You are browsing archives for

Tag: The One Who Watches from Below

Get the free Sanctum Secorum #36 Companion HERE!

The youth Taran lives at Caer Dallben with his guardians, the ancient enchanter Dallben and the farmer and retired soldier Coll . He is dissatisfied with his life, and longs to become a great hero like the High Prince Gwydion . Due to the threat posed by a warlord known as the Horned King, Taran is forbidden from leaving the farm and charged with the care of Hen Wen, the oracular white pig. When the pig escapes, Taran follows her into the forbidden forest. After a long, fruitless chase he is attacked by a host of horsemen galloping toward his home, led by the Horned King himself. He manages to escape, but drops, wounded, to the ground. He awakes to find his wound treated by none other than Gwydion, the crown prince in Prydain’s ruling House of Dôn (, who has been traveling to Caer Dallben to consult Hen Wen. Gwydion, determined to find the pig, takes Taran along with him. Guided by Gurgi , a hairy humanoid living in the forest, they reach the Horned King’s camp, and learn that his target will be Caer Dathyl , the home castle of the House of Dôn. Gwydion determines to warn the royal court, but the group is attacked before that can happen…

Welcome to the Sanctum Secorum podcast. Tonight we discuss the Book of Three, the first book in Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain series and pair it up with Beyond the Black Gate!

Sanctum Secorum #29 – Creep, Shadow!

October 12, 2017Written by Gatekeeper

1 Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | RSS

Get the free Sanctum Secorum #29 Companion HERE!

Had the last King and Princess of wicked Ys, returned after three thousand years? Why were they creating an exact replica of Stonehenge on their New Jersey estate? What was the Mael Bennique, the Breaker of Chests? And what was the dread Gatherer in the Cairn? And can men and women really be turned into shadows and made the helpless slaves of the one who transformed them? Ethnologist Dr. Alan Caranac (who may just be the reincarnation of the Alain de Carnac who brought about the destruction of sinful Ys and its evil rulers) has to find out the answer, for one of his best friends has been killed, and perhaps transformed into a shadow, while his fiancee Helen, her brother, Bill, and the famed Dr. Lowell have already been marked for death or worse! But first Alan will have to enter the tower of the Demoiselle Dahut de Ys in New York and journey through it thousands of years into the past to her tower in the legendary city from which she draws her name. And then return, if he can!

Welcome to the Sanctum Secorum podcast. Tonight we return to the printed page as we discuss A Merritt’s Creep, Shadow! while pairing it up with a Harley Stroh classic, The Bride of the Black Manse.

podcast Abraham Merritt, Al Bowlly, Attack of the Frawgs, Beyond the Black Gate, Brendan LaSalle, Cab Calloway, Carl Bussler, Chick Webb, Creep Shadow!, Creeping Beauties of the Woods, Daniel J. Bishop, Dark Trails, DCC Lankhmar, Dieter Zimmerman, Don BEstor, Duke Ellington, Freddy Martin, Harley Stroh, Jim Manzie, Jobe Bittman, Joseph Goodman, Leo Reisman, Michael Curtis, Neon Knights, Not in Kansas Anymore, Orkestra Obsolete, Postmodern Jukebox, Prayers of the Forgotten, Ray Noble, Richard Himber, Shudder Mountains, Stephen Newton, The 13th Skull, The Arwich Grinder, The Bride of the Black Manse, The Chained Coffin, The Emerald Enchanter, The Floating Oasis of the Ascended God, The Haunting of Larvik Island, The Imperishable Sorceress, The Infernal Crucible of Sezrekan the Mad, The One Who Watches from Below, The People of the Pit, The Portsmith Mermaid, The Tower Out of Time, They Served Brandolyn Red

Sanctum Secorum #16 – Purple Priestess of the Mad Moon

September 2, 2016Written by Gatekeeper

4 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | RSS

Get the free Sanctum Secorum #16 Companion here!

“Harvey Selden goes down to Mars from an observation ship, and accepts an invitation to visit Firsa Mak’s house by his friend Bentham. He meets a martian woman, Lella, of a type he has not seen before. From there he is shanghaied into observing the Purple Priestess Mad Moon ritual and isn’t able to cope, but survives. The others want him to tell the Bureau, but he runs for Earth instead, into therapy. However, at the end a communique arrives from Lella, saying she is waiting for him at the next ritual.”

Welcome to the Sanctum Secorum podcast. In this episode we look at a work by the Queen of the Space Opera, Leigh Brackett. In addition, we have bonus content to bring to your DCC RPG table including a mini-adventure!

Episode #10 – The Maker of Gargoyles

March 4, 2016Written by Gatekeeper

1 Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | RSS

Get the Sanctum Secorum #10 Companion here!

