<i><b>The Story So Far:</b>

As a soldier in the O'Bannion gang, Michael didn't
really believe in all this voodoo mumbo jumbo around
town. Or at least, he didn't until the night of the
Foreman job, when he saw Fast Louie Farrell pulled
screaming into the river by a scaly green creature.
As they say, seeing is believing and Michael is starting
to believe.

Now, he has gathered his belongings together in the
room that he rents at Ma's Boarding House. Louie
was a friend of his, and he won't rest until he finds
out what's happening in this town and avenges his
buddy...</i>

<i><b>The Story So Far</b>

Not so many people can say that they've climbed a
mountain on every continent that has one. Fewer
still can say they've stolen a golden idol from a tribe
of cannibals. Among women in a male-dominated
society, Ursula is probably unique in being able to
make these sorts of claims.

Ever since she was a small girl, Ursula had broken the
rules set down for her: climbing trees, playing in the
mud, exploring the woods, and plenty of other things
"that a proper young lady shouldn't have been doing."

After all, she was as good as any man. When she
was accepted to Boston University, she set out to
prove it, excelling and exceeding the other students in
Archaeology. She graduated top of her class and used
her inheritance to set herself up as an explorer, roaming
all over the world and writing articles for magazines.

Now her path has brought her here to Arkham,
following a shipment of stolen relics, a cult that seems
to have members in very corner of the world, and a trail
of corpses. Smiling to herself, Ursula thinks,</i> "Now
THIS is an adventure."

<b><i>The Story So Far:</b>

It seemed so surreal when she was approached by a
recruiter after one of her gymnastic meets all those
years ago. Somehow, she had come to the attention of a
nameless agency working for the government to protect
the country. Never one to turn down a new challenge,
Trish had eagerly signed up.

One of the first things that they taught her is that there
is strengh in focus - in joining the mind to the body to
exceed the whole. With her agile body and formidable
mind, she was soon one of their best spies.

But recently, Trish has begun to wonder at the motives
of the organization she works for. Are they really tied
to the government, or is she working for some sort
of shadow society ruling the country from behind the
scenes? Her quiet inquiries eventually led her to the
small city of Arkham, Massachusetts.

Normally, newspaper building are something that Trish
avoids like the plague in her line of work. But standing
in front of the</i> Arkham Advertiser <i>, she knows that this is
her last lead. If the information she needs is anywhere,
it'll be here.</i>

<i><b>The Story So Far</b>

Silas always felt the call of the ocean. Even as a little
boy he loved to play in the waves. There was just
something soothing and otherworldly about the seas
that put him at ease in a way nothing else could.

It came as no surprise to his family when Silas
annoynced that he'd decided to become a sailor and
travel the world. They'd actually been waiting for him
to reach that conclusion for several years.

So, he signed up with a merchant shipping company
and spent the next few years gallivanting from one port
to the next and seeing all the sights he could take in.

Periodically, he would dream. At these times, his sleep
was haunted with strange, ethereal visions of undersea
vistas and bizarre creatures that smiled toothily at him.
Gradually, he came to feel that there was something
sinister about these dreams, and when he asked his
family, they simply nodded and said, "It's time for you
to visit the main branch of the family up in Innsmouth.
They'll set you straight."

Two days later, as he disembarks from a ship at the
Arkham docks, Silas can't help but find his family's
remark just a little bit sinister.</i>

<i><b>The Story So Far</b>

For as long as Akachi can remember, she was trained to
be the tribes' next shaman. Studying at the feet of the
old shaman, she learned how to speak to the spirits, how
to read the bones of the earth, and how to avoid the fell
creatures that dwelt in the dark places.

Her education was supplemented by tutoring from an
earnest young missionary. Her mentor allowed the man
to teach her as long as he taught her English and other
modern topics in addition to trying to convert her to
Christianity.

As for his religion, Akachi was uninterested, for she had
already learned many of the great secrets of lore, and
felt the power of the old ways.

Recently, her old mentor called her to his bedside. His
face was pale and gaunt. "Akachi, I have seen that a
great trial is coming for you. You must go to the United
States, to a city called Arkham. There, you will have to
face one of the old creatures, using the things that I have
taught you."

Weeks later, as she opens the door to Ye Olde Magick
Shoppe, Akachi hopes that she can meet the challenge
that lies ahead of her.</i>

<i><b>The Story So Far</b>

A brilliant researcher, but a shy, lonely person, Kate
Winthrop has been working at the Miskatonic Science
Labs for 4 years now and her supervisor still doesn't
know her name. That doesn't matter to her though,
as she has been working to complete a private quest
for most of that time. Almost 3 years ago, she watched
as a device malfunctioned, and Professor Young, her
long-time mentor and friend, was torn apart by an
indistinct creature that shrieked and gibbered before
vanishing into the night. Since then, she has delved
into darker scientific studies, always hoping to find
something that would allow her to find and defeat
that creature along with others of its kind.

Tonight, her research has finally paid off, allowing
her to create a device that can defeat the alien beings
she has detected in Arkham!</i>

<i><b>The Story So Far</b>

Sister Mary has served the Church faithfully for
many years, so when she was sent to Arkham to work
with Father Michael, a man whose writings she had
admired for many years, she felt that she was truly
blessed. Now, after witnessing Father Michael's
strange mood swings and seeing some of the bizarre
practices that go on in this town, she's beginning to
feel that she may have been a bit too hasty ...

