Et in

Arcadia Ego
Author
James Estes

Layout Art Editor

Daniel Lehto Olga Kolesnikova Jacqueline Bryk
Petter Nallo Anton Semonov
Olof Nilsson
Cerative Director Proofreader
Petter Nallo Ville Kugelberg
Special Thanks
Red Moon Roleplaying

Dedicated to
Terry Amthor

Characters, locations and incidents are portrayed from the metaphorical

viewpoint of the KULT: Divinity Lost setting.

© 2021 Cabinet Licensing LLC. KULT and related logos, characters, names, and distinctive likenesses thereof
are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cabinet Licensing LLC. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Game system © 2021 Helmgast AB. KULT: Divinity Lost is developed and published by Helmgast AB.
 Et in
Arcadia Ego

M
y name is Nigel Saint-Denys. Please don’t try to give
the family name a French pronunciation; my ancestors angli-
cized it many generations back.

I am dying of AIDS.

This used to bother me. The prospect of dying from a crippling

disease can be frightening, and an illness that is tainted by
social stigma offers its own anxieties. Living with AIDS is par-
ticularly fraught in both regards. But now? I like to think that
I’m rather prepared for it.

Upon reflection (an act that occupies much of my attention

at present), it seems as though my entire life has been spent
in preparation for my death. Macabre, maybe, but true. I hear
my existentialist friends ready to assert their screed that all
of life is an inexorable march toward death, but I’m not speaking abstractly. The
esteemed Saint-Denys legacy ensures that my deathbed is an exquisite prison, and
it pays for the best medical care, although my father has little to say to me, his
greatest disappointment.

2 Et in Arcadia Ego
 My education is, as far as humanities scholars go, almost unrivaled. one of the
best available? As a younger scholar, I was both a classicist and classist, doting on
scholarship about the “Classics of Western Civilization,” and unimpressed by post-
modern deconstructionists who snidely called the Great Authors “dead white men.”
Now, on the verge of becoming a dead white man myself, I have come to under-
stand the limitations of my life and what shaped me,—and I have come to see that
the world is a far bigger place than what I envisioned.

Yes, I will die soon, but to be quite honest, I no longer care. I've learned the secret
of immortality. And the thing is — it is no secret. We do it every night.

We dream.

become isolated together, first on the estate

and then within Nigel’s dreams.

Introduction As Nigel’s illness advances,he becomes increasingly powerless.

Et in Arcadia Ego concerns the dreams, fears, and nightmares
of Nigel Saint-Denys, a gay scholar dying of AIDS in the early
1990s, at the height of the AIDS epidemic. (For more information
about the early 1990s as a story setting and about HIV/AIDS,
please see the Appendix, Historical and Cultural Context, at the
end of this story.) The player characters are among Nigel’s few
He is powerless within his own body and worst, within his
own mind. His flight to the dream iteration of Arcadia is his
attempt to restore a sense of personal power, but even here
he begins to lose control. When Nigel brings his friends into
the dream world, he does so without invitation or warning,
and they too are powerless. Nigel’s intentions, however sweet,
result in him forcing his will upon his friends. How will they

1
react to Nigel’s deeds? What happens when Nigel loses con-
friends and associates that remain in contact with him. He has trol over his dream world and the nightmare enters?
invited them to visit him at Arcadie, the Saint-Denys estate in the
The story’s resolution lies in overcoming both themes. Nigel’s
foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Nigel has clearly posi-
story, and his life, can end in different ways, and the most
tioned the visit as a last visit with a dying friend, and his guests
dramatic resolution offers the characters an opportunity to
fully recognize this.
come together to aid Nigel. Trapped in his nightmare, his
Nigel plans to do more than merely say goodbye. He is a skilled friends can empower themselves to free Nigel and fight the
Dream magician intent on abandoning his physical body and ravenous creature that threatens them all.
permanently entering Limbo itself. Before he dies, he intends to
bring his friends briefly into his dreams, so that together they
might relive pleasant moments from their past. However, as his
illness has advanced and he has begun to acquire AIDS-related
dementia, his diminishing cognitive functions lead to unreliable
The Player
control over his magic. Nigel’s dreams, intended to be pleasant
remembrances, bleed into nightmares, and his increasingly Characters
uncontrolled dreaming constructs a vinculum between the wak-
ing world and the dream worlds. The Arcadie of Virginia is slowly Nigel may be the fulcrum of this story, but the player char-
becoming the Arcadia of Nigel’s Dreaming, as the pastoral dream acters are the lever that moves everything. They represent
haven of a dying scholar creeps closer to the terrors of the Vortex. his remaining links to his social world, his family, and
The player characters, unwitting players in Nigel's dream, must his career. However, they are all strangers to each other;
confront the chimera of death and their own fears before they can while each character has a meaningful relationship with
escape. Nigel, they barely know each other as they come from dif-
ferent periods in Nigel’s life. You will find character sheets
for each player character at the end of this scenario.
Theme
The story is ideal for three to five player characters who
Et in Arcadia Ego is about isolation and powerlessness. Nigel
are Sleepers. The sense of mystery and disorientation
Saint-Denys slowly dies largely alone on an empty family estate,
that builds through the story would likely have less
apart from his family, friends, and the academic world that had
dramatic impact on characters who are Enlightened and
been so meaningful to him. He feels at best, an exile; at worst,
Aware. By the story’s resolution, of course, the Sleepers’
a pariah. Nigel’s invitation to his friends is an attempt to bridge
understanding of reality completely changes. While this
the chasm that separates him from his social world. His attempt
scenario can be played as a stand-alone experience, it’s
at connection, however, cuts the player characters off too. They

Introduction 3
 also an opportunity to introduce a new group of characters at
the start of a longer arc.
The player characters are presented at the end of this scenario.
The characters illustrate some key points in Nigel’s life. Players
are not obligated to pick these characters as written, and can
revise them as desired — or create entirely new ones. Ideally,
however, the characters will come from different parts of
Nigel’s life and show some diversity in their background.
Some last touches
continuing
Character Design
The players themselves must further flesh out the charac-
ters, and give careful thought to their history and relation-
ship with Nigel. Additional questions to consider during
character presentation include:
◊ What do you miss the most about your childhood?
(The family home? A friend? etc.)
◊ What are your most pressing concerns right now?
What actually keeps you up at night? (Personal
finances? Health? The economy? National secu-
rity? Geopolitics?)
◊ What do you fear?
◊ What do you love?
◊ How much do you actually know about HIV and
AIDS?
Author’s Note
“It was, then, in the imagination of Virgil, and of Virgil alone, that
the concept of Arcady, as we know it, was born — that a bleak and
chilly district of Greece came to be transfigured into an imaginary
realm of perfect bliss. But no sooner had this new, Utopian Arcady
come into being than a discrepancy was felt between the supernat-
ural perfection of an imaginary environment and the natural limita-
tions of human life as it is.”
— E. Panofsky
The first edition of this scenario was published in June 1994. Over
twenty years later, Helmgast AB gave me the opportunity to update
this story for a new generation of KULT players. This revision bene-
fited greatly through collaboration and conversation;
I am immensely grateful to Petter Nallo for this opportunity and
for his work as a developer, and to Jacqueline Bryk for her careful
editing.
Shortly after submitting my revised draft of Et in Arcadia Ego, I
learned that Terry Amthor had died. I met Terry in the early 1990s,
when he was involved with Metropolis, Ltd, and the American release
of KULT. In terms of his own long gaming career, Terry’s time with
Metropolis and KULT was relatively limited—but it was instrumental
in helping introduce KULT to an American gaming audience. More
personally, it was my invitation to the gaming industry. Knowing my
interest in game design, Terry created opportunities for me to assist his
work with Metropolis, and this led to me writing the first edition of Et
in Arcadia Ego. I remember well his enthusiasm when we ran it through

◊ What (if any) are your religious beliefs? gameplay. I would not have found my footing as a game designer had
he not been so gracious and supportive, and I remain indebted to him as
◊ What do you think happens when you die? both a friend and senior colleague. May his memory be a blessing.
◊ Do you bring some kind of gift/present to It is thus natural and fitting, and all too bittersweet, that I dedicate this
Nigel, if so, what? revised edition of Et in Arcadia Ego to Terry Kevin Amthor. Valē, Terry.
Remember that as Sleepers, these characters do About this revised scenario. Et in Arcadia Ego was my first published work
not have Advantages. For the purpose of this in game design, and my writing and game design have understandably
story, do not be concerned with Disadvantages matured. With this revision, the core elements of Nigel’s story remain
or Dark Secrets, although these might develop unchanged, but I have updated the scenario to account for the metaphysics
organically through the scenario. and mechanics of KULT: Divinity Lost. More importantly, I have provided
more backstory and narrative structure, particularly around Arcadie as
a physical setting, and offered more material about Nigel’s complicated
history with his friends. I hope this enriches game play and cooperative
storytelling.
About Arcadia, death, and elegy. “Et in Arcadia, ego” literally renders as “And
in Arcadia, I”. It is a curious phrase. I first learned about it and its relationship
to the Baroque painting Les Bergers d’Arcadie by the artist Nicolas Poussin, as
interpreted through the pseudo-history Holy Blood, Holy Grail (1982). The book
is an exemplar of poor historiography and grandiose conspiracy theories. Only
read it for imagination, not history.
I came to better understand the phrase and its significance through the schol-
arship of art historian Erwin Panofsky (d. 1968), in his Et in Arcadia Ego: Poussin
and the Elegiac Tradition (1936; reprinted in Meaning and the Visual Arts, 1983),
which examines the Baroque paintings and their classical literary antecedents
(particular the pastoral poetry of Virgil). It is through Panofsky that the phrase
and its corresponding literary/artistic tradition are more meaningfully interpreted
as a reflection on death, imagination, and memory: “Even in Arcadia [Paradise], I,
death, am there.”

