CITY - the fight for control

[Anders Larsen]

Parallel universes/dimensions? Quantum mechanics? Hallucination? If a person in the real world had the chance to, hypothetically,
study a manifestation of the Dark Country, what would they find?

They would first have to travel somewhere conventionally remote; somewhere probably not out of place in Lovecraft's own fictional country (Dunwich etc). Here they would see countryside with an eerie feel, something doesn't quite feel right. The moon that hangs in the sky hangs low and looks a little too full, or too thin. Maybe the stars aren't right, the trees seem misshapen and the dense thickets even denser. Animal sounds are more distinct, perhaps even 'darker' more aggressive, unnatural. At worst one might even find some supernatural entity from the Dark Country has crossed over, a predator feeding on local farmlife.

I believe you should go beyond the Lovecraft feeling. Something like: The trees begins to grow eyes. You can hear a baby cry, from a small hole in the ground. The stone on the road rearranges themselves into letters and forms sentences like: "The darkness is watching you" or "The day have come where the moon will die". The cow on the nearby field is looking at you with eyes you would swear was human. and other weird stuff like that.

Do you intend to specifically define who or what They are, or is this an element of the setting that will be left vague/for the players and GM to determine as they see fit for their own game, like Humanity in Sorcerer?

Well more the latter. They are intentionally uniform and mysterious since that is what gives Them an edge. Creating a catalogue of monsters with names and descriptions makes things less interesting. Certainly once you see that Silly picture of Cthulhu in the CoC book (especially the Mythos size reference chart with him stood next to a person) he looks less scary and more stupid. Besides They are meant to be ephemeral in nature, more often than not acting through people. They are in the shadows and in the crowds and They can look like you and me.

I see it as a wise chose not to  describe Them too closely, and actually not describing exactly what the Dark Country is either. Instead describe how they are affecting the real world and the humans.

In what way do the Sandmen prevent people from entering the Dark Country?

The Sandmen constructed the City to contain the dreams and power and even minds of men. In this they limit human potential but they also keep it safe. One cannot leave the City basically. However now the Dark Country is manifesting in the real world, their job is getting harder.

What I was going for here was actually the question: What do the character do? What kind of tasks do the Sandmen face, and in what way do they carry out these task? What kind of stories can be told in this setting?

- Anders