Fish in a

Barrel

SEEDS OF TERROR
 Fish in a
Barrel
A 1920s Call of Cthulhu Seed of Terror for 4 or 5 investigators

Phil Anderson & Nick Holland

Keeper information
Cornelius "The Fisherman" Doyle, a small-time Chicago bootlegger, has
obtained a supply of a special liquor called “The Juice” from a mysterious
benefactor. He enjoys his good fortune from plying the unique spirit at his
speakeasy, and for asking no questions.
Cedric Pike, Doyle’s friend and accountant is secretly part of a cult of the
Great Race of Yith. The cult has supplied the Juice through Pike, so that they
can find and prepare suitable sacrifices for a great ritual: one that will create a
permanent Gate to the time of the ancient Yithians. The cult leader has assured
Pike that success will grant unfettered access to boundless knowledge.
After a year of effort, Pike has found the perfect candidates, and tonight is the
night when the plan comes to fruition. What could possibly go wrong...

Player introduction The Barrel’s speciality drink - "The

Chicago, 1922
The investigators are old college
friends and drinking buddies.
Before prohibition, they met once a
week to knock back a glass of their
favourite bourbon and solve the
problems of the world. Now, their only
option for a night out drinking is to
visit a speakeasy.
They are valued regulars at The
Barrel, a hot spot on the city's north
side. The owner is Cornelius “The
Fisherman” Doyle: a bootlegger and
small-time gangster.
Juice" - is a delicious, glittering amber
liquor only available to regulars.
If you can order the Juice, then you're
one of the "it" crowd.
Membership has benefits
The investigators have frequented The
Barrel for over a year now; the place is
their good luck charm. Over the last
nine months, their work has received
accolades and approval. Today, each is
a rising star in their field.
Tonight, the joint is jumping! Every
table is full, the jazz is hot, the bar has
people three deep, and the crowd is
happy. It's a perfect night out.

1
Seeds of Terror Fish in a Barrel

A welcome interruption
The investigators are at "their" table,
The juice
enjoying each other's company and Each time the investigators drink
solving the problems of the world, as a shot of the Juice, the following
usual. occurs:
The owner, Cornelius Doyle, comes • They earn a bonus die which
over to say hello (“how are my favorite can be used on a die roll of
customers this evening?”) bringing them their choice. The bonus die
each a shot glass of Juice (“on the must be used before they can
house; big night, right? You need gain another from a shot of
anything, you let me know!”). Juice.
It’s their third – or is it fourth? – for the • They experience a brief surge
evening. They toast their host, and of unsettling and mind-
knock back the delicious amber wrenching visions.
liquor... (Sanity: 0/1D3)

An unwelcome interruption
...Suddenly, they are somewhere else! Investigation and reveal
Standing in a circle, arms outstretched,
eldritch symbols inscribed across The unspeakable itch
their arms and chests.
The investigators feel irritation across
At the edge of vision, a figure in a blue
their arms and chests. The affected
robe adorned with strange gold
areas are covered in red welts that
symbols holds their arms high as they
appear to be symbols. Investigators
chant the same words over and over.
can determine that they:
• (Accounting) ...seem transactional;
The chant something taken, something given
• (Linguistics) ...are clearly a
We give ourselves to the Key and
complex language, unknown to
the Gate.
scholarship
Our sacrifice opens the door. • (Mathematics) ...resemble the
All become one, all become dust. ‘wormhole’ equations of Einstein
and Schwatzchild
Our souls shall bridge the Present
• (Music) ...have repeating elements
and the Past.
that link one set to another
• (Occult) ...intimately bind the
The investigators feel their minds investigators to a ritual
stretch like over-filled balloons. The
They are also aware of the strong
robed figure walks away, saying
similarity to the symbols branded into
"...soon, your purpose will be fulfilled..."
the kegs at the bar.
Just as jarringly, they are back in the
speakeasy. No one – including Doyle,
whom they see heading out to the back
In the Barrel
room – seems to have noticed anything The speakeasy is an open, lamp-lit
unusual. (Sanity: 0/1D3) room with a bar along the east wall.