4 Et in Arcadia Ego
 Arcadie: the
Saint-Denys
Family Estate
The story is set on the Saint-Denys family estate in historic
Albemarle County, Virginia. Known by the family and by locals
as “Arcadie”, the estate is roughly 20 miles southwest of Char-
lottesville and the University of Virginia, and approximately 130
miles from Washington DC. The estate is intrinsically part of
Nigel’s story, and has been part of the Saint-Denys legacy since
the family established roots in American soil. Nigel is not the
only Dreamer in his family, and Arcadie is saturated with the
memories and experiences of those who dreamt before Nigel.
HISTORY
Joachim Saint-Denys built his family estate in the farmlands
and orchards at the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains. Joa-
chim, a French aristocrat turned American revolutionary, was
a classically-educated humanist, whose literary imagination
was inspired by Renaissance and later depictions of the Greek
province Arcadia as a paradise. Shaped by this idyllic vision
and driven to create a new home for his family in this pastoral
American “wilderness,” Saint-Denys named the estate Arcadie.
The manor house is a Palladian gem, and the Saint-Denys
family has long claimed that Jefferson himself was a consultant
in the manor’s design, although there is no written evidence.
Certainly, its neoclassical symmetry, its Corinthian columns, its
porticos, and elegant use of pediments speak to Jeffersonian
Palladianism. Irrespective of its actual architectural pedigree,
Joachim saw the establishment of Arcadie as central to his
legacy. Later in life, he was fond of calling his home “la petite
Maison Blanche,” with a clear nod to the American presidential
mansion in Washington. Arcadie was built on grand dreams.
While Arcadie remained in the Saint-Denys family, it was not
always the family seat. In the late 1800s, conflict between two
Saint-Denys brothers led Peter, the younger brother, to acquire
property in Charlottesville proper, while elder brother Jonathan,
unmarried and childless, became more reclusive. Jonathan
was interested in the Spiritualism that was en vogue in the late
1800s, and in his isolation became even more obsessed with
Spiritualism and related esoteric beliefs. His attention turned
increasingly inward, and his physical and mental health (along
with the condition of Arcadie, now a century old) began to
deteriorate. As Jonathan withdrew from society and family
interests, Peter became the family’s functional patriarch, and
after Jonathan’s death, Arcadie was abandoned.
In the 1960s, William Saint-Denys, at the urging of his wife
Elizabeth, turned attention toward the renovation and repair of
Arcadie. Architects and engineers reassured the young couple
that Arcadie’s bones were still good. Young Nigel recalled child-
hood visits to Arcadie throughout the renovation efforts, and
wandering through the decrepit building, haunted by Joachim’s
desire for a legacy. Restoration was completed while Nigel
was an undergrad, and the family returned to Arcadie, eager to
restore its vitality.
Two years later, Elizabeth Saint-Denys became ill. Arcadie
became her sick ward, and then her hospice. After a protracted
Arcadie: the Saint-Denys Family Estate
illness, while Nigel was studying at Yale, Elizabeth died. William
closed Arcadie, now a painful reminder of his family’s dreams,
and moved to Washington DC to join a prestigious law firm
that had been courting him over the years.
On Nigel’s early retirement from academia, he returned to
Arcadie. There, in peaceful solitude, he learned the power
of dreams, and as illness began to overtake him, he dreamt.
Arcadie, fueled by Joachim’s dreams for his legacy, and sat-
urated with the dreams of his descendants, became Nigel’s
refuge from the waking world. As his medical condition and
cognitive skills have begun to deteriorate, the waking world
and the world of Dreams have bled into each other at Arcadie.
The safety of his refuge has become overcome by terrors
wrought by the torments of illness, alienation, and anxiety.
DESCRIPTION
The manor is situated on a large estate some 500 acres across.
The house itself is grand in design and aspiration, though mod-
est in size. From its entrance, the building appears to be a sin-
gle story tall, but upon entering one learns that the entrance is
on the top (or main) floor of the two-story house, which is built
on a hill. The main entrance leads to a reception hall, carefully
restored to its 18th-century design, its walls covered by a mural
commissioned by Joachim and clearly meant to evoke the
Arcadia of his literary imagination. Remarkably well-preserved
in spite of the decades in which the house was abandoned
and neglected, the mural depicts a forest-covered mountain-
ous landscape, the only figures in it a group of shepherds in
loose tunics and robes. This entrance hall leads into an octag-
1
onal parlor, which in turn opens to a porch overlooking the
back of the estate with its expansive terraced garden — and
beyond that, a magnificent view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The main level also holds two bedrooms, including Nigel’s and
one occupied by his nurse/caregiver, a master bath, and the
library. This floor is where Nigel spends his time, as he is now
restricted to a wheelchair. When he entertains his friends, it is
in the drawing room or on the porch. He spends most of his
waking time in the library. The lower level holds two more
bedrooms, a bathroom, a spacious chef’s kitchen, and a large
formal dining room. The two bedrooms on the ground floor
are now guest rooms.
Along with the manor house, two other buildings are in use.
The property has a separate carriage house which has been
renovated to serve as a large three-car garage and has a
fully-furnished two-bedroom apartment. Similarly, a small,
now-emptied pool has an adjacent guest house with two
bedrooms. Although this is new construction , it was built
to match the manor’s aesthetics. Both guest apartments are
nicely appointed, envisioned to serve for visits from distant
friends or family. Now, a layer of dust has settled across any
guest rooms not in use for Nigel’s friends.
On the Saint-Denys estate, but not visible from the manor,
sits an old, abandoned one story cabin. The family refuses to
discuss it, as it housed Saint-Denys slaves until the end of the
Civil War. It has not been in use for any purpose for over a
century. Nigel’s parents considered renovating it, but claimed
it was “too unsettling”. The cabin remains abandoned.
5
 THE BOOK OF ARCADIE
In the parlor is a large leather-bound volume, The Book of
Arcadie. It can be found sitting on the mantelpiece. At some
point during the weekend, as early as the first night, the
player characters should see this book. Although it is bound
to resemble an 18th-century text, it is actually a new work,
as the frontispiece in the front of the book indicates. It was
commissioned by William and Elizabeth and written by a
local historian to document the history of the Saint-Denys
family and estate. The book text includes a brief biography of
Joachim as well as material on Arcadie’s other residents, with
significant material on Jonathan Saint-Denys, the Victorian
Spiritualist. It also includes material about the development of
the estate, and original drawings and floor-plans. One section
of the book includes numerous grainy black-and-white pho-
tographs of the manor house taken in the 1930s, when it was
abandoned and had fallen into disrepair, paired with photo-
graphs after the manor’s restoration. The “before and after”
effect of these photos highlights both the skill of the restoration
and the desolation of what Arcadie had become.
The Story
This scenario unfolds in a relatively linear fashion, with a
sequence of events that occur each day of the weekend. How-
ever, around these fixed events, the GM and players should be
creative and flexible. Consider gameplay in-between fixed events
to be improvisational and collaborative, allowing the players to
develop a greater feel for their characters.
However, with regard to the fixed events, particularly as PCs
are being drawn into Nigel’s dreams, these should be treated
as GM Moves predicated on Nigel Saint-Denys’s skills in
Dreaming. There are certain things the PCs cannot control
(such as when a dream happens or how soon they can
awaken from it), but the GM must establish a balance
between scripted Moves and simply railroading the PCs
as they move from dream to dream.
What is known
The GM should share the following information with
the players as they are preparing for the game.
The characters have all received invitations from
Nigel to visit him for a “winter holiday” and they
have all arranged for an extended weekend
visit with him. The scenario can take place any
time December through February, though
setting it around a meaningful holiday is most
appropriate.
It is readily apparent to everyone involved
that the real reason for the invitation is
that Nigel wishes to see his few remain-
ing friends one last time. Most of Nigel's
friends know that he is suffering from
advanced untreated AIDS, and few
expect him to live much longer.
Nigel’s friends come from different
parts of his life, and include family
6 Et in Arcadia Ego
and former colleagues. They do not directly know each other,
although they have heard of each other through Nigel’s stories.
The players have the same shared background knowledge of
Nigel: he is 43 years old, in advanced stages of AIDS, and not
expected to live much longer. He comes from a wealthy family
from Charlottesville, Virginia. His family is religiously and polit-
ically conservative, and though he has not been cut off from
family financial support during his illness, he is still largely
estranged.
Nigel quit academia because of the stigma of being a gay man
with AIDS. He had been a professor of Greek and Latin at a
prominent Catholic university in Washington, DC. He retired
to Arcadie, the family’s two-hundred year old estate south of
Charlottesville. The manor house was empty and neglected
after the death of Nigel’s mother, and Nigel is its first inhabitant
in twenty years. Other than a live-in caretaker, he lives alone.
The mood is clear: this winter holiday will be bittersweet and
elegiac, not celebratory.
Prelude: Memories,
Reflections,
and Dreams
This scenario uses a flashback sequence in which each
player character individually relives an important episode
from their past with Nigel. Each flashback consists of two
segments which are described more fully below, but in
summary:
Gameplay begins with the GM working individually with
each player (“Let’s go back to that time when you and Nigel
…”) to craft the flashback incident. This happens before the
group has arrived at the Saint-Denys estate.
The first night, Nigel returns the character via a dream to
that incident so that they may remember together as a
shared experience, and he plans to tell them within the
dream how important this is to them. However, details
will change through the dream-memory, and by its end, it
has shifted from pleasant memory to a nightmare which
reflects Nigel’s anxiety, distress, and loss of control over
his dreaming.
The flashbacks serve various narrative functions: they
help the player characters create a lived, shared history
with Nigel, and they also provide an opportunity for a
shared dream during the story. Helpfully, for the GM,
they also foreshadow the rest of the scenario.
A number of starter seeds are provided here for the
player characters at the end of this scenario. Modify,
recast, or abandon them as best serves your story. Con-
sider, however, that the incident will ideally relate to
the context of the character’s shared history with Nigel.
(For example, rather than a random event at a restau-
rant, if the PC is a member of Nigel’s family, the inci-
dent was a family gathering; if the PC is an academic,
then the incident relates to an educational setting.)
 ERIN PRYOR (NIGEL’S COUSIN)
This memory revolves around a family gathering when Nigel was a
teenager and just starting to come to terms with his sexuality. He
was clearly different from others in his family, and he rarely enjoyed
family gatherings: cousins mocked him cruelly (“fucking queer!”),
his father raged that Nigel didn’t care for his family legacy, and
older relatives simply dismissed it as a phase. Erin, one of Nigel’s
cousins, tries to protect him during a particularly brutal Christmas.
In the maelstrom of relentless family dynamics, Nigel can barely
control his tears and flees the encounter, and Erin seeks him out
and comforts him. In the process, Nigel feels comfortable enough
to fully come out to her. He gains an ally in the family.
TAYLOR HAWKINS (NIGEL’S
COLLEAGUE)
This memory involves a faculty senate argument in which Nigel
and Taylor start to overcome their original mutual dislike. Fac-
ulty senate meetings are often long, boring, and opportunities
for academic posturing. Taylor and Nigel both taught in the
humanities but represented different interpretive approaches
(Taylor more progressive, Nigel more staid and traditional), and
intensely disliked each other, but during one faculty senate, a
professor proposed streamlining the curriculum (that is, remov-
ing humanities requirements) to highlight more “meaningful”
disciplines such as science, engineering, and technology. Taylor
and Nigel found themselves on the same side of the argument,
and after a loud cantankerous debate with other faculty, came
to appreciate each other personally as well as professionally.
SHAWN CARSON (NIGEL’S
FORMER STUDENT)
This memory involves a problematic relationship when Nigel
was a new, young faculty member and Shawn was a first
year doctoral student in the same school. Although both were
professionally closeted, they mutually guessed at each other’s
truths — and then they saw each other at a local gay bar one
night. Campus encounters were cordial and professional,
but hesitant and awkward. The second time they saw each
other was at a party, where Nigel approached Shawn, and the
night became one long intimate encounter that both knew
violated professional academic boundaries, yet neither fully
realized the risk they were taking.
LEILA ASADI (NIGEL’S
FORMER TENANT)
This memory involves an encounter which cemented Leila
and Nigel’s relationship as far more personal than merely
tenant-to-landlord. Leila had been Nigel’s tenant for over
a year, renting the basement apartment in his Capitol Hill
row house. Both professionals, they were friendly but not
friends. She was present when Nigel held a small soiree on
the back patio to celebrate his promotion to full professor-
ship, but she was also home one evening when she over-
heard Nigel’s distraught phone conversation about his HIV
diagnosis. Leila chose to risk intruding on her landlord’s
privacy to provide the support he clearly needed.
Day 1 (Thursday Evening)
BRADFORD THOMAS (NIGEL’S
COLLEGE ROOMMATE)
This memory involves Brad and Nigel’s budding
friendship as college roommates. They were clearly
cut from different cloths, and yet somehow man-
aged to develop a friendship out of their differences.
In their first semester, Brad returned to the dorm late
one night from an evening out with friends to find
Nigel bruised and bloodied. Nigel reported that he
was coming home and was attacked from behind by
a “group of asshole jocks.” Brad and Nigel had never
talked about Nigel’s sexuality, but the reason for the
brutal attack was clear. Brad took Nigel to the hospi-
tal to be treated for his injuries, and that night was the
beginning of an unusual friendship—one sometimes
haunted by Nigel’s suspicions regarding Bradford’s
connection to the attack that night.
Playing out these incidents — or any other that are devel-
oped by the GM and players — require collaboration and
detail. What were the characters wearing? What was the
weather like? Was food and drink involved? What kind?
Was there music in the background? These details will be
needed to enrich and populate the dream-sequence as it
occurs later in the story.
Day 1 (Thursday
Evening)
1
The Arrival
The weekend begins on Thursday evening the 8th of
December 1994, when the player characters arrive in Char-
lottesville, Virginia. Arcadie, the quaintly-named Saint-Denys
estate, is roughly 30 minutes by car from Charlottesville.
Nigel has hired a local driver to retrieve his friends from the
Charlottesville train station in a van.
Your journey formally started when you received mail from
Nigel early in the week, containing train tickets and a few
printed instructions, with a “see you soon!” note in his unmis-
takable, refined to the point of pretentious handwriting. The
trip you’d been discussing over the past couple of months was
really going to happen. The train runs from New York City to
Chicago, by way of Washington, DC, but your destination is
Charlottesville.
The instructions include a list of the names of everyone on the
trip as well as which stop they’re boarding and when. You scan
the names. Some are familiar, some not. As you prepare for the
trip, you reflect back to the last time you actually saw Nigel
in person, and you wonder how much he has
physically changed since then. You
know he’s seriously
ill and in
7
 advanced stages of AIDS, and while you’re looking forward to The vehicle arrives through the estate’s gate and drives along
being with your friend, you can’t help but feel anxious. the path that cuts through a carefully tended front lawn slowly
being buried in snow. The manor’s front entrance is a colon-
The day of your departure comes. Weather forecasts promised
naded portico. The manor seems deceptively small, even mod-
snow for the weekend, and you alternated between hoping for
est, but the characters have seen photos of the house. Although
a snowy weekend on a country estate and fearing being stuck
one floor is visible in the front, the building is two stories tall.
there, but you’re ready. The train — seven hours from New York
The overall appearance skillfully balances both grandeur and
City, three hours from DC — is an enjoyable way to travel and
intimacy.
prepare yourself for your visit. An hour past DC, the landscape
transforms from suburban to scenic, with rolling hills and farm- The PCs are greeted at the front door by Dwayne and Letitia
lands, and the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance. The snow Gates, Charlottesville locals in the Saint-Denys employ to help
that was promised began early, and the countryside is dusted with the house as needed. Together, they bring the PCs' lug-
with the beginning of snowfall. gage through the entrance into the reception hall. Dwayne
and Letitia offer to take guests to their rooms; only a handful
You arrive at Charlottesville Union Station, a large red-brick
of rooms are available in the main house, but the neigh-
building, and are among a handful of passengers — mostly
boring garage and pool house apartments have additional
college age students, probably from the University of Vir-
rooms. They announce that Nigel has already dined and
ginia — who disembark from the train. Standing near
is napping now, but expects to greet all his guests
the station doors is an older man in a faded cap
within a few hours. They have instructions to prepare
and winter coat, holding a sign that simply says
food for the travelers while they relax in the parlor,
“Arcadie,” and you find yourself among
the octagonal room just beyond the
the few people headed toward this
reception hall. The Gates also informs
man. “Good evening,” he says
the travelers that they live nearby
amicably as you approach him.
and can be reached in case of an
“I take it you’re Mr. Nigel’s
emergency, but they are generally
friends?”
only onsite over the weekend to
The driver (Bob) checks the help prepare meals, which will be
PCs’ names off his list to served in the first floor dining room.
make sure nobody is miss- The kitchen is open to anyone’s
ing, loads their luggage use. The house library, along with
in the van, and starts the Nigel’s bedroom and, the bedroom
drive to Arcadie. This would of his live-in caretaker/nurse, are
normally be about 30 on the main floor (the same floor as
minutes’ trip, but the snow the entrance hall and parlor).
is worse than expected
The parlor, like the reception hall,
and the roads are already
invokes an elegant colonial charm
a mess. If the PCs attempt
that teeters on the tedious and
to engage the driver in
pretentious. The elegant wood fur-
conversation, he will be
niture, probably antique, appears to
friendly and can offer a
have been waxed and polished recently,
little background information
the surface reflecting a warm glow. A fireplace
in conversation, but his knowledge
in the parlor appears ready for use, logs piled
is limited. He willingly talks about his
beside it, and a glance out the window confirms
work as a driver and occasional handy-
that the snow is falling harder. Atop the mantlepiece
man; although he does not know Nigel
are a few family photos, displaying Nigel at various
well, he’s done work for the Saint-Denys
ages (including a photograph of him as a child with
family and knows that they are a Charlot-
what are presumably his parents) as well as a photo-
tesville institution. As the car nears the estate,
graph of the woman who is presumably his mother. In
Bob indicates that the house has a peculiar reputa-
this photo, she appears to be in a hospital bed and gown,
tion amongst locals. Stories say it’s just not a place you
but a careful inspection of the photograph will show that
want to spend the night in — sleep is never quite right
it was taken in the very same parlor. Conversation with
there. If pressed for more information or local legends,
Nigel or any of his support staff can confirm that these
he just shrugs in response. He knows it was empty for
are photos of his parents, William and Elizabeth. His
a few decades but that was a long time ago. “It’s not
mother became ill shortly after Arcadie’s restoration, and
like the place is haunted. Maybe it’s just a sad house, first
the parlor was turned into her hospice room. The photo-
with Mrs. Saint-Denys dying there a few years back, now
graph was taken days before her death to cancer.
with Mr. Nigel being ill.” (Some of the PCs should know
that Nigel’s mother, Elizabeth, died of cancer shortly The parlor has been well provisioned with a variety of
after the family estate was restored. For more family liquors — bourbons, whiskeys, and gins — and mixers,
and estate history, see “Arcadie: the Saint-Denys Family along with a selection of Virginia red and white wines.
Estate,” above.) Sturdy glassware invites the guests to make themselves
comfortable after their travels as they await the meal
that will soon be served.