For instance, last night, there was a knock on the
door of the church, and when she answered it, there
was nothing but a handwritten journal laying on the
steps outside. Reading it, she learned of strange cults
and terrible creatures that lurk in the darkness. Worse,
when she laughingly showed it to Father Michael,
he turned pale and threw it into the fire, yelling at her
to forget what she'd seen.

Now, gathering her things and quietly leaving South
Church, Sister Mary has decided to investigate this
town, and in so doing, reaffirm her faith.</i>

<i><b>The Story So Far</b>

Mandy came to Arkham several years ago looking
for work as a researcher for Miskatonic University.
Since then, she has worked with many of the
University professors, delving into esoteric tomes
filled with scientific information, historical reports,
and sometimes even occult ramblings.

It was while reading an old book of prophecies last
week that she first felt that she had stumbled onto
something big. Mandy came to believe that certain
signs and portents described in the book were taking
place in Arkham right now - omens that indicated
the return of a terrible being referred to as an Ancient
One, which would grind the cities of Man beneath
its loathsome tread.

Tonight, the full moon has turned blood red, which
is the final omen of the return of the Ancient One.
Slipping into the night, and armed with her knowledge
of the prophecy, Mandy has decided to see if she can
defy fate and stop these events from taking place.</i>

<i><b>The Story So Far:</b>

You see a lot of strange things on the road, and Wilson
has been traveling for many years now. Wandering
from town to town, he's earned his keep by taking
various odd jobs - but he's never seen anything like
the events occurring in Arkham.

Something's just not right here, and when you're a
loner and a drifter by trade, you develop a certain
sixth sense about people and places. Right now
Wilson's sixth sense is telling him to get out of town,
and fast. But for some reason his curiosity is greater
than his fear, and he has a weird feeling that the job
he needs to do in Arkham may be a little bigger
than mending a step or painting a fence.</i>

<i><b>The Story So Far:</b>

As a traveling salesman, Bob is always on the go. But
yesterday, he saw something that made him decide to
stay in Arkham and miss his train. While he was in
the General Store selling his wares, a robed man came
in and bought several items, paying with old gold
coins. Astounded, Bob turned to the shopkeeper for an
explanation, but the man just ignored his questions,
simply saying, "That happens, sometimes."

Now, Bob isn't leaving until he figures out where
those gold coins came from. If he plays his cards
right, maybe this will be the big score. Maybe he'll
finally be able to retire and buy that boat he's had
his eye on and spend the rest of his days fishing in
a tropical paradise. Then again, maybe Bob will
finally come to see that all that glitters is not gold.</i>

<i><b>The Story So Far</b>

Marie Lambeau always had a voice to die for. People
called her "the Smoky Velvet." They said she was
born to sing jazz, that she had the magic touch-- and
maybe they were right.

Once, Marie heard of a man who could make the
dead dance when he played his trumpet. She never
could do that-- her voice wasn't magic that way. But
when people hear it, they like it, and they like her,
and that suits her just fine.

Marie's </i>grande-mère<i> just passed away. Why the old
dame moved from New Orleans to Arkham, Marie
never knew. Anyway, she never paid much attention
to the stories people told about the old woman. She
just figured they were jealous. But now, she's sitting
in Ma's Boarding House holding her grandmother's
knife, and she can hear it singing with a voice like
smoky velvet... </i>

<i><b>The Story So Far</b>

Methodical. By the book. If you looked in the Federal
Agent's handbook, you'd find a picture of Roland
Banks next to those sections. At least, if it had any
pictures, you would.

Where other agents found the rules restricting and
annoying, Roland took comfort in procedure. It was
a relief to have guidelines to follow in any given
situation. Well, at least until this latest case.

Try as he might, Roland could find no mention in the
handbook of what to do when confronted with strange
creatures, gates through time and space, or magic
spells. This case was rapidly escalating into a fiasco,
and if he dropped the ball, losing his job was the least
of his worries.

Sitting outside the Asylum after an interview with yet
another demented witness, Roland dropped his battered
Agent's handbook back into his briefcase and sighed. At
least the agency was sending him some backup. Maybe
they could help him make some sense out of this mess.</i>

<i><b>The Story So Far</b>

Jacqueline witnesses the future every night. Her
dreams are filled with things that have not yet come
to pass-- usually terrible visions of blood and fire.
This time is no different. She has dreamed of a city
called Arkham. A quiet town that is to be destroyed
by a terrible creature before the world is plunged into
indescribable chaos for a thousand years. Her dreams
have never been wrong before.

Unable to ignore this latest vision, Jaqueline did
some research and found the location of the doomed
city. Now she has come to the place that haunts her
to try and stop the destruction she knows will come.
Drawn to an image from her darkest dreams, she
takes a deep breath as she enters the Curiositie Shoppe
-- a place she knows will soon become a nightmare
made flesh.</i>

<i><b>The Story So Far</b>

All her life, Patrice has lived for music. The soaring
sonatas, the graceful arias, and the booming marches
have always been her closest companions.

But sometimes as she plays, she can sense something at
the edge of her awareness - something that watches her
and waits, for what she doesn't know.

The presence has been growing over the last month, and
her increasing nervousness is starting to spoil her ability
to play the violin. That's not something she can tolerate.

So when an old gypsy she was swapping tunes with told
her that she was being watched by an evil spirit, Patrice
listened with somewhat less skepticism than she might
have had even a month ago. The gypsy referred her to a
shop in Arkham that might have what she needs to get
rid of the spirit.

That explains why Patrice finds herself entering the
Curiositie Shoppe this evening, feeling a little silly and
more than slightly nervous.</i>