2
Seeds of Terror
Thick curtains cover the windows that
overlook the street. Jazz musicians
sing and play up a storm from a small
stage opposite the bar. (Handout 1)
The place is packed. Patrons come from
all walks of life, including notable city
officials and police officers.
The bar
Although the bar is well stocked with
spirits, the regulars always ask for the
Juice. Bar staff draw the amber liquor
from small wooden kegs, and serve it
in shot glasses.
Perceptive investigators notice that
empty kegs are taken through the door
to the left of the bar, and replaced with
new ones from the same location.
Keeper note: Investigators who ask
or demand to see Doyle are escorted
to the store room, where they wait
until Doyle is notified.
The storeroom
To the left of the bar, the storeroom is
stocked with crates of bootleg liquor,
and dozens of kegs identical to those on
the bar. Several kegs are empty.
A list of names is pinned to the wall
near the door. Many of the names are
struck through. All of the investigators
are on the list. (Handout 2)
At the back of the room is a small flight
of stairs; a door at the top leads to
Doyle’s attic office.
The attic
The large attic is set up as an office and
meeting area. Three gangsters sit
around a table, engrossed in a poker
game. Cornelius "The Fisherman"
Doyle sits at a desk, frowning at
something in what looks like a ledger.
3
Fish in a Barrel
• The investigators asked to see
Doyle: The gangsters look up, then
return to their game.
• The investigators snuck in: The
gangsters react aggressively when
the investigators enter. However,
Doyle recognises them and tells his
goons to back off.
Irritated but cordial, Doyle asks the
investigators what he can do for them.
Meet the Boss
What Doyle knows
• Doyle wants money and power.
• The Juice is making him rich!
• His accountant and best friend,
Cedric Pike, is the go-between for
Doyle and the Juice suppliers.
• The list is Pike’s “VIP” list - his most
important regulars.
• Pike told Doyle that the
investigators were “part of
something big tonight”. He didn’t
say what.
• Pike had some kind of seizure only a
few minutes ago - he’s lying down in
his office at the front of the attic.
• Pike has a tattoo with symbols like
those on the investigators.
Seeds of Terror
Pike’s peaked
The man who Juiced too much
Lying on a steel-framed cot in the front
room, lay the barely-lucid Cedric Pike.
He shivers, stares, and quietly babbles
a stream of gibberish.
Doyle tells the investigators, "I’ve been
telling him to stop hitting the Juice so
hard, but he said it helped him think..."
Doyle pulls back Pike’s shirtsleeve,
revealing the small tattoo depicting
symbols like theirs. He is shocked to
discover Pike’s arm is also covered in
ugly red welts. They are not as precise
as those on the investigators.
Transformation
Pike groans in agony. Tendrils of oily
light emerge from his body like a thin
film, stretching towards each of the
investigators. Suddenly, the film
ruptures and snaps back. Pike screams
and dies as his body is shredded by its
glittering fragments.
A chitinous horror the size of a man
emegres through the rupturing film,
and lunges at Doyle. It impales him
with sabre-like claws, then shoves its
way out of Pike’s office. (Sanity: 1/1D6)
When it enters the main room, Doyle’s
three henchmen empty their revolvers
into the monstrosity, killing it.
(Sanity: +1D6)
Downstairs, the sound of the gunshots
cause panic, and the speakeasy's
patrons flee the building.
What now?
Doyle’s henchmen
Doyle is dead. The investigators may
be able to persuade or fast-talk the
mentally staggered gangsters to ally
with them.
4
Fish in a Barrel
• The henchmen are not convinced:
All of them flee the speakeasy.
• The henchmen agree to help the
investigators: Five of them follow
the investigators’ lead. They can
provide cars and two spare
Thompson Submachine Guns.
Pike's footlocker
The small footlocker near Pike’s
makeshift bed contains a clean shirt, a
few personal items, and a neatly folded
blue robe. It is the same design as the
robe in the investigators’ vision, but not
as elaborate.
Doyle’s Desk
The Barrel’s ledgers are on Doyle’s
desk, open to the most recent
transactions. (Handout 3)
One page is covered in an eldritch
diagram comprised of script in an
unknown language.
Keeper note: Investigators with