8 Et in Arcadia Ego
 A Warm Welcome
During dinner, allow the PCs opportunities to get to know
each other. If they are reluctant to engage with each other,
the GM can have Letitia or Dwayne start a conversation by
asking how the guests know Mr. Saint-Denys. After dinner,
the guests should eventually gather in the drawing room.
While reading, talking, or otherwise engaged, Nigel will
arrive:
You are distracted by the sound of an electric hum as your
friend enters in an electric wheelchair. When you last saw Dr.
Nigel Saint-Denys, he was a healthy-looking man; more bookish
than athletic, he'd had a slight paunch, but one which he wore
well. His hair was a thick brown mop, casually styled. This could
hardly be the same man. His face is taut, with a few dark skin
lesions spotting it; a dark bathrobe hangs from bony shoulders,
draping a gaunt figure. His hair is cropped short, and seems to
be thinning as well. His eyes are buried in dark hollows. Then
he smiles, and his eyes somehow manage a sparkle. “Good
evening,” he says, warmly. “Welcome to Arcadie!” — and you
are engaged by the same Saint-Denys charm that you had
remembered.
Nigel is joined by his live-in caregiver, Jennifer Collins, who
retreats from the gathering shortly after her introduction.
He thanks his guests for arriving, and will answer any
questions they might have regarding the weekend itinerary,
the history of the house, etc. He will be curious to hear the
details of the trip to the house, but will be rather evasive
about his prognosis. Nigel will let them know that he will
spend as much time with them as possible, but he tires
easily, and his various medications also have a sedative
effect. He announces that the plans for the weekend are
simple: relax and enjoy each other’s company. “For the
first time in a long time,” he will say, “I feel alive.” The entire
house is at their disposal.
After a short visit with his guests, he indicates that he feels
a headache coming on, and he should probably retire.
Leaving the room, he suddenly calls out “Sweet dreams!”
The PCs are free to do as they choose for the rest of the
evening, although it will soon become apparent that as
Nigel Saint-Denys retires, the whole house shuts down.
Glances outside will show that the snowfall has not
abated.
Thursday’s Dream
Thursday evening brings the player characters their first
peculiar dream. Nigel remembers an earlier, meaning-
ful encounter with each guest — the personal incidents
introduced as flashbacks — when he was younger and
healthier. He is intentionally drawing characters into
his dreams, but towards the end of the dream, he loses
control, and though his recent neurological difficulties
have recently caused some unusual occurrences this will
be the first time he actually loses control. This dream
sequence is presented so that parts can involve different
characters to varying degrees.
Go back to a character's first meeting with Nigel. Remind
the player of the details that the two of you have dis-
cussed, and give the dream as much detail as the mem-
ory you developed. Hone in on some of the details that
Day 1 (Thursday Evening)
have been discussed, and observe that “something is different.”
Change the detail enough that it will be jarring; the music
or food is unrecognizable, for example. This is a dream, and
changes like this should be alarming.
The player will know that this is a dream, but the PC is unlikely
to know this objectively. However, if the player asks if their
character knows they are dreaming, allow them to do so. This
will probably be the character's first experience in lucid dream-
ing. Unless the character is someone with a stated interest and
background in lucid dreams or dream research, then the con-
cept will most likely be alien to them. Nonetheless, knowledge
that this is a dream is unlikely to have significant impact on
what happens at this stage, as the dream is ultimately Nigel’s,
but it may make the character more curious.
As the PC begins to notice that things are different in the
dream, dream-Nigel turns to them and asks, “Do you know how
important this moment is to me?” There are a number of possible
directions the dream dialogue can go from this point:
◊ A player might be perplexed, but simply choose to have the
PC engage in dialogue with Nigel and let the dream unfold.
This allows them the opportunity to reflect on the incident
and its meaning to their relationship.
◊ A player might be perplexed, and instead of engaging with
Nigel’s question, the PC can start to actively question what
is happening. The PC themself may even start to suspect
that they are in a dream. Nigel himself might choose to
respond but will not explain what is happening. Instead he
will play it off. “Oh, you’re just dreaming! I’m sure this is the
1
result of too much alcohol.”
◊ A player might suspect (accurately, but with no evidence)
that Nigel is somehow behind this. However, the PC is
unlikely to come to this conclusion, unless the player can
convincingly persuade the GM why their Sleeper is capable
of such a conclusion. If the dream moves in this direction,
then the PC might respond with awe — or outrage at this
violation of their dream-self.
No matter which way the dream turns, it will transition to
another stage as the PC notices something more distressing.
Nigel begins to age rapidly in front of them. His liver spots and
lesions appear, swarming his body like vermin. Again, without
good reason, the PC would not know that Nigel has lost con-
trol of the dream, and his own fears are starting to shape the
dream narrative. Nigel himself will not even be aware of it at
first. “Nigel looks at you with a perplexed look on his face and asks,
what’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?’”
At this point, the dream will play out differently for different PCs.
◊ For most PCs, the dream simply ends here, quickly, and the
PC will wake up with very clear and vivid memories of the
dream.
◊ For one PC (make a decision early on based on the PC’s
relationship to Nigel) provide the player a chance to
engage with Nigel, and continue to play the scene out.
Nigel looks around, confused. He’s now in a wheelchair,
he’s looking in horror at his withering hands, skin starting
to spot with lesions.” Nigel should now be as confused as
his friend. He yells at his friend to flee. The PC immediately
awaken, in a cold sweat, Nigel’s words echoing in their
mind.
9
 These dreams are best handled privately, one-to-one, between
the player and the GM. Although this can be logistically com-
plicated, it is important in order to maintain a level of curiosity
and surprise as the dreams unfold for each player.
The end result that night is the same for everyone:
You awaken, and your room is cold and dark. The sky outside is
equally dark, the stars likely shrouded by storm clouds. The house
around you is quiet, and as you wake up in a strange bed in a
strange house, you feel utterly alone.
Day 2 (Friday)
Although the PCs might be distressed by their dreams from the
night before, Friday should appear essentially unremarkable,
other than a few peculiar incidents. The snowfall from the day
before has not abated, affording the characters a charming
view of the Albemarle countryside and the Blue Ridge Moun-
tains in winter.
The Day’s Logistics
Breakfast is served buffet-style in the dining room, for PCs to
eat when they choose.
Nigel does not join his friends for breakfast, although he is
an early riser, and he eats alone in his room.
Lunch is served as the largest meal of the day, and Nigel
joins his friends for this meal.
Dinner is served as a lighter meal. When Dwight and Letitia
arrive to prepare dinner, Dwight remarks that the road to
the estate was more difficult to drive. He expresses mild
concern that if the snow continues, the road might become
impassable even for his truck, but thankfully the house is
fully stocked and provisioned.
Ask each player what they might do throughout the day,
and play out scenes that seem especially poignant with
regard to the characters’ relationship with Nigel. For the
most part, they can spend the day as they please — read-
ing, wandering the estate grounds, chatting with Nigel, or
getting to know the other guests. Also, there is no reason
why guests cannot go out for a drive and leave the estate
on Friday, so long as they’re careful on the roads. They
might choose to visit Charlottesville proper and go shop-
ping, or visit Thomas Jefferson’s estate at Monticello. The
trip should be pleasant and even relatively mundane this
early in the scenario. Nigel will try to encourage as much
group conversation activity on Friday as possible. On
Saturday, he will largely avoid group encounters other
than lunch, or afternoon tea in the drawing room, with its
magnificent view of the Blue Ridge.
Dialogues with Nigel
Nigel mostly prefers solitude, though he is happy to see
his friends. The previous night’s events prey on him.
Throughout the day, he can be found in the library, on the
main floor. The room is warmed by a large fireplace, and
two leather wing chairs and a sofa provide seating for
visitors, while a nearby desk is littered with papers and
10 Et in Arcadia Ego
stacks of books. Those who know his reading tastes will see
that his interests have expanded considerably: in addition to
a few works of Greek and Latin philosophy and literature, the
books haphazardly stacked atop the desk include a worn and
well-thumbed copy of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, works on
milan naljor (dream yoga), contemporary thanatology, near-
death experiences, lucid dreaming, as well as photographs and
facsimiles of pages from Carl Jung’s Liber Novus. This latter
book documents Jung’s dreams and visions between 1913
and 1917, and was not in print at this time. In fact, it was not
published until 2009. Given the right conversational prompts,
Nigel will excitedly relate how he received facsimiles from the
book’s curator, a privilege generally denied scholars. Further
examination of the wall’s bookshelves reveals, in addition
to Greek and Latin texts and related scholarship, a shelf
dedicated to the personal writings of the Saint-Denys family,
including hand-written manuscripts, memoirs, and the corre-
spondence of Nigel’s forebears. The dream journal of Jonathan
Saint-Denys can be found on this shelf in a clamshell box. (See
The Book of Arcadie, p. 6).
If the characters begin to discuss their bizarre dreams with
Nigel, he will show interest in what they have to say and take
the role of the teacher, engaging in a Socratic back-and-forth
about whether the dream has any meaning to his guest.
If pressed for his own opinion on the significance of their
dreams, he will remind his friends that he is a scholar of
Greek and Latin, not dream interpretation, then cite Cicero’s
Dream of Scipio: “For it frequently happens that the subjects of
our meditations and discussions reappear in our dreams,” and
suggest that his guests are simply (and understandably) anx-
ious about his health. He will not answer any questions about
his own dreams, claiming that they are “typically boring.”
If pressed further on the issue of bizarre dreams, he will
quote Plato's Theaetetus: “How can you determine whether
at this moment we are sleeping, and all our thoughts are a
dream; or whether we are awake, and talking to one another
in the waking state?” While Nigel is disturbed about his
deteriorating control over what should have been a simple
dream, he will not confess anything to the characters. As the
day wears on, however, Nigel's discussions will turn toward
death and the afterlife and he quizzes the characters on their
thoughts:
“What do you think happens when you die?”
“The common belief is that if you die in your dream, you die
in real life. But what about the opposite? What happens to
you in your dreams if your body dies while you’re asleep?”
Strange Events
Regardless of what happens, pepper the day with random,
slightly bizarre occurrences—bizarre enough to make people
wonder, but not enough to evoke fear. Nigel’s increasing
dementia, and his loss of control over his previous Dream
mastery, has inadvertently opened a rift between the dream
worlds and the waking world at Arcadie. The real world will
start to take on the rather peculiar nature of dreams.
For example, at the start of the day, ask each character one
or more of the following: what color socks did you put on?
What is in your pockets? What jewelry are you wearing?
Did you forget to pack anything for the trip? Then, later on
in the day, indicate somehow that the details are
different: socks or jewelry might be different, a pocket might
suddenly contain random objects, a missing item might reap-
pear in the character's room or on their person. Similarly, other
unusual events occur that bring a tinge of the surreal to the
PC’s day: a cup of coffee, apparently empty, steams with fresh
brew, the headline on a newspaper changes between glances,
or a portrait changes hues. Generally, limit these to one to
three “dreamlets” per character, and arrange it so that they
are noticed only by individual characters and not verifiable by
others.
Friday’s Dream
That night brings a new dream to at least one or two
characters.
The dream replays a conversation the PC had with Nigel
earlier in the day. His caregiver, support staff, or even
other guests might have been present during the
interaction, but they are not present in the
dream. Further, although the dream
replays an event earlier in the day,
Nigel appears young and healthy.
At this point, players might ask if
their characters realize they are in
a dream, and the answer should be
a simple yes. PCs can initiate new
actions within the dream.
At some point in the dream conver-
sation, the sound of a heavy footfall
approaches Nigel and the dreamer.
The source of the sound is unclear,
and again, Nigel is confused. For
most PCs, the dream simply ends
here.
For a single PC, a door appears
nearby, freestanding, unattached to
a wall. Nigel whirls towards the door,
obviously surprised. Before the door can
be investigated, Nigel begins aging, as in the
previous night’s dream, his body becoming more
ill and frail. The door starts thudding, as if being
kicked or slammed inward, and Nigel starts to back
away from it, trembling. The fear is evident and he
screams, “No! Not now! Not yet!” He crumples to the
floor, wailing in utter terror, and the door splinters inward
as a cold shadow floods the scene.
This is the character’s first experience with a nachtschreck.
Nigel's physical and mental condition have deteriorated
further, and his private fear of dying from AIDS, alone and
unwanted, has attracted from the dreamlands a creature
drawn to nightmares and fears. While a nachtschreck
should be individually tailored to each individual, reflect-
ing some deep fear, this nachtschreck is drawn by Nigel’s
fear, and responds to his anxieties. However, at this stage,
it is still a formless shadow.
Day 2 (Friday)
This opportunity to Engage in Combat, but do not make it
too deadly. The shadow can overwhelm the PC. How will they
react? Whether they cower in fear or try to strike out at an
unseen foe, allow the character to awaken upon receiving their
first Wound. (The wound itself will be gone when they awaken
on Saturday; however, whichever part of their body was injured
will throb painfully for the rest of the day.)
No matter who has had this dream, each PC will simultaneously
awaken at 4 a.m.
You awaken suddenly, thinking you heard Nigel cry out your name,
though you know this is unlikely. Then you realize that you cannot
move. You are paralyzed. A heavy weight crushes down on you,
gripping you by the shoulders. You realize that you are not alone in
the room. You feel, somehow, that your fellow guests are n
the room with you. But closer still is a dark presence. You
cannot breathe.
Any actions the character attempts will
be unsuccessful. For a few seconds,
nothing will happen beyond the
crushing presence; then both the
presence and the paralysis will
fade as the body returns to normal.
However, one PC may discover
bruises on their shoulders and neck,
if the GM and their player agree.
Should they try to check on Nigel,
1
his caregiver will be awake in his
room, checking on him. (“I couldn’t
sleep well, which seems to be
normal these days” she mutters.)
She informs the PCs that Nigel
is asleep, and will not awaken
easily because of his medication.
If the characters somehow manage
to awaken him, he will be groggy
and unable to answer any questions.
However, Nigel’s nurse will do her best
to prevent this from happening, and hopefully
Nigel’s friends will not try to rouse him.
If the PCs share their experiences with each other
upon waking, a character who knows anything
about psychology or medicine can determine that
this was an episode of sleep paralysis, when the brain,
in deep sleep, freezes the body to prevent it from thrash-
ing around. Occasionally, a sleeper wakes up with their body still
frozen. The brain, still partially in REM state, begins to hallucinate,
often creating evil, threatening presences to match the feeling of
paralysis. However, no one will be able to explain how someone
has bruises, nor why they all woke up at the same time, imagining
hearing Nigel call their name.
11
 Day 3 (Saturday)
Saturday morning blows in with a thick and blustery snow-
storm. The roads are impassable at this point.
The Day’s Logistics
Dwight and Letitia do not show up to prepare breakfast. Jenni-
fer informs the guests that they called, and are unable to make
it through the snow. The characters will have to fend for them-
selves, but the kitchen is well stocked.
Nigel will sleep later than normal, a fact Jennifer comments
upon as unusual. She expresses concern for his condition, espe-
cially given the fact that Nigel is now snowbound.
Nigel will awaken by lunch time, and though on this day he will
join his guests for lunch, he will not eat. Even his rather pleas-
ant manner fades, and he drifts into bouts of irritability. Con-
centration is even more difficult for him. He appears more ill
and moody than the day before. Alternate bouts of depression
with happier moments; have Nigel thank each guest at least
once for their friendship and their support.
Nigel will retire before dinner, asking his guests’ indulgence.
More Strange Events
The Arcadie estate is slowly becoming the Arcadia of Nigel’s
dreams.
Make the events on Saturday even stranger, more surreal than
the day before. Involve more than one character at one time.
For example: if two characters share a crossword puzzle, they
might find words missing that they remember solving. If they
share a meal, the contents of the meal will change, or the
quantity of food on their plates shifts every time they don’t
pay attention. Characters in conversation with each other will
experience a strong feeling of deja vu, as if they have already
had the exact same conversation.
If Nigel is asked about these events, he will become even more
silent and withdrawn. While he is aware that their local reality
is becoming dreamlike, he is incapable of explaining why, and
unwilling to discuss it. He will claim total ignorance of the situ-
ation, and if irritable enough, may angrily lash out at someone.
Nigel’s caregiver, strangely enough, will not notice anything
unusual. She concentrates solely on Nigel’s health, and if she is
not around him during any point of the day, the PCs will not be
able to find her at all.
Saturday’s Dream
The characters all share a common dream. Any action the char-
acters attempt in this dream is essentially futile; although they
will be able to interact with each other, the rest of the dream
will not respond to their presence. Their actions do not register
upon mourners in the dream, and if a character tries to touch
someone other than another dreamer, their hand will merely
pass through.
You are standing at an open grave. Snowfall covers the ground,
creating a bleak contrast with the maw of the freshly dug grave.
You are surrounded by mourners, dressed in black — but their dour
expressions convey less grief than scorn and derision. A priest reads
12 Et in Arcadia Ego
a funeral service from the breviary in his hands, intoning the
words lifelessly. Looking around, you see that you are not on the
cemetery grounds, but just past its iron fencing, on the grave-
yard’s periphery. A sinking feeling starts to settle in as you realize
this is the funeral of an outcast.
The grave itself is not deep, just a shallow scar in the earth. You
can see plainly that Nigel is lying prostrate in the dirt, his gaunt
arms crossed over his chest. Rather than a suit, he is draped in
sackcloth. There is no casket.
You all look at each other and share a common thought: This
must be a dream.
The priest’s voice begins to rise, the apathy from mere moments
ago eclipsed by a new vigor: “We commend to Almighty God our
brother Nigel, and we commit his body to the ground: earth to
earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” A mourner at the grave, bear-
ing a shovel, carelessly tosses three shovel-fulls of dirt onto Nigel’s
head as the priest exclaims, “Dead to the world, dead to the Lord.”
The gathered crowd responds, “Dead to the world, dead to the
Lord.” The priest continues: “Through this sinner’s fault, his fault,
his most grievous fault, he is most deserving of thy just punish-
ment.” A cold scorn fills his voice. “Unclean!” someone shouts from
behind you.
One older man bearing a slight resemblance to Nigel steps
forward. Anyone who has seen the family photograph on the
mantelpiece will recognize Nigel’s father. “At least he didn't tell
his mother he was queer before she died,” he says, clasping to
his chest a photograph. It is the photograph which sits atop the
mantelpiece in the parlor.
“Elizabeth adored her son,” he adds bitterly. He turns his back and
starts to walk away, the other observers leaving as well.
“What a waste of a life,” you hear someone say. “You know how
he became ill, what he must’ve done. I've heard that they . . .” and
the voice trails off.
“Hate the sin, hate the sinner,” another voice adds.
You hear “gay plague” and “fag” and other hate-filled snippets
before the voices fade into a gossipy murmur. The priest and the
rest of those gathered at the grave leave.
You cannot look away from Nigel’s body and the dirt partially
covering his face. From somewhere, a bell tolls, and Nigel’s eyes
open suddenly. The rest of his body remains rigid and immobile,
but his eyes rapidly dart back and forth. They lock onto you,
widening in panic and fear. You see Nigel’s mouth start to move,
painfully, a gaping maw on his pale skin. No words emerge.
You awaken in a cold sweat.
Shawn Carson or another PC who has the the appropriate
academic background, such as medieval studies or ecclesi-
astical history, will recognize that elements of the funeral are
disturbing echoes of the Separatio Leprosorum, the medieval
ceremony through which lepers were ritually separated from
the community.
The truth, however, is that the characters do not actually
awaken, but dream that they have awakened on Sunday
morning. They are still trapped in Nigel's dream. His dreams
seep deeper into reality and the characters are now dream-
ing that they are awake. The rest of this story occurs in this
dream. Even if a character suspects that they are in a dream
and attempts to wake up, they will remain as they are, firmly
trapped in Nigel's nightmare.
 1

