Layered betrayal
Mia Van Winkle poses as an ally while steering investigators deeper — her family has a long history with the Shadows, and she intends to use this situation for her own ends.
The Chiaroscuro Descent
A professor who touched something she shouldn't have. A graduate student with her own agenda. And shadows that have been watching Arkham Pines for weeks.
Professor Evelyn Wright attempted a dark ritual — the Sundering of Shadows — and failed. She's been a shut-in for nearly a month, every light in her house blazing, too terrified to sleep. Her graduate assistant, Mia Van Winkle, knows exactly what happened. She's been pushing the Professor toward this outcome all along.
Investigators arriving in Arkham Pines for a now-canceled lecture will find a town that hurries indoors at dusk, streets wrapped in perpetual fog, and a trail of clues that leads straight into the realm of Nykthar, Lord of Shadows.
Open investigation
Three primary locations — Professor Wright's home, Miskatonic University, and the Elysian Tomes bookshop — each hold different clues and can be tackled in any order.
Escalating threat
Shadow Observers, Shadow Assassins, and Nykthar himself wait at the end of the trail — with a night encounter table that keeps every after-dark moment dangerous.
Nearly 100 pages
51-page scenario, 45 pages of handouts, 5 developed NPCs with sketches and character sheets, 6 pre-gens, 2 new monsters, and a new eldritch threat.
When you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you. Professor Wright gazed. Now the shadows know her address.
A ritual gone wrong — and someone who wanted it to
Professor Evelyn Wright is one of Miskatonic University's most respected occult scholars. She attempted the Sundering of Shadows ritual in her own basement, using her cat Tabby as the sacrifice. The ritual space was too far from the portal. The sacrifice wasn't large enough. She failed — and something on the other side noticed. Now she won't leave the house, won't turn off the lights, and hasn't slept in four days.
What she doesn't know is that her graduate assistant, Mia Van Winkle, deliberately mistranslated key warnings to push her toward the attempt. Mia possesses the Shadow Stone — a family heirloom — and has been conducting her own research into the Shadows. Whatever happens next, Mia intends to benefit from it.
The investigation
Professor Wright's House
Every light on, curtains drawn, a dead cat in the basement ritual circle. Her study holds research notes, a receipt from Elysian Tomes, sketches of arcane symbols, two ancient Greek manuscripts, and — hidden in a secret desk compartment — her journal and a rare components list.
Miskatonic University
Evelyn's office is locked, with a note directing all inquiries to Mia. Mia has a key and access to the Restricted Collection. The same clues found at the house can surface here if investigators miss them — and Mia can guide them deeper, for her own reasons.
The Elysian Tomes Bookshop
Isabella Ramirez knows Mia is up to something. Her rare books section holds a mysterious map, the Tome of Shadows, and the Eye of Light and Darkness — the one item that makes shadow beings vulnerable to mortal weapons and locates the portal beneath the Arkham Pines Church.
Into the Abyss
The portal opens in a cellar beneath the church. Shadow Observers enter first, then Assassins, then Nykthar himself — while Mia waits for her moment. The Eye of Light and Darkness is the key. Breaking it seals the portal permanently.
Call of Cthulhu 7e
Modern-day 7th edition. Pulp Cthulhu notes are included for groups who want a higher-action, higher-survival variant.
Nearly 100 pages
51-page scenario, 45 pages of handouts, 5 fully developed NPCs with character sheets and sketches, 6 pre-gens, 2 new monsters, a new eldritch threat, new spells, and new books and manuscripts.
What keepers get
Five fully developed NPCs
Professor Evelyn Wright, Mia Van Winkle, Isabella Ramirez, Detective Samuel Carter, and Librarian Emily Warren — each with character sketches, full sheets, roleplaying notes, and hidden motivations.
The clue location chart
Every key clue is mapped to every location where it can be found, so no investigator path leaves the table stuck. Missing the secret compartment? The office has it. Missing that? Elysian Tomes does.
Night encounter table
Ten entries from a local hurrying home to a Shadow Assassin attack, with Nykthar personally dispatching a Shadow Assassin on a double zero. Being out after dark carries real risk.
New mythos threats
Nykthar, Lord of Shadows, along with Shadow Assassins and Shadow Observers — each fully statted with unique abilities, dread auras, and combat behaviors.
New spells and items
Contact Lord of Shadows, Sundering of Shadows, Shadow Walk, Dismiss Shadow — plus the Tome of Shadows, the Eye of Light and Darkness, the Shadow Stone, and the Bible of Shadows.
Pulp Cthulhu support
Full notes for running the scenario with Pulp Cthulhu investigators, including talent suggestions for Professor Wright and Mia Van Winkle.
Inside the book
Scenario Content
- 51-page modern Arkham Pines scenario
- Night encounter table with 10 entries
- Clue location chart for all key items
- Pulp Cthulhu variant guidance
Characters
- 5 fully developed NPCs with sketches and character sheets
- 6 pre-generated investigators
- Roleplaying hooks and hidden motivations for every NPC
- Nykthar and two Shadow minion types fully statted
Handouts & Maps
- 45 pages of handouts — lecture notice, research notes, journals, manuscripts, and maps
- Map of Professor Wright's house
- 10 individually numbered handouts including ancient Greek manuscripts
- Table-ready clues and documents
New Content
- 2 new monsters: Shadow Assassin and Shadow Observer
- 1 new eldritch threat: Nykthar, Lord of Shadows
- 4 new spells and 4 new mythos items
- New books and manuscripts including the Tome of Shadows and Bible of Shadows
Who this is for
- Keepers who want psychological and supernatural horror working together — not just monsters to fight.
- Groups that enjoy layered NPC relationships where an apparent ally turns out to have her own agenda.
- Tables that like investigation-first play with a strong narrative drive and a climactic confrontation.
- Players who want to feel the weight of every clue — because what they find, and when, shapes how dark it gets.
Content note: This scenario contains themes of obsession, mental deterioration, betrayal, cosmic horror, and violence. It includes a character suffering severe psychological affliction and entities that cause sanity loss. Intended for mature players and Keepers comfortable with psychologically intense horror.
The shadows have been watching Arkham Pines for weeks. Now they know you're here too.
The Chiaroscuro Descent gives you a complete modern Call of Cthulhu scenario built around a failed ritual, a professor unraveling, a traitor in plain sight, and a Lord of Shadows waiting on the other side of a portal beneath a church cellar.