I decided that I should learn more about the Gumshoe Roleplaying Game System. While I knew the background behind Trail of Cthulhu, I wasn’t sure what the game The Esoterrorists was about. I purchased the PDF from Pelgrane Press and found the story of The Esoterrorists fun and fascinating.
In Gumshoe’s The Esoterrorists, you’re elite occult investigators uprooting cults who seek tear the membrane and rewrite reality. These cults can expose you to strange Outer Dark Entities (ODE). Stop cultists from summoning the ODE, sending it back through the membrane, before you’re driven insane.
For those who don’t know much about the Gumshoe RPG system, the basic conceit is that you play hyper-competent investigators. If your character has a specific investigation ability, like Ballistics, and you’re investigating the scene of a shootout, then you automatically receive a Core Clue. No roll is needed, you just learn the information if you invoke your Investigative ability. Click here if you want to learn more about the Gumshoe system.
Creating a character starts with picking a character concept, such as detective, scientist, archaeologist and who you are when not investigating dangerous cults. Depending on how many players, you get points to select Investigative Abilities and buy additional ranks. Next, you have a set number of points to buy General Abilities, these are skills that have the risk of failing like Shooting. Click here if you want to learn more about creating Gumshoe characters.
With these basics out of the way, let’s delve deeper into the world of The Esoterrorists. Let’s start with the Membrane and the Outer Dark
The Outer Dark
The Outer Dark is a realm of subjective chaos where nothing is real and simultaneously everything is real. The only thing that matters in the Outer Dark is your will. If you want something to be true, it is true. That is, unless something with more power, with a greater will to dominate comes along. In the Outer Dark cause and effect is broken. The only truth that matters is your truth.
Outer Dark Entities feed off of dark emotions: terror, fear, and strongly held irrational beliefs. Events that provoke strong emotional reactions in large groups of people can tear openings in the membrane: terrorist attacks, school shootings, police killings, violent demonstrations. ODEs and their Esoterrorist allies (servitors?) then use tools of mass media to use these events to spark new, irrational or conspiratorial beliefs.
Such irrationality, the 9-11 Truther Movement then leads to the irrationality of Birthers followed by Pizza Gate. This then culminates with some unhinged follower then commits an act of terrible violence, unless stopped in time by the Ordo Veritatis. That act of terror and psychic horror then spawns another sequence of irrationality like autism being caused by vaccines.
The other source of Outer Dark Entity influence is more localized, deep, specific heinous acts: serial killers acting alone or in a group, religious cults like the Branch Davidians, or rich sociopaths such as Epstein. These depraved minds attract ODEs like moths to a flame. These deliberate, deeply horrible, personal atrocities will also rip a hole in the membrane allowing the ODE to communicate with its burgeoning Esoterrorist.
The Ordo Veritatis has seen ODEs exert various levels of operational control over specific Esoterrorist cells. The fact that any particular Outer Dark Entity is competitive with its fellows reduces the chances of well-organized, persistent command-and-control structures developing to systematically break down the Membrane.
In rarer circumstances, Ordo Veritatis analysts have documented networked ODEs who appear to serve a more powerful Entity. When this occurs, the OV is put on high alert and this network must be dismantled, stem-and-root. One of the few advantages the OV has over the ODEs is their failure to cooperate in bringing down the Membrane.
Some ODEs have a high degree of operational control over their specific cell. Sometimes the ODE is in direct control of the members of the cell, almost as if they were meat puppets. Other ODEs act as the mob boss or ring leader. The cell members have a degree of autonomy, but report back to the ODE and receive new commands.
Lesser ODEs are sometimes summoned and used by the cell as a weapon or guardian. Or it is even possible the cult is aware of the existence of Outer Dark Entities, may communicate with them, but maintain a healthy distance because they have goals or a purpose to spread esoterror without the need of an ODE.
The Membrane
The Membrane is the thing that separates our rational, objective, causal world from the irrational, subjective, acausal existence of the Outer Dark. Humans anchored in objective reality, if they know how to poke holes in the Membrane, can access the power of the Outer Dark. The ability to harness that power, to make things happen despite the laws of physics is called magic.
However, no one has yet been able to sufficiently access the power of the Outer Dark to manifest true magic or sorcery. Minor mind powers (ESP, telekinesis, mind reading) may have been manifested by cultists, but it is not clear if that was before or after their exposure to the Outer Dark. The fear is that once enough holes are punched through, then a powerful cult leader would be able to manifest true sorcery with dire consequences for objective reality.