Day 3 (Saturday) 13
 If they go to Nigel's room, they will find his caregiver already
there, taking his pulse. She remarks that she has tried to call
the hospital, but the snow must have recently downed a phone
line. Nigel is on an IV, and looks paler and and far weaker.
Jennifer suggests that his visitors go to sleep again, and if his
situation changes dramatically, she’ll call them. If any characters
have cellular phones, they will find them strangely inoperative.
If the characters are able to go to sleep (or rather, dream that
they are going to sleep), nothing unusual happens.
Day 4 (Sunday)
Regardless of what the PCs do, at dawn Jennifer announces that
Nigel’s condition remains the same, the phone lines are still
down, and they are still snowed in. Shortly after she communi-
cates this to the PCs, she vanishes.
The day should be more somber and unsettling. There is still no
phone service. If anyone has a portable radio, it no longer picks
up stations. The only car in the garage cannot start. If a character
has driven to Arcadie themselves, then their car will also not start.
Pepper the morning and afternoon with peculiar events as you
build toward the climax. For example:
If someone enters the library, it looks like it has been abandoned
for decades. Although set up as Nigel was using it, everything is
covered with a thick layer of dust. On Nigel’s desk is a single book,
a hand-written manuscript. Perusing its contents, a reader can
quickly ascertain that it is the dream journal of the Victorian Spir-
itualist Jonathan Saint-Denys, filled with cryptic writings and the
author’s esoteric reflections on his surreal, symbolic dreams. Some
pages are dominated by bizarre illustrations. After flipping through
the book (or if the PCs try to take the book), it crumbles into dust.
Someone looking out a window sees Nigel standing outside,
looking off in the distance. He turns and meets their eyes, a look
of despondence on his face. If they turn away and look again, he is
gone.
If anyone leaves the manor to walk along the estate grounds, they
cannot actually leave the estate. They will find that the front road
simply leads into an impassable forest. Anyone walking through the
woods simply returns to the estate.
Although phone lines are clearly dead (and mobile phones equally
inoperative), phones occasionally ring. At first, they will stop after
a few rings, until finally, they keep ringing until one of the PCs
answers the phone. All that can be heard on the other end is the
sound of a man weeping, and finally, a plaintive “Please, help me . .
. I'm trapped . . .” Irrespective of what phone is answered, the voice
addresses the PC who answers by their name.
If the characters end up separated at some point, stage a confronta-
tion that relates personally to the characters and questions that were
considered during Character Presentation (see p. 4). For example, a
character with a stated fear of snakes, upon opening a room, could
find the room filled with snakes. Only when they re-enter the room
or someone else enters will the room appear normal. This is the sort
of encounter that must be crafted by the GM for each player, as the
PCs must wrestle with their own personal nightmares.
Afternoon to evening will simply disappear in a blur and, without
the PCs realizing, the sky turns dark. An examination of the house
14 Et in Arcadia Ego
confirms that the characters are now alone; it is as though
Jennifer was never there. Each room in the manor starts to
become a memory of itself. As the PCs move through the
manor, they seem to be in an abandoned house in disrepair.
Walls peel, plaster crumbles, any furniture left moulders and
rots. Players who reviewed The Book of Arcadie will recognize
the rooms as they were photographed prior to the house’s
restoration. Windows in the smaller rooms are broken, and
the house grows deathly cold.
Given the sequencing of dreams, and the dream-like character
of some of the smaller peculiar events staged throughout the
weekend, it is likely that someone will realize that they are
in a dream. If they do not come to this of their own accord,
then start to give them clues: for example, a PC in their guest
room can find sleep-related mementos from their childhood,
like a blanket or favorite cuddle toy; similarly, a dust-filled
room can have the words “wake up!” scrawled across a piece
of furniture. At some point, the players and their characters
will have to realize — without necessarily understanding the
metaphysics of the dream worlds or what is happening —
that they are in a dream.
Meeting the
Nachtschreck
The climax should take place soon after the characters real-
ize that they are alone. By now, the dream has taken on the
quality of Nigel's worst anguish over his disease: the feelings
of abandonment, of being swallowed by a disease that no
one seems to care about.
If only one character goes to examine Nigel in his room,
they will find the door locked. It cannot be picked,
unlocked, or even broken down unless multiple characters
converge at the door, then it will simply open for them.
Nigel’s bedroom will not be as it was before. It appears to
be a large, sterile room filled with a variety of machines,
and row after row of empty sick-beds, it is more a ware-
house than it is a hospital room. Nigel lays atop one in the
center of the room. Flickering fluorescent lights cast a grim
blue sheen over everything, while hypodermic needles,
bloodied gauze, empty plasma bags, and soiled bedpans
are scattered across the floor. The room will be silent but
for the hum of medical machinery.
Dozens of intravenous tubes are affixed to various parts
of Nigel's body, pulsing and writhing. Rather than filled
with saline or medication, the bags at the end of the tubes
contain blood, bile and other liquids. It is unclear whether
these the contents of the bag are being drawn from Nigel
or emptying into his desiccated body, but a single IV line
from one arm slowly drips blood onto the floor.
Nigel’s eyes are open, darting from side to side, but he
is too weak to move. If any characters approach him, he
whispers, weakly: “help me . . . before it comes.”
The sound of slow, steady foot-steps echo down the hall.
They remind the PCs of the footsteps from their dreams.
The room darkens, and the temperature drops even
further. A snapping sound breaks the hum of machin-
ery and any conversation, and leather straps appear
on Nigel's wrists and ankles, clamping down so tightly
 1

