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SettinGSAntarcticaDeep in the SaharaOut on the Mongolian steppeHigh in the HimalayasIn the belly of a rift valleyIn the remote AmazonOn a small island far from the mainlandOn the MoonIn an asteroid fieldDeep in spaceBeneath the ocean

WRitinGSScrollTomeHieroglyphsCarvingsPoemSheet musicJournalPlay

SpeciMenSA bloomPreserved insectsA fossilA mummified body partBonesFootprintsMeteor fragments

aRcane iteMSCandles and incenseA knife or daggerOil, potion or powderA crystal or gemstone

StRanGe aRtStatueMaskMusical instrumentBoard gameMirrorClockJewellryPainting

locationSA blasted heathAn uncharted cave networkAn isolated villageA nomad campA settlement unseen by modern eyesAn almost-abandoned townA crumbling castleAn abandoned mineAn old dungeonA ghost townIn a rusting hulkAt the site of a shipwreckAncient catacombsA disused metro stationA former asylumA former prisonAn archaeological digThe base camp of an expeditionAn oil rigAn isolated space stationA highly restricted research installationThe British MuseumAn art gallery

What’S StRanGe about thiS place?

That door leads to nowhere Strange geometryMassive dimensions Impossibly ancient

What’S StRanGe about thiS obJect?Clearly not made for humansMade of an unknown materialCrafted from bone, obsidian, crystalUnpleasant hueUnusual smellGigantic or tinyHideous

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SuSpiciouS behaviouRConcealing somethingExcessively friendlyWears oddly concealing clothingUnusual appetitesSomeone is followed or watchedAggressive or violentSecretiveTurns up in expected placesUnexplained gathering

violent oR cRiMinalSpate of theftsRash of vandalismSeries of arson attacksKidnappings/disappearancesMutilationsDissections

Mental inFluenceSSudden change of personalityPartial or full amnesiaVivid or eerie dreamsVisions or hallucinationsVacant stare, silent and unresponsiveComatose

aRcane behaviouRA strange superstitionWears strange items e.g. jewelleryIncoherent or cryptic utterancesChantingRitual sacrificeRitual mortification

aniMal behaviouRPredators behave like prey/vice versaAnimals lose instinctive behaviour - e.g. birds unable to fly straightAnimals lose fear of humansAnimals terrified by somethingAnimals avoid a specific location

phYSioloGical eFFectSStrange sleep patternsExtreme body temperatureSicknessMinor but ubiquitous physical characteristic e.g. everyone has six fingersStrange physique or gait

SiniSteR SounDSThe sound of hysterical laughterThe sound of a sudden screamHigh pitched whistling or pipingA grinding or juddering noiseWhispering voices just out of earshotAn eerily familiar melody

WeiRD viSualSThe angles are wrongThe world’s palette seems wrong - too bright/dark/colourful/muted Something moving just out of sightSomething that’s uncomfortable to look at

StRanGe SMellS anD taSteSRotting meatBurnt plasticCloying perfumeMoist, earthy smellMetallic tangAmmoniac stinkThis really shouldn’t taste so goodFood tastes foul

SoMaticSomething thrumming in the earthTexture is wrong - glass feels dry and paper thin, metal feels soft and moistSudden and powerful heat or chillAir feels charged, electricSensation of being watchedFeeling of someone walking on your graveSudden wave of melancholiaFeeling of fatalism / inevitable doom

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MonSteRS MonStRouS FoRMS

Chitinous (insectoid, arachnid, hairy, feelers, multifaceted eyes)Crustacean (exoskeleton, claws)Cephalopod (squid-like, octopoid, tentacles)Gastropod (mucous, oozing)Deep sea creature (gelatinous, polypous, fronds, pulsating)Xenoform (odd number of limbs, weird anatomy, radial symmetry)Fungoid (anatomically homogeneous, soft, musty-smelling)Choking plant-like growth (vines, vast, pervasive)Formless (amorphous, bubbling, liquid, vaporous)Immaterial (intangible, living shadow, exists in angles, a thought-form)Almost human (simulacrum, monstrous hybrid)

coMMon chaRacteRiSticS

MassiveFlyingVoraciousCarnivorousInsensateMindless

tYpeS oF MonSteRAn intelligent race (a bloodline, a star-spanning empire, ancient forbears)A beast, predator or other monstrous speciesA unique entity (god, demon, alien intellect)

SiGhtinGSA distant or obscured view of the creatureAn account from another, readily discountableRumours and stories

teRRible tRuthS

You are one of themYou shall become one of themThe person you trusted is one of themPeople you trusted are colluding with themThe authorities have known all alongThey live among usThere are many more like this oneThe change is irreversible

You can never go backYou are going to die hereThe rumours are trueThat story is not a work of fictionThe dreams are realEverything has been a dream - one you will never wake up fromThe coming doom cannot be preventedYour actions meant nothingYour actions have only made things worse

lanGuaGe

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hoRRoRS aRe:BlasphemousAbominationsAlienDaemoniacNamelessUnknowableEldritchStar-SpawnedStar-BornHalf-Seen or UnseenNumberlessUnnaturalGiganticInterstellarMisshapenHiddenMembranousConvolutedWeb-WingedFleshless

locationS aRe:DecayingDegenerateCrumblingBlackenedGothicMildewedDisintegratingBlightedForest-ThreatenedAnomalousOutcastPitifulAbandonedBlastedBrittleGreyingDisintegratingEncrustedCarrionDimly-LitUnpleasant

aRchitectuRe anD MiScellaneouS thinGS aRe: CyclopeanVastHalf-UnknownLabyrinthineInterplanetaryIntangibleIrregularStrangely Angled

LimitlessA Piece of BizarrerieHorribleStrangeMalignStar-WindNight-BlackAntiquarian