ entanglement in a secret society with ambiguous motives.
The witch’s physical form is not a ghost but a corporeal entity made of fog and mineralized bones, capable of attacking with psychic force and supernatural durability.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
The Town of Hammersmith and the Church of St. Paul’s
The team arrives in Hammersmith, a real London suburb, and explores St. Paul’s Church, where they discover a suspicious stonemason, a crypt with a sinkhole, and evidence of Templar frescoes. The confusion between the real St. Paul’s Cathedral and the smaller church sets the tone for the episode’s blend of historical detail and supernatural mystery.
The Crypt and the Rag-and-Bone Man’s Role
“We have to find the hovel of this rag and bone man and we need to retrieve those bones because he took them. And now he's stashed them. And if we return the bones to the grave, that could break this curse, this bloody curse.”
The Bridge and the Historical Context
The team discusses the iconic Tower Bridge, which is still under construction, and the real history of Hammersmith, including the Motorhead album that inspired one player’s knowledge of the town. This moment grounds the supernatural in real-world detail.
The Decision to Return the Bones
“I believe that fate, destiny, whatever you want to call it has called us Hizmet even. has called us to this town in order to do this deed. I look at Miss Wilson expectantly. She's into it. She's into it.”
The Journey to the Rag-and-Bone Man’s Hovel
The team follows a path marked by bone mobiles to a decrepit cottage in the woods. They stealthily enter, find Alfred Dunning asleep, and confront him. He reveals he’s a servant of the witch and leads them to her mineralized skeleton in the cellar.
“The right thing to do is also the most harrowing.”
“We have to find the hovel of this rag and bone man and we need to retrieve those bones because he took them. And now he's stashed them. And if we return the bones to the grave, if we return the bones to the crypt, that could break this curse, this bloody curse.”
“I believe that fate, destiny, whatever you want to call it has called us Hizmet even. has called us to this town in order to do this deed.”
Host
Guest
Dr. William Kirby
person
Malik Al Saif
person
Aditha Wilson
person
Hammersmith
place
St. Paul's Church
place
Golden Dawn
organization
David Larkins
person
Alfred Dunning
person
Desiree
person
Mathers
person
Start discovering podcast insights today
Start with a 7-day trial and explore a growing catalog of popular podcasts. No credit card required.
No credit card required • 7-day trial • Cancel anytime