tschreck
The Nach

Day 4 (Sunday) 15
 that they cut off circulation. A soft moan of anguish (highly unlikely given Nigel’s circle), they will be unarmed in this
escapes his cracked lips. encounter.
Just as in Saturday’s dream, a door appears in the Creative characters can attempt to improvise a staff from an IV
middle of the room. Instead of shattering after some- pole, or find a rusted scalpel or other surgical tools. Particularly
thing pounds on it, the door swings open. If the PCs creative players may attempt to dream a weapon into existence.
attempt to proactively block the door’s opening, they For the purpose of this encounter, allow the PCs to make minor
will only hold it back for a minute at most. It swings changes to the dream, as their courage empowers them to draw
open eventually, and the shadow of a tall, severe on Nigel's own Dreaming skills while in his Dreamland. Any PCs
figure fills the doorway. It is the nachtschreck, no who die as a result of this encounter die in the real world. Their
longer shrouded in shadow as before. Nigel’s fears of body disappears from the encounter, and at the end, Jennifer
death from a reviled autoimmune disease are so strong finds them dead in their guest bed.)
that this creature from the Dream worlds has taken
on the form of these fears. Nigel is a strong enough
Dreamer that he would ordinarily be able to defeat the
Freeing Nigel
nachtschreck. However, he is trapped, helpless, by a Nigel is a strong enough dreamer that, if he fights alongside the
multitude of fears. The nachtschreck knows that Nigel characters, the nachtschreck can be defeated. However,
fears being turned into a statistic, dying alone, and his fears of dying alone and unwanted have become
meaning nothing to anyone. It delights in this feast. twisted by his dementia, taking on a physical form
and binding him to the dream sickbed. While an
Although the room is dark, the appearance
unaided Nigel will die, working in con-
of the nachtschreck is unmistakable:
cert with his friends, the nachtschreck
it is Nigel, but taller and clearly
can be defeated. The only way to
more ill and wasted than he is in
succeed is to free Nigel from his
the waking world, reeking of death
sickbed.
and harsh chemicals. Pale, cold
eyes, quite unlike Nigel’s eyes, glare The PCs can seek to literally pull
at the PCs, and the nachtschreck his IVs out and free him from the
snarls, “He is mine. He will die. You leather straps binding him to the
cannot stop this.” The nachtschreck bed. However, the moment a
advances toward Nigel. What hap- character tries to release Nigel,
pens next depends on the PCs. the nachtschreck will target that
individual for a personal attack. If
Dialogue: Attempts at engaging
the PCs manage to free Nigel, then
the nachtschreck in dialogue will
he will be able to assist the char-
be unsuccessful. The nachtschreck
acters in their struggle against the
cannot be persuaded by rhetoric
nachtschreck. The GM is encour-
or debate of any sort. If the char-
aged to manage this with an eye
acters ask who or what it is, it will
to drama and tension. Do not make
answer “Fear.”
freeing Nigel painfully easy, but nei-
Non-action: If the characters allow ther should the task seem impossible.
the nachtschreck to continue its advance, The PCs themselves should be imperiled by
Nigel will start to struggle on the table, crying this activity.
out in terror, but otherwise is unable to move. If
If the PCs turn immediately to engage with the
the characters allow the nachtschreck to approach
nachtschreck, they might not consider the impor-
Nigel unimpeded, it will climb atop him, then
tance of freeing Nigel. In this case, the bound Nigel
slowly start to sink into his struggling form. Nigel's
can cry out with more force than he had demon-
sickened body writhes in agony, and begins to wither
strated earlier, visibly struggle, and otherwise make it
rapidly away. With one last wheeze, Nigel's dream-self
clear he should be released.
will succumb to the disease, and die. This should be the worst
option; do not make the death instantaneous and irrevocable. Give Similarly, not all PCs might choose to engage with the
the characters a chance to react even if they freeze at first. If Nigel nachtschreck, nor should a physical encounter between
dies, the characters will wake up: go to "After the Dream” (p. 17). the PCs and the nachtschreck be the only viable option.
If any of the PCs cry out to Nigel, to rouse him from his
Engage in Violence: The PCs might try to interpose themselves
own prison, then, if they seem convincing and sin-
between Nigel and the creature, or even proactively attack it.
cere they can serve to give Nigel the mental strength
They will have limited success. As each character tries to fight the needed to burst his own bonds. In this case, the IVs
nachtschreck, it will change in form so that it no longer resembles and straps will fall away from his body.
Nigel's personal terror. It will, instead, mirror the character's own
However it happens, upon his release, Nigel will
fear, and each character will confront a different Terror. (It is import-
weakly stumble off his sick-bed. No sooner do
ant to have establish each character’s fears and anxieties as part of
his feet touch the floor then his weakened, dis-
character creation; see The Player Characters p. 4). Unless the char-
ease-wracked body will start to reform into that of
acters happen to regularly move about armed in their waking lives
a younger, healthier man—far more fit and vigorous

16 Et in Arcadia Ego
than Nigel was in his adulthood. His robe will reform into a
bronze breastplate, and he will dream a gladius into existence,
which he will use to help dispatch the nachtschreck.
Upon the nachtschreck’s defeat, it falls to the ground and dissi-
pate into a smoky mist. Nigel looks around at the scene of his
encounter, and says, “This simply will not do.” With a lazy wave
of his hand, the setting changes.
Even in Arcadia,
There is Death
The PCs find themselves in the Arcadia of Nigel’s dreams. They
stand in a large chamber with a mosaic floor. Frescoes on the
walls depict scenes from classical mythology, and a colon-
naded wall opens out onto a serene view of nameless moun-
tains into the distance. In the distance, singing and pan flutes
can be heard. At first sounding like Latin, the language of
Arcadia’s song will be unknown to any of the PCs, even those
who study the classics. Nigel gestures to a table nearby, upon
which sits a terra-cotta jar and wine goblets for his guests.
After the Dream
When the PCs awaken, it is actually Sunday morning.
The snow storm is a mere memory now, though the
roads are still a mess.
Any wounds from the encounter with the Nnchtschreck
do not exist.
If Nigel was taken by the nachtschreck, then the PCs
learn that he died in his sleep overnight. For an alterna-
tive possibility, see “The Dreaming Continues,” below.
If they rescued Nigel from the nachtschreck, they will
learn that Nigel slipped into a coma overnight.
For either option, in the waking world, the phone lines
now work. Both paramedics and Mr. William Saint-Denys,
Nigel's father, have been called. Jennifer has no idea when
they might arrive. Luckily, the roads are cleared by mid-af-
ternoon, allowing both the paramedics (or in the case of
Nigel’s death, staff from the Medical Examiner’s office) and
Mr. Saint-Denys to arrive.