The third story in Clark Ashton Smith’s Averoigne cycle, the story takes place in the fictional French town of Averoigne. Much as Lovecraft based Arkham on Boston, Clark Ashton Smith’s Averoigne is based on the very real Auvergne region. Even more closely tying this story to our previous episode, H. P. Lovecraft wrote a story “Out of the Aeons” that also intertwines with this fictional province as have a number of other authors. Certainly this is a region filled with potential. All told Clark Ashton Smith left us with eighteen pieces, some incomplete, others mere outlines, of events transpiring in this area.

The story itself involves a stonecutter, shunned and feared by the people of the area, whose affections towards a local girl are spurned, if she recognizes he exists at all. Hired to create a pair of gargoyles for the new cathedral, he cuts two pieces of true masterwork but, in doing so, pours all of his negativity, hatred and lust into their creation. Infused with these black emotions, the gargoyles come to life and wreak havoc leaving death in their wake.

Welcome to the Sanctum Secorum podcast. In this episode we examine a work by famed author Clark Ashton Smith and match it Carnival of the Damned by the Sanctum’s own David Baity.

In addition, we have bonus content to bring to your game: magic items, weapons, and so much more…after the jump.

Episode #09 – H. P. Lovecraft

February 12, 2016Written by Gatekeeper

5 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | RSS

Get the Sanctum Secorum #09 Companion on DrivethruRPG.

H. P. Lovecraft was a master of pulp horror and, love him or hate him, his influence on modern culture cannot be ignored. Name-dropped by such authors as Stephen King and Robert Bloch; referenced on such television programs as The Night Gallery, The Venture Brothers, and Supernatural; and influential in comics such as Bat-Man (yes, Arkham Asylum really was a nod to Lovecraft) Lovecraft’s reach is long indeed. His communication and collaboration with other greats such as Robert E Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, and the rest of the “Lovecraft Circle” have shaped fantasy and horror for generations.

Tonight we merely skim the surface, discussing two of Lovecraft’s works, delving into the squamous side of things we discuss Dagon and The Shadow Over Innsmouth.

Welcome to the Sanctum Secorum podcast. In this episode we examine two of the works by Appendix N author, and literary legend, H. P. Lovecraft and match them up with The Portsmouth Mermaid from Daniel J. Bishop and Purple Duck Games.

In addition, we have bonus content to bring to your game: magic items, weapons, and so much more…after the jump.

Episode #04 – Elric of Melniboné

November 13, 2015Written by Jen Brinkman

8 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | RSS

Get the Sanctum Secorum #04 Companion on DrivethruRPG

Episode #04 Covers The haunted, treacherous and doomed albino sorcerer-prince is one of the great creations of modern fantasy. An introspective weakling in thrall to his soul-eating sword, Stormbringer, he is yet a hero whose bloody adventures and wanderings lead inexorably to his decisive intervention in the war between the forces of Law and Chaos.

A fantasy classic, Elric of Melniboné is an exceptional fantasy icon of violence, power, politics and war and his tales make up a fantasy masterpiece.

Welcome to the Sanctum Secorum podcast. In this episode, we examine the first book in a series that is regarded as one of the most influential sword-and-sorcery resources among Appendix N. Many thanks to Kevin Searle for the suggestion!

In addition, we have bonus content to bring to your game: patrons, classes, and so much more…after the jump.

Episode #03 – The Halloween Special

October 30, 2015Written by Gatekeeper

1 Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | RSS

Get the Sanctum Secorum #03 Companion on DrivethruRPG

A special treat for Halloween: a pair of tales by Poe. Edgar Allan Poe was an America’s first master of the macabre. A poet, editor, and literary critic, he is best known for his tales of dark mystery and sinister goings on. Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story, and is generally considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre.

Poe’s influence is felt, even today, in literature throughout the world, as well as in specialized fields, such as cosmology and cryptography. He inspired countless authors to follow (perhaps most notably H. P. Lovecraft) and the Mystery Writers of America present an annual award known as the Edgar Award for distinguished work in the mystery genre. Tonight we discuss two of Poe’s best-known thrillers.

Welcome to the Sanctum Secorum podcast. In this episode (as suggested by Joseph Goodman) we examine two of the works by Proto-Appendix N author Edgar Allen Poe, with The Cask of Amantillado and Masque of the Red Death, with our special guest host, Stephen Newton.

In addition, we have bonus content to bring to your game: creatures, weapons, and so much more…after the jump.

Latest Episode

Sanctum Secorum – Tonight 9pm EDT

Tales from the Sanctum

Card Catalog

Welcome

Tag: The One Who Watches from Below

Sanctum Secorum #52 – The Hounds of Skaith

Sanctum Secorum #50 – The Tower of the Elephant

Sanctum Secorum #36 – The Book of Three

Sanctum Secorum #29 – Creep, Shadow!

Sanctum Secorum #16 – Purple Priestess of the Mad Moon

Episode #10 – The Maker of Gargoyles

Episode #09 – H. P. Lovecraft

Episode #04 – Elric of Melniboné

Episode #03 – The Halloween Special

Subscribe to Sanctum Secorum