80% or more in Physics or Occult
think that the diagram describes
some kind of gateway (Occult) or
wormhole (Physics).
An invoice tucked into the book
reveals that the Juice shipments
originate from a warehouse about two
miles south-west of the speakeasy.
(Handout 4)
Resolution
To the warehouse
The supplier’s warehouse is one of
many in the area. The investigators
have no trouble approaching the
building.
Seeds of Terror
Keeper note: If Doyle’s henchmen
are with the investigators, they
intend to shoot up the warehouse
and its occupants. Only a Hard
Persuade roll can convince them
otherwise.
Business as usual
Inside the large warehouse, men and
women unload large barrels from a
flatbed truck, while others decant an
amber fluid from the barrels to smaller
kegs.
Keeper note: If Doyle’s henchmen
enter with guns blazing, the
workers dive for cover. They draw
their own weapons and return fire.
Mayhem ensues.
The operation is overseen by a well-
dressed woman at the far end of the
warehouse. On a table nearby are small
piles of rich blue cloth.
Keeper note: These are cultists’
robes, for use during rituals.
As they enter, perceptive investigators
notice the overseer pull on a lavishly
decorated blue robe... she is the person
in their vision! (Sanity: 0/1)
The ritual
The overseer raises her arms and
begins to chant. A film of oily light
emerges from each investigator’s body
and stretches out to join with all of the
others, forming an unstable gate. The
gate moves as they do, its irridescent
sheen deepening with every round.
(Sanity: 0/1)
5
Fish in a Barrel
Effects of the ritual
Each round that the overseer
chants, the investigators:
• Lose 1 point of Sanity
• Must succeed at a POW roll or
are drawn into the ritual for
the round – they find
themselves saying the words of
the chant along with the
overseer, and lose an
additional point of Sanity
Stopping the ritual
To shut down the nascent gate,
the investigators must disable or
kill the overseer before three of
them become indefinitely insane.
The ritual succeeds
If three investigators become
indefinitely insane, all of the
investigators are consumed by
the ritual, becoming the boundary
of a permanent gate between the
present and the era of the Great
Race of Yith.
The consequences of the gate’s
existence are left to the Keeper.
What if the investigators avoid
the warehouse?
The overseer begins the ritual in
the early morning hours. No
matter where the investigators
are, the gate opens between them.
Successful POW rolls hold off the
compulsion for a while, but
eventually their sanity withers.
When three become indefinitely
insane, all are drawn to the
warehouse, where the gate forms
and they are consumed.
Seeds of Terror
From the warehouse entrance,
investigators need six rounds of
movement to reach the overseer,
longer if they can’t avoid obstructions:
• The investigators brought Doyle’s
henchmen: Their path to the
overseer is through stray bullets
and brawling gangsters and cultists.
Curiously, the cultists avoid
attacking the investigators.
• The investigators came alone:
Cultists that spot the investigators
try to restrain them while the
overseer completes the ritual.
The Key and the Gate
The horror!
Two rounds after the irridescent gate
forms, a nameless monstrosity
emerges from it. All wings, eyes, and
tentacles, it launches itself upward,
bursting through the roof’s skylights.
(Sanity: 1D3/1D10)
Shards of falling glass from the
shattered skylights inflict 1D6 points of
damage unless dodged.
6
Fish in a Barrel
Aftermath
• If the overseer is stopped, the
remaining cultists either flee, or are
finished off by the investigator’s
gangster allies. Surviving gangsters
are very wary of the investigators,
and pointedly suggest that they
leave town "for their health". Soon
after, a mysterious fire destroys the
warehouse and its contents.
• If the overseer escapes, the
investigators have made an enemy
who will seek revenge when the
opportunity arises.
• Over the next year or so, without
the Juice, the investigators return
to their pre-inspired state.
Eventually, they fade into obscurity,
their candles burnt out.
Conclusion and rewards
Apply the following rewards or
penalties as appropriate:
• Preventing the gate from opening:
+1D6 Sanity Points
• Defeating the cult leader:
+1D3 Sanity Points
Seeds of Terror Fish in a Barrel