Nigel is willing to answer any questions the characters may
have, and their conversation can be as short or as long as
the PCs choose to engage in dialogue. However, over time,
Nigel will become more distant — not annoyed, or angry,
rather, he is slowly becoming unmoored from what he sees
as the petty concerns of mortality. He is transitioning more
fully into the Dream.
Nigel confesses that he had invited the characters to be
with him at his family estate so that he would not die
William Saint-Denys, recognizable from Nigel's dream,
will ask the guests (politely, but rather matter-of-factly) if
they need transportation to the train station or airport. The
characters might feel that they are not welcome. In reality,
he is in shock, and on the verge of emotional collapse. If the
PCs demonstrate concern for Nigel, William relaxes a little and
may actually display appreciation for their presence. Paramed-
ics will take Nigel to the University of Virginia Medical Center.
Eventually, the guests all depart, with guarantees from William

1
alone. He will express regret that the dreams became so that they will be informed of any change in Nigel's condition.
nightmarish, blaming it on his drugs and neurological He collects their names, addresses and phone numbers, with
condition. At the same time, he isn’t particularly remorse- promises to keep in touch.
ful over his plan to bring his friends unwillingly into his Nigel dies a week later — or rather, his physical body finally
dreams. Their loss of agency is less significant, it seems, expires.
than his loss of control.
He will eagerly explain the nature and metaphysics of
Limbo. How much he truly knows, and how accurate his
information is, should still be somewhat limited, but he
will explain the nature of dreams with gusto and great
flourish.
Towards the end of the conversation, Nigel will state
that he has now transferred himself entirely into the
dream worlds, and that his waking body will die soon.
Limbo is his new home. The dream nexus at Arcadie
aided him in transferring himself entirely over to the
dream world of Arcadia.
The nexus that had been created through this mixture
of disease, death, and delirium is now closed and his
friends will soon return to the terrestrial Arcadie of his
family’s estate.
At the end of the conversation, an immense
free-standing bronze door appears nearby. It opens,
and beyond it, the characters see dark gleaming
spires and fluttering black pennants. Turning to his
friends, Nigel says, “It's another world out there, and
I have friends waiting for me. Thank you again.” With
that, he steps through the door.
The PCs awake in their beds in their guest
rooms. The sun shines through the
windows.

