Closing Morland's

Cultist is set in Lovecraftian London, in an alternate universe where magic exists. There are eight (or nine, depending on who you ask) different branches of magic, each of which has its own spells and powers. Throughout the game, you play a human who studies the occult and gathers followers, with the ultimate goal of mastering magic to become immortal. There are around twenty named people you can recruit to your cult to do your dirty work, all while the Crown's suppression bureau investigates for the evidence to have you tried for practicing the arcane. During the game, you raid creepy locations for magical items or occult scraps, learn to practice rites and summon spirits, enter in a world beyond the mortal earth, and maybe engage in a frivolous murder or two. And of course: don't forget holding down a job or some other way of financially supporting your clandestine activities. Immortality is not cheap.

One of the key features of the game is that nearly nothing is clearly explained to you as a player, so you feel as though you are discovering the inner workings of magic along with your character. That feeling fits perfectly in a RPG setting, and was the main aspect I wanted to preserve. Thankfully, the ~vibes~ and text of the original game can translate nearly directly to the RPG context. Pretty much everything else needed to be simplified, though: the number of cultists, books, and expeditions especially. I decided that I would start with only one companion student of magic, leaving the option open to introduce more as we went along. I was going to downplay the role of books. Lore shouldn't be learned from books — it's too passive, while role-playing demands a heavier emphasis on action and intercharacter collaboration than the original video game. I decided that levelling up in lore would happen during key events or experiences.

Along the same vein, the RPG context focuses on storytelling: why is the player character getting embroiled in magic? What's the inciting incident? And why, of everyone, are they chosen? I thought a fun call to action would be Douglas approaching the PC for help closing down Morland's. The player character would slowly unravel the city's underbelly of magic, and possibly make the choice to go behind the detective's back and engage in it themselves. On the other hand, if they weren't interested, closing Morland's is a nice self-contained one-shot which should give a sense of achievement and plot resolution. Once I figured it out, a three-act one-shot quickly fell into place: first, the player meets and negotiates with Douglas; next, they visit Morland's and attempt to close the shop; finally, the player may discover that Morland has slipped them a message.

1. Meeting with Douglas Douglas has been assigned to investigate, then iron-arm a local bookshop into closing. He just wants to keep his head down and go to bed, however. Though he is aware of the power struggles between the suppression bureau and the underground studiers of magic, he isn't interested in participating. He wants help, to keep his hands clean and also minimise the amount of work he has to do himself. He has been watching Morland's and knows there's some kind of test or password at the door, but not what it is.

   Douglas knows (but will not reveal to the player unless asked/forced to) that the arcane is real, there are different branches of magic, and there are practitioners both underground as well as in the suppression bureau (!). He doesn't know what the principles are.

   Douglas will promise the player access to the bookstore building if they successfully close the shop. He may also offer some gold if pressured. If the player agrees to help him out, he will follow them and act as a sidekick.
   • class: bureaucrat
   • proficiencies
     • skills: constitution, history, arcana, investigation
     • languages: common and greek
     • tools: forgery kit
   • stats:
     • hp: 12
     • int: +3
     • wis: +2
     • cha: -2
2. Morland's The bookshop is really discreet — you wouldn't have noticed it on your own. There's just a tiny plaque on a wooden door, which says Morland's in barely-legible print. If the player knocks, a small peephole slides open but the player still can't see the speaker. A voice asks: "is there something you'd like to say to me?"

   The password is just to acknowledge any kind of interest in the Deep Magic.

   The door can also be forced, but then Morland will be harder to charm or negotiate with. If they give the right password, Morland is more trusting.

   The bookstore is so dark you can barely see anything. It's lit by candles only. There's a wooden desk at the front, behind which Morland now settles. He is watching you very carefully. The inside smells like old paper but also like there could be something foul. You aren't sure if it's just your imagination.

   Morland's keeps his books roped off, behind a metal railing and gate. He will instead ask how he can help, or what kinds of books the player is looking for.

   If the player describes anything remotely related to one of the seven principles (lantern, forge, edge, winter, heart, grail, or moth), then Morland will go to the back to retrieve them a low-level book of that branch, with a little note tucked inside. If the player asks to do a perception/investigation check, they will notice someone is watching them from the shadowy bookshelves behind the railing. The player will be asked to describe what they see, which will help me (the GM) pick which cultist will be their potential sidekick. This person is the one to write and leave the note in the book!

   The player can fight, intimidate, or charm Morland into closing the shop. Douglas won't allow the player to kill Morland (too much paperwork), so will intervene when Morland is incapacitated.
   • proficiencies
     • skills: persuasion, insight, arcana, religion
     • languages: common and latin
   • stats:
     • hp: 10
     • str: +1
     • int: +1
     • wis: +1
3. Obscure scrap When the player opens the book from Morland's, they will discover a scrap inside. It's a message from the shadowy propsective sidekick who was watching in Morland's shop. It's written with strange symbols that the player character can't seem to place.

   I can tell you have the Desire.

   The scrap can be decoded with a intelligence or wisdom check. It proposes a clandestine meeting at Morland's to discuss magic. Otherwise, if the player can't decode the message, the player character can just go back to Morland's at night. The cultist will be waiting for you there. They have been hanging out at Morland's in the hope of attracting other Believers, but they are starting to get nervous now that it seems the shop may be closed. With their time running out, they have no choice but to try reaching out to the player character for some reason (maybe the player speaks a language they need?). If the player agrees to help or study with them, they will reveal their identity, which the player can describe if they haven't already. If the two start a partnership, it begins primarily as one of convenience rather than trust.