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Tales from the Sanctum

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The Sanctum Secorum podcast plumbs the depths of Appendix N as it applies to DCC RPG. Each show reviews one piece of Appendix N media — be it literature or film — and then discusses how to bring aspects of it to the table for your DCC game. We explore how the selected piece might already easily fit into particular modules and DCC settings, and we highlight one specific DCC module that really ties into the Appendix N material.

Enter the Sanctum Secorum… and be inspired.

Sanctum Secorum #47 – The Hills of the Dead

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A predecessor to Howard’s Conan the barbarian, Solomon Kane is a somber-looking Puritan who wanders the world with no apparent goal other than to vanquish evil in all its forms. Returning to Africa, Solomon Kane’s old friend N’Longa (the witch doctor from “Red Shadows”) gives the Puritan a magic wooden staff, the Staff of Solomon, which will protect him in his travels. Kane enters the jungle and finds a city of vampires.With his faith in god, the magic of N’Longa, and his wits, Kane must destroy them all.  This is a sequel to the first Solomon Kane story published, Red Shadows.

Welcome to the Sanctum Secorum podcast. Tonight, the Keepers of Mysteries return with a special guest, Judge Eric Young!

 

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Episode #10 – The Maker of Gargoyles

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Episode #10 CoversThe 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.

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Episode #03 – The Halloween Special

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Covers 03
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.

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Episode #02 – The Last Castle

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Covers 02Most humans on Earth live in a small number of elaborate, high-tech castles as idle aristocrats primarily concerned with aesthetics, pastimes and questions of honor and etiquette. Only a small minority of humans live free lives outside of the castles, and are considered barbaric by the inhabitants of the castles. Various alien races serve the latter.

One day, one of those slave races, the Meks, revolt and start besieging the castles. One by one, the castles fall and their residents are killed, until only Castle Hagedorn is left. Most of the decadent castle denizens choose to ignore the danger. One of them, Xanten, decides to fight the Meks and searches for allies inside as well as outside the castle.

Welcome to the Sanctum Secorum podcast. In this episode we examine one of the works by renowned Appendix N author Jack Vance, with The Last Castle.

In addition, we have bonus content to bring to your game: classes,monsters, weapons, and more…after the jump

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