The Crack’d and Crook’d Manse

### Source

The Crack’d and Crook’d Manse by Mark Morrison, from the Mansions of Madness collection.

### Genre

Classic 1920s

**The Crack’d and Crook’d Manse** is the first scenario released by *The Apocalypse Players*. A classic Call of Cthulhu scenario, it is an investigation into the disappearance of a wealthy man, and is set in Gamwell, MA in 1925.

## The Cast

 Danann McAleer | Sebastian Palmer
 Dan Wheeler | Dr. Johannes “Hans” Wolfgang Bergmann
 Dominic Allen | Keeper and various NPCs

## The Episodes

### 01: The Brothers Dodge

*“In which the investigators tangle with Gamwell’s foremost legal minds…”*

In the opening episode, the investigators are summoned to Gamwell, MA to investigate the missing-persons case of Arthur Cornthwaite, to whom they are all acquainted in varying degrees, by his lawyers the Dodge Brothers. As Sebastian reads through the accounts ledgers, Rose and Dr. Bergmann head to the library for some initial research. It goes well — until it doesn’t.

### 02: 101 Occult Uses for Salt

*“In which the investigators rack their brains to think of every possible use for sodium chloride…”*

After a scare at the end of the last episode, Rose and Dr. Bergmann hurry out of the library, meeting Sebastian as they exit. They run immediately into Sheriff Whitfield, who grills them on what they are doing, exactly. Escaping his scrutiny, they head to the Fitzgerald Manse, erstwhile home of Cornthwaite. It’s damp, the grounds are lush with tropical plants, and the investigators have to get through a locked gate. It is quiet… too quiet.

### 03: Advanced Mansions & Madness

*“In which a scene-stealing parapsychological experiment provides a real breakthrough…”*

Starting their investigation of the house with caution, Sebastian knocks at the front door and investigates the back prior to entering. After pushing past their trepidations, the three enter the house to find it damp, moldy, and falling apart. While Rose changes quickly in a closet, the two men investigate the library with conventional and unconventional techniques alike. Both Rose and Sebastian find themselves in uncomfortable positions.

### 04: The Walls Have Eyes

*“In which a haunting is proposed, but the investigators find their progress hampered by things both seen and unseen (like gravity)…”*

Bumps and bangs, sudden frights, and even the walls have our investigators cautious as they continue looking through the house. They find a few things, but not quite what they’re looking for.

### 05: Denying Gravity

*“In which blood is spilled, gambles are taken, and the investigators demonstrate that they have not learnt from their mistakes.”*

A surprise turns out somewhat pleasant for once. The investigators find a few more clues, but also a hazard they aren’t able to avoid. Dr. Bergmann makes his own obstacles and solutions.

### 06: Cold Callers

*“In which our investigators fall foul of doors, and the corporeal things that dwell beyond them, be they animal, vegetable, or mineral.”*

The threat becomes more real, and the investigators try to rescue each other.

### 07: Spores

*“In which the investigators attempt to survive and keep their heads, if not their other appendages. ‘Almost nobody dances sober, unless they happen to be insane.’ - H.P. Lovecraft.”*

The monster is finally revealed in its full form, and an escape is plotted. Many twists and turns in the investigators’ luck complicate their plans — will they make it out of the house? Will they finally discover what happened to Arthur Cornthwaite?

## Trivia

* As the first scenario released, it includes several first rolls and mentions:
	+ First roll: In The Brothers Dodge, Joseph makes a spontaneous roll for Rosalie’s dance in the brothers’ office.
	+ First Hard success: Also in The Brothers Dodge, Dan rolls Charm well enough to triple their pay.
	+ First fumble, first failed pushed roll, and first San loss: In The Brothers Dodge, Dan fumbles a pushed roll resulting in havoc and 1 San loss in the library.
	+ First luck spent: In 101 Occult Uses for Salt, Joseph spends 3 luck to have Rosalie succeed a Lockpicking check.
	+ First Critical success: In Denying Gravity, Joseph rolls a 01 Spot Hidden, finding a flyer in the study.
* While this scenario originally had Arthur Cornthwaite having just come back from an expedition to Brazil, Dom tweaked the backstory as Cornthwaite having just come from Peru — specifically, Lima through to Puno. This is a nod to the classic long-form campaign *Masks of Nyalarthotep*, which the Players ran prior to the start of the podcast. In the first episode Dom tells them this expedition was in 1923, making his trip happen after the updated version’s new prologue, which is set in 1921. This is later reinforced when they find Cornthwaite’s notes about the Larkin expedition, then confirmed by the journaled record of his attempt to find what was apparently a lost mission.
* Dan asks whether luck can be spent on a pushed roll at least three times over the course of the scenario. (It cannot.)
* Audio credits are present in the first and final episodes only.

1. ↑ *Masks of Nyalarthotep: Dark Schemes Herald the End of the World*, Vol 1, 7th ed. (2018)

## Content Warnings

Expect this podcast to include explicit language and descriptions of violence and mental illness. Many real-world circumstances and experiences will be depicted as game mechanics, including stylized “bouts of madness.” This specific scenario includes the following content (which may be an incomplete list):

Topics Referred To
 Child abuse
 Religious cults