Day 4 (Sunday) 17
 Epilogue
A few weeks after the characters have returned home, they
each receive a letter on the personal stationery of William
Saint-Denys:
"I am writing to thank you for the support you offered my son
during his last days. I know from my phone conversation with him,
while you were visiting, that he was more grateful for your com-
pany than you could imagine. I am genuinely sorry that I was not
there with him.
I wish I weren't such a stubborn old man who let his prejudices rule
his relationship with his only son. But this is something I'll have to
live with, and maybe one day manage to forgive myself.
The funny thing is, I had a dream of Nigel last night. He was young
and healthy, and he told me he loved me and forgave me. If only
dreams were real.
I have enclosed something for your interest. Please feel free to reach
out to me at any time."
Enclosed with the letter is a photocopy of Nigel's obituary
from the Washington Blade, a Washington DC-based queer
newspaper:
18 Et in Arcadia Ego
The Dreaming
Continues
Although this scenario is written as a standalone scenario, it
can also be used to introduce new characters to the world of
KULT. There are elements within this story which can be drawn
out into further gameplay and storytelling. Regardless of the
story’s conclusion — whether Nigel died in his dream, or was
liberated and lives solely in the world of Limbo — the charac-
ters are no longer comfortably naive Sleepers. Et in Arcadia
Ego can serve, then, as the first movement on the road to
awakening, or even treat the story as sufficient unto itself for
a fait accompli transformation of the characters from Sleepers
to Aware. The latter option is particularly appropriate if the GM
intends to develop further stories and scenarios that rely on
Dreaming and bring the characters closer to the Vortex.
Points to consider:
If the characters successfully free Nigel, they gain a useful ally
in further forays in the Dream worlds. Realize, however, that
over time, as Nigel grows into his Dream-life as the Arcadian,
he will become increasingly more distant from the friends
of his waking life and the concerns of mortality. Perhaps
the Arcadian will simply be a skilled dream wanderer, or at
the GM’s discretion, he is on the road to becoming a Dream
Prince. What might the pastoral refuge of Arcadia become
over time through Nigel’s continued transformation?
If the characters are not successful in freeing Nigel, the GM
can retool the consequences and deliver a new ending:
Nigel is simply trapped in his own dreams. Perhaps his body
still dies, or it enters a coma. Years later, are the characters
reunited because they learn that Nigel is still trapped in a
nightmare, or worse, has become a nightmare creature that
must be dealt with?
The story of Arcadie as presented in this scenario focuses
largely on its role in Nigel’s life and death. However, there
is room to expand the role of Arcadie and the Saint-Denys
family. Are Joachim and Jonathan (see Arcadie p. 5) dream
wanderers themselves? Did Joachim leave France solely to
support the American experiment, or was he fleeing some-
thing? What was Jonathan’s experience with Spiritualism at
Arcadie and what led to the collapse of his mental state?
Why does the family — or the place — create such powerful
dreamers?
When the PCs fully awaken and choose Aware archetypes,
at whatever pace this happens, it would be natural for them
to choose the Dreamer Advantage. If subsequent games
involve the Limbo, the GM can grant them the Dreamer
advantage early in the process of awakening, or simply pro-
vide it gratis, a free Advantage that does not count as one of
the three taken when choosing Aware archetypes.
 Nigel
Saint-Denys
The character at this story’s heart is Nigel Saint-Denys, the
Arcadian. A scholar and a recluse, Nigel is the proverbial black
sheep of the Saint-Denys family. Neither his career nor his
sexuality were accepted by a family dominated by patriarchal
social values. He is in the advanced stages of HIV infection and
is dying of AIDS, a disease which exiled him from his career
and alienated him from his family. Now, struggling with termi-
nal illness, he seeks liberation through his dreams. When Nigel
sleeps, the Arcadian awakens, and the dying, disempowered
scholar finds new life and energy in the lands of Limbo.
To better understand Nigel, one has to understand his family
and its legacy. Joachim Saint-Denys was a French soldier who
served in the American Revolutionary War. His close relation-
ship to Thomas Jefferson led Saint-Denys to establish New
World roots near Jefferson’s home of Monticello. He never fully
abandoned his French aristocratic way of life, but nonetheless
became a firm supporter of the American experiment, and he
forged for himself a place among the elite and influential of
colonial history in Virginia. The men of the Saint-Denys family
saw themselves as statesmen and civic leaders, and they raised
their children to continue Joachim’s legacy. Nigel’s bookishness
was identified early and appreciated; his father William was an
attorney, like his father before him, and William saw in Nigel
a great legal career. However, Nigel’s interests instead turned
toward scholarship and the humanities. It became clear that
Nigel was destined for an academic career, in spite of William’s
persistent efforts to push his son towards practicing law. Their
relationship strained further when Nigel began a PhD in Greek
and Latin. The death of Nigel’s mother Elizabeth while Nigel
was in graduate school added further tension. Elizabeth was
historically the mediator between the father and son who could
never find common ground. William and Nigel’s tense relation-
ship turned volatile when Nigel came out in graduate school.
It was a dual affliction to his father: a conservative (although
rarely practicing) Roman Catholic, William was forced to
contend not only with his son’s “sexual deviance,” but the
reality that Nigel was unlikely to have children and carry on the
Saint-Denys name.
Nigel’s scholarly career was at first his refuge, but this did not
last. Completing his doctorate, Nigel taught briefly at Fordham
University, though rumors of drug use and an affair with a
student led to his resignation. He relocated to Washington, DC,
where he taught classical literature at Georgetown University.
Nigel’s favorable teaching record and promising scholarly
career earned him steady promotions and a speedy tenure, but
his life was cloistered. Few of his colleagues knew of his private
life, and there was precious little private life to know beyond
the occasional dalliance. As a dedicated academic, he had little
time for socializing, and had few close friends.
After being diagnosed with AIDS, Nigel was forced to retire
from teaching. He moved to Arcadie, the recently vacated fam-
ily estate near Charlottesville, Virginia. As the physical symp-
toms of AIDS worsened and Nigel’s health failed, he found him-
self increasingly alone. Fewer family members or colleagues
maintained any relationships with him. He turned increasingly
inward, and his interest in metaphysics deepened. Like others
Nigel Saint-Denys
before him in the Saint-Denys family (see Arcadie p. 5) Nigel had
always had a strong dream life — rich, imaginative, and often
quite lucid. Becoming increasingly introspective, he rapidly
became a Dreamer. Awakened to the possibilities that dream-
ing offered, Nigel was determined to abandon his dying body
for a new life. He now spends his waking time in his library
or bedroom — reading, dreaming, and preparing for his final
journey to the dream worlds. While asleep, he revisits his past
or visits possible futures. However, as his illness progresses,
Nigel has also begun to suffer from a variety of neurological
disorders. With his cognitive faculties weakening, the tenor of
his Dreaming changed and began to take on a life of its own.
Haunted by his experience of alienation and his fears of his
illness, his dream is becoming a nightmare.
Nigel’s Health: Nigel is suffering from a number of oppor-
tunistic infections and serious conditions, the most serious
being Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas (NHL), which is not uncom-
mon common among AIDS patients. Standard NHL symptoms
include fevers, weight loss, and night sweats. It has also struck
Nigel’s central nervous system (CNS), and symptoms of CNS
Lymphoma include confusion, lethargy, headaches, and mem-
ory loss. He is also experiencing HIV encephalopathy, com-
monly known as AIDS dementia. Symptoms include difficulties
with concentration and memory.
Roleplaying hints: Nigel is generally pleasant and calm.
Although awkward around strangers and increasingly reserved,
he genuinely enjoys the company of others. Given the opportu-
nity and the right reason, he will gladly open up to his friends.
Nigel is occasionally pedantic, ever the teacher, and tends to
1
dislike simple answers to anything. He encourages others to
use their intellect as fully as possible. Because of his growing
dementia and CNS lymphoma, he is struggling with a number
of neurological conditions, including lack of concentration. He
may forget what he was saying, or repeat things said earlier. He
withdraws occasionally, and acts depressed, even irritable. Do
not roleplay this to excess or for humor.
As the Arcadian, Nigel is more clear, focused, and confident.
As his attention turns towards the worlds which are emerging
beyond his reconstructed dreamscape of the Saint-Denys estate,
he may be more aloof and distant from the player characters.
This is not haughtiness, but a relocation of interest and energy
from the world he is leaving behind to the world that beckons.
Nigel Saint-Denys
19
 Non-player
characters
William Saint-Denys, Esq.
William Saint-Denys urged his son to follow a career in law,
always discouraging Nigel's interest in the liberal arts and
humanities. William was crushed when his son chose Yale's
graduate program in Greek and Latin. Worse, as a staunch
conservative and personal friend of two recent presidents, he
never approved of his son's homosexuality. He all too easily
imagined his son engaged in nightly acts of debauchery at
some sleazy bar or nightclub. While Nigel did have an active
sex life, it was hardly what his father imagined. When Nigel
was diagnosed as HIV+, his father withdrew further than
before, unable to cope with the disease that had become
a part of his family. While he has made sure that his son's
medical needs were well taken care of, he could not offer
any emotional support.
William now lives in a Capital Hill brownstone. His appear-
ance in Nigel's dream is a painful exaggeration of how Nigel
saw his father. The real William has considerably mellowed,
and though he can’t quite accept his son’s homosexuality, he
refuses to actively demonize it. Nonetheless, he is frightened
of his son’s illness and cannot escape its social implications
in his conservative circles. For these reasons, does not have
the courage to visit his son as often as he would like.
If, at the story’s end, the PCs parted on polite terms with
William, then they could have a moderately useful ally with
legal and financial resources.
GMing Hints: He is gruff and occasionally forbidding, but he
sees himself as a gentleman of fine stock and a civic leader.
At first aloof with the player characters, he will warm up if
they helped ease Nigel’s passing.
Support Staff
Nigel is supported in his home by a number of associates
who play minor roles in the story
Dwayne and Letitia Gates live near Arcadie, and play
varying roles at the Saint-Denys estate: they drive Nigel to
appointments, run errands, and handle handyman/domes-
tic tasks as needed. During the guests’ visit, they set up the
Friday evening cocktail gathering, and are expected to set
up breakfast and help prepare lunch and dinner, although
by Saturday afternoon’s snowstorm they are unable to
visit the estate.
Jennifer Collins is the middle-aged caregiver who occu-
pies a room across the hall from Nigel and helps with his
meals and medical needs. She does not interact much
with the guests, unless approached for conversation.
Even though the guests are Nigel’s friends, she still main-
tains medical confidentiality regarding specifics of his
condition; however, she will express her worry for him
Saturday evening. She appears to be missing Sunday.
She does not enter the dream state alongside the PCs,
but will be present when they return to the real world.
20 Et in Arcadia Ego
The Nachtschreck
A nachtschreck (Night Terror) exists solely in dreams. It is drawn
to the dreamer’s unconscious fears, to their phobias and deep-
seated anxieties. Nachtschrecks travel aimlessly through Limbo,
searching for the scent of fear. Once they sense a target, they
lock on with the focus of a stalking tiger, forcing their way into
dreamers’ heads and attempting to devour them from within.
This particular nachtschreck was drawn to Nigel’s dreams,
enticed by illness-created nightmares laced with terror and
delirium. No one knows what a nachtschreck’s true form is,
as it always appears to be the dreamer’s deepest fear. The first
time the PCs encounter the nachtschreck over the weekend, it
is merely a shadowy figure. In the story’s climax, it appears as a
gaunt, desiccated Nigel — and then will shift its appearance to
the individual character’s deepest fears.
Combat [3], Influence [-], Magic [1]
Abilities
◊ Cold hearted: Cannot be influenced or charmed.
◊ Of Dream Essence: Cannot be killed/destroyed inside the
dream, but may be temporarily halted. The nachtschreck may
be killed: 1. By a creature with Magic 2 or more. 2. A PC with
the Dreamer advantage. 3. A character that knows Dream
Magic. 4. An Enlightened PC.
Combat [Considerable]
◊ Appear behind someone without warning.
◊ Spew up diseased blood.
◊ Iron grip.
Magic [Weak]
◊ Take the shape of what someone fears [-2 on all Rolls towards
the nachtschreck].
Attacks
The nachtschreck seeks to drive its victims mad with pain. It will
move slowly, then suddenly appear, take a new shape, and hunt
them. It tries to grip them and either breaks an arm or leg or spews
diseased blood over them.
Fighting: Attack [1] [Distance: arm]; Iron grip [-] [Distance: arm, victim
is held tight and must Act under Pressure to escape]; Break limb
[Serious Wound] [Distance: arm, victim must be gripped]; Spew
up diseased blood [2] [-2 Stability] [Distance: arm, victim must be
gripped].
Wounds & harm moves
Wounds: O O O O O O X
The creature gasps in pain and stumbles back.
A shriek, and its form is changing into something new.
Crawls up the ceiling/walls with unnatural long limbs.
Long tongue lashes out and coils around a person's throat.
Strange fluid spurts out everywhere.
Disappear as a black shadow and will take a new shape and be back
shortly.
Dies (but only if the requirements are filled, see Ability Of Dream
Essence.)
 Appendix:
Historical
and cultural
context
Et in Arcadia Ego is set in the early 1990s simply because the
original story was published in 1994. Context is important,
so below are a few historical notes on the scenario and its
setting.
HIV and AIDS
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus which attacks
the body’s immune system, making individuals more sus-
ceptible to infections and diseases. HIV is spread through the
exchange of certain bodily fluids, typically either through
injection, such as blood transfusion or shared injection
equipment, or, more commonly, sex. If left untreated, HIV
can develop into a late-stage infection called AIDS (acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome), which leads to a variety of
opportunistic infections. People with AIDS who are not
on HIV medications can survive roughly three years. Their
expectancy drops to roughly a year if a dangerous opportu-
nistic infection develops and is not treated.
Modern readers might not understand the social, psycholog-
ical, and medical impact of HIV and AIDS in the late 1980s
and 1990s, and a few notes are vital for understanding
Nigel’s background. When the game is set, HIV and AIDS
stigma are still powerful social factors (as they can still be
today): people with HIV/AIDS are treated as responsible for
their illness, a blame-and-shame which is compounded
when the activity is seen as immoral. Risks are profoundly
overestimated with regard to how the disease is spread,
and in advanced stages, it is a physically upsetting illness
to witness. The stigma which affects Nigel and leads to his
social withdrawal is not imagined or exaggerated, but a
real experience. Furthermore, until 1996 and the devel-
opment of a new drug regimen, the virus could not be
effectively managed, and it was seen as a death sentence.
This information may be adequate for most readers, but
a quick survey is offered in the hopes it provides more
context and background.
When HIV was first publicly identified in the United States
in 1981, its earliest victims were young gay men, and
it received little attention or concern. As cases spread
through blood transfusion and other means into other
populations, Americans panicked, believing HIV could
spread through casual contact. The US federal govern-
ment, through the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
responded to the AIDS crisis in 1986 through prevention
planning, programming, and education, but bigotry and
active cruelty masquerading as misunderstanding from
the Reagan administration stymied CDC efforts at educa-
tion and programming. In 1982, HIV was called the “gay
plague,” and people with AIDS were marginalized and
feared. President Reagan did not publicly mention AIDS
until 1985. In 1987, American activists created the AIDS
Appendix: Historical and cultural context
Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) in New York
City, and participated in a number of highly vis-
ible civil disobedience actions to bring aware-
ness to the epidemic, including protests on Wall
Street (1988; because of the restrictive cost of
HIV/AIDS medication), at the US Federal Drug
Administration (1988; to make experimental
drugs more available); the National Institutes of
Health (1990; responding to research delays),
and at St Patrick’s Cathedral, NYC (1989; to
protest Roman Catholic stances against homo-
sexuality and safe sex education).
Medications have been developed to treat
HIV and slow its progression. In 1987, the FDA
approved azidothymidine (AKA/Retrovir) in
HIV treatment after a controversial trial. It was
promising, but on its own was insufficient
to hold back the virus. According to the U.S.
Department of Health & Human Services,
AIDS was the “leading cause of death for all
Americans ages 25-44” (see link below). In
1996, new HIV medications and highly active
antiretroviral therapy (HAART, also known as
“cocktails”, as it is a combination of drugs)
made HIV a manageable chronic disease
rather than a terminal illness.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT HIV AND AIDS, VISIT:
1
T. Fitzsimons, LGBTQ History Month: The
early days of America's AIDS crisis, NBC News
(Oct. 2018): https://www.nbcnews.com/
feature/nbc-out/lgbtq-history-month-early-
days-america-s-aids-crisis-n919701
G. Herek, AIDS and Stigma, in American
Behavioral Scientist, 42:9 (1999); useful for
understanding public opinion in the 1990s.
Preprint version available at https://lgbpsy-
chology.org/html/abs99_intro_pre.pdf
G. Lopez, The Reagan administration’s
unbelievable response to the HIV/AIDS
epidemic, Vox (Dec. 2016): https://
www.vox.com/2015/12/1/9828348/
ronald-reagan-hiv-aids
HIV.gov, an official USA Government web-
site (US Department of Health & Human
Services and the the Minority HIV/AIDS
Fund). This website contains statistics,
medical information, and a timeline.
M. Specter, How ACT UP changed
America, The New Yorker (June
2021): https://www.newyorker.
com/magazine/2021/06/14/
how-act-up-changed-america
21
 The 1990s
Probably every decade in living memory can
be described as a decade of tremendous
change and importance, and the 1990s
are certainly no exception. Some readers
might well remember the 1990s, while for
others, the decade is practically antiquity.
A few notes and examples may be helpful
in setting the stage for a story set in that
decade.
The World. The 1990s are an era of
considerable economic growth for the
United States, Canada, Japan, South
Korea, and other nations. The Gulf War
(1990-1991) was a multinational mili-
tary response led by the United States
against Iraq after that nation’s invasion
of Kuwait. The Yugoslav Wars (1991-
1995) signal the break up of Yugosla-
via accompanied by genocide and
similar acts of territorial nationalism.
Likewise, the Rwandan Civil War
(1990-1994) led to the 1994 Rwandan
genocide. The Soviet Union formally
dissolved (1991). The Berlin Wall,
dividing East and West Berlin, was
demolished between 1989-1994,
and German reunification formally
began in 1990. In the United
States, a truck bomb exploded
in the garage under the World
Trade Center in New York City
(1993), signaling a new era in
transnational terrorism. George
H.W. Bush was president from
1989-1993, and Bill Clinton from
1993-2001.
Computers, the internet, and
information technology.
There are laptops, but they
are bricks compared to the
laptops of today. Your mobile
phone was not a computer.
Good luck carrying your
early Motorola or Nokia in a
small pocket.
The internet as a connected
network of government
and institutional com-
puters existed since the
1960s, but the internet
as casual users know it
(a global network and
the World Wide Web)
did not exist until 1990.
Dial-up online service
providers like America
Online (AOL), prodigy,
and Compuserve
provided email and
22 Et in Arcadia Ego
electronic information communication. While
email existed, it wasn’t a core feature until 1993.
Information resources for public use were still
largely analogue. Yes, databases existed, but they
were not accessible through the internet. (Dia-
log’s Knowledge Index was available as a dial-up
service for individual users, while libraries had
access to the full Dialog information retrieval
system.) Ebook prototypes existed, and Project
Gutenberg was founded in 1971 with the digitiza-
tion of the US Declaration of Independence, but
dedicated ebook readers didn’t get their fix until
the late 1990s.
Wikipedia was not a thing until 2001. Print
encyclopedias were still in existence. Encyclo-
pedia Britannica was the gold star encyclopedia,
and was still largely delivered in print through
the 1990s. In the early 1990s, it was released on
CD-ROMs, and then began internet subscription
in 1994. (Britannica’s digital offerings did not
supplant the print encyclopedia until the very late
1990s.)
Music. Multiple music genres already present
grew in prominence to broader audiences,
including hip hop, ska, country, EDM, and punk.
Alternative rock became more popular. Iconic
songs include Sinéad O’Connor, Nothing com-
pares 2 U; Madonna, Vogue; Vanilla Ice, Ice Ice
Baby; Whitney Houston, I Will Always Love You.
Consider Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, George
Michael. Although not in the world of popular
music, Dead Can Dance was formed in 1981 and
became more well-known in the early 1990s.
Anything by Dead Can Dance (particularly Into the
Labyrinth, 1993) would be adequately moody and
historically appropriate.
People listened to CDs, cassette tapes were still
popular, and while the MP3 format was invented
in 1991, no one had streaming music or online
music libraries. The 1990s saw a continued
decline of vinyl records.
Movies. The 1990s were marked by the rise of
independent cinema and CGI. Some of the highest
grossing films (produced and set in the 1990s)
include Basic Instinct, The Fugitive, True Lies, Speed,
Pretty Woman, Ghost, and Terminator 2.
At home, families used video cassettes, as the
DVD format wasn’t developed until 1995. Stores
like Blockbuster rented the newest movies.
For more resources about the decade see 1990s:
The Good Decade by Canadian novelist Douglas
Copeland:
https://www.history.com/
news/1990s-the-good-decade
 Erin Pryor — Nigel’s cousin
• Who you are
The year is 1994. You’re a 40-year-old artist living in Brooklyn, originally from an
established, well-to-do Albemarle County family. You studied fine arts at the Rhode
Island School of Design (RISD), but after college you found yourself in New York City
struggling to make ends meet. You fell into a tattoo apprenticeship, which led to a
series of commissions that afforded you rare financial freedom as an artist, though
few of your family members approve of your vocation. While you still paint and
illustrate, you now own your own tattoo studio and are highly sought after for your
work: abstract, free-form designs which seem to come to you from nowhere.

