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Description The Original German Edition The Bridewell English Translation The Golden Goblin Edition Other benefits The Author: Von Juntz |
I have travelled the world in search of the darkness - a journey that ended within myself.
Friedrich Wilhelm Von Juntz, 1839ADThe author of this book spent many years touring the world, studying various cults and secret societies. He gained personal admission to many of these groups, often requiring him to suffer terrible initiation rites. The original "black book" is over 1000 pages long, the material arranged by chapters as follows:
- Chapter 1: A description of a cult somewhere in Germany that worships a being called Cyaegha. Spells: Call/Dismiss Cyaegha.
- Chapter 2: Describes a fertility cult Von Juntz discovered in southern France, worshippers of the Sign of the Three-Headed Goat. Spells: "Call Three Headed Goat", "Summon Her Children".
- Chapter 3: Describes rural English pagan cults. Spells: "Contact The Horned Man."
- Chapter 4: Tells of a secret cult of cannibals whose headquarters were in the slums of Paris. Spells: "Contact Brother."
- Chapter 5: Describes Von Juntz's travels to Asia and a meeting with the Tcho-Tcho people of Indo-China. Spell: "Contact Zhar."
- Chapter 6: Describes an insane Russian peasant living in Siberia who claims to worship "a great god in the sky". Spells: "Contact Great God".
- Chapter 7: Tells of a mysterious stone monastery high in the Tibetan Himalayas inhabited by priests worshipping "spirits of the air". Spells: "Summon Air Spirit."
- Chapter 8: Describes a Dagon cult in the eastern Mediterranean. Von Juntz claims that cults worshipping this sea god are world-wide. Spells: "Contact Dagon", "Contact Children Of Dagon".
- Chapter 9: Describes a secret cult of the dead in southern Spain. Spells: "Revivify."
- Chapter 10: Discusses a small cult in Transylvania that worships a terrible monster living in a stinking pit. Spells "Call forth that which should not be."
- Chapter 11: A cult in the small Hungarian village of Stregiocavar that worships a blasphemous god appearing atop a stone monolith. Spells: "Contact Him."
- Chapter 12: Describes the intensely secretive "Brothers of the Yellow Sign" who are devoted to uncovering and disrupting the plans of "the space devils". Spells: "Call Space Devil."
The Original German Edition
Of the first German quarto edition, printed in 1839 only six copies area known to exist, all of them held by major libraries. It is said that many owners of the book, after learning of Von Juntz's demise, destroyed their copies, leaving only the few that remain today. Rumours of privately held copies (of course) abound. Only the original German edition boasts the fine - if horrific - engravings of German artist Gunther Hasse (-2D8 sanity; +15 Mythos; x4 spells; 52 weeks.)
The Bridewell English Translation
The pirated Bridewell English translation edition was published in England in 1845. A cheap leather bound octavo edition with cramped text filled with typographical errors, "Nameless Cults" is full of mistranslations and misinterpretations. Many of the spells taken from the original are incomplete or faulty, often in quite subtle fashions. At least twenty complete copies of this edition are known to exist, with many others probably in private hands. (-2D8 sanity; +12 Mythos; x3 spells; 48 weeks.)
The Golden Goblin Edition
The Golden Goblin edition of "Nameless Cults" was published in New York in 1909. An expurgated version of the Bridewell translation, it censors many of the more horrific details and contains only descriptions of the spells, rather than the complete rituals found in the two earlier editions. The book is barely two thirds the size of the Bridewell translation. Golden Goblin editions occasionally turn up in used book stores. Unrecognized, they often sell for well below market value. (-2D8 sanity; +9 Mythos; no spells; 30 Weeks.)
Other benefits
Anyone making their way through this massive tome gains skill checks in anthropology, archaeology, history and occult. Additionally, Von Juntz provides clues to interpreting the writings of Mu, Atlantis and many others. Six months study plus a successful roll of INTx5 awards a starting skill of 20+D10 points in the nominated prehistoric language.
Friedrich Wilhelm Von Juntz
Von Juntz was a German eccentric born in Cologne in 1795. He spent his adult life touring Europe and Asia searching for ancient tomes and gaining admittance to any number of secret societies. In 1839 Von Juntz published his Black Book containing the secrets he had learned. In 1840 he began working on a second volume but was soon after discovered murdered inside his locked study, his throat torn out and his manuscript torn to shreds by inhuman claws. The discovery was made by Von Juntz's associate, Alexis Ladeau, who, after piecing together the shredded manuscript apparently burned the scraps before slashing his won throat with a razor. It is rumoured that certain portions of the second manuscript survive, but the whereabouts are unknown.
[Note: Much of this information is taken from the Call of Cthulhu rulebook. Since this is designed as a player handout, some of the information has been edited by Mike Lay - Keepers should be able to deduce from the spell names what they are...]