“...I saw the world battling against blackness; against the waves of destruction from ultimate space; whirling, churning; struggling around the dimming, cooling sun. Then the sparks played amazingly around the heads of the spectators, and hair stood up on end whilst shadows more grotesque than I can tell came out and squatted on the heads.”
–H.P. Lovecraft, Nyarlathotep
Join the search to stop innumerable cults worshipping a single, dreaded being in Masks of Nyarlathotep, a new expansion for Eldritch Horror from Fantasy Flight Games, inspired by the classic Call of Cthulhu roleplaying adventure! At the same time, you can experience the adventure anew in your roleplaying group with a new edition of the Masks of Nyarlathotep adventure from Chaosium that brings the definitive Call of Cthulhu roleplaying campaign into the game's seventh edition.
From this story's inception in the first edition of the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game, the dark horrors of Nyarlathotep have thrilled and delighted fans around the world. With this expansion, Fantasy Flight Games worked closely with our good friends at Chaosium to learn the midnight secrets and terrifying truths of one of their most famous Ancient Ones—and we're thrilled for you to experience that in Eldritch Horror and the Call of Cthulhu RPG. The Masks of Nyarlathotep expansion for Eldritch Horror is now available for pre-order from your local retailer or the Fantasy Flight Games website here! For more information on the Masks of Nyarlathotep adventure for the Call of Cthulhu RPG, visit their website here!
The stink of charred flesh still lingers in the night air amidst a dense copse of trees. You stare numbly at the pages in your hands and try to fight off the realization that threatens to coalesce in your thoughts. Three different cults. One under the streets of London, one amongst the sands of Egypt, and now this sect just outside of Tokyo. The specifics of the horrific rituals had all been wholly different, save for one, singular detail: the mind-bending invocation that closed each of the ceremonies was exactly the same at each site. Each time, you and your compatriots had barely averted some soul-wrenching atrocity against nature. How many more groups were still chanting this terrifying phrase? Each cult had been so difficult to find, and so different from the last. None of it added up. What thing were these rites feeding and how could you follow this thing when every clue led to a new trail?
Once again, the world’s intrepid investigators must attempt to thwart the cataclysmic rise of an otherworldly Ancient One. Strange cults are gathering strength in remote corners and bustling cities all over the world. Though the cults seem to worship different gods, the investigators will find one thread that runs throughout all their evil rites: Nyarlathotep. Known as the Messenger of the Outer Gods, Nyarlathotep is the only Ancient One who still actively walks the Earth to work his will upon humanity. The investigators must stop these cults, or Nyarlathotep will gain enough strength to open the Ultimate Gate, ushering in an unthinkable doom.
Many Guises With One Goal
Nyarlathotep’s followers dot the face of the earth, opening gates and weakening the membrane between this reality and the realm of the Outer Gods. These cults of Nyarlathotep must be rooted out by undertaking new Adventures and by visiting the sites of new Mystic Ruins. Will you work to destroy the Australian Cult of the Sand Bat, or perhaps there is something to be found in the lost Yithian city of Pnakotus? The investigators will need to race to gather information and stop the influence of Nyarlathotep in each and every form he takes, but it will take careful planning if they hope to stamp out enough of his followers in time.
Nyarlathotep sows chaos, gathers followers, and then changes his face as easily as a person changes clothes. Constantly altering his form and taking on new aspects, Nyarlathotep works ceaselessly to bring the Outer Gods into our world. He has pulled his puppeteer’s strings so subtly and for so long, that there are very few that have not been affected by his fell purpose. In Masks of Nyarlathotep, each investigator bears the scars of their own unique brushes with the otherworldly in the form of new Personal Stories. Pursue an investigator’s Personal Story to gain insight into each character’s background, gain unique rewards, and stave off terrible consequences, but take care to weigh the needs of these few with the fate of the many who hang in the balance.
Gathering Strength to Stop the Chaos
The investigators will need to be well-prepared to take on the widespread threat of cultists that support Nyarlathotep by gathering new Artifacts, Unique Assets, and Spells for the journey ahead. The team will also need to be especially well-equipped when taking on the new Campaign mode of play introduced in the Masks of Nyarlathotep expansion. When taking on a Campaign, players will need to win multiple games, with consequences and benefits carrying over to the next game after each threat is sealed away from the world. If stopping any single Ancient One seems an impossible task, can the investigators possibly hope to succeed as these otherworldly beings attack one after another?
Around the world, the cultists chant on, each committed to their own goals while unwittingly worshipping one of the myriad aspects of Nyarlathotep. How many of these groups have completed their occult rites? How many more have yet to be stopped by the investigators? Find out more about the new investigators and how their pasts factor into the fight against the Messenger of the Outer Gods in our upcoming previews of Masks of Nyarlathotep!