What if a large hole is poked into the Membrane? A hole large enough to summon an entity, a creature of pure will, through into our objective reality? There are two problems with this idea. First, you have to have enough people with enough will and concentration to summon that entity into objective reality.
Second, you have to think up a biological body for that entity to inhabit. In the Outer Dark existence is anchored in will and thought. In our reality, existence is anchored in chemistry, physics and biology. If the summoners are not concentrating hard enough on a physical body that works, no matter how bizarrely, the ritual fails.
A failure of will, imagination, and understanding internal fluid pressure means the Outer Dark Entity never materializes or its newly material form catastrophically fails. The best case scenario is the newest initiate has a lot of viscera to clean up. The worst case scenario is Brad suddenly thought it would be cool if the ODE had acid for blood and everyone ends up in the hospital with burns.
While not appropriate in tone for this game, think of summoning the Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man in the original Ghostbusters. Regardless, the difficulty of creating such a creature is so difficult, most Esoterrorist cults use established designs known to work rather than freelance.
Types of Outer Dark Entities
As mentioned above, summoning ODEs is not easy. So most cells use existing texts that have demonstrated viable entities. With this repetition, the Ordo Veritatis has been able to compile data on these more common entities.
While some ODEs can be killed the old-fashioned way, these tend to be lesser ODEs. More powerful Outer Dark Entities have Special Means of Dispatch (SMD). Or in occult volumes they have banes: certain substances or weapons, which are the only way they can be terminated. But if the cell managed to summon an variant ODE, its SMD may be different. Agents must then discover the variant’s SMD.
The following is a brief list of known ODEs. Investigators should consult with their operations officer, Mr. or Ms. Verity, for SMD information about the suspected Outer Dark Entity they will be facing.
Blood Corpses
Zombies, but with more razor blades and spikes. They consume human blood through their holo claws. These are not the leader-type of ODE, more of the shock-trooper Outer Dark Entity.
Brutalizer
The eggheads at Ordo Veritatis HQ like to name Outer Dark Entities by using words that are both adjective and verb. These are the psychopathic bullies on the ODE playground. The specialize in dominating human bullies; turning them from doms into subs. They feed off of violence.
Corpsejabber
These Outer Dark Entities like to take over the recently deceased. But not just any stiff, they are drawn to people with complicated, unresolved relationships with loved ones. When the loved one dies, the ODE then puppets its corpse. They communicate telepatically with their victim, who almost always digs up the corpse and takes it with them. If the corpse is not available, then it inhabits an emotionally-connected object or cremated remains.
Disincarnate
Those not read into Order Veritatis briefings, think Disincarnates are your standard ghosts or poltergeists. But well-briefed Investigators know this is an Outer Dark Entity who has been linked to an area, but not summoned. This permits the ODE to manipulate objects, electronics, and complex machinery.
Glistening
The Ordo Veritatis analysts have a healthy dispute whether these are a manifested ODE, an ODE influencing causal reality from beyond the membrane, or a pathogen (viral, bacterial, fungal, parasitic). But the infected, go through some normal stages such as feeling unwell, nausea, and elevation of body temperature. After full infection, the Glistening will take control either permanently or temporarily to spread esoterror. Lets hope your Investigators do not encounter a Glisten Queen.
The Host
These Outer Dark Entities are most often encountered in areas of intense religious fervor or frenzy. These predatory ODEs seek and devour individuals experiencing intense spiritual agitation (guilt). They hope these disappearances will intensify the religious mania (e.g. the Rapture has begun!). If the fervor reduces, they will attempt to give religious visions (analysts debate whether this is a psychic phenomenon or actual manifestations) to juice the fervor.
Kooks
These are feral children look-a-likes with over-large heads and shark teeth. They prey on the young. These are an example of a simplistic ODE.
Man In Black
Analysts have been collecting reports about this type of Outer Dark Entity, but have not had success in getting solid evidence. At first they thought this was just the urban myth of government agents, in black suits, who appear, cause a disturbance, than disappear. Younger generation of analysts now think this phenomenon is a psychic phenomenon.
But even within that group they are split between those who see this as a new ODE, where others posit this is a cry of the Membrane itself. If the latter is true, then that requires the Ordo Veritatis to completely reimagine its theoretical understanding of the Membrane as a being with sentience.
