At one time, I was really obsessed with abandoned asylums and most especially with Danvers State Hospital. Being the core inspiration for Arkham, I could not imagine why there was not some kind of source/adventure book about it. I really wanted to pool together whatever sources I could to put together such a book but unfortunately, real life had other ideas. Also, there is not a ton out there about it, as most of the history was lost when it was abandoned. Sure there was general history but many of the case files were lost.
What I wanted to do is have a nice laid out sourcebook with a nice map of the place in the 1920s, with general information as well as mysterious rumors and myths about it. Mixing fact with fiction, I would create a massive source book with great opportunity for adventure. Recently, however, Chaosim released a adventure book that included a single adventure in Danvers. It was disappointing to say the least but I think that was because of limited word count.
Here is some thoughts, notes and ideas I had for creating a series of adventures based in Danvers.
Danvers Campaign Outline
3 adventures revolving around the mysteries in Danvers (the city) and the asylum. Elements from Danvers that can be used – The Salem Witch Trials, Hathorne Hill, The Asylum, The Tunnels under the Asylum.
Adventures
Core concept:
(option 1) There is an ARTIFACT under the ground on Hawthorne Hill. This ARTIFACT is occult in nature. In future, this ARTIFACT proves to be something perilous to human existence. (source of power to a apocalyptic entity or something).
<< IDEA 1: THE ARTIFACT – Some call it the Holy Grail, others call it the Goblet of the Gods, and others called it Akshayapatra or Cup of Jamshid. Collectively, the represent a vessel of some kind with immense power.>>
<<IDEA 2: THE ARTIFACT – Ancient stone from another world, containing the soul of an ancient being.>>
Background
In the future, something called the Rise of the Witch King has threatened the existence of humanity (parallels to Biblical anti-Christ as well as Nostradamus’s predictions.)
{{Nostradamus quote here}}
Adventure 1
Basics: The investigators are called to Danvers by its director over a strange patient recently moved to A Ward (the ward for female excitable and dangerous patients). This patient has displayed through drawings, chanting and gestures, knowledge of the occult that no normal being should have. She has also claim to know things about the future and until recently, no one believed her. She predicted {SOME MAJOR EVENT} and spoke of it in detail. It wasn’t until she predicted multiple events did they take her seriously.
The woman became dangerous when she started claiming some major event where many will die. Her exact words were “{SOMETHING BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN AND ONLY I CAN STOP IT}”
Pull: (1) Initial Interview, haunting experience of a strangely insane person. Spotted by alien agent. (2)
Push:
Gimmick: (using option 1 Core Concept) The patient is possessed by a time-travelling soul from the future. This person, living in the devastated world of the ARTIFACT-torn future, used occult magic to send her soul back in time. The soul intended on driving the host insane so that she would be checked into Danvers (and this she could hunt down the artifact). Unfortunately, her plan worked too well.
Alien Agent: An unearthly agent (Mi-Go??) hides among the staff seeking the artifact as well. These entities sensed the time-travel spell and spent an agent to investigate. In its search, some inmates are turning up horribly murdered.
Adventure 2
Basics: {Ghosts, possession, and the secrets kept in the graveyard} More and more staff at Danvers are reporting ghost sightings in and near the graveyard.
Gimmick: Something happened in the last adventure to wake up the artifact and thus souls of the dead.
Adventure 3
Something in the Tunnels