Masks of Nyarlathotep: Empire of Shadows

Creating your character

🩸 Character Creation (Pulp Cthulhu 7E) — Who Were You Before the Fall? Cinematic. Enhanced. Doomed. In Empire of Shadows, character creation isn’t paperwork — it’s the moment the Empire notices you. During Session Zero, we forge investigators built for action, mystery, and madness, rooted deeply in 1890’s colonial machinery, folklore, and occult fractures. You don’t choose a template — you choose the wound the story will press on. Possible Archetypes Include: • A Highland exorcist haunted by whispers in old Gaelic • A Bedlam escapee whose visions map the end of the world • A disgraced British Museum linguist fluent in dead tongues • A Caribbean occultist pursued by colonial ghosts and ancestral debts • A gentleman-spy serving in Her Majesty’s quietest, darkest war • A stage magician born from a bloodline that should never have left Cairo And more — each tied into Mythveil’s research, mythic symbolism, and the global shadow beneath the Empire. What You Receive: • Echoes of Empire Archetype Pack — custom backgrounds rooted in real 19th-century history & occult lore • Bespoke tokens crafted for atmosphere and identity • Immersive visual preludes revealing the moment the Masks first noticed you • Party bonds & secrets woven through a guided, cinematic Session Zero You don’t begin as heroes. You begin as the Empire’s forgotten children — and the dark remembers every one of you.

Preparing for the session

Player Prep No prior experience with Call of Cthulhu or Pulp Cthulhu is required – newcomers and seasoned investigators alike are welcome. What you'll need: • A good microphone and a quiet space • Weekly commitment preferred (occasional absences are fine with notice) • A respectful attitude and interest in mature, 18+ storytelling • Discord (for coordination, handouts & narrative prompts) • Foundry VTT (free to use, browser-based – no install needed) Optional but helpful: • Headphones for immersion • Your own background music or mood lighting – the horror is better in the dark.

What Dunchan Hunter brings to the table

Step into a prestige-horror experience built on historical truth, forbidden research, and a world that moves even when you’re not looking. This is not just Masks of Nyarlathotep — this is Mythveil’s Empire of Shadows, rebuilt as a living, breathing descent. 📚 1. Deep Historical, Occult & Colonial Research Every location, ritual, cult fragment, symbol, and NPC is grounded in real Victorian documents, anthropology, esoteric manuscripts, and the hidden machinery of the British Empire. You aren’t just playing a module — you’re walking through reconstructed history. 🜁 2. Living-World Simulation (Mythveil Engine) The campaign reacts between sessions: • factions move • cult cells respond to your actions • newspapers shift • long-term consequences echo across continents • investigators gain or lose influence in subtle ways The world changes even when you sleep. 🎥 3. Foundry VTT — Cinematic Victorian Immersion Fully scripted scenes, dynamic lighting, animated fog, archival maps, reconstructed colonial blueprints, and symbolic overlays create a psychological descent instead of a static dungeon crawl. You don’t open a map. You enter a memory you were not meant to see. 🎧 4. Syrinscape & Audio Design A layered soundscape: • whispering gas lamps • rattling underground tunnels • séance echoes • colonial drums • distant chanting that shouldn’t exist Atmosphere that presses slowly on your chest. 🖼️ 5. Curated AI-Enhanced Visuals Not random generations — hand-selected, curated Mythveil visuals using Sora-AI, Midjourney, and vintage photographic manipulation: • Victorian occult diagrams • dream logic sequences • mythic symbols • expedition photos that feel… wrong • character visions & ARG fragments Every image serves narrative, symbolism, and dread. 🧩 6. Storytelling With Prestige Depth Inspired by The Terror, True Detective, Mouth of Madness, and psychological folk horror: • symbolic repetition • unreliable perception • identities fracturing • colonial guilt as metaphysical rot • dreams that bleed into waking scenes This campaign looks at you while you look at it. 🎭 7. NPCs With History, Trauma & Voice Every NPC has: • a worldview • a fear • a lie • a secret under the secret No exposition mannequins. Every conversation leaves fingerprints. 🔰 8. Safety Tools & Emotional Support We descend deep — but never alone. • Lines & Veils • X-Card • private check-ins • aftercare conversations • tone & theme calibration Intensity without harm. Horror without cruelty. Mythveil doesn’t just run Masks. It resurrects it — atmospheric, scholarly, symbolic, and alive.

How Dunchan Hunter creates a safe table

🛡️ Safety First — Shadows Without Harm Horror should unsettle the mind, never the player. Our table embraces intensity, atmosphere, and mature themes — but always within clear boundaries and full respect. 🔸 Session Zero Before the descent begins, we establish tone, expectations, personal limits, and character ties. Nothing moves forward without shared understanding. 🔸 Lines & Veils You define what is shown, what is suggested, and what is never included. These boundaries are honored absolutely. 🔸 X-Card & Open Door The X-Card may be used at any moment — no explanation required. Breaks, pauses, and stepping away are always welcome. Your comfort comes first. 🔸 Mature Themes, Never Exploitation The campaign may explore trauma, madness, colonial critique, identity fracture, and cosmic horror — but never in a voyeuristic or harmful way. Consent guides every scene. 🔸 Zero Tolerance for Disrespect No racism. No harassment. No phobia or real-world cruelty. This table is a protected space for collaborative storytelling. **We descend together. And no matter what happens to the characters… the players remain safe.**