Description
Hudson & Brand – Inquiry Agents of the Obscure
The first in Stygian Fox’s ‘Safe House’ series for 7th edition Call of Cthulhu™, Hudson & Brand, Inquiry Agents of the Obscure is an official Cthulhu by Gaslight™ consulting detective agency in the style of extravagant freelancers, such as may be found in the stories of the great Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot. However, instead of being a source for the Investigators to plumb for information whenever the situation gets too tough, or if they need a nudge in the right direction, it is somewhere they can actually inherit, utilise in their own investigations, or use as a safe haven from the outré horrors of the outside world. It is a starting platform, if you will, for adventures into the dark and fog-shrouded streets of Mythos-infested London.
Hudson & Brand takes inspirational cues from The Murders in the Rue Morgue, A Study in Emerald, This House Is Haunted, and the stories of Sherlock Holmes. It is a mature look at the horror of human nature in the capitol of empire and its ability to turn a blind eye to the evil reaches of the Old Ones and their minions.
What’s in the book
Chapter 1: The World of Hudson & Brand
Briefly covers life in Victorian London and includes a timeline of London as well as ideas for running a Cthulhu by Gaslight campaign and new occupations for 1890s’ investigators.
Chapters 2-5: The Beginning of the Agency
This section covers 4 chapters. The beginning delves into the pasts of Captain Albert Henry Hudson and Ulysses Victor Brand, how they met, and their fateful decision to found the inquiry agency which still bears their names. The following parts detail The Early Years, The Prime Years, and The Later Years of the agency, under their stewardship.
Chapter 6: Golden Square & Its Environs
Covers the agency’s physical location, 33 Golden Square, in Soho. A beautifully crafted map of the agency and it’s apartment is rounded out with descriptions of the various rooms and resources available to investigators. This chapter also details nearby points of interest, ranging from hospitals and asylums to law enforcement. This section also covers more mundane necessities such as grocers, transportation, and clubs.
Chapter 7: The Curious Case of Bare-Knuckle Bill
The first of two Cthulhu by Gaslight scenarios. The investigators get an earnest plea for assistance from an urchin who fears his pugilist friend, William Hawthorne, aka ‘Bare Knuckle Bill’, has been waylaid and may be dying in a ditch somewhere. The case soon reveals itself to be more than a mere missing person case as Fenians, Ruffians, and a mysterious woman all begin to hamper the Investigators inquiries.
Chapter 8: Ophelia Rising
The second scenario, sees the investigators taking a closer look at one of Hudson & Brand’s early cases, and investigating the Heliogoland Company and their occult dealings.
Chapter 9: Populating London
Provides Keepers with a myriad of heroes and villains, some mundane, and some far more mysterious. Many are named in the case files of the Hudson & Brand agency, while others are presented as potential hooks (or foils) as needed. In addition to the NPCs, various organisations are referred to, and a short bestiary of horrors round out the chapter.
Chapter 10: The Weapons of Hudson & Brand
Provides writeups and stats for the battery of weapons kept at the agency. The collection includes several from Hudson’s previous life as a Captain in the 42nd (Highland) Regiment of the Foot.
Chapter 11: Artefacts & Curios
Explores the various baubles and artefacts accumulated by the inquiry agency during Hudson & Brand’s 8-year tenure. Some are mundane while others are decidedly more Mythos-related. All can be used as hooks for further investigations, especially if paired with re-opening some of the agency’s earlier cases.
Chapter 12: End Papers and Other Ephemera
This final section includes a Victorian-Era map, 6 pages of the Illustrated Thames Sentinel to peruse for possible cases, 10 NPCs written up with “Eye of Light” (good/helpful)/”Eye of Darkness” (antagonist) sides for Keepers to use as they see fit, and lastly, a 2-sided H&B character sheet.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.