NPC Statistics Pregenerated

DOYLE’S HENCHMEN,
investigators
Bootleggers and members of “The Fishermen” This adventure
requires a minimum of
STR 70 CON 60 SIZ 70 DEX 55 INT 50
three investigators,
APP 50 POW 40 EDU 45 SAN 45 HP 13 and includes character
DB: +1D4 Build: 1 Move: 8 MP: 8 sheets for five. If playing
Combat with fewer than five
people, consider using
Attacks per round: 1
them in the following
Brawl 70% (35/14), damage 1D3+1D4 order:
Tommy Gun 50% (25/10), damage 1D10+2
• Raphael DaCosta
.38 Revolver 50% (25/10), damage 1D10
• Eleanor Richards
Dodge 35% (17/07)
• Cesare Jackson
Skills
• Penelope Olson
Intimidate 60%, Poker 40%
• Harry O’Brien
Armor: None
Before you begin, have
THE OVERSEER, age 37 each player generate
their investigator’s
Leader of the cult of the Great Race of Yith
Luck statistic: roll 3D6
STR 50 CON 60 SIZ 55 DEX 70 INT 70 and multiply the result
APP 65 POW 70 EDU 65 SAN 0 HP 11 by 5.
DB: +0 Build: 0 Move: 8 MP: 14 Recommended: Limit
Combat the amount of Luck
each player can spend
Attacks per round: 1
during the adventure
Brawl 50% (25/10), damage 1D3 to a maximum of 15
Knife (Med.) 70% (35/14), damage 1D4+2 points. Playtesting has
Dodge 40% (20/08) shown that this helps
keep the tension in
Skills each skill test where
Art/Craft (Distillation) 65%, Persuade 70% Luck can be used to
Spells improve the result.
Create Permanent Gate, Brew Liquor of Pnakotis
Armor: None

CULTISTS: DEX 50, 10 HP

Will not harm investigators, only restrain them
Brawl 40% (20/08), damage 1D3
Knife (Med.) 45% (35/14), damage 1D4+2
.38 Revolver 35% (20/08), damage 1D10
Dodge 30% (15/06)
Build: 0

7
Seeds of Terror Fish in a Barrel

Handout 1: The Barrel floorplan

8
Seeds of Terror Fish in a Barrel

Handout 2: Pike’s list

9
Seeds of Terror Fish in a Barrel

Handout 3: Pike’s Ledger

10
Seeds of Terror Fish in a Barrel

Handout 4: Invoice from the juice supplier

11
 Credits
Scenario
Phil Anderon, Nick Holland

Map
Simon Lissaman

Research
Nicola Logan

Editing & Layout

Phil Anderson

Development
Allan Carey, Phil Anderson

Playtesting
Nick Carruthers, Shayne Cummins,
Lanz Frago, Brendan Hanton, Nicola Logan,
Michael O’Brien, Wayne Stewart

Product Number: T40ST-006

Fish in a Barrel ©2021, Type40
March 2021
type40.com.au

Pregenerated investigators prepared using

The Dhole’s House: www.dholeshouse.org

Call of Cthulhu is a Trademark of Chaosium Inc.

and is used with their permission via the OBS
Community Content program.

For more information, please visit Chaosium’s website: www.chaosium.com

12
 enjoy this adventure?
Consider becoming
a Seeds of Terror patron!
www.patreon.com/seedsofterror

13
Raphael DaCosta

14
Raphael DaCosta

15
Eleanor Richards

16
Eleanor Richards

17
Cesare Jackson

18
Cesare Jackson

19
Penelope Olson

20
Penelope Olson

21
Harry O'Brien

22
Harry O'Brien

23
 group of friends gather at their
A favorite speakeasy to enjoy the
jazz, the Juice, and each other’s
company.
onight, something big is going to
T happen. They just don’t realize it’s
going to happen to them...

Seeds of Terror are concise, easy to run

Call of Cthulhu adventures, designed for a single
session of exciting play. No need for hours of
preparation: just have a quick read, and dive right
in! Suitable for 4 to 5 players, each includes maps,
handouts, and five ready-to-play investigators.