Nester
The uninitiated might think these a small grey alien, except for the long razor-sharp hooks at the end of the their upper extremities. Oh, and their beak-like mouths dripping green spittle. Unlike birds, they like to nest in the abdomens of sleeping humans, but will take any available large mammal. The analysts do not know how Nesters are able to fool modern medical imaging, but they do. Once established, they will reemerge from their hosts to reproduce, laying tiny eggs, then return to their sleeping host.
Returner
When manifested, these Outer Dark Entities appear like a human heart, except it is a quivering mass of tissues. Also, there are those cartilaginous tendrils. Returners host in the recently deceased, reanimating them. Despite the pop cultural view of zombies, Returners are fiendish masterminds.
Scauler
These flying, eyeless lampreys are manifested in polluted, dead water. After manifesting, they must feed for awhile until they are full-grown, about 2 meters. These ODEs have tremendous regenerative powers and can be trained by Esoterrorists. Analysts have also documented spontaneous manifestations of Scaulers, which is a sign of the ill-health of the Membrane in the area.
Shamebeast
Another parasitic Outer Dark Entity, they are attracted to strong emotions generated by sexual scandal or hysteria in areas with strong societal sexual repression and shaming. Like Scaulers, these have been known to spontaneously manifest. Once it finds its victim, it burrows up through the urethra. Analysts are working out its incubation period. Once fully incubated, its victims turn into what is commonly referred to as a nymphomaniac. Intercourse with the victim either spreads the parasite or results in a quick, hemorrhagic fever-like death.
Torture Dogs
Its hard to top the analysts description of these ODEs: giant mammalian cyborg weevils. They literally use power drills from between their mandibles to inject psychotropic toxins into their victims. These toxins inflame nerve endings, making their torture even more exquisitely painful.
Skin Crabs
Yet another parasite of the Outer Dark who also prey on the recently deceased. They look like clawless crustaceans, starting around the size of a man’s hand, but with two digging appendages. These ODEs burrow through the mouth and into the skull of the dead, where it then consumes the internal structures. What is left is a loose flesh bag with an intact skull.
Through methods based kept for eyes-only briefings, the Skin Crab inflates its host, digging itself out, and infiltrates the edges of human society (homeless camps). They are capable of speech of sort. The analysts are still trying to sort out the motivations for these ODEs. Do they have sentience or do they just operate on a lesser, instinctual level.
Esoterrorists
The Esoterrorists are individuals or small cells of individuals who are either seeking the power of the Outer Dark or have inadvertently stumbled across it. Most cells have a leader, who falls into a couple of different deviant personality types:
- Dominants — Seeks of power and influence. No matter what organization they belong to, they are always gunning for the top spot. They lord their power over their underlings.
- Sadists — Power is not an end to itself. Power is used to inflict suffering on others.
The rank-and-file of an Esoterrorist cell tend to have exhibit the following personality types:
- Attention Seekers
- Ciphers
- Exofetishists (seekers of aliens)
- Hedonists
- Quislings (nihilists)
- Avengers
- Submissives
In short, the typical cell is full of dysfunctional personality types, which makes them susceptible to failure and discovery by agents of the Ordo Veritatis.
What differentiates run-of-the-mill sociopaths from Esoterrorists is their magical thoughts inspired by the Outer Dark Entities (either manifested or communicating through the Membrane). It is the lure for true magical power or sorcery that drives Esoterrorists forward, which means finding ways to deliberate tear and thin the Membrane.
Ironically, as mentioned above, no Esoterrorists has yet been documented to have true magical power. This permits the careful Investigator or Agent to track down objective reality, cause-and-effect clues to the Esoterrorist cell.
Esoterrorist Cells
Cells have been documented forming in a few distinct patterns. One is spontaneous formation. This is where a depraved mind or minds are approached by an ODE. The Outer Dark Entity then inspires or teaches them how to further weaken the Membrane.
A cell can also spontaneously form where someone discovers information or lore about Esoterror. This incipient cell leader then gathers others around her to seek greater knowledge or power. This will often culminate in summoning a known type of ODE.
Another way a cell forms is an esoteric awakening. Whether alone or with a small group, occult knowledge is sought. This could be harmless scholarly study or purposeful uncovering of lost knowledge. Eventually, they come across a ritual for summoning an ODE. Thinking it is either harmless fun or a path to greater enlightenment, the ritual is performed.
The manifested ODE will start making demands for a cell to form. Anyone present who disobeys or resists is brutalized and murdered. That transgressive act binds the remaining members into a new Esoterrorist cell.