• Connection to Nigel
You are Nigel’s cousin on his mother’s side. You have been close since childhood,
playing together and confiding in each other often. You suspected that Nigel was
gay long before he came out to you in college. Although you don’t see him often,
your mutual love and trust have cemented your relationship over the years.
• Attributes
• Journey to Arcadie
Your cousin Nigel invited you to visit him at the family estate, Arcadie. He has AIDS
+e and you suspect this will be the last time you see him. You are no stranger to AIDS
in your community. Although you’ve been back to Charlottesville numerous times,
Willpower this is your first time returning to Arcadie since you visited his mother in hospice
+a Keep it o
T gether +h care. You always enjoy the train ride from New York to Charlottesville, which gives
you time to think and mentally transition between your social worlds.

1
Fortitude Re◊exes
Endure injury Avoid Harm
• What you bring with you
It’s winter, and you know that the estate can be cold. You bring warm clothes, all
+a +h cozy. You have also packed art supplies (your journal, a pad of art paper, and a
collection of pencils and pens), both for doodling and to work on client designs.
Reason Intuition You bring a CD player with a few Dead Can Dance CDs, music which helps you tune
Investigate th Read a Person out the environment.

Perception
+e Observe a Situation te
Coolness Violence
Act Under Pressure +e Engage in Combat

Charisma • Stability • Wounds

Inhuence Other
 Composed Serious Wounds (−1 ongoing) Stabilized

+m
 Uneasy Moderate stress:

 Unfocused −1 to Disadvantage rolls

Soul  Shaken Serious stress: 
See h
T rough the Illusion
 Distressed −1 Keep it Together
Critical Wound (−1 ongoing) Stabilized
 Neurotic −2 to Disadvantage rolls

 Anxious Critical stress:
 Irrational −2 Keep it Together
 Unhinged −3 to Disadvantage rolls
+1 S
 ee Through
the Illusion

 Broken The GM makes a Move

Player Characters 23
 Taylor Hawkins — Nigel’s Colleague
• Who you are
The year is 1994. You are a 46-year-old English professor and director of the Wom-
en’s Studies program at a prestigious midwestern university. You moved from
Washington DC to Chicago a few years ago for this position, although your home
and partner are still in DC. Concerned with rising violence against members of the
queer community, you have put your years of jiu jitsu practice to use by starting to
teach self-defense weekend intensives.

• Connection to Nigel
You are one of Nigel’s few colleagues who continues to correspond with him since
his retirement. You met as faculty at a private Catholic university in Washington DC,
and you seemed to be binary opposites: you thought of him as a stuffy, profession-
ally closeted gay man who championed “traditional” scholarship, while he was put
off by your outspokenness as a lesbian and your commitment to feminist literary
approaches. In spite of this vast difference, you developed a grudging respect for
• Attributes each other as your institution’s politics brought you together. You left the univer-
sity at different times and for different reasons — you were wooed by a school in
Chicago, and he became ill — but you left as friends.

+e • Journey to Arcadie
Willpower Nigel invited you to visit him at his family estate, Arcadie. He has AIDS and you sus-
+h Keep it o
T gether +t pect this will be the last time you see him. You spent a few days in DC visiting your
partner before taking the train to Charlottesville. You don’t feel ready for the visit, as
Fortitude Re◊exes you are already reeling from the recent death of a mentor to breast cancer.
Endure injury Avoid Harm

• What you bring with you

+m +h Although you care for Nigel, you dread both the emotional impact of the visit
and being stuck in his pretentious, privileged environment, so you bring work to
Reason Intuition distract you. In addition to weekend outfits, you’ve packed a manuscript to edit,
Investigate +t Read a Person a book you are reviewing for a journal, and photocopies of a few new research
articles. Every academic understands it’s not a trip unless you bring your work with
Perception
+e Observe a Situation +e you.

Coolness Violence
Act Under Pressure ae Engage in Combat

Charisma • Stability • Wounds

Inhuence Other
 Composed Serious Wounds (−1 ongoing) Stabilized

ah
 Uneasy Moderate stress:

 Unfocused −1 to Disadvantage rolls

Soul  Shaken Serious stress: 
See h
T rough the Illusion
 Distressed −1 Keep it Together
Critical Wound (−1 ongoing) Stabilized
 Neurotic −2 to Disadvantage rolls

 Anxious Critical stress:
 Irrational −2 Keep it Together
 Unhinged −3 to Disadvantage rolls
+1 S
 ee Through
the Illusion

 Broken The GM makes a Move

24 Et in Arcadia Ego
 Shawn Carson— Nigel’s Former Student
• Who you are
The year is 1994. You are a 33-year-old instructor at a prestigious private high
school in the Hudson Valley. You had been a promising doctoral student studying
medieval history, but politics led to your complete departure from higher educa-
tion. You’re living and teaching in a quiet, peaceful, and (to you) mind-numbingly
boring pastoral region north of New York City. As a high school teacher, you main-
tain a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach to your personal life and sexuality, and feel
professionally and socially isolated. You’ve recently begun seeing someone you
met while visiting New York City for a job interview, but it seems your longest rela-
tionship is with vodka and porn.

• Connection to Nigel
You met Nigel at Fordham University when you were a first-year doctoral student,
and he was on the faculty teaching Greek and Latin. You developed a relationship
more intimate than was deemed appropriate by some critics. These same critics
spread rumors about drug use and parties. It was not long after this scandal that
• Attributes
you left higher education completely. You know that Nigel feels he is responsible
for your departure from academia, but you refuse to discuss it with him. You recon-
nected a few years after you both left Fordham and have maintained a sincere,
+e significant friendship, but it is haunted by memories of what happened — and what
might have been.
Willpower
+h Keep it o
T gether +a • Journey to Arcadie

1
Fortitude Re◊exes Nigel invited you to visit him at his family estate, Arcadie. He has AIDS and you
Endure injury Avoid Harm suspect this will be the last time you see him. It is not a trip you are looking for-
ward to, given your complicated history with Nigel. You visited your new boyfriend
in Manhattan for the night before catching the train to Charlottesville, and allowed
+h mh yourself to be distracted from your anxiety by intense sex.

Reason Intuition
Investigate +t Read a Person • What you bring with you
More important than your weekend winter clothing is the bottle of the strongest,
Perception cheapest swill you could acquire at the train station in DC — because you knew if
ma Observe a Situation +e you bought one in New York it wouldn’t survive the train trip — along with a favor-
ite men’s exercise magazine in case you are inspired or need further distraction.
Coolness Violence
Act Under Pressure +a Engage in Combat

Charisma • Stability • Wounds

Inhuence Other
 Composed Serious Wounds (−1 ongoing) Stabilized

+a
 Uneasy Moderate stress:

 Unfocused −1 to Disadvantage rolls

Soul  Shaken Serious stress: 
See h
T rough the Illusion
 Distressed −1 Keep it Together
Critical Wound (−1 ongoing) Stabilized
 Neurotic −2 to Disadvantage rolls

 Anxious Critical stress:
 Irrational −2 Keep it Together
 Unhinged −3 to Disadvantage rolls
+1 S
 ee Through
the Illusion

 Broken The GM makes a Move

Player Characters 25
 Leila Asadi— Nigel’s Former Tenant
• Who you are
The year is 1994. You are a 47-year-old Iranian medical research scientist with the
National Institute of Health. You’ve lived in the Washington DC area since you
immigrated as a teen with your family, and you stayed in DC for college and your
combined MD/PhD. You have not been able to return to Iran since the 1979 rev-
olution, which devastated your parents. Your father later died of a heart attack,
although your mother says it was a “broken heart”. You are calm, pragmatic,
cultured, and elegant. You absolutely love your work in medical research, although
trying to explain RNA biology to anyone outside your field is almost impossible.

• Connection to Nigel
You were Nigel’s tenant in Washington DC, renting the basement apartment in his
Capitol Hill row house. You and Nigel spent many an evening sharing wine and
gossip about your respective workplaces, punctuated by the occasional weekend
shopping trip. You were among the first to learn about Nigel’s HIV diagnosis, and
• Attributes though virology is not your specialty, you helped him navigate the healthcare needs
brought on by both his illness.

+e • Journey to Arcadie
Nigel invited you to visit him at his family estate, Arcadie. He has AIDS and you
Willpower suspect this will be the last time you see him. You helped him as he dealt with the
+t Keep it o
T gether +h reality of HIV, but you’re not sure you are ready to say goodbye.

Fortitude Re◊exes
Endure injury Avoid Harm
• What you bring with you
You have no idea what to expect from the weekend, but you’ve packed a sturdy
bag with a variety of outfits. Will there be horseback riding? Antiquing? A private
+e +h cocktail party? You’ve got it all covered. Reflecting on your friend’s deteriorating
condition has also made you more contemplative, so you packed a book on Sufi
Reason Intuition poetry which Nigel gave you the year before and which you’ve been reading the
Investigate +t Read a Person
past few months.

Perception
+h Observe a Situation me
Coolness Violence
Act Under Pressure +a Engage in Combat

Charisma • Stability • Wounds

Inhuence Other
 Composed Serious Wounds (−1 ongoing) Stabilized

 Uneasy Moderate stress:
mh  Unfocused −1 to Disadvantage rolls


Soul  Shaken Serious stress: 
See h
T rough the Illusion
 Distressed −1 Keep it Together
Critical Wound (−1 ongoing) Stabilized
 Neurotic −2 to Disadvantage rolls

 Anxious Critical stress:
 Irrational −2 Keep it Together
 Unhinged −3 to Disadvantage rolls
+1 S
 ee Through
the Illusion

 Broken The GM makes a Move

26 Et in Arcadia Ego
 Bradford Thomas — Nigel’s College Roommate
• Who you are
The year is 1994. You are a 43-year-old army officer nearing retirement from your
military service. Your father, and his father before him, were in the armed services,
and military culture runs through your blood. Currently stationed at the Pentagon,
you are working toward building your next career as a defense contractor for the
federal government. You have a troubled relationship with women, who you mostly
use as trophy dates for formal functions or occasional opportunities for sexual
release. You struggle to establish long-lasting intimate relationships with anyone.

• Connection to Nigel
You and Nigel met as college freshmen at the University of Virginia, two strangers
assigned as roommates in the freshman dorm. It was a friendship that should
not have worked: you were interested in politics and sports and participated in
the University’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program, while Nigel was
a closeted gay nerd whose only sport was the fencing club. Yet somehow, your
• Attributes strange pairing led to a close friendship. He knows things about you that you’ve
never revealed to anyone else.

+e • Journey to Arcadie
Nigel invited you to visit him at his family estate, Arcadie. He has AIDS and you
Willpower suspect this will be the last time you see him. Although you could drive to Char-
+t Keep it o
T gether +h lottesville, you decide to take the train from DC. You are deeply anxious about this
visit. You care deeply about your friend — more than you can admit — but you

1
Fortitude Re◊exes don’t think you can maintain a stern, emotionless front throughout the entire visit.
Endure injury Avoid Harm Some of your associates have joked that you shouldn’t “drop the soap” and “don’t
get AIDS from him.” You laughed, awkwardly, along with your friends.

+h ah • What you bring with you

Reason Intuition Years of service and military travel have taught you to pack carefully. You bring
Investigate +t Read a Person
a duffel bag of clothes, with a heavy jacket and thick winter cap, and a bottle of
terrible vodka as a reminder of your college years with Nigel. You have not given
Perception
+h Observe a Situation +m thought to whether he can even drink alcohol at the moment. You travel as you
usually do, with a handgun packed in your luggage, because you do not trust
people.
Coolness Violence
Act Under Pressure +e Engage in Combat

Charisma • Stability • Wounds

Inhuence Other
 Composed Serious Wounds (−1 ongoing) Stabilized

at
 Uneasy Moderate stress:

 Unfocused −1 to Disadvantage rolls

Soul  Shaken Serious stress: 
See h
T rough the Illusion
 Distressed −1 Keep it Together
Critical Wound (−1 ongoing) Stabilized
 Neurotic −2 to Disadvantage rolls

 Anxious Critical stress:
 Irrational −2 Keep it Together
 Unhinged −3 to Disadvantage rolls
+1 S
 ee Through
the Illusion

 Broken The GM makes a Move

Player Characters 27