The final three ways a new cell forms is from an existing cell. If there is schism within a cell, it my separate and form two distinct cells. This can lead to conflict between the cells, which leaves clues for the Agents to find. Other times, the cells split as part of some larger strategic purpose. This expands the geographic reach, but lowers the oversight of the powerful cell leader.
Another cell-split is called a Daughter Cell. The Daughter Cell is made of entirely new recruits, with a shadowy leader. They never learn of the Mother Cell. Daughter cells are used as cut outs or expendable patsies for the Mother cell. Once a specific mission or task is accomplished, the Mother Cell burns them literally or figuratively.
Finally, there is the remnant survival cell. This is when a cell is terminated by the Ordo Veritatis, but a cell member remains alive or free. That cell member uses their knowledge and compulsion for power to form a new cell.
Operational Security
Esoterrorist cells that do not maintain operational security, do not exist for very long. This means the Mother-Daughter Cells, Fissioned Cells, and Remnant Cells tend to be the most careful with communications. They restrict access to cell phones or the internet to avoid leaving digital fingerprints. Instead, they use techniques of modern spycraft such as dead drops, signalling, and face-to-face meetings.
Spontaneous or Awakened cells will use some operational security, but are not as adept at those methods. They may be unaware of OV’s existence, so they use no operational security measures at all. Or the ODE has warned them of OV’s “meddling” but the cult members are just not skilled in Tradecraft.
Opportunists
Well-led Esoterrorist cells both create opportunities and take advantage of opportunities to spread esoterror. When strange or unusual phenomenon occur, the Ordo Veritatis analysts have to quickly figure out whether its just coincidence or a plot created by an Esoterrorist cell to spread irrational beliefs. Even if its coincidence or an explainable phenomnon, the analysts must still monitor these stories to ensure a cell doesn’t take advantage of the free media.
Investigators should remember that cells with a smart, intentional leader operates on two different levels. Spreading mass irrationality weakens the Membrane. The weaker the Membrane, the easier it is for rituals to pierce it. Their hope is to achieve actual magical powers from the Outer Dark.
It is whispered the upper echelons of the Ordo Veritatis are actively trying to determine if the founders and CEOs of various social media companies are Esoterrorists or have been indirectly co-opted by them.
The Ordo Veritatis
The Ordo Veritatis or OV is a secret, multi-national organization whose sole goal is to thwart the Esoterrorists to save causal reality. The OV is effectively an intelligence and para-military agency. Like the Esoterrorists, they use a dispersed cell structure. Separate from the field agents are the analysts. Finally, unlike the Esoterrorists, the OV has a centralized command-and-control who strategically manage resources to reduce or eliminate this threat to our current reality.
Cell Structure
Each cell is comprised of a select group of Investigators, pulled from diverse occupational backgrounds. Each Investigator is fully read-in on the the basics of the Esoterrorist cells. Investigators operate under a clandestine identity, a nom-de-guerre. Revealing your true identity violates the basic tenets of operational security, placing yourself, your family, and your colleagues at extreme risk of retaliation.
Most cells do not operate in a single location, as that degrades operational security and increases the risks to their field agents. Instead, agents spend most of their days performing their normal, civilian jobs. They are securely contacted to meet at a random location or safehouse.
Cells typically consist of the same members. While this may lead to fracturing of operational security due to familiarity and naturally inquisitive minds, its better than the alternative. The OV has experimented with randomly assigning team members, the analysts measured a statistically significant degradation of operational outcomes.
After Action Debriefings found that veteran cell members expressed a high level of distrust of team members with whom they had not worked with or had not worked with in some time. A known hazard of prolonged work as a field agent is justifiable paranoia. These randomly assigned teams were over-cautious, leading to adverse results.
Some cells are assigned to a specific location or area, referred to as Station Duty. Leadership makes the difficult trade off between the degradation to operational security and the advantages of deeper knowledge of the location’s geography and social fabric. Stations are set up in locales where the Membrane has persistently thinned or the analysts suspect there is an Esoterror super-cell.
When a cell is activated, they first rendezvous together at a location, then proceed to a second location for their briefing. This two-step process helps minimize any well-connected Esoterrorist cell from using Traffic Analysis to back tracing Investigators. At the second location, they meet with an anonymous Senior Field Agent, always referred to Mr. or Ms. Verity for their operational briefing. Afterwards, they travel to their operational location.
Analysts
Generally, analysts rarely become field agents. With their risk of capture and interrogation, the Ordo Veritatis, is concerned that an entire support station will become compromised. However, they will sometimes permit analysts to work in the field or allow field agents to spend time in a support station. This cross-training is useful to ensure analysts are creating useful product for the field. It is also helpful for field agents to know what types of intel are most useful to the analysts.
Besides the normal security precautions used for any secret operation, Support Stations have some unusual precautions. First, the exterior and interior decor must be extremely drab and boring. With the esoteric, a-causal, magical-thinking intelligence being analyzed, it is important to keep analysts emotionally grounded.
Analysts perform several functions:
- Media Threat Analysis
- Electronic Traffic Sifting
- Surveillance and Deep Cover Analysis
- Informant Reports
When a support station identifies a situation requiring a field agent cell to deploy, then they prepare a briefing. The Mr. or Ms. Verity assigned to the mission will thoroughly review the briefing and ask the analysts for more information or clarification. Very rarely are field agents given written briefing product as it is too easy to intercept. The Ordo Veritatis has discovered that field agents have better outcomes with a verbal briefing, which allows for questions and answers.
Ordo Veritatis Leadership
The precise nature of the upper echelons of the OV are not known. Given the nationalities of field agents and global reach of operations, it is assumed the OV is a joint covert operation of several nations or of a multi-national organization like NATO. It is rare for Field Agents to be given any insights into management, again because of the risk of their capture and interrogation.
However OV leadership does require all field agents to adhere to a code of ethics. Agents shall:
- Protect human life and dignity
- Protect civilization and the values of civil society
- Enhance order, rationality, calm, and tranquility
Agents shall not (except if given specific permission by Mr. or Ms. Verity):
- Assassinate human enemies, except in extreme circumstances
- Use excessive force
- Use torture
- Foment public confusion, distress, or disorder
- Commit Treason (willfully cooperate with Esoterrorists or affiliated groups).
Field agents may always kill Outer Dark Enemies. If a human has been fully compromised via irrevocable possession or parasitism, then they may be eliminated with extreme prejudice. These ethical codes assist in healing or strengthening the Membrane and prevent tearing holes or that weaken it.
The other important task that OV leadership insists all field agents undertake is the Veil Out. The Veil Out is the cover story for all of the weird events that took place prior to and during the field operation. It is important the cover story be more than merely plausible, the story must be broadly disseminated within the local community.
The citizenry must believe that normal, causal events took place that are completely explainable by science. The Veil Out is the Field Agent’s primary method to heal or mend the wounded Membrane after stopping those actively seeking to destroy it.
OV Leadership is also responsible for monitoring Readiness Maintenance. Field Work is taxing on the Investigators body, mind, and soul. However, the primary focus is on their emotional or psychological readiness. If there are signs of breaking, then leadership sharply intervenes to get the Investigator counseling. Sometimes a review board must be commissioned to determine the Investigator’s mental health and recommend solutions.
Given the taxing nature of the field work, OV Leadership is always looking for new recruits. Maintaining that pipeline of replacements is essential for the continued operation of the Ordo Veritatis.
Operational Structure
All operations have a structure to them. Some of these events take place out of sight of the Field Agents or occur before they are activated.
- Case Evaluation
- Deployment
- Briefing
- Investigation
- Counter-Operations
- Neutralizations
- Veil Out
The bulk of an operation are steps 4, 5 and 6. This is where the Investigators determine whether or not there is an Esoterrorist cell, resist attempts of retaliation by cell members, and then neutralize the cell without violating the Code of Ethics.
Final Thoughts
While there are several, obvious similarities between the fictional world of the Lovecraftian-Cthulhu Mythos and Esoterrorists, there are several differences that make the latter more accessible. First, it is easier to understand a mavelovent antagonist who has a specific outcome and goal like the Outer Dark Entities and Esoterrorist cells.
Whereas, the bizarre creatures and cults of the Cthulhu Mythos are so alien in their mentality and goals it is hard to establish any pathos. Their goals can be simplistic: the indifferent ending of human existence. It is harder to make the cults understandable too beyond they’re crazy.
The Esoterrorist 2nd Edition book does a really good job of showing what it is your Investigators do. The episodic, ripped-from-the-headlines, nature of these investigators means the Game Master can get inspiration by reading the news. The Esoterrorist can work as a one-off system when you can’t get your full group together or as an on-going campaign.
If you want some links on where to buy this Gumshoe setting, it can be found over here.
If you want to explore the wilder (and wider) world of tabletop roleplaying games go there! If you want to start to learn on how to paint miniatures, click already! Or maybe you want to read more of my posts about Dungeons and Dragons